The 3 Keys to my success this year

I was thinking about what has led to my success this year.  I broke it down to 3 things.

1) Keaira LaShae - I have mentioned her before but honestly - I couldn't do it without her.  I am constantly challenged, encouraged and motivated to better myself.

2) Diet Bet - I am competitive by nature and this only fuels it!  Not to mention that there is a social aspect that just makes it fun.  I won my first Diet Bet (Chris Powell Challenge) and am working on a 6 month transformer challenge now.

3) My Fitness Pal - I have used other trackers before and loved them.  MFP is built to cover all of the variables.  It also has a social component that is highly enjoyable and motivational.  I like to help people and this gives me a chance to share what I have learned as well.

Every person is different...from motivation to calories to workouts.  You absolutely need to do what works for you.  1 of the lessons that I learned this year was that I need to feed my body.  I was trying to eat 1,200 calories with a 200+ pound body.  That wasn't enough.  I am now consistently eating 1,600 and still dropping the same amount of weight.  I was introduced to Carb Cycling this year as well.  It has made a huge difference in my relationship with food.  I also learned the value of limiting sodium.  I feel better.  The only way to find out what works for you and what doesn't is by tracking.  I really cannot stress that enough.

I will admit that doing all of these things can be time consuming and is not always the easiest thing to maintain.  We are all busy.  Our responsibilities may be different, but we all have things that we need to focus on outside of ourselves.  On the flip side, I have to take care of me or there won't be anyone to do what I do.  It's a choice.  I choose to get healthy.  I have struggled my whole life with my weight and I will continue to be aware of it forever.  I have achieved significant results and am confident that I have a handle on my goals.  I am not saying it's easy - because it's not.  But it's certainly a lot more manageable if you have a plan.  Keep that in mind as you continue on your journey and achieve your goals.

30 Day Challenge Complete!

I DID IT!! I finished the 30 Day Keaira LaShae New Year, New You Challenge!  Not only did I finish - I finished well!  I am officially down 13.4 pounds and 14 inches!!!!  What a great accomplishment.  There are days that I didn't want to.  There was a day I missed so I did two days worth in one (don't recommend that).  But I didn't give up.  Keaira LaShae is an incredible motivator and I am thankful every day that I found her.  Next week I am going to start on her Summertime Fine Challenge.  That will take me through February.  In the meantime, I will keep active with Daily Burn.  Hope February is finding you accomplishing your goals as well.  Shoot me a line!  Let me know how your journey is going! 

BEAST MODE

Exercise makes me feel like I can do anything.  Especially the heart pumping, sweat dripping, trying to catch your breath kind.  BEAST MODE!  "BEAST!  You are a BEAST!" - That's what my "trainer" Keaira LaShae says.  You know what that says to me?  YOU DID IT!!! You are accomplishing your goal.  I am definitely one of those people who says "I don't want to".  That doesn't stop me from doing it.  In fact, it might just make me work harder to prove to myself that I really do want to.  I have been amping it up by pushing harder the last few days.  I am nearly done with the 30 day challenge (Day 26 done today!) and I feel amazing!  Based on my past actions, I truly never thought that I could stick with a program as long as I have.  I have been working out with Keaira for a little over 3 months starting with Daily Burn and now on YouTube and I have no intention of stopping.  Finding what works for you is the key to success.  Dancing may not work for you but I love it!  She definitely keeps me motivated and feeling like a BEAST!  Make sure to find something that makes you feel like a beast too!

She's trying to kill me

OK not really.  But being a superhero is NOT an easy task.  Just ask Keaira LaShae.  In case you don't know, Keaira is a fitness trainer, dancer and singer.  The woman is amazing and has given me hope.  Hope that one day I will have arms and abs just like her.  I initially "met" her on Daily Burn (which I love).  She has a MOVE series on there that is the ONLY workout of any type that has kept my interest for more than a week.  Sooo... when I found out that she had put up a 30 day challenge on her YouTube channel, I thought... Hell yeah!  I'm in.  You can check it out here http://www.youtube.com/superherofitnesstv.  Honestly, it's awesome.  I am on Day 5 right now and, like a superhero, I am pushing through.  Not giving up.  But it's hard.  What I love most about her videos is that she will say "This is no joke, I am tired".  That is real.  Right now, she is my inspiration to get up at 5 am and workout.  Now that's saying something!