Tag Archives: mental struggle

October 6, 2017 · 12:15 PM

I’m Still Alive!

still_aliveWow…it’s been a hot minute since I’ve sat down and shared anything here.

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that life threw our family some curveballs last year. My father-in-law, who lived with us, passed away last January and things began to go downhill for me while he was in the hospital. From no time to workout, to stress, to meals from vending machines and people bringing up bagels, sandwiches and others foods I didn’t normally eat, the weight began to creep on. After the funeral, things just felt weird. The bad eating became a habit and that habit left me feeling unmotivated and tired. ALL. THE. TIME. I would say “that’s it, it’s time to get back to basics” and begin a program only to fall off the wagon after a week. Sigh…

Team all of that up with my son’s anxiety hitting an all time high (if you follow me on Instagram you already know a little about this) I had to stop working and begin doing homeschool with him because it was so bad he couldn’t go to school. Talk about stress and the perfect excuse to say “fuck it” right?!

Yeah…I totally called bullshit on myself there. If you know me, you know I don’t sugar coat anything…even when it comes to myself. I believe the only way to be successful at changing your habits is to acknowledge that they are fucked up to begin with. You can’t blame anyone for your problems. Yes, they may create them and sometimes you have no control over what happens in life, but you ALWAYS have control over how you handle and react to them.

Last May I turned 40 and as a gift, my good friend signed us up for the Hershey Half Marathon. I know, you’re probably thinking, “Why does your friend hate you?” but she knew it was something I’ve been wanting to do and she herself had completed her first half marathon a few months before so we thought let’s do it together. Training for it actually helped me to get back on track and I began to enjoy running again…until it got hot out. That’s when I began to hate it and questioned the decisions I make in life. Our race was in October and thanks to my amazing luck, I injured my foot and was not able to run it. I contemplated walking the 13.1 since I’m a fast walker, but we were leaving for Disney the following weekend and I didn’t want to hurt myself any further before the trip. Instead, we still went to Hershey and had a fun friends weekend, which was pretty damn awesome.

Of course I used my injury as an excuse for the next few months. I started my on again off again relationship with workouts and meal prep but thankfully I didn’t gain more weight. This continued until just recently when I started walking and doing some turtle running along with some meal prep and home workouts, but something still didn’t feel right. There was no real motivation and I found myself coming up with reasons why I could put my workout off… or I just wouldn’t put any true effort into them. I was just going through the motions and let’s be honest, theres no point in doing that at all.

About 6 weeks ago I started working again and I made the decision to join the gym. Gasp! I know… I said I joined the gym. I couldn’t even bring myself to go into the gym to join, I did it on-line! Talk about lame, right?! But I’ve been going and I found a gym lover to help me get over my fears and feel comfortable there, which has been awesome! I even made the decision to give Keto a try, so it’s been an interesting week of fasting and learning how to not eat carbs and embrace fat as my main food source.

Soooooo…. I know that was long and if you’ve gotten this far, thank you for actually caring enough to read. I’m hoping to share more of my gym journey here as well as some of the Keto recipes I find try so I won’t be such a blog slacker anymore.

Have you ever fell into a fitness rut? If so, I would love to hear about how you were able to overcome it and find motivation again!

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January 20, 2015 · 2:08 PM

21 Day Fix Motivational Quotes

21 Day Fix Motivational Quotes
If you have been doing the 21 Day Fix, you may have noticed that Autumn starts each workout with a motivational quote and repeats it throughout the 30 minutes. If you’ve really been paying attention, you may have even noticed fun blackboards in each workout video with the motivation quote of the day written on it.

I noticed these back in the spring during my first round of 21 Day Fix and I fell in love them. I even searched for still images of each one but I couldn’t find them anywhere, so I began sharing similar ones from Pinterest with my accountability group participants and they began listening to these little nuggets of motivation during their workouts.

Today as I was working out, I decided to attempt to take photos of all of them. When I completed Upper Fix, I grabbed my phone and my remote and I went through each workout trying to catch a good decent semi acceptable photo of each one to share.

(I warn you they aren’t great after these first three, but I tried and I think you’ll get the point. Also, they are semi out of order.)

21 Day Fix Motivational Blackboards

  • Dirty 30: Don’t Wish For It Work For it
  • Total Body Cardio: One Day at a Time, One Pound at a Time
  • Upper Fix: It Doesn’t Get Easier, You Get Better

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  • Lower Fix: If You’re Tired of Starting Over, Stop Giving Up
  • Pilates Fix: Believe in Yourself Right Now
  • 10 Minute Ab Fix: Earn The Body You Want

21 Day Fix Motivational Blackboards 3

  • Dirty 30: Don’t Wish For It Work For It (I really like this one so I included it twice)
  • Yoga Fix: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Body
  • Cardio Fix: When You Feel Like Quitting, Think About Why You Started.

These are all phenomenal quotes and they are super important to hear, especially during a tough workout. There is nothing quite like being stuck in your head and thinking about stopping then suddenly Autumn reminds you to think about why you started, or if you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.

I encourage everyone to take notice of these and if one really hits home for you, hop onto Pinterest, find it, print it and hang it where you work out as a reminder!

Did you notice these motivational messages while doing the workouts? Do they help you stay focused and believe in yourself?

If you’ve been thinking about starting 21 Day Fix but have questions about the program, please feel free to contact me!

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November 4, 2014 · 9:46 AM

Goal Crushing Holidays – Don’t Fall Into The Trap

goal crushing holidays

Halloween is the kick off to the holiday season. It is the start the of the goal crushing holidays and the “treat” temptations that will become a everyday struggle from now until New Years Day.

Right now, many of us have homes full of “fun sized” candy and I’m sure we’ve all dipped into it. Those fun size treats then get us feeling down about ourselves and instead of saying “I can turn this around” we end up making more poor choices, this time with our meals or we’ll skip our workouts because we’re having a sugar crash and lack the energy to due them. Where exactly is the fun in this?

Next we begin to use Thanksgiving as an excuse and say “We’ll, I’m not going to re-start now, I’ll be eating and over indulging on Thanksgiving, so the Monday after will be my start date.” Thanksgiving dinner turns into leftovers the next day, followed by hours of shopping and more poor food choices because you’re on the go. (Do you really know how many calories are in the sugary, blended frappe topped with whip?! It’s scary!) By the time Monday rolls around you’re too tired to workout, so you decide “I’ll just start on January 1st.”

The problem with this is that we let “being busy” stand in the way of our goals. (You do have your goal written down where you can see it, right?! If not, you should read yesterday’s post.) From holiday parties, to cookie swaps, to drinks with friends, and crazy nights of shopping & wrapping, we allow each and every one of these events to become more important than our goals…and that shouldn’t be the case.

Every time you allow everything else to be more important than your goals, or you allow a slip up to get the better of you, it gets easier and easier to slip back into old habits. The same old habits that took you months to change can come back in a weekend if you allow them to. (Crazy right?!) Before you know it, all of the progress you’ve made is gone and it’s even tougher to start over.

This holiday season, I don’t want to see that happen to myself or any of you! Don’t be the average and allow those 7-10 holiday pounds to creep onto you. I know the holidays are hectic, but I also know that we can all carve out 30 minutes a day to get our workout done and we can all make smart food choices 80% of the time (I know you all have time to check Facebook and scroll Instagram so decide what’s more important). These small decisions can be a goal saver during the holidays and they still allow you to have your favorite food and treats during the season…just in moderation.

What I am asking of you right now is for complete and total honesty…not with me, but with YOURSELF. Where do you want to be come January 1st? Restarting and losing the weight you had already lost again, or feeling a sense of confidence and pride because this is the first year you didn’t let the holidays bully you into hating the way you look and feel?

I know this is not an easy time of year and I’m not asking you to do this on your own. As a Health & Fitness Accountability Coach, I can help you find a program that will fit your lifestyle & goals and I can also provide you with a private group of like-minded people to help you stay accountable, share you struggles and celebrate your achievements, as we conquer the holidays together!

My next group will be starting on November 17th and I would love to have you join me. For more information, please comment or message me on Facebook.

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November 3, 2014 · 5:59 PM

Staying Committed to Your Fitness Goals

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Halloween has passed, Thanksgiving feasts will be served shortly, Christmas is already everywhere you look and before you know it everyone will be shouting Happy New Year! It’s during this whirlwind time of year that people tend to pack on some extra pounds and then make the resolution to get back into fitness on January 1st.

If this is your annual resolution, you know that committing to your health is not easy. There will be times when you won’t want to wake up early to get your workout done, you’ll be sore, you’ll be tired, and that ugly little voice in your head will start telling you that you suck and the workout you’re doing isn’t going to make a difference anyway. (Don’t listen to that voice…it’s just fear speaking.)

There may be times when you wait in line at the coffee shop and feel like ordering that fattening blended coffee drink, even though you know sticking with your unsweetened (preferably black) regular coffee, or you’re driving home and pass a fast food restaurant and think to yourself “One meal from here won’t hurt.”. You may be scared to use a heavier weight than you did last week, because you are afraid you won’t be able to complete your reps. We all struggle with healthy eating. We all get late night cravings (trust me, I’ve written about Pop-tarts calling to me from the cabinet, in the middle of the night), and us woman all crave chocolate and salt simultaneously during a specific week each month. We’re human!

It’s in these moments of weakness, that your commitment to the goals you set are tested. This is why as an accountability coach, I always talk to my clients about why they decided to start a health and fitness program. The stronger the connection they feel to that WHY, the easier it will be to resist the temptations and the feeling of saying “Screw this, I want to sleep in!” When you stick to the commitment you’ve made to yourself, you’ll begin to stand more confidently, feel a renewed sense of pride and you’ll even feel sexier. Staying committed to your goals will help you to discover a true sense of well-being, purpose, and personal worth. You’ll feel even feel energized and happier!

Here are three ways that can help you stay committed to achieving your goals:

1. Post your goals on the mirror.
Posting your goals in a place where you are guaranteed to see them each day will help you to stay focused, motivated, and committed. Your bathroom mirror is the perfect place because you’ll see your goals first thing in the morning and right before you go to sleep at night.(We are brushing our teeth twice a day, right?!) Placing them here will also give you a chance to look at your goals and then yourself, which can be a very powerful thing. For maximum results, include why you started your fitness routine (to have more energy to play with your kids, to feel comfortable in your own skin, to feel more confident, to wow people at your class reunion.).

2. Prepare for the unexpected.
Each morning, or better yet, each night before you go to bed, ask yourself if there are any challenges that may interfere with your daily routine for the next day. Examples of this could be: Are there any lunch meetings or special events at work? How will you handle things if your child wants you to play during your scheduled workout time? What if you’re going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday at a restaurant? For each unexpected event, make a plan to address the challenge, while still staying committed to your fitness and nutrition goals. Of course, there are plenty of uncontrollable circumstances that could happen, but developing a plan to deal with your most common challenges will set you up to succeed with anything that could happen during your day.

3. Keep a daily journal.
There is no doubt that tracking your daily fitness and nutrition effort helps to improve your chance of achieving your goals. However, it is also important to track how much effort you put into each day, as well as how you felt during the that day. When creating your journal entry, ask yourself: “Did I exert every possible ounce of effort to achieving my goals today?” If your answer is yes, great! If your answer is no, write down one thing you can do tomorrow to be better than you were today. Another great question to ask yourself is “How did I feel mentally and physically today?” We all have good days and bad days and you can often see a pattern when you begin to a keep a journal. Spotting the pattern as well as the common denominator can help you to make small changes, which can help you to stay on track and achieve your goals.

Following these three tips can help your level of commitment for fitness and nutrition skyrocket! So as the New Year creeps up and you begin making your resolutions, I want you to really think about incorporating these three tips into your daily routine. They will not only help you to achieve your goals, but they can help you get results that will last!

What are your tips and tricks to staying committed to reaching your goals?

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August 24, 2014 · 12:48 PM

Chase Your Dreams

170856-If-You-Never-Chase-Your-Dream-You-Will-Never-Catch-Them

Once again I have been a slacker when it comes to writing here and honestly, I’m okay with that, because I’ve been busy chasing my dreams.

I was feeling a little bit lost in my life and what direction it should take, but I’m feeling much more focused now. I suppose it’s something we all go through at some point in life. When I lost my job a year and a half ago, I knew I wanted to switch my focus towards my passion, which was health & fitness. I spent some time deciding how I wanted to go about doing it and eventually decided to begin studying for my NASM Personal Trainer certification, as I’ve mention here before. I’m proud to say I completed it, however once I did, I didn’t know what I wanted to do next. I was never comfortable being in a gym and that is where most people start out once they are certified, so I sucked it up and went to meet with someone at a local gym about shadowing and learning the ropes. While I was there, I knew in my gut it wasn’t for me. NOTHING about it felt comfortable and after speaking with the trainer there, I knew in my heart I wasn’t going to be happy following that route. So I went home, cried and questioned everything I had been doing to this point.

That is when clarity took over and I realized that the answer had always been in front of me. I had taken steps down the path toward it in the past, but always got scared, worried about what other people were going to think and talked myself out of it.

You see, back when I completed my first round of P90X 4 years ago, I tried Shakeology for the first time and really liked it, however I really couldn’t afford it. I saw the nutritional value it offered, but I couldn’t get past the price tag. That is when my coach introduced me to Beachbody Coaching (Yes, I said Beachbody Coaching…please don’t run away now) and how I could get a 25% discount on Shakeology. I was very skeptical at first and I asked a million questions to everyone I knew who was doing the program on Twitter and I eventually decided to sign-up. While I was told I was inspiring and motivating by many people I met at that time, I wasn’t comfortable coaching anyone so I just enjoyed the Shakeology discount and if people asked me what I was doing to get in shape I would tell them, share a link and make a little extra money by doing so.

From time to time I would attend a local Beachbody event, because I loved the programs. Coaches I met there would try to talk to me into “working my business” but I refused to “drink the Kool-Aid” so I would just smile a nod. In all honesty I was intrigued by it, but I was also scared of it. I wasn’t a fitness professional and I was still trying to figure out all this fitness stuff on my own. How on earth could I possibly help other people reach their goals when I hadn’t even reached mine?! When I look back on this I was stupid and I was just scared. I was scared of leaving my comfort zone, scared of what other people would think and scared of failing. Now I know that failing at things is the way to grow in life. If we just sit back in our comfort zone, we aren’t living life to it’s fullest, and we certainly aren’t being as happy as we could possibly be.

Over the course of 4 years I have toyed with the idea of actually following this path and coaching others, on and off. I always allowed the fear to stop me but I never quit. I thought about it many times but for some reason I never called and cancelled my coach account and I never fully gave up on the idea of doing it. Why? I’m pretty sure it’s because the Universe wants me to pursue this. I know … I know… the Universe?! Yeah, well… I’m not religious but I do believe in a higher power. I wholeheartedly believe that we have a path we are meant to follow in life, and that people and events come into our lives to lead us to this path. When we ignore the path things will keep happening to redirect us towards it, and that’s what kept happening to me with coaching.

So, as of this month, I am officially applying myself with my coaching! I am chasing my dreams of helping others and paying it forward. I am no longer running from this opportunity to touch other peoples lives and pass along the knowledge that I have gained over the course of my 5 year weight loss journey. I was able to change my life and I know that YOU can too. If you have been scared to start, I want you to know that it is normal and it doesn’t mean that you can never do it!

Now that I have  finally, openly, talked about what it is I do, I hope that if you are ever up late watching TV and an infomercial comes on for P90X, T25, 21 Day Fix, PiYo or any other Beachbdoy program, you will wait to order it and come speak to me first. If you already own one of these programs but have struggled with them or never even got started, I would love the opportunity to coach you,  find out what your goals are and help you to reach them!

It’s time to chase your dreams and make them a reality!

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December 30, 2013 · 3:40 PM

Leaving My Fears Behind

take every chanceAs 2013 prepares to be nothing more than memories and 2014 prepares to make it’s grand entrance, I am suddenly struck by fear.

Fear of everything that is waiting ahead of me…and I know that is not good.

As I look back on all of the years that have passed, there has been both good and bad. I have always survived the tough times and those tough times made the good times all the more sweeter. I know that everything life tosses at me happens for a reason and is given to me as a lesson that will mold me into the person I am meant to be. One would think that knowing this would allow for me to continually move forward with confidence, but sadly I am sitting here frozen in fear.

This year has been full of change and quite honestly, as horrible as some of it seemed, it was all for the best. Losing my job in March felt like the end of the world at first, but I had long since outgrown that place and I was comfortable, so I stayed. Life knew it was time for me to move on so it removed me from my comfort zone and actually allowed me to take advantage of some wonderful opportunities over the summer. Those opportunities pushed me even further out of that comfort zone by making me participate in group fitness, allowing me to meet some incredibly inspiring people and allowing me to look deeper into myself and my passion for fitness. As a result, I enrolled in NASM classes to become a Certified Personal Trainer and while I’m full of excitement with this decision, I am also full of fear due to it.

There is a fear and anxiety of failing. It’s overpowering at times and it brings me to tears. As I posted in the past, I hold myself to such high standards that I don’t allow myself to make mistakes and that needs to change. I’ve made some progress in this area but I feel like I have so much riding on this that I have to be tough on myself.

2013 has forced me to look at myself, what I like, what I don’t like and what I would love to do. I don’t want to do a job just to earn a paycheck. I’ve been given a gift this year and I intend to make the most of it. Hopefully my best is enough to get me to where I wish to be…if not, I guess there is something grander out there and I haven’t figured it out yet.

With that, my resolution for 2014 is to let go of the fear. It is not going to be easy as I am a worrier by nature. I worry about everything and it’s an awful thing. I know that I can’t change the past and worrying about the future is silly because it hasn’t happened yet. I need to learn how to live in the moment and truly just enjoy life as it happens. I’m not saying that thought won’t be put into the future, but I am refusing to drive myself crazy worrying about the “what if’s”. In all honesty, I have an amazingly supportive family and as long as they are happy and healthy I’ve succeeded.

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November 26, 2013 · 9:04 AM

Holy Sh!t…I’m A Student Again!

Back to School

I think it was two years ago that I wrote about my New Years resolution to become a Certified Personal Trainer. That’s as far as I got with that resolution because I became overwhelmed with all of the school options and the different costs involved. I felt like a failure for not going through with it, but I didn’t want to do it, just to do it.

Earlier this year when I found out my job was no longer stable, I began visiting local gyms to speak with the personal trainers they had on staff, as well as the gym managers. I asked questions about the gyms, how long they’ve been training and most importantly, what certifications they accepted and recommended. Each gym had a list of certifications that they spoke about, complete with pro’s and cons, but one came up at each and every one as the “top notch” to have. That certification was NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) which was also one of the more expensive ones and now it made sense why. I tucked all of that information off into a little corner of my brain labeled “some day” and I moved on.

A few months later, a good friend of ours brought up the topic of me getting my certification and they recommended NASM. When we mentioned the money aspect of it they pointed out that there is a payment option and the wheels in my head began turning again. I wanted to sign-up for the classes but a new issue came up…that issue was fear. I was scared of failing, scared of working in a gym (I mean, I don’t even have a gym membership because of my group fitness phobia) and the thought of starting over in a new field of work just scared the shit out me, so once again, I filed the thought of getting certified under “some day”.

A few months ago, I began working on personal development and I made a dream board. The  dream board included all the things I’d like to do during the course of my life, so it included things like places I plan on traveling to, my dream home and personal goals for myself. I believe that making these boards gives you a visual reminder of what you are striving for in life and turns those “dreams” into goals because they are now on paper (or in this case a giant piece of foam board). One of the things I put on there was a NASM certificate. I even added my name and a completion date to that image and then glued it into place, without really thinking about it anymore.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been questioned by multiple people as to why I have not gone for certification yet and I never had a good answer to that question. Yes, there was the money issue, but that excuse was taken away from me with the payment options. Then there was the fear issue, but that’s really not a valid excuse to not do something. I know that amazing things happen when you leave your comfort zone, because I’ve been traveling outside of mine for 4 years already. So what the hell is my problem?

Well, the universe seems to have a plan for me…and I can’t keep ignoring it, even if I’m scared. My family gave me the shove I needed by showing nothing but support and I received an early Christmas present to get me going on the path I’ve been running away from like a coward.

Yup…that’s right! I’m officially enrolled in NASM’s Certified Personal Trainer course. Starting next Monday, I’m officially a student again! While I’m terrified of developing study habits and taking quizzes, I’m so grateful for the support of my family and friends who have seen that I can do this, even though I’m still struggling to believe.

Yesterday, I found myself looking at my dream board closely and I’m shocked at how many things on there I’m close to achieving. I may not be traveling the world or in my dream house, but I will be…it’s just a matter of time!

Do you have a dream board? If so, what kind of things do you have one it?

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October 9, 2013 · 3:34 PM

The Tale of a Running Slacker

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Nikki. She began running in the fall and fell in love with it. She set a goal for herself to run 500 miles in 2013 and while some people thought she was crazy, she was excited.

She ran all winter long, braving the snow, ice and frigid temperatures. She pushed herself to improve her form, avoid side stitches and set new PR’s. She participated in a Further Faster Forever contest and found that she was capable of amazing things… until an evil upper respiratory infection hit and sidelined her for a few weeks.

The evil upper respiratory infection left her with the need for an inhaler and a fear of going out to run. She tried a few times and a combination of anxiety and asthma always got the best of her. Leaving her only halfway to her goal of 500.

Then, the evil heat of summer came along and Nikki was not a fan of it, so she put her running on hold. She ran a few fun runs and logged a few miles on the days it wasn’t sweltering, but she was basically at a stand still.

She attempted to run on the hamster wheel of death, in an air conditioned gym, but it just wasn’t the same.

Part of what Nikki loved about running was the fresh air, changing scenery and the mind clearing effect the two had together. The hamster wheel of death just didn’t offer that, so the frustrated Nikki sulked off and just watched as runners tweeted and instagrammed about their runs.

Finally, one October morning, the air was crisp and the humidity was gone.

Nikki grabbed her running shoes, turned on RunKeeper and hit the trail for the first time in a while. Her head instantly cleared, her legs felt strong and her breathing wasn’t an issue.

She finally made it to 300 miles and while she knows there isn’t much time left in 2013, she’s going to do her best to reach the goal she set.

After all, the cooler temps, snow and ice never stopped her before.

The End.

Time to Fall in love with running again

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September 21, 2013 · 9:45 AM

Ready. Aim. Focused.

It seems I found my groove so well, that I haven’t had time to sit down and write.

Wow!

The past two weeks have been quite the whirl wind. The kids went back to school, so we started a new routine. I made lots of small changes to my fitness and nutrition, which are yielding big results, and I’ve been working on lots of personal development, which feels amazing.

With the kids back in school, my day starts a lot earlier and it allows me to get my Focus T25 workouts in bright and early. This week I started the Beta phase of the program and I absolutely love it. I’m not sure if it’s because all of the workouts are new for this month, because there are weights involved or if it is because I was doing Alpha for so long, but I’m honestly enjoying the change. My favorite so far is Speed 2.0. I can feel everything engaging, I get a good sweat going and I didn’t clock watch at all when I did that one. I know…it’s a 25 minutes program, but I do catch myself clock watching at times. I find I look for the halfway mark and the 5 minute mark, but I didn’t do that with Speed 2.0, I was actually shocked when it was over.

This week was a rest week for Body Beast with the hybrid Mike is doing, so I just followed my regular T25 schedule. I’m looking forward to new workouts with Body Beast next week, too. I’m sure there will be lots of soreness in my future!

Meal prepping has continued to be a life saver for me. I slacked a little with it this week and it resulted in us ordering pizza last night. We used to order pizza every Friday night… it was tradition, but we hadn’t done it in the past month and I didn’t have anything ready to toss together for dinner so I said why not. I had no idea I would gorge myself as soon as it entered the house. I ended up feeling tired and sluggish after eating it, which is something I never noticed before, but I guess with the nutritional changes I’ve made over the past few weeks, my body rejected the amount I forced it to consume.

MyFitnessPal has also become part of my routine again. We were challenged as part of the accountability group I am in for Focust T25, to track AND post screen captures of our food intake daily. It really made me think twice before I grabbed a cookie, handful of almonds or an extra scoop of rice. For the most part, it just helped me to tweak the types of food I was eating. It also helped me to ensure I was hitting my daily caloric goal, because I didn’t realize I was under most days, before I started tracking. The small task of logging my meals showed not only on the scale the past two weeks, but in my measurements (You all know I feel about the scale by itself.) so if you have been stuck and you’re getting frustrated by a lack of results, make sure you take the time to journal your food!

The other thing I have been spending a lot of time on is Personal Development. It’s one of those things that I’ve been told to do, as a coach, but I allowed everything else to come first and I never had time. Sound familiar? Because that’s the excuse I hear all the time, from people who want my help getting healthier, but haven’t committed yet. Ironic, isn’t it? Well… I realized the irony, I made changes, and I committed. I’ve been reading a minimum of 10 pages per day (my current book of choice is The Compound Effect), I watch or listen to at least 15 minutes of inspiring video or audio a day (so easy to do while running errands in the car or I pop ear buds in while I fold laundry), I’ve made a digital dream board which I plan on printing and hanging where I can see it daily and I’ve set goals for myself.

I could kick myself for not starting this sooner, but I can’t change the past, so I’ve just been focused on my daily tasks and enjoying the feeling it brings.

obstacles

Lastly, many of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, know that Shakeology has been a staple in my diet for years. Lately, I’ve had a lot of people messaging me on Facebook, asking questions about it as well as the programs I’ve done, so I’ve organized 7 Day Shakeology Challenges over on Facebook. I am so excited by the positive response it has received! If you have ever wanted to try Shakeology, need to jump start healthy habits and gain energy without sugary energy drinks and tons of coffee, stop by my page or comment below for more details! I’ll also be starting some program based challenges soon!

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August 12, 2013 · 5:53 PM

Keep Calm…Dammit!

Keep CalmIt’s been awhile since I’ve stepped on a scale. I’m pretty sure I’ve made it known that I don’t like the scale and it doesn’t tell an accurate story of what’s going on with your body.

I normally just use my measurements and how my clothes are fitting as a guide and I adjust things from there. Well, today I stepped on the body mass calculator, in order to log all of my numbers for the official start of the Focus T25 challenge group that I am running with a friend, and the number wasn’t pretty.

Now in the rational part of my brain, I know why there was such a jump in the number on the evil little piece of bathroom equipment, but the rational part of my brain was abruptly over thrown by the irrational part of my brain when I saw the number. I immediately began to freak out and wonder how this could be. I mean, yeah, I haven’t followed a program for a while and yes, I’ve been a slacker with running…but I’ve been okay with my eating and I have been active. Where did I go so wrong? How could my clothes still fit well if there was such a jump?

Then I took my measurements and laughed at myself. They are all the same except for my thighs…they went up quite a bit and I always had a flat booty but that is no longer the case since I started running and squatting. THAT is my answer right there. I have built a lot of muscle in my lower body over the past few months. Now I know not all of it is muscle, the time of day as well as the month plays a role in a woman’s weight and I know there is room for improvement with my diet, but once again, measurements told some key plot points to the story.

It’s scary how quickly the rational part of my brain shut down and how upset I got over a number on a scale. I believe part of it has to do with how I refuse to go back to were I came from. It’s actually a big fear of mine, so knowing I’ve been off my normal routine and not as good as I should be with nutrition, teamed up with a weight spike, freaked me the fuck out!

On the bright side, I feel a little clearer on my goals, know that my nutrition is key and I’m truly looking forward to getting to know those participating in the challenge and seeing what a full 60 days with this program can result in!

Have you ever experienced a moment like this? Where you know better but your emotions just take off and leave common sense behind?

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