Hey... you got a sec?

I've got a secret to share!

I've recently discovered a new approach to staying motivated and a system that is helping push me towards my health and fitness goals with out spending hours in the gym and restrictive dieting. I've removed the pressure of the ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY from my mind set and have found a way to COMMIT to GETTING FIT through daily habits and mental shifts that are not only changing the way I look but how I feel on the inside!

I am so excited about this I just had to share it with all of you! 

Let me explain. 

Truth is I recently feel off my healthy lifestyle track:( 

Yup, I admit it!

I allowed the ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY TO GET THE BEST OF ME!

I, like many people do gave myself full permission to enjoy the holiday season knowing that I would kick off the NEW YEAR with some lofty FITNESS GOALS. After hemming and hawing over the idea to compete again this year, I decided to place that on the back burner and work on some other areas of my life. As I had mentioned in previous posts I truly wanted to spend this year focusing on creating a healthy balanced approach to a healthy lifestyle that didn't included drastic eating/exercising regimens and 12 week prep sessions. 

This was something I thought would be OH SO EASY for some one like myself who has spent that last two years following super strict prep programs to shape her body to fit into a teeny weeny bikini!

FALSE!!!

What I quickly realized is ...

A.) I AM A GIRL WHO NEEDS TO HAVE A PLAN OF SOME SORT IN PLACE 

and 

B.) I'VE BEEN SUCKED INTO THE VORTEX OF THE ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY

For some staying in shape is second nature to them, possibly something that was instilled in them at a young age. I give massive KUDDOS to those who like clockwork get up and are at the gym by 6AM on a daily basis. A around of applause to the truly dedicated who have never drooled over a french fry and can turn their back on chocolate any day of the week. I ADMIRE SUCH DEDICATION! 

I personally will never fall under that umbrella, I refuse to give up my my beloved DARK CHOCOLATE and will spend the rest of my life mustering up the motivation I need to implement healthy habits such as moving my body daily! So here's the good news...I'M AM A-OK WITH THAT! The not so good news is ... I am not A-OK with is the ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY that has slowly crept into my mind. 

Allow me to explain further...

A few weeks back in typical routine I was going about my normal day. I was up early to get lunches packed for my family and had spent some time on the computer responding to emails and such. I had a few errands I wanted to get checked off my list earlier in the day which meant my workout would be pushed to a midday or early evening, NO PROBLEM! A midday workout most days of the week is not out of the norm for me. But by the time I got home, which ended up being later than I anticipated I was in a MIDDAY FUNK!!!

I had ZERO desire to load up the leg press and the thought of the DREADMILL made me cringe:0 

However, instead of succumbing to the calling of my couch I decided I would make a last stitch effort at getting my exercise in for the day and hit a 60 MINUTE HOT YOGA POWER CLASS! 

YAY ME!!! A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, RIGHT?! 

WRONG! The problem was as I was driving towards the studio thoughts of disappointment kept creeping into my head. I was feeling like although I was headed to take a SWEATY CALORIE TORCHING YOGA CLASS it wasn't enough (in my mind) due to not being a GO HARD, OH MY LORD MY LEGS ARE ON FIRE WORKOUT! 

I had to pause on those thoughts for a moment. At what point did I start thinking that just because I'm am not enduring a heavy weight lifting session or busting out a set of plyo lunges that I am not doing something good and healthy for myself. When exactly did I stop patting myself on the back for the simple fact that instead up curling up on the couch for a midday snooze, I CHOOSE to get into my car and drive 20 minutes to take a hot yoga class. THIS WAS CRAZY TALK! 

It was very clear and eye opening that some where along they way I allowed myself to get caught up in the GO HARD OR GO HOME mindset instead of recognizing the powerful shifts I had made in CHOOSING to make healthier choices regardless of how big or small. It was at that moment that I realized that my commitment to my health and fitness needn't not be about a specific regimen or the elimination of a particular food group. But more about committing to making healthier decisions day by day, week by week. The ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY would be yesterdays news and each day moving forward I would just commit to doing HEALTHY ACTS OF KINDNESS TOWARDS MYSELF! If that meant a killer weight lifting session one day GREAT! But if the days following were a midday walk or an early evening yoga class that is still considered ME...CHOOSING & COMMITTING TO A HEALTHY ACT OF KINDNESS TOWARDS MYSELF! 

So why do I want share this with you? 

SIMPLE! There is one thing I DO KNOW! There is nothing more powerful then having support & accountability when it comes to reaching your goals! It's truly the one thing I love to do ... I LOVE HELPING OTHERS by sharing what has and hasn't worked for me:) I believe in the power of not only making a commitment to ourselves but to each other to help motivate and inspire!

I would love nothing more than to create a COMMIT TO FIT MOVEMENT ~ A GROUP OF STRONG LIKE MINDED WOMEN EMPOWERING ONE ANOTHER to LIVE A HEALTHY & HAPPY LIFESTYLE!

So I've decided to start this by KICKING OFF a COMMIT TO FIT SPRING SLIM DOWN CHALLENGE GROUP! 

I will spear head a group through a 21 DAY health & fitness challenge that will focus on the mental shifts and daily habits that are helping me reach my goals with out spending hours in the gym & super strict dieting! I will also share workouts & nutritional tips to help you lean out & tone up just in time for summer! The approach on this 21 DAY program will be like nothing you have experienced before! 

If this sounds of interest to you and/or are looking for a new approach to your health & fitness goals please email me directly at valleypappas@gmail.com and I will happily forward you more information! 

I would love to have you join me!

Here's to getting healthy & happy, 

Valerie

Fit, Fierce & Fabulous - My 5 DAY SLIM DOWN RECAP!

Can I just say how happy I am that Spring is just a 20 short days away!! I am READY!

Well I take that back, I am getting READY!

I can honestly say I am not quite ready to shed the dark layer of elastic that I have been hibernating in these last few months, but give me a few months of solid focus and I'll be ready for CUTOFFS SEASON:)

You know the saying #SUMMERBODIESAREMADEINTHEWINTER, everyone putting in the work now so they can shed a couple of layers of clothing in the summer months and feel good in their BIKINIS! Admittedly as much as I love SUMMER, I have never been one to prance around in my bathing suit. Some years have been better than others, but more often than not I haven't felt comfortable letting it all hang out. The last few years have definitely been a bit of a turning point for me as I have gained more confidence not only in my body physically but acceptance in parts of my body that I once loathed. I have realized that that there are certain areas I will never be able to change about my body, but what I can change is my mindset and actions! I can't control my height or the size of my hips, but I can control shaping my legs to be lean and strong and my belly to be flat by watching what I eat.

TRUTH IS ~  WE JUST HAVE TO DECIDE TO TAKE CONTROL!

I made a simple vow to myself this year when I decided not to train for a competition in 2015, that I would work towards creating a body that I am both proud of and feel strong in with out drastic measures. This means creating a well balanced health & fitness routine that WORKS FOR ME. I want to wake up each day with a plan in place. I want to fuel my body with healthy nutritious foods & allow the occasional treat for balance and peace of mind. LIFE IS TOO DAMN SHORT TO LIVE ON CHICKEN & SWEET POTATOES YEAR ROUND! I want a work out routine that offers variety, gives back to my body and doesn't force me to have the ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY and did I mention IS FUN! I want to be surrounded by a community of free spirited, down to earth & highly motivated women who share daily inspiration to help push me along! I also made a vow that I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on programs that didn't line up with everything I mentioned above!

So let's talk timing a bit ... the last two months I have felt a little all over the map. I started off January thinking I was going to be training once again for the 2015 Emerald Cup, but quickly realized that both the timing was not right and my heart just wasn't in it this year. It was a difficult decision to make and one that kind of left me feeling like OKAY, NOW WHAT! I continued through the end of January and Febuary feeling a little disheveled with my routine. I was sort of going through the motions doing a little food tracking here, a little weight lifting there, but no solid plan ~

AS I MENTIONED I AM A GIRL THAT NEEDS A PLAN!

So when I say let's talk a bout timing .... I'm referring to the PERFECT timing that I just happen to come across my old BEACH BABE DVD, that tempted me to throw it in for my daily workout, that then sparked my curiosity as to why I never gave the TONE IT UP program a fair chance several years ago when I first purchased it! That then pushed me to pull it out and spend some time rereading the program and researching the new updated editions! To discover that the TONE IT UP program is exactly what I am needing right now! All of this "PERFECT TIMING" led me to kicking off this last week with the 5 DAY SLIMDOWN, which led me to reigniting my DETERMINATION to want to push forward and make 2015 my healthiest, happiest year yet!

So here it is my RECAP of the 5 DAY SLIM DOWN...

This past week has not only sparked my determination, but it also helped my realign my priorities and got me back to a few healthy habits that I had lost sight of. Like setting my alarm a little earlier than normal to give myself enough time to START MY DAY with a quick CARDIO SESSION! Not only does this help me get some extra cardio in for the day, but it energizes my body & mind, as well as sets the tone for my day to help me continue on with my healthy decisions!

I have to say although not perfect as I had some social outings this past week, I stuck pretty darn close to the SLIMDOWN guidelines as far as the nutrition goes. I felt light and energized all week long, had zero digestive issues which is HUGE for me & got a at least 1 - 2 workouts in each day! Best part .... on Friday my husband said "honey you look really good, I can totally tell your program is working" WHOOP, WHOOP! HE NOTICED!!! I did weigh myself Saturday and all though I am ANTI SCALE GIRL, I knew it was important to get a read for the this 5 day RECAP so here you have it down a total 3.4lbs for the week!

As great as I feel and as a 3.4lb loss is, I am so excited to continue on with TONE IT UP lifestyle! I love that I can incorporate this with my BeachBody Coaching and continue to utilize my favorite BB workout programs too! I've already began setting up this next week with both my workouts & meal prepping. I plan to stick with several of the SLIMDOWN recipes and add in a few of the TONING recipes from the plan too!

I stayed motivated throughout the 5 DAY SLIMDOWN by staying connected to the TIU COMMUNITY! Every morning I would head to the TONE IT UP App on my phone to see the workout of the day, do a quick read of their latest blog post & check the TIU community feed to see how the other TIU members were staying motivated. Seeing their posts on instagram inspired me to keep pushing and get creative my with meals & workouts! This will definitely be part of my NEW MORNING ROUTINE!!

I also just pre ordered Katrina & Karena's new book Fit, Fierce & Fabulous which releases in May and I can't wait to read it! I absolutely loved this beautifully written statement they posted describing the Fit, Fierce & Fabulous Girl!

I'm definitely on a my way to becoming a Fit, Fierce & Fabulous girl!

Thank you for following my along this last week! Looking forward to sharing more of my journey with you;)

Here's to getting healthy & happy,

Valerie