Momentum

I know what it's like to feel defeated. I know what it's like to give it your all, 100% and fail. I know what it's like to want it so bad you're willing to do almost anything to get there, only to give up a short time after starting. I know exactly what it's like to say to yourself "this time, it's going to be different"...

I'm pretty sure we've ALL been there. Whether we start off with this "let's get 'em" mindset in regards to a new hobby, getting our homes and selves organized, a new job, a fitness program or even something as simple as making sure you're cooking more at home. Failure is a part of life.

So what exactly keeps us from keeping that momentum that we started off with? What conversations do we have in our heads that keep us from attaining the goals we set to achieve?

Some might say that we become too enthusiastic at the start and to keep that enthusiasm going is too difficult to maintain. For me, it's usually a lack of results that put my momentum to a halt.

For example, I told myself that I was going to get on a cleaning schedule in order to keep my house tidy. On Mondays, I will dust. Tuesdays I will mop, Wednesdays I'll do all the bathrooms, etc. (you get the idea). I am the mother of a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Who was I kidding? On Mondays I would dust. Only to have the 2 year old smear peanut butter all over the glass entertainment center on Tuesday. On Tuesday I would mop. Only to have it rain Tuesday afternoon and see muddy puppy prints all over my floors. Now I'm doing all this work, twice! How is this even close to being efficient or meeting my goal of keeping a clean home???

I was the same way with my health and fitness goals. "This time it's going to be different!" I would say. "I am going to get back to my before baby size in no time!" "This program, this is the one, it's going to be the one that finally works for me!". I'd start a new regime at the gym. Eager and excited to get this new plan under attack. I'd show up early for my fitness class, get my weights and my favorite spot in the studio and get to work!

I'd log everything that I ate, my weight for the day, what I did for exercise and estimate how many calories I burned. I would do this for two years... Sure I lost a few pounds. Sure my clothes got a little bigger. But for the amount of work I was doing the return on investment was nil.  I became discouraged. My favorite fitness class became boring. I had even resigned to the fact that maybe I would never be the size I was before the kids. And I was working so hard, for what was beginning to seem like nothing.  Eventually those 5 days a week at the gym became 2, if any. Logging my food was becoming a hassle. Those "diet" shakes? yea, I did those too and I was starving half the time. I was not seeing results fast enough. I quit. I gave up. I lost my momentum.

But I now have my momentum back and it's slowly picking up speed. The change? I was able to see results from my new health and fitness program almost immediately. Sure, whenever you start a new program, you see results because it's new to your body. And that's exactly what I said to myself. Not expecting to continue to see changes. Then I told myself, "oh, I plateau so quickly, probably after 21 days my body won't react to the fitness and eating plan. I'll need to switch it up, again!". Nope. Not this time. "I'm going to get bored with this workout, the same thing, over and over" Wrong again. "The exercises are going to start to get too easy for me".  Ha ha! I'll be sure to let you know if that ever happens!

And that is why I get so excited about 21 Day Fix and Beachbody. Never in my life have I had this kind of momentum with a fitness program for this long. And I can tell you I have never seen results with such little work in my life. Before my kids, I would spend an hour (at least) in the gym, 7 days a week doing the same things every day. Then I would walk my dog for at least a half hour every single day. In order to maintain my size I would barely consume 1200 calories daily.

 Now I workout for half an hour every day. Each daily workout is different. From cardio to yoga to strength training. I check in with my Challenge group and stay accountable. I drink my Shakeology once a day and I eat. And I eat. And I eat! And I am still seeing results every day. Is every day perfect? No. Have I eaten somethings maybe I shouldn't have from time to time? Yes. But my momentum along with my consistency has and continues to pay of.

So what's next? I'm going to keep my momentum going by having greater goals. My next program is going to be P90X3. Still only a half hour of daily exercise. Still drink my Shakeology and continue to eat healthy and clean.

Do you need some help to get your momentum going? Would you like to achieve your goals alongside someone that knows your struggle? Let me be that person that helps you keep from giving up!

I'm not the coach standing on the sidelines, telling you what needs to be done. I'm the one that's beside you, giving it my all, so you can too.

www.facebook.com/beachbodywithmelinda

Model Skinny?

I can remember those days like they were yesterday... My teen years. I must have spent hours and who knows how much money on all those teen magazines, Seventeen, Teen, etc.

I would read and re-read the same issues over and over. Not just for the fashion and makeup tips but to carefully study those gorgeous teen models! Back in the 80's (when I was a teen) models all pretty much looked like Brooke Shields. Big hair, pouty lips, skinny and sprawled across the pages in their Calvin Kleins or Jordache jeans.

 And nothing was worse than the prom issues. Gorgeous girls with their gorgeous friends and equally gorgeous boyfriends all happy and dressed to the nines, ready to be fabulous at the prom!

Well I no longer stare at those models and have resigned myself to reading Women's Day and All You.  Not so much for the fashion tips but for the recipes and family activities. Today, I look at fashion magazines through a completely different set of eyes.

I still see gorgeous women and girls. But instead of envying their rail thin figures I actually feel sorry for them. So thin they look like if they eat a cracker they'll bloat. And don't even ask a single one of them to open up that stubborn jar of pickles. They might break an arm!  Looking at them I can't help but think of  the misconceptions about body image, weight, muscle and fat.

When I tell people that I have only lost 9 lbs and they see my picture or me, they are shocked. I actually ran into a former neighbor the other day at the grocery store and she was truly surprised when I told her that I had lost less than 10 lbs. "No, way" she said. "You look so much smaller!".

Well that's where the truth lies. Although muscle weighs more than fat, it takes up much less space on your body. And I'll be the first to admit it. When I get on the scale in the morning and if the number hasn't gone down or actually goes up, I get a little panicked. But I remind myself that I'm close to two sizes smaller than I was in July... Two sizes!

There is so much more benefit to having lean muscle mass as opposed to just being thin.

Having more muscle mass in your body will:

• Create a leaner physique
• Reduce your risk of injury
• Increase your strength, stability, power and endurance
• Increase your balance and mobility
• Help to improve the way you feel about yourself
• Increase your energy and vitality
• Improve your athletic performance

So don't be afraid to pick up those weights! Ladies, you will not end up looking like a man. Instead you will have sculpted arms, a smaller waist and of course some muscle mass!

 

Combine weight training exercises along with cardio. But give that poor treadmill, elliptical or stair climber a rest a few days a week. Cardiovascular exercise is always good and is excellent for your heart and lungs. Weight training will not only give you a leaner look, it will help you burn fat all day long. Programs such as 21 Day Fix, Focus T25 and 10 Minute Trainer will all incorporate both cardio and weight training exercises.

 

Combine your workouts with excellent nutrition such as plenty of water, lean protein, vegetables and fruit. Supplement your nutrition with Shakeology. This is especially a good idea when embarking on a new fitness regime. One Shakeology has the nutrition of 5 servings of salad. This will ensure that at least one meal a day is nutritionally dense so your body gets the fuel it needs.

 

Have questions about a fitness program or Shakeology? Weight training or cardiovascular exercise?  Then contact me! I'm here to help

 

www.facebook.com/beachbodywithmelinda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!

My life before Beachbody felt hectic. Like I was always trying to find the time to get everything done and get to the gym. "I only need an hour" I used to say to myself. Just one hour at the gym at least 5 days a week and I'll get these last 20 lbs off.

Well 5 days a week with two young children was pretty close to impossible. Between preschool, play dates, keeping up on the day to day household stuff it was, for me, a challenge. Just getting to the gym was exhausting. If you have children that use car seats, you know what it's like. Get one buckled in, get the other buckled in, run back in the house because you forgot something, run back out, get yourself buckled in, 15 minutes to get to the gym (well there goes a half an hour). Walk the two small children into the gym. This is a task that that can seriously take 10 minutes. "Look Mommy, a leaf! I want to catch it, oh look Mommy! an airplane..." (you get the idea). Check the kids into the on site child care center and finally 40 minutes later, whew! you're ready to workout...

Well my 5 day a week dream quickly dwindled down to 2. 2 days a week to workout. Guess it's better than nothing, right? So two days a week, I would actually pay MORE money so I could drop my 4 year old off at preschool earlier so I could get to the gym. So now the gym was not only costing me more time (because I had to get her to school earlier and first) it was costing me more money!

Top that all off with what I call the "Mommy Diet". You know the one, where you feed your children first then quickly throw together something while they eat (usually something that can be "cooked" in a microwave and closely resembles a chicken nugget shaped dinosaur) because it's quick and easy and heck, they were already out because that's what the kids are eating. As soon as you go to take that first bite, someone needs more milk, more fruit or better yet after two bites is "done". So you're left alone with your handful of dinosaurs and two plates of half eaten dinosaurs. In between the children calling your name now because they need help getting a toy of the shelf or are almost ready to cause serious damage to each other, you try to eat. You eat yours, you finish theirs...

So now, I'm paying for a gym membership I use 2 days a week, paying more for my daughter to go to preschool earlier so I can go to the gym I only go to 2 days a week. Paying for the hour my son is at the on site child care center so I can go to the gym I only go to 2 days a week AND am eating my lunch and theirs because it's easy and it's been "one of those days"... please remind me why I went to the gym again?

Thanks to 21 Day Fix I don't have these kinds of days anymore.  I workout every, single day. When it's convenient for me. Sometimes I get up at 6:00 a.m. so I can have a little bit of quiet time before I exercise. Sometimes it happens at 7:30 a.m. when I get up with my kids. Sometimes I get my workout done at 2:00 p.m. when the kids are having quiet time watching a movie or playing in their rooms. Sometimes it's a 9:00 p.m. when the kids are asleep.  Doesn't matter. I don't have to worry about it. I make it a priority and it gets done when it works for me and the kids.

I also no longer eat "whatever". The 21 Day Fix has taught me that making healthy food choices are just as easy as the microwave chicken nuggets when I take a day or two to plan and prep.  Do my kids still eat chicken nuggets, sure they do. Do I end up eating what they didn't? Not since I started with this program.  If I am feeling like I don't have time to make my lunch I have shakeology. It's that simple.   

The best part of all is I'm saving money!  I won't be dropping my daughter off at preschool early this year, I won't be dragging my youngest to the play center 2 days a week and paying for that hour of care. And that gym membership will more than likely not be renewed come February when my membership expires.  If I don't do all these things I will be saving our family approximately $700.00 this year.  My 21 Day Fix cost a fraction of that amount.  

My life is no longer hectic. I am no longer a slave to the gym. I have successfully managed to make eating right and exercising a priority in my life without the headache or hassle that it used to be.  Life is once again, simple.