And then I hired a personal trainer...

By the time I finished my last workout program,  I was ready to try something new.  One of my friends on Facebook was friends with The Get in Shape Girl, and I admit--I did a little Facebook creeping to find out what she was all about.  I perused her website, which is an excellent resource for exercise tutorials and clean recipes.  I read her personal story, and how she struggled with her weight until she eventually did something about it.  She became a personal trainer, and a bikini competitior.  I was totally inspired by her story and was excited to discover that she offered virtual training.  I had always wanted to work with a trainer, but couldn't justify the expense.  I had no idea how much it would cost, so I decided not to entertain the idea at all.

One day, the GISG (as she will now and evermore be deemed as I do not feel like typing the whole name out) advertised a special on virtual training--just $30 a month, plus a free copy of her Bikini Competitors' Cookbook.  How could I resist such a deal?  I signed up that very same day.  She asked me questions about my workouts and diet, and checks in with me regularly.  I often feel like she is right here with me.  The workouts are challenging without consuming too much time, and I can do them at home or at the gym at work.  She even customized my routine so that I can train for the Warrior Dash (which is next weekend---eek!).  She's an awesome motivator, and I'm so glad I made the investment.  I have the accountability I need to keep me straight.  I'm eating cleaner and better than I ever have, and I'm confident that I will reach my goal.  Like, this year, finally.

In the past month, I've lost about 5 pounds.  I've gained much better eating habits.  I'm excited about working out again.  I'm ready to challenge myself, pushing to my limits.  In fact, the GISG just released a bikini workout plan that [I'm definitely going to grab, and] I'm sure will pair well with her cookbook.

Speaking of recipes, I'm working on some new stuff so stay tuned... :)

When you don't feel like doing ANYTHING...

Motivation, I think, is a myth.  Not just a myth, but a crutch that people rely on to propel themselves into the fantasyland of success that they have built up in their minds.  At the risk of sounding cynical, the other crutch may be inspiration, which is also somewhat emotional.



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Either you do something or you don't do it.  There is no "try."  I love that. I use that notion often to get my butt out of bed at 5:00 am to head to the gym before work.  I use it to push through each work day, and to catch up on that neverending pile of laundry/dishes/whatever.  We like to coddle ourselves and others around us in an imaginary hammock stretched between failure and success.  Failure is not a bad thing.  It is a simple fact that we somehow allow to change and define us.  What we do with failure is either positive or negative.  Failure itself rests on neutral ground.

My last blog was about goal setting.  I wanted to talk about motivation because, this week, my motivation has been very low.  Last week was pretty awesome, but this week sucks for some reason.  Maybe it's the cloudy weather we've had since the weekend.  Maybe I'm just generally feeling funky.  Sometimes I am hit by a wave of BLAH that renders me useless.  I decided to create a vision collage to remind me of all of the reasons why I am reaching for my goals.  Although inspiration alone won't make me do the work that is necessary to reach my goals, it does help me to focus on what needs to be done, rather than how I feel. 

My vision collage

So, if you don't really feel like doing something you probably *should* do... do it anyway.  Or if you don't do it, just don't wallow in guilt and beat yourself up.  Take a nap or go for a walk or chill out for a while [or go make a vision collage!!!], and start fresh. 

Reaching for the Stars: Why I'm in Love with Goal Setting

I have always loved stargazing.  There is nothing better to me than sitting underneath a blanket of stars.  Even better to catch a glimpse of a shooting star or rare comet.  I have loved astronomy since I was a small child.  For a week of my life, I seriously thought I wanted to be an astronaut.  But I kind of suck at science, and I hate math so…

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I grew up believing that I could be anything, and that the possibilities for my life were as endless as the starry universe.  All I ever wanted was to know my purpose, and to truly live my life, free as a bird, with no regrets.  To be honest, I often have no idea what I’m doing.  I still don’t have a solid grasp of what my purpose is.  I don’t even know if I think I have one purpose.  Maybe my purpose is an underlying thread that ties all of my experiences together.  Maybe my purpose is not what I do, but who I am/who I will become.  #deepthoughts

I love setting goals.  It makes life more exciting for me.  When I pinpoint a goal, I get giddy with excitement.  My imagination runs wild.  My heart races.  I start to focus instead of floating randomly through life, like a feather through the air.  It gives me a sense of purpose.  I immediately start researching and figuring out what I need to do to reach that goal.  I become obsessed and relentless until I reach it.  No matter what your goal is, the steps to reaching it are pretty much the same:

1)      Ask yourself:  Is this goal reasonable?  Like, seriously?  If it is, give yourself a deadline.

2)      Ask yourself if you are really willing to do what it takes.  The only thing stopping you is yourself.  That pretty much eliminates excuses.  You will always find a way to do what you truly want to do.  You can't always rely on inward motivation or outward inspiration.  Sometimes you are not going to feel like doing anything.  Stuff happens. The goal becomes bigger than yourself, and a consistent effort is what will produce results.

3)      Do some research.  Read stuff.  Ask people who have done what you are trying to do… how did they do it?

4)      Break it down into small steps so it’s not so overwhelming.  If your goal is a big one (like running a marathon or purchasing a house), set some mini, short term goals as stepping stones to the end result.

5)      Surround yourself with like minded, positive people.   Get yourself a support group.  There is power in numbers.

6)      Eliminate anything (or anyone) that is not helping you reach your goal.  If your goal is weight loss, get rid of the junk food in your house.  This also goes with #5—if there are people in your life who will not support you, cut waaaaaaaaay back on the time you spend with them.

7)      Get organized… okay, try to get organized.  Do your prep work.  Do your homework.  Work toward your goal a little bit each day/week.  Results come with consistent effort.

8)      Spend your time more wisely.  I am a die-hard procrastinator with a love/hate relationship with schedules.  I hate the monotony of following a routine week after week, but I need it so badly!  Haha!  I made a block schedule of my week in 30 minute increments so I could figure out where to fit in various activities (like my daily workouts). 

9)      Reward yourself for reaching your mini-goals.  This doesn’t have to be anything big and expensive.  Give yourself a pat on the back, or a sticker or something.  Enjoying the journey is just as important as the end result.

10)   Once you’ve reached your goal, set another one right away!  Rinse and repeat.  Don’t stop until you die.

So basically, if I didn't reach any of the goals on my 10 by 30 Bucket List, it's because I probably faltered on one of the above steps.  Or maybe I set too many goals at once.  That’s been known to happen… 

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2 Weeks Til the Warrior Dash!

I am officially freaking out.  Only two weeks left until I do the Warrior Dash in Maryland on Saturday, May 19th.  I am so excited!  I have been training for this my whole life... well, actually since January.  This may not really be a big deal, but it is to me, because I'm not typically the adventurous type.  I'm definitely not athletic, but I think this race will be fun.  I intend to try my best and have as much fun as I can. 

Which leads me to wonder... what am I going to wear?  Many who've done the Dash wear casual, typical workout clothes--nothing they would miss if their clothes were permanently grunged.  Those who are extra adventurous show up in costume. 

What do you think?  Should I wear the usual plain old tee and shorts, or should I go in costume?