#leanbodychallenge2016

I tried something new as a warm up today. I played Basketball. Well, kinda. Let me explain why this is worth noting. I love watching basketball. My boyfriend and I have a favorite (but really unhealthy) past-time during basketball season of drinking beers, eating wings and watching the fun games at a dive bar. I love the Clippers and he's a Knicks and Golden State fan. However, I'm not a basketball nut and we really only indulge in our dive bar evenings on occasion- like once or twice a month. I've never actually played basketball in my life. I probably haven't picked up a basketball and tried to shoot it in like 10 years. SO. When my bf suggested we warm up by throwing some hoops before our strength session, I was very reluctant. But he was just SO excited, I decided to let him have his way, especially after I assured him I was terrible and didn't know what I was doing. I was actually kind of nervous. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself. But the strangest thing happened. The first shot I took, made it in the basket. And the second. And the third! I have no idea. I have no understanding for how I knew how to do it. I looked like a toddler dribbling the ball- but damn if I didn't make it in the hoop! That boosted my confidence and so we played around for like 20-30 minutes! My man spent a lot of time teaching me moves to steal the ball, and doing some drills and better shooting technique. It was so fun!! And we were running around so much I was completely out of breath by the end. It was a great start to the workout! My strength workout was a back, bicep, and abs one and kicked my ass too. I'm EXHAUSTED...But it feels SO good! And I won't hesitate to use basketball as a good warmup again. It's important to play around with fitness. Try new things! Have fun! It can't be all about just lifting weight out of obligation. Or to get to a certain number on the scale. It's good to remember WHY you're working out so hard. What that will do- besides just making you look hot. 😉 While I was playing ball, I kept thinking, 'oh, I should really work my quads so I can get lower and be lighter on my feet' and 'increasing my arm strength will give me more control' and 'oh boy, I need to up my cardio' Is there any sport or activity that can motivate you to work out? Maybe it's running a mile, playing tennis, hiking a certain mountain, biking a certain bridge, surfing, scuba dying, rock climbing or maybe just not dying during Zumba? Think about how your workout supports that and use it to motivate you! Maybe even tweak your workout to support that activity even more. Then, get out there and DO it! Because that's why we want to be in shape, isn't it? We want bodies that have no physical limits to what we can do! We can do anything we want with proper training. And you may find a talent in something you never knew you had! The important thing is to keep trying till you find what's fun for you. If I had let my nerves and feelings of inadequacy keep me from trying a new sport today, I would never have known how fun it is! I mean- I'm not GOOD at it (not yet)- I'm sure it would have been funny to watch me tumble, fall, miss shots and scream in frustration- but I felt SO ALIVE! No matter who you are or where you're starting from - YOU can do anything you want!

My first workout with this challenge kicked my ass! I had gotten pretty strong up until 6 months ago, when I just stopped working out and let my job get in the way. Getting back into the gym was so much more painful than I expected. DEAR GOD I had no idea how out of shape I had become. Admittedly, this Lean body workout is no joke, but when I had to pick up the 2.5 lb Dumbbells for the lateral raises because I nearly died using the 5lbers, part of my insides were actually crying of embarrassment. But I can't let it stop me. I watched this other girl kill it in her workout with crazy heavy weight and I was just praying she wasn't watching my fat ass holding these tiny weights... But really. NO ONE IS WATCHING YOU. I have to keep reminding myself of this fact. Everyone is much more concerned with what they're doing and how they look to really care or judge me. It's just self doubt and resistance creeping in and I have to silence that part of me that wants to sabotage. I have to use the image of her as motivation for what I will become. All in all, it was a great workout. It was hard- felt like I was pushing a car with a dead battery up a hill- but I've started. It will get easier. I just have to keep going.

I’m pretty positive he snuck some cheese in there.

I will not be posting my before photos just yet. They are a little too painful for me to look at. When I do a 4 week photo check in with myself, I may post them. Hopefully the sting wears off by then.

Okay. Here we go. Again. I feel like I start new things all the time, BUT I have committed myself via email to the Lean Body Challenge. A 12 week transformation challenge. I'm going to try to keep up with my progress here, check in when I can. I don't want to completely hi-Jack my Instagram, so I'm going to hi-Jack my tumblr! It's only appropriate! So, I'll be using this thing to check in with myself and update my progress. It's funny. I've been so motivated to start this and then as soon as it's go time its like- ugh. Every fiber of my being wants to just lazily lounge around, drink wine and eat AS MUCH FOOD AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. It's resistance. And it always rears its ugly head right when you're about to make progress. I know that I have to fight through this. I know what I'm in for. And I know it's worth it. I've been "studying" nutrition and fitness for almost 10 years. And by study, I mean buying and reading a shit ton of magazines, a few books and countless blogs. I'm always looking for new information or Inspiration- the one approach that will change it all! Alas, it's never enough- because the approach doesn't really matter as much as we think it does. I mean, when you get to a phase where your body fat percentage is really low, then yes approach will make all the difference. But when you're trying to lose 30-40lbs like me and get to a place where you're just in better shape, then it becomes less about whether you used Dumbbells, barbells or body weight and more about CONSISTENCY. If you can consistently workout, something will happen. I'm doing this challenge, and it's giving me a nutrition and workout program (one less thing to think of or plan!), but I'm really hoping that what I find out of it is consistency. And I know now, after years of struggling, that nothing about this program will actually give me the consistency- I have to find it in myself. It will, however, occasionally provide some motivation and the excuse to treat it like a job. I may not always wanna go (or eat right) but it's a job and I have to do it. And eventually it won't be painful. It will be pleasurable, but then I have to push through that because even that phase can wane as time goes on. This is a lifestyle change. It will ebb and flow as life does. It's important that we all see ourselves as the fitness superstars that we are. We have to see it to believe it. But first. I am going to take my before pictures. I will probably cry. And then I will remind myself that this is just the beginning and my whole life will be spent getting healthier. I will never have to look like this again.