So I took my life back...

Way back in 2012, I wrote down my New Year's Resolutions to be in "fitness model shape". That goal stayed in the back of my mind for the past 3 years. All of my campers have heard over and over again.

...Write your goals down
....Make sure they are measurable
....Step outside your comfort zone 

I decided this year to do all of the above. I wrote this goal down again for 2015. I would measure this so called  "fitness model shape" with a bikini competition. However, I needed to make a lot of changes.

As a trainer,  6 months ago, I found my fitness shape embarrassing. We received awful news in our family in both November and then again in December. It seemed like the hits kept coming and I was drowning. I turned to food. 

6 Months Ago:

I was:

Stressed
Exhausted
Questioning my job & my profession
Questioning my relationship

Where do I even start?

I changed my way of thinking. 

I constantly heard those voices in the back of my head of:

You don't need to be in that good of shape
What's the point 
There is no way you can eat that way with a 2 year old
You have too much going on in your life
Your knee won't hold up with that kind of training 
No one wants to hear your brag about your competition 
Waking up at 4am to run on my only days to sleep in is just silly

They were all excuses. I always say, there is no such thing as a good excuse or a bad excuse, its just an excuse. And I wasn't living up to my own words. 

The next 6 months I went all in, no excuses, just one step in front of the other.

And guess what? I reached my goal. 

It was difficult at times, but my friends and clients kept me going. They knew my goal and continued to check up on me. That was all the motivation I needed. I didn't want to let them down. I found an amazing coach, Team Haines Training, experts in the field. As a "teacher" for the past 5 years, it was kind of nice to be a student again. I soaked up all the information I could.

I not only told myself I could do it, but I finally believed I could...no excuses allowed. 

Let's face it, life does get in the way. We fall off the wagon and make excuses. The above story proves it happens, even to the best of us. Fight like hell to make sure its temporary and then make the decision to take your life back. 

"OMG Courtney, you were fat!"

...well not really. But of course my boot campers did not believe me when I told them I use to struggle with eating right & exercising. And they NEVER believe me when I tell them to stay off the scale.

I showed them these pictures:

I then heard..."Oh my god Courtney, you were fat!"

Again, not really. There is just a measly two pound difference in my before/after picture.

My before picture:

Nutrition-
Sugary Cereal (maybe a few cookies) -Breakfast
Diet Dr Pepper- Snack
Bagel + Cream Cheese - Lunch
M&Ms/Candy Bar- Snack
Homemade Dinner/To Go Food- Dinner

Exercise-
20 Minute Elliptical
15 Minutes of "Strength" Training meaning grabbing 5lb dumbbells and doing a few curls, etc.

My after picture:

I eat WAY more! Feel fuller and feel better

Nutrition
Eggs/Oatmeal/Fruit- Breakfast
Peanut Butter/Fruit-Snack
Protein/Vegetable/Complex Carb- Lunch
Protein Shake- Snack
Protein/Vegetable- Dinner

I avoid eating out.
I avoid sodas.
I avoid processed foods.
I do not eat white rice/breads.
I plan my cheat meals.

I still get my vices in, don't you worry of chocolate + wine, but I enjoy them more when I earn them after a great week of eating right & exercising.

Exercise-
Believe it or not, I still exercise around 35-40 minutes. I move quickly through circuits, resting very little and keep track of my weights/exercises I have planned before walking into the gym.

A personal trainer or group fitness instructor truly can be a life saver! They plan the workouts for you!


I never weigh myself. The scale to me really is just a number, I go by the way my pants fit and how I feel overall.

Even though the picture shows just 2lbs lost, it feels like 20+ to me.

Goal Setting At It's Finest...

If you were to ask me, what makes Grit Fit & Wellness/Boot Camp Challenge different from other programs, I would say lots of things! 

Pre/Post Assessments

Nutritional Guidance

Invested Trainers

Lots of laughs

Never a repeated workout

Great workout family

Goal Setting

However, setting goals...BIG, realistic, life changing goals. That is what makes us great. 

I asked one of my campers if I could share not only her goal, but how she plans on reaching it.

Together, we hit every aspect of achieving a goal. 

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time Based

THIS IS HOW YOU SET GOALS!

This year I want to find a healthier alternative to dealing with my emotions rather then eating. 

1. Writing in my food journal how I am feeling along with what I am eating so I can physically see what I eat when I feel bad vs. Good.

2. Bringing workout clothes to work and going on my lunch or right after work to do at least 20 minutes of jump roping to get my endorphins up and not want to turn to food.

3. Leaning on my friends and fellow goal seekers on bootcamp for support. 

Goal number 2 .

I want to be a size 5 jeans by summer.

1. Food journal 5 or 7 days

2. Stick to my first goal and use the support I have

3. Work out 5 to 6 days a week.

And my fitness goal is to do 100 double unders by summer.

Continue to follow goals 1 and 2 and jump rope at least 20 minutes a day.

And I can say with a great deal of certainty, she will hit her goal. 

2015 Pre-Goal Setting

Exactly 4 weeks ago, many of us set New Year's Resolutions. How are they going? Are we keeping up with them?

Only 48 more weeks to go, right? 

Resolutions are a tricky thing. Every trainer wants their clients or campers to want to achieve some kind or resolution! With our program, Grit Fit & Wellness/Boot Camp Challenge, I always encourage those to really contemplate their GOALS, not resolutions the entire month of January.

Try it out for a week, is it achievable?

Does it work with this point in your life? 

Last week we sat down and took a blank page and I told them to just write whatever came to mind as I talked.

Here is what I said:

• Reflect back on 2014. What are you most proud of having accomplished? What moments of achievement stick out in your mind?

• Imagine that through an explainable miracle, you have been transformed into the smartest, most ambitious, and creative human being on this planet. Knowing that with absolute certainty that you can achieve anything that you set your mind towards, what near-term goals would you choose to pursue to help improve the overall quality of your life?

Write the first thing that come to mind for improving your

• Energy- What enhancements will grow my level of energy and focus to improve my productivity?

• Exercise- What gradual changes will enable me to improve my exercise routines?

• Health Improvement- What shall I stop or continue doing to improve my health? What steps can I take in the next 48 hours?

• Healthy Environment- What improvements in my living environment will promote a better health?

• Nutrition- What can I do to improve my nutrition and hydration?

I also found this article helpful as well in terms of goal setting for 2015 from bodybuilding.com:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/50-fat-torching-tricks-fire-up-your-fat-loss.html?mcid=SM_twit03011115

Next step...setting of the actual goals!