Exercise Game Plan:You now have 12 weeks until the end of the year. You have set a short term goal. How are your nutrition and exercise game plans? Are you making progress? Do you need to revise your plan? Do you need to change your short term goals in order to promote more success?
Stay focused and committed. Remind yourself daily of exactly what you are working for? Continue to change and adapt according to what life throws out at you.
Challenge: Commit to 3 or more cardiovascular workouts this week that are 30 - 70 minutes long. Do 10 minutes on the Stair Master at the end of each workout for an extra metabolism boost.
Challenge: Perform 3 or more resistance training workouts this week. Rest no more than 45 seconds in between each set and exercise.
Commit to 6 workouts this week. Do 30 minutes of cardio before your 30 minute resistance training workout. This is a great way to get two workouts in on the same day.
"Every human being is the author of his own health or disease."
I grew up "chunky" and I remember distinctively of being made fun of in elementary gym class, especially when I ran or played kick ball. I was an athlete, though my body was pudgy and muscular. I felt embarrassed during the summer when all of my friends wore cute little bikinis and I wore a one piece. I remember cutting out the tags of my clothes so no one could see what size I actually wore. Food was my comfort, especially sweets and chips. I was a self-conscious young girl who wished to be thinner for many years. I wanted to look like a model, to be thin and pretty and not have to worry about my stomach folding over my jeans and if my inner thighs rubbed together when I wore a skirt. I cried a lot over my weight, and when the mean girls in school made fun of me, I remember the pain I had inside, for it killed me that girls my age saw me as fat.
As I got older, I would diet, binge, exercise, give up, give in, and "start over" again on Mondays for years. There were times in my life when I would be feverishly motivated to shed the weight. I'd go to the gym 6 days a week, eat clean and healthy, stay away from the bar, and surround myself with like minded individuals. Then I would hit a plateau. I stopped seeing results. I became lazy and careless. I would not exercise for weeks, I ate poorly, and I hung out at the bar until closing.
I struggled with consistency, motivation, determination, goal setting, rational thinking, self-esteem, body image, and a wavering confidence. I lacked adequate stress management skills. In my early 20's I was sleep deprived, deficient of vitamins and minerals, angry, uncomfortable in my own skin, preferred the lights being off when I was with my boyfriend, and I would cry at night because I lacked control, consistency, and a positive perspective.
I am 31 now. I am a personal trainer. For the first time in 6 years I love my job. I am in a healthy and supportive relationship. Living in Austin has brought peace and satisfaction to my life. I have completed two triathlons, three 5k road races, learned to swim skillfully enough to complete a 3000m workout, I teach four classes a week, and I train clients 35 hours a week.
When I stand in front of a mirror I now can look at myself with a clear and rational mind. I look strong and muscular. I love my arms and my booty. I am proud of my consistency and dedication to making fitness a lifestyle. I appreciate the strength of my body and I am now a confident woman comfortable in my own skin.
That said, there are days and even weeks when I feel "chunky," as if everyone is looking at me in the gym, whispering in each other's ears about how I need to lose weight in my stomach. I still panic about the size of my jeans, use food as a comfort when I have had an emotional day, and I can be very self-conscious when with my significant other. There are days that I want to give up and give in. Mondays can still be my go to clean slate day and my motivation to stay on track with my health and fitness fluctuates just as much as my weight during that time of the month. I still struggle with consistency, motivation, determination, goal setting, rational thinking, self-esteem, body image, and a wavering confidence. I am stressed and at times sleep deprived.
The difference now, from when I was in my 20's, is immensely significant. Though I may wrestle foot to fist with myself, waver back and forth with health and fitness, and still struggle with my personal perspective of how my body looks, in my 30's I am learning self-acceptance, to lower my expectations, and to develop more effective stress management skills.
I now understand that my work load may inevitably interfere with a scheduled workout and if I have to miss a work out or even two, if I remain consistent with my nutrition I will not lose significant ground towards reaching my fitness goals. I now can accept that I may get sick and be unable to go to the gym possibly for weeks, causing me to feel flabby and sluggish. I understand that my quest to further my education will not only increase my work load but also increase my stress levels, which in turn will make me more fatigued, thus I may miss another workout, gain a few pounds, and rely on hamburgers and fries for dinner. I am in the process of accepting that I just cannot do it all, that I may have to gear my workouts towards body maintance rather than body change, and there may be times it seems like nothing is in my favor and supports my efforts to remain fit and healthy. I am learning to not be so hard on myself, though this will be my battle for life. I can now laugh more at myself, and when I have to loosen my belt due to too many chicken tacos late in the evening, I just think we all were meant to eat meat and cheese and not care!
Look around, we are all struggling. Some struggle with their weight. Many people are battling depression and chronic pain. Cancer is killing thousands of people a day. Children are starving. We have been at war for more than 6 years. We are quickly running through our natural resources. Life is one struggle after another. I don't mean to rant and rave and preach that our lives are not as bad as they could be, for everything is relative, and our personal battles are just that, personal. However, through my own personal analyzation of self, we have to just treat ourselves better, not be so demanding and unrealistic, and understand that not all of us were meant to be a size 2. We come in different shapes and sizes, variety is beauty, and self-acceptance is peace. We must speak kind words of ourselves, accept that we are perfectly imperfect, and take advantage of this moment right now. We cannot expend anymore energy looking back and thinking about how we use to look and feel in the past and nothing is accomplished when we irrationally compare ourselves to others.
Through my own personal life experiences I have learned that without self-acceptance, our struggles will increase daily and we will find ourselves in a constant wrestling match, being pinned on our backs, unable to fight anymore. We have to stand tall and proud and continue moving forward. It's important to live in the moment and seize the day. For all we have is today and this is our story.
" It's the struggle not the victory that makes you a champion?"
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