Mustering Up The Motivation?!?

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "How do I keep myself motivated?” the answer isn't always the same for each individual. I suggest a few things by asking a few questions and based on a person's response, I can usually offer something to get them started. Most people who have ignored their bodies for a long period of time have plenty of reasons to start motivating themselves such as: getting rid of excess weight, relieving stress, renewing depleted energy levels, and actually getting a better night's sleep. Those are great motivation starters and usually do keep someone going for a few weeks or months. What can you do when boredom sets in? I can offer suggestions for that as well:

Change up the routine every few weeks: Not only is it good for relieving boredom, but also its great for your body to get something new and different. Our bodies tend to get used to whatever we give it and this is also the culprit usually for plateauing.

Find a different reason for motivation: Focusing on one thing for a long period of time may become a bit tiring and perhaps that thing you are aiming for isn’t coming as quickly as you like. This is the time to re-shift, refocus, and reevaluate. You may ask yourself, "What has improved?", "What changes have I seen?", "What has my family, loved ones, and friends noticed or complimented me on?" Those are all great things that you can internalize as motivation. It’s about finding a new muse.

Getting a personal trainer or a workout partner: Accountability: it’s a good thing. A personal trainer can give you the proper tools and ideas to develop a great workout plan that is specific to you. Personal training may not be an option for some but finding a person who needs the same thing as you may be ideal. A workout partner can keep you accountable and may help you develop the competitive drive you need to attain your goals.

Last thing to remember is that patience is crucial. Reversing bad habits and losing excess weight does not occur overnight, remember you did not develop these problems overnight either. Things can always be changed and mind over matter truly does work.

FINALLY a before and after

Before: at my heaviest weight.

Currently: This is me now.

My journey has never been easy, its still an everyday challenge to remain consistent in eating healthy and making the choice to workout and do the things I am suppose to do to keep moving forward. I will never call it an after photo, its a constant effort and a true lifestyle change.

Start your New Years Resolution now!

Having kids, obligations, work, and stressing about finances is part of almost everyone's daily life. Let's consider the added stresses and temptations of the holiday season approaching, and we are way overwhelmed. Most people have the idea of beginning a "diet" and exercise routine in January, "As soon as the new year is here, I am getting in shape", we have all said that at some point in our life. For many of us, we have said it every year, over and over again, and before you know, it is March and you have yet to start.

What's wrong with beginning that resolution now?  Incorporating a few things in your life now can make the difference between success and failure in the New Year. If you are not participating in any exercise routine at all right now, the best thing to do is begin! You don't have to overwhelm yourself with a 5 day a week workout at this point, but what is extremely beneficial is -3 days a week -30 minutes a day- of some type of cardio workout. I can think of three ways, right off the top of my head, of why it’s a good idea: 1. it will help you deal with holiday stress 2. It prepares your body for that more intense routine you are planning. 3. YOU should be doing this anyway for general health.

The next way you could be starting the resolution early is through some calorie cutting, increasing water intake, and saving the "holiday temptations" for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day only. The time in between make healthier choices. I always say if you can maintain your weight during the holiday season that is success!

My Plate

myplate.gov

What will it take to move you?

Yeah, its been a while, my apologies, life happens.

I just have been thinking in all sincerity, what would it take to change your life? To motivate you? To reach that new level in your life, to take charge of your health?  A crisis is what is usually takes and unfortunately most of us do not ever learn from someone else's bad choices, we learn from our own. As I was in the middle of my cardio workout today, I took a moment and looked around. I saw quite a few people "struggling" and not to discredit their effort by any means, its just that I wonder, what life scare did they receive to take a serious step in reversing their underlining problem of failing health?

Mine came from the simple fact that I was in my thirties, giving myself insulin to live. I still live with the damage that diabetes was doing to me. I have irreversible nerve damage to my feet and it has never gotten any worse over time, but never any better. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I didn't decide to take control, get some help, and change my outcome. 

What would be your breaking point? The inability to breathe? The minor joint pain? The overall lazy feeling you have, that just keeps you right there on the sofa? Your inability to create a minimum of 3 hours a week to devote to yourself so you can give more to your job, your family, and yourself? Don't wait until its too late and you become so immobile that not even a light workout is possible. So late that you are living only through medication, and doctor appointments. Change it before its too late. It is about thinking, planning, and then finally doing something about it.

Eating Out! What About Choices!

I am short blogging today.


Saturday night I went out to one of my favorite places to eat. I focused much more on the atmosphere and the fun I was having than rather on the food I ate. I had a great meal, a healthy choice. In our fast paced lives we tend to grab and go and our choices are not necessarily wise. I have set up 2 links from here just to help guide through what is a good choice while dining out.


http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/abs-health/healthy-chinese-food


http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm


Remember: (one of my favorite quotes)


Success is not a race, be patient.
Success leads to success.
Success is always a work in progress.
Success doesn't come to you--you go to it.
Success is a journey, not a destination. Focus on the process.
Some people dream about success... while others wake up and work hard at it.
Success is achieved and maintained by those who try-and keep trying.
Everyday is a good day to SUCCEED!
If at first you don't succeed-try, try again

Over Doing It: The Biggest Motivation Killer of all Time

I have done this so many times in the past: Ready for a change, to the lose weight. "I will walk everyday if I have to, and I will eat nothing but fruit and vegetables". "I will starve myself by skipping breakfast and lunch". "I will join the gym and make myself go every single day". I would do just that, for about one week, I would be sore and sick of eating nothing my body was craving. Then, I would go eat a whole pizza and forget the whole thing.  I was back to trying to rationalize my lack of motivation, or so I thought, never figuring out that I was taking on a major change and that it was overwhelming my mind and my body.

  I have always been a gradual change person, let's face it, sudden change hurts in any sort of fashion whether it’s losing a loved one or losing a job. Life in general is complicated enough and full of things that are difficult to deal with or even face sometimes. Why in the world would we want to put something else on ourselves? A sudden diet change and then adding an exercise routine designed for a triathlete, all at once? This is really when the motivation dies and those workout clothes go back in the closet. I tell anyone I meet, and anyone I train, give yourself 2 to 4 weeks to adjust to a few changes in your life, you will see and feel the difference, and will be ready for more. Begin a cardio routine, 30 minutes of walking for example, for at least 3 days a week. Also, begin a weight lifting routine, 15 to 20 min, as many times a week. Make sure to stretch before and after your exercise routine.  A beginner’s workout should never be no more than an hour a day, even if you feel like doing more. Your body is now allowed to build up the stamina it needs to support your new lifestyle.

 Drink plenty of water, avoid soda and sugary drinks.  A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats is always a good choice, but don't beat yourself up if you stray. We all stray at some point or another; the crucial thing to remember is you can continue your health plan in the next meal. Better to cure the craving in a small portion right then, than to let it continue, haunt you and turn into something you will regret because you lost control. 

 Please remember we all have to learn to crawl before we walk. A lifestyle change is probably something you have tried before, and then probably failed at; the difference between success and failure is always in the approach.

    

How's the Diet Going? It's Going Healthy...

Another question I am frequently asked, "How's the diet going?" "It's going well", I say. It's always going well, not because I eat diet food, it’s because I eat healthy. I do not have any problems with diet plans, diet pills in moderation, or weight loss surgeries. All those things are fine, I do not judge a person's methods for trying to control their weight, I just know what has worked and continue to works for me. I do not eat special diet food, nor have I ever followed a diet plan, such as weight watchers, etc. I do very few things to alter my diet, being a former diabetic of course; I continue to always stay with carbohydrate controlled meals and snacks. I do not leave carbs completely out of the equation; I simply choose the right types of complex carbs. Examples of complex carbs are whole grain bread, fruits, beans, some vegetables, and brown rice. Beans, by the way, are also a good source of protein as well.

    Over the years, I have eliminated high fat meats; I do not eat pork, except the occasional cold cut sandwich. I rarely eat red meats, with the exception of a nice dinner out or my mother's cooking (ha-ha). I get protein from beans (as listed above), eggs, nuts, fish, and poultry. I choose "healthy" foods, in controlled portions; I never skip meals or snacks. Most people assume I have practically starved myself to lose the weight I have lost. No, our bodies are designed to move, to burn excess calories, to use vitamins and minerals, if we treat them correctly. Once we achieve a certain amount of habitual fitness and make healthier choices in what we eat, our bodies become like a well oiled machine, becoming stronger and more efficient and excess weight will cease to exist.

Step by Step: One Day at a Time

  The more people I share my story with, the more I get asked, "Well, how did you do it", I usually answer that shortly, "I altered my diet and I exercise." That isn't always the best response I don't always have the time to go into detail, but when I do, it’s hard to actually stop talking. I want to make a point without negativity and intimidation sometimes that get across in a correct way I feel, sometimes it doesn't. In effort to encourage instead of tear down I think sharing here is the best delivery system.

  A little background information about me, I was always overweight, even as a child. I had four grandparents with type 2 diabetes. I do not remember a time not seeing insulin and syringes when I visited them. I suppose I was conditioned to it, I don't blame anyone for it; it’s just the way it was. By the time I was 27 years old, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, by the time I was 31, and I was on insulin myself. By then, I had resolved to my fate. I was destined to be 330lbs to 350lbs, on insulin, and essentially miserable. Yes, I had plenty of people tell me, doctors, etc., "You need to lose weight, do this, this, and this", it came across as "blah, blah, blah", I heard what they said but I did not take in it. I had fertility problems in the middle of it all, I was told losing weight was the best chance of a successful pregnancy and then with careful monitoring I could have a baby. In 2002, I had lost enough weight to get pregnant with the use of fertility drugs. In 2003 after a high risk diabetic pregnancy I had my first son; he was healthy, and delivered by c-section. I had a lot of problems healing afterwards due to my diabetes and my 320lb frame. All in all, I did okay, but I was still miserable and still didn't grasp the idea why.

    Two years later, my weight had crept up to 348lbs, I had ignored my diabetes, my health, and my body, like they didn’t exist, thinking, oh I am young, it will be ok. I ended up breaking my ankle and did not feel it. A few weeks later I noticed a lot of pain in my leg so I went to the doctor and he said, "You have an ankle fracture that has healed incorrectly, physical therapy will help, but we also checked your blood glucose levels, we have to talk". I was shocked; I had levels so high, that I was very fortunate that I was not in a coma. Immediately, I was put back on insulin shots, ordered once again to diet and exercise. I decided I should begin something; I got some advice from co-workers suggesting what gym I should use. By November of 2005, I was determined, so I joined that gym, and I went, twice. Yes, twice, I jumped on a treadmill, because I knew I could walk... and I could, but no longer than 10 minutes without giving out and I felt so intimidated, so huge, and so out of place. I quit going. 

      Into 2006, after a little dieting and walking outside, I had lost about 20 lbs. I felt pretty good about it; I ended up joining a Curves gym. I felt less intimidated there and felt the workouts, although challenging, were more on my level. I did that for a few months, during this time, it finally sunk in, hey, and I can do this. My internal motivation was changing, the more I worked out, the more I wanted to. The slow change from my terrible eating habits to a healthier approach to meals was working to. I noticed by this time, I had lost a little over 50lbs, I wanted to do more. I set small goals little by little. This was working, and I wasn't about to overwhelm myself by looking too far ahead. It was and always has been a step by step process.

     Several months in my membership at Curves, I wanted to do more. I took a leaping step of faith, I rejoined that gym I had quit, and needless to say, I have not left. I have worked off 170lbs of the person I was. I am also no longer a diabetic. I truly know what it is like to be on the end of hopelessness, and knowing I want change and not sure how to get there.  Little by little I have reached my small goals and changed my old habits.  I don’t plan on going back to the old person I was. I can say with all enthusiasm and full certainty that it is attainable, and most importantly, by anyone. 

    

Well here I am!

I spent the afternoon trying to put this little thing together and will be fine tuning in the next few weeks. I plan to blog about my journey in weight loss, share health tips, before and after pictures, and my client's stories. More to come!