I finally got tired of not having a plan, a workout partner and mostly feeling out of shape and I joined a fitness group.  A few weeks ago I saw a friend post something online about her fitness journey the last year.  She posted a before and after that just happened to coincide with the 4th of July.  She had lost over 30 pounds and she looked amazing.  I messaged her before I could talk myself out of it to tell her she looked amazing and of course, ask her what she had been doing.  I was so thrilled to hear that she had literally been busting her ass every week working out.  She didn’t have some miracle cure, detox tea or seaweed wrap to sell me, she had been eating a well balanced diet and doing the work.  She told me she had joined a fitness group online and she could put me in touch with the trainer if I was interested.  Again, I said yes before I could overthink it and tell myself I knew how to workout, etc.

It turns out that this lady used to be a weight lifting competitor and also  train people out of a gym.  She moved and decided to train people online, saving her the overhead of a gym and giving her the ability to reach as many people as she likes.  Now, I realize this is not as personal as having my own trainer, but it’s also not just a bunch of  20 something instructors in spandex telling me what to do on a video screen.  The workouts are 30 minutes each and they are different every day.  Each Sunday, the trainer posts 4 new workouts for the week.  This is just my third week, but I am loving it and considering how sore I have been it must be doing something, right?

I am sure I could achieve the same results with a video, running or doing one of the many workouts that I know how to do.  It’s never a lack of knowing what to do that gets us in trouble, IT’S NOT DOING IT! We all know what to eat, what NOT to eat, how to work out and how to burn calories; we just don’t follow through.

It’s always about showing up and doing the work, but the accountability of a group is always an added bonus for me.  I need routines and I need people.   When I trained for the 50 miles with G from afar, I did it but it was hard.  The only two things that got me through were the fact that I was actually going to have to run 50 miles and the accountability of writing about my training each week on the blog.   Accountability is a huge motivator.

I always prefer at least one other person that I can be accountable to.  When I look back on the times that I have been the most successful and actually stuck with a program, it always involved someone else.  Apparently, I am okay with not showing up for myself, but I will always be there for someone else.  This is a serious flaw, but I am working on it.  I also know that once I get back into working out and taking care of myself on a regular basis, it becomes easier to show up for myself.

This blog is my way of showing up and being accountable.  What about you?  What do you need in order to show up and be successful?

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G