It's okay - but it's time to prioritize ...

I've realized that I can't NOT workout. I can't NOT eat healthy. Every time i slide off of my path and gain weight I realize that I'm just NOT a happy person in this state. I've slacked off for a long time for various reasons. AND IT'S OKAY- but, IT'S TIME TO PRIORITIZE!

It's time to stay focused on remember why I'm are doing this in the first place. I want to feel good. I want to be happy and I want to look my best.

This week, I'm going to take it DAY by DAY to get myself back on track. HEALTH is a huge priority and this week- each day..I need to prove/remind myself of that.

This is me, taking a deep breath and realizing that it's all going to be okay. It's OKAY to be a work in progress. I'm okay :) sigh...

Just a lil 5 mile jog... *an ah-ha moment!*

So, I just got home from a lil 5 mile jog.

*Let me preface this by saying that when I started out, I was so tired that I turned around and headed home only to decide to run up to the track near my parents house to get at least a mile in...*

During my run, I was going pretty slow. I start talking negative to myself sometime in my head. This time, when I started telling myself those negative things, I literally started to talk to myself. I started saying saying, "Shut up, Lori! You're DOING IT. You're running. Who cares if you're slow- you'll finish your run and 'at least you're lapping everyone that's on the couch!'"

As I headed back to my parent's house, I started to have de'ja vu. I remembered back to high school when I could barely run to park by my parent's house. I remember how much pain I would be in. I remembered how red my face would get. I thought about the times that I wanted to puke from pure exhaustion (it was only .75 mile!). I always TRIED. I always WANTED to be FIT, but I wasn't.  I danced. I did swim team and tennis team. I worked out at the gym, but I never stuck with it consistently enough to see true results or become truly FIT.

 Today, I got out there, exhausted, and jogged the whole neighborhood, ran a mile at the track, ran up to the park, around the park and the lake (twice) and back home. I finished 5.2 miles later and felt fabulous. I have a long way to go- that's why my little blog is called "Fit Girl in Progress," but that's exactly it...I've made a LOT of progress and I do amaze myself sometimes. ♥

Have you had an "ah-ha moment" or a "light bulb moment" in regards to your fitness progress? Share it with us, Fit Girls (and guys)!

I'm a Fit Girl in Progress..not perfection.

I've had a REALLY hard past two days--emotionally, body-wise, mentally...

I have this notion in my head that the scale needs to keep dropping and if it's not that that means that I'm doing something completely wrong. I also have this fear, yeah--fear, that if it stops moving, it's never going to move again; I'm going to be fat and that's just how it's going to be. I was the fat kid. I was the heavy one in college. I was the friend, the cute one and the self conscious one. I'm the one that has to cover up at the beach. I'm the one who can't wear the in-style fashions. I'm the fatter sister. I'm the one that has a cardigan in every color. I'm the one that cries while getting dressed and I'm the one that hates taking family pictures on vacations because I'm ALWAYS the fat one. So, naturally...this whole losing weight thing is not just about losing weight. It's about anixety, fear and whole lot of heartache over the years. It's not just about the number dropping or fitting into a smaller size, it's about being proud of myself for changing my life and doing something that I have yet to be able to accomplish (sure I've lost weight, many times over- BUT, I've never been thin, fit AND healthy...).

I talked to Molly (my Arbonne and nutritional mentor) today, my mentor, and she started out phone conversation out like this, "Are you ready? Are you ready to hear me?" I thought she was sarcastically going to reprimand me for weighing myself too much. Now, she did that but she also brought me to tears in a matter of seconds. She told me, "You need to start realizing that you don't want to be fat and your body doesn't want to be fat. Repeat: your body doesn't want to be fat. Your body wants to be thin." She went on to explain that stress can cause you to hold onto weight (She has her doctorate in psychology). I knew this already but it somehow felt different hearing it. She told me that it's the journey that is what we need to focus on and not the outcome. The outcome will come from focusing on the journey ::::insert immediately flowing of tears while driving::::. She told me (or at least this is how I remember it), "You're doing it, already! You're on the journey. You've completely changed your life. It isn't about a diet. It's about a lifestyle and you need to remember that. You're not cutting out sugar forever. You're not giving up wine forever. You're learning how to live a healthy lifestyle- a truly healthy lifestyle. You're already doing it, girl. But, you need to remember that your who thing- your whole brand is... A Fit Girl in Progress. You're a work in progress- NOT PERFECT. You're not trying to be Fit Girl is Perfect. You're trying to live a healthy lifestyle. And, with the practice, will come the outcome (weight loss)." 

I ended the phone call on a pretty somber note. I know this is what I need to be doing for myself. I'm proud of myself. I am proud of my changes. I work so hard to live a truly healthy lifestyle. I work hard to build every ounce of muscle that I have and I am working so incredibly hard to get this fat off of my body. I know that I need to step off of the scale and let my journey go, but it's hard when you've been so focused on that number your whole life.

I'm crying as I write this, big surprise, I know... but I just want to see myself, physically, as I dream of being: thin, fit and healthy. In due time, I suppose.

I'm off to sculpt fusion yoga to focus and sculpt my muscles and spin to burn some calories!

Thanks to all of you who follow my journey. I'm not perfect. I'm not to my goal yet, but I'm working on it.... I guess I really am the epitome of...A Fit Girl in Progress.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving, ALL!

Two years ago today, I ran my first 5k with my sister. I barely jogged, walked, had cramps and cried half of the time. BUT, I finished that race with the support of my sister. Since then, I've ran countless 5k, 10k, a half marathon, a full  marathon and am now taking a new hat on as a fitness blogger. As I crossed the finish line of The Turkey Trot today (and noticed that I cut off over 14 minutes from my time two years ago and made a PR for a 5k) I couldn't help but smile ear-to-ear as I thought about how lucky I am to be on this new journey to health, happiness, nutrition and fitness. Thanks Fit Girl Studio for your help along the way! We ALL can make the change to live a happier, healthier life- it just takes one step!

After my run, I finished up with a banana, almonds and a vanilla/berry shake! I had a great morning!

almonds and vanilla/berry shake after the race!

This afternoon, we headed over my sister and brother-in-law's house for dinner and to hang out. She had a great tray of veggies with dips put out. I did indluge in whitefish dip and spinach dip with my peppers. But, I didn't eat crackers. Give and take. I tried.  

The great spread- after we ate all of the delicious peppers and celery!

For dinner, I had a nibble of most things (green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, turkey-white meat, cranberries and aspargus. I didn't over-eat and it was perfect fine.

 

For desert, we had the cakes that I made for my sister-in-law's birthday and then also three pies that my aunt picked up! They were HEAVENLY looking. I asked for a SLIVER of pumpkin and the wheatfree chocolate cake. She gave me pretty big pieces so I just took off a small bite.

Apple, pumpkin and chocolate cake!

The small bites below are what I indulged in for dessert!

The cakes that I made for my sister-in-law's birthday! I did NOT have one.

I felt a little bit bad afterwards, but I didn't go all-out. I have been so great. Molly said I could make it a "day off" or "cheat day" if I wanted. But, I didn't want to. She said I'd notice it and I'd set myself back. I didn't want that. So, I met somewhere in the middle. I treated it like any other day, just with a few nibbles or some very rich foods! I had little to no gluten (btw: I'm allergic to wheat and gluten) so my stomach shouldn't hate me and I limited the dairy/sugar to the dips.  Not too shabby.

I LOVED my Thanksgiving.  was really sad that I didn't get to spend it with ALL of my family. However, we had a beautiful night with my husband, sister and brother-in-law, niece and aunt. 

When we went around the table I said that I was thankful for my family, my health and the opportunities that I've been given to re-start my life even healthier. Thank Fit Girls for joining me on my journey. I'm thankful for ALL of you!

PS:

 For my Arbonne Challenge....

Day 13

17 days to go

8.5 lbs down

Runaway Bride!...Well, kinda...

Tonight, I ran my first 5k since The Chicago Marathon. I ran The Pumpkins in The Park 5k. It was a chilly 43 degrees with a wind chill of 35 degrees- Fabulous! I dressed up as a runaway bride. It was an effort to re-used some of my wedding supplies. I used an old bride shirt and my bachelorette sash and necklace. I bought a cheap garter and veil from Michael's. Finally, I made a tutu and sign for my back. I thought it was creative- my husband thought that I would win the costume contest. Ehhhhh-- it wasn't quite THAT creative! But, I did get a lot of smiles, claps and shouts of "That's cute!" I had a great time and ran a PR for a 5k. I'm on a roll and absolutely cannot wait to take my fitness to another level with Fit Girl Studios tomorrow. I need somethings new, something that works, something different and something else to love. So glad that Fit Girl Studios prides itself on their motto:
"Love your workout- love your body!"