Oklahoma Strong - 20 years later

At 25, it's weird that I have so many memories of this day, but I guess it's not really something you forget.

Proud to call this place home <3

A Race and a Surgery

A 5k! My lovely friend and I have been keeping each other on track with our running, and finishing this fun little race with no walking was a great accomplishment :)




But then, arm surgery. Radial Tunnel Syndrome plus getting kicked off the parents' excellent health insurance next month equals getting operated on. Two weeks with stitches, so no working out at all, then likely four more weeks in a sling, then a couple months of physical therapy.




Thank goodness for painkillers and meds that keep me from puking up those painkillers! :)

Finding a Personal Trainer

Before working in the fitness world, I had a lot of misconceptions about what a good personal trainer should be like. As long as they look great, what they're doing must be working, right??

Unfortunately, not so much. I saw this great article and had some thoughts. There are so many people out there who got a little lucky genetically or who stumbled upon a good workout routine and worked their way to a rockin bod who still have no idea how to safely help people improve their lives and fitness levels.

First, many fitness certifications aren't regulated. You can take a little joke of a test online and print out your shiny certificate that says you're ready to train people. Even the ones that are legit often don't require more than a HS diploma and a little studying to pass a test. While this is a great educational opportunity, it doesn't necessarily prepare you for the ins and outs of taking someone's health and safety into your hands. So my first piece of advice would be to look into the educational background of a personal trainer you might be considering. Did they go to college for this? Just how many certifications do they have, and from which certifying body did they get those certifications? How long have they been doing this? Overall, just make sure the person knows what they are doing and has actual science to back it up.

Second, do they try pushing specific supplements, fad diets, or crazy workout regimens? If so, run for your life. While people are free to try these things (good luck with that), your personal trainer should stick to research-backed exercises, plans, and progressions... not magic pills and potions. And if they try to push ideas that they got out of a fitness magazine.... just don't.

Third, if your PT tries to write you a meal plan, get out. Only Registered Dietitians are legally allowed to do so, and any personal trainer who tries to pass that off is way out of line. Fitness (and a little bit of general nutrition advice) is the PT's domain. That's it.

Personal trainers can be an amazing tool in your health and fitness journey (people who use them lose more weight, on average), but just make sure you choose the right one :)

Fitness-isms (that are all too true)

There are certain phrases and ideas that are thrown around in the fitness world...... All The Time haha.

The thing is, though, some of them are true! (Shocking, I know.)

Here are some that I've been running into a lot lately.

If you're not losing weight, you're not burning more energy than you're taking in!

It's not just the gym that counts, it's how active you are throughout the day! Get up and move!

Just because you work out, doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight!

:)


Any little nuggets of fitness advice you'd like to share?

I Can't Catch a Break

Have I mentioned that I'm 25 going on 80?

Seriously, my body is already failing me and I'm not even 30 yet. This just isn't right haha.

I found out yesterday that I have a ruptured ear drum. Ouch. Add that to the surgery I'm having in a month for my Radial Tunnel Syndrome, my back and neck problems from my car accident, my still-unidentified autoimmune disease that gives me moving nerve pain, AND this cold I've been fighting for over two weeks... and you have one grumpy human.

Good thing for jammies, rice bags, and chocolate. :)


and this picture

A Climbing Trip to St. George :)

Despite a cold and ongoing back problems, we took a wonderful car-camping (literally sleeping in the back of the Forerunner) and climbing trip with wonderful friends. So warm, so much good food, and soooo fun :)




Including a trip to the caves in Snow Canyon, climbing at Black Rock and Chuckwalla, a random dude who took a selfie on my phone, and some wonderful people :)

Yum.

The struggle to eat healthfully is real, y'all.

I'm not trying to lose weight or anything right now, but I am trying to eat a little more mindfully. I want to fuel my body so that during and after this recovery process, I will be able to accomplish the things I want.

And when there are doughnuts, snickers bars, and pumpkin cookies available, that is quite difficult, let me tell you.

So, a few of the little things I'm taking joy in.





Remember my little mint plant? Adding some leaves and a squeeze of lemon... delicious way to drink more water :)




Quinoa. Weird, and delicious. I just make it in water, no seasonings, and then drizzle it with some of that infused olive oil. I can make it on the weekend, divide it into containers, and take them with me for lunch. Perfect :)