Amy's Adventures in Fitness

The name of my blog is no accident.

Taking on a healthier lifestyle is definitely an adventure for me. The truth is, I was getting lazy. Complacent. Ok with the fact that as I was getting older, I was also getting wider and weaker. The closer I get to my 40th birthday, the more freaked out I find myself about being healthier. It’s totally a cliche, but if it gets me moving, who cares?

So here I am, with Bing Crosby crooning Christmas songs in the background, plotting a better future for myself and my family. My husband and kids deserve the healthiest me I can give them (and I need to be my healthiest self in order to keep up with them).

This clean eating and fitness thing–I didn’t see it coming a few months ago when it seemed like I was more than willing to wallow in the situation I found myself in–heavier than I was right after my son was born 4 1/2 years ago. Ack. I felt powerless to do anything about it. My previous half-hearted attempts didn’t work immediately, so I chucked them and went back to hanging out with my friends, Hershey, Ben, and Jerry (hey-o!).

But when it seemed like my course was set, I suddenly noticed that a friend at work was looking really good. Fit. Happy. Healthy! Bringing in really tasty lunches and not starving herself. I finally asked her what she was doing–I had to know. She told me she’d been doing a program called the 21 Day Fix from Beachbody. Normally I’m totally skeptical of anything and everything when it comes to new diets. After all, I’ve tried a ton of them and look at where that had landed me. But her results were obvious. And I desperately wanted what she had.

So I took a chance on the 21 Day Fix and I’m so glad I made that leap. In a nutshell, this is no fad diet. It’s all about exercising seven days a week, and eating clean, unprocessed foods in healthy (sometimes too generous, even) portions. Honestly, the foods are things I already like, minus the fast food and big bowls of cereal that were becoming my crutches for eating on the go. Now I’m all about planning out a week’s worth of healthy meals–lunches in particular–including lots of veggies and lean protein.

The harder part for me to tackle was daily exercise. I took a look at my schedule and realized that getting up really early was the only way I could guarantee I could get it done every single day. So now I’ve started getting up between 5:15 and 5:30 a.m. to stumble my way down to the living room to turn on the DVD player and get a move on. It hasn’t been easy–I have to put my iPad in the bathroom so I get out of bed and trip my way over to where it is to turn the blasted thing off.

But here’s the thing: As hard as it is, after seven weeks, I can’t imagine going back to an existence without exercise. I should have called my blog “Well duh, Amy,” because many people have already figured this out years ago. I’m a slow learner, I guess, and I seem to need to learn things the hard way and to figure them out for myself to have them really sink in.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? I’m no expert. I’m a novice to this whole fitness thing myself. I worry that I’m going to fall back on old habits, even though I feel so good now that I know I’d really regret backsliding. I’d love for you to join me if you feel the same way. We could figure this out together, and even learn things the hard way together. I hate to admit it because I’m stubborn and something of a know-it-all, but it takes a village to bring about meaningful change. We can benefit from each other’s good ideas and come out on the other side being healthier and happier for it.

Join me for a fitness challenge group starting Jan. 5. Workout at home on your own time, when it’s convenient for you for less than the cost of gym membership. Learn how to eat the right foods in the right portions. Best of all, find tons of support and accountability using a Facebook group of like-minded challengers.

Look for me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/amysadventuresinfitness. Please “like” my page and look for more blog posts at amysadventuresinfitness.com.