Monday, July 7, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

I know, I know. It's been awhile since I posted and I know that I didn't post my training last week. I'll get after it this week.

I had a busy 4th of July and holiday weekend. All weekend my thoughts were with my friend Kate who was racing a 70.3 Ironman in Lake Stevens, Washington. She was looking to secure a spot in the World Championship race. She did it, no prob Bob! She finished 5th in her age group. AND she had a great run, the element that she has been working so hard to improve. So congrats Kate Monster!

With my birthday coming up, I was a little more philosophical in my thoughts instead of straight-forward. I've been thinking about how much my life has changed in a decade. 10 years ago, my first child Conner was a baby. I was just starting a new teaching job at the college where I now work, and I was in bad, bad physical shape. I don't have any digital pictures of me from then, but I do have pictures of me from five years ago, three, two, and one. Here's a few of those:

March 2003 - Las Vegas

August 2005 - On my brand new Harley

August 2006 - Pictured with Arlen Ness in Sturgis


January 2007 - Just started with Brad Nelson

June 2008 - Snatching the 20 kg

Since January 2007, I have lost 25 pounds and 10% bodyfat. I want to lose 10 more pounds and 4-5% more bodyfat. I almost can't believe that I've come as far as I have. I never thought I would lose 25 pounds. I've never been able to lose more than 5 or 10 pounds before. I don't think I was ready before. You have to be ready mentally for it to work.

I've learned that I need to take responsibility for my well-being. I need to put my energy into what makes me feel better. I've built a network of resources that I trust. That all started the day I made contact with Brad Nelson. He took me seriously and seriously kicked my butt when I needed it. He never sugar coats or lets me off easy. He holds me to task, which is critical because there are times I can't hold myself to task and need that outsider to do it. I know I would not be where I am on this journey without Brad.

People do come into your life for a reason. Brad came into my life to push me and support me in a way no one else could. Brad also doesn't take this responsibility lightly. His wife-to-be Jordan has to be very understanding to watch Brad connect with his clients like me. It's pretty intimate since I tell him things I can't tell others like how much I weigh, what I really eat, and how I'm feeling. I cry in front of him almost every time I get new Z Health. (It's a Z thing!)

It's powerful when someone sees your potential. Brad sees it and took the time to understand who I am so he could help me in the ways I need to be helped. Thank you, Brad, for making me see my potential and for all of your time, energy, and support. I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Oh, and by the way - I'm 37.

7 comments:

sheryl said...

Hi Amy,
Caught your blog through Tracy Rif's. It's amazing to see the progression and your waist line shrinking away. Good job! I too lost about 25lbs and it was after seeing some vacation pictures that my husband took of me that made up my mind to lose weight...It's funny how the pounds sneak up on you over the years.
Keep up the good work!

CJ said...

Happy Birthday Aminator !!!! What are you like 25 now.. Jerry upgraded to the new and improved model with out costing him a dime.. Lucky man that Jerbear is !!
Sorry I didn't comment yesterday but with "NO SLEEP" for 42 hours I was a walking Zombie.. We need to get together sometime this summer.. Talk to you guys soon !!

Amy Jurrens said...

Sheryl,
Thanks for stopping by! Congrats on your weight loss. As you can see in my pics, I didn't really lose much weight until I started training with Brad Nelson and kettlebells. The Vegas picture did shock me into starting an exercise program. I saw I was becoming my mother! The horror!! ;-)

Amy Jurrens said...

Craig,
Thanks for the b-day wishes. Thanks for keeping me updated Sunday about Kate's race. We'll for sure see each other at the wedding this weekend. Let's do the Club Wednesday. It's been too long!

Banu said...

hi! Love your blog! I'm 35 almost 36 and trying to lose that last 10 pounds too. KB helped me get the pregnancy pounds off from my 3rd baby last year.
I'm starting a KB site for women. I participate on the dragondoor forums and found the need for a place where women can go in addition to dragondoor to get info geared more toward us. It's just a page on my personal site right now but I'm building it to be its own site with a forum, etc. im working toward my RKC and hubby and i will open a crossfit gym soon.

definitely bookmarking you. check me out at:
http://web.mac.com/banu0806

Amy Jurrens said...

KB Goddess,
Great idea! I saw the discussion on DD about the women's forum. I will definitely check out your site! Thanks for stopping by!

Joe Walker said...

Awesome stuff, Amy! My wife is now a regular reader of your blog. Keep up the great work--you really are an inspiration to us all!