Heather's Early Morning Workout #nofilter

If you haven't guessed it by now, I'm more comfortable talking about other people. So this post is a stretch for me as give you a sneak peak into my workout world at Pinacle Health & Fitness.

I've been preparing for Tough Mudder (which is coming up fast--August 16th) since December. I'm doing this to raise money for World Relief Canada for some fantastic programs they have that will benefit women and children. If you'd like to join with me and make a donation, you can do that here.

Here I am at 5:15 a.m. with my trainer, Karen Martin. I've been working with her once a week. She's fantastic! When I started with her there were so many things I was not able to do. I was out of shape in a significant way and I have a curved spine, which makes some exercises really challenging. Karen is a fantastic blend of adapting to what you can do and pushing you to the next level. My muscles usually talk to me for several days after a session with Karen.

Here we are with the renegade row. Think pushup position, but alternating lifting the weights in each hand. Great workout for the core.  (12 reps, 3 sets)

Next, the Turkish get up. Start laying on the floor keeping the weight up at all times and lift yourself up. Great for stability, hip strength. (5 reps each side, 3 sets)

No workout would be complete without squats! For Tough Mudder we will be doing a lot of hills, so the squats are awesome for building leg strength. Just for extra fun, I'm holding on to two 15 lbs kettleball weights. (12 reps, 3 sets)

Stability ball bicep curls. These are harder than they look!

TRX inverted row. Down and up. Note the look of sheer determination!

Whenever I work out, I usually add the treadmill at the front and back end. At the start, I ramp up the incline and give the legs a good workout to simulate hills. ( I also do outdoor hills, but I'll save that for another day) At the end, I like to do some running, just to help me prepare for running after I do something physically exerting.

Just under three weeks to go! I'll be at the gym tomorrow morning--bright and early.

A Song that Inspires in the Gym

When I'm working out on my own at the gym I often listen to music. I have a great playlist that I change up fairly often to stay engaged and to give me energy to work out in the wee hours of the morning.

Lately I've been captured by Matthew West's Do Something. This song pokes you in the eye to move beyond being concerned about issues of poverty, pain, and injustice and to actually do something.

I think we all care about something. And I encourage you to "Do Something" about that cause and make a difference.

This blog is about a cause I care about--helping women and children internationally through Tough as Her and World Relief Canada.

If you would like to join with me, you can donate to World Relief Canada on my Tough Mudder Donation Page.

Thanks...and stayed tuned!

I’m so tired of talking
About how we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”
Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire
I wanna be the one who stands up and says,
“I’m gonna do something”

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

Waffling Between Confidence and Despair

Well, in just over five weeks I'll be doing Tough Mudder and I have to confess I'm waffling between confidence and despair. According to my trainer this is a normal feeling.

Why do I feel confident? I have a really great team of people who will be doing this race with me. I get a lot of energy and encouragement from them.

My board colleagues--Jennifer Stolte, Dr. Joel Emery, and Joanne Beach--are an amazing bunch of people who serve with me on the World Relief Canada board. They are dedicated and committed. Besides that, Joel has promised emergency medical assistance on the day of the event...how good is that? 

Jennifer, Heather, Joel, and Eric Frans...pumped about Tough Mudder!

Eric Frans is the Director of Philanthropy at World Relief Canada and he has Mudder experience. I love his passion--its contagious.

Check out Jennifers determination..love her attitude!

And if you've been following my blog you'll remember I was in physio for a while for my right knee. It was not happy, but it turn out that I just had some weak quad muscles around the kneecap. So I've been working really hard on strengthening those quads and I'm feeling great about that. I'm also seeing some good improvement in my strength and endurance.

All these things help me to feel confident.  So why the despair?

I have to admit, I've been thinking about some of those obstacles we'll be doing on race day. In particular the Arctic Enema. It is freezing cold water and then swimming under a plank. Just not sure I'm going to come out on the other side.  Seriously, can I attach a rope to someone?  Joel?  You can see all the possible obstacles here.

Really...what was I thinking?

I'll tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking about "her". Women and children who face very difficult obstacles every day. They don't get to chose if they power through an obstacle. They have no choice. I think about "her" every day at the gym. I give a voice to "her" by talking about what she goes through and how this event can make a difference.

So no more waffling. Just gotta do it...for her.

Stay tuned.

When Average is a Good Thing

Well, I've had a little bit of a setback the last couple of weeks in my training program getting ready for Tough Mudder.  My right knee has been talking back to me when I'm doing squats and lunges--and I am doing a wack of them getting ready for this challenge. There was a bit of swelling, clicking and pain.

I decided to go to a physio therapist at the Waterloo Sports Medicine Clinic and see if there were any serious issues. I had a great therapist named Julie who put me through a battery of moves and stretches.

The good news is that I'm "average" and that the problem with my knee is that the muscles on one side are not as strong as those on the other. Now average might not sound great to you, but it actually made me feel good. Before I started training for this challenge, I'm sure that I was well below average in strength. So to be "average" means I've progressed. I wonder if she meant average athlete or average person or average person my age?

Anyway, I have these special exercises to do that will help strength the muscles around my knee. My least favourite is the one-legged squat. 

But I think these exercises are really working. My knee feels better and better everyday and I'm hoping for a fairly quick return to full strength.

This has caused me to reflect on how fortunate I am. I have access to someone who can assess my problem and give me some exercises to do to get me on my way. I have health benefits that help to cover the cost of these assessments. But the women and children that I'm raising money for through World Relief Canada rarely have that luxury. To them an injury can be devastating and even life-threatening. That's why I'm motivated to do Tough Mudder and raise funds for these programs. I'd like to even the playing field for as many of these courageous women as possible.

Stay tuned...

Did Your Mind Tell You to Quit?

I have begun to realize that getting ready for Tough Mudder is as much a mental preparation as it is a physical preparation. Last week my trainer, Karen Martin, said something that has really stuck with me.

I was doing push-ups and the idea was to go until I couldn't go anymore. This was my second set of agony, so you can imagine that my arms were starting to feel the love. Karen is telling me I look strong, that my form is bang on.

And then I stopped.

She looked me in the eye and said, "Did your mind tell you to quit, or did your body"? Busted. She was totally right. I did have more left. Not only that, but yesterday when I was out for a run, I thought about stopping early and her voice was ringing through my head.

So, I've decided that whenever I think I'm done, I'm going ask myself whether my mind is telling me I'm done or if I've actually reached my physical limit. (For the record, I finished the full run yesterday!)

I have a feeling I'll need this advice on Tough Mudder day.

I've Been Muddering Along All Winter...

I think we can all agree that this winter lasted way. too. long. I actually didn't mind all that much, because I was really busy with my winter term course at McMaster Divinity College. When it's nice out, it's a lot harder to buckle down and write those papers and study for exams.

But there's been another plus side to this winter...I've been faithfully working out almost every workday morning at 6:00 a.m. at Pinacle Health & Fitness getting ready for Tough Mudder. Three mornings a week I join Karen Martin's fitness class. Karen is amazing--she pushes us to our best potential. Squats. Planks. Burpees. Lunges. Push-ups. Weights. Cardio. And it's starting to make a difference!

When I joined the gym, I didn't realize how important these classes would be for me. I've met some really great people who help me out when I'm struggling and celebrate when I break through a milestone.

Jane usually works out right behind me. I love talking with her every morning. When the going get's tough, I can always look back and know that we won't give up--she won't let me!

Julie is in front of me. She is soooo strong. She sets the pace in the class and is always doing the most challenging version of the exercise. But even though she is so fit, she still takes time to ask me how it's going and to notice when I'm able to make it through the set or use heavier weights. She could totally be a gym snob, but she's not. I love that about her.

I won't lie to you. It hasn't been easy getting up every morning at 5:20 to head for the gym. I made a choice to go and Jane, Julie, and Karen make it a lot easier to do that. Most of you will know the reason I'm doing the Tough Mudder Challenge...to raise money for women and children overseas with World Relief Canada. These women face very difficult circumstances every day. They don't have the choice like I do--they face their obstacles to survive.

Stay tuned.

Why Not Me?

I'll admit it. I watched the Superbowl Sunday night. When you have a son who loves football, you have to get your head in the game. It's something I've come to enjoy. I have to say that before the game I didn't really know that much about the Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, but something he said really caught my attention.

Wilson has always been told he was too small to be an NFL quarterback. But he reached back to something that his dad had told him years earlier:  "Why not you?" I can just hear that conversation...probably about not letting something like that stand in the way. That "Why not you" provided the inspiration he needed to overcome the obstacle, perfect his skill, and eventually lead his team to a Superbowl victory.

Those three words have really stuck with me this week. Why. Not. Me. I shared in a previous post that I'm training for Tough Mudder to raise funds for women and children overseas, through World Relief Canada. People might say I'm too old or not fit enough to do this--and they might be right. But I think about the problems that need to be overcome and I want to draw attention and resources toward providing a solution. So like Wilson I say--Why not me?

Thanks Russell, I needed that inspiration this week.