Healthy Life Pro: goals

How Fitness Can Be Lost With Two Little Words

How many times do we justify unhealthy choices using the 'it's only' intro? Whether it�s only five pounds more, a small bag of chips, or one missed workout, it's easy to keep going once we start.

These two little words can be the start of losing our fitness. The occasional treat turns into daily choices leading us in the opposite direction of our fitness goals. The five pound gain turns into ten, two cookies are suddenly five, and several workouts somehow get missed. Two innocent words have suddenly derailed all our hard work.

The 'it�s only' dilemma can happen at any time but appears to creep back into the picture once fitness results are achieved. What we thought wouldn't make a difference in our fitness has taken us back to an unhealthy lifestyle and body.

These two words are not as innocent as one might believe. Saying 'it's only' is only for those with a strong mental game who really mean it for one time.

Let�s look at the time it takes to break the cycle of sugar craving. This is approximately two weeks or twenty-one days. If a person is two days shy of that goal and decides to break the rules for its only one time, it could snowball into continued unhealthy eating. All that hard work down the drain. This is hypothetical but happens more often than not.

I am all about moderation but starting a healthy lifestyle requires structure and discipline. Success happens when we don't cave to thinking 'it's only' is acceptable. Why risk losing the accomplishments of several days/months of hard effort?

There's no denying two innocent words can take a person from success to digress in short order. Within a few weeks, we may stand in bewilderment wondering what happened. It happened because 'it�s only' became the tool used more consistently than healthy choices.

Pay attention to that inner voice tempting you towards unhealthy food choices and skipped workouts. Be aware of friends and family who may sabotage your efforts with it's only for this one time. Besides, you deserve it, right? Wrong. What you deserve is making the best healthy choices for yourself.

Becoming aware of the two words (it's only) and how we use them to justify unhealthy choices is important to our fitness success. When we're able to identify the behavior, we can avoid setbacks in our fitness life.

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Be well and Stay Healthy!

Maintenance is the Fitness Goal

Reaching fitness goals is a great accomplishment to be praised. Are you maintaining them is the question?

Fitness is not meant to be a temporary fix but a lifestyle of health and wellness. Sure, you may rock that suit and look good in those pictures but is that all fitness means?

True fitness success is when you live it daily. Eating healthy foods consistently and exercise is part of your normal routine. In fact, getting off track for too long doesn't feel right when living a healthy lifestyle. Fitness becomes a priority and excuses no longer get in the way. You refuse to return to being overweight, sick and nearly dead. You get the point.

I've seen too many people succeed at reaching goal weights, reduced body fat, and improved health and throw it all away. The belief system we can get away with returning to a few old habits snowballs. The purpose of dumping old ways is to learn and keep new and healthier methods. This is lacking and maintaining our health is suffering.

We need to focus not only on reaching our fitness goals but keeping them for life. Life is the event we are getting in shape for not bikini season. Forget the clothes and stand naked in front of your mirror. This will let you know if you're doing a great job of maintaining your fitness. I'm not talking about body and skin changes naturally occurring with aging. We all know the difference and also if we're not living a healthy life.

We show outwardly how we live inwardly. Your body keeps the most accurate record of what you're eating and drinking regardless of what you write down. Reaching fitness goals is possible because you have done it and maybe more than once. Instead of having to repeat getting back and shape, why not just stay in shape. Real talk all in fitness love.

Be well and Stay Healthy

Are You Really Eating for Fitness Goals?

Fitness goals are awesome. We want to lose fat, gain muscle and just feel healthy, right? There is nothing better than living a quality life feeling our best. Of course, reaching these goals requires a certain lifestyle.

Are you really eating for fitness goals? Did I ping you on the forehead just now? The lifestyle required includes consuming healthy foods and exercising consistently. Not living this way should make you feel weird. Do you feel weird?

If the answer is no, there is something askew with your fitness program. It usually comes down to what you're eating. Often times we convince ourselves eating off track is acceptable because we work out several times per week. This falls under, you can't out exercise a crappy diet.

I have seen great fitness success turn into the entitlement of eating off track as a reward for doing so awesome. Your well-deserved food frenzy has snowballed into a struggle to get back on track. It can begin as innocently as saying "oh this once won't hurt me" but without self-control, it really can be disastrous.

The food we eat and what we drink represents the body we show. Think about that statement. Food is powerful and also makes us feel healthy or unhealthy. It's the primary cause of inflammation in our blood. This inflammation is said to be the root cause of increased risk of disease.

We can no longer be in denial about what we're putting in our faces. Now is a great time to perform a nutritional assessment and take an honest look. Reaching fitness goals means being true to yourself.

The great news is we can always get back on track and start again. This time, with healthier choices and firmer commitment to live the lifestyle. Fitness is always about progress and not perfection.

Be well and Stay Healthy!

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Darla Leal, Stay Healthy Fitness

I AM A GUIDE NOT A GOAL

I like that saying and it takes me back to when I was in junior high and high school. I did not always feel the best about myself, but there was always a special motivation that came from my physical education teachers and coaches. They made me feel accomplished, encouraged, and inspired me to do more and be more. It was at that young age that I wanted to be like them, to be able to offer to young people that feeling of inner strength, confidence and overall happiness. Presto...my goal in life was to be a P.E. teacher. Of course I could not climb into their bodies and become them but imagining being them was pretty awesome in my younger years. In my twists and turns of life, I am doing my passion on a broader spectrum than in a high school gym setting and I feel great about that.

The thing about life, mentors, and motivators is to understand the concept of guides, and yes to have goals. The goals belong to each of us however, and admiring someone for blessing our lives in a positive way is absolutely fabulous, and even being inspired to work in a field of enjoyment, well life does not get any better. The point I am getting to in this blog write is the importance of accepting the gift from a guide BUT having the ability to strive for our own goals and to achieve our own dreams. I am a guide and motivator for many people and I appreciate and am touched by all the wonderful feedback I receive on a daily basis. Now, I am going to get deeper here with you on this subject. I am a guide NOT a goal, and I am speaking more about the physical appearance of Darla and what that may mean to you, how it affects you, what it makes you think about, how it motivates or not, etc.

In my early competitive days, I admired Mia Finnegan and man did I want a body like hers. I followed all the nutrition plans and extreme workouts to make that happen...but I was not her. Why was I not good enough at that time? It probably did not help to be scrutinized and judged on a stage by people I did not know, who were ready with pen in hand to tear apart the body that I worked so hard to put together. It was at that time that I realized the politics that can and do exist in competition, but putting that aside, feelings of inadequacy and lack of confidence can break a person in such circumstances. My point again...I would never be Mia Finnegan and what a letdown, but also a light bulb moment of time to love ME for ME. So, I do understand when guides get skewed out of position and even placed on a pedestal, but you know what, we are all just people. I am no more special than you are, and doing what I do is a passion that I want to provide as a gift of motivation for you.

If you have noticed, I am cautious and conservative about posting self-images. When I do post "selfies", I want them to be meaningful, motivational, and touch a chord of inner strength within YOU that says...I CAN DO THIS. With all the society pressure of wanting to look like or be someone we are not, it is even more important for guides such as me to be clear in communication of how unhealthy that is. The purpose is to PLEASE ADAPT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, not to cause feelings of insecurity and discouragement. I know this is a "you can't please everyone" world and even what I am writing may come across as offensive to one and motivating to another. I am here to motivate and celebrate living a healthy life with you and that is what I will clearly communicate.

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATION

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Stay Healthy

Darla