THE LAST TEN POUNDS

The last ten pounds can be a struggle, especially when everything comes to a screeching halt.  The scale is no longer budging, frustration is happening and the stress of it all is putting the adrenal glands on overdrive.  A cortisol rush is the last thing our bodies need when we are trying to lose that last ten pounds as studies have shown that it hampers our ability to lose weight.  The important thing to understand is that plateaus are normal in our journey of health and weight loss.  Also, adjustments with our food intake and exercise program will need to be reviewed several times along the way. 

Keep up the positive and progressing with your program regardless of what the scale says.  Many factors are at play when the body begins to slow down and usually a simple review and change up of the program gets things moving again. Things to consider: are you eating enough? The body is a wonderful machine and knows exactly what to do with the food we consume and knows when it is not getting enough fuel.  If we withhold fuel from our body, it will refuse to give up any reserves.  Our body sees that as energy and we need energy to burn energy.  Are you being true to your program?  Sometimes we fall back into old patterns and re-introduce foods that are not on the healthy menu for weight loss and many can even be in denial about that.  Our body will remain in a maintenance or weight gain pattern if we are not honest with our healthy food intake.  Are you exercising less? With a reduction of exercise there will be a reduction in the amount of weight that is lost per week.  Simple math spells out with the expenditure of energy results in the reduction of weight.  Take some time to review your priorities and determine if exercise has taken a backseat.  Are you burned out?  This can happen to all of us and it is important to add plenty of variety to our workout programs and healthy foods to keep the interest high.

The last ten pounds can be a challenge, but they can also be another tool of learning along our weight loss journey.  We can choose to become frustrated and throw in the towel, or open up our minds to do what it will take to get back on track with the program.  It is also important to take one day and one pound at a time and celebrate everything done to create a healthy body.  The last ten pounds will respond to what you are willing to do to be rid of it, or keep it.  It still comes down to choices and changes, and it is always a good thing to get a refresh on the mental battery to provide the motivation we need to keep going.  

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Darla

user of THE Herbal Face Food and proud to show my images without photo shop or airbrushing. I am 50 years young and celebrate Fit at 50!

YOU HAVE TO CHANGE TO CHANGE

We can all get stuck in a rut, feel funky, or backslide on our health and fitness programs.  Burnout and frustration are top reasons for giving up and falling into old habits and it is at that point where we can dig our heels in complete rebellion turning our noses up at the changes that need to happen to live a healthy lifestyle. The truth within each of us paints a different picture and honestly, we all want to be healthy and look the part but to really be healthy and feel healthy, you have to change to experience a change.  That is the truth with all things in life: change requires change.  If we are unhappy with our health, our body, our jobs, where we are in life, people in our life, our spiritual life, our emotional self and the list does go on and on, a deliberate choice to change to change needs to happen.  

Sometimes it is a difficult process to implement the necessary changes and our rebel self can surface and try to sabotage our attempts to do something great, and for the general populous succeeds unfortunately.  Getting mad about it will not bring about what needs to be done, but taking a personal inventory, making a promise to ourselves to change, and following through with that change is what will make the difference in our lives.  I suppose if the anger was channeled into the positive and motivates the change, then getting mad could be an OK thing.  However, I have seen anger turn into bitterness, which can lead to frustration and giving up all together.  Change takes a choice, takes patience and not perfection.  As we strive to change our health and fitness, it is important to realize that it will be a journey and a challenge.  Remember, that challenges in life are what change us and that becomes the learning tool of becoming a healthy person physically and emotionally.

I like that saying that goes “Do what you have always done and you will get what you have always gotten” because it rings true to what life and being healthy is all about.  If we do not change what we do, we will remain the same in our states of unhappiness, unhealthiness, depression, stressed out situations, and emotional wreckage. It is time to get out that paper and pen and start dissecting our lives and owning the unhealthy parts so that we can figure out what needs to be done to change each area. Are you unhealthy, unhappy, stressed, depressed, anxious, or angry and whatever question you want to add? Why and what needs to be done to change that? The goal for each of us is to implement the changes that will create the healthy changes that will last a lifetime.  I find that once health is made a priority and the body starts feeling better, it is easier to move forward and make other changes as our bodies are better able to deal with stress and emotional situations.  Let’s make the change to change not only a “have to” but a “want to” for a happier you and a healthier life. 

Stay Healthy Fitness Happenings: Want to promote your business through low cost Ad Space or a fun Giveaway with Stay Healthy Fitness? Check out my pages for Ad Space or Host a Giveaway and I look forward to assisting you!

 

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Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button at the right to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares!

Darla Leal, Fit at 50
 Orange Photography 2014

IT’S ONLY FIVE POUNDS…

How many times do we justify being unhealthy with the “it’s only” intro.  Whether it’s only five pounds, two cookies, a bag of chips, one alcoholic drink, or one missed workout, it is easy to get hooked into the trap of “it’s only”.  What happens more than not is “it’s only” turns into a daily use of trying to get away with something that leads us in the opposite direction of our goals.  The five pounds turns into ten, the two cookies turns into five, one missed workout turns into several and you get the picture that is painted with two innocent words.

The “it’s only” dilemma can hit at any time, but I find it creeps back into the picture once results from following a great nutrition and fitness program have been achieved.  Further, I have seen it completely snowball into a return back into old unhealthy eating patterns and sedentary lifestyle.  The two words are not as innocent as one might believe and especially if an inner strength to follow through on the one time “it’s only” behavior is not fully obtained.  For example, let’s look at the time it takes to break the cycle of sugar craving which is generally two weeks to twenty one days, and hypothetically use a person that is two days shy of that goal and of all days, the “it’s only” word comes to mind and tongue as a store bought processed cookie is consumed.  Now, I am all about moderation and do not get me wrong on this, however, when it comes to not fully adopting a healthy lifestyle, this time of weakness can derail all the effort put into those days of breaking a sugar craving cycle. 

Personally, why risk the goals for “it’s only” and especially if there is a struggle of inability to resist unhealthy processed food? There is no denying that two innocent words can take a person from success to digress in short order, and within a few weeks, that person stands in shock and asking “how did this happen?”.  It happened because “it’s only” became the tool that was used more consistently than the healthy choices.  Pay attention to that inner voice that is talking and especially as unhealthy food choices and bailing on workouts are happening.  Also, check your friends and family and listen to what they are saying as well…they can be the worst “it’s only” culprits as you strive to reach your health and fitness goals.  The more we are aware of the two words that draw us backward and how we use them to justify unhealthy choices, the better we will be able to stand up against the negative impact “it’s only” can have on our bodies and overall health.    

Want to promote your business through low cost Ad Space or a fun Giveaway with Stay Healthy Fitness? Check out my pages for Ad Space or Host a Giveaway and I look forward to assisting you!

 

I dedicate this Blog to my fabulous husband and celebrating our wedding anniversary over this past weekend.  I "Love You Forever and a Day"! 

Happy Anniversary to my forever friend and husband

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Stay Healthy!

Darla

FIGHT FRUSTRATION WITH MOTIVATION

I know in the midst of frustration it is hard to be motivated, especially when results are not happening as fast as we may want them to.  Sometimes the feelings move past frustration straight into “pissed off” and angry about not losing the weight, gaining the muscle, losing the inches, or just feeling right out BLAH about it all.  This is the time giving up may enter our brain, “what’s the use” dominates our thought processes, and “I might as well go back to eating the crap anyway” defeatist attitude comes calling with a vengeance.  Before all that mental non-game takes completely over, consider fighting the frustration with motivation.

We are all fighting for our health and best self each and every day.  Health is a process of small steps taken over time that provide big results.  Just know that each positive change to improve our health IS improving our health.  That does not get lost and our bodies know that something good is happening, even when we are unable to see it.  It is during times of the unseen that we must have faith in the process and be motivated by the good being done to become a healthy person. Throwing in the towel and going back to the old habits that created nothing but unhappiness and frustration in the first place does nothing for me or you except rob us of all the effort accomplished so far.  This is not the time to quit, but to stand strong in your efforts, and kick frustration to the curb with motivation.  

Fighting the frustration with motivation will require an inner strength that all of us possess, and it will be a choice to love ourselves at this moment no matter what a scale says.  It will require a celebration of that healthy meal, that one workout, a daily goal achieved, that completed food journal, or whatever has been the most difficult struggle that was finally accomplished today.  Having a positive attitude will fight off the frustration one motivation at a time, and eventually and with patience and a consistent habit of healthy eating and exercise, results will happen.  If we begin to focus not so much on the goal, but what can be achieved daily to be a healthy person the tendency to become frustrated is also minimized, and replaced with feeling motivated.  It is at that point, the stress of trying so hard is superseded by an inner peace of doing our best each day.  When relaxation and motivation take over our thought process of becoming fit and healthy, it all just seems to fall into place, and adopting that healthy lifestyle feels like it just flows as natural as breathing. 

Want to promote your business through low cost Ad Space or a fun Giveaway with Stay Healthy Fitness? Check out my pages for Ad Space or Host a Giveaway and I look forward to assisting you!

 

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Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button at the right to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares!

Stay Healthy!

Darla

STAND IN YOUR FITNESS TRUTH

Standing in our fitness truth can be a difficult thing and really something we would rather not face altogether.  Even as we stand in the mirror with our naked truth right in front of us, we can still be in denial of what is looking back at us.  We tell ourselves that we are working out all the time and for heaven’s sake “I have been eating healthy for one week” and still no results.  Therein is the beginning of the end, as the frustration of not accepting the truth behind our closed doors becomes our norm for fitness.

If we truly took responsibility for our fitness truth, there would be a healthier bunch of people running around. We continue to be dishonest with ourselves and not accept that we are not eating as healthy as we should, and the workouts may be minimal at best.  We may talk a good game in front of our friends, family, and even our trainer but within the deepest space of our private life, the truth remains a buried secret.  Lying to ourselves does nothing to make us healthy people, and as we continue to brag about all the healthy meals we are eating, our bodies are telling the true story of what is happening.  Barring a medical condition that is causing weight gain, the general populous is not being impacted by such illness. It is denial of the truth that is happening most of the time and until that is dealt with, obtaining a fit and healthy body just will not happen. 

I find that keeping an accountability fitness and food journal really helps with standing in our fitness truth.  The additional splurge meals, several nights of alcohol, late night snacking, a bite of this and that, and working out two times instead of four times during the week are just a few of the things that we find easy to deny when it comes to our fitness. For some reason those things get forgotten and the only thing remembered is that healthy grilled salmon and vegetables eaten several times during the week.  Further, if we do not write it down, it does not exist and therefore will not negatively impact all the positive efforts.  Who is anyone trying to kid with this type of thinking and behavior.

When we begin to stand in our fitness truth positive results from our efforts will be loud and clear through our bodies changing for the healthy best. This can be a tough subject to swallow and that is alright, because we all need to start somewhere and beginning with the truth in all relationships including the one with ourselves is the basis of all trust.  Do you trust yourself enough to stand in your own fitness truth? 

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My Don and Me

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button above this paragraph to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares!

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Darla

LIFE CAN SUCK … WORKOUT ANYWAY!

Life is not meant to be easy-peasy and all wrapped in a pretty bow all the time.  The truth about life is that it can suck and be filled with very difficult emotional and even physical hardships.  I want to target the emotional junk in this blog that can weigh down our brains and bodies and cause us to retreat into a shell of self defeat.  When life hands us hard in the form of emotional upset stemming from relationship issues, problems with co-workers, or mistreatment from friends and even family just to name a few, it is important to not give up on you. Even the day-to-day emotional junk can feel overwhelming, and sometimes we can be our own worst enemy of creating needless emotional upset over something that was simply miscommunication. Emotional upset can hit us in the face every day and we can choose to handle it in a healthy or unhealthy way. What it comes down to is that we are responsible for our own mental health and happiness.

It seems the emotional crap that hurts the most is when it occurs in our very personal relationships with our spouses, significant others, dearest friends and family. That can be a very difficult thing as we struggle to maintain happy in a storm of anger, resentment, bitterness, and even vengeful feelings that can consume us to the point of not taking care of the skin we are living in.  Often times we walk around with unrealistic expectations of how things and life are supposed to be, or even how our spouses for example are supposed to act, and when things do not happen according to our own thought processes, the emotional upset begins to fester.  Before we know it, a full blown internal eruption of drama has taken over our being and created an unhealthy person that we ourselves find hard to recognize.  I understand it is difficult when we feel hurt, but it is also important to be able to recognize if the hurt is “real” or self-induced unrealistic expectations.  Further, in the midst of life sucking emotionally, it is still important to exercise anyway and not get lost in some victim pity party.  Studies have shown exercise to be one of the top contributors for stress reduction, decreased depression, and overall positive well-being. 

It would be wonderful if life had an “easy button” and all the things that created emotional yuck could be clicked away, but the closest thing we possess to make that happen is our response to what causes the upset.  We can choose to walk around with the “cold war” bitter attitude in our homes or get off our butts, choose to be positive and take out the feelings on a great workout.  We all have had our emotional buttons pushed in this life and it is truly about how we respond to the circumstance that makes us healthy or unhealthy. Having a healthy response to unhealthy situations takes learning and practice, but the reward is a healthier happier you and me. There is nothing worse than stewing inside and growing an emotional pimple until it bursts into ugliness when there are so many positive avenues to take care of the problem in a healthy way.  As I mentioned, a great workout, meditation, going for a walk, talking to God, or even looking into a counselor if necessary are all fabulous ways to deal with the emotional downs in life. 

Life can be looked at like a classroom and we are students learning through each experience, and hopefully gaining the ability through guidance and practice to respond to the lesson in a positive way.  There is no doubt that some days and nights will be filled with emotional hurt and it will be during those moments that our “mental strong” will be the motivator that keeps us moving in the right direction of health.  It does not matter what the issue is and how bad life sucks … WORK OUT ANYWAY!

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DARLA LEAL, FIT AT 50
Orange Photography 2014

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or If you want to receive my free updates, use the button above this paragraph to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares! 

Stay Healthy ~ Darla