Snowmageddon 2016: Keep Those Pounds Off

If you are on the East Coast you may be snowed in and on the verge of Cabin Fever (if it hasn't kicked in already). Perhaps your day consists of TV binging on the couch or in the bed (hopefully you are turning to avoid bed sores), cooking as if the world is coming to an end (and tasting every single item), napping on and off and mindlessly grazing on anything you can get your hands on like a cow out to pasture. Am I right? No judgements here, I get it. Snow days can bring on laziness and a disruption to one's routine which can bring on unwanted pounds. 

Times like these you have to dig deep, get creative, make good choices and just move. I will say I have enjoyed the guilt-free disruption of life and have enjoyed some much needed down time however know the difference between taking a break and falling into a coma! Here are some tips to help in avoiding the snowed in weight gain.  

1. Choose healthy options to snack on. Pick snacks that are loaded with fiber and protein to keep you feeling satisfied such as nuts, veggies and fruits. 
2. Get physical! Do activities that will increase your heart rate such as aerobics, Zumba, HIIT routines, dust off that treadmill/ elliptical, go shovel, work on expanding the family (hey.. it burns calories and increases your heart rate!), take a walk in the snow, or pull out that Wii and play. The Internet is a great resource which has tons of in home workouts available for free as well. The key is to increase your heart rate and burn those calories.
3. Avoid boredom. Most times boredom leads to mindless eating so focus on keeping your mind occupied. Use this time to create a weight loss plan. Research various exercises, foods which aid in weight loss, read articles on people that were successful in reaching their goal and make a plan to incorporate those tips in your daily routines going forward. 
4. Stay hydrated. Often times when we think we are hungry we are really just thirsty. Before reaching for those Ding-Dongs grab a bottle of water first! Better yet, before reaching for that bottle of wine or liquor knock out a quick 32 oz of H2O- put it in a wine glass if it makes you feel better or take it straight to the head whichever you like. Just remember to stay hydrated! 

Overall those are some tips to staying on track during Snowmageddon of 2016. I hope you find them useful and I look forward to meeting any new additions come late October 2016! 

Step by Step

Today make it your resolve to do something that moves you closer to your goal!
No excuses accepted! Don't cheat yourself. 

The Journey Continues....

For some week one of upholding New Year Resolutions has come to an end, for others our journey just continues. Whether you are a Resolutioner (I just created a new word!!) or a Lifer one thing holds true, consistency is key! 

You may be asking yourself if consistency is all that is needed on this journey to fitness. My answer to you is no! There are other critical components that help to create the "perfect storm." Although I admit had I been consistent from Day 1 on my journey, I would have already reached Pro Bikini competitor status, perhaps I would have made the cover of Sports Illustrated, maybe I would have been the next Ms. Olympia! Ok, ok, ok, a little ambitious and over the top  but hopefully you get my point .. I would have already reached and surpassed my goal. 

In addition to consistency you have to make a commitment to yourself. You have to commit to the journey that lies ahead which is filled with twists and turns, uncertainties, downfalls, disappointments, milestones, setbacks,  achievements and u turns. You have to make a promise to yourself that no matter where this journey may take you and despite whatever you may encounter that you will not give up on your goal and ultimately you will not give up on yourself.

Lawd knows I have been at this journey for quite some time and have had my share of good and bad experiences along the way.  After thinking over my journey, here are some critical keys to success that I urge you to equip yourself with as you continue or even begin on your personal journey:

1. Set short and long term goals  - Create a list of realistic goals that are achievable and attach timelines to each of them. 
2. Be consistent - I often joke that I am consistently inconsistent which is one of my biggest flaws (I am a work in progress!). To overcome this I have started creating daily lists for myself which remind me of the things I need to do each day to get me one step closer to my goals. For instance, this week my Monday list includes waking up and knocking out 1 hour of cardio, packing my lunch, setting aside 15 minutes during my day to clear my mind and breathe, attending an evening class  at Body by Maria and drinking 110 oz of water. 
3. Stay motivated  - Surround yourself with people that share similar goals and those that have already reached the goal you are chasing. 
4. Keep visuals  - Create a vision board for your goal. My phone is full of pictures of the abs I want, the booty  I am squatting for, the quads I crave and the look I am going for. The mornings that I want to be lazy I look at those photos and within no time I am out that bed and heading to my work out. 
5. Believe in yourself - This by far is the biggest factor in whether you will succeed in reaching your goal or not! You cannot rely on others to push you, motivate you or even believe in you. The truth is many people will be doubting you along the way. You have to become strong mentally and ignore the negativity and believe in yourself! You have to know without a shadow of a doubt that you CAN do this!! The power is within you just waiting to be tapped into and unleashed. 
6. Lastly, it sounds so cliche but Just Do It!!!! Whether you want to or not at that moment force yourself to  just get up, get dressed and Just Do It! 

I assure you this journey will not be nor is ever easy but I promise you it is so worth it. The benefits outdo any sacrifice you will make along the way and the rewards are simply priceless. 

Here's to reaching all your goals and then creating new bigger and better ones! 

.....Take these words and allow them to ignite your inner fierce ... 

Stacy Fierce (SFierce22  - IG)

Excuse the Excuses!

Does this sound familiar? 

How many times have you tried on an outfit and asked someone or even yourself if the outfit made you look fat? Or better yet, did you ever catch yourself saying, "This is going to look good once I put on my Spanx!" We are all guilty as charged! 

The harsh reality is that we don't want to hear the truth. We want whoever we are asking to say, "No girl, that dress looks good on you it makes you look so slim!" We are forcing the person we are asking to lie to us just to make us feel better and avoid the truth. 

Well the truth is .... it's not the dress.. it's YOU! That fat you are carrying around is what is causing you to look fat in everything you put on! I know that sounds so harsh and rude, in all honestly I slightly cringed when I typed that. Please do not think I am fat shaming anyone however we need to deal with the facts so that we make progress. If we constantly make excuses for ourselves we will never deal with the real issue and therefore we cannot move forward. 

Whew!!! Now that we got that out of the way let's move on. We just took the first step in acknowledging and accepting the truth and now we can work towards a resolution. The million dollar question is .. How? My answer is rather simple: excuse the excuses. 

We stop our progress because we are full of excuses and we subconsciously talk ourselves out of reaching our goals. We all know there is no secret to weight loss. Success lies in consistently eating clean, drinking water and  exercising. Why are you not successful in your weight loss endeavor? I will be bold and proclaim the reason is because YOU are getting in your own way with your excuses and stories! 

How many times have you  said any of the following:

• I am so tired 
• I just don't have the time 
• I cannot afford a gym membership or trainer 
• I don't know what to eat or how to workout 
• I don't want to mess up my hair 
• I have small children to care for 
• My body aches 
• Etc, etc, etc 

I could continue on however I think you get the point. I have used all of the above at some point or another and even created a few good ones myself. I also understand the struggle that comes along with this journey all too well and that is why I can write this. This message comes from a place deep within my heart with an aim of helping anyone that comes across this. I am right there with you in this struggle the only difference is that I let go of the excuses and made my health my priority. I travel an hour just to get to some of my workouts, I juggle after school activities for the kids, I have a full time job, I am a student, I help others reach their goals, I have a bad knee and my list goes on. I could use any one of these as an excuse and skip workouts however I resolved to finally meet my goals despite all the things that occur in life and to find solutions to obstacles that will arise along the way.

Take the first step today and make yourself a priority! Put away all your excuses, despite what you think or how legit you think your reasons are, if they are preventing you from reaching your goals they are simply EXCUSES!!!  Pour that energy into your walk/ run/ training session and give it your all. As Nike says, "Just do it!" 

Stop looking for the dress that doesn't make you look fat and start doing the work to burn that fat!! 

.....Take these words and allow them to ignite your inner fierce