The Dreaded Scale.

Hi everyone!

This is kind of an impromptu post, only because I planned to do it another day but looking at my schedule I can't really find the time other than now.

I wanted to sit down and type something you've heard before, not because I'm unoriginal, but because I think no matter how many times you see it, it doesn't always click.

Weight doesn't matter. I'm writing this on a health/fitness blog and even mention the fact that I've lost weight, and I'm saying this. To hold my own on this, I'm going to reflect on the year 2014 diet wise for myself.

I started my nutrition class that turned my diet upside down. All of a sudden red meat wasn't scary anymore, as long as it was grass fed, and butter (without preservatives or additives) is better to cook in than oils, and the list could go on forever and a day. Honestly I plan to make separate blogs just on what I've learned, but those are two ways of showing how crazy, almost unthinkable things when you're trying to lose weight worked for me, and still are.

Now to stay on the topic of weight, let's talk about how this food as affected my life. Notice I'm not just saying my body, but my existence in general. I feel better, I actually have energy, I'm not starving every two hours, my workouts are so much better, and in general life is good when I stay on track with this.

Guess what eating like this and the better workouts caused? A weight gain, and a pretty substantial one in my eyes now that my body has gotten smaller, at about 5 or 6 pounds. I freaked out. I didn't understand how my weight went up even though I know in the back of my mind it's muscle, it's muscle, it's muscle.

It's a hard thing in a society where weight matters so much to believe that even when you know it's true, especially being a girl in her twenties.

It took a lot of talking to friends that workout and I trust with these insecurities to talk me into the fact that if I feel better and I'm making healthy decisions this shouldn't matter. You know what matters to me? As I said before, I feel so much better on a daily basis. And a pair of jeans I could barely button are fitting just a little bit better, and jeans that fit perfectly at one point are starting to fall off a little.

Now I'm not saying I was fat/overweight/etc. before at all, and I'm not hating on myself for what I put into my body before because I'm still not perfect, but it's a really cool thing to see and feel the changes.

What I hope to encourage is is if you're trying to lose weight, don't obsess over weight, just don't. Honestly, obsessing over anything isn't necessarily good because, at least for a person like me, it becomes something that really messes me up if I don't get it perfect and I'm really hard on myself.

To go with the Nike slogan, just do it. Once you have found what works for you and your diet don't think too much on it, just go and make it happen. Make small changes that make huge impacts over time Changing your diet and adding fitness into your life shouldn't feel like a burden, it should feel good, and if it feels any thing else you may want to reevaluate what you're doing and how you could possibly change it.

These are meant to be steps forward into life, that's a big deal, don't focus on weight more than what you put into your body.

As always, I'm here for anyone interested. I'm not an expert, but I can help where I feel confident any time. This is my passion, and it is literally life changing.

HIIT #1

Hi everyone!

So, as I was starting to run on my parent's treadmill today all I could think was, "I really do not feel like running today.." which honestly tends to be a common thought that passes in my mind. Some days I love running, some days I loathe it. Since I'm not at a gym today I got a little created my own HIIT workout (High intensity interval training). You can find these nearly anywhere online premade, but whenever it comes to MY fitness I like MY plan.

It went really well and was really challenging, not to mention it left my covered in sweat, so I figured I would share it! The way it works is easy:

30 seconds of cardio

1 minute of strength

Also, out to the right I'm putting the time that you should be done with this move, and I include a 10 second break between each move as well!

Ready?! :)

30s jogging in place     :30

1m arm circles (30 sec. forward/30 sec. back)     1:40

30s burpees     2:20

1m mermaid abs     3:30

30s plank jacks     4:10

1m reverse lunges     5:20

30s jumping jacks     6:00

1m downward dog push ups     7:10

30s skaters     7:50

1m leg raises     9:00

30s jog in place     9:40

1m squats     10:50

30s burpees     11:30

1m tricep dips     12:40

30s plank jacks     13:20

1m plank     14:30

30s jumping jacks     15:10

1m clamshell leg lifts (30 sec. right/30 sec. left)     16:20

Aannnd you're done! My favorite thing about HIITS is you aren't doing the same thing over and over again but you are DEFINITELY getting some awesome toning in!

If you don't know what any of the moves are you can find them by googling them, or you can ask me and I'll send you a video/picture of what it looks like!

After I did this I wanted just a little more so I did an abs & obliques video by Fitness Blender

Click here if you want to do  it too!4

If you do this let me know how it was! I love keeping my workouts creative and different to avoid boredom!

One Week Free From Sodas!

Yes, you read that title correctly! I've been without a soda for a week now! I honestly used to never care, soda was the one thing I couldn't and wouldn't give up. It even took about two months in my nutrition class for me to decide maybe I shouldn't be drinking them. Dr. Pepper was my chosen poison, and one day I was looking at the back of the label of a 20oz. bottle and saw a total of 66 grams of carbohydrates. SIXTY SIX. That's more than I try to go for when putting a meal together. It's giving you absolutely no protein or fat. You are literally putting sugar into your body that your body doesn't know what to do with other than it right on your love handles...or at least that's where mine likes to go.

Thinking of it now puts me in pain, even after just a week. 

I have always hated taking pictures of my body like this, no matter what size. I hope anyone that reads/sees these knows I do it only as personal update for myself and I share it to possibly help others. 

Now, I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like my waist line looks a wee bit smaller. I put on this pair of jeans that used to suffocate my waistline and they were easier to button than normal so that was really cool to me!

If you're waiting for how many pounds I've lost, I try not to keep up with it too much. I weigh myself weekly, but I'm trying to lean on it less. The power of the scale can often trick your mind into thinking you aren't doing good at all when really you're turning your muscle into fat, but let's save that  for another post shall we?

Anyways, I just wanted to share this accomplishment with y'all and encourage you to decrease or limit your intake of sodas. From personal experience I don't even find myself wanting one very often as long as I have water beside me to drink instead. Keep a bottle with you and I think you'll do fine! As for headaches/drowsiness, it does happen and yes it sucks. Just take some medicine and make some coffee (sugar free haha) and you'll be okay!

Dangerous Thoughts.

Don't you love Pinterest? Plainly, it has everything. You want recipe ideas (or just food to stare at at 1AM *guilty*), tips on losing weight and exercises, craft ideas, every picture and idea you need for a wedding, and so much more. But one of my favorite things are the quotes you can find. They're limitless really, just like the entirety of the site itself. I saw one today and it really stuck with me.

I really really like this, obviously, since I'm writing a blog post on it.

But I really had to stop and think about why I liked it so much. The first time you read it, it might come off as insulting the person causing you the worry, but at the same time it could just be a wake up call for you.

From someone that has struggled their whole life with anxiety, this is a nice realization. I can't tell you how often I worry about what others see me as and how important it is for me to be well liked by others.

Now I don't go into the whole "let me do this really stupid thing because everyone else calls it cool" but in general I try to relate to others in a way that forms a friendship. Whenever people aren't open to what I've tried to do to be friendly bam worry hits. 

What do they think about me?

Did that sound as stupid as I think it did?

What if they say mean things about me to others?

Typing it out like this without giving you a real scenario is making this sound much worse than it would if I gave an example, but that could take days.

The whole point is, is that person probably isn't thinking that. The thing I'm worrying about probably isn't happening and the only reason I end up hurting is because of myself. 

Thinking can be so absurdly dangerous.

Getting to a point of erasing these thoughts is going to be hard, but I am really trying to get there. I suppose it has something to do with a lack in confidence which I really want to work on. But also in general, just relaxing and not worrying about things that 1) Don't matter 2) Most likely aren't happening anyways.

I will always be on a search for peace in life.

The reassuring thing is I follow a King that can provide all the things that I'm lacking in myself. It takes time and dedication to that relationship to have a good one with myself, and a consistent one with anyone else for that matter.

I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints-- but let them not return to folly. Psalm 85:8

Diet Fads.

Hey everyone!

A really cool thing has been happening this week! Instead of feeling like I'm forcing myself to be healthy, I feel like I'm just eating. To make that make sense if it doesn't, I used to really struggle when it came to cleaning up my diet, and this week has gotten much easier. I'm guessing that post that I did last really motivated me because it got so many views and in general I seemed to motivate others with it, which in turn motivates me!

There's something I really want to speak up about though, because whenever I see my friends/acquaintances start these things I always cringe a little. I'm going to apologize right now if I step on any toes or discourage anyone because that isn't my intent.

I absolutely loathe dieting "plans" that are supposed to get you where you want to be. I'm not going to sit here and name off all the ones that come to mind (believe me, there's a lot) but I hope you know what I'm talking about. Ones that focus solely on calorie intake and completely ignore the fact that you're eating some microwave meal full of processed junk and probably enough sodium for your whole day. But it tastes so good, I don't even realize I'm dieting! *cringe*

Or the ones that push shakes and promote the healthy effect they have. I'd much rather have fun by myself creating shakes from stuff I have around my place and get the same results than pay to have someone set up every little detail for me. But hey, that's me.

Oh, and let's not forget the magical 1,200 calorie intake limit. I mean, as long as you're staying under that you are completely fine and dandy (even if your meal has had fast food as a main meal) right?

*cringe cringe cringe*

I am NOT trying to get away from my last post, I am extremely positive whenever it comes to changing your body and I realize it takes a bunch of baby steps to get to the milestone you're wanting to reach. The thing that scares me whenever people announce they're doing this awesome new plan made by some company that pushes extreme weight loss is what happens after the plan is finished. Sure, you've lost a substantial amount of weight, but what happens when the 8 weeks or whatever are done and no one is there making it for you anymore? You aren't sent your meals anymore? Or you just realize how hungry you are from lacking your needed food for the day? Nine times out of ten, there's a binge. You eat a ton of food because you've been restricted for so long, and then hate yourself for doing it. You've fallen off the path and there's now no one there to tell you what to eat the next day.

I was extremely guilty of counting calories and eventually obsessing over them daily whenever I first wanted to lose weight. I honestly believe I would of lost it much faster if I just traded out one processed meal a day with a home cooked one.

If there's one thing I hope you get from this, is that it isn't the fad changing you, it's YOU. Why not make that a modification that you can keep up and you can alter to whatever works best for you rather than follow someone else's guidelines. Diet and fitness is personal.

This post is not one filled with hate, just a different kind of encouragement than the last. I am simply trying to say if you're new to losing weight with no idea of what to do, don't try a fad, because they're fads for a reason.

Try switching out one processed meal a day with a home cooked one. You really like some fast food's burger? Make your own with whole ingredients at home, I bet it'll even taste better. You really enjoy frozen meals? Get ingredients to make it at home and you can cut out a ridiculous amount of sodium that your body is just holding onto.

I honestly believe just switching out one meal day is the best way to do it when starting out. And there's fun along with a sense of accomplishment.

Just like I said in my last post, I am NOT perfect. I still enjoy cheat meals and some day it's just easier to microwave something. But in general I feel so much better on the days where I'm cooking at home and creating my own plan and my own goals.

My Weight Loss Story.

When I started: Summer/fall of 2010.

Why I started: This part is a little lengthy, so stay with me please. 2009-2010 was an extremely hard year on me stress wise. I went from working out 5+ days a week at school to nothing because of moving from a small school where my confidence in volleyball was big to a much bigger school (I'm talking going from a graduation class of 18 to 500 something) where I was intimidated by just the thought of trying out. I regret that decision, I think I always will. Anyways, I was put on anxiety medicine in 2009, I had always struggled a tremendous amount with it, and the medicine definitely did it's job. I relaxed about everything, food, school, relationships, literally everything. Then the weight gain hit really quickly. I don't really know the time frame of gaining that huge amount because it happened so quickly. I just remember looking at myself and thinking, "what the heck happened Sav?"

My initial solution: I started walking on the treadmill for 15 minutes and getting on our elliptical for 5 minutes. I would up that time by a minute on both, so eventually I got my workouts to a full 30 minutes. I started only eating out once a week (SO hard to change that), and that was about it for a long time, I want to say from 6-9 months. The funny thing about fitness and losing weight is it's exciting and it pushes you to do things you never thought you would. I started following blogilates on youtube and learned what it meant to eat clean and train using more than a treadmill, but exercises to build your strength. I still didn't get the results I wanted to see, mainly because I couldn't get my diet on track.

Later in 2012: I started kicking myself in the butt to be real with you. I made myself run, and I really started to hate the fact I didn't see what I thought I was going to see once I lost weight. I had lost 40 pounds but I still didn't have my dream body. (This is what I stress most to my friends whenever they tell me they want to lose a big amount of weight) Let's be real, if we can't look at ourselves and form a dream body with our OWN curves, looking at someone else's awesome, but different bod is not going to make you happy. I started hating myself, my appearance. To others I looked confident and healthy, but I constantly nitpicked at my body and wondered how the heck I was going to get it off. On a journey of self-love I found myself in self-hate. There's a lot that I don't want to go into, and just thinking of the way I looked at myself in the mirror with or without the lost weight really saddens my heart now.

2013: I learned a LOT about food this year. Mostly about the awfulness of processed foods, and realizing how much of my diet needed to change. I still didn't fix a whole lot in the beginning of the year because let's be real, frozen french fries are so dang good...tasting wise. My fitness level went up and down throughout the year. Sometimes I'd work out all the time sometimes I wouldn't move (other than school/work) for a week. I didn't like living this way. I always expected consistency from others so not getting it from myself frustrated and confused me. I'd like to say it did end on a good note, mostly because I kicked myself in the butt again (positively this time) and told myself I was worth so much more than the crap I was putting into my body.

2014 so far: I started a nutrition class which is probably one of the best decisions ever. I've learned a lot of what I've been taught is false, and it's really motivated me to reach a new level of awesomeness with working out and my personal diet. I'm back and forth on whether or not I want to study nutrition, I feel like I have this voice in my head telling me to. I LOVE to help others with this, I invite friends to go to the gym with me literally all the time, and I love learning how to better myself so I can raise healthy kids one day.

Just on a final note, I'm not perfect. I still eat too much processed food and not enough veggies. But I'm working on it, and just from recent changes I feel so much better. No matter what stage you are in your fitness journey (because I really don't feel that it ever ends once you start) keep pushing, and be good to yourself. Talk as nicely about yourself TO yourself as you would want someone to talk to you.

I am ALWAYS here if anyone wants any advice, but I'm not an expert. I'll go for a walk with you and encourage you to run, but not push you to your breaking point. I believe balance is the key to many things in life, like nutrition and fitness.

I am, and always will be an outlet for anyone's struggles or problems, especially concerning this