Author: Kellie Cowles

I’ve already blogged that I turned a corner in May and have been spending the summer figuring out how to do things differently.  That’s the only way to get different results, right?

Now it’s all about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and creating routines….  Monday, Wednesday and Friday I’m up at 4am and at the gym by 5:15.  Meeting Jean there not only insures I won’t bail, but also keeps me on task and focused… not to mention that she’s just a hoot to hang with and knows simply everyone!

It was quite uncomfortable to establish this part of the routine because it required getting used to less sleep (until I can consistently get to bed earlier), confronting old ghosts and embracing an environment that I’d prefer not to. Nothing against Foothill Gym, I’m just not crazy about gyms, mirrors, sweaty strangers, yada yada.  Too bad, so sad, go anyway.

I’m already over the hump of settling in and am seeing results… which are very easy to monitor thanks to the SheStrength program and app.  Not only do I get to track my daily efforts, I get to see the team personal record progressions.   We are all progressing and it’s great to see and cheer each other on.

      

Thursdays and Sundays are my hiking/running/yoga days.  These are by far my favorite days because I can at least figuratively catch up with my friends.  This is what the running days look like…

Chasing rabbits… I so love it.  I only catch them when they stop, yet they never get so far ahead of me that I feel demoralized.  Inspired and determined are the best feelings for pushing myself.  Especially when it’s over and I’ve run 6 miles (with a few quick stops and water crossings) for the first time in a year.

The hiking days start at 5:45am and are slightly easier in that we generally walk, but my friends have such strong fast legs (even some of the shortest ones, lol) that I’ve yet to find myself in the front.   On those days, the periodic furry towrope is a still treat although I’m starting to prefer just watching the pups run ahead and play!

Thank you Jean for showing up at the right time and the right place to be part of my catalyst for change.  You are the absolute best and so are Benny and Harley!!

Coming up in 10 days…  a four-day backpacking trip up to the Jennie Lakes Wilderness with my two absolutely amazing back backing peeps!   Our last trip was in March while I was still hip deep in the problem and I wasn’t myself… physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.  This trip will be so completely different.  I’m really looking forward to stretching my legs in the wilderness!

No matter what we have going on in our lives, it won’t last.  The bad days will pass as will the good days.  They are all just cycles and subject to starting and stopping.  So often,  they are influenced more by our attitude and actions than any set of circumstances.

We can let go.  We can change.  We can create new experiences.  We can create new memories.  I’m assuming we only pass through this world once so our time here is way too short to squander on unnecessary suffering.   I just had to be willing to let go of my present reality and welcome change…. and now the change has come.  Yay!

For the last month, I’ve been on track in my nutrition with macros counting and weekly reporting to my nutrition coach.  I haven’t seen much change yet, but I know very well that it’s a process that can’t be rushed.  I also know that I had let my eating run amok for months and it will take time to heal the hormonal damage.  So, I ignore the mirror, scale and tape and just keep hitting my numbers as closely as possible, day in and day out.

Consistently hitting macro targets isn’t always easy and it’s definitely not convenient, but it has proven to be the most effective way to achieve safe and steady fat loss that I have encountered… and I’ve definitely tried my share of diets.    So, nutrition is dialed in and time will provide the result, given patience and consistency.

If you’re struggling with your nutrition and how it’s negatively impacting your body, I get it.  I’ve been there and back more than once.  When you’re ready to put in the effort to create lasting change, you can make it happen.  There are effective solutions available and I’m happy to give you a referral.

A few months ago I also made rebuilding my fitness a top priority.  I’d learned from the last year, that I train best in a team or group, so I put an enormous amount of time into researching the different fitness offerings in the area.  There are tons of options, ranging from pilates or kickboxing to bootcamps or CrossFit.  I have extensively more knowledge than the average consumer about effective training methods and the vast majority of places I looked at simply didn’t meet my standards.  In fact, far from it.  In a fit of desperation, I finally bought a month pass to the CrossFit closest to my home.  It was a hard month, with most of my sessions spent biting my tongue to not coach the instructors or clients.

But, I liked being back in CrossFit so I checked the class schedules of all the other boxes in the area.  Mutiny CrossFit looked like the best fit.  Their coaches are all knowledgeable, personable and very engaged.   The facility is well equipped and the programming is pretty standard fare.   I had a very good time the week that I visited.  The only drawback is that their prime time is evenings and their 6am classes were almost empty when I was there.  Given my history, the main draw to return to CrossFit was the possibility of joining an established community.  Being limited to 6am training at Mutiny wouldn’t have provided the team environment that I was seeking.

After all that, I’ve just scrapped the idea of group training for at least the next three months. Instead,  I’ve started SheStrength inside Foothill Gym.  SheStrength is a 3-day a week strength program, designed for outdoorsy women and coached remotely by GriggStrong.  It is a serious, effective program and will provide good results as long as I stay consistent.  Which I’ll do by maintaining connection with my coach and peers and not letting isolation snowball into depression.

I have even been honored to have a training partner and friend join me… one who not only keeps up with me in most activities, but also dusts me when we hit her wheelhouse… not a huge surprise given her years of teaching spin and pilates.  It’s super cool to have to push hard to keep up!    Compatible training partners are challenging to find, but so worth the effort once they establish.

As for community fulfillment, that comes with my twice weekly hikes and social engagements with my friends.  Gals I’ve known for over 10 years, but never really been in the position to commit to building friendships.  It’s unbelievably nice to be able to engage and commit now.  Such a difference.

If you’re struggling with your fitness, boy do I understand.  The world of fitness is HUGE and most of the businesses are far better at taking your money than providing results.  Best suggestion I can give you is to do what I did.  Listen to you intuition.  It will tell you if you’re being coached by a professional or a charlatan. Keep looking.  Don’t settle.  There are a number of good places out there, but they are like wheat scattered amongst the chaff.  You have to look closely to find them.

BTW…. if you encounter any of the countless companies that make big promises of immediate weight loss or muscle gains.  Don’t believe them.  Seriously.  There are NO silver bullets, magic pills or short cuts to fitness…. but there are LOTS of scammers standing ready to sell you the illusion of an instant fix.

Since my last blog post only a month ago, both my admin and private coaching businesses have absolutely flourished.  After having become so depleted and demoralized through the winter and spring, to now have an abundance of administrative and private training clients is gratifying and solid confirmation that I made the right decision to diversify.

The stress and depression of those tough months took a definite toll.    As I look at my regression on the scale, in how my clothes no longer fit properly and in the decline of my fitness performance, I recall that for many months, I couldn’t even muster the energy or discipline to care, least of all stop the slide.  My heart goes out to those around me who, for whatever reason, are still sitting in the depths of their own personal hell.  It will pass.  Everything does.  Seriously.  Please hang in there until the change comes.

Last month I finally started to break free….first with the business change, then the twice weekly hikes with girlfriends and their wonderfully furry tow ropes. Those hikes have been so very helpful for healing my heart.  I just adore my huge community of fit and adventurous women!  Like this highlight of the antics from Sunday’s 4-mile run.  (There’s a 5k coming up in September that I’m jumping on…  Mt. Wilson Inaugural 5k.  Come join me!)

A few weeks ago, I also added back in CrossFit three times a week.  My  current box isn’t ideal given my background, knowledge and standards, but for the moment it’s most important to just again immerse myself in a fitness culture that surrounds me with likeminded people.  No doubt I’ll keep visiting the different boxes in the area until I settle in the one that fits me best.

Last week I was even able to pull the trigger on one of the last of my healing needs… I reconnected with my old nutrition coach.  If anyone can help me finish reclaiming my body and spirit, it will be Perla Solis.

Even though I let some things go slack for awhile, one thing has consistently provided such pleasure, that I’ve managed to keep it going through all the turmoil of change.  Anatomy tutoring!  Yep, I’ve been studying anatomy weekly with an excellent teacher. One who also just happens to also be a close friend and favorite backpacking buddy… Kaelyn Silva.

Kaelyn has an enormous education in human physiology; first as a student, then as both teacher and coach.  She is so knowledgeable, gifted and creative that I was beyond blessed when she agreed to take me on.  Almost every Tuesday evening, we meet at her house to work our way up the human body.  I asked her to focus her teachings on those components that would be most useful in my coaching… bones, muscles, joints, movement and structure abnormalities and corrections.  She has done all that and so much more; never hesitating to suspend her curriculum to make sure that I understood a concept and its practical application… even when it meant calling in her physics specialist.

I’m a tactile and visual learner and even with all the time, money and effort I’ve put into live and virtual courses and certifications through the years, I’ve never felt completely confident with my grasp of human movement.  That is finally changing!  It has been incredibly powerful to fill in my understanding gaps up close and personal.

Kaelyn prepares well in advance of each week, preparing extensive notes, homework and crazy hard quizzes.  We’ve used client case studies, practiced with our bodies, performed the dissection of a lamb knee joint (Did you know that a dried lamb meniscus looks just like a baby’s ear? Who’d have thought!) and studied some really awesome books.  This one in particular has given me hours and hours of insight and fascination.  (The history of the wax artwork is bizarre all in itself! )  I had no idea that I would fall so in love with learning about the human body and how it works and I have Kaelyn to thank for that.  (If anyone reading this post thinks they or someone they know could benefit from advancing their working knowledge of the human body, let me know and I’ll connect you with her.  She may be able to offer you tutoring too!)

Oh, one last thing…  I bought this little money plant just over two years ago.  It thrived all the way up until last winter, when it started to slowly die.  In the spring, the last of its few remaining leaves were all ripped off during a wind storm, leaving nothing but sticks.  I was going to just throw the pitiful baby away, but I’m oddly superstitious at times, and I procrastinated.  Now look at it!  Even after having gone to the very brink, it’s not only alive, but again thriving!  If there’s a mystical message here, I’ll leave you to figure it out…  🙂