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

I love this idea.

It reads:

You have ONE job and it’s to get stronger EVERY single day.

I got it from Curvy-skinny:

The next time you’re thinking of skipping your workout because you have so much to do remember that you have ONE job every day and that’s to get stronger. Don’t let anything else get in your way.

Photo via: Muscle Fitness Tips: Experience A Great Source of Fitness Tips!

I found this awesome list of ways to get motivated here: Healthy is Classy. I don’t believe in all of these ideas, for example, coffee makes things WORSE for me. Looking at fat women doesn’t inspire me to be thin, so that Krispy Kreme Calendar isn’t going to work for me either. And anything to do with God and praying is useless for me. Which of these work for you? (more…)

I found this quote on Be the one to guide but never hold me down. It says:

Just keep moving forward and don’t give a shit about what anybody thinks. Do what you have to do, for you.

Johnny Depp

I don’t know if Johnny Depp actually said that, but I love the quote and thought it deserved to belong to the face.

Next time you’re thinking of quitting, remember Johnny Depp telling you, personally, to keep moving forward. Don’t quit. Never give up and don’t give a shit about what the haters think.

Photo via: Johnny Depp TopNews

I made this inspirational poster the other day.

It reads,

Of course it burns, but complaining won’t make you look good naked.

I surprise myself at how wimpy I can be sometimes. After a hard workout, it hurts to climb the stairs to my bedroom the next day. If I want to be a hottie, though, I’m going to have to live with a little pain on the way up the stairs. It’s a lot better than living with the pain of being the fattest girl in the room.

Original photo via: I CAN DO IT

I love these inspirational quotes from Olympic Athletes that I found in Fitness Magazine this month.

This is quote if from Lolo Jones, a Olympic hurdler.

There’s always a point where you get knocked down. But I draw on what I’ve learned on the track: If you work hard, things will work out.

This quote is from Kerri Walsh, who is a beach volleyball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning. It makes you willing to jump through hoops, go through all the ups and downs and everything in between to reach your goal.

So motivational!

I really believe this:

You don’t have to love yourself to succeed. It helps, but it isn’t essential. What is essential? Eat well. Train hard. Do it every day.

I spent SO MUCH time trying to learn to love myself and never was able to feel it. I hold in disgust most of what I do, say and feel. I am constantly berating myself and feeling like I’m not a good person. I spent a better part of my life WASTING time trying to change that aspect of my personality until I realized:

I was told that if I didn’t love myself, I could never love someone else. WRONG! I have a beautiful and loving husband whom I adore and who adores me back.

I was told that if I didn’t love myself, that I couldn’t succeed in my career. WRONG! I have been a successful writer for the last eight years.

I was told that if I didn’t love myself, that I couldn’t lose weight. I’m beginning to believe that they are wrong about that one, too. Fat doesn’t care if I love myself or not. The only thing that affects the fat on my body is the food I eat and the exercise I do.

Would I like to love myself? Sure I would, but I’m not wasting one more second trying to make that happen. I don’t need to love myself to succeed. I just need to do the things that successful people do and I will succeed as well.

The next time you’re thinking that you need to do some self-love spreadsheet or make a collage of the things you love about yourself, STOP! Stop right there and get your butt on an exercise bike or go for a run. You don’t need to change your feelings about yourself. You just need to eat healthy and exercise EVERY DAY. THAT is what will help you succeed, far more than any self-love workshop can.

Update 07-24-12: I found a quote from Megan Fox that basically says what I was saying:

It reads:

I’m really insecure about everything. I never think I’m worthy of anything. I have a sick feeling about being mocked all the time. Self-loathing doesn’t keep me from being happy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle. I am very vulnerable. I’m emotionally unpredictable.

Megan Fox

If a beautiful woman like Megan Fox can feel insecure and struggle with self-loathing, then it’s pretty clear that you don’t have to love yourself in order to be successful. It might help you along the way, but it’s possible to get to your goal weight without loving yourself. All you have to do is do the work.

Photos via:

• I CAN DO IT
• Curvy-skinny

I’ve been back to doing weight training again for the first time in two years. Every time I tried to do it in the past, I just did too much at first and ended up quitting before a week was over because I was in too much pain to do any more.

This time, I did it differently. This time, I cut my weight down to the lowest it could be and the first week, I only did one set of 15 for each exercise. I had a routine for the muscles on the front of my body for one day and a different routine for the muscles on the back of my body for the next day (I think I got that idea from Jillian Michaels). And I have been doing my weight training EVERY day.

It was super easy, but I didn’t hurt myself and I didn’t quit, so I considered it progress.

The second week, I upped my workout by doing two sets of 15 and kept the weights at that same LOW level. I was surprised that at some of the exercises, I was really struggling to do my two very simple sets. No wonder I had hurt myself before, I was doing WAY more than I should have for a beginner.

Next week, I’ll up my workout to three sets of 15 at that same low weight level. Sure, I’m going to start feeling pain and the last rep is going to look just like the girl in the picture, but at least I won’t be injuring myself. Pushing myself is good, but pushing myself so hard that I quit isn’t.

The next time you’re inspired to overdo it on your workout, remember that you have to be able to do another workout tomorrow. If you push yourself so hard that you can’t remain consistent, then you’re sabotaging yourself. That photo might be what your last rep should look like, but only if it doesn’t injure you.

Original photo via: I CAN DO IT

I absolutely adore this animated GIF from i’ve got miles to bike.

The next time I’m reluctant to do my cardio, just a couple of seconds watching this girl run will get me going.

Via: work sweat achieve

No matter how bad your day was,

it always feels better after a workout!

I always tend to forget this when I’m lying in bed first thing in the morning. I think about the effort of a workout and how hard it is. I think about whether or not to put on my gym clothes or just stumble downstairs in my pajamas instead. On days when the workout clothes win, I ALWAYS feel better. Choosing to start my day with a workout gives me a better day. And when I have a bad day, adding a quick workout can make it suck a tiny bit less. It’s as if putting forth the effort of working out makes anything bad that happened in my day fade in comparison.

This morning, while I was on the exercise bike, I wanted to watch a video that would keep me going. My goal was to do the interval workout for 20 minutes and keep my RPMs at 50 for the whole workout, especially when the resistance went up on the intervals.

I was watching this video during my workout and I looked up at the readout for the exercise bike. My RPMs were hovering around 63, WAY faster than my goal, and I was on the hardest interval of the workout. The music and the pictures really helped keep me working out at an even higher level than I hoped.

I really liked this saying from the video:

Potential means nothing if you do nothing with it.

It’s so true. I just wish this video lasted twenty minutes long to hold me through my entire workout!