Its been a while...

Summer sure does seem to keep me from having any kind of scheduled or plan. School started about a month ago and the biggest change of late is that I am playing Rugby. I Love it. It is so fun being on a team and having practice and working together. I love how it pushes me and its new. I think we constantly need to try new things so we can find something to always keep our motivation up. I love my team and everything I am learning from them and my coaches. I have awesome team mates that inspire me and help remind me to keep pushing. As much as we wish we could do things on our own sometimes, its always easier when we have support behind us pushing us to be the best we can be. These last couple months have been rough, I have gone through moments of success then moments of some serious slacking. I was getting really down on myself and it took reading from my text book for PE to learn something that always sticks in the back of my mind. It talks about the concept that each time we try to stick to a plan it becomes easier and how if we don't ever give up eventually it will become our lifestyle and it wont be a struggle it will become apart of us. This week started another step to do better and work hard to reach the goals I have set for myself, and one of my friends I have made from rugby named Sophia is being a huge motivator for me. I never will forget how blessed I am for the friends I have surrounding me. I started to miss getting up before the sun and going to bed excited to eat oatmeal for the next mornings breakfast and the feel of walking in the gym and leaving the worries of the world behind me. Exercise and nutrition are ALWAYS on my mind, even if I am doing really bad and not hitting the gym or eating right. Its a part of me and I always want to talk about it, but I am not going to be a hypocrite. I want to be the example and not all talk. That's why I am going to reach my goals and everyday is a new fight towards them.

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.
Denis Watley

Marching Forward

Started my personal training course today! Headed in the best direction yet, Finally gave in and got a membership at golds gym. It actually has given me a boost in motivation. Changing your gym can do a lot to keep things interesting. I was on the stairmaster getting my cardio in the other day and I look over and see this sexy guy working out, then I looked closer and the arm he was working out was only half an arm. He had a special strap that he wrapped around the part of his arm that had been cut off. I was inspired. I love seeing new faces and knowing all those people are there because they have goals and they are reaching for them. That is what I am doing. I dreamed of this and now I am setting goals and accomplishing them. Dont let anyone tell you that your a dreamer, because dreaming is where it all starts. Dream big.. and don't let anyone's negative talk get you down. You aren't going to be perfect at your dream, but if it was easy it wouldn't be worth dreaming. The hard things in life are what build us up to be all we can be, don't shoot for anything less. If we can dream big and reach or surpass that, we need to remember to not judge others for doing the same. We can't talk down anyone. We cant let them fail. Expect the best of others and see them for who they could be not who they are and you'll help them achieve it all. Let everyone know they are worth something and that they are incredible and you'll change their world. People doubt themselves everyday, but it only takes one person putting a hand on their back to help them push through.

“Every day you have the opportunity to learn and experience some-thing and some-one new. Seize the opportunity. Learn and experience everything you can, and use it to change the world.”

New heights

I feel so extremely blessed to live in the area I live. I spent my Saturday hiking the mountains I live by and going up the canyon to spend time with friends around a camp fire. I can be active just by walking out my front doors. I am less than half a mile from one of our mountain biking trails and a canyon with good hikes. I am so grateful for all that's around me especially the beauty of Utah. I have taken it for granted but not any more. I love that the landscape and beauty around me can be part of my transformation and assist me in my fitness goals.
Here's the quote I found that is my new favorite.

Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.

Time to reach new heights and never give up.

constant reminders

I haven't posted for a while. Life has been a little bit crazy and good slash bad, but life seems to hold all of the above. I watched an amazing movie last night that I had forgot about in a while called coach carter. I love inspiring movies. I think we all find our inspiration from different sources and movies is one of them for me. There is a quote in the movie that I want to share because its changed me and I know I will keep it somewhere I can see for the rest of my life.

What We Fear the Most

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure,

It is our light not darkness that most frightens us,

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear; Our presence automatically liberates others.

As life gets more crazy for me I love the reminders if it is from movies or from quotes or from friends around me that we have potential beyond measure and everyday is a new day to prove ourselves. Set backs are what keep us gaining what we care about most, life pushes us to improve and adjust. Adjusting is key to keeping our gains big. I may get frustrated and cry when life knocks me down... but I will always get back up and fight.

Lost

I dont give myself breaks much... But lately life is just falling to pieces and picking it all back up right just isnt working. I ran a 5k with a close friend this morning and it was her first time. It was an incredible experience to be apart of and I am so proud of her. It gave me motivation to get my crap figured out. I am not happy with myself or where I am at. Its wrong and its not me. The great thing is its not to late. Its never to late to do what you need to, to become who you want or transform yourself or your body. I let life get to busy for me and then let every weakness back in. I am stepping out and back and trying to get perspective so I can climb back in and make it work. We come to a point where it sucks and its just time to suck it up and figure it out and do it. So we do... we wake up tomorrow and do it.

Inspiration

I cant even say how out of this world this week has been. It's been incredible. I am officially a gym junky again. I cant seem to get enough of the gym. I find an inner peace and motivation when I am in there like I can do anything. I walk in the front doors and the world stays out. I take in the moment and that's all there is. Me and the weights. Me and the bike. Me and the treadmill. I let everything out and get out of my head and focus on the moment. Just that one moment. When I am pushing it and the pain is too much I clear my head. Focus on my breathing. Moments full of meditation. I almost find everything slowing down around me and its all in perfect unity. I hear the beat of my music pulsing through my ears and I do another rep. The sweat beads up on my head then slowly rolls down the side of my face down my neck to be soaked up by my cotton cut off t-shirt. One more rep and I see my veins start to bulge out of my forearm. I look up and see myself in the mirror... one more rep. In my head I see my IdealShape a slim toned waist, ripped arms, muscular thighs, thick defined calves... one more rep... one more rep.. one more step.. one more moment closer to my goals... Just one more rep. I finish up and wipe the sweat from my face and head and start heading towards the exit and I open up those doors and I feel the world rush back into my head. The lack of money. The stress of school. The messy room I have to clean up at home. The friend I have to call back. The jobs I have to get done. Then I think... one moment at a time. I can do it all. One thing at a time... one moment at time and I know I will accomplish everything I ever dreamed of.

Mind Power

This week has been a strong week and I have realized yet another thing I already knew. Mind power. The part of us that makes habits and lasting change comes from our minds. Getting control over what we think can keep us from talking ourselves out of yet another work out, or talking us into cheating on our meals. Will power and determination start and end in our minds. We have to decided now and re decide every day what it is we want and how we are going to accomplish our goals. We have complete control over what we eat and what we do with our free time. Will we eat good? Will we get our work outs in? Decide now. Decide in ever moment. I love re learning things I already know because the more I learn the more profound the affect they make is. I feel stronger about my decisions. I also feel like I have more control over what I eat and how I work out. I found a new work out to try for the next couple weeks to see if the change will help with my weight loss goals. I haven't done much circuit training before and started today and loved it. I think mixing up your program helps with your motivation to get to the gym. Its like getting excited about a new outfit or a new pair of shoes and you just want to try them out. A new work out can really re spark your motivation to get in the gym.

I found this quote a couple weeks back and put it up on my mirror because I loved it so much.
"Life is pain. The pain of regret or the pain of discipline. Which will you choose today?"

Conquering

These last two days have been incredible. I have grasp control again and feel amazing! I forget how much two work outs a day make you feel. I have also managed to get my license back, which makes going to the gym easier. The best part of where I am at today is that my body feels great and I don't feel mad or regretful about what I've ate or what exercise I have done. Motivation and mental will can be as hard or as easy as we make them. The big difference about this week is that I decided what I wanted to do and did it, even if it meant missing out on hanging out with friends or getting out of bed way earlier than I would like. The biggest goal I have this week is when I am working out I am making sure I am pushing myself. There is a difference in going to "work out" or pushing yourself until your drenched and you know your heart rate has been up and your in good pain. I have also been amazingly sore this week, which is a good reminder that I have been pushing myself. I usually have a hard time getting sore and my body adapts to work outs fast. I plan on keeping this week in motion and working hard to keep my motivation and determination up.

I'm convinced that we can write and live our own scripts more than most people will acknowledge. I also know the price that must be paid. It's a real struggle to do it. It requires visualization and affirmation. It involves living a life of integrity, starting with making and keeping promises, until the whole human personality, the senses, the thinking, the feeling, and the intuition, are ultimately integrated and harmonized. Stephen Covey

Recommited

The burning fire underneath these feet of mine glows once again. I have found drive this week and it has been great thus far. I am sore as sore can be and loving every moment of it. I have found that it just took waking up and doing it. I find it really funny how we hit a bump in the road and it seems like the hardest thing we have faced yet and we get stuck trying and trying to get over it. The solution once we find it comes out quite simple. We do it. We stop trying and we just get over it and jump back in our forward motion. One of my favorite quotes is from a movie called Forever Strong and the quote is, "you try you sit, this is about doing". I have found this to be true. My other newly found realization is, that when you start to work out hard your body wants good foods. This week it has been easier to eat good because I have been pushing it in my work outs and afterwards I just want something healthy. I find when I am sitting around being lazy it is a lot easier to eat unhealthy foods. It took one heck of a month for me to figure such a little thing out, but we do go through struggles to become stronger and now I know the solution next time I find myself in this rut. I feel good this week because I know I have been working out and eating better. There is always more to improve and I plan on doing just that.

"There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something. You do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something. You accept no excuses. Only results" - unknown.

Battles

Everyday is a new battle that I intend to win. I will wake up everyday and put my best effort forth believing in myself no matter if anyone else believes in me or not. Who we believe we are and what we are capable of becoming is what drives us. There is power and potential in us all just waiting to shine through, to help us become the best us there possible is within us. We strive to push our limits because we have something to prove. I have something to prove. I have to know for myself that I can do everything I set my mind to no matter how scary or hard the battle is. Mistakes come along the road of life, we aren't perfect. We take those mistakes and we grow and we learn to never make them again. I can do this.

“We choose to go...not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

Frustration

I understand that if life were easy we wouldn't grow or improve at all and today was an awful day. I mentioned before that I have been sick and today was the worst of it all. I am at a stand still physically, because I cant work out when I am sick or it will only prolong the process of getting better. I have either been really hungry or not hungry at all and I slept the whole day away. I read once that having strong will power isn't a gift you are just born with, but its something everyone can have and improve. Mentally I am not at my strong point either, but I know I can get back to where I was and even do better than before. I am glad for the frustration that life brings when we know we aren't doing our best. I believe set backs can only make us stronger if we stand up to them and push forward. We are all challenged in life with two options, one to become better than we ever thought we could or two sit back and float through life barley making it. I refuse to take the second challenge in life. I also refuse to let the people I come in contact with take it, and I will fight the rest of my life to help people understand and reach their potential. I strongly believe I was given a gift from my heavenly father that I am able to see people at their best even if they aren't quite there yet. I also believe I am here to help them and have been blessed with talents that will help me accomplish just that.
I will end with this quote.

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”

Realization

I decided since I am making this blog to keep track of my fitness journey I need to be brutally honest with myself or I am not going to make it. The real start of this journey started in December 2010 and has come till now. I was incredibly determined when I first started working out and changing my eating habits. I had to research a lot, because I didn't have the knowledge I needed to change myself. I have studied a couple of books and read hundreds of articles on eating strategies and work out plans and enjoyed every minute of it. I was doing amazing and sticking pretty darn close to what I needed to do to keep progressing on this journey. I hit a few bumps in the road about one month ago when I found out I was getting my license suspended for one month. This wasn't what I wanted to happen, but it did and I thought all would be well... until I realized that my transportation that was getting me to the gym once or twice a day was just taken away. The next bump I hit, which is a good thing, but something I need to figure out was gaining friends. When I first started this journey I didn't have friends, which made doing my own thing and sticking to my plan quite easy. I didn't have anyone wanting to hang out with me which meant all my free time could be dedicated to the gym. I love having friends I just have to find a balance (which I have yet to do). The last bump I believe hit when I went on vacation to California and I decided to take the week off from working out and eating good. That plan wouldn't have been so bad had I known that when I came back home the caffeine and sugar cravings were going to haunt me like a bad dream. I couldn't shake the want for horrible foods and the temptations I had concord were back. There it is... the bumps which lead to where I am now. I have been eating terrible I barley get any work outs in during the week and to top it off I work and KFC and constantly get tempted by the greasy fried chicken. Oh... by the way this week I have been sick and feeling awful to say the least.
I read something that got me thinking today. "You should not, however, become discouraged; discouragement will weaken your faith. If you lower your expectations, effectiveness will decrease, your desire will weaken..."(Olsen 10). This is exactly me at this point in my journey. I have become discouraged and by doing so I have lost faith in myself to be disciplined and dedicated and full of motivations to accomplish what I truly want. My effectiveness to get up early and work out totally decreased. My desire has weaken but I have not lost my desire to keep trying, that's the whole point of my starting this blog and becoming honest with myself and how I have been slacking, because once I have admitted that I have I can change and continue on my course and succeed. That's exactly what I am going to do to...succeed.
I am going to end every post with a quote to go along with what I've said or what inspired me that day. Today the quote is by George Sheehan.

"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be."

Day One of this Journey

Hi, I am Whitney an average 20 year old girl. This blog is part of my new found love, fitness and health. I started this journey back in December of 2010 and it is still persisting strongly with a few bumps and set backs. My number one goal I have set for myself is to be around 135 pounds and 16 percent body fat by next January 2012, with a body that I can feel proud of and comfortable in. I want to be able to feel like I can jump in and do any activity without feeling out of shape. One day I am going to run a full marathon and am considering competing in a Bodybuilding competition. I am Majoring in Exercise science and nutrition with the hopes of being a well known personal trainer that changes lives. I want my journey to be a personal testimony to those out there that I will be able to help one day. I want to prove that getting your Ideal body is possible and nothing can hold you back if you have the will and determination to work for what you want. Here's the start of a lifelong commitment to exercise and health!