FitnessTips ~ My Journey

Part I -  Seven Steps

     
Part I of My "Fitness4life Journey" ~ My own personal seven step to success strategy.

Everyone is different, so if I can help you achieve your weight loss                   Seven Steps To Success
and fitness goals then that's double rewarding for you and me.
I love helping individuals in just about every aspect of life, especially when it comes to marriage, love, fitness and healthy recipes. I don't claim to be an expert, but what I do know has worked.

I had to make a commitment to myself before I could begin this journey; otherwise, I knew there would be no way to ever reach my fitness level and weight goal. Besides my relationship with God and my family, I had to make fitness the number one important thing in my life. It may take you a few months or even years, but as long as you are working towards your goal then you are winning.

I also had to get angry, really angry at not being all that God called me to be. I had to stop shopping for the latest fashions in black only and imagine myself wearing more brighter colors. I thank God for my daughter who assisted me in choosing a more livelier wardrobe full of color and "in-fashion" that is totally me. Most importantly I just wanted to be healthy in order to enjoy life to its fullest. I knew the road ahead would be difficult and sometimes tearful, but worthy every step of the way.

My step #1 on my fitness journey is to prepare my mind, soul, and body.

With our fast paced society we live in today, we often find ourselves at the "drive-by" window for a quick fix for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner.  "Drive-by" was not a typo. I'm sure you heard of the term "drive-by shootings". Well, basically that's what we are doing to our bodies. Our expected life span, everytime we "drive-by" the fast food restaurant, diminishes as we take years from our life one shot at a time.

This was hard at first to stop as I loved sharing hot fries and chicken nuggets with my daughter, (I like my fries HOT! with honey mustard - no ketchup please.) Yum! Okay, subject change... If you want to be successful at being healthy and fit, you must stop the "drive-bys" immediately. Don't be tempted by telling yourself you're just getting a diet coke when you pull up to the window and smell the fries. YOU WILL BE TEMPTED...

My step #2 on my fitness journey is to stop the "drive-bys".

In order for me to stop the fast food cycle and binge eating, I had to get organized with my everyday work load. Stress can cause one to head to the refrigerator in order to search for "quick-fixes" and temporary relief, which usually turns out to be full of unwanted calories that lead to excess weight gain.

If your office needs organizing, then organize it!

If your house needs cleaning, then clean it! If your laundry is behind, get caught up!. You'll be amazed at how organizing your life will also limit the amount of stress and give you more freedom and peace in your spirit, mind, and body. You'll also burn extra calories just by doing the extra needed work and household chores. Remember, I didn't say it was going to be easy.

My step #3 on my fitness journey is to get organized.

Shopping for the right foods can be a daunting task, especially if you are not used to shopping for low fat, low sugar foods. However, it doesn't have to be all that difficult with a little planning.

Prepare a grocery list of your favorite foods and shop for the alternatives. For example, if you like chicken, then choose lean skinless chicken breast instead of legs or thighs. If you like bacon, then choose turkey bacon instead of unhealthy pork bacon that is loaded with fats. Your list should also include healthy snacks that have a calorie range between 100-250 calories for between meal snacking. Snacks are very important to a healthy, nutritious lifestyle because they help keep your metabolism burning throughout the day. They also help to stop binge eating and over eating during meal time.


Above my 1-yr old granddaughter decided to do a little shopping of her own.

I have to admit I'm a snacker, but I did a lot of research on more healthier snacks. I was pleased to find more companies are now making low-calorie snacks that allow you to eat 2 or 3 snacks throughout the day without getting bored or limited to fruits alone. Fruits are a great in between meal snack food too, but they can be a bit boring.  (Pictured below is a highly nutritious snack for only 130 calories using frozen blueberries and a Vita muffin warmed in the microwave and topped with fat free whipped cream. Yum Yum! ) 

What I Eat Now!

    Dinner Yummy !

My Step #4 on my fitness journey is to go shopping for all of my favorite foods with a twist.

The most difficult and probably the most important step on my fitness journey was and still is sticking to a daily fitness workout program. I actually love to workout, but I've noticed that the clock will never slow down and allow me to fit in my workout time. Instead, I have to plan and schedule my workout at least 1 hour a day, 5 days a week regardless of my work load.

A daily 1-hour workout is at the top of my daily schedule because it is a matter of life or death, at least for me. Not just death physically from living an unhealthy lifestyle, but mental death from not being able to be all I can be for my family, especially my wonderful husband. It took me years to understand this one simple fact that there is NO SUCH THING AS HEALTHY LIFESTYLE WITHOUT FITNESS!! I tried just about everything from starvation diets to pills and other unhealthy quick weight loss tactics, which just lead me down a path of yo yo dieting, and many years with tears of failure and frustration. Bottom line, it is almost impossible for anyone to lose weight without exercise and be totally healthy. You may lose a few pounds and reach your desired weight goal, but total "heart healthy" would be difficult to achieve without some form of an exercise regimen.

My Step #5 on my fitness journey was finding a daily fitness workout regimen. 

Once you've established your daily workout regimen, it is also imperative that you find a workout buddy or someone that can motivate you to stay on course.

I am blessed to have an awesome physically fit coach/husband to help keep me on track when I have those "I don't feel like working out days" which will definitely come more often than expected. (Hubby pictured right will be 50 this coming new year and still sporting washboard abs!)


Beachbody.com is also a great source for finding workout buddies and when joining the free membership, they assign you your very own beach body coach to help keep you motivated. Beachbody.com has several types of workout programs from beginners to extreme fitness workouts. The best part of all is you workout in the privacy of your own home, at your own pace, whenever you want.

My Step #6 on my fitness journey was finding a work-out buddy that will help keep you motivated.

After a long hard week of exercising and making healthier eating choices, it's time to reward yourself with anything that makes you happy. My happy list is basically unlimited and a simple date at the coffee shop with my husband is enough to put a smile on my face.

I also absolutely love full body massages, pedicures and shopping. Recently, I have been doing more shopping for healthier types of foods rather then spending time at the mall shopping for fashion clothing.

My Step #7 on my fitness journey was to reward myself for sticking to my weekly fitness regimen.

My recent discoveries for healthier snacks are totally awesome and I will write a future blog post on healthy snacking foods. I've lost over 33 pounds and counting since implementing the above steps. My clothing size has dramatically changed along with my new found love of brighter colors. I feel healthier, happier and enjoying life more and more each day.