New Habits

 “Before something becomes a habit, it must first be practiced as a discipline” (Pipes).

Wise words from a wise friend. I've heard numerous comments and advice tips on creating a habit. One thing is certain, it takes consistency and discipline.

Ouch…discipline. Believe me when I say, I know how difficult being disciplined is. However, I truly believe that when you want something—truly want something—you’ll hop on that discipline train quick.

While I’m not sure whether or not my discipline train is ready to leave the station and make a non-stop journey to success-ville, I’ve certainly bought my ticket and packed my bags. I’m dead-serious about this trip.

If only...

I think it’s time to let you in on what exactly my “trip” looks like.

If you haven’t heard of BodyBuilders.com, well, you just did. I am not a spokes-person for them, but I would certainly do a good job of it. The site is incredible. I won’t ramble about it and waste precious blog space; so, visit the site and learn something.

Okay, BodyBuilders.com is an excellent resource tool for all things pertaining to Body Building. Who knew, right?

*SpeedyInsert – I’ve received grief and jabs from people when I mention this site. Apparently, “Body Building” means monstrously huge dudes wearing speedos and flexing their ‘roid-induced bulges in silly little contests. Hey, push the rock above your head out of the way just a tad and maybe, just maybe you’ll learn something. Body Building is simply that: Building your body. It doesn’t mean building to mass proportions. If you remodel a home and add or remove stuff, you’re a builder. If you remodel your body and add or remove stuff, you’re a builder. That means: If you’ve ever gone to a gym, gone for a run, changed your diet, etc., in order to change your body, that makes you a…body builder. GASP! The horror! The horror!  Heart of Darkness, anyone? No? I digress….

Case in point: It's the first picture that showed up when I searched for "Body Builder."

Back to the topic, BodyBuilders.com has an insane amount of workout regimens that span everything from a couple weeks to full-on, several month “Get Your Butt in Shape” plans. I made a goal (I’ll talk about the importance of goals soon, I promise). That goal was/is to follow one of these several week plans faithfully and to completion. I input my data (did you know that “data” is plural, and “datum” is singular?), told the website what I wanted to gain (fat loss), and voila (did you know that “voila” is French and translates roughly: “There it is” or “There you have it”?): a plan was suggested!

The website recommended I follow Lee Labrada’s “Lean Body Program.”

By the way, Lee Labrada actually is one of those dudes who wears a speedo and flexes his beef in “silly little contests.” Now, let it be known: I don’t think it’s silly.

“Lean Body” is a 12-week program designed to teach healthy eating habits while utilizing a regimen consisting of targeted workouts intended to burn fat and lose weight. Perfect! Each day of the program has a several minute video in which Lee explains the day’s exercises, teaches healthy eating habits and encourages by giving his advice on topics ranging from eating smart at restaurants, making good food choices and maintaining your motivation. I just finished the sixth week and am still motivated to push through the second half of the program.

The results? Well, in six weeks my strength has increased while my weight has decreased. I have muscle definition which I never saw even in my glory days, my small shirts are loose again, and I have to tighten my belt to keep my pants up. Oh. Happy. Day.

Next time I’ll expound on the “Lean Body Program” and let you know what exactly I’ve been doing.

Till then,

Cheers, and Stay Motivated

S