its happened.
and i said it NEVER would.
I HAVE BECOME OBSESSED WITH WORKING OUT
say what?
uh huh…i said it.
hell has frozen over.
i. tanyel robinson. have become a workoutaholic.
(for those of you who know me…insert eye roll and loud hysterical belly laughing now.)
i can't exactly pin point the exact moment this insane brain breakdown happened. but i'm pretty sure it was somewhere close to the moment i split my pants bending over during xmas break while digging for extra marshmallows in my mom's pantry. (yep…the marshmallows that already come in the hot chocolate mix i like weren't enough…i needed more. go figure)
this of course lead to me saying what everyone says that time of the year…"i will start 2013 off right…i'm gonna start working out!"
(after these two cups of hot chocolate that is…the mugs were filled. no one likes a food waster)
now i have always been the girl who has embraced the jiggle. you know…the little extra fluff you tell yourself is "curves" and "bootylicious." well i don't think splitting my freaking pants is what destiny's child was talking about. hello new years resolution.
so 2013 began. i woke up on jan. 1, dusted off the old tae bo dvds and let billy blanks kick my butt up and down my apartment.
now this is where my mind starts to blow…
to my surprise...i woke up the next morning and did it again.
and then the next morning….again….WHO. AM. I?
fast forward 4 months and here we are….up to 5 days a week of working out.
22 lbs down & 27 inches lost overall and counting...
(oh what's that? oh yes…that loud noise you hear is me cheering myself on!)
now you are probably wondering why i'm telling you this?
is she bragging?
is she trying to promote something?
nope…this is me holding myself accountable. telling myself…"self! you told the world about this little journey you are taking…so now you gotta keep it up!" and that's just what i'm gonna do.
(oh and by world... i mean…hi mom!)
now i know there are a lot of people who document their weight loss and fitness routines with pictures. well my fellow loveys…i'm not that person. i'm going to do you all a favor and not subject you to pictures of me in a sports bra and biker shorts that clearly make it look like there are two pigs in a blanket fighting.
you are welcome.
but what i will do is share with you a few things i've learned along the way…
just in case there is anyone out there that is reading this and recently had a "pants splitting" moment and needs that extra cheerleader in their corner. (i think i'm an awesome cheerleader! fyi.)
(disclaimer: i'm no health/fitness professional…so what i'm about to say…works for me. i have no freaking clue if or how it will work for you! but hey…motivation is motivation right?)
here goes…
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| my walk to the zumba…not to shabby |
1. don't get bored
if you are like me and get bored just thinking about doing the same workout …then don't. change it up. i literally do something different everyday of the week.
(clearly i take this literally…that first picture is only some of my dvds)
2. take one day at a time.
i actually don't even think about my next day work out until it's about to happen. i feel like when I've set certain weight loss goals for myself in the past…i hit that goal and start to slack off because i think i'm done. i have come to the realization that this is a lifestyle change…not just a short term goal.
I WILL NEVER BE DONE
3. reward yourself.
for every workout i do... i reward myself with something. right now i'm doing tiny rewards…example: i can't watch any of my tivo'd shows unless i have worked out that day. or another example would be…i'm a huge reader…i won't let myself even look at the current book i'm reading until my work out is done. don't be afraid to plan large rewards as well. i have set a 6 month reward of new workout clothes. this may sound a little crazy but hello… have you see the cuteness that is activewear these days.
oh let me show you
oh and did i mention there are shoes involved?
(i never thought i would get so excited about a sneaker…but who am i kidding. a shoe is still a shoe)
4. don't feel pressure to join a gym.
i feel like when people start working out…they feel the need to join a gym. i'm not sure why we are programed to think this way but it's cray cray. a gym can be intimidating or nerve racking…for me anyway. what i did was just start out at home in my living room. i could dress the way i wanted, look the way i wanted and just focus on the workout and not who was around me or looking at me. let's all be honest with ourselves…we have all been there…you are on the treadmill or stair master at your local gym and you spot mr. hot or miss hot looking at you…what happens…you become self conscious. you may begin to not breathe as heavily or grunt (i'm a grunter…this is about me after all).
Last but not least
5. find one work out that doesn't feel like a workout.
wait..does that make sense? what i mean is... find something that feels more like you are having fun then working out. hmm…that still reads weird to me. anywho.…my example is zumba. a friend of mine found a promo online one day for zumba at a studio near my apartment. (not a gym! more of a zen place people gather and sweat. haha) a lot of people i know have taken zumba classes and i was hearing all sorts of buzz and rave reviews. so i figured what the heck…let's do this. i had never been to a group workout class before a day in my life. (wait...does going to step aerobic class with my mom in the 90's count? she stepped…i did homework. ah the life of a single mom. :) those were the days.)
so i had no idea what to expect and just went on in with an open mind.
AND MAN WAS IT THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE. I AM NOW ADDICTED.
(if you are in chicago and wanna check out the best studio and zumba instructor…check out Indigo)
and for those of you who aren't in chicago or you wanna zumba in the comfort of your own home; check out sue's youtube page. amazing videos to help you lose the jiggle. and who doesn't like a little booty shakin' music while you sweat.
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| indigo….cute right? so not intimidating. |
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| view from indigo…this just makes me happy! |
so there you have it.
whew….that was a little wordy.
if you made it down here you didn't fall asleep while reading…
hooray & thanks ;)
here's to staying motivated
now let's go show the jiggle who's boss.