Rename Your Resolutions: GOALS

Resolutions. It's about that time, right?

I used to hate resolutions. I could never keep them. That is, I could never keep them until I made a conscious decision to rename my resolutions. They were no longer empty promises I made to myself. Now I call them "goals" and it makes them way more fun to attain. 

A goal is tangible. 

A goal is something you create for yourself that is reachable.

A goal gives you a feeling of accomplishment and pride once you've reached it.

Resolutions? Meh. To most, they are empty promises.

It's kind of crazy to think that a year ago I was in Disney World with my family, almost 30 pounds heavier than I am right now, and while I was in the happiest place on earth with people I loved...I was suffering. I couldn't keep up with my daughter. My body ached from carrying around that extra weight. My legs chafed so badly that they bled. I suffered from belly pain, bloating, and discomfort the majority of the time we were there.

The photo on the left is me on the day we were in Magic Kingdom, almost a year ago to the day. Looking back at this, I so feel a tiny sense of embarrassment. How could I allow myself to get THAT out of shape? I am 28 years old! 

I came home on January 2 and promised that I wouldn't allow this for myself anymore. If I wasn't doing it for me, I needed to do it for my family. I set a goal to get healthier, not just for me, but for my daughter and husband.

I immediately started reading up on clean eating and started implementing it into my daily life. Little by little, step by step, I changed my eating habits. 

And then came my game changer. I had been watching infomercials for Focus: T25 and thought to myself: "You want this bad enough...you can do that." I convinced Denny to buy it for me for an early birthday present, and when my package came I tiptoed around it like it was a time bomb. It was scary. It was a commitment. I knew it was going to push me in ways I hadn't been pushed before.

I started the program on March 17 at 5:00 in the morning in my living room. I huffed and puffed, and thought about quitting, but the fact that I wasn't doing this for just me pushed me through. I finished all 70 days. One workout at a time, one day at a time. I kept pushing play. In the end I had lost 12 pounds and 17 inches (SEVENTEEN!). My T25 after photo is on the right up there.

Since then, I've done PiYo, 21 Day Fix (2x), Les Mills Combat, and next up for me is Insanity Max: 30. 

I've lost 28 pounds since January 2014. 

And while I'm not at my goal weight and the loss I did see this year happened verrrrry slowly, I thank God every day I came home from Florida, set that goal for myself, and pushed harder to make it a reality. I didn't set out in January and said "I want to weigh xxx by December." I simply told myself "I am setting a goal to get healthier." And then I took the baby steps to get there.

This year, though, my goals are little more descriptive. I've put some concrete target numbers on my goal list. I will be sharing them in the next post, but I'm also excited to announce that the month of January I will be doing a goal-setting series! Once a week I will post on goal-setting, including: staying on track, finding and keeping motivation, how to work through goals, and visualizing success.

I want to help so many people feel this sense of accomplishment and pride. I hope you'll join me in 2015.

Excuses, Excuses--Overcoming Internal Struggle

Excuses.

We all make them. I'm guilty, I won't lie.

That pestering little voice in your head, talking you down when you've set a goal. Telling you a million reasons why you shouldn't, why you can't, and why it's better NOT to.

Excuses rear their ugly little heads when you're down and out, and they KEEP you down. They aren't rational; they just call out whatever is in your subconscious to keep you from reaching that goal.

I've made PLENTY of excuses in the past. And now I choose to fight against them. Wanna know why?

Because I am bigger than my excuses.

I can't prove those excuses wrong.

I see them as a personal challenge to better myself, even when I give myself every reason not to.

You can too; you just need to recognize when an excuse is an excuse, be the reasonable one between you and the voice in your head, and overcome.

Let's talk some pretty popular excuses I've heard, and work around them. There are always SOLUTIONS to your excuses if you look hard enough.

I don't have time.

You do have time, you just aren't seeing it. How much time do you spend watching TV each day? Scrolling aimlessly on your phone? Playing around on the computer? I bet it's at least an hour. AT LEAST.

What if you took even a fraction of that time, and did something active instead? Some push-ups, jumping jacks, squats,,,ANYTHING! Get your blood moving and your heart pumping.

If it's important, you'll find a way to squeeze it in. Wake up a little earlier, go to bed a little later, have a spouse or significant other help you with the kids while you fit in a quick workout.

Personally, I keep my at-home workouts to no more than 45 minutes. My husband takes care of bedtime rituals with Peyton so I can get it done. He understands that it's important to me, so he helps me make sure I can fit it in every day. I am out of the house 10 hours a day for work, come home, make dinner, spend time with my daughter, take care of household chores, and STILL get it done. Why? Because it's important to me. I know that being a healthy mom will benefit my family overall in the long run.

Oh, and PS: I still get about seven hours of sleep a night.

I don't have money to join a gym/I don't like the gym.

Gyms can be expensive. I speak firsthand...I once spent $600 in a year on a gym membership I took advantage of three times. That's $200 per visit...talk about the most expensive gym membership ever! I KNOW how expensive gym memberships can be, but I also know that it's how you USE that membership that'll give you results.

If the gym isn't your thing, you can work out at home. I thank my lucky stars every day I found Beachbody, because it saved me from the gym. I literally have zero excuses now, because my gym is my living room. No driving to the gym, no trying to find parking, no wandering around trying to figure out what to do first. Nope, it's all there for me. I just have to get changed and push play.

I'm too tired.

This was a big excuse of mine. I do so much already, how could I possibly fit in ONE MORE THING?! It was just another THING I had to do. I was exhausted as it was, and the thought of exercising literally made me just want to crawl into my bed and sleep.

I did it anyway. At least a half an hour a day. And guess what? This new habit of mine had the opposite effect on me. I had MORE energy. I didn't have that 2 PM slump. I cut out a several-cup of coffee a day habit. I slept better. It was amazing.

You aren't too tired. Just a half a hour. In your living room. You can shower and go to sleep afterwards; your bed isn't going anywhere...I promise.

I don't enjoy exercise.

There are some people who LOVE exercise. Quite frankly, I still find it a bit of a struggle because sometimes I DON'T find exercise enjoyable.

Cardio? It's not my favorite. But I know it's important, and I have to get it done.
Resistance training? Better. But I know I need balance.

What I do is I try to do the things I don't like to do 2-3 times a week, and reward myself with the types of exercise I enjoy doing. You'll find the things you enjoy doing, and it makes creating balance easier.

The funny thing is, you'll start craving physical activity regardless. Some days I crave a butt-kicking from Shaun T...the king of cardio. Sometimes I just need to sweat it out until I'm a huffy, puffy mess.

I don't need to work out--I already eat well.

Wrong, wrong, aaaaand wrong. Think of it as an equation. Losing weight and getting healthy is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Yes, eating well does make all the difference, but to get amazing results, you need both parts of the equation. You can't out-exercise a bad diet, and you can't expect amazing results simply from eating better. Having both in your life will get you where you want to be.

Long story short--write down all your excuses. Come up with a plan to beat them, show them who's boss, and get it done!

Insanity Max: 30 is HERE!

This is a BIG, BIG week, guys!

I've been waiting verrrrry patiently for INSANITY MAX: 30 to release since I found out about it earlier in the Fall. I am a Focus T25 grad, saw amazing results (17 inches lost, say whaaat?!), and my goal was always to challenge myself with Insanity. However, the length of the daily workouts--anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour--was going to be a struggle to incorporate into my daily schedule.

And then the heavens parted and the angels sang and the powers that be at Beachbody and my hero Shaun T gave me the gift of MAX:30.

YES YES YES.

What is INSANITY MAX: 30? 

On Monday, I got to listen in on an exclusive call for Team Beachbody Coaches and had the opportunity to listen to Shaun T himself talk about INSANITY MAX: 30. Here's what I've learned:

Each workout is 30 minutes. That's it.

12 workouts, 100+ new moves, cardio and tabata-style workouts. No equipment; no weights. Just you and your willingness to go all out.

You are actually ENCOURAGED to Max Out (otherwise known as "Give it your all until you can't possibly go any further"). This is how you track your progress. Go HARD and INTENSE for as long as you can, take that break when you need it, and then jump right back in to the finish. Log your Max Out time and track your progression through the 60 days.

There are modifiers. And it's not a crime or something to be ashamed of if you need to modify. That is something that distinctly struck a chord with me that Shaun T mentioned during the call. Sometimes, people feel that if they need to use the modifier, they aren't going all in. With INSANITY MAX: 30, you'll STILL get results even if you need some low-impact modifications. AND, for the first time, you have the option to have the modifier visible to you at all times.

Who is INSANITY MAX: 30 For?

This program is for anyone who is willing to push themselves, go all in, and get the best results ever. Remember, you aren't SUPPOSED to get through the full 30 minutes without stopping. You do not have to be a machine. You go as long as you can, as hard as you can until you just can't, take a break, and keep going. The modifier is there for you if you need a low-impact version of the moves. 

Basically, if you've got the will to do it, you can do it.

I'm in. How Do I Get Started?

I'll be starting a test group of my own on January 19th! What a way to kick off 2015!

You'll be in a closed, private Facebook group with other people who are all working toward the same goals. You'll get me as your Coach, motivating you and supporting you the whole way. We'll be doing the same workouts on the same day, and working together through the entire 60 days. We'll talk nutrition and share recipes. You'll be a part of an amazing community of strength and support.

Click Here to apply to this exclusive group. I'll be closing registration by January 5 since I want to take the time to get to know each of my challengers personally, and the commitment deadline to purchase your challenge pack is January 12.

So excited to take this journey with you!

Oh, have you met our new home invader elf, Sparkle? She's the best.