Have you been hanging in there?  Getting through this time as best as possible?  Doing anything you can to find the joy and feel good?  Including…. 

Eating more.  Baking more.  Drinking A LOT MORE.  Sleeping in.  Not exercising.  And stressing out your body in general because….duh…these are HARD times.  Maybe the hardest we’ve seen in our lifetime so far.  And lets face it….we find comfort in food and drinks.  Always. 

I know.  I’m there too.  Especially at the beginning of this pandemic.  Before this virus hit I had a BIG plan…. 

On March 1st, right before this pandemic got real in the US, I started a new eating and exercise regimen.  My goal was to gain 4 pounds of muscle and lose at least 2 pounds of fat.  Not an easy task at 49 years old.  But I was determined to get in the ‘best shape of my life’ by my 50th birthday in August.  So I signed up with a personal trainer and nutrition coach.  I got my marching orders and I hit the gym.  I had less than 2 weeks before things started shutting down and the stay at home order was in effect. Immediately my plan went out the window. 

I sank into a rut…. And hit a wall of excuses! 

The gym is closed.  

I don’t have weights at home. 

I can’t workout on my own. 

I need my classes. 

I need to eat more and comfort myself. 

I won’t get through this without wine. 

It’s so hard to eat healthy when I’m at home all day long. 

All I have is this food. 

I can’t do this during a pandemic.  

My excuses were all heavily justified by my friends and family and society.  I saw dozens of meme’s of people eating and drinking their way through quarantine.  I had 2 hard weeks.  I gained fat, the opposite of what I wanted to do, and I  felt worse than ever. Looking in the mirror depressed me even more.  I felt like I was spiraling out of control.  Then someone in my accountability group asked me how my new workout plan was going….. 

There it was.   Accountability.   That thing I teach and preach so much about.  Staring me dead in my face.  

I shared all my excuses and justified my lack of results blaming everything on this pandemic. This group of men and women have been following me on this journey for years.  They know my heart and soul.   They know my core values and my character traits.  They know my dreams and desires.  And they know that I walk the talk.  They know what I need because I have always told them what I need. One of the women got me back on track with these words…. 

“If anyone can get in the best shape of their lives during a pandemic it’s YOU.”  

Immediately it was back on.  Those words sent a “FUCK YEA” through my body, sent my excuses out the window and realigned me with my deeper purpose and my desired end result.  

It wasn’t easy.  I had to make A LOT of adjustments.  I bought weights.  Made my office into my workout room.  Found a new program and new workout apps.  I started tracking my food and followed a new diet.  I cut out alcohol.  Stopped snacking.  Had NO cheat days. I got up at 5:30 am to join a zoom workout at 6 am! I started working out MORE than EVER before.  Even during quarantine.  

And….most importantly…..I believed in ME.  Those few words brought me back to myself.  I believed I could do this.  I could defy the odds.  Not just the Covid odds but the age odds and the restriction odds.  I could feel better, love my body in a whole new way, and get in the best shape of my life!  

Fast forward 3 months later….. I have arrived.  I gained 5.5 pounds of lean muscle and lost 5 pounds of body fat.  I am stronger.   Faster.  Healthier.  And I feel better than ever before.  I weigh the same on the scale.  But that’s FINE.  I feel amazing when I look in the mirror.  It’s like a different person looking back at me – inside and out.  And I’ll tell you what…. 

I didn’t need all these results to feel this way.  

The results came because the belief came first.  

The results came because I felt good first.  

The results came because I loved myself first.  

And the results came because I did what I said I was gonna do! 

I had a goal.  And I stuck to it not letting anything get in my way.  

Desire.  Plan.  Ruthless daily action.  And some accountability to remind me who the F I am.  

What do you need in order to improve your body during these stressful times?  To improve your health and fitness? Are your actions taking you closer to disease or wellness?   

Helping women get results is my passion.  If you want support I have a new beta round of a new course I just created starting SOON.  Come join the movement.  We’ll get there….together.