Eat Suite: BEASTIN' & FEASTIN' Days 9-10: Pain brings change!

I've been in a perpetual state of soreness for over 2 weeks now. I totally missed having a mentor/coach/trainer in my life, and I can't believe I went that long without one. I met my first trainer in 2009 and I loved how hard he pushed me. I loved that he didn't allow me to make excuses for slacking off and he always made sure the workouts were challenging, but fun. Which isn't difficult to do with me because I consider any challenge to be fun! I learned so much about myself then. And I trusted and looked up to my trainer. So much, that I wanted to have that same role in other peoples lives. So, I became a trainer as well! I LOVED it! It was the most rewarding thing in the world to me. I love playing such a large part in the transformation of a life. I know how difficult it is and having a positive role model is so important!

I worked with him for about 6 months and then I ventured off on my own. I hit several plateaus but was always able to overcome them by applying everything I had learned. It was HARD work. I never quit. But when I hit my final plateau, I tried everything to get over it but nearly shot me down. Nothing worked, my body was totally complacent. The mental struggle was tougher than the physical. I have overcome a LOT of internal pain, so to be cast back into that dark place was not an option. I was 180lb, 28% body fat, and constantly bloated. Not where I wanted to be, and far from where I knew I could be. It was then that I started digging deeper into my diet. I had been fooled the whole time thinking that whole wheat bread, Greek yogurt, and tofu were good for me. Just because that was the latest craze. I trusted it. And everything I read about it made sense. Brown rice over white rice, smart balance over butter, juicing, low calorie intake, etc. But my body needed something else so I tried a 30-Day Paleo challenge. Voila. Here I am 15 months later at 22% body fat and 160lb. Never in my life did I imagine I could look and feel this amazing! The way I eat now is a match made in heaven for my body. No joke. I love meat. I love fat. I LOVE vegetables. That's it and that's all I need.

On to the latest change, adding CrossFit to my life. In previous blogs I talked about why I didn't want to be about that life. And now, I can't imagine life without it. I am officially obsessed. I look forward to it everyday!! It feels like my body was made for it. And joining Hercules CrossFit was probably the best decision I have made all year. I love the coaches, I love the culture, I love my new friends. I love healthy competition and this is such a great place for that. People are happy there. So you can't help but be happy too! It's hard as hell and I'm hurtin' in ways I've never hurt before but my body is grateful for it and I'm grateful for my body. I heard someone in class today come back from a run and say "I hate running, it hurts!" My response? "Be grateful you CAN run, and be grateful you can FEEL the pain!"