Blog Update!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to address my NEW blog name and URL! 

I feel like my blog is about much more than fitness.  It is about life and everything that comes along with it!  So I felt it was important to update the blog name and description.

I started this blog so I could share my experiences with the world!  I love telling stories and helping others by sharing bits of my life.  Whether you are here because you want to know about the latest arrivals at Sephora or because you need some motivation to stay on track with your health and fitness goals or perhaps you stumbled onto my blog because you were looking for some advice... You have come to the right place.

This is the kind of blog that reads like a conversation with your girlfriends - it's relaxed and I hope that after you've read a few posts, you leave feeling inspired.
 
Grab a cup of tea and settle in, we have a lot to cover :)

Until next time,
Kayla

Be Inspired: Creating Your Own Motivation

I have a post from a while ago with some of my favourite motivational/inspirational pictures and videos; what I didn’t realize is there is motivation around me, all the time!  April 14^th I attended the 2012-GNC Festival City Stratford Championships with Sandra and Sheryl to cheer on friends and get a firsthand look at what the world of competing is all about!  It was a fun evening and I learned a lot; mainly that motivation is everywhere… You just have to look for it.  That may sound like a weird thing to walk away from the event with, but I was so inspired by the men and women competing, it’s all I could focus on!  I left the event with my mind made up: I was going to look at the world and find at least one thing that motivates me each and every day.  It can be looking at motivational picture quotes on the internet or talking to people at the gym who I am motivated by and others who I can motivate. 

I believe that if you GIVE someone what you NEED; you have in fact planted a seed.  This will allow you to reap the benefits later on!  I talked to a new member and she was quite nervous about participating in a class and it made me remember my first day at the gym.  I thought for SURE I was going to stick out like a sore thumb because I thought only athletes trained there.  But World Gym is filled with people of all different ages, shapes, and sizes!  After talking to her for a few moments she said, “OK I think I’m ready to go in there now… thank you!”  It felt great to help someone!  A few days later I received a really nice compliment and that pushed me to train harder!  (Compliment = Motivation!)

Motivation can be found anywhere; you just have to open yourself up to seeing it.  I was always the kind of person that needed a push, mainly because I was scared to try for fear of failing.  Nonetheless, I’ve come to understand that you need to be your own source of motivation and inspiration.  You can’t expect it from other people all of the time.  Once I realized that, I was able to fill myself with more motivation and inspiration than I knew what to do with! 

Another great way to keep yourself motivated is by creating a Dream Board or a Vision Board.  You can include goals, pictures of people that inspire you, quotes that lift you up, and so much more!  Then you have everything you need in one place.  Keep your board in a place that you can easily access when you need a little boost.  Maybe you aren’t seeing any results at the gym (things ARE working, it just takes a little time for things to show up sometimes) and you are getting frustrated… or maybe squats are really challenging for you (insert whatever you find challenging here…) and you don’t know if you will EVER get any better at it (you will, trust me!)… You can refer back to your Vision Board and look at the picture of the body you want to have and are getting CLOSER to having with each and every workout! 

Believe me; I need a lot of inspiration to say no to the cheesecake… So I know a thing or two about this topic!  I promise you that you will feel so GOOD and so PROUD of yourself when you are filled with motivation and your feet hurt from kicking so much @$$ ;)

So get out there and start flipping through magazines and cutting out pictures or quotes!  Start motivating others and helping them achieve their goals!  And as cliché as it sounds, stop and smell the roses… You might just find yourself inspired by something beautiful :)

Kayla

Overcoming Obstacles

Hey everyone!

First I must apologize for being so absent this past month, it has been … hectic.  This post might read more like a diary entry but I think it is important to be open and honest, it keeps me accountable.

I guess I’ll just jump right in!

February was not my favourite month so far this year… February and I got off to a bad start and the negativity lasted the entire month.  School is stressing me out big time (it is my LAST semester!), I hurt my knee (it’s already kinda crappy… I’ve got Osgood-Schlatter Disease), and my already sensitive hormones were completely out of whack.  I’m really trying to focus on the positives while I deal with my hormonal imbalance, but it’s challenging.  I’m most disappointed by my lack of weight loss this month… I’ve stayed the same and it has really bummed me out. 

School… I have always had a love/hate relationship with school.  All I can say about it is I am glad that I went to university and I am glad it is almost over.  I really believe in education but holy moly it stresses me out!  I’m not even going to go into detail about this one or we could be here allllllllllll night.

Knee… My stupid knee really pisses me off sometimes!  I haven’t been able to do a real leg day all month.  My knee aches and I get these pains that feel like ... well, the best way I can describe it is, you know the feeling you get (if you have sensitive teeth) when you drink or eat something really cold?  Its that sharp pain and then it slowly fades away… That’s what I feel in my knee after cardio or sometimes it’s the reason I have to cut it short.  I started going to physio again but just didn’t have a good feeling about her.  I didn’t feel like we had a real plan or reason for this pain.  So I’m going to my RMT (registered massage therapist) this Tuesday; she should be able to help me out!  I am really hoping I can get this sorted out so I can get back to doing leg days!

Hormones… Oh hormones… I have always had a “sensitivity”, I guess you could call it, to any fluctuation in my hormones.  Well this past month has been the worst I’ve ever felt when it comes to those pesky buggers… I would cry at the drop of a hat, take something to heart and brood over it for days wondering what that person meant by it, and so on… it was mentally exhausting!  I went to my doc to see what I could switch my BC pill to (that’s the culprit… as soon as I started taking it my hormones went BONKERS), so we shall see what it is like next month!  I am optimistic!

You may be wondering what the point is or what my message is here and I guess you could say that the point I am trying to make is, we all go through ups and downs and sometimes those “downs” are pretty hard to dig yourself out of but you have to!  Obstacles are a part of life and you have to figure out how to get around them!  I love the saying “fall down 7 times, pick yourself up 8 times”.  It is so true!  You cannot let anything keep you down.  Not an injury, not stress, nothing!  There were times I wanted nothing more than to stay in my bed all day but I got my ass out of bed, got ready, and went to the gym.  I felt SO much better after I worked out.  Cortisol is a nasty hormone that your body releases in response to stress; it will linger if you don’t get rid of it even after the stress is gone.  So going to the gym after a stressful event is SO important.  You need to rid your body of that stuff; you will be SO glad you did. 

This month I really pulled back and hid in the shadows for a bit, hoping that nobody would ask about my progress… If they had I was sure I’d burst into tears!  However, this weekend I really had an “Aha!” moment and decided that I can’t beat myself up over the events of this month.  I didn’t plan for it to be such a stressful month and there is nothing I could’ve done to prevent it.  So I just have to work with it instead of trying to resist it. 

When I am stressed I avoid food, so today I cooked up all of my chicken and lean beef meals for the week and packaged them up.  This way, I can just run to the fridge and reheat my meal instead of pulling out the pots and pans and cooking up the whole meal right then and there.  I am choosing to be PROactive, rather than REactive.  I am also choosing not to be so critical of my weight.  That’s not to say I’m not paying attention to the numbers, I just mean that I’m not going to be upset with myself about the lack of change (tomorrow is a new day and I will work even harder to make that change happen!).  Sometimes there are lulls, sometimes there are ups and downs and that is OKAY. 

Here is a picture quote that really helped me this month (thanks Alyssa!):

It may have been the month from hell, but I came out of it a better person.  A stronger person.  I know that I can learn from my weaker moments and rise above them! 

Even if you don't relate to these particular "stressors", just sub one of your "stressors" in place of mine.  Maybe money is tight right now and it is stressing you out.  You can still apply this way of thinking to your problem and help yourself get through it.  Maybe you fell off the wagon and regained some weight and are feeling defeated... Just pick yourself up and get to the gym.  Learn from your mistake (maybe you binged, maybe you stopped going to the gym, etc.) and be stronger this time. 

Someone very wise often says something that never made sense to me... in fact it was kind of annoying LOL "just try harder"... If you can't do a push up... just try harder.  If you can't finish that rep... just try harder.  But in all honesty, it's the only thing you CAN do.  If it didn't work out for you the first time, that's OKAY, just try harder next time and you will get closer to success!

I leave you with this quote…

 “I've come to believe that all my past failures and frustrations were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.” - Tony Robbins

Motivation: How to Find it and How to Keep it Alive!

Motivation is hard to come by some days but you have to dig down deep and find it!  There are a lot of ways to help yourself find that motivation and desire to keep going.  I thought I would share a few of my faves with you! 

Motivational Pictures:

I have a file on my laptop with pictures that motivate me and remind me that what I am doing is an amazing thing and I should get out there are DO IT!

Motivational Videos:

This video is so motivational it makes me emotional!  The message is so important and really helps you find that drive to get up and hit the gym or go for a walk/jog/run, whatever!  Show everyone HOW GREAT YOU ARE!

This man, Nick, has the most beautiful spirit and he reminds me to get out there and take advantage of the life I have been given!  I have two arms, two legs, and the ability to do anything I put my mind to.  Nick does not have his limbs yet he loves fishing, golfing, and swimming!  He LOVES living life!  He has so much LIFE and really pushes you to LIVE YOUR LIFE! 

Maybe you don’t have one, some, or any of your limbs.  Maybe you are in a wheelchair.  Or maybe you feel like you are too far gone; there is too much weight to lose so you might as well not even try.  Or maybe, you are just too sad to get up off of the couch and go to the gym.  Being overweight has an extreme effect on your emotions and your self esteem.  But you have to find the motivation, the courage, and the strength to get out there!  Believe me when I say that you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to!  I know we have all heard it before but it is so true!  You don’t need to have a lot of money or a lot of time to start losing weight.  I know that is something a lot of people use as an excuse; I certainly have.  We all hear people say they don’t have time to go to the gym or go for a walk.  We have homework or deadlines to meet at work and we have to work late.  While I don’t deny that those things are very real and very important; I ask you this, what is more important than YOU?  Your body is everything!  Without your health you wont have to worry about that homework!  So MAKE time for yourself and take care of your body.  You will actually find that a healthy BODY promotes a healthy MIND and you will be able to accomplish your goals faster and better!  Your mind will be clear and you will be happier!  Feeling like you are “too far gone” is so far from the truth, it doesn’t even mimic it.  It doesn’t matter if you have to lose 10, 20, 50, 100, 300, or 500+ pounds; YOU ARE WORTH IT!  You are never too far gone and you should never give up on yourself!

Now you might say to me, “Kayla, I just don’t feel like it today.”  That is when I would say to you, “take a look at your motivational pictures and/or a motivational video.  Find your drive, deep down inside, and get out there!”  You don’t have to run a marathon or anything extreme, but just getting out there and moving is great!  Your body will thank you for going to the gym and doing your cardio, or whatever it may be.  You will feel energized and PROUD of yourself!  Every time you go for that walk or go to the gym you have ACCOMPLISHED something and it deserves recognition and celebration!  You should feel good about yourself and be proud of your hard work!

Now, if those things don’t work for you and you are more of a physical touch kind of person, try this idea out.  Get yourself a dress or pair of pants or shirt that you want to fit into.  We’ll call it your Goal Outfit.  Keep trying it on and noticing the differences each time you try it on.  Maybe this week it feels a little better in the thighs, hell maybe this week is the first time you can get your thighs INTO the pants!  They will be your motivation!  Each time you try them on you will see that you are getting closer and closer to your goal!  You can do this!

I hope this post reminds you, no matter where you are at in your goals, to never give up!  Always keep pushing yourself and finding that motivation.  Be the BEST you can be!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will talk to you all very soon!

K