Word To The Wise!!! And Thanks To My Buddies For Inspiring Me To Be My Best!!
I’ve been thinking about something lately. The closer I get to my goal weight, the more time I spend evaluating where I am, how I got here, and how far I still have to go. Only 8 lbs til I reach my goal weight. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the closer I get, the more I realize how far I still have to go to reach my actual fitness goals. I still am not a great runner, can’t even say I jog “regularly”. My inner thighs are still jiggly. I still suck at push ups. I think I’ve been working at losing weight, and not so much at actually gaining strength or toning my body to look the way I want it to. It’s so easy to focus on the weight and think “I’ll work on my muscles once I reach my goal weight,” or “As long as I burn enough calories to lose weight, I don’t need to run.” “As long as I exercise, it doesn’t really matter how many push ups I can do.” All this lazy-type thinking has resulted in 1/2 assed results!!
My inspirations are those women who have lost weight AND toned their bodies. Who are thin and STRONG. Nancy, MJ, and Leida come to my mind. You guys do things the right way. Yes, you want/wanted to lose weight, but it was also a priority for you to be stronger (MJ and the P90X workouts), get better at things you weren’t a natural at (Nancy running comes to mind), and sculpt a hot body (Leida and those ABS!). You guys have the right frame of mind, and that’s something I’m going to work on getting myself into, too.
1/2 assed effort = 1/2 assed results: I’M LIVING PROOF OF THAT!! Yeah, I lost weight, but it’s taken over a year and I’m still not at my goal. And what’s worse, I feel like I’m starting at Step 1 of getting into shape after a YEAR of exercising. (Ok, maybe Step 2, but still…. it’s frustrating!)
Anyway, I just realized the difference between me and some of my buddies, and I thought I’d point out to anyone just beginning that although the difference may seem small at first, putting in that extra effort really WILL make a huge difference in the long run. I realize now, that if I had really been giving my workouts 100% all along, I would be so much stronger, so much faster, so much more FIT right now, instead of just saying, “I’m 60 lbs lighter.” I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m so HAPPY I lost that weight, and I don’t ignore the fact that the weight loss IS an acheivement. But this blog, I just want to reflect on what I could have done better, to maybe give a heads up to anyone willing to listen. I’m 1/2 way there: the weight is mostly gone, and now I’m free to focus on getting into great shape. BUT I can’t help but think it would have been a much better use of my time to tone my body and get stronger WHILE losing weight. *IF* I had done that, I’d be in a bikini this summer, instead of dreading bathing suit shopping yet again this summer; I’d be confident, have a great body fat %, and probably be running a race this summer, instead of thinking “I’ll definitely do that next year.” Well, I definitely WILL, but wasting time is such a sad thing, because it’s one of the few things we are fully incapable of making more of.
Good luck to all my buddies, and thanks to anyone who reads this and decides to work out extra hard today. 
Also a huge thanks to my inspirational buddies. Hopefully I’ll be catching up with y’all soon! 
**Oh, and for anyone else who may be in a similar position to me, I started a Summer Survivor challenge to help me get closer to my fitness goals this summer. We’re going to be accountable to each other, so that we don’t waste another summer without getting closer to the bodies we want. 
If you’re interested, head over to the forums and check it out!
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good post. But I like how you even though lost a ton of weight set new goals. By becomign fit. That is number one for me. Not the pounds lost ( they are nice but not my priority) so I am glad you are refocused.. good for you. By the way 60 pounds lost is just incredible..
Thanks! You know, I’m the type of person who really likes to have something to work towards. (Maybe we all do!) So… once I reach my fitness goals, I’ll probably even set new ones. I asked my husband the other day, what if in a few years, I become a 30 year old, mother of 2 fitness model? He thinks it’s funny, but I don’t have the capacity to think of anything as out of my reach. (other than ever being a real-life princess. LOL I’ve officially given up on THAT one!)
oh my, I forgot all about summer surivor good thing you said something. I better go check out the forum.
I see a shoutout!! Thank you and back to reading the blog.
You have come so far. 60 lbs is a great achievement. The closer you are to goal and just maintaining, the easier it is to reflect, analyze and start tweaking your workouts, your food to meet your needs.
You will find what works for you. I have no doubt about it!
BTW, TO ME YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION SWEETHEART!
You have made great progress but I think that you really get it… it is more than just loosing the weight it is actually being fit. I can’t wait for the summer survivor challenge so that we get into shape. I thnk a lot of people forget about how important strength training is… It really sculpts the body and makes us stronger. Also running is a really good indication of your fitness level.
Great blog and you will be bikini ready before you know it!
GREAT BLOG!
GREAT BLOG!
AWESOME!
GET THE BOSU Shaina. It’s a good investment and I know you can utilize it well.
Yeah Nancy! You know I had to give a shout out to my hard-working girls!! I also love how you guys consistently have up-beat, positive attitudes.
The BOSU is going to be the next thing I buy. Well, maybe not the *very* next thing, cuz I need to get some heavier weights to do my regular exercises with, but the next thing after that.
Getting so close to goal weight is a hell of an achievement all by itself. It shows you have the determination and the guts to ride it out and make it through, so strength training and running or whatever you choose is certainly within your ability. Just make sure it is something you enjoy and want to do. I tried so hard to be a daily jogger and ended up hating it
Now I run maybe once a week, combined with other things (Tae Bo, strength training, etc.) that I adore, and it works for me.