Dear Bailey

My cousin recently shared an issue she had with her daughter on Facebook.  I thought it was heartbreaking but I loved the way she decided to handle it.  I asked her permission to share with you in the event that it could help any other young women.  Here is what happened…

My 10 year old daughter recently told me something that has bothered me for a few days now. She informed that she needs to run more to lose weight. Then a few days later she asked me if she looked skinny enough? My heart broke. I was so disappointed that here is this little innocent girl that has been influenced by society and she is already starting to think she is not good enough. I felt like I had let her down. So after thinking about how I would approach this subject, I decided to write her the following letter. Hopefully it helps her understand. We ended up having a great talk about it afterwards and decided to share it just in case anyone else could ever use it. Lord knows that parenting is tough and it helps to have people talk about things like this  Especially because as parents we influence our kids by everything we do and say.

My Dear Bailey,

You recently mentioned to me about something that caused me a concern. That you want to be “skinny”. It worries me that you don’t realize what’s really important in life and it is my job as a parent to let you know.

Yes, it is important to be healthy. Eating right and exercise are important for bodies. But that is not the most important lesson I want to teach you. I want you to know that the most important thing in life is the size of your heart and not the size of your jeans.

Being a good person with a good heart is what I truly want for you.

What makes a good heart you ask? Well, a few things I can think of and that I need to remember sometimes too…

Be there for others, especially when they need help… Be honest…Give more than you take… Be Genuine... Be thoughtful in life… Make smart decisions… Be open minded… You can always learn from others, no one knows it all… Listen and learn from your elders… It’s not all about you & the world doesn’t revolve around you...Say your please and thank you’s & be grateful………And always listen to your mom & dad.

No, Bailey. It’s not your skin color, your weight, height or even what you wear that truly matters in life. It’s your heart. And when you are a person with a good heart, you are a good human being.

I love you to the moon and back my sweetie!!! And I love your heart.

Love,

Mom

Great advice posted on Facebook by Jillian Michaels today.

No good, nasty migraine

I’m getting my butt kicked in fitbit steps this week. Not just, oh shoot, I’m not in first.  But I’m in 5^th!  5^th?! Can you believe it. I can’t. I get so irritated when I look at the leaderboard.  I woke up last Monday at 4 am with a migraine.  Wednesday I went to the doctor and they gave me some shots but that didn’t help much.  Thursday I went to my amazing chiropractor Doctor Brett and that made a huge difference.  Friday I studied some stress reduction techniques. Glad to say, the pain has been gone for a  few days now.  But alas, I was not able to romp and run and play like I normally would last week and it has kicked me down the leaderboard.  So this week I will have to push really hard to get back on top. 

On a funny note, when I was in a meeting Thursday my pants fell off.  Not all the way off, thank god.  But they slide a good few inches down my booty when I went to stand up.  The fact that a small child could’ve crawled in my waistband with all the extra room I had in there should’ve been my first sign when I got dressed that morning.  So this weekend I went and bought a new pair of dress pants and put the others in my “too big” tote.  Two exciting things to note about the new pants.  I got them on clearance for $5.  Score.  Also, they are many sizes smaller than the ones I had to donate to the fat pants tote.  I haven’t been in this size since I returned from Biggest Loser and I’m looking forward to these pants getting bigger too.  That 20 year class reunion is slowly crawling closer and closer so I have to keep my focus keen. Right now I weigh about the same as I weighed when I graduated.  I want to be much smaller by the time August 2^nd rolls around. 

It’s supposed to be beautiful and warming up this week here in the tall corn state so I plan to make the most of the great outdoors and get my fitness on.  I was hoping to try a new class at the Y on Wednesday night too but it’s going to have to wait until next week.  This Wednesday is a big night for the Hagebakke family.  My Uncle Mark and I will be giving out a scholarship to a wrestler in Dallas Center-Grimes in honor of the Kirk Hageman Memorial Fund.  It warms my heart to know that his legacy will live on through others that loved the sport of wrestling as much as he did.  

Our mantra

There’s a little saying in our house that my father always used, “Go big or go home”.  We are a competitive bunch.  But we don’t just use this phrase when it comes to card games and playing bags or sporting events.  It’s a common theme in our lives.  When I saw this on Pinterest, it made me think of my family.  It also made me think of workouts.

Maybe your Monday wasn’t awesome. Maybe you need a little Tuesday spark. An attitude adjustment.  The will to go all four quarters.  Read the above again.  You always have a choice.  In workouts, life, love, career…you can give up, give in or give it all you got. And if you’re not giving it all you got, then why are you doing it at all?  Stop wasting your time and everyone else’s.  I realize this is easier said than done some days.  But humor me and play by the 80/20 rule, for just ONE WEEK.  Give it all you’ve got for one week.  Seven days.  A mere 168 hours. If you can give all you’ve got 80% of the time for one week, you may be astounded by the changes you feel physically and mentally in any area of your life you apply this too.  And the feeling you get from doing that, may just carry over into week 2 and month 4 and 1 year down the road.  Imagine the changes and positive impact this could bring.  If you’re not willing to commit to a week then just give it one damn day.  But you don’t get to play 80/20 if you just do a day. Give every single fiber of your being for one full day and see what happens.  See how you feel when you lay down to sleep that night.  Accomplished? Proud? Maybe a bit exhausted, but in a good way. 

I made a quick trip to the cemetery to visit Kirk this weekend while I was home.  The back of his headstone, although it brings tears, also always makes me smile and motivates me.  Hagebakke Wrestling Forever.  Go big, or go home.  That’s what we do.  

YES!!!

I couldn't have said this better myself.  Love, love, love this.  It was shared on Facebook this week by one of the hiking guides at Biggest Loser Resort I'm friends with.  I did just about every single one of those things while I was in Malibu with them but I didn't quit. Will you?

Legacy

This is what I call bliss! Got to the Y and had the entire basketball court to myself. Well, for about 15 minutes anyway. Glorious! 

Happy birthday to my favorite trainer in the world today. Miss you, Boss, Scott, crazy man. 

Today we had a speaker at work. If you don't know the story of Ed Thomas, the Parkersburg tornadoes, his murder by a former student and the legend of the Sacred Acre, stop reading this immediately and check it out. His son Aaron spoke today. It was one of the most inspirational 90 minutes of my life. I laughed, I cried, I was inspired. If, when my time on earth is over, I could leave .000000000001 iota of the legacy that Ed Thomas did, I will have lived a wonderful life. One take away was life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Also, attitude. Everyday you wake up and you control your attitude. Will you be positive and live a life that inspires other? Or will you be negative or be a victim? Do you live with passion and desire? Do you utilize love, kindness and faith? Do you play all four quarters? Or quit when the going gets tough? Whether it's your work, family, health or community involvement, you control your attitude and effort. Don't waste precious time and energy on negativity. What will your legacy be? 

Owww

Sometimes a good sign that your strength training for the night has come to an end is when you slip off the stability ball and drop the weight on your toe. 

Does anyone use myfitnesspal with fitbit? After the updates this week, MFP now instantly uploads your fitbit steps if you have them synced. So, my question is, should I still be inputting my activity in MFP like I've always done? It only uploads steps but what if was going to enter cardio for running/walking for half an hour? I don't want it to double up or do anything funky like skew my calorie burn for the day. Thoughts on this? Anyone, anyone, Bueller? 

Back in Action

I spent a few days in Chicago last week for work. To say that wreaked havoc on my normal workout and eating schedule would be a drastic understatement.  It rained the entire time I was there so I couldn’t really go walk around and explore the city.  Plus, it was dark by the time I got out of my conferences each day.  Such a bummer.  They don’t tend to cater in healthy lunches and snacks at these events.  I really missed having a kitchen. Luckily I had taken some of my P3 packs with me to eat during plane rides and avoid fast food at the airport.  This turned out to be a really good move since my flights were delayed both ways and I spent a lot of time chilling in the terminals and smelling the aroma of dangerous foods.

But on a good note, my replacement fitbit was waiting for me when I returned home late Thursday night.  So now I can work hard to catch up with the girls on steps for the week.  I was lost without it. 

I’m debating signing up for a bootcamp at the Y for the next 5 weeks.  I have to check the schedule and make sure it doesn’t start today though.  Procrastinate much, Lyndee? 

This weekend I will be going home to celebrate Mother's Day and my darling nephews 1st birthday.  Is he not the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life?!?!?! He melts my heart.  Not that I'm biased or anything...