GET OUT OF YOUR OWN DAMN WAY

OBSTACLES VS. EXCUSES

What kind of things have interfered with you reaching your fitness goals? Did you find yourself subscribing to some new fad diet or product with minimal results that only worked as long as you kept forking over that money to pay for it? Did you "try" working out but couldn't be consistent enough for long enough to see any results? Well, I've done all of the above. Yep, I'm guilty across the board. There's nothing worse than just spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. That's why I want to walk you through the difference between obstacles and excuses.

OBSTACLES are things that make your path more difficult. There are ways around obstacles and sometimes those ways are longer than they would be for someone else and sometimes those obstacles require sacrifices to get around them but the main thing to remember is that you can ALWAYS get around obstacles.

EXCUSES are things that you fabricate to talk yourself out of doing something you know you need to do. The problem with excuses is that there's no way around them because the only thing standing in your way is YOU. No one can maneuver around an excuse because it will continually move to stay in your way until you just give up. To overcome excuses, you have to remove them all together.

I can give you an example that will help you determine whether you have a excuse or an obstacle...

Imagine that you had a long hard day at work. One thing after the other kept happening to drag you down into the absolute pits. Perhaps you didn't get enough sleep the night before, perhaps you are PMSing or man-strating (yes, this applies to guys, too). By the end of the work day, you are physically, mentally and possibly even emotionally spent. You walk in your house ready to just collapse in a heap on the floor when you get a text from your BFF... 

"You're not going to believe this but I'm down the street at {insert random location name here} and you'll never guess who is here and wants to meet you!! {insert your favorite famous person's name here}!!!"

Let's be realistic, you know damn well that you would instantly summon a ridiculous amount of energy from deep within your soul to go from zero to night-on-the-town-ready so you could run down the road and meet your David Cassidy (or Channing Tatum, depending on how old/ young you are). I'm right, aren't I? Yeah, you know I am. Now replace your heart-throb with the gym. Not so eager to run back out that door now, are you? 

That, my friends, is an EXCUSE.

"I'm too tired."

"It's been a long day."

"I've got cramps."

"I've got explosive diarrhea."

These are all excuses. Although, I would fully support your choice to stay home for that last one. That would be really nasty. In fact, please stay home, we don't need to put that to the test. 

Now, let's talk about obstacles.

First off, before beginning any type of new fitness or nutrition plan, I highly recommend a visit to your primary care physician. There are so many possible underlying issues that can work against you, so identifying these OBSTACLES in advance can help save you a lot of blood, sweat and tears. From personal experience, I suggest you get checked out for the following:

• Hyper/Hypoglycemia
• Hyper/Hypothyroidism
• Chronic stress/ anxiety
• Cushing's Syndrome
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Syndrome X (Insulin Resistance)
• Depression
• Low Testosterone (yes, this also affects women)

Hypothyroidism alone is extremely common, affects both men and women, and up to 60% of those suffering from a form of thyroid disease DON'T EVEN KNOW IT!

Me? I drew the short-straw and suffer from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Chronic Anxiety from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, PCOS and Low Testosterone. WOO HOO, go me! I used to cry in my Blue Bell about it and stay super depressed until I decided that enough is enough. 

I AM IN CONTROL OF ME 

Mind over matter!! With positive thinking and a little discipline, I KNEW I could destroy those excuses and find a way around these obstacles to be the fit girl I KNOW I am that has been hiding in a fat girl suit for the past several years. 

Here I am 9 months later, down 35 lbs and 15% body fat. I've never felt better. 

Are you ready to feel good again? 

Keep following because our next topic will be... DIETS- Friend or Foe? 

#4RunHerFit

The Very Beginning

Let's face it Ladies, life does not even somewhat resemble the fairytale we envisioned it would be. As a little girl, I imagined a handsome prince would whisk me away to our glorious home with the white picket fence (and pool) where we would live out the rest of our lives happily ever after. In this grand Utopia, there was no need for a job, there was no stress, there were certainly no calories. Boy did we get a rude awakening, huh? I, for one, married the wrong guy and even though I have since corrected that mistake by getting divorced and then marrying my true Prince Charming nine years later, I can't help but look back and think, "Man... I wasted my best years on the wrong dude".

That's right, my husband of now has never experienced the best of Amber. Sure, I'm still smart (Ha!) and I have my personality (questionable) and I'll always have my sense of humor (can't argue that) but he has never experienced me at my full potential. For that matter, nobody has. I realize now, looking back, that although I thought I had a killer fit body back in the day, I was not complete by any means and I certainly wasn't putting forth any effort to be the better me. I was young and broke, definitely dumber, inexperienced and oh-so-shallow. It's not until you bring all of your powers together like some superhero mutant that you really become the best YOU that you can be. Let me tell you, the time for change is NOW.

So let's fast-forward this story to how things sit today. I decided at New Years that I was absolutely ashamed at how I looked in pictures and ashamed that my beautiful husband had such a blah wife. I owed it to myself to buckle down and get serious or I was doomed to sink deeper and deeper into depression. On January 4th, I started my journey. I started out at 5'7", 216 lbs and about 42% body fat. I was considered "obese" by every chart there was. The first few months consisted of mostly heavy weight-lifting. I started putting on some muscle and dropped about 5 lbs but saw no real improvements. I was heartbroken. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels again. I decided that I would have to step it up. My husband told me about a diet that he thought might work for me. It's referred to as the "Ketogenic Diet" and there's a plethora of information online about it. I looked it up and thought, "Damn, this is hardcore. Whelp, here goes nothing!" and started my keto diet plan the next day.

I'll save you the details for now but in a nutshell, that was 3 months ago and as of today I have lost 27 lbs and 12% body fat. I'm wearing clothes I haven't been able to squeeze my ass in for YEARS. The best part is... It really isn't that hard. I mean, really! At first, it was definitely an adjustment but after the first 2-3 weeks it simply became a way of life. I have honestly never felt better. I have energy, my skin cleared up, obviously I've lost inches but I noticed that my digestive system is functioning the way it should for the first time since as long as I can remember. I never get gassy or bloated (unless Aunt Flo is in town) and I'm in a much better mood all the time! Not to mention, I've stayed motivated to keep going. 

So here we are, you're reading my first fitness blog. I'm not a personal trainer and I don't hold any special certifications or degrees but I do have the knowledge that I've gained along the way (and a decent sense of humor). I'm not finished yet but I've had many people ask me how I've made it this far so I figured, "What the hell? I'm gonna blog it up!". I invite you to join my journey with me and hopefully find the right combination to unlock your fitness potential. Welcome to 4RunHerFit!