5 Honest Reasons I Joined A Fitness Challenge
This past Sunday I began a 3 week intensive program: WELL with Twyla Denise.
Workout
Eat good
Love yourself
Live
For the next 3 weeks I will have to cut out/limit:
- Red Meat
- Pork
- Alcohol
- Cheat Meals
- Processed Foods
In addition to clean eating and staying on top of my macros, my workouts will be kicked up to 1 hour per day - mostly heavy weights, along with some cardio. I'm also required to sleep at least 6 hours per day- which is hard because nighttime is when I work on homework and the blog.
When my cousin first approached me about it, I was a little hesitant. I'm busy as hell already - journaling, and daily check-ins seemed a little much for my current schedule. I was already kinda sorta leading a "healthy" lifestyle, and honestly I just didn't know if I wanted to stop getting fast food after class, and buying bottles of wine on me and hubby's date nights.
However, after thinking about it some, I decided it was an opportunity I NEEDED to take.
Here's why:
1) Because let's face it, my "healthy" lifestyle is trash:
I’d like to consider myself a relatively healthy person. I eat salads, I go for bike rides, drink lots of water, and avoid unnecessary carbs. Boom! But the truth is, all of those good habits are conveniently coupled with bad habits.
- I eat my salads with a side of fries and sugary ketchup
- I take bike rides, and spend more time gliding than I do pedaling
- I drink water during the week, and wine on the weekends
- I shy away from rice and white potatoes, but I do eat gummy bears, mini kit kat bars, and taco bell (where my chalupa lovers)
- For the last month, workouts have been scheduled "when I feel like it"
- I've been getting less than 5 hours of sleep per night
Having to actually buckle down and eat “clean,” incorporate more intense workouts in my routine, and get at least 6 hours of sleep per day was something I've BEEN needing to do. Having a coach pushed me to set goals, plan my week, and commit to adopting healthier habits.
After just a week:
- I feel more energized
- My mood has improved
- I dropped some weight
- I'm getting those quality deep sleeps
- My body is firming up
- Bonus: The husband been checking for me more often - eoowwwwww! (Cardi B voice)
I'm excited about the changes I'm making, and these payoffs are keeping me encouraged to keep pushing myself. I believe these benefits will motivate me to incorporate these habits in my lifestyle long after the program has ended.
2) The accountability factor
Check-ins with Twyla:
Twyla is just the kind of coach I need to keep me grounded. She's real, honest, and doesn't play any games. Even though she's in Florida and I'm in NY, I feel her watching me every time I eat or workout lol.
Sending photos of my food to Twyla, and sharing my food journal keeps me honest. Of course I can always sneak some goodies without telling her or recording it, but what do I like hiding and eating cupcakes? By showing her what I'm doing, she can suggest alternatives, or let me know when I've cheated and need to get more serious.
Sharing on Social Media
I wasn't too sure if this was something that I wanted to do because I personally am annoyed by people who always post pics of their food smh. Then I turned around and did it myself. Hmph. My thing is, if you're annoyed by my stories, you always have the option to not watch.
By making my journey public, I've engaged the power of social expectations.
The response and feedback has been amazing. My friends check in with me, my online friends send me encouragement, recipes, and the occasional compliment. I've even had the experience of meeting social media friends in public and being asked how I'm getting so fit, and receiving praise on how good all of my food looks
I've made so many connections with other like-minded fitness individuals, and it's really been phenomenal how much the support of others has played a part in my commitment to reaching my goals.
I'm allowing others into my life, and letting them see my transformation. Everyone may not fully appreciate my posts, but if it inspires or motivates at least one person, it's worth it.
3) To Get Sexy
I like what I see in the mirror, but I want to LOVE what I see in the mirror. I don't just want to lose weight, I want to shape my body and change my body composition. Less flab, more muscle. This is just MY personal preference for how I want to look. There's no body-shaming on my website.
I'm a woman and I've become more in tune with my sexuality over the past couple of years. I want to feel confident in my clothes, without the shape wear. I want to feel confident outside of my clothes, without the lingerie.
I look in the mirror, and I thank God that the genetics worked out the way they did. It’s not that I have a bad body, it’s that I've been bad to my body.
4) To challenge my mental
I am learning:
- Patience in achieving the results I'm seeking
- To embrace change - change can be difficult, but it is necessary to improve
- To not focus on mistakes - I slipped up one day this week, but one slip up does not mean I've failed
- Being confident in who I am, and knowing that I am capable of tranforming into the woman I want to become
- To block out temptations- People seem to feel if they offer you food, you have to take it - you don't
- Silencing unnecessary advice - "you're small enough," "you're losing too fast," "you can have just one"
- To be positive no matter what - My thoughts and attitude tend to control my actions, so staying in a good space is critical
5) To Practice What I Preach
#FitMom #FitMoms #FitFam
Those are some of the common hashtags I use on my instagram. I shouldn't be garnering attention for something I'm not truly commited to. Taking photos of me working out once in a week and then telling ya'll to exercise at least 3 times a week on the blog isn't real.
I HAVE put in a lot of work to get back in shape after having Bella, but that work shouldn't stall just because I've achieved a weight and size that I'm comfortable with. I don't want to be the person whose personal life is 100% different from the life he or she leads online.
If I'm preaching fitness, then I should be practicing fitness.
I hope that you guys are pursuing your goals, and tracking your progress too. I'm not perfect by any means, but I'm learning along the way, and I like where things are going.
