Exercise has been a part of my life for soooo long BUT not forever. Up until my early 20s, I would definitely consider myself to be plus size. Being less than 5ft tall and more than 170lbs “technically”, I was obese. But I embraced it. Funny thing is, I never considered myself to be overweight until…I noticed that I was overweight. LOL.

I remember it like it was yesterday though. It all started when I was invited to a pool party and rocked my electric blue one piece bathing suit with cutouts (which were outlined in white). I thought I was the shit, not gonna lie. Not to say that I wasn’t the shit because my confidence was certainly there but my health was way off. That wasn’t the day I realized that I needed to lose weight. It was when the pictures came back! For those of you who are unaware, there was a time when you had to wait for your pictures to be developed. Unless you had a Polaroid camera, which we didn’t.

Two days after the party, the pictures came back and I was HORRIFIED!!! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I mean, that was actually me in that awful bathing suit looking like a busted can of biscuits because there was fat exploding out of each cutout. THAT is the moment that I started to realize that eating a tub of sour cream with a family size bag of Doritos (in one setting) was a bad idea. Maybe 5 sugar-filled sodas per day was a bad look. I literally had a flashback to all of the bullshit that I eaten while sitting my butt on the couch. I knew it was time for a change. That was over 15 years and more than 50lbs ago.

Now that I’ve told you all of my business 🙈; check out what I do to stay motivated!

Put On My Workout Clothes
Put on your workout clothes as soon as you can. If you’re off for the day, wear them around the house. If you work that day, put them on as soon as you get home. It will be a physical reminder that you have to exercise today…no excuses.

Set A Schedule
Keeping the same workout schedule each day is damn near impossible. Look at your your schedule for the day, see where you can fit in your work out. It is easier to stay on track if you have a set time to do it.

Say It Out Loud
I don’t know about you but there is something that happens to me when I say something loud enough to someone to hear me. Something as simple as, “I’m going to workout today.” It’s that whole the atmosphere hears you thing. It works for me!

Change It Up
If my workout routine consisted of running on the treadmill for 30 minutes each day. I would have quit a long time ago. It is so easy to get bored. Change is up by taking your run outside or going out on a hiking trail. Plus, you can find so much inspiration on new ideas from fitness blog and social media accounts.

Keep Your Size In The Closet
Leggings are nice, but they can also lie to you! Since they offer so much stretch, it would be definitely to feel a difference in your weight each time you wear them. But it’s not like that with a denim skirt, for instance. Clothes that are made of more structured material has to be in your true size and they don’t “give” if you have gained weight. You don’t want a closet full of starchy clothes that will lie to you. Keep styles that will hold you accountable.

Track Calories
Calorie consumption is empty. It may sound like a daunting task but knowing how many calories you eat per day is important. It helps determine how much you can eat to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain you weight.

Set Up Challenges
This is similar to changing it up. Setting up new challenges that take your routine to another level. If you enjoy running, start tracking your time and challenge yourself by trying to beat it. Or add a new challenge to your regime like learning how to do pull ups or Martial Arts.

Get The Household Involved
Get your family involved in exercising and eating healthy. It may not be easy or take a while but don’t give up! Make it fun, celebrate the benefits. It’s much easier to stay on task when everyone who lives with you is too!

I hope these tips help. What tips would you share?

Stay Fearless 💋