Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

This girl can do…

Don’t nobody tell me I can’t!

I absolutely adore this art from That ARThletic Girl — First fitness art for 2015! Yay! ???? #arthlete.

It reads:

Persist Until Something Happens #PushYourself

I am going to remember this every time I’m thinking of quitting my workout because it’s too hard…

I found this motivational poster on Your Weight Is Over. I really liked the idea.

It reads:

Be so busy loving your life that you have no time for hate, regret, or fear.

This has been, hands-down, the BEST way to feel better about myself. There are things in my life that I want to do. I want to write books. I want to have a healthy body. I want to go years and years without bingeing. I want to go to Quebec and speak French with the locals. So, I make a checklist every day. EVERY DAY!!

I set TINY goals every day that have something to do with loving my life. Exercising, meditating, writing, practicing French and all the things that will eventually take me where I want to be. Every time I check something off my list, I feel a tiny surge of feeling good about myself. In fact, I spend my whole day giving myself little doses of dopamine every time I check something off a list.

It’s WAY better than eating all day long.

And those negative emotions like hate, regret and fear all evaporate when I accomplish things. Because if you work a LITTLE bit toward your goals every single day, you WILL accomplish great things. You won’t hate other people. You’ll bask in their envy. You won’t fear the future. You will plan it out just like you want. You won’t regret what you never did. You’ll actually DO it!

Loving my life comes one check mark at a time!

I love this quote I found on the Quotations Page:

It reads:

Life is too complicated not to be orderly.

• Martha Stewart

I immediately applied it to my home gym. When I am trying to work out, I don’t want to be rooting around trying to find a weight or plug in the exercise bike. Back in October, I organized my exercise room and I find that it’s a lot easier to exercise in a neat and clean room.

I don’t know why clutter makes it harder for me to exercise in a room, but tidying up and organizing has definitely made it easier for me to get my workout in every day. If you have a corner of a room that’s a home gym, try to make it as neat and orderly as possible so that it’s a PLEASANT place to visit. You might find that it becomes your favorite place in the house.

THIS! This is what you miss when you blow off your workout…

Feel Good Inc. was out in the cold the other morning and she saw this sunrise. This is the kind of thing that you miss when you listen to that voice in your head.

It’s too cold outside right now.

I’m so tired from exercising every day.

I’ll just do the workout later.

When you listen to that voice, you miss out on the good things like a beautiful sunrise and an invigorating workout. The next time you have that nagging voice in your head trying to talk you out of getting your butt out of bed and doing your workout, remember this gorgeous morning sunrise that you could be enjoying if you just do the next right thing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this quote!!!

It reads:

Ever tried? Ever failed? No Matter, try again, fail again, Fail better.

• Samuel Beckett

I have been “trying” for ten years. I have been “failing” for ten years. And the BEST part is that I am actually failing better now than I did ten years ago. I will never be cured. I will never conquer this eating disorder, but I can keep trying and keep failing better and better.

I wish I had an Edna Mode in my life. Someone who would whack me over the head with a newspaper and inspire me to greatness!

Sometimes, when I’m feeling down, I pull up this scene and watch it over and over again. Edna Mode can inspire me to greatness far more than any other fictional character!

Next week, it will be a year. I have lost sixty pounds in a year, which is just barely over a pound a week. I’m still not at a healthy weight, but I’m closer than I’ve been in a long time.

I just want you to know ONE thing about this year.

Change takes time. Be patient.

Whenever I tried to lose weight quickly, it just ended up in a binge. When I gave myself time, it came off. Whenever I tried to boot up my exercise, I just ended up injured and bingeing. Don’t try to hurry this. Be patient and give yourself the time you need.

I truly believe this is true:

It reads:

The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf.

• Shakti Gawain

The “taking risks on its behalf” part is difficult, especially when the reward hasn’t surfaced yet. You need to be persistent and keep on taking those risks for the universe and it will reward you. The reward might not be quite what you were expecting, but every time I have put myself out there, the rewards have been worth it.

What risks could you take today that would get you where you would like to be?

• Eating healthy
• Exercising a little bit
• Being nice to strangers
• Being nice to people you know
• Being nice to the people who hate you
• Work on your dream, even if it’s just a little bit
• Learn a new language, just five minutes a day
• Give a little extra effort in your job

None of these seem like risks when you look at them, but they really are.

• When you eat healthy, you skip the bingeing, starving, purging or treats that you normally would have had.
• When you exercise, even a little bit, you might be sore the next day.
• When you’re nice to strangers, acquaintances or enemies, there is a very real risk that they will be mean to you back. Do it anyway.
• When you spend time on your dream, even just a little bit, you get that much closer to achieving it or failing. It’s the risk of failure that makes most people do nothing instead.
• When you learn a new language, you open up a plethora of possibilities, from job opportunities to travel. The only problem is that it’s HARD. Risk the hard to experience the rewards.
• When you give a little extra effort on your job, you risk no one noticing, or, even worse, they’ll expect it out of you from now on. Just keeping doing that little extra, however, and you will find yourself in a much better position than before.

EVERY positive action has a risk, but they are worth it. Maybe not in the way you’re expecting, but you WILL be rewarded for your risks. So take them!

I saw this quote and it made me realize that it doesn’t take a HUGE effort to get healthy and stay there.

It reads:

It is just the little touches after the average man would quit that make the master’s fame.

• Orison Swett Marden

It doesn’t take grueling workouts or starvation to get to a healthy weight. You just have to KEEP GOING. It’s the Christmas season and it’s the time when everyone quits their healthy diet and exercise and proceed to gain ten to fifteen pounds. If you just add those little touches to your masterpiece, you wouldn’t have to face grueling workouts and starvation in January.

DON’T QUIT right now. THIS MONTH is the “little touch” to your program. Just like that extra effort that a master painter would make to her work, this is your little touch to your program. The average person quits during December, but keeping up with your eating and exercise routine is the difference between you and the average person. It’s what will make you a master.