Strut Your Stuff

   Ladies and gentleman I think we need to take a long look in the mirror and start accepting what we see. For most of my life I have railed against what I saw in the mirror and used a lot of negative self talk. Well, I am done with that bullshit. My body is under construction and I am making better food choices so that my body can perform like a well oiled machine. I am done comparing myself to Hollywood's version of sexy and envying thin models with huge boobs. I am not where I want to be yet but I am closer than I was yesterday. My legs can lift heavy things and walk many miles, my arms can hold me in a handstand pushup, my abs help to balance me as I perform a variety of daily tasks, and that is good enough for me.

   Do I want to be stronger and leaner? Hell Yes! Will I put in the work? Hell Yes! Will I beat myself up if I miss a gym day or drink a milkshake? Fuck No! Loving myself and eating what works for my body is more important than engaging in the latest diet fad. People like to negate the Paleo diet which has saved my guts. These same people think they are nutritionists and that I am slowly killing myself. I have learned to accept that these people don't understand the way I eat and that is OK. They won't stop me on my own personal journey due to their ignorance.

   Don't listen to those who want to bring you down because they are ignorant jerks. I am purchasing ear plugs in many different colors to tune out the naysayers.

This is what I am working with and it ain't too bad. 

 

Eyeliner and confidence help with my swagger.

Finals and Kombucha

I found this at Natural Grocers and it rocked my socks off.

  For many college students across the world now is a magical time in our lives. Who am I kidding?! Its freaking final exams time and we are all prepping for a week of hell with little sleep, too much coffee, and way too much crappy food. Thankfully, Wednesday was my first final exam which was given in the form of a group presentation. My last final is due Saturday and then my semester will come to an end. Hooray!

   Right now I am a little frazzled, and tired but at least I have kombucha. Kombucha is fermented tea that comes in all manner of flavors. I first heard of kombucha while living in Virginia and actually made my own kombucha for awhile. Right now I need to overcome my own laziness in order to make kombucha at home. So I just buy it from Natural Grocers in Midland. This drink is full of probiotics which are great for gut health.

Another great find at Natural Grocers! 

  The semester is nearly over and I am looking forward to reading by the pool, getting off work at 5 and not having to go to class, working out, and cooking way more. The summer is almost here y'all!!

Final Exams Wasted!

Greener Pastures

   I have finally been released from physical therapy! No more having to deal with the insurance company and begging for more visits. Optimus physical therapy allows their discharged patients full use of their gym for free for an entire month, then its only $40 a month. To ensure all my hard work was not in vain I will be making full use of their gym. The physical therapists will still yell at me about my form and tape my kneecap down. I am pretty excited that I won't be put out to pasture and left to my own devices. Can't wait for my next sweat session!!

THE BEST INSPIRATIONAL SPEECH OF OUR TIME (2013)

Dying College Professor Gives Inspiring Speech

Back to the Grind

   I always get a warm fuzzy when my physical therapists give me more exercises and freedom in the gym. The trust instilled in me not to break the machines or myself is scary and appreciated. Last week my husband surprised me with a trip to Colorado for our 3rd wedding anniversary. The steep incline and constant walking proved to be comfortable and enjoyable. My knee was stable and worked like a normal knee should. Challenging my knee in a real world situation proved to be the motivation I needed to work harder in the gym. I can only imagine what I will be capable of with a few more pounds of muscle on my leg.

   Upon learning of my adventure the wonderful people at Optimus Physical Therapy changed my entire protocol, again. More weight, more single leg exercises, and more machines were thrown at me yesterday. I cheerfully skipped over to the leg press machine and added some weight, then a little more weight, and put an extra 12 lbs. on for fun. Total weight was 100 lbs. which much to my surprise my legs could handle. For single leg press I used 50 lbs. for each leg. Single leg deadlifts are one of my favorite exercises to do. They help to strengthen the hamstrings and work on your balance. Weak hamstrings are a hurdle for many ACL patients and thus need to be kept in optimal condition. For the deadlifts I was rather cautious and only used a 5 lb. medicine ball to lift.

   Needless to say, after 3 hours of working out I was a tad bit sore and tired. Since I have roughly 3 weeks left of my school semester, I was holed up in the library for several hours after PT. When my body is physically exhausted, even a looming deadline cannot motivate me to write faster. Today all I need is caffeine and spellcheck, maybe an ice bath for my sore muscles too.

  Thursday should be even more fun because I get to add more machines and agility exercises. Steven needs to have ice and chocolate on standby.

 

Gifts on my Doorstep

   Today my stomach decided to behave and allow me to eat a few things which included: grass fed sausage, and carrot fries for breakfast, and Cesar salad and minestrone soup for lunch. Dinner did not sound appealing so I went about my merry way. My 25 minute discussion during my organizational behaviors class went better than I expected and I even had fun doing it. Discussions ran very long so I didn't leave class till after 10 pm tonight. When I got home my Pete's Paleo Kits order had arrived!! Dear Lord my day was made excellent with the arrival of this treasure.

  Grass-fed beef jerky, a Paleo Krunch bar, and Berry and Beef Jerky mix are the first products I elected to try from this wonderful company. The grass fed jerky is almost gone and was damn good!

   I decided tonight was a lovely night to begin Watching Mad Men, yes I realize I am way behind the curve. Better late than never as my darling grandmother Audra would say. This show will become my new distraction.  Hope everyone has a safe and happy evening.