To exercise, or not to exercise...

Good morning Peeps!

First of all...Check.It.Out!

LOOK WHAT I BOUGHT THIS MORNING! GO CAITLIN! 

I can't wait to get to my DVR after I post to watch and support one of my favorite blogging inspirations!

Post-it notes help women feel beautiful

So on to what's on my mind today...

Obviously one of the key components of losing weight is exercising. Some form of cardio, strength training, yoga or a combination of all of the above is what is needed to help burn calories that we consume on a daily basis. Calories in vs. calories out, right? Isn't that what the experts say? However, it isn't always that easy, right? In the beginning of the journey, it may even feel like a chore to be active, let alone be active enough to actually burn a significant amount of calories for the day. I remember how I used to think about exercise. I would always plan, plan, plan and dream of the things that I wanted to do or accomplish. I wanted to run a mile outside, do an hour of cardio, accomplish 5 days in a week of exercise, or even go to a live group yoga class. Sometimes the ONLY thing that we are fighting is our own freewill. I buy lots of different things that I swear that I will use at home, because of course it's "easier" at home....

I then of course decide that I just do not have enough self motivation to push myself hard at home and go out and buy the dreadful gym membership....

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...then I of course spend days not going...then days turn into months...and so on and so on...

Hoestly folks, I am just being very real here. This is what it has been and is like for me at times still! There was once a time that I got up at 5 o'clock in the morning, drove to the gym, parked my car, sat in my car and cried because of the debilitating fear and awful feelings that had practically taken over me. I never even went in. I was terrified to go inside a gym for a long time. I am not sure why. I paid the fees. No one ever even talks to you, really. I guess I just felt an overwhelming feeling of failure before it had actually occured. I felt all the same feelings I had when I would step back on  the scale and see that same 198lbs. It was just the thought that I had gotten so far so many times that made me feel completely disgusted in myself, and you know what, I felt that feeling so SO strongly, that I felt like other people could see how horrible I felt about myself...and I was ashamed. It has been a hard, long road.

I won't say that I am totally over those feelings, but I will say that I have really come such a long way. I am no longer afraid to go to the gym anymore, for one thing! I gotta say that when I actually accomplish something outside of my comfort zone, that it encourages me to continue to do bigger, better and more things to feel proud of. I can't even describe how I felt the first time I did a run/walk 2 mile route OUTSIDE all by myself! I don't think I had ever even felt that feeling of amazing accomplishment before. I was overwhelmed. Or just the other day when I did an hour of cardio at the gym for  the first time! I was just beside myself with excitement. I even went to a yoga class at my gym! Yes, WITH OTHER PEOPLE I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW! I know that these things may not seem like a lot to some, but to me, someone who had a terrible fear of just going inside a gym, these achievements are super huge. I still have issues with really going to the gym for 5-6 days a week to maximize my weight loss potential, but like they say at Jenny Craig...progress, not perfection! Jen once wrote something that really inspired me to keep pushing myself at the gym. It was about her 5-6 days per week gym visits when she was losing her weight. It was something to the effect that if you only go to the gym 2-3 days per week, then you need to be satisfied with the results that come from only going 2-3 days per week. That really hit home, and I knew that she was so right. I gotta do this for myself and all by myself. It's still a chore, and I haven't quite gotten to the "addicted to the endorphins" stage....but I will get there soon enough. I just gotta know that I am worth every mental battle it takes to get me there, every drop of sweat while I am there, and every ache that follows me home. Every single one, and I WILL get there.

Here's to ME!

My Question to You: What motivates you to get your workouts in?