Cardio Is For The Birdies

Last week I posted a picture of my transformation, which brought up a lot of questions from others. Such as: What are your secrets? How are you doing it? What have you changed? How can you help ME?

Well guess what, I have answers for all of those!

What have you changed?
I have changed everything. From my eating habits, my sleeping habits, and my workout habits. I have changed it all. However, I didn't do it all in one day. I did it over time.
With my eating habits: I started one meal at a time. I started with breakfast and made it healthy every single day. Then when I was used to 1 I went to 2, then I went to 3 with a healthy snack. I made those meals each 4 hours apart. 8am(breakfast), 12 pm(lunch), 4pm (snack), 6pm (supper). I found that if I went longer than this without eating, I frequently over ate.
My sleeping habits: I started going to bed earlier instead of staying up all hours of the night and I started getting my butt out of bed in the mornings to workout.
My workout habits: I have tried to lose weight a thousand times plus and never get anywhere. Once I got used to eating at least 1 meal a day that was healthy I started working out as well. Something I had to understand was I have to work up to my max potential, not start there on week one. I was pushing myself too hard and I would give up because I didn't feel like i could do it. Start simple just like with the meals and work your way up. Even 30 minutes a day is amazing!

How are you doing it?
I have been trying to diet for years. Every time I thought that it was all about calorie restriction. However, it is SO much more than that. Calories need to be restricted BUT that doesn't mean cut them out period or eat less than your recommended daily value or to cut out the protein and the carbs that give you energy to keep going. You have to do some research and learn what each thing does for your body and how to control the numbers. What I tell everyone is that PROTEIN IS KEY! I truthfully believe that you have to get your max protein each day or you are only hurting yourself.
Also, I work out each and every day, with one rest day. You have to be dedicated to the change or it isn't going to happen. The excuses have to stop and become excuses for why you HAVE to go to the gym, not why you CANT go to the gym. It's all a mindset game. Weight loss comes with hard work in the kitchen and at the gym.

What is my secret?
Support. Support is my secret. I know that each week nobody depends on seeing my blog be posted but they are cheering me on when they read it. So many people are rooting for me and if I give up now I let down so many more people than myself. My secret is this blog and it holding me accountable. Each week I have nearly 200 readers. If I give up I give up on 200 people who are counting on me to prove the world wrong and to show everyone my strengths. Find your support, create your own blog, find a reason to keep going!

How can you help ME?
Ask me anything! Even if I don't know the answer, chances are I'm going to look it up. I can give you workouts even if they are workouts I have acquired from others when I asked. I can give you recipes, I can give you tips, I can give you tricks, I can drag your butt to the gym with me, I can hold you accountable by asking you weekly what you have done to make yourself better. I can do a lot for you, it just takes you asking me!

Outside of these questions I want to let you all know that weights are key! One time I worked out with my best friend before I began this journey and I was just going to bike. She looked at me with a serious face and said, "Oh no, Cardio is for the birdies. We are lifting weights today". She pushed me past my limits and made walking nearly impossible the next day. BUT I felt change in my body after just one time at the gym! The fact of the matter is that fat does not burn as many calories as muscle does. When you gain muscle you ramp up your metabolism, and you burn more calories. In other words, you're going to lose that weight quicker and that belly fat!

You can run or do your choice of cardio, I run 2 1/2 miles a day along with weight lifting, but don't forget to lift! With gaining more muscle you need more protein in your body. Did you know: the amount of protein you are supposed to consume per day is the muscle mass % that you have. For example I weight 186 lbs to date and my muscle mass % is 116.6. That means each day I have to consume approx 117 grams of protein to properly feed my muscles.

Lift weights and get your protein, see results.





I'll post again after the weekend with some awesome workouts that I have gotten from fitness guru, Tara Roach, that went through her own transformation and is now a muscle machine! Her workouts will kick your butt every time and make you feel like you truly did all that you could do.

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend and please be safe!

xoxo,
Audrey

When You Find Rock Bottom

When I was younger I can remember the exact day that my siblings, cousins, and myself watched Spongebob drive over a hill that was a straight drop to the ground. Explaining to us that this was rock bottom. He stood there depressed, lost, and hadno idea what to do next. At that point in my life, my only thoughts were "Spongebob you are so silly".. turns out Spongebob was telling me what life would be like 12 years later.

When I read my horoscope for the week it said "You will have troubles getting everything done this week, but take a step back and breath. You will somehow manage to do it all". I take horoscopes with a grain of salt so I let that go in one ear and right out the other. Tuesday came around and I realized that it was right. OMG I had so much to do. Mounds of homework, study guides for upcoming tests, workout guides, workouts, working 1 pm to close every single day, and sleep? Where would this all fit into my schedule!? Thanks to Ross, I took one giant step back, got some Applebee's (I reccomend the Chicken Freshcado and ask for no rice. Delicious!) and sat down and got all of my homework done for the week. I love you Ross!

Don't forget that mother nature has to ruin at least one week every month for girls.... Guys will seriously never understand. I woke up Wednesday crying.. already crying and my day hadn't even began. I stood in the bathroom sobbing for 45 minutes and I couldn't stop. I was a running fountain with no toggle switch. My emotions were off of the charts. To me, this was rock bottom. A very solid rock bottom.

It may sound silly to say that, because it probably wasn't rock bottom. It is about the same as saying, "THIS WAS THE WORST DAY EVER!", every single time you have a bad day. My point behind rock bottom is that it wasn't rock bottom for the gym. The gym was the only thing that I found myself WANTING to do. I wanted to go run 2 miles. I wanted to go lift weights. I wanted to go sweat like a man. LIGHTBULB: the gym relieves stress, emotions, headaches, bad moods, etc.. That place has endless possibilities! I went to the gym that day and I came out feeling like a champ.
Nothing made me feel better than walking out 100% drenched in sweat and the feeling that I did everything I could that day at the gym, to make it one day closer to my goal. Not to mention, I'VE LOST 10 POUNDS!

I am ending the week with a smile on my face and an attitude of yes-I-can. Each week seems to throw bad things at me, and I let them knock me down. But I always get back up. Don't forget that you can always get back up, even after you've fallen down. Life isn't always fair, but we take what we can and go with it.

With my 10 pound weight loss I rewarded myself with a few things. 3 new pairs of running pants and... A FITBIT! If you are obsessed with fitness, or even just wanting to know how many calories you burn per day, how you are sleeping, the steps you take, or just something to push you to meet a goal each day, I encourage a Fitbit! I am obsessed with my Fitbit. I went on and extra walk the other night to ensure that I met my steps goal. Interested? Go to www.fitbit.com and research them. You will want one for sure! I also begin a weight loss supplement through Northwest Nutrition this coming week. They have seen a lot of success and with my workouts I am needing more protein. If you live in the Maryville area or SWI I encourage you to pay a visit to Northwest Nutrition. Melanie and Peggy have so much to offer and have both reached major weight loss goals in their life. I will keep you all updated on this new step in my life.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and find some extra time to make fitness a part of it.

Always remember, You're just one workout away from a good mood.

xoxo,
Audrey
 
P.S Happy Birthday week to my best friend Emily Bergeson! Hope you're feeling 22! :)
Also, Happy late Birthday to my AMAZING mother. You have given me the motivation to go on this weight loss journey and I love you. You inspire me each and every day. <3