Update on fitness

So today's my 2nd day in Florida and Greg took me as a guest to his gym.

Wow...I need Greg as a personal trainer! He motivated me to push myself further than I usually do *and boy did I need it!*

We did upper body weights for around an hour then we did stretching and a little punching bag workout.

Tomorrow I will do a cardio dvd and then swim in Greg and Rosie's pool after to cool off.

How I loooong to live in florida...but I only have 8 months to go...

Sparkpeople Post *awesome*

A new way to think about losing weight

I have to keep telling myself that. It's not. A diet is something you do for a short period of time in order to get a result that doesn't last, and you end up worse off than before. No, no...this is not a diet.

It is a way of life. A life change. Something different. I think we are often too hard on ourselves. I think we get disappointed in ourselves. We get frustrated because after a lot of hard work, the scale doesn't move, or the inches don't come off.

So we go to what we know best. Food. Then more guilt, more frustration, more disappointment.

But I've come to realize something. If this isn't a diet...and it is a way of life, then it's ok. It's ok to have a bad week on the scale, because it's not the end of the world. Next week will come...and then the next. If this is about life change, then I must look at this as a marathon and not a sprint.

I didn't get fat overnight. No, I got fat after years and years of neglect and overeating, lack of exercise, being tired, and a miriad of other excuses. Therefore I can't expect to lose this weight over night. And I won't lose it next week and I won't lose it next month.

But I will lose it. Why?? Because I'm not on a DIET!!. I'm changing my life. I'm changing my lifestyle. I know that while I may have a bad week on the scale or even a bad month, next year, I will not be the same person I was. I will be healthier. I don't know what that means on the scale, but I don't think it matters either. If this is my way of life, then I will be healthier. I know it.

So if I mess up and have a donut or a piece of cake or a slice of pizza now and then, it's ok. I'm not going to drown myself in guilt, nor am I going to drown myself in food. I'm just going to enjoy life. That might mean eating great for a month and then eating not so great for a day or two. But I'm going to enjoy life knowing that I'm making decisions that will make me a happier, healthier person in the future.

I'm not going to look in the mirror and get disappointed that I don't look the way I want to now. It will come. But it will take a while. And you know...that's ok. I'm changing. When the changes come and are visible...then great, but it's ok if I don't see them yet. I just know that everyday I'm going to make better decisions.

Remember...THIS IS NOT A DIET! This is a life change. A new way to live your life. Enjoy it.

Motivation & Inspiration

I've been reading this book that has truly helped me stay motivated as I continue on my journey of health. The author is a Christian lady who you might have seen on TV as an exercise guru. Anyways, I decided for the theme of the post to be inspirational quotes from the book that have helped motivate me and keep going.

I say the following to myself everyday *affirmations*:

-The goal: Less body and more soul!

-If you and I do our part, God will do the rest

-Each day I get stronger and each day I get a little closer to God.

-Expect to succeed!

-Ask God to help you out of bed and into your sneakers, it will work!

-Changing your patterns changes your life

**What you say is what you believe

-When I honor my body I honor God.

-I love my body and today I will treat it with RESPECT

-Our testimony must be strong as our walk is strong in life.

So I started this thing 15 days ago...

I started a program called Body-for-LIFE a little over 2 weeks ago. It's an excellent program full of great exercises / motivation / and overall awesome inspiration.
The Lord lead me to this through the help of my dear brother, Greg *a true fitness geek*
Not only has this program been fun to do, but it is simply do-able! I alternate days between the weight room / cardio / and of course I get a free day each week.
I'm never in the weight room for more than 50 minutes and when I do cardio it's for a mere 20 minutes a pop!
In just a little over 2 weeks, I've lost 1.5" in my waist, I can ACTUALLY SEE definition in my arms again AND I have LOADS more energy!
The program is for 12 weeks and I am determined to stick with it.
Just take a look at the following people and their success:











Anyways, I took 'before' pictures of myself so that at the end of the 12 weeks you will be able to see my transformation!





Prayers would be awesome for strength / motivation / love / peace / patience during this time.
I hope everyone is doing awesomely and I love you all!

**If you would like to see more success stories visit the following link:
http://bodyforlife.com/success/index.asp