My fitness journey

I am going to be completing Jamie Eason's 12-week LiveFit Trainer!
Here is the link with more info: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

Jamie Eason is a trustworthy, fitness spokeswoman who offers this program for free. It is 12 weeks long with 3 stages.

I am going to be focusing on building muscle and getting lean.

Why?

I was an athlete in high school and college and always had accountability and a goal to look forward to whether it was a role model teammate or a race in the distant future. Now that I am out of that scene, I need some fun motivation.

Before I got married, I started looking into fitness programs that would result in optimal fat-burning and muscle growth. I then stumbled upon bodybuilding.com 

This site not only provides excellent, scholarly information about fitness and health, but also has a member section where one can read about different individuals' fitness journeys where they share what they did to lose weight and/or gain muscle & strength.

From my research, I found that Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer had the most positive results for members.

I was attracted to this program for several reasons:

1.   It's completely free. All you need is motivation. Jamie doesn't try to sell you anything and DOES NOT require any of her own products in order to have success in the program. Although you can do the workouts at home, a gym environment might be best.
2.  It's not just a 12-week diet & exercise plan. As she says on the site, "I'm thankful for the opportunity to share everything I've learned about training, nutrition, and supplementation over the years in this 12-week program. LiveFit means what it says—adopting a healthy and fit lifestyle." The program is meant to help individuals adopt a healthy lifestyle. Meaning, you don't just go back to old habits after 12 weeks.
3. It's different than what I am used to. I have been a cardio-bunny my whole life. From my experience and research, cardio alone sets one up for failure. Your weight will constantly yo-yo, your metabolism will be shot, and you will be exhausted with a whole host of health deficiencies. Yes, this has been my experience. Not only have I suffered from tons of vitamin deficiencies, loss of period, hormone imbalances, and severe anemia... I do not have the optimal amount of muscle needed for a high-functioning metabolism. It has all been burned away by the amount of cardio I do.
   
   As women, we lose muscle as we age and we are told NOT to lift heavy weights or eat high protein diets because it will make us "bulky". This is just not true.
   
   We do not have nearly enough testosterone to get "bulky". Real, female body-builders work VERY hard to bulk up. It does not happen overnight. By lifting weights, women can actually lean out, contribute to bone health, and speed up their metabolism
   
4. Lastly, I want to work on developing healthy habits while I am young. I know, what you might be thinking. "You're already healthy!" No, I don't feel as energized or strong as I could be and I know I can be eating more protein and vitamin enriched foods. My exercise and eating habits are not always the best. You can read about my eating disorders here.
   
   I want to focus on strength and muscle instead of being "skinny" and eating like a rabbit.
   
   As I age, my body will only weaken. If I do not learn how to strengthen it now, I will find myself 20-30 years from now with the same old habits wondering, "What happened?".  "Where did my energy go?" "Why am I weak and tired?" etc.?

I also feel it important to note that I have strongly considered and am still working out my intentions and heart toward exercise and diet. 

Thought Process

I'll admit that when I was younger, my desire behind exercise and diet was perhaps vain and selfish. I only wanted to be in tip top shape for selfish reasons.

But I don't think it is wise to throw the baby out with the bath water. 

As I get older, (still young of course) I am realizing deeper benefits to eating and exercising properly.
I won't agree with the fitness models that live by the mantras, "Be selfish so that you can take care of others" That just sounds like an excuse to be primarily selfish.

I want to be active and healthy so that I can fulfill all of my duties as a working wife, future-mother (far future), and Christ-follower. But I don't ever want it to interfere with these things. Life is crazy and unpredictable. I just want to be a good steward of my body knowing that, while doing this is extremely beneficial to other aspects of my life, at the end of the day and in the grand scheme of things, it is not of absolute utmost importance.

I ENJOY being active. Partly because of my active upbringing, I have developed a deep passion for building strength and achieving new fitness goals. It is never easy and it takes serious discipline and hard work. And there is something so therapeutic about working out. It is an outlet for me.

I DON'T ENJOY feeling run down and tired all of the time due to improper care of my body.

But, like I said, this is an aspect of my life that I am still working through.

I want to honor the Lord in this. But I am going into it knowing that I am going to fail but also that He is gracious and patient with me as I work all of this out in my heart.

This site in particular has helped me to "Guard My Motives" behind all of this.

Today was day one and I am soooo sore. Also, I am going to have to get used to egg whites. Yuck. Any tips on how to make them tasty would be appreciated :)

Anyways, I felt like sharing all of this in case it may help or give insight to one or two people in their
fitness journey. I am no expert, but I am excited to start this program. I will be sharing my progress along the way.