Transformation Tuesday - who inspires ME to transform?

Over on Instagram, Tuesday is known as Transformation Tuesday. Often times, people post pictures of themselves with friends as kids, and then as adults - it's cute, really. But more often than not, the hashtag is littered with people who have before and after pictures of their weight loss. It's ridiculously inspiring to see, really. I am such a visual person, and I've always searched for before and after pictures when I'm looking for some motivation. People change their lives. I mean, you hear about it all the time but seeing it never gets old. These people - everyday people with busier schedules than you, three kids, newborns, six dogs, sick relatives and medical problems, full time students, women over 40 - I mean, these people are literally transforming. If they don't make you believe it's possible, nothing will.

I owe so much of my success to those people. Reading all the articles, all the meal plans and all the exercise plans in the world won't give you the kind of inspiration that a real life person will. As of late, I have desperately needed the inspiration - and I continue to find it in the girls whose picture I'm going to share with you. These girls are me. They are you. They are anyone in their 20s faced with challenges like happy hours, bar nights, weddings full of delicious tempting food and open bars, boyfriends and husbands who eat like the manliest of men, and the overwhelming desire to watch hours of ABC Family instead of go workout. They have full time schedules, full time lives and zero time for bullshit. They juggle in-laws, multiple pets, social circles, volunteer and personal obligations, and can often feel the sometimes impossible-to-combat laziness of their pre-healthy lifestyle creep back in all too often. They are you. They are me.

But each of them, in their own way, made a change in their lifestyles. It starts with a decision, it continues with a choice to sign up for things like Weight Watchers, try a new bootcamp, step outside their comfort zones in a city where they either know nobody or they know too many people to feel comfortable trying something new. They spoke up - they admitted they were unhappy with their health, their bodies, their frame of mind. They wake up at 4:45, 5:30, 6:00 - any time before some people normally roll out of bed, and they take one small step towards their goals. They run, workout, pack their snacks for work, lay out workout clothes and set meat out for tonight's planned dinner.

They also ditch workouts, struggle with small gains, falling off the wagon and indulging in too much happy hour. They eat pizza, don't regret it, and often times regret it so much that they run crazy miles to mentally make up for it. They are real, and they are constantly battling the odds. They prove to me daily that if they can do it, I can do it. And so can you.

Today, I share with you two "Transformation Tuesday" photos that will make you jump off your ass and put your dusty old running shoes on. They will make you put down the bag of chips.

Kelly has lost 80 pounds, and is still going strong. EIGHTY. EIGHT-ZERO. Do you know how much that is? She consistently proves that, even as a busy career woman constantly on the go, you can still succeed at eating healthy. This girl pre-plans snacks for meetings and overnight travel, gets her exercise in even when she's away from home and even roped her boyfriend into having weekly weigh-ins with her. And guess what else? She is still a fan of happy hours, delicious food and all the things you'd never expect from someone who makes those kinds of changes. 

Kim has detailed her weight loss and fitness journeys on her blog, Fabulous Fit Foodie. This girl, despite only recently getting back to Weight Watchers, has already lost over 13 pounds - but it looks like she's lost way more. She strength trains using online bootcamps you can do in your home or at the gym, she runs, and she's a recent triathlete. TRIATHLETE. Seriously. She indulges in all life's goodness, including pizza, her favorite beers and wine flights at happy hour, but she still makes fitness and eating right seem so incredibly approachable. Her motivation and inspiration is endless, and her perspective on maintaining a healthy lifestyle is always what I need to hear.

I can't tell you enough how inspired I am by these women. They are proof that reaching your goals seems so much more attainable when you're surrounded by like-minded individuals who care and support you. They provide constant words of encouragement, and them, along with every other girl as part of our Healthy Habits group here in Dayton, have provided me with infinite inspiration.

My advice? Find your own inspiration and let it guide you through your journey. Find people who want you to be a better person, strive to help you reach your goals and don't let you settle for anything less than your absolute best. Use their before and afters (or before and "during" as these girls tell me) to help fuel you when you need the extra push, and chances are, they'll be using you for the same inspiration.

Happy Transformation Tuesday, friends - may you all find the inner strength and motivation needed to make the transformation (or continue with it) that you know deep down will make you the best person you can be!

running: it's not for everyone, but it could be.

Of all the thousands of ways in the world to burn calories, running seems to be the most elusive. It shouldn't be, but to the general public, running 3, 4, 10 - or the ultimate 26.2 miles - for "fun," seems like a suicide mission appropriate for the craziest of the crazies.

But it doesn't have to be.

I hate running. It's what I hear from most people who don't do it, my fiance included. It's so haaaard, they say. And they're right. It is. And sometimes, it's downright awful. And honestly, it's not for everyone. But in my most unprofessional opinion, I really think it could be. Just because it's hard, just because it isn't always fun, doesn't mean it isn't for you.

So here's what I've got. I've had several people over the course of the past year or so, ask me how I started running. What programs did I use, what intervals, what pace, what distances, what shoes, and what kind of sanity did I have when I fell in love with this crazy sport. I don't think people ask because they think I'm good. I think people ask because let's face it, I won't shut up about it. And I'd like to think that, despite setbacks, roadblocks and momentary lapses in motivation, I've made running seem approachable to people who otherwise would have deemed it only for the already athletic "gazelle." More on gazelles later. I've provided you with the basics - the basics on how I started running, what I did, what I used, and how I managed to keep going after I got to the end of my street and realized my body was screaming at me for putting it through such torture. It's my best advice, however unauthorized that may be.

Get fitted. Getting fitted for proper running shoes is essential. The people at running stores - I mean true running stores, not Dick's Sporting Goods - are knowledgeable. They'll watch you walk (or even run on a treadmill) and be able to fit you with shoes that will work for you. Don't think you need fitted? Think again. Check out this article from Runners World and see just how many weird things your feet can do. It can be a costly trip, but seeing chiropractors and podiatrists for the next year because your feet are throbbing and your back aches will be more expensive. And painful.

Pick a running program. Or start your own. When I first started running, I used the Couch to 5k program. It sets you up with 9 weeks of running schedules to prepare beginning runners for a 5k race. But truth be told, I didn't love the schedule, or the intervals. I experimented with the first few sessions, but then adapted to a pace and interval I was comfortable with. I started on a treadmill so I could easily monitor my time and distance. I did intervals of 2 minutes walking, 1 minute running for about 30 minutes. Then I'd move it up to 1 minute walking, 2 minutes running. From there, I just played with intervals until I was running 5 minutes at a time, with 3 minute walk breaks. I started running for 30 minutes at a time, then vowed to run a full 3.1 miles (a full 5k) using those intervals. In time, I was running the whole thing.

Walking is cool. When I first started running, my ultimate goal was to never take walk breaks. Not stopping to walk during a run was the ultimate sign of success for me - the entire point of running was, at the time, to actually run. When I caught the running bug this past spring again, I started experimenting with Jeff Galloway's half marathon training program. He talks a lot about intervals, and bases it off your average pace (and a few other super fancy factors). It was a mental struggle to come to terms with walking as a major part of my runs, but now I cannot live without it. Prior to using this technique, I was running a 5k in about 38-40 minutes. Now, my 5k PR is below 33:00. I run faster and farther because my walk breaks, which start early on in my runs, give me the opportunity to preserve energy. Don't let anyone tell you walking isn't cool.

Get a good playlist. Good music is essential to getting in the zone. I envy the ones who can run sans headphones. I update it constantly - especially when I'm lacking in the motivation department. Pick songs that pump you up or motivate you to be better. Don't be afraid to sing along while you run. Seriously. Whatever gets you through.

Understand that it will be hard. The most common reason people stop running is because it isn't easy right from the get go. If you run to the end of your street and you're already ready to puke, I promise you aren't alone. We've been there. Well, I have. I was over 200 pounds when I started running - carrying that extra weight on my knees made even one mile seem impossible. My advice? Don't stop. Do not get discouraged. Go back out the next day. Do walking and jogging intervals, and tell yourself you'll go two driveways farther than you did the day before. Keep going. Whatever you do, get up the next day, and go again.

Get a cool app. Tracking your runs, however obnoxious it is to see on social media outlets, is motivating. People like to see their mileage and calories rack up. Invest in a heart rate monitor (one with a fancy GPS if you want, too), or just download the Nike+ Running app and hear famous athletes and runners tell you how awesome you did after you end a good run. Whatever you do, invest in some sort of mobile app to track what you're doing. If you do post it to sites like Facebook, you'll be motivated to make the post a "worthy mileage" for others to see. I don't care what they say, caring what others think can be strangely motivating.

Take care of yourself. Carb-loading is really only necessary for long distance runs, but drinking 3 margaritas and eating Taco Bell on Friday and then wondering why your Saturday morning run sucked probably won't end well. Eat good fats, whole foods and lots of protein. If it has more than 5 ingredients on the label, you probably should skip it. Get enough sleep. Get. Enough. Sleep.

Allow yourself to think about other things. Running is more of a mental struggle than anything else. When you first start, it's hard to think about anything other than the run, especially if you're also overweight. All I could feel in the beginning were my knees aching, my lungs screaming and my fat jiggling up and down as I shuffled like a basset hound down the street. Make valid attempts at looking at that ugly pink house down the street and forcing yourself to think about something other than running until you pass that house. Distracting your mind from what your body is doing will disconnect the notion that you can or can't do it.

That being said, engage yourself. On the runs when you know your body is quitting out before your mind is ready to, you have to play the game. You know your body better than anyone, and you have to determine if you should listen to your body, or mentally push yourself because there's no way you're going down on this run without a fight. You choose your success. You push yourself. The moments when you don't want to do something because you're tired, hungry, pissed off or your socks don't match - what you do with those moments is what determines your successes and failures.

Be realistic. If your thighs rub together, giving you the infamous "chub-rub," don't wear super short running shorts that set you up for failure. Invest in a good bra (like this one I wrote about recently). If you know you're exhausted and busy after work, forcing yourself to run when you're already burned out from the day is probably not going to promote optimum success. Deciding you're going to pick up running today and you're going to run your first half marathon in 2 months is probably going to make you miserable, too. No one says you have to go from zero to marathon in 26.2 minutes. Deciding to get out there in general already makes you a rockstar.

Invest in some self discipline. Just like school, driving a car and learning the ropes at a new job, learning how to run takes practice. It takes discipline to get up and run when you'd rather sleep, to skip happy hour to get the run in or to not binge drink the night before a race. It takes training and effort to continuously go out and run. Nobody is going to hold your hand and make you go. The only person who can do that is you. Hold your own hand. Push your ass out the door. Just. Go. You never regret it, I promise.

Envy the gazelles, embrace the basset hound. I wrote a whole post on basset hounds and gazelles. Those skinny, already-athletic people who make running look effortless are enough to make us basset hounds want to scream. Basset hounds are people like myself - as an overweight runner, I sometimes feel like I'm shuffling like an over-heated, slobbery basset hound running through a field in the middle of August. I envy the shit out of gazelles - they push me to be better, run faster, run harder. But once I embraced my inner basset hound and learned to love the runner I am, I was much more at peace with my running. Know what kind of runner you are, and be that well. Push yourself, be the best you can be, but never hate what you are. Ever.

Most importantly, give it time. You will not be a marathon runner overnight. It may take you two weeks to feel confident with a 1 mile distance. And that's okay.  Everyone is different, and that's what makes running so great. I have several "running friends" who can share similar running stories and experiences over happy hour drinks for hours, but every single one of us got here differently and at a different pace. But the one thing we all have in common is that we all decided that we wanted it bad enough. I can't promise the sore knees and the blisters will go away forever, but I can promise you that if you stick with it long enough, one day you'll get a rush from knowing what your body is capable of - and from knowing that no one else but you pushed it there.

Good luck, friends!

look good, feel good.

I'm not typically one to advocate fitness and health for vanity reasons. I work out in clearance running capris from Old Navy and my super simple running tanks from Reebok. I look like a hot mess when I work out - and firmly believe that if you don't, you're not doing it right. But let's face it - everyone loves feeling amazing in a brand spankin' new set of workout clothes. For some reason, new running or workout gear gives us motivation to run extra miles and gives us wings we didn't know we had. Funny, how much exercise and motivation are driven by the mind and not the body. But that's for another post.

So when Rob called me on the way home last night and suggested we make the 35 minute drive to the nearest lululemon store to pick out new workout gear, a belated birthday gift for me that we've been putting off until I got closer to my goal weight and to my half marathon, I got kind of giddy inside. Finally, I'd be purchasing their famous Ta Ta Tamer (yes, that's really what it's called) - a sports bra designed for those of us blessed with the bittersweet large rack - which totally benefits us at the bar when we're trying to get drinks, but can be a major pain in the ass during high intensity cardio sessions like running. I'd been putting off purchasing high end workout clothes until I knew I wouldn't rapidly shrink down sizes and no longer have use for them, but I think it's safe to say that the time had come. Goodbye Walmart sports bras I've been using since high school. Yes, seriously.

Here's the loot - two sports bras and a running tank later, I'm feeling like the biggest running badass on the planet. Today's message is this: if you're passionate about health, fitness and losing weight, sometimes it's worth it to splurge on new workout clothes instead of those killer heels. Rob turned to me after I said "thank you" and said, "I knew these would get used way more than anything else I'd buy you," and he's totally right. I live in my workout clothes, and there's no reason you shouldn't feel drop dead fabulous running down the street in something you're proud of. I seriously urge you to make new workout clothes one of your "rewards" for weight loss milestones and exercise goals met. You should reward yourself, and frequently, for committing to a healthy lifestyle and these guys are totally worth the investment. The truth is, when you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you look good. The two go hand in hand, and if $58 sports bras aren't your thing, that's totally cool - but find something that is your thing, embrace it, and treat yourself to it.

I busted out the ta ta tamer this morning for an unplanned run (see what new workout gear will do?!) and could not be happier with the support I got from this guy. The sales associate at lulu called it the "mac daddy" of sports bras, and if you're big-chested and into running or other high-intensity cardio, this is totally worth the initial cost. As a 38D, I've spent most of my life wearing two sports bras to make me feel "secure," and have yet to find a single bra that gives me the kind of support I need during workouts - until I tried these. The straps criss-cross in the back, giving you extra support, lift and that tight feeling we all want from a good sports bra. As an added bonus, they don't leave you with smashed boobs either - something I've always hated about my workout bras. Lifted, supported boobs that don't bounce and ache terribly during a run? Apparently it is possible, and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. Couldn't recommend them highly enough, and they are the perfect reward for the hard work I've put in thus far.

They're also the motivational kick in the ass I needed as I gear up for the final 8 weeks of training before the Air Force Half Marathon. Happy happily-supported ta-ta's, friends!

the time will pass.

I was mindlessly browsing Pinterest the other day, pinning more projects I'll never do and a thousand ways to save $10 on my wedding, which I'll never even look at. Then I stumbled upon this. I brush most of the cheesy quotes I see on Pinterest off, but two days later, I was still thinking about this.

About a week ago, I had a gum graft surgery done. I was put on a strict liquids and soft-foods diet for about a week and I won't be able to bite using my front teeth for up to 6 weeks. I wasn't able to do physical activity for 3-4 days, but the graft feels so strange and sensitive that it hindered my exercise routine for nearly a week. Nearly a week? I know, it's not that big of a deal. But in the midst of the wedding dress diet, and the fact that I feel ridiculously restless without any sort of cardio in my day, I felt like a train wreck. So I spiraled. I spiraled into this boo boo kitty, self-loathing, poor me attitude that left me eating mashed potatoes and more macaroni and cheese than I consumed during my four years of college. This obviously resulted in my first weigh-in with a gain this year, and I can honestly say that I'd rather be punched in the leg repeatedly before having to deal with using my tongue to chew food ever again.

But here's the moral of the story: Regardless of my attitude, the time still passed. Despite my acting like the world had suddenly stopped (and so did my will to cook and do laundry), I was disappointed to learn that Thursday still came, my body still took in twice my needed caloric intake and I still gained weight. And unfortunately, that's the hard truth. Like it or not, Monday will come after Sunday, just like it always does. And like it or not, the time passes while we're sitting here thinking about our goals instead of actually seeing them through.

My struggle with weight loss, like many, is lifelong. It's a constant process as you try to find balance. The first time I lost 50 pounds, I drank it all back on and after finally getting my shit on lockdown at the beginning of 2012, I still spent a good 6 months beating myself up over having gained the weight back in the first place. No one wants to re-lose the same 50 pounds, or hit the pavement for the first time in months, only to learn you can only make it to the end of your street before hyperventilating. Starting over when you know you're capable of more is a hard pill to swallow, especially if you hate being wrong. Starting over from square one and mentally wanting to run 6 miles when your body can only handle 2 is frustrating. Hitting the same weight loss milestones as you've hit once before is like deja vu you never wanted to experience. There's no sugarcoating it.

But the six months I spent harping on what I messed up in the past is six months I can't get back now. I can't spend any time now imagining where I'd be had I not beat myself up for the first six months of last year. But looking back on it, I guess I learned something in the long run. The time will still pass. Whether you spend it bitching and moaning, avoiding your credit card debt or busting your ass at the gym, the time will still pass. That wedding you wanted to lose weight for will still come, regardless of what you did with the time in between. The debt collectors will still call, even if you ignore their calls for two months. What you do with the time is yours.

And in a world where we often feel like we have such little control over what happens, that is something we can control. I can't control the fact that I had to get a super obnoxious gum graft done weeks before a trip to Nashville and right in the peak of my awesome workout/eat right motivation. I can't control the fact that I already gained back most of the weight I lost the first time. What I can control is what I do with my time now. What I can control is my attitude, and the way I approach each new day. What I can do, is take what I learned from such a simple quote and recognize all the times I've failed to utilize it in my life - and learn from it. I can repeat it to myself every time I bail on a workout, and every time I want to give myself a break from my diet for a couple weeks.

The time will pass, with or without your participation. What do you want to do with it?

get smart.

If you have half a brain, chances are you're capable of perusing Pinterest and knowing better than to think half the explanations for the projects, exercises and wedding DIY's are legit. Let's face it - this super frugal girl pinched pennies and saved a fortune on her wedding, but you're probably not going to chalkboard paint mason jars and personally label them all just to save a few bucks on plates from the catering company. Someone's gorgeous DIY wreath is the average person's craft nightmare, and you HAVE to know better than to think you can legitimately lose 10 lbs drinking nothing but tea for three days [and not pass out].

Which brings me to my biggest issue lately - believing the health myths. Buying into the diet fads. Following a 1-2-3 plan to weight loss and not being an independent thinker. Here's a shocking idea: your body is not the same as mine. Mine isn't the same as my mom's, or my brother's, or my dad's - and we're in the same fucking family. So why in God's name would you think that you're going to get the same results as person A, B or C just because you both read the "30 lunches to lose weight fast" article and followed it to a T? Chances are, you're probably not.

If you've decided to get healthy, lose weight, tone up, build muscle or just eat better, you have to stop reading made-for-you plans that are supposed to fit the general public. I can tell you from personal experience that I have friends who can eat 100-calorie packs all day long and lose 20 lbs, and I would gain weight from them. I have friends who gain weight from eating chocolate, who lose weight from eating bread, whose bodies do things that mine would run away screaming from. If you've decided to make a change in your lifestyle, I totally applaud you. As someone who lived in fat-kid denial for years, sometimes the hardest part is just waking up with the commitment to making a change. But what I wish I would have done earlier, and what I wish more people would do now, is educate myself.

Educate yourself. Do not sign up for the coolest diet trend that gives you the highest probability of success. Following Weight Watchers, South Beach or Jenny Craig will not teach you anything in the long run if you don't know what the programs are designed for. Reading thousands of articles on pre-planned meals and trampling through your grocery store with a list you didn't come up with on your own won't help you. Blindly grabbing the 100-calorie packs and whole wheat pasta boxes won't teach you anything if you don't know what's in them. Learn what food does to your body - understand why foods on Weight Watchers with higher carb counts are now higher in points. Learn about why Atkins preaches a low carb diet, and understand that it doesn't give you the right to eat 6 lbs of bacon a day. Stop eating boxed meals from the freezer section just because there are pre-determined points or calories labeled on the front.

I'm not saying you don't have to start somewhere. Any change to your diet is a good one, and making modifications and finding low-fat alternatives to your favorite foods is awesome. What I'm saying is that so many people go through life not knowing what refined sugars are, what "good fats" and "bad fats" are and what carbohydrates can do to your body when eaten in excess. So many people go through life not knowing how to fuel their bodies before and after workouts, how to create habits that will last a lifetime, and not just until the hit their goal weights. Depending on a program to guide you in the right direction is AWESOME. Programs like Weight Watchers and even free tracking systems like My Fitness Pal are awesome for showing you how to monitor your portions, incorporate healthier alternatives into your diet and how to balance your intake versus output. But you still need to learn what food does to your body.

If you rely on plugging numbers into an online tracker or pulling all your resources from the latest "top 10 healthiest dinners," you may stay fit, but you're never going to know why. The internet and social media has been a great outlet for utilizing fitness options and finding new healthy recipes - but it's also made us so dependent on following directions from someone else instead of learning about how our own bodies work. If you learn about what you're eating, learn about what you're putting into your body and how your body reacts to it, you'll quickly learn that someone else's "healthy mac and cheese" is your body's nightmare, or that someone's favorite low-cal casserole is actually just full of high-sodium cans of processed food that you can't even read the ingredients to.

Lord knows I am not perfect about my diet and exercise routines. I love fried macaroni and cheese almost as much as I love a good cheeseball - and one time, I totally fell for my grandma's line that her delicious oatmeal cookies could be considered "breakfast cookies" because there are oats in them (no, I was not 10...this was less than a year ago). All I'm saying is that you owe it to your body to do a little research instead of just eating the 10 meals some food blogger hand-selected from the internet as YOUR top 10 healthy meals. News flash: Your top 10 healthy meals are constantly evolving, and they're going to be different than mine. Your top 10 healthy meals should be established by you and only you, once you learn and experiment with different foods and understand what they do to your body.

Your body is your body, not anybody else's. Nutritionists and informational articles can point you in the right direction - they can help guide you, and weight loss programs are awesome forms of accountability and putting all that nutrition "junk" into easily utilized numbers. But chances are, you're not going to spend the rest of your life tracking every snack you ever eat (that'd be a lot of snacks for me), so you should do yourself the justice of learning about what you're eating so you can function on your own without someone else telling you want to consume and when.

Independent thinking is something that's often lost today - and it's probably half the reason this country has an obesity problem. You only get one body. Learn about what you're eating, and treat your body like the temple that it is. Feed yourself what you know to be good, and indulge in what you know to be delicious (and sometimes bad). Don't live by anyone else's nutrition rules, and don't let someone else decide what's right for your body. Educate yourself, and your chances of maintaining a healthy lifestyle long after you commit to one are much higher.

End rant. Stumbles off soap box and apologizes in advance for offending anyone.