Being Happy

Life – it’s so weird.  Can anyone really know what it’s about or completely control how your life will unfold?  This year has been a roller coaster so far.  Losing a loved one, to marrying my only love after 16yrs together, and finding out that family and friends are going through some serious illnesses.  What can you do but just be grateful for every day we have on this earth?  YOLO – it’s an actual ‘thing’.  You really do only live once and if we only live once then I want to be happy.  Happy with myself and happy with my family and the friends I have in my life.  To do this you must understand and remember that no one is perfect.  NO ONE – myself included.

Leading up to my wedding, I tried hard to balance everything.  I don’t think I succeeded in balancing anything but looking back I’m just happy I got through it.  Was I in shape for my wedding – nowhere near where I had planned to be.  I’m not happy about it if I’m being honest.  Looking at photos I’m ALWAYS critical of myself (I’d say most people are).  It’s a process trying to look at myself and be truly happy.  I’m not looking for someone to comfort me and tell me I looked beautiful on the day.  I appreciate those comments but I’m expressing how I feel because I know I’m not alone.  But I’m ok with feeling that way because I know sometimes life has its own plans.  Late nights trying to finish assignments or study for exams and doing wedding things meant no early morning trainings.  I found it hard to stay focussed some days because I was constantly yawning away.  I would train after work but didn’t have much energy to put in the effort and then staying up again would make me hungry again and I would also snack to stay awake.  It was an exhausting cycle at times, physically exhausting but I think being mentally and emotionally exhausted was worse.  Sometimes the stress and pressure was quite high I would feel helpless like I wasn’t making progress anywhere in my life.  Crying sometimes helped and talking it through with my husband who was in the final weeks of his studies so we both were very highly strung at the time.  It’s a blessing we made it down the aisle haha.

Am I making excuses?  Maybe.  I do take responsibility but at the same time I know that to get where I wanted to be – sacrifices in other areas of my life would have had to be made.  Putting more attention into one area meant other areas would suffer.  I did the best that I could and I’m ok with where I ended up.  Healthy, alive, and marrying my best friend.  I wasn’t model size but I can appreciate what I went through to get there.  We had the most beautiful wedding and just like my life and my body – it wasn’t perfect at all but it was mine and the end goal was to marry my friend and celebrate with our loved ones.  We did that and we’re both happy.  Memories were made and now goals have been set for our future.

HOLIDAY MODE OVER!

Does anyone go on holiday and then come back struggling to get back into your training and healthy eating routine?  I am definitely struggling!!!!  I started back at work with great intentions of also starting back with training and eating healthy.  Well that was a big fail!  I’ve found myself all week thinking of things that I wanted to eat and pig out on before I start eating healthy again.  As if those foods are never going to be available to me ever again.

I finally went back to a boxing fitness class with the help of my maid of honour who has gotten back into her training.  Boxing is always fun for me so it was good to get a sweat on and hit the bag again.  I definitely noticed the extra weight as I tried to bounce around on my toes.  I also noticed my upper body fatiguing during the warm up!!!  It’s been over 24hrs since that class and I can already feel my upper body muscles feeling the burn – they are in shock lol.  I like that sore feeling, it reminds me of what I did and tells me that those muscles were being worked hard.

After not training for over two weeks, the body is going to be shocked this upcoming week.  I know to just take it easy and hopefully the fitness will start to build up again and the kgs will start to drop.  This weekend is about planning my training and meals for the week.  I have a few more weekends before study starts up again so I want to train hard until life gets crazy busy again.  I bit the bullet and jumped on the scales this morning.  The damage isn’t as great as I had expected and I try not to be obsessed the number on the scales show but it helps me stay on the right path.

I also want to take a “before” photo.  The problem with that is I think I’ve taken a million “before” photos!  Every time I ask my hubby to take my photo for me he either laughs or complains because he’s sick of taking my ‘before’ photos hahahaha.  But the goal is to finally have an “after” photo showing my progress.  I may not have had an “after” photo yet, but having “before” photos tells me that I haven’t given up on my goal to be a stronger me!  I will keep trying no matter how many “before” photos I take and one day I’ll take another “before” photo and realise that that “before” photo is actually my “after” photo.

Take a selfie and join in with me.  I mean what’s the worst that could happen?  Starting is always the hardest part!  Trust me – I’ve been trying to start for over a week and have failed completely.

It’s time to get ready for summer!!!

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Get Your Head in the Game

Did I ever mention that I would love to be a powerlifter? It’s been a goal of mine for some years now but the timing has always been off. Can’t really relocate across country, restart your life, establish a career and have a baby all while focusing on becoming an athlete. Well.. maybe not without someone else paying all my bills, and raising my child! So it’s been one of those things that’s been on my list, but I’ve never had a chance to complete. Until this year. The Universe somehow aligned and I was given the opportunity to get the training and focused attention I’ve been wanting for years but for one reason or another, wasn’t able to complete.

However, one week into training my body began collapsing. I had just begun my powerlifting program when my back/hips popped on a heavy deadlift. It’s been months of physiotherapy now and in the meantime I’ve manged to add bursitis and synovitis on my left shoulder… which I’m actually getting a cortizone shot for on Friday, an overactive trapezius on my right (which requires a lot of acupuncture – when the needles decide to go in!), and a sprained wrist to my list of injuries.

Also add in crippling depression and anxiety. Woo hoo!

It has been a long few months for me but I’m coming out the other end of recovery now.

There’s been a lot of HIIT (can you see the exhaustion?)

And also a lot of spa’s for recovery

I allowed myself a week off of training recently because burn out is a very real thing, and something I’ve encountered before. Part of being healthy is recognising triggers and signs that your body and mind are trying to communicate to you. So even though it sounds counter productive, sometimes the best thing to do is to stop, take a moment, rest and recover. THAT is how you maintain your health.

This week I started back on my strength program. I was pretty terrified to do my first day of deadlifts if I’m honest! Amazingly it felt as though no time had passed and the weights were moving with ease. If I could hug my body to say thank you, I would have.

It’s been a struggle though. Multiple injuries has definitely played with my emotions. There are days I’ve cried through entire workouts. Some days my ability to do anything was completely gone, mentally I showed up, physically I was too broken to risk training. There are only so many lower body workouts and cardio days a person can get through before they want to give up on their goals. I’ve still managed to keep shrinking my body fat, and increased my strength despite my issues, so overall training is still going well for me and I give a lot of credit to my trainer for keeping me on track and listening to my many many…many bitching episodes.

Like I mentioned earlier though, this has been my first week back training on my strength program. I have a long way to go to reach my physical and strength goals and a lot of that is going to come down to my own self discipline when it comes to food.

So now comes the really hard part. It’s not that I eat badly usually, we’re a pretty healthy family but there was definitely room for improvement so that’s what I focused on this week to coincide with my training. I’m one week in and doing well so far. I know a few tweaks I need to make to ensure I do even better and I’ll address them as the following week unfolds. One day at a time, one step at a time the goal will get closer, I will get stronger (in every way) and this struggle will just be a memory.

Have you found yourself struggling lately? What has been your biggest issue? Do you want to join me in shifting your focus to fueling your body correctly?

Trust the Process

The title of this post is one of the most fitting quotes of all time.

Trust the process.

When you’re chasing a specific goal it’s easy to feel like you’re on the hamster wheel going around and around with no real results coming your way. The desire to quit and give in, to remain the same and just carry on the way things have always been is a horribly strong one for the majority of us.

Trust the process anyway.

I’m human. There are days I wonder what’s the point in all this. I’m tired, no… exhausted, I’m freaking hungry and I still look the same.

I have literally yelled out “What is the damn point!”

I’ve wanted to give up many times.

And then this happens:

It comes back down to trusting the process.

There is an 8 month difference between these two photos.

I have nothing to complain about when I look back at the beginning image. It was the day after my partners birthday party. Life was good, some difficulties for sure but I was maintaining my focus. That weekend we’d just spent time with friends, celebrated Fathers day (his first!), the countdown to our family holiday was on, and even at that time I was spending most mornings training and ensuring my days were spent eating nourishing foods.

I had started to develop good habits again, it just wasn’t showing yet.

Eight months on, there is no denying that there is a difference in my appearance. But more than that I’m getting my confidence back. That’s what I’ve missed the most if I’m honest. I have a HUGE personality (I feel bad for my friends and family sometimes) but I’m also an introvert. My personality is often overlooked because I become invisible and shy when I don’t feel good about myself. These days my fitness levels are creeping back up daily, my mental ability to deal with the long days is increasing and that confidence picks and chooses it’s day to show up but at least it’s showing up!

The journey to a healthier, more confident self is difficult. There are so many layers to the reasons a person gains weight. I’ll try to write more about this as time goes on because it’s something I am passionate about teaching people. Fat people don’t just get fat for no reason. My fat has been a layer of protection, it’s been due to hormonal and physical issues triggered by things beyond my control, it’s been because I’ve chosen to hide my feelings and the high amount of stress endured at times in my life. If you want someone to talk to that can understand your struggle, it’s me! I’m right there with you.

The point is, these are not excuses. Life will hit hard. God do I know that… But when you teach yourself to be resilient and grow through the pain, that tiny bit of focus you have on the first day, second day, fifth day, 46th day, it will become who you are. This mindset of overcoming and achieving despite the trials you go through becomes the way you face everything in life.

Trust the process. Make small changes daily. Give yourself permission to feel, to let go and to grow. Stop focusing on problems and work on becoming stronger inside and out. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn but I can tell you this with certainty.

The process works.  Stop fighting it and just be patient. Stop expecting instant results. Stop quitting, start acting. A transformation takes time. If you work for it, stay committed and like I’ve said a hundred times and will say a hundred more: Trust the process, it will be yours.

Round Two, Fight!

Today marked the second session of one on one high intensity boxing training.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

I’m dead.

I literally want to end this post there and go cry myself to sleep. ^

I won’t though, because there was value in today’s lesson.

So let me set the scene. After I dropped my daughter off to the gyms Kid’s Club, I made my way down to the back of the gym to drop off my bag and get my gear out and on ready for my workout as per usual.

My gym prefers to call itself a health club, so it has all these different rooms along side each other, but yet separate. One of these is set up for boxing/kickboxing and sits right in the middle of the club down some steps.

As I was walking toward the back I happened to notice a boxing bag wasn’t hanging in it’s usual spot and instead had been set up to sit on top of box jump mats (big black square things) and was leaning against the wall.

Hmmm that’s strange.

At that moment, my stomach dropped as I had a hunch that that bag was there for little old me…

But theeeen, oh yes, I spotted another trainer working with a woman who happened to move into the boxing room. I’m off the hook! I breathed a sigh of relief as I started my warm up and let the thought go.

Until.

Until Justin appeared with a grin and, I swear, jumping up and down with excitement, he hops over to the bag and smacks it before he tells me “This is for you! Have you ever done fireman’s carries?!”. Of course I haven’t done bloody fireman’s carries… I’m a stay at home Mum. But now that I think about it, this new technique may come in handy with a stroppy toddler.

We start training. Today’s agenda: shuttle runs, round after round of jabs, uppercuts and hooks and then it was time to address ‘Barry’ the boxing bag.

First of all, I could lift it. The problem was carrying it up steps and through the gym lobby to the front door then back down again. I mean, I did it and it was ugly and I’m preeetty sure I would have dropped it on the way back if Justin hadn’t ‘helped’ me.

Third round, because my shoulder was starting to tingle from an injury that comes and goes as it pleases, we adjust the carry so that I don’t break. Now it’s in front of me, which I found much easier. New problem though, I’m boxing and my hands are incredibly sweaty (coz I’m gross like that) and because it’s hot trapped in boxing gloves. The bag attempts to slip out of my hands but we get it back and up on the boxes to sit again.

This time having had to lend a hand so the bag didn’t drop out of my slippery hands Justin suggests switching the bag over to a barbell and weights. I agree and we load it up to the same weight. 60kg. No wonder it’s hard to carry. I’m carrying my teenage daughter around! (And as I type this I giggle because I can squat a hell of a lot more than 60kg. Carrying it around a building, people, and stairs on one shoulder is another story!)

We do more rounds of shuttle runs, boxing and lifting this heavy ass weight around the gym. He adds a basic burpee into the mix, just for fun. Ohh yay.

Can I add there’s barely any rest going on here.

Justin’s having so much fun torturing me he laughs when he spots me looking at the clock, counting down until mercy. In this moment he shouts out something along the lines of “You’re booked in for half an hour right? Let’s go for 45 minutes! Yeah? Come on! Let’s do 45.” At first (because he’s laughing) I’m thinking he’s joking so I’m just shooting him the evils. At second thought though, the smartass in me pipes up and says “Yep! You’re gonna give me a free 15 minutes? Let’s go!” Still kinda hoping he’s joking. “I don’t have any clients after you, so I can do it!” He responds.

So guess who got a free 15 mintues?

This gal right here.

I’m an idiot.

We finish the round and instead of grabbing my barbell off the rack he calls out to follow him. We run up the steps. Up to the door. Out the door…. Wait a minute, what? You’ve got to be kidding me! We’re still running. I suck at running. Everything already hurts. It’s heavy lifting week and leg day was yesterday. Still running (time slows down I swear) and we head out around the back of the carpark.

I want to yell out ” You better be running us to Wendy’s!” (Wendy’s is next door) but I hold back because I know my smart mouth will just get me into more trouble.

He takes me to the fence and we stop.

We must be close to finishing!

“Alright Chavah, you see all those pretty white lines?” I know he thinks he’s funny because guys don’t say things like “Pretty white lines.” I just silently give him the death glare as I try to catch my breath. He’s literally laughing as he repeats himself. His smile is as wide as his arms that he’s got spread open pointing at all the ‘pretty white lines’ in the carpark. “Shuttle runs to each one and punching in between. Let’s go!”

I can feel myself fading fast, who needs to breathe anyway? But I keep moving, albeit slower and slower. He’s realised how much I despise the run so across the carpark he calls out “If you run the rest of these, I promise we don’t have to run back to the gym, we can just slow walk.” “Thank f*ck” is all that goes through my head. Everything feels so heavy. I start running again and don’t stop until all the sets are done. It works. Bravo Justin.

Back to the boxing room. I’m finally allowed to stop. 2 minutes rest. Strangely enough I was ready to go before 2 minutes was up. Time for the final round.

We start with more pad work, 5 rounds, burpee and shuttle runs in between, over to the barbell, up the steps, through the gym to the welcome mat and back down again.

We’re done!

So why are we running out the door again?

Turns out the set included another round of carpark agony.

My legs are numb. They feel like logs I can’t lift because I can’t even feel them anymore. My punches are pitiful and I had to will my arms to move, mentally, 3 times before they would move just once physically.

But you have to finish. You don’t stop when you’re tired, you stop when it’s done.

Finally, I ran to the last white line.

Victory!

Things that I learned during that training session:

• When Justin’s old training place did the fireman’s carries, the girls bag was lighter than the guys. I did the guys weight.
• No other female clients have been made to carry a boxing bag.
• Apparently everyone was staring at him giving him dirty looks when they saw him making me lift the bag/weights. I was too focused on surviving to notice anyone else but that sixth sense of ‘someone’s watching’ say’s this is true.
• The ladies at the front desk must have been worried about me because they stopped me on the way out and very seriously asked me if I was ok. (I’m actually very ok everyone hehe.)

So here’s my take away:

I asked to attempt fireman’s carries with ‘Barry’ again sometime down the track. Why? Because if it isn’t obvious by now I have a death wish… kidding. Because I want to conquer it. In life we all come face to face with challenges. I want to make what was once difficult, easy for me. This is something I consistently work at making a habit. From parenting techniques, new work projects, writing a blog, to training. I don’t like to feel defeated. So stay tuned friends, one day, hopefully soon, I’m going to Fireman’s carry the shit out of that boxing bag!

Watch this space.

 

 

 

 

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

A lesson I learned years ago when I first realised my love of lifting, was that I needed to break out of my comfort zone and do things that 1 – I didn’t feel like doing, and 2 – were hard for me. I had quickly discovered that my legs are strong as can be, but my upper body left a lot to be desired.

I’m blessed with what the world likes to call bat wings aka fat arms. For most of my life I had no idea that it was actually possible to get rid of those things! I just accepted that that was my lot in life and hid them away.

What I learned though, was that through focus and determination, I could achieve goals that I NEVER knew could be achieved. I found myself starting with exercises that I liked the least (upper body) and then rewarding myself with what I deemed the ‘fun’ exercises at the end (lower body). Eventually I learned to love all of it.

And the result?

Proof that you can sculpt strong arms, even if you have bat wings.

So with this memory in mind, I decided that I needed to address the fact that I despise cardio. Can you hear me screaming? However, it’s something that must be done for my overall health, and it definitely aids in weight loss so I should really make more of an effort.

Enter Justin. He’s a new personal trainer at my gym, Club Physical. I had read his intro that the club had placed up by the water fountain and noticed that he has a history with boxing. Now, Sherilyn is the boxer in this Stronger You duo, not me! BUT I have previously trained with Toa Fighting Systems and I know what type of conditioning can happen when you participate in martial arts training, so in a moment of insanity I decided to psyche myself up enough about getting my butt kicked, that I approached Justin. I asked him to help me with some high intensity boxing sessions.

Ugh.

I shouldn’t have asked haha. What was I thinking?

He didn’t hold back. About 5 minutes in (was it even 5 minutes?!) I wanted to escape and fake my own death. He’s asking me to throw hooks at the end of a million jabs and I already can’t lift my arms! This carries on for another 5 minutes before I blurt out “OMG, you realise I’m fat right!” to which he repsonds “You’re fit though. Let’s go. LEFT!”

If I could lift my arm high enough to jab that face….kidding, kidding. I don’t want to get knocked at my next session.

I survived though! It wasn’t pretty. I felt so unfit. My collarbone ached, I was dripping everywhere, my arms shook, I choked on my water, and the 5kg weight Justin had me hold over my head toward the end felt more like 50.

But as I walked away, I felt accomplished. I was grateful that someone was willing to push me and help me reach my goals. The pain is now a distant memory and I’m looking forward to our next session.

Leggo!

What’s your verdict on cardio? Do you love it or hate it? How do you get yours in? Let us know in the comments below or chat with us on Facebook.

Non-Scale Victories – That’s What I’m Talking About!

A lot of the time people put an emphasis on what the scales say and tend to use this as the sole measurement of their progress.

DON’T!

If this is something you do, stop it right now!

By all means you can use the scales on your journey to track your progress over a long period of time, after all, we are aiming to improve our health and well-being and that may mean dropping or adding some pounds. But to rely solely on this as your measurement of progress will likely cause unnecessary agitation during your journey.

What I’m suggesting is that your open your mind to thinking about your transformation on a much larger scale, and start monitoring your non-scale victories as well!

So what is a non-scale victory?

It is anything that marks an improvement that stems from your choice to live a healthier lifestyle.

Did you sleep better? Are your pants looser? Have you been making better food choices? Has somebody commented on how good your skin is looking? Are you happier? Or maybe you were brave enough to wear a swimsuit for once, like I did here?

There are SO many ways to measure your progress. Don’t do yourself a disservice by focusing on only one part of the journey.

Celebrate your achievements. Be proud of your success! Don’t shame yourself into a negative mindset just because the scales aren’t showing your victory yet.

So now that everyone is aware of what a non-scale victory is, I hope you realise that there is plenty to be proud of while you’re on this journey.

Here are a few of my highlights from the week:

1: For the first time since having my 1 year old daughter I have been able to pump out 20 push ups in a row. 20 x 3! This is a huge success for me as I have a bad pelvic injury that reoccurs during/after pregnancy and believe it or not push ups engage this part of your body. It means I have strengthened my core and back enough to confidently say that I am close to being fully recovered! Next goal… make them feel easier than they were… haha.

2: Today I was asked by a very fit and strong guy (think rugby player) at the gym to spot him while he was bench pressing. Why is this a non-scale victory? Because I am a woman! There is a perception that I would be too weak to help him. There were other men around that he could have approached but I know he’s witnessed me train and on this day he chose not to discriminate against me. It made me feel strong that I could be included and trusted to help him under that amount of strain.

3: While attempting to regain my strength as I drop the pounds, I loaded up the bar to do some deadlifts. My intention was to stop at 120kg and call it a day as I didn’t need to max out, I just needed to work my muscles under some heavy weight. After the first deadlift at that weight I felt shocked that it was as difficult as it was because that’s a perfectly undemanding weight for me to move. It wasn’t until I was resting between my sets that I realised I had miscalculated and was actually lifting 10kg more than I had planned, all due to a miscalculation of weights. Strength victory!

4: My denim shorts are much, much looser! You know something is happening when your non-stretch denim is fitting favourably.

Your turn! What are some of your non-scale victories lately? Share them in the comments and lets celebrate together.

Don’t forget to follow the journey on Facebook. Share your journey too and let’s support each other.

5 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Going to the Gym when You’re Overweight or Out of Shape

What if I told you that I know this fear well? If I told you that I’ve cried more than my fair share over feeling inadequate because for brief moments in time, my brain has convinced my soul that the way I look, me… just me, should be ashamed of the way my body presents itself to the world. That many times over and over again I fell into self loathing because… if you don’t look a certain way then surely you have no reason to be confident! *insert eye roll*

I’ve been every size on the planet. I am also a mother of 5. With each pregnancy my weight has increased. After each child (bar one) I have worked my big ol’ butt off trying to regain my confidence through achieving a strong, healthy body that I am proud of. And I’m proud to say that each time I have attempted to achieve this goal,  I’ve attained it.

Now, my body has been through the wringer. At one point in my life I tipped the scales at 150kg. As a woman that is only 5’2″, the stretch marks that cover my entire body tell this story. At times I feel that I should be ashamed of them, but what am I going to do? Cut the entire length of my body to remove skin to try and look perfect? I think that’d do more damage than good. So I own it. I was small, then I got big. Then I was big and I got small. Now I’m smack-bam in the middle again and about to take you all on a journey with me.

The point of this article is to encourage you. To let you know that despite the fear that you may have going on inside of you, despite that voice that constantly talks you out of working toward achieving your desired results, I’m here to tell you that you are worthy, and that no one will think any less of you for showing up at the gym while fat. (Shock horror, I used the F word!)

“They’ll look at me in disgust and might say something.”

“You can’t even fit clothes to go to the gym! Just stay home and don’t embarrass yourself.”

“Why even try? It’s too much right now.”

This is the internal battle people around the world face when they find themselves in situations, just like mine.

So how does one work through the mental turmoil that plagues women (and men) all over the world?

Here are 5 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Going to the Gym when You’re Overweight or Out of Shape

1 – Realise You Are Perfect as you Are:
Do not believe the self deprecating thoughts. This body is the only one you will ever have. You are entitled to look any way you wish! Realise that even though you may not be where you would ideally like to be, that you’re still the shit. Being larger or out of shape doesn’t mean that I’m any less kind, or funny, or honest when it comes to offering my opinion. I still love to laugh, and dance, and make people feel good. The person I am is not dictated by a number and neither are you. I just happen to know I feel better about myself when I’m living a healthy lifestyle. You still have great qualities whether you’re size 2 or 24. The body that you have now, today, will be the reason you come out the other end so strong and proud of what you achieve. Learn to accept what you have now, while working toward your desired result.

2 – Seeing You at the Gym Makes a Regular Gym Goer Proud:
Sure it’s obvious that you’re not a regular there…yet. But no one is judging you poorly. Instead it sets a fire alight inside our bellies. We’re cheering for you! Silently wishing you well and if you take a moment to make eye contact with us, you can expect a smile, not harsh criticism. We’re always up for a new gym buddy.

3 – Everyone is There for the Same Reason:
This leads on from point number two. Did you know that everyone at the gym is there for the same purpose as you? Yes that includes the guy with bulging muscles and nipples peeking out from behind his tank top, and the girl with resting bitchface that looks like she belongs in a bikini at the most exclusive resort in Bali. The couple who make every movement look flawless, and the big guy that just apologetically wiped up all the sweat he dripped on top of the bench he was using. That Mum that looks like she’s about to pass out? She’s there for the exact same reason as all of them. Everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is there to better themselves. To spike those feel good endorphins and walk away feeling like they’ve accomplished something. You are not alone, I promise!

4 – If you Don’t Try, You’ll Never Know:
That life you’ve been living in fear… How’s that working for you? Need I say more?

5 – Find that Thing you Love:
This is one thing I always, always, tell my friends and family. If you want to be successful at anything, do what you love. It rings true when it comes to training too. But how?! How do you know what you love when you’ve never entered a gym before? You test it out. Are you a dancer? Do you love the thought of stress relief through throwing some punches? Would you like to zone out and walk for an hour with your headphones in? I like to lift heavy shit! Almost every type of gym out there will offer you a free or low cost trial. You don’t have to force yourself to go somewhere that you don’t like. Shop around for the right fit, like you would jeans or a dress. There is something out there for everyone.

Bonus Round

6 – Take a Friend:
Personally, I prefer to train alone overall. But! There are plenty of times where having a workout buddy has been a real highlight. I’ve had sessions with many different friends. I took part in a bootcamp because my friend wanted someone to go with. Zumba was always fun when I went with the girls!… And then there was this one time I booked a private dance lesson for my birthday, with a bunch of friends. Ooo lala!

Staying accountable by chatting with my girls in private chat happens too. My partner is full of muscle and I feel extremely motivated when we head to the gym together and I can look up and see him pushing the weights around.

If you are shy or afraid, reach out to someone you know and trust for support. There’s probably someone close to you wishing for a workout partner, just as much as you are.

Are you up for the challenge?

What’s your favourite way to train?

Let me know how you go!

Don’t forget, we’re here to support you too, so head over to our group and say hi!

THE Dress!!

According to my count down app, I get married in 3 months, 2 weeks and 3 days!!!

Planning a destination wedding was never part of our initial plan but we made the decision early this year and we can’t wait.

I have never been married before, never planned an event like this before and I must admit my anxiety levels rise every time I think about it.  Our plans aren’t going exactly to plan or as smoothly as I’d hoped but along with the anxiety also comes a bit of excitement.

One major thing I ticked off the list this week is – I have found my dress with the help of my bestie and put a deposit down for it.

The bridal consultants at Kellylin Couture were amazing.  They make you feel special and give you their honest opinion.  It’s funny that the very first dress I tried on in their shop was the one I fell in love with.  I tried on others but they didn’t make me feel as special as the first dress.  So, I said YES to the dress!!

Although my wedding is 3months away, I only have 8 weeks until my dress arrives in NZ and I have my first fitting!!!

I only plan on getting married once, so for the next 8 Weeks I intend on putting in a bigger effort than I have recently, to ensure I feel as comfortable and confident as I can when that dress arrives.

Feel free to join me on this journey.  You’d be amazed at what a bit of determination and keeping your eye on the prize can do for you.

I have A LOT of things going on at the moment with my family, study & work so I know this isn’t going to be easy – I’m not perfect, and I know at times ill struggle but I know what I’m capable of and I have set a plan to meet my first goal in the next 8 weeks.

It’s never too late to start!!

Are there any other bride-to-be’s out there? Do you have a special occasion you’re wanting to look your best for? Get in touch on Facebook and let’s do it together!

Think Before You Speak!

After my 21 Day Challenge I feel like I have finally built up some healthy habits and have used this week to put those habits to good use!  Healthier food choices, training hard – I finally feel like the old me is coming back and although I would love some instant gratification and instant results.  I’ve been battling long enough to know that these things take time and as long as I put in the effort – the results I deserve will follow.

Today I finish my third fighters class in a row for the week, I’m sore but glad I came where in previous weeks I would’ve found an excuse not to go.  I’m at my bag trying to catch my breath after a hard skills session when a person says to me “Sherilyn, you’ve gone MAAAASIVE”… whilst standing there in disbelief he went onto say “you should come back to training everyday”.  In shock I just replied “yeah im trying…”.

Not only were these comments hurtful but being said in front of my peers was so embarrassing.  Was I meant to feel encouraged?  Was I meant to feel motivated by someone putting me down like that?  How did this person think I was going to feel?  This person obviously didn’t think because I know it wasn’t meant to be malicious and that’s my point exactly – Think before you speak!

This isn’t the first time I’ve had people say things like this to my face.  Since putting on a bit of weight over the last year or so (I’m not in denial), I have noticed the way some people who knew me when I was skinnier now view me differently.  I’ve seen people look me up and down with their judging eyes and it’s not because they’re wondering where I got my amazing outfit from.   The real ignorant people actually say comments like this to my face.  They include those that make comments as a “joke”.  I’ve had family members say things and one even pointing at me and calling me a beached whale as a “joke” – I didn’t see anyone laughing so what’s the point other than to be rude or make yourself feel better about yourself.  The ones that are normally dumb enough to speak without thinking normally have never had a weight problem in their lives and are just straight out RUDE!!!

How people can say such things is beyond me!!  I can’t fathom ever saying something like that to ANYONE.

In recent times I have struggled with self-esteem and being happy with myself at any size – comments like these don’t help!  A big reason I stayed away from the gym and contemplated joining a gym where no one knew me, was for this exact reason.  I thought that people would see me with a few extra kgs and judge me.  Talking it over with trusted friends, I decided to build up the courage and think that people wouldn’t be thinking that.  I guess I was proved wrong tonight!!

If I’ve learnt anything over these past few weeks, it’s that no matter what you do, what you look like – some people will always judge you.  Why should their thoughts matter to me?

Was I upset after these comments – hell yeah I was upset!!!  Angry, sad, shocked… and maybe a few weeks ago I would’ve stopped going back to that gym and fallen back into bad habits.  But tonight as I reflect on the day and that particular unnecessary moment, I feel like I don’t really care anymore and I’m not going to let this hinder my progress or stop me in my journey to a happier, healthier, stronger me!  I’m really proud of my efforts this week – to go back to the gym and shadow box in front of a mirror surrounded by fitter, smaller boxers was a small achievement and I have many more small achievements ahead of me which will lead me to my ultimate goal!  So although I still have a long way to go and I’m still not perfect, I know in myself that other people’s thoughts have no place in my life.

Why can’t people be more encouraging and uplifting?  If someone had said to me today – wow it’s awesome to see you back into training, keep coming to get your fitness back.  How much of a difference this would’ve been!!  I just wish that more people would think before they speak!

Have you had uncalled for comments spoken to you before? How did it make you feel? Drop us a line in the comments and talk about it with us here.

Oh Yes She Did!

Shut the front door.

People, I have an announcement to make!

Today, while out with my family… I wore nothing but my togs (swimsuit for anyone not from NZ.)

*gasp*

This is something I NEVER do!

Being raised not only with a Polynesian background but also in a conservative religious household, I was always told to cover up and be modest. Yes, even at the beach.

This actually became somewhat of an issue as I got older because then I started having extreme anxiety over showing my arms and legs, ever. It  took years to realise that showing these body parts is actually not a crime against humanity.

But today. 32 years into my life, at the beach I finally stripped off my lavalava (sarong) and lay in the sun burning my pale white buttocks. And everybody, it felt great!

My partner snapped this shot and my face is screwed up because I didn’t want him to. I’m grateful he did though.

I’m still about 40kg bigger than I like being. My body is covered in stretch marks and cellulite. But just for a minute, I let myself live.

I hope I do again…

Non-scale victory my friends.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone like this? Tell us about it below in the comments or find us on Facebook. We want to hear about your victories!