Someone You Love

February 10, 2015April 8, 2015Leave a comment

“Treat your body like someone you love.” – Wholefoods

I saw this quote today and it really jumped out at me. We are constantly bombarded with information about food and what’s healthy and what’s not. Is it good for me? Is it bad for me? Who the heck knows. It’s so frustrating it makes you want to throw your hands up and quit. But what it boils down to, really, is treating your body well. You only have one body. I believe that inside all of us there is a tiny compass that knows if something is going to move us closer to health or further away from it. And what matters is that you pay attention to that compass most of the time. It doesn’t have to be all the time, but most of the time you listen closely and heed the advice. We do that in our relationships; we know what’s right and what’s not. It’s time to treat yourself like someone you love.

Have a great day.

Believe

February 6, 2015February 6, 2015Leave a comment

You just gotta believe. You have to keep going, knowing that it will always get better. No matter what it is: your diet, your workouts, your mood, your energy. But you must believe and make the effort to move forward. One foot in front of the other.

It’s like when you’re trying to “eat better” (whatever that means to you) and you eat something that isn’t part of your plan and you say “F*ck it. I’ve screwed up the whole day” and you continue to eat things that you know you don’t want to be eating with the thought that you’ll jump back on the wagon tomorrow. You need to believe that even if…even if…you mess up you have the power to change the course of your life in the very next moment.

Put the cookies away, drink a huge glass of water, and go take a walk.

If you fail to set a personal best on a lift, try to hit it again when you’re fresher, but don’t let it dictate your worth as an athlete for your entire training session.

If you wake up “on the wrong side of the bed” and have an attitude with your spouse, ask yourself why this could be happening, reflect on it a bit, and then apologize for being sour. Don’t let it turn into days of the silent treatment.

And sometimes, all it takes is a small conversation with someone else to help you move from one place to another.

Believe, unicorns, believe.

I love this.

Weekend Update

February 2, 2015Leave a comment

This past weekend was damn-near perfect. Had a great training session at the gym on Saturday morning. Snatching is continuing to improve and building some power snatches into EMOMs has been helping me get comfortable. For breakfast, I got to enjoy my new favorite, Mancakes! It’s essentially gluten free pancake mix with whey protein built in. I like to add banana and some chocolate chips. What a great treat and alternate breakfast option. Because, sometimes eggs get old.

Mancakes

Saturday afternoon we headed to The Loop to see American Sniper. Wow, has that place changed. Apparently now you have to book your seats ahead of time. Gone are the days where you can just stroll in and choose your seats – with a popular movie, anyway. And the seats…they are not just seats anymore. They are electronic leather recliners which adjust to your comfort level. It all seemed a bit gluttonous, but it was pretty awesome and made the theater experience exciting.

American Sniper was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. It was entertaining but also very thought provoking. I’ve never experienced the profound silence that resonated in the theater once the credits rolled. All I could think about was all the stupid complaints and shit that I whine about on a daily basis. It’s ridiculous to think about it. Complaining about the weather, or that I’m tired, or sore. It’s like …yes, but you’re alive. You get to experience the weather, your get to have a great job, you get to work out and feel soreness. Chris Kyle’s story is one that everyone should know and respect. Today is the two-year anniversary of his death, so let’s all remember The Legend today.

Enjoying his reclining seats and junior mints.

Before the movie we stopped by one of our favorite restaurants, Plaza Azteca. I wouldn’t say I love the food there, it’s not the best, certainly not the worst either. It’s the margaritas I go for. I enjoy 1-2 drinks each week so I like to make them count. An icy cold marg with a little salt on the rim does the trick. And chips and salsa is my favorite snack of all time, so it’s a win-win. Also, at Plaza, I like the atmosphere and the large booths in the bar area are comfortable, roomy, and private. Atmosphere has a lot to do with my rating of restaurants. It could be the best food ever, but if the surroundings suck, I am not comfortable and I can’t fully enjoy the experience.

New option at Plaza. Not sure I’d be into it, but A+ for creativity. Class AND refreshing!

On Sunday I got a bunch of food prep done and spent some time reading for the nutrition course I am taking through OPEX. It’s another module in the process of completing all of the level 1 coaching courses. I’m currently reading a book about food intolerance, sensitivity and allergies and it is so interesting. Gotta keep learning!

In the afternoon we went snow shoeing in the Sandown Town Forest. Those trails are awesome. I have been exploring those woods since my childhood and now they have been enhanced by a true trail system. It’s so nice to go out to explore the different trails. Thankfully most of the trails were packed down because that snow is deep! Talk about a workout. We sat on the bench at The Cliffs and took in some sun. It’s hard to get vitamin D naturally in the doldrums of winter. I really appreciate my snow shoes this time of year for helping me to get outside. It’s a fairly inexpensive way to be able to do an outdoor activity this time of year. All you need is the snow shoes, some warm boots, and a bunch of layers of warm clothing (no cotton). Oh, and some good trails help!

Then, at night, the Patriots won the Super Bowl. I’m sure you all know plenty about that. #gopats

And now, more snow.

2015 Goal Round Up

January 14, 2015Leave a comment

Goals (life, performance, professional):
– Clean 185lbs
– Continue to improve upper body pulling/pushing (strict PU/C2B/MU)
– Improve conditioning (burpee, bike, run, MAP, etc)
– Continue building mental strength for training/competition by thinking positively
– Continually seek knowledge and share that knowledge with others
– Take more opportunities to get outside in nature

Ah, the Holidays

December 24, 2014Leave a comment

I know I’ve been pretty quiet on the blog these days. Sorry about that. I’ve been caught up in my own head, never quite being able to create anything cohesive enough to publish here. I want to wish you all the most happy and healthy of holidays.

In whatever way you celebrate, make it good. Enjoy the company, the food, the laughter, the tears, the gifts, the spirits. Remember why you are here, the purpose for which you live. Think about what energizes you and makes you feel vital. Take some time for yourself to reflect on the year past. 2014 has gone by quickly, as years do these days. Wipe the slate clean and get ready for 2015.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Love,
Ashley

Cheers.

The Head Game

November 19, 2014Leave a comment

I’ve been scared of snatching lately. It was always a lift that I loved to do, even not being that great at it. After my training had taken me in a different direction for a while, I recently returned to Olympic Weightlifting. After recording many many reps on video an analyzing the crap out of my lifts, I have been attempting to fix some technical issues.

Warming up is very important.

But I am still terrified of this movement. Afraid to pull myself under a heavy barbell.

Until yesterday. It was the first good day I have had snatching in about 2 months. For 2 months I’ve been about 10 pounds under my personal best. Pretty frustrating. After my successful lifts yesterday, and matching my personal best easily, I thought about my mindset surrounding these training sessions. I was definitely beginning to harbor a negative attitude around snatching because I was feeling so shitty about it. I was genuinely beginning to doubt my abilities. I regularly carry a good amount of self doubt which is something I am fighting to not carry, but I was on the verge of giving up on the snatch completely.

I took my time yesterday. I prepared my body with a great warm up and turned up some music that I was really into. It calmed my mindset. Even when I missed reps, I actually thought through why I’d missed them instead of just getting frustrated and quitting. The thoughts in my head were mainly positive instead of negative. It felt really good. It actually made my afternoon much more enjoyable.

Letting the negativity seep into my head-space creates an atmosphere where I cannot thrive as an athlete. We all have crappy training days. Days when we don’t feel great, or feel tired, or what we have in our notebooks is boring. Learning to accept all of that, get over it, and spin it positively helps tremendously. I got a small dose of that reality yesterday and I am going to try to build upon it.

Good Enough

November 4, 20141 Comment

I am struggling with this one today. How do we get ourselves to believe that we are good enough? When the times get tough, how do remain “in the game” mentally, believing that we have what it takes to be great?

“Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours.” – Richard Bach

These were my favorite shoes of all time.

Read. More.

October 30, 2014Leave a comment

I want to read more, as in spend more time reading. I think grad school ruined my desire to read because I was forced to read so much. Don’t get me wrong, I liked most of what I was reading, there was just so…much…reading. It sucked all of the fun right out of it. There were not enough hours in the day to read all there was to be read – unless you were one of those speed-reader people, which I am not. I have three and a half books in the lineup currently. I think I could probably be through that stack by the new year.

I know I have more time in my day for reading, it’s just a matter of doing it. I also have to remember that I can read for pleasure. It doesn’t always have to be for learning. And I would be willing to guess that I would end up learning, even from pleasure reading.

So that’s it. Read more.

In school, I sometimes felt like doing this to my books and article.

Learning.

October 16, 2014Leave a comment

Learning. It’s what we do. If we are not learning, we are not growing. If we are not challenging ourselves to learn and reach out of our comfort zones we become stagnant and complacent and just keep going through the motions. To avoid the complacency and boredom, we set goals for ourselves. Even if we do not label them goals we have certain aims for our lives; our days; and even our hours.

Last week Kyle and I were able to spend a total of 5 days with James Fitzgerald and some of his colleagues. Five days of pure learning and reaching. We reached beyond what we knew, or even what we thought we knew. We listened and learned from some of the best minds in our field and put our heads together with colleagues from around the globe.

Can you spot Kyle?

We finished our experiences with more knowledge, more drive, and more focus for the business and the people we interact with each day. I left with a thirst for more and an intense desire to better myself and continue to learn. I sent a text message to Kyle at one point, “All of this just makes me want to be better”. At that moment, and still to this moment, I want to be a better coach, a better athlete, a better mentor…daughter…girlfriend…student. Each day I strive to inspire people. It was great to have the roles reversed and to have the experience of being inspired. To be the best you have to learn from the best!

Can you spot Ashley?

I cannot wait for the next opportunity I have to reach outside of my comfort zone and to truly be inspired and learn so much. I’m sure it won’t be too far down the road. In fact, I learn a lot every single day when I work with people. By noticing what is going on around me I am learning and thinking of ways to be better. That is something that we can all do. Next time you’re out and about try to actually notice what is going on around you. How are people moving around a space? What are they saying, or not saying? What is their body language like? You can learn a lot from noticing. Next time you are with someone make sure you are actually listening when they speak so that you are truly hearing what they are saying. How many times have you left a conversation and forgotten details or even forgotten the entire conversation? It’s little things like this that make us better people – people that others seek out an want to be around.

Getting there, slowly…but surely. Cheers!

Unbelievably Fortunate Birthday

October 13, 2014Leave a comment

Birthday dinner at Blue Moon Evolution in Exeter, NH.

If you have never been to Blue Moon, you must go! It’s an amazing farm-to-table, upscale dining experience. The atmosphere is elegant, but casual, homey and warm. We made a reservation to sit in the dining room, but we have also walked in just to sit at the bar. The servers are friendly and informative. The cocktails are innovative and tasty. I have had the Beetnik After Dark and the Rosalita…both highly recommended. The wine list is also great, you can’t go wrong there.

Thanks, Dana. These are amazing.

That night we started with the charcuterie board. The items all the board change based on the season. I have had it a couple times and it’s never disappointed. I ordered haddock as my meal and it was delicious – I ate every single bite. This was probably my fifth or sixth time having the haddock and it is consistently amazing.

For dessert we shared the flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I also highly recommended their french press coffee. It’s even better in the form of “Cabin Fever” where it is served with maple whiskey.

Yes, this meal was quite gluttonous, but every bite was savored. I left feeling comfortably full. My favorite part of Blue Moon is that I always leave feeling unbelievably satisfied. It’s real food that has been cared for throughout the course of it’s life. That care makes better food and, in turn, make us better after we eat it. Isn’t that what food should do?

Found this on the whiteboard at 5:30am. Thanks Dana and Gwen!

October 7, 1985

My birthday. I heard a lot o,f “You’re almost 30,” and was asked, “Are you feeling older?” Yes, I am almost 30, but no, I am not feeling older. I am feeling wiser, more secure, and more accomplished, but not old. I still think I am 22. I forget that I grew up in the 90s. I feel good. I am more fit than ever before. I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store!

Sometimes you feel like the years are catching up with you. Your mind has cobwebs, your joints might be achy, your skin doesn’t quite have the smoothness that it once did, but you somehow remember that you are, infact, still alive and have much more living to do. Sometimes all it takes is a small gesture from another person, or a great workout, or a new piece of clothing to help you feel refreshed and re-energized.

For Mexican Night! Guacamole…tableside! Thanks, Jameson. And a sharpener for my knives – priceless.

Outpouring of Thoughts

I felt like the luckiest girl in the world on Tuesday. I just cannot even describe how loved I felt on that day. The notes, the gifts, the well-wishes…it was all just so wonderful. Thank you to everyone who reached out to make me feel special on Tuesday. I truly appreciate it.

When I was going to sleep that night I thought about how lucky I am to have such amazing family, friends, and a large extended gym family. At times I think we take all those relationships for granted. We get caught up in life and sometimes end up in the motions. Those of us who are lucky enough to have such amazing people around us quickly come back from those moments and end up feeling renewed and totally revved about life!

Right now I am totally revved.

Thank you!

New crockpot from some of the 9am ladies! Thank you Carol, Audrey, Mel, and Lauren. It’s already been put to good use.

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Ashley Finding Balance

Find your balance. It's different for everyone.

Category: Life