MOTIVATION-HOW IT KEEPS YOU GOING

I read a great article today from sparkpeople.com and thought I would share some information from it.  The topic was about MOTIVATION. Many times we try and we give up within a week or two.  This time is going to be different!  Many times we give up too soon and that makes it really hard to stick to our goals.  Disappointment and failures happen to everyone.  Motivation is one of the key differences in those who reach their goals and those who don't .  When you are motivated you will keep going.  When you keep going you will eventually reach your goals.

When you have CONFIDENCE you have MOTIVATION!  I know that for me I feel more confident after a good workout.  I feel stronger and healthier.  On days that I don't feel like working out I try to remember how good I'll feel after the workout.  It just makes my day go by so much better.  I am more productive, and I feel good about myself because I choose to make the hard decision of working out.  

Fitting into a favorite outfit is a huge motivational tool.  I remember that before I started working out I tried on an old dress.  I could barely fit into it and it would not even come close to zipping at all.  Once I started working out and losing some weight I decided I wanted to try that dress on again.  Now at least a year had probably gone by.  I was a little hesitant to put the dress on.  Last time is was so tight and uncomfortable.  This time,  it was huge.  I could not believe it!  It was such a good feeling and it really keeps me going to this day.  I love knowing that I am smaller now than before I had 4 kids!

Another great thing that working out does is it gives me a reason to get up and go in the morning.  If I don't have a workout scheduled it takes me forever to get anything done.  When I have a workout scheduled I am running around in the morning trying to get my house clean before I leave.  I get my workout in and shower usually before I do any of that on days when I don't workout.  I cannot afford to miss a workout.  I don't accomplish anything during the day.

A huge reason for exercise is for your FAMILY.  You are an example to your kids.  My kids ask me why I work out and I tell them it is to keep me strong and healthy.  If I am doing sit-ups or push-ups they usually want to do them with me!  It's funny that whenever I eat fruit or vegetables, that is what they want to eat.  If I am eating cookies, that is what they want.  Our kids want to be like us.  Lets be an example of health to them!

MOMENTUM also keeps us motivated.  When you start working hard and start seeing results you have that drive to just keep moving.  Nothing will hold you back from your workouts when the pounds start coming off.  And once you've hit your goal you want to stay there.  So that momentum will keep you going even after you've hit your goal.

As you workout you are going to learn what works for you.  You will know what motivates you to continue your journey.  By knowing what exercise you enjoy and what foods you like to eat will make it easier to stay on track.  I have discovered that I work out so much better when I am in a group setting.  It could be because I am competitive and I want to push myself and can't quit because others are watching.  I teach group fitness because I am pushed by those in my class.  They may say that I motivate them, but they really motivate me.  I know that I am trying to be an example so I have to give my best.  Even when I am not in front teaching I still give my best because I "think" people are watching (even though I know they aren't).  I have also learned what food is good for me too.  When I go out to eat I know the nutritional value of food.  I am picky so I don't vary to much off of my normal menu items.  That makes it easier for me to stay focused too.

I want you to realize you are going to motivate others!  Others are going to notice that you are changing your mind set and changing your body.  They are going to ask you for advice.  If that isn't motivation then I don't know what is.  It is a huge complement for others to notice your hard work.  

The last Motivational factor is the WOW factor.  When you see someone you haven't seen in a while and they complement you, WOW!!!  It feels so good.  You know how hard you had to work to get your results and you can share your story with others.  I struggle with my weight, if I don't keep up with my workouts I will put weight on immediately.  So I try to remember the complements I get and that gets me to the gym.  

Right now since I am not working (until July 24th) I really have to find the time to squeeze in my workouts.  I can come up with the excuses.  It's really these motivational factors that get me to the gym.  Believe it or not, I don't always want to work out.  

My Transformation Story

I just want to take a few minutes and share with everyone my personal fitness story.  It's not very dramatic, but I hope someone can relate to it.  Each month I want to feature someones personal story.  So...if you have a story you want to share just post a comment and I will contact you.

So...I'm going to go back a little ways.  Growing up I had always been active.  I was a cheerleader for 8 years (that includes 5th and 6th grade).  It was something that I really enjoyed doing.  It was easy to stay active.  Once I graduated from high school my activity level dropped.  I married my best friend one year after high school graduation.  My active lifestyle combined with eating low fat foods and diet soda went to a non-active lifestyle  and eating twinkies and drinking regular soda filled with sugar.  At first I didn't notice much change.  It was when I stepped on the scale on day and saw that I had gained nearly 20 pounds in a short amount of time.  I didn't even notice the changes.  It didn't make me change though.  This was me making a bad decision and I kept repeating it.  You don't notice the changes after one day, or two.  It took me months before I noticed the bad change.

After being married for a year in a half I got pregnant.  We all know what happens.  You eat what you want and gain "baby" weight.  I gained an additional 42 pounds.  I was already about 25 pounds overweight at that time.  Once my son was born I started exercising at home.  I also started drinking slim fast.  It didn't taste good, but I lost all my pregnancy weight in a few short months plus another 5.  I quit working out after that.  I got bored with the same workout and I really didn't like the taste of slim fast.

My weight stayed where it was at for the next few months until I got pregnant with baby #2.  This time I didn't eat as much.  I gained 35 pounds.  That is the highest recommended weight.  But this time I couldn't drink slim fast.  It grossed me out.  So...I didn't really change my eating habits.  I started working out at Curves.  This was a great way for me to start working out.  I went for 30 minutes and started at anytime of the day.  I would usually go up there when my mom went.  It was helpful to have someone to talk to when working out.  Time would go by much faster.  Now I think Curves is great, but after a while it was still the same thing over and over again for me.  I get bored very easily.  So...after a two years I quit my membership.  I didn't really go much after the first year either.  I did lose all of my "baby" weight again plus an additional 5 pounds, but I quit working out again.

So...now on to baby #3.  I know if I don't exercise I'm going to regret it.  When I was six months preggo with him we decided to join the local YMCA!  I started my doing 5 minutes on the elliptical, 5 minutes walking on the treadmill, and 5 minutes on a bike.  For me I felt like I had a good workout.  It wasn't bad, but I needed more.  Eventually I built up to 20 minutes on the elliptical and did some light weight training.  I thought that was all I needed.  I wasn't seeing to much progress though.  I did feel better and knew it was good for my pregnancy.  After my 3rd son was born I went back to the Y and continued the same workout schedule on and off for about 9 months.  When he was 9 months old I took my first group fitness class there  (I had some previous group exercise experience since my mom use to teach group fitness).  Once I started taking classes I got hooked.  I loved it.  I lost all my weight plus more and continued to work out.  I found something I enjoyed and I was making friends too.

My daughter after she was born.

By the time I got pregnant with baby #4 (last one) I was a fitness instructor.  I really loved working out. I exercised throughout my pregnancy.  I was at a healthy weight for the first time in all of my pregnancies.  I gained 30 pounds.  Teaching classes was a great tool for me.  I knew I couldn't miss class.  That was motivation for me.  I thought if I didn't start teaching then I would get busy and quit again.  I have followed the same pattern for years.  I wanted something that was going to stick.  After my daughter was born I continued exercising.  It still took me a little bit of time, but the weight came off through exercise.

My last child is now 2 1/2 years old.  I have been working out on a normal routine for 4 years now.  Sometimes I still fear slipping into my old ways.  It is easy to do nothing.  It is also easy to set some time aside to make yourself healthy.  It's not just about being skinny.  It's about being strong, taking care of your bones, lungs, heart.  Exercise helps prevent many cancers and diseases too.  No one should ever feel selfish for taking a small portion of their day to better their bodies.

I still work on my eating habits.  I do eat much better than what I used to.  I am eating more fruits and vegetables (which is good for me because I am very picky).  I don't eat as much sugar either.  I have cut out most soda.  I do still have a soda about once a week.  Drinking Shakeology has really helped my cravings for sweets.  It fuels my body with a lot of nutrition. It is also great for a meal replacement for those on the go days.  Which for me are all the time.  It saves me money too because I am spending less on a shake than I am for a fast food meal.   For more information about shakeology check out www.shakeology.com/gloriajonesfit .

I still have areas I need to work on.  I will always have a treat from time to time.  It just has to be in moderation.  I have learned how to read nutrition labels.  It starts with baby steps.  You can't get up one day and change completely.  Take one thing and master it.  Once that is mastered pick something else.  I started out with 5 minutes at a time.  Took breaks.  Now I have built up to running marathons.  Maybe a marathon is not your ultimate goal.  That's okay.  You need to have a goal in front of you though.  Write it down.  Put it in front of you.  Have a date to reach that goal by so you have to start working towards it.  Make it a SMART goal.  Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

Earlier I said I had made a bad decision, and repeated it over and over.  You don't always notice at first.  It may take years before your health crashes down and you are diagnosed with diabetes.  Luckily, that didn't happen to me.  But I made the change.  I started small.  I made one good choice everyday.  I kept making better choices.  Over time my health improved.  I was losing weight.  I didn't notice right away.  It was a process.  It took time.

I want you to know that it is not too late.  If your still breathing you still have a chance to change your lifestyle.  Baby steps.  A baby doesn't give up trying to walk after falling down.  It gets up and tries again, and again, and again.  Then in a couple of weeks they are up and running.  Don't give up.  YOU CAN DO THIS!!!  I am here to help you.  Leave a comment and I will get back to you.

GO! St. Louis Marathon

Sunday - April 10, 2011

This was the day I was going to complete my second full marathon.  It has been a date that has been stuck in my head for weeks.  20 weeks.  That's how long training has been.  Training begins in December.  It starts off easy and I slowly start building confidence.  Once January comes the training gets a little longer and a little harder.  It still seems manageable.  I look into Feb. and March and know training is going to get tough.  But...if I can keep up on my schedule it won't be so bad.

I have had great training runs, bad training runs and some in-between.  Having a goal in front of me keeps me going.  If I didn't have a goal I wouldn't have a reason to run.  It's my motivation.  Training peaks by the end of March and it is time to taper and get ready for the big day.  All of the hard work has been put in. Now is the time to get yourself ready mentally.

The day before the race is one of my favorite days.  You get to celebrate all your hard work by going out to pick up your race number and head out to the expo with some of your running friends.  We've all been on the long journey together.  Later in the evening you have a pasta dinner and carb up for race day.  It's a last minute chance to go over strategies and hopefully build confidence with your fellow runners.

It is now race day.  I wake up around 4:30 am and get ready to go.  It only takes a few minutes to get ready since everything has been laid out the day before.  We leave our house for the race a little after 5:00.  Nerves are really starting to set in my stomach now.  We get to the starting corals an hour before the race begins.  Not too many people yet, but soon there will be over 18,000 people.  Next we meet up with the rest of our running club.  We use the port o potties, take pictures, use the port o potties one more time and then line up in our starting corals.  The race is about to start in 10 more minutes.  The Star Spangled Banner is played and a few moments later the race begins.

The moment is here.  We are off running.  Thousands of people with one goal in common.  It's such an exciting feeling.  I started off a little faster than I wanted to.  I felt like I was being ran over in a way.  I thought I was moving really slow until I looked at my garmin for my pace.  I tried to slow down, but it was really hard.  After the first few miles I did settle into the pace I wanted to maintain for the rest of the race.

The weather was very hot for April 10th.  It got up to 90 degrees that afternoon.  When the race started it was already in the 70's.  Our training runs were all in freezing, snowy conditions.  There were a few nice days, but not many.  Two weeks before the race we had 5 inches of snow in St. Louis.  So...our bodies were not ready for the heat.  I had seen a couple of people lying on the ground with medical attention during the race.  At the half-marathon, marathon split the race directors decided to redirect runners who were not keeping a 10 min/mile pace.  I made it before the cut off, but some of my team didn't quite make the cut off.  I felt bad for them, but it may have been for the best.  My team members were really great sports about it too.

Once I entered the gate for the marathoners I got such a rush of excitement.  I was now at mile 10 and thought things were going really well.  The crowded streets became almost bare.  Not nearly as many runners in front of me anymore.  I was feeling really good at this point. Soon I would enter into Forest Park.  The park is beautiful.  I enjoyed looking at the fountains, seeing the kids out playing.  Lots of people were out with their dogs too.  Once I got out of forest park, about mile 14.5, I started up a long, gradual hill.  I really don't know how long it was.  Just long.  The neighborhood spectators were great.  Some would take their hoses out and spray the runners down.  That felt so good.  Once I was up that hill I was still feeling really strong.  I was right around mile 17 by now.  I remember from the year before that at mile 18 there was a really steep hill.  I was making my way closer to the hill now.  Last year I walked up the hill, this year I ran up the hill.  It was hard, but felt so good too!  After more rolling hills I was at mile 20.  Only a 10K left at this point.  Surprisingly enough I was still feeling really good.  My running coach caught up to me around mile 22.  She was filling me in on some of the race details and how some of our team was diverted.  She let me know that my husband finished his half-marathon.  It was good knowing everyone was doing okay.  At this point my legs were starting to feel it.  I knew I had it in me to run the last 4 miles.  Around mile 23 a couple more team members came out to bring me into the finish line.  It's great having friends who will make sure you finish strong.  They understand your goals and help you out.  Only 30 more minutes of running left.  I know I can do it.  It's getting harder, but you know how great you're going to feel if you keep pushing.  Finally I pass the 26 mile marker.  Only .2 miles left.  My husband came out and finished the race with me.  I was ready to finish so I decided to try to run a little harder.  Big mistake.  My first muscle cramp in my left hamstring.  I only had .1 miles left.  I was that close and I was not going to stop.  The finish line was right there.  I kept moving and finished the race in 4 hours and 23 minutes.  It was such an exciting moment.

The training is over and the race is now over.  What now?  ROCK N' ROLL ST. LOUIS!!!!  Oct. 23, 2011.