Ok let's be honest...the holidays are the HARDEST time of the year to maintain weight, and ideally, shed lbs! People put on the most weight during the holidays...that's a proven fact! Let me offer a new way of thought to help get through the holidays WITHOUT gaining the weight, and STILL ENJOY THE FOOD!!
I was reading this article (I'll post the link to at the end of the post) that inspired me to figure out a plan of attack. I'm also reading this book, Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst, about how to deal with cravings and making healthy food choices. A combination of these two things made me inspired to do the following this holiday season!
Let's just focus on Thanksgiving. Ok, so for me, here's what I'm going to do...usually, for my meals throughout the day, I'll have 4 oz of lean meat (or a bunch of egg whites), 4 or 5 oz of veggies, and 1-2 oz of sweet potato (or some brown rice, quinoa, etc.). This was given to me by my nutritionist. So on Thanksgiving day, my mom is going to make some desserts (healthy using natural ingredients...great recipes...I can hook you up with them). I'm going to measure out my food for my main dinner...4 oz of turkey, 5 oz of veggies (maybe a little more...it's gonna be a cheat, so I'm just increasing my portions MAYBE), and some sweet potatoes. We are also making guacamole (which is ok, because avocados are a healthy fat!)! After I portion out my food and put just that on my plate, I'm going to have a LITTLE dessert, and walk away from the table! Then, a few hours later when I feel hungry, I'll do the SAME THING!
I have a tendency to binge eat on holidays, and if I have one slice of pie, I usually eat the whole thing! Haha. It's just what I've always done. This year, I refuse to do that, so measuring out my food or portioning it out will keep me from eating everything else. My biggest problem is picking after dinner when the food is still out! Anyone with me on that? Yes? Good! Here's the plan!
When I'm sitting at the table talking with family, and I find that I am tempted to pick at the food sitting on the table, (which usually causes me so much anxiety and frustration to stay away from it that I just give in), I'm going to GET UP, WALK AWAY, go into another room, pray, journal, play with my dogs...do WHATEVER I have to do and wait for the craving to pass. Once I feel under control, I'll go back with my family and continue my day!
I'm not telling you this is going to be easy for me! This is going to be really hard! I'm telling you (and myself) that it will pay off! I'm actually looking forward to putting my plan into action! It'll keep my mind at ease, and more importantly, allow me to experience the JOY of food WITHIN the FREEDOM I was given.
We are not subject to our temptations, cravings, and binges. WE have the POWER to MAKE OUR OWN CHOICES!!! Our cravings and temptations DO NOT DICTATE how we act. Think. How is this going to benefit me tomorrow? Or in a few hours when I'm ready to throw up because I overate? How is this getting me closer to my goals? How is this making me FREE? It's not? Oh...then let me get up, walk away, and pray for strength! WE ARE MADE FOR MORE THAN THIS! We are made for FREEDOM!
When you feel tempted, get up, walk away, and think. Enjoy the holidays and desserts, and may we be smart in our decisions! Make a plan of attack for yourself. If this works for you, LET'S DO IT!!! You're not alone! Get people around you to hold you accountable! I'm putting this out there and welcoming the accountability myself!!! Text a friend, tell a family member, have a signal with someone at the table who can help you when you feel weak! Let us be empowered this holiday season with our food choices rather than defeated! When YOU make the choice, YOU ARE EMPOWERED!!! You can do it!
Read this article for more tips! So helpful and EMPOWERING!!!
http://www.acefitness.org/blog/2958/how-to-mentally-prepare-your-clients-for-the/
Much love, and comment below if you are in need of some accountability! Email me, and let's do this TOGETHER!
xoxo
So today, I did a burpee mile with Chris. INTENSE to say the least!!!!! What is a burpee mile? I'm so glad you asked:) You do a burpee followed by a broad jump for one mile...aka 4 laps around a track! I thought I was going to die...but we both finished it and are both sore and EXHAUSTED!
But here's the thing. Not EVEN a year ago, I couldn't do a sit up, push up, and had no idea what a burpee was. Couldn't do a 1/2 burpee, let alone 1 full one with good form. Going from that, to doing as many as I can in 5 min (46 back in March?) to as many as I can in 3 min (42 in Sept I think) to as many as I can in 1 min as part of my DAILY routine (between 22-24), and now doing ONE MILE of burpees...I'd say success!
From a mental standpoint...after the first lap, that of which we were pretty much around the same pace, I thought of every excuse to stop after one lap. I thought, "Ehhhh one lap is pretty good...I'll just stop here...I don't want to keep going." But every time I looked forward, I saw Chris busting ass and pass the starting point and thought, "Well shoot, I'm not gonna let him say he's the only one that did it!" So I kept going...and going...and going. And as he lapped me, and then walked next to me for the last 1/4 mile...he reminded me it's 80% mental, 20% physical.
When it comes to results, it's easy to make EVERY EXCUSE in the book as to why it's not going to work. I've done it and I've been there. MENTALLY, while our bodies sit idle, we talk ourselves out of putting in the time and dedication to achieve our "dream" ... our goal! But what does that get you? NOTHING! IT GETS YOU THE SAME THING IT'S ALWAYS GOTTEN YOU...NOWHERE! The time we waste talking ourselves out of training hard is time that we could use training! Time AND energy!!! Wasted time = wasted results!
"I have no money; I have no time; I have kids to take care of; I'm tired after work; I have no energy..." and the list goes on. But what have you spent money on within the past week? We all have 24 hours in a day...why is it that the people WHO YOU ASPIRE TO BE LIKE are the people that FIND TIME to be fit and work on their fit-ness. Sure, you have kids...and that takes up a lot of time, but what about the baby weight that you're desperate to lose? HOW DESPERATE? What price can you put on getting back the body you had pre-baby? You get more energy when you workout...it makes you more mentally focused during the work day.
Studies have shown that people who get the most promotions are the people who work out...why? Because they train the mental more so than the physical...you have problems multitasking? Train with more complex exercises. Have difficulty focusing on one task? Train more simplistically. This is why having a trainer is key...they HELP you work on your weak points...MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY! Those who are more successful in their jobs challenge the weak parts of the brain which allows them to be more successful during their day. The stronger you are mentally, the more you are able to do. Like today for me...it took mostly MENTAL strength to complete that mile. Like Chris said: imagine your worst workout ever...and the easiest workout at the same time. Yup...that pretty much sums it up. My world felt like it was moving in slow motion. But because my BODY was strong, it CHALLENGED MY MIND to keep up. When your MIND IS STRONG and your BODY IS WEAK, your mind challenges your body to keep up.
Fitness allows you to release stress. It's not something that you do to be "hot" or "fit" or simply to get a 6 pack (although that still remains as one of my goals...among many others:)!). Fitness allows you to become more mentally sound. Sound body, sound mind. Sound meaning peace. When you are CONTENT with yourself and PROUD OF YOURSELF for the things YOU accomplished, NO ONE can break that. No amount of chaos can take that away from you. It allows you to be a better mom, a better friend, a better co-worker, a better wife/husband...A BETTER PERSON! WHO DO YOU WANT TO BECOME? Are you happy with who you are? I'm not talking physically...I'm talking holistically. Are you at peace? Are you content? Have you found the sound part of your soul that keeps you grounded? For THAT is the greatest gift you can offer yourself. SO LET'S FIND IT! FIND WHAT YOU WANT AND DON'T STOP TIL YOU GET IT!!!
The hardest part is getting started..."without self-discipline, success is impossible" (Lou Holtz).
I'll leave you with this quote that I found recently on Pinterest! (I love Pinterest for motivational fitness quotes...keeps me going...and for the food..haha) It's from a pro surfer...Laura Enever: "Insecure? It's not in my vocabulary. I WORK TOO HARD FOR THAT! Whether I'm riding a wave, or running a 5k, I do it for myself...not because I'm expected to. I am a woman. I am powerful. Pride? It's what I love by."
What do you pride yourself on? LET IT BE DEDICATION!
#teamshehulk #burpeemile #dedication #devotion #besound
I just wanted to take some time to share my journey and how I got to be where I am now.
I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible!! Those of you that know me know that it's near impossible!! Haha.
Ok, so I started personal training my freshman year of high school. I broke my ankle, and coming back from that injury, I started working with a trainer. I absolutely loved it, and as I trained with him all through high school, I realized that I had a great love for fitness and saw myself transform outside, but there was still a great discontent that I had with myself.
My whole life I've always struggled with losing weight. I was always told that I was overweight, obese even, and that I needed to work harder because I was heavier. My family on my mom's side never bought into the healthy lifestyle and the importance of investing in that (although my mom has transformed mentally and physically over the past 10 years!). My whole life I was around the mentality that if you eat more, the better it is. Eat when you're happy, eat when you're sad, eat when you're stressed, eat when your bored, eat when you watch a movie...eat eat eat! "Sometimes, you just need to eat!" (And the fact that I'm 1/2 Italian doesn't help! Haha).
Went to college, stopped working out, ate whatever I wanted, lived away from home, basically the shit hit the fan. Graduated in 2009 and gained about 25 lbs over those 4 years. Went to grad school in NY right after college, and the beginning of 2010 I started working out again. I went back to my trainer I had in high school, because I was home in CT a lot, but then moved to NY in Aug. 2010. I worked out by myself for the next year and 1/2, and saw absolutely no results.
In Dec. of 2011, I decided that it was time for a big change. I got to a point where I was sick of who I was, how I was, what I looked like, and how I felt. I hit a point in my life where I thought to myself, "Well, I guess this is it. I guess I'm destined to be fat." I had my eye out for a trainer, but refused to work with just any trainer...and didn't have the money. I told my mom, in the midst of tears (which is not unusual lol), "I'll do WHATEVER I have to do to lose weight. I want to...I just don't know what to do. I've tried a bunch of stuff for years and nothing has worked! What am I supposed to do? It's impossible for me to lose weight. Someone tell me what to do and I'll do it." Low and behold, that's what happened.
In the beginning of Jan of 2012, we were promoting a Zumba event in NY and I was reaching out to local Zumba instructors. I reached out to one in particular who responded with, "Sure, I'll definitely help...I have a bootcamp class that morning, so usually my students are exhausted, but I'll e-mail them and let them know." It then dawned on me that he potentially does personal training as well. So I inquired, to which his response was..."Are you seriously looking for a trainer? Because we work hard and get results." Those words joyed my heart! I told my mom, and she said, "Well, don't get your hopes up. Do you have enough money?" I said, "I don't care; I'll find a way to make it happen! I WANT RESULTS!!"
The day after the Zumba event, I started training with Chris Power. After the first session, I knew that this was going to be fantastic, although come to find out many months later, Chris didn't feel the same way! LOL.
Here we are, 10+ months later, and my life has drastically changed. I have lost 30+ lbs, gone down like 5 pant sizes, gone through 3+ wardrobes, and am in the best shape I have ever been in my life. I am now at a place that was only a dream to me a year ago...something that I began to believe was never attainable. My philosophy going into training was, "I'll do whatever I'm told...what do I have to lose?" Well, weight...and clothes...and the idea that my genes were preventing me from being who I dreamed of being.
There was a lot missing in my life before training with Chris...my belief in myself, enjoying working out, and having someone who knew how to get me where I wanted to be. I know that I owe it to myself and that I put the work in, but it goes deeper than that for me. I feel like I owe it all to him, because it wasn't about just losing weight. It was about overcoming deep seated ideas and faulty thinking that I've had my entire life. It was about overcoming the labels that were put on me just because of how I looked. I've realized that physical empowerment causes you to be better in life...which I knew, but seeing it played out so significantly in my life gave it a whole new meaning. I used to think that my genes were the problem...."My whole family struggles with losing weight...it's just how it's going to be for me, too!" I was giving in.
Success in fitness (or life) is about being determined. It's about having the drive and willpower to work through the obstacles, trusting the person who you are working with, and finding someone who MAKES you BELIEVE that your hard work WILL pay off!! It's about having someone by your side reminding you of the very reason you started training. And most importantly, it's about finding someone who is as committed to you as you are to your goals!!
That's the short of where I've been...but let me tell you that hard work does pay off!!! I have found some of the most amazing people along this journey and am surrounded by people who are excited to see me reach my goals...people who push me to be better! Hitting walls shouldn't stop us from moving forward; it should give us MORE determination to overcome them! Setbacks along the way shouldn't cause us to give up; it's a chance for us to come back and smash through them! Keep moving forward...dig deeper; aim higher! IF YOU WANT RESULTS...GET THEM!
#teamhulk #teamshehulk
