21 Day Challenge!!

Here we go ladies!!!  21 Day challenge is starting!!  I am asking that everyone sends me in an email or leaves a comment on here - to tell me what your 21 day challenge is!  I would love to hear the goals that ya'll have and what you're working towards so that I can better encourage you in them.  I won't be posting these goals for everyone to see, this is just between me and you unless you decide on your own to share them with everyone else! 

I am proud of you for taking this step!  I believe in you and I am totally excited to walk through these next 21 days with you!!

Daily Struggles

As I was pondering what I could say to encourage ya'll today some thoughts came to mind that I wanted to share. 

The first thing I wanted to talk about is my struggles and here is why.  I know for me, when I read blogs about people working out or hear about it, they are always so excited and passionate and I think to myself 'wow, I don't know if I could be that into it or that committed.'  I kind of figured in my own mind that if I wasn't fired up about it or doing what everyone else was doing to get in shape that it wouldn't happen for me, so I just didn't make the effort.  I reasoned myself right out of doing the right thing, so I decided I wanted to put that myth to rest for ya'll tonight who have those same thoughts.  And before I start I want you to know I come at you in this email with a light heart and in good mood so this is not at all meant as condemnation.  I am hoping that in sharing my mistakes you can learn from them and not walk the same path but speed past them to victory!

I want to lose weight just like a lot of people do but I am not highly motivated to do so.  I want the pill you take that sheds the pounds with no effort and would rather be cuddled up on the couch in my comfortable clothes watching a good movie with my family than at the gym working out with a bunch of people I don't know lol.  However as most of you know there is no fairy dust to turn yourself into a model and there is not a one-size fits all plan to lose weight and keep physically fit.  Not everyone will agree with what I just said but I am not here to tickle feathers, I am here to be honest. 

So let's be honest.  I completed day 3 of my 21 day challenge and here is a recap of those first 3 days and how they went for me.  This will get personal and a little detailed but it's for a point.

Day 1 - I made the decision that I would start the 21 day fitness challenge before everyone following this blog to be a better encouragement to all of you.  I figured if I walked the path first I could tell you where the potholes were so that you could avoid them!  I went to the gym and did some walking and running.  One key in this is that I found a part of fitness I could get excited about which was running.  I really enjoy cardio so I put my focus here to get started.  The decision was the hardest part because I knew once I started this blog I would HAVE to be accountable.  I was kind of excited to start (just being honest here).  I wasn't totally fired up but I was looking forward to the results, not the work.  I also want to note that I decided to start this on the heaviest day of my cycle.  Why, I have no idea but I believe it takes some of the excuses away from those ladies who just want a way out and use that as one open door. 

Day 2 - I did not want to work out at all.  I woke up yesterday morning in the worst pain I have been in, in years in regards to my cycles and due to some medical things I am walking through I am not allowed to take motrin (the only thing that works for me).  So I had a decision to make...do I submit to the pain I was in and make an excuse as to why I could not move forward or do I 'man up' and move forward and put my focus somewhere else?  I chose to move forward and completed another great work out later that day.  I've heard it said 'you can tell the size of a man by the size of the problems that stop him from moving forward.'  Wow!  So if a paper cut or a little bit of pain stops you and justifies why you're not going to do the right things, what does that say about your character?  It's a hard word to ponder on but the truth hurts and that slapped me in the face. 

Day 3 - I had my family in town today.  We had a great day spending time together, went out to eat and relaxed.  At the time they left the last thing I wanted to do was work out and to add to the decision was the fact that my gym closed an hour from the moment I had to make the decision.  Then I thought about you.  As your leader in this how could I justify not working out with a lame excuse.  "I don't feel like it' is not a good excuse to not do anything so I got up and made the decision that I was going to continue on this journey and be a woman that was accountable to my word.  I went to the gym and was able to complete a 17 minute work out before I got kicked out of the gym. 

Here is my point.  When you make the decision to do something different with your life, obstacles are going to come.  Now these obstacles I faced were nothing more than mentality issues that I needed to overcome.  For some people those are the most difficult but it's when you make the decision to overcome those challenges that you start to really make progress and press through the barriers that are holding you back.  For others the challenges are far more difficult to overcome but when a challenge arises there is always a door to walk through that will keep you on track if you seek it out and don't submit to the drama of the circumstances. 

I believe in you and I know that you can press through any adversities you are facing today!

Where do I start???

Hi Ladies!!

Today is day 2 for me on my 21 day challenge.  I started before ya'll to get myself on the ball and because I thought it would be more helpful if I was a few steps ahead of you in this process.  The official challenge will start on Sunday, March 6th!!  I am excited for everyone who is going to take part in this challenge and the amazing things that are going to change as a result of you stepping out of your comfort zone and make fitness a part of your daily life.  Here are a few thoughts I had as I was thinking about all of you incredible ladies today:

Where to start: 

Some of you already have a routine going and it's something you're excited about!  That's awesome!  Keep up the good work!  If that is you, maybe for this 21 day challenge you can add something to your routine.  If you're already doing cardio maybe you want to add some weight training or fast a particular food that is holding you up.  For me it's sweets and the easy to get fast food items when you're on the go.  If you're working out 2 days/week, for the challenge you can step it up to 3 days or if you have a set 20 minute work out maybe you can stretch it to 30.  It all depends on you and the results you want to achieve. 

If you're like me, I didn't have a routine going...lol what I had was some sporadic things here and there but nothing I did consistently.  I decided I was going to start running again and that's where I started.  I just finished day 2 on my 21 day challenge and I walk a mile then run a mile.  That is just where I am at.  Some of you think wow, that's not much and you're right but it's where I am starting and it is an achievable goal for me right now.  For others you're thinking, wow, I couldn't do that, it's too much or I don't have the time.  That's okay!  Feel good about where you are and where you are starting.  It doesn't matter where you start, it matters where you end up!  Everyone who is great at athletics, won a gold medal or is physically fit had to start somewhere and I can guarantee they didn't start in a marathon race.  They started at their fitness level and then kept increasing their daily habits until they reached the point they wanted to be at on a regular basis. 

For those of you who don't feel you have the time or you work away from home and your schedule is restricting, I have some suggestions for you.  Can you find 10 minutes somewhere in your day?  This is where you can start!  Walk in place for 10 minutes while you listen to a couple of your favorite songs....get on the floor and do 10 crunches or push ups every night before you go to sleep or when you wake up, do 15 jumping jacks each night or at some point throughout your day.  Do you have a favorite tv show?  During commercials walk in place or do those crunches at that time.  If you're not ready for those things then utilize this 21 day challenge for stretching.  Declare everyday that you will do 5 minutes of stretching when you wake up.  Maybe you're not ready for anything physical at all....great!  Fast your favorite sweets for these 21 days or all the high carb meals you're totally into and can't live without.  (I am Italian and love my carbs so I can understand and relate to this part!!).  Even doing that simple step will help you to feel so much better after these 3 weeks are up! 

Regardless of where you start the point of the story is to just find a place and start.  It doesn't matter where it is or how small or big of a goal it is.  If people laugh, think it's ridiculous or put you down...ignore them and walk away.  Always remember this is about you and taking a step in the right direction for you to live the healthy life you desire to live.  No one else has to live your life.  No one else knows what it's like to be in your shoes or to feel like you feel.  I personally want to be the best that I can be for my husband and my children so I decided to stop letting other people's opinions of me steal my joy. 

Lastly I want you to know that I am proud of you for taking that first step and that's the decision to get started!  For a lot of people that's the hardest part and you did it!!  I believe in each and every one of you and I know that together, as we encourage each other, we're going to take huge leaps forward in our overall health and how we feel about ourselves!! 

Don't forget to email me your feedback or comment on this blog!!  I love hearing from all of you and I am excited to hear about your progress during this 21 day challenge!

Have an amazingly blessed night!! 

21 Day Challenge!

Hi Everyone!! 

So today we are officially up and running!!  I am really excited to connect with you as we meet our fitness goals together!! 

I would like your input on this:  I am starting a 21 day work out challenge and would like to know who is interested in embarking on this journey with me.  I plan to do this on my own anyways but I wanted to put this out there for other ladies who have never heard of doing something like this. 

Before I go any further I want to put the disclaimer up there that I am not a health expert.  I am not going to diagnose or treat conditions nor am I going to pretend that I know everything.  I am not a doctor and will not give medical advice.  This is simply a blog for women to come together and have a place of support in their weight loss or fitness journey.  I will post what I am doing and create fun things for us to participate in from time to time but that is simply what this site is for and nothing else.  I am putting to use some of the leadership principles that I have learned over the years in achieving goals and applying it to fitness for some of my close friends and family to benefit from.  If you have any questions feel free to ask!  I will definitely let you know if it is something I have knowledge in or not.  Otherwise, let's have fun and utilize this time to get in shape!!  And if you'd like, feel free to invite a friend to share this journey with us!

I have heard it said that it takes 21 days to create or break a habit so this is what I propose...let's plan to work out every day or every other day for 21 days straight to create this habit for us.  I think this will do many things - 1st it will help us get in the habit of working out!  If we can do it for 3 weeks it will prove we can start and all we commit to is the 3 weeks, nothing more.  2nd it will give us a reachable goal that we can hit and be excited about!  If we are taking small steps to achieve our goals and creating victories for ourselves then we are more motivated to move forward and it starts to build our belief that we really can do this. 

Here's the trick....if you're going to be a part of this to lose weight...don't weigh yourself until this 21 days is up.  Set realistic goals for losing weight...maybe start with 1-2lbs/week but make sure you are setting a goal that is equivilent to the work habit you're putting in.  It's unrealistic to think you're going to lose 5lbs a week working out 1 day a week so definitely create an environment that you can succeed in. 

Post your feedback on this site or send me an email at jordan.wojie@gmail.com  I have started today but let's put a start date for Sunday, March 6th to give everyone time to join in!  Others who join the 21 day challenge later will start on that day and report their progress from there! 

Thanks for joining me on Fitness For Everyday Life!!  Have an amazingly blessed day!!