Les Mills Step

OK so training to be a fitness instructor has been awesome, and I have been going to more classes than usual to gain experience and see how other instructors conduct themselves.  It was all good fun until I participated in a step class.  OMGeeeeeee what the hell did I just do? If I was going to be truly honest I didn't really like it, it was hard and yep it was hard. 

To keep to the timing was hard, to learn the steps was hard, to laugh at myself well that was easy but ....... damn it was hard.  I walked away from that class thinking I'm never going back there again!

My knees hurt, my back hurts and this tells me that it worked, the workout did something for me, BUT I didn't like it. Why? Because I looked like a total fool.  This is exactly how you are meant to feel when trying something new.  Of course its hard , it's something you've never done before, your body is saying what the hell are you doing?

However your body is amazing, and it doesn't take long for it to adjust.  Just keep trying, don't give up and keep going.  Trust me you will be so proud of yourself in a weeks time looking back.  This is exactly the reason why I am going to keep going to step class, and look like a complete goof.

We are all different and enjoy doing different types of exercise, and for all different reasons.  Myself I started off exercising for weight loss, at first it was just something I had to do.  Now its something I love to do.  I love it so much I'm now instructing, learning Tang Soo Do the art of Karate, going to the gym and loving it. 

I have more energy, I'm happy, I've lost weight, I've changed my whole lifestyle.  I have several jobs I love, my family is healthier, happier, more active.  Its such an amazing impact.  It doesn't all happen overnight though, its been a tough road to get here and the road is still going rough, no smooth driving here.

Really I'm not going to sugar coat it for you, loosing weight is tough, starting to exercise when you never have before is tough!  Have you ever heard anyone say 'if it was easy everyone would be doing it' ? It's true, but I assure you the fittest of people find it hard to do something new or different  too. 

A great friend of mine told me something awesome the other day, mind you she always says awesome things.  Such a motivating and inspirational women she is, and I'm so thankful she's in my life. This friend of mine was talking about needing just a bit of TLC

Time

Love

Consistency




Now this was an awesome acronym, one that I just had to share with the world.  Give yourself time to adjust, love yourself in the process and be consistent.

Consistency is so important when it comes to health and fitness, be consistent and you will thrive.

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

If you're reading this and you are trying to loose weight keep reading because I'm here to tell you that you're not alone and what you're feeling is very normal.  Just to say to yourself YES! I am going to start YES! I am going to change my lifestyle you're on the right track.  So lets start with this;

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Tell yourself everyday

I LOVE MYSELF
I AM BEAUTIFUL

DON'T LOOSE FAITH YOU'VE GOT THIS!

Having a healthy mind set can be challenging, especially when you may have been beating yourself up. Eating that tub of ice cream, or an extra piece of that cake, or maybe even the whole cake.  Drinking that bottle of wine whatever it may be.  This is a very damaging process and can be the root problem to your challenges and failures.  I see a failure or a setback as a learning curb, why do we start out so strong and something as little as food can bring it all down so quickly?  You know, and it might not even be food for you it might be something else that's your 'weakness'.  Weakness ....... see here is another word we use often, is emotional eating a weakness?  I don't believe it is.  There's so many ways to describe emotional eating, but its just that isn't it emotional eating.  Half the time I didn't even know that's what I was doing, in most cases it was out of boredom that I ate, other reasons were because I was upset.  Upset about what? Now this is the real question that needs to be answered. To be able to really succeed on any lifestyle change, we need to get to the root problem. 

WHAT IS THE ROOT PROBLEM?

You know you just don't sit around one day and decide "oh I'm going to get fat now". No there is a reason for that weight gain.  For me my weight problems started when I first started to have children.  Now this was 10 years ago, in this time my weight has gone from morbidly obese to underweight to obese to normal to morbidly obese again.  Why?  Why had my weight fluctuated so badly over 10 years why couldn't I stay in the healthy weight range.  I ate healthy didn't I? Yes I did eat healthy food, but I also ate a lot of crap foods too.  Too much alcohol, foods high in saturated fats, salts, sugars.  No! I wasn't too healthy after all.

When I first started to exercise the thought of getting on the scales was confronting.  Now how could you imagine I felt when the figure was not only triple digits but after my first month of sweat, hard work and determination, that figure went up.  Yep not down but UP!  This was embarrassing for me, even though my measurements went down that number on the scale was everything.  Now I have spoken about this before and if you have read any of my blog you will know how this was for me.  Now that I have been on this journey for over a year, I have come to realise that the number on the scale is just that ..... A NUMBER!

I started off worrying about the number on the scale, then the number on the measuring tape, after this was the size of my clothes, and the whole time being so hard on myself.  I still had a negative mindset, just know instead of telling myself I was fat, I was telling myself what I was doing was just not good enough. I didn't ask for help and I wasn't being honest with myself, I just did what I thought was working.  Be brutally honest with yourself, no one needs to know you're 'demons' after all we all have them.  I think what I'm trying to say is, identify and address the root problem, really look at your behaviours and self analyse why you think you do this.  If this is hard for you ask someone for help.  This is the hardest thing you will EVER do, as no one really wants to feel analysed and judged.  If you reach someone will surprise you, and want to help you.

Perusing the world wide web the other day I noticed a shirt, written on it was - 'I am never going to be my original weight again, after all 6lb 8oz is just unreasonable' This sort of light hearted humour at first would have made me upset, but now just reminds me to not take things so seriously.  YES loosing weight is a serious matter, just don't be so serious about everything all the time. The ideals that we have in our heads and what is perceived as healthy are so unrealistic.  This perpetuated image that is socially acceptable as healthy is all but accurate. 

Now I haven't disclosed to you yet that I am in training to be a personal trainer.  Going into the course I was nervous that I wouldn't fit the "mould".  My perception of what a personal trainer looks like was so unrealistic, but why did I have this way of thinking?  The media portrays such an idealistic view of what being healthy "looks" like, is this where my previous disposition was born?  Yes, I do say previous as I have come to realise that being a trainer has nothing to do with being a size 8 and ripped like Arnie.  Recently having a conversation with a very close friend who started a job at the gym, I came to realise other people have this same perception of what is expected walking in to gym.  She is healthy but not a size 8, and believed she wouldn't get the job because of this.  This is a sad notion to admit, and I wonder how many other people out there think the same way?

WHY IS THIS THE ACCEPTED LOOK?

So if any of this is making sense you're not alone, keep going talk to people about what it is your feeling.  Ask your friends, trainers, families questions, if you think its silly I assure you its not.  This will help you in the process of change.  You are worth it.


Now lets talk about nutrition, and fad diets. 

What is a fad diet? 

Yeah we all know these ones and I bet we can all say we've tried one, looked into one, know someone that's on one.  Learning to eat right is not a one package deal, it takes a long time to train yourself to eat correctly, and listen to what your body is trying to tell you.  Do you know when you are thirsty apposed to hungry? Do you know when your body is dehydrated or lacking a vitamin?  Did you say no?  If you are in this category don't worry you're not alone.  I have one rule I follow 'eat in moderation'.  Everything is 'healthy' in moderation you can eat chocolate just not the whole bar.  Yes you can eat pasta, just portioned controlled amounts.  To know this knowledge will truly help you, and the longevity of your healthy lifestyle.  Talk to a nutritionist, sign up to programs like 12WTB where qualified nutritionist give you meal plans.  Educate yourself and ask for guidance, you can do it - remember "you're worth it".