What Do You Weigh?

Hi y’all! It’s been a minute since I’ve blogged. I miss it. There’s something so cathartic about penning my thoughts…even if it’s just for me to read back to myself.

The last several months have been incredibly busy. My husband and I have been enjoying our free time together, even trying out archery. My job as a Social Media Manager takes up a lot of my time, as a job does. And I’ve consistently been in the gym.

2017 was a good year, self confidence-wise. I grew stronger, and focused on living in a positive mental state even when life got rough. Because, oh boy, those rough patches will really sweep that rug from under your feet.

2018 has been interesting, so far. I’ve encountered some situations where my sweet little bubble of positivity BURST wide open and in flooded anxious thoughts and in crept an attitude of pettiness. In a moment self despair, I cried out to God and asked Him what to do. He answered with, “JOY”. That was my “aha” moment. Why should I let circumstances that were unfair or out of my hands determine how joyful I was? So, that’s been my focus the last few months.

And the same outlook has applied to my ongoing fitness journey. I found myself wondering, “What next?” I absolutely LOVE my time in the gym, so I didn’t want to scale back my gym time just because I had reached my goal weight. After doing research, I decided to try and gain more muscle slowly by increasing my calorie intake and increase my weight lifting. And that’s been a fun journey! I really do like seeing my muscles grow and become defined. I’ve never felt as strong as I do now!

Of course, my days of self-doubt still creep in, but with a JOYFUL mindset, it’s been much easier to combat those negative feelings. I recently found a neat campaign called I WEIGH, created by actress Jameela Jamil. Jameela saw the destructiveness of labeling women by their weight or dress size. If you’ve read through my blog, you’ll notice that I’m passionate about women finding their self worth and value in their wholeness. That’s why I love Jameela’s campaign so much: she’s found a way to allow women to celebrate their achievements and goals on a platform that is usually shrouded with “fit teas” and pics of “women’s ideal body types”.

My hope for you, dear reader, is that wherever you are in your life, you remember that who you are is much more than numbers on a scale or what people say about you. What do you weigh?

Working on My Fitness, You’re My Witness.

It’s been a little over 8 months into my fitness journey. It’s been a busy several months and I haven’t blogged in a hot minute. (Hey! Keeping up good eating habits, working out, making moolah, getting enough sleep, and keeping up relationships is a lot of work!) My health goal was to: 1. Lose at least 10 lbs. 2. Begin to build muscle. 3. Gain overall strength. 4. BE CONFIDENT and AWESOME. 

To recap the start of my journey, check out my original blog post on my fitness journey. I wanted to reach my goals before Stephen and I went on our first anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic. Thankfully, I reached my weight goal and then some within a few months. I spent the next little while before the trip increasing the amount of weights I was lifting during my gym sessions so I could tone up. You can see my steady progress in the pictures below!  

Now the the trip has passed (which was AMAZING), I’ve tried to be more lenient within myself regarding my diet and gym time. Instead of going to the gym 5-6 times a week, I now try to go every other day, or 3-4 times. I’ve still been slowing increasing my weights and adding in heavier machine exercises to my workouts, as well as decreasing cardio. In order to make sure I’m fueling my body enough to build muscle, I increased my calorie allowance by nearly double. Surprisingly, that’s been the most difficult part: keeping up with the amount of calories I have to consume each day. I used a nifty app on my phone (S Health) to track my meals and make sure I’m meeting my calorie intake, as well as water intake, sleep cycles, daily steps, and exercise routines. It’s actually a great way for me to have a well-rounded view of my health and makes it easy to manage day-to-day health info.  

It’s been nice not having to be as strict with my diet and exercise, although I really enjoy my gym time and I look forward to reaching new goals! 

March 2017

March 2017

April 2017

May 2017

July 2017

Fabletics Review

I’m really trying to be better to my body! As I shared in my last blog post, I have committed to eating healthier and getting my booty to the gym. While I enjoy going to the gym now, I always had to choose from 3 old sports bras, shorts from 9th grade, and tattered tank tops. Since I work out more than 3 times a week, I was constantly having to wash my workout clothes so I would have something to wear. I’ve heard a lot about Fabletics from Kate Hudson’s cutesy tv commercials and their fab (see what I did there) social media ads. At the time I joined, they were having a new membership deal where purchasers would receive a 2-piece outfit for just 10 bucks. Seeing as their retail prices range from $40- $100, it was pretty good deal. Too good to pass up. So I joined. 

The good: The new sign-up deals are awesome. I ended up getting my 2-piece outfit plus another tank top on sale. I calculated the total retail for all 3 items and it came to $150!!!! I only paid $24 ($10 promo, $10 sale shirt, and $4 shipping). There are also a lot of options to choose from, so there are patterns and styles for everyone. The leggings fit well, length-wise.

Pretty cute Fabletics outift overall

The pants have the cutest pattern, but their so compressed OMG

The bad: The subsequent prices are pretty steep. You’ll pay anywhere from $39-$69+ for outfits after you sign up. And Fabletics is a subscription service (it actually operates under the shoe service Just Fab). So, each month, you have to log-in and skip the month so you’re not charged. If you do forget, you can use the credit to buy items down the line. Regarding the actual quality of the clothes, it’s not bad. However, the compression of the leggings is so strong that my legs have a hard time breathing during my workouts. The size small shirt is also way to big, so I have to tie it up.

The shirts is a small but still incredibly lo g making it hard to move around freely when working out

The fab: The items are cute and they really help put you in the mood to workout. A lot of consumers complained that they had a hard time cancelling their membership (versus just skipping individual months). I had to work up my nerve to call because I didn’t want the Fabletics rep trying to sell me into not cancelling. But, it wasn’t difficult at all. The rep was super nice and just asked why I wanted to cancel. And that was that. She mentioned that I always have the opportunity to re-join.   

Final Verdict: If you have a crazy active lifestyle or just feel the need to have 12 or more workout outfits delivered to your door each year, then Fabletics is for you. Obviously, since I cancelled my membership, Fabletics isn’t the route for me. My sister recommended Forever 21’s workout stuff, so I did place an order with them for 60 bucks. I got 3 sports bras, 1 pair of leggings, 1 pair of shorts, a jump rope, and a yoga mat. I was really impressed with the quality and would rather spend 60 bucks on a ton of workout gear rather than the same amount on 1 outfit.

Here’s my ultra cute Forever 21 outift. Much for comfortable than the Fabletics one.

But, here’s to continued growth, strength building, and healthy living no matter what I wear to them gym 🙂

My Journey So Far

In my last blog post (2016 In Review), I discussed how 2016 was an interesting year for me and my body image. I gained a little weight just before and after the wedding. I was falling into an unhealthy cycle of eating too much fast food/junk food and not be active enough. I drank juice and sugary lattes instead of water. After dinner, I’d lay on the couch and binge on Netflix. I skipped breakfast in the mornings and overeat at lunch and dinner. The funny thing about gaining weight is that it slowly creeps up on you. Since my weight hadn’t been an issue for me in the past, I let my unhealthy choices spiral out of control. I assumed my body would be unaffected. While my weight gain wasn’t extreme, I began to notice little changes in my body that pointed towards the bigger issue: I needed a lifestyle change. 

My insecurities finally came to a head when I ran into an old co-worker at the grocery store. She was extremely well-meaning and sweet, but she mentioned that she could tell life and marriage was going well for me because “my face looked full”. I was shocked that someone had essentially confirmed an insecurity that had been raging in my head for months. That’s when I decided enough was enough. Even if I didn’t reach my goal weight, I needed to treat my body and mind better than I had been. Thankfully, by being intentional about what I eat & drink and by making sure I’m burning off what I consume during the day, my body has responded positively. 

“Positive in, positive out”

Here’s what a typical day looks like for me now:

– I eat a balanced breakfast: hardboiled egg, piece of fruit/natural fruit bar, oatmeal, coffee with a splash of milk, etc. I try to plan my breakfast the night before so I’m not forced to eat something “easy” that would otherwise be junky.

– I’ve committed to drinking a gallon of water a day. Not only does this help curb my appetite and cravings for sugary snacks, but it helps flush my body of waste, help turn my food into energy, and keep my skin clear. I’m intentional about not drinking soda, non-fruit juice, sweet teas, etc. Typically, the only fluids I have during the day are coffee, hot tea, and water.

– I walk whenever I can instead of taking the elevator and I get up from my work desk every hour to get my heart rate up.

– For lunch and dinner, I make sure to eat a balanced meal that’s not too calorie heavy. I keep snacks like beef jerky or almonds at my desk so I don’t give in to the vending machine snacks that always seem to be calling my name. However, I don’t stop myself from indulging occasionally 🙂

– I’ve created a custom exercise plan that I really enjoy and look forward to each day. This month consists of cardio (I prefer a jog on and off the treadmill), high-intensity strength training, and ab/core exercises. For the nights I don’t feel like going to the gym, I will opt for a 30-minute dance workout (usually Keaira LaShae, who offers FUN workouts for your living room). I try not to eat within 2-3 hours of bedtime, as well as not sitting/laying down right after dinner.

– Not only have I been intentional about what I put in my body and what I work off, but also the state of my mind. I will light candles, make some tea, and sit in my room with soft music playing to de-stress before bed. It’s important that I not forget change begins within the mind!

I’m noticing small changes since the beginning of my journey. My strength is improving. I feel peppier throughout the day. My body is toning back up. I’m thankful I’m making better decisions for my body and mind. But, even as I continue on this journey, I consistently remind myself of some things I’ll take time to remind you of:

“I AM NOT JUST NUMBERS ON A SCALE; MY WORDS AND ACTIONS HAVE WEIGHT TO THEM”

“I AM MORE THAN THE CALORIES I CONSUME FOR I RETAIN KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, EXPERIENCES, AND WISDOM”

“MY BODY IS NOT PERFECT, BUT I CAN RESOLVE TO BE THE BEST WOMAN I CAN BE”

“MY WORTH IS NOT DEFINED BY MY BODY MASS, BUT BY MY KINDNESS AND STRENGTH”

I hope that my post encouraged you today. Remember, one step at a time is all it takes.