Small Victories

As I continue on in my fitness journey, I have been learning so much. I have tried different things in the past, primarily focusing on losing weight, and I have failed. This time, I have learned a few key things that have kept me on track and kept me motivated to stay with it through even the tough times.

1. WATER!!! I know it, you know it, we all know it. Drink water! They say it all the time, and it still needs to be said. I have been so pleased to find that it really is only a struggle to "force" myself to drink all that water for a few days. If you stick with it, it gets easier and easier to reach for the water bottle throughout the day instead of an alternative beverage. I am still adjusting to the number of trips I need to make to the restroom, but I am making such progress in this area of my wellness that it is worth it.

2. Don't save calories for the end of the day. Maybe this is something only I do?? Even when I started with the BodyLab app, they set aside certain caloric values for each meal along with a broad total for the whole day. As I would go throughout the day, I would try to be under the meal totals, and then at the end of the day I would be able to eat the rest of the calories right before I went to sleep! Or I would eat a lighter breakfast knowing that then I would have more calories available for dinner. That is just silly. I finally realized maybe that wasn't the best way to do things. Who would have thought! The way BodyLab distributes the calories is intentional. I eat much more for breakfast and the first snack of the day than I do for dinner. I'm finally letting go of that idea that dinner has to be huge and it has to be heavy. It's been a big change for me, but again I am liking the benefits.

3. Celebrate small victories. This goes hand in hand with don't focus on the number on the scale. This has been the biggest thing to learn and practice in order to stick with it and make lasting changes. There are going to be days when I gain. Excuse me, there HAVE been days when I have gained. This doesn't mean that all is lost or that I failed. I try to focus on what I had control over. I ask myself those questions when I weigh myself and try to remember that those are more important. I ask, "did I go overboard with eating? Did I drink the water I needed to? Did I workout and not skip anything? Have I been sluggish or lazy?" Because sure, I would appreciate a smaller number on the scale, but what I really want is to live a full life without restraint due to poor health. If I focus on the positives, this journey is actually really exciting. This week, for the first time, I ran for 9 minutes straight without slowing down to walk. Probably not a big deal at all for most of you, but for me it was a first and I chose to celebrate it!! Of course I still want to improve, but I can appreciate the steps that I take toward my goal. I also drank OVER the recommended water for a day. I didn't just stop as soon as I could, but I actually enjoyed drinking the water and chose to continue. That was a celebrated success. I ran twice this week BEFORE 8:00 am. I am not someone who enjoys running OR getting up early, so I was proud that I made that choice and stuck with it. These are just a few of my small victories that I got to celebrate this week. Not one of them had to deal with my weight, but I am still considering them positives and because of that I am encouraged to continue on and do my best.

I am excited to improve and tell you all about what else I learn. I already have my next goal and that is meal planning. I have done this on and off in the past, and I love when I do it. It's just a matter of sacrificing a little time to plan it out and it saves so much temptation during the week or wasted energy trying to decide later. I have a lot of success with sticking to the plan, if I could just take the time to make a plan! So that is my next goal-I will have to let you know how it goes.

Also here is just a progress picture. I didn't notice much difference in the picture. I have lost 5 pounds and 4 inches! But when I put these pictures side by side I could definitely notice in the face and neck. More pictures to come hopefully!

My Fitness Journey

Hello! I wanted to share something with you guys. I started using the BodyLab by JLo app and I joined the #BeTheGirl challenge about three weeks ago. I will talk more about that later, but I was asked by BodyLab to share my fitness journey which really got me thinking about why I am doing this and where I want this to take me. I realized I had a lot more to say than 140 characters, so I wanted to share my whole story here :)

My very first day! I wanted to capture the moment, and I was very excited to be starting this journey.

I had to think back all the way to high school to realize just why this challenge was so important to me. In high school I was only ever really planning to be a wife and mother. I was comfortable with that and looking forward to that "perfect" life. I could not even think of a career path I wanted to pursue because I couldn't think past being a mother. Obviously when it came time to go to college, I still had no idea what to work for. I remember being so frustrated that others knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives, and I was struggling so hard to figure mine out. My parents wanted to be able to help me with college, and I remember them saying, "we just don't see any passion from you. We want you to be passionate about something." I didn't know how to just find passion. That's not something that can just appear. After three years of college, I decided to just work whatever job I could find.

That was not enough for me. But it was during this time, and through that frustration that I realized what my passion was and what had been holding me back.

I spent about 22 years of my life only imagining my future as someone else's wife. I had dreams for kids of mine, but no dreams of my own. How could I think of the future if I didn't have the other person to imagine it with? That's when it clicked for me. I was no longer content to wait for "my other half," I wanted to be a whole person all on my own. I was able to start thinking about a life for my future, and I found my passion. Teaching! I think it was about a month from the time I realized that and my first day of classes. I went back to school at the age of 23 and I will be 26 when I graduate, but I am so pleased to do this now and not waste any more of my time.

These last few years have been filled with discoveries. I have learned so much about who I want to be and what I enjoy and what I care about. I have learned that it's okay to be myself, even if that makes me "less marketable." Because, who cares?! I love being single and being free to be myself. It's addicting-being yourself. I highly recommend it :)

But this brings me to why I wanted to join BodyLab and focus on my health. I was intrigued by the #BeTheGirl challenge. It's a challenge to "be the girl of your dreams." This struck a chord with me, because I used to be in a place where I would do things in order to be what I thought was someone else's dream. I finally wanted to be fit and healthy for me! And it's so exciting to see the benefits of that.

JLo follows me on twitter! I tried not to freak out, but how could I not?! Now the pressure is on to stick with the program and show her my fantastic results :)

Healthy living for me is the tool that helps me do everything I'm passionate about. When I eat healthy, I am not sluggish and I have the energy to get my homework done, to do it with my best effort, to make time for the people I love, to live a successful life! When I workout in the morning, I have that energy to wake up early and read my Bible. When I feel good about myself I am so much more willing to be nice to others! It shouldn't work that way but it does. I am friendly and confident when I feel good about myself. I never want to become some gym rat, but healthy living helps me pursue my passions and live a successful life.

This was day 3 for me. Can't wait to show a great "after" shot right next to it!

I am excited to share this with you and have that accountability of people knowing and watching as I try to stay on track. I want these healthy habits to be lifetime changes. I have enjoyed the meal tracking that BodyLab offers and the workouts have been so great! I get to feel strong and work hard without fear of bulking up or not understanding some of the workouts. It's a program designed "for women and by women." I have loved it so much, and I look forward to sharing more positive results with you!