goals

My Fitness Journey

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 by LetlerFit

In 2011, I started as a freshman at FIU, which included taking night classes and meant having to quit my 12 year tae kwon do journey and fitness altogether for awhile. I didn’t switch to the gym because I had never used one and I felt dumb walking into one not knowing what to do, at least that was my excuse and I held on to it until I watched myself go from 140 pounds to 170 pounds between 2012-2013. I became sluggish, my skin that I had worked so hard to clear up after puberty hormones gave me a pizza face, broke out again, and I hated not fitting into any of the clothes I’d been wearing for years. ⠀
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I did every diet in the book (paleo, calorie counting, excessive caloric restriction (1200 calorie days), etc.) and nothing worked, because I viewed it as just what it was, a diet. While I was trying to get it together in the food department I got into crossfit for awhile before transitioning into powerlifting and now general fitness.⠀
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I currently weigh 149 pounds (I did get down to 145 in 2014) and man has it been up and down. I am so grateful for every up and down in this fitness journey of mine because it has taught me everything I know today. Because of the downs I learned how to pick myself up and keep going. Learned how to have a good and healthy relationship with all foods (including donuts), maintain balance, and of course how to exercise.⠀
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My greatest joy is applying the knowledge I’ve learned in school to be able to personally cater to every single one of my clients as well as knowledge from my own experience.⠀
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If you’re currently like I used to be and just frustrated, don’t know where to begin and are looking for exercise, nutritional, or guidance in both departments shoot me a DM with your goals, I would LOVE to coach you. I know how satisfying it is to feel energized and happy because your have a healthy relationship with food and exercise.⠀⠀⠀⠀

Learn more about the best online fitness program which includes comprehensive programs focused on shifting towards healthier eating habits, staying fit, and building a better booty. You’ll also find a variety of fitness apparel to help get you that extra motivation to take your goals to another level. Contact me today to learn more about the best fitness programs available to get your body in gear.

Ms Health and Fitness 2018

Posted on June 21, 2018 by LetlerFit

It’s been awhile! But I am happy to come back announcing I am currently in a competition to win Ms Health and Fitness 2018. The first round of this challenge ends Thursday, June 28, 2018. Please help me show the fitness industry it’s possible to be considered healthy and fit without having a 6 pack!

Vote for Me Here!

Sticking to Your Exercise Program

Posted on April 24, 2018 by LetlerFit

Did you know sport psychologists have actually conducted research on why people begin exercising and why they do or do not stick to it? After 6 months, 50% of people who begin exercising, have quit!

We know that people begin exercising because they want to:

control their weight
reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease
reduce levels of anxiety and depression
enhance self esteem
socializing
because they enjoy it

The problem is people love to make excuses like:

lacking in motivation
perceived lack of time (number one documented excuse by the way)
no social support
lack of finance
feeling tired and lacking energy

Here’s why people struggle to adhere to their exercise program:

Sometimes trainers ignore a clients psychological readiness and focus on prescriptions solely based on fitness data without taking into account their mental state
trainers create an overly restrictive program
boring exercise prescriptions based on principles of intensity, duration, and frequency can be too much for beginners
traditional exercise prescription does not promote self-responsibility or empower long-term behavior

So what can we do as trainers or fitness goers to make sure we become part of the 50% who sticks to it?

Understand that life happens, plan for vacations, sudden deaths, last minute interferences–but do not let them derail you and defeat you
develop healthy coping strategies for dealing with stressful situation–i.e. do not eat your feelings
replace the work “should” with “want” Should puts pressure and expectations on you. How much better does I want to lose 10 pounds sound compared to I should lose 10 pounds?
Positive self-talk and avoiding negative self-talk is key!
identify situations that put you at risk for unhealthy behavior (possible bars, fast food restaurants, tail gates) and find a healthier solution (organic restaurants, farmers markets, going kayaking)
Do NOT view temporary lapses as catastrophic (for example “i already had a piece of cake and ruined my diet. Might as well eat the whole cake and start over on Monday.”

You are your Biggest Excuse

Posted on April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 by LetlerFit

Last month I finally decided to stop using school (I never use work) as an excuse to not make it to the gym and get my workout in. You know what happened? The week I declared that, a million and one extra obstacles (i.e. a term paper, quizzes, an exam, 2 assignments) all popped up in one week! ⠀
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When you declare that you will no longer be using your specific excuse as an excuse isn’t it funny how all of the sudden that excuse is magnified whether it be extra school work, extra work hours, your kids getting sick, emergency vet bills, household appliances break, your car breaks down, whatever it is….extra obstacles are created. Making it easier for you to continue using it as an excuse, but this is where you need to dig deep and realize it’s life testing the commitment you made to yourself.⠀
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There will ALWAYS be something to make excuses for, your life can always get harder, but what separates the goal achievers from the wannabes are the ones who are conscious about the excuses they make and do NOT let them get in the way of your goals.⠀

2018 Goal Tracking

Posted on March 13, 2018March 13, 2018 by LetlerFit

Have you walked into a gym lately? Remember what it looked like on January 1st? I haven’t had to wait for a platform, a piece of equipment, or a machine to open in weeks! It’s a bittersweet feeling. Sweet because I’m human and i’m selfish. I hate waiting for what i want to use to be open and i hate fighting for machines. Bitter because the fitness professional in me knows it’s because most people have given upon their fitness resolution.

This blog is for the ones who are about to throw in the towel. If you are almost at your goal, snap out of the lazy funk you are ALMOST there! If your goal seems a bit farther away. Re-do the goal! Break it down. If you are 10 pounds away, 15, 20 etc. break it in half. Set a time goal. Healthy, sustainable weightless occurs at .5-2lbs per week. Knowing this, set a date for when you want to hit that goal. Most importantly, remember WHY you made that goal.

Sometimes we struggle, lose motivation, but knowing we are in the rut and making the conscious decision to get out of the rut makes all of the difference.

2018 Blog Goals

Posted on January 10, 2018January 10, 2018 by LetlerFit

Last year I would have bursts of blog productivity followed by dry spells. It was also my first year really focusing on my blog so for this year I made several goals for the blog this year.

Create more valuable posts. I feel like lat year sometimes I would post just to post.
Continue to educate people about real fitness, but to also make fitness fun
Be more interactive with those who comment, I always read, but sometimes do not respond.
Be more consistent!
Continue with my main goal: Empower other women into fitness.

If you have any blog topics or suggestions, I would LOVE to hear!

New Year, No Bloat

Posted on January 8, 2018January 8, 2018 by LetlerFit

Last Monday was January 1st, however most people I know were still on holiday mode and officially started their “new years resolutions” today!

So if you started working towards those fitness goals today, feeling that holiday bloat, this post is for you! I for one went up exactly 8.8 lbs last month..oops! Already dropped 4.6, working on that last bit to get back to normal this week. How did I do this without cutting calories drastically?

I typically drink 1 gallon of water a day because that’s what my body asks for. During the holidays however, I felt myself getting dehydrated because I was barely hitting half a gallon of water a day. So this passed week I over did the water with 2 gallons every day. Flavored it with lemon because blehhh I need flavor in my life. Peed my life away, got re-energized, got rid of a lot of the bloat! This week I am back to my regular 1 gallon a day
I worked out!!
I cut out all the processed junk and ridiculous amounts of sugar. Basically went back to my whole foods, healthy diet. Overdosed on antioxidants (fruits and veggies galore).
I caught up on my sleep. Ironically, I didn’t get much rest during the holidays. Catching up on sleep helps reduce internal stress levels. When your body is less stressed it’s more inclined to get rid of weight.
Started my 21 Day Cleanse

Was the 8.8 lbs all fat? Definitely not! Last week the weight was honestly just bloat, water retention, backed up plumbing. The weight I tackle this week to get back to my normal weight is more than likely going to contain some fat, and therefore may not come off as quickly.

Good Luck with the post holiday de-bloating and remember I am always here to help you!

New Year, New Goals.

Posted on January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 by LetlerFit

31 days of neglecting my blog and just feeling a massive blog plateau. Last night I got hit with tons of new topics to start off 2018, which I am so excited to write in these upcoming weeks.

With the start of 2018, comes the mass resolution hysteria, for many they have already given up 6 days into the new year. Why? They verbally say the big goal out loud without actually breaking down the steps and creating the action plan needed to reach those goals.

In 2016, I wrote down my goals and how I was going to achieve them and put them by my door so that I would be reminded every day that I was working towards achieving them. That year I was able to cross off 90% of the goals. In 2017, I did the same thing only I did not place them somewhere I would see them every day and sadly, only hit 45% of my goals. HUGE difference!

So this year I broke my goals down into the following categories: Fitness, Business, Personal, and Social Media.
I then took green, yellow, pink, and orange flash cards and cut each color in half.
Next I wrote down the main goal on the flash cards along with step by steps needed to reach that goal
I found a spot on my wall that I see every day when I wake up and go to bed and taped each flash card so I am constantly looking at them and reviewing them.
As I reach those goals I plan on tearing off the flash card and sticking it in my drawer.
The ultimate goal of course: An empty wall by December 31, 2018.

Resolution is making the firm decision to do something, yet so many of us fall short. This is because we get lost in the hype and forget to get down and dirty by creating the plan of action. I hope you have not started losing motivation to chase those 2018 goals by creating an action plan, placing it somewhere you see them every day, and GO AFTER IT!

4 Ways to Keep Yourself Motivated To Workout

Posted on November 2, 2017 by LetlerFit

Working out is hard! Feeling sore, sweaty, and smelly is not in the least bit glamorous. At the end of the day a workout is typically 60 minutes or less out of your 24 hour day, so there’s really no reason you can’t set aside 3-5x a week where you make yourself and your goals a priority. Here are 4 ways that I stay motivated, ways that work for ME and hopefully can work for YOU!

I do what I like. For example I HATE running, I HATE low intensity steady state cardio, I am not a major fan of yoga for myself. Keep in mind I am not saying none of those have their benefits, because they do. I just hate doing them for myself so instead I stick to what I love, weight training, interval training, and circuits. You are more inclined to make what you enjoy a priority.
This next method is a little vane, but it works in the short term. I buy an article of clothing that wearing it would require me to stay consistent in order to make the clothes/outfit look better. It’s a great tactic to get me through those short term bouts of feeling lazy. But you do need to hang it somewhere you will be constantly reminded.
I don’t just set weight goals. Sometimes the scale is not an accurate results provider, so instead I’ll make a goal like “I want to get my waist down to 27in” or “I want to gain 2in on my glutes” or less vane goals like “I want to get my squat back up to double body weight” “I want to be able to hit _____ rounds in this circuit” This way we aren’t just fixated on the number
Lastly, I am very much motivated by the fact that I am one of the first in my family to really make health and fitness a consistent part of their lifestyle. I want to continue to do so because many before me let themselves go for a bit and are now scrambling to get it together. I want to physically set the example for what a consistent health and fitness lifestyle during your 20s, 30s, 40s, and so on will do for you as you age.

5 Unusual Places You Can Go To Get An Amazing Workout

Posted on October 30, 2017October 30, 2017 by LetlerFit

The gym is not the only place where you can go to get your days workout in! You can go to…

The Park: The benches and fences make some great make shift equipment
Living Room: Grab some dumbbells and/or resistance bands and get going!
Backyard: Great for a quick body weight workout! Do you have heavy planters? Throw them up for some overhead squats.
Bleachers/Stairs: They can turn into a real life stair master….and just like the stair master it can get real very quickly!
The beach: Walking, let alone running in the sand can be a major workout! Even swimming in the ocean.

Would love to know the most interesting places you all have worked out at!