How much water is too much?

Can I drown by drinking too much water? Yes. Am I in danger of this? Highly unlikely.

Am I drinking too much water? Chances are in fact the complete opposite. You are most likely drinking NOT ENOUGH water and this is something I deal with on a regular basis with my clients.

When looking at recommended water intake it is actually recommended that one drinks 1L per 25kg of bodyweight alone. So a 70kg female should be consuming up to 3L per day. We then have to factor in exercise as a component to add to the mix. The recommendation for exercise is 1L per hour of exercise so therefore if the 70kg female is at the gym an hour per day she should be drinking close to 4L as a minimum for her to maintain hydration levels and combat the water lost from her body throughout the day.

It amazes me at how often people will try deter other people from drinking an adequate (yes adequate as in more than 2L) amount of water saying they are drinking too much and that they “may drown”. Let’s be realistic people, yes water intoxication is a real thing and yes it has happened to people but in very EXTREME situations.  The sodium levels in your blood have to be extremely low for this to occur for example excessive exercise without replacement of sodium levels (why endurance athletes drink sports drinks with electrolytes to replace water and sodium at the same time), very low sodium or no sodium diet teemed with excessive water intake or on the more extreme scale a kidney malfunction (where water isn't being secreted from the body properly) or even more extreme a heart malfunction.

In other situations where water intoxication has occurred it has been due to consuming alarming amounts of water in a short amount of time, and when I say alarming we are talking about 3L in an hour. The kidneys of a healthy adult can actually process fifteen liters of water a day! So you are highly unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to taking in an enormous volume at one time.

Water is essential not only for maintenance in the body’s hydration levels but also for kidney function, bowel function, keeping your skin healthy and looking good, flushing out toxins not needed or wanted in your system, aiding digestion and is also a great natural headache remedy!

So don’t be scared to drink more water guys. Unless you are skulling 3L in an hour or some other ridiculous amount you are not likely to be “drowning” on your water intake any time soon. If anything I'm guessing most of you would need to increase your water intake by at least a litre or more .

 

Most of us are up at least 12+ hours a day which is more than enough time to consume the individual recommended amount of water. So instead of reaching for that 3^rd cappuccino or your bottle of coke zero (“but it’s got no sugar”.. yes yes, I know), grab a bottle of water instead and start drinking! 

 

 

The power of your thoughts: Whether you think you can or think you can't..You're right

Today’s blog is something I have written about previously back in my early blogging days however some situations this week with clients have lead me to re-write about it. What is “it” you ask? I guess it could be described as talking about self-confidence, self-belief, the power of positive thinking and the battle of mind and body.

Let us begin with me telling you who don't know that one of the words I have come to despise in my time as a trainer is the word “can’t”. I don’t believe the word should actually exist let alone be used. In fact it is rarely used in my gym because most of my clients are well aware that I don’t believe in “can’t” and if they are unaware they soon realise it. Usually around about the time they first try and tell me they “can’t do something” and I then turn around and make them do 10 burpees. Yes I know I'm evil lol. But hey they learn pretty quickly not to say the word around me ;)

Why do I despise this word? Because it creates barriers and carries a negative connotation, two things we do not want or need when we are trying to break barriers and achieve goals.

One of my favourite sayings is "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't- you're right" and it is true and I have seen it applied in many situations. If you walk into the gym and load up the squat bar with confidence that today you are going to squat 5kgs heavier than last week and you tell yourself throughout the stages of getting under the bar, feeling that heavy weight on your shoulders, lowering to the ground for that first rep that you CAN do it before pushing back up and repeating, then chances are your goal will be successful (keeping in mind that it is realistic of course.) On the other hand if you walk into the gym and load up the squat bar with confidence that today you are going to squat 5kgs heavier than last week yet when you feel that weight and take it  to the ground all of a sudden realise it’s pretty heavy and start to think you CAN’T do it then chances are you won’t.

Similarly if you walk into the kitchen one day and think "I can resist that ice-cream in the freezer I can I can I can" and instead of opening up the freezer and staring at the ice cream contemplating whether to eat it you open the fridge grab a water bottle and walk straight back out, then you have just there won a small mental battle whether you realise it or not. If you can do that a second and third and fourth time then the power of the way you think is slowly going to be getting stronger.  People don't fully realise the power of their thoughts and thinking.

Have you ever had a goal that you have wanted for so long but never gotten there and could never actually see yourself getting there?

Well here is the "tough love" part. Point blank the reason you are struggling and have struggled in the past to get where you want to be and to reach your goal is because your mind is winning over your body every time. The fact that you are so convinced you are never going to get there is EXACTLY why you aren't already there. It's that horrible thing called self doubt. Your body hears everything your mind says and let’s face it if your mind is convinced that this is as good as it's going to get why should your body try lead a different path?
 
Have I ever doubted myself and where I want to go and if I'll ever reach my goals? Of course! Us PTs are human too u know ;) lol. But in all seriousness I have spent a good portion of my life dealing with self-doubt it’s something I have discussed in previous posts and if I’m honest I still do sometimes. For a recent example I would give me whilst doing comp prep. There was probably a good 8-10 weeks of the 12-14 (so quite a large chunk) where I didn't feel like I was changing or progressing some days really wondered if I was ever going to be “stage ready”. Was I kidding myself to be planning on getting up there in a bikini in front of heaps of people who would all be picking apart every inch of my physique (yep everyone is a critic it is sad but true). Despite my days of small bursts of self-doubt, endless selfies to try find some or ANY change (which I did and is why I highly recommend progress pics) I pushed ahead anyway, sticking to my plan, training and eating right and just simply having FAITH in the process even when it all felt hopeless. It was about trying to start beating that self-doubt with a little bit of self-belief! And of course my favourite way to get anywhere: consistency so it needed to be consistent self-belief.

Self- belief and self-confidence does not come easy to most of us and therefore it is something we have to work on but the power of positive thinking will get you a lot further in life than negative thinking. You know there will always be excuses available as to why you CAN'T do something and they are ENDLESS. But how about trying something new and thinking of reasons to prove yourself that you CAN do something. YOU CAN do this. YOU WILL do this. SUCCESS is the only result you will accept.

I have a "vision board" in my room that has pics on it of me, people I admire as well as motivational quotes etc. These positive thinking and images are something I see every day and help me to think I CAN instead of I CAN’T.  Surround yourself with positive things/people/activities and behaviours and start using positive thoughts in your everyday. You will be amazed at how powerful it can be.

Hope this helps anyone who is struggling to reach a goal or who has too many “I can’ts” happening in their head! Believe in yourself, have FAITH and trust in the process, stay consistent no matter what and NEVER GIVE UP ON SOMETHING YOU TRULY WANT J

 

 

 

 

Making tough choices: Has the worth of your goals changed or been lost?

Sometimes life hands us some tough decisions. Yesterday I was faced with one of these decisions and I thought I would share it with you all as it relates a lot to my journey as a health and fitness professional.

As a lot of you know and as I wrote last week I started studying nutrition at uni this year. My idea behind this was not to become a nutritionist as such but more so to expand my professional qualifications further helping clients as I am constantly asked for help with nutrition and while I have gained a vast amount of knowledge through my years as a pt, nutrition is an ever changing field and there is so much to learn. 

When I tell people I'm studying nutrition they don't really bat an eyelid as they most likely think "oh yeah that makes sense" yet when I tell them I'm struggling because I'm undertaking a course in chemistry or biology they look at me and say "why are you doing that what has that got to do with nutrition?" And to be honest on the grand scale.. Nothing.

Yesterday as I was busy trying to cram in more information on the body (currently studying regional anatomy which is great, very interesting but also stuff I already know to the level I need to for my job) I had a bit of a "moment". You know it felt like I was digging a hole to get somewhere and the hole was getting bigger but I felt no closer to where I wanted to be. With no real end in sight.

I know some of you will think "doesn't she always preach consistency and commitment to your goals?" and HELL YES I do but I realised yesterday that I was unhappy and that 3.5 years was a long time to be busting my ass on a goal that may not get me where I initially set out.. Not to mention set me back 22 grand :/. Was I best effectively using my time? or was I going to dig and dig and dig and just end up with a bit if knowledge but mostly just a great big hole (metaphorically speaking lol.)

Those who know me know I hate to quit ANYTHING or to give up because it's completely the opposite of my work and personal ethic. That's been the biggest mental battle in the past 24 hours for me is the thought of being a quitter. I'm constantly telling people to "never give up" however i know that I do say this in terms of never giving up on something you really want even when it gets hard and yesterday I realised that it wasn't because it was hard it was because I couldn't say I truly wanted it anymore. 

If thie course was filled with subjects that were growing my knowledge on nutrition and assisting me be better in those aspects I would no question continue to spend every waking hour studying and doing anything necessary to continue working my way through it for the next 3.5 years. But if I'm honest with myself it's really not and I believe that my time can be better utilized on other short term but more modern courses to help expand my knowledge in the areas I wish to pursue. 

Like I said this decision has honestly been so hard for me there is no worse feeling than preaching to never give up all the time and then feeling like you are giving up however I'll leave you all with this:

Working as a Personal trainer is one of the best decisions I've EVER made in my life. It has taught me that you can love what you do every day and not feel like work is a chore or a task. It has taught me to truly appreciate being able to channel my passion every single day and help others and while I strongly believe in chasing your dreams and goals I also strongly believe that life is too short to waste time doing things that will not grow you or make you happy. 

Working hard for something you want is passion but working hard for something that doesn't truly interest you mostly just leads to stress. 

So stay tuned guys as I still plan on continuing to grow myself and set some new goals and gain more knowledge in the field of nutrition and more. It will just be better utilizing my time and preserving my sanity in doing so 😉 

Have a great weekend xx 

Why DOMS is not the key to assessing an effective workout

Lately I have had a few people say to me “I didn’t get sore after my workout the other day. Does that mean I’m not working hard enough?” My answer is point blank: No.

People who rely only on muscle soreness as an indicator of an effective training session are going to spend a good chunk of their training life feeling like they “haven’t worked hard enough”. While muscle soreness or DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as it is better known can of course indicate that you have pushed your muscles hard and possibly created the micro tears that produce growth, it is not the best way to assess the intensity of your workout and in fact there is not any actual proven facts to link muscle growth with DOMS.

Muscle soreness occurs when you create enough total damage to aggravate the connective tissues. This can sometimes be linked with inducing muscle growth however it can also have absolutely nothing to do with muscle stimulation.

Just because you’re not sore doesn’t mean your muscles aren’t inflamed and growing and vice versa sore muscles don’t mean you had a good workout.

The less accustomed you are to any type of exercise, the worse the soreness will be after the fact. So for example if you have just started training you are obviously going to feel some level of soreness because your muscles are not accustomed. But once your muscles adjust and are used to the stresses you are placing them under they are less likely to be sore. Some muscles are also simply just more likely to get sore than others.

People get addicted to the idea of muscle soreness because it’s quick feedback i.e. “Oh my legs really hurt today I must have had a good workout last night.” For some people this is the theory they have always been given: You exercise, you get sore muscles. Exercise harder, and get even more sore. It’s reasonable enough if you don’t have any information to tell you otherwise.

From there, people just assume that hard workouts = sore muscles = effective. But that’s not the case. In fact in some cases people who are constantly sore from training should look at why their muscles are not recovering. Rest and recovery is just as important in muscle growth as training- sometimes even more so!

So what do I recommend as the best way to assess if you are working hard enough? PROGRESS.  If you are starting to question yourself on whether you are working hard enough in the gym then assess your progress. Am I lifting heavier than I did last week? Can I run further or for a longer period of time? Am I seeing physical changes in my shape? If you can answer yes to any of these things then you don't need to worry :) If you are answering no then it may be time to re-assess your training program.

HOWEVER one additional note I will make on muscle soreness in terms of effectiveness is determining you are working the right muscles with the right exercise. For example if you are training back, doing seated rows and feeling pain only in your arms then you are not effectively working the targeted muscle group. I will do a further post on muscle activation and training soon ;) but for now assess your workouts based on PROGRESS more so than PAIN.

Have a great day :)
 

 

 

Reaching your goals.

7 weeks post comp now and only 2-3 more weeks before the madness begins again! I have been meaning to write but so much happening with work and uni and time has of course managed to get away.

My topic I wish to discuss today is Goals. In particular a few things I believe it takes to reach any goal you set yourself whether it may be in the gym, at work, at home WHATEVER. 

When I made the decision to compete this year as well as try better establish my own business as well as start a new degree at uni I knew I had my work cut out for me. However I'm one of those people who if I want something bad enough I'm willing to work as hard as it takes to get there.

So what are these things I believe it takes or things that I've had to implement to reach the goals I've set myself this year?

 Number 1 is Consistency. I talk about consistency a lot you many have noticed and if you follow my Instagram or my PT page I'm often posting things like this 

I believe 100% in being Consistent as a factor in achieving your goals. Consistency does not rest, consistency does not decide after a week that "this is too hard" "I've had enough" "maybe later" consistency perseveres through challenging times. Consistency is just that. It's Consistent. 

I've often had people say to me that I don't know what it's like to struggle with weight, exercising, wanting to eat food that's not good for me. How wrong they are! Let me tell you I didn't get where I am today by luck, I didn't get where I am today by miracle and I certainly didn't have someone wave a magic wand and put me in good shape! I have been consistent. Consistent in training and managing my eating, implementing new strategies, building willpower, gaining knowledge (knowledge is power 😉) and quite frankly I've been consistent in working my damn bum off (not literally coz no one wants a flat bum 😜 lol) to get where I am. Obviously I didn't just wake up one day and walk into the gym and start pumping out 70kg squats. To be honest I can't even tell you what I would have squatted 3 years ago or more when I really got into my strength training. But the fact being that over that time I have been consistently training and consistently working and THAT is how I can lift the weight I do today. That is how I have "tone" in my muscles. That is how I've gotten in better shape than I was in this picture

The second thing I believe you need to be willing to do in order to achieve a goal is to sacrifice certain things. Like I said these principles apply in all areas. For example I sacrifice most of my week nights staying up late after work and a huge portion of my weekends to study because that is the only chance I get while running a business full time. I sacrifice sleep ins to train if that's the only chance I may get in a day. Whilst training for comp I sacrifice certain foods to get myself in the best shape possible. I use the term sacrifice here lightly because I don't believe it should be used in a negative connotation. Do I see this sacrifice as a bad thing? No. Why? Because the "sacrifice" is for something better, a goal, a result. It's for something I want even more. As the saying goes "sacrifice something you want now for something even better later". 

You want to lose weight? Get healthy? Get fit. Well you may have to sacrifice a few things to get there including those decadent desserts you enjoy on a regular basis or your favourite reality tv show so you can hit the gym instead.

You want to be promoted at work? Well you may have to put in some extra hours. Do some unpaid work. Show some initiative.

You want to travel? Well you may have to start saving instead of spending so frequently and give up lavish spa appts or weekends at the pub.

 Will it be worth it? Of course, No question about it! How am I sure? Well I believe that if you don't wish to sacrifice something you want right now for something greater in the end then you don't really want the something greater bad enough. 

Number 3 is commitment and that is something I guess that ideally ties in number 2. If you really want something then you have to be committed to that goal, you have to stay focused despite things that may not go away. Your level of commitment will determine your level of sacrifice. If you are truly committed you will stop at nothing and no hurdle will seem to big to cross.

Of course there are in my opinion several other factors that play a role in achieving goals but these few are definitely up there in what I see as most important. Consistency, sacrifice and commitment- are you willing to do what it takes? Yes? Then stop waiting and start working. And start working HARD. Don't be afraid to try, chase your dreams no matter how big they are. Don't be afraid to put yourself first or say no to people who try get in your way. Stick to your guns, stay consistent each day, stay focused, stay committed and never EVER give up on something you truly want. Because it may take time to get there but the truth is that time will pass either way so you might as well make the BEST of it 😘 xx 

The aftermath of competition: not all chocolate and pizza 😉

Well it's been a little less than a week since I wrote last, and competed in my second and final comp for the season. This week has been pretty tough and I thought in keeping with the idea of sharing my journey with you guys (ups and downs both included) I'd give a little insight into the "aftermath" of competitions.

I know most people think that once you get off the stage it's all chocolate, desserts, pizza, nachos, ribs and so on but I'm here to tell you that this isn't the case- well not entirely lol and especially not if you want to maintain your body's long term health ( and by long term I'm talking years in the future not long term as in next seasons shows).

Don't get me wrong yes I indulged after my show, there was champagne and chips and dip, there was a 3 plate buffet brekky the next day, there was a few too many quest bar pb cups 🙊 lol. Monday night I actually ended up in bed by 7:30 with the worst indigestion and could not eat any more let alone think about it. 

Tuesday I was still waiting to hear from my coach but followed her instruction of returning to my previous weeks plan. I honestly felt like I was hungover that day and I knew it was my body's response to the change in foods I had fed it. 

While I thought I had gotten it out of my system for the time being it turned out later that day on a small break from clients I found myself face to face with the post comp peanut butter I had bought yet had never gotten around to sampling on Monday.

 For those of you unaware I LOVE peanut butter and during prep found these awesome flavored ones you can get including "white choc wonderful" and "the bees knees" which is a honey infused one. ANYWAY I sort of said to myself "oh you could just try them" and grabbed a teaspoon to have one of each, which turned to 2 and which later that night led to a couple more 😐 

I trained that night after work (more so probably feeling slightly guilty about the peanut butter lol) but it felt really good to get back into the gym after almost a week off. Like I said though later that night the pb crept out again and don't get me wrong I know what you guys might be thinking- a few teaspoons of peanut butter isn't going to hurt and you are right but it's more what was happening in my mind that was raising alarm for me. I was losing control and focus a little bit, and was starting to feel lost and a little bit down as many girls do post comp.

Wednesday rolled around and while I stuck to my plan again I was beginning to feel a bit hopeless and desperate. That "out of control feeling" like I could easily turn around and demolish the rest of those peanut butter tubs lol. Luckily my coach called me that day and we had a chat devising a new plan to slowly reverse diet me out of the restrictiveness I had been on pre-comp. Once I got the plan and could see more food, variety and so many things I enjoy that are still good for me on there my cravings disappeared and I felt grounded and focused again :)

Now to one of the most important points and the real idea behind this post. While it would be lovely to turn around post comp and eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and justify it by saying "I dieted for a long time, I earnt this" it's just not realistic for my body at this point. 

When you have deprived your body of fat for a period of time it goes into "survival mode" and therefore will be looking desperately to store almost anything it can as fat. This is why reverse dieting is so important, to slowly re-introduce foods and in doing this try and limit the amount of fat gain you have post comp.

Now don't get me wrong of course you can't maintain that "comp day physique" and you will regain body fat and some weight regardless which I know and my scales are already telling me but you CAN maintain a healthier and still relatively lean physique post comp. 

This will not only work in your favour if you plan on competing the following season but it will also help as to not damage your metabolism to a point where it is then 10x harder for you to lose body fat now or in the future.

I've heard many stories of girls putting on 10, up to 20kgs within wks of their shows and finding it extremely difficult to then budge that weight again despite doing "more cardio" and a return to dieting. Why? Because their metabolism is not processing at the same rate as they are feeding it and because their bodies are desperate to store fat.

So for those of you wondering my plans for now? I am slowly reverse dieting out with a great plan full of things I still enjoy and I know that will nourish my body and give me the right fuel to train etc. 

In regards to "treating myself" I am going to re-employ my 80/20: 90/10 rule that if you have read previous blogs of mine you will know I have used for years. This means 80-90% of the time I will be eating "clean" off my reverse plan and training with the allowance of that remaining percentage of indulgences, not over indulgences 😉

I will be resuming comp prep in about 6 weeks or so but in the meantime plan on enjoying a break and getting my body back on track not only to compete again but in order to maintain my own health physically and mentally long term :) 

Thanks again for reading- comments are always welcome or you can email me l.i.f.t.s.pt@hotmail.com or find me on Facebook :) 

The photo on the left is two weeks ago before my first comp and the photo on the right is this morning- my scale weight has increased about 2kg since last Wednesday but I know that my fluid retention would have increased again after depleting last week :) 

My journey to competition

The road to competition

It's been 15 weeks since I set out on my journey to compete in my first ever fitness model competition. Tomorrow I step on the stage for the second time in two weeks and right now I can't describe how I think I'll feel at that moment because so many emotions are running through me. 

Some of you know me or have read my blog and know my journey into the fitness industry but today I thought I'd share with you a part of my journey to stage, something personal. 

Last year I suffered through a lot of personal issues, due to fault and mistakes of my own which I openly admit I had relationships in my life fall apart that I never thought would and despite several efforts to rebuild the damage caused it just did not happen. This affected me greatly in terms of my own levels of self esteem and self confidence, something that was extremely hard for me as in the past 3 years of being a Personal Trainer I feel that I have built those qualities up to a great extent. Not that I let it show of course but I felt my passion and drive for my job, my clients and my own health/fitness and life in general were slowly slipping. In fact I would admit now, that despite what people may have seen on the front, I was at a pretty down point in my life.

Those who have read about my journey into the fitness industry (first blog) know that I used to struggle a lot with my weight and I was a MASSIVE self doubter. I failed for years at maintaining a healthy weight or lifestyle because I never "truly believed" I could do it and as I am always saying to my clients you have to get it right and change mentally before the physical changes can follow. It was only when I finally took the plunge to do my personal training course and say to myself "you CAN be a personal trainer and a damn good one" that I actually did it and now 3 years later I'm running my own business and loving it.

Anyway sidetracked sorry lol I tend to do that. I have always considered competing but again it was something that I always questioned "could I really do that?" "Could I get 'lean' enough to get up on stage confidently in a tiny bikini" and for so long my mind told me flat out NO. 

But at the end of last year after months of feeling down about myself and my life I decided I had two choices, to GIVE up and to let the borderline depression I was feeling consume me completely or to GET up and start finding my passion, drive again and self worth again. Deep down though, it was a no brainer- I wasn't giving up, that's not who I am or who I ever want to be.

So I took the plunge and did a few things I had considered for ages but was doubtful about. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Nutrition at Uni and I set out to find the person who was going to coach me onto stage. I was finally feeling determined again and knew that 2014 was going to be the year I achieved everything I set out to, no matter what.

I came across my coach Ingrid Barclay at Body Conquest through a fitness model and industry advocate I have admired for years. Ingrid was lovely and together we devised a plan for my journey to begin in January. 

My journey to competition (as I'm sure anyone who has competed will agree) has been filled with many ups and downs. As well as training up to 7x a week at times and constant food prepping (it really never ends) I was also working, constantly taking on new clients and starting most days at 5am not finishing till 7, attending uni and travelling 2 days a week and spending any moment not working, training or physically at uni,  studying and trying to keep up with the workload. 

If I'm honest there have been many weeks where I have wanted to give up, where I have been so tired physically and mentally and just fallen apart at the seams. However as cliche as it sounds, each time I felt like giving up I remembered why I started. I remembered and I told myself "you wanted this, you CAN do this and you WILL do this." Failure was NOT an option. 

The last few weeks of prep are especially draining mentally,emotionally and physically. I have gone from being completely happy one minute to feeling like absolute crap the next and it's frustrating because you really aren't in control of how you are going to feel each day. It's a massive mental game and you honestly have to just get up and roll with it and do your best, which is what I've done or tried to do (hopefully my clients feel the same lol I do apologise for any "hangry" or space cadet moments).

To get up on stage is a completely daunting thing for anyone but especially for someone who has struggled with weight at any point in there life because you always carry that small part of you around. You want to look your best and there are weeks leading up to comp where you will be retaining extra fluid or feeling like there is no way you can stand up there in front of all those people in a tiny bikini (seriously they are really that small). 

Another thing people may not tell you or realise is that prepping for a competition can be a pretty lonely journey. While you have friends and family around you who you know support you, it's hard for them to fully understand what you may be going through on this roller coaster ride or even why you are going through it. I'm lucky to have a great family and some really good friends who have been there along the way but you really have to be committed in doing it for you and sticking to that no matter what. I am really lucky also to have a team at Body Conquest some of whom I have formed great friendships with and it is great to have like minded people who have experienced the same things to talk/vent to. 

I have to say after getting on stage last weekend every single minute of the hard work is worth it and it was so lovely to be able to revel in it and also have the support of some great friends there to watch and to see my hard work unfold on the stage.

This week has been really tough as back to back depletes are extremely draining not only physically trying to train but also mentally and emotionally. I have had moments right up until yesterday where I have just been completely OVER IT but I know that again when I get on stage tomorrow it will be worth it, every single second. And who knows how I will feel? happy, tired, elated, sad, exhausted, excited, or maybe every single one of those all at once lol I'm not sure. What I do know and what I wanted to finish on is this:

Those who know me well know I like to practice what I preach. And what I preach is a healthy lifestyle, goal setting, commitment, consistency hard work, accountability and dedication. 

Last year when I was going through a hard time I was still practicing these things but I was doing it without the passion or drive and I needed to change that.  My decision to compete was one I made for myself and myself alone, it was a new and much needed challenge, a complete step out of my comfort zone (which I had become way too comfortable in) and a chance to start practicing all of the above things. Do I care if people never fully understand that? Not rly. Do I care if people praise my actions or results? While It's lovely to hear praise my answer is again, not rly. Why?? Because at the end of the day I did this for me and no one else. Don't get me wrong, the support and kind words people share are so lovely and so very much welcome and appreciated 😘 😘 but none of it should ever nor will ever compare with the SELF satisfaction, worth and strength this journey has given me. 

Knowing within myself that I set a goal, a challenge, I worked through massive physical and mental challenges each week, and from them I have grown stronger.

Knowing I stayed committed, focused and that despite anything that may have been against me (and believe me there were many barriers), I never gave up gives me much more satisfaction then anything else.

 I set out on this journey to achieve something for myself and to regain my passion, drive and self belief/worth again and I think I have done that, growing, learning and changing on the way. 

I truly believe people should be more inclined to seek SELF respect and not attention because at the end of the day it will last much longer 😉❤️👊💪

I do plan on continuing this journey in another season towards the second half of this year and hope to do some more writing about it as writing is another passion of mine and it's taken me about a year to be able to find that again. 

Thankyou for taking the time to read this, all comments are always welcomed 😘😘😘