Tag: weight training

3 Years of Health and Fitness

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In the 3 years since I have been working out and going through my transformation, I have never posted pictures of myself without a top on. Why? Because despite how far I had come, I still wasn’t happy with my progress. I’ve since come to the realization that if I am going to coach my friends, family, and others to be happy with small improvements, that I need to start drinking my own koolaid and practice what I preach.

I am far from perfect. I still have big hips and thighs, a big butt, a bit of love-handles, and some belly fat that keeps me from seeing my abs. The biggest, and arguably most important, difference between the girl from the top photos and the girl from the bottom photos is that now I am confident and happy enough with myself to post pictures featuring my face.

Unfortunately I do not have photos from when I was over 200 pounds to show the full transformation. Hindsight is 20/20, and I wish I had been brave enough to take before pictures. When I started this journey, I had already tried just about every diet tip, trick, pill, supplement, wrap, and more on the market. Nothing seemed to work, so I pulled out the old P90X and thought I would give it another go, but I had tried that and failed to stay the course many times as well. My failure to take before photos is both a testament to my lack of belief in myself that I would make it, and also a complete and utter hatred for my body and myself for letting myself go.

You’re probably thinking that in 3 years of health and fitness, I should be a lot more ripped than that. Well, you’re probably right. The problem is that I am an emotional eater, so when life throws curveballs at me, I tend to return to old habits. The past 3 years have been a total roller coaster of ups and downs when it comes to my weight loss. I had lost 60-65 pounds, then I fell off track and gained 30 back. I got myself back on track and lost those 30 pounds, bringing me back to where I was before. Then my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, and four months later, he was gone. During the year between the diagnosis and following his passing, I totally derailed and wound up gaining 40 pounds back. Since January 2016, I have been working to lose those 40 pounds, and I am just about 5 pounds away from where I was before despite a couple of minor setbacks due to illness and life experiences.

My point in all of this essentially is this: It doesn’t matter how many times you try and you fail. What matters is how many times you try again. Nobody becomes successful at anything without failing along the way, and you can ask any expert in any field, and they will tell you the exact same thing. Failure means you are trying. You just have to know how to get back up and try again. Don’t let failure destroy everything you’ve worked towards. It is okay to take some time, but always brush yourself off and get back at it.

You are NEVER alone. Guaranteed, there are others out there struggling through the same journey that you are currently taking. I am right there with you on this journey myself, and someday I will achieve my goals. If you want help achieving yours and you are lacking the support and guidance that you need to get you there, you are more than welcome to reach out to me. I would be happy to help you out, and share information that I’ve learned along the way. Simply use the contact tab and fill out the form to send me an email directly, and I will respond as soon as I can!

Thanks for reading

xoxo

Jess

Throwback Thursday: My Transformation!

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So I am 100% speechless right now… I could actually cry.

THROWBACK

I have been working SO hard for what seems like such a long time, and falling off the wagon then getting back on repeatedly. A year ago yesterday I lost my grandfather, and until January of this year, I had totally derailed and had gone back to emotional eating.

In January I recommitted, and I am now almost back down to my lowest weight since high school. I am so freaking proud of myself and how far I have come. I still have some work to do, but these pictures are proof to me that everything I am doing is beyond worth it!

If I can do it, so can you.

NEVER GIVE UP

It’s not over until you say it is.

 

“You got hot!”

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Believe it or not, the changes in your physical appearance only represent a small percentage of the positive effects that you experience from regular exercise and clean eating. More important than appearance is the improvement in your health, self-confidence, self-worth, self-esteem, and a shift to a more positive mindset in general.

However, it does feel REALLY good to run into someone that you knew before you lost the weight and hear them say how great you look. Getting that positive feedback from someone who actually knew you when you were heavier really reinforces all of the hard work that you put in to lose the weight in the first place. You will then be motivated to continue on with whatever it was that you were doing to lose weight!

Click Here if you’re ready to maximize your weight loss potential and commit to a program!

Will weight training make women bulky?

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The answer to this questions is plain and simple – HECK to the NO.

I don’t know how many times I have heard a woman say that they don’t want to do any weight training because they don’t want to get bulky or huge. Either that, or their significant other has discouraged them from lifting weights because THEY don’t want their girlfriend to get big and bulky. Well, first of all, if you’re in a relationship like that – you should probably get out of it. I am sorry, but if someone tries to tell me not to do certain workouts because I *might* end up with a certain body type, I would kick them to the curb in a heartbeat and say “See ya, don’t let the door hit you on the a$$ on the way out :)” That to me sounds like a toxic relationship, and you do not need that kind of negativity in your life.

Furthermore, the claim is just plain wrong to begin with! We, as women, simply do not produce nearly enough testosterone to allow us to get huge like some of the male bodybuilders that you see. You won’t get bulky from weight training unless you actually are TRYING to do so! Even the women who are actively trying to get huge muscles through bodybuilding and lifting heavy weights do not get nearly as big as the guys in most cases.

The bottom line with weight training is the more muscle that you build, the more fat you will burn! Muscle has the ability to continue burning fat long after your workout has finished, so the more muscle you create the better. I personally know a lot of ladies that lift weights both through Beachbody and simply through personal connections with ladies that enjoy competing in the fitness competitions, and none of the ladies that I know have gotten huge or bulky.

When women put on muscle, it helps to lean us out and gives us a nice toned and strong appearance. In May of 2015 it will be two years since I started lifting weights when I began P90X. I have not gotten huge or bulky, and you won’t either! Leave those misconceptions behind and just give it a try for a month or two. If you find you’re getting “bulky”, just stop! But I am pretty much 99.9% sure that you won’t. Instead, you’ll get some pretty awesome results and you’ll be happy that you didn’t listen to all of those people telling you to avoid something truly great!

Click Here if you are ready to give this a try, and I can help you find something that will work well for you and your individual goals.