Cravings.  We all get them and sometimes they get the better of us.  But sometimes, we regret letting them get the better of us.  First off, you should never regret anything.  BUT, I do know the feeling of regret when you eat something and it just ruined your diet for the entire day.  (One piece of chocolate can ruin your entire day… crazy right?)  But I have been there, so you are not alone.  Well, here are some ways to get over a craving.

FIRST- we need to get this out of the way.  Answer this question:
Why are you craving something?
Are you feeling emotional?  Are you simply bored?  Or have you been limiting yourself so much lately you just feel like gobbling down an entire pint of ice cream?  If you are feeling emotional you know what I am going to say… FIGURE OUT WHY!  Do not sit there and eat your feelings away, that is going to do anything for you.  There have been times where I have turned to different types of food or soda to make me feel better when I was feeling down.  So yes, when I say it makes you feel like complete crap after... I know what I am saying!

You have two options in my mind:  you can sit there and diagnose your feelings or you can get your butt up and get moving!  GO EXERCISE!  That is the best way to shake off a crappy mood… and it is far healthier than binge eating!

Give it 15 minutes
15 minutes is all I ask.  What sounds better, the thing you just began to crave, or the lifestyle you have been longing for?  Hold out, it gets easier. It is proven that the less you eat sweets, the less you crave them.  Now I am not into the whole scientific “if you are craving this… you should eat this…” but honestly, if you are craving something, give it at LEAST 15 minutes…. And here are some ways how.

Distract your mind
Call a friend and ask them how their day is going.  Go grab a piece of paper and write down the top 20 vacations you want to go on before you die…then research them all.  Go grab some markers and construction paper and make cards for people you haven’t talked to in a while.  Write a poem.  DOODLE.  Watch a funny YouTube video.  Go watch some Orange is the New Black on Netflix.  Go look up some funny pictures of pugs on Pinterest.  Share those funny pictures of pugs from Pinterest with your friends.  Send someone a funny joke text.  Go for a drive.  Listen to some new music.  Send me an email.  There are SO many things you can do to keep your mind busy!

BREATHE.
Take control of your mind.  Take 10 deep breaths.  Keep your eyes closed and your mind clear.  Tell yourself “I can do this. I can overcome this craving.”  Keep repeating, “This craving is only temporary, my lifestyle if permanent.”  The more you fuel yourself with positive reinforcement, the more you will start to believe it.  (This step could also help if you are going through something emotional… it will definitely help you calm down and get you to a better state of mind!)

Meditate/yoga
Get familiar with yourself.  Learn more about yourself.  Yoga and meditation are both powerful tools to bring you closer to your soul.  Once you become one with yourself, you might learn to cherish yourself more and know that you are able to overcome this craving.  I know so many people who swear by meditation and yoga; they swear it has changed their lives.  I don’t practice yoga as often as I wish I did, but I know when I do practice it makes me feel WONDERFUL.  It is also a great distraction tool.  Go on Pinterest and look up beginner or intermediate poses and give them a shot!  They are super fun to play around with; you can even call a friend and have them try it with you!

Get YOUR booty moving!
GO EXERCISE!  Take a walk, go for a swim, do 50 crunches, do 10 burpees.  GET YOUR BLOOD PUMPING!  Once you feel the adrenaline from that little workout, you will not want that craving.  Whenever I am craving something that my grandpa’s house on Sunday (he goes to the store every Sunday morning before family gathering, and buys donuts for everyone), I tell my dad we are going to take a walk!   It is so much fun!  I get my cousins together and we all go talk about everything and nothing… AND we are getting free exercise in!  Once I get back to grandpas, the craving has usually subsided and all I really want is some water.

Speaking of water…. DRINK WATER!
Water is a miracle honestly.  If you feel like you are hungry but you “aren’t sure what you are in the mood for”… that is usually code for *BORED EATING*.  It is a trap!  You are not really hungry; you are just thirsty… I know, our bodies like to play games on us!  Try sipping on some water and I am sure that feeling will change.  If water just really isn’t doing it for you, try adding some lemons or other fruit into your water!  It switches it up from the same old taste, and it might even change your sweet tooth.

So now I am sure you are thinking, what do I do after the 15 minutes are up?  If you have tried absolutely everything in your power to stay away from that craving and you still feel like you cannot do it, you might actually be hungry.  Try making a healthy snack that mimics your craving.  PINTEREST has so many different recipes!  The Internet is at your fingertips... use it to your advantage!!  I know you can overcome the craving.  Hold out… your body will thank you later ;)

REMINDER: You should be eating to fuel your body… no other reason!  You body does amazing things for you everyday; you should reward it by keeping it healthy and fit.  If you want to reward your soul and make your mind happy… go do some yoga!

How do you get over your cravings?!

I am not really sure what to call this post, just felt like writing.  This is the topic that was flowing tonight.  Basically, it is about how you treat others.  Everything was flowing well; I guess I had some feelings for this post.

If you don’t want people to find out, then you probably should be doing it.
All. Time. Favorite.  I read this once and I never forgot it.  If you can’t go around telling people about something, then why are you doing it in the first place?  If you have to try to hide something, why are you involved?  Yes, I added in the word probably because this obviously does not count for things like surprises and what not, but when you start lying to others or even just steering away from the truth, you know you are not doing the right thing.  Deep down you know the truth, it is up to you to listen to it, but when someone speaks up and brings out that truth, I hope you don’t get angry at them and defend you hidden actions because there is a reason you wouldn’t admit to it in the first place.

You can’t do everything. You can’t help everyone.
I know I have said before that can’t is not in my vocabulary, and I guess in a sense that is true.  For some reason even though I know I cannot help everyone, I still try.  I constantly put myself in the situation where I put so much energy in to helping others, and I usually end up falling flat on my face.  Why?  Easy.  Not everyone wants your help.  Not everyone is ready for change.  And I always say that I am going to keep working at it because being able to even instill the slightest bit of happiness in others is worth it, but I am starting to quickly change my mind on that.  Slowly but surely I am learning the art of letting others come to me.  You can’t keep wasting time and energy on people who do not want to change.  It is going to just keep pushing you around in a circle.  I guess the moral of this is to always help others when possible, but don’t be surprised when your efforts don’t make change.

Reverse the roles.
How would you feel on the other side?  Sure, where you are the grass is green and I am sure there is sunshine, ice cream, and probably millions of sunflowers.  I bet the weather is sunny and 75… but I can promise you on the other side there is a thunderstorm, it is probably freezing cold, and it’s dark.  Think before you do/say.  Would you enjoy they way you are treating others?  “Take a walk in their shoes” that might be cliché but it is true.  If you want respect from others, you need to give respect to others.  You can’t expect people to respect you if you make decisions that are disrespectful.

You are defined by your actions towards others, not others’ actions towards you.
People may forgive you for the way you acted or for something you said, but they will not forget how you made them feel.  Quite possibly, they may never forget what had happened.  The way you treat others is a direct reflection as to how you would let them treat you.  So honestly, it is pretty simple, just to treat others the way you want to be treated.

What others think of you is none of your business.
I love this quote because I used to have an issue with this.  I used to feel the need to have everyone like me.  I wanted everyone to be my friend and to be on everyone’s good side.  Somewhere down the road this year, that changed.  I gave it up.  I realized that it was exhausting trying to please everyone.  I was putting more time and effort into pleasing everyone else than I was pleasing myself.  One thing that I envy about Rachel is that she truly does not care what anyone thinks about her.  She knows sometimes she is about to walk into a room of people who do not like her, and she can still walk in the room with a smile on her face.  She has always been that way and it is a beautiful quality to have.  Me?  My new philosophy?  I don’t make small talk.  I am done with meaningless conversations that have nothing to do anything, and I am most certainly done with trying to impress and be friends with everyone.  I have no problem being on my own, although I know that I am not alone; the thought of being alone does not scare me anymore.  I overcame the fear or not being accepted.  I have finally accepted myself and it is one of the most freeing feelings in the world.  I get done what needs to be done and I leave.  When you start spending less time trying to be friends with everyone, you realize that the few friends you do have are the ones who accept you just the way you are.

Last but not least, listen to your gut.
Your gut knows best.  No matter how good something looks, if you gut is telling you no, you need to respect that.  Your gut is your intuition and I know mine is always right.  Do I always listen to it?  Hell no.  Honestly, I don’t even know why my intuition sticks around.  I try so hard to follow its guide but to be honest; when I end up looking for it I think that I only find my desire.  All in all, your gut is always right, it knows what is best for you.  You can obviously make the decision to go against your gut, and more power to you on that, but one thing I know for sure is the times that my intuition has talked to me, it has never steered me wrong.  You know right from wrong.  Your intuition is just there to remind you.

So that is pretty much what I have for today!  Hope everyone has had an awesome Saturday.  Time to get some sleep so we can make tomorrow a kick ass Sunday!

I don’t have the most defined quadriceps, and I sure as hell don’t have a 6 pack.  So why do I post so many pictures of me flexing?  Because, I am proud of how far I have come.  I love my body.  I want to inspire others to feel the same way about their bodies.  We have all had our ups and downs in our journeys, but you should always be proud of how far you have come.  It’s taken a long time for me to give up diet coke and ice cream, but seeing my progression with every picture I take fuels me.  So yes, I know that my body is not perfect, but my body is progress and that is what makes me keep going.

These things don’t just happen over night, they happen over a long period of time, it takes effort, dedication, and lots of will power.  Today I want to help anyone who has reached a bump in the road, feeling down, or is about to start a fitness journey!  Hope this tips help.

Clear your mind of can’t
This says it all.  If you believe you can, you are already half way there.  It isn’t your body that you have to talk into working out, it is your mind that you have to convince.  The mind is very powerful; it can lift you up or bring you down.  Start by saying 2 things you can do for everything you think you ‘can’t’.  My mom used to always say that can't is not in your vocabulary, so take it out of yours!  Because in reality, you CAN... you just choose not to.

This months diet is next month’s body
You won’t see results over night.  I mean, you may see small changes, but not huge results.  Like I said before, this is a process.  What you are doing today is what you will see a month from now.  You will see changes in your body whether it is months or years away, but that time will pass anyways, so you might as well make it worth it, right?  TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS.  You are the only one who can do this for yourself.

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all
This goes for YOU and OTHERS.  You would tell your best friend she is fat, so why would you tell yourself?  You need to start treating yourself with more respect. YOU ARE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN.  And by chance if you are not doing the best you can, then you know you need to work harder.  But there are positive ways to push yourself.

It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing, it matters what YOU are doing
I totally get that there are people who are ahead of you in the journey… but they have their struggles just like you do and they have been where you are right now.  You can’t keep comparing yourself if you want to move forward.  You can look up to others and use them as motivation and inspiration, but don’t let their progress get you down.  Example: Rachel can see her triceps perfectly when she flexes… I still need the right lighting to be able to see mine.  But you know what?  3 months ago I couldn’t see them at ALL.  And you know what else?  I couldn’t be happier that Rachel can see hers.  She has a completely different body than I do.  She has put in so much effort to get where she is.  So rather than getting upset that she is seeing results quicker, it gets me excited because she has proven to herself it is possible to see these changes in your body.

Step out and stay out of your comfort zone
I used to be scared to workout on the downstairs level of my gym.  That is where all the ‘super fit’ people would work out and so I decided that I didn’t want to workout down there because I never fit in.  I remember the first day I decided to workout downstairs with Tati, we used the Smith machine and I was so nervous.  I started building up to doing it by myself and more and more exercises.  Now, sometimes I don’t even make it upstairs.  I got over the fear because I realized that my progress has nothing to do with the person next to me.  We are on completely different journeys.

Every single day
You can’t expect to get where you want to be by just putting in work 5 days out of the week.  This is one of the most beautiful lifestyles you can live.  Learning to change your mindset, your body, and being able to have confidence in yourself?  Who wouldn’t want that?  Choosing to be holistically healthy is one of the best choices you will ever make.  But, it takes dedication, even on your rest days.  You are constantly trying to better yourself not only physically, but also mentally.  You are trying to get over that roadblock that stops you every time.  This time I challenge you to push past it because you know what happens when you stop, what happens when you don’t?
ALSO- speaking of rest days, please please please always remember to take them.  Your body needs rest and your muscles need time to recover so they can GROW.

Do it for the right reasons
When I first started this lifestyle I struggled tremendously because I was doing it for completely wrong reasons.  I was doing it because I hated my body.  In reality, you should be doing this because you love yourself enough to let yourself be happy and strong.  You want to better yourself, because although you were beautiful before, there is ALWAYS room for improvement.  I don’t have an ‘end goal’ in my journey, my goal is to just be the happiest, healthiest person I can be.  So when you are making your goals, remember to jot down ‘love myself’ as the number one goal.

Don’t be afraid to post a progress picture or workout next to someone who can life 10 more pounds than you.  This is not a race or a competition against anyone else.  The only competition you have is yourself.  You control your mind.  You control your destiny.  Take baby steps if you have to, but remember that you CAN do it.  I am always here for extra help and support as well, don’t be afraid to contact me!

I wasn't really sure what to call this post...  I just want to get the point across to people that they ARE strong enough to overcome difficult obstacles.  YOU  deserve to have the confidence to change your life for the better, because you are WORTH IT.

I haven’t posted a good post in a little while.  I have been swamped with school, work, the gym, and actually having a social life.  I am actually so proud of everything that I have accomplished this summer so far.  Let’s see…

• My GPA this summer so far is a 3.5 (1 A and 1 B so far).
  
• I have gone to 2 concerts, visited DC for the day, and enjoyed the company with my good friends until the early morning.
  
• I GOT A JOB AT A PT OFFICE!!!  I am now an exercise specialist :) It is honestly exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.  I get to help people, go through exercises, and clean.  Literally all 3 things I LOVE.  (Maybe even more than going to grad school to be an OT? Hmmm…..)
  
• I have also been killing it at the gym!  I have been doing crazy amounts of push-ups and other body weight exercises and I am working on pull-ups right now.  My goal is to get a few in a row by the end of the summer!
  

Yes, I have made many accomplishments so far this summer, but yes, there have been some setbacks.  Got to take the good with the bad, right?

For example, I used to be scared to post progress pictures of myself at the gym…crazy right?  I went through this small phase where I didn’t want to post anything because there were people who were 10x stronger than more, more lean than me, and just more photogenic.  I honestly did not post any pictures because I felt I did not meet the standard of perfection.  Well, let me just tell you… I got over that very quickly.  I decided that there is no perfection.  I am still at the beginning of my journey, hell, as I am concerned, I will never reach the finish line.  I live a healthy lifestyle because I enjoy living this way… not because I want to look a certain way.  I love my body, which is why I work out, not because I hate my body.  I will never be satisfied because I know I can ALWAYS do better!

Now… what can I say to give people more self-confidence?  And I don’t mean the confidence to walk outside and think they look good.  I mean all around confidence.  Confidence to know they are worth so much.  Confidence to know that they deserve the entire world and that they shouldn’t settle for less.  How can I get this across?
You guessed it, quotes.

“The first step to getting what you want is having the courage to get rid of what you don’t.”
I could not agree with this more.  How can you ever move forward if something is holding you back?  It could be a person, a place, or even a memory.  Once you finally get up the courage to let go of the things that hold you down, you will see that there is so much more to life.  SO much more.  You really don’t realize your worth, but I do.  I honestly might not have ANY idea who you are, but I can promise you one thing, I am rooting for you.  You will have brick walls in your way your ENTIRE life.  That is inevitable.  There are many ways you can get around the wall… climb it, dig a tunnel, run around it, jump over it… or you can just punch it and sit there.  You can keep punching it; keep working at getting it to fall… but your fist can’t beat bricks.  You can sit there and cry about it, get some sympathy for it, and throw a pity party of 1… but when all that is over, the wall will STILL be there.
You make the decision on how to get rid of the wall.

“We don’t grow when things are easy; we grow when we face challenges.”
There are two different ways you can go about situations... you can take the easy way our or the hard way out.  Who doesn’t want to do what is easier?  It takes less effort, probably less tears, and a hell of a lot more persistence.  But you know what?  You are going to be that much stronger.  You are going to have another win under your belt.  And yes, being scared is OKAY.  It is completely normal… it means that you are about to do something so brave, take that leap of faith.

“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because their trust is not on the branch but on it’s own wings.”
Everything you need is right inside of you.  All the strength, courage, and ability… it is waiting for you to use.  You have the ability to overcome any obstacle, the courage to take the first step, and the strength to keep your chin up.  You might fall to your knees at one point and the world may seem like it is going to end, but you know what?  You are going to be just fine.

“We make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong.  The amount of work is the same.”
The mind is a powerful thing.  It has the ability to change your entire day within seconds.  It can make you go from extremely happy to extremely sad.  But… it can also do the opposite.  You need to ask yourself if you want to be happy.  Do you?  Let go of what is gone, love what you still have, and look forward to what is coming tomorrow.  You are making yourself miserable right now, or you are gaining the strength to change your life.

“Don’t be scared to walk alone, don’t be scared to like it.”
A few months ago my boyfriend/best friend of a year and a half broke up.  I was terrified to be alone.  I mean, it had been a year and a half of having someone there for me… then all of a sudden I lost it, that isn’t something easy to forget.  I am going to admit it… I was scared to be alone.  I remember I was talking to my mom one night and she told me… “Ky, the only thing I ever wanted for you and Shelby is to be able to live without a man.  To be independent enough to where you don’t need someone by your side.”  When she said that, my outlook completely changed.  I don’t need a man to make me happy, I don’t need ANYONE by my side to make me happy.  I make me happy.  I was lucky to grow up with such a strong foundation, but that is not the reason that I am the strong, independent girl I am today.  I am the strong, independent girl I am today because I worked at it.  I worked at being alone, and I let go of the fear of enjoying it.  Environment plays a big part in situations… but your mindset plays an even bigger one.  A woman who does not need a man to validate her existence is the most feared individual on this planet.  That is quote to live by, ladies.

“We all have a fighter in us.”
This quote makes me giggle because I am most certainly a lover not a fighter.  I hate violence and if there is a situation that involves me, I am going to let it go.  I don’t waste my time with it.  BUT… when you physically or verbally hurt my family or select close friends, I will stand up.  I WILL find the fighter in me.  I am very protective of what is mine, and I do not let anyone mess with that.  I feel very strongly about standing up for others, I almost feel it is my duty.  I think I learned that from growing up with my sister and cousins.  I am the baby out of the four of us, so everyone grew up protecting me my entire life.  I am so thankful for it.  I think I have the biggest heart in the sense that I wear it on my sleeve.  I am a sucker for love, super outgoing, crazy loud, and a just an all around LOVER.  Out of the four of us, I definitely take home that ribbon.  But I am so thankful for the way I am, because subconsciously I have learned how to stand up for others because I had three amazing role models protecting me my entire life  (Shelby, Samantha, Danielle).

“People underestimate their capacity for change.  There is never a right time to do a difficult thing.”
This is actually the first time that I have seen this quote and I love it.  There truly is never a right time to do something difficult; you MAKE the time right.  You will be pushed to your limits time in and time out, it is up to you to make the decision to take the difficult step.  Life is not fair and about 80% of the time, things don’t turn out the way we want them to.  Life has a funny way of working out that way.  But you know, a year from now, you are going to look back and realize how small this mountain really is it.  Sometimes that mountain you’ll be climbing is just a grain of sand.  If you keep praying for the right time to complete a difficult task… you’ll be praying forever.  This is the right time.

Right now is the right time.  TODAY is always the right time.

I know someone who needs some motivation today.

Have you ever sat and thought to yourself, “there is no way I can make it through this?”  I am sure that everyone has at one point or another.  It’s funny though, because even though that is the only thing running through our heads… we always make it out.

Some things give me anxiety, random things.  Rachel can’t make a phone call to make a doctors appointment because she gets too much anxiety from the thought of calling, if you ask her why, she will just tell you “I don’t know”.  Sometimes we can’t explain the reasons about the way that we feel; we just know that is exactly how we feel.  On top of that, some days are more emotional than others.  There are some days that I can’t listen to certain songs because they remind me of Grandma and I just burst into tears.  But some days I can visit her grave with a smile on my face.  Emotions are healthy and feeling your emotions to their FULL extent is also healthy, but letting your emotions get the best of you is NOT healthy.

Today I have a challenge for you.  I want to you to be aware of the emotions you are feeling and actually FEEL them.  When you are happy, jump around in circles and give people compliments.  When you are sad, just down and cry.  When you are anxious, take deep breaths and get to the bottom of why you are feeling anxious.  When you are mad, scream into a pillow.  You can’t ruin a good today because of a bad yesterday.  Today is a new day to prove to the world that you are worth it, because you are.

You should be thankful of the difficult moments you have in your life because you don’t know it, but they are making you stronger.  Once you learn to conquer your mind, the world opens up.  Only YOU are in charge of your emotions.  Not your significant other, not your parents, not your best friend, not your enemy, but YOU.  When you let others get to you and start controlling your mood, you are letting them control YOU, not only your mood.  Complaining, whining, and sitting around will NOT get you anywhere.  You need to get out and start your life right now.  Only you are responsible for how your life turns out.  Make a setback a comeback and push on.

What can you do today that will change your life tomorrow?  Whatever it is, make sure it happens.  Remember: if nothing changes, nothing changes.  You need to make an effort to have positive energy in your life.