One of the questions I get asked quite frequently from the time I decided to publicize my fitness transformation is, how I accomplished it. Let me start by telling you that, though my journey may have started as a weight-loss one (misinformation on my part, because what I really wanted to do was to tone my body not get skinnier), it soon became all about becoming fit and adopting a healthy lifestyle period. That being said, I would like to share some pointers that may make your journey a little easier. (My pointers are not written in order of importance; I believe all the points are important)
1 Set a realistic time frame! If for some reason you want to get toned for a vacation, please do not wait to start one month before the due date. It’s impossible to see any real progress in such a short space of time. Not only will you be stressing the body but it will react to this, and you may not care for the end results.
2 Stay away from processed foods (any food that doesn’t come directly from the earth), added sugar; also limit your salt intake.
3 Choose a workout regime that you enjoy, that way it will be easier to stick to it and therefore you will be less likely to quit.
4 Having a support system is paramount to your success! Though you may falter and the feelings of frustration may overwhelm you, having family, friends or a support group can make a world of difference to you because they may be able to provide some form of encouragement, motivation and support. If there are people who have stories of their own which you can relate to, it may provide that boost that you need. For me, it was my boyfriend and the Blogilates community (Posters) and my Instagram friends.
5 If you are truly serious about your journey, you must be prepared for it physically, mentally and above all else emotionally.
6 First, you need to do research about fitness (workouts, healthy eating). The problems I faced at the beginning of my journey were due to my own ignorance. I was skinny fat and I thought that by doing cardio all the time, it would get rid of the fat and tone my body. Doing all this cardio, got me very skinny with no muscle definition and I still had some fat left.
7 Whether your goal is weight-loss or simply trying to become healthier, there is no easy way to accomplish it except through sweat, determination and endurance. Banish shortcuts from your mind! There is no magic pill, magic tea or fad diet that will help you to become and remain healthy.
8 While you need to stick to people who motivate and encourage you, stay away from people who are negative. Their negativity simple sucks the life from everything and may dissuade you from your journey. I have had my share of negativity “you are already skinny why are you working out”, “you are so vain”, “you are so obsessed”…just to give a few examples. At first I tried to explain, but then some didn’t believe that I was just trying to keep healthy, so I eventually ignored all the comments. You are doing this for yourself, not for them right?
9 Ensure that you have sufficient calories to sustain your new lifestyle (at the beginning of my journey, I used to eat 1400 calories, I eat 2600 calories now). Never starve yourself! Try to maintain a eating schedule at the beginning…eventually it will become habit.
10 Ensure that you get enough sleep, so that your body has an opportunity to regenerate.
11 Lastly, and this is my personal preference; I try to balance my workouts. I do a mixture of weightlifting, yoga, and HIIT. Weightlifting because I want to gain some muscle (some bootay) and strength, yoga because flexibility will help prevent injury and I find it super cool and HIIT because I want to keep my metabolism high.
NB: Please do not forget to reward yourself for your hard work. Me? I have an awesome Yolo meal once a week…it includes all my favourite foods… bring on the FRIES, ice-cream, chocolate and cookies…lets party🎊🎉!
These are all the points that helped and continue to help me. Hope this makes someone’s journey a little easier.
Good Luck Lovies 🙏🏽
XOXO💋