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Do not compare yourself to anyone else.
I repeat, do not compare yourself to anyone else. There will always be someone stronger, faster, or in better shape. That does not mean that you're too weak, too slow or too out of shape to do anything. Go for your best. Don't go to the gym & look over at good ol' Martha lifting 150 pounds in a strict press & think to yourself, wow I'll never be able to do that, maybe I should just quit now. But first, let me take a selfie & post it so everyone knows I'm here. No, no, no. What you should be thinking, and what I think is, I know I will never be the girl who lifts that much weight & quite frankly, I don't want to lift that much. My back hurts just thinking about it. When you compare yourself to other people, you'll feel inadequate. You'll get discouraged, and you'll quit. Just like the saying goes, "Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle." When I accepted that, I was able to focus on getting to MY best. Not someone else's best. Are there people I know who can out lift and outrun me? Yes. Do I let that discourage me? No. Because they'll even tell you, it took them months or even years to get there.
Have a goal in mind.
Set some personal goals. Evaluate where you're starting out & ask yourself where you want to be & when you want to get there. I always have to work towards something specific so I keep moving forward. When it comes to fitness, my goal is to get stronger. I know where I'm starting out, and I know where I'd like to be. Some examples of your goals can look like: working out X times a week, running/walking X miles without stopping, or lifting X pounds more. Another personal goal I have is doing a strict pull-up without band assistance. Did you catch that? A strict pull-up. As in, 1. To me, that would be a great accomplishment, because right now, I need those bands. I'd also really love to do a hand stand.
Push yourself.
During my work outs, I push myself. I get to the point where it's almost too difficult for me to keep going, and push past that. Whether that's with weights or cardio, I make sure that it's a little bit of a struggle to keep going. I always tell friends, even if you are 1 second faster than last time, you're better than before. Even if you ran 1 minute longer than last time without stopping, you're better than before. Always push yourself in your workouts so you make it worth your time & effort.
Have good eating habits.
Now, as we all know, eating habits are the most important. And it's also one of the biggest struggles in life. Because let's face it, we all love eating because we love food! It's a fun social thing to enjoy. My weakness is Mexican food, specifically, queso. Especially Torchy's!!! However, I know I shouldn't eat queso all the time. Eating right not only plays into your fitness results, it also effects your energy levels. Are you always tired? Do you feel like you are struggling hard during your workouts? Your diet plays into that. Having good eating habits doesn't mean you diet for a week & then stop. It's a lifestyle. You choose to make it a way of life. You need to find what works best for you so that you can stick to it. Personally, I eat healthy & clean Monday - Friday and then I eat whatever I want on the weekends. If there's a special occasion or I'm visiting family, I make exceptions. This has worked so well for me for a long, long time. It's become a habit & it's something I can stick to. I actually enjoy eating healthy! And before you roll your eyes too hard at that, let me tell you, there was a time I ate like a 9 year-old kid whose parents were out of town. About 8 or 9 years ago, I used to eat bags of Cheetos and M&Ms for meals. I ate bean & cheese tacos like it was my job. I loved to drink sodas & days would go by without even a sip of water. Y'all, if I can change my eating habits, so can you!
Be consistent.
Consistency is key. I've seen too many people start something & give up all too soon. Sometimes it's because they went too extreme in their change of diet. Either they eliminated way too many things at once, or they didn't get the results they wanted right away, so they gave up. Mind you, a week is not long enough to give something a try. Give it a good 3 weeks before you decide it doesn't work for you. I've seen people switch from Paleo, to Whole 30, to counting macros all within weeks of each other. Seriously, you have to be consistent if you wanna see results. I've told people before, if you struggle with diets, eliminate things a little at a time. Maybe the first week you stop eating those Cheetos every day, and the second week you decide to also take away the M&M's. Do what works for you as long as you stick to it. And as far as the workouts go, don't go all out hardcore the first week so much so that you burn yourself out & give up the next. Start slow & work your way up.
Drink lots of water & take your vitamins.
Water is SUPER important. Drinking enough water can help you burn fat and increase your energy levels. I try to drink about 3 quarts a day. But I'd say aim for at least 2 quarts a day. Also vitamins are important. Although you shouldn't rely on your nutrients soley from vitamins, they do help. I like to take Omega-3's, Probiotics, and multi-vitamins. I also take Hair, Skin, & Nails vitamins, if I'm being completely honest, but that's not necessary (except that my skin is amazing because of them). Haha!
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All this being said, I think the biggest thing to remember is that you want to get to the best YOU that you can be. For the record, being skinny shouldn't be your goal. There are plenty of skinny girls out there who just have freakish metabolisms but eat junk & aren't active. That's not healthy. Get to a healthier version of yourself. It's so important to stay active & eat right. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it & you will always feel better about yourself. And please, please remember, that it does not happen over night. It takes time & it takes effort. You'll get where you want to be if you put the work in.
I hope this helps in some way! Summer is a great time to start working towards those fitness goals. There are so many ways to stay active & so many refreshing things you can eat to stay cool! Speaking of, here are two of my current favorite refreshing drinks. Flat Tummy Detox Water & a Strawberry Dreamsicle Protein Smoothie. (Click the links for the recipes.)
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxox,
Vanessa
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