I've talked over and over about fitness as being a process rather than a destination. And it continues to be true for me as my body changes. I think back to the first time I started working out, I would run at night or early morning so no one would see the "FAT GIRL" running. But then I became more comfortable with allowing people to see me working out.
Then the first time I went to a Zumba class, I felt sick walking into the class because I didn't know if people were going to all look like the dancers from a MTV music video. I learned the steps as I continued to attend and fall in love with the music and the instructor. Then weights, oh how I hate lifting! I did it when I was in high school, but that was different. High school was all power lifting and doing clean after clean. I remember once hurting my lower back and I never wanted to lift again! Later, I went about lifting with help of several trainers. They taught me correct form, sets, rest time, plyos, and more... They were all things I didn't know much about when I first started to lift. With all the cardio I was doing, I found that to keep my fat from turning into baggy/saggy skin, I needed to lift. There are people that say to me there is no way you were once 226lbs, you have no baggy skin. I have some places, but I continue to work those areas as well as my total body.
So it seems as if I have it all together right?? I'm a trainer and I know what to do! WRONG! It's a process... Even for myself when it comes to workouts and eating. My process started out as "I would be happy if I could just lose 25lbs" but I reached and surpassed that goal. And since then, I've continued to set new goals for myself starting with loving myself. My happiness isn't based on what I do or don't do, but that I'm a child of God and my success come from only Him. I have to constantly remind myself of this daily. And along with daily disciplines, I make sure to log my eating and exercise. Just like a daily prayer journal helps me to stay on track, logging food and exercise holds one accountable. Through logging, I'm able to identify my weak points and ask for ideas on how to get better results. One thing I learned this last week, I need to lift upper body more and often. It's easy to lift legs because I can SEE the results, but upper body doesn't develop as quickly. I need to take time and break down my upper body and be effective when I do it instead of trying to just "get it done". The other thing my food journal revealed to me is that I love fats like nuts and avocados. Yes, they're healthy, but for my "goal" I need to lay off. I love protein bars because I get a sweet craving and think I need one. I don't need them and so I've decided leading up until my birthday in October, I'm going to refrain from these three food items that I would consider myself "addicted" to. I don't like feeling like I can't go a day without something. And that's how I feel about these foods. I can go without them and so this next month, I will.
I mention all this to prove that even someone who seems like she has it together, doesn't! I have my friend and trainer Preston Allen that I turn my food and exercise logs into to hold me "accountable" and ask if you have someone? What have you been afraid to let gom of? Or are you still afraid to get started? Either way, fitness is a process. You'll never perfect it, but you can make some better choices than where you are now. There is always something that you can tweak, change, do differently and I encourage you to get started. What will you choose to do to become a fitter you?
BeBlessed
A