My name is Rachelle and I am an addict

There are many things to be addicted to, and I’m sure we have all had a problem with one thing or another. I’m addicted to food, and it’s a battle but I have come a long way. Mostly in part, because of this wonderful guy named Aaron Stafford. Many people know him and many people owe a great deal to him.  I know he has saved the lives of many people by giving them the tools and showing them what they are able to do.

He has done this for me, and even through all of my complaining and questioning and often times nonsense in ramblings, he has still been there to help. This is one of the many things that are great about him and why his business has flourished the way it  has. He wants to help people change, and I have seen how dedicated he is to each and every person that walks through those gym doors.

I am an addict, I need his classes. I think about them all the time, the sweat that will be dripping off of me each class. The challenging work he gives us, and best of all the encouragement to do it. I signed a contract to continue his classes and it ends in March. I have often wondered if I will continue, if I will want to. I can tell you this, YES! I love every bit of it. I go to class everyday, even when we have class on Saturday. The friendships I have made in my nine months are wonderful. We have become a family, and we support one another in our triumphs and our flops (although there are few flops). I truly enjoy boot camp, and I don’t think I could live with out it. I don’t even want to try.

I’m telling you this for a few reasons, first, I have found something I love and that I will stick to. This is important because if you want to succeed you need to find something that you love and want to do. Secondly, registration is this Saturday and Sunday. This is your chance to see what I’m always talking about. There are more classes then boot camp, in fact, a new program called FUEL is being released ( I can’t wait, I already signed up and I’m ready for the butt kicking that will follow). There will also be two additional BOX fit classes at night. There will be so many changes so if you have attended once before and weren’t feeling it, come back and give it another try.  This is something you don’t want to miss out on. Trust me. A year will pass, will you be glad you started today or will you regret not taking that first step?

For more information or to preregister just click here and see for yourself.

Are you scared?

Let me ask you, are you scared? Yes? Good! No? WHY NOT? I’ll be honest with you, I am very scared. But, the difference between what I do with my fear now, and what I did with it nine months ago, is what I want to focus on. I live a life full of anxiety, and everyday presents a new fear or ridiculous phobia. For a long time I let this rule me, but not any more.

Nine months ago, I was afraid of failing, of not being able to accomplish what I wanted to do, of getting hurt, or looking like a fool. I was afraid that I would have a heart attack, or injure myself, or that I just wouldn’t be able to do it. I would let my fear stop me from even starting. Why do we do this? I’m here to tell you to throw those fears out the window, or stomp on them like your doing the Mexican hat dance. They are crippling and useless. Easier said then done right?  Wrong.

I did this, and guess what? I got hurt, and then I healed. I looked like a fool, but I wasn’t alone. I was able to do it, and I still can. I only get better. A little advice, take it one day at a time. You can’t fail on a large scale if each day is a new goal. I take one day at a time, and I set a goal for each day. No sugar today, BOOM! No overeating today, BAM! Portion control, POW! Target calories, ZAP! Yeah I know, I sound like a old episode of Batman, but you get the idea. Make each day a new day. By focusing on the present day, and not the day before, you can become more confident in your ability to do this. You’ll have a bad day, and slip, but that’s okay, because the next day you’re going to tackle each challenge like it’s nothing.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

You know what my fear used to be and how I over came it, so let me tell you how my fear has become my fuel. Now my fear is disappointing myself, setting a bad example for my family, going back to where I started, living a life that is less than enjoyable. These things are what I think about when I ‘m struggling, or want to give up. Sometimes, I get frustrated because I’m not where I want to be yet. I use my fears to remind me that I don’t want to go back.  It will take time, and my results will not be over night.

I talked about it before, but some of you may not have read my blog from the very beginning, so I’ll share again. What started me on my journey was a few things. I had been trying to get pregnant for four years and had been told to give up because it wouldn’t happen, and my son at five years old already had high cholesterol and was obese. I was OBESE. I hated that word, more than you can ever imagine. OBESE, OBESE, OBESE! Yes, I’m repeating it. It helps to remind me of how far I have come. I was killing myself and my child with food. I didn’t want to diet and I didn’t want to feel deprived. Guess what? I don’t, I don’t diet and I don’t feel like I am depriving myself. I treat myself on cheat days and I just make healthier choices.

It’s not a diet, but a lifestyle.

When people ask me what diet I’m on I tell them “THE I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK THERE DIET.” Did you know there is a diet called that? HAHA, yes there is. It’s called a change of diet, meaning it’s a permanent thing, a lifestyle. I can’t sell you on it if you don’t want it. Look back at what has brought you to where you are, do you want to go back there? If you haven’t started to change  your life, why not? You have to stop the excuses, and stop doubting yourself, change your mindset, and surprise yourself with how amazing you are. You can do it! Tell yourself that everyday. You are strong. How bad do you want it? If you’re not ready to commit to the change, then you just don’t want it bad enough. Picture a starving cheetah, has very little energy left, just enough for one catch. If that cheetah doesn’t catch it’s prey, it’s very well dead. Be the cheetah, your mouth watering, your heart pounding, you want it so bad you can taste it. You WILL get your prey. Now commit or go back to where you started/are, you are the only one that can make that choice.

So how do you choose?

Do as I do and as I say

Happy 4th of July! I hope you are all having a blessed day, and remembering the reason for our celebrating and shopping. I’m very grateful for the sacrifice of our servicemen past and present. It is because of their selflessness that we can cook out, go to the lake or beach, participate in the holiday’s celebrations and most of all, why we are free. You never know when your freedom is going to be stripped away, so take time to cherish it, and most of all Thank our military! 

Okay, so now that I got my gratitude out there in blog land.  There has been a thought running through my mind for a while, and I have been contemplating on blogging about it. This could be a topic that will stir up either a lot of thought, action, or possibly even anger. I hope there is a lot of the first two and very little of the third. Are you a leader or a follower?

Now think about it, and think about it as you go about your day or week. Think while you make your food choices, and while you are deciding whether or not to hit the gym. Are you a leader or a follower? It’s okay if you are a follower, at some point in our lives we all are, and there is nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong at all. But I want you to think like a leader, what I mean by that is to think about who is watching you.

When I first started attending Stafford Bootcamp, I was definitely a follower. It had been a really long time since I had worked out and I had forgotten my form and technique. I watched those that were clearly veterans in the class, and I learned from them. Now, that I am a veteran in the class, I try and help people when I can tell they are lost or when I can tell their form is going to lead to an injury. I’ve had plenty of my own and if I can help someone else prevent an injury from my mistakes, I do my best to help.

But that’s not all I do. I have adapted the mentality “Do as I do and as I say.” Why this? Well, because I try my hardest to do what I say. I may not be perfect at it, but I try my best. So why not say “DO as I say not as I do?” A couple of reasons come to mind. One, my advice is not always going to work for everyone. Two, even if my advice were perfect for everyone, no one is perfect. Sticking to something can be hard to do. This is why I say do as I do. I don’t mean copy every single thing I do, but see what I do and adapt it to work for yourself.

An example of this is when I’m in class, and worn out and feel as though I can’t continue. I stop take about three breaths and push again. I’m not going to lie and say that I continue `the exercise the entire time ( I mean really who can do push ups for three minutes straight?). I do make sure that whenever they tell everyone there are 20, 10, or even 5 seconds left that I am doing the exercise. I’m not going to cheat myself and stop when there is only a short amount of time left. This is what I mean, maybe three breaths is too short of a break and some one might need more time. Take that time but don’t cheat yourself by stopping when there is only a little bit more to do.

Another example, is my diet. I can tell you “eat clean 90 percent of the time,'” but in reality, I don’t even do that. I eat clean about 80 percent of the time. I’ve tried the 90 and I kept falling off the wagon. I’m just not there yet. I mean I have days that amaze me, I’ll juice fruits and veggies for two meals, have completely balanced meals  for the other three, and it seems so effortless. Then there are days when it feels like a struggle to make those meals balanced. SOMETIMES I JUST WANT CARBS! Who doesn’t right? When people ask me how I do it, I tell them make little changes first and to detox their system by drinking lots of lemon water. Try new things and explore new vegetables. You’d be surprised what you will like when you are open minded. This is how I have done it. I mean I hated Kale for the longest time, I could not choke it down. It would make me gag. But, I have eaten so much Kale that now I crave it! I need my Kale! Find what works for you and try your best to stick to it.

Back to the title, “DO as I do and as I say.” Sometimes my advice is really good, and you should follow it, but please see that even I am not the best at following my own advice. I try, and that’s all that really matters. We all have to try. This thought was sparked by the image of my daughter, who now copies everything our family members do. I see her reach her hand into our air popped popcorn and place a piece in her mouth, or dip her chicken into ketchup because that’s what her brother does. She also randomly does squats, because when Mommy gets bored she does some. She is watching everything we do, and I can teach her through my example. There is a saying, “actions speak louder than words.” This is very true. Children only hear about 20 percent of what their parents say (I may have grasped that number out of the air, but I know it is a really low percentage). They learn from what they see around them.

Remember that someone is always watching you. They’re watching to see if you’ll fail, or succeed, if you quit, or keep going. If you’ll let the pressure get to you, or if you let it roll off your shoulder. Someone is watching to see if you are a leader or a follower, or if you are someone they can rely on. Ultimately, it is up to you, and whatever you choose  will only effect you. I have tried to become a leader, and as I have done this, I have seen myself grow into a person I never knew I could be. The choice is yours, so choose wisely.