Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Ohhh the Holidays

With the holidays vastly approaching in just a few days I'm feeling the temptations starting to set in. The smell of turkey, mash potatoes and gravy, the cranberries and don't forget that delicious pumpkin pie. Not to mention, there's always another holiday feast following a few weeks later.

I'll admit I'm a sucker for the pumpkin pie, and the cranberries and well...EVERYTHING. There's days where I feel I'd make a good food critic because I love food that much. I'm not one for cooking much, although I am learning after becoming more and more involved with being in the fitness industry and learning you have no choice but to cook when you're trying to be fit and healthy.

It's always difficult for me not to want to sneak a taste here and there while my mom cooks away in the kitchen. I have a hard time not going for third or fourth helpings during the holidays. I say third and fourth helpings because lets face it, you HAVE to go for seconds.

The ongoing question sets in....how do I stay in shape with all of those goodies in my reach? Answer? All in moderation.

It's okay to splurge on the holidays, but make sure you take a regular proportion. If you want to go for that second piece of pie, no need to feel guilty. Just hit the gym for an extra ten minutes. You can keep the pounds off, just stick to your regular workout routine. Put in a few additional repetitions when you're working on your abs or an extra 5 minutes of cardio. Drink plenty of water and just add a few extra minutes to your workout if you feel you need to work off a few additional calories. We all know that pumpkin pie is calling your name repeatedly and we all know you'll be giving in a little later. :) I do.

Enjoy the holiday season and don't let the guilt set in. Stick to your regular workout routine and you'll be fine. Don't use the holidays as an excuse for the reason not to keep up with your workouts, but don't deprive yourself either. Just remember, it's all in MODERATION :)

Have a great start to the holidays everyone!

"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day." Irv Kupcine

Saturday, November 7, 2009

It's okay to be YOU

When I first wanted to start getting into shape and really toning up my body, I wasn't thinking of getting into shape for the right reasons. I wanted to look like a Victoria's Secret model and look good in a bikini. I posted up a picture of one of the glamorous VS models up on my bathroom mirror hoping when I managed to achieve the "ideal" look, I'd feel more confident and better about myself, that is the worst idea.

After attempting to work out and eat right I was never satisfied with my body, because I didn't look like the model in the photo. I wasn't being realistic or true to myself. I have never been someone who has felt entirely comfortable with being in my own skin. I've always wanted to be anyone, but me. I used to want to be blond, or be 5'9" or taller so I could do runway work. After coming to the realization I just didn't have the genes for being 5'9," I started to accept myself.

I started to see the girl looking back at me in the mirror was who I truly was. I started to look at all the positive things about myself. I wasn't trying to be me, I was trying to live up to an impossible expectation of what I hoped I could look like or become. I understood that the only thing I could do was improve myself physically and not look at something that was unachievable for myself.

I started to research and learn how to eat right, how to eat in moderation, what I needed to cut back in my diet and what I needed to do physically for myself. I started to see better results of what I wanted and started becoming more and more comfortable within my own skin.

What my point is to this little story, is you have to accept you for who you are. If you're 5'4" and you have curves, OWN IT! If you want to get into shape and get active, do it for yourself, not to look like a model or for your boyfriend/girlfriend or who ever you feel you need to impress. If being in shape makes you feel good about yourself, then you know you're doing getting into shape for the right reasons. You have to be happy with yourself and your body. Everyone has a different body type, different hair, different bone structure etc. No one is truly ever the same and that in my opinion is awesome!

Forget about what you read or see on magazines. It took me a long time to stop comparing myself to celebrities that graced the covers of well known magazines, which is hard to do especially in your teen years. When I got a little older I had to remember those people are airbrushed and have a glam squad and a wardrobe team to make them look flawless.

Don't get me wrong, there are still days where I pick at my imperfections. I still feel my legs are too skinny or I have too many moles on my face, but those "flaws" make me who I am. Everyone has things they don't like about themselves, but odds are the only person that really notices those "flaws" is you. Embrace your imperfections.

Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.” - Unknown