My dirty little secret

Hi there, fit friend!! 

I wanted to share something that's been on my heart...something that's HARD for me to share but CRUCIAL for me to be honest about if I want to inspire others to live their most vibrant life, which is the goal for my life. 

Have you ever heard "you will keep facing the same challenges until you learn the lesson" or some quote along those same lines?

Hi. 

I've been living that line.

I'm not sure if you've heard my fitness story but here's the quick rundown:

I gained 60 pounds during pregnancy and lost 87 in 6 months once finding my routine with T25, P90X3, and Shakeology. 

And I stayed there in that little comfort zone for about a year. Back in my favorite clothes, feeling proud and confident and in complete control...

And then.

The food starting overtaking my mind.

Have you ever heard someone just say the word "donut" or "pizza" and all the sudden that literally the ONLY thing you can think about?

Yeah. 

That was me. 

I no longer felt like super woman.

I no longer felt like a held the power.

I let the food win.

And I found myself in a deep valley of this healthy lifestyle mountain range.

I had been on such a high...I had felt like I could conquer anything. And then I forgot those feelings, I forgot that power, I forgot my true strength. 

And I hid this struggle from everyone because I felt I had to be "perfect." I felt I had to always be Super Woman. I felt I had to be the strength everyone needed.

But... just as I've preached to everyone from the beginning of my journey, I never gave up. I refocused, for what felt like the 27th time, and I recommitted to my challenge group, being the best challenger I could be. I am SO grateful for all of the ladies in that private group because their support and encouragement and THEIR sweaty selfies and healthy meal pictures inspired me daily, and I slowly started to feel my excitement for the lifestyle coming back. 

I realize now that I never needed to be perfect, I just need to be real, authentic, and honest about this journey. Because I would never expect YOU to be perfect on this journey-- that's just not realistic! We are human. This journey is full of twists and turns, ups and downs. The important thing is that we never.ever.ever.give.up. That's the example I want to set. That's what I want people to be inspired with when they come across my page. I'm just like you. I struggle too. But I never give up. And neither should you!! :) 

"You're stronger than you know.

One choice at a time.

Every effort counts."

Those are the thoughts that have raced through my mind time and time again this month. I finally feel the power. I feel the strength and I feel in control again.

I give credit to those ladies and that accountability we've shared.

I stuck to my plan. 

I did the 3 Day Refresh to a T.

I did every single Hammer and Chisel and Insanity Max 30 workout on my schedule.

I ate the things I needed to and turned down the things that wouldn't bring me closer to my goals.

And 12 pounds have left my body this month.

BUH BYE lol!

At my goal? No. But I'm on my way. And I have the BEST support and a plan that clearly works.

I've learned a lot about myself this month and am so proud of every lady in the group!!

We are not perfect.

But we never give up. 

Our loved ones are too important.

Our health is too important.

This life is too important. 

#bam #realtalk ;) 

  

This month has been so good for us, and I wanted to extend an invitation to ALL of you who have ever started, thought about starting, or wanted to start this healthy lifestyle journey to join us in July. Hearing things like "I finally didn''t hate myself when I tried on dresses and looked in the mirror," and "I'm stronger! I can tell such a difference in how I feel!" tell me that it's not just ME benefiting from this group, it's every member, and I feel it's my duty to share this with as many people as possible!! 

Cheers to you, fit friend. No matter what chapter you're on in your journey. Maybe July 1st will be page 1. Maybe it'll will be chapter 13 of a book you haven't opened in a while. No matter what, I hope you know that you are capable of so much and that every day you hold the power to choose what life you want to live. 

One choice at a time.

If you want to join us in July just shoot me a message on Facebook and we can chat goals and details!

Excited for all the changes we will see!! 

#togetherwewill

In the Moment

"I can't believe I ate that last night."
"Why didn't I start last month?"
"What was I thinking going through the drive thru for lunch?"
"Um these jeans fit me 2 months ago..."

"How did I get here?"

Have you ever caught yourself thinking thoughts like these?
Maybe this morning?

Maybe last Monday morning?
Oh, wait, that was a holiday, so maybe last Tuesday morning?
The first day of this month?
January 1st, 2016?
January 1st, 2015?

...are you closer to your goals today?

Listen:

You cannot change what's already happened.
You cannot go back and choose differently.
But you CAN look at this moment you're standing in (sitting in?) and make one critical choice:

Your effort.

We need to forgive ourselves {for our past choices and actions} and move on. 

No, let me try that again.

We need to forgive ourselves and move forward.

The past is the past, no matter how much you feel ashamed, guilty, frustrated, etc.

It happened. It's over.

Let it be over.

Move forward.

Make new choices.

Think of who you DO want to be.

The BEST version of you. 

What's she look like? What does she wear? How do people feel when she walks into a room? How does SHE feel when she walks into a room full of people?

Every second of every day is a new opportunity to take strides toward your goal.

You can choose right now to give this workout every last ounce of effort, as my new Nike tank says: "till there's nothing left."

You can choose to get up right now, turn off the reality tv, and push play on a workout. 

You can choose to pass by those donuts and pick up your delicious breakfast you brought to work with you because you prepared yourself to stay on track. 

You can choose to create new habits, to buy healthier foods at the grocery store, to learn more about what good nutrition is, to drink more water and cut out the soda...

Yeah, it'll be hard. But it's your choice. And it gets easier the more you do choose the healthier route. Some moments will be harder than others, but, hey, guess what, hard does not mean impossible.

So. Tell Negative Nancy in your mind to sit down and shut up, shift your focus on to your GOALS instead of your past, tell yourself you're capable of anything and more powerful than you know (it might feel like a lie at first but I promise it's true), and give this moment everything you've got. Just this one. Don't allow yourself to focus on how far you have to go or past failures or anything other than this moment right here. Give this current moment all you've got.

For your goals.

For your sanity.

For your happiness.

For your empowerment.

For you.

Is your past stealing your future?

Chances are you've seen this picture or heard these stories before.

And much like its caption here, the moral of the story was "it's okay to fail. don't ever give up," or something along those lines.

But the other day, as I was failing over and over in the middle of my daily sweat session with Shaun T {Insanity Max 30...try it, I dare ya lol} my thoughts went down a different path. 

And as I was trying to find the words to start this blog post, I thought of these legends and how they would have applied the topic at hand. How they would approach each new situation that came into their lives and each situation they had previously failed that was yet again staring them in the face...

...Oprah heading in for another interview.

...Jordan seeing the clock winding down and feeling his teammates' hope resting on his shoulders.

...Howard Schultz walking into the 137th and 199th and 241st bank with that crazy coffee dream.

They weren't dwelling on the failures. 

They were seizing the opportunity in front of them.

And that's what I want to talk about.

Whether you're an entrepreneur and everyone tells you you're stupid or crazy or just laughs it off,

or you have 200 pounds to lose and pizza and soda and donuts have had their grips on you for 32  years, 

or every single thing about your past has created a reality that you want no part of...

you ALWAYS have the option to choose something different NOW.

Because you want to know the secret? Your present situation is created by hundreds and thousands of little decisions you've made up till now. #lightbulb

You don't have to let your past dictate your future.

This moment that you're sitting in, right now as you read this, holds unlimited opportunity and potential. Right now, this second you can choose health. You can put down the soda. You can pull out of the drive thru. You can choose brave. You can choose a fresh start. And five minutes from now you can do the same. And tomorrow you can do the same.

It's the small stuff. The small simple choices, like water over an Icee and veggies over fries, made consistently over time, will create your reality. What reality do you want to wake up in? 

Your past doesn't define your future. 

Unless you let it. 

You can choose to keep doing the same ole thing that's landed you here, this place you want to run away from. Or. You can choose a different path. 

Continue down the same.

Or make new choices.

The time will pass, whatever you choose. Life will proceed all around you. Obstacles and possibilities for excuses WILL keep showing up, I guarantee it.

But. {Big, fat BUT right here...}

YOU hold the power.

YOU have the choice.

Every single time you make a decision, ask yourself, "Is this who I want to be? Will I be proud of this 6 months, 1 year, 10 years from now?" 

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong. 

Embrace the Suck

Ever get SUPER excited when you start something new?

Like when you order a new workout program and you just CANNOT WAIT to start?

You think of how AMAZING it's going to be to change your body and change your life.

You think of how READY you are to dive all in and get the results you've been desiring for oh so long.

You think of how INCREDIBLE you're going to feel once you complete this program and get your body to a confident and happy place!

{{Let me pause here to say that when I say "you" I mean US, all of us, collectively, I think, or maybe just ME.}}

Here's the thing though...

You're (We're? I am?...) so excited when starting because you emotionally FEEL the END RESULT.

We are *in* the BEFORE and *thinking about* the AFTER.

But there's so much MIDDLE.

All the change, all the struggle, all the man-this-SUCKS, all the journey...

ALL of the chapters of your book fall between the first and that very last page...

That's where the work is.

And that's where so many people fall away.

Because it's hard.

Because they don't want it to be hard.

Because they didn't mentally prepare for hard.

Because there's doubt and fear and suck and sore legs and missed cake and weak moments and birthdays and Christmases and Memorial Days and obstacles at every turn.

Because they aren't willing to sacrifice.

Because they don't really know WHY they want to succeed, they just think it'd be nice to fit into a smaller jean size.

But that middle...that struggle...that journey...chapter 2, 12, and 26...THAT is what we have to EMBRACE.

We gotta accept the hard.

We gotta accept the work.

We gotta accept that in order to get to that glorious AFTER photo, we have to ride the roller coaster and embrace every twist and turn, up and down.

But you wanna know a secret?

HARD does not mean impossible. Think of all of the HARD things thrown at you in life...guess what? You're still standing. You've overcome EVERY SINGLE ONE. You're doing great. You were meant for hard things.

Do you want to sacrifice that end goal? Or do you want to sacrifice that piece of apple pie that you swear is singing your name?

Do you want that after photo or do you want to eat a whole pizza tonight and wake up frustrated and ashamed, yet again?

(And no I'm not saying that's how you SHOULD feel...I'm speaking from personal experience- for those who HAVE felt that, you're not alone.)

DO the work.

EMBRACE the struggle.

Let NO obstacle stop you from accomplishing your goal.

You. Can. Do. It.