If there ever were a time that I would want to find an excuse ... today/tomorrow would be it.
As I type this blog it's going on 2:30am and aside from when I sat down to eat my meals (one of which was at red lights in my car) ... this is the first time I've been still all day.
As I type this blog it's going on 2:30am and aside from when I sat down to eat my meals (one of which was at red lights in my car) ... this is the first time I've been still all day.
I had the day "off" today (because I have to work tomorrow) but it was anything but "off". I would have loved to have not set my alarm, enjoyed a massage, had lunch with a friend, taken my dog to the park, etc., but since my work day on Saturday is about 18 hours (8-10 of those are travel time in a passenger bus) I had to cram my normal Saturday agenda into today. That meant getting up earlier than I would on a normal work day and heading to get my weekly Hotbox session in, doing laundry, straightening the house, cooking (but realized I needed to go to the store first), meal prepping for an 18 hour day away from home with NO promise of a microwave (not easy), driving 40min to go to posing practice - amongst some other things ... like heading to Nordstrom. Yes that was a must. I mean ... I had $280 in Nordstrom notes that were gonna expire, lol!! In 35 min I managed to burn through 238 of it -- lol ;)
Now .. my alarm is set for 8am so I can get in the gym before I roll out of Nashville for a long day of work. I'm not complaining about work. I will be interviewing/covering the Jason Aldean stadium tour w/ Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line and Tyler Farr. But still...in order to not fail ... I chose to make sacrifices instead of excuses.
The choice is yours...and yes it really is a choice. We all have our own excuses, deadlines and responsibilities, but the fact is that most of the time we could MAKE time to stay on track if we really wanted to. We just often use hurdles as an excuse and CHOOSE the easier way.
A day to day healthy lifestyle is crucial in maintaining your physique and overall health .. but excuses are a great example of why having some type of goal can be really important in helping you stay on track. If I didn't have a personal goal (these shows and hopefully getting my pro card).. I would have likely skipped my cardio this week, skipped the gym tomorrow and made tomorrow a full on cheat day -- eating whatever the music label provided that I could eat, having a few drinks, etc. TOTALLY not worth it!! But just like picking battles in life .. the same goes with a healthy lifestyle. Gotta pick which excuses are really legit and not just that ... an excuse!
By doing things I DID NOT want to do today .. I'll stay on track tomorrow and then Sunday I'll be able to have a healthier cheat meal or cheat of my choice (I'm thinking sushi and sweet cece's) while spending some quality time with my family! I'll still be getting in booty day at the gym too though .. even though I'll be exhausted .. but again .. pick and choose your excuses.
Goals don't have to be anything major. Of course they can be big things like .. vacations, reunions, events, etc. But your goal can simply be a "reward" you are giving yourself for staying on track! For example .. If I don't make any excuses for 30 days ... I'll buy myself those shoes I've been eying. Or if I stay on track and don't slide .. I'll have one Saturday night out a month drinking and dining with friends. Once I'm not in contest season .. I will have to get creative with my "goals" as well. Otherwise it will be much easier to fail at the bigger picture -- which is a BODY FOR LIFE!!!
This is a great time to remind everyone that your goals have to be REASONABLE!!! If you try to make your goals bigger than what you are capable of or crunch them into some crazy short time frame ... then you are going to either fail and say forget it and jump back on being unhealthy OR you are going to resort to drastic measures to reach your goal....WHICH IS SO BAD!! It would be better to miss/move your goal than to do this. Why? Because not only could you ruin your metabolism with some of these crazy methods .. but it won't last. Which will lead to a host of things including mentally beating yourself up from the "yo yo effect".
This is a great time to remind everyone that your goals have to be REASONABLE!!! If you try to make your goals bigger than what you are capable of or crunch them into some crazy short time frame ... then you are going to either fail and say forget it and jump back on being unhealthy OR you are going to resort to drastic measures to reach your goal....WHICH IS SO BAD!! It would be better to miss/move your goal than to do this. Why? Because not only could you ruin your metabolism with some of these crazy methods .. but it won't last. Which will lead to a host of things including mentally beating yourself up from the "yo yo effect".
So that said .. back on the subject of excuses. Pick and choose them wisely! Ink in your exercise and meal prep time. It will be worth it in the end when you achieve a #BodyForLIFE :)
I've made a very short list (because I gotta sleep, lol. that is my downfall. i don't get nearly enough) of "basic" excuses and hopefully some motivation for you to not make them your excuse.
1 - I'm sore. Yea well .. that is gonna happen and sometimes this SHOULD slow you down. But there are things you can do to help! If you break up your exercises into body part/groups as I mentioned in previous blog posts - then that allows you to work on another body part while resting the one that is sore! Also I've noticed on cardio day if I am sore - if I can just get past the warm up .. the soreness really does ease up and I forget about it. That could be because the room is so hot at HotBox - another reason I suggest that as your cardio of choice if you live in Nashville! They also have a strength class, yoga class AND a gym for members!! So this is also a solution to "excuse #3 below". The big ones for soreness .. I take glutamine, drink aminos, use a foam roller and stretching -- those are my suggestions and all will help!
I've made a very short list (because I gotta sleep, lol. that is my downfall. i don't get nearly enough) of "basic" excuses and hopefully some motivation for you to not make them your excuse.
1 - I'm sore. Yea well .. that is gonna happen and sometimes this SHOULD slow you down. But there are things you can do to help! If you break up your exercises into body part/groups as I mentioned in previous blog posts - then that allows you to work on another body part while resting the one that is sore! Also I've noticed on cardio day if I am sore - if I can just get past the warm up .. the soreness really does ease up and I forget about it. That could be because the room is so hot at HotBox - another reason I suggest that as your cardio of choice if you live in Nashville! They also have a strength class, yoga class AND a gym for members!! So this is also a solution to "excuse #3 below". The big ones for soreness .. I take glutamine, drink aminos, use a foam roller and stretching -- those are my suggestions and all will help!
2 - I don't have time. You sure about that? I'm not encouraging you to NOT read my blog, lol. But chances are that isn't the only the thing you are doing online. Choices people .. choices. Many of you have said you don't want to sacrifice time with your friends or family just to go to the gym. Okay then .. incorporate them!!! Babies are GREAT weighs, lol. Go on a hike as a family, cook a healthy dinner together, have friend dates at the gym or at a class and then take turns having your friend over for a healthy lunch afterwards! If you are set on spending a night on the couch, then do some HIIT cardio, sit ups, push-ups, etc., during commercials of your favorite show .. do squats while cooking and lunges while walking around the house, etc. Reserve your workouts for during the week so weekends are for family only....even if that means you have to get up an hour earlier than you "want" during the week. Or if your weekends are more "free" -- use the weekends to get in two really good workouts and find then you can limit weekday workouts. Either way .. I think it's safe to say your family needs you and wants you around for a long time. So an hour a few times will benefit everyone in the long run!
3 - I don't have the money for a gym membership or to buy healthy foods. Well... first of all you don't have to have a gym membership to get in shape. While it is better and you will see better results - it's not a requirement. However .. think about your budget. Do you REALLY not have the money .. or is that an excuse? Look at your budget and see what you can cut so that you can invest in your health. Not to mention -- if you take medications -- are those medications ones that you could likely NOT have to take anymore if you were to be healthier? If a gym membership really isn't doable, then each paycheck purchase few basics (a mat, dumbbells, bands, etc). You will be able to build a mini home gym. On demand, roku, the internet -- they all have pretty decent workout videos you can do! Just PUSH HARD!!! It's better than nothing!!!! As for foods ... calculate all that take out, lunches you don't pack, fast food joints you drive thru, junk you buy, etc., and I guarantee it will all average out at the end of the month if you make SMART choices when grocery shopping for healthy foods! Yea it is kinda shocking when your grocery bill is high -- but again. Look at what you spend on all that other stuff. It averages out!! Sometimes to even SAVE you money!!! Lean meats don't cost much more than the fatty ones, egg whites and oats are actually cheaper than sugary cereal and milk, get veggies at the farmers market, buy in bulk, etc. People ask me all the time if I eat organic. I would love to eat all organic, but no I do not. I know to many of you that means I don't "eat clean" - but I can't do it all. So I pick and choose organic based on which ones have the most potential for harm and I wash all my fruits and veggies very well before eating them, etc.
I'll end with one of my favorite fitness quotes that seems fitting for tonight's little random blog rambling ....
Eat Clean. Train Dirty.
Stacy
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