How Jenny lost three stone in less than three months by changing her 'story' about herself and food..

(Training period - October 1st 2011 to December 28th 2011) 

“As a mother of seven kids I didn’t think I had time to think of myself.  My self image was at rock bottom and I treated myself like a dust-bin.  I felt guilty constantly.  I felt like an onlooker in my own life.  After years and years of yo-yo dieting I had achieved my target weight 3 times but then life kicked in and I would put the weight back on again.  I knew I could lose weight but I hesitated because I though I would end up putting it back on again because that is what I always did.  I kept thinking that if I lost the weight again - it would be like a house of cards that would inevitably fall down.

 

Everyone has their own personal inner pain and brokenness.  But for overweight people their brokenness is on display.  They have to wear the evidence of it like a shameful sign around their necks.  Many people hide their problems with anger or substance abuse but overweight people walk around with theirs on display all day long like a sign around their necks that says ‘I’m broken and I’m not worth it.’

 

During my mentoring with The Energy Coach I shared my story about food and self image for the fist time.  It was like I confessed everything! Seeing it on paper helped - I had never really seen it in the light of day.  I got annoyed about my old story about why I couldn’t lose weight.  I knew that I had to surrender now or keep going with the same behavior so I said ‘STOP!  I’ve had enough of this!’  The process of telling my story out loud made me feel that I am in control of my own destiny, more empowered. 

 

I changed the metaphors I had used to describe my life.  I felt that I had been treating my body like a bin.  I decided to ask ‘How would I treat myself if I felt like a princess!’  I decided  to focus on that fact that I am focusing on the real root causes of my weight issues.  Therefore this time I am building a house of bricks rather than a house of cards.

 

For the first time I really looked at the roots of my unhealthy eating.  I found out why I used food as a crutch.  I looked at my self image - Why I was doing that to myself?  Why was I feeling so disempowered?  

 

I was by no means starving during the three months I lost 42 pounds.  I ate lots of live healthy foods but I wasn’t perfect!  I did a couple of days drinking smoothies only when my weight loss slowed down because I wanted to hit my target quickly.  I didn’t stick to a specific regime/program.

During the hard moments I had to remember that I was worth it.  At times I didn’t feel like continuing.  People expected me to eat unhealthy foods and sometimes dropped in junk food as a gift which was tempting.  I remembered that feeding an emotion wasn’t going to heal the emotion - that helped me to avoid eating some donuts - that was a real breakthrough moment for me.  To get through a few tough times I thought about what cost would it have on my daughter if I treat myself disrespectfully again - she looks up to me and kids copy what they see! 

 

I recommend working with Michael & The Energy Coach because it was a safe place for me to tell my story.  He understood what it was like because he has been through the process himself.  He helped me to focus on the roots of the problem rather than just telling me what I need to do.  I felt that I had someone rooting for me.  The process was empowering.  It gave me the courage to go forward and the levels of follow up and accountability were exceptional.  It has helped my relationships and feeling more confident has helped me to go back to learning and focus on my career for the first time in years.”

 

Jenny, 

Dublin.

(Name changed to protect Jenny's privacy)

MarathonFlyer.pdf Download this file

 

Posted via email from The Energy Coach Blog

Day 6: The most Northerly point in Ireland. 10 years later the dream becomes a reality!

Day 6: Saturday April 2012 Donegal town - Malin Head    Approx 127k

 

If I were advising someone who was cycling Mizen to Malin I’d recommend doing the whole event the way we did day six.  We met for breakfast at quarter past seven and were on the road at half eight. We were able to relax, chat and enjoy the experience on the bikes because being on the road so early meant that there was no real time pressure. The first half of the day's cycling felt like a warm up pace - we could have stepped the pace up but we never did. I was reluctant to crank up the pace and then burn myself out when I was so close to completing the mission!

 

I tried to supress my excitement for most of the day at being so close to relalisiing this long term dream that was rapidly becoming reality. 

 

We had a few short stops along the way and stopped for a long lunch break in a warm hotel bar at the halfway point. The second half of the day was a bit wetter but our spirits were soaring because we knew that we just had to keep going doing what we were doing. 

 

The closer we got to Malin the narrower and more interesting the roads became.  I expected the most Northerly peninsula in Ireland to be quiet and sparsely populated but the roads were busy and there were plenty of modern houses as well as the farms and older homes which were more what I expected. We saw the sea as we passed Buncrana and had some other glimpses of the sea along the way which are always a refreshing break from looking at the rear wheel of the cyclist in front.

 

The final twenty kilometres were misty and on narrow roads with traffic coming in both directions. We were glad to have reflective clothing and a few lights on the bikes. 

 

When we entered the final ten kilometres the conversation turned to whether we would race the last section of the trip. Two of the guys tore ahead to race the final leg with two or three kilometres of torturous winding hills left. I have no idea where they got the energy from as they had covered almost five hundred kilometres between them in the previous 48 hours! 

 

The final ascent was one of those climbs that is so steep that you just have to take it quickly - the alternative is agonizing, wobbly and dangerously slow.  I was glad of the final effort though as it felt like a reminder of all we had overcome in the previous six days. We got some photos and took a few minutes to appreciate the rugged beauty of the most Northerly point in Ireland with white water crashing over rocks and the wind howling.  

 

 

The cold was a great incentive to get on the road home quickly. Before I knew it we were changed, packed up, fed and on the road home. The sense of accomplishment is great but I’ve been waiting to realise this goal for the best part of a decade so I imagine it will take a bit longer to sink in fully. The real rewards of the trip were; the cameraderie and fellowship of a team on an a shared adventure, the sense of inspiration and high spirits that always accompany beauty and a feeling that anything is possible. 

 

If you are thinking of doing this trip then I recommend it. There is an option to do it as a fundraiser with a large team from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. The larger the team involved, the more options for different paces there will be. Cycling with a group suited to your pace is a lot more enjoyable than trying to cater for a mixed group. If you are doing it then; invest money in high quality cycling clothes, get out early in the mornings, take short breaks and use every stop as an opportunity to fuel up, stretch and hydrate. 

 

My next challenge is the Ironman Austria Triathlon on 1^st July which I’m doing as a fundraiser for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Remember to subscribe to this blog to make sure you don't miss updates on that event and others.  My target is to raise a minimum of €2,500 for the chairty in 2012. If you’d like to sponsor me for Ironman and/or Mizen to Malin then that would be very welcome - Live link to follow shortly! Thanks for sharing the experience with me, thanks especially to the encouragers along the way (with both cycling and blogging!) especially to my beautiful wife Cara who is my greatest encourager, funniest friend and the most perfect woman I've ever met xxxx.   

Posted via email from michaelrossney's posterous

Day 3: Mizen - Malin: Even the word hopeless has hope in it!

Day 3: Wednesday 4th April 2012 Spanish Point - Galway  Approx 90K

(Today's route looks very short on paper but the wind was relentless which made it feel like one of the longest days)

 

Day three started with an early morning debate with Cara.  We decided that it was best for her to take Fauna (the dog) home as she had been sick since the first day of cycling. We found out that the one and only bus out of Spanish point left at twenty past eight in the morning so we raced around the hotel trying to pack up everything for Cara and the dog.  Cara grabbed some fruit for breakfast as I stalled the bus driver outside the hotel and then they were off. 

The cycling started at approximately ten o’clock.  I was reeling following our race to get Cara on the bus, quick breakfast and checking out of the hotel. We started on a hill and within a few minutes I could feel my mindset starting to drift in the wrong direction again.  Thankfully those first kilometres turned out to be the hardest of the day and we went on to see some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland over the rest of the day. 

 

 We cycled along the cliffs of Moher and through the Burren which were both experiences that I hope I never forget. The scenery was breathtaking which made the cycling a bit easier. (I hope to add more images later). Heavy winds meant that we needed to start working as a team and drafting behind the cyclists in front. We soon learned how to do this and started to mitigate against the effects of heavy winds. 

 

It was a long hard cycle and it was frustrating as we took lunch a bit too early so it seemed like we should have been finished hours before we did finish. Some of they cyclists decided to take a break in the afternoon and three or four of us started to up the pace and work as a tight unit. It was a long, hard spin to Galway for me as I think I was still recovering from my tiredness from the start of the week but the rest of the guys seemed to enjoy themselves. 

 

 

At one point during the day (isolated from the pack and with the wind howling) I completely gave up on the Mizen to Malin Goal. I figured that this was just not enough fun, it was too hard etc. I was about to tell the guys and jump into one of the back-up cars and eat a vast quantity of chocolate. I then had a thought; ‘If I can make it to Galway then at least I can say I’ve cycled Mizen to Galway (approximately half the length of Ireland) and then I could always do the second half another time.’ I didn’t say a word to the rest of the gang but I quit mentally and it was a relief!

 

The hotel in Galway was really nice. The thougts of a nice long lie in in the morning there were tempting. Amazingly I had enough energy to make it down to the pool for a jacuzzi to help my legs as well as to the bar for a quick dinner. When preparing for the trip I had imagined going for swims and even brick sessions (jogs post cycling) but by the end of Day three I knew that was pure fantasy! 

 

I went back to the basics that evening and decided to think about it one day at a time and even one scene at a time. After dinner I decided to just focus on recovery which needed to happen whether I proceeded or not. I fueled up as optimally as I could (pretzels and dioralyte for salts, fruit, lots of herbal tea and water). I also massaged out my legs and got a bath. I decided to have breakfast with the gang the following morning and not mention my quitting until the very last minute. If at the end of breakfast then I still wanted to quit I’d go back to bed for a lie in and let the team go on without me. That way I could opt out as the guys were leaving the hotel and avoid the inevitable slagging or worse still the encouraging pep talks encouraging me to continue.

 

After a chat with Cara on the phone I decided to have a look at the route for the following day. It was starting to look doable. A bit of hope came back that I could get through the following day. I knew that if I made it through until Day six that nothing would stop me from completing the journey but it was still too much to think about day four and five before that so I went back to my game plan and decided not to decide until after breakfast.  

 

Posted via email from michaelrossney's posterous

Day 3: Mizen - Malin: Even the word hopeless has hope in it!

Day 3: Wednesday 4th April 2012 Spanish Point - Galway  Approx 90K

(Today's route looks very short on paper but the wind was relentless which made it feel like one of the longest days)

 

Day three started with an early morning debate with Cara.  We decided that it was best for her to take Fauna (the dog) home as she had been sick since the first day of cycling. We found out that the one and only bus out of Spanish point left at twenty past eight in the morning so we raced around the hotel trying to pack up everything for Cara and the dog.  Cara grabbed some fruit for breakfast as I stalled the bus driver outside the hotel and then they were off. 

The cycling started at approximately ten o’clock.  I was reeling following our race to get Cara on the bus, quick breakfast and checking out of the hotel. We started on a hill and within a few minutes I could feel my mindset starting to drift in the wrong direction again.  Thankfully those first kilometres turned out to be the hardest of the day and we went on to see some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland over the rest of the day. 

 

 We cycled along the cliffs of Moher and through the Burren which were both experiences that I hope I never forget. The scenery was breathtaking which made the cycling a bit easier. (I hope to add more images later). Heavy winds meant that we needed to start working as a team and drafting behind the cyclists in front. We soon learned how to do this and started to mitigate against the effects of heavy winds. 

 

It was a long hard cycle and it was frustrating as we took lunch a bit too early so it seemed like we should have been finished hours before we did finish. Some of they cyclists decided to take a break in the afternoon and three or four of us started to up the pace and work as a tight unit. It was a long, hard spin to Galway for me as I think I was still recovering from my tiredness from the start of the week but the rest of the guys seemed to enjoy themselves. 

 

 

At one point during the day (isolated from the pack and with the wind howling) I completely gave up on the Mizen to Malin Goal. I figured that this was just not enough fun, it was too hard etc. I was about to tell the guys and jump into one of the back-up cars and eat a vast quantity of chocolate. I then had a thought; ‘If I can make it to Galway then at least I can say I’ve cycled Mizen to Galway (approximately half the length of Ireland) and then I could always do the second half another time.’ I didn’t say a word to the rest of the gang but I quit mentally and it was a relief!

 

The hotel in Galway was really nice. The thougts of a nice long lie in in the morning there were tempting. Amazingly I had enough energy to make it down to the pool for a jacuzzi to help my legs as well as to the bar for a quick dinner. When preparing for the trip I had imagined going for swims and even brick sessions (jogs post cycling) but by the end of Day three I knew that was pure fantasy! 

 

I went back to the basics that evening and decided to think about it one day at a time and even one scene at a time. After dinner I decided to just focus on recovery which needed to happen whether I proceeded or not. I fueled up as optimally as I could (pretzels and dioralyte for salts, fruit, lots of herbal tea and water). I also massaged out my legs and got a bath. I decided to have breakfast with the gang the following morning and not mention my quitting until the very last minute. If at the end of breakfast then I still wanted to quit I’d go back to bed for a lie in and let the team go on without me. That way I could opt out as the guys were leaving the hotel and avoid the inevitable slagging or worse still the encouraging pep talks encouraging me to continue.

 

After a chat with Cara on the phone I decided to have a look at the route for the following day. It was starting to look doable. A bit of hope came back that I could get through the following day. I knew that if I made it through until Day six that nothing would stop me from completing the journey but it was still too much to think about day four and five before that so I went back to my game plan and decided not to decide until after breakfast.  

 

Posted via email from michaelrossney's posterous

Free Half Day of Inspiration in Dublin this Monday...

This Monday morning brings one of the most inspirational, motivational and uplifting events on Dublin’s calendar. Being an encourager at the Dublin Marathon is a wonderful way to recharge your batteries if you are feeling a bit low, burned out or like there has to be more to life. It commences at 10am from Fitzwilliam Place near Merrion Square and finishes again on Merrion Square.

 

 

Watching people strive, stride, suffer and sweat, on the surface, sounds like vicarious sadism. The marathon, when examined cerebrally, isinadvisable if not insane. However, if you give yourself (and the athletes) the gift of being present along the route you’ll start to get a sense of what this event means to each competitor. You simply have to be there to appreciate it. These individuals really suffer towards the second half of the race. There is the physical an indescribable mental and physical fatigue that sets in when athletes hit the infamous ‘wall’ - each athlete gambling that it will be worth the elation of the finish line. 

 

There are first timers, age group competitors, clubs competing against each other, internal club rivalries, friends, fundraisers and of course the old battle hardened veterans. Each competitor has somehow convinced themselves that not only is this event worth getting up early on a Bank Holiday but that the training was worth trading social time for suffering, the  risk to joints was worthwhile etc etc. Their actual marathon run is just the icing on the cake of their actual commitment.  

 

But is it worth getting out of bet on a precious Bank Holiday Monday to be a spectator?...

 

Yes, you can watch it live on RTE and it’ll still be inspiring stuff,  but if you do it’ll cost you! The real inspiration happens along the sidelines where you can participate by feeding athletes encouragement, energy and enthusiasm. It is an incredible moment when you realise that these athletes really are relying on your words of encouragement. Last year I wrote an entire blog about ‘The Power of Encouragers’ after a complete stranger convinced me (with one yell!) to run the last few miles of the marathon shortly after I decided to give up and walk to the finish. 

 

People pay lots of money for motivational books like the new Steve Jobs biography, they pay to watch inspirational movies and speakers. Participating in the marathon as an encourager is free, it gives you a chance to interact with the athletes, the costumes, the unlikely competitors and the shockingly inspirational folk who limp, walk, jog or run all 42 kilometers. 

I love these types of events because they remind us that being human is more than just being a logical being. Marathons mirror the trials of life, they remind us who our supporters are, they give us a chance to test ourselves and give us an opportunity to experience that elusive ‘Yes, we can!’ feeling. Is it logical to get out of bed on Monday to shout at a gang of egotistical athletes? Certainly not! And yet, it would be such a tragedy to miss it if you need a bit of a lift this weekend. 

 

Moments of inspiration only come by occasionally unless we plan and pursue them. New Years Eve will come along exactly two months after the marathon and we’ll wonder what happened to 2011! Why not step  yourself the gift of a half day of free inspiration between now and then?

 

Posted via email from michaelrossney's posterous

Free Half Day of Inspiration in Dublin this Monday...

This Monday morning brings one of the most inspirational, motivational and uplifting events on Dublin’s calendar. Being an encourager at the Dublin Marathon is a wonderful way to recharge your batteries if you are feeling a bit low, burned out or like there has to be more to life. It commences at 10am from Fitzwilliam Place near Merrion Square and finishes again on Merrion Square.

 

 

Watching people strive, stride, suffer and sweat, on the surface, sounds like vicarious sadism. The marathon, when examined cerebrally, isinadvisable if not insane. However, if you give yourself (and the athletes) the gift of being present along the route you’ll start to get a sense of what this event means to each competitor. You simply have to be there to appreciate it. These individuals really suffer towards the second half of the race. There is the physical an indescribable mental and physical fatigue that sets in when athletes hit the infamous ‘wall’ - each athlete gambling that it will be worth the elation of the finish line. 

 

There are first timers, age group competitors, clubs competing against each other, internal club rivalries, friends, fundraisers and of course the old battle hardened veterans. Each competitor has somehow convinced themselves that not only is this event worth getting up early on a Bank Holiday but that the training was worth trading social time for suffering, the  risk to joints was worthwhile etc etc. Their actual marathon run is just the icing on the cake of their actual commitment.  

 

But is it worth getting out of bet on a precious Bank Holiday Monday to be a spectator?...

 

Yes, you can watch it live on RTE and it’ll still be inspiring stuff,  but if you do it’ll cost you! The real inspiration happens along the sidelines where you can participate by feeding athletes encouragement, energy and enthusiasm. It is an incredible moment when you realise that these athletes really are relying on your words of encouragement. Last year I wrote an entire blog about ‘The Power of Encouragers’ after a complete stranger convinced me (with one yell!) to run the last few miles of the marathon shortly after I decided to give up and walk to the finish. 

 

People pay lots of money for motivational books like the new Steve Jobs biography, they pay to watch inspirational movies and speakers. Participating in the marathon as an encourager is free, it gives you a chance to interact with the athletes, the costumes, the unlikely competitors and the shockingly inspirational folk who limp, walk, jog or run all 42 kilometers. 

I love these types of events because they remind us that being human is more than just being a logical being. Marathons mirror the trials of life, they remind us who our supporters are, they give us a chance to test ourselves and give us an opportunity to experience that elusive ‘Yes, we can!’ feeling. Is it logical to get out of bed on Monday to shout at a gang of egotistical athletes? Certainly not! And yet, it would be such a tragedy to miss it if you need a bit of a lift this weekend. 

 

Moments of inspiration only come by occasionally unless we plan and pursue them. New Years Eve will come along exactly two months after the marathon and we’ll wonder what happened to 2011! Why not step  yourself the gift of a half day of free inspiration between now and then?

 

Posted via email from michaelrossney's posterous