Fitness Friday 3: Motivation

Hello lovelies! It is once again Fitness Friday. Wahooo! I wanted to make a little motivational video chat but no one seems to be watching the videos so I will be taking a break from filming them. If you want more videos please please let me know. Today instead I want to share what helps me stay motivated in keeping my body healthy. In no way am I promoting weight loss. I am promoting a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE and a step to that is taking care of your body. Yes, I do want to lose weight and yes, part of that is so I am less self-conscious. But everyone is beautiful as they are and I am in no way promoting weight loss as a way to become a prettier person. The reason I am on this fitness journey is because my doctor told me that for my own safety and health that I need to loose a little weight. This is for my health.

I feel like a lot of people wonder how I have such a strong self-confidence and am barely ever self-conscious but that comes from something I started years ago. Seven years ago a guest speaker or someone on TV saidd something that stuck with me. At that time I was very self-conscious and was at the age where I was discovering my body image. The advice I heard was to get up every morning and look in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you were. You didn't have to believe it at first but soon you would start to see all the beauty in yourself if you did do this every morning and night. And so I did and ever since I have barely had any body image issues. I honestly believe it is as easy as that to treat your body image right.

This past week has been the most difficult of my healthy habit change so far. I have slacked off in eating healthy food and haven't exercised nearly as much as I should be. Now, a cheat day isn't such a bad thing but I am getting in the habit and making it more a cheat week and that is a bad thing. So I've been really trying to find a way to re-motivate myself. I feel like I can just quit now because I have lost some weight and am seeing a difference. But it is the exact opposite; I should be pushing harder now because I am all the more closer to a healthy body. I pinned (fitness board) and printed a list of 50 reasons to exercise and hung it next to my bed so when i cuddle up for a nap after school it is there to remind me to exercise first then I can have my nap. Also, it is good to keep in mind that walking one mile burns is just as helpful as running one.

Looking at old pictures of me also keeps me motivated. And when I say old pictures I don't mean pictures from 4 years ago when I was 12 because that would be unreasonable. Our bodies change and grow so I like to look at pictures from when my body finished for the most part growing and I know I was merely taking better care of myself. The picture above is from December 2011. I was a 4 season multi-sport each season athlete at the time although I didn't care to watch what I ate. The only thing about my body that has changed since this picture was taken is fat has built up in my stomach area. I know that this is a reasonable picture to help me stay motivated because it isn't unreasonable. 

Music is another key to motivation. I find Beyonce to motivate me the best. I have a playlist on my phone and I just start playing it and put on my workout clothes and that puts me in the mood to work-out. Also, check out last weeks post to see my ab work-out that I do to Beyonce. Find music that makes you want to go out and do and put that on a half hour before you want/need to work-out.

Another thing that helps me is to think of something I want to look good for and be confident partcipating in and use that as a goal date. Like with this journey to fitness it has been so when I go to France I don't look back at the pictures and say "wow, I wish I wouldn't have been so lazy and just taken care of my body." Let's be honest, no one likes to go through a thousand pictures and hand pick the ones that are taken from the best angle so they way I see it do what you can about it. Once again, the main reason for this weight loss journey is to get my body in better health not to become skinnier. 

Finally, wake up every morning believing in yourself. As cheesy as it sounds believing in yourself is the most important step to staying motivated. Look in the mirror and congratulate yourself on your progress and your strength to keep going. In the end all the hard work pays off.

Thanks for reading, lovelies. XOXO

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March Favorites

Hello Lovelies! I've decided that I am going to share my March favorites. A firend requested I do another video so it is in video form. One thing I did want to include in the written part is my appreciation for everyone reading my blog so far. It is my number one, biggest favorite of March. So thank you all, lovelies! Enjoy the video!

Tumblr Page- Sorry I haven't posted much on here yet but I will be updating it for sure on Mondays and Fridays just like my blog on here.
Pinterest Page- Feel free to check out any of my other boards too ;)
Twitter- I live tweet shows sometimes F.Y.I.

Fitness Friday 2: Abs, Selfie Edition

Hello Lovelies and Happy Fitness Friday! After a long run or walk or maybe even 20 minutes of Zumba do you ever feel like you haven't had enough of a workout? That last bit of belly fat isn't quite being burnt off from that? Do you ever just want a quick ab circuit to do to top off your workout? Well, I always did and never had a solution. I would do lacksidaisical crunches or planks but never felt as though I was getting a workout. Why? Because I went through them taking long breaks in between exercises, never really pushing myself. Recently, I decided I knew enough ab workouts that I would just make a circuit of my favorite ab exercises and some that I struggle to complete. Here is the sequence I came up with and selfies to go with them. F.Y.I. it is harder than first thought to take selfies and try to show some of an exercise.

Beyonce songs to go with workout is optional.
"XO" and "End of Time" are the songs used for this workout.

1. Pull "XO" Beyonce up but don't start song.

2.  Lay on stomach with music device in front of you so you can see time on the song. Press play as you rise into plank. Hold plank until 1:30.

3. At 1:30 turn onto back and at 1:40 begin crunches with small weight held behind kneck. Do NOT put pressure on your kneck! It can cause severe injury to spinal chord if you put the pressure of the weight on your kneck.

4. At 2:30 straighten your legs on the floor and hands to your sides and do leg lifts until the end of the song.

5. "End of Time" should play next. Turn to lay on one side of your body. Kick your top leg out and leave the bottom leg bent at the knee on the ground if necessary. Bottom arm should be bent at elbow supporting you and upper arm bent on hip. Raise off the ground and pulse your hip striaght up towards the ceiling for 45 seconds. Turn to other side and repeat.

7. Lay on back and raise upper body about 45 degrees off the floor. Hold weight in both hand in front of chest and twist to either side until 1:10 is left on song.

6. At 1:10 lay back on stomach and power out a plank until the end of the song.

Good luck ladies! Power out this workout in time to get in shape for summer and spring break. I did not steal this circuit from a magazine or any workout websites. Thanks for reading and enjoy your fitness Friday!

Ahhh girl look at that body...my heathly lifestyle is paying off. Love you lovelies!