Its HELLA HARD to admit when you're struggling.....I GET IT, I TRULY DO.....

Many of my clients will hide and stop posting when they feel that they're struggling with fitness and nutrition.......I get it.......I hide when I'm struggling in LIFE.......or my "positive" posts are fewer and farther between because I'm struggling to find the "great" to share........WINK WINK (times have been hella hard lately).

The truth is that its HARD to ask for help.....to admit that you can't do it all......to admit that you're struggling......but WE ALL STRUGGLE.....we all stumble....we all fall!! THIS is what makes us HUMAN and RELATABLE. This is what connects us to each other.......

It's ok to derail....it's ok to fall apart....its ok to cry....to give up.....to let go......but it's NOT OK to let that get in your head and allow it to DEFINE YOU!!!!

YOU are MORE than your struggle. YOU are MORE than your fall.
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Get up....try again....do your best, and KNOW that YOU are ENOUGH!!!! 

OK here goes.......
SOOOOOO last week I posted a video, wearing a sports bra and shorts and I was pleasantly surprised to receive quite a few private messages and a discussion on my team call about my saggy mommy tummy - yep, I said it!

I had women telling me that they felt NORMAL because they saw that they were normal.......that despite their thoughts of me as having a perfect six pack.....I DIDNT.....that I still had bits tucked away just like they did! Tears were shed and emotions exchanged....this is the REAL stuff that makes us RELATE to one another!!!

YES I had a sixpack before getting pregnant........YES I still have crazy core muscles.......YES I had the saggy mom tummy BEFORE I got pregnant with Keelyn, YES I STILL have it cause, I mean, I JUST had a baby 6 weeks ago........

YES, just like everyone else, I tuck that sucker in.

To my friends who haven't had kids who questioned the high waisted workout pants out there wondering "how" that's fashionable.....it's NOT but you know what.....it's realistic.....that's where we put our incredible reminder of the amazing journey our bodies went through to carry and deliver our precious babes.

NO I do not want a cream or wrap to make it go away, I know that it will get smaller as I continue to exercise and eat healthy! NO I'm NOT ashamed of it, nor am I ashamed of my "Mommy marks". YES I embrace it.......just like I embrace my saggy Mommy boobies.......
Have I considered a lift or implants....YEP, am I gonna do it? who knows? I waver back and forth on it all the time.....I truly don't think I will, but so what if I do. This is all about how we FEEL about ourselves........if you wanna get a tummy tuck, DO IT. If you wanna get a breast lift DO IT.....if you feel shame or embarassment about your saggy bits....its NORMAL.......if you wanna fix it, fix it. If you wanna tuck it in, tuck it in, but don't for ONE second think that you're alone in the self-image issues you're having! You're SO NOT.....every single woman out there has SOME part of themselves that they don't like or think about changing......

every single one of us tries to embrace and love ourselves as we are.....some more successful than others.

So here is another video, showing ME.....with my real, saggy mummy tummy!
I'm JUST like YOU! 💖
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sidebar........im super proud of my BIG....she NAILED that workout with me, burpees and all! THIS is another part of my WHY....she's learning what it means to take care of herself with fitness and nutrition 😜

Make them your REASON NOT your EXCUSE!

My 6 week old can't do it YET, but my 3.5 and 5.5 year olds CAN.  I started this journey when Shanna was 2 months old, and Layna 2 years old.....and look at them now! It's all they know!

It wasn't always easy to workout with them awake....but over time, they got used to the fact that mommy took 30 minutes almost every day to do her exercises. Now it's part of OUR life.....they're seeing first hand, the importance of fitness and nutrition from both Mommy and Daddy!
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I had a gazillion reasons NOT to workout today, but after checking in with my challengers, I dug DEEP and made it happen!
Booya WE FRIGGIN DID IT

This week is a brand new start for so many people!!!

Getting started is HARD....often harder than we think. And while we may have goals and plans....the reality is that sometimes we allow our minds to get the best of us and give up too quickly! We have a little bump or many bumps which combine to make us waver in our confidence and self-esteem!

We may struggle through the workouts....feeling like complete failures....not making it through the whole minute, or the whole set....or not being able to keep up.......stopping during the moves, shaking our head, cursing, some even crying as they try to push through.....THESE are all real, true emotions and feelings that many will experience as they get started!!!

This journey is a process.....its effing hard man....especially in the beginning - we are so used to a certain way of being, and this healthy lifestyle stuff is so easy to let go of when outside factors and noise cloud our minds!!!!! Fast food and junk everywhere at the office....temptations everywhere you turn......

what i can tell you is that......

THE GRATIFICATION OF SAYING NO....OF MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES is such a great feeling! Relish in those feelings when you choose the path that aligns with your goals. HELL I wanna hear about it in here......POST about your WINS....what are you doing that's helping you reach your goals NOW.......that you previously didnt really worry about........every decision you make is part of the process and IT MATTERS........every step of your journey is worth celebrating....the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens!!!

​Congratulations team......2016 is off to a great start!

Don't forget WHY you came here.......don't forget what your goals are.  

Don't forget that every bit of effort you put into this journey will SHOW itself in the form of results.  Those results MAY not show as a number on a scale....they MAY, however, appear in photos, where you notice that you have some definition where you didn't before......or in your pants that fit a little better this week.....or in that shirt that used to be snug that's nicely falling, embracing your beautiful body..........

They may present in inches lost, or mood improved, or energy enhanced, or sex drive amped up......there are so many indicators of progress and success.......REMEMBER that your body is changing from the inside-out....your mind, your body....your organs....your overall well-being is being enhanced by the changes you're making, daily....and the consistency you're demonstrating!  

Do NOT give up on yourself....I URGE you........to use the group....to post when you're experiencing successes......to post when you're experiencing struggles.......so comment and support your team mates.......to post every single day!  Show up......even the littlest of things can add up to create HUGE success and change!  You matter.....and so does your effort!!!  

You're WORTH this fight!  You're WORTH the effort.  You are in charge of the future........don't look back, unless you're measuring your progress.......chin up!  Dust yourself off......get your head in the game....and make TODAY count toward TOMORROW <3  

TOUGH LOVE is just that....its freaking TOUGH man.....Its hard to dish it and its sometimes hard to take it.....but for those of you who can use it....here's a dose for you!
You cannot be disappointed with the results you ARENT having from the effort you're NOT putting in. AND.......if you THINK for ONE second that GIVING up is going to make it better, you're KIDDING YOURSELF.
YES, that is typically what happens. We bust our asses for a week or two, some see results and keep going, and others don't........they get depressed, they eat shit to cope with the depression and frustration, they stop working out and throw in the towel, and guess what
IT GETS WORSE.......you gain MORE weight, you feel even SHITTIER about yourself, you set yourself back further than you were when you started the first time and the cycle continues.
The TRUTH is that this journey is EFFING hard.....if it wasn't everyone would be doing it! BUT THEY'RE NOT........LOOK AROUND......3/4 of our society is overweight or obese.........its AN EPIDEMIC.......one that WE, as coaches, are trying to combat one day, one life at a time.
THIS IS NOT EASY....I repeat, THIS IS NOT EASY. It takes drive. It takes dedication. It takes persistence. IT TAKES TENACITY AND HEART..........you WILL NOT see results overnight.....but throwing in the towel when you're frustrated........I CAN GUARANTEE wont' get you the results you're after.
SO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO........are you gonna give up? or are you gonna FIGHT for this?
Are you gonna be like the rest of the world who stays in a body they hate cause they just don't have the will to try anymore?? Or are you going to find it IN YOU, intrinsically WITHIN YOU........the STRENGTH, THE POWER, THE WILL to make a change?
You have to want to change more than you want to stay the same or you will never stick with this EVER. If you keep giving up YOU WILL continue feeling that same shitty feeling about yourself. If you REALLY want to change, YOU WILL DO IT......YOU WILL.
DO THIS FOR YOU. Do it for the times you've cried.....for the times you've avoided a mirror, for the times you've kept your clothes on while being intimate, for the times you left the change room CHOKED UP......for the times you couldnt keep up with your kids.....the times you were so exhausted from going up the stairs or doing some menial activity......the times you felt inadequate or hated the skinny fit girl (self-hatred played out).....the times you hid behind baggy clothing....the times you avoided a party or gathering situation due to lacking confidence, self-esteem and self-love........DO IT FOR THE CHANGE YOU WILL FEEL INSIDE.......about YOURSELF..........You DO NOT have to live like that! YOU DON'T.
But YOU have to commit to change. I can be here posting every day.....I can connect you with a program or Shakeology.....but I cannot make you use it or do it, or cook healthy or opt out on the drink or snack. I can't. I have to fight my own battle and travel my own journey and SHOW YOU that if I can do it, you can too!
YOUVE GOTTA WANT IT guys!!!!! JUST effing DO IT and STOP giving up on yourselves!!!
Steele's tough love, truth syrup of the day
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No matter our shape or size, we are always our own worst enemies.

Traveling any sort of "transformative" journey exposes us to life altering experiences. We are changed mind, body, and spirit and as part of that, our perceptions of ourselves also change....While there may be things that we changed that we LOVE, we will often find new things we dislike, making the journey to self-love an on-going one.

Loving oneself is just that...an ongoing journey...it's not static, but ever-changing. We will always be setting new goals and working toward them, continuously pushing our limits, exposing new "faults" but hopefully also celebrating all that we HAVE accomplished along the way.

Never stop traveling the journey....for when you stop....you may find yourself back at the start, though physically changed, still feeling emotionally and mentally broken. Enjoy the process and learn about yourself along the way 

My thoughts on this Tuesday morning.

<3 Coach Alida 

​TRUTH.....many people "know" how important it is to eat breakfast....telling our kids to eat it so their minds will be stronger and their bodies will have energy to function at school/preschool/daycare etc. but ......how many of YOU actually listen to your own advice?  

Even before having kids......I didn't actually LISTEN to the whole breakfast thing......I would drink coffee till 1-2pm and THEN I would eat something and then nothing again till dinner time.  

TRUTH: that is one of the leading causes of weight gain, among other things.  By NOT eating small frequent meals throughout the day, you are allowing your metabolism to SLOW RIGHT DOWN, and hang onto whatever it was that you last fed it, typically storing it as FAT so that it can rely on that source for energy when it's BONKING OUT.  

If you're doing this, you're more likely to fee sluggish, exhausted, lack significant brain functionality, be irritable, and YEP the big one, struggle with losing any weight, despite, maybe the fact that you're also going to the gym or working out on the daily!  

YOU MUST fuel your body with FOOD.....nutrition that will keep your metabolism running!  Think of your body like a car.......how well does your car function on fumes????  NOT SO WELL.....and we know that if our oil is frequently changed and topped up, we will also see improved function.......the SAME goes for your body!  Feed your body frequently so it has fuel to burn.  When you feed it, it processes food, which means that it's using it as fuel and converting into various sources.....this means your body is NOT storing it as FAT....it's USING it.  

TRUTH: many people think that eating MORE food will cause them to gain weight - WRONG......feed it small frequent meals (breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack, and dinner) so that it can continue running and burning and you WILL see an improvement in your energy, functionality, AND you will start to lose weight without even HAVING to do any activity!  

NO JOKES........you may think breakfast isn't important, like I did, and continue on with your habits, but I urge you to try to transition......Eat within 30-45 minutes of waking.......listen to your tummy when it growls at you a few hours later, FEED IT......and repeat until dinnertime (3 meals and 2 snacks later).......and I PROMISE you will start to see steady change that will have you craving more change!  

I wish I had listened sooner!!!!!!  

Something I come across often is that people truly WANT to change......they really and truly do, mostly because they lack self-esteem, confidence, and self-love, for whatever reason.

Fitness and nutrition are typically one avenue that many seek to embrace to embark on a new journey, working on the aforementioned lacks above.........

It truly is a journey...and one that is So much more emotional, psychological, and mental than it is physical. The physical byproducts and benefits are absolutely incredible.......but just wait till you surprise yourself with the internal changes.........THOSE are what make us truly stronger......from the inside-out.

It takes EFFORT.....day in and day out......if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. No one said that CHANGE is easy......especially when it takes consistent effort, dedication, and determination.......but when you are surrounded by like-minded people, and those are have or are also traveling the journey......they GET what you're experiencing........they KNOW the ups, downs, and in-betweens of a journey like this........

CHANGE begins with you......You have to want to change more than you want to stay the same, and have the ability to self-motivate, self-inspire, and self-propel...........Others can be there to support and encourage you, but they cannot do the work for you.....that's all on YOU. Pointing fingers or blame gaming won't get your anywhere. Own your journey.......make it yours.....and commit to baby steps/changes EVERY SINGLE DAY........

Be prepared for a whole new WORLD of LIFE to happen........Self-love starts with you........but spreads SO far......the impact you can have on others simply by working on YOU is HUGE.........but it all starts with YOU.

My thoughts on this beautiful Hump day

<3 Coach Alida ​