What's in My Gym Bag? - Fit belt

When I go to the gym I always bring a big backpack with me. I guess I like my stuff and I like to be prepared. Here are the things that I keep in my gym bag. When I am done with a workout, I make sure and put them right back in. That way they are ready for next time. By the way, these are my own opinions and I am not getting reimbursed in any way.

Fit Belt It's a sleek version of a fanny pack. If you travel, you should get one. If you wear leggings and don't have a pocket for you
phone, get one. If you hate lugging a purse around, get one. If you do yard work and want your phone handy without putting it in a pocket, get one. If you need a place to have your phone while you are at the gym, get one!

It has a small zipper pocket that can fit money. It has a few other pockets that can hold other items, namely your phone. When ordering, measure around the area where you want the belt to lie. I ordered one (another brand) that fit around my waist. It was too high. I had to lift up my shirt quite a bit to get stuff out of the pocket. This one, I measured around the top of my hips and ordered that size. It does stretch, so there is give. When I wear this at the gym, it sits just under the bottom of my shirt. No one can tell I'm wearing it because it is flush.  You will love this for your phone SO much better than the arm bands. GET IT TODAY!!

 

The Formula for Success

Recently I listened to the book, The Compound Effect. Near the beginning of the book, the author shares a formula for success. It is this.

small smart choices + consistency + time = success

I have found this to be true. I remember on my graduation day from college thinking that it was this grand event, yet the there wasn't one big thing that I did to earn my bachelor's degree, but rather a lot of small decisions. Like waking up to go to class, taking notes, studying for a test, writing a paper, and so on. I acheived my degree by completing one assignment, one project, one paper, and one test at a time.

Another example. I went to a fitness class last summer. At the end of the class, the teacher had us do a 4-minute tabata ab routine. In tabata, you work for 20 seconds and rest for 10 for 8 rounds. You can find some tabata songs and timers on you tube. Anyway, we completed the ab routine which had all of our abs burning like crazy. One of the class members stood up and asked, "do I have a six pack now?" Everyone laughed, of course, because wouldn't it be nice if you had a six pack after one 4 minute routine?

What does it really take to acheive success? Whether it's a college degree or six pack abs it takes small smart choices, plus consistency, plus time. Don't give up if you don't get results fast enough. Keep plugging along. From last June until November I lost weight at about the rate of 1 {ONE} pound per month. That's slow. It's frustrating. So tempting to give up. But, here I am still keeping at it.

As you plan out your New Year's Resolutions, consider this formula. This means you will need to add in things to your daily routine that will have a compounding effect to achieve your goals.

I have created a free 4x6 printable for you to print and stick on the wall. I have an attractive magnet style bulletin board in my kids' bathroom on the opposite wall from the toilet. The board contains pearls of wisdom for my kids to contemplate as they are sitting there captive. Ha! I am adding this formula/quote to that board.

Click for free download

Reasons to be Fit

Reasons to be Fit.

In January of 2015 I decided (again) to lose weight. My baby was 3 at the time. My weight had fluctuated around 150 for the past year. At the time I was at 156. At 5'6" tall, that was too heavy for me. I thought that in order to motivate myself I would write a list of all the reasons to be "skinny." I saved that list in my phone and here it is.

Reasons to be skinny (Jan 2015)
Wear leggings or skinny jeans without feeling self-conscious.
Look cute in clothes.
Go swimming with my kids without any embarrassment.
Look and feel good for my husband.
Feel more comfortable.
My kids could be proud of me.
I could be more healthy.
I could be more active.

Since then, I have lost more than 15 lbs. I'm hovering around 138. I'm not at my "goal weight" yet, which I had previously determined to be 135 lbs. This is the lowest I have weighed since having my first child more than 11 years ago. I realize that the number on the scale is no longer my goal, but rather my body fat level and the way that my body looks is far more important to me.

I've come a long way. More than just physical changes. I have learned A LOT about fitness, myself, and goals. One of the most important things in my journey thus far has been those "reasons to be skinny" which today I would rephrase as "reasons to be fit." I can't really say which of the reasons is the most powerful for me. At different times, different ones were important. Once I made the decision, and then the commitment those reasons were the driving force behind my changes.

Today I will add some more benefits I have discovered about fitness:
Increased stamina and energy.
A feeling of being in control.
Added confidence.
Able to lift heavy things and work harder.
Able to participate in more physical activities. Paddleboarding? Sure, I'll try it. Mountain Biking? No problem, I can make it up the hill! Wakeboarding? Let's go!
Feeling attractive to and desired by my husband. (Let's face it, men are visual. He loves me no matter what, but his attraction has definitely increased and has spill-over effects in our entire marriage.)
Happier overall.
Satisfaction over reaching for a goal.

What are your reasons to be fit?

Write them down. Ponder them. Read them. That I think is the very first step in achieving success.