Hello, 30!

Last week, I turned 30!! I have officially made it to another decade and I am beyond excited about taking on this new era in my life! I have learned so much about life and myself in my 20s. I am thankful for every mistake and lesson learned that has ultimately led me to be a better person.

I celebrated my birthday with friends and had a really good time doing it. We didn't do anything too big, but it was definitely a nice celebration and I appreciated the love. My friends are so good to me and I am very blessed to have them in my life!

I'm truly looking forward to the years to come, the expected growth, good health, wealth, and prosperity. There are so many things that I want to accomplish this year! Although they are my plans, I want to be sure I'm operating in God's will.  There are many plans that I have had for myself in my 20s that didn't quite go as I wanted them to.  With that being said, I am working daily to accept what God has for me.  I know his plans for my life are for my good and will work out better than anything I could plan for myself. I have an attitude of gratitude and couldn't be happier at this point in my life.

I did some reading back to my old posts and came across some moments of not so happy times.  I realized that even though my life has been filled with highlights and smiles, I know the rain will come too. I have learned how to navigate my way through disappointment and encourage my way out of unfavorable situations. I even cheered myself up by reading a previous post I wrote a few months ago reminding me that every bad situation will eventually come to pass.

Two people asked me what my goals were for this next decade and initially I didn't have a true concrete answer. I thought about it more and decided that my goal is to take the limits off of my thinking. To take risks and to live my best life! I feel like I've done a decent job at embracing that mentality towards the end of my 20s, so I want to continue having that same attitude. I thought about making a separate blog to highlight my 30s, but I think I'll just keep it going with this one.

Stay tuned for the adventures that are coming my way! I'm looking forward to living and sharing and hope you enjoy reading!

It's official....1/2 marathon here I come!

I'm proud to say that I have met my very first fitness goal which was to get down to my goal weight of 175 pounds! This takes me to a total weight loss of about 22 pounds! After achieving my goal, I knew it was time for a new fitness goal to keep me on track! 

I believe that once you achieve one goal, it's time to move on to another! I had been talking to a friend about running a 1/2 marathon and she told me about the Run Like A Diva 1/2 marathon and 5K (website here ). It's being held on September 14th in Wine Country in Washington, DC.  

                                            

I checked out the website and found this race to be extremely exciting and why not have your very first 1/2 marathon be something fun and exciting??? Well I had been kind of dragging my feet on registering, but finally yesterday, I took the plunge and I DID IT!!! There's no turning back now because I have paid for the event and there are no refunds! If you know me, then you know I am not the one to waste money, so it's a done deal!

With that being said, I'm ready to start training! I was directed to a page on Facebook that offers running tips and also there was a post for a 1/2 marathon training schedule for beginners! It's a 12 week program and looks pretty doable! I'm excited to get started...but first....I need new running shoes!

Any runner will tell you that good running shoes are imperative especially if you're going to be running for long distances.  Any pair just won't do!! Ain't nobody got time for injuries either so I knew it was something that I have to get on ASAP!! 

                                    

Today after work, I went to a running store to be fitted for a new pair of shoes (even though I already have been fitted before, I just wanted to go again to be sure nothing has changed).  The sales associate was very knowledgeable and kind and offered me another variation of the shoes that I currently own.  Of course the shoes were super cute (I love a bright colored shoe), but the only problem was the price!! I just couldn't afford to pay over $100 for shoes right now. I told him that I would need to think about it and would come back at another time.  Of course me being Frugal Frannie, I went online to search to see if I could find the shoes in my size somewhere for a cheaper price.  Well God was definitely looking out when I found a pair for $50 less than they were in the store.  The only thing is that I didn't really like the color that I had to get (only pair in my size), but I will just have to get over that and just jazz these up with some neon shoelaces or something! 

Best part is that the site I ordered my shoes from provided free shipping AND no taxes!!! Woop woop!!! I can't wait to get them so I can start training!! I'm going to be doing a lot of educating myself on tips for runners because I want to do my best and most of all, I don't want to get injured! I'm praying the blood of Jesus over me during this new adventure and I'm super excited about accomplishing yet another fitness goal!

Stay tuned for progress updates!!! 

Pay attention....to successful people

As I have mentioned before, I began reading a book called Monday Morning Choices: 12 Powerful Ways to Go From Everyday to Extraordinary by David Cottrell back in December. When I first began reading this book, I got hooked on the first chapter because Cottrell used an example of how to commit to your exercise goals. I got hooked because that was something of interest to me. As the book goes on, he focuses on being successful at work or if you're trying to start your own business, but this book is very powerful and can be applied to any area of your life!!!

Monday Morning Choice #5 is called "The Do Something Choice...Don't Vacation on "Someday Isle".  This chapter pretty much encourages the reader to stop talking about it and do it! Don't keep putting things off and take full advantage of getting out there and doing what you want to do now! As the chapter comes to a close, Cottrell has a section titled "Pay Attention".  He starts by saying:

Finally, choose to do something that will make a difference.  

If you aren't happy with the way things are now, choose to do something about it.

He then goes on  to say something that really stood out to me and has stuck!! He says "one of the most important decisions you can make is to study what successful people do".  OMG...if you get that, it will totally change your life!! Just think about it, what he means by "successful people" doesn't mean just successful business people, or people with money, or people who seem to have it all together. Now those people fit into the category, but it doesn't stop with them. Anything you view as success is acceptable here. 

I have began studying the ways of people who successfully build their bodies! What I mean by "build their bodies" is people who have awesome bodies, but they have to and had to work at it!! Not just the girl who has been thin with killer arms since 8th grade (genetics are truly on her side) or the guy who is 6'4 and has had a six pack for as long as you could remember. I'm talking about those people who you know if they completely quit what they're currently doing, their bodies would change for the worse.  I have started studying what they're eating, how they're working out, how often they eat, how often they work out, etc. This has played a really large role in helping me in this journey to getting fit and staying fit.  

Yesterday while on Instagram (remember this is such a rich resource for getting new ideas), I saw two posts from two girls about an ab workout they were doing. Both girls showed pictures of their extremely defined abdominal area and posted the exercise they were currently working on. They also made it very clear to share that abs are made in the kitchen and NOT in the gym. One girl stated "I can't stress enough that I don;t care how strong your core is...if you're not eating right, you will NOT have the abs you want".  Now I've stated before that time after time I have heard that statement and have ignored it. It was easier for me to think if I put in hours at the gym, and did all kinds of hard core ab workouts, then eventually my abs would make an appearance as well.  Finally, I kept seeing over and over again that abs were made in the kitchen and that's when I said it was time to change my diet and to see what happens. I mean it couldn't hurt to try right? Well I'm proud to say that I'm pleased with the results I'm seeing. My abs are definitely not where I want them to be, but I know with consistency and dedication, I will have the desired look I want eventually.  

You could apply this concept of studying successful people to any area of your life. Maybe you have a hard time managing money. Or perhaps you have a hard time being on time.  You feel like you're an ineffective parent. You are struggling in your marriage or relationship. Whatever your case may be, open your mind to seeing what other people are doing in an area that you want to improve in and take notes! See how that works out for you! Remember to always stay open minded.  An open mind and a great attitude will take you farther than if you have the mindset that the people you're hoping to be like "think they're better than you".  They're probably not even thinking about you...you're the one who wants to be more successful in this area in your life! Follow people who are producing results with their actions...visible results....not people who say they're successful at something. Talk is super cheap, and we all know actions speak louder. 

Those girls I'm taking notes from on IG are totally making statements with their words, but they're bodies are backing those words up! 

Final recap tip from Cottrell:  "Study successful people. What choices have they made to help them reach their level of success?"  

The key word here folks is choices.