Hard work pays off....and a little rant about chocolate chip cookies

Consistent Workouts: I've been working out consistently and dieting well over the past week. Hard work is paying off. I'm down 4 pounds in 6 days, which is remarkable. Change is happening...I'm not going to get too excited or too ambitious in setting my goals, but I will continue training diligently and eating well. Today I felt pretty exhausted during my strength training workout, so that is a sign to back off a little bit. I will only do a light cardio workout tomorrow to give my body an active rest. I'll pick up with strength training sessions on thurs/sat, and a kettlebell workout on Friday. I'm feeling REALLY good, and I'm proud of myself for remaining dedicated to my mission.

I wanted to share a bit of a personal story to help encourge those of you who may be struggling to meet your goals. We all struggle with something, and our struggles change as life changes. My blog is centered around my training, experiences as a fitness coach, and my desires to compete again. Even though I've been a fitness industry professional for over 12 years, it doesn't come easy.  I'm a person too, with very real struggles and accomplishments. For some people, fitness goals come easy. I'm not one of those people. I work hard for everything that I have, and I love fitness with my entire being.  My weight and physique have been all over the place for most of my life. I've never been (nor do I want to be) a skinny girl. I am a strong woman, with muscles and curves, and I love to train hard. Competing was the most difficult and challenging thing that I've ever done in my life, and I want to do it again. Being a fitness instructor and coach is one of the most rewarding roles of my life, and I want to do continue doing that for as long as I can. Anyway, I wanted to share a piece of my story and hope that somone out there can find inspiration in it.

My addiction to chocolate chip cookies & Dove ice cream bars: I had a flashback today when I was at a coffee shop working.  I really wanted a chocolate chip cookie. Anyone who knows me well knows that chocolate chip cookies have been my vice since college.  In college, I treated myself to one chocolate chip cookie per day for most days because I worked out and studied so hard. I often times find myself still wanting that one chocolate chip cookie often.

I remember when I was training & dieting for competitions, and I still had my cookie cravings. I remember asking myself if I really wanted a cookie or if I was just hungry and wanted something quick and tasty to eat. It was almost always the latter. My cookie cravings tended to come when it was close to my afternoon meal time.  There were times when I'd have my meals pre-packed and just didn't feel like eating it. Instead, I'd just tell myself how much I wanted a cookie.  When I realized my habit, it became easier to kick it.  When the afternoon would roll around and I'd want to go down to the cafeteria for my yummy cookie, I developed a habit of stopping, asking myself if I really wanted a cookie or if I was just hungry. I'd eat my meal or drink a green tea sweetened with stevia. Usually, that strategy worked.  I would tell myself that after I ate, if I really still wanted a cookie then I could have one. Over time, I found that after I ate and had my green tea, I didn't even think about my cookie anymore. 

For the past few months, I've found myself returning to those cravings of cookies, chips, and other fast, convenient things. However, sitting down and having a real heart-to-heart with myself just proved to me that during those cravings, I'm really just hungry and haven't been diligent enough to prepare in advance for those cravings. So, cookies and chips are easy, but junk for the body. They have no nutritional value whatsoever. Realizing how many calories I burn in a workout and how hard I have to work to expend those calories, it really makes me think about whether or not one cookie, one ice cream bar, or a handful of chips are worth the sacrifice. Look at the 'nutritional' breakdown of any convenient snack food.  Over the past several months, my cravings have totally been for Dove ice cream bars. Those yummy treats are a whopping 330 calories each and 25 grams of sugar, and that's if you just eat one...but who really eats just one?? ;-) I can eat an entire box in a night. I've realized that I can't control it, and when I buy a box from the store, I've started opening the box on the way out and throwing away 2 of the 3 bars that come in the box so that I won't eat them all at once. I can't trust myself around the temptation, so I just throw them away in an attempt to control it. It's so wasteful, but I know that if I take the box home, I'll eat the whole thing while i'm watching the latest episode of True Blood :-). I'm sharing this because there are always temptations. There is a difference between an occassional indulgence and a bad habit. It takes strength and self discipline to realize what your own vices & bad habits are and how to break them.

A fire has been reignited inside of me to return back to my athletic state. I'm committed to truly cleaning up my diet.  I've been following my diet, but getting depressed by lack of progress and falling right back into the trap. I've shared many times about the struggles I've been facing over the past few years. It's so easy to get frustrated, get lost, and fall back into those bad habits. I feel much better now that I've vowed to myself to change. More importantly, I know what it will take to turn myself around. Granted, I have other circumstances that are outside of my control, and I just have to deal with those. What I CAN do is really commit myself, follow the regimen that I know works for me and my body, and control all of the things that are within my grasp. I'll pray about the rest and let the cards fall where they may. However, I have to accept responsibility for my own actions and success, and really give it my best consistently.

What are your vices?