Mo Motivation Monday

"... But I'm glad 'cause they feed me the fuel that I need for the fire

to burn and it's burning and I have return..." - Eminem

Motivation is a funny thing. It can be powerful... and it can be fleeting. Sustaining your momentum can be difficult when you are pursuing any goal, whether it be a fitness journey, a career goal, or picking up a new hobby. Why is sustaining it so hard? Are we adding too much fuel to the fire? Why do we so quickly burn out? And how do we keep the fire going?

On December 7th, 2014, after spending 16 hours at Disneyland the day before, I went to the gym. It's not the first time I had ever been to the gym. I went to the gym once or twice a week for several months before this gym visit, and had been known to be a gym junkie from time to time throughout my adult life. So why was this particular gym visit so notable? Well, on that particular chilly Sunday, I decided to hit the gym... HARD. For the first time in years, I ran. I ran until my legs wouldn't let me run any further. And when I couldn't continue running? I climbed. I hiked that incline up to the max and I power walked for another 15 minutes. When I finally hopped off that treadmill, I headed to the free weights. With the familiar cold steel in my hands, my body remembered what to do. My arms shook; my legs ached... but my body remembered. Why had I neglected the weight rack for so long? Oh, my sweet, steel friends... why did I leave you?

I called a couple of my best friends over the next few days and told them about my experience. I confided to them how current life frustrations had motivated the workout, and told them about my personal fitness challenge. They encouraged me, some even betting me to see if it would help motivate me to continue. I didn't need a financial reward - the frustration, the ANGER, was all the fuel that I needed.  This was my motivation! I kept it up for nearly 30 days straight, stopping only after a doctor confirmed that I had the flu. Stupid flu. All of this motivation... all of this incredible fuel that had ignited my fitness fire... was gone. Just like that! It was gone! I was so disappointed. Until...

Remember that post I did on gym selfies? And how they're not so vain or stupid after all? I have been posting these gym selfies on Instagram. It wasn't a conscious decision... I just sort of posted one on a whim one day, and was surprised to find that a bunch of other people do the same thing! Eventually, I even made fitness buddies on Instagram. A community of strangers applauding each other, and inspiring each other to push on and continue. It's awesome! One of these friends noticed I hadn't published these selfies as regularly as before, and asked what was up. I explained to her my original motivations for kicking off this adventure, and how that motivation had waned... She applauded my honesty and encouraged me to continue. She described her own struggles with her fitness journey, and how she got past them. Her encouragement, along with countless friends, family members, and colleagues, has really helped me continue. THIS has become my new motivation. I'm not just doing this for myself anymore... I'm not doing this because I'm angry... I'm doing this for them now!

Despite this newfound motivation, I sometimes fear that this, too, shall pass. I fear that failure, injury, or illness may demotivate me once again, and I'll fall back on those old habits I've worked so hard to overcome. In addition to planning for an upcoming vacation, I've spent a lot of time this weekend reading about motivation and inspiration... what drives people to continue towards and past their goals. I've met a lot of amazing people in the last year or so that have really transformed what motivation and inspiration look like to me. I've learned a lot from these people, and combined what I learned from them and what I've learned reading this weekend, to come up with the below. I hope it helps you too!

• Visualize the Finish Line. You need to know what the finish line looks like before you can visualize yourself crossing it. Can that finish line change? Sure. Can it move? Absolutely. But you've got to know what it looks like if you're ever going to reach it. See yourself at the goal line... do you like what you see? How do you feel? What does it smell like? Is it exactly what you wanted? Good. Now, let's get there!
• Mapping the Trail. It does us no good to have a finish line unless we know how to get there. Being inspired to create a goal is great. Being motivated to reach the goal is even better! But where are we going? Do we even know how to get there? Sure, you can cheat... but how often do cheaters really win? Map out your goals. Give yourself realistic timelines. Remember that persistence is key! Persistence... and good, old-fashioned hard work.
• Planning for Failure. No, I'm not saying to expect to lose the race. I'm not wanting you to quit before you start! That would just be silly! What I'm asking you to do is to understand that this won't be easy! You'll face plenty of opposition to reaching the finish line. There will be competition. There will be setbacks. These don't have to be roadblocks, however, unless you let them. So... how are you going to get around it? Detours are ok! Plan for this now, so you don't have to act under duress later on. Trust me... had I thought to do this when I caught the flu earlier this year, I would have been back at it so much sooner! Always be prepared to adapt when faced with obstacles and obstructions.
• Build Your Billboards. While you're running on this track towards the finish line, you may forget why you're running. Build your billboards to stay connected to your goal. What are you doing? Why are you doing it? How are you getting there? It's easy to get caught up in our day to day lives. We have work stress... family stress... financial stress... And all of these stressors can easily detract us from our goals. Remind yourself why you're doing what you're doing. WRITE IT DOWN! Repeat it to yourself as often as you can. Share it with others. Trust me... it's very easy to think that the finish line is too far. "You've gone far enough," you'll say. You owe it to yourself to finish if you start. Keep reminding yourself that!
• Reaching the Finish Line. I'm a big believer that the race doesn't end at the finish line. Rather, a new map is made and a new race is ran. When you meet your first goal, start planning for the next one. In fitness, a lot of people complain about the plateau... I've experienced the same, but I can honestly say that when I've done that, it's usually because I've been unwilling to push myself past my comfort zone. This plateau may just be the end of my first finish line... it's time to start mapping to finish line number 2! Every successful person I know always has a new goal in mind. Never, ever get complacent. 

So friends... tell me. What is it that motivates you? How do you sustain your motivation? And when you've felt your motivation begin to wane.... how did you rescue it? I'd love to hear from you! In the meantime, I'm going to take my own advice... As soon as I return from Europe, I'm going to draw my map. I'm going to build my billboards. I'm going to strive for that finish line. I hope you'll join me : ) 

Cheers!

Becky

Reunited!

Hello, friends! Guess who spent the weekend together, after two long years apart????

That's right! Natasha and Becky were reunited in good ol' sunny California! Only... it wasn't so sunny. Not at all. When Natasha and I started planning for her visit a few weeks ago, we had planned to so many active adventures to talk about in this blog. We were going to hike to the Hollywood sign! We were going to spin with Soul Cycle! We were going to obliterate our 10k/day walking goals! Or.... so we thought.

Sadly... a cold front moved in and our hiking dreams moved out. Despite the worst drought in hundreds of years and seemingly endless sunshine for weeks prior to Natasha's visit, it rained almost nonstop once Natasha arrived. I'm not complaining - we need the rain desperately, and it was nice to get the cold spell after an unseasonably warm spring. BUT... did it have to come the one weekend Natasha was visiting? UGH! We did make it to the Hollywood sign, but intermittent rain made planning for the hike difficult. We decided to scrap our plans, and headed to The Getty instead.

The Getty is a great place to visit if you're ever in Los Angeles. It's a gorgeous museum full of renown antiquities, art, and gardens - and it's free! Visitors are greeted with an amazing view of the city... and a challenge to mimic the Muse Pose. This simple pose is more difficult than it looks - I was surprised at the ab and leg strength it took to hold the pose just so! And it takes a lot of humility to try it... I couldn't keep my composure very long with tourists standing behind Natasha taking pics while she was taking mine. Hilarious! Beyond its beauty, The Getty is a great leisurely workout too! Located on 24 acres, The Getty gives you a bunch of opportunities to get your steps in. Whether you elect to hike up and down the 26 stories of staircases between exhibits, stroll the 134,000 square foot central garden, or hike your way up the 800' ascent from the parking lot to the center itself... you definitely don't have to be lazy when visiting The Getty. I logged over 11,000 steps during our two hour visit myself! Woohoo! Want more of a challenge? Check out this blogger's recommended Getty Challenge (I'll have to remember this for a future visit... haha!).

Saturday was another rainy day, and we almost opted to stay home and watch movies. I really didn't want to spend my day on the couch, however, and recommended that we go hike the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequoia National Forest instead. The Trail of 100 Giants is not a challenging hike - it covers just over 1/2 a mile (unless you add in the Fallen Tree Loop, which brings you up to approx. one mile), and is a fairly easy 6% grade. It's perfect for strolling, and is very accessible for those with disabilities. If you're not used to the altitude (just over 6500'), you may want to take it a little slow as the air is definitely thinner up there.

The weather was not working with us at all. We discovered that the temperature had fallen to just over 40 degrees (vs 65 in the valley) when we arrived, and it rained intermittently throughout our visit. That said, the sight is truly amazing and well worth the bad weather. We took the long route, and took our time enjoying the view and the smell of the forest. No sense in wasting a perfectly good hike due to inclement weather!

Despite the rain, we still burned a respectable 300 calories during our leisurely stroll through the meadow. I would like to go back in warmer weather and climb higher/farther with my dog, but that will have to wait for another day. All in all, I logged in approximately 12,000 steps on our second day of vacation. Ever the fitness beast, Natasha earned around the same plus she went for a morning jog bringing her steps closer to 20K. She really is a fitness inspiration y'all!

On Natasha's final day, we booked tickets and traveled to Santa Clarita to have some fun at Magic Mountain. I had always wanted to go, so I was pretty psyched to make the journey. We stuck to roller coasters all day, which I think was a good choice. (PS - the scariest ride all day was the Green Lantern, in my opinion - it looked so harmless! I was so wrong!) From an exercise perspective, our poor planning resulted in an accidental fitness victory. During our 5 hour visit, I logged just over 16,000 steps! My only regret was not finding the healthy food options earlier - I settled for a kids meal at Johnny Rockets, which blew me away. Had I consumed the entire meal, I would have consumed over 1,200 calories! And we feed kids this?! Luckily, I had the foresight to look everything up and chose what I ate carefully. So crazy!

So... my goal of having a fit staycation with Natasha was not meant to be. I didn't make it to the gym once during her visit (even though she managed to run 3-4 miles/day - beast!!!), but I was pretty happy that I logged the steps that I did. I also maintained my strength training, although I had to modify my normal routine to a bodyweight routine since I didn't have my weights or my kettlebell. We both could have eaten better during her stay, but my calorie consumption wasn't too out of control (I averaged only 100 calories over my 1,350 calorie goal all weekend - frankly, I did worse today after she left). All in all, it was a pretty fun and healthy-ish weekend. I only hope Natasha enjoyed her sun-less California adventure too!

Natasha arrived back home in DC this evening, so I guess the visit truly is over. Back to reality! I enjoyed having her visit, and showing her some of my favorite places in California. We ate well, saw a lot of fun places, did a lot of fun things, and got to catch up and talk in person for once. Watching her run every day has really encouraged me to get back at it and try and do the same! Guess we'll see how it goes. Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Cheers!

Becky (and Natasha too!)

Guest Post: Rachel's Story

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu

My youngest sister, Rachel, is just over 9 years younger than me. She's one of my favorite people in the entire world! Last year, she decided to make a concentrated effort to lose weight and become fit and healthy. Since beginning this journey, she has lost nearly 100 pounds! I'm crazy proud of her, and knew that others would enjoy hearing her story. So, without further adieu... introducing Rachel!

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Hi guys. I'm Rachel. I just turned 26 in February, and am the proud mom of a 6 year old little girl and a 2 year old boy. As long as I can remember, I have always been chubby. I was even chubby as a baby. This made me feel like quite the ugly duckling growing up - I have always been so insecure about my appearance. 

Until recently, I have always tried to cover up. I literally wore sweaters every single day (even in the summer). As a teenager, I remember being so jealous because all of my friends were wearing stylish, cute jeans while I was stuck with unflattering, elastic waisted pants.  I felt like I would never be as pretty as them, and it had a huge impact on my self esteem. I became depressed.

I made several attempts to lose weight through the years. I would lose weight, but I would quit before I saw any real results. My diet was awful and I never exercised. I have a big sweet tooth, so I was always eating fat cakes (like Little Debbies), and would easily go through a 12-pack of soda in a day. My activity level was nonexistent - I would play board games and make crafts, but I never really left the house and never exercised. 

I was really sick of feeling like an ugly duckling. My weight made me feel like I was never pretty enough or good enough. I blamed my appearance as the reason for most of my failed relationships (which was an easy thing to do when two ex-boyfriends denied dating me). In June 2013, I decided enough was enough and I started making changes to my diet. I cut all soda from my diet, replacing it with water. The weight began to fall off, and people took notice. 

By March 2014, I knew I'd have to start exercising if I wanted to see even more progress. This wasn't easy. As I said before, I felt insecure and didn't like to leave the house so I used my tax return to purchase a Wii Fitness package to help me to work out at home. It was honestly the best motivation for me - it allowed me to start off slow and at a pace I was comfortable with. After just one month, I started to see progress! The picture on the left above was from April 2014.  A lot of people could tell how much weight I lost, which motivated me to continue. Eventually, the Wii Fitness program was too slow for me so I started doing my own thing at home, leading me to where I am now. A year later, and I'm down almost 100 pounds!

My kids inspire me to continue. They see me working out and join in. I am so blessed to have so many people cheering me on. Both of my sisters say that I inspired their own fitness journeys, and I'm so proud of that. I know that this is my life now, and I know that I will continue. And for those of you just starting your own fitness journeys? Don't give up. Remember that it takes 4 weeks for you to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your friends and family to see it, and it takes 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Keep going! Consistency is key - it takes 21 days to form a habit, and once that forms, it becomes a lot easier to continue. Best of luck!

Rachel