Feedback!

• I've had my blog for about a month now and I LOVE sharing my journey to aesthetics with you guys! I'm very pleased with the amount of views I've been getting lately, but I'm really looking for some feedback! How can I make my blog more interesting? What would you like me to post more or less about? How does what I post compare with what you have tried/experienced? How can I get more followers? Please please please feel free to comment on any post or email me at ghicks1220@gmail.com !
• Also, notice I have added a "Progress Pictures" page, which can be accessed from the top of your screen, and will feature photos sent in by you guys!
• And lastly, I would like to start doing contests/giveaways in the future, but first I need some interaction! Blow up my email & comments with anything I can do to improve my blog!
  
  You guys are great :) 

Progress = Motivation

 

 

The key to any goal is motivation, especially one that involves fitness. Whatever your goal is- to lose weight, to gain muscle, to tone up, or to just be more healthy, you have got to stay motivated, or you'll be right back where you are now in a week, "getting back in the gym" and wishing you hadn't taken so many days off. Everyone is motivated differently- by reading about other peoples' journey to aesthetics, inspirational quotes, "goal body" pictures, etc. However, I've found that I only needed these forms of motivation for a few weeks, until my own body started being my motivation. It's amazing when you look in the mirror and see less fat, or feel your clothes fitting differently, or even feel yourself being able to flex a new muscle you didn't even know you had. These feelings quickly take the place of the (admit it-) unrealistic, fantasy images you found online that allow you to be discouraged so easily. Let's face it, a picture of someone with an aesthetically perfect body may inspire you for a little while, but eventually you'll get discouraged because you don't look like her after a week of working out. Instead, focus on how far you've come yourself. I've attached my progress pictures from January 1st, February 1st, and March 1st. Although I recognize that I still have a ton of work to do, I also look at these pictures and realize how far I've come, and I'm so proud of the progress I've made.

Feel free to send me your progress pictures at ghicks1220@gmail.com for motivation!

If you are okay with it, I may even use some in a future post :)

 

I know it's been a while...

Hey, guys. I know I haven't posted lately, and this has nothing to do with fitness at all. I've been out of town with one of my closest friends due to a family emergency, helping her and her family cope with the loss of their dear Granny Lue. I was lucky to have known this woman and to have spent her last moments with her. We're still grieving and mourning the loss of such an amazing woman, but she would want us to get back to our daily lives as soon as possible. I'm back home, back to the gym, and back to eating right (as opposed to the massive amounts of comfort food I've consumed in the past week or so, LOL), so hopefully, I'll have some new posts in the next few days! Thanks for being understanding, you guys are awesome!

 

Cheat-Day Prevention

Alright, so let's face it. We all have cheat days, right? Right.

We skip an exercise.

We eat chocolate.

We take too many "rest days".

We don't push ourselves to run that extra lap.

We skip those before-bed crunches.

We don't max out on squats.

You get the point.

It happens.

Because we're busy.

Because we're rushed.

Because we're sore.

Because we're hurt.

Because we're hungry.

Because we're tired.

Because we're embarrassed.

For whatever reason, we cheat.

Every once in a while, it really won't make a difference.

It becomes a problem when it becomes a habit.

And the hardest part is breaking it-

Getting back in the swing of things.

However, there are a few things you can do to prevent this dilemma:

• The "two day rule": NEVER take more than two days off from working out.
• Stay motivated: remind yourself why you're kicking your own ass.
• Stick to a schedule: you're more likely to always be able to make time.
• Take your time: make every rep, step, and bite count.
• Improvise: even if you can't make it to the gym, you can always work out anywhere.

Most importantly, always remember:

YOU'RE ONLY CHEATING YOURSELF.

 

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Yes, this post was inspired by my Spring Break.

You caught me.

I ate a fried Oreo and only lifted once.

Feel free to yell at me.

That is all.

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