August 27, 2014 (backdated for educational purposes)

“One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder.” ― Ziad K. Abdelnour

Where did this all begin?

It honestly began in elementary school, when I had a MuffinTop before they were fashionable.  Sadly, this continued through High School and College and I tried every silly “diet” out there because I no longer wanted to be the “fat cheerleader”.  Too bad, so sad!

Finally, in my early 20’s, I grabbed hold of myself, found a reasonable way of eating and took the weight off successfully.  At one point I even weighed 121 and size 4 was hanging on me.  That was well and good until I hit 30 when baby #1 came along.

The day I gave birth, I weighed 192.5 and he weighed 8 lbs 10 oz.  That means that I gained 60 lbs…and the yo-yo cycle began again.

Starting from 2000, every 5 years, I’d lose the weight for my High School Reunion…and during those 4 years in between reunions, I’d slip back into old eating habits, which were exacerbated by having two boys.  A typical question I’d for them after lunch was,  “You’re not going to finish that grilled cheese sandwich?” For some reason the trashcan didn’t seem like a viable option -it was wasteful- and before I knew it I was on a mission to save the Atlantic Landfills.  Ahead of my time, once again, I became the human composter.

That all changed with another looming High School Reunion.  In June of 2008, tired of winning yo yo champion every 5 years, my goal changed to:

 Taking Off and Keeping My Excess Fat at Bay

That was my only goal and my forever goal.

In order achieve that goal in October 2008, I attended NPTI to become a personal trainer and nutrition consultant.  In 2010, to “stay in the game of lean” and to test my strength mettle, I joined the Team Force powerlifting team.  In 2012, powerlifting became a little stale for me and I found myself struggling to lift consistently and keep excess fat at bay.  To reinvigorate my life,  I changed my goal to compete at 132 lbs and to stay as strong as possible during that significant weight loss.  It was a lofty goal to lose 19 lbs in 10 weeks, but I committed to that goal and not only weighed in at 131.34, I also nailed all 4 world records at the 100% Raw Powerlifting Worlds in Las Vegas.

Now it’s 2014, and I’m struggling to find goals in line with my inner and outer dreams.

I see a pattern, and being the awesome sleuth that you are, you probably do too. That’s right, it’s TWO YEARS later and it’s time for some invigoration through re-invention .

I have two choices-

Walk Away and Try Something New

OR

Try Harder at What Once Worked.

It’s possible that I need to face my inner drama queen and conquer my fears of leaving my favorite sport and change my long term goals (6 months to a year) to fat loss.

Whatever I decide, I will FULLY COMMIT to my plan.

August 26, 2014 (backdated for educational purposes)

Let Go or Be Dragged ~ Zen Proverb

The kids went back to school full time on Monday August 25, 2014 and I made the most of it.  I vacuumed the top floor and did two loads of laundry.  I started on my business plan and paid bills.  I had a full day of work, and by the end of the day, felt that I had nothing to show for it.

By 8:00 p.m., I was ready for bed because I was exhausted.

Does this happen to you?  If you’re human, it probably not only happens to you, it probably happens  more often than you like.

Lately for me, I’ve been struggling ALOT and it’s unlike me.  It’s actually quite frustrating.

I’m “needy” and that feels really stupid.  I jokingly say that I need a patron (someone to give me money freely because they adore me) and a minion (someone who adores me and does every task that I need done.)

Crystal clearly, I see my own lack of work ethic and realize that I’ve gotten to the point of victimizing myself.

It has been slowly building since June, and I’ve concluded what needs  fixin’ is: “Being Burned Out.”

I shouldn’t be shocked (though I am).   I’ve been working at FULL TILT for over a year:  growing my business, speaking to large audiences, setting records at powerlifting competitions, and performing short form improv at the Comedy Spot.  Did I mention that I’m also still raising a family that has a lot of moving parts?

And, guess what?!?

Because of that emotional baggage, I weigh 140.5 lbs and holding…even when watching every single carb that goes into my mouth.  My stressors are way up and my weight is too. OMG !

Ha!  So you see, those of you who think most things are easy for me…it’s not!  I struggle too.

As the week has progressed, I realize that I need to heed my own advice from a zen proverb:  “LET GO OR BE DRAGGED”

I’m still in the process of figuring out: “know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold them”, but have come to the conclusion that it’s time to reinvent myself.

And, that SCARES me because, like most people, I DON’T LIKE CHANGE. Yet in life, change is inevitable and necessary for growth.

One area where I see room for change is my fitness goals.   I realize that doing powerlifting in my current state is breaking my body down too much (with all the other stressors) and this would be a great time to try my “Amuse-ical™ Workout” so that I can walk in my client’s shoes and prove that my workout system works.

Today, I took a step in the right direction for a potential change.  I “manned up” and did the difficult job of telling my beloved powerlifting coach that I may be out for 100% RAW Worlds in October.

Apparently, I have two weeks to make my decision  and only time will tell…

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to my new blog! This is just an introductory post so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I decided to start a blog because I want to:

Educate, Inspire & Entertain YOU to a Healthier

and More Content  Life.

Over the next few months I plan to be writing and sharing posts about my journey of fat loss using my newly designed

AMUSE-ICAL™Workout System!

Where you’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry, and You’ll Lose Weight™!

(After all, weight loss is emotional)

That’s it for now! If you’d like to be kept updated with my posts “Like” this post or subscribe to my blog.