Getting In Shape Is Beautiful!

Recently, I decided that I don’t want to be a Chunky Chick no more! Let me explain….

I have always wanted to be in shape! I have collected Shape and Fitness magazines and is obsessed with the shows Extreme Weight Loss and The Biggest Loser . I like many others , have jumped up every year , professed my New Year’s Resolution to get it together and finally be the best shape I could possibly be!  First off, let me be the first to say that visually I am not that big. But, physically and health wise, I am chunky! I am real with myself when I say it! I am a foodie but not addicted to food. Pizza, French Fries and Sushi are my favorites. On a good day, I probably could eat a whole thin crust by myself but that is another story! I have always wanted to fit in a bikini not a full piece but a bikini. Some may say do it, love the skin you’re in but I know my limit and back fat ain’t sexy!

So, I am doing a 90 day challenge where I have committed to eating right and exercising. So far, I have lost 5 pounds , some inches and my energy levels have come up. It has been three weeks and a couple of my friends  have decided to join me with becoming better images of themselves. This morning, I completed my first day of Boot Camp and it inspired me to write some tips to getting in shape that has worked for me and hopefully inspire some to get started before the New Year!

1. Be Committed! Now I believe and it has been tried and true that you have to get to a point where you don’t want to be where you are and know that there is more!

For example: I am tired of women who have had babies and are in better shape than I am. I want to be a bad b***h for one time in my life! I keep the thought of what it will be like on the other side in my mind constantly.

2. Change the Way You Eat A Day At A Time. I love to eat but you can’t change if you keep eating the same food. I find what motivated me to eat is looking on Instagram and following a lot of the healthy people like: Fitmen Cook, sammybFit, Mankofit, Melissa’s Produce and a few more. These people post great recipes , exercises and before and after pictures that make you want to get it together physically. I have also started to cook more because it tastes better and you can be more aware of what is going into your mouth! And a great benefit is I am finally learning how to cook!

3. Keep Track of the Exercise that you do. It take 3,500 calories to burn a pound ! So I like to use apps on my phone to keep track of exercise or I write it down on a calendar. The apps I am using now are: My Diet Coach, Fooducate and sometimes Fitocracy and Fitness Pal.

I like using these apps because it makes you more aware of calories and it keeps up with your food intake for the day. My Diet Coach sends  motivational sayings every hour if you need and reminds you to drink water. Fooducate allow you to scan food items ,see what others say about the food and gives a grading system as to how healthy it is for you!

4. Exercise! I try to commit to exercising at least 4 times a week. I am am not going to lie doing the treadmill can get boring. The elliptical and a machine called the Cybex helps burn at least 500 calories per hour. I use my ipod to make it go a little faster!

Songs I like to listen to have a fast beat to them and also motivate me by thinking of the words and the singer or rapper fitness level: Songs that get me always: Breathe , Stretch, Shake by Mase, Say I by Christina Milian, Grown Woman by Beyonce, Wild  by Jessie J and Hard by Rhianna. I have incorporated group fitness classes also such as Cycling, Body Step and Body Pump and recently started doing a Boot Camp twice a week! Another benefit I find by exercising , is that it is a great appetite suppressant and makes you crave clean and fresh food!

5.Have a Support System! Having a support system makes you accountable. I find that if I post a Tweet,  my status on Facebook or Instagram a recipe of what I make, it makes me feel accountable because someone it going to either join you or ask why you stopped before your goal!  I hate to be embarrassed so that is definitely keeping me honest and on my exercise grind. It also helps to talk about your goals with others because you can exchange ideas of what is working and not working.

6. Have a vision of what you want to look like! All bodies are different! So you can have an ideal shape but it is important to be realistic. I am 5’4 and naturally muscular so I know I will never be a bone nor do I want to be. I know that I can be in the best fit that is perfect for me so I have a vision piece that I look at everyday! I found a pair of jeans at the thrift store that I keep on my wall to remind me to eat well and exercise.

I hope that these tips help you and inspire you to challenge your self!

Here is being the Best You Can Be!

Fitfully Yours,

Angela Yvonne