An Exhausting End To An Emotional Week

In life, we are forced to make choices. If we're smart, we evaluate our options and choose the best option for us AT THAT TIME. I am a goal oriented person. I also have priorities in life. I have chosen NEVER to let my goals get in the way of my priorities. The two must align. If a goal doesn't align with my priorities, then it needs to be pushed to the back burner for the time being. A very wise person taught me this.

That being said...even when we make the right choice, that choice can still sting a bit.

This past week was Beachbody's annual Coach Summit. I had gone last year and had the most amazing time. When I got home from Vegas last year, I had immediately bought my ticket for Summit 2014. It was a goal of mine to go back. But, as most of you know, my mama was diagnosed with cancer last fall. Once that happened, I needed to readjust...to realign. By December, I knew I was going to need to book my hotel and airfare soon. But, we still didn't know what the outcome of my mom's cancer battle was going to be. My mom has ALWAYS put me first in her life. Always. And now, I needed to do the same. I needed to be here for her in case she needed me. My William went through some speech therapy last year. It ended when he was 3 & we waited a few months to see if he would continue to progress. He did, but not at the rate I wanted him to. So, for the past 3 months, we've been to numerous dr appointments, screenings, evaluations, etc to see what's going on. We still don't have all the answers. But, we are in the middle of the process of getting him some more intensive therapy...and the MOUNDS of paperwork are overwhelming. The past month or so - he has made tremendous progress...using words I didn't even know he knew and stringing together sentences like a pro. Again, my family needed me here. My boys are my life. My miracles and I would do or give up anything for them. But I won't lie. I sat in my room Thursday night, in tears, watching the general session from Vegas. My head wanted to be there...but my heart knew that I was in the right place. At home. Accessible to my family. It was tough scrolling through Facebook & Instagram seeing everyone's posts and awesome PiYo swag they were getting in The Core (the shopper in me was yearning to be buying up all the cute clothes). But, deep down, I knew I had made the right choice. My family is a priority. And a goal of going to Vegas at a time when my family needed me seemed to not align with my priorities. There will always be another Summit...and Nashville...I'm coming for you in 2015!!!

Then came today. I was supposed to run my third half marathon. My husband started coming down with a cold Friday night and by Saturday afternoon, my sweet Will had it. I don't know why, but colds seem to hit that poor kid so hard. The pre-race adrenaline was setting in last night, so I didn't fall asleep til about 11pm. And then at 1am, I was awoken by the most awful sound. My kid loudly gasping for air. I went into his room and he was trying to cry, but he couldn't even do that. The wheezing was so bad and he was so miserable. I contemplated taking him to the ER, but after some snuggling in our bed, I was able to get the wheezing to calm down a bit and I tucked him back into his bed. But like a protective mama bear...I laid in bed...listening...making sure he didn't start coughing or wheezing or crying again. And just as I was about to drift off...it started again. I snuggled with him some more and then tucked him back into bed. At this point, it's 3:40am. Crap. I have my alarm set for 4. I may as well get up. It was all I could do to stay awake on my way to the race. I just wanted to sleep. But once I got there and met up with my running buddy for the day, I was feeling better and adrenaline started to kick in again. We hit the start line and ran. I usually run alone because, well, I run slow. Like molasses slow. But my friend Tania also runs that pace, so it was nice to have someone running by my side. We were making really good time and at about mile 3, something kinda popped in my hip. Crap. I pushed through for a bit, but at mile 5, I was getting dizzy from the pain and I told Tania to go. This was her first half marathon and I wasn't going to mess this up for her. By mile 5.5 the tears started to flow. I kept pushing as hard as I could. Walking when I needed to and running when I could. But by mile 8.4, I was done. Limping. My right leg didn't want to move on its own. I hobbled over to the finish line...but just sat on the sideline. My first DNF. Did Not Finish. Running another half marathon was a goal of mine. But my family and my personal health are at the top of my priority list. My boys need a mom who is able to walk and function. Yes, I believe in pushing yourself to a certain point, but pushing yourself too hard can be hazardous. And today I had to make that judgement call. My heart said to keep going, but my head said STOP. But the beautiful silver lining is that I got to watch, and video, Tania as she crossed the finish line of her first half marathon. I still got to be there to witness that accomplishment. I'm beyond proud of her. I know I made the right choice by not finishing. Yes, it stings. But, it was the smart thing to do. I'm in a boatload of pain and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I had gone another 5 miles.

Has the past week been an ideal one? Goodness no. But, that's life. We make choices. We make sacrifices when needed. We make sure our priorities stay in the forefront of our goals...

My Mama

My mama. Some of you know her as Mary. Some of you know her as Mrs. Shannon. Some of you know her as Miss Mary. Some of you don't know her at all. But, I want to preface this post with a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who have shown us support as my mom has battled Stage 3 endometrial & uterine cancer.

As I look at myself & my life - there is no doubt that my mom has had a profound influence on where I am and what I'm doing. 

With fitness: my mom was always active. She had numerous Jane Fonda & Joanie Greggains VHS tapes that she'd workout to all the time. And right by her side - me. I watched my mom workout and perhaps the most influential part is that she never made it seem like work. It was fun for her. Something she enjoyed doing. Something she enjoyed getting me involved with. She had a body that moved and she was thankful for it. Exercise was a privilege, not a chore. Thirty some years later, here I am. Fitness Coach & Fitness Instructor. I used to workout only when I could be alone. It was my "me time" where I just zone out. And yes, depending on the workout now, that's sometimes still the case. My kids would get bored watching mommy run on the treadmill for 5 miles. But, if it's a day where I'm popping in a DVD, I bring them into the room with me & encourage them to participate. I want to instill the same thoughts into their head that my mom did with me. Exercise is a privilege. A healthy body is not something to be taken for granted. 

With my obsession with make up: this was something that also started at a very young age. My mama had a VHS from Lynda Carter - yes, Wonder Woman - called Secrets To The Perfect Make Up. I'm surprised I didn't wear that tape out. My mom would give me all of her old make up, put me in front of the TV with a mirror, let me watch the tape & do my thing. She'd let me experiment with all the different colors & try new things. If we were friends in elementary or middle school, there's a chance you did this video with me at a sleepover or on a Saturday afternoon. I'm not a very creative person - artistically speaking. But, when it came to make up - it always fascinated me. It was never about covering up flaws...it was always about bringing out & highlighting your best features. I could sit around all day in Sephora or Ulta and just play. 

My mom has always supported me. When I told her I wanted to go to college as a Theater major, she supported me. When I wanted to switch my major from Theater to Nursing, she supported me. When I wanted to switch my major from Nursing to Business Management, she supported me. When I wanted to run a half marathon 6 months after giving birth to twins via c-section, she told me to go for it. When I told her I was going to become a Beachbody Coach, she was thrilled. No matter what I've done in life, no matter how sane or insane the choice I was making, she's always supported me. 

And now it's my turn to show my mom some extra support - and you can join in too!!! Next month, I'm running my 3rd half marathon. Perhaps my craziest running decision to date because of the amount, or lack thereof, of training time & also the time of year. I don't like to go outside in the summer to get the mail, let alone run 13.1 miles. But, this race is about more than that. It's about doing something hard. Something that pushes me far outside of my comfort zone. It's about running those miles for my mama because I know she'd do the same for me.

As you probably know, my mom's cancer treatment over the past few months was successful. Earlier this year, she was declared cancer free. However, the doctors wanted her to go through another round of chemo just to make sure all of the cancer cells were gone. This round of chemo will be more intense. She will lose her hair this time & will feel more ill/rundown. This has not been a fun process for her to go through. She has her good days and her bad days. But I can't tell you how important all of your thoughts, prayers, cards, phone calls, texts, etc. have been to her. She's so encouraged by all of the love and support. Going through this second round of chemo isn't something she wants to do. But, she is doing it because we want her here. 

She's now 76 years old. And other than this stupid cancer & a little arthritis, she's in fantastic shape. I will consider myself lucky if I'm in as good of shape at age 50 as she is at 76. 

I've decided to start a little campaign called Miles For Mary & I encourage you all to get involved. This is all about getting up & moving. Getting as many people involved as possible. So, whether you're a runner, a walker or maybe you're taking a leisurely family stroll around the neighborhood, all I ask is that you take a picture during/after your walk/run and post it. If you're on Facebook, tag me in the post so that I can see the pic. If you're on Instagram, tag me in the post & use the hashtag #milesformary on the pic. I want to be able to show my mom all of the pics of everyone walking and running in her honor. I know this will bring such a huge smile to her face. I created a shirt with the #milesformary hashtag on it & I'll be wearing it during my half marathon next month. If you'd like to buy one too, you're more than welcome to! There are unisex t-shirts, ladies tank tops & youth t-shirts available. 

Unisex Tshirts click HERE
Ladies tank top click HERE
Youth Tshirt click HERE

Thank you all again for your outpouring of support - it truly has been a blessing to us!!!

Harnessing you WHY POWER

Why? Why do we do some of the things we do? Specifically, the things that are most challenging or the ones that seem completely crazy to those around us.

What drives people to spend years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to go to medical school?  What drives people to run marathons? What drives people to quit their full time jobs to start their own business? It could be a multitude of different reasons for each one. But, behind all of those reasons, there's probably a very deep-rooted "why."

"Kate, I don't know how you wake up at 5 a.m. to workout." Do I get up at 5am everyday to workout? No. Did I used to? Yes, and sometimes it was 4 a.m....and sometimes even 3 a.m. A few things have changed so, now, I usually sit down on Sunday's and evaluate my week. I figure out what days are going to be super busy and therefore will require me to get up super early to get my workout in. I figure out what days I can workout when my boys nap. And then, I finally figure out what days I want my kids to be there with me when I workout.

So, let's break that last paragraph down a bit. Do I enjoy working out? Most days, yes. Do I enjoy working out at 3, 4 or 5 a.m. when everyone else in my house is cuddled up under the covers still sleeping? HECK NO!!! In my perfect world - which doesn't exist at the moment - I'd have someone here to entertain my boys so that I could workout at around 11 a.m. By that time, I'm usually mentally awake & physically, I'm ready to go. But, working out, undisturbed, at 11 a.m. everyday is just not feasible. It's not reality. My reality is dragging myself out of bed when it's dark and cold and doing what needs to get done. But WHY do I do it?

Breaking that down a little further... I used to ONLY workout if I could be by myself. No kids. Just me. Some days, I need to just be in my zone and push myself hard & let's face it, that's hard to do with 2 little ones running around the room with you. But on days where maybe I'm doing a less intense workout, or some yoga, I take advantage of my sweet spot - my 11 a.m. workout time - and take the kiddos into our game room with me. They're old enough to participate. More importantly, as parents, we know that kiddos don't always listen to what we say. But, they learn behaviors by watching us...even when we think they aren't paying attention. So, on those days, I'll set myself up in front of the t.v. and then set up their cars or trains on the other side of the room. I'll tell them that mommy is going to exercise and they can either play cars/trains or they can join mommy. Within minutes of hitting play on the DVD, I have 2 workout buddies. Every. Single. Time. They think it's a fun. And truth is, with them, it really is. I encourage them & every once in a while, they'll say to me "good job mommy!"

Why do I workout? Well, there's the obvious reasons - I want to look nice for my husband. I want to be able to wear any outfit with confidence. I want to feel good about myself. I want to be able to look in the mirror & be proud of what I see in the reflection. But chances are, when that alarm goes off at 4 a.m., none of those reasons are strong enough to drag me out of bed when I can just easily hit snooze...or turn my alarm off completely. So, why then? My dad passed away when I was 4. I missed out on an entire lifetime of knowing him. I want to do everything in my power to get & keep myself healthy. I don't want my kids having to go through what I went through. I want to be around to see my kids grow up. I want to make my kids proud of their mama. I want to teach them discipline. I want to teach them that a healthy lifestyle is not a punishment. I want to teach them that physical fitness can be fun. That it is a privilege. THAT is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I do it for my kids...because they, and my husband, deserve the best version of me. They deserve a healthy and happy mommy. And no, I'm certainly not happy at that early hour of the morning. But, as soon as I'm done and dripping with sweat...I feel like a million bucks.

So, what have you been looking to tackle? Going back to college? Getting in shape? Applying for a new job? Running a race? Paying off debt? Starting your own business?

If your WHY doesn't make you cry, it's not strong enough. Dig deep. Your WHY POWER can help you accomplish even the most difficult of tasks. 

Me & my boys after I completed my second half marathon.
Thinking of them helped push me to the finish line
when all I wanted to do was quit. They are my WHY.