The Dreaded Holiday Weight Gain - Not Again!

Last fall I was in really great shape. My body fat percentage was dropping, my muscles were showing, I felt great all around - and then the holidays hit. In my mind, I was sticking to my normal routine, just a more relaxed version of it. But when I took my progress pics January 2nd, I was shocked at what I saw. The weight gain had snuck up on me over the holidays and I spent the first part of the year trying to undo the damage.

Foolishness.

Because the crazy thing is I didn't remember the desserts I "just had to have." I didn't feel any more rested because of the days I skipped my workouts. My instant gratification had long-term consequences that I had to deal with and remedy.

Sure, the weight I gained came back off - but why did I put myself in a position to have to lose it in the first place?

Not this year! This year I am 100% focused on my goals. No relaxed routines. No skipping workouts. No over-indulgent cheat meals. Business as usual, if not more focused than usual. Those treats add up and I have worked way to hard to go backwards now.

That's not to say that you shouldn't enjoy an occasional treat here or there. By all means, it's your fitness journey. But this is what I am doing this year.

So what are your plans? Have you thought about it?

If you want to stay on track or find a happy balance - be sure to check back her regularly over the next few weeks for my holiday survival tips!

Subscribe for email updates!

Powered by 123ContactForm | Report abuse

Frustrated? Confused? Discouraged? Me too! And it's ok.

If you have ever tried to change your body, you have probably experienced some frustrations. And if you haven't, you probably didn't stick with it very long or you're very lucky. It's a frustrating process. It goes well. Then it doesn't. You're working hard and then your motivation slips away. You're making progress and then you feel stuck. 

Believe me. I get it. 

This morning I woke up & was actually pleased with my progress as told by the mirror and progress pics. A little slower than I would have liked, but overall pleasing. Then, I got on social media. 

I follow a bunch of bikini and figure competitors. After a few scrolls the negative self talk began and I got discouraged because I still have a ways to go before I reach my goals. Yeah, completely disregarded this morning's happy feelings. 

The funk kinda stuck with me all day. I ate some snacks that weren't part of my meal plan. Clean snacks, but still not part of the plan. I was less motivated to start my workout. It really took a toll on me. 

Then I text my friend and told her I needed an intervention. 

She responded with some things to make me smile. And after all the positivity she said, "If 1-4 fail, blame your period. That sneaky hoe is always around the corner." Haha. Love her. Then she told me that I wasn't allowed to beat myself up anymore today. So I snapped out of it and had a productive workout. 

In the wise words of my dear friend, "Anyone who's ever worked toward any at least minimally ambitious goal has felt the spinning wheels feeling. Frustrating, but normal." 

So, whenever you are frustrated, discouraged, annoyed, or anything less than satisfied with your progress - know that it is normal. And it happens to everyone. Even trainers and health coaches. Heck, even the competitors that are all over social media. 

BUT it's what you do with that frustration that separates the people that reach their goals and the people that don't. Do you throw in the towel and quit? Or do you buckle down and figure out what changes, if any, you need to make to your program? One of these choices will get you to the results you want and one of these choices will leave you unfulfilled and unsuccessful. 

What choice will you make? 

I would love to work with any of you who are tired of spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. Email me at jamar.paige@gmail.com. 

Add me on Facebook

Follow Spandex & Sports Bras on Facebook

Follow @spandex_and_sportsbras on IG 

Welcome to My Fitness Journey

I don't share a lot of details of my fitness journey. Sure, I talk about working out and eating healthy - but I don't generally go into the details of my highs and lows.  I don't discuss my struggles. I don't discuss the bad days or the "off" weeks. But what good does that really do?

Truth is - I struggle some days. Everything doesn't work out the way I want it to. Most notably, I still don't have [visible] abs.

So I have decided to share my journey with you all. The good. The bad. The ugly. 

Hopefully it will inspire someone to keep pushing towards their goals.   

This week I started a new plan. I want to lose some body fat and build muscle. Right now I am targeting my flutes & hamstrings, along with my arms. Obviously my abs are always a thought, but they aren't my target right now. 

I started doing more interval/HIIT training this week. I also changed to a new lifting plan. So far I like the new workouts. I also started using my heart rate monitor again. I love that thing! It makes me push harder every workout because I set goal caloric burn amounts for each workout. 

Nutrition wise I have been eating clean. I haven't been counting calories, but I have been eating all high quality, nutritious foods. However, yesterday I was thinking I was going to do a Whole 30 or Paleo challenge to detox my body and get back to the basics. Then I woke up overnight with an upset stomach. I am definitely starting The Whole 30 or a Paleo diet Sunday - when I meal prep for next week. 

Feel free to join me. 

That's it for now. I'll post at least once a week, but sometimes it'll be more frequent depending on what's going on.