Motivation

I'm baccccccck! Sorry for the major hiatus! I recently moved from Pennsylvania to Illinois and can say I'm finally settled in. If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen what's going on in my life and more importantly - my healthy lifestyle is thriving! My fiancé & I have joined a gym which has allowed me to take my love for fitness to the next level. I have even thought about becoming a personal trainer and/or a nutritionist. I love learning about health and fitness, and I absolutely love when people ask me for my help. Because I am passionate about this lifestyle, it is easy for me to stay motivated. Unfortunately, this can be very different for you! Wondering how you can stay motivated? I'm here to help!

1. Hold yourself accountable. Don't skip your workouts, make them a priority. What is more important than your health? You can't keep making excuses - you are tired, you are too busy, you don't have time. If it is important to you, you will make time for it. Your body is the only place you have to live your entire life, so make it the healthiest it can be and take care of it!

2. Don't compare yourself to others. With social media, this can be a very difficult thing to do. You see fitness competitors, bodybuilders, fitness models, etc that have extremely great bodies that you want to look like. What you don't see is their hard work and the time they have spent transforming their bodies. Don't compare your beginning to their BEST. Be the best YOU can be, its you vs you.

3. Take photos. Nothing can be more rewarding than seeing the transformation in yourself, big or small. It might sound silly or embarrassing to take photos of yourself, especially at the beginning of your journey. Day by day, you may feel that your body isn't changing or what you are doing isn't working. Compare your photos because it might be the only way for you see actually grasp how much progress your are actually making. Always remember, small progress is progress.

4. Don't rely on the scale. Do not get in the habit of using the scale to reward your hard work and success. At the beginning, the scale might go down.. but what happens when it doesn't say you lost weight? This leaves you feeling discouraged, thinking that all that you have done is for nothing. The scale doesn't measure inches lost, or muscle gained. Focus on your non-scale victories! How are you clothes fitting? Do you have more endurance? Can you do more reps, and heavier weights? Do you have more energy and feel healthier? Are your rings feeling lose? Remember one pound of fat and one pound of muscle both equal one pound, but muscle takes up less space!

5. Have fun, add variety. If you do the same exercises everyday, you will get bored in no time! Doing the same thing over and over again is boring! Not only is it boring, but your body will get used to it and will no longer respond to it. Incorporate things that you enjoy. With so many different classes offered in gyms and social media, you can find literally any exercise that you might be interested in. If you don't know - TRY! You may love it! With summer here, you may want to take your workouts outside. This can be a perfect opportunity to make up your own circuit. Combine sprints, jumps, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, etc. You can use curbs as a 'step' and use them for jumps or calf extensions, or if you come across a bench - do dips! The options are endless!

6. Reach out to friends & family. If possible, have a workout partner. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to workout with them, but you must keep each other accountable. Get goals, and compete with each other. Some people need some sort of competition to really focus and achieve their goal. If this is your case, put money into a jar each time you workout. By the end of the month you can treat yourself for your hard work. Do not reward yourself with food, you are not a dog. New workout clothes, new shoes, a manicure/pedicure, a massage, or a new haircut are GREAT ways to reward yourself. You deserve it!

7. Keep a journal. Okay, we aren't 10 anymore, but journals can still do wonders for you! Start by writing what you currently feel like, what your goals are, and what you are looking to achieve from your lifestyle change. Write down your workouts and how many reps/sets you were able to do. After working out, write down how you feel. Do you feel empowered, do you want to do more, do you have extra energy? As you can imagine, as you progress through your workouts you can look through your journal and really see some of your non-scale victories. To continue, you can also use a journal to write down what you eat throughout the day. This can really open your eyes as to how much you are actually eating. Don't miss those bites of your significant others sandwich, or those 5 m&m's you had - they all add up! If you have a bad day, write down how you feel. Are you lethargic from that greasy pizza you ate? Do you have a stomach ache from all the candy/sugar you ate? This will help you stay accountable.

8. Find the time that works best for you. Everyone is different. I enjoy working out in the morning! I wake up and go to the gym, whether I'm motivated or not. I'm dedicated, I know that even if I don't want to go.. I will feel 100% better after my workout is done. I enjoy working out in the morning because I get up, do it, and then I'm done. It's such a great way to begin my day and I don't have to worry about it the rest of the day. Your schedule may be different and only allow you to workout at night time - that's fine! Do not make excuses though. Again, make it a priority. Your friends may want to go out or hang out, but you haven't made it to the gym yet. The choice is yours, but I hope you make the right one! If they are your true friends, they will understand and support your decision, catch up with them once your done.

You are in charge of your motivation, you have to WANT it. These are just tips that can help you and guide you along the way. If you are just beginning, keep with it and do not give up. Within a couple days of exercise, you will feel better about yourself and you will have so much more energy. Do not lose this feeling, these are natural endorphins - my biggest motivator day in and day out. I thrive for that feeling at the end of my workouts.

As promised before, the grocery list is coming soon - but you MUST share my blog and become a member. Become a member by locating my follower section along the right side of my blog. You may share my page on Facebook, Instagram, etc. I am able to see how people are accessing my page and will know who to thank! I need 11 new members before I will post the grocery list & tips! Get goinggggggggggg!

My Progress

As I stated in my previous post, I have made many changes to my diet and exercise regimen. When I began my healthy lifestyle, I was 5'2" weighing 125lbs. I was happy with my body and how I looked. I was wearing size 2 jeans and size small shirts. I knew I wasn't in shape, and had slacked because of a couple things going on in my life at the moment. That's when I learned about the term 'skinny fat.'

The common wisdom is that if you are overweight you are unhealthy, and if you are thin, you are healthy. But new research points to just how dangerous being skinny can be -- if you are a "skinny fat" person, that is.

The medical term for this is "MONW," or metabolically obese normal weight, which I prefer to refer to as being a skinny fat person. It means you are under lean but over fat -- not enough muscle and too much fat (especially belly fat). It seems it is better to be fat and fit than thin and out of shape. - Huffington Post

 I was small, but I knew I wasn't in the best shape I could be - or that I was used to being in. I was very active in high school, playing three sports a year. Then once I got to college, I was busy with working two jobs, my home life, and the responsibilities that go with it. Most of the time I would be whooped when I came home, not wanting to do anything but relax. 

After reading this article and doing other research, I knew I had to make a change. A friend at work was doing the Insanity Workout, and I had always wanted to try it. And that's all it took - I began the Monday right after I got it! About a couple weeks into the workout, I began changing my eating habits. It was very difficult for me at first because of the daily temptations. Especially at the restaurant I worked at, everything was made from scratch - yummy homemade alfredo, homemade desserts like oreo ice cream pie and chocolate moose. Yum!! I made small changes to my diet, like having a salad instead of pasta. I NEVER used to like salad, now I crave it. It's very important to take things slow and learn what is best for you. 

Most importantly, you need to learn and educate yourself on the foods you are eating and the workout regimen you are doing. So many girls have said they wasted so much time and effort doing countless hours of cardio with no results. This is a HUGE no-no which I will do into detail at another time! Others have went on low carb diets, tried diet shakes, etc - all of that is only temporary. You need to make a change, that's why its called a healthy lifestyle. 

Below are some of my progress photos that I have posted on my Instagram. 

I've seen the most progress in my arms and legs. My stomach has definitely leaned out as well. I currently weigh 119lbs - which means I lost 4.8% of my body weight. I didn't plan on losing weight, and I don't plan on losing any more. I have lost body fat and gained lean muscle and have never felt better! Please follow me as I will do my best to help you with your journey. I will be giving motivational tips, fitness tips, and ways to help you reach a healthy lifestyle. I encourage you to become a member in order to receive updates on future posts as well as follow me on Instagram for daily motivation. This was from today - 

Hope you all have a great Friday!! 

A Healthy Lifestyle

To those that don't know me, I am a 21 year old college graduate who recently fell in love with the fitness and health industry. I became so interested that I began researching and educating myself on having a 'healthy lifestyle.' I read countless of articles about good carbs, bad carbs, protein, healthy fats, fiber, sugar, etc. All this was so interesting to me, and at the same time I became disgusted with what I was filling my body with.

I have always been very busy with school, two jobs, a house to take care of, and bills to pay that I allowed my health to take the back seat. In the mornings I would rarely eat breakfast, and if I did it was cereal. For lunch, I would have something small that didn't need much prep. During college it would be something like cheez-its and an apple because it was easy and handy. If I was working at the restaurant during dinner, I would either have some bread or have the cooks make me some pasta. Then at 9:00 or so when I would get home, I would snack on my beloved Lay's Classic Potato chips. These chips have been a HUGE staple in my diet because of the convenience. Little did I know, this was all about to change!

I was happy with my appearance - weighing 125lbs and 5'2" wearing size 2 jeans. Who wouldn't be?! Once I began learning about having a healthy lifestyle - I was all for it! On January 21st 2013, I began the Insanity Workout and fell in love. It was tough, and I mean tough. The workouts are killer, but once you start you DON'T want to stop. It is very addicting, so addicting that once I completed round one I started round two directly after. The strength and endurance you build.. at home.. with no equipment is absolutely remarkable. It took me a while to see any physical changes, but I was seeing "non-scale" victories. My clothes were fitting better, I was able to do more reps, I had more energy, etc. It wasn't until I changed my eating habits that I began seeing progress. 

"You can't out train a bad diet." 

I could not express this quote enough! No matter how many sit-ups or crunches you do, you will NOT get rid of your 'belly' or your love handles. Also, there is no such thing as spot-reducing. You can't pick and choose where you lose weight from, or else everyone would be doing it. In order to lose fat, you need to have a clean diet. In other words, lean meats, whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, sweet potatos, oats, etc. Absolutely no processed foods, added sugar, or soda. By cutting out soda alone, you will see progress - I promise. I will be adding a grocery list shortly to help all of you who choose to better themselves and live a happy, healthy life. Choosing to have a healthy lifestyle has been one of the greatest things I have done for myself, and my health. I have never felt better!

Thank you to everyone who has came to me and asked me for my help and my advice. Thank you to everyone who has acknowledged my progress. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in my new lifestyle. It is YOU who motivates me, and keeps me going. I will be using this blog to motivate you, help you, educate you, and most importantly be there for you in case you have any questions. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration - @makenzie_costley.