Here. We. Goooooo......

I am doing something I swore I'd never do. It starts with putting myself out there!!!
It's not that I was looking or found a "new" me... It's more about discovering a piece of me that I never knew was there!!!
It's embracing another piece of me. Another strength.
It's work.
It's a hunger.
It's a desire.
Accepting the before.... while working towards the "after"

I am INSPIRED
and I want to INSPIRE.....

So......

I have officially been "heavy weight training" for about 5 months now.  I CAN tell a difference in my body.  Granted, it may not be exactly where I thought I would see the difference, but it's there!!!

My legs are firmer... my arms are tighter.... my butt...  well - it's THERE.  (I was lacking in that area before!)  ha ha

Some may see this as arrogance.... or some form of bragging or flaunting or how ever you might choose to twist and turn this...

But in my eyes... I'm PROUD
When I talk about it, it's not condemning you, but it's with passion. Passion for me. Pride!! :)

As women we look at ourselves every day and think "what we wish we could change"
We wish and hope and dream and pout and complain
but we NEVER do anything about it.
There's not enough time.
I don't have the energy.
I'm not strong enough...

Trust me. I've used them all!!!

But in the end, The hunger... The desire... The will to fight... The refusal to give up is what drives you!!!
You have to KNOW what you want and fight. Push. Never give up.

This is true not just in the gym, but in life!

I have set my mind to many things and pushed my way through...
It's always hard and some days hurt more than others.
But in the end, it's ALWAYS worth the fight and the strength you gain from it!!!

A little over a week ago, I did something I never thought I could do and SWORE I wouldn't. But I survived. And I came out stronger. With a new desire to take into 2013!!

So on this journey, my sweet B-rad (who's holding my hand along the way) has started me a YouTube channel... which I'm now going to share with you. (HUGE step for me... I'm not one for putting myself out there like this.... it makes me accountable!)  I will begin this at what I consider to be just the beginning for me...
I've come a long way to get to where I am today. But my first competition is my beginning. To a fun filled healthier stronger lifestyle that I plan to embrace every day

You are welcome to join me

I know I have limits, but I haven't found them yet ;-)
And when I do - I'm gonna push them as far as I can!!

Check out my competition on you tube. Here's the link to one video but you can see them all if you so choose!!  (search for BGPR Tammy Green)

PS - We ALL wore our pink socks to the competition that day..... Breast Cancer awareness socks!  :))

Dare to be Different.... my head is BROKE!!

Some time ago.... oh.... say about 6 months or so ago.... I took a couple of steps down a road that I had no idea would really change my life.   Not just on the outside... but on the inside too.
Several months ago, It began with simply watching better what I eat.  And although that part still waivers today (and I'm GONNA get more focused on that after the holidays), I also began lifting weights.
My main goal at that time...
one word....
ABS!
I have NEVER seen abs on this body.
Now granted - I was skinny as a RAIL (thus the nickname "toothpick") growing up...  but skinny AND built...  No.  Never.

So - at 36 I decided, what better time to try to get back into shape.

And so began the work outs.

Here's where I took a turn.

I began working out with my boyfriend.  (and all his GUY friends!!)  THEY are power lifters.  I cared NOTHING about "power lifting" you see.  I'm not trying to GET STRONG.....  duhhhhhhh - I just want abs.   I want to see ABS.  Period.  (I don't know if you have ever heard me say this or not - but trust me... over the years.... I have LEARNED that abs are built in the KITCHEN)   Regardless....  I only worked out to LOOK BETTER.  Period.   That is all I want from this torture!!!

((Sidenote - looks alone is NOT enough to motivate you to the level you need to be!  I know this now!!)

So I went.  I checked in when I was supposed to.   I went through the motions.  I hurt.  I whined.  Whatever.   but I was seeing NO physical change.  And I was frustrated.

And then...... I did the unthinkable.... something I would have NEVER dreamed I would do!!!
I agreed to be in a power lifting competition.  Mostly I did this as a "present" for my boyfriend for his birthday because he wanted me to do it so bad.
((Sidenote:  I HATE getting up in front of people!!  but I LOVE him....))

So last Saturday...  I showed up.  All scared to death and having no desire to be there for ME.

The event began with benching.  I'm not real happy with my bench.  It's nothing to brag about.  BUT I can bench more now than when I started.... sooooooo here we go.   There was only one other girl lifting bench.  She started higher than me...  I benched 75 for my first lift.  She did 85.  So I was suddenly feeling defeated.  BUT I was quickly reminded I'm not competing against anyone but myself.  This FIRST competition was simply to get me in the game and to beat ME.  For my second lift, I did 85.  She did 105.  And missed it.  So for my third I went up to 95 (more than I have ever benched... 90 is my max)   But I missed.  And she again missed her 105.
SO I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I won FIRST PLACE IN BENCH!!!!!!!  :)

Moving on to dead lifts (which is one of my favorite things to do - and is ironically my boyfriends best event too!!)
I opened with 165.  went to 180.  Then my final lift was 195 - A PERSONAL RECORD for me!!  Yay.
BUT two other girls lifted..and one (who weighed more than me) Opened with 300 POUNDS!!!!!!!!
I was in awe!!!
And when the trophies were awarded and I got THIRD place in dead lifts (even though I PR'ed for myself) I politely said "This sucks!" as I got up to get my third place ribbon.

And I guess I realized then...... (as my boyfriend secretly already knew) I was hooked
and did NOT want to be defeated again.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

So I entered the gym the next week with a new attitude and a new game face.  I was informed that I am now broke just like the guys.  Because NORMAL people don't TRY to pick up twice their body weight "for fun".  But that's what we TRAIN to do!!!  And then some!!!

SOOOOOOOO.....in the words of Dana Linn Bailey (who is my new role model!)
 I'm not here to be sexy, I'm here to be a bad A$$!!!  

I'm GONNA dead lift 300 pounds!!!!

Goals for 2013:  (set early)   Dead lift 250, bench 125.   Feasible??

WE.  WILL.  SEE!!!!!!!!!!

For my next competition, I will compete for ME.... and to WIN!!