Motivation

Today’s topic is motivation.  Why do we do what we do and what motivates us to continue moving forward?  This subject is on my mind because a friend of mine made the comment that she would like to find the secret to motivation.  Well, it got my wheels turning!

There is no real secret to motivation.  It is different for us all, just like everything else in life.  What motivates me, may not motivate the person standing next to me.  Sometimes, motivation, is several different things, working in harmony that keeps a person going, and sometimes, something so simple can motivate a person to accomplish amazing things.

What also dawned on me, is that motivation doesn’t always have to come from the  “because I want to achieve this goal” mentality.  Sometimes, it is driven by a different factor.  That factor, is “what I don’t want to have happen, if I don’t reach the goal I have set out to do.  That can be a driving force that is more powerful than anything.

I have plenty of the Don’t factors on my list.  For example, I don’t want to get sick, so I eat clean and exercise.  I don’t want to keep having my husband and I working multiple jobs to support our family so I need to study and get certified.  I don’t want to sit behind a desk 5 days a week for 8 hours a day for the next 20 years.  Sometimes, negative factors are necessary to give yourself a push.

I find that it is also important, to remember that the picture that is painted in our minds for achieving certain goals, may not come out exactly as we wanted.  Sometimes, we have to be flexible, and patient depending on what paths we cross along the journey.  The important thing in the end, no matter how you get there, that you reach what you set out to do, and that you are happy with your results.  Don’t forget to hold onto faith and believe in yourself,  because without these two factors, nothing seems possible, but with them, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone,

Karly ~

New and Improved Running Playlist!!

Every now and again, I have to update the shuffle.  I know it’s time when I log my runs by which songs I’ve heard, and not by the time on my watch.  To be honest, I like my running playlist to be a tad bit, oh… trashy?!?!  I want to be able to break out into fancy dance moves at a moments notice.  (This is why I will never run, on a treadmill, at the Rec Center.)

So here you are, in no particular order – my new running playlist:

1.  Break Your Heart – Taio Cruz

2. We No Speak Americano – Yolanda Be Cool (great running song, not such a great song to set your alarm to… just sayin’)

3. Tonight – Enrique Iglesias

4. Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap

5. Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars

6. Marry You – Bruno Mars

7. King of Anything – Sara Bareilles

8. Love the Way You Lie – Eminem

9.  Yeah 3X – Chris Brown

10. Who Dat Girl? – Flo Rida

11.  Best Cool Down Song EVER – Make My Dreams – Hall and Oates

There you have it folks.

May your playlist be filled with music that inspires fancy dancin’.

Andrea

Oh, you crazy little wall.

The first time I encountered the “invisible wall” I was in my 10th grade French class. I got in trouble for coming in late, and breaking through the invisible wall. You can imagine my surprise, confusion, exasperation… I really, thought I would never encounter this wall again.

Imagine my surprise when I met its older, meaner brother head on last weekend. I had a 70 minute run, and didn’t think much of it. That’s 8 miles – no biggie. The weekend before I banged out 7 miles, easy. as. pie.

Mile One: Whoo-hoo.

Mile Two: Whoo-hoo.

 Mile Three: Whoo-hoo.

Mile Four: Whoo-hoo.

Mile Five: Yay.

Mile Six: Huh… Mile Seven:

Wait a second….

Mile Eight: Dear God, What have I done!!

Hi, my name’s Andrea, and I was an idiot. I admit – I didn’t eat right for this, and I paid dearly. If I would have been carrying my cell phone I would have laid down on the trail, and called Karly to come get me in a little red wagon.

Bonking, Hitting the Wall – call it what you want… it sucks. I don’t recommend it. No amount of groovy tunes will pull you through. Fueling your body to run long distances is no joke. I haven’t fully wrapped my brain around this, and so I have asked for help. Thank goodness I am learning this when my long run is 8 miles, and not 18.

I have another 7+ mile run tomorrow, and you can bet your biscuits I will be preparing much differently. Wish me luck!!

May your day be filled with premium fuel,

Andrea

Sorry, I have been M.I.A. Lately…

I will admit, I have been “missing in action” lately.  I thought today would be a good day to update you all on what I am up to. 

First off, I have been busy with the usual mom and work roles, so nothing new there.  Recently, the boys and I posted on Facebook our first cooking show (Mama Karly’s Kitchen with Special Guests Felix & Fabian; aka Gomez Bad Boyz).  It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it more.  The boys also had a blast.

I am also working on creating a Vlog just to give my postings and updates some variety.  I am trying to come up with a catchy name and think I have finally found one.  I will start posting these up soon.

This week is a busy one.  Tomorrow is a typical Monday.  I have some cardio in the cards but that is it as far as gym time.  Monday’s are always a crazy mess at work so before I know it, it will be Tuesday and that means, Manuel and I will head to Spokane to meet with my surgeon for my laberal tear surgery consultation.  Appointments related to my hip always give me some anxiety as I have been through so many up and downs over the past 2 years.  As many of you know, I finally got good news, which was a final diagnosis that identified that I have had a tear all along and I am no longer a mysterious zebra:)   My anxiety now stems from how long they are willing to give me to hold off my surgery.  Surgery is a big decision that comes with other challenges, but in the end, it is the only way to fix my specific injury and since I literally have dreams of chasing after my kids in the back yard and running and sprinting, I am more than ready to get it done. I just hope it can wait until after Nationals in July.  2012 will consist of healing and regaining strength again.  I look forward to the possibilities after this.

I will also get a chance to meet with Jacques Pitcher, my coach from Team Pitcher, for a progress session.  This will be a good start to my beginning season and give us a solid plan to follow-up to the Emerald Cup. 

After this week, I will be in full gear for preparation for the Emerald Cup which heads off in Issaquah, at the Snoqualmie Casino, on April 15th.  Anyone interested in attending this show, please follow this link for ticket information.  http://craigproductions.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=4&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=57.  Do note that this an event for people 21 years of age and above.  Figure takes place on Friday as this is a very big show.  Don’t delay as this show will sell out fast! 

The last thing that I am working on still, is getting my certification.  I will admit, I have been slacking and have made some excuses.  I have made a lot of progress these past few weeks but I am still not as far as I would like to be.  I have officially told myself to “Get my BUTT in GEAR!!”  This is one of those wake up calls to myself that this is all up to me and if I want to finally do something to help people and do something I truly love, than I need to get this done.  NO MORE EXCUSES!  This will mean that I will have to plan even more time out of my busy schedule to focus on studying.  Sometimes, I wish I didn’t have to work so much so that I could get this done sooner, but back to reality!  Gotta pay the bills!

Well, that is it for now.  In a nutshell…Family time, training & competition preparation time, study time, blogging time and work time.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend and that you all took sometime to do something that you love.

Karly ~

Fitness is Not a “One Size Fits All”

What I love about fitness… there are so many options of what you can choose to do in order to be active and fit.  It’s not a “one size fits all” deal at all.  You can lift weights, run, play sports, walk, hike, do yoga or Pilates, kick-boxing, cycling or a new form of crossfit which I just learned about yesterday.  Tabata.  My husband told me about this intense 4 minute workout called tabata and how it was supposed to be amazing and extremely challenging.  You can find different types of exercises on YouTube for example that incorporate this type of exercise.   Over 4 minutes, you do 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest and you repeat it until you are finished which ends up being 8 times.  During your work sets, you give it your all and go as fast as you can without sacrificing form.  Your goal is to of course survive all 8 sets, but to also increase your reps each time you do the exercise series again.  It is pretty awesome, and I hope that you will give it a whirl!  It’s a lot like HITT really, which is what I do for cardio.  Tabata is fascinating for sure, and holy wow, it is challenging!

You got it, I tried it today since I was home with a sick child and was feeling slightly restless.  I did  tabata squats and then some upper body exercises with my resistance bands using the same techniques!  Wow!  My legs and upper body along with my lungs were all on fire!!!!  It was great! 

I have attached a couple of workouts that we watched the other night just so you can get a feel as to what it is that I am talking about. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4e-dp97Jfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk7TRd8fcTc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_MhuPiC65o&feature=related

So, don’t give up if you haven’t found your fit activity just yet because there are so many options to choose from.  Don’t be shy to try new things either, because then you will learn what types of exercise you enjoy and which ones you don’t.

Until next time, try a new fit activity, you might just like it!

Karly

Why My Team is “Team Pitcher”

When training for a figure competition or bodybuilding for that matter, people often mistake that it is a very individualized sport.  Yes, there is some truth to it.  I am the one who pushes myself, makes the choices, does the exercises, follows the diet, but what people don’t realize is that there are others involved in the preparation. 

When I first started out, it was just my husband and I and I must say that Manuel has done a phenomenal job.  He is extremely supportive and  knowledgeable in how to properly build a physique.  He has been at my side this whole time and I really appreciate all the time and effort he has put into my preparation.  We have also learned a lot about diet through this process.  What we had no clue about, was what the whole competition scene was going to be like and what the rules and requirements were.  This, is how I met the Pitchers. 

We met in February of last year and Jacques taught me all there is to know about posing, additional diet tips, the NPC rules, what to expect at a show, how to prepare before, during and after a competition and let me tell you… I am so glad I had his help and I am thrilled that I am on board as a team member with Team Pitcher!

There is a lot of preparation that goes into planning a diet and training for a competition.  Even more challenging is that everyone’s body reacts differently and some of us have other complications like Lupus and injuries that makes the job of someone like Jacques even harder.  Thankfully, Jacques is very careful, a planner, and very knowledgeable in his field.   Never, ever, will you see Jacques hand me a rice cake with jam or peanut butter on it and tell me to eat it.  Nope, he is very concerned about making sure that I eat correctly and eat nutritious food that is beneficial to my body.  Strange and unhealthy tactics are not what he is about at all.  Careful planning, accountability, guidance, education,  and the ability to make tweaks in my diet and exercise to get the maximum results are what he is about.

What is even more amazing, is that we are 2 hours away from each other.  I made the trip up to do posing and detail work about diet and training for my very first competition, but everything else we have done has been over email.  Through this whole time, I have felt like he has been right by my side.  Listening and answering all the questions that my husband and I have and carefully planning the right strategies for me.  You know a personal trainer is exceptional at what they do, when they can get you great results by coaching you from 2 hours away. 

Why is it important to be apart of a team?  Motivation, support, honest feedback, diet planning, training, posing practice, and more.  There are so many details that you have to cover when you decide to compete.  Don’t do it alone.  Have the help and guidance so that you can enjoy and get the best experience you can out of your preparation and competition.  I know that I am apart of a team that is sincere and truly cares about the well-being of their team members.

1st Place Figure- WA Iron Man

If you are looking to compete, or are competing now and are looking for a supportive and amazing team to be apart of, than you need to check out this website  http://teampitcher.com/ and make your call to Jacques Pitcher.

2011- What to Look Forward to and What to Remember

I haven’t written much lately as  I have been thinking… a lot.  Thinking about what I am going to be focusing on for 2011.  This has been on my mind for the past few months as I have a lot that will be happening this year.  One thing is for sure, that I want to make the most of 2011.  Tonight, as I reflect on 2010, I have so much to be thankful for and as I look ahead to 2011, I have so much to look forward to.

So many people look at the new year as a fresh start, wipe the board clean and start over.  Forget about the past, don’t look back, not ever going to fall back in that slump you were in last year.  But why?  If we forget where we came from, we can’t nearly appreciate how far we have become.  I think it is important to remember the challenges one has gone through, the triumphs, and the lessons.  These experiences we go through year in and year out, are what make each of us who we are. 

As you make your new year’s resolutions, why not write down one that says this…

1.  I will make a new goal each and every day and I will achieve that goal.

Examples of setting daily goals can be as simple as: 

A.  I will go to the gym at 6:00 am and work out for one hour before I go to work today.

B.  Today I will purchase a water bottle and drink water instead of the latte or soda pop that I usually drink.

C.  Today, I will pack my lunch from home instead of eating at McDonald’s.

D.  Tonight, I will prepare dinner at home with my children.

By setting daily goals and reaching them, I believe it helps a person realize that they really can have the choice and control over their lives.  It also provides diversity so that you won’t get bored.   Once a person realizes they have the potential to make the right choices for them, they can set just about any goal and achieve it.  That is really what a goal is, a choice to do something.

So, as you reflect on the new year, promise me that you won’t forget about the past and where you have come from and that you will make the new year the best that it can be.  Remember, the choice is yours and I want each and every one of you to reach each and every goal that you have.  After all, everyone deserves to be happy and healthy!

Happy New Year Everyone.  I wish you all the best in 2011!

Karly~