Musing On Kicking Off 2013 (Just a little early!)

I've gotten many requests for an official blog in the last years or so, so I'm finally biting the bullet. Hey, gals and bros, thanks for tagging along. *salute*

2012 is rapidly drawing to a close and many people in my life are starting their New Years Resolutions early. Some are going to the gym for the first time in a year, a few months, or many years. Some are excited, some are hesitant, but all of them are nervous if they can stick to them or not. This is one of my favorite times of the year but it's always frustrating to watch people's excitement and belief in themselves evaporate.

Why is it that people can start out with such zeal to make positive changes, but the motivation seemingly has a two week expiration date?

It's pretty simple: change is scary.

It's an unfortunate fact of life: Change requires going out of your comfort zone. Worse, big changes requires going a mile outside of your comfort zone. Son of a!!!!  I know, I know, I hate to bring the reality of life to everyone's attention. How many times have you wanted to do something but the fear of the unknown has stopped you? I can't tell you how many people in my life want to start a new career but they're too scared because it requires going back to school/incurring debt. How many people have a great business idea but don't pursue it for fear of it failing? (This was a constant theme in my most recent relationship.) How many people out there want to do something or try something but don't sacrifice the time or money in order to do something?

What is it that you want to do but your fear holds you back?

My challenge to you for 2013 is to figure out what it is that you have been secretly longing for but were too scared to do. (And I mean positive stuff. I'm going to be pissed if I get emails like "I really wanted to cheat on my significant other and I didn't have the courage to do it without your blog. THANKS ABBY!" or "Gosh I wish I would have tried doing drugs when I was still in college so I could proclaim that D.A.R.E didn't work for me and I could look more badass. Now I'm hooked on meth, all thanks to you!" I mean healthy, positive things people!)

For me, I have numerous challenges before me that I'm hoping to conquer:

• Destroy my legs with exercises I loathe. (I can't stand plyometric exercises but I know that's what is holding me back. I'd rather pull my teeth out with pliers than do anything involving jumping and lunging, so this is 12 miles outside my comfort zone.)
• Find a healthier balance between contest diet and real life. I can't keep doing these 15 lb offseason swings.
• Cut some toxic people out of my life. I can't stand doing this because I can't stand offending or hurting people's feelings, but I have to stop being such a wuss. I'm 30, dammit.
• Focus on myself and stop worrying about finding the right guy for me for the time being.
• Get into Oxygen Magazine again by the end of 2013
• Get a cover on a fitness magazine by the end of 2013 
• Continue growing my Isagenix business and being an ambassador to the company since I passionately live and breathe their products.
• Compete in numerous organizations to see how I do.

Lofty goals? Yes.
Numerous goals? Absolutely.
Doable? I will certainly try my hardest. Any of you who know me personally knows that I'm a goal-oriented hard worker. I hit most of my goals for 2012 this year. The only one I didn't hit was a cover for 2012, and that's okay.

Write your goals down and actually commit to them. REALLY commit to them. And when it comes to weight loss, it's 80% diet, 20% training.

 I have a friend who came to me at this time last year and was so excited to start P90X. I congratulated him and was really jazzed for him. But I immediately had my heart sink when he informed me, "Yeah, but I'm not going to do the diet. That's stupid. I'll still have results, right? Plus, my wife makes my dinner every night and you know, she's from Wisconsin so that's a dairy and hotdish-heavy part of the country. I'm kind of a victim to what she makes. I have to eat whatever is on the menu on a given day."

.... Really? You're an innocent, opinionless victim of your wife's Wisconsin-cheese slathered calorie bombs? What does she do- put on a witch's hat, tie you to the chair, and cackle as she jams tater tot hot dish down your throat with a funnel? She can't get on board with helping you AND you're not capable of cooking your own food even though you're 34 years old?

3 months later, he'd lost a whopping 5 lbs after all that working out. He had a temper tantrum about it, but what did he expect? He was living his life in denial for 3 months and had to face reality at the end.

FULLY COMMIT. And if you screw up, start over again. Everyone messes up. People look at me like I'm some sort of sorceress with magical will power and an iron fist. Uh, I can't even tell you how easy it is for me to cave. I've been in the fitness industry since 2008 and guess what? The diet still doesn't always come naturally to me. I still want to skip the gym sometimes. I'm human. I'd love to go home after work and watch Big Bang Theory reruns with macaroni and cheese too. But you know what? I can't. The goals I have require some sacrifices of my free time and TV can always come AFTER I get home from the gym.

Don't wait til Monday to start over. Don't wait til the 1st of the month to start over. Start over NOW. There is no reason that you have to wait. Self-forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts you will find when you're trying to improve your life and quality of life.

Two more things: Prioritize and call out your own bullsh*t.  If you want something badly enough, you'll find a way to do it.  I can't tell you how many emails I get from people claiming that they don't have time to work out (99% of the time, that is B.S) or they can't afford a gym membership.

Really? You can't afford to get a gym membership but you can afford to get your nails done, have an iPhone, have cable at your house, have a 50 inch flatscreen TV, and go out to dinner twice a week? You don't have time to work out but you manage to watch 4 hours or more of TV at night?

Now... I know what you're saying. "You don't know my life, Abby! How dare you be so judgemental!"

Yeah....about that. Hey. You with the excuses. You know why I get to judge you? I WAS YOU. I SAID THE SAME CRAP.

I bet you a million dollars that you've convince yourself that you don't have time or can't budget for healthy eating or working out because you're terrified of the change. Either that or you just have not been cognizant that you DO have time if you stop and think about it. When I started this journey out, I was working full time and in night school. My schedule in 2007 was:

6:45AM - Wake up
8AM-4:30PM: Work
5PM-10:30PM: Night School
11:30PM: Bedtime

I said I didn't have time and I believed it. Then I realized I probably make one small change and I would have to in order to drop weight. My schedule became:

5:50AM: Wake up
6AM-7AM: Work out
8AM:4:30PM: Work
5PM-10:30PM: Night School
11:00 or 11:15: Bedtime

Was it hard? Yes. That schedule was insane but I knew it was temporary. The first week was a little tough but I got used it quickly. I packed my clothes and food for the next day as soon as I got home from school, then went straight to bed. The structure actually made my life much easier.

Take a good, long, hard look at your day and your goals and see what excuses you've been making. We all do it. It's okay! But the sooner you deal with reality, the sooner you'll get there.

Stop saying your diet is "pretty good" when you know it's not. If you have pizza boxes and Chinese take-out in your trash can right now, it's not good. If you have left over pasta in your fridge, it's not good. If there's candy at your desk at work, it's not good.
Stop saying you don't have time to work out, but you can tell me who made it to the semi-finals on The Voice and can fill me in on what happened on Glee the last month.
Stop saying you can't afford to eat fresh vegetables and chicken but you dropped $80 at the bar last Saturday.

Just. Stop.

In 2013, live your life in the vibration of truth and you'll be so much more successful. Be honest with yourself and other people/ We all have nasty habits and excuses to kick; what's yours?