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...

Mr. Postman

I was desperately hoping my replacement fitbit would be here before I flew out today. Alas, it has not arrived.  And the tracking on USPS only shows it is en route.  Guess I will be walking around Chicago still unable to sync my flex to any of my devices.  *sigh*

So true

I don't think I could love this saying any more. Thought I would share in case any one else needed to see this today. 

Manic Monday

I don't know how your Monday went but just looking at my stats for today makes me a little tired. And I still can't catch Kara after my lazy Easter Sunday. 

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Now, go throw all that dang sugar away! :) Easter candy is evil. Ask my achy belly after this weekend. Uffda. 

Last night I got home and managed to spill a half gallon of deep red paint all over the garage and my new car. Today, my first day of work in my new job and my dress shoe broke in the morning. Who wants to wager on what madness hits tomorrow? No matter what it is, it will be a-o-k. All I can do is laugh at things like that.  Did anyone watch the Boston Marathon today? Very inspiring. #bostonstrong. Puts my little trials and tribulations into serious perspective. 

Baby steps to regain focus if you went off path over the holiday weekend. Eat your protein. Drink your water. Cut some carbs. And move that beautiful booty!! It's gorgeous outside. You have no excuse. Gotta get up to get down. Annoying song, true lyrics when it comes to health and losing weight. 

It's a man's world? Oh please.

So I guess I was pretty active last week. I think it was the joy of the sunshine and 70 degree temps. Yes, it snowed again yesterday but I'm totally trying to block that out of my memory.  I finally broke 100,000 steps for a week and it felt great!

What's even better about it? Kara and Melody are breathing down my neck and bringing their best step game as well. They are neck in neck and closing in on me with a vengeance! I love it! I'm going to have to be super focused the rest of this week if I want to come in first again.  I leave for C-town tomorrow after work and will be home for 5 days.  Yes, 5 days in my danger zone.  Thursday I'll be sitting at Mayo Clinic all day with the family.  Maybe I can walk some laps on the hour? Friday is open so I can go up to the fitness center in town or hit the trails if it's nice.  Saturday and Sunday we have Easter at each of the Grandma's and we are also squeezing in a birthday party for Michael and maybe a dinner with my favorite preggo cousin, BT. It will be a busy few days, surrounded by tasty but terrible food choices and I will be out of my element.  I won't be doing my lunch walks with Melody or my nightly workout routines at the YMCA. I am packing some snacks and my vitamins to take with me. I will try desperately to get in at least 10,000 steps every day and just do the best I can on food choices.  That's all a girl can do.

Speaking of being a girl...I've noticed when it comes to the basketball court at the Y, it's a man's world.  One of the front desk workers commented the other night how I am often the only female in the gym shooting hoops.  She said it like it would bother her and could possibly be the reason that more women aren't in there. It doesn't phase me at all.  I'm surrounded by adolescent boys and sweaty men trying to relive their glory days in a pick up game with their buddies.  More than once they've tried to "run me off the court" but I always stand my ground. There's 6 hoops in here people, you can play on the other 5.  I just need my one. And if you ever want to play me for my hoop, bring it on. I can play horse with the best of them and love some competition.  I appreciate my parents raising me to be blind to societies idea of gender roles not only in sports, but in life. There is not much of anything you can tell me I can't do because I'm a woman.  Except pee standing up. I've tried it, it's not for me.  Men, I will give you that one. I wish the lady at the front desk and more females would come in and play in the gym.  And I love seeing when young girls come in once and awhile with their friends.  I always make sure to encourage their good shots or hustle.  But most days I just put on my headphones and ignore the testosterone that surrounds me. I'm not there to socialize. I'm there to get my sweat on and sink basket after basket and find my happy meditation zone.

Don't quit!

Today's theme? Yeah, the title totally blew that game, didn't it?  Don't quit! I'm having one of those weeks were bad news abounds and good news is scarce. My brain is on overdrive and my heart is anxious and heavy. It would be so easy to let the happenings of life pull me under.  But I can't quit.  And neither can you!! Or you my dear friend who dared to speak that word out loud to me this morning regarding all the success you are considering throwing away.  Whether it's diet, exercise, work, a relationship or life in general.  Be a soldier! Pull up your big girl panties and keep on fighting!

Some of you may not know, but I am a poet. I've been writing poetry since I could form words.  Poetry has always been my therapy. It makes me happy to write and to read.  Here is one of my all time favorite poems. I could read it 10 times a day and never get sick of it.  It always inspires me and I'm sharing it with you.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, 

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, 

When the funds are low and the debts are high, 

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, 

When care is pressing you down a bit, 

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns, 

As every one of us sometimes learns, 

And many a failure turns about, 

When he might have won had he stuck it out; 

Don't give up though the pace seems slow-- 

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than, 

It seems to a faint and faltering man, 

Often the struggler has given up, 

When he might have captured the victor's cup, 

And he learned too late when the night slipped down, 

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out-- 

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, 

And you never can tell how close you are, 

It may be near when it seems so far, 

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-- 

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

True

Yesterday was one of those crazy days that just made my head spin. I could've easily opted out of a workout. I was almost at my 10,000 steps by the time I got home from work and there was so much to do and take care of at home, I debated not going. BUT I knew it wasn't all about steps on a fitbit monitor.  It was about feeling better, finding some down time to focus on me and getting my active on.  So I went to the Y and wouldn't you know it, I felt tons better once I was done. It really is the worlds best stress relief.  I saw this sign while I was there.

It made me feel even better about my decision to to squeeze in a workout. I'm working for my "it" every day and it's paying off. And this sign isn't just about workouts my friend. It's about everything in life we want. Nothing comes cheap or easy.  You've gotta work your little tail off to get anywhere worth going.  Can I get a hell yeah?

Absolutely loving my Fitbit Flex still. The ease of the system syncing to my phone makes me giddy. When you're a bit obsessed with metrics and possibly have a slight competitive streak, the Fitbit brings many smiles throughout the day and helps me push on and step up my game when needed. I gave Sissy my Fitbit Ultra to try out for a few weeks. Hopefully she can get as much use out of it as I did. It's such a fun tool.

Kara and I started our new 30 day ab and squat challenge. Day 1 done yesterday. You should join us! It's only a few minutes out of your day. And you have nothing to lose, except unwanted cellulite and inches, of course.

We're also doing an Advocare cleanse. Can I just say how much I LOVE their Spark energy drink? Holy cow, I'm a total addict. Energy and focus is up but it doesn't keep me awake all night. And I find I'm not nearly as hungry throughout the day either.  Woo hoo! 

TGIF!!

So I’ve been busy this week working off my carb and booze overload from girls weekend.  Phew! It’s like a straight detox up in here.  Yesterday was a great day. I worked out on the treadmill over lunch.  Left work and it was 60 degrees! Can I get a woot woot? Went home, ate a quick snack and then went out exploring the trails by our house. It was a little windy but the sunshine felt great and I got about 2 miles in.  Went to the Y and did an awesome pool class.  It was a lot of functional arm strength and swimming so I am feeling that in my shoulders today.  Feel the burn, love the burn. Went back home and the hubby had grilled me a nice lean pork chop. Then I went back to the gym to shoot some hoops for half an hour.  I ended up getting over 14,000 steps yesterday which made me happy. I’m slowly hacking away at Kara’s step lead.  I’m really loving my new fitbit flex and the ease of it syncing on my phone.

Speaking of grilling season, we had made these kabobs a few weeks back and they were awesome. If you’re looking for a delicious protein packed snack on the grill that isn’t a normal burger, check out these chicken, bacon, pineapple, teriyaki kabobs! If it stays nice this weekend we plan on doing lots of grilling out with the kids. And we have some projects to get done around the house before our company comes to town next weekend.  It will be busy but I plan on getting lots of steps, some sunshine and taking a little me time to work on my book. TGIF! Have a great weekend, everyone!  

New toy

Oh my goodness, I've been busy! Working, travel, working, travel. And then squeezing in workouts at night, working on my book and praying for spring and warm weather.  I finally got my new toy on Tuesday. I went and bought the Fitbit Flex.  Since they recalled the Force that I wanted it was that or wait another year for the new version of the Force to come out.  Patience isn't really a virtue I possess so I went with the Flex. I'm loving it! It doesn't have the display face I'm used to but it syncs to my phone which is always with me so it's great. I like wearing it on my wrist instead of clipping it to my bra.  Now I don't have to worry about forgetting it when I'm changing. Hooray! I was hoping for the violet color but Best Buy had 3 lime and one black. My skin tone doesn't really rock the lime so I went with black and figured that way, it goes with everything.

I didn't get crap for steps in this weekend. It was girls weekend up at the cabin. The roads were icy and cold so I couldn't get outside and explore the hills. And I spent my time yapping with my ladies instead of walking in place or doing an indoor workout.  I take ownership of that.  I also ate my weight in carbs and booze. Ouch! Talk about some serious water retention this week.  But oh did I have a wonderful time. I"m counting it as a face and ab workout.  When you laugh so hard that your abs hurt for two days, you know it was a perfect weekend.

It's supposed to be in the high 60's this afternoon so you can bet your buns I'll be running around outside, soaking up some Vitamin D, and trying out the trails by my casa.  Can't wait!

Free! Free! Free!

I was knocked out for two days by strep throat this week.  Ugh! Plus I’m out of town this weekend which always makes workouts difficult.  So I’m behind on my 12,000 steps a day and I have 2 days of the guns, buns and abs challenge to make up.  But the highlight of my week was getting some FREE SAMPLES in the mail.  Have you heard of Quest bars?  I hadn’t paid them much mind but my interest was piqued by a friend talking about protein bars that are basically candy bars because they are full of so much sugar and carbs.  For example Special K protein bars have 170 calories, 4.5 g fat, 26g carbs, 15g sugar and only 10g of protein.  It doesn’t take a mathematician to see that you’re getting more sugar than protein.  Fiber One Caramel Nut protein bars (yum!) have 130 calories, 6 g fat, 16g carbs, 7g sugar and only 7g of protein.  I mean, come on! You can get 4g of protein from a Snickers bar! Should Fiber one really be advertising as a “protein” bar?  Any hoo, back to the Quest bars.  They’re all the rage on bodybuilding.com and so I decided to check out their stats.  First of all, the main ingredient is actually protein, that’s a plus.  For example, the chocolate peanut butter bar has 160 calories, 5g fat, 21g carbs, 1g sugar and 20g of protein.  The draw back? These don’t taste like candy bars.  But they are pretty good.  You can check out the flavors they offer at http://www.questproteinbar.com/.  I went to their contact us tab and filled out a little email saying I would like to try their product. They promptly emailed me back asking which flavors and my address. They sent me on apple pie and one chocolate peanut butter, as well as their low carb spaghetti (which I haven’t tried yet).  I also went to Hyvee and bought a few more flavors and I’m going to give their peanut butter cups a try too.  Again, they don’t taste like candy bars but that’s the point. If you’re looking for a great snack that’s packed with protein, I would suggest getting a few samples and trying these out. 

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Ok, I don’t really have seasonal affective disorder but this snow and nasty winter is making me down right crabby! If I hear the word polar vortex one more time, I might lose my mind.  I long to walk around Gray’s lake, play outside with the boys and sniff the fresh spring air.  Our new house is right by the trails that run through town and I can’t wait to explore them. Why oh why are they still covered in snow and ice?

Last night the snow had me feeling restless.  I did my 2 miles at the Y, did Day 5 of my guns, buns and abs challenge and then did an arm workout during commercials watching The Voice.  I cleaned. I folded some laundry. I ran errands.  I couldn’t sit still. And I couldn’t sleep either.  It stunk watching the clock tick tock all night and only getting about 4 hours of sleep.  No wonder I have a massive headache today. 

I’ve been super excited to buy the new Fitbit Force.  Sunday morning I went online to order my newest fitness toy and found terrible news! Fitbit has recalled one of the most popular fitness gadgets on the market because it was causing rash and skin irritation on 1.7% of the people that wore it. What’s odd is the band is the same material, as far as I can tell, that the Fitbit Flex has and they haven’t recalled that.  So now my dilemma is do I go ahead and order the Flex or wait for them to fix/revamp the Force.  It could take months or longer and I’m not sure I can wait that long but I was really looking forward to the digital display on my wrist.  I think I will have to go with the Flex because I’m impatient and it will sync with my iphone so I can check that whenever I want. Plus it’s waterproof so you can wear it in the shower, doing dishes, etc. 

Speaking of Fitbit, I think it’s safe to say I straight up dominated last week! I have upped my steps again! My highest week ever in steps and miles.  It will take a lot of work to top this week but that’s what I will try to do for next week.  That’s the key.  Keep setting that bar high and when you reach it, set it a little higher again.  Complacency is the killer of healthy living. 

I have to give mad props to Kara for sticking with me in the guns, buns and abs challenge.  It's only day 5 but it's wicked hard and every night we check in with each other when we've completed it.  Great motivation. It's so important to surround yourself with positive people.  I saw this last night on Pinterest and it totally struck a cord with me so I thought I would share.  Have a super week! 

Mental meltdown

Good morning, everyone! How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty good! Got in some needed workouts, celebrated a birthday, chilled with my three favorite boys in the world around the house, received some shakeology samples in the mail from Jami and was able to catch up on some sleep and housework.  The weekend was going just dandy until yesterday.  Saturday I had to go buy new workout pants since the others were literally falling off.  I was able to buy pants smaller than I’ve had in years.  That was a great feeling.  Sunday I had to go shopping for jeans since those weren’t staying up either. I will save you the rant on the lack of universal sizes in women’s jeans and the torture that I find shopping to be but let’s just say I had a total meltdown after leaving the 3^rd store and finding that, depending on the store, I range anywhere from Marilyn Monroe to what felt like Hungry Hippo.  I called my husband in a total tizzy, bawling my head off, saying I was ready to give up because it wasn’t worth it, I couldn’t do anything right and at least when I was fat, I had clothes that fit.  I told you, total meltdown.  He calmed me down and pointed out all the great progress I had made, the fact that I have muscles again in places that had been jiggling, my workout pants were a size I had been dreaming about, I’m working my butt off, literally, every single day, logging all my food and that it doesn’t matter if the numbers on the scale are coming off slower than I think they should or that my jean size isn’t single digits.  He told me to stop defining myself by numbers and instead the gallons of sweat that were pouring off my brow, the healthy foods I was making and how much more energy I had.  I knew he was right and I was being a big baby but I guess it was one of those days where I just needed to breakdown to build back up.  After I got home I went back to the Y with him for some basketball happy place, clearing of the head.  Then we went to the store and loaded up on seafood.  He grilled me shrimp, cod and asparagus, despite the fact it was 20 some degrees out.  While he cooked my dinner I did Day 4 of the guns, buns and abs challenge.  Then we enjoyed a delicious and healthy dinner and I found my calm and happy place again.  So here’s to a new week, not being obsessed with numbers whether they are on a scale or a clothes tag, making yourself better each day and my wonderful husband that always knows how to make me smile.  

Guns, buns and abs

I started a 30 day challenge with a few friends yesterday. It’s called the guns, buns and abs challenge.  Looking at the post on Pinterest it didn’t seem like it would be that bad. 

After doing Day 1 last night, I can tell you right now Days 20-30 are going to suck! But I’m pretty confident it will do what it’s supposed to do, which is good since our friends we are going to Vegas with in June posted this countdown yesterday.  It will be here before we know it!

I didn’t get to walk with Melody at lunch because I worked from home in the afternoon since we were under a blizzard warning.  We haven’t finished my office at the new house yet so I work at the dining room table, which lead me to realize that I need a mansion. And in said mansion, my office will be at the opposite end and 3 floors above the kitchen in a sound proof room so that I can't hear the girl scout cookies whispering my name when I work from home. The name “thin mint” is totally contradictory.  Anyway, when I logged off work I headed to the Y in the sleet, snow and 60 mph winds. I shot hoops for an hour and then did 2 miles on the treadmill.  I went home and made my yummy chili lime salmon burger! Hooray for easy and delicious.  I did my guns, buns and abs Day 1 squats, push ups and leg lifts.  Rob went up to the Y to workout and again I heard those stupid little cookies whispering from the kitchen. But, to my surprise, instead of caving, I decided to go to the Y again.  I did a 20 minute strength and cardio workout with the Sworkit app.  It was different and super-fast paced but it did what I wanted it to do.  Then Rob, Lynn and I played basketball for 45 minutes after that.  By the time I got home I no longer had any desire to eat the cookies. I needed a snack so I made a peanut butter banana smoothie instead. It cured my sweet craving and filled me up before bed. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. 

Arms!

Last night was strength training night. I had went to the gym with the intention of doing a quick mile on the treadmill and then going to pool class.  I lost track of time and missed pool class but glad to say I got 3 miles in on the treadmill.  I was starving and headed home to eat, with every intention of going back to the gym after dinner.  But I didn’t. I tried to talk myself into it but it didn’t work.  BUT knowing I had to do some strength training, per my new workout calendar, I went to my handy dandy pinterest “fitness” board and found an arm workout I could do with my dumbbells at home.  It didn’t look too hard but after three reps my muscles were on fire!!! I don’t know what a dumbbell pullover is.  Anyone wanna educate me? So I did 15 hammer curls each arm instead of 5 and 10 overhead tricep extensions to make up for whatever that move was. 

I’ve been dreaming about a double double burger from In-N-Out lately with all our planning for the Vegas trip.  Last night I decided to try to make a healthified version of it and I have to say, I think I did a pretty dang good job.  So if you’re hungry for the delicious double double but would like to have half the calories and fat, check this out!  http://testingtrendy123.blogspot.com/2014/02/in-n-out-double-double-mini-sliders.html

Olympic Gold

It's a new week! Hooray for that.  And it's supposed to be in the 40's a few days this week so double hooray for some sunshine and decent weather.  I hope you can get out and enjoy it.  I continue to do well in the step challenge. My fitbit stats were down slightly this week but still good.

I've been watching a lot of Olympics this week.  And it's helped my motivation.  No, I'll never snowboard a half pipe or attempt to break my leg by lacing up ice skates, but I love to watch these athletes. I think about all the sacrifice and dedication they have put in for years for these small moments in time and a chance at glory. It's magnificent and inspiring to me. I adore Lolo Jones. She is strong, real and resilient and a fighter with such heart and bravery. And if you follow her on Twitter, you know she's pretty dang funny too.  I realize Olympians train for this as a job but it really puts things into perspective as far as workouts go.  To hear someone say they can't find 30 or 60 minutes a day to workout, fight for their health and be the best that they can be is sad to me.  I hear it all too often how people don't have time.  Be honest when you make that statement: you don't MAKE time.  I know that sounds harsh but it is the cold hard truth. I've been there. There are plenty of days it would be easier to sit on the couch and watch TV. But I view TV as a luxury, not a necessity.  Once I have completed my tasks for the day- work, cleaning, workouts, errands, whatever it may be, then I will reward myself with some time to sit and relax.

Before you start making any other excuses...it doesn't matter if you have a gym membership, walking outside is free.  Running stairs in your house, doing wall squats and shadowboxing is free. I know very few people that don't have a gaming system of some sort. There are plenty of workout games or at home DVD's or workout ideas on Pinterest and all over the internet you can do from the comfort of your living room. Just stop making excuses.

If you're not committed to being healthy, that's fine too. But admit that.  Don't fool yourself or others around you into thinking that this is important to you if it's not.  Just be honest. Don't waste your money on the gimmicks or your breath on excuses.  Some days will be easier than others. Some days will down right suck. But the feeling of accomplishment and pride once you have committed will carry you through the crappy days.

Inspiration on a mirror

I had already done an hour and a half of cardio at the gym last night. Went home, ate my salmon burger and listened to Michael and Rob get ready to go to the gym.  Rob has been on me about getting back to my strength training.  I haven’t done much of that for months. I thought about Scott being at basic training somewhere in the south and how he would want me to be lifting and sculpting and pushing myself harder.  So I trudged back to the gym last night at 8 pm and spent an hour doing lunges, crunches and circuit training. My thighs and butt are paying for it today but that’s a good thing.  It was funny as I was lunging across the room, I saw this written on the mirror.  “The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”.  I knew that was true. If I half-assed my strength training or cardio for that matter, I won’t get much back. If I push it, I will get more back. So I pushed and heaved, lunged and rowed until sweat poured off my brow and my muscles were burning. It would’ve been easy to say, I already had a workout today and stay in the warm confines of my home in front of the fireplace but that wasn’t going to give me much back now, was it?