Friday, September 19, 2014

The 2014 FDRS Conference Experience


The first weekend in September found me traveling with my husband and daughter from upstate NY to Washington DC, via Prince Frederick MD.  We left our house at ten till 8:00am on a Thursday morning, with the understanding if we were going to be stuck in traffic, it would be best to have it be traffic we are familiar with.

Surprisingly the traffic moved at a pretty good pace and we would be heading towards NJ, and the dreaded New Jersey Turnpike.  In the past, no matter how long Google Maps said the trip would take, it was always held up for hours by the NJ & Delaware Turnpikes; the last trip (over six years prior) took twelve hours, even though Google quoted it at about six and a half.

The travel gods must have been smiling down on us, for there was minimal traffic on both these routes, and we were making pretty great time.  We would pull into the driveway of my sister’s home in Prince Frederick by a little past 5pm, after taking a leisurely lunch in Delaware to give her time to get home.

It was great catching up with her and meeting her neighbor; laughter and wine ensued until the wee hours of the morning.  Luckily we were not in too much of a hurry the next day, we had about an hour drive to DC, and were not expected to meet up with the fashion show ladies until late afternoon.

Friday morning I was able to take my time getting ready, I took a nice long shower, washed my hair, even enjoyed a healthy breakfast my husband prepared, and off we went, heading into one of our favorite cities.

The sun was shining and the breeze was light.  The excitement, and I’ll admit the nerves, were building.  I had two big events to prepare for, the first being a fashion show with several other lippy ladies, to show off some compression options to the lippy ladies that would be in attendance, and the second would be our presentation on Lipedema Fitness at 10:15am Saturday morning.

Walking back to the car from checking in with my daughter at the Washington Hilton, I hear “Patricia?” and I see a lovely lady walking towards me, “I knew it was you!”  For the past year I have been getting to know these lovely sisters of mine on FaceBook and I cannot describe how it felt to meet them in person, and to feel like they were celebrities because you are going “oh my god, it’s so and so” in your head as well as actually saying it out loud.

A quick hug and hello to my first lippy sister sighting, and my daughter and I were on our way to the car once again.  “Are you famous?” my daughter asked me, with her big brown eyes as wide as saucers.  I laughed and told her no, and explained the FaceBook phenomena.

We made our way upstairs and got settled in, and then met up with some of the conference ladies sitting in the lobby; after making the rounds with hugs, and grinning wide, yes, I was in love with these ladies, and to say I was giddy, was a huge understatement.

The conference had over 100 ladies in attendance and all of them were just like me, no explanation of what it took to get there, they all had there own similar story, no need to talk about compression issues, travel concerns, pinched hips, heavy legs, etc.  Just no need to explain, how refreshing!

We found out the fashion show would take place after a good portion of the nights events, there was a bit of a break for vendor visiting when we could slip up to our rooms to change, and then be back down within the half hour.

The nerves flooded me in the room, as my wonderful husband helped me into the full-length compression garment (from ankle to just under my bust line).  Hooks and eyes under a zipper that ran the full length on each side, then straps that would go over my shoulders and latch like a bra strap would.  Thankfully it went up a lot quickly than the first time I tried it on.  Hubby ironed the new Torrid Swing Henley top I purchased to wear over my compression, as we were instructed either a short skirt or shorts – which I had neither, so a new tunic would be my option.

The next step would be the ginormous 5 1/2" wedge heels I picked up a week before, from Candies of all makes.  I had not worn Candies since high school.  I had been surprised to try them on in Kohl's, surprised when I could actually walk in them, since I’m a Dansko clog girl; heels typically posed a huge problem.

Feeling a bit like Tina Turner I walked tall as my family and I made our way to the elevator, growing closer and closer to the runway, yes an actual runway with fashion show music and all, the nerves flooding in, but then as I turned the corner I saw other ladies in various compression outfits, all looking lovely and smiling and the nerves faded away.

The music began and the ladies strutted down the runway, showing off A Big Attitude workout attire, Solidea micro massaging leggings, arm sleeves, and finally Chelle and I would make our way down in custom post surgical garments to the sounds of “She’s a brick house”, the Commodores themselves would have been proud!  A little slip on the heel at the end of the runway would have me searching for the chairs, but all in all what a fun show!


Some of us later stage ladies hung around to get a photo for the Stage 3 and 4 group on FaceBook, and our fellow sisters who could not make the trip and join us.

That was the end of Day 1; I would reach out to my bestie from childhood (who lives right in DC, a mere 7 minutes away via her bicycle) and she would be joining us for dinner in the hotel restaurant.  We would begin chatting and not stop until the bartender came around announcing last call.  The two of us had been left hours before by the hubby and daughter to catch up, and we laughed not realizing how late the hour had grown.  We parted and made plans for her to return to see our presentation the next morning.

As I headed upstairs around 1:00am the nerves set in once again; you see I had drafted my presentation, but not finalized it, and I had only briefly went over it with my husband, who would be sharing the stage.  Nothing I could do that night but wash my face, remove my compression and hop into bed after checking that my friend made it safely home.  My apologies to her husband, who had made several attempts to reach her during our dinner, but sadly neither of us heard the phone.

The first break of light peeked through the heavy curtains of the hotel window, our nations capital was trying to come to life, but I had been up by then working out the kinks and settled on five slides.  With the small file size, I was sure the presentation would email just fine to Felicitie (the very lovely pregnant woman running the computer during the conference, as well as many other tasks that require me to take a moment here and now to thank them all – Thank you Felicitie, Yvonne, Nancy, Maria, Dr. Herbst, Leisa, and I’m sure I’m sadly forgetting some, you did an amazing job and we are ever so grateful to you).

The family finished getting ready and we were off once again, anxious for presentations from amazing doctors and surgeons, and my personal favorite was the Yvonne and Dr. Herbst’s “A Day in the Life of a Lippy Patient” presentation.  It was informative, with supplement info, dry brushing techniques, and even great news... coffee is good for us!  It’s an antioxidant!  

Besides being really informative and painting a true day in the life of, the presentation was hysterical - Dr. Herbst played Yvonne's conscience during the presentation and I can still hear her saying "don't forget to..." in that deep hypnotic voice. (insert all the things we lippy ladies do each and every day, like dry brush, take our supplements, self lymph massage, exercise, eat, breathe, etc.)

Dr. Stutz was wonderful, a lot of information on lipedema and WAL surgery, and humor, he was a hoot!  There was a break before we would go on, and before I could even get nervous again, I turned to see my childhood friend Bettina, with the best smile ever, making her way towards us, and making me feel so comfortable.  She would sit with our daughter as we made our way to the front of the room.

Our presentation honestly was a bit of a blur, Dr. Herbst introduced us, handed me the mic, and then I exhaled and simply began talking to my sisters.  Telling them my story, how two years prior I would not have been able to be with them at the conference, because my mobility was nearly gone, and the depression I had slipped into after my diagnosis, and then thankfully, the journey I’ve taken over the past couple years with my coach/hubby to get to where I am now, standing before them to share a tale, that for most was probably very similar, or very scary.

I cannot tell you the humbling experience to have a gentleman come up to me with tears in his eyes after our performance, to thank me for sharing my story, our story. Tears are blurring my vision now as I try to type through the memory – he has forever changed my life in that one moment of gratitude.  And, lucky girl that I am, he would not be the only one to give such a gift to me that day.

I look forward to seeing the DVD once it is ready, because honestly the rest of the conference was a blur as well, I was done emotionally, and I am in such gratitude to the ladies I got to meet and share stories with and I must say thank you lord/divine spirit/whatever you believe in, for giving me this opportunity. For without Lipedema, I would not have this connection with the lovely, funny, talented, special ladies that make up the Lipedema Sisterhood.  I am truly blessed.

PS – I will not even begin to tell you the REAL show I put on for the audience, when I tried out the Vibration Plate machine!  Sorry Dr. Amron, I’m sure it was hard to focus on your presentation with all that booty shaking going on at the side of the room, thanks ladies for not posting pictures of that.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

FDRS Conference

I am thrilled to write about the upcoming FDRS (Fat Disorders Research Society) conference in DC next week (September 5 - 6).  There will be many highlights, like Dr. Josef Stutz, a German doctor who specializes in the WAL (water assisted liposuction) surgery for those with lipedema, and Dr. Karen Herbst (www.lipomadoc.org) - a board certified Endocrinologist in AZ who has a fascination with fat and how it behaves, and who listed:
  • Hope
  • Experienced Fingers
  • A Plan, and
  • A Partnership

as what she can provide to you.  As someone with Lipedema, those four items really spoke to me.  Her website has a wealth of information, do yourself a favor and check it out.

I am humbled to announce that my husband/coach, and I, will also be presenting at the conference.  We will have about twenty minutes to talk about our journey with lipedema and how fitness has changed my life with lip.  

My husband/coach is just that, he is my husband, with a pretty up close and personal experience of what it means to have lipedema, and he is my coach, with a CrossFit certification and 4th degree black belt/Instructor in Karate (saratogaiku.com), not to mention years and years (he'll turn 50 in October) of being an athlete.

Sharing my story with other lipedema ladies and their families is a real honor, I look forward to sharing what has worked for me over the past two years, and I am looking forward to hearing what Dr. Stutz and Dr. Herbst have to share, but mostly, I cannot wait to meet other ladies just like me!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

LIVING WITH LIPEDEMA

Today is June 26, and was the graduation day of a dear friend's daughter, one we have had the utmost pleasure to watch grow from a wee babe into a lovely young woman.  An end to her high school years and sitting at the cusp of her college ones.

As I sat in the stands cheering proudly and holding up a huge, larger than life, picture of her lovely face, that her crafty mother had created, I was caught between my own high school memories and the thought that my ten year old daughter sitting at my side would be up there on that stage, sooner than I could bare to admit to myself.

Today was a big deal in my lipedema life, too.  You see a few years ago I was at this same stage for a concert, Elvis Costello and The Police, and I could not fit in the seat.

The theater is an amphitheater (open-air) and has stadium style seating (with arms).  If you have lipedema and are later stages, with affected hips, you know of what I speak.  If not, chairs with arms are a nightmare for us.

I'm usually able to sit at the edge of a seat and manage for an hour or two, but the rows at the theater are so close together, that there was no place for my knees to go.

Today, I fit.  Not all the way, but enough so that I could be there for this most special of occasions.  I did not have to miss out on the event.

Now in most circumstances you could ask for accommodations and be seated somewhere more "fitting". But the embarrassment of asking always kept me from doing more.  Other lipedema suffers are far braver than I, and ask for and receive accommodations - and you know what?  Those folks who do so, educate those establishments, they make them aware of the need for modified seating.

Today, I say thank you to all those brave souls that do not let lipedema stop them from living.  Who fight to bring awareness, and are succeeding.  They make it better for those of us who do not have the bravery, but we are fighting every day to get there.

While I work on changing me, getting healthier and trying to "fit" into their world, these brave souls work on changing the world!  BRAVO!


June is lipedema awareness month, please take a moment to visit these other blogs that are taking part in the awareness blog hop...



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Thursday, June 19, 2014

DRESSING FOR SUMMER

Summer can be tough for lipedema ladies, wearing compression garments is not easy on a cool fall day, let alone one with temperatures upwards of 90 or even 100 degrees.

I have found the maxi dress to be perfect for summer.  It is long and flowing, to help keep you comfortable, even when rising temperatures might cause some swelling in our legs.


HERE ARE SOME RECENT PURCHASES I HAVE MADE...

Mitered Stripe Dress from Torrid


Lois from Swak Designs



Here I am at Easter, with my Lois Dress from Swak Designs.  It was cool that day, so I topped it with a Jean Jacket from Lane Bryant (a cute shrug or cardigan would work just as well)...
Me in my Swak Designs' Lois Dress


Another great find is this California Maxi skirt from Swak Designs, add a tank and cardigan, like they have in their Boho Babe look, and the options really are endless...

Boho Babe Look from Swak Designs

I recently found Torrid when a lippy sister posted a picture of herself on vacation, and I fell in love with their vibe.  Swak Designs, on the other hand, I have been a fan of for years.  Sign up for Swak emails and every Sunday you'll get a big discount notice on one or more items (typically 40% or more off).  Swak is short for "Sealed With A Kiss".

Maxi pants are another fun new look, see what you can find, and post your recommendations in the comments.


Other Tips for Keeping Cool this Summer:
  • Put your compression garments in the freezer
  • Pick up a great new misting water bottle, like this one from 02COOL, which can be purchased at Amazon or other locations for about $12:
02COOL


Don't forget to check out the other blogs on the Lipedema Awareness Blog Hop:
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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Welcome to Awareness

June is Lipedema Awareness month, and I'm working with other bloggers to spread the word as much as possible, so please take a moment after reading my post to check out their posts as well...


According to good old wikipedia, Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects, or sensory patterns.  And while I would love for everyone to become aware of, and understand a little more about Lipedema, I am gearing this post to those currently with lipedema.

The biggest lesson I've learned since being diagnosed in 2004, is that I am my best resource.

In a nutshell, I changed my eating style (to Zone Diet in November 2011) and my activity level (to modified CrossFit in March 2012) and within a year and a half, I have dropped about 60lbs., and most importantly, I have lost about 30 inches off my legs.  That is not a typo - 30 INCHES OFF MY LEGS.

Of course to lose 30 inches, you must have a lot to start with, right?  Yes, and I still do.  I am not a size 6 or even a 16, but I have changed how I live, and you can, too.

I am not saying the Zone Diet and CrossFit are what will work for you.  It might, and it might not.  What I am saying, is to be your own resource.  Try new things, and document the changes you see in your body.  Changes can be measurements, recovery time, endurance, etc.

Recovery time was a big indicator for me.  As the amount of time it took me to catch my breath after walking a short distance grew less and less, I walked more and more.  Building up that distance until one day I walked my first 5K.

If something works, keep doing it.  If something doesn't work, doesn't feel right to you, then stop doing it.  Listen to yourself, nobody is a better judge at what is good for you than you.

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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Time For a New Goal


So, how are the New Year’s goals coming? Did you set one? Did you already cross it off your list and need a new one? Are you looking to get inspired to create one?  Well, it is never too late to set a goal for yourself.

One more step then yesterday, a few seconds longer in my standing position, or a few more attempts at getting up out of my chair.  Goals are personal, and just as meaningful to you as running a marathon might be to someone else.

You might recall from my earlier post this year, that one of my 2014 goals, the 800lb. gorilla, was to flip a tractor tire, solo, as in all by myself.  They weigh a little over 300lbs, and thankfully you never lift the full weight, but it is large and cumbersome and just getting down into a low enough squat and getting a literal grip on it, is a challenge.

On a Saturday afternoon in April (the 26th to be exact), after our regular workout in the park, I walked out back to find my husband to tell him something and out of the corner of my eye the tire loomed.  No longer snow covered, and looking larger than life, I could almost hear it's low growl calling my name.

Without thinking about it, I walked over, squatted down, and it was up.  I was standing there with a tire on end and desperately looking for my husband to validate to the world what I had just done.



I called out, “babe?”....  Nothing!  No coach/hubby coming to see.

I called out again, “baby?”...  and from around the corner of the house he came.  I pushed it over in front of him with a grin wider than my hips, and it hit the ground with a loud, echoing thud.

I then squatted down, and did it again.


My husband was so proud, he couldn’t have been more proud as a husband, a coach or a training partner; and while it was amazing to see his love and happiness for me, it had no match to my own sense of accomplishment. 

It wasn’t planned, it didn’t take more than a few minutes, and I have been walking a little taller ever since.  Time for a new goal!!!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

March Fitness Challenge - Emotional Rescue

For the past month the fitness challenge has been an emotional one.  While it is easy for us as Lippy ladies to give compliments to others and see the hard work and progress they are making in their strive to become more fit, it is really a challenge to give ourselves compliments, and this was the inspiration for the March Challenge.

So while I sit here listening to Mick Jagger singing to me that he will be my knight in shining armor, coming to my emotional rescue I begin...

Hearing a compliment from someone, from anyone, is amazing and I find that my first instinct is to make light of it or joke about it, and my husband hates when I do this.  He finds me beautiful, just as I am; when I wake up with hair going every which way and Clark Kent glasses dangling ever so close to falling off my nose, he reaches for me and embraces me with a hug that reassures me I am his goddess.

For me just accepting a compliment is tough, but giving myself one, especially of a physical nature, well now you are crossing the line my friend.  It was only seeing others in the Lipedema Fitness facebook support group downplaying themselves that got me fired up enough to say NO MORE.

I was excited to see the ladies step up to the plate, at first giving themselves backhanded compliments (like from the waste up I am pretty) - while yes, it is very true, you are pretty, but not only from the waste up.  Then more and more obvious compliments started to show up, so much that if you didn't know it was a compliment one's self challenge and happened upon the support group you might think we were a bunch of self lovers - and why not?  Why shouldn't one love their own self?

I remember reading something a long time ago that God doesn't make garbage, and by not appreciating one's self you basking were saying that God made a mistake.  I'm a spiritual person, not overly religious, but that really stuck with me over the years.  Then I came across a movie "What the Bleep do we Know?" that had a part in it, an experiment where they complimented water both positively and negatively - I'm not sure what you believe, but it was an interesting view point for sure on the power of one's own words and the words of others.

I began slowly with my own compliments, "you have great hair", "you have a wonderful smile", then I got more in to it, "I love my secret muscles" - secret because most of the world cannot see them hidden under my lippy fat, but I can feel them, and they are damn sexy.  Shoulders I never knew I could have, sing on Mick, but know that I am my own emotional rescue.  We can not believe another until we can believe ourselves.

So get up and go to a mirror, look at it, that is you - you are a beauty!  Now say something nice about yourself.  You might find you laugh at first, find that you start with small compliments, but do it at least once a day - and say it out loud using your own name.  Try it for a day, for a week, for a month, for EVER - what can happen when you know you will get at least one great compliment a day from someone who knows you better than anyone else possibly could?  I don't know, but I look forward to finding out!

Friday, February 21, 2014

February Fitness Challenge

On February 1st I decided to start a fitness challenge for all my lipedema fitness facebook friends; it was inspired by the Tabata Intervals I have done with my CrossFit husband.

The biggest selling feature is that the entire workout takes just 4 minutes.  Everyone has 4 minutes, right?  It will probably take you longer than 4 minutes to read this, and in that time you could have completed a workout.

How it works is this, 20 seconds working (hard as you can while still keeping good form), 10 seconds of rest - repeat for 8 rounds.

There are even tabata timmer aps for your phone, iPad, etc. Some are free and adequate and some will cost you a little bit for more features, but basically they count down each round in various ways.  The very basic options with only a flashing light (or color change from green during workout, to red during the rest period), all the way up to a song created specifically for the workout that counts down while you jam out.  Pick one you like, for me I needed one with sound, as I couldn't always see the iPad I use for my timmer, but the song timmer I tried was annoying, I prefer my own music, and the one I picked allowed me to hear my music and the ap warnings when it was work vs rest phases.

I set up this challenge with movements that are required for living life with lipedema (actually for anyone living life).  Push-ups, Sit-ups, and Squats.  These movements help you move your body, get out of a chair, get up from bed, etc.  But these movements also strengthen your core, helping you do more than live - they make you feel stronger, and encourage you to try more, to be more.

The challenge is this: day 1 push-ups, day 2 sit-ups, day 3 squats, day 4 REST.  Repeat those days for every day of the month of February (ot whatever month you choose to start this challenge, because if you are still reading this post, you either really love me, or are thinking about trying this out for yourself).

When I began, I acheived pretty good numbers, I went all out and could not understand how anyone could acheive higher numbers of reps than I.  Not because I thought I was the best in the world, but because I was truly pushing myself as hard as I could.  My husband was great, he inspired and coached and ensured I kept good form, and then hit me with the reality (his numbers).  But when your body is going as fast as it can, you wonder how in the world you will get faster, stronger, etc.

At the mid month point I looked back at my results so far, and I was floored.  Not only had I acheived more and more reps, but was consistently doing so.  It snuck up on me, not enough to notice while doing them, but substantial when looking back at the amount I had done.

A great motivator is to post your results, which I did on my lipedema fitness facebook support group page, and even a few of the other ladies posted their results.  It gets you up at 11pm to put your sneakers on, becuase you know you have to post your results.  But I also began posting on my regular facebook page.

I love realizing that my worlds are meshing, the news I share with others like me on the support group is the same news I share with others like me in different ways.  Those friends I've made on the support group have crossed over to my personal life and my personal friends, people I have known for years, most who knew nothing about my lipedema, are here reading this blog, learning more with every post - how special is that?  Very, so share your hardwork with those that care about you, get them involved, and watch the motivation, inspiration and validation you receive from each of the parts of your life.

We are LIVING with LIPEDEMA, emphasis on the LIVING!!!

Results to date for February Lipedema Fitness Challenge:

  • Push-ups: 71, 74, 76, 94, 100
  • Sit-ups: 96, 96, 112, 120, 122
  • Squats: 123, 138, 136, 151, 156
But the most important thing I have learned from this challenge, is that I have a pretty big ego.  Here is a look at my facebook post from the 17th:

"Feb. Fit. Challenge, 2/17 results (push-ups): 4 rounds at 13, 4 rounds at 12, for total of 100 push-ups in 4 min.
Felt slow and out of sync, had music kicking even. Checked prior results this month: 71-74-76-94-100.
Crazy how our minds can take us out of our game, even when achieving more than we have.
New goal for me is not more reps per round, but less ego. Trusting my body, doing what I can and being grateful for whatever it is."

And to quote the White Stripes lyrics, "and I said it once before, but it bears repeating now"...

NEW GOAL FOR ME is not more reps per round, but less ego.  Trusting my body, doing what I can and being grateful for whatever it is! 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

From Here To The Post Office

Listen to your body, when? All the time. Listen to your brain, when? Hmm, jury is still out on that one. We have to depend upon ourselves for so much, I for one would plan out events so I could pace myself physically (and honestly decide if the effort was worth the event).

But I have found that even now that I feel 100% more mobile then I did a year ago, I still listen to that inner voice that tells me I can't do something.

A year ago, walking to my mailbox (I know I've said this many times, so please forgive yet another reference) was a chore. I would pull into the driveway, park the car at the end, then get the mail and drive the rest of the way up to the house. I can now walk to that mailbox and back and the only reason I park at the end (when i do) is because currently my driveway is a sheet of ice and the fear of a fall outweighs the need to feel like I can walk it now.

Earlier this week, I walked to the post office from my office. It is a little over a block away (a little further than my mailbox), and it was the first time I had done it in the year and half that I have worked there. Typically I go to the post office on my way into work, drive there, then drive on to the parking lot. I walk further to and from my car every day, but something in my head said I can't walk to the post office, so I never did, until this week.

I was almost in tears when I came out of the post office and turned to head back, I could actually see the pillars on the front of our building from where I stood in front of the post office - it was that close. I know that walk would have been very painful when I first started my job and the fear of that pain has kept me from even considering it, until now - which by the way was a fluke that I even did so, I had parked on the street and while I was walking back to my car I noticed how close the post office was and decided I would walk to it, instead of driving to it as I left for the day.

This is a long post about a short walk; but it is monumental for me emotionally, I still have a lot to work on in thinking I can do something and not just continuing to immediately say "I can't do that".

Monday, January 6, 2014

Happy New You!

Well it is hard to believe that it is 2014, but here we are, only a few short days into the new year and visions of fitness goals are dancing through my head.

Last year I accomplished so much; way more than I thought I would, and heck I even blew the doors off goals I didn't even know I would make for myself.  I owe a huge thank you to my coach (and loving husband) for motivation, modification and above all patience, and I also want to thank my training mates (Deb, Bob, Paul, Chris, Anna and Paulie), I have no words to fully express what it means to train with athletes, especially when you don't see yourself as one, but they see you as they see themselves.

By now we all know that with a New Year comes R-E-S-O-L-U-T-I-O-N-S.  Personal goals we set for ourselves.  I have never really been a goal girl.  I always tried to improve upon myself throughout the year, but something struck a chord with me this year.  If I can accomplish what I did last year with no goals set, what could I accomplish this year with goals in place?

You dear follower may not know this about me, but I'm incredibly competitive (especially with myself).  So if I give myself a goal or a challenge, chances are I'll do everything within my power to prove I can do it.

SO LET'S GET TO MY GOALS:

  • Initial Goals - I say initial because like I said above, I have no experience setting goals for myself; so I read what another training mate posted (lift more weight - heavier olympic lifts) and agreed that was a good one for me, too - especially since my coach feels this is an area I will excel in.  The other initial goal was better recovery after walking lunges.  2013 was the first time I did a walking lunge, the first time was with weight overhead and the second was in an attempt to do so for 10 laps.  The second attempt ended at 5 laps (13 minutes) as my coach wanted me to get some time in on the other parts of the WOD; I was sore for a good solid week, and the muscle pain was equivalent to what I experienced after walking my first 5K (that took over an hour).  So you see improving the recovery is a valid goal, but also inevitable, the more experience the more quickly I should recover.
  • Actual Goals - I'm still sticking with the above two goals, they are good goals, but not really a challenge beyond continuing to workout, the more you do, the easier they become (better form, tighter core, quicker recovery, etc.).  But I wanted a challenge, I wanted to give myself a goal that I could potentially not be able to complete.  So when I thought about what challenged me throughout the year, the 800lb gorilla that stood out was the tractor tire flip.  I had only been able to do the flip with help last year, and this year I want to flip the tire myself.
I'm not sure how long it will take me, or even if I'll be able to do it by year's end, but I will give it my all.  So what fitness goals did you set for yourself this year?  Are they good, solid, but doable goals, or are they challenges that you just might not reach, but the effort and hard work along the way will make them all worth while just the same?