What's your motivation?

People have asked me how I got started with losing weight and getting in shape. Some seem a little disappointed when they realize I have no quick fix, no fad diet, and no special pills. It takes hard work, determination, motivation, and the willingness to fight through the tough times. You need to realize that you will have success but you will also have failures (and many of them!)  So, here are some motivational tips to get you started and hopefully something will "click" and inspire you to GET MOVIN'!

Get Back Up

In Toby Mac's song "Get Back Up" he says:

We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you will shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever

That's how I feel today, because I finally did it. After almost 3 months, I made it back to MMA last night. I had a slight panic attack in the car as I sat outside the gym. I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to do. I wasn't sure if one wrong move would cause me to get dizzy or light headed. When you deal with vertigo for as long as I have, even when you begin feeling better, there is this fear that comes over you. Although I have now been 2 weeks vertigo free, I've stayed away from the gym and any intense workouts for fear that something might cause me to have a vertigo attack. It's as if those 2-3 months sucked out my confidence and replaced it with fear. Well, I am proud to say that I destroyed that psychological block last night!

My instructors told me to ease into it and do what I can. They told me they understood if I needed to sit out or wanted to modify things. We began with some squats, 50 jumping jacks, and push ups. I was feeling unsure at first, but once I got through some of the cardio and realized that I was feeling pretty awesome, my confidence began coming back. We moved into some of our combos (various punches/kicks) and I gave it all I had. I really couldn't believe how great I was feeling.

When it came to sparring, my instructor told me he would follow my lead and my pace. We would go as slow and as easy as I needed/wanted to. Well, I killed it. I'm not sure where the energy or stamina came from, but my instructor told me it was as if I had never left. We did about a half hour of sparring and I felt like I could keep going.

At the end of class we did some more cardio: planks, push ups, burpees, sit ups, etc. I struggled a little with the planks and the burpees, but that was nothing new! LOL. Class is an hour and a half and by the end of it, I felt like I could do it all over again.

I definitely gained back my confidence last night. I'm no longer worried that fast movements or bending over is going to make me dizzy. I can now say that I am 100% free from vertigo. I've been told that 90 percent of people who get vertigo, get it again...but I can't worry about that. I'm ready to get back in the game. I'm really looking forward to getting back to the gym this week and maybe some Insanity and PiYo. Yesterday was exactly what I needed to knock down those walls I had built up and find myself again.

Couch to 5K

I have successfully completed week 1 day 1 of the Couch to 5K program. It was fairly easy, all things considering. One day I was feeling light headed but didn't want to have vertigo rule my life anymore so I decided to "suck it up" and get on my treadmill during my lunch break (a perk of working from home!) I actually felt much better afterward.

I could easily feel down about myself that I am having to start running all over again with Couch to 5K, but I won't. I'm just thankful that I am at least well enough to be able to get active again, even if I'm taking baby steps. Some people can't run. Some people don't have the mobility I do. Some people have much more serious health problems than what I've been dealing with, so I choose to be thankful that I can even walk let alone run.

In my last post I mentioned running a relay in the Pittsburgh Marathon. Well, not sure that is happening now. We already lost our hill runner because of personal issues and now our team captain is thinking of running the half himself. Then I started thinking...what if I were to attempt the half? This coming from someone who can't even run an entire 5k yet. I haven't registered yet and won't for a while, because I want to mull this over. I do want to attempt some longer distances in 2015. There is a 7.5 mile trail run I might attempt next June. I chickened out of it this year. I gave my friend the excuse that I had a 5K the next morning which is a pretty lame excuse considering I previously did an obstacle course on a Saturday and then a 5k color run the next morning. :)