Taking Care of #1

I begin writing to you with an open heart, and truly a clear mind. For the first time in two years, I have been afforded the mental clarity to be able to sit down and actually articulate ideas, beliefs, concepts that I find important and relevant to the purpose and audience of my blog.

First and foremost, if you've made it to reading this very line, I would like to say: Thank you. It's been two years since I have written or published my last post on my blog. When I started my Graduate program at Saint Joseph's University in 2014, I never intended on taking a hiatus from writing for A Hectic Life Refocused. However, as with the name, life became just that...Insurmountably hectic. I needed to juggle working full time, adapting to a new life and new culture living in the rural south, planning lessons, taking care of my dog Hank during his post-surgical recovery, all while dealing with an immense loss of a loved one while completing graduate school. Like with many of my posts, the important message to take from life when it does seem so insurmountable; prioritize.

#1 Yourself

New readers may read that and think "how self absorbed." Contrary, the truth is that we live in an ever growing society of American culture that is quick to label, judge, condemn, dismiss....If you note nothing from the aforementioned list, it's all negative in not only connotation but also reality. While I take great pride in being American, and a self-proclaimed-modern-day Patriot at that, much of that is derived from the freedoms we've been afforded through the principals in which this country was created upond. I don't intend on expanding too much beyond this but I think it's important to preface on my first post in two years. This blog, two years later is meant for people who are motivated enough by life to seek opportunities to better themselves, vessels in which will support them through the times that might appear overly challenging, and to know that in the every existence of our overly-Americanized cultural practices, that even the most intrinsically motivated individual will find him/herself at a crossroads at any given point in their life. And to this, my blog was created as a means in which provides opportunities to derive new means external motivation, refreshed perspective and support in their physical, mental and spiritual journey to living and leading a healthy and productive life.

Blog post/topic email inquiries are, as always, welcomed with an open mind and heart. 

P.S. Photo/video updates coming soon. Check back!

(***If you're really that interested in hearing more of my thoughts on the subject, I encourage you to email me directly) 

Transformation Tuesday

My carefree days; circa 2010.

One year ago, I looked at down at both my scale and my body, and realized that life, as it always does, had gotten in the way of me being my best self.

I weighed in at over 128lbs. A small-framed 5"1, this was nothing close to the lean, toned and fit me that you see before you today. I refused to step foot in front of a camera, explaining the lack of comparison photos for 2011, end of 2012 and today.

While fitness has always been a very important part of my life, there have been moments where life, itself, has got in the way. 2012 was a prime example of this. While I had still achieved my goal of running my first half marathon sub-2hrs, my body post-race season went into a downward spiral; craving the carbohydrates that it had come to rely on as fuel during the racing season. What my body couldn't process was that it no longer had a need for the excessive carbs. And so training continued….

When I jumped back into the swing of things 1 January, of this year, I told myself that regardless of how busy my life got, I would still take time out of my day for myself.

My racing days, 102lbs light speed racing
in honor of 1LT Del Castillo, KIA June 2011

The gym for me, is exactly that; time for myself. Each day I walk into the gym everyday, it is not just about losing fat, or gaining lean muscle, its a whole body experience from the inside, out. My experiences in the gym have transformed me, yes physically, but also mentally. I've deemed my time in the gym as a way of mastering my body and mind. It's a powerful experience; to learn how your body adapts not only from week to week, but from day to day when you alter your perspective of whats important, and really take the time to truly listen to what your body needs, instead of what it wants.

This year I learned a lot. I learned that clean eating isn't as hard as everyone makes it seem. In December of 2012, I was eating chili every sunday, pizza every wednesday and anything else that landed in front of my plate. While I never 'over indulged' with my portion sizes, the kinds of food I was eating were not only making me put on weight, but I soon started to experience a mess load of symptoms, like severe migraines, stomach issues and an overall feeling of lethargy.

In honor of "Transformation Tuesdays" here are my "then and now" photos from when the start of my fitfam obsession through to today.

Merry Christmas Eve Y'all!

xoxo,

-Katrina

Master your mind

I had a great day today. One worth blogging about. Not because anything extraordinary occurred, but more so because of the overall revelations I've made over the course of the weekend and in through today.

As of lately, I've been challenged with a lot of 'uphill battles.' Some, just simple misfortunes of everyday life, piled on to an already hectic life. While other challenges faced have been personal demons in my life's journey towards 'mastering my own mind.'
Whether we stop to realize it or not, life can be a really scary thing.

         Mastering your own mind is one of the most instrumental       
         tools you can develop over the course of your life time. 

Throughout my life I've always been extremely athletic. As a young girl, I was revered as the "little girl with a deceiving strength" and "ability well beyond my size." As the only girl, growing up in a house of three boys I saw nothing unusual about this. Growing up in a large, non-nuclear family, competition was a basic life skill; survival of the fittest. Maybe not always in the literal sense, but certainly in the sense that  
       if you wanted to accomplish anything, you have to do it yourself.
This belief is something I've carried with me throughout my life. It's 98% of the reason I'm as motivated and independent as I am today. I'm a do-er and a go-getter. But like any other person, I have my moments of self-doubt. Self-doubt is not something I routinely take the time to notice; so as of lately the overwhelming thoughts of second guessing myself on anything and everything I do has really forced me into a place I'd rather not be. It can be scary. It is much like a journey of mastering your own thoughts.

Throughout these past few weekends, I've made it a point to fill my days with entertainment and activities that are elementary: going to museums, playing on tire swings, driving places with absolutely no destination in mind. Throughout a number of my endeavors, I've been lucky to have a side kick with me. I enjoy the company of others, even if it's just in quiet. Living on your own forces you alone time that can be too much for anyone.
What occurred to me today, is that I have found myself back in my happy place. As a lifetime athlete, I've always held myself to the standard of having an 'annual' fitness goal. Something simple that I set out to achieve with two aims in mine:

1. A fitness goal that will provide me the necessary motivation needed to actually train in or out of the gym with a purpose.
2. To learn something new about myself in the process.

Today, I pushed through my less-than-fun workout, but in the end I felt incredible. This past summer was a huge milestone for me. My goal this year was to get myself in better shape than I've ever been in. For me, my "best shape ever" was when I was 22. I was a baby, fresh out of college, on the worst diet of Bojangles and Beer, but still in incredible shape.
I knew this goal would not be easy. For one, I'm not 22 anymore; my genetics are not as favorable as they were when carbohydrates and partially hydrogenated oils were an acceptable part of my diet. By March of this year, I met my goal. A long time fitness mentor of mine, Scott noted I was "competition ready." While I could talk forever about my love and life for fitness, the reason why I it's personally important to me is because fitness in general has been such an instrumental tool in understanding myself; not only physically--but mentally. Smile, today is as great a day is every other. Find your happiness.


I've yet to come up with my 2014 goal, but I still have a few weeks left, and I'll be excited to announce to you all when I have made my decision on a fitness goal for the year.