Twenty-Four

We all get twenty-four hours in a day. No matter what your family situation is, your occupation, your interests, we certainly seem to all be busy EVERY. HOUR. OF. THE. DAY.

I have always taken pride in the fact that my workouts do not take away much of the little smidgen of time I get with my girls on a daily basis. Sure, some days I workout with them next to me in the living room & some days we go up to the track & run together. But, those few precious hours I get with them in a day needs to be about them; I need to pour into them; focus on them; love on them.  
 
I get asked constantly how I find time to train for a marathon, how I find the time for my workouts. How do I have the energy?

Yes, I am a full-time working mom. Right now, my girls have activities that I carry the responsibility alone to transport them to Mondays through Thursdays, I don't have a built-in back-up plan anymore, just me. On top of all the other things a parent has to see gets accomplished during the week: math facts, reading, Awana verses, homework, etc. Being on my own now, I am learning how to balance this all effectively, or I guess the best way I can, while also finding the balance of how to maintain my house up to my personal standards.....cluttered mess stresses me out to be honest!!

Yes....my house often becomes that cluttered mess these days & no, the vacuum doesn't get used as much as I would prefer...but I am learning the balance & the best way to keep me sane while focusing on what is truly important in my life. I will admit that when my kitchen becomes a cluttered hot mess....all I want is pizza. As if ordering pizza is going to make me feel less like a cluttered mess & put my kitchen back in order....I suppose one can dream, right? 

Anyway, to try to say I do not feel overwhelmed on a daily basis would certainly be a lie. In fact this Wednesday, after a week with so many questions & thoughts heavy on my heart, as I stood waiting in the church to pick up my girls I looked up to the ceiling & prayed....suddenly finding myself so lost in my own mind & heart that I had tears streaming down my face as I ran into the bathroom before it was noticed. 

In the mornings the girls & I are a hot crazy chaotic mess as we rush them to school & me to work. I rush through my work day always feeling buried and feeling like my desk will never be clean again....ever! I sprint out of the office to run home & take care of our incredible dog & then run back out to grab the girls to take them to basketball practice, church, gymnastics....whatever is on the agenda for the evening. 

Yes, we do math facts & Awana verses in the car! Multitask like any mom!

To add on to my daily responsibilities is my new role as Site Liaison & Coach for our Girls on the Run team at my daughter's school. This program I am truly so excited about & love I get this extra time not only with my daughter, but twenty other incredible young ladies who will, with no doubt, change my life! I just pray I can enrich their lives & that they grow this season in their own self-confidence.

Oh...and don't forget prep work for Little League season has started & I would also be an officer on that committee & coach!  Again, a wonderful chance to pour into my girls & their friends - such an amazing gift. 

Somehow I still manage to drag my butt out of bed in the mornings & put on my bright fun colored workout clothes. I may not be smiling....in fact, I could possibly be doing some serious complaining under my breath.  Some days its not until I walk in the door again at 8:00 p.m. or after I tuck my babies in bed before I can pull on those workout clothes...already feeling exhausted & done for the day. Other days, I will take advantage of a lunch time run (on the days I'm not using this time to run to the grocery store because we are out of milk or eggs again). There are even days where my workout is lunges or a plank every time I use the restroom at work. But, I dig deep & manage to find that energy to create the moments that I can get lost in, the moments where I build strength.

Why? 
Why do you do it?


Because. 
Because I can. Because I need it. Because it is somehow the most relaxing part of my day. Because my girls wake up in the morning & immediately asked me if I got up to workout & how many miles did I do. Because for the length of the workout on most days I can stop searching for answers or finding more questions, I can get lost in the counting of my reps or music instead. Because I love feeling stronger - physically AND mentally. Because I want to be a healthy role model. Because I love the sense of accomplishment when you achieve a goal. Because I love to push myself.

Because I hate excuses.

Because I feel empowered, confident, & focused to achieve all the millions of little things I have to accomplish in a day & now I have the energy to do it all. 

 We all get twenty-four hours. We don't ever find the time to accomplish what we want. But, we can make the time if we truly want. Every morning I wake up with a "BRING IT" attitude & that is because I have created a strong, healthy & confident me who knows with some good old fashioned hard work, she can do it all as best as she can.

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Some Days You Lose...

Yes, we all have those days. Those days our intentions are to stick to our plan for the day. Our healthy eating plan, our workout plan, our to do list.

But....some days you lose. Some days you feel powerless. You feel defeated. You feel it just isn't worth it. Some days your mind is so weighed down by other thoughts that you aren't even sure if you can put one foot in front of the other to run. You simply feel too weak. Too overwhelmed. Too exhausted. 

So...instead of working out, you throw on your big ole sweatpants that are approximately two sizes too big & you might even pour yourself that glass of wine. Because for today, you are not gonna win. Today, you just are not going to fight the battle.

It happens. 

But, then you crawl into bed. You lay awake for hours with your mind racing. You open your eyes up and remind yourself of what really matters and what is not important. You remind yourself the past is the past; the future is a giant question mark waiting to be written. 

Then, you get that reminder from one of the amazing people in your life that you are stronger than this. You are reminded that today you made the choice to be weak. You choose to give up & feel powerless. That isn't you, you're not weak.

I had that moment with myself that explored how I am, in fact, way stronger than I was feeling. For whatever reason, this soul-searching process took me to the fall & my marathon. The girl who started the training, the girl who thought "MAYBE I can do this," is never the girl who finishes the marathon.

The girl on the left was just becoming a little stronger, a little more confident but still full of doubts as she wouldn't tell anyone yet that she was training for a marathon. She still did not believe she could accomplish this goal of hers! But, she decided to keep trying to put one foot in front of the other to test her limits.

The girl on the right crossed the finish line of 26.2 miles in complete physical pain in her knee/leg/hip. Mentally exhausted as she fought through that pain, through the rain & through the wind. She pushed through a wave of emotions during the course. Many times she wanted to quit, but knew deep down she was too strong to quit. She no longer had self-doubts & knew she could do anything she set her mind to. She was strong. She was not the girl who had started the training a few months ago. She was new. She was improved.  She was exactly who she was meant to be.

Some days we just forget who we really are. We find ourselves lost & weighed down by life. It is going to happen, it will happen again. The amazing thing is when you have those incredible people in your life who are there to always remind you of your magic & you are willing to see it again....

Because...then...today, you win. Today, you make the choice to feel powerful & strong & believe in your own magic again. 

Until Next Time~
*krisha* 

Improvement!

When I first started running I will be honest & say that I made fun of myself. I joked about how you could not consider me a real runner because I was too slow. I was almost embarrassed to share my mile pace. 

Then, one day I woke up. I realized a mile is a mile regardless of how fast or slow you run it. I realized I should be proud of myself because I was trying, I was doing something. I was off the couch and away from the TV! I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone. 

I also realized that comparison is the thief of joy.

So, I just became proud of myself. Proud as I watched myself get faster & proud as I could run further than the week before. I celebrated each of those little victories! 

I still celebrate these victories! I think tracking your progress can be so motivating & encouraging! Some days that chance to shave a minute off your typical three mile run can be the kick in the booty you need!

I strongly dislike the treadmill....but as a full-time working mama my options during the week to run are quite limited. I always felt like the treadmill made me feel like the slowest & worst runner ever... my pace was SO SLOW compared to outside.

When I first started back up running in 2013 after my shoulder surgery my consistent pace on the treadmill was 4.5 mph. Today, my pace is 6 mph. A few months ago it was 5.5 mph. I enjoy intervals on the treadmill; love to push myself as hard as I can for a minute here or 30 seconds there. This morning, I was able to run at 8 mph for an entire minute. I have struggled to maintain that pace on my short legs for longer than 30 seconds. Sure, it was very much mental as the last 20 seconds I think I was yelling "Go! Go! Go!" out loud to me, myself & I. Not to mention, some days I cannot get over how LONG a treadmill minute is....I swear it cannot be right some days!

But, as always, that sense of accomplishment had me on such a high before the clock even hit 5:30 a.m. this morning.

Track your progress, watch yourself improve. Celebrate your victories - no one will celebrate them for you! Be proud & celebrate your awesomeness! Don't compare yourself to anyone else - the only person you can be is YOU & be so very proud of that!

Speaking of progress....the other morning I walked by my full-length mirror. I had to stop & take a double-take. Some days I will admit I struggle to believe that reflection is me at first. When I stop for a minute, I realize it is me. I loved my reflection the other morning & what I saw in it....the strength I could see. My leg muscles....I once hated my legs with the deepest of passion....now I see the strength in them & love them & embrace them in a way I never thought possible. I have no desire to be "skinny,"  I simply want my body strong & healthy. 

 

So three more miles done this morning in my Journey to Kingsley! 1,094 more to run!

 Until Next Time~

*krisha*

Not About a Number

Happy Monday, friends!

Today I begin a friendly competition in a healthy living group I am in. Sure, the winner is based of percentage of weight loss, but that is not why I am there; it isn't what drives me....

ANYMORE.

There was a time where a number controlled me. A number defined me. My goal was about a certain number on the scale. My goal was about the number written on the tag of my jeans or that hot dress I wanted to wear. 

(Don't get me wrong....I do think your numbers are good feedback. The scale & tracking your inches lost (I think you need to do both as sometimes that scale may not move, but you have lost a good couple of inches) is a great way to keep things in check - if you're working out like a rock star & your scale is going up, you might need to revisit your foods. So, yes, feedback is great....just can't be your only feedback of your progress.)

During that point of my healthy-living journey, the numbers had all the control over me. They told me if I was beautiful or ugly; happy or sad; a failure or a success. Honestly, I was miserable and never feeling like I was good enough & always told myself I should just give up as I would never get to my "goal weight."

Then, one day, I woke up. I had one of those incredible chats with myself. I asked myself what I really wanted from living a healthy life. Did I think once I achieved that ## on the scale, I would suddenly by happy? Would a certain pair of jeans make me feel beautiful? Should a ## define my mood or even the person that I am? 

Of course, the answers were all no. I was focused on the wrong results. I had the wrong ideas in my head.

What I really wanted; what my real goal truly was.....it was a very simple concept. I just wanted to be the best version of me. I wanted to be a strong version of Krisha that lived with goals and fire to achieve her dreams & wasn't afraid to turn dreams into goals. I wanted to be a Krisha that was confident, regardless if her jean size tag had a 10 on it or a 6. I wanted to be the version of myself that knew I was a beautiful woman regardless of the numbers that the scale would read.

The best me. A number cannot tell me when I am there or even how to get there. Once I took the power away from numbers, my magic happened. 

Numbers are something you can't really control... I mean, how many times have you had an amazing week & jumped on the scale thinking you would be down a good couple of pounds & really you ended up a couple?! So, I focus on what I can control which is myself, my views, my goals, my positive mind, my positive affirmations, my choices.  These lead me to the best me...something a number can't ever give me or take away from me.

Until Next Time~
*krisha*