I Have MUSCLES for the First Time EVER

Another title for this post could be:

Yoga is No Joke

or

It Only Took Me 10 Months to Reach my New Years' Resolution About Fitness

or

I Have the Weirdest Exercise Motivation Ever


I stepped on the scale earlier in the week and was pleasantly surprised that I was two pounds UNDER my goal weight!  In the interest of not obsessing, I don't typically weigh myself regularly.  But I do notice that I tend to fluctuate in a five pound bell curve... I've been trying to get my base weight to be closer to what I weighed at the beginning of our marriage.  (Which is 15 lbs less than I weighed two years later when I got pregnant with Lily... then add two pregnancies in two years and the subsequent Mommy flab and you have an idea of what we're working with here.)

But reaching my goal weight isn't what excites me enough to want to share with the internet... it's the fact that I have muscles!!!!!  People, this has NEVER happened to me before!  For those of you that know me and my sisters and/or have seen my chicken arms, you know.  Rawleigh girls aren't known for their upper body strength.  

I've been doing yoga semi-consistently for about 6 months now and I noticed a few weeks back that I have arm and shoulder definition for the first time in my life.  Please picture me flexing in front of the mirror with a big smile on my face.  Cause that's what was happening.  It's a cryin' shame that I didn't have the foresight to take before/after pictures.  Honestly, if I showed you a picture now you'd just laugh at me... but if you have a "before" picture you'd laugh... less ;o)

Anyways I just wanted to share with you all but I also wanted to tell you how I did it and what really got me motivated to stick with a workout routine.  And I want to challenge you to do the same.

I didn't do anything fancy: just limited my portions when I ate (I was having an "it's okay to have third helpings cause I cooked this and it's healthy" problem) and exercised 3-4 times a week (mostly yoga and some running in the nice weather.)

These are my four favorite FREE and SHORT workouts on youtube:
Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown
Denise Austin Yoga Cardio Burn
Denise Austin Yoga Metabolism Booster
Denise Austin Power Yoga

About three months into exercising regularly I started to get discouraged... I was feeling healthier but I wasn't really seeing any results.  And that's usually the point I start slacking off.  But then I read this timely post from Carrie... and not only did she renew my motivation to stay consistent, but she gave me a new motivation that I'd never thought about before... BETTER SEX!

(Sorry Dad and Brother.  You can go throw up now.)

But seriously!  We all know the normal, boring reasons for exercising and staying healthy... we want to keep our heart healthy and stay around a long time for our children blah blah blah.  But Carrie reminded me of another great benefit to exercise: having more confidence in the bedroom!  

So after reading that post, I would say "consistency over time" or "stay hot for my husband" in my head over and over on a run when I wanted to quit and walk.  Or before a yoga workout when I'd rather be sitting on the couch with a third cup of coffee.  Or when I looked in the mirror or at the scale and didn't see much change.

And that's why seeing "the number" on the scale and "the muscles" in the mirror means so much to me this time around!  Cause I almost gave up right before I saw real change!

All this to say: busy moms!  Get off your butt and find time to exercise!  Get hot for your husbands (and keep your heart healthy and all that jazz!) and be a strong woman!  I feel so awesome and it only took me six months of consistency to get to this point.  I can't imagine how I'm gonna feel after doing yoga all winter and then getting outside once the sun comes back to Germany!  I'm excited already!

Don't wait till the New Year to make your new fitness goals!  Start today... and then keep at it every day (or most days). And when you see results give yourself a pat on the back and flex your muscles in the mirror.  It feels awesome.