Milwaukee Fashion + Lifestyle Blog
As you may have read in my previous blog post, I joined the #BarreLifeChallenge at the Barre District location near where I live in Bay View! Though I’ve been training for half marathons on and off for the past 3 years, I haven’t always made my health and fitness a top priority in my life, and it’s time for that to change. I’ve made a lot of excuses, put off workouts, and not always made the best decisions when it comes to food choices. Some days, weeks, and months are better than others of course, but consistency hasn’t always been the name of the game. Obviously, life happens. I don’t expect to be perfect in my journey toward healthier living, but I need to find a better balance.
As I say that, I think about what I signed up for the next two months – finishing at least 45 Barre classes to complete the challenge. Maybe I’m tipping the scale too far in the other direction, but then again, maybe that’s what I need. I read a quote today that said “nothing changes if nothing changes”. Simple. But so powerful. I can’t expect anything to be different if I keep doing the same things.
So here we are. Not necessarily a true “Starting Line” in my weight loss journey, but we’ll call it a pivot point. What I was doing before isn’t working. I need commitment. I need accountability. And I need a plan. One that’s easy to follow, is effective, and will help me achieve all of my goals. There’s plenty of options out there to accomplish whether it’s apps that you can use to log all of your food, track your weight and measurements, and provide some awesome workout plans or fitness classes. Deciding which ones to use and what’s right for you might be different than what I need, but here’s what I’ve decided on.
My plan to tackle the challenge of healthy eating/food tracking and getting my booty up and moving includes the following…
Now the fun part. What exactly are my goals?
So here’s my “Starting Line”. Before photos. Ahhhhh…I guarantee I want to post these a lot less than you want to see them, but here they are. This is my body right now, and despite all of the negative thoughts and words I’ve used to describe it in the past, it’s amazing. It works hard, it’s taken me many miles, and it’s been good to me over the years. Now it’s time for me to be better to it by fueling it properly, taking care of it when it needs to rest, and getting it moving when it needs to move. I know it’s strong, so I want to see what it can do. I love it and everything it’s capable of at the moment, but I want to see how much better it can look and be.
And now for the numbers. In the last 10 years, I’ve probably gained a solid 50-60 lbs. I’d have to look back to see if I could find a measurement from my college years or a little after to know for sure though. But this is where it ends. This is the most I ever want to weigh again, and this is down 8 lbs from my weight at the beginning of the year. I don’t want to look down at the scale and see this number show up EVER again.
Not that the scale is really what’s most important, which is why the body measurements are going to come in handy. Throughout the next two months for the challenge, I count on my body changing. I’m going to be building and toning muscles, burning fat, and slimming my waistline. Though I have goals tied to the number on the scale, it’s really more about the physical, mental, and personal changes that will come along with it as well. I know I’m going to have more energy, feel more confident, and become more fit than I’ve been in years. And I’m excited. One technique I’ve learned to stay motivated through using Noom has been to close my eyes and picture what my BIG GOAL looks like. I need to visualize what I look like, how I feel, what’s going on around me, and I want it to be my reality.
So here’s where I’m “starting”. I’ve made the commitment to complete the challenge, I’m using Noom to understand and modify my relationship with food, and I’m ready to make a change. For my first update, here’s a snapshot of my physical activity for this past week…
For the next two months (at least), I’m going to be sharing a weekly update on my wellness journey. It will include these same snapshots of my activity for the week, my progress photos, and my updated measurements. I’m counting on posting it here consistently to be the accountability and motivation I need to keep it going. To power through. And to keep getting better, faster, stronger, fitter…
Thanks for coming along on this journey with me!
