Cheerleaders vs. Naysayers

Happy Saturday!  Today is National No Housework Day!

I think THAT alone is a reason to celebrate!  I've learned to not mind cooking, but laundry and housework - UGGH!   But I really need to clean and today is the day, so I'll celebrate next week!

It's been a little while since I posted anything here.  News Flash!  I started a new blog.

Roaring Whispers is a blog addressing women's issues.  It is a place to talk about all things that affect women.  Health and wellness, spiritual, emotional, family and career.  As well as those issues to which we have long been silenced.  It's time to be bold and candid about what matters to us.  It's something I've been thinking about starting for a long time, but didn't want to add one more thing to my list of "to-do's."  Last week, I did a three part-series entitled, "On Forgiveness...and Death."  A friend of mine lost her father last month and it stirred up a lot of things from the past with her, which got me to thinking about how lost / severed relationships pretty much boil down to unresolved conflict and unforgiveness.  Roaring Whispers was inspired from topics like this, where I really wanted to talk about the issues, but Tracey's Getting Fit didn't seem to be the appropriate place to do so.  I hope you'll check out my new blog.  Spread the word to your friends and family, too!  Having faithful readers is what keeps me writing.

Back to Tracey's Getting Fit and the topic of today.

Cheerleaders vs. Naysayers

On my journey to lose weight, I had more cheerleaders than I can count.  Brian, Dmitriy, Erica and Maria were my number one cheerleaders.  Can you have more than one #1?  Each of them stood by me through thick and thin, listening,  pushing, and refusing to put up with my bullsh--.  When I became obsessed, one would step in and say, "Ummm, that's enough of that."  When I felt like quitting, they ALL said, "No way, I won't hear it!"  When I accomplished something big, they were the first people I told.  You'll never believe what I did!

Far too often, when you embark on a journey to lose weight or get in shape, you will be surprised at the number of people who get in your way, quite literally.  They block your path to reach your goals.

It can be as simple as your partner or friends refusing to support your new nutritional needs.  Like when your partner serves you bagels with cream cheese and eggs fried in butter for breakfast.  Or when the office knows you're trying to lose weight, but they put a plateful of pizza in front of you and give you a hard time for not eating it.

But sometimes it's more of a slap in the face.

Why are you even trying to lose weight?  You try again and again and you always fail.  Just give up.

OR

You've lost 20 lbs. and your friend / partner says something like, "I don't see a difference.  You still look fat."

Unfortunately, it's often the people closest to you who are your biggest naysayers.  There are a few possibilities for this.  You pick...

They may be fearful for you.  Your success may literally scare them. 

OR

They may be jealous of your success or possible success.  They don't have the courage themselves to get on board, so it's more comfortable to do / say things to bring you down.  

OR

They think their negativity is a way to be supportive so that if you do fail, there is some satisfaction in pointing that out to you.

OR

They are sadistic, narcissistic ego maniacs who just don't know how to be supportive.

Whatever, or whoever they may be (your partner/spouse, your best friend, your parent, or the person you eat lunch with every day at work) it's YOUR choice to be successful.  YOU do the work.  YOU have to figure out how to work through the negativity.  

Here are a few recommendations. 

1)  Talk to the people who you feel are bringing you down and tell them.  "When you say things like this, it's not helping me.  This is important to me and I want to be successful.  I need your support.  Please believe in me and encourage me."  At first, make sure you are kind to them.  They may not even realize what they are doing.  But be firm!

2)  Separate yourself from the people who bring you down.  It hurts to do this, but it may be necessary.  If you have a goal to accomplish and people are getting in your way, learn to be okay with spending less time with them.

3)  Don't internalize their negative comments.  Develop an internal dialogue that you say to yourself when someone says something to bring you down.  For example, if they say, "You still look fat."

You say, "The scale doesn't lie.  I can see that I've lost     X number of    pounds.  My clothes don't fit right anymore.  I have a long way to go, but I'm getting there."

Say it to them.  Definitely.  But say it to yourself.  OVER and OVER again.

4)  Be in charge of your own meals  and nutrition. 

If your partner has been making your meals, put  an end to that.  You take over the cooking and meal prep.  Teach your partner how to cook with cooking spray instead of butter.  Teach your partner about the value of lean protein and LOTS of veggies.  Find healthy recipes you like and prepare them together.  Subscribe to MyFitnessPal and send the email blogs about nutrition or recipes to your partner with the subject "Let's try this." 

Taking charge of what/ when you eat will take work, but this is YOUR journey, so you can't sit back and allow others to drive your food train for you.

5)  Find your cheerleaders and rely on them!!! 

If you don't have a cheerleader, join some online groups.  Join some fitness clubs / classes.  Start riding your bike with the local club.  You will make lots of new friends who will be your cheerleaders.

I remember the first year I was training for the Ride to Remember, a lot of people told me how dangerous bike riding is.  I heard about every person who died in a cycling accident in the past 10 years.  People posted links to stories about cycling accidents on my Facebook wall.  I had to overcome all of that in order to attain my goal of being able to train for the ride.  I was so afraid all on my own that I did not need their fearful warnings.

Unfortunately, I lost some of my closest friends when I was losing weight.  While my focus was on working out, riding my bike and eating healthy, it meant I wasn't available to sit around, drink wine and eat crap with them anymore.  Not only did we not have the same goals, mine were completely divergent from the way things had been.  I had to learn to be okay with that.  I made new friends.

Here's a new song with a great beat for your playlist...

New Rules by Dua Lipa

I got new rules, I count 'em

I gotta tell them to myself...

Practice makes perfect

I'm still tryna learn it by heart.

Questions for you:  (Answer in the comment section below.)

Who is your biggest cheerleader?  What do you do about naysayers?  

My new mantra:  Be the Champion of Today!

Have a great weekend!  Go get 'em!

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Confidence

So much of this journey has to do with confidence. 

When you are over weight for most of your adult life, you tend to not have much confidence when it comes to body image. I was never good at sports, so even though I can ride my bike 100 miles, run 5 miles and lift weights, I lack confidence with pretty much anything fitness related.

Fall, 2013

I am the head of the department where I work and have many successful and varied leadership experiences.  I write a blog about health and fitness.  Ha!  But I'm still insecure about my weight, and since I hurt my back this year, I have felt completely lost with my workouts.

Me, laying flat on my back during my recovery.  Uggh.  (Cool filter, isn't it?)

What's enough?  What's too much?  This is hard!  I want results... NOW!  Why bother?

After I wrote my last post, Breakthroughs, I got to thinking about my own lack of self confidence.

I am really starting to find my inner joy again.

Everyone has an internal belief system, built upon your own perceptions of what is true and real to you.  If you believe something to be a certain way, changing that belief system is not easy.  To do that, you have to recognize that your perceptions are faulty and you have to have the courage to replace them with a more solid set of realities.  This is complicated, but let's look at it from a child's perspective.

When my sons were little, they had to learn how to do a variety of different basic skills from walking to riding their bike and swimming.   We had a pool, so they were used to being in the pool with various flotation devices.  As they got older, we taught them how to float on their own, how to tread water, and ultimately how to swim.  One of my boys was terrified to swim without assistance.  We brought him to swimming lessons and he basically had a complete melt down.  He needed to have courage to face his fears and he needed to put aside his belief that he had to have a floatie (or a noodle or Mom / Dad) to swim.  Out of the two weeks of lessons, he probably only got into the pool half the time.  It was not what I would consider a success.  That summer, we focused on skill building with him.  The following year, he got into the pool with no problem.  He went on to join the local swim team and swam right through high school.  He had to have courage to replace his belief system.

The same holds true with the journey on this road to fitness.

Believe in yourself!  You CAN do it!  Smile!  Put one foot in front of the other.

Whether you are just starting out, are mid-journey, or like me, are have been on this path for the long haul, you will face obstacles and roadblocks along the way.  You are probably the biggest obstacle.  Yes, you.  What you tell yourself, what you believe.  Recognizing negative self-talk or messages that communicate defeat is essential.  It's okay for things to be challenging, you CAN learn how to work around or overcome your circumstances.  But, you have to tell yourself that.  AND you HAVE to believe it can be done.

Working with a personal trainer helps a LOT.  I started working with Ashley about a month ago and I am so please with how well things are going for me.  She has given me specific things to work on building both my endurance and strength.  The workouts she has me do target my specific weaknesses without causing further injury.  She's also been available in between our sessions.  I will send her a video of a workout and say, "Hey, this is how I'm doing with this, what do you think?"  Then at our session, she provides me with strategies to improve.  She also provides a lot of positive reinforcement, which I realize I need.  I need to know I am doing a good job, and hearing it from someone else, especially a professional, really gives me the confidence I need.  It's worth the financial investment.

My riding buddy, Erica

You may not have a personal trainer, or be able to afford one, but I do recommend you find a workout partner.  Someone to train with so you can encourage each other.  It helps with accountability too.  If someone is counting on you to be there, you're not as likely to let them down.  If you are working on the same training plan, you can provide each other with great feedback too.  Even in between workouts.  I've been riding my bike a lot with my friend Erica.  Even when we don't ride together, we send each other Snapchats of our rides - before, during and/ or after.  When we ride together, we talk about how we are going to tackle a particular hill or what route we want to ride to challenge ourselves.  Having a partner really makes it worth while.

Friday morning we both went out for a ride, but not together.  I sent Erica this selfie, taken at the top of a very aggressive hill I climbed.  It was a major accomplishment to get up that hill!

No one else can give you the self-confidence you need though.  You are the one who has to address your own fears and insecurities.  Recognize them for what they are.  Tell yourself, again and again, that you can do this.  Believing you can; refusing to give up; working around your busy schedule, your day to day obstacles; making your daily goals happen - this is key to long term success.  Believing you can is more than half the battle.  It's critical to achieving your goals, no matter what they are.

Stick with it.  It's worth it.  Give yourself positive affirmations daily.  Yes, daily.  This is not about becoming arrogant, conceited or self-indulgent.  It's about building your self-confidence, giving yourself the tools you need to accomplish your goals.

And remember, YOU do the hard work!  You do it!  You are a champion of every hurdle you cross, every obstacle you defeat.

Challenge for you:  If you accept the challenge, respond in the comment section below how you will do it.
Think about one thing you want to accomplish and haven't gotten around to it because   fill in the blank . Then, go out there and do it.  What is it?  How will you make it happen?  Check back with me periodically and let me know how you're doing with that goal.


Musical notes ♩♫ ♪ ♬ ♪
Now, this song should REALLY motivate you to get out there.  Don't let anything hold you back!

There's Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes

You take all my inhibitions.  Baby, there's nothing holding me back.

You take me places that tear up my reputation, manipulate my decisions.

Baby, there's nothing holding me back.  There's nothing holding me back.

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Email:  tracoleman99@gmail.com

September

September is my favorite month of the year.  Apples.  Cool nights.  Crisp morning air.  Warm afternoons.  Fall has a distinct smell that just makes me happy.  In Massachusetts, it means the Big E, which is a giant fair with all kinds of goodies from all over New England and the entire Northeast, to be honest.  Now September means the Ride to Remember for me.  Not to mention, my birthday and my husband’s birthday.  I love September.

We went to Worcester to see Mitch for my birthday.  The girls at work bought me lunch and got me Extra gum.  Erica got me this awesome bracelet because she's my person!

 I had a super busy summer.  I can’t believe it’s come and gone so quickly.  I work in the summer to make extra money to help with the boys’ college tuition.  It’s much lower key, but it’s not like being off for the summer. 

Went apple picking yesterday with my best friend Stacy and godson Sam.  Love them apples!

My first time EVER putting my hand to canning.  My friend Liydia told me she canned some tomatoes a couple weeks ago, so I gave that a whirl this week.  What a ton of work!!!  I  made apple butter with the apples I picked yesterday.  Came out beautifully!!!  Yummy!!!  I absolutely LOVE anything apple spice or pumpkin spice.  I'm crazy about it!

School started two weeks ago and I can finally get back into a rhythm. 

Before school started, the counselors work soooo hard to make sure everything goes smoothly.  We go through every student's academic records, make sure they are in the right classes and that there are no holes in their schedule.  We also enroll dozens of new students who transfer to our school.  It is an incredibly busy (and stressful) time of year for us.

Last past weekend I took a little trip to Florida to visit my family there.  My Aunt Kelly and I are close in age and I love her like a best friend.  She gets me.  I swear.  I wish we were closer so we could see each other more often.  It is hard being on opposite sides of the country. 

My Aunt Kelly and I

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

It was soooo nice to get away.  I don’t really like to do all the touristy things when I visit.  I really just want to hang out by the pool, go to the beach and see my grandmother while I am there.  When I visit, I want to spend time with Kelly, catch up on the past year or so and reconnect.  That’s exactly what we did.

I’ve been feeling lost lately.  Heart broken.  I confided in Kelly what's been going on and she got it.  She did.  She shared with me her own experience she went through this past year.  I was amazed at how parallel the circumstances were.  While I felt sorry that she went through that, there was something about it that comforted me, because someone understood what I’ve been going through.  Finally.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but god is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalms 73:26

Hurricane Hermine really stirred up the Gulf of Mexico, so when we went to the beach on Saturday, the waves were huge.  By Monday, the water was all stirred up and not the normal aqua blue that it is. 

Normally the water is so blue, but it was cloudy murky after the hurricane.

 Being away from both the gym and my bike, I had to make do with what I had, so I put on my sneakers and went for a couple two-mile runs.  I’m not supposed to run, but I’ve been doing it anyway lately.  It takes me about 20 minutes and I get a good burn.  I have to stop once in a while to catch my breath because I feel like my lungs are going to implode and my heart is going to burst out of my chest.  If you’re from the North East, you know the roads are curvy and often hilly and the houses and vegetation provide visible landmarks so you don’t get lost.  Well, in Florida, the roads are pretty much straight for miles, the vegetation and landscape are all the same.  This meant I had to be careful not to get lost.  I did okay, check out my map:

A quick 20 minute run and I sweat like crazy!

I’ve made a decision and I’m kind of happy, albeit nervous to tell you.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.  Once the finances are set, I’m going to get my credentials to become a personal trainer.  My focus will be on nutrition.  I’m not looking to do it full time.  I love my job too much for that.  But I think this would be a good opportunity to spread my wings and earn some extra income on the side. 

So, check this out!!!  I hurt my shoulder last spring and was in agony for several weeks.  I haven't been able to do push-ups since, but I've been working to improve my strength and am up to 15 pushups in one set.  Three weeks ago I could only do six push-ups, so this is a huge improvement and I love the measurable outcomes.

Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.  I Timothy 4:8

I have learned so much over the past two ½+ years, that it’s time to share that with others.  Working with Mike and Dmitriy really inspired me to change my life for the better and that difference has been all the difference for me.  It’s my turn to do the same…or at least see if I can.

The same day, I did deadlifts at 135 pounds.  That was super exciting for me!  Four months ago I maxed out at 215#. which was a personal record.  However. with the shoulder pain, I couldn't deadlift at all because the weight was too much strain on the shoulder.  I won't be able to do 200# again for a while, but I can gradually increase my weight and enjoy the satisfaction of seeingI' real gains every week. 

 I will be writing some more here these next few weeks.  I don't want to keep on being an absentee blogger.  Stay tuned.  Future topics include:

Keeping up with "The Grind"

"Body Beautiful"

"Gym Fashion" and more...

Questionsfor you...Answer in the comment section below.

How was "Back to School" for you and your family?
Are you as crazy about apples and pumpkin spice as I am?

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Dress Rehearsal

This post is in the spirit of my series on transformation.  What It Takes and Why started the series.

Have you ever been in a play?  In 2010 and 2011, I had a small part in my church's Christmas play, "The Gospel According to Scrooge."  We practiced over and over.  On our own, we had to practice both the songs and our lines. As a cast, we had countless rehearsals to make sure everything came out beautifully.

In 2010, I played the part of Mrs. Cratchit.

Athletes practice repeatedly to perfect their craft. They listen to their coaches and perform drills where they repeat the same plays over and over.  A good coach  has its team practice under adverse conditions to ensure peak performance during game time, regardless of the weather or other distracting scenarios.

When Mitch played Little League, his team won the division championship in 2002 and was runner up in 2005.  It takes a LOT of practice for the team to make it that far.

Why?  Not only so their team wins, but also so their team continually improves. So their team is the best it can be.

When trying to lose weight or get into shape, you have to adopt the attitude of the coach.  It's not about winning the World Series at your first game.  It's about making each play count and getting enough runs to beat your competitor.  When you start out on a fitness or wellness plan, think of the beginning of the journey as Spring Training.  You are learning all you can about nutrition, exercise and endurance. You continually rehearse and practice so you can achieve your optimal goals.

I do a lot of planks to help strengthen my core.  One type is a stability ball plank, which I time to see how long I can hold it.  My max best time is about 4 minutes.  It takes regular practice to be able to hold a plank that long.  I have to tell myself, "You can do this.  Just a little longer."

In 1996, Dr. Judd Biasiotto conducted a study to test the impact of visualization on how people conduct free throw basketball shots.  One group practiced every day for 60 minutes, the second group visualized themselves making free throws and the third group did nothing.  After thirty days, the first group improved 24%.  The second group improved by 23% without ever touching a basketball.  And the third group showed no improvement, which was expected.  This goes to show you how much visualization can help you attain your goals.  While it is not enough to just imagine yourself thin, mentally rehearsing what you are going to eat for the day, how you are going to exercise and what your focus will be, and telling yourself over and over again that you can do this is extremely powerful.

I trained for about six months to do the Ride to Remember.  I was a nervous wreck that I was not going to be able to do it, but I always said I would do it, no matter what.  I never gave up on my dream.

Some of my close friends who are overweight see me sometimes and say things to me like, "I haven't been able to get to the gym.  I've been so busy."  or "It's too hot" or "I just can't   fill in the blank   because    fill in the blank  ."  This humors me a little bit.  These are my friends, people I have cared about and been friends with since long before I started this journey.  Just because I am thin now does not mean I judge them or think poorly of them because they haven't lost weight.  They really do not have to tell me why.  I am the expert on all the whys.

I was thinking about this today and how and why I finally put aside all of my excuses to make this work for me.  I never gave up.  I didn't.  I stuck with it through everything.  Sure my motivation waned at times.  There have been plenty of setbacks along the way.  (Even today I am still nursing a sore shoulder.)  I repeatedly told myself that I had to be successful.  I could not give into my doubts.  I rehearsed this over and over again.

This is what made the difference for me.  When life happened (or happens), I never let it be a road block.  I overcame every obstacle by either working through it, or figuring a way around it.  Sometimes it's just time you need.  Sometimes it's a whole lot of determination.  But it is always, and I mean ALWAYS the voice in your head that says, "Let's do this!"

So today, I challenge you to start your rehearsal.  Come up with a game plan:

• Decide what your meals will be for today and tomorrow,
• what do you need to do to get in enough protein?
• Decide today what you will do to exercise.  
• Will you focus on strength training or cardio?
• If something comes up, how will you work around the obstacle to stick to your plan?
• Tell yourself over and over, "I'm going to do this."

You have to want this badly enough to make it happen.

Questions for you...Answer in the comment section below.
Have you ever been in a play?  
Do you play sports or did you as a child?

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The Dark Side of the Moon

Have you ever studied the phases of the moon?  Doesn't it seem like the full moon lasts for just a day or two?  Yet the new moon, when the dark side of the moon faces the earth, seems to last forever?  This week we are in the new phase, when there is very little light to brighten the evening skies.

With a new puppy in the house, I spend a lot of time outside with her, training and playing with her and Koby.  This week, I couldn't help but think about how the darkness of the night compares with my emotional state.

Leia LOVES all of Koby's toys.  She takes every single one of them out, throws them around his bed and lays on top of it, like she's the Queen Bee.  He doesn't mind too much, she's growing on him.

Since I've lost the weight, I can't help but look inward, so I can identify what contributed to  my obesity (and being stuck there for so long).  I know I struggle with anxiety, which grips me at times. There is a feeling like a vice grip is wrapped around my chest.  It wakes me up in the middle of the night, not being able to turn my brain off.  It's horrible.  I spoke to my doctor about it last fall and he gave me some medication to help deal with it.  It took about a month for me to feel better.  Now the vice grip is gone and I am able to sleep much better now.  I still struggle with it.  I can't turn my brain off sometimes.

Now I can see more clearly that my anxiety is like the phases of the moon.  I am currently in the New Moon phase, the dark side of the moon.  For the past several weeks, maybe months even, I have had a hard time seeing any light.  I feel down.  I lack energy and motivation.  My inspiration is zapped.  There is a name for this and it's not anxiety.  It's depression.

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my annual checkup.  Before I saw him, the medical assistant asked me, "In the past two weeks, how often have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?"

Ummmm...every day.  

"Has it prevented you from doing things you normally do."

Ummmmm...yes, most definitely.

The doctor increased the dose of my medication.  I go back to see him in a month.

This got me to thinking about not only my journey these past two+ years, but my life's journey.

The dark side of the moon, my depression, has affected me just as much as my anxiety.  Losing weight has helped me overcome it to a point, but when life kicks in, you cannot change your chemical makeup.  I used food as a coping mechanism.  This only backfired, leaving me feeling guilty after.

I have to be honest with you, I feel like this is a tremendous breakthrough for me.  I am embracing it, embracing the depression.  It's me.  It's who I am and I am okay with it.  The change in my medication will help.  But now I have the skills I need to turn on a few internal candles, instead of allowing food to be my source of comfort.

Last night it was difficult.  I wanted a Friendly's Peanut Butter Sundae Cup.  If there had been any in the house, I would surely have eaten all 450 calories of one and snuck in a second one for good measure.  Instead, I had a Skinny Cow, an orange and some peanut butter.  Still was probably 450 calories, but it was controlled.  The Skinny Cow satisfied my need for ice cream, the orange satisfied my need for sugar and the peanut butter staved off any additional cravings and hunger I might have for the rest of the the night.

This morning, I don't feel guilty.

I realize that I am in the New Moon Phase.  Food will no longer rule my world.

Even though the gym is the last place I want to be ...

"Has it prevented you from doing things you normally do?"

I will go, I will work through this.

Now that the weather is warmer, I will ride my bike more often, which will kick my adrenaline back up.  Feeling the sunshine on my skin will boost my energy.

I went out twice this week.  My first ride was a quick 13 mile ride to make sure the bike was working and that everything checked out okay.  Wednesday it was 80 degrees out and I went for a 30+ mile ride with ladies from the Competitive Edge Cycling club.  It was amazing.  No pictures from that ride, though.

Do you struggle with anxiety or depression?  How do you manage it?  Or does it manage you?  Do you use food to comfort you?  If you can relate to this, my prayer is for you to see there is hope, even in the darkness.  You can learn strategies to help you work through the dark times so that food, alcohol or drugs don't rule your life.  Even when you are feeling down and hopeless, there is always hope.  The sun will come out.  The moon will start to shine again.  The light will fill you.

Happy Friday!

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 3:18 NIV

Questions for you:  (Answer in the comments below.)
What plans to you have this weekend?  Are you excited about spring?

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When Doubt Creeps In

I am SOOOOOOOOO incredibly excited!!  We are having a "Biggest Loser" challenge at my school to start the New Year off. What is super fantastic is that 49 people signed up for the challenge!  Forty-nine staff!!!  The group ranges from teachers, paraprofessionals, clerks, custodians, school nurses, athletic trainers and even our school administration is involved!

Yahoo!!!!

Last week was Week One.  Today was the day of truth when everyone weighed in for the first time.  The nurses are doing the weigh-in's, so I only know what people report to me themselves.  I am encouraged.  I had some very positive feedback.

I want to share a story with you.

One lady needs to lose over 100 lbs. She told me, "Tracey, I lost 7 lbs."
My response:  "Awesome!  I'm so happy for you!  That's fantastic! Keep up the good work!"
And she answered, "I just need to believe because nobody else does - my husband, kids or relatives don't really think that I will one day lose all the weight...I still have big hope."

Awwwww!!!

This got me to thinking about my own journey...and yours...

The doubt and the judgement of others really plays a huge factor in our success or failure.  BUT, we can choose whether we want to listen to them or not.  We MUST develop our own mantra to keep us motivated, to keep us focused.  Because the moment we listen to the naysayers, when we give into our own fear of failure, we will surely fail.  To overcome this, we MUST maintain our focus on our goals.  We MUST believe in ourselves.  We MUST tell ourselves, "I can do this!"




This post is dedicated to my friend at work and to others like her, who have started the journey and need a whole lot of self-confidence and encouragement along the way.

You CAN do this!

Make this your mantra!

You must know that there will be setbacks along the way.  You will experience failure.  BUT these setbacks and failures do not make YOU a failure.  Consider each one a learning experience.  You can do this!!  Doubt will come in and take over if you allow it.

Couldn't say it better myself.

I think I can...I think I can...I can!  I know I can!

Two years ago I weighed 232 lbs.  I endeavored to lose weight and change my life.  It took me a while to find my path, to figure out what I needed to do to be successful.  But I did it!!!  When others doubt you, just ignore them, go out and accomplish your dreams.  You can do it!

July, 2013

Christmas, 2015

Question for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

What do you tell yourself to keep yourself motivated?

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