Embracing a Fitness Funk

My sister has always been my fitness idol. She got in shape while we were in high school and hasn't stopped ever since. As I started my fitness journey, she taught me that there will be days where, for whatever reason, I will experience what I call a "fitness funk". The music just isn't pumping you up, you are feeling a little too hungry (or ate a little too much pre-workout), whatever. These days will happen.

I actually had one today.

I was working all morning on graduate school homework when I realized how little I had eaten all morning (and, also, how starving I was)! I heated up some brown rice, black beans, and garbanzo beans in a bowl with some Parmesan cheese. Yum. :]

Shortly after, however, I tried to fit in the only 30 minutes I had available for a workout. I popped in my Focus T25 DVD, took an Ibuprofen for my headache, and began to work out.
I don't know if it was the food or the headache, but I just couldn't push through the intense cardio moves like I typically do. I texted her and this is what she said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's true!

 

The same thing will most likely happen to you, and it's important to forgive yourself when it does. And so, with that in mind, I am going to make some green tea for myself and get ready for the rest of the day.

 

 

 

One Year.

October 1, 2012

On October 1, 2012, I was a 20something woman who always, always, always joked about how out of shape she was. People told me that I should play basketball (because of her height), but I always joked and said that I would be no good due to the fact that I was afraid of the ball!

On October 1, 2012, I was a gluten-free eater. I ate a lot of GF pastas, like a lot of people, and made lots of Lean Cuisine chicken meals (yes, there was one Lean Cuisine that was gluten-free!). I constantly ran to the grocery store and bought my daily meal, not thinking about much more than that.

On October 1, 2012, I had been drinking Shakeology for a month. I was feeling incredible and wondered how far I could run with this feeling, both literally and figuratively.

On October 1, 2012, I decided to stop living as the sum of my excuses. I decided that I was sick of being out of shape. I made a goal to run just one mile by December 25, 2012. On November 1, 2012... I ran two.  On December 23, 2012...I ran three.

On October 1, 2012, I changed my life in countless ways. Within a week of beginning my exercise journey, I had a personal revelation: I was ready to return to graduate school. I found energy and passion and a direction that I had been longing for, and so I began to apply for a graduate degree that I always felt was best for me (but was afraid to reach for it).

On October 1, 2012, I began to consider making a gluten-free blog. "There are countless blogs out there," I thought, "why would anyone read mine?"

October 1, 2013

On October 1, 2013, I have finished a 10k race.

On October 1, 2013, I am a graduate student in a fabulous program, making fabulous friends.

On October 1, 2013, GlutenFreeAdvocate.wordpress.com has Twitter followers, Instagram followers, Facebook followers, Pinterest followers, and almost 8,000 blog views.

On October 1, 2013, I have lost 8 inches off of my waist, hips, and thighs. I haven't lost much weight but have gained incredible muscle that I am so proud of.

On October 1, 2013, I am in the process of getting my teeth and jaw fixed through braces and upcoming oral surgery. (This was something I have NEVER had the courage to do.) 

On October 1, 2013, I am engaged and planning a wedding to my best friend.

On October 1, 2013, I am a Beachbody Coach. My fiancé and I are both coaches and help many people lead healthier, happier lives. As a result, he and I have bigger dreams to create and build and live than I ever thought possible. Honest.

In the span of one year, fitness, health, and overall wellness has transformed my life into something I NEVER dreamed for myself. While you may doubt that all of these things are connected to making a goal of running one mile, they are. I have learned over the course of just one year that we are the sum of daily, repeated, seemingly small actions. Those actions are adding value to others as well as eating one extra serving of vegetables. Even my braces are a result of this compound effect.

What can being truly healthy do for you?

Can Fitting in Fitness be Fun?

When people say "I'm really busy", I struggle with finding too much sympathy for the other person. I currently work five part-time jobs while commuting over an hour away for graduate school classes and still fit in time to work out and be a fitness coach. Is it time-consuming? Absolutely. Does it make me insanely busy and obsessive about keeping my day planner next to me at all times? Why yes, it does.

Is it fun?

yes!

I have found that when I make my health a priority, a lot of other things fall into line. For example, I worked out with my sister last Saturday morning. We wanted to do Focus T25 together. We figured out that, instead of killing 30 minutes watching television on a Saturday morning, we worked really hard and had an incredible amount of energy for our day! I showered and immediately went straight to work. Was I busy on Saturday? Yes. Did I work out? Yes. Did it make me feel better? Yes!!


How could fitting in fitness be fun, you ask?
1. Find your fitness soulmate. If you don't like running, don't run! If you don't like to lift weights so much, then don't lift weights. If you like to feel like you're dancing the whole time, then dance the weight off! Do whatever you will want to do almost every single day, and don't settle for anything less.

2. Find a way to commit. Do you like to work out with another person? Then make sure you have that person know your goals for accountability and support. Do you like to jump around in your living room alone? Then make sure you set a calendar alert on your cell phone and stick to it. Does your fitness program come with a schedule for a variety of workouts? Stick to that calendar 100%.

3. Don't quit on yourself. Just because you're out of shape doesn't mean it will always be this difficult. The hardest thing to do is to establish new habits that counteract habits you have subconsciously maintained for years. You must push play on that DVD player every single day and do not quit on the process!

4. Celebrate the victory! REAL healthy habits equal REAL RESULTS! This isn't rocket science! I'm not trying to sell you some get-skinny-quick program. This is a lifestyle change that will continue to reward you! Imagine not being concerned about how you will fit into your winter clothes. Imagine knowing already that your bathing suit will fit just as it did last year. Could you put a price tag on that feeling? Investing in a fitness program that works for 100% of you is like investing in your future. It really is. You are investing in your health, which will mean a healthier, happier, longer life with the people you love. Can you put a price tag on that?

5. Do it today. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Just go run around the block. Buy that fitness program that you saw on a Sunday morning infomercial. Just start for yourself.


And on that note, I must go press play and jump around in my living room. :) Go out there and make this fun!

Day 28 of P90X: Recovering From Injury

Last week I somehow pulled my shoulder while doing P90X's "Chest and Back" routine. My shoulder was extremely sensitive and I was very concerned about hurting it more, so I took a few days off of working out. It was actually really difficult not to work out because I've grown to appreciate the time spent on myself daily as well as the endorphins that keep me smiling through all of the stresses of work!


The one thing I had to force myself to learn throughout this weekend of healing is to respect my pain and respect my injury, despite the fact that I wanted to continue to work out and ignore the pain. Halting my progress in my workouts was just as hard as halting my workouts when I become sick. But I had to remind myself that if I were to work out, I risk hurting my shoulder even more!


Here is the video I made from the weekend about this exact topic:

YouTube: Amanda Plazek's Channel


Have a great post-Memorial Day week, everyone!

Growth and Progress: May 10, Day 10

I am 10 days into my 90-day challenge of P90X! It makes me so proud to say that....

Today I pushed myself through arms and shoulder/back exercises as well as Ab Ripper X, that lovely 16-minute workout that I struggle with most. I like working on my arms the most because I see results- my puny little arms are no more! They reflect the strength I am developing and show the world my efforts. (Or at least I think they do.)

I will admit to you, I was frustrated at myself that I didn't finish Ab Ripper X. Yes, I'm confessing to it! I was spent. But I did succeed at finishing a leg-raise exercise in Ab Ripper X for all 25 reps, which I haven't been able to do before! So, do I consider the exercise a success because of my new accomplishment, or do I consider it a failure because I couldn't finish the remainder of the workout?

It was then that I realized how much progress I have been making. I think people get frustrated at not getting exponential results immediately that they give up entirely. Yes, I gave up on Ab Ripper X today. But I am doing P90X!!! One year ago I couldn't even fathom trying P90X, and here I am, giving up 7 minutes before Ab Ripper X was finished. I was spent after pushing myself, so I stopped. SO WHAT? I was spent after pushing myself. I stopped because I had pushed myself to my limit.

It was a new limit for me. I couldn't even have finished my arms and shoulder exercises six months ago. I almost threw away the gift of progress today until I became my own cheering section. I needed it to realize my growth. Everyone needs to pat themselves on the back along the way of their fitness journey.

You can watch my initial reactions on my YouTube channel video for the day:

My YouTube Channel: May 10, Day 10


Have a wonderful weekend! Kick it into high gear! :)