After the "After"

Embark on a new fitness regime.  I dare you.  If you have support, dedication and put yourself (body, mind, soul) ahead of anyone else, you will reach your goals.

IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

But, you have to let it.  You have to allow this journey to challenge everything you have ever read, thought and felt about what you are capable of.  You are always going to be capable of far more than you think.  That is a fact.

I eat real food.  Sometimes this real food includes Pizza, Cheeseburgers and Tacos.  I don't deprive myself when I'm not training for an event, and it makes me happy.  It makes me happy to join friends for happy hour and load up on greasy, carb-loaded food just to go home and sit on the couch for a movie.  Why?  It's an emotional reaction to a real-life experience.  Fun days include Ice Cream, not protein shakes.  Memories are made at Pizza parties and cake-infused birthday get togethers.  Right??

The answer, unfortunately, is yes.  But that doesn't mean it has to ruin all of your hard work.  

I call this transition from a 3-Month training program back into real life "After the After".  Training is over, my abs are poppin, my body fat is super low, my body is clean and the After pics are done.  Those images are a culmination of a 3-month hibernation from the real world.  Those images are a testament to every movie I went to with protein shakes and chicken breast in my purse, to every happy hour I politely declined and to every road trip that included a HUGE cooler filled with carefully planned, weighed and packed meals.  Definitely an extreme way to exist, but it accomplished the desired end-result.

AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

I learned how to say no to alcohol for months at a time and I learned how this minor tweak reduces bloating and creates a lean, defined physique.  I learned how to build muscle (with food and weight training only), how to properly hydrate and how to like my weekly gym routine.  I was being good to my body and in turn, my emotional self was also healthier.  I slept well, avoided 3AM trips to Taco Bell and felt good about my life AND accomplished goals I had set for myself professionally and personally.

So what happens after???

It's an ongoing journey and one that will always require check-ins.  We need variety.  We need to be excited and to feel challenged.  Once those After pics are taken, DON'T GIVE UP!  Explore activities that make you happy.  Run a 5K, hike once a week, join a new run group or just walk the dog 5 miles a week.  Mix it up and KEEP GOING! 

The After images should not be the end of a fitness journey, but rather a reminder of what you are capable of.  Compare yourself to the best YOU, not those around you.  It's easy to let fitness slip and to long for days when you were thinner/fitter/happier.  So, take that image of you at your very best and stick it on the fridge.  Let people see it and vow to always be striving to be the best you.

LET THIS JOURNEY CHANGE YOUR LIFE.