Operation Non-Fluffy Abs

As women I believe there is one thing we all do. We over analysis our bodies. We look in the mirror and we don't like a, b, or c. We see pictures in magazines that have been photo shopped and airbrushed and yet we have dreams of looking as slim and sexy as the woman staring back at us from the page. We buy magazine after magazine on how to shape this or tone that, read diet book after diet book and still we feel as if we are a hamster on a spinning wheel, right? 

We can place blame in many places as to why we do not look like the goddess on page 23, but the truth is we are not blameless. We allowed a, b or c to happen. We sat on the couch day in and day out. We ate Doritos and drank Pepsi like it was going out of style. We indulged in cheesecake at every opportunity and we were just too damn tired to cook so we stopped off at Taco Bell. Most of all we didn't go to the gym, didn't run those 3 miles or meet up for that long walk with a friend. 

We all have choices and those choices are the reason we find ourselves picking apart our bodies and dreaming of a physique that most of us are still too lazy to get up off the couch and chase down. We can try to place blame here and there, but as Jillian Michaels said, "At the end of the day your health is YOUR responsibility" 

I've been working hard since September 2011. At that time my goal was simple. I was 160 lbs and I wanted to be 125 lbs. I'm still not 125 lbs, but I've not quit. I've not given up. As I've continued my goals have evolved into more and more. Not just with my body either, but performance as well. I am learning constantly that I'm far more capable of things than I ever gave myself credit for. When I first started training with Herman, my personal trainer, when doing ab work he would tell me, "Now get that picture in your head, you know what you want them to look like, picture it" and he is always telling me how good it is to have goals. 

I'm constantly setting new goals. For the past 4 days I've been on a new nutritional plan and learning how to work with it in hopes that it will help me get to where I want to be. I've known for a while that my nutrition was lacking. As I go through these 6 weeks I'm taking photos along the way. Recently, I posted photos of where I started, where I am and where I'd love to be. 

This morning I created a new collage and set it as my desktop! I may even put it as my screen saver on my phone as a reminder. I allowed myself to get to 160 lbs...only I can change that. I may never look like Amanda Latona, truth be told I don't want to look LIKE her. I want to look like ME, but I love her physique, it gives me a goal - something to aspire to. 

Left photos: November 2011. 

Middle photo: Amanda Latona. 

Right photos: May 2 2013. 

Changes are coming....

This is a collage of me picking apart my body as we women do... It is hard to see but in the corners it tells you: Hidden, Fluffy, Pulled in, Relaxed and Pulled in. We are talking about my stomach here. The area I'm hell bent on changing. The big picture shows how well I can "hide" the fluffy abs pictured in the top right. I know I still have work to do in this area. It is the area I am hoping to see the most changes in at the end of this 6 weeks. 

Stay tuned & I'll keep you updated on the progress...

1. Are you making good choices today?

2. Do you have some goals set?

3. How bout a plan of action? 

Get out there and make yourself! You can do it!