It takes work!

Sometimes I get discouraged about this journey of weight loss.  Just now I read something that, for some reason, made me feel pretty motivated to keep going.  It is found here and it is by the actress Scarlett Johansson.  You may have seen her recently looking like this:

yeah, she looks good!

Her words were actually in response to some allegations made in tabloids about her weight loss.  But some of what she said really struck a cord with my recently-distracted-and-somewhat-discouraged heart.  She said:

"While training for an upcoming film, I've come to this conclusion: chin ups are near impossible and lunges suck. There is no magic wand to wave over oneself to look good in a latex catsuit. Eating healthy and getting fit is about commitment, determination, consistency and the dedication to self-preservation. While I've never been considered a gym rat, I have, in fact, worked up a sweat in the name of cardio before, and although I enjoy a grilled cheese as much as the next person, I combine the not-so-good foods I crave with an all-around balanced diet.

People come in all shapes and sizes and everyone has the capability to meet their maximum potential. Once filming is completed, I'll no longer need to rehash the 50 ways to lift a dumbbell, but I'll commit to working out at least 30 minutes a day and eating a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and lean proteins. Pull ups, crunches, lunges, squats, jumping jacks, planks, walking, jogging and push ups are all exercises that can be performed without fancy trainers or gym memberships. I've realized through this process that no matter how busy my life may be, I feel better when I take a little time to focus on staying active. We can all pledge to have healthy bodies no matter how diverse our lifestyles may be."

This is the mind set I have been hoping to be able to establish and maintain for the rest of my life.  I know that it is true.  I know that working out is not fun and that everyone wants to eat what they want to eat whenever they want and maintain their goal weight, but it just isn't feasible.   So we must continue in healthy habits and love ourselves for what and who we are.  I hope these words help you girls maintain a healthy mindset as it has done for me.  Enjoy your weekend!

Thinking forward...

Now that we have been at this weight loss thing for a little while now, I hope everyone has either felt or seen some kind of changes in ourselves.  I am not talking just about physical appearance or sizes but about how we feel about ourselves.  It have recently realized that it is not as important to love how we look as it is to love how we feel about ourselves.  As a little challenge for you gals, I want you to think forward about how you want to feel at the end of this journey.  Maybe you want to feel more confident.  Maybe you want to be more positive to yourself and towards others.  Maybe you want to have your looks be less of an issue to you on a daily basis.  Maybe you want to feel like yourself in your own skin.  Whatever it is that you want to feel like, work towards that state daily.  AND while you are doing that let it be a great motivation for reaching your weight loss goals!  You will reach that if you consistently work towards it!!  Have a great day, gals

This woman looked the most genuinely happy and real.  Love this.

Link

Workout!

Hopefully everyone is still motivated and positive about this experience and the goals we have set.  Reaching any goal has it's ups and downs and sometimes the downs are lower than we may have experienced before.  I hope that no matter what happens or how you have detoured, you have got to keep on going and know that there is some exciting things waiting for you ahead!

I have been thinking a lot lately about working out.  I know lots of people have questions when it comes to the best workouts or what they can handle or what they should do to get the results they want.  I am definitely not a expert about this. I often find myself WANTING to do an effective workout in the small amount of time that I have and I usually end up wishing that I could have done a scientifically-proven efficient workout that I can do with out a whole lot of hassle (AKA  lots of equipment, prep time, or confusing moves).  While viewing Pinterest the other day, I saw a workout that many people have posted before.  It seems to me to be a pretty good one to have in your back pocket.  If you have some extra time or you just want to have a workout in your head at all times, this might be a good one to take note of.  Here it is:

(Before I continue, I sure hope anyone reading this knows that working out is not supposed to be intermediate, so to speak, at the beginning or contain intense pain ever.  If you are just getting started working out, you should definitely ease into this one.  I am not a expert [is it obvious? :D] so please read this knowing that.)
So, back to the workout.  Well, it seems good because it contains aerobics with some muscle toning.  I know that both of those help with the overall shedding of fat and the health of your body.  I also really like how the numbers help you remember how many of each move you should do.
So, if you find yourself trying to think of what you should do in your precious spare time, you might consider applying this or just some of the moves to get started.  It seems like a challenge worth taking on!
I will leave you with a picture to get you motivated to get moving!  I love you girls!

I am pretty sure I NEVER look like this when working out but its a nice picture.

A New Start!

Welcome to our blog!!!  I, Jennie, created it but I am hoping that everyone will have a chance to contribute so that it will be a much better way to get us all pumped!  PS Thanks to Brittany for putting the idea in my mind to start this blog! 

I am not great at blog design but I wanted to make one that was pretty neutral in style and kind of expressed a little bit of what I think all of our styles are.  (Did it work at all? lol)  I put this background both for the style aspect and so that we could all imagine how great it would feel to be on a beach somewhere, in our bathing suit, feeling totally confident!  It is going to happen and I know it is a part of our future plans!

another inspiration...plus, its just beautiful, like you girls.  (cheesiness aside, it is true.)

 Keep doing great, gals!