Your Journey

 I love this quote! It's a great reminder that it's all your choice. Your path. Your journey. You do what's best for you. Don't expect others to have the same goals as you do, and don't expect anyone to be excited for yours. It doesn't mean people don't support you. It's just that we are all different and we all have different goals. As long as you are happy and following the goals you set for yourself then you'll continually be going in the right direction.

Our overall health is a journey. The path to get healthy will constantly change based on your current situation. It doesn't mean the end goal of being healthy changes. It just means the way you get there could change. That's why it's important to have little weekly goals and be flexible. 

This has always been one of my favorite images. Don't let a few "bad" days change your goal. Keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep chasing that goal.

My goals for this week are simple. Move more. Strength train four times. Log my food. I'm doing great with them so far! My morning walks are turning out to be what I look forward to the most. I get up, have my morning cup of coffee, and by the time I'm half way through it I'm already thinking about my route for my walk. When I get home afterwards, I have the same sense of accomplishment that I always had after a run, and I love it! It's my time to clear my head. Eventually I would love to be running again, but for now, I just love being outside and moving more.

Weight lifting is my favorite! It makes me feel so strong and confident. I can see already how it's changing the shape of my body. I'm loving the Body Beast program, and I can't wait to see my results when I finish it. It's so challenging! After two heavy arm days in a row, this was me in the shower this morning - lol!

Food logging is my least favorite goal this week. I'm doing it though! I know it's the one that will benefit me the most. My plan was to just log what I eat and not change anything; however if you've ever logged your food then you know you subconsciously start changing the way you eat. You suddenly don't want to log certain foods and you'll start looking ahead at your day and planning it out. For example, leftovers for lunch most likely means I'm having a salad for dinner or if I'm at 1200 calories and I still have dinner, but I'm hungry for a snack then I'll make a better choice for that snack. It really just makes you more aware of your choices which is a good thing!

We just had a slight change in plans for the week and will be heading to my folks place for a few days. I was going to take tomorrow as a recovery, but I think I'll go ahead and tackle leg day so I can enjoy the following two days as rest at my folks place. Remember to be flexible in your goals! Look ahead at your week and make a plan to still achieve your goals no matter the obstacles. You can do it! I believe in you, and me!!

First, A Plan

 

I've been thinking about my accountability post yesterday and I started to realize that you can't be held accountable if you don't know what you're trying to achieve. I need a plan. A goal. A focus. Otherwise, how can I be held accountable?

I'm going to start small, and take it a week at a time for now because, honestly, I'm not sure what I truly want in the long term. I mean, ideally, I'd like to be stronger, faster, better then I am today, but what does that look like exactly; I'm not sure. So, for this week I have a few things:

    1. Be more active. Eventually I want to run again, but for now, for today, I need to focus on moving more. To accomplish this I'm going to go for morning walks. No set time or distance. I just want to be more active. Ideally I'd like 10,000 steps a day, but again, for this week the focus is getting those walks accomplished.

    2. Strength train 4 times a week. I love strength training. I like the way it makes me feel and the way it makes me look. I'm doing the Beachbody program Body Beast, and I absolutely love Sagi Kalev. He is my kind of trainer! After completing three of his workouts and having DOMS every. single. day. I decided that I need to change the program some. I'm not changing the goal of completing Body Beast, but I'm adjusting his schedule. I'm changing it from 5 strength days a week to 4, doing the 1 cardio day, and adding 2 rest and recovery days that are yoga and foam rolling. In a few weeks I hope to be strong enough to do his calendar as it's laid out, but for now, I desperately need those recovery days.

    3. Food logs. I had a Nutritionist ask me once, "How can you achieve your goals if you don't know what you're putting in your body?" It's stuck with me all these years. I do best when I log my food, so my goal this week is to get it done. No whining, no complaining, no halfing it. Just getting it done. I completed it yesterday, and will continue to complete it all this week. I'm not changing eating habits yet, just focusing on tracking what I'm currently eating.

That's it. Three goals for this week. Move more. Strength train. Track my food. Sounds simple enough, but it's been a struggle. I've said, to myself, for weeks now that I'm going to do these things. So for now they've just been words. No more. Action starts today. Right now.

1. Move more ✅ Morning walk is done for the day!

2. Strength Train ✅ Beast Shoulders is done!

3. Food log. Started! Breakfast has been logged.

It's time to stop thinking about it, and start doing it. Let's get after those goals!! 💪

Accountability

 

Accountability. It means something different to everyone. To me it means holding yourself responsible for something you said, long after you said it. I'm not very good at holding myself accountable. I can support my friends, and hold them accountable when they ask me to help them stay on track. Can I do the same thing for myself? Sometimes. It's when I'm struggling that I could really use an accountability buddy.

I've got goals. Big goals. I want to accomplish so much. Wanting and doing are two completely different things. Sometimes I think if I just had someone checking in on me, making sure I was staying on track I'd do better. Why do I need someone? Why can't I be that person for myself? I don't need someone to hold my hand. I need to hold my own hand and get things done. That's not always easy. 

I started a new workout program this week. Body Beast. It's a beast of a workout, for real! I've been sore every. single. day. I've been pushing myself, and challenging myself to go heavier, to keep trying, to do just one more rep. I feel strong. I feel confident. But the last two days, I just haven't wanted to do it. Why not? Because I'm sore? No! I'm stronger then that. I think I just needed a rest day. Two rest days. I feel slightly guilty tonight, but I also feel better and more prepared to tackle this upcoming week. I believe my body was telling me to slow down. No one says you have to stick to the program exactly how it's written. I don't need to lift heavy six days a week. I'm not chasing a body building competition. I just want to be stronger. Look stronger. Feel stronger. Be stronger. I can do that with four or even five days of lifting a week as long as I take rest days when my body says it needs it. I'm not going to stop pushing and challenging myself, so I need to make sure I'm giving myself adequate rest. I would expect the same from those who seek my help to get stronger. 

I hope my friends and family believe in me, but if they don't that's okay. I believe in myself as much as I believe in you. I just need to start holding myself accountable so I stop getting side tracked from my goals. Don't worry. I'll keep working hard. I'll keep pushing. I'll keep showing up. I'm not a dreamer, I'm a doer.

New Month, New Program

 

We are nearly a week into April already! Where is the time going? I feel like it's just slipping right on by here lately. I've got so many projects I'm working on, maybe that is making the time fly by? Either way, it needs to slow down a little. I'm not ready for summer!

On Friday, April 2nd, I ran. It was so cold outside!! We've had beautiful spring weather lately, but on Friday, it was 35 degrees and windy. I had to bundle up for my run. Thankfully I've got a few amazing Zyia items to help me with that! Afterwards I stretched it out. My leg was feeling great, and my foot is doing good as well. Yay!

Saturday I started doing a new program on Beachbody on Demand called LIIFT 4. It's four days of lifting with three recovery days mixed in. I took my "before" photos (above) and measurements. I'm excited to see what kind of progress I make with this program. I've really enjoyed the first first two workouts. Day one was chest and triceps and of course included pushups, but it actually wasn't bad. I was expecting lots of different sets and styles of pushups, but it was only tricep pushups. 

Sunday, was another LIIFT 4 day, back and biceps. My arms were shaking so bad when I was done! I had trouble getting the protein powder down - lol! Even now they're still a little sore with certain movements. Gotta love DOMS!

Sunday was also Easter. The kids got up early and started hunting for Easter baskets and I found a fun treat in my morning coffee cup. My weekend didn't quite go as planned, but we made it work and still had a nice family time. We had an egg hunt, a nice family dinner, went for a family walk, played some games, and basically just had a typical family weekend (minus all the eggs and candy).

I got up this morning and went for a run. It was so nice to watch the sun rise. I've really missed morning runs, and I hope my foot (and now leg) stay strong and healthy so I can continue running. It really does bring me a lot of joy, and puts me in a better mood.

This is one of my absolute favorite graphics. I found it a few years ago and I refer back to it all the time. It's a nice visual reminder that sometimes we have bad days, but it's not going to ruin your plans. I've been struggling a bit with balancing family life and school life. I haven't found the best time to get my studies in and I'm afraid my personal training studying has been falling to the wayside. Self doubt is starting to creep in and make me wonder if I rushed into something I wasn't ready for. The most recent section is all about the science behind training and I've found myself rereading paragraphs and still just not grasping the material, so I put it up, and unfortunately, that was over three days ago. I need to get my nose back in the book. I've got goals and I've got no room for all this doubt. I can do it, and I will do it. I just need a better plan of action! If I can make room in my day for my workouts, I can certainly make room in my day for my career path.

That went fast...

                                   

Another coffee. Story of my week! I meant to blog every day, and I thought about it several times, but I never took the time to sit down at the computer. I need to find an easier way to get my photos onto my computer then it'll be easier for me to do an update. Anyway, it was a busy week!

Monday I ran and did a yoga stretch for runners. I'm so happy to be running again! I've been doing the C25K week one on repeat. It's 30 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking. I'll flip it for longer running and shorter walking once I start to feel stronger again. My foot has been doing great, and I think my Hoka shoes were a good decision; however, my right leg has been bothering me. I have a sharp pain on the back of my leg that runs from upper calf to my lower hamstring. When I stand up it hurts, or when I climb stairs, and if I kneel down onto the ground. I think I hurt it during mbf which is why I stopped the program and took some time off. I thought it would be feeling better by now. I've been making sure to include stretching after every workout. I take ibuprofen and I'll elevate it when sitting. I guess if it stays this way for too much longer I'll have to have it looked at. For now, it's just annoying.

I also weigh myself on Monday's. I'm down three pounds this week! Don't ask what I did, because I don't know. I've been getting a lot better at tracking my calories and I've been chugging lots of water. I've been trying to get out of the 190's for months now, and I'm so very close!! 

I got another mail delivery from Zyia!! We love mail day around here. Even Katelynn got a new outfit!

On Wednesday I ran again! I was super proud of myself for running twice this week. I was planning to run again tomorrow, but I think I'll take a few days off to see how my leg feels.

Today is April Fool's Day and my Garmin watch had jokes! 94 miles in 20 minutes!! haha Kids and I went for our daily walk and when we got home this is what it said. It was more like one mile, but it's pretty funny considering the day!

It's also my 14th Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe we've been together for 14 years already. Time has been going by so much faster then I ever thought it would. We've built at beautiful life together and have two beautiful children to show for it. I'm looking forward to many more adventures with my favorite guy.

My motto for the upcoming week: keep making those small changes. The results aren't always noticeable right away, but things are changing!

Zyia Mail and Cherry Blossoms

I love mail days! I ordered some shorts from Zyia and they just arrived. I've never been a very big shorts person. I don't like the way my legs look in them, and since I've got thicker thighs they always ride up. I prefer to wear knee length skirts and capri's during the summer. Well since I've started being a representative for Zyia, I figured I should try out some of their shorts so that I could review them for my customers. I ordered the Sky Blue Club shorts and the Black Canyon shorts. I ordered both pair in my jogger size which is an XL (comparable to a 12-14).

These Sky Blue Club shorts were my favorite of the two. In person they look periwinkle. They are soft and feel like they'd be great near the water. I think they'll be perfect for the beach, hiking, boating. The waist actually fit me (in most clothes I get a gap in the back from having a small waist and big hips).  

The Black Canyon shorts were okay. They fit exactly like my joggers - snug in the butt/hips/thighs, and that's not quite how I was expecting them to fit. Sizing up one more might help them have a looser fit. They were comfortable! Just as comfortable as my joggers. The material reminds me of my cozy joggers and will probably be pet friendly. 

I will probably wear both of these shorts at some point around the house, but I'm not sure if I'll wear them anywhere else. That's just a personal preference thing though. I'd recommend both pairs to anyone who likes shorts. 

Today was my daughters Girls on the Run Heart and Sole run club. I co-coach with two other wonderful ladies. My job is to lead all the runs and cooldown portions. It's a great "job" and I love it. I wish I could get paid to do it! Coaching kids how to run is one of my most favorite things to do. After our run club my family went to Red Wing Park to see the Cherry Blossoms. 

One of the things I miss about Japan is how they embrace and celebrate the changing of the seasons. Everything in Japan right now is covered in cherry blossoms. Every store has it on display, food is shaped like the leaf, it's just everywhere and it's amazing. The park here in Virginia Beach, has a sister city in Japan so they've got a Japanese garden and an area they call Sakura Lane. Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. I am so glad we found this park! Sakura season is my absolute favorite time of year in Japan, and now I have it here! I thought I'd share some photos from today. Enjoy!

Fri-day Run-Day

Good Morning! Happy Friday! I started my morning off with a run, and now I'm feeling really great. It's been quite some time since I've had a consistent running schedule that I've followed. I hope to change that now!

I know for certain that I'm not a Barre Blend fan on Beachbody. I don't mind the occasional yoga/pilates stretch, but I'm just not a fan of it every day. I had so many people recommend the program, and I'm glad I gave it a go, but I know that if I tried to continue with it I'd lose my momentum that I've created over the last several months. Exercise is not punishment, and Barre Blend, to me, felt like I was punishing myself for tweaking my knee.

I followed the Couch to 5k - C25K - program for my run this morning. I've always been a fan of interval running, and it's especially important for me right now with it being awhile since I've ran and with my knee and foot. Both my knee and foot felt great! However, I know that I need to take care of both of them to prevent an actual injury. So, I followed my run with yoga. Yes, I just got done saying I was done with Barre Blend, but this is different! lol

Beachbody has a yoga section on the Beachbody on Demand app. In it there is a video called "Yoga for Runners." It's led by Ted, and I love Ted! He's fantastic. I wish he had more videos for runners. It's just what my legs needed after todays run. I feel great now! Ready to get this day started!!

Tomorrow I will lead the running portion of my daughters Girls on the Run group, besides that I'm not sure what I'll get into this weekend. I need to pick a new program, but I'm still undecided. I'm leaning towards a strength one and LIIFT 4 looks great. I could do his lifting program four days a week and run on the other days. Although one run day will have to be on a lifting day, as rest days are important and I'll need at least one true day off. I'll keep you posted!

Update Time

 It's been such a long time since I've taken a moment to write down my thoughts. We arrived back in America in August of 2020. We purchased our very first home and are still getting settled into our new area. Over the last few weekends we've been busy digging up the yard planting trees and flowers.

I started selling Zyia Activewear in February 2021. I greatly enjoy representing a brand that I love and wear all the time. It's been a pretty great experience for me so far.

I've started making taking care of myself a priority. I've been doing home workouts on Beachbody on Demand. I'm currently four days into Barre Blend and I absolutely hate it - ha! It's incredibly boring to me. I was on round two of mbf and I tweaked my knee so I had to switch to something more low impact. I do like yoga, pilates, and dancing, but I do not like doing them every. single. day. I need a change.

I haven't ran consistently in a few years. My foot always seems to start acting up once I get into a rhythm. I've been doing several walking challenges. I completed an "I Am Enough" 100 mile challenge already this year and I recently started a 46 mile challenge to hike Mt Fuji.

In February I also signed up for NASM's personal training certification course. I'm a little over halfway through the program and enjoy it immensely. It was a huge step for me, but it's something I've talked about doing for so long. I'm excited to see where this new journey takes me.

With all these changes I figured I should come up with a "brand" name. Something that represents me and that I can carry with me on my journey while I sell Zyia and wherever my training certification takes me. After several days and many names, I settled on Patchworked Sole. It just spoke to me. There is something about it that brings me joy. I imagine a quilt full of the squares of my life. To me it's poetic and beautiful. Ultimately, how it speaks to me is truly what matters.

This image is a photo of a quilt that I made with pieces of my journey "stitched" in:

One more thing I've been up to lately is I started coaching run club again. My daughter wanted to run, so I signed her up for Girls on the Run in our area. They needed coaches so I'm one of three coaches for her team. I lead the run portion of all their runs. I absolutely love teaching kids how to run. It's so much fun! When I signed up for my NASM certification I also signed up for their Sports Performance and Youth Sports certification courses. I'm not sure where it'll all lead, but I'm loving the journey!

That's all for now! I hope to get back into blogging more regular now. Stay tuned!