Fit Chick Wednesday: My Fitness Journey

I started my fitness journey about a month ago.  I had seriously let go and nothing seemed to satisfy me.  I was slipping down a long and all to familiar hole back to the person that I used to be all because what I had planned did not come to fruition.  However, that story is for another post.  So where did I start?

Okay so to begin with I have always been thin, but in my mind I was never thin enough.  So to make a long story short I chose to partake in the very unhealthy habit of limiting my food intake.  I'm talking 1000 or less calories per day and the least that I could get away with the better.  So eventually through my extreme actions I was down to about 97 lbs.  Now at 5'7 and 24 years old this weight is considered underweight.  Soon everyone began to take notice but no one seemed to understand.  They'd joke and say that I needed to eat or even try to give me more food but in my eyes my body was perfect.  Well if I was perfect what changed?

Well around my 25th birthday my current boyfriend and I started dating and going out led to me more and eventually I gained weight but it was unhealthy weight.  Nothing about this was 'pretty' in my eyes.  However, my boyfriend was happy because as he put it, I was no longer starving myself.  So he began to hint towards me looking at healthier options if I wasn't happy with my body.  So I began researching.  Now also around this time the 'curvy movement' was in full effect and I felt as though I was lacking 'back there' if you get what I mean.  So I began my journey to get a flat stomach and a bigger butt.  Yep, it was all about aesthetics. Aesthetics?! I thought this was a fitness journey.

Yes, I began working out to become 'bootylicious' (I hate that word),
but so far working out enabled me to become more confident.  I am able to do things that never thought I'd be able to do.  I can run a mile, I can complete more than half of a push up, and I've managed to make so many friends (my gym friends).  With that confidence I stopped focusing on being curvy/skinny and more on being fit because now in my mind fit equals happy.  I've added some healthy weight and I'm not done yet.  I want to be the best me that I can be.  So now the fun part...progress pictures.

 October 2013              November 2013

We all have our idea of what our ideal body is and sometimes we need a little push to get us started.  I'm here to be that push.  Get up and get healthy.  Help your body perform at it's optimal level.  Do some research, join a gym, find a workout buddy, drink water, move around more, or waste away.  If you need help feel free to contact me, I am always willing to help and even do some research for you.

I hope you enjoyed and thank you. 

Fit Chick Wednesday: Eating Clean

A lot of people ask me how often I work out in order to keep my figure.  My answer is generally 3 to 5 times per week (seems like a lot but I sit at a desk all day).  However, I wholeheartedly believe that while working out is good much of my success as far as fitness is because of my diet.  I eat clean majority of the time and my meals are generally smaller.  So what is eating clean?

Okay, clean eating centers around consuming food that is as close to it's natural state as possible.  Not to be confused with a raw food diet, you can still cook your food but try not to add much.  Also steer clear of refined sugars and become label conscious.  Also, whenever possible try to buy organic items.  I generally eat 5 to 6 small meals per day (2 are generally snacks). It will take some research but eventually it will become easy.  Remember this is not a diet it is a lifestyle change.  Anytime that you're making such a drastic change it will be hard and you'll want to give up but don't it's worth the pain.  Also, remember that water is important.  I do not drink soda or many juices because that's too much sugar.

Don't know what to buy?  No problem I've found a shopping list for you.

thescienceofeating.com

Well there you have it.  Being healthy isn't just about exercise.  You have to fuel your body with the appropriate foods.  You will not see results overnight but you will see results, trust me.

Here's a list of other resources to help you get started.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-shopping-list-for-beginners/

http://www.simplyhealthymama.com/2013/06/clean-eating-101-what-and-why.html

http://www.skinnymom.com/2012/05/21/clean-eating-101-change-your-body-the-healthy-way/

Thanks for reading.  Now go out and get healthy.


Next Fit Chick Wednesday:  My Fitness Journey & Motivation

Fit Chick Wednesday

Okay so Wednesdays will be a little different on C'est La Dee as I will be bringing you Fit Chick Wednesdays.  In case you don't know I am  a what people would call a fitness junkie.  At first my fitness journey started out as me wanting to look good but now it's all about my health.  I'm always trying to improve.  Yes, looking good is one of the added benefits of choosing a healthy lifestyle but for me it is not the most important anymore.

Fit Chick Wednesdays will be all about fitness and healthy lifestyle tips.  I am not a personal trainer and I have no formal education/training as it pertains to fitness but I know what worked for me and if you're up to it...it may work for you too.

So without further ado my first Fit Chick Wednesday post is an at home cardio workout by Fitness Blender that is sure to burn calories and make you sweat.

Bodyweight Cardio Workout - 23 Minute At Home Interval Cardio Training

This video is from Fitness Blender and they have hundreds of helpful videos on YouTube.  Check them out.

Fitness Blender

I hope you all enjoyed.  Now get out there and get fit. 

This Week In Retrospect: Positivity

I hope everyone had an awesome week that was productive as well as inspiring.  Here's a rundown of my week thus far:

• Started the 'active/prepared' lifestyle
• Spent much needed time with friends/family
• Came back from a wonderful vacation
• Began a new healthy lifestyle routine (more on that later)

  I chose to focus on positivity this week because even though those things that I've done sound great I still had plenty of opposition.  I had to overcome issues at work, toothaches (extreme, migraine inducing toothaches), and a slew of other family/personal issues.  However, I figured if I just keep a positive attitude and think positive thoughts then the pain will only last for a little while.  It made an extreme difference this week (I was getting beat up left and right).  We don't have to feel bad.  There is no rule that you have to feel like crap when you're having a crappy day.  You are allowed to be bubbly if it makes you feel better.  There's no need to beat yourself up if circumstances/your boss/your body/your family is already doing a good job of beating you up.

This week in My Active Prepared Life
I honestly thought that since I had a plan integrating this new system would be easy.  Boy was I wrong.  It is hard work trying to better yourself.  It's even harder to watch people (friends/family) shun you when you want to live a better life.  I foresee plenty of these goals being revisited in the weeks to come. However, I did see improvement in my overall well-being and ability to handle situations.  Meditation and prayer have helped with my anxieties.  I received many compliments at work regarding my improvements.  So far it's been tedious but worth it.  

Until next time be happy if it makes you feel good.  

This Week In Retrospect: Time to Relax

Sorry everyone I know I haven't posted in a couple of days but it's simply because I been super busy with work, preparing to move, going to school, and life in general.  I have recently started a new workout regime and it's definitely a killer.  It definitely takes time and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle.  No wonder everyone is so unhealthy.  In between work and the gym all I want to do is sleep.  I'll update everyone on that later.  I've definitely been way too stressed.  This week has been one to remember or maybe even one that I'd like to forget.


So what exactly have I learned and witnessed this week.

1. Living a healthy lifestyle is harder than it seems.  Willpower and support from others come in at an all-time low when you're trying to better yourself.  
2. Balancing life is also tricky but it is necessary.
3. Getting enough sleep is very important.  I was late to a few appointments because I got a little too friendly with the snooze button.
4. Never underestimate the power of effective time and financial management.

Okay so this week wasn't full of thought provoking revelations.  I was so busy.  I'm going to work on a schedule that will allow me to maximize my efficiency throughout the day.  Well, this weekend I had time to relax with family and friends. 

Until Next Time...

Healthy Social Circle

"A true friend sees the good in everything, and brings out the best in the worst of things"

Sasha Azevedo 

About two weeks ago I went to lunch with an acquaintance who I hadn't seen in a while until  she contacted me this past month to set up a lunch date.  I was a little suspicious initially because her reasoning behind the invite was to get clarification.  Basically, she wanted to know why we were no longer friends.  The situation/friendship itself was toxic to say the least so when it came to me cleansing myself and surroundings of negative entities (something I'll discuss later as it's vital to a balanced life)  all unhealthy relationships had to go also.

"Misery loves company."

John Ray

Your mental, physical, spiritual, and social health is of utmost importance.  Cleansing your social circle and cultivating a healthy circle of friends is necessary if you want to obtain a balanced life.  If your friends are negative and disrespectful then it's going to affect you either directly or indirectly.  Others who are looking at you will ultimately believe that you are also negative and disrespectful.  You have to separate yourself from those types of people.  If getting you involved with their most recent bout of drama is their primary goal in every conversation then you have to assess if they're friends that are worth keeping.  Your interactions with those around you (especially friends) should leave you with an uplifting feeling.  If a relationship does not give you the support that you need then you should consider distancing yourself from those people and those types of situations.  People who are miserable are comparable to crabs they will grab onto you and try to pull you down with them. 
  

"Inhale peace, exhale excellence"

Unknown

When we take in positive energy we do more good for ourselves and others.  This is what I had to explain to my friend at lunch.  Her issues and the way she handled them were what made me decide to distance myself and end communication with her.   We all have problems and issues that may arise but generally when they come about we look for ways to fix them.  However, some people only use those problems and issues to add to their already abundant cluster of mess.  Drama is entertaining to them.  They need that in order to feel as though they are living fulfilling lives.  It's awful and twisted because no matter what advice or how many solutions you give them they will only find something murkier and more damaging to submerge themselves in.  You would be wasting your energy, time, and intelligence on people who never had any intentions on getting better.  In essence, you would only be depleting yourself.  That is energy that could be put into accomplishing something that is actually attainable.  Don't kill yourself trying to help those who don't want to be helped.

  

Letting go is hard and it's uncomfortable.  No one wants to be told that they did not make the cut.  I know some people who I distanced myself from that are now my enemies.  Though I think that if one of my friends told me that our relationship was unhealthy I would be upset at first but ultimately that threat of losing a friend would trigger some self evaluation.  The friends that I have are people that I truly care about so I will do some soul searching to see if what I do or how I behave as it pertains to our relationship is actually detrimental.  If it is then some change needs to happen and if not then we can both go our separate ways and just know that we were headed down two different avenues.  Friendships should never leave you feeling empty.