Hello everyone…:) As most of you all know I have just recently achieved my goal body fat of 14%. I am VERY pleased with this. It takes a lot of inspired willpower, focus, and serious commitment to achieve this kind of fat loss! Thank you for all of your encouragement along the way.

I just want to mention that sometimes when you go really strong in your plan to achieve a deadline such as a ‘photo shoot’ (as in our case), it is advisable to take some time off for a few weeks. Now, I’m not saying to eat like crap and gain lots of fat. No way! Right now I feel I need a mental break to create some ‘new goals.’ I want to have a plan laid out so that I know where I am going from here. I plan to post up my new goals soon so that I remain accountable to all of you!

It is so great to do this once in awhile. You may experience the same thing when you are following a workout plan and/or nutrition plan. There comes a time when you have reached your goal. A great thing! Or, you may find that you are not achieving the results that you want. Step back, re-evaluate what you are doing. A great tool to help you to really SEE what you have been doing is a JOURNAL. Then you have something concrete to look back on. Maybe you need to add more variety to your workouts…maybe you need advice on nutrition…If you keep a food and workout journal, it is easy to look back and remind yourself of the progress you have made. It will also aid in showing the weeks in which you lost weight. You should also write down how you are FEELING each day. Nutrition plays a HUGE role in how you feel. Eating the right foods will energize your mind and body.

I know that I could not have achieved the kind of results that I did without having a PLAN and sticking to it. I did my 20 minutes of intense workouts each day following The Fit Chic Year of Workouts program. I also made a commitment to 5 days of cardio each week. At least 3 out of 5 of the cardio days consisted of an early morning brisk walk on an empty stomach. I love my morning walks because it is so quiet. I feel so at ease and love listening to all of the nature sounds around me. It is an awesome way to start your day! My other 2 days of cardio were more intense. I would do something such as skipping, biking ,or jumping jacks really FAST for 30 seconds, followed by lightly marching on the spot for the next 30 seconds. I would follow this pattern for a total of 15-20 minutes. This type of training is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Everyone is unique in what they enjoy to do when it comes to cardio training. My advice: do what you love to do and you’re more likely to stick to it.

Another HUGE factor that increased my success was following Jon Benson’s book, The Every Other Day Diet Plan. I know that without having the sound nutrition advice that Jon and co-author Janice Hauser advised, I would not have had the energy to do the workouts. Their plan was so simple to follow. It is definitely something I plan to implement for life. I did the ‘lifestyle’ section of the plan, which allowed me to also have some of the ‘not so healthy foods’ that I enjoy each week. It is also a plan that our children can reap the benefits from too!

So if you are just starting out on this ‘healthy’ journey…I advise you to first buy a journal book and begin to set out your goals. Pick a goal weight that you want to be at. Be realistic here. Set something for two weeks from today. Write how you plan on achieving this goal. Be very specific here. Find some inspiring quotes and print them or keep them in your journal. Read them each day. Plan to TAKE ACTION each day. Plan to improve on one behavior each day, even if it is only one simple thing such as drinking your 8 glasses of water.

Have a fantastic day!

Cheers to health,

Angie

ISSA- C.P.T.
B.Ed.