Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I don’t have a background in health and fitness. I just have real life experience, determination, and I read a lot. 

Who doesn’t love to see progress? It’s part of what makes us human. Do something and get results. Sadly, we are an instant gratification society. We want it now. Immediately. And we don’t want to work for it. We don’t want to wait for it.

And people really don’t want to put in the work to lose weight. There’s so many products out there selling you lies on how it’s going to get you to drop the weight faster. A weight loss journey does not happen overnight. A pill does not make it better. Eating 800 calories a day may get you to drop the weight but you’re paying the consequences in other ways.

Good ol’ hard work gives you results. It just takes time!

I’ve been putting in the work and right now I’m generally happier than I have been the past year. I see the scale moving. I see the clothes getting loose. I see my results in the gym. They are all going in the direction that I want them to be going. But it takes real, honest work.

I didn’t just wake up and poof all this goodness started happening. I have to plan my food, log it in, do the work at the gym, get good sleep, and drink plenty of water!

They say it’s 80% nutrition, 20% working out. I feel that’s a true statement. You can work out all day, but if you are eating too much or the wrong things then you’re working out for nothing. Working out just to eat more is fine if you aren’t trying to lose weight, but working out so you can eat pizza later tonight and then get upset when you don’t lose weight is no bueno! You have to want to change for change to happen. It’s time to call on your will power, eat the right things, and get active.

I’m walking proof that putting in that extra elbow grease does a body good. I’m not sharing to toot my own horn. I’m sharing because I’m nobody special. Just another tired, working parent that has kids going in all different directions and a long ass commute. I’m sharing to say it’s POSSIBLE for you too!

My level of fitness is increasing daily. In a relatively short time frame, I’ve managed to do what a lot of people think is impossible – Lose weight, yet get stronger! When I started CrossFit a long, long time ago, I was much more fit and eager. I made a lot of gains quickly but plateaued. Then got lazy and it took me longer to make gains and in some instances had losses. At some point in the fall of 2016, my PR of a 155lb front squat dropped to 135lbs. That was sad, but it was reality. On July 25, 2017, I changed that to a 165lb PR. A little over a month later, I added 10 more pounds to that lift! 175 lb PR! I’m smaller and stronger! I still have a ways to go on my weight loss but hopefully you can see that slow loss over time is good. I’m not losing all my strength. And it’s not just front squats that I’m making gains in! Snatch and Clean & Jerk are two other lifts I have gains in. It’s all within reach.

If chunky, oompa loompa me… can get my once unmotivated self to get going, YOU can too!

You – sitting on the couch. You – wishing you’d start but keeps making excuses. You – scared to join a gym or class, even though it looks like fun. You – who thinks they aren’t ready to work out because they are waiting to lose some weight first. You – who just walked to the kitchen because a bag of chips sounds better than walking around the block. You – who thinks they can’t do everything because they have an old high school injury that limits them. You – who thinks they are being a bad parent because they leave for an hour to take care of themselves. You – who says, this is me, I’m ok breathing hard with a small trek to the parking lot. You – who says, I’m overweight it’s cool. It’s how I’m made. You – anyone who doesn’t fit the above but still has an excuse to not do the work!

Come on folks. This is life. It’s short. Except for the old high school injury… I was one of all of those people at some point in my life. If there is an excuse to be had, I’ve had it off and on over the years. If you want an out, you will find it. It’s easy to do. But it takes a real conscious effort to make the decision to:

1. Buy healthy food.
2. Cook said healthy food.
3. Don’t cave to junk food.
4. Get moving.
5. Step away from booze for a little bit.
6. Don’t let the people around you guilt you for trying to be healthy (especially when you choose water over beer, liquor, wine)!

It’s time for you to flex your willpower. It’s time for you to make a solid decision for you and your health.

Once you start making the small changes, you will find that you will feel better in all the things. Sleep comes easier. Aches and pains start disappearing. Headaches become less frequent. Weight drops. Skin clears. You get more energy. Dare I say, your blood pressure drops. Cholesterol gets better. Your body starts functioning better. Again, NOT A DOCTOR, and I know sometimes you have genetic health issues that require specific requirements. But I know from personal experience that there are a lot of health problems that exist from poor diet and lack of exercise.

Again, this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes weeks, months, etc. But it will happen. And believe it or not it becomes a little contagious! You will love to feel good and you won’t want that feeling to go away! And maybe your circle of people will want to jump on your train.

It’s a long weekend for a lot of us. Stay smart. If you must indulge, make a decision to indulge one meal and then get back on track. Don’t let a bad meal snowball into a weekend of bad meals. Make an effort to get an extra workout in too!

Sending you virtual positive vibes to stay strong!