Be Strong and Courageous

[Jean]

5 hours ago, Ayrihn said:

Feel like I just can't get a handle on things.

 

I know this place. It's dark and tight. There's a small hole in the ceiling that lets a tiny ray of light go through. If you stick to it long and hard enough, you can lift yourself through it.

 

Hang in there and keep trying, things will get bored of it before you do.

[Ayrihn]

Happy Monday NF Team!

 

Back to basics today.

 

I was NOT athletic when I was young. I literally worked my behind off (35lbs worth) preparing to contract with the Army. 

 

The Army is where I first learned to run.

 

In through the nose, out through the mouth

 

We sing cadences to help regulate breathing, always starting the verse and, therefore, exhaling, when the left foot hits the ground.

 

Breathe out on your left foot, it regulates the breathing rhythm and prevents cramping because your heart is on the left side too.

 

These days, I haven't been paying much attention. I've just been going at a fast pace when I feel like it, and slow down when I'm tired.

 

The last "run" I really struggled to breathe. I don't know if it was because I was in early ketosis, or if it was the drier air, or if it was from being stuck in the house with sick kiddos.

 

Whatever the reason, I decided to google "How to breathe when running."

 

This is what I found.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20822091/running-on-air-breathing-technique/

 

"Many runners develop a 2:2 pattern of breathing, meaning they inhale for two footstrikes and exhale for two footstrikes. Some breathe in for three steps and exhale for three steps. Both have the same result—your exhale is always on the same side. Breathing patterns that extend the inhale will shift the point of exhalation alternately from left to right or from right to left, from one side of the body to the other. The singular point of all rhythmic breathing patterns is this: Exhale on alternate footstrikes as you run. You never want to continually exhale on the same foot."

 

Hm, interesting. 

 

Let's start with a 5-count or 3:2 pattern of rhythmic breathing, which will apply to most of your running. Inhale for three steps and exhale for two. Practice first on the floor:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Place a hand on your belly and make sure that you are belly breathing.
3. Breathe through your nose and your mouth.
4. Inhale to the count of 3 and exhale to the count of 2. You might count it this way: “in-2-3,” “out-2,” “in-2-3,” “out-2,” and so forth.
5. Concentrate on a continuous breath as you inhale over the 3 counts and a continuous breath as you exhale.
6. Once you become comfortable with the inhale/exhale pattern, add foot taps to mimic walking steps.

 

Ok, I'm game. 

 

So I made that my goal today. No distance goal. Not even a time goal. 

 

Just. Breathe.

 

I spoke to a friend of mine on the phone the other day while she was at the gym.  She said she loved listening to sermons during her workouts.

 

Sermons? I thought. Not music? But I didn't comment.

 

Since the article above recommended not listening to music while learning the breathing technique, I thought, OK, let's find a sermon or something.

 

I went with a podcast called "Real Christianity" by Dale and Veronica Partridge, which I'd found a while ago and just hadn't listened to in several months.

 

That 20 minutes flew by. Nice, comfortable 5.0mph pace (with a 2 min walking warm up). For 20 minutes straight. 

 

In..2...3...Out...2...In...2...3...Out..2

 

Before I knew it I wasn't counting every step anymore. It still needs practice, especially as I gradually increase the pace over the next few weeks.

 

It was so low stress that I wanted to just keep going!

 

I had suspected that the rule of always exhaling on the left foot didn't truly maximize the benefits that it touted. Hm. And the whole "in through the nose, out through the mouth" thing? Yeah I could only do that for maybe the first few minutes before switching to gasping for air. Hm.

 

Will share more as I adopt this technique and apply it to more challenging runs.

 

 

 

[Sloth the Enduring]

@xena has experimented with this too. When I run I fall into a 2-1 pattern which alternates the foot I exhale with.

[Ayrihn]

 

Not a lot of progress this past week. BUT today is 3/1 so starting the month off right. Completed a 1.5 mi run in 18:36. That's about a 12:30 min/mi. Ok.

 

I was also recruited today for the (Honorary) Bataan Memorial Death March...in 2 weeks. 

 

14.2 miles.

 

I'm gonna die.

 

It's not a run. Well, it can be. Not for me!

 

Every year I've thought about doing it. And every year I've respectfully declined because it's a long walk...in the desert...starting at the buttcrack of dawn...on a Sunday. Even when I was active duty I was not inclined to participate. 

 

But my fellow veterans need me to help make a full team. 

 

And my excuses are meaningless when the event is in memoriam to the Soldiers from New Mexico who went through the real thing.

 

Sometimes, you have to rebel against yourself.

 

[RubiksCat]

Nice quote: Rebel against yourself, it sounds like something from a motivational poster. I'm not so good at that unfortunately...

My brain: "Hey body, I'm really craving Taco Bell today"

My body: "Yes, master."

I need to work on that brain/body relationship a little more.

 

I didn't know you were from the military, that's fascinating. If you can run 12:30 min/mile you do this walk. The body is stronger than the mind leads it to believe, the tank isn't empty when the mind says it is. 

[Ayrihn]

 

Well, the sponsorship fell through   No team. No march (phew!). BUT today, I hereby commit to the goal of participating in the actual 26.2 mile march next year. Unless we get enough people for the 14.2 one, then I'll join in with them  

 

On a positive note: the Lord is leading my career in a new direction and I have accepted a new project management position within my company - and I owe some credit to NF and everyone who has shared their support thus far along my journey!!  The role I am taking on is totally outside my usual comfort zone. I will be going from back office project admin work (perfect for an introvert like me) to client-facing project management responsible for transitioning national-level clients onto our systems, armed with my PM knowledge and a whole lot of faith. I've never had this type of position before so this will be a very new experience. Engaging with you on this forum and going through the Beginner Bodyweight program has helped me gradually step outside my introverted bubble and build my confidence (as well as strength) - and without this forum and the opportunities to become involved in this NF family, I wouldn't have had the guts to apply and follow through with the interviewing process knowing the nature of the position. Trooping with my Star Wars Team has helped too - holistically speaking I know I'm ready to take on this new diplomatic mission. 

 

So, THANK YOU TEAM!!! I appreciate you and hope that you are encouraged by my sharing this. God is good!

 

 

 

Making progress!! It took forever it seemed to get into ketosis. I had to really crack down on tracking those carbs!! 5 lbs down from last month. Woohoo!

 

 

And here's a photo of my weekend adventure. It was AWESOME. 5 lbs really does make a difference!! I had a good hair day. I had a good makeup day. And I had a good kit fit day - the belt wasn't as snug as it's been   I think I'm going to make myself a pink belt and maybe acquire a pink wig for events like this. I feel too plain. LOL!

 

[Jean]

2 hours ago, Ayrihn said:

I will be going from back office project admin work (perfect for an introvert like me) to client-facing project management responsible for transitioning national-level clients onto our systems, armed with my PM knowledge and a whole lot of faith.

 

And you'll kick ass too! Well, hopefully not your clients' asses but ass kicking nonetheless.

 

You're appreciated too and yes, this is very encouraging.

 

[Ayrihn]

Well. It’s been 2.5 years. 
 

I dropped off for a few reasons:

1. Very little “white space” in my calendar for posting and also gym time since I started that new gig

 

2. I got preggers and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in December of 2019!

 

3. COVID. 

 

Let me tell you - that pregnancy was a huge test of my faith! After all the progress I’d made, the last thing I wanted was to undo it. I was very disheartened and did not want to share on this forum, as all my progress would be backwards. I had to focus on me.
 

November 2019 I was near over 195lbs. After doing some of my own research, I decided to focus on incorporating a modified keto diet for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. I desperately wanted to avoid hitting 200!! And…it worked! The day I was to be induced I clocked in at 199.4. With shoes on. Yay!

 

Contrary to popular belief, nursing does NOT help me with weight loss. I actually struggle to produce enough, so the last thing I do is worry about diet/weight loss. I managed to maintain my post-partum weight for the first 3 months…and then COVID happened.
 

October 2020 I decided to try and get back to pre-pregnancy weight (155). It’s taken some time, and I had gained 12 quarantine lbs (post-partum weight: 180, starting weight 192). In July of this year I succeeded in attaining my pre-pregnancy weight and losing 37 pounds! I followed the keto lifestyle with some periods of protein sparing modified fasting and intermittent fasting to break stalls.

 

The past month or so has been a struggle, and I ended up gaining 5 pounds. A few days ago I talked myself into getting back on track, and I wanted to check in here.

 

Ultimately I want to share that no matter what happens or how many times you have to start over, you just have to decide to do it! Don’t look back - just look ahead and apply the lessons you’ve learned. Ask your tribe for help. For me, it was my Imperial Border Squad family. They kept me positive through all the changes my body went through, and are my inspiration for working to get back to my “normal” self.

 

I pray you all are well and in good health, and I’m looking forward to posting more about my journey in the time to come!

 

Until next time, here are some photos of the past 21 months - if you look closely you can see the changes from 39 weeks pregnant to just a couple weeks ago!

 

Photos:

12/2019 - Padme Amidala w/ Jawa at Rise of Skywalker Premier, literally the day before I was induced

3/2020 - “Baby Yoda” and my WIP Jedi Archivist

2/2021 - My Rebel Legion approved Jedi Archivist, made specifically for my post-partum body. Epic battle about to ensue.

7/2021 - Summer troop with my Jedi Archivist and my friend Leia. This was my last event with the archivist - it was too big!

9/2021 - Jyn Erso and friends at the Children’s Hospital Children’s Cancer Awareness Month kickoff

 

 

[Ayrihn]

Happy Sunday!

 

 Kicking off the morning Keto-friendly for the whole family!

 

While everyone else cleared the shelves of toilet paper and disinfecting wipes, we made a different panic purchase that is still useful today.

 

 We bought a flock of chickens!!

 

 There are 5 ladies in our flock. Since we live within the city limits, we are not permitted to have a rooster. Understandable - I prefer to get along with my neighbors.

 

The girls recently went through their first molt, but they have started to consistently produce again. Today’s breakfast was brought to us by:

 

Princess

Cutie

Jaqueline Storm

Chickee

and Hei-Hei

 

 Yes, the kids helped name them 😆 

 

Since the girls joined the family we have had fresh eggs on hand throughout the year, and we’ve learned a lot about caring for them and that they’re really hard to catch if they get out of the yard. 
 

Seriously, you will never laugh harder in your life than while watching someone try to catch a chicken.

 

A lot of people made adjustments to their lifestyles when COVID first started. Bicycles, gym equipment, and other outdoor activity equipment were hard to find. Pet adoption agencies found homes for a good majority of their animals. Spare bedrooms became home offices, virtual learning classrooms or hobby spaces. Backyard vegetable gardens sprang up throughout neighborhoods. And families got to know each other again.
 

What lifestyle change(s) did you make when COVID first hit that are still part of your routine today?

 

 

[Elastigirl]

Love all the Star Wars pictures! Those costumes are all amazing. Congrats on the new baby and the weight loss. Also, very cool that you guys got chickens.

[Jean]

Yay, you're back!

 

Glad you've made it through the hardship and congrats on your new child! Looking forward to read more about chickens and the Imperial Border Squad.

[Ayrihn]

On 9/26/2021 at 9:49 AM, Elastigirl said:

Love all the Star Wars pictures! Those costumes are all amazing. Congrats on the new baby and the weight loss. Also, very cool that you guys got chickens.

Thank you!!! How have you been?

[Ayrihn]

5 hours ago, Jean said:

Yay, you're back!

 

Glad you've made it through the hardship and congrats on your new child! Looking forward to read more about chickens and the Imperial Border Squad.

Thank you!! We have a couple of events coming up and I can’t wait to share! How have you been?

[Ayrihn]

30 days until a major trooping event! And I’ve got 10 more lbs to go. Going to re-incorporate 16:8 intermittent fasting and 2 protein sparing modified fast days into the week to see if I can get unstuck. I haven’t made much progress the past 10 days. I had a big whoosh at the beginning but the scale has been going up and down with the same .5 lbs for over a week! Augh!

 

In other news, I have concocted a delicious new morning drink. It satisfies my chocolate cravings and is nice and rich. I call it a Keto Cinnamon Roll Mocha:

 

2 Tsbp  melted butter

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa

1 Tsbp Skinny Syrups sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce syrup

1 sprinkle cinnamon

6-8oz freshly brewed hot coffee

1-2 packets Truvia sweetener

 

1. Melt butter and pour into coffee mug

2. Mix cocoa and cinnamon into melted butter

3. Add cinnamon dolce syrup

4. Add freshly brewed coffee and mix well

5. Add Truvia sweetener to taste (I like just one, two packets is too sweet)

*If this is too rich, replace 1 Tbsp of butter with 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream!

Calories: 203

Fat: 22g

Protein: 0g

Total Carbs: 3g

Fiber: 1g

Net Carbs: 2g

Enjoy!!

 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

Hello there, congrats on reaching your goals with the ride. 

 

Jealous that you have your own free range chickens!

 

Good luck on the last 30 days!

[Ayrihn]

On 10/14/2021 at 5:34 PM, Fairly_Bouncer said:

Hello there, congrats on reaching your goals with the ride. 

 

Jealous that you have your own free range chickens!

 

Good luck on the last 30 days!

Thank you!!! I love my girls!! 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 

[Ayrihn]

This weekend marked a special day.  When I joined the Imperial Border Squad in 2018, my very first trooping event was as a handler at the St. Baldrick’s Brave the Shave event supporting the Children’s Hospital and cancer research. Participants raised funds in exchange for shaving their heads in solidarity with those of all ages but especially children battling cancer. Well, this weekend we were once again invited to support the same event at the same location. I was honored to support once again as a handler, and the event raised over $14,000! A very special “anniversary” indeed 🥰

https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/13116/2021

 

 

 

[Ayrihn]

Today is my 1 Year Ketoversary!

 

Sort of. I first started Keto in July 2015. But fast forward to April 2019 and I’m pregnant with my 3rd baby who is my Asian-Italian food craver and for the first 10 weeks refused most anything that wasn’t rice or pasta. Even chicken made me nauseated. Yeah of the 44 pounds I gained, 20 of them came within the first 10 weeks.

 

When baby was 10 months old and in daycare and had stopped exclusively breastfeeding months prior, I decided it was time to once again set to work to lose the weight I’d gained.

 

My pre-pregnancy weight was 155. I definitely had more strength and muscle because of the work I’d been doing to tone up.

The day I was induced I weighed in at 199 and change. It would have been higher except I switched to a keto diet the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy and significantly slowed the weight gain to almost nothing - I did NOT want to cross the 200 mark. I’m only 5’1” and even 155 puts me in the overweight/mildly obese category.

 

My goal was to get back to pre-pregnancy weight by my birthday, which was in May. Starting weight was 192. I had done pretty well maintaining at 180 right after baby was born, but then COVID shutdowns happened right as my maternity leave was ending, so my first day back to work was working from home while managing the older boys’ virtual learning and my stress levels were through the roof - not only did I not have any ability to focus on maintaining let alone losing weight, I found emotional support in food. I gained 12 quarantine pounds. Unfortunately May came and went and I did not achieve my goal.
 

It started off great, though! I was even baking keto Thanksgiving and Christmas treats using recipes by Maria Emmerich. I have to plug Maria. She has been coaching clients in the keto way of eating for over 20 years. She has an awesome keto recipe book collection with meals that are filling and delicious! Even the family liked them!

 

But then, right after the holidays, the baby started getting rashes and we weren’t sure what was causing them. They were so bad that he would occasionally get sent home from daycare. I started to suspect it might be something we were eating (he still breastfed at night), so I stopped keto and tried an elimination diet. Although not confirmed, it looked like almond flour might have been the culprit. Almond flour is essentially a staple in keto baking. So I stopped keto. I had lost about 15 pounds.
 

After about 2 months I started up again, minus anything that involved tree nuts. Again I did pretty well from March until mid-August, with a few weeks scattered here and there of falling out of ketosis and a few days here and there of yo-yo-ing. 
 

Then, in August, we went on vacation. I had everything planned. I had keto snacks for the day we were traveling and a grocery order ready to be placed for pickup first thing the next morning at our destination. Unfortunately, we fell victim to airline staffing issues, our flight was cancelled, and we were stranded. After standing in line for 3 hours to get hotel and food vouchers, I didn’t care what I ate. And that set the tone for the rest of the trip and quite frankly for the rest of the month. I was actually barley at my goal, 155.6 pounds, before that trip. And then I gained almost 5 pounds back.

 

I struggled for a few weeks to get back on track. I didn’t even track my weight during that time! Finally in mid-September, when we learned about this big upcoming November event, I reset my mindset and got back to work, finally hitting pre-pregnancy weight on September 28th.

 

But that wasn’t enough! My costume still didn’t fit right. Even though the scale showed I’d achieved my goal, I wasn’t exactly back to what I wanted to be. I attribute this to the muscle loss from over 2 years of not intentionally exercising. The scale says one thing, but my body composition says another. 
 

Still, it was a win! That’s 37 pounds lost in a little over 11 months. 
 

I kept going. 1 year later and I have achieved pre-pregnancy weight and surpassed my goal by 5 pounds, and I’m not stopping!! I have found my sweet spot with keto and have also incorporated protein sparing modified fast days, which keeps the progress going. I am so excited for our November event! 22 days to go. I’d love to lose another 10 pounds by then, but that seems a little too aggressive, so I will be satisfied with 5 because I’m already at a point where my costume fits well enough, but losing an extra 5 pounds will make it even better. 
 

It took me 15 months to lose 45 pounds last time, and this time I lost 42 pounds in a year. Not bad. Not bad at all 😊

 

I failed at taking progress photos. Here’s a before from early November last year, and a current from today. 
 

If you read through all of this, thanks for sticking around! Be encouraged: this is a journey. And as with all journeys, there are flight delays (or cancellations) and smooth sailing, flat tires and happy trails. Embrace it! Accept the setbacks, learn from them, and then charge forward! The struggle is real, but it’s worth it.

 

Starting weight: 192

Pre-pregnancy goal weight: 155

Current weight: 150

New goal weight: IDK but I’m gonna keep going. Maybe 120?

 

[Ayrihn]

Well, this weekend was nothing short of AMAZING!

 

My goal was to lose 20lbs in 50 days. I came pretty close to it and lost 15, starting at 160 on 9/24 and ending at 145 as of 11/13.

 

I took a small break the past two days - and by small I mean I ate keto but did not focus on staying within a calorie limit or tracking for that matter. “Working” in cosplay for 6-7 hours kept me busy enough.

 

Speaking of cosplay, I am very happy to share that Princess Leia has once again returned! I definitely had a couple episodes of anxiety leading up to this weekend. It has been so long since I was last Princess Leia that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to jump right back into her character for this event. I definitely lost sleep scrolling through Pinterest for different pictures of her expressions and overall demeanor in various situations, and also researching her hair and makeup. I think all of that actually paid off, because I slipped right back into Leia’s character almost as easily as if there hadn’t been a nearly 3 year break. As a bonus, I was asked several times if “that was my real hair” which is a huge compliment, since it’s not. 😆  While the weight loss was a significant achievement, even more important was fitting back into her belt.

 

Check out our official page for pics from this weekend!

 

https://m.facebook.com/Imperialbordersquad/

 

Here are a just a select few of my favorite Leia pictures too! We debuted Chewbacca, had a family reunion, got into some imperial entanglements, and of course had a great time once again being out with the community!

 

 

[Ann of Owlshire]

Love all your Star Wars photos! I’m just catching up, and I sooooo feel you on the pandemic and having children. I just have the one but he was 2 years old and… yeah. It was a very stressful period!  (We were also in the midst of a cross country move later on in the pandemic.) I’m super impressed by how you bounced back! And you’re looking so fabulous there as Leia!

 

Looking forward to reading about your continuing journey! 

 

 

 

[Ayrihn]

On 11/15/2021 at 10:32 AM, Ann of Owlshire said:

Love all your Star Wars photos! I’m just catching up, and I sooooo feel you on the pandemic and having children. I just have the one but he was 2 years old and… yeah. It was a very stressful period!  (We were also in the midst of a cross country move later on in the pandemic.) I’m super impressed by how you bounced back! And you’re looking so fabulous there as Leia!

 

Looking forward to reading about your continuing journey! 

 

 

 

Thank you!! 2 is definitely tough! They’re learning fast and pushing boundaries and unaware of consequences so you have to constantly be monitoring them and tap into the stores of patience you didn’t know you had. And a move on top of everything!! Girl, you’re tough!! 
 

 

 

[Ayrihn]

Well it has been a little longer than I want it to be since my last post. My husband tested positive for the ‘Rona the day before Thanksgiving, and the 2 weeks since have been CRAZY! We’re all good now, he’s pretty much back to normal.

 

Ok now on to some good stuff!! 
 

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
 

I decided it was time to once again incorporate some intentional exercise, so I rejoined 9Round Kickboxing Gym. Day 1 was pretty rough, but I’m about a week into it and my endurance has already significantly improved.

I did go ahead and do a health analysis with a Dexa scanner - first time ever - and the results were almost exactly what I expected, which makes me kinda proud of the conclusions I came to after hours of Google research! This way I have a baseline and measurable, quantitative goals

I actually have more than one lofty goal for this summer: for whatever reason I got it into my head to construct the Cloud City / Bespin Leia costume. I had looked into it before, but her cape requires embroidery - all done by hand. Reading other Costumer’s stories it’s anywhere from 400-600 hours worth of work. Back when I learned that the embroidery cannot be done by machine, I said “nah, maybe someday when all the kids are grown and I’m retired or something, but this is way out of my league.”

 

Well. Here I am with dozens of skeins of embroidery floss and my fabric with the pattern template just arrived today! There is no turning back now. My goal is to have the entire costume completed by September 2022. I’ve also been practicing those stitches - the shadow stitch and stem stitch.

My other lofty goal is to drop another 35 pounds by July. This way I’ll have time to make the tunic and pants in the appropriate size 😆 

 

I’ll do my best to share progress on all fronts - although I can’t guarantee frequency or consistency! I’m aiming for getting 20 hours per week of embroidery work done while keeping up with 9Round at least 5 days per week. It’s going to be quite the adventure!!
 

[Ayrihn]

Well. Things changed pretty quickly after my last post! I literally tested positive for COVID the next day, which put a pretty significant damper on the holidays. I don’t know which variant I got but based on how mild the symptoms were I’d guess it was Omicron. The worst part was the fatigue, and with school breaks and starting a new job all happening simultaneously, I got knocked down hard.

 

I don’t want to say I’ve given up on Cloud City Leia, but the reality is that I cannot put in enough work to have it completed by our September event. I started off strong in January, and made a lot of progress, but not enough to keep on pace. I will continue to work on it, but its debut is going to be delayed until sometime in 2023.

 

 

Not to worry though. I’m making good progress with the weight loss and am on track to meet my weight loss goal with enough time to assemble a backup costume - I’m thinking Bespin Escape Leia or Endor Leia or both! 
 

With today being February 1st, I’ve expanded my overall list of goals. These were January’s goals:

- Get back on track with keto (because I indulged in too much holiday junk 😬)

- Cut out caffeine

- Drop keto junk food (looking at you, Atkins bars…)

Done, done and DONE!

 

For February, I’m adding the following:

- Do push-ups every day and every day do more than the previous day (actual push-ups, knees don’t count!)

- Track EVERYTHING in my carb manager app, no side snacking!!

- Cut out dairy*

- Stop neglecting my skincare routine (especially at night)

- Start transitioning to a more sugar-free lifestyle for the kids

- Go for a run each Sunday

 

*With the exception of my protein shakes and eggs - underlying goal is to break my cheese addiction 😆 
The sugar-free lifestyle item is going to take the most time and effort - hence the postponing of Cloud City Leia. I want to do what I can to ensure a healthier lifestyle for my kids.

Doing really well with 9Round. It was on and off for some weeks there thanks to COVID making its way through my family, but I can already feel a lot of improvement. 2/7 will be 2 months since my first workout, so I plan to do a 2 month review then.

 

 

Lastly, if you haven’t heard of Christy CodeRed, I definitely recommend checking her out. I discovered her while listening in on the Quit Sugar Summit and I just love her no-nonsense yet heartfelt  approach. I’m a big Maria & Craig Emmerich fan when it comes to keto, but Christy is who has lit my fire to expand beyond making better choices for me to making better decisions for my kids.

 https://app.coderedlife.com/share/I5b3h_ObRkSV9LY_
 

#dontmesswithaprincess #bunsquad #punchit #fightforyourlife #comeback2022