New Mindset

It's crazy how you can feel so different when you live in a place that's not truly home to you. When the hubby and I originally moved across Canada (from Ontario to BC), I thought it would be a great opportunity for change, fresh starts and new scenery. Quickly, I realized how much I missed home.

In Kelowna, BC, near the end, I felt so unmotivated, anti-social and truly missing friends and family. I struggled to even work out! There were days when I would sit in all day using my chemistry course as my excuse for doing just that!

That all changed when I moved back home! I was talking to friends and family again, and felt happy *phew*

I signed up at this awesome gym, too! Get this...it has a workout area with TV's on the treadmills and bikes (and I must also mention that ALL of the equipment is top of the line), has towel service with a lovely sauna and steam room, racquet courts, 4 indoor tennis courts (plus, 4 outside, as well), fitness classes included in membership (I know this is normal, but had to add it!) AND last but not least, heated floors.

A dream come true gym, that's locally owned, and I would much rather support them than big corporations!

So, now that I'm back into my fitness routine and spending as much time as I can with friends, I feel like myself again!

Where there any times that you felt upset or depressed from a situation you didn't like?
What help keeps you happy and motivated?
What features do you love about the gym that you go to?

Shred!

Yesterday was awesome. I had the opportunity to meet Tommy Europe...you know, 'Bulging Brides' and 'Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp' guy, that works your ass off. Well, he was in Kelowna doing a class. I was debating for a few days whether to go or not, then I finally told my husband and he's the one that said, "just go for it!" Thank goodness for him, or else I probably would have just made some excuse not to go. But I'm glad I did, and glad I got to check out the gym where the class was being held. Had I never went to Tommy's class, I would have never got a chance to see how awesome the gym was on the inside (looks like crap from the outside, which is probably what has prevented me from ever wanting to register there!) and meet Tommy!

All-in-all, I got my butt kicked (in a good way), got to meet an awesome fitness leader and do something different. I'm one of those people who is afraid to do new things by myself, but sometimes it's good to do things you're scared of. You're not always going to have someone there to hold your hand for everything, so just take a chance!! The best part about the workout was getting to learn new things that I can now, go home and do on my own!! Best part!! That's my fitness update for now, until next time!!

[caption id="attachment_41" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Working out with Tommy!"][/caption]

Challenge & Realization

So today I did the thing that all women try to avoid...taking pictures in a bathing suit. These were not your usual 'at the beach' photos though, these were an attempt at 'before' pictures.

The good thing about 'before' pictures:
-motivation to improve!
-realization that your body isn't as good as you thought it was (this is good, because you NEED that realization to get your ass in gear)
-when change is successful, you can look back and laugh at it, and appreciate how hard you worked

The bad thing about 'before' pictures:
-wow, you're gross!
-you realize that, that is what you truly look like (camera's don't lie!)
-you've probably been in denial for upwards of 6 months
-until the change starts happening, this is what you will continue to look like!

Taking the pictures was the right move though, it has honestly encouraged me to workout hard! It's my challenge. My challenge because I want to take picture in a few months time and say, "wow, look how far I've come along." This was my first time ever taking 'before' pictures (I always thought they were a bit tacky, since they are always shown on the baaaad infomercials), but I just decided to do it, because it holds myself accountable to improving those images - unless I could find an identical (skinny) twin to pose for me haha!

Depending on how the tone-up goes, maybe once complete, I'll post the before AND after pic (since the 'before' won't be as embarrassing if there's an amazing 'after' to follow)...just maybe. Actually, I WILL post them once I have successfully gotten to the place I want to be...this is me being positive and convincing myself that I will be successful. Your mind is a powerful thing and can really determine how things turn out. But, I'll save that for another post!!

Happy working out everyone! I hope that you are successful as well.

PS- To see what I'm doing to get in shape, click here! It is sooo intense.