Hey happy FRI-YAY y’all!
So, funny story.
I was getting my hair done last night (ok it’s now been a few weeks ago….ha that’s how long I was working on this post lol!) and I’ve been obsessed with pink hair lately (and my pink hair is already gone….#tears #itwasfunwhileitlasted). Like seriously if you haven’t checked out my Pinterest hair board for CUTE hair….including tons of CUTE PINK hair….you totally should. Here it is if you need it or click on any of my hair crushes below!! PINK
So, when I showed my stylist (who FREAKIN’ ROCKS by the way! If you live in the northwest North Dakota area and are looking for a new stylist, go see Mindy at Evolution Salon in Minot. She is part-owner of the salon and has been doing hair for over 10 years…..and seriously is just amazing at what she does….including taking the time to really listen to what you want! #highlyrecommend ~ She’s the second on the left in the pic below…….has amazing hair herself…..AND you can click on the image to go to their Facebook page!) a few of the pics I’ve saved to my Pinterest board, she was like, “We can totally do some pink!” (Totally may be my word. I use it a lot.)
She’s taken me from this (see below)……..to this (also see below) in a relatively short amount of time. I didn’t hate my dark (DARK) hair. For a long time, I actually really liked it ‘cuz it was super healthy and shiny. But, I’ve been highlighted for most of my life and honestly just kinda missed it. And, really, I just get bored and like to switch things up with my hair! Long to short….light to dark…. 🙂 EXCEPT this last time it got way dark and that wasn’t the plan!!!!…..in fact, it was black. I remember when I got home from that appointment, B had a friend over and they were shocked. They were like “It’s purple!!! No, it’s blue??!!” Um yeah. So, while it was never supposed to be as dark as what happened, I just went with it for a while 🙂 It’s all good. Change is good. But, it does mean we still have a ways to go to get to where I’m going so we don’t stress my hair too much but I feel really FUN right now with the hints of pink (again, pink is gone now lol but it was really fun and I think I’m gonna get pink shampoo for in between colors when it wears out!)!!
  
(What do y’all think?!? Camera 1 or camera 2??….camera 2 being lighter and pinker lol 🙂 )
Ha, ok, we’re back to the funny part of the story.
So, as she was foiling my hair, I was looking at more of the pics I had saved…..and thinking between putting pink in my hair and being in competition prep for a BIKINI contest…..at the spry age of 42…..does it kinda look like I’m going thru a midlife crisis??….especially given the fact I’ve been talking to y’all about feeling like a crazy person for the past 2 years lol.
Well, JUST IN CASE you start to wonder, I’m totally NOT going thru a midlife crisis.
I’m simply REINVENTING myself.
After not feeling good for so long and honestly wondering many/most days if I was losing it, it just feels good to……FEEL GOOD.
Yes, I still have my tummy troubles…..but that’s been a life-long thing. They were just way worse for whatever reason when I had the Mirena in and I’m working with specialists to pinpoint something once-and-for-all.
But, emotionally, I’m doing amazingly (thank God) better than I was a few short months ago! And, physically, I feel better each week and I feel like I’m getting my body back little by little with each passing day. Not to mention the fact I’m focusing really hard on my fitness and nutrition right now. I KNOW that’s a HUGE key to this recovery puzzle!
Which leads me to where I’m at in my competition prep!…..again, not in a midlife crisis lol.
But, I was just on a team call last night with a quest speaker who’s in our newest test group for an Autumn Calabrese workout coming out in January. This chic has been a coach for eight years and was talking about how she STILL loves having something to push her…..she feels like she needs to be constantly challenged and push the limits with her journey. And, she just competed in a pageant!
I thought to myself, that’s exactly how I feel!
I’m not going through a midlife crisis!
I just love having something to push for….something to challenge me….something to keep me excited (insert pink hair).
I’ve said before that it’s not about the competition or the stage or the bikini….although I’m super excited for all….it’s about finding ways to challenge and push myself….not settling for status quo….not giving myself time to get lazy. And, while I don’t believe we ALWAYS need something to look forward to or be pushing for in order to stay true to our health & fitness, I do believe doing things that scare you and that make you push through your barriers is super important!
So, that’s just what I’m doing!
I won’t say this experience hasn’t been without pain already lol. It’s already been freaking hard. And, I’ve changed the course a few times in my approach ‘cuz things just didn’t feel right and some old injuries were resurfacing. And, as in the other blog post I’m sharing, I still wanna eat everything in sight sometimes….but I don’t.
I just keep pushing. I just keep sweating. I just keep sharing.
There are 93 days until the New Year and 264 until the competition. Eeeeeek. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already feeling the pressure!!!!!! And, that’s part of this struggle and pushing my limits that I have to be careful with. I can easily start obsessing about things….about every bite of food (especially given my history), about which workout is best, about how high my body fat % is, about how someone ELSE trained, and on and on.
But the reality is, this is my fight and my ride. I refuse to go the other way in terms of food; ANY workout I do will be effective as long as I DO IT, I enjoy it AND mostly importantly, follow the meal plan as designed; my body fat is way higher than it should be with less than a year to go but again this isn’t about me competing nationally or me winning the thing….this is about me doing something hard and getting in the best shape of my life; and how someone ELSE did this doesn’t matter. Yes, I can learn from them, take their encouragement and ideas and then make it my own.
I’m maybe not where I want to be or should be at this point in the game, but I’m OKAY with that.
I’m just gonna keep pushing. I’m just gonna keep sweating. I’m just gonna keep sharing.
(Oh, and I have some cool groups coming out if you wanna push with me to end 2017 strong!! And, I’m going to be sharing my exact plan and goals as they stand!! Stay tuned!!)
One day, one meal, one workout, one meltdown (just kidding….kinda) at a time.
And, I’ll leave y’all with this! She is freaking hilarious! I especially loved the part where she’s talking about the crossfitters sharing their WODs (workoutoftheday) and she says, “That’s good information to have.” hahahaha!!
Live loved,
Dina
