Weekly Motivation: Kick discouragement in the face

As Jenni and I start our new chapter in our fitness journey as Coaches for FXB, I thought it would be a good idea to share some thoughts about how to stick to your workout plan, how to stay committed, and how to not get discouraged.

Let's face it, when you are the new kid on the block it can be intimidating and scary.  Whether you are starting a new job, new school, moving to a new city, joining a club, or starting a fitness routine for the first (or 10th time like me), it can be very overwhelming.  I have a pretty bad case of social anxiety, and if it wasn't for FXB getting me out of my comfort zone, I would still be a hermit inside my home, overweight, and sad. 

Starting a new fitness program is hard.  Our bodies aren't used to the physical activity we are about to put it though, and we aren't used to using food as fuel not for pleasure.  We shock our systems by cutting out caffeine, sugar, and processed foods.  Then tell our bodies to endure a physically demanding workout, and expect to feel good afterward.  No it sucks.  Our bodies are trying to expell and flush out the toxins we have been feeding ourselves for a long period of time.  Muscles we didn't even know existed hurt, fat starts crying, our heads are pounding due to "caffeine withdrawals", we are cranky, and get irriated more easily. I have been there.  I have gone though all of this many times.  Our natural reaction when things get hard is to?  You guessed it, QUIT. We quit and go back to our old familiar lifestyle.  Why do we do this?  You guessed right again...because it's EASY.  It is so easy to stop prepping up healthy meal choices and grab all of your meals at convient fast food places.  It's easy to choose to lay on the couch and binge watch all of Sons of Anarchy, while digging into the pint(s) of Ben and Jerry's.  It's easy to get out of a long day of work on a Friday and decide to skip the gym and hit the pool party instead.  It's easy to go and have a drink or two or five with your friends.  It's easy to make excueses.  Where did easy get you though.  Easy got you to that unhappy, unhealthy place where you stare into that mirror and don't like who you see. Easy got you to the place where you put yourself down daily and say horrible things to yourself.

#1: Find your support team.  It is so much easier to stick to it when you have support from like minded people.

I think by now if you have read some of my other entries, you will know that the number one reason why I have stuck to it is because I have found an amazing support system.  My Farrell's Family. If it weren't each one of them making me accountable, keeping me motivated, and sharing my journey, I wouldn't have stuck to it.

 #2: Do something you really enjoy doing

Again I have said this before. Do something you love and are passionate about.  Do you like running, hiking, biking, weight lifting, zumba, swimming, tennis, soccer, kickboxing? Find some kind of physical activity you like to do.  When you are having fun, you won't want to quit.

#3: Kick Discouragement in the face

We all transform at our own pace.  We all catch on to new things differntly.  Sometimes it's harder for us to get into a routine than others.  Do not get discouraged, remember why you started this.  Use your support team to revive your spirtits.


 #4: Remove  I CAN'T from your vocabulary

Try...You will never know what you can do unless you try.  Will it be scary? Will it be hard? Will it be uncomfortable?  Yes it proabably will, but try.  You can do more than you think you can.







#5: Set Goal that you will be able to achieve in the time given.

Make smaller goals that you can accomplish.  Example: I will drink 80 ounces of water each day, I will log all of my food for the week, I will lose 5 lbs. in 2 months. Once you reach that goal reward yourself.  NOT WITH FOOD, you are not a dog (unless they are Quest Bars.  Alwasys reward yourself with Quest bars they are amazing).  Reward yourself with a different kind of treat: get your nails done, hair done, shop for a new outfit, get your car professionally cleaned, get tickets to a concert....what ever it is make memories with it!  That way you can remember 'Hey I hit my goal and because of it I was able to...' Goals and rewards always help push me to keep going.

Let me be that little voice that tells you to push yourself out of that confort zone.  Keep going, and don't give up when it starts to get hard.  You can do anything you put your mind to.  When you start to get discouraged and start to feel the excuses start to fester into your brain, STOP!  Think about why you are saying you "Can't do something". Are you really, truly, physically unable to keep your commitment to yourself to be healthier? Or is it the easy way out again? YOU CAN... Believe you can do it and you will surprise yourself.  Wake up determined and go to bed saying "It might not have been a perfect day, but I tried my hardest." In the end you will be thankful you never gave up.

Keep Inspiring,
 ~Shauna~

Shauna's Thoughts: Fitting Rooms

Fitting rooms... I loath them.  The lighting is always horrible, the mirrors I swear are the kinds you would see in a fun house, and the rooms are so small I start to get claustrophobic. Every time I bring in a pile of clothes into the room, my first instinctive thought is "These are never going to fit me, why am I even bothering."  I have had such a bad relationship with myself that I have ingrained into my brain that nothing ever fits.  We look into the mirror and when we don't see what society has deemed as perfect, we start to beat ourselves up by saying horrible things. Fat, ugly, thunder thighs, cow stomach, stretch marks, cellulite, saggy skin, bat wings, muffin top, cankles... the list goes on.  When we are looking into the mirror saying these horrible things to ourselves day after day we start to believe it.


Lucky for me my job requires a uniform that they provide, so no need to be fancy there. If I am not at work, I am at Farrell's or at home and I wear workout pants and a t-shirt (I'm really a great catch). All of the other normal clothing I own like jeans and dresses just don't fit...they are either too big, too small, or  very outdated.

Recently I have had three occasions where yoga pants and a superhero t-shirt were not going to cut it.   I had to face my anxiety and fear and go shopping somewhere other than Wal-Mart.  Maybe it's because since having my son, (who is now four years old) that I just lost interest in dressing up and wearing real clothes. I'm going to blame it on the inventors of yoga/work-out pants, because once you try on a pair of really comfy, soft,  stretchy yoga pants you can never go back to jeans. Ever.  Either way, I have lost the art of putting together a complete outfit. Where are Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear when you need them?  They are amazing stylists who can make any girl (or guy) of any size or shape, feel like a million bucks.



I put my big girl pants on and faced the shopping centers and the fitting rooms.  Now that I have lost over 30 pounds, I honestly didn't even know what size I was.  As I walked into these shops I instantly felt like everyone was watching me and judging me.  I felt as if they were thinking "Why is she even in this store? She looks like she belongs in a barn.  She will never fit into anything in this store she is way too big for these clothes. She is clueless and awkward..."  Of course this was all in my head.  Nobody even looked my way, and a few of the clerks even helped me pick out some things to try on.  My point is, here is another instance where when we don't feel like we fit this idea of perfection, we (or maybe it's just me) start to have all of these irrational fears and thoughts of what everyone else will think or say.

So here are some things I have recently learned when shopping

 (I'm still working on some of these myself)

1) Have an idea of what you are going to be shopping for.  What occasion is it for, and will it be appropriate for that occasion.  When I was trying on dresses for a wedding we had to attend, I tried on about 8 dresses.  The one I instantly liked was a long cheetah print dress... however my husband brought me back to reality.  "Do not get the cheetah print one, this is a wedding, and you are not from Jersey" he said.  So even though I really thought that was the dress for me, I had to keep looking for something more appropriate.

2) Don't let the size number on the clothing item have control of who you are.  Every store is different and all size 12's are not made the same, just like all size Mediums are not  made the same.  The type of fabric, cut, and manufacture will all play a factor into how the clothing fits. This is why most of us dread trying on clothes.  That stupid number on the back of my pants can flip my emotional meter into a frenzy in a matter of seconds.  When you try something on that doesn't fit and it is the "size" you think you should fit in, it damages you mentally.  That's when we start to critique ourselves and say those horrible things about our bodies (see first paragraph)

3) To avoid this problem, I take 3 sizes of whatever clothing item I want to buy into the fitting room.  Small, Medium, Large....10, 12, 14...etc.  Then I choose whichever one truly fits my body.  I just bought two pairs of shorts the other day.  One was a size 12, and one was a size 14.  I don't care what the tag says all I know is they fit, they don't give me muffin top, and they don't squish my thighs out the bottom like sausages.  I haven't worn shorts in over a year, so needless to say I was so excited. I actually felt good in the shorts.  Instead of saying something negative about my body, I looked into the mirror and said, " Girl look at those quad muscles starting to come in".

4) This brings me to my final tip.  Let's build a better positive body image of ourselves.  Our bodies are like a canvas, they show the story of our life. Most of us all have things we want to work on, or things that we wish we could change about our bodies, but we need to embrace what we have.  My stomach looks like a baby tiger attacked it, and I only had one child.  I have had stretch marks on my thighs since middle school. My chest is non existent now since I have lost weight, bye bye boobies! That's OK though.  This is my journey and I am still working on my final product.

Even as I write this, I think about it being summer and how I have yet to get into my swimsuit.  That is definitely out of my comfort zone.  See what I mean, I'm working on this positive thinking thing too.  This week was getting into shorts, and that was a big deal for me.  I don't know if I see a swimsuit in the near future, but I will take baby steps and start saying nicer things to myself.  I encourage all of you to get into a positive mind frame.

Keep Inspiring ~Shauna~

Shauna's Thoughts: Back To Basics

May has turned out to be a very crazy month for myself. First my Grandmother went into the hospital and I am really the only one here to help visit and bring her clothes and necessities she may need.  Then my husband and I made the decision to move into my Grandma's house in order to prepare her home for her return.  She will also need assistance once she is finally release. Trying to plan and execute my sons 4th birthday party, and try to settle him into the new house. Plus trying to balance my work and Farrell's schedules around all of this has really put my nutrition into a bit a jumble. My weigh-ins at Max Muscle have still been really good even in the chaos, but I know that my nutrition is starting to slip. I have been down this road too many times before, and I don't plan to continue going toward this dark path. So, as life is starting to settle back into normalcy, I am grabbing my ticket to getting back to basics. NUTRITION will be the key!  You can spend hours exercising and working out, but if you don't have your nutrition locked down you will never make progress.

Everyone has bad days, that turn into bad weekends, that turn into bad weeks, or even possibly turn into bad months.  That's life and it happens. We can't beat ourselves up for being human. What we can do is think about how far we have come and get back on track. I'll say it again,  let's get back to basics.  Write down your goals for the next month, break it down into weeks if that helps. Post it somewhere you will see it everyday. Plan your meals for the day or better yet the week! Water water water...this is something I have not been doing enough of. Grab a friend to workout with, friends that sweat together stay together.  Now that it is getting nicer outside get off the couch and do something fun outside with the family!  Do not let one bad meal, one bad weekend, or even one bad week keep you down. You have come to far to let something so tiny smolder your flame. 

Last weeks goals!

So, who is with me? I challenge everyone to write down their goals for the next month. They don't need to be crazy goals, make the goals something you can achieve in a month. Then you won't feel pressured or discouraged and give up.  Some examples could be: Drinking at least 80oz of water a day. Cut back alcohol to one drink a week (better yet no alcohol for 30 days).  Same for soda. Do you have a sweet tooth? Use fruits to satisfy your cravings.  Be dedicated to using your food log... You get the point.  These small little changes  will make a big impact over time!  Make posters, collages, or keep a journal for inspiration. I finally had a few minutes last night to catch up on my Fitness Smash Book.  It helped me gain some much needed motivation by looking at all the progress I have already made.  So remember, if you slipped up or fell off the wagon and you're looking for a sign to get back on track....THIS IS IT! This is your sign.  I will not let you fail, you can do anything you put your mind to. How bad do you want it?

Keep Inspiring  ~Shauna~
 

Shauna's Thoughts: How to stay Motivated

Sorry we weren't able to get a Motivation Monday post done this week.  May has turned out to be quite hectic to both Jenni and I. We will have a great story for everyone next Monday.  I get to do a Q&A with the lovely Carol Wisecarver! She has been in the FXB world for a very long time, and I cannot wait to get her story. Until then, I thought I could share some ideas and tips on how I stay motivated.

#ONE 

Find your reason WHY.  Why did you start this journey in the first place?  

Did you just want to lose a few winter pounds? Did you have to lose the weight because of a medical reason? Were you just tired of the way you look and feel?  Were you tired of making promises to yourself and never followed through? Did you want to be healthier for your family?  There had to have been a reason WHY you started.  Write that reason down and put it somewhere where you will see it every day!

#TWO

 Don't do it alone! Get the entire family involved, do it with friends, or make friends with people who have the same goals.  Surround yourself with like minded people.  You will gain accountability, support, and you will have fun. This will give you a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk you off the ledge as you are about to eat that delicious doughnut, and give you some good competition!  All of which will keep you motivated and determined to keep going. 

#THREE

 Realize that Rome wasn't built in a day.  I didn't gain all my weight and get into all of my unhealthy habits in one day.  It took a year for me to gain back the 30+ pounds I had lost the previous year.  I was realistic and I knew I wasn't going to lose all the weight in one day either.  Remember there isn't a miracle pill or diet that will instantly make you skinny (well I mean I guess there is photo shop... JUST KIDDING). It will take hard work, perseverance, determination, accountability, and getting into the right mind set to see results. There will be good days and bad days, but don't give up just cause you had a bad day or week.  Get back up, call a friend and get back to it! 

#FOUR

 Do something you like to do, I have said this before.  I have never been successful in my weight loss because I never stuck to it.  Why?  Because there wasn't any passion in what I was doing.  Sure, I was dropping weight and looking better, but I hated going to the gym.  My husband will tell how I would dread going to the gym.  I would make any excuse possible to not go, and complain about the workouts he was giving me.  It wasn't until I found something that I enjoyed doing and became completely passionate (OK let's be honest...obsessed) about, that I have finally stuck with it.  Enjoying my fitness routine motivates me to go every day, and push myself harder and harder during every workout. It motivates me so much that I was refereed to as the "teachers pet" the other day.  Guess what?  I wear that with pride because I love what I do. Haters gonna hate ;)

#FIVE

Here's a sample of my Smash book

Keep a fitness journal or post inspirational quotes.  This is something that I also get made fun of for doing, but I don't care.  It keeps me motivated.  I started my fitness "Smash Book" when I started FXB at the beginning of this year.  I needed something that I could document my journey in.  I wanted something that I could look back to when I was feeling unmotivated, in a slump, or having one of those "bad days".  I absolutely love it and it doubles as a therapy session for me.  I love having a creative outlet.


                                                                         
#SIX
Don't let the number on the scale define you.  This one is hard for me to remember too.  I think as a society we have been trained to fit into a certain size jean, and stay with-in a certain number on the scale. We are all made differently, and we all come in different shapes and sizes.  Don't be discouraged by the numbers.  Look for improvements in your daily life.  Are you able to walk farther without losing your breath? Do you have more energy?  Are your clothes fitting better? Try taking measurements of your body every three months.  Maybe you didn't lose numbers on the scale, but you will be shocked when you realize you have lost inches on your body! Stay positive and keep going  refer back to #THREE!

Well those are some things that help me stay motivated.  Leave a comment below and tell us what keeps you motivated!  Just remember don't give up, it will take time and patience, but in the end it will be worth all of hard work.

Keep Inspiring
~Shauna~

Motivation Monday

So here on Inspiring Journey we are planning to "interview" people who inspire us and then share there stories for Motivation Monday's. We weren't able to get our first interview done yet...but stay tuned for next week we have an awesome interview in the works with a fellow FXB lifer :)

I'm going to get a bit personal this for this post.  This weekend was really hard for me.  My granmother, who basically raised me, was sent to the emergency room on Sunday morning.   Honestly, I haven't been feeling very motivated or cheery.  Today was the first day in 17 weeks that I finally missed my first every FXB class.  I was was ready to go bag packed, shoes on, keys in hand...but I was just sad... there was no way I was going to be able to kickbox today and give my level 10.  So, I curled up into a ball and cuddled my dog on the couch until it was time to pick my son up from daycare.

As I started to recieve messages of support from my fellow FXB team, I realized that talking about what was happing was actually helping me get out of my slump.  So I wanted to thank everyone who has given me warm wishes and prayers for my grandmother's recovery.  It has motviated me to get out of my shell once again and open up a bit. I can't wait to see all of them on the mat tomorrow.

I suppose what I'm trying to say by this is, life happens and thats ok.  There are always going to be ups and downs.  We have to surround ourselves with positive people.  People who truly care about us, motivate us to keep going, push us though the hard times, make us stonger, and send thoughts and prayers when needed.  I am truly blessed that I have met so many wonderful people through Farrel's.  If I never would have taken the final push to start this journey I wouldn't have these people in my life.  So take the leap to start something new, you never know when you will need new friends to help you.

~Shauna~