Scattered

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Cheryl Madliger

Back at it.

I’ve missed blogging. A lot. And without it, I feel a bit…scattered.

So hi…

Today is off to a great start. After an admittedly all over the place, somewhat emotional weekend, I’m glad to have a busy week with my new job and my crossfit cert at the end of it to just ooze awesome today. Add to it that it’s a crisp fall day and I’m getting back to my happy level again.

Workout

This morning I rolled out of bed after seriously considering crawling back under the covers (I had a hard time getting to sleep last night) and headed to Crossfit for a 7am class. We started with mobility (surprise surprise !) and then did some squats and presses. I’m impatient so working on my ankle mobility, which is not something that will change overnight, is an exercise in patience. I used 95lbs for our three sets of five today but made sure I got full depth with the plates under my heels. The only way to get to where you wanna be is to start where you are…or something like that! We also did overhead presses (I used 55lbs for three sets of five) and a 7 minute WOD that was AMRAP of 5 pullups (ring rows for me), 10 pushups, and 15 air squats.

This morning I officially started back at lululemon! And this morning was awesome. I had a short 3 hour shift where I signed my contract, reviewed some important stuff, and hung out/flexed my working skills for a bit. To be honest I didn’t really want to come home—and it’s not just because there was laundry here waiting for me—since the people (old faces, new faces) are so positive.

Today there was a lot of talk about goals. Did I mention I love working at lulu? I’m hoping to print my recently updated goals out – there’s a lot more emphasis on personal goals and a broader range of fitness/health goals this time around – later this week. One thing that I do have to admit is that when I hear other people talk about their goals, I kind of want to copy them. You cna look at this two ways — one, it’s inspiring vs. two, it’s insecurity (they’re doing it, I should do it too). While it’s awesome to let people rub off on you, if someone wants to run a marathon and you want to find a balance between yoga, crossfit, teaching spin and bootcamp, trail running, and doing exercise that feels good to you, adding a marathon training plan to your agenda is probably one of those things you’re doing for the wrong reasons…if I sign up for a marathon, puh-leeeeeze schmack me!

All that inspiration translated into me adding even more words to my vision board. I think it’s done, but I thought that the other day. If you haven’t made a vision board, do yourself a favour and make one. Then set some goals. Give yourself a vision to aim for, notice the kinds of images you pull out, and don’t be scared to be ambitious. Play some inspirational music in the background and light some candles while you’re at it…

Breakfast

This morning’s breakfast was consumed at lightning speed in between Crossfit and lululemon. I wasn’t that hungry—which stressed me out since I feel like I overate all weekend long—but I could feel the hangry approaching so I suffered through my bacon, eggs, and kale. Toss in some caffeine and I’m set.

Lunch

After my shift, I was craving something warm. I decided on a piece of chicken, some kale (which I neglected and put back in the fridge afterwards), and a sweet potato with cashew butter and coconut. Om nom nom.

Now here I am ready to read some more of my crossfit manual (my cert is in four days which is ridiculous). I just watched a video that inspired me:

I took some notes yesterday when I was reading over the manual and the one thing I can’t get over is how much freaking sense the whole thing makes. I do have some questions—luckily there are plenty of knowledgeable people around to ask—and the one thing I have to look out for is questioning what I’m doing right now just because I’m reading things. The though that maybe I should plan my own workouts came to me…but for now I’m going to commit to easing into this with group workouts at Crossfit plus my own teaching schedule and the occasional trail run or swim here and there. Trusting that I’m not going to get out of shape or lose my fitness takes some reminders every once in a while but the best thing for me is to remind myself that when it comes to workouts, I should actually want to do them. Just ‘cuz I have an afternoon off doesn’t mean I should run, but if I want to, I can. Etc. etc.

The other thing I’ve noticed is myself wanting to passive aggressively cut and paste parts of the training manual to certain people in my life (or in facebook status with the hopes that they’ll see it)…

“Curls, lateral raises, leg extensions, leg curls, flyes, and other body building movements have no place in a serious strength and conditioning program…A distinctive feature of these relatively worthless movements is that they have no functional analog in every day life…” –

The reminder here is that their business is their business and if that business is bicep curls, I shouldn’t read their blog anyways.

BAM.

I’m ending this with a quote that came to my inbox today just in time to comfort me…

“When we feel stuck, going nowhere — even starting to slip backward — we may actually be backing up to get a running start.” – Dan Millman

Happy Monday!

Do you find yourself copying other people’s goals out of “should”? How do you stop yourself?
What are you looking forward to this week?

Mondays can be marvellous!

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Cheryl Madliger

Mondays can be marvelous and they should be marvellous.

Today was one of those days and I’m going to give myself credit for filling a dreary day with awesome things that ended up brightening it (and my mood!).

After this morning’s post, I met up with Sarah for coffee. She’s a kindred spirit (ha ha) so we had a good chit chat and life isn’t really complete until I have me some Starbucks.

I made a quick lunch of leftovers (cauliflower, chicken — no photo kids!) and then started on my to do list. I made a doctor’s appointment, set up some apartment viewings, and made a new spin playlist for tonight’s class.

I also ate the hugest carrot ever but the photo is beyond inappropriate. Use your imagination–or don’t!

The day went really quickly but I made it to GFC for an adjustment. I knew I’d be out of it because of all the stuff that I stressed about over the weekend–but I am still amazed at how much clearer I felt after. I sorted a lot out mentally and then I think that Rachelle just put the icing on the cake.

Afterwards, I headed to Komoka to visit my friend Lori, whose baby is just over 4 months and is just beyond cute! It was good to catch up with her and to spend some time there before I came back to London. I had time to kill before spin so I ate my dinner at Starbucks and journalled. I felt so clear and so inspired (I told you — that adjustment adjusted more than my spine) — and you’ll see the fruits of that labour soon enough!

After spin and a quick visit to the weight room (I think I used the squat rack for the first time in … too. damn. long.), I fixed myself another treat (in the mix this time = almond butter, cocoa, flax seed, a bit of honey, and coconut) and now here I am. I’m going to work on channeling that inspiration and then call it a night. Tide yourself over by reading Dr. K’s awesome post about abundance and scarcity and his take on something I’ve only tried to touch on. To me, living with abundance at the forefront is about realizing that there’s enough awesome to go around and that we all deserve it. That plays out as helping others, lifting them up, sharing, and realizing that you deserve all the good in the world–without feeling guilty for going after it (money, health, love, whatever)!

Tomorrow I’m going to wake up early, head to Sarnia for a bit and get into the doctor (I’ve been rescheduling for a really long time and it’s the end of the summer) but I’ll be back to London in the afternoon. I’m hoping for some yoga, some froyo with friends, and more inspiration.

How was your Monday?
Do you have a take on what it means to live in abundance?

Off to a good start

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Cheryl Madliger

Happy Saturday!

The rest of yesterday went fast and was filled with fun.

The spin class at campus rec was fun to teach–Chelsea made it out, which always makes things more fun, and the mic worked. Bonus.

After class, Ellen and Angela came over to eat dinner/get ready for our evening on the town. I made BBQ chicken, potatoes, and salad, which tasted great with good company and good wine!

Our night out was fun, but a little bittersweet since a bunch of people are leaving (for the summer mostly, but Nina is done and Western and that brings a tear to my eye because I love her to death!).

We tried to ease the pain with tequila…

JK. But that did happen!

So did lots of dancing, staying out way past our bedtimes, and plenty of fun.

I managed to sleep in til 10 today (a miracle for me!). I finally got up and had some breakfast, coffee with Angela, and then headed for my run.

Of course I forgot to start my Garmin, but that makes my time unofficial (but trust me, my pace was slow). I took it to the trails along the river here. Best. Decision. Ever. It was gorgeous and nice to get out of the “how fast are these miles” kind of trap and to the “omg I better leap over this tree trunk”…I love trails! I won’t lie though, I had to sit on a branch and crawl over it on two occasions…it happens!

When I got home I stretched and did a quick circuit 3x through: 25 sit ups, 20 kettle bell swings, 15 pushups, 10 squats, and 5 burpees. FYI burpees the day after you party a little too hard feel even more awesome than normal…

After a shower my stomach was growling so I had a late lunch (turkey and alfalfa sandwich with cheese and mayo plus some pickles).

Tonight my mom’s coming for a visit and I have plans to see “The Five Year Engagement” — I hope it’s as funny as it looks in the previews. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the movies so I’m really looking forward to it.

How are you spending your weekend?
Do you like running on trails?

Girl talk

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Cheryl Madliger

Oh gosh. I could literally scream right now out of frustration that I am using a terribly slow/annoying PC (it was mine, my mom took it off my hands when I got my Mac <– Macs are where it’s at!) but I’m just gonna be grateful she’s letting me snag it for the night, cuz clearly you’re all eager for a recap. Yeah, I’m delusional.

Today, I just went with it. After my slow sit on the bridge, I made it to my doctor’s appointment just barely on time. Besides having to pee like a racehorse, I also was starving. I had nothing to eat but this granola bar that’s been kickin’ it in my glove compartment all winter. Appetizing, no?

Anyways, it tided me over. There was an Arby’s near my docs and since my mom and I were going to eat each other soon, we went there for a quick sandwich. I had a market fresh one and was oh so satisfied. It’d be a lie if I said I didn’t kind of want curly fries, but I held back cuz these sandwiches are big! And delicious, FYI.

Now, boys should stop reading, girls should dive right in, it’s about to go to the topics of periods and girly stuff.

I have blogged before about how I haven’t had a regular period in years. Regardless of my weight, training, etc. I had it normally for years and years until my first struggle with ED in high school. I think it’s been 4 years since I’ve seen anything…and back in high school, I had a bone density scan that kind of scared me into my first attempt at recovery. Things are better now, back to normal, and on track. Anyways…

The first question this new doc asked me: “Do you have a sex drive?” Maybe you guys can relate if you’ve struggled with this–the answer is no. I have no problem saying that I used to be BOY CRAZY and now am pretty much not. Yes, crushes. But raging hormones? None around here.

So that was taken care of and she explained to me that I should probably get back on track with my hormones via birth control, even if it’s kind of a bandaid. I asked and she said I’d probably FEEL better if I was in the normal range even if it was coming from birth control. Fair enough. I’d like to feel like a girl again.

My issue in the past with the pill is that I get nasty migraines whenever I take it. I’ve tried a few different brands and even the low dose types increase my migraines (which come on with auras and knock me out entirely) so I was of course scared to hear where she was going with this. But luckily she suggested the ring, which she says probably won’t cause migraines since it won’t require the hormones to be metabolized by my liver. Sounds good to me. I’m in. The only problem is that since I’ve not had a period in ages, I have to do a progesterone “challenge” (i.e. as graphic as it is to clear things out) beforehand. So I’ll suck it up and do it and pray I don’t get migraines.

Now my fear: I’ll be boy crazy, moody, etc. Nah, I’m going to go with this: I have my thyroid largely under control now (I think) and this is just another step towards balancing everything out. The doc explained that lots of athletes, even girls like me who are at healthy weights, don’t have enough body fat to make the hormones. So I told her about my various weights and still not having it and she said exercise and training and having a high muscle mass will do it. And I believe her. She said I’d have to stop training and gain fat to get it back — as an extreme — and that that is NOT necessary. Phew. I don’t mind the gaining fat part, so if I want to get pregnant years from now, bring it on, but I do mind the not training, the not knowing if it’s worth it, etc. I just want to feel good. So like I said, this is refreshing. I am en route to feeling my best in years, and I am choosing to really believe that!

And end girly talk.

After the appointment, my mom and I got her some groceries at WalMart and then came back. I did an awesome power yoga class tonight and then made a quick easy dinner with the rotisserie chicken my mom bought for her and her boyfriend. Then I stole the computer and now here I am! I am going to keep you updated on those girly issues because I know a lot of us go through this and wonder if there is a problem/solution/if we should be worried and doing something!

I’ll see you all soon — I have a few posts up my sleeve just waiting to be written!

Happy is the new healthy

Tag Archives: chicken

Scattered

Mondays can be marvellous!

Off to a good start

Girl talk

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