It’s been awhile, I know, but I’m not much of one who makes claims that I’m not able to verify myself.

When I last wrote, I wasn’t eating that well and surely wasn’t even working out on a consistent basis.  Therefore, I didn’t want to be hypocritical in my writings.

That being said, I’m happy to report some great progress that will hopefully be inspiring those of you who are seeking motivation.  That is the topic of my discussion today – Finding Motivation to Stay Healthy.

What Motivates You to Stay Healthy?

Do you have any motivation to be healthy?  You probably do, or you wouldn’t be here reading this website.  But how much motivation do you have? Is it enough to get you to make changes toward healthier eating?  Enough to get you away from the computer and into some form of exercise?

Somewhere, somehow, you’ll need to find the desire to get moving.  This desire was in me for the last 10 years, but there were always excuses that smothered my hopes.  “Too busy”,  “Not enough time”,  No energy”.  These thoughts come easy and are very hard to combat.  However, I found ways to break through and I’m going to continue the fight, and so will you!

About 4 months ago, I was battling a health issue that was ongoing for about 6 months before that.  After seeing multiple doctors and other professionals, I became desperate for a solution that never came.  Turning to the internet, I found out some answers that helped and eventually purchased a couple of books written by experts on the subject.  As a part of my healing process, exercise was encouraged by both experts.

I woke up with the desire that I would make myself go to the gym at least 5 days per week and focus mainly on cardio activity.  4 months ago, I weighed 225 lbs.  I’m 5’ 11”, and my ideal body weight is supposed to be around the 170 – 180 range. My goal is to reach 185 lbs.

For the past 4 months, I’m happy to report that I’ve consistently been to the gym and have almost hit 5 days per week.  Sometimes it’s been 4 days but mostly 5.  Over the course of 4 months, my scheduling has changed during the days so I’ve had to adjust around accordingly.

After 4 months of working out – cardio + weight lifting, can you guess how much I weigh now?  220 – 225 lbs fluctuating.  Discouraging?  Maybe. But I told myself that I’m not giving up. I’m not leaving this lifestyle change.  So, I’ve actually stopped looking at the scales because they can be discouraging if I focus on the weight loss number.

What IS encouraging, however, is that I’m definitely losing inches.  I see myself in the mirror and I’m transforming into a different figure.  The weights may stay the same right now, but my inches are coming off and that encourages me.

So… if you’re looking to lose weight or get stronger and you’ve become discouraged that the scales aren’t changing right away, take a closer look at yourself in the mirror.  You just might find motivation in seeing that the inches are coming off your body and you really are slimming down.

I woke up today (Saturday), and looked at myself in the mirror.  I was happier with myself as I noticed slimming.  It motivated me so much that I went to the gym and worked out my biceps and back this morning.  I usually take Saturday as a rest day, but I had missed that workout during the week this week.  Seeing the results of my efforts the last 4 months in the mirror this morning, I was encouraged to go to the gym and get that workout in this week.

Now I’m ready for a swim at the community pool later this afternoon with the family.

More activity = more weight loss.  More weight loss = more motivation. 

In my last post, I told you of my new 5 day a week program. Well, the other day I came home so excited, I had to show my husband…I had a new muscle! I know that sounds so funny because obviously we don’t just start sprouting muscles. Everyone has the same muscles but you can’t always see them underneath the layer of fat that so annoyingly sits on top of them. Anyway, my Tricep…I can flex and see a bulge pop out!

People that I haven’t seen for a while have also made comments about how much thinner I look or how much more defined I am.

It’s amazing…after working with this program for less than a month, I can already see some results! The best part is that I can also feel those muscles.

The Beginning:

About a year ago I started with a goal to workout at the gym 3 times a week for an hour. At this time, I weighed 130lbs. which is 15lbs. heavier than my “pre-pregnancy” weight. Don’t let that number fool you…muscle weighs more than fat! It’s the body fat percentage that counts and mine was high.

6 months to make a habit:

I was told somewhere that it takes a good 6 months to make good intention into a good habit. At the 6 month marker I was making it to the gym 3 times a week on a regular basis. My workout consisted only of running on the treadmill and I had begun the “Fat Burn Marathon”. I ran about 9 miles a week. This has always been the best way for me to lose body fat. I did end up losing 17lbs. by the 10 month mark (unfortunately, along with that went most of my chest-oh well). At this point, I thought, “I’m on the right track. It’s time to add strength training.”

Cardio burns calories while you work, strength training burns calories all day long:

Where do I start? I haven’t lifted weights in over 8 years. I had no clue what to do so I went to a friend of mine who is in amazing shape. She used to compete in fitness competitions and recently tried out for American Gladiators. Anyway, she was nice enough to write up a simple 3 day workout targeting each major muscle group (Legs, Back, Biceps, Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, and Abs) to get me started. I was sore after each workout. Thank you, Marla.

New Goals for a New Me:

While this was working well, I had also begun making friends at the gym. One of which used to be a personal trainer. He knows a lot about strength training and good eating habits. He enjoys seeing people work hard and get in shape. He began working with me and 2 of the other friends I met that have the same goal to get a strong, lean body.

Because of all of our dedication, we began going to the gym 2 hours a day/5 times a week. I never thought I would be one that would spend 2 hours a day at the gym but since I began working with them, we do circuits and if one of us is not there, the program has to be adjusted. Not only do I feel a responsibility to be there but I look forward to it!

So along with the goal to go 2 hours a day/5 times a week. I am also on a 6 meal a day diet that is balanced and much healthier than the pre-packaged food I used to eat.

I will be sharing with you the meal plan and strength training program that I am currently on for one month that is supposed to produce faster results for lean, tone muscle. Will it get me closer to my Six Pack Abs? We’ll see!