Motivation

Oct 012012

Hey there. Today is not going to be your usual Monday post. I’m not going to share my weekend photos with you all and I’m not going to leave you with a long satisfying weekend recap. The reason?

It is already late and I still need to make dinner, take out the trash, make my lunch for tomorrow, etc. etc. etc.
My birthday weekend was fabulous and it deserves more than a half-hearted post
I have something more important on my mind and I’d like to share it with you, if you’ll indulge me

So, let me start by explaining to you that today was the Monday of all Mondays. This morning I woke up with an extremely sore throat and lots of mucus in my throat. I think a cold might be coming on, which is not very surprising considering Fabio was sick last week and a bunch of people at my work are sick as well. Ugh.

Of course this meant that when the alarm went off this morning at 5:45 I turned it off and opted to get an extra hour of sleep. It was cold out, my throat hurt, and the bed was just so comfy. I gave in to temptation.

Then work today was brutal. I was so busy all day and barely had time to eat lunch. I had a bunch of deadlines and everything was due at once, so I didn’t even have time to think about blogging. I got home kind of late and was starving, and all I kept thinking about was the chocolate cake that my mom made me for my birthday. You know the kind, home-made from scratch with delicious chocolate icing? Yeah. It’s just sitting on my fridge waiting for me to devour it.

Anyway, the temptation was hitting me again, and hard. All I wanted to do was change into PJs, read a good book, and dive into that chocolate cake.

But I didn’t. I put on my workout gear and banged out an awesome, sweat-dripping workout.

And you know why? Because of you guys. Whether I admit to it or not, I care about you all and I care about what you think of me. I want to be a role model and help people out with their health and fitness goals the way that so many other healthy food bloggers have helped me. The problem is that I am a real person too and I struggle with my health and wellness goals. I do not work out as often as I should and I give into cake now and then (and pizza, and brownies, and ice cream, and mac n’ cheese, and bagels, etc. etc.).

But when it’s just me being me, one day of skipping a workout is no big deal. One extra piece of cake is, well, a piece of cake. No one will know, no one will care. But when I have to come back to my blog and talk about why I just couldn’t make that last workout happen, or why those extra calories were worth it (or not) you guys do a great job at keeping me accountable (whether you mean to or not).

So anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. Because sometimes, when my own desires to be healthy, fit, and thin are not enough, you guys make it happen for me.

Thank you

Guest Post from Cat @ Confessions of a Recovering Sugar Addict

Blogging 1 Response »

Aug 312012

Hey there, friends! Since I am away in Italy and am currently increasing my knowledge in ancient Roman things (aka stuffing my face with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and pasta 24/7) I want to leave you with this wonderful guest post from Cat from Confessions of a Recovering Sugar Addict. Cat is a real sweetheart and wanted to talk about something I think we all face from time to time: staying motivated when you feel like all your hard work isn’t turning out any results. I know I often struggle with this, so you probably do to! So, without further ado, here’s Cat!
Hi everyone! My name is Cat, and I blog over at Confessions of a Recovering Sugar Addict.

My past with food is pretty grim. I struggled with an eating disorder for most of high school and college, and that negative inner monologue never quite goes away. I will always consider myself in recovery from disordered eating, even now that I have gained weight, and am pretty healthy. Lately, I have been trying to tone up and loose a few lbs, a dangerous undertaking for anyone with an ED past.

I started really working on my body about two months ago. I can tell that things are really firming up and inches are starting coming off, but I just don’t really see the difference. I guess the trick is to try not to get frustrated the lack of observable change. Here are some things that I try to remember, and you can too if you ever feel like all your hard work is for nothing.

Just because the scale doesn’t change, doesn’t mean your body isn’t changing. I have noticed that although the scale doesn’t seem to want to budge more than a pound in either direction, my muscles are more noticeable, my body feels tighter over all and I know I am getting stronger. Look for those types of changes in yourself, and celebrate them!

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Focus on the things your body can do. Instead of dwelling in the negative, ie. I can’t run two miles straight without stopping, or I haven’t lost any weight in 3 weeks, focus on what has improved. Maybe you can hold a plank for a minute, and you used to struggle with 30 seconds. Maybe you can do 20 Burpees in a row without stopping. Maybe you are getting better at that new Zumba rountine you thought you’d never get the hang of. Don’t loose sight of those amazing improvements because you are dwelling on only the negative.

Imagine yourself as you want to be. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Your mind is your biggest motivator. If you spend your day thinking about all of the things you are not, how do you think you will feel at the end of the day? Tired, rundown, depressed, unmotivated? Now, if you imagined your life and your goals exactly how you want them to be, would you be more motivated to do the work required to get there? Duh! So, hang that picture of the Olympic marathoner off your treadmill, picture yourself holding that college diploma. Whatever your goals may be, they are attainable, as long as you believe they are. The only thing holding you back is yourself.

[source]

Empower yourself. Ask for what you need. If you need support from friends and loved ones, ask for it. If my goal was to loose 50 lbs, and my family was only buying processed food, I would either buy my own food, or ask them to support me, by buying healthier food. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for what you need. In fact, I see it as a sign of strength. No one can do everything themselves. Ask for what you need, you might be surprised at how accommodating and supportive people can be.

Reward yourself. Rewarding yourself for all of your effort and hard work can be as simple as just saying thank you, and taking a second to soak in a compliment, instead of just brushing it off. Giving yourself a manicure or treating yourself to a new pair of running shoes is a great reward for a job well done. Everyone deserves a reward, and not just when you reach a goal. Reward yourself for the steps you are taking towards that goal too. You just might motivate yourself to push a little harder.

I am, by no means, an expert on health and fitness. I am learning more about my health and body everyday and it makes me sad when I see and hear about people focused on the scale, or putting themselves down for not reaching a goal. I used to be one of those people. I used to be a slave to my scale, getting on it everyday, and letting that number determine my self-worth. I, and for that matter you too, are not defined by the number on the scale, or your perceived failures. You are defined by the effort you put into each day, and the experiences you get out of it.

No More Excuses & Diet Coke Brownies

Recipes, Workouts 6 Responses »

Jun 192012

I have a confession to make. A shameful, horrible, confession. My diet and exercise goals started slowly slipping away from me last week. You see, to keep me motivated I need a date. I need a benchmark. I need to be able to say, “Yes, I completed my goal on time!” Most recently that goal was Memorial Day Weekend, where I knew I was going to see all of my friends and would be bikini-clad for the entire weekend. Before that it was a trip to Jamaica with my family. Before that, it was other trips or events or parties. But now? There is nothing in my future.

No parties. No trips. Nothing to motivate me and keep me going. I mentioned this last week and said I was trying to keep my motivation up by planning a trip somewhere, but no one wants to actually commit to a vacation so it’s still up in the air. I needed some help. Like serious, inspiring, motivational help.

I tried looking at Pinterest. I browsed through tons of motivational quotes and pictures, but nothing was picking me up.

Source: Pinterest

Don’t get me wrong, I was doing just fine. I wasn’t putting on weight, I wasn’t eating junk, and I didn’t skip all my workouts; I just wasn’t doing as well as I could have been.

I went from doing five Insanity workouts in a week to doing maybe two. I still ran every morning with Jack, but sometimes I would take a shortcut through my neighborhood so it was only a 3/4 mile run instead of the full mile. My typically small dessert portions were growing bigger and bigger, and I didn’t even care.

I think that’s the hardest part; that I would see myself doing these things and I knew I was going down a slippery slope, but since I had no deadline and no quantifiable goals, I didn’t do anything about it.

Until yesterday. Yesterday I talked with my friend Catrina (who I’ve mentioned in my weight loss story) about this issue. She admitted that she, too, was having similar issues with her diet. She admitted to me that she had somewhat fallen off the wagon since Memorial Day. It amazes me how we are so similar even when we are hundred of miles away from each other and only catch up a few times a week.

We made a pact, right then and there, to hold each other accountable for our actions. No big trip coming up? It doesn’t matter. No event where I will see everyone I know? Not a problem. Catrina is there, in New York, and if she’s going to work hard for me then I’m going to work hard for her too. If I don’t feel like exercising all I have to do is think of her, working her tushie off for me, and I will be motivated to do the same. Sometimes all we need is someone there to support us, and that’s definitely what Catrina is for me.

Workout

Inspired by this new motivation, yesterday evening when I got home from work I busted out an Insanity DVD and did the whole thing from start to finish and you know what? It felt excellent. I loved it. I felt strong, I felt my muscles burning, and I felt proud! Proud that I got out of this slump and stopped it before it became a real problem. Sometimes, taking the first step can be the hardest.

Recipe

So while I’m getting started with this revitalized healthy lifestyle, I have to post this last bad-for-me recipe. While it’s not exactly horrible for you, it’s not the best either. I’m talking like zero nutritional value. But, sometimes you gotta indulge yourself and eat a sweet treat, especially one that is chocolatey, gooey, and low in calories. But be careful of this recipe, it can be dangerous because it is so good, and it’s lightened up so you think, ok, what’s one little bite going to do to me? Well if you keep taking little bites, before you know it the whole thing will be gone and you’ll be on a slippery slope like I was. In fact, I wound up throwing the rest of these away last night because I decided I no longer need tempting desserts sitting around. So for now, I will file this recipe away for a future day when I’ve been working really hard and deserve a little reward. But not before sharing it with you fine people

Ok so, this recipe is really, really easy. And delicious. In fact, it only involves these two ingredients:

Diet coke and brownie mix. Yes, if you browse Pinterest at all I’m sure you’ve seen this a thousand times, but last week when I was in my lazy funk I decided to try it out and let me tell you, it was great! I was skeptical at first because it sounded so weird but after reading posts from a bunch of people who had tried it, I gave it a shot. Wow! You won’t be disappointed. While they don’t taste exactly like regular brownies, they do taste great. They are very moist and just taste more like a fat-free brownie. Which is still a-okay in my book

Anyway, you can use whatever kind of brownie mix you like (I bought this one at CVS so they had a limited selection but Low Fat would have been great!) and you can either use a bottle or a can of any diet soda you want. I chose Diet Coke but Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke or Diet Root Beer would have been interesting!

First I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, which was the temperature recommended on my box. Then I dumped the brownie mix into a large bowl. Next I poured 1 cup of diet soda into the bowl. I read a bunch of different reviews online which recommended various amounts of soda (such as 12 oz. or 6 oz.) so I decided to go with 8 oz. (1 cup) just to play it safe.

Then, I used a whisk to mix everything together until there were no bubbles and everything was well incorporated. Then I poured the mixture into a greased brownie pan.

Next I baked the brownies in the oven for the recommended time (25 minutes) plus an additional 5 minutes, until a toothpick came out clean. I let the brownies cool before cutting them up and serving them with a nice cool glass of skim milk.

Yumm. They were soo good! Plus since the Diet Coke was zero calories, the brownies came out to 118 calories each.

Diet Coke Brownies

Recipe type: Dessert

Author: Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats/Pinterest

Prep time: 2 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 32 mins

Serves: 18 brownies

These two-ingredient brownies are simple to make and are only 110 calories! Plus they are moist and delicious.

Ingredients

8 oz. diet soda
1 package brownie mix

Instructions

Preheat oven according to brownie box directions.
Pour brownie mix and 8 oz. diet soda into a large bowl. Whisk until well-combined.
Pour mix into a greased brownie pan.
Bake in the oven according to package directions, but expect to add a few minutes to cook time (about 5 minutes for me) until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the brownies cool before serving.

WordPress Recipe Plugin and Microformatting by EasyRecipe

So, now that that recipe is posted and out of my mind (and kitchen) I feel ready to tackle all my fitness goals again. No more snacking on dessert treats (unless I work hard for them and feel I can eat them without feeling guilty) and no more slacking. It’s time to buckle down.

How do you guys spark your motivation? Do you rely on a friend? The Internet? Yourself? I’d love to hear your tips!

Guest Post From Stephanie @ My Freckled Life

Guest Post 2 Responses »

May 272012

Hey everyone, while I am frolicking in the sand and the sun, I asked my friend Stephanie over at My Freckled Life to write a guest post for you all. Today she’s going to give you some motivational tips for working out, which will be super helpful as we all get ready for bikini season! Her blog is amazing and very similar to mine, so go check it out and leave her some love And behave while I’m away! Haha.

Hey guys! This is Stephanie, and I blog over at My Freckled Life. I am so excited to be guest posting for Chelsea today, not only because this is my first ever guest post (newb alert!), but because I adore Chelsea! I started reading her blog a few weeks ago, and it immediately became one of my daily reads. Plus she’s a newbie blogger like me!

Anyway, at My Freckled Life I tend to write about my workouts, recipes, healthy living ideas, random
craft projects, my upcoming wedding (eek, 5 months!) and of course, ridiculous pictures of my rabbit-
wannabe dog, Laney!

Since the summer is practically upon us, I thought I’d talk today about how to keep your workout
motivation once the weather gets nice!

I don’t know about you, but as soon as the temperature gets above 80 degrees, my motivation to
workout takes a nosedive. Of course, there is part of me that remembers that summer = bathing suit
season (ew) and that I SHOULD be in the gym, but the other half wants to lay out in the sunshine with a
good book and eat my weight in froyo. Don’t pretend that doesn’t sound amazing to you too!

So here are some tips to help you get motivated to keep with your workout routine now that the
sunshine is out and the beach is calling your name. Whether you need a real kick in the tush to get
going, or are just having one blah day, hopefully one of these tips will get you out of your rut!

1. Find a way to enjoy your workout outdoors!

Now that the weather is nice, there is a whole new world of possibilities for getting your sweat on
outdoors! There are all sorts of strength training and cardio workouts specifically designed to be
completed at a park or on a playground. You can take your kids, your friends, your dog, or even just
yourself and take in some sunshine while you sweat (just make sure you bring some sunscreen – no
lobsters please!)

If plain old workouts don’t strike your fancy – no problem! Find something outside that does. Find
a new trail to hike, or take your bike out for a joy ride around your community. I live in a small
town and summers are FULL of street festivals, farmers markets, and concerts which allow for lots
of walking around and exploring. Get involved in your community and see what kind of fitness
opportunities you can come up with. Summer is also the perfect time to train for races, triathlons, or
other fun events! Find something that appeals to you and get in your Vitamin D!

2. Put some spunk in your old gym routine and change things up!

If your gym routine is feeling old and just is not inspiring you to get into the gym when the
sunshine is calling your name, it’s now a perfect time to change things up. Take a new class at

your gym (or local YMCA/community center/etc.) that you’ve always wanted to try. My favorites
are BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyFlow, and spinning! Gyms seem to be a little emptier now that New Year’s
resolutions have worn off, so it’s the perfect time to rustle up some courage and try something
you’ve never done before.

3. Two heads are better than one – get yourself a workout buddy!

If you’re not already working out with a friend or significant other, now is the time to start. Workout
buddies are a great way to hold yourself accountable when you’re feeling lackluster, and they can
also push you to work harder. Besides, working out with a friend is just way more fun! You can
gossip while you run, make faces at each other during cardioboxing class, and go out for froyo
afterwards (Hey, it IS summer after all!)

Summer can also be a good time to get your significant other involved in your workouts, if they are
not already. Summer schedules seem to be easier for everyone, and the sun is out for most of the
evening, so sometimes people are more willing to join you in working out than they would be in the
winter. Besides, getting your significant other involved is like bonding in a whole new way. My fiancé
and I love to workout together (even if we’re just at the gym at the same time), because it’s kind of
like a casual date, and you burn calories in the process!

4. Turn to the old world wide web for inspiration!

In today’s day of social media, it is so easy to find inspiration on the internet. If you’re a social
person, turn to places like facebook or twitter. Follow your favorite athletes or trainers, tweet
questions to them, check out their facebook pages for workouts or ideas; there are so many
resources out there! If you’re more of a visual person like me, Pinterest is like
heaven. I love looking through the fitness page when I’m feeling totally unmotivated. I get tons of
ideas for workouts, I love the inspirational quotes, and usually after about 5 minutes I’m revved up
and ready to lace up my shoes!

5. Take a few minutes to remember WHY you are working out.

If you’re really struggling, take a few minutes to reflect on why you started working out in the first
place. Was is to lose weight or feel more comfortable with your body? To feel strong and powerful?
To look better in your summer bikini? To get your health under control? To rehab an injury?
Take whatever it is and hold on to that. Make it your mantra whenever you’re feeling less than
enthusiastic. Remember that fitness is a marathon, not a sprint – so you can’t give up. No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch!

Well thank you for letting me fill in for Chelsea today! I had a great time writing this post, and I hope
that you enjoyed it too!