Happy Monday! I'm really excited for this week because we're finally turning the corner towards SPRING! Today we're supposed to break 70 degrees here in Chicago, and even though I know the weather will dip back down into winter mode before spring is officially here to stay, the gross dirty piles of snow and ice are almost completely gone and the energy in the city is just buzzing. I had grand intentions last week to actually start writing and sharing all the blog post ideas that have been swirling in my brain, but life got away from me and I ended up spending my spare time wandering outside on long walks in the sunshine. Oh well, this week is a fresh start and I'm determined to focus more on writing and blogging! I have so many recipes, reflections, articles, reviews, and life updates I'm dying to share.
First up, I want to kick off this week's edition of Motivation Monday by sharing another success story from one of the incredible women in my Inspire Joy Bootcamp, Anna! Anna and I grew up in the same hometown and our families have known each other our entire lives. We reconnected through Facebook and she decided to make a positive change in her life and join my accountability group to finally establish sustainable healthy habits and work towards feeling confident and beautiful in her own skin. She's been completely crushing Insanity Max 30 for the past several weeks and I'm so proud of her dedication and commitment!
She's learning that you don't have to be perfect to feel progress, which is such an incredible and empowering realization.
Meet Anna!
Why did you decide to join the Inspire Joy Bootcamp?
I've seen Beachbody infomercials for years and always been intrigued but assumed I could never be one of the success stories. Finally after months of reading Anna's posts and seeing success stories of so many "normal" people, I decided to take the plunge. I picked Insanity Max 30 because I liked that it combined the nutrition plan of the 21 Day Fix, the workouts were only 30 intense minutes but also there is the modifier track for me to start out. I wanted to eventually be able to kill a Shawn T workout without it killing me and I figured I'd never get there if I didn't get it a shot.
Favorite go-to healthy foods?
Frozen blueberries are one of my faves! When the berries are still slightly frozen they are the perfect sweet and crunchy snack. They totally satisfy cravings and you don't have to worry about them going bad so quickly. You just have to be careful that you don't turn your lips blue...if so you might get a lot of concerned looks!
How do you keep yourself motivated?
It can be hard to stay motivated but it definitely helps to have a support system. Before I had always been ashamed of talking about working out or trying to be healthy. I felt like if people knew I was exercising or dieting they would judge me. This time around I've been more open about my goals and having the support of my husband and the Facebook accountability group have definitely helped. I often think "how would I describe this in my check-in tonight?" as a chance to push myself harder in my workout or to avoid food temptations.
What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out on her health and fitness journey?
If you're just starting out, don't be afraid to give it your all! I've been in that "starting over" process so many times and I feel like I've always babied myself too much when just starting out then get discouraged because I don't see any changes. Altering my eating habits has always seemed impossible for me so I would always just starve myself instead of trying to eat yucky veggies. This time, I embraced the nutrition plan and challenge of the Insanity Max 30 workouts and am seeing results like never before!
Read all my Motivation Monday success stories here.
For details on the Inspire Joy Bootcamp, click here.