My first official training day!

Since my new running shoes came in yesterday, I decided to start training for the my half marathon today! I have been highly anticipating officially getting started for a few days now! With the unlimited deal for Bikram, I have decided that on days that I can't make it to the yoga studio due to scheduling conflicts, then I will use those days to train for the half. 

Today I was scheduled to babysit from 5:15-8pm, but when I got to the house...no one was home. Uhhh....really?? So I call the lady and inquire about her whereabouts and she says "um, I have you down to sit for me on the 18th".  So I nicely reply (since this is my first time sitting for her) that the e-mails we exchanged clearly say, Tuesday, April 16th.  I was slightly blown at all of this because of course, I could have gone to Bikram tonight had it not been for rushing home to make it to this babysitting gig by 5:15.  

Either way, I am happy that I had a very productive first day of training.  I found a beginner's 12 week training schedule online for half marathon runners that I'm using.  The race is not until September 14th which is further than 12 weeks away, but since I've never ran further than 6 miles in one setting, I figured I'd start early. 

Today's session consisted of a 10 minute warm up and 1 minute hills (8x) running up the hill and walking back down. I was also supposed to finish it off with strides (4x), but I had to get going so I just jogged back to my car after the hills.  It took me about 40 minutes to do this and it wasn't too bad. I felt really accomplished when I was done and it was a great sweat session!! Having new running shoes was also an awesome addition to the run! I used to get serious shin splints when I would run, but with the Asics GT 2170's, I don't have that problem!

I wanted some cool colored running shoes, but the ones on sale and in my size simply came in all black...boo! No fun at all, but hey, shoes are shoes, and I'm not turning down a good sale just because of the color. I just took it upon myself to try to swag them out as much as I could by adding neon pink laces to them! It helped a little, but nothing too fancy.

Tomorrow will be a Bikram day which will be right on time since I will need the good stretch after all the hills. I think it'll be good to alternate running days and yoga days since Bih suggested that you most definitely place a large emphasis on stretching while training to prevent injury! 

So here we go! I'm off on a new fitness adventure and I'm going to give it all that I have!! :)

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!!! 

Trusting God's Timing

Happy Monday everyone! Due to yet another "winter" storm, I'm home from work all in the name of a snow day!  I enjoy these extended weekends and having the opportunity to just lounge around the house and relax. Ok, I know some of you had to go to work today so I won't continue to rub that in. :-)

One of the things I chose to do today was to clean out my e-mail inbox. When I was on my internet fast a few weeks ago, my inbox had racked up in unread e-mails and I wanted to just go through them all to be sure I hadn't missed anything of importance. To my surprise, I stumbled across an e-mail from my friend Timere.  The subject of the e-mail was "FAITH". I opened the e-mail and the body read "this is the awesome sermon I caught last night".  I clicked on the link and it was a Joel Osteen sermon called "Activate Faith, Not Fear".  I watched the sermon and it was truly a blessing! You can check it out here.  After watching that sermon, I noticed another sermon on the right hand side of the screen called "Trusting God's Timing".  I decided to click on it and see what it was all about.

This was no surprise that this sermon was all that I needed and more!!! I have struggled with being patient while waiting for things to come to pass my entire life (hence the name my friends used to call me Anxious Annie)! As I've grown older and more mature especially in my walk with God, my patience has increased and I am much better than I was. However, I can't truly say that my desire to have instant gratification doesn't kick in from time to time.

Joel says in the sermon:

"In life we're always waiting for something. When it's not happening as fast as we would like, it's easy to get frustrated. The moment you prayed, God has established a set time for it to come to pass. When you understand the time has already been set, it takes the pressure off. You can relax and enjoy your life knowing that the promise has already been scheduled by the creator of the universe."

Of course no one likes to wait (well at least I don't know anyone who does), but this sermon confirms that when we trust God's timing, everything we've ever waited for will be awesome and amazing once it comes to pass!

One of my favorite verses regarding timing is from Habakkuk 2:3 and it says: "...The vision is for an appointed time, it may seem slow in coming, but wait patiently for it is surly coming".  I have made vision boards for the past two years and each year, I put this scripture on my board! The great thing about this scripture is that it says "wait patiently for it is SURLY to come".  That's a promise!! Whatever you're waiting on, it's coming eventually! 

Two things that I've wanted for as long as I could remember are: having a fit body and being in a loving, healthy relationship. I remember when I was in 6th grade, I declared that I wanted this banging amazing body! As for the relationship, I have always loved love for as long as I can remember so that's been a constant desire of my heart as well. Each of these things are slightly different when it comes to when it could come to pass for me.

Getting my body into shape is something that is solely dependent on my efforts and my doing. Finding the right person for me, is not so much an independent event. But I have noticed that both of these things fall align with perfect timing.

Like I've said in a previous post, I have never been a stranger to working out. I played a few active sports in middle and high school and I did some recreational working out all throughout my 20s, but why has my body never seen the results I'm seeing now? I'll tell you why! Because getting fit is not just about working out! I've said it time and time again! It's a "trifecta" (as one of my Instagram followers calls it) which includes: quality nutrition, cardio, and resistance training. All three of those things put together is what's yielding me these results. This also takes a disciplined mind! Getting is shape and eating right really is a lot more mental than people give it credit for.  There are so many things that motivate me to keep going in this journey.  Caring about my health and not taking it for granted, understanding how important nutrition is if I want to see results,  mentally pushing myself through a challenging workout (overcoming laziness), and lastly being motivated to encourage others through my journey! Inspiring others has been a huge push with keeping me going in all of this. Sometimes I want to give up, but I think about how many people are inspired by me and I keep going.  Another thing is the timing of seeing the results! It's easy to get discouraged when you want to see a six pack 3 days after you start working out and eating right. Sometimes you  may even want to give up because you think it's not working for you.  In due time, with consistency it will happen!! The date is already set so just throw the scale out the window and keep doing what you're doing! The date was also set for me to get my mind right and understand all that it entails for me to do this! The date was already set for me to care about wanting to inspire others when years ago, this would have been all about me and only me!

As for finding love, I can't believe I'm saying this, but within the past couple of months, this has been the first time EVER that I wasn't pressed about when it was going to happen. I mean I'm the lover of the group!! Anyone who knows me knows I'm the one with the hearts in my eyes, bursting into song and dance "TO BE LOVED, TO BE LOVED.....AHHHH WHAT A FEELING"..Prince Akheem from Coming to America style, type of chick! And this sermon was so on point for confirming that my feelings of ease in this area of my life is exactly how God wants me to feel! No need to be anxious or worried when it's going to happen.  No need to panic that I live in the boondocks so how and where will I meet this man!? No need to panic that I'm almost 30 and still waiting. No need to consult the biological clock and go into panic mode. It is still a desire of my heart, but I truly trust God that the moment is already set and with that said, I might as well enjoy the life I have now until that appointed date and time arrives.

"...it's through faith and patience that we inherit the promises". Hebrews 6:12

You can check out this sermon here!

*Be blessed*

Results of my 7 week challenge

If you have been reading my blog, you would have known that I challenged myself to a 7 week challenge that  lead up to my birthday.  This challenge included me eating as clean as possible along with working out 6 days/week.  Here is the full story if you would like to catch up regarding the 7 week challenge.

I just reread it myself and I love the fact that I seemed so confident, yet unsure if I would really be able to achieve this thing. Well I'm here to report to you that I finished it, and I would say I definitely succeeded. I started off doing Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD every morning during the week. That was a challenge within itself.  I would get up at 5am and head downstairs to workout in my townhouse. There were so many days that I just didn't feel like doing it. I was tired or super sore, but I pressed on! I had to do a lot of self-encouraging. Eventually, I started to continue to blog about my weekly progress and with the support and motivating words of all of you, I would find a new breath of energy to keep going.

So let's get down to it! I said I would post a progress pic, good or bad, so here it is!!

I posted this same picture on Facebook and Instagram with a caption that said something along the lines of I started working out and eating clean 7 weeks ago. I think there was a little confusion with this statement though.  The top picture was taken on December 15, 2012.  The bottom picture was taken on February 22, 2013.  Technically the pictures were taken 10 weeks apart.  I had always been working out.  As you can read from the post that started all of this, I was logging two hours at a time in the gym on a fairly consistent basis for 2 months. I have also always been the type to exercise at last 3 times/week here and there. I would sometimes get on my exercise grind hard, then fall off the wagon for a few weeks, then get back to it. Either way, my stomach has always been my biggest problem area so the top picture is pretty accurate for how I used to look on a regular basis. The shorts I'm wearing were given to me by a friend who had lost a lot of weight and couldn't fit them anymore. When she gave them to me, I told her "uhh these are way too small!" She told me to keep them and let them be "goal" shorts and to let them motivate me.  

On January 7, 2013, I finally started coupling my workouts WITH a healthier diet. These two things together have made this transformation so powerful!! And I'm not done yet! I am very pleased with my results, but I'm going for the gusto! I want more definition in my body so I am working on building muscle! So here are my 7 week challenge results! I'm learning more and more every day about clean eating and I'm so excited to see what kind of results I'll have by this time next year.

Here are a few words of encouragement for you: although 7 weeks doesn't seem like a long time, progress is truly a slow process!! Throughout this challenge, there were days when I would get so discouraged. I was taking pictures of myself almost every day!! I had to finally tell myself to stop because when I didn't feel like I saw enough of a change, I felt like I wasn't getting any results at all. People at work would ask me if I was losing weight, and that felt good, but I wanted to see more results faster! Oh how impatient us humans can be. Seeing these pictures lined up together definitely shows I've come a long way, but when you're looking at pictures of yourself every day and they all start to look the same, you feel like it's not happening fast enough.

I am committing myself to this lifestyle and along the way, I'm very passionate about helping other people! People have reached out to me and I have done my best to help them as much as I can. Here are some other things that might be encouraging to you:

1. I've been at this "I want to lose weight and have a defined body" for years. It's not going to happen until you decide "I'm ready to make changes and I'll do whatever it takes to get it"! I didn't just wake up one day and say I want to be healthier and have a better body and all of a sudden I started eating healthy food all the time. A lot of the foods I eat I used to not want to eat AT ALL!! I didn't like the taste, had no idea how to prepare it, or just had no idea what it was in general. This is a continuous process (lifestyle) and you will learn so much along the way if you're open to educating yourself about what works and doesn't work for your body.

2. Slow and steady wins the race. Now I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I strongly advice you to stay away from anything that promises results in "x" amount of days/weeks/months etc. This is a lifestyle change so the results will come if you stay consistent. I must admit, I've been very tempted to try different things that I've seen on Instagram, tv, heard about through the grapevine, etc., but I have also decided that I have to do stuff that will last me a lifetime. No more working out hard core because I'm going to the beach next month, no more eating right just to fit into a dress for a wedding I'm in, no more "special occasion" weight loss motivation for me! I told myself this, "if you can't do it consistently for 10 years, then don't do it now".  Now this is for me...so you don't have to take this on for yourself. But what I mean is, if I know I can't afford to take diet pills for the next 10 years to lose weight and keep it off, then I'm not taking them now. If I can't afford to take a line of cleansing/detox products consistently just to lose weight, then I'm not going to do it now. Now you might be saying "well what's wrong with doing these things to get a jump start on weight loss"? You're right, it's nothing wrong with it, but for me, I'm trying to get in the habit of doing this for myself and doing it consistently in a way that I can maintain and always stick with it. Old fashion good clean diets and exercise is something I know I can stick with.

3. Listen to your body and pay attention to it. When you're working out, push yourself, but don't push it until you get injured. That's no bueno! If something doesn't feel right, listen to your body and chill out.  Take some time and then get right back to it. And also remember, you can go as hard as you want in the gym, but if your diet is poor, then you're cancelling out all of your efforts! You can't out exercise a bad diet so no need to go hard, injure yourself, then on top of that eat a bad diet....you'll be right back at the start in no time. *thumbs down*

4. Be careful who you're taking advice from. I noticed that when I first started doing this, I was following a lot of people on Instagram who I viewed as really healthy and fit! I then started to notice that these people were taking all kinds of supplements and I just couldn't keep up with what I should be taking too. It then dawned on me that some of these people were body builders and were preparing for competitions.  I am not trying to be a body builder, I'm just trying to get healthy and fit. I then realized, I don't need to try to keep up with them because we have two different goals. I had to find out what was right for me and stop trying to keep up with the Buff Betty's and Bob's out there! Educating yourself on a lifestyle change can be super overwhelming! There are so many books out there, trainers giving advice, people giving advice, etc. so it's like what should you do?? Kind of like with Dr. Oz..it's like if you followed all of his advice (which I'm sure there is some great advice he's giving), it'd be almost impossible to keep up! I know that's how I feel every time I watch his show! 

5. If you fall off the wagon, just remember, there's always tomorrow to get back on! Every day isn't going to be perfect and there will be weeks when you feel like you are getting nowhere, but just keep going! The  key is consistency!!  Anybody who's successful at this will tell you, they kept going and that's when real results started to show and stay!! 

I am looking forward to sharing with you all more results to come and to keep blogging about this road to being fit for life!! 

...Stay tuned... 

Workout and Worship Wednesday 2/27/13

Hello everyone!! I've been super busy since my last post, but I made it a point to be sure that I made enough time to sit down and do my Workout and Worship post today!! I have so much to share with you guys regarding other topics and can't wait to be able to sit down and get all this stuff out there for you!! I will do several updates probably this weekend when I have some down time so stay tuned for more to come!!

Ok now on to the regularly scheduled program! It's mid week and we're back at it again with W&WW!!! I hope this has been a blessing to you all! Have you been doing the workouts? I'm hoping the scriptures and songs of worship have ministered to your soul as well!

Let's get on with the scriptures. I have three for you today (yes, 3)!! Last night I was catching up with my Lenten guide (ahhh so behind on everything over here), and came across 1 Peter 5:10.  The guide suggested we read 1 Peter 5:8-9, but I read on and verse 10 caught my eye.  It reads: "But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That's why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm".  After reading that, I remembered James 1:2-4 and felt like it was a great additional passage to go along with 1 Peter 5:10.  James 1:2-4 reads "my brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need".  And to tie all of this together, let's go to Joshua 1:9 which reads "I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lordyour God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go."

This whole weight loss, eating right, being more physically fit journey is tough and there are times that you want to give up, or you face some hard times, but just keep going!!! These verses can also be applied to any other area of your life that you find yourself in a between a rock and a hard place.  God is there with you to help you.  Have faith! These times are the times that truly strengthen and mature us as we grow in Christ! 

Today's song is one of my favorites and it always gets me in a pumped mood!!! It's You Are Good by Israel & New Breed. This group is phenomenal and sure do know how to jam while praising the Lord!! 

Today's workout is going to focus on your entire body!! We're getting way too close to summer and a full body workout is indeed necessary! Even if you feel like certain parts of your body look good enough, keep working on it! Don't neglect any part of your body while working out. You can't spot train a particular section of your body.  You get better results when you work the whole thing out!! Warm up with a jogging in place, jumping jacks, dynamic static stretches, etc if you can't get to the gym or if you can, take a quick jog on the treadmill for about 5 minutes to get your body warmed! And don't forget your cool down stretch!! Full Body Workout.  See if you can complete this circuit at least 3 times before the next week! 

Have an awesome and amazing day!!! 

Workout and Worship Wednesday 2/20/13

Happy Wednesday everyone!!! It's midweek and we're two days until the weekend!!! Yay!!!

Here's today's Workout and Worship Wednesday segment!

Today's verse that I'd like to share with you all is a focus scripture I found in my Lenten guide. It's from Matthew 9:35-38 and it says "Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were beaten down and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers. ³⁸ So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field.”

I encourage you all to think about some "work" that you could be doing to help and show compassion to others! There are so many people who need help with so many things! If you have a gift that you could share with someone, please do! One thing I know a lot of people want help with is staying motivated to workout and eat right. Find a buddy to keep you motivated and you do the same for him/her! We're almost at the 3rd month of the year and that is certainly when most people fall off the "let's get healthy and fit" bandwagon. I hate to call it a bandwagon, but unfortunately, that's what it becomes for so many of us. Commitment and passion is key to stay successful in this thing! It's a lifestyle!! You don't have to apply this all just to working out and eating right. You could help others in any area of expertise that you have! 

Song of the day is You Are Great by Juanita Bynum! I love, love, love this artist and her music!!! She has such a powerful voice and I find myself in deep worship with many of her songs!!! Here is the link on YouTube. 

And today's workout is one to help get those glutes in check!! I'm all about having nice buns and great legs!! Summer is coming up and we all want to look nice in our shorts and dresses!! At least I do! :)

I found this on Pinterest so hopefully the link allows you to get to this page even if you don't have an account with them. If you can't get to it, let me know and I'll find another way to get it to you!  Your Best Butt.

Have an awesome day everyone!! Peace, blessings, and motivation to you all!!! Thank you for reading!! 

6 week check-in

I've been making strides towards a healthier lifestyle for about 6 weeks now! One thing I've noticed is that so many others are still going strong with a healthier lifestyle as well!!! Could it be that 2013 is the year for us all to set fitness goals, eat healthy, and stick to it??  I am loving all of the support that I'm getting from my readers, my friends and family, and FB and IG friends!! You guys truly keep me motivated and inspired as I motivate and inspire you!

When I was at work today, I found a picture of myself on my computer from a school event in November. OMG talk about "this can't be life"!! My face was so round, it looked like a perfect circle! I'll have to e-mail the picture to myself and be sure to do some before and after pictures on here for you guys.

I don't know about y'all, but I love progress pics! I feel like it really gets people inspired because if that person can do it, I can do it too. When real people show you how they're coming along and how they are making changes for the better, it makes you see that weight loss and being healthy is truly an attainable goal!!  My coworker gave me a pair of shorts back in December that were absolutely too small for me. She told me to keep them and let them be my "goal" shorts! I'm proud to say they finally fit! I'll post pics of them this weekend (I plan to wear them out to celebrate my 29th birthday)!!

I've got a pretty busy week this week with work and some obligations after work, but I'm still getting it in with a workout and eating clean! I did my meal prep yesterday which is so essential especially when you know you're going to have a busy week!! That's one less thing you have to worry about when you prepare your meals ahead of time. I also have planned out when I'm going to workout since I know I have things going on after work all this week. It's always safe to keep your gym bag in your car for those just in case moments!

Today I had a babysitting job after work, but I brought my gym bag along with me even though I wasn't sure that I would have enough time to squeeze in a workout. To my pleasant surprise, I had plenty of time! I was really glad that I went to the gym because I was able to accomplish something that I had been working on! A girl I follow on Instagram posted a pic of her doing some ab work on a Bosu ball.  Here she is looking amazing and making this challenging move look easy.  She also has an amazing YouTube channel that I recommend you all checking out! She shares exercises she's doing, healthy snacks, shakes, meals, etc. Here's a link to her channel GETBODIEDBYJ.

The first time I did this, I rolled right off that Bosu ball like a fool!!! I was so embarrassed, but I was also determined to work towards accomplishing it. A trainer that I follow on Instagram suggested to me that I try to perfect the move on the ground or a flat bench first.  I've been doing some work with sit-ups and this move on the flat bench for the past couple of days to strengthen my core. Today, I tried the move again and I did it!!! I did 3 reps of it to be matter of fact!! I am so proud of myself and am ready to try it again tomorrow!!! Setting fitness goals gives us all something to work towards which makes working out fun and exciting! When you accomplish one, set another!! Watch yourself get stronger and stronger and accomplish things you never though you would ever be capable of doing!!

Let me know how things have been going for you! If you want to chat with me about tips for healthy eating or working out, e-mail me at road2bfit@gmail.com.

Workout and Worship Wednesday 2/13/13

Hello everyone!! Today is another workout and worship Wednesday!

Did anyone do the workout from last week? If so, how did you like it? What about the scripture and song? I hope it has been a blessing in your life and that the workout got your heart rate up to burn tons of calories!!!

Today's scripture comes from the book of James. ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:2-6.  I love this because it truly encourages me to push through hard times and it is assurance that God is always available to give us whatever we need to make it through! 

Today's worship song is He Reigns by Kirk Franklin! If you want to workout and listen to this song, it definitely jams!!! Get your praise and your workout on!!! Song of The Week  

This week's workout is another workout I saw posted in my gym. When I saw it, I was up for the challenge and decided I'd push you guys to take the challenge as well.

 

So we have here a countdown workout. Do as much of each suggested move as you can. Remember, don't sacrifice form just to say you did it! 50 jumping jacks with good form is better than 100 sloppy, half-butt jumping jacks! Take breaks if you need it, but don't break for too long.  You don't want your heart rate to get down too low.  The key is to keep the heart rate up because that is what burns calories! And that's the goal isn't it!!??  It took me about 30 minutes to do all of this (including the 10 minute run).  Give it all you've got and good luck!!!

I hope everyone is still going strong in their working out and clean eating!! Remember, progress is a slow process, but it's all worth it and every little bit counts!! Be great and have an awesome day!!!

The Road to Be Fit...

Happy Friday everyone! I hope your week has been awesome!!!

This week has been a pretty amazing week for me in that I have some new adventures that I'm excited about starting in my own life!

For starters, I again want to thank you all for the support of reading my blog and reaching out to me letting me know you are reading and gaining some form of knowledge or inspiration! Over the past two weeks, I've had a few people reach out and have inquired about things they can do in their own lives to live a more healthier lifestyle. One of my goals is to inspire and help others! However, I have to remember that some of the things I'm doing, might not be feasible for someone else to just jump into and be successful in this journey to being fit for life.  With that being said, I have changed my perspective on how I solicit fitness and nutrition advice to friends who reach out to me.

I had to realize that I haven't always been a clean eater. In fact, I will confess that in October, I was arguing my case with a sorority sister about how I should be able to get fries from McDonald's and it should be nothing wrong with it as she discouraged me from doing it.  Well...I had a Monopoly piece to redeem a free medium fry and I was getting my free fry!! Oh and please believe, against her admonishment, I got it, ate it, and enjoyed it! In the beginning of January, my sister offered me a Healthy Choice frozen dish to eat before I got on the plane to head back to Virginia, and I turned it down to accept a 2 piece fried chicken meal at Popeye's in the Memphis airport.

I also remember times when I tried to eat something healthy, and the taste was bland or just straight gross!  Or I just "knew" in my own mind that I wouldn't like something, yet I had never even tried it before. There were also other foods that in my mind, I saw them as healthy, but a seasoned health fanatic would have told me "actually Ashley, that packaged oatmeal really isn't as healthy as you think it is"! I also refused to embrace the whole 80/20 rule believing my way of putting in hours upon hours at the gym would yield me great results as I felt good about working out on a consistent basis and still enjoyed all the foods that I wanted to eat.

I was also the one who would work out really hard with a specific event in mind that I wanted to look physically good for (i.e. a vacation, wedding I was in, high school reunion, birthday, etc.)  Then after the event was over, I'd fall off the bandwagon and go right back to my old ways. I wasn't consistent at all.

So everyone starts from somewhere and everyone finally decides they are going to do what it takes to get serious about getting healthy and fit for life. With that being said, I am truly encouraged to help others so I have decided that I will meet people where they are and we can work together from there! I have a friend who just e-mailed me about help, and I asked her first "where are you in life when it comes to eating healthy and working out"? Do you enjoy healthy foods or do you not know what a good healthy dish is? How often do you work out? Knowing where someone is will help them more than telling them what I do because I might be at a different place than they are. Everyone has to go at their own pace and gradually get to where they want to be! Consistency is key and progress is slow, but it all pays off when you just keep going! Take it one day at a time and embrace this as a lifestyle and not preparation for just a specific event in your life!

If you have any questions or need some help, I'm more than willing to help! I am not an expert, but I know a little something and we can do this together!! I find it highly effective when you have someone encouraging or motivating you along the way! E-mail me at road2bfit@gmail.com!

Have an awesome and safe weekend!!

Workout and Worship Wednesday!

I decided I wanted to start a new segment to my blog that would be themed and inspiring! I first want to say thank you to all of you for reading and for commenting whether here on the blog or just when you talk to me! You being inspired by me truly inspires me!! It's a cycle of inspiration!!

So this morning, I was doing some thinking and was trying to figure out what I could do for a themed segment. A few days ago, I figured I wanted to do a Workout Wednesday.  I then thought about how I also want to keep God incorporated in everything I do since my relationship with him has molded and shaped me to be the inspiring person that I am today!

Workout and Worship Wednesday will focus on a new workout for you guys to attempt, an encouraging scripture, and a song of worship that I believe will minister to your soul!!

Today's scripture is from Isaiah 26:3 and it says "you will keep in perfect peace all who's mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you".  This scripture is basically declaring that all who keep their mind on God will have peace.  When you truly trust in God, you are at peace knowing he will take care of you and that you don't have to worry anymore.  You give it all to God to handle and take care of (1 Peter 5:7)!

The song of worship that I would like to share is called Never be bound again by Bishop Paul Morton. Click on the link to take a listen on YouTube. This song truly ministered to my soul! With working out and trying to eat right, we will face some challenges.  We may even struggle, stumble, fall, fail, want to give up, etc. This song is so encouraging! I feel like it can be applied to any area of your life! Be freed from obesity.  Be freed from health problems. Be freed from being an emotional eater. Be freed from laziness.  Be freed from lack of motivation!

Today's workout is going to focus on your back! This workout can help women and men. It's time to get our back defined!! It also helps with posture! No more back fat ladies!! Oooooh the dreaded back fat and "bra fat".  Yikes!! If you find this workout to be too easy, just increase the amount of weight you're using.  If you don't have the equipment at home already, just do what you can with your own body weight. Something is better than nothing!!! Don't ever think if you can't do a lot, you shouldn't do it at all! Let's get active and preserve our temple!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! Leave a comment and let me know how you liked the workout!!

Weekend Killer Cardio routine

While at the gym this morning, I saw this workout posted on the wall and figured I'd share it with all of you!

Switching up your workout routine is really important because you don't want your body to get used to doing the same workout all the time.  You want to challenge your muscles and your body so it will always be in "work" mode while working out!

So here is the work out:

Do each exercise as fast as you can, then rest for 30 seconds where it says rest.  When you finish and get down to the part where it says to do as many burpees as you can, rest for another 30 seconds then repeat the whole circuit for a total of 3 times.  Commit to doing this workout at least 3 times this week and I'll have something else to try out for the following week!

If you're not sure what each of these exercises look like, here is a list of them with a YouTube video showing you how to do it.

Mountain Climbers

Star Jumps

Burpees

Speed Skaters

Plank Jacks

Bicycles (although she says you need a weight, if you don't have one, you don't need one)

Tuck Jumps

This workout doesn't require any equipment and you can do it at home!! 

"Clean eating"...I don't even know what that means...

...no one knows what it means....it's provocative...it gets the bloggers GOING!!

Just kidding!!!  A little Saturday morning humor for you :)

Lately I've been asked what exactly is clean eating and what does it entail? I'm glad you guys are giving me feed back by asking questions.  Questions means I need to clarify a little more! Also, asking me questions is great for me too because I might not know the answer, but research is becoming my best friend so I'm up for the challenge of finding out! Knowledge truly is power in this thing. This whole eating clean and working out healthy lifestyle can seem overwhelming, but taking it one day at a time and gathering information as you go definitely makes it easier to comprehend.  

So you might be thinking clean eating looks like this...

or maybe you're thinking more like this and only this...

Well that is part of it.....wait no...just eating lettuce is ridiculous and people that joke about that's how they are eating aren't funny.  You can't sustain life on just lettuce! Eating clean does not mean starving.

According to Clean Eating Magazine, clean eating is consuming food in it's most natural state or as close to it as possible. It means eating 5-6 meals a day (remember portion control while doing this), drinking lots of water, reading and understanding ingredient labels (the shorter the list the better....if there are several things in the list that you can't even pronounce, that's not clean), avoiding processed and refined foods, but this does not mean avoiding carbs all together. Complex carbs like whole grains are clean and acceptable. It means eating organic as often as you can (it's expensive to eat all organic, but do what you can).  Meat, eggs, and dairy should be eaten organically if your budget allows. My budget doesn't always allow this, but I do try to eat organic as often as possible.  It means consuming healthy fats (all fats are not bad...olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc are examples of good fats that our bodies need).  

Like I said in the last post, I got my start on understanding all of this after I read Tosca Reno's book The Eat Clean Diet.  Here is a link to it on Amazon if your local library doesn't carry it. The Eat Clean Diet. Now Tosca has several books out, but I would just start with this one to get the basics. If you want to look into reading more of her books, by all means, check her out!

Another very helpful resource that I've used and highly recommend is the Gracious Pantry.  Their website has a segment called Clean Eating 101 that I think you all should check out! It's pretty awesome! I totally think you can find anything you're looking for with this resource! Clean Eating 101

After you start understanding what clean eating is all about, you will soon understand that it looks more like this....

And it's rather delicious and you won't feel like you're missing out or sacrificing taste!! All of these pictures were taken from Instagram pages of people I follow who eat clean and have provided a recipe for the following dishes.  The first 3 pics came from fitmencook and the last one came from bgg2wl.  Check them out on IG!! 

The goal is to be fit, not skinny and that's a big dag gone difference!

Today was a very important day for me!! I was so excited, I could barely sleep!! Today I finished Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 DVD!! Like I said in an earlier post, I have had this DVD for at least 2 years and I've never finished the whole thing! I'm very proud of myself and I'm even more excited about the results that I'm seeing!

Here is a picture of me on the day that I joined the gym on the left and a picture of me from this morning on the right.

I've never been really "big" per se, but I am definitely loving the results I'm seeing here! Now let me be clear, my results are not all attributed to doing Ripped in 30! The picture on the left is from October 31, 2012 and the right is from today, Feb 1, 2013.  Clearly that is longer than 30 days.  The first two months after I joined the gym, I was still eating relatively all that I wanted to eat.  I was doing better with food choices, but I still enjoyed a cupcake here and there and I still drank alcohol whenever I pleased.  I read food labels, but mainly the nutrition label and I would glance at the ingredients just to see how long the list was.  After I started eating clean, I started to slim down! 

My goal is to be fit and ripped...not skinny and there's a big dag gone difference between the two! As for right now, I appear to be much thinner, but I have a lot more work to go! I want to get stronger and I want to get leaner.  The biggest "problem" area on my body has always been my stomach.  I am truly trying to tone that up more and hopefully will see some abs shining through! Since it's only been a month of clean eating, I'm excited to see what I'll look like this summer! 

10 things to know about me and my journey:

1. I'm doing this all the natural way....clean diet and exercise

2. I'm not taking any type of pills to achieve results.  The only supplements I take are: protein shakes (mine just consist of protein powder and water), fish oil, and calcium with iron. I don't use the protein shakes as meal replacements.  

3. I'm not on a diet.  In the realms of clean eating, I eat what I want! This is a lifestyle change...diets usually last for a little bit of time then you're right back to your old eating habits. I used to have a huge sweet tooth, so I've been getting my sweet tooth satisfied through various foods that are considered "clean". Fruit has probably been my biggest form of satisfaction! I eat a piece of fruit with almost every meal.  

4. I work out 6 days/week.

5. I'm not starving myself at all. In fact, I got so excited about buying food last month that I would have preferred to buy groceries over spending my money on anything else. 

6. I eat 5-6 times/day.  I also eat ever 2-3 hours.  Before I started all of this, I called myself eating 5-6 times/day, but I found out that I was actually snacking pretty much all day! I was eating like every hour! 

7. I drink a gallon of water every day! Staying hydrated is very important! When I first started, I had a hard time getting the whole thing down. Not that I didn't like water, but it was just difficult to drink a whole gallon.  I started pacing myself too because getting up all night long to use the bathroom was annoying. Bed pan please!!!! 

8. I stopped drinking alcohol! Yes...that's right...gone! I will admit that I did have a glass of red wine while out with friends.  Basically if I do decide to drink, it'll probably just be red wine.  The empty calories and the dehydration were counterproductive to achieving my goals.  

9. I stopped eating fast food! The last time I had fast food was when I was in the airport flying home from Memphis (January 4th was the exact date).  I always prepare food to take with me from now on because I have to be prepared or else I'll resort to eating fast food due to the fact that I'm starving and desperate.  Again, counterproductive to my goals.

10. Progress is slow, but consistency wins all the time!!! If you're in the process of trying to reach your fitness goals, keep going, stay consistent, and progress will come!! Stay motivated and encouraged!! 

Using Instagram as a resource

                                                   


In case you haven't noticed, Instagram is more than just people posting random, pointless pictures of "selfies", their kids, shoes, clothes/outfits of the day, etc. Now don't get me wrong, these things happen! I mean it's an app that is basically a time line of pictures posted by people you choose to follow.  After getting home from the gym tonight, I happened to be scrolling through my time line and came across a person who is really into fitness who recommended another user that we all should follow.  I clicked on their page and sure enough, there was TONS of motivating pictures and people that the user recommended I follow.

I then realized how much of a resource Instagram really is! It's just as resourceful as Pinterest!!

Here are a few people on the gram that I have enjoyed following for fitness inspiration:

funkygym (this page has tons of other people that they recommend you follow)

bgg2wl (this stands for Black Girls Guide to Weight Loss...she also has a very inspiring blog that I recommend)

strongerthanyourexcuses (great motivational quotes and sometimes they post great exercises that you can do to target certain areas)


What are some pages you follow that you have found to be inspiring?

Week 3....DONE!!!

I'm so excited that it's Friday and on top of that WEEK 3 IS DONE!!! This week has been a pretty good workout week.  It's been a short work week due to inclement weather, so this has given me an opportunity to be fully rested and ready to tackle my daily workouts! Although I haven't had to go to work yesterday or today, I still got up early to complete my Ripped in 30 morning workout!

This week, Jillian was coming for the quads!! She targets the same muscle groups because she finds this to be highly effective.  I agree, I'm looking rather snazzy and I'm pleased with the results of sticking to this workout AND eating clean! I will admit, I have dreaded the week 3 workouts because it's really hard getting down low doing some of the moves she came up with.  I'm 5'11 so being really tall and having to do all this quad work can be very challenging! All in all, I pushed through and I'm so proud to say I DID IT!!!

This week I also downloaded an app to my phone called "Lose It".  Apparently it's highly similar to the "My Fitness Pal" (MFP) app.  I used to have MFP before, but I deleted it because I didn't feel like logging the foods I was eating.  Lose It has a convenient feature where you can scan the barcode on your food packages and the app will automatically figure out all the nutritional information! Sweeet!!!! I've been having a really good time with this feature! According to friends, MFP also has this feature, so either app will work if you're interested in logging what you're eating to hold you accountable!

Weight progress for the week: I weighed myself earlier this week and I am down to 184.5!!! That takes me down to a whopping 11.5 pounds lost since I started working out at the end of October (I was 196.0). These pounds are logged at my gym which I go to around 3-4pm every day.  Now my scale at home (I weigh myself first thing in the morning, naked) said I was 181 pounds.  As the week has progressed, I have hopped on the home scale and the numbers have seemed to increase a tad (roughly to about 183).  Now this kind of made me nervous because I know it's not what I'm eating that's causing me to gain.  I've been sticking to a very clean diet, so what's going on here?? I'm guessing it's muscle gain and I'm ok with that.

Some of my goals are to make my glutes bigger and more round, and to tone and rip my entire body! With that being said, I know I'm going to put on muscle weight.  If I want the glutes to get bigger, I'm going to have to squat and do Romanian dead lifts with a heavier weight. Heavier weight obviously equals me gaining weight.  To keep my sanity, I have decided that I'm not going to focus too much on what the scale is saying (even though I will continue to weigh myself at least once/week and log that number), and start focusing mainly on how my clothes are fitting.

Thus far, none of my clothes are to small (other than a few items that had BEEN too small ages ago) and the majority of them are actually getting to be too big and frompy! I have a few items that I consider "goal" clothes and I am proud to say I have 2 dresses that were way too small (one didn't even zip) and now they fit!! I wore one of them to a birthday party back in November and the dress was SO TIGHT that I could barely sit down!!! I struggled with getting it zipped and even considered just wearing it unzipped and having my friend help me once I got to the party (oh the things we go through to be "cute").  I finally got it on my own, but it was quite uncomfortable! I plan to wear this dress tomorrow to a function I'm going to and I'll take pics and post!! The other dress still has the tag on it, but it's definitely ready to be worn if I so desire!

Yay for progress!!! Week 4 is coming up and Jillian is calling it "the mother of all workouts"!! I'm a little nervous, but Jillian gets the job done and I'm up for the challenge!

Happy Friday to you all! Enjoy your weekend and be safe!! :)

Workout DVDs ON SALE!!!

I wasn't planning on posting another blog tonight, but I had to share this information I just stumbled across!!! Now some of you may feel like you want to get in shape and you want to lose weight, but a gym membership is out of your budget. I totally get that! I have put off joining a gym for a long time because I wasn't sure if I was going to use it, and most gyms charge a whopping $50 or more per month for membership.  With the new social security changes to our checks, I'm sure we can all stand to save a dollar or two if you know what I mean!

Well I'm a huge fan of Jillian Michaels which I have talked about in previous posts.  I am also a fan of Bob Harper (from the Biggest Loser).  I have purchased a few of Bob's DVDs in the past either from his website or from local stores like Walmart and Target.  Just your luck, Bob is running a sale on his DVDs right now!! Some of them are 80% off right now!! They are usually priced at $19.99 plus shipping, but right now there are several on sale for ONLY $3.99!!! Talk about a DEAL!! I have purchased two of his DVDs and highly recommend them! I have Beginner's Weight Loss Transformation and Kettlebell Sculpted Body! If you've never used a kettlebell, please look into getting one and getting in on this amazing, dynamic, body sculpting tool!! You can purchase kettlebells at TJ Maxx and Marshall's! They cost about $.99/pound i.e. a 5 lb bell costs you about $4.99 at these stores.  Now I will warn you, neither of these DVDs are for beginners (even though it says it), BUT here's the good news: DO WHAT YOU CAN!!! Go at your own pace and give it all you've got! Start off with either no weights (do only your body weight) and then work your way up to using weights.

If you have the extra cash, I say get all the DVDs because they have never been this low (to my knowledge).  When I bought mine, I got them for $5.00/DVD on sale. There is also a 4 pack that he's selling for $14.99 that is usually $59.96.  If that's not a deal, I don't know what is!

Another good source of DVDs are the Biggest Loser series.  I got mine from Burlington Coat Factory for like $3.99/DVD.  They may have been $2.99/DVD.  The thing I like most about about The Biggest Loser set is that the people doing the workouts are highly overweight and if they can do it, I can too! Now yes, they grunt and groan and look like it's killing them, but it's very inspirational to workout with them (real people who want to get fit) and a change of scenery compared to working out with people who already have those ripped bodies and make the workout look effortless.

Again, here is Bob's website in case you want to get in on this fantastic deal Bob's website!! Hurry because I don't know when the sale goes off! Follow him on Twitter: @MyTrainerBob too to get information on when he's having a sale again if you can't participate this time around!!  He's also on Facebook!!

Thank me later! :)

49 days until "A" Day!!!!

In case you guys didn't know, my 29th birthday is in approximately 49 days!! I affectionately started calling my birthday "A" day a few years ago. Probably some time after Beyonce come out with the B Day album on her birthday.  Ok so I'm not that creative...but that's neither here nor there.  

So with my birthday coming in 7 short weeks, I'm committing to a new challenge.  In the next 7 weeks, I am preparing to commit to eating clean and working out 6 days/week. Any health fanatic will tell you that abs are made in the kitchen and it's really about what you're eating instead of focusing mainly on working out.  

I joined the gym on October 31, 2012 and in the past 2 months, I see some progress, but I'm sure if my diet was clean, I'd see even bigger results.  I wanted to do things my way and decided I could just put in at least 2 hours in the gym and still eat  what I wanted (within reason).  I then started to notice, I'm logging all these hours in the gym, slaving away, yet my diet is setting me back.  I want maximum results!.  

I'm fully ready to take on this challenge! I know it's going to take work and it's not going to be easy, but it'll be worth it when I'm strutting around this summer looking amazing.  Not only will I look good, but I'll be healthy and that's truly what it's all about.  

Today I spent a few hours cooking meals for the week.  It was a very labor intensive process, but after I was finished, I felt truly accomplished and was ready to take on the week.  Prior proper planning truly does prevent piss poor performance!! That piss poor performance is eating crap just because you haven't planned ahead of time and when you're starving, you become desperate.  Desperate will have you back where you started eating those foods that have set you back all this time.  

Here are some pics of some food I have prepared for this week! 

The far left is roasted broccoli and cauliflower, brown rice, and 4 oz of chicken breast with red onion and green peppers on top.  The other dishes are either 4 oz of grilled chicken breast or 4 oz of turkey chop with sauteed fresh green beans with mushrooms and garlic, brown rice, and green peppers and red onions on top of the meat. 

This was breakfast this morning. 1/2 grapefruit, spinach wrap (9 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein in the wrap alone) 2 egg whites and one whole egg, spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese inside the wrap.

I have other foods that I'll be eating throughout the week, but this was just a little sample for now! I hope to post progress pics at the end of the 7 weeks! Better yet, I'll be sure to post...good or bad...I need to be held accountable! So here I go!!! #legooooooo :)

And I'm back!

I'm finally back from Christmas vacation and it feels good to be home! I really hate staying away from my house for a long period of time.  It's like I go through house withdrawls....weird.  Either way, my time spent with my sister and brother-in-law was a wonderful time, but I'm really glad to be home! 

Now that I'm back, I'm super excited about getting started on this eating clean diet and back to regular exercise.  While I was in Memphis, I did exercise regularly, but I haven't been to my gym since before Christmas.  It's been two weeks and I'm ready to get back in there and get ripped!!! 

Another thing I did while I was in Memphis was watch a video called Food, Inc. which basically talks about what is really going on with our foods in this country.  It was a truly eye opening experience to watch.  I couldn't believe some of the stuff I was seeing!! It's a shame that these things are allowed in our country to be put out as food.  I also read a book called The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno which changed my prospective on a lot of things too.  Reno was once overweight and after her divorce, she decided it was time to make some changes! She began working out and eating better.  Her book series are really easy reads and I enjoyed learning about how to eat clean.  

Last night I drove back home after my flight landed in Richmond around midnight.  I was going to stay in Richmond and just drive home in the morning, but I was really ready to get back home and more importantly get a jump start on this new lifestyle change.  I stopped by the store in the wee hours of the morning to pick up a few things and will be going back to the grocery store today to get more stuff.  I'm also hitting up a killer workout to top it all off.  

Breakfast today consisted of sauteed spinach, mushrooms, 2 egg whites, 1 egg with yolk, a sprinkle of feta cheese. Dried oats, maple syrup, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.  I washed it all down with a mug of green tea (no sugar or sweetners).  I made the oatmeal with water instead of milk and I must say without my regular 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, it was a different taste.  I'm sure it's something I can eventually grow to like.  It wasn't 100% horrible though.  I'm sure I can perfect it with some other ingredients as I continue with this change.  

So here I go....I'll keep you all posted on how well it's going for me!! 

Ain't nobody got time for {fat}...

A woman who goes by the name of Sweet Brown swept the nation with her catch phrase "Ain't nobody got time for that..." after she explained to a local news station her experience with a house fire and complications with bronchitis.  Since this video went viral and has been the punch line to several conversations, everyone has gotten a huge laugh on Sweet Brown's expense.  I find myself saying this line several times a week...sometimes more than that. I am definitely the type to wear a joke into the ground.  Little known fact about me...I'm working on it!

Either way, one day I was laying around and was thinking about how I needed to get up an exercise.  I struggled with finding the desire to get out of bed and do something to get my heart rate up and continue on my journey to get fit.  I also thought of a million other things that I could be doing instead of working out.  We're all busy nowadays.  We have so much on our plates and sometimes between the tasks we have to accomplish for the day and the fact that we're just plain exhausted, exercising usually comes in as a dead last on our "to-do" list.  

I have fallen in love with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).  When you don't have a lot of time, yet you want to get a good work out in, I suggest this for you.  Now if you're not familiar with HIIT, it's basically working as hard as you can for a set amount of time, then resting for a set amount of time.  When I'm pressed for time, I get on the treadmill to get some cardio in.  By the way, I hate cardio and would rather lift weights, but cardio is a must so I must press on.  Ok, so what I do is run on the treadmill at a very high speed that I would normally not ever be able to run at (I have started at 7.5 mph). I am usually pushing it to run at 6.0 mph on the treadmill (yes, I'm a slow runner), but sometimes I can get that in and not feel like I'm going to die.  Either way, I will set the treadmill at 7.5 mph and run for 20 seconds then I hop off the treadmill and rest for 10 seconds.  I repeat this for 15 minutes.  I then up the ante and increase the speed to 8.0 mph and alternate between working and resting for the last 5 minutes.  By the time I'm finished with my 20 minute run, I'm dripping in sweat!!!! Now I must say, I'm so not a sweater! Some people can come into the gym, run for 5 minutes and they're already perspiring.  Not me! It takes a lot to get me to sweat so of course it was to my surprise when I did this for the first time and was exhausted and drenched after only 20 minutes.  There have been times when I have run on the treadmill for an hour and was nowhere near as exhausted or sweaty.  My heart rate is up, the sweat shows me my body is reacting to trying to cool itself down, and after 20 minutes I feel like I've been working out for at least an hour. 

You can also do HIIT with other exercises.  I usually make up a list of exercises I want to do and get to it. Jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks, skaters, burpees, plank jacks, mountain climbers, lunges, squats, etc.  20 seconds on, 10 seconds of rest.  Do each exercise for 8 reps of this 20 on/10 off combination before moving on to the next exercise.  If you're not sure how you'll respond, just start with smaller reps.  Do it for 5 reps and work your way up to 8.  Research also shows that incorporating HIIT into your workout routine is more effective in burning fat quicker.  Because like Sweet Brown says...ain't nobody got time for THAT! But I say...ain't nobody got time for FAT! 

Summer is about 6 months away, so get up and get some! Happy working out!!! :) 

"I wanna be healthy...I wanna look good" - my mantra

This morning, I woke up at 5am to go to the gym before I went to church.  I am staying with a friend in town for maybe 2 days since I have to get my car repaired tomorrow and without adequate transportation, I knew going to the gym was probably not going to happen.  I am currently reading a book called "Monday Morning Choices" (will further be referred to as MMC) by David Cottrell and in chapter 2, he talks about committing passionately to our goals.  

He says a lot of people are interested in achieving their goals, but seldom do they commit to them.  Commitment means doing whatever you have to do to be sure the it gets done.  And when you're passionate about your commitments, you will more than likely be successful.  Just a little plug, this is an awesome book! I ordered mine from Amazon (a used copy) for $.01 plus $3.99 for shipping....pretty much costing me only $4.00 for a real gem!! 

Either way, one of my goals is to be healthy and to look good which will be achieved by eating right and working out.  So yes, being fit is and has always been a goal for me.  Unfortunately, I've never fully committed to this goal.  I've always been interested in being fit, but when it came down to committing, I always fell off the wagon some way or another.  My sister used to always tell me when I was younger that I wasn't dedicated enough.  I used to resent those words, but she was right. I had no dedication whatsoever.  When it was hard, I'd quit! Or I'd be doing well for a while, then something would come up and being fit would just go right out the window.  

After reading chapter 2 in MMC, I made a decision to start getting serious about being healthy and looking good.  I first had to start educating myself about foods and different fitness routines.  I started going to a Boot camp class at my gym 2 days/week and asking the trainers in the gym questions if I wasn't sure about something.  I also watched a video on YouTube called Sugar: The Bitter Truth (I found out about this in the January 2013 issue of O Magazine).  This video changed.my.life!!! That is a topic for another blog though.  I'll get more into that later.  

Then I had to develop a mantra for myself.  Sometimes you really do have to encourage yourself.  I was laying in my bed this morning and I could hear the rain pouring down outside! Now who doesn't like sleeping to the sound of rain? If you don't, that's fine...but know that I love it!! My goal was to get up at 5am and prepare to go to the gym.  I rolled out of the bed a little early (around 4:50am) and started getting ready. 

I'm a huge scardy cat (with bad nerves), so I really don't like going to the gym when it's dark outside and after staff hours...but going to a 24 hour gym does has it's perks when you have goals to get up and go at 5am on a Sunday morning.  I get to the gym and of course, no one is there. Duh...it's the 5am hour on the day of rest! Of course no one is in there! I get in there and I notice someone left a book on top of the cubbies.  I get a little closer and I notice it's a pocket sized version of the New Testament.  I immediately felt at ease and reminded myself that God was with me and there was no need to fear (Matthew 14:27).

After that, I got to work and I worked out as hard as I could.  All while chanting my mantra: "I wanna be healthy...I wanna look good".  I've noticed that a determined attitude, a mantra, and good music can get you through any workout.  Even the bad ones that you're not proud of, you at least got it done! And besides, there's always tomorrow to do it again and make it awesome!! 

Do you have a mantra for working out? What are your fitness goals?