For the past twelve weeks, I have been on a journey. A journey that only three people in my life knew about at the time: AJ, Stephanie, and my dear friend Emilie because she happens to be a super Instagram detective.
I am so incredibly dedicated to living a healthy life. This may mean something different to me than it does to you. And that's okay. That's the fun thing about health and fitness...you have to find something that works for you and your lifestyle and stick with it. But everyone's decisions may be different.
Some of you may have heard of the ever so popular Kayla Itsines. Kayla Itsines is a health and fitness trainer from Australia. She has created what is called the "Bikini Body Guide" which is a twelve week program full of daily workouts, and a nutrition guide to properly nourish your body. I have been working out for about 2 full years now, and around Christmas time this past year, I just felt like I had hit a plateau. Now, before I dive into my results I want to share with you why I chose to do this, and what fitness means to me.
The reason I jumped onto the "fitness bandwagon" at the beginning of 2013 was because I was battling my first ever case of heartburn. I mean, this heartburn lasted two weeks. I thought that surely I was dying from the inside out. So, I went to the doctor, he prescribed me some medicine to take for a month, and the heartburn went away. However, I talked with some other friends who had also battled cases of heartburn and I learned that exercise can sometimes alleviate the symptoms. This is purely the reason I began to introduce exercise into my life. I began as a cardio girl...we all start somewhere right? I then moved into strength training for about a year, and that's where I found myself last December. Fitness to me is not a burden, eating healthy is not a burden, it is something I find to be incredibly beneficial to my relationship with the Lord. (Yes, I'm gonna go there.)
I don't exercise and eat the way I do for other people to look at me and say "you look awesome." I also don't do it to slim my thighs, or with the intentions of gaining abs (though that would be a super awesome perk...) I do it because living this way allows me to be the best me possible. Let me explain. When I eat four pieces of pizza and a dessert at one sitting, which I have done several times before, I quickly turn into Irritable-Bloated-Uncomfortable Ashley. I get super tired, I become lazy, and just want to nap as soon as I take my last bite. WHAT KIND OF LIFE IS THAT! Sorry, I got a little excited. There have been times in my marriage, where, I may choose to overindulge in something and it ruins a date night with my husband because all I want to do afterwards is lay in bed and sleep or kneel over in pain from the bloat. I'm not being dramatic. I just realized that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and if I am constantly doing things to my body that prevent me from being the best witness that I can be, if I am constantly hindering myself from being a light in the world like I am called to be, I should take better care of the gift that God has given me. Do I believe that everyone should do exactly what I am doing in order to honor the Lord? Absolutely not! Again, this was just something that has affected me in a particular way and has caused me to respond so that I can honor the Lord better. It reminds me of this verse.
1 Corinthians 8:12 "And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ."
You may not believe that your diet affects your walk with Christ--great! More power to you. But because of the way some of the foods in this world affect my body, I choose to take care of it in a different way than you might choose to. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
I am so incredibly dedicated to living a healthy life. This may mean something different to me than it does to you. And that's okay. That's the fun thing about health and fitness...you have to find something that works for you and your lifestyle and stick with it. But everyone's decisions may be different.
Some of you may have heard of the ever so popular Kayla Itsines. Kayla Itsines is a health and fitness trainer from Australia. She has created what is called the "Bikini Body Guide" which is a twelve week program full of daily workouts, and a nutrition guide to properly nourish your body. I have been working out for about 2 full years now, and around Christmas time this past year, I just felt like I had hit a plateau. Now, before I dive into my results I want to share with you why I chose to do this, and what fitness means to me.
The reason I jumped onto the "fitness bandwagon" at the beginning of 2013 was because I was battling my first ever case of heartburn. I mean, this heartburn lasted two weeks. I thought that surely I was dying from the inside out. So, I went to the doctor, he prescribed me some medicine to take for a month, and the heartburn went away. However, I talked with some other friends who had also battled cases of heartburn and I learned that exercise can sometimes alleviate the symptoms. This is purely the reason I began to introduce exercise into my life. I began as a cardio girl...we all start somewhere right? I then moved into strength training for about a year, and that's where I found myself last December. Fitness to me is not a burden, eating healthy is not a burden, it is something I find to be incredibly beneficial to my relationship with the Lord. (Yes, I'm gonna go there.)
I don't exercise and eat the way I do for other people to look at me and say "you look awesome." I also don't do it to slim my thighs, or with the intentions of gaining abs (though that would be a super awesome perk...) I do it because living this way allows me to be the best me possible. Let me explain. When I eat four pieces of pizza and a dessert at one sitting, which I have done several times before, I quickly turn into Irritable-Bloated-Uncomfortable Ashley. I get super tired, I become lazy, and just want to nap as soon as I take my last bite. WHAT KIND OF LIFE IS THAT! Sorry, I got a little excited. There have been times in my marriage, where, I may choose to overindulge in something and it ruins a date night with my husband because all I want to do afterwards is lay in bed and sleep or kneel over in pain from the bloat. I'm not being dramatic. I just realized that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and if I am constantly doing things to my body that prevent me from being the best witness that I can be, if I am constantly hindering myself from being a light in the world like I am called to be, I should take better care of the gift that God has given me. Do I believe that everyone should do exactly what I am doing in order to honor the Lord? Absolutely not! Again, this was just something that has affected me in a particular way and has caused me to respond so that I can honor the Lord better. It reminds me of this verse.
1 Corinthians 8:12 "And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ."
You may not believe that your diet affects your walk with Christ--great! More power to you. But because of the way some of the foods in this world affect my body, I choose to take care of it in a different way than you might choose to. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
With all that being said, on January 12th, I began Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide with only the intentions of completing it. I followed everything to a tee. The nutrition guide, the workouts, etc. I am being careful not to give too much away, but I will give you some of my results and tell you what I learned.
Kayla's guide included resistance training, LISS sessions, and HIIT sessions each week. After every 4 weeks, the phase becomes harder and harder. I began the program at 123lbs and am now at 113lbs. I actually lost those 10 pounds in the first 7 weeks and have just maintained the weightloss since then. These are the things I learned:
1. I can do anything I set my mind to. I told myself at the beginning that this was not about attention from others (which is why I told no one about this) and that this was not about weightloss. It was simply about becoming as fit as I could in a 12 week span. Christ gave me strength on those days that I was struggling to get up at 6:30 to complete the grueling workouts that Kayla so happily gave me. It is still not about attention, even though I am writing this post. I am not writing this post so that you can say "Oh wow ashley, you did such a great job! You look great!" I am writing this post to document my experience and share with others what I learned.
2. I learned that with enough practice and consistency, I can conquer difficult workouts. I have improved in my burpees, as well as in my decline push-ups since the beginning of the program.
3. I really don't crave much. Kayla suggests having a single cheat meal every week for those who have cravings that need to be satisfied. I had a total of 5 cheats throughout the twelve week span because not only did I want to achieve maximum results, but I also never got to the point where I felt *I absolutely need that pizza!*. My cheats occurred at the end of week 5 (a scoop of cotton candy ice cream); at the end of week 7 (a small slice of soapapilla cheesecake, and a small banana toffee gelato); at the end of week 9 (a slice of my girl Brittaney's wedding cake); and at the end of week 12 as a celebratory "I DID IT" (an Edwards Single Cookies and Creme pie slice). Notice, all of these were desserts, I still have yet to have any piece of fried food since beginning (and ending) the program.
4. CARBS ARE NOT BAD. Ya'll, for so long I have been telling people that I will never go low carb. If people tell me---you need to cut out carbs, I smile politely and say "no thanks". Listen to these facts: I ate 6 servings (sometimes 7) of whole grains EVERY DAY for 12 weeks, and still lost 10 pounds. This includes whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortilla, cereals, etc. I am not a health professional, some people may be more carb sensitive than others, but thanks be to God that I am not!
5. Healthy eating doesn't have to be drab and miserable. Let me explain to you some of the things I ate on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, while still achieving my fitness goals: whole wheat quesadillas (yes, cheese!), whole wheat tortilla pizzas, cereal with soy milk, ground turkey tacos made with Mrs. Dash taco seasoning, whole wheat pasta with crushed tomatoes as the sauce (instead of pasta sauce). Ya'll, I was eating good.
6. A certain level of fitness does not happen over night...and it does not happen in 12 weeks either. I stink at jump lunges, I suck at bench hops, but boy am I better now than I was on January 12. I enjoyed this program because it was doable with my schedule, and it didn't force me to eliminate things out of my diet that I enjoyed. I don't believe fitness has to be burdensome, it needs to be fun---or else I would quit altogether.
7. Not everyone will be in support of your fitness journey, and that is okay. I got made fun of over these past twelve weeks when I would turn down things like free donuts, pizza, cookies, ihop, etc. Again, everyone's journey in the fitness world (no matter how big or small) is different. I cannot compare myself to you and you cannot compare yourself to me because we are all on different pages. I can only compare myself to where I was yesterday.
8. Fitness has the potential to take the place of the Lord in my life. There were about 3 evenings where I became so obsessed with getting in the recommended number of servings into my body that I had a nervous breakdown and physically cried. Thank goodness my husband was there. He was there to say "Babe, why are you doing this? Why did you start this program? Did you start this to honor the Lord by completing a goal that you set for yourself? Or did you start this in hopes of becoming obsessed with your body image and calorie intake?" Thank God for my husband, literally. Because he reminded me on several instances, when I was getting super close to becoming "that fitness girl" who was obsessed with everything she put into her mouth to eat. I never wanted to become that way, and I never WANT to be come that way in the future. I am thankful for his reminders of what is important. Because, keep in mind, who created this delicious food in the first place? The Lord! He created so many varieties and colors because He wants us to enjoy it all! (Even the "not so healthy" stuff!).
God is so good ya'll. Due to having to get up so early to work out, I had a lot more time to spend with the Lord. I had so much fun working out at early hours of the morning and then immediately resting my muscles in bed with the Word in front of me. I believe the Lord gives all of us passions, and this just happens to be one of mine. Again, a passion for the sole purpose of honoring the Lord with my body.
I have posted my before and after photos---but keep in mind, these photos were not my end goal. My end goal was to finish the program and be fitter than I was before, which I believe I have achieved. My goal was NOT to become some super hot bikini babe. I have provided 3 pictures down below, back, front, and side view (the progress in my back is my favorite, if I had to pick). I kept my photos as modest as possible (some girls in the program literally take pics in bikinis) but again, my husband is in the ministry and I never want to lead anyone astray---ever! As for the future: maybe a second round of the program? Who knows:-)
Kayla's guide included resistance training, LISS sessions, and HIIT sessions each week. After every 4 weeks, the phase becomes harder and harder. I began the program at 123lbs and am now at 113lbs. I actually lost those 10 pounds in the first 7 weeks and have just maintained the weightloss since then. These are the things I learned:
1. I can do anything I set my mind to. I told myself at the beginning that this was not about attention from others (which is why I told no one about this) and that this was not about weightloss. It was simply about becoming as fit as I could in a 12 week span. Christ gave me strength on those days that I was struggling to get up at 6:30 to complete the grueling workouts that Kayla so happily gave me. It is still not about attention, even though I am writing this post. I am not writing this post so that you can say "Oh wow ashley, you did such a great job! You look great!" I am writing this post to document my experience and share with others what I learned.
2. I learned that with enough practice and consistency, I can conquer difficult workouts. I have improved in my burpees, as well as in my decline push-ups since the beginning of the program.
3. I really don't crave much. Kayla suggests having a single cheat meal every week for those who have cravings that need to be satisfied. I had a total of 5 cheats throughout the twelve week span because not only did I want to achieve maximum results, but I also never got to the point where I felt *I absolutely need that pizza!*. My cheats occurred at the end of week 5 (a scoop of cotton candy ice cream); at the end of week 7 (a small slice of soapapilla cheesecake, and a small banana toffee gelato); at the end of week 9 (a slice of my girl Brittaney's wedding cake); and at the end of week 12 as a celebratory "I DID IT" (an Edwards Single Cookies and Creme pie slice). Notice, all of these were desserts, I still have yet to have any piece of fried food since beginning (and ending) the program.
4. CARBS ARE NOT BAD. Ya'll, for so long I have been telling people that I will never go low carb. If people tell me---you need to cut out carbs, I smile politely and say "no thanks". Listen to these facts: I ate 6 servings (sometimes 7) of whole grains EVERY DAY for 12 weeks, and still lost 10 pounds. This includes whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortilla, cereals, etc. I am not a health professional, some people may be more carb sensitive than others, but thanks be to God that I am not!
5. Healthy eating doesn't have to be drab and miserable. Let me explain to you some of the things I ate on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, while still achieving my fitness goals: whole wheat quesadillas (yes, cheese!), whole wheat tortilla pizzas, cereal with soy milk, ground turkey tacos made with Mrs. Dash taco seasoning, whole wheat pasta with crushed tomatoes as the sauce (instead of pasta sauce). Ya'll, I was eating good.
6. A certain level of fitness does not happen over night...and it does not happen in 12 weeks either. I stink at jump lunges, I suck at bench hops, but boy am I better now than I was on January 12. I enjoyed this program because it was doable with my schedule, and it didn't force me to eliminate things out of my diet that I enjoyed. I don't believe fitness has to be burdensome, it needs to be fun---or else I would quit altogether.
7. Not everyone will be in support of your fitness journey, and that is okay. I got made fun of over these past twelve weeks when I would turn down things like free donuts, pizza, cookies, ihop, etc. Again, everyone's journey in the fitness world (no matter how big or small) is different. I cannot compare myself to you and you cannot compare yourself to me because we are all on different pages. I can only compare myself to where I was yesterday.
8. Fitness has the potential to take the place of the Lord in my life. There were about 3 evenings where I became so obsessed with getting in the recommended number of servings into my body that I had a nervous breakdown and physically cried. Thank goodness my husband was there. He was there to say "Babe, why are you doing this? Why did you start this program? Did you start this to honor the Lord by completing a goal that you set for yourself? Or did you start this in hopes of becoming obsessed with your body image and calorie intake?" Thank God for my husband, literally. Because he reminded me on several instances, when I was getting super close to becoming "that fitness girl" who was obsessed with everything she put into her mouth to eat. I never wanted to become that way, and I never WANT to be come that way in the future. I am thankful for his reminders of what is important. Because, keep in mind, who created this delicious food in the first place? The Lord! He created so many varieties and colors because He wants us to enjoy it all! (Even the "not so healthy" stuff!).
God is so good ya'll. Due to having to get up so early to work out, I had a lot more time to spend with the Lord. I had so much fun working out at early hours of the morning and then immediately resting my muscles in bed with the Word in front of me. I believe the Lord gives all of us passions, and this just happens to be one of mine. Again, a passion for the sole purpose of honoring the Lord with my body.
I have posted my before and after photos---but keep in mind, these photos were not my end goal. My end goal was to finish the program and be fitter than I was before, which I believe I have achieved. My goal was NOT to become some super hot bikini babe. I have provided 3 pictures down below, back, front, and side view (the progress in my back is my favorite, if I had to pick). I kept my photos as modest as possible (some girls in the program literally take pics in bikinis) but again, my husband is in the ministry and I never want to lead anyone astray---ever! As for the future: maybe a second round of the program? Who knows:-)