week 1: becoming a better me!

ah my blog…oh how i’ve missed it.  there’s something therapeutic about sitting down to type out my thoughts.  for some reason it really doesn’t even matter if anyone is ‘listening’…just the  pitter patter of my keystrokes and the free-flowing thoughts have an odd calming effect.  and while usually i just blog for me, my purpose in returning to blogging is much bigger than myself.  my hope is that my typing serves a purpose and helps to inspire others to live healthier lives.  while my previous 12 weeks that i logged was all about leaning out, watter loggin’, and prepping for a figure competition…this next 12 weeks is all about being healthy.  so as i start week 1 of this little venture, as part of the BLOG YOUR HEART OUT campaign sponsored by fitlosophy (in support of go red for women and the american heart association)…i sat down with my fitbook to jot down my goals for the next 12 weeks!

rewind:  after my competition i suffered from what i call post-traumatic competition disorder (which by the way there was an article in muscle & fitness hers not soon after about this very thing!).  i ventured into the figure competition world to help me deal with some personal setbacks in my life as a way to focus on me and achieve something that would really make me proud of myself.  and i did and i was.  the only downside to distracting your focus away from life sometimes is that inevitably, when you return and life settles back down again…all those things that you were trying to distract yourself from are still patiently waiting there for you to deal with them.  not gonna lie…i may have a fitness company and spend my days thinking of ways that we at fitlosophy can inspire others, but that doesn’t mean i don’t have tough days myself as some might believe.  so after the competition i’ve really had to focus on getting my mind back to a healthy (read: non-obsessed) place which can be hard when you’re also dealing with the inevitable return to a normal body weight and body fat percentage – coupled with a gnarly case of body dysmorphia!  so i find myself excited about the next 12 weeks where the total focus in following the american heart association’s betterU program is just that: to be a better me.  i am excited to return to living my mantra of “live life fit”…not obsessed, not over-the-top…but just happy and healthy.  the bonus: i hope to inspire others to join me.  if you want to – sign up online (it’s free!) and follow along for the next 12 weeks!

week 1: taking the first step to a betteru
i’m loving this program already…it may be focused on educating people about heart disease, but really it’s a fabulousapproach just to living a healthy life.  step 1: set goals.  (hello – that’s my philosophy…er fitlosophy!).  the program stresses setting SMART (specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic, and timely) goals…which is a core component of how we developed the fitbook system – because it works.  so i’m sitting here ready to crack open a new fitbook (which i am lucky enough to have access to a few, but if you don’t you can always get one online) and as i’m jotting down my 12 week goals, i’m analyzing where i’m at and where i want to go.  my #1 goal is to follow the betteru program from start to finish and blog my way through it (learn more about this campaign!), but other than that i’m also setting my specific fitness + nutrition goals too.  this 12 weeks my goals are not weight or body-fat related whatsoever…actually my overall goal is to be confident and happy with my body regardless of any number on a scale (which is why i don’t weigh very often!).  this reminds me of a conversation i was having with a personal training client of mine.  she was sitting there telling me about this time where she felt so beautiful – she had this gorgeous size 6 suit that she felt amazing in and she spoke about how confident she felt in it. i quickly responded: “were you confident because you were a size 6….or a size 6 because you were confident.”  she had to think about that one.  and honestly, that conversation stuck more with me probably than it did with her because often times i’m so wrapped up in helping others achieve their best selves that i sometimes don’t even take my own advice.  so this 12 weeks: no counting calories, no obsessing over a number on a scale…instead i hope to focus on being a better ME and find that confidence along the way.

(wow i get off on tangents)

so step one this week: set goals and reward yourself!   since working out for me is not an option, i have no problem getting 6 days a week in…but it is hard for me to fit stretching or yoga into my workout plan and even if i do i end up skipping out. there’s so much research lately about how great yoga is for you – especially the mind-body connection and how much more mindful you are of your nutrition.  so my workout goal this week is to go to 1 yoga class.  and my nutrition goal is to “close the kitchen” and enjoy a cup of hot tea at 9pm each night before i go to bed.  often times eating late at night is more emotional than it is actual hunger…so i’m going to hit the tea before i hit the hay.  speaking of which i found these amazing teas online that are chocolate flavored to curb any sweet cravings (which i’ve been craving chocolate like no other lately): http://www.mightyleaf.com/gifts_chocolate-truffle-tea-gifts/.  so my reward for reach my goals this week is to buy me up some of this yummy tea!   my other 2 little goals for the week: 3 liters of water per day and be in bed by 10pm.  so after setting my goals in my fitbook i logged them in the betteru system – which i just have to mention something that made me think a bit. it had you identify 1 thing that might be a barrier to reaching your goals (i.e. busy schedule) and you had to identify what you would do to prepare for that barrier (schedule workouts into your week ahead of time).  this is something i included in the goal-setting 101 page of the fitbook – preparing for setbacks, but i guess this reminded me what a useful exercise this is!  no one is perfect and there will be tough days – acknowledge it, prepare for it, and do your best!

few random things to note on heart disease before i wrap up and call it a night:

article in women’s health on countries with the healthiest women: #2  country where women rarely have heart attacks is france.  what we can learn from the french: drink wine!  hello – now this is health advice i can get on board with!  french sip a glass of wine daily which slashes the risk of heart disease by up to 40%!  so take note: enjoy (1) glass of red daily to be heart healthy

so that’s a wrap….off to bed with a cup-o-tea so i can get a good night’s rest so i have energy for a fantastic monday morning.  let me know if you have any questions on the betteru program, using the fitbook, or just life in general…i’m happy to back and i’m not going anywhere for awhile.

with all my HEART,
angela

p.s.  have a little promo right now where if you sign up for the movement to go red online and then enter the promo code BETTERU at checkout to get 14% off! your purchase of 2+ fitbooks.  my little go-red-slash-valentines-day-gift to you!