Fit, Fabulous 40's Friday!

Friday already?

I don't know about you, but when I'm on vacation, I never know what day it is!

I've got some big plans for 2013, how about you?

I've just signed up for this amazing course by Jeff Goins, called  

Tribe Writers 

and was reading some of his fabulous resources when I noticed the time, 

12:11 am and the day, 

Friday, 

January 4th.

I immediately thought about my "Fitness Friday"(which I have been slacking on)

 and then remembered being surprised by the amount of NEW followers to my 

Pinterest page 

(check it out)

that I titled,

  "Things That Inspire Me to Stay Strong", 

which meant that people are wanting some " Pinspiration"

 regarding fitness for the New Year!

Then, while on Facebook tonight,

I had a semi-conversation on my New Year's Eve pic regarding my arms.

I'm not super buffed, even though one of my friends calls me, "Buff Girl".

I just work hard to stay fit. 

And it is, 

hard work to stay fit!

I've shared my arms workout many, many times, but there is a catch.

You've got to do it....and keep doing it,

for a long,

long time!

  

Persistence...

And by the way, 

you've also got to work out the other parts of your body 

while you are working towards those arms!

But, there will be benefits!

I wish it were easy and quick, 

but nothing worth working for comes easy.

BUT,

 I KNOW 

it is possible- 

I'm just like you.

Really, I am.

And, I KNOW 

that if I can do it, 

you can do it, too!

Here are some things I would suggest before starting any health and nutrition plan:

1. Make sure you are healthy.
 When was the last time you got a thorough physical?
 Don't remember?
 GET ONE!
You will find out where  you are- and what you might have to work on- heart, fat, muscle, strength

2. Realize WHY you want to work out?
What will get you there even when you do not want to go?
I'll be honest. I am vain.
I want to look the best I can possibly look right now.
I want to be happy with who I see in the mirror.
Maybe for you, it's getting off medication, or wanting to feel better, or have more energy?
(do you really think I enjoyed waking up at 4:40 a.m. to get to the gym and shower before work? )

3. What foods do I need to stop placing into my mouth?
YOU feed yourself- not good or bad- just take responsibility and then decide to stop eating one type of food that you shouldn't be- take one food away for a week, then the next week stop eating something else, etc.  You can just tell yourself, "I don't eat that anymore" or "I'm not eating it until I lose "x" amount of weight"
I used to put my Hot Tamales in the freezer, so I knew they were there, but I was simply making a choice to save them for later.

4. Get Support
Who will be your cheerleader outside of ME?
I will cheer you on, for sure, but who else? Who will hold you accountable, encourage you, etc. Research has shown that you will get better results if you are accountable to someone.
Tell a good friend that you want to work on your health this year and I'm sure he/she will support you.

5. Learn how to eat - read/ ask/ research!
Fact: fit/lean people eat differently than overweight, obese people.
I'd be happy to help you- this website can help and there are many more out there!
We learned how/what to eat growing up, and I'll admit that I had to "clean my plate" because "there were starving children in China". I can still clean my plate, but I don't have to  have a man-sized serving!
You can also go here for some ideas/recipes....baby steps!

6. Learn about exercise and fitness- read/ask/research!
I'd be happy to help you here, too! Seriously, just ask!
I also get workout ideas from   :http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/

What I do is fairly simple, 

I've just kept doing it for a long, long time.

I've also had others help me here and there.

An old friend, gave me my arm workout ( called 21's )

 which came from Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding book!

I had other friends at the gym give me tips here and there that have helped.

I've also read, researched and asked others what they do!

Here is the truth- 

YOU have to decide that YOU are going to change  

your mentality regarding your body 

before your body is going to change. 

It will NOT happen in one day, 

one week 

or 

even one month. 

You have got to be in this for life-

you may be saving YOURS!

Remember,

to just keep going!

What is the most difficult part to starting a new health plan for YOU?