So, I am doing this hardcore HIIT/strength training with super strict meal planning. I have pretty much done everything to a T except a few extra hundred calories during my one cheat meal of the week. Today is the beginning of week 6. At this point I have lost 15lbs and a little over 9 inches. And trust me, it is not a starvation thing, I eat 5-6 meals a day!

It’s a really great plan because it’s a Facebook group and we have support from people doing the same thing. The group consists of 22 members some people who’ve already finished their first 3 months and some of us who are just starting out 2nd month. All of us are at different Fitness levels and age ranges. We have to send the trainer a picture every Sunday from three angles of us and an exercise bra and shorts and a picture of what’s on the scale. Trust me when I say that this is hard to do. Especially the weekly recap of how many inches each body part is. Wowser! Talk about embarrassing!

I’m probably the heaviest person in the group and I am 15 to 20 years older than most of the people and I am not that old! Some are in college and some are actually entering fitness contests. I could have been (and almost was) in the mindset that I am out of my league, but I decided to focus on me and what I needed to do. I of course can’t lift 50 lbs to start, with my squats, so I do 25 lbs. I modify weights on nearly every exericse. But, every week I am getting stronger and more dedicated.

I am the kind of girl that when committing to a person or a mission, or anything, I go all in. My girlfriend Nicole asked me the other day why can’t I cheat just a couple of times a week for happy hours. I said: “No, I only have one cheat meal a week and that’s on Saturday night and I’m not going to mess it up. If I don’t stick to the plan and follow it as advised, what is the point of doing it?”

I’m the exact same way with my relationships. With my daughter, I do the best I can to be the best mother that I can and with ML, I go out of my way to make sure I communicate and let him know how I appreciate him. And I wouldn’t dream of doing anything to mess with the flow of how things are going with either of those 2 scenarios. I don’t think that any of my relationships would be fruitful if I half-a–ed it. I have never understood the point of entering into anything that absorbs valuable time or that affects another person if I am not going to give it my all.

I’m approaching Fitness the way that I try to approach everything. I go out of my way to do the best I can, I try to make sure that I’m on the straight and narrow and I do things that will only improve myself. I strive to be the best version of me and I believe that it is a whole person approach- mind, body, heart and soul.

I haven’t always been this way. I probably was less than mediocre of a student in high school and in early years of college. I have done decent work on jobs in the past, but could have put more in to perform the best I could. I had crappy guys in my life and tried the best that I could to work with what I had. But if I would have been dedicated to myself, truly, than nothing would have been just mediocre. I think since I’ve been parenting for almost 14 years I’ve not only grown up, I have more integrity and care more, in general. I am not perfect, by far, because if that was the case, I would not need to lose 50 lbs, or my credit would be better. But, I am trying to improve in areas that have been lacking. Some of my debt or weight gain or problematic relationships have not been my fault. I was married to a cheater, he left me in a financial mess and I have a couple of health issues.

But, the vast difference between my younger self, and my older self is that I’ve grown as a person and I try not to get stuck in the rut of blame and feeling like a victim. It is hard to pull oneself up by bootstraps and keep on pushing over and over. But I truly want to live my best life and wand that for everyone I love and I know that starts with me. I also want to make sure that my daughter does not struggle in any of the ways that I have. I am sure that many of you can relate. Of course God can work miracles and make things better for anyone, but it starts with us. We have to put in the elbow grease. I am lacking in a lot of areas, patience for one, but two of my greatest strengths are: dedication and perseverance. These are some ways to stick to whatever it is you are trying to achieve, or how to make inprovements. They are working for me:

1. Ditch the blame (because it is lame)

2. Focus on you (how you can be better, this is not a contest)

3. Aim for the middle (don’t shoot too low, you deserve better or too high-could lead to failure)

4. Know your worth!! (you deserve to live well, you are amazing!)

5. Work hard for anything worth having and keeping! (fitness, relationships, riches, all take time and effort)

We got this on lock my friends! Whether you are trying to get healthier, improve your marriage, find a relationship, it starts with you and one step forward!!!

~simply

Dee

**image courtesy of quote fancy