Last time we talked about:

1. The importance of confidence and attitude
2. The need to have a mental chant
3. Speaking to the mirror at least twice a day
4. Owning a Love Journal
5. Creating a Before and After List for and about YOU
6. Finding people you respect and aspire to be
7. Having goals, passions, and hobbies
8. Having a list of accomplishments

This time we will discuss putting actual action behind your mindset to help build and solidify your confidence and attitude for loving yourself. And that first step will be…

working out!

Heads up: my discussion for this was longer than expected, so today’s post will be entirely devoted to just that. Let’s head straight into it!

Put It Into Actions

9. Working Out

One way to love yourself is to give–actually give–yourself a reason to love you. Or maybe even give yourself two reasons. One of which can be that you LOOK good. And another? That you FEEL good.

Here’s a third one: got any haters? An ex-lover? Or a former friend? The best revenge is showing that you’re living life well without them. So if you got a few enemies, let them pump you up and supercharge you for your new workout regimen! Show them that you’re living the high life, the best life, and the best version of YOU. And the perfect way to do that is to, yes,

look AMAZING and, more importantly, FEEL amazing!

And play some killer music. Here’s a good one (or one of my go-tos):

Video from YouTube

Let’s do some workouts!

I already revealed who my two favorite Fitness YouTubers are in the blog post: How to Love Your Small Boobs, but I will post it again here for anyone who has not read it yet.

They are:

1. Pamela Reif (formerly “Rf Pamela”), and
2. Chloe Ting.

Now, both of them have full body workouts, but I like targeting specific areas on my body; mainly, my legs and butt. I also do arms and sometimes abs, but don’t worry, these girls have both target workouts and whole-body workouts. Just search them up and pick your preference! You can click on their names up above and you will be taken directly to their YouTube pages!

My personal favorites, though, are these two videos from Pamela:

Video from YouTube

Video from YouTube

I ALWAYS do them because I love most of the workouts that she does and has in both videos.

This is extremely important and I will explain why later below!

(In Tip #6)

Chloe also has a good butt workout program called the 5 Week Booty Challenge. Now, have I personally finished it? Haha. Honestly, no. Buuut, I did get to the third week by a day or two. Do I still recommend it? YES! Absolutely!!! However, be warned: I suggested her to you guys for a couple of reasons; she’s tough, BUT she makes you feel good after (the workout).

A tiny thing I love about her 5 Week Booty Challenge webpage is that you, yes, can subscribe to it, but that you can also add your own YouTube playlist on there!!! What a cute and convenient function! 🙂

Before you get started working out, though, please let me say a few things. I used to be a certified personal trainer, so here are several tips to start your workout on the right foot because it is critical that you do your workout right; otherwise, you’re going to hurt yourself, and then you might as well have not done it at all!

Tip #1: Repeat after me: Losing weight is 20% exercising and 80% dieting.

In other words, what you eat has a HUGE effect on your weight. So if you want to lose weight (I’m assuming body fat) or tone up by gaining muscle, the key is always going to be your diet. I have a feeling many of you who are reading this want to do the former, so let’s take some notes.

DISCLAIMER – DISCLAIMER – DISCLAIMER:

I am in no way saying through this post that in order to love yourself, you must lose weight. I will admit that when writing this post I was assuming that the majority of people reading this post would be looking for advice on losing weight. And therefore, the predominant advice for this particular post will and would be about talking about caloric intake as a part of losing weight.

HOWEVER, that does not mean that I equivalate losing weight to being fitter/healthier or that that is the standard for loving yourself. Bodies come in different shapes and sizes and they are all beautiful.

If you would like to tone up and gain muscle and firmness, I recommend still working out, but eating more (healthier and nutritious foods, of course) to support the building of muscle mass and the regrowth of muscle tears that usually accompany an intense workout.

If you gain weight in this case, that is going towards your goal of toning up, which if I see more reader demand for this type of article, then I will write another one dedicated to it specifically. Otherwise, we will stick to discussing the common workout goal: losing weight for this particular post.

Again, if you are gaining weight because you are trying to grow muscle, it does NOT mean you are any less fit, less healthy, less beautiful, or should love yourself less. You are still amazing and gorgeous. Now, let’s continue with this post…

You guys probably heard the saying, “abs are made in the kitchen.” Well, I’m here to tell you, that’s totally true! You cannot–cannot—work off or escape a bad diet.

If you’re eating 3,000 calories a day (or more) and are not active, there is no way–no way–you can work it all off unless you’re walking 10 miles a day or working out for a large portion of your day. And I am sure you don’t want to do either of those because

a) who wants to–realistically–work out for more than 1-2 hours a day?

b) you’ll die from exhaustion because it’s never healthy to overwork your body

Therefore, if you want to have an EFFICIENT workout, lower your intake of empty calories.

What are empty calories? They are calories in food and drinks such as juices, chips, candies–anything with processed ingredients; for instance, artificial sweeteners and sugar like high fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin. One stays in your body for a few days (bad for digestion and weight loss) and the other makes you continue eating (also bad for weight loss).

Just anything with no nutritional value for your body, avoid consuming it! Basically, if it doesn’t give you vitamins, fiber, energy, or provides any health benefits to you whatsoever, don’t eat it! Otherwise, you’ll just be adding extra calories that you will need to work hard to burn off when you’re working out. So yeah, more hard and unnecessary work for you. Which I’m sure you also don’t want or have time to do.

DISCLAIMER: Now, I am NOT saying to eliminate these foods and beverages from your diet forever.

If you love them, do not punish or torture yourself by saying (or feeling like you have to say) goodbye to them for good. Instead, pick a couple you really love to snack on and do your best to not indulge on them when given the chance to.

Instead, treat the ones left like what they are supposed to be: TREATS; rewards or positive reinforcement for good, outstanding behavior. Say you successfully worked out for three days in a row, or you reached a small fitness goal you had set for yourself. Awesome! Great work!!! Now, you can reward yourself with that treat you like!

WARNING: that does not mean you BINGE when you reward yourself. Say you usually go for a venti frap at Starbucks or get a large boba/bubble tea drink when you go out with friends. Instead of going over the top when you celebrate your victory, get the tall, or smallest size, that the store offers. When you eat out, too, aim for eating half of your portion, rather than all of it. No, I’m not telling you to eat only half of your In-N-Out burger or your Whopper. I am saying, when you’re having dinner at Norms or eating a foot-long subway–something that big should not be consumed in one sitting.

Essentially, eat until you are satisfied, not until you’re stuffed.

Eat until the pang of hunger isn’t bothering you anymore, not until you have to unzip your pants or loosen your belt. That way, you still get a taste of your happiness, but you have CONTROL over how much calories you put into your body and will expend throughout the day.

Remember, your body creates fat when you have excess calories; therefore, you can still have the calories from your favorite foods and/or drinks, but avoid making your body consume more calories than it really needs. Or else it will be stored as fat, which is something you don’t want. We want muscle weight, not fat when we’re working out and trying to stay healthy!

Also, avoid eating right before sleeping. Don’t do bedtime or late night snacks, especially if your goal is to lose weight. You should always make sure you have about 3 hours to fully digest your food before going to bed. You wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) swim immediately after eating, so why make your body work to digest food while you’re sleeping? It should be resting during that time you’re snoozing, not processing things. Moreover, your body should not have to work so hard to do all that while you’re lying down; it’s not healthy.

If you CAN cut out certain bad foods such as the ones you KNOW are unhealthy for you and won’t faze you if you had to say goodbye to them, then do so! On the contrary, I do not want you to have a BAD mindset of or an UNHEALTHY relationship with food and drinks, though. I do not want any of my readers to develop body dysmorphia; to starve themselves; binge on or purge food; or feel guilty when you guys DO snack on your favorites.

That is why I say moderation is key. That is why I also NEVER said to cut out or to eliminate foods that make you happy and that are your TREATS—don’t call them “guilty pleasures” (I don’t want you to have the wrong attitude with food)! I do not want you to suffer or to feel like you have to take it to the extreme, or to the next level, by giving up foods you like. I DO want my readers, though, to embrace a healthier relationship with and perspective of food.

Again, this is a journey of self-love and taking care of yourself. And THAT requires that you should have fun and also enjoy the process. You won’t if you dislike, resent, or hate the journey, and that would happen if we take away all that makes you happy. Look, you can still work out and enjoy your treats. Just, again, in moderation. You can still have foods and drinks such as boba and chocolate, beer and chips, soda and chicken nuggets, but realize and use them as treats to reward your hard work. Do not let them–these treats–become your MAIN meal that you live off on everyday.

For healthy attitudes about exercising and eating, I also, again, recommend Chloe Ting.

Now the video I will post here (right under this paragraph) is one where she is defending herself against a hater. However, there is a section of the video starting at 9 minutes and 50 seconds where she seeks the advice of a Registered Dietician named Abbey Sharp who gives excellent advice about how we should perceive food!

Video from YouTube

She basically says that we shouldn’t classify foods like we do for morality, as in good or bad; that we shouldn’t give them moral equivalences or values (for instance, apple good, chocolate bad). Instead, we should understand which foods are the better nutritious choices for us so we can remove the negative power they can have over our emotions and mind when we do end up eating them. That way, we don’t feel guilty and develop an unhealthy attitude about them and with food overall when we pop them into our mouths accidentally or without much thought.

As I had said above, if a food does not provide any nutritional value to your health and body, do not bother with it. It would be a waste of time consuming it and having to work its calories off later. Regardless, that does not and should not mean you should hate yourself for eating it if you do end up doing just that. If you do eat something you realize you should not have eaten, just move on and make a note to yourself not to eat it again in the future. You can do that by not having it easily accessible to you such as lying around the house or being bought in the first place.

Again, this is a journey. It will be hard, so don’t beat yourself up when mistakes are made. Live and learn! 🙂

I would also like to recommend someone else to you guys; another Fitness YouTuber named Emi Wong.

Emi works out to eat. She proves that you can still enjoy the best parts of life: eating and traveling while working out and looking great. You can have it all, I promise! 🙂 She shows that you don’t have to give up everything, including yummy and tasty food, to live well. In fact, she even admits that she has Cheat Days (in the first video below). That way, she can still enjoy food and be happy while making progress on her fitness and self-care journey!

Video from YouTube

This is her vacation to Fiji! Lots of food and happiness! You’ll understand the thumbnail if you watch the video.

Video from YouTube

My main takeaway from her way of life is that you can still have Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or a slice of cake and rock some abs–if you want that. Just know that there will be some sacrifices you will be forced to make while embarking on this journey. And that sacrifice means that you should not think you will be able to walk out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory eating everything in there AAAAND also have abs. You have to trade being able to eat all nutritiously-deficient foods for eating a few in moderation while also working out, eating right, and paying attention to your calorie intake. Because again, losing weight and looking good (not saying those two are equivalent) are a result of 20% working out and 80% food intake.

Fun fact you all should know is that I have never followed any meal prep, even from any of these talented ladies I have suggested. I ate whatever I wanted–just in moderation–and had 4-5 hours to digest all my food before sleeping. I also was aware of my calorie intake. I wasn’t counting them or recording them, but I chose having a satisfying and nutritious meal over drinking boba or fraps. So, anything is possible.

“Well, why did you put it here if you didn’t try it yourself?” you might ask. My simple answer is to give you guys additional resources and assistance. Just because I didn’t personally use it, doesn’t mean it won’t help YOU (or someone else). It certainly helped THEIR (these YouTubers’) journeys; that is why they took the time and effort to have it in their videos. It must have had some benefits to them. I also want to let you know, though, don’t feel like you have to be limited to restricting your diet. Reminder: this is supposed to be a fun and enjoyable experience and journey.

It’s all about your overall calorie intake!

Be aware of your calorie consumption, but don’t become obsessive with it!

There is also one more aspect to losing weight besides just caloric intake and that is how you choose your workouts, which is what we will be discussing about next!

Tip #1,000…

…because I think I gave so much advice above for just Tip #1.

Tip #2: Have some patience

Now I said before that loving yourself is a journey. You cannot just snap your fingers, and then immediately and magically begin to love yourself. Nope. It takes time and a LOT of effort. Even I still struggle with it as a person trying to teach you.

Similarly, with working out, in order to see any results, it will have to take some…some what? Yes, that’s right! You guessed it. Some time. Take the time to appreciate the journey to a fitter, healthier body.

Even Mr. Chris Hemsworth, People’s 2014 Sexiest Man Alive, had to take time to bulk up for his role as Thor, God of Thunder, a character in the Marvel (superhero) Cinematic Universe. It was 4 months of intense workouts and strategic dieting. See? He wasn’t born a muscular baby. And he most certainly didn’t turn into Thor overnight. Same with YOU. So, repeat after me: this will take time -AND-

I will love my body regardless as I begin and embark on this journey of working out and (most importantly) discovering self-love.

Reminder: Do not obsess over the end result or your goal.

One quick personal note that I’d like to add: my own butt took 5 months to both tone up and firm up. It took me 2 years to lose my belly pooch. It all takes time and patience. And yes, sometimes screams of frustration into a pillow. It happens, but don’t beat yourself up. You’re getting there. Every day a little bit closer. And one day, you’ll eventually and actually get there. If you keep going, chipping away at it.

Think of it this way: each new day–every day–that you work out is a day closer to your ideal body.

Tip #3: Half of the battle for working out successfully is fighting against the cries of your body; the other half is fighting your MIND

Okay, now that you know that fitness and working out is a journey, know, too, that working out is hard. Like, really hard. There will be discouraging days. There will be days where you want to quit and give up. But it’s all part of the process. And you know what? It’s normal; it’s absolutely okay. Why? Why, though, do we feel this way?!

When you’re working out, you’re not only targeting your muscles. You are also working out your mind. Rest days are good; in fact, they’re critical to an effective workout regimen! But on this journey, you will also be battling procrastination. There will be days where you will find an excuse to not workout. In this case, do not let your MIND win. That is what I am talking about when I say working out is hard; you’re battling with your mind in addition to your body and its soreness.

CLARIFICATION: if you’re working out and you feel dizzy, nauseas, or in unbearable pain, you NEED to rest. That is your body’s sign(s) for telling you to “hey, stop it!” Don’t kill yourself literally for a better body. It’s not right, good, or healthy.

Tip #4: Start Out Slow

If you’re a beginner, start out with maybe once or twice a week. Then, work up to more days over time. I used to work out five times a week, but that was me working my way up to that over time. Some people go for all seven because they never want to forget or fall into the trap of procrastination. If you’re a beginner, I strongly recommend not going to five or seven days per week. Start at 3 times a week. Alternate, too. Do Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. And start small. Work out for 10 minutes, then go slowly up to 20 after some time. Preferably after 2-3 weeks. Give your body time to adjust.

Fun fact: Your body breaks down fat after 20 minutes of consistent work outs. That’s why personal trainers recommend warming up for about 6-8 minutes prior to doing the actual work out with them. It’s all about buying your body some time, but also prepping it for the real work.

For example, if you jog for 7 minutes and you workout for 15, 7+15 = 22 minutes. That means the last 2 minutes of your entire workout is when your body would actually be burning fat. Thus, decide how you want to approach your workouts. You can do a 10-minute warmup, then work out for 15 minutes (10 + 15 = 25 minutes) with the YouTube videos I recommended or linked here (or whatever you want!), and then you would have had 5 minutes of fat-burning time.

***Special note though***: your heart beat has to be higher than its resting rate to ensure you’re actually burning fat.

This is NOT a green light for giving yourself cardiac arrest. I obviously mean work your heart rate to the safest level that your body can tolerate. Remember, up above, I had stressed that if you feel dizzy, nauseas, or any extreme discomfort or pain, to please stop.

Tip #5: WarmUps are important

Warmups are great for slowly introducing your body to an intense workout, especially if you haven’t worked out in a while or are new to working out. Jumping straight into an intense workout is like getting a car engine from 0 to 100mph in 5 seconds. It’ll harm the engine and in this case, your body. Your body is not a machine–which leads me to again stress that you should remember to love and take care of your body. You only have one and this one is suppose to last you until you’re old, so do not hurt yourself.

Remember to love your body; appreciate it, be grateful for it, and be thankful that it helps you do the things that you can do. Such as move, walk, run, work out, and get you through your day. So treasure it. Don’t hate it, or be frustrated with it. Be patient with your body and nurture it.

Tip #6: It is VITAL that you have a favorite workout (or workouts)

Because, remember Tip #1, losing weight is 80% dieting right and 20% working out.

Remember how I said above in Tip #3, you’re working against your mind when you’re exercising? Well, picking your workout regimen is one important way for keeping a consistent workout routine and battling against procrastination, excuses, and any other mind tricks.

If you HATE the workouts you do, you will most likely quit after 3 weeks or even before that.

It takes 3 weeks, or 21 days, to develop a good habit. You need to make sure that you love–like really LOVE–your workout, or else before you even reach that point–the 3 weeks/21 days mark–you will have had already given up on working out. When you both enjoy and LOVE your workout(s), I promise you, you will keep doing it because

1. you enjoy it
2. it feels good, and
3. you know it’s good for you and you want the results

Also, don’t you notice that we have a much easier time doing what we actually like than when we have to force ourselves to do something that we hate?

Remember how this overall journey is about loving yourself? You’re spending time with yourself as you work out. You’re trying to develop a loving relationship with YOU using exercise as one way to help you feel better and love you more.

So if you you’re reading this blog post trying to seek help, advice, and tips for how to love you, let me put this into perspective and connect it to working out:

• Would you date or be someone’s romantic partner if you didn’t love or at least liked them?
• Would you continue to spend time with someone if you did not enjoy their presence or did not have fun with them?

I doubt it.

If your answer is yes to both the above, we have a separate issue.

Therefore, why would you spend time with or “date” yourself if you didn’t enjoy that time or had fun while doing it?

Same with working out. You have to enjoy it, take pride and pleasure in it, and most importantly, have fun! _{Yes, sounds cringey, but it’s true.}

You ALSO have to feel that the workout works for you, that it is worthwhile–or should be worth your time. Time is important to everyone and no one wants to waste time on something that doesn’t make them happy OR that does not benefit them. So take some time to research and explore different Fitness YouTubers if you don’t like Chloe Ting or Pamela Reif. Find someone tailored to you and your body, capabilities, and preference. I recommend YouTubers because they have free programs and videos, so you can save money. Furthermore, there are a variety of them such as Alexis Ren, Joanna Soh, and Blogilates.

Do what suits YOU and what YOU like.

Because it’ll be YOUR journey and YOUR time! We all have different tastes, so even though I suggest someone, it does not mean you have to like her either. No hard feelings if you don’t pick any of those ladies up above. Hey, I love chocolate chip mint ice cream. You might like something else! And that’s 100% okay 🙂 It doesn’t mean you’re wrong! So make sure you find someone you like and that you enjoy their recommended workout regimen because you’ll be the one doing it. So good luck!

Feel free to also mix and match workouts, too. I replace workouts I don’t like in Pamela’s videos with workouts I DO like. For instance, I love almost her entire videos, but I hate mountain climbers. So when she has them in her videos, I replace them with something I actually do like and would prefer to do; say I do an exercise that targets something I haven’t worked out yet or want to rework. For example, instead of mountain climbers, jump squats, or burpees, I can do shoulder taps, planks, pushup planks, or hip dips in the time she does the exercises I don’t like.

Tip #7: Try Interval Training as an alternative workout option

Moreover, if you don’t want to do YouTube workouts, try interval training. Get an interval timer app. Do 30 seconds of an exercise you like starting out, like regular squats. Then do 10 seconds of rest. Next, do squats again or another exercise like side step squats.

Your workout then would look like this:

• squats: 30 seconds
• rest: 10 seconds
• side step squats (or another different exercise): 30 seconds
• rest: 10 seconds
• squats: 30 seconds
• rest: 10 seconds
• side step squats (or another different exercise): 30 seconds
• and so on…

For interval training, I do a time ratio of 3:1 (exercise to rest time).

Tip #8: Change up your workout regimen routinely or every so often

Your body has this cool ability to adapt to things. And that includes, adapting to a workout. Back in middle school, I used to take 26 minutes to run one mile. Yes. Horrible. But after training and practicing for several weeks, I became one of the fastest girls in my class. I was able to work my way down to running a mile in 9 minutes and 15 seconds. How? My body adapted, I trained and worked hard, and I overcame a challenge to my body by teaching it regularly.

Hence, if you train and work and teach your body to get used to a workout regimen, it will do just that and learn to cope with it after some time. Change is always good in life because it is a surprise and offers you a new challenge. It can even bring excitement into the process, into every day life.

Think if your romantic partner came home with some flowers or something cool and unique–something out of the ordinary, like seashells–to surprise you one day. Or if you can eat something other than bread and potatoes after a whole month of only having just that. If you don’t change up your life from time to time, you’ll get bored, feel stagnate, and get comfortable–which usually is never good. The great Muhammad Ali said,

“A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”

Thus, bring some change, a breath of fresh air, and some spice regularly into your workout routine. Don’t be afraid of change; never fall into the trappings of comfort. Make it feel new to you! And one way you can achieve that is by changing your workout every 6-8 weeks. Not only should you change your workout because your body gets used to and comfortable with doing the same thing over and over. But your body won’t be or feel challenged enough to grow and reach new heights.

In order to change and grow in life, your mind must always be challenged and ready to learn. Same with your body. Otherwise, it will have nothing else to do, but just deteriorate. Why do you think old people are recommended to do puzzles, play games, or to keep busy? Well, to keep their brains functioning and to hold onto their sanity. So keep changing your workouts, keep making your body learn, and keep challenging it! That way, you and your body can always reap the fullest benefits of novelty.

That is why you should not get onto a treadmill, elliptical, or stair master climber machine and think you’ll burn off or walk off the fat through monotonous activity. No. You have to do activities that bring your heart rate higher than its regular resting rate and that constantly challenges you to break out more than a simple sweat.

Tip #9: Take pictures. Log your progress. Admire the results.

These physical proof will be evidence preserving your hard work. It will be nice to see how far you’ve come. Again, you will not see progress right away, but it will make SUCH a huge difference when you look at yourself one day and see what you looked like two years prior. These solid things in your hands will be a great tool, too, in helping you love yourself, especially if you LOVE what you see on top of how you already feel after a great workout.

When you take pictures consistently, you can do a time-lapse if you’re tech savvy. Or you’ll notice how little by little you got to where you are or wanted to be. It’ll be a wonderful feeling seeing the small gradual changes. 🙂 Plus, over time, you will start to not only see, but feel the difference.

And taking pictures after a great workout can boost your energy, self-love, and motivation to continue on to the next day. When you finally get your ideal body, flaunt it; show it off! You worked hard on it! So admire it, show it off, be PROUD of it! Don’t be shy 😉 Bathe and enjoy the end product–your results–because YOU put in the work and it paid off.

You earn this moment and the right to snap pics of yourself in every angle imaginably possible and YOU deserve to post it everywhere and anytime that you can. The point is to love yourself! So reap the rewards! Act silly if you want to! Again, have some fun!

Tip #10: Avoid the scale!

Do not work out and jump onto the scale straight after. You’ll be disappointed.

Remember, change doesn’t happen overnight; it’s slow, small, and gradual.

Also, keep in mind that muscles are denser than fat, so if you do gain weight after some time working out, it’s most likely the muscle weight. Additionally, there are many components that make up your weight; one of which is your water weight, something the scale does not show.

Lastly, understand that as you gain muscle, your body will starve for more energy to fuel it. Your muscles are the powerhouses of your body; thus, as you tear and reBUILD them (after an intense workout), you will need to feed and nurture them with food. Hence, if you’re aiming to grow a bigger butt, prepare to be more hungry. Food will be what you need to sustain a bigger, firmer butt.

Similarly, if your goal is to tone up, firm up, and/or pack in some muscles anywhere on your body, be prepared to eat more to gain that muscle growth. Again, that doesn’t mean you eat anything you want; if you’re going to work hard and make progress, ensure that you feed your body with the right fuel: proteins and veggies. Carbs are also important; that’s why I don’t recommend cutting them out if you see those fads and trends. There are necessary vitamins you receive from carbs, especially brown rice.

At the end of the day, avoid the scale while you work out and be okay with your weight. As long as you’re eating moderately and to satisfy your tummy, you do not need to fret about that number you see on the scale. There’s no need to check it–especially religiously–unless you have real health issues that endanger your life or that requires you to check it regularly. As long as you feel good and look good according to YOU (your body, so only your opinion should matter!), that number you see on the scale means absolutely nothing.

You are MORE than just a NUMBER on a scale!

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Here’s a summary of what we talked about today:

• Working out is 80% diet and 20% working out.
  • All bodies are beautiful!
  • Don’t cut out your treats; reduce them instead.
  • Eat to satisfy your tummy, NOT to stuff it.
  • Moderation is key.
  • Do not put moral values on food. Otherwise, you will feel guilty and give food a negative power over you.
  • Realize that nutrient-deficient foods (with no health benefits to our body) should be seen just as they are: as TREATS.
  • It’s okay to not follow a meal plan; it’s also okay to have a Cheat Day
  • Be aware of what you eat; do NOT obsess over it. Do NOT count your calories.
  • Try to avoid late night or bedtime snacks. Give your body at least 1 hour to digest food before lying down or sleeping. Eat 3 hours before bed for best results to weight loss.
  • Have a healthy RELATIONSHIP and ATTITUDE when it comes to food. You can still enjoy life and eat yummy food, but have some control. Eat some, but not a lot!
• Be patient.
  • Working out, like loving yourself, is a journey; it takes time. Appreciate the process, do not obsess over the result!
  • Love your body because it helps you get to places and do things. Do not hate or punish your body. EVER! Love and be grateful for it. 
• Don’t ever overeat or over-workout.
  • If you feel dizziness, nauseas, or any extreme or intolerable pain or discomfort, stop IMMEDIATELY and rest.
• Start small and work your way up. 10 minutes, 3 times a day is a good start.
• Warm up. They are important, so please do them! Do not charge toward 100%. You may hurt your body. A journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Do not tire yourself early.
  • It takes 20 minutes of consistent workout before your body burns fat; so put a warmup before your actual workout. Do not forget a cool down, too, to help your heart slow down and not stop abruptly.
• Enjoy your workout! You will do it more and be more committed to doing it if you actually love it and have fun while completing it. Pick and choose workouts you like and switch them for ones you do not like.
  • Working out your body is only half of the challenge. You’re working out your mind too! Be careful of excuses, mind tricks, and procrastination. It takes 3 weeks/21 days to develop a habit, therefore it is critical you LOVE your workout since you are spending time with YOU and developing a relationship with you. And trying to love you.
• Try interval training as an alternative version of working out.
• Change up your workout and to continue challenging your body.
• Take pictures to log your journey.
• Avoid the scale!
• Take care of your body and have fun!!!!!

Small Reminders – Common Concerns – Final Thoughts:

1. Don’t get consumed into the clean eating fad/trend.
   • Juice cleanses, where you just drink juices to help you lose weight are not healthy nor wise.
   • Remember, moderation is key and if you are consuming ONLY juices, you’re going into the extreme category.
   • You need veggies, protein, and carbs in your diet. You’re going to be missing certain vital vitamins, minerals, and other essentials if you do a juice cleanse.
   • Same with other cleanses. Please eat a well-balanced diet.
   • Again: moderation is key. Nutrition is critical. CUTTING out food is never a recommendation.
2. Do not assign moral values to food; otherwise, you give food a negative and powerful influence over you. Rather, ask yourself “is this food NUTRITIOUS BENEFICIAL to me and my body?”
   • If you tell yourself not to eat a chocolate bar after a workout or to not fall into the trap of grabbing a drink after work on Fridays, but somehow find yourself you popping something sweet into your mouth or guzzling hard liquor down; IT’S. OKAY. Do NOT panic.
   • Breaking bad habits is hard. Breaking out of our regular routines is harder. It’s perfectly OKAY to mess up; in fact, it’s normal. It’s human!
   • So don’t feel bad for indulging on your treats, giving into your cravings, or overindulging at the start. Don’t even bother thinking you have to forgive yourself when you’re starting out with your workouts. Just make a note to yourself and the effort next time not to do it again.
   • Just promise me you will NOT punish yourself. And most importantly, do NOT feel bad, or worse: guilty. Remember, this is a journey and yes, again: It. Takes. Time.
3. Exercise is hard work; hence, it is called a work out. Positive reinforcement is a healthier and better method for progress.
   • Reminder: this is a process. This is a journey. Thus, treat it like so; learn and grow. Enjoy the experience and time, and your own personal growth.
   • Remember to love your body. Being skinny is NOT the goal. Loving yourself and feeling good is!
4. Be careful with Instagram and other social media handles during this fitness and self-love journey!
   • Even fitness experts and gurus edit their photos to pull in traffic and get attention for their content.
   • They have to do whatever it takes to bring benefit to them because more attention, or traffic, = more money
   • More attention (traffic) = more subscribers, which = more ads, followers on their social handles, and money…you get the idea.
5. Challenges are just challenges!
   • The online challenges you see on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube are just that! Challenges.
   • Please do NOT expect that if the title says you can get abs in 1 week that you WILL get abs in one week. Those are click bait titles to get attention and bring in traffic. They are not true.
   • These challenges are NOT a magic potion or an elixir where you can instantly get results. Progress takes time. So do not believe or feel bad if you do not get the results in that promised or advertised time. Love yourself ALWAYS!!!
   • Hint: the challenge is really testing your MIND!
     • For instance, Chloe has a challenge where you can get abs in just TWO weeks. However, you will NOT see abs 14 days after working out, but you will FEEL hella amazing if you DID work out FOURTEEN days in a row (with rests on some days obviously)!
     • And that’s the real goal. To challenge your body and mind, get yourself into a commitment, and to feel good and happy with yourself, your body, and the results.

Remember: working out is about looking and feeling good according to YOU. Do NOT feel like your body has to match or conform society’s standards or Instagram models. You’re doing all this for YOU–the most important person in YOUR life. Only YOUR opinions about how you look or feel matters. NO ONE ELSE’S. That includes your families, friends, and yes, your significant other too. This is YOUR body and YOUR life, so you have the choice and the control to determine how you look and feel.

Love your body no matter what as again, this is all a journey of self-love.

Interested in more ways to love yourself? Check out more here in Part 3!