“The human body is the best picture of the human soul.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein

Every new year, the most cliche resolution people have is to start exercising and get into shape. My resolution is not to start, but to continue. I have had an on again off again relationship with fitness for about seven years now. My journey began a couple years after I moved out of my parents’ house and starting living with my boyfriend (who is now my husband). Cooking for ourselves, we would just make whatever we wanted, disregarding whether it was healthy or not. Soon enough, the two of us started to notice we were gaining weight. It is difficult to admit this to your partner, especially when you love each other no matter what, but a good relationship is built on respect, honesty, and trust (amongst other things). We decided to take action by buying a gym membership. This phase did not last very long. Though trainers explained to us a good routine and how to use the equipment, getting ourselves to the gym was the problem. We would often make excuses, and this eventually led to the gym membership being a waste of money. Almost a year later, and money wasted, my husband suggested we should try exercising in our apartment. Now I had no excuses because I didn’t have to leave the house in order to exercise. Using Tony Horton’s P90 (the precursor to P90X), we both exercised pretty much every day, watched what we ate, and lost weight. It felt great.

Fast forward a couple years, and P90 was getting painfully boring. We bought a house, and the exercising stopped. We got engaged, and now I wanted to get into shape again. This time, we used Chalene Extreme. I kept up with it pretty well, and was very satisfied with my body leading up to our wedding day. After we got married, we did P90X and P90X3. After completing the schedule, neither of us looked ripped. Mind you, we were’t exactly watching our calorie intake. Then my husband got an idea after my visit to an orthopaedic surgeon – let’s try strength training. After doing some research, we bought weights, a bench, and a squat rack and set it up in our basement. Our workout routine was based off Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength. Starting out, I was intimidated; I would ask myself if I could even do it. Watching videos online really helped with form, and still do. My husband and I kept up with this for a year. We were definitely gaining strength, as I was able to progress each workout and lift/squat heavier weights, however, my clothes were starting to get tight. Though I wanted to believe my ill-fitting clothes was due to all my new bulging muscles (haha), it was because I was putting on just as much fat as muscle because I once again wasn’t keeping track of what I ate. Since this past May, my husband and I have committed to tracking our caloric intake, while continuing to strength train, which has been very successful. I feel better than I have ever have before.

I wanted to share my journey because it is such an integral part of my fitness philosophy. I’ll admit it – I hate exercising. I don’t find it fun at all, but I love the results. I want to stay healthy as I get older, and be able to be active. They say you are only as young as you feel, and keeping active definitely gives me energy. When I was feeling discouraged, I found comfort in another blogger and fitness guru, Nia Shanks of Lift Like a Girl. Her words have, and continue to inspire me. She focuses on being the best version of yourself, which are the wisest words I have heard from any blogger. You have to do what makes you feel good, what gives you confidence, and pushes you to be proud of who you are and your accomplishments. Fitness, above all, should be for you, not anyone else.

Though I’m certainly not an expert, here are my fitness tips:

1. Set a goal. If you don’t have a goal, how will you stay motivated? How will you continue to push yourself to do your best? For me, my goals were focused on how much I could squat and deadlift. Never in my wildest dreams would I think that a woman my size could squat 180lbs. It’s because I had the right mindset (and yes, of course, was consistent in my exercises). Your mind is the most powerful tool in fitness.
2. Be consistent. I workout 3 times a week and I have a schedule. This keeps me on track and accountable.
3. Workout with a partner. My husband has been my number one supporter, and without him, I honestly wouldn’t have picked up a single weight. He keeps me motivated, and encourages me every step of the way.
4. Watch what you eat. I love food, and enjoy the yummy fatty stuff, but in moderation. Think about what goes into your body. It’s easy to feel guilty when you indulge, but don’t forget that you want to enjoy your life. I like what Nia Shanks once wrote, that if you get off track a few days, get over it and move on; you can’t undo the past. When weightlifting you need to track your protein intake; the recommendation is 1g of protein for every pound you weigh.
5. Celebrate your achievements. Don’t be too hard on yourself. These are things I continue to need to remind myself.
6. Don’t give up. It’s so easy to, which makes it more difficult to start again. Find a fitness routine that you enjoy and makes you feel good afterwards. Workouts don’t have to be painful to be effective.

What are your exercise routines? What is your fitness philosophy? Be sure to comment below!