Tag: change

fitness and nutrition

Chick 2’s New Nutrition Plan (aka 24 Chicken Nuggets and a Packet of Sauce)

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Chick 2’s Turn to Chime In:

I’m jumping on the macro bandwagon for different reasons.  Since the start of 2018 I’ve spent a few months on keto and a few months trying to “eat clean” focusing on upping my vegetables and protein while staying away from processed foods.  Both approaches brought success in their own ways, but after a time I stalled out, got bored, figured out how to game each system, missed ______ (bread, chips, tacos, tortillas, ice cream, brownies, insert whatever craving-of-the-week hit) a lot, and decided it was time to change again.

I first heard the word “macros” from one of my CrossFit coaches.  It didn’t take long until I was hearing it two or three times a week.  After seeing several friends achieve good results using it, I decided to give it a try.

It’s only been a few days, but here are my impressions so far.

-Tracking is a challenge to get used to, especially if you are serious about measuring your amounts (using a food scale, etc.), which you need to be. Neither of my previous plans required this.

-I have only eaten significant carbs (other than veggies or fruits on my clean eating plan) occasionally in the past 8 months.  I do feel myself wanting to gorge myself once I have some carbs, like rice, pizza crust, etc.  I hope this changes.

-It is HARD to balance it all. Examples:

Day 1: I ended up with some carbs and lots of protein left.  I had no idea what to do so I just gave up and decided to try again the next day.

Day 2: I ate well at work.  I have gotten really good at meal prep this year, packing for work for the week every Sunday.  Then I usually just eat dinner at home. But on this day I ended up going from work to the gym to watching my daughter play sports until late and ended up consuming 900+ calories after 8pm.  24 chicken nuggets, one honey mustard sauce, and a drink. You’d think this was a mega-cheat but it wasn’t.  I played with food combinations between games, etc. and that was all I could come up with, but I hit my macro counts almost perfectly for the day.  Still, as I told my daughter, the 24th nugget isn’t nearly as tasty as the first one. This was a “trust the process” moment, since everything in me said that eating 24 chicken nuggets was NOT a weight loss move. (I had many of these moments during keto as well.) But, I did it.

Day 3: Today I decided to eat the Chick-Fil-a meal that was offered to me at school midday, hoping to break calories up more evenly. Then I ended up way short on fat and carbs for the rest of the day (mainly due to the waffle chips I ate.)  It was a struggle to get nearly enough protein to get close to the right number.  I was hungry most of the day even though I ate more than my allotted calories, and in the wrong macro categories on top of that.

I am trying to be patient but at times that doesn’t feel so good.  On my previous diets I had go-tos that I knew I could eat if I was hungry.  I haven’t figured that out yet on this plan.  This particular group does not offer meal plans but I can see why they get asked so often to provide them.  It takes time to figure out what works.  On keto I did spend time reading labels to understand carbs, etc.  The second diet was easier to follow, just making vegetables the foundation of my diet.

This one has freedom over what you can eat but the amounts and the overall daily mix creep up on you.  It’s a lot to manage.  The best approach has been to plan the entire day in advance, but I’ve also realized just how often I am offered food unexpectedly (especially at work!) or that things often just don’t go according to plan.  In some ways this way of eating does seem like an approach you can use for life. I do want tacos and chips and all ice cream, but I know I can’t have them in unlimited amounts or every day if I want to be healthy.  I’m committed to figuring it out and seeing if I can achieve my goals.

I have had bad days and better days so far, but I am getting used to it.  I realize I have to be intentional from early in the day to get my protein in, so I shopped with that in mind. More to come in the next update.

#2chx #mealprep #health #nutrition #fitness #CrossFit #macros #iifym #proteinlife #keto #balance #chickennuggets #stilllovecheese
hustle

It’s All a Blur

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Yup, this week was a blur. That’s all I can say.

Wait! I lied. My week was so jam packed and full of chaos that the week appears like a blur but it was, in fact, amazingly crazy good!

When I say amazingly crazy you might roll your eyes or say that just doesn’t make sense but in my world it makes perfect sense. You see, I run a busy household with three active kids, I run a couple of small businesses, I have a full-time career, I am a workout junkie putting in six days a week, and I write as in this blog or I’m working on my next book series and that doesn’t include all the Mom duties that are not really clearly defined on most days. Crazy busy, right?

The irony of my crazy blurred life is I thrive in the chaos. Some of my best moments, my brilliant ideas or my good fortune come at the most inopportune times. For some that is hard to digest but for others they see the effort I put in when most are not watching. It really is simple if you have too much time your mind is idle and it wanders. I stay so busy that I have no idle time, lending my focus to the tasks at hand which I dominate.

Here is a glimpse at my week’s fitness milestones that I somehow accomplished during my chaotic work/family/life week:

I did my first GHDs. And those glutes and hams were on fire! I was inspired by my gym pal Geovanna.

I ran a mile in less than 10 minutes which is indeed a PR for me….BOOM! I had been working up to this for a long time and I finally made it after my WOD when I was tired so I know I am capable of improving.

I started working with a new nutrition coach after taking a few weeks off on my own. Change can be scary but with the right mindset most can overcome the fear. I’ll post a nutrition follow up in 12 weeks with my results.

I mastered one-leg, alternating-leg, and double unders on the jump rope without any hiccups in transition. This was an amazing way to end the week. My coach wants me to work on this movement and I put in my tabata today as a start. #goalgetter

Just when I thought my workout week couldn’t get any better I opted to go with a friend to her pilates class after my Saturday morning workout that was nothing less than brutal. I didn’t think about it. I just went and did it. My body was fatigued but welcomed the change in movements and pace. After the session was done I can truly say it was amazing. I didn’t love it like I love CrossFit but I enjoyed the change of pace and my body reacted well to the change. #newexperiences

On the family front: this week I got to bond with each kid in their own special way. Each one at a different age, facing different challenges, yet they are all plugging away at their own pace. They are living life. One is in the athlete/boy crazy phase, one is mastering the transition to adulthood/working and one is honing his entrepreneurial skills and planning the future. All looks bright for each today although each has had to overcome obstacles to get where they are right now and if I have taught them anything, they know life will be full of many more obstacles ahead. Teach perseverance vs entitlement. It’s a much needed mindset in today’s competitive world.

Get it done factor: in addition to daily workouts, I unloaded two freight trucks this week to cover for the guys that were on a job site managing a large rollout for one of my companies. This got me a double workout two days this week and some shifty eyes for doing what is perceived as a man’s job. Hmmmm…some people sure do underestimate the power of a woman and I sure do like to point that out when an opportunity appears! #girlswholift #strongmind #strongbody

Girlbossin’ with some hustle flair is one of my favorite traits to share with the world. This is a lesson in small business: you wear many hats. This week I had to wear the manual labor hat and I rocked it, but sometimes it’s the technical hat, the collections hat or whatever else needs to get done.

A glimpse at the professional side this week:

I conducted a large webinar training on regulatory changes, trained an adult group on suicide prevention in person, launched a big project successfully, started working on a large RFP, and balanced all of the other mundane tasks that float across my desk in a regular week. My mental clarity and strong will helped me push through.

As I wind down this post, I will share that hard work pays off. It is pretty simple. When you put consistent effort into something, results follow. This simple equation follows those in business, those in sports, and those on a self-improvement track. It really is simplicity and dedication that helps overcome obstacles. It’s not being lucky. If you want to be lucky play the lottery. I put in work to see results, so I know I earned what comes my way.

Remember, you control your destiny. Only you. You have to be you for you. Nobody is going to make you successful. You are the only one with that capability.

Unfortunately, I see people each week who either whine about working too hard, not getting a raise that they feel is due, or just waiting for direction vs. seizing the moment and opportunities in front of them. I shake my head and move on. Until people see their value and understand how to harness their unique qualities they sit in a comfort zone, one which will never have them testing their limits.

Where do you fit in? Are you a mover and shaker who gets it done each day with self motivation and drive or are you a sit on sidelines and wait for somebody to put you into the action? One who needs to follow a duties list to be productive?

Each of the above has its place in the world, I guess. For me, I play to win each day in whatever game is front of me. Most days the game of life includes a form a chess, some bouncing around like hopscotch, some sprints, some team building or counseling at work and/or home, growth plans, and some kind of math or brain teaser. Every day is full of different challenges and that’s what I enjoy the most.

Just when the fun winds down, the pillow is not far off. Sleep and repeat. And don’t underestimate the sleep aspect. Getting 8 hours of consistent sleep makes the following day easy peasy. Your brain needs time to rest as does your body and spirit.

Not sure where to go in life? Start with a notebook and set some simple goals. Attain those goals and reach for the next new and more lofty goals. If you never hold yourself accountable you will stay in the same boring place in life and most likely feel trapped.

Get up. Get going. Create your path. You will inspire others along the way. And age should never be a barrier. You can start in your teens, twenties, thirties, forties and so on.

If this post helps you find your personal sunshine, drop me a note. I love hearing from my readers near and far.

-KT

#2chx #inspireothers #goalgetter #girlboss #hustle #hustleandmuscle #CrossFit #pilates #newexperiences #health #worklife #professional #family #mindset #productive #weekinthelife

dare to be different

Changes for Chick 2

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In a recent post, KT shared her thoughts about change. In fact, if you look closely, change and growth is a theme in many of the things KT writes. She embraces change as a part of life, welcomes it as a path to new challenges and achievements, even seeks and manufactures it to keep herself growing. It is a quality I admire (especially since I do not share it.)

In yet another of the 867 ways that the 2 Chicks are opposites (that we have discovered so far), change is something that makes me very nervous.  I worry about it, try to avoid it, pretend it’s not there, and usually resist it with every bit of my being.  What’s sad is that, even at age 44, I act as if change is avoidable – like I can do something to stop it. I’ve wasted a lot of precious energy trying to keep change at arm’s length. So what’s been happening lately is surprising.

Although I haven’t announced it widely, big changes have been happening in my family. There have been job shifts, school shifts, routine shifts, goal shifts.  Some of these were invited, some were forced upon us by circumstance.  We are all still trying to find our footing as things continue to change and develop.

By way of example, I changed my job (on purpose!) this year.  This is HUGE for me, as someone who avoids change.  But, I needed to make this happen for several reasons, so I set a goal, did the work, and one of the several positions I applied for panned out. (Not surprisingly, it was KT who helped me through the process of getting it done. She is truly a #goalgetter and generously shares her approach!)  Although I still have the same job title, it is a completely different community and school dynamic.  I am trying to keep up, but it is a lot to take in.

Then there are the “domino effect” differences.  The biggest of these is trying to fit in my workouts after school. I can’t attend CrossFit classes at 5:30 am anymore, which has been an adjustment.  I miss my morning gym friends and the stress relief that starting the day with a good sweat brings.  But, I’m getting there at other times as often as I can and making it work. And there are all kinds of other changes that came from my job shift as well.

I’ve been watching the way the changes throughout my family have been playing out.  Even on a good day, with good support, change can be taxing for some.  As I encourage everyone to be patient and take care of themselves while taking each day as it comes, I try to remember to do all those things myself as well.

It can be hard, though.  If I scroll through facebook or instagram, it seems like everyone is always happy, always on vacation, always upgrading their houses, always successful, always champions.  I know my kids see this, too.  It’s rare that people post the hard stuff, the mundane, the oil changes, doing dishes, folding laundry, managing illness, aches, and pains, doing paperwork, struggling with homework, waiting in line, dealing with boring commutes, enduring frustrating people and all the other the day-to-day junk that can take up most of our time.  Of course, we all have those things, but we often keep them behind the scenes (myself included). We may share them with friends, but not always on a big platform. It’s easy to be sucked in to thinking we are the only ones with work or troubles or time we wish could be better spent.

We also rarely see all the work that goes in to transformation.  Instead, we see the end result, the success, not the sweat, the sacrifice, the tears, the drills, the hours of practice, the falls, the U-turns, the frustration, the days when it didn’t seem like anything good was going to come of all the effort.  When you just see the result, it always seems easier than it actually was.

As I was sitting on the back porch writing and thinking about this, trying to make some sense of it for today, a butterfly floated by, blissful as can be on the breeze.  I thought about all the change that butterfly had been through in life.  And so much of that change is done out of view, in the muck and mush and ugly, miraculous work of transformation.

We get no view, there is no applause for this process of change.  The caterpillar goes into hiding, on some internal cue, all along doing the mysterious, innate work it was meant to do.  When it comes time, it emerges, dries its wings, unfolds those beauties, and takes flight.

For me, Sunday is a day of errands and preparation.  Shopping for the food, cleaning the house, packing the lunches, doing the workout, folding the laundry.  Maybe not what many would see as an instagrammable day, but one that sets me up for a week with less stress so I can focus on pushing myself further on the path in my work while also supporting my family and friends in theirs.

It’s also a day of writing and thinking and reconnecting with my vision of my future, and the next steps it will take for me to get there. I’ve carved out that time, so I still take a personal step toward who I am becoming.  No one else can make that time for me (another lesson from my friend KT!)  I have to do it, even if it is just a couple of hours. Other things will go undone, and I’ve learned to be ok with that (but I haven’t always been that way!)

Unlike the butterfly, I’m giving you an inside glimpse into one messy Sunday afternoon moment of my transformation. It may not be pretty. There are groceries all over the counters, floors that need mopping, emails that need answering, kids that need encouraging.  Today and every day, there are loose ends and mushy parts.  There are red herrings and rabbit trails. There are things I will sharpen or learn to do better as I practice and continue to evolve.

Through all of it, I know I am changing.  It may not be a straight path and it may not be quick, but I am inching forward overall.

And at the end of this path is my launch pad, where I’ll suddenly, inevitably, unfold these beauties, and take flight.

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#2CHX #inspireothers #change #transformation #butterfly #goalgetter #Sunday #mealprep #Crossfit #embracechange

 

 

perspective

Dreams vs. Reality

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Most people have ideas of some sort that float around in their headspace at any given time. Sometimes those ideas turn into daydreams or even dream sequences at night.

A racing mind can be a blessing for some and a curse for others. When a person can harness their dreams and turn them into reality, the magic happens. It often equates to what many refer to as success. Although everyone’s definition of success is slightly different, I will highlight a few scenarios:

One may dream of a healthier lifestyle and put a plan of action together to work hard and live fit resulting in their ultimate success. No matter how long the journey takes the person is chipping away at the success they dreamed about.

A kid may dream of making their first high school sports team as a freshman, or they may want to go from a nobody to a somebody on the social side of school. Watch a child. They are resilient. They will chip away little by little and they are not afraid to try new methods to achieve success. Their minds are searching for solutions and they are soaking up knowledge by the second. As adults we can learn so much by channeling our inner child. The curiosity, the fearlessness, the desires of a child are amazing to watch, not to mention most kids can be doggedly persistent. Kids are born sales professionals. What happens when you become an adult? Do you lose all those traits or are they just hidden in your dreams?

Another may dream about getting a new job. It may be a job that is more challenging, a bigger pay rate, closer to home, among other reasons. Once the dream shifts to reality a plan is formulated: find targeted employers, update the resume, invest in a personal coach, buy the killer interview clothes and practice to seal the deal. It may take one interview but more often than not it will take more than one. Still, working the plan makes the dream become a reality and there will be many learning opportunities along the way that may spark new dreams.

For those living the military life, a new dream may take the form of aspirations to become an officer and lead troops in combat or maybe even become an officer who flies fighter jets. Whatever the dream is, hard work is involved to make the dream a reality. The chipper list associated with these dreams may include prerequisites such as a college degree, a minimum age requirement, a vision or health standard, a proficiency rating on charting or maps, among others.

Dreams, aspirations, and goals all lead somewhere but there is a common denominator in all of the ones that lead to success: there is a vision that turns into a plan which translates into reality. The plan, if designed well and properly executed, leads to completion or success.

If you are a person who struggles with making dreams turn into reality, start small and practice. Rome wasn’t built in a day and time surely passes by the minute. If you never try to forge ahead you will always float in the same space of dreamland and that is an empty and lonely space for many.

Start with a small journal and jot down your dreams and ideas. Take one and form a plan of action, then see where your dream takes you. Sounds simple, right?

Simplicity is key and there is no better time to start than now. Dreams can never become reality if you never take action to make your dreams your reality. Be you, for you. Write your own destiny today and in the future.

Duplicating success is easy once you understand the basics. Dream big. Challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. Exiting that area of comfort is part of the WOW factor.

Become majestic in your own way.

-KT

 

#KT #2CHX #fearless #dreambig #success #ideas #tapyourtalent #goals

balance

Bye Bye Summer

2chicksandapen

Last week was a busy one. Ending summer vacation is usually one week that is crazy for me and many others like me. It’s filled with back-to-school Open Houses, school supply shopping, all tied in with my work juggling act, among the regular chaos of my week.

How do I balance it all? I just do. It is what is expected in my Mom role. Just get it done and hit the restart button the next day. There is no award waiting for me when the kids successfully make it back to school and become well-adjusted, but there is gratification in knowing I did all I could to set them up for success.

My youngest is starting a new school and that comes with new adventures, schedules, teachers, friends, experiences, and so much more. But for a teenager it can also come with stress, anxiety, fear, and a host of other feelings as she wonders how she will fit into her new surroundings.

For now I am focusing on the positives and using this change as a teaching moment to show her how to attract and find good solid friends. The friends who will be by your side when you need them versus those who judge you for being new, dressing differently, or not being the most popular kid on day one.

Will it work? I don’t know but I am going with my gut and encouraging her to be her and let the rest fall in place.

When one can learn to adapt to new environments, new challenges, and be true to herself she will feel empowered to tackle the unknown and be fearless as she grows older.

Fingers crossed as the weekend rolls into the weekdays with new routines, new people, and the shock of being back-to-school for her.

Meanwhile I will be doing a party dance as I get my routine back, my space, my focus and everything else that goes out the window during summer break.

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#byebyesummer #hello7thgrade #2chx #mompower #chicksthatwrite #buildingabadass #stronggirls #fearlessmessage