I Choose Not to Accept

Three months after I had Little Beast, I went outlet shopping with Bestie. My size was obviously bigger but I needed clothes on account of going back to work. I bought some things all the while complaining on how big I had become. Mind you, I was a size 2 before Little Beast and I was buying an 8. About a month after that, I told myself I was a mother and that I should accept that I would never go back to my usual size. Bull shit. This type of acceptance is just an excuse to be complacent. After I "accepted" my size, I continued to eat whatever I wanted and not exercise. And guess what? I still wasn't happy. In fact, acceptance didnt't last long because I didn't like the way I felt. I finally chose not to accept when Little Beast was around 7 months and here we are.

I've been reading The Paleo Coach and came across this quote "Acceptance is a step in the right direction, and certainly better than self loathing, but it falls short of happiness because it is basically apathy induced by defeat.'' I couldn't agree with this more. While we should all love ourselves, we shouldn't use that love as an excuse to become complacent. For example, I love myself at size 8 while working out and exercising is one thing but loving myself at size 8 while continuing to be unhealthy is another, it an excuse to be lazy. Because of my decision to not accept, I am back at my pre-pregnancy size and stronger than I have ever been. It's a win win.

Acceptance means staying within your comfort zone. Once you venture out, you start feeling happier, getting stronger and feeling a sense of pride. Running was me venturing out of my comfort zone. Once I did and became comfortable, I ventured out of my running comfort zone and started lifting. That was two months ago. Consistently venturing out of your comfort zone makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. 

Speaking of consistent, let's talk stats. I have been working out consistently for two months now,  May and June. In May, I worked out 21 out of 31 days. And in June, I worked out 14/30 days. I didn't run nearly as much in June as I did in May and my workout days suffered because of that. I also went from meeting with Trainer 3 times a week to twice a week. This month, my goal is to work out at least 20 days.

Now on to kettle bells. Random I know, but that's part of my charm. So last night, Trainer had me do the workout from kettle bell hell. 

3 sets (using a 20 lb Kettlebell):

20 KB swings

20 goblet squats

20 KB swings

20 single-leg deadlifts

20 KB swings

20 single-leg lunges on bench

Do the math. 3 sets of all those KB swings totaled 180 kettle bell swings! For those unfamiliar with Kettle bell swings, here's a picture. I specifically chose this picture so you can see the thrust necessary to get the weight up. When I first did a KB swing, I thought it was all arms but actually it's the thrust that's key.

Needless to say after that insane workout, my legs felt like butter and my arse was on fire. Thank you Trainer! Because of you, I will have buns of steel.

When did you venture out of your comfort zone and choose not to accept?