Excuses, Excuses...

We have all heard the excuses that people come up with to NOT exercise.
* Too Tired
* Don't like to workout in front of people
* Too Hard
* Not enough time
But of all the excuses I have EVER heard this one takes the cake!!! I was reading through some comments on one of the many social networking sites and a woman was asked when she was going to start going to the gym. (The two people in this conversation were friends) The woman replied by saying "As soon as I get a job, I will start going to the gym!"

Her answer completely shocked me!!! All I could think of was WHY?!?!?! This person could not possibly be searching for a job 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This might be harsh, but that was quite possibly the lamest excuse I have EVER heard.

Self Defense

Over the weekend, my husband and I were watching The Ultimate Fighter. In this episode, they had Rhonda Rousey come in and be a guest trainer. She is an MMA Champion. I was totally impressed by the fact that she could "take down" all of the guys on the show in a second flat!

I asked my husband what he would do if I was able to do that to him. (Keep in mind that he is nearly a foot taller than me and out weighs me by a good 60 or 70 pounds) He said that if I was ever able to, he would have to start working out more!  He also said that it wasn't a bad idea for any woman to be able to defend themselves like that, and that he would be very impressed with me!

There are two things that motivate me more than anything! The first is when someone tells me I CAN'T do something. The second is when they say it would be impressive if I did! I am going to see if I can find a place that does self defense training and sign myself up!

The "Little Known" Benefits of Exercise

We all know that exercise is important for maintaining a healthy weight or getting your body into shape, but not everyone knows that there are other, little known benefits of it.  Here are five:

1. To let off steam after a bad day: One of my favorite times to go to the gym is when I have had a bad or stressful day. I always say "The treadmill will never complain when you take your bad day out on it!"  'Nuff said!

2. Increased energy: Yes, I said "increased energy"! Try running the stairs at your office instead of taking the elevator. You will be out of energy when you first start out, but over time, you will find that it's no problem running them anymore. The same applies at the gym. Yes, you will be worn out and sore, but eventually, you will have more energy...even after a tough workout!

3. Healthy Skin: By increasing blood flow, exercise helps nourish skin cells and keep them vital. "Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin," says Ellen Marmur, MD, author of Simple Skin Beauty: Every Woman's Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy, Gorgeous Skin and associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. To read the article where I got this information on exercise and skin care, click here.

4. Helps keep families together: Any time you spend time with your family, you will become closer. We all read about having family dinners together, but it doesn't have to stop there. Go to the park and play tag with your kids. Go to the gym and have a race on the treadmill with your spouse. You'll have fun and get your exercise in too!

5. Improved sexual function and better sex life: First of all, since exercise is proven to help you lose weight and get a toned figure, it is obvious that it will change the way you feel about yourself! You will have increased confidence and be less worried about your body! You will also see impovements in your endurance and heart function, which all will enhance sexual functioning.

So there you have it! 5 additional reasons to exercise! What are you waiting for?

"One of Those Days"

Have you ever had "One of Those Days"? You know the ones I mean. The days where nothing seems to go right.....someone yelled at you for something you didn't do. Maybe you came across a post on Facebook that was directed to a loved one and the statement was completely false! That was the case for me a couple of weeks ago. Some girl decided to post on Facebook that my husband doesn't have a dime to his name. We don't even know this girl. I won't go into detail about what I said in reply to her comment, but I will say that I was very angry and she got quite an ear full!

What I did hours after this happened is the reason for this post. I went to the gym and did my R.I.P.P.E.D class.  When I have had a bad day, my favorite part of the class is "endurance". This part of the class is more like kickboxing! (Now you can see why I like it) What better way is there to get rid of that anger then to kick and punch?!?! I let my mind remember what she had said and I punched away! After the class, I completely forgot about her....well at least until I decided to write this post!

The point is, is that exercise can be used that way! The gym equipment doesn't mind if you take your bad day out on it! You will never hear it complain! The same definitely can't be said for your family!!  Yet another reason to "Move That Booty"!!!!

WHAT?!?!?!

I am a pretty easy going person and I don't get irritated or angry very easily, but if there is one thing that really makes me mad, it's this!

A few days ago, I was at the gym. I had just finished my R.I.P.P.E.D class when one of the other participants came up to me and said "Amy, you are so tiny...I don't even understand why you take this class!"

WHAT?!?!?!

Are you kidding me? Do you think I look the way I do because I sit on my butt all the time? Do you think that since I am "tiny" I need to quit working out and just sit on my butt?  What exactly do you think would happen if I quit working out? Would you be able to call me "tiny" in a couple months? I know for a fact that you wouldn't be able to! I did stop working out for a while and I did gain some weight. I didn't feel nearly as energetic as I usually am and when I started working out again, I could tell that I was out of shape.

Everyone needs to stay active throughout their lives! Just because a person is at their ideal weight doesn't mean they should stop.  I read this on Pinterest and I thought it was great. I will share this, and be done venting!! 

If you're tired of starting over...quit giving up!

Need Motivation? Check out Pinterest!

The internet is a great way to find motivation to get fit and healthy. I have found, for me, a great way is to go to Pinterest.com and go to the category "Fitness". There is an amazing amount of pictures and motivational quotes pinned there. HUNDREDS probably!!

Everytime I am planning on going to the gym, but that little voice inside my head tells me that I don't need to today, I look through those pictures and quotes. Guess what....I end up going!

Here are a few of my favorite pins and you can check out my pins at http://pinterest.com/liltweety/.

 http://www.jennifernicolelee.com/jnlshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=158

                                               http://reasonstobefit.tumblr.com/page/5





http://weheartit.com/torithelaxchick03

Food For Comfort

I know that I am personally guilty of eating for the wrong reasons. There were many times when I would eat because I was bored or I would want food after a bad day. I was also on the flip side of that. There were times when I just wouldn't eat. It wasn't necessarily because I felt like I shouldn't, I would literally just forget until I started getting shaky and feeling sick.

My friend, Velvet, gave me a piece of paper that talked about eating habits. This is what it said:

* I will NOT eat food I DON'T NEED!
* I will NOT reward myself with FOOD!
* I will NOT medicate with FOOD!
* I will NOT allow situations, circumstances, or other people to influence or dictate the way I EAT!
* I will NOT rationalize poor eating choices!
* I will NOT lie to myself about eating bad!
* I will NOT REPEAT my mistakes from my past!
* I will NOT allow my mind or emotions to sabotage my POTENTIAL!
* I WILL believe I AM WORTH IT! and do this FOR ME!

After reading through this list, I found that I was guilty of the first eight on the list and that (sadly) I am guilty of not believing the last one! Definitely something I need to work on!

100 Reasons You Should Work Out Today By: Nicole Nichols

I recently came across a great article! One that makes it literally impossible to make up an excuse to skip the gym on any given day!

This article is called 100 Reasons You Should Work Out Today and it was written by Nicole Nichols.

Need your motivation today?  Check it out!!!

Ripped/ TrX 2toget Fit Challenge

My good friend, Velvet, is an instructor at the gym that I attend. She is always coming up with incentives to attend her classes, but more importantly to motivate us, her students, to be as healthy as possible. I have completed one of her challenges and received second place. My son also completed it and got third place! She has come up with a new challenge for us. It is called Ripped/TrX 2 toget Fit. This challenge is 2 months long. It sounds like there will be three winners:

* The person that attends the most R.I.P.P.E.D & TRX classes in the next 2 months
* The person that loses the most weight and
* The person that loses the most inches.

I am really excited about this challenge and it comes at a really great time. I am the maid of honor in my friend Tammie's wedding on July 7th and in August, we are heading to Sturgis for the third year in a row. A girl has to look her best for both!!! :D

At the moment, I am very motivated for this challenge, but I know that it will be a struggle for me to stay motivated! I hope that between this blog and Velvet, I will complete the challenge....and maybe even win a prize!

Why I Created This Blog

Last night I was lying awake in bed. My mind was racing. So much had gone on over the course of the day....from craziness at work to a pedestrian getting hit by a car. I decided to stop thinking of everything and just focus my mind on one thing. That thing was my fitness goals. I focused on what weight I wanted to be at, what measurements I wanted to be at and how I was going to reach those goals. Then I realized that there was too much to try to remember in my head! I needed to write them down somewhere, so I decided to start this blog!

I think I will also use this blog to keep track of recipes, exercise ideas, motivational quotes and pictures and maybe even just to vent!

My name is Amy. I am 35 years old. I don't consider myself fat. I would describe myself more as...ummm...jiggly! :D I weigh 124 pounds and I am 4'11" tall. I would like to be around 110 pounds and I want the jiggly parts of me to tighten up. 

That's all....Time to get movin'!