Do what you love

There are constantly infomercials on TV for the latest and greatest workout craze. Every day there seems to be something new, or something better. People looking to get fit often times don't know where to start because there's just so much out there, it's overwhelming. You constantly have people telling you do this not that or "my crossfit gym is better than your globo gym." People need to calm down. I have my own opinion about what I think is best, but living a fit life is something that should make you happy. You should look forward to your workouts, it should bring you pain and joy. If you feel best when you go to Zumba 5 times a week, then my goodness dance it up!
I love the Life as RX brand, I have some of their apparel but I am not a fan of this design...

If you are making an effort to work hard and be healthy then there is no "fail." If it makes you happy and gives you the results you are looking for it's a win. I personally love crossfit style workouts, I like lifting heavy and I like hiking/trail runs. Those things make me happy, I feel good when I finish one of those activities. And I'm aware that what I enjoy is not for everyone.
I didn't discover that I loved these things without first trying them. I tried something new. It can be terrifying but because I've been willing to try new things I've gotten to experience so much and truly know what it is I love. I encourage you to push yourself out of your comfort zone, to try something that might seem scary right now. I also encourage you to be confident in what it is you enjoy. Don't let anyone tell you that you should be doing something different or that what they do is better. That's just rude.

The highs and lows of the journey...

Spring is here and last weekend was pretty toasty. Steve came home from work on Saturday, looked at me and asked why I wasn't wearing shorts. Ready for my answer? "I don't have any that fit." UGH! Really Sheri?! I am kicking myself for pretty much having to start all over again. That was a low.  The amount of things that don't fit currently outweighs things that do.
Anyways, I'm really struggling this time around with changing my eating habits. It used to be so easy for me to say no to things, to pass up on the kids snacks. I was motivated to food prep and plan ahead. Now i'm just lazy, THAT has got to change. I see a major shopping trip in my near future. I'm even thinking of busting out the juicer I've had for a year and never taken out of the box.  I know what I have to do and I want to make it happen but there still seems to be some sort of disconnect between the two. I'm trying to be positive, I'm trying to remind myself that it's a process, but there are days that I just can't help but feel discouraged.

On the happy side of things, Steve and I are currently transforming our garage into a gym. We finally were able to splurge a little on something for ourselves. We'll be able to do quite a bit with what we just ordered. Once we have a squat rack and pull up bars it will pretty much be complete. We got it all set up last night, put some flooring down and got rid of some stuff we had been storing in the garage. I can't wait to workout in there tonight! I'm hoping doing something I enjoy will get me even more motivated to workout. And really what's my excuse gonna be now, that I don't want to walk to the garage? Haha.

Back in the swing of things, sort of.

Not being in the gym is one of the things that contributed to my steady weight gain. I blamed Steve's new work hours for no longer allowing me to do 5am workouts. But early morning are not the only time a person can workout and instead of making time I just kept up with the excuses. Part of getting back on track means adjusting my schedule to create time in the evenings to be in the gym. I'm happy to say that even with having the kids I've been able to get my workouts in this week and my food for the week has been much cleaner/healthier. Tuesday I ran 3 miles right after work. Wednesday and Thursday I headed to the gym around 7:30, once everyone was fed and dishes were done. It's not an ideal time, I mean who doesn't want to veg out after being at work all day and then doing the nightly routine at home? But my health and happiness are more important to me then the tv shows waiting for me on the dvr. The good news is I've seen the scale drop a few pounds. But my true indicator of change will be when my clothes start to fit better.

Getting back in to running has been quite interesting. As I'm out there, feet pounding hard on the pavement, feeling like I'm barely moving all I can think is, "how the heck did I run a half marathon?" This 3 mile loop I've been doing is kicking my butt. I spend the entire time trying to get in a groove, trying to settle in to a good stride, but it just doesn't happen. I struggle the entire time. But I tell myself it will get easier, the more I do it the more effortless it will become. Right?
That right there is what motivates me. Getting back in it and having the desire to improve.  Just a small taste has me wanting more.