Coffee with Kel

Building relationships, encouraging hope

Health & Fitness

Lessons So Far…

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Goodness. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted on my blog. Almost two years, actually. And, it’s truly NOT that I haven’t had every intention of updating more often, but, you know…LIFE. I have all these posts formulated in my brain and then I just get through days and I don’t post them. One day leads to another and here we are, almost two years between blog posts. Now that we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic and we are living in a time that I’m sure none of us really expected, I thought it was time to dust the cobwebs off the blog AGAIN and post.

So, first of all, if you’re reading this – I hope this finds you well. I’ve honestly lost count of how many days into the quarantine we are at this point, but that feels less relevant with each passing day to me. Not so much counting the days behind us as looking forward with HOPE to better days in front of us. No one really knows how long we will need to “shelter in place” in order to flatten the curve, so I’m not even trying to focus on a specific time or date – just going forward with HOPE.  Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

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Finding my Discipline…

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Since spring is known as a good time for cleaning, I guess it’s time to knock the cobwebs off the ole blog again, friends.

For quite some time now, I have just not been happy with my body because I just didn’t feel or look like I wanted to. Given life circumstances in the last few years, excuses came fluidly as to why I wasn’t making healthier choices for myself. I would halfheartedly attempt to “be good” and then fall back into ways that I knew weren’t the best for me, but, frankly, they were easy and comfortable. I was letting food be a comfort, a vice, a crutch…just not good things for me. And, I just didn’t feel like me. I wasn’t getting out of the rut, so it was this cyclical thing of feeling disgusted with myself and perpetuating the issue.

A couple of friends mentioned various forms of “intermittent fasting” and I kept hearing about bone broth being a gut healer. So, I started to get interested in that and did some research including asking said friends how they did it, etc. Two of the friends I talked to did somewhat different methods, but both were HAPPY with the results. I decided to give it a try and, basically, made my own plan according to what I discovered as I researched intermittent fasting.

One month ago today, I put all the excuses and bad habits aside and I went all in on intermittent fasting. Basically, for me, this means that I limit my meals to between 12p-7p each day.  Before each meal, I take organic/raw apple cider vinegar and drink a cup of organic bone broth. Then, I eat two healthy meals per day. This took some getting used to because I am, and have always been, a breakfast lovin’ girl. I still cook breakfast for my family every day, but, at least for now, I’m not having breakfast. The first several days, my body was like “Hold up! What is going on here?!” But, it only took less than a week and I got used it. Anyone who knows me knows I love my coffee, so I do still have that in the mornings. I add just a TEENSY bit of half/half and some organic stevia as not to “break the fast.” I can have water, tea or coffee in the mornings, but just nothing that will break the fast. What I’ve been doing on my plan is having LOTS of salads and having lean protein and veggies. For my two meals a day, I’m trying to eat as clean and healthy as possible. I’m not super strict, but I’m basically avoiding starches, carbs, sugars, most grains, all alcohol, and limiting dairy. Essentially, I’m just taking away the things that, really…I don’t even NEED in my diet. And, I couldn’t be happier with how it’s working for me!

This is a very personal thing, but I no longer weigh myself. I found years ago that the scale went beyond motivating into almost an obsession. I made a decision that I needed to focus more on how I feel and how my clothes fit me as opposed to a number on a scale. I’m now one month into this plan and I cannot say how much weight I’ve lost, even though I know I’ve dropped some pounds, but I can say that my clothes fit so much better and I’m into the size I usually wear and not a size up. I’ve also been able to buy cute new spring/summer clothes in my former size. Also, I haven’t had to take any sort of antacid or reflux medication in a month’s time!! MORE THAN THAT…I feel amazing! My energy has picked up and I just feel BETTER. It is hard to put into words, but I just feel like me again. I don’t feel sluggish or blah, I don’t dread getting dressed because I’m not sure what fits…it’s blowing my mind, really! I am all about non-scale victories, personally, and the successes I’m having on this plan are tremendous for me!

I know this plan isn’t for everyone, but it’s been a game-changer for me. Not only did I finally find my MOTIVATION, but I’ve also found my DISCIPLINE when it comes to sticking to it.  Early on, I will admit, it was challenging for me. My body WANTED breakfast. But, I dug down and reminded myself that this body has fat to burn for fuel and I would not cave before 12’noon. I’ve also battled cravings like crazy. For some reason, the cravings tend to come on strong in the evenings. I mean…y’all, I even DREAM about food! This tells me I am battling an unhealthy fixation with junk, no joke. Not to pat myself on the back too much, but it’s seriously taken some “want to” and some sheer determination to stick to this, but I’m very PROUD of how far I’ve come with it. Going beyond motivated into disciplined has really helped me to get to a place where I feel WAY better than I have in quite some time!

Now that I’m at the one month mark, I’m considering adding a healthy breakfast back into my day at some point. With the weather warming up (HOORAY!!), I know I’ll need to walk/exercise in the mornings and I want to properly fuel my body for that. And, I really don’t believe that intermittent fasting is a lifestyle that I could attain long term. BUT…healthy eating IS something I can do long term. That’s not to say I won’t have a treat now and then. That’s not to say that this southern girl won’t have a biscuit every so often. Let’s be honest, I’m not  bypassing the goodies 24/7 for life. BUT, my hope and desire is that I’m breaking bad food habits and that the norm for me will be healthier/cleaner eating and continuing to feel better as a result.

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I should write or post this, but then I thought about how I can’t possibly be the only one who has struggled with body image and dealt with food being a crutch in my life. So, I’m sharing not because I think this is the “one size fits all” plan for the whole world, but because it’s worked so well for me.  The two sayings above have been strong motivators for me too. I honestly want to print them and post them in my house as constant reminders. Going forward, I don’t want to fall back into constant bad habits and I want to keep excuses swept aside for the betterment of myself.

If, like me, you’re looking for a change and/or a starting point for something to help you feel better and this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me and I’ll share what’s been working for me. I am, by far, not even remotely an expert. I just know that this has legitimately been the best thing I’ve done for myself in awhile and if I can help anyone else, I am happy to do so. I believe we all deserve to feel good about ourselves and this has been a boost to get me to a better place in a lot of ways.

Happy Wednesday, y’all…

Kelly

 

Get to Steppin’

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Well, y’all, it’s been another weird week with illness in the house and such. BUT, I’m going to give a praise report right here and now that strep got kicked to the curb quickly. Besides, we have ZERO room for complaints. I’m just gonna say thank God for His healing provision and for meds too. Can I get a witness?! (PS: Strep, I mean it…stay gone!)

Besides the sick business, it’s just generally been a somewhat busy week. Not bad, just random stuff to do. For instance, I am one of the room moms for Mariana’s class and we were asked by the school foundation to assemble a themed basket for them to use in the upcoming silent auction. I actually enjoy this kind of thing, so that was fun. Our class theme was “Family Movie Night” and I had a good time assembling various movies, movie passes, pizza gift cards, and snacks to put in to it. It’s due to the school today, so, of course, I finished it…last night. Hey, at least it’s done. Woot!

I also started wearing my FitBit again this week. Full confession, I don’t even know the last time I put it on and counted steps. It’s been a minute. A very long, drawn out, don’t even want to admit how long, MINUTE. Mickey added me to a “Work Week Challenge” that he does and, y’all…I am so dang competitive sometimes. Within my reason, okay, let’s keep parameters fair. If you challenge me to a foot race, I know I most likely can’t even remotely compete. Pull-up competition? Please. Shoot baskets? Negative. I know my limits, of course. But, when it’s something I legit CAN win? Dude. I am hyper motivated. Getting steps in? BRING…IT…ON!! So, I’ve been beasting out some serious steps this week. As in, today I hit my 10k daily step goal before 10am. Whaaaaaaat?! Macey goes to FCA at school early on Fridays, so I got an earlier start on my nice long walk. Felt amazing, actually! And, I totally promise I’m not trying to brag much, okay some, but I’m killing it in that challenge. Someone give me a virtual fist pump, please! *wink

In addition to the “Work Week Challenge”, Mickey and I have challenged ourselves to get in one million steps before our beach trip with our friends after school get out for the year. ONE MILLION steps between now and then. Seems like a lot, but it’s totally attainable given that we have well over a hundred days until then. The idea was born from me wanting to get a quarter million steps in February. I’m trying to keep myself motivated. I really need to exercise and walking is something I really enjoy. I get out there, put on a Podcast (usually Passion City Church) and/or listen to music, just working my body and feeding my soul at the same time. I’m very fortunate that I have good areas to walk around my house and have routes anywhere from 1.5 to about 5 miles that I can take, depending on how much time I have, what I want to do that day, etc. So, I’m challenging myself to get out there, keep moving, and get those steps. I want a quarter million this month and ONE MILLION by the beach. I can do this, right? And, when I do — I need a t-shirt that says “I walked a million steps to get to lay on the beach.” HA! Who’s going to make that for me?

Would you like to join us in a steps challenge? Either getting a quarter million in February or a million by, say, Memorial Day? If so, let me know. Let’s get to steppin’ together and get healthier at the same time.

Oh and, this is so unrelated to this post, but…it’s FALCONS FRIDAY too, y’all! Our Birds have us pumped straight up for the Super Bowl this weekend!! RISE UP!!! I can hardly wait!!

Have an amazing weekend,
Kelly

My journey into running…

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I have recently taking up running. I should say right off the bat that prior to late February of this year, I have never really been a runner.  I made feeble attempts at Couch to 5K in the past, but I never stayed with it then. I had literally never run a mile straight.  Actually, I can’t recall a time when I ever ran any distance at all. Running just wasn’t my thing. I used to tease and say “I’m not running if nothing is chasing me.” I meant it. I had no interest in running.  Oh, I knew it was fantastic exercise, but I was just sure it wasn’t for me. After all, my lungs didn’t like to cooperate with running and I could always work out in other ways, right? The excuses were plentiful and mostly legit.

I can’t say exactly what inspired me because, frankly, I don’t know WHY, but I told Mickey in late February that if he found a 5k for me in April that I would train and run it. He took me at my word and found a local 5k for me. The date? April 2nd. When I first told him I’d run an April race, I was thinking late April, naturally. But, no…he found one the very first Saturday of the month.  I knew I had to make good on my word, so I got to work.

I knew I wanted to go use the “Couch to 5k” training program, but I wanted it to be more interactive. So, I purchased the Interval Run app for my iPhone. This app has a few training programs,  C25K being one of them. Mickey has an arm band for iPhone, so I was able to wear my iPhone and play the app at the same time.  This is an excellent app, in my opinion. I could play my own music playlist in the background and run the app over it. The app would break in and tell me when to walk/run at each interval. That way I didn’t have to keep up with time on a watch – I could just focus on running. The app also keeps a record of runs.  I highly recommend it!

When I first started training, it was HARD. As in, running for one minute straight was extremely difficult. I dreaded when I would have to run two minutes straight and then MORE. I didn’t look forward to the early training runs at all, but I kept plugging away at them.  My friend Curi ran with me for my second training run and I know she had to think that I was a total wimp, but, to her credit,  she pushed me and didn’t let me stop. Due to crazy schedules, I wasn’t able to run with her again for a couple of weeks and in that time she could definitely see marked improvement with my running. By that point, I was up to five minutes in a row. FIVE minutes. Woah. Okay, that seems silly now, but back then it seemed pretty incredible. When I was able to break five minutes, I somehow knew I could go all the way with the training.

At this point, I’m due for a confessional. I dropped the C25k program about mid-way through. It’s a great program and I was doing well on it. However, I just felt ready to push for more.  I got on the treadmill at the Y one day and ran a nice easy mile and a half. It wasn’t fast nor strenuous, but I did it! I was so proud! I knew then that I could start pushing for more distance. So, I did. Curi and I went out to the Chattahoochee River one Friday for me to attempt two miles. This was a first for me because I had only run the mile and a half on the treadmill earlier in the week and I surely had not run any distance outside. But, we went and I was determined. Guess what?! I did it!! Curi was so encouraging along the way and I made it!! This was just over three weeks before my first 5k, so it really bolstered my confidence that I’d be able to tackle the whole 5k prior to race day. WOO HOO!! (Note: It’s not advisable to rush training.  This blog is the abridged version of my training story. I took it easy and made sure I could do this without stress. C25K is an excellent program and I can’t recommend it highly enough. This is my own opinion, not paid for it.)

I won’t candy-coat anything, I still didn’t enjoy running while in the process, but I was all about the “runner’s high”/energy burst afterward. For that matter, I’m still mostly that way. I don’t exactly love pounding the pavement, but I am all about the accomplishment and energy. I can definitely tell that my fitness level has increased a great deal already. I am just amazed.

Back to my training story. Mickey and I went back out to the river two Fridays before the race. I wanted to push for three miles. Well, more accurately, he thought I could push for three and I decided to go for it. It was not at all easy, admittedly, but I made it! I did three miles for the very first time on Friday, March 18th!! It wasn’t quite the 3.1 mile 5k distance, but I was darn close and I was SUPER happy with my progress!! I was also completely amazed at how far I had come in a few short weeks.  Running a minute straight had been a challenge when I started and with training I was able to finally put three miles under my shoes. Amazing!! Mickey and I decided to run the race course the week prior to my first 5k. So, on Friday, March 25th, we set out to run the course. We had driven it and I knew it was hilly, so I was a little bit intimidated. I am all about pacing myself and Mickey is gracious enough to pace with me, so we set out on the course on Friday morning and I ran the whole thing! My time just over 42 minutes. Not speedy, but I wasn’t going for speed – I was going for completion. SUCCESS!!!

I have heard people talk about having “bad runs” and I felt very fortunate in my early training that I hadn’t had a really bad run yet. Hard ones, sure, but no BAD ones. That changed the Wednesday just before race. I set out to run a 2.5 mile loop near our house and I just bombed. I wound up walking quite a bit of it. It was just bad. I couldn’t get into the run physically nor mentally. Ugh. So, my first bad run was officially under me at that point.

Saturday, April 2nd was race day. Mickey and I were running it together and my friend Melody had signed up too. My first race. Several friends had told me that the adrenaline on race day is pretty amazing and that it would carry me. All I can say is — YES, they were correct. Lining up at the start line was pretty exciting. I knew I had to reign myself in and not just take off based on surging adrenaline, so that’s what I did. Mickey stayed with me and we ran a nice smooth pace the whole race. Melody was ahead of us, but we could see her the whole time.  My official time was just over 39 minutes. I had shaved off THREE minutes from my time the week prior. WOW!!! I knew then that I was hooked. I had accomplished my two race goals – run the whole time and don’t finish last. I had literally gone from the couch to a 5k in a few short weeks. Amazing!!

Mickey and I have a goal now to run one 5k per month. We have been scouring Run Georgia‘s website to find races in our general area. There are great ones happening all over Georgia, and especially the metro area, so it’s easy to find ones to run together. We weren’t planning to run another 5k in April, but some of our Sunday School friends invited us to join them at a race last weekend and we did that one too. The course was nice and flat, beside the river, and I turned in a time of 36:53 officially. My time was better than my previous best. Sweet!! Now we are looking for other races to run each month. Exciting!

Mickey entered us into the lottery to try to get Peachtree Road Race numbers and WE GOT IN! Both of us!! So, now I am officially training for a 10k. The Peachtree is a famous Atlanta 10k that takes place every July 4th. I used to say people were crazy to get out and run in that Georgia heat, but it looks like I’m joining their ranks now. No one ever said I wasn’t crazy, did they?! 🙂 I’m looking forward to that huge race. I know already that I won’t be racing for time, but more for the experience.

My journey into running has been a success story. I’m not exaggerating when I say I never thought I’d be a runner. I never really had any interest in it, honestly. Mickey has been a runner for years and years,  but I never thought I would be too.  I’m still not at the point where I “love” it, but I’m enjoying it more all the time. I’m also incredibly proud of my accomplishments. I am just in awe at how God created this body to respond in strength. When things get tough during a run, I remember Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” AND Hebrews 12:1 – “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” These really inspire me and push me to keep going. It also helps to have great music in my ear.

If you’ve ever thought about running, but didn’t think you could do it, I encourage you to try. The first few weeks are tough, I’ll admit that, but it’s worth it.  Don’t give up. Give the Couch to 5k program a shot. Try the Interval Run app if you want something a little more interactive. If I can do this, anyone can. I’m convinced.

Blessings,

Kelly

Zoom-Zoom-ZUMBA!!

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Have any of y’all taken a Zumba class? I have heard about it for awhile and finally got up my nerve to take a class at the Y last fall. I loved it! It’s an intense workout, but it’s so much fun!! I haven’t been in a couple of months, but I’m planning to go back this morning. It’s a rainy day here today, so I wish I could say that I’m excited and ready to go to Zumba, but I’d really like to just curl up in bed with a book. However, I know I need this workout, so I’ll dig up the motivation and go to Zumba. I think. 😉

If you haven’t heard of Zumba, it’s a workout that blends aerobics and dance, basically. It’s mostly Latin dance inspired. Constant motion is the key. I was hesitant to try it initially. I love to dance, but I’m not exactly the most coordinated person in the world. (My most embarrassing workout story is from the 90s. I was taking step aerobics and could NOT get coordinated enough to step, swing my arms, etc. all in the right timing. The step instructor literally got ON my step with me and I still couldn’t quite get it quickly. Yikes!) Several friends encouraged me to just TRY Zumba and assured me I’d like it. The key, I was told, is to just keep moving. Even if you’re not doing what the rest of the class is doing at the time, just MOVE. So, I did it. I’m not going to say I got all the moves right, but I did it. And, I really enjoyed it! Zumba really gets the blood pumping and is a great calorie burner. What’s not to like about that? I enjoy the Thursday morning class at the Y, so I really need to get in gear and get going this morning so I can get there and get my dance on!

Happy Thursday!