Muscle!

When people think of a weight loss journey, obviously they think about the numbers on a scale. I always did, and still often do. But today I want to talk about the other ways you can notice changes that are even more important! I learned from a great coach that when you are training your body correctly, often you will not lose weight quickly, but you will see dramatic changes in the shape and size of your body. We all know that muscles weighs more than fat. We also know that muscle is much more compact than fat! So if you are eating well and training your body in a way that creates muscle, you will slim down. Even if the number on the scale doesn't change! Its still a process and you have to learn how your body works, how much food and exercise it needs, but its true!

I often focus on the fact that the scale hasn't moved much for me recently. HOWEVER, even though I still weigh more than I did when I got married, and I still weigh more than I did after I lost my weight after baby #2, I am a clothes size smaller (if not 2 sizes) than I have ever been in my adult life! I have lost a lot of inches in the last year, I wish I had kept better track, but I know I have lost more inches than I have lost pounds. That is because I HAVE MUSCLE! I don't waste away my time on a treadmill or elliptical. Although I do love cardio and I do a LOT of it when I'm training for Triathlons and other races, I've learned that steady state cardio does not change my body. I need more! So when I do cardio, I try to add intervals, change up my heart rate so my body doesn't get bored. I also make sure that I eat enough so that my body doesn't want to use my muscle as a source of energy. YOU CANNOT DIET YOURSELF FIT! You have to eat enough food, and food from the right sources for your body to maintain muscle!

So, what I'm trying to say is, don't focus on the scale! Weigh in once a week if you must, but don't let the number on the scale make or ruin your day. More importantly, take measurements and pictures. I take my measurements and pictures once a month. Its a great motivator and its nice to see everything shrink and tighten.

How to Survive the Holidays!

I really recommend reading Lindsay Brin's post on her blog about surviving the holidays without weight gain. Her recommendations are right on and totally attainable! I'm going to try and follow them!

Read it HERE!

1 Year

This time of year marks 1 year since I got serious about my journey to Health. I was trying for a little while before that, but it was the holiday season of 2011 when I decided enough is enough and took charge of my life. Here I stand 20 pounds lighter and a lot stronger. Like i've said in previous posts, I am far from perfect, but I am a better, much healthier person now and I am so happy about that! I realized today that I am finally to the point that I don't have to beat myself up when I make mistakes. I've realized that I know how to take care of myself and that I can't undo that with one bad meal or one missed workout. I am not where I want to be, but I am on the path and I will get there. I'm determined. I have the tools. I have the knowledge. And I have the heart! Its taking longer than I want, that's for sure, but its a journey. I think in our society we are just so used to getting what we want right when we want it, that its hard when we have to be patient! Be I will be patient. I want it bad enough. :) Do you? Be patient. Your hard work will pay off. If you get discouraged, just remember:

I have to remind myself of this A LOT! And so far, I have decided its worth it to work my butt off! :)
Here's to another year of hard work, character and muscle building, and being proud of the person I'm becoming.

Motivation Monday

I think this quote so SO much! I wish the world could see everyone this way. I wish we could be measured by what we CAN control and what we are trying to become. Love it.

Motivation Monday

The Mind-Body disconnect

Sometimes I realize that my mind takes a lot longer to catch up then my body. I honestly have to look at the tags on my clothes every morning to tell myself that I am a size 6, not a size 14 like my mind tells me I am!

My whole adult life my goal has been to be a size 6, I haven't been that size since early high school. When I finally got there, I was super excited! But I was also confused because I didn't feel like my body was where I wanted it to be like I expected. I couldn't even comprehend that maybe I could actually be smaller than a 6! But I can! I still have plenty of weight and inches to lose. I can set my goals higher!!

Also, I remember a day in January when a trainer handed me a 12 pound weight for squats and overhead tricep presses and I thought she was nuts! This morning I did bicep curls with 12.5 pounds in each hand, overhead tricep press with 22.5 pounds and I did squats and lunges with 25-30 pounds in each hand!

Why do I not see my own progress? Our mind is a tricky thing! So my challenge to you (and me!) is to focus on how far you have come, not how far you have left to go. I am a totally different person than I was 20 pounds ago and I am grateful for that!

Truth Tuesday

A friend of mine posted this link to a video for me to see on Facebook. It hit home in so many ways! I think so many of us feel like the girl in the video. We want to be happy and we think that making our bodies exactly like the image in our heads will make us happy. Exercise and fitness is a huge part of finding happiness for me. It gives me time to focus on myself and it pushes me to accomplish things that I wouldn't normally push myself to do. And I have found that I feel a great amount of accomplishment when I knock down a goal or help someone else knock down the walls they built around themselves. However, I have learned that being more fit is not the end all, be all of being happy. I'm learning this as I go along. I have learned that above all I need to love myself as I am. Do I want to change my body? Yes. Do I want to be healthier and more fit? Yes. Do I have fitness goals to accomplish? Yes! But I need to accept that me, as I sit here at this very moment is all that I ever need to be.  I need to accept myself and all my flaws and love myself! I'm working on it step by step. And I want you to work on it too! Here is a good mantra for us all:

Motivation Monday

I will be focusing on body image this week. We all have body image issues, or at least most people I know do! I know that I am plagued with them. So, here are some tips I found

Practice up! There will be more on this topic tomorrow.  We will never achieve the goals we have for our lives and our bodies if we are constantly focusing on the negative and beating ourselves up for our weaknesses and our imperfections.

Trying something new...

Since eating has been my struggle lately, especially since its Halloween week and i've been eating a ton of junk food, I am trying to help my body recognize how it feels when I eat junk compared to how it feels when I eat healthy! Today I started a junk food journal. Every time I eat junk, i'm going to write down what I ate and how it makes me feel. I've eaten NOTHING healthy today, seriously, and I feel like crapola! So now when I'm feeling tempted I can look at my journal and make an informed decision about whether that junk is worth it to me! Will I eat treats? Of course, but will it help me do it in more moderation? I hope so!

Also, in the book I talked about a few posts ago, he recommends that if something is very tempting to you, you can visualize something very disgusting happening when you eat it. I'm trying to work on that too, its hard though! I love my junk too much. ;) But I want a healthy body more!!! This will be a gigantic challenge for me, but I know this is true:

I'm here for positive change. That is my goal. So I must challenge myself!