What a quick week its been! This week will mark 7 weeks out! I can't wait to see my finished bikini suit!! I dream about it lol. This week I've seen many people get into the groove of getting active, its something that is not easy to do but its important to understand that the beginning is hard. The support that we all want is not always there but focusing on why we are doing this will keep us motivated. It should be for the right reasons for it to become a lifestyle change. I often see people give up quickly on there goals to achieve a healthy, fit lifestyle, I was one of them, and the main reason this happens is because we expect so much from ourselves that we end up exhausting ourselves mentally more than physically. Its not easy to start and like I always say, slow is always going to get you to where you need to be and want to be instead of rushing for results. How we feel on the inside will show on the outside.
Nutrition is a topic that when thought of we tend to get lost right away. My one advice when wanting to start eating clean and healthy is to first ask ourselves why do we want to do it? Do I have high blood pressure, do I have excess belly fat, do I want to improve my mood or how do I improve my skin appearance. Assessing what we want to achieve is a great way to start a journey because like anything else we do in our lives, doing research is key to knowing what we can eat and do in terms of activity level. Its a learning process and thats what makes it all worth it because we learn what foods work for us and what foods don't. When I started my weight loss journey, I had no idea what to eat, but I know whats healthy and what is not healthy. I began to do some research and I learned about portion control and its not always necessary to weigh or measure your food but its important to know the amount of food we're consuming for us to see results.
Moderation. Its a skill that needs to be acquired. We're not born with this skill and building it up is something we need to work on daily until it's mastered. How did I start? I started by understanding what comfort food is and most of the time, us ladies have a sweet tooth. Comfort food is all mental, its the brain telling you "have this cupcake and you'll feel better" Its too bad the satisfaction of having comfort foods is temporary plus what it does to your body in the long run. Why do we always want more??? Sugar has the same effects as a drug. Sugar has been compared to cocaine because of the similar mental effects it has on the brain, just imagine all that sugar that is sneaked into our daily food intake, our bodies become addicted to this refined sugar and soon we realize that we are addicted to it! The first thing we want when we start a diet is sugar. Losing weight and becoming fit is like going to rehab. We shouldn't let food control our emotions and thoughts, it shouldn't be something we go to, to get our "fix". Why allow these foods to take control of our lives? all it does is make us miserable because we feel guilty afterwards, and who wants to feel guilty?? not me. Make the change, understand that you don't need these foods to make you feel better, all you need is the ability and skill to say no and have moderation when you're having them. Less is more :)
I wanted to talk a little bit about my diet and physical activity. I wanted to clear the air too. Its wise to know that living off of a diet like I'm on is also not healthy. Once my competition is done I will slowly be coming off my current diet and eating fruits again and having dairy products and everything else. Although I may not be consuming these foods right now I sustain myself by taking supplements thru out the day. I often get asked why I choose to do a bikini competition? Why I choose to do one is because I was inspired to do it. If you'd like the full scoop check out my post "addressing common questions".
In life we get inspired, its what moves us, its what makes us want to achieve goals and its followed by motivation. When I started to train in January I never imagined I would get the feedback I've received and also meeting knowledgeable people along the way, I just wanted to post about this huge event that was going to happen in my life and share my experience with everyone and anyone that wants to hear me out. I never imagined it would move so many people to get active and healthy. It was always my motive to do that, but I never expected the immense support and comments I receive on a daily basis. I some days wonder how I stay motivated and the answer is "always stay focused". I love the discipline that comes with body building season. I don't like to use the word competition because anyone and everyone that does body building or trains to get on stage is already a winner. Even if you never decide to do a show, your already a winner and that's what keeps me going. You don't need to do hours and hours of training its about what you do for yourself, its the time you put into yourself to be healthy despite the world around you.
A healthy lifestyle to me, in one word means BALANCE. Once balance is reached everything else in our lives will become balanced.
There are so many of you that are inspiring me and motivating me on a daily basis and I want to also give a BIG shout out to a woman that although we don't see each other on a daily basis, we are connected no matter where we are in life. She's an inspirational woman because she fights and what I mean by fight is, she faces life head on. Even in her darkest moment in life, facing cancer, she stood up and showed and is still showing the world that she has it in her to be who she needs to be not only for herself but for her beautiful family. You may not know this, but you have done so much for me, just you being you, has taught me a great lesson in life. Life isn't easy but having a woman like you around makes it a life worth living for. Thank you Alicia Bastalla for showing me that there's nothing holding us back except for ourselves, thank you for showing me that in life we must fight and when we do, do it from the heart. I wanted to add that I'm very happy to see you doing what you love; taking care of people. Congratulations on finishing your nursing course! I wish you all the best in your new journey!
Thank you to everyone who is supporting me and keeping me going.
P.S its progress pic time.
This week I went heavy on the legs and core training.
Keep pushing on! your efforts will show!
