Mentorship (Fitness Blog World Post)

Yes this is me and Phil Heath, Mr. Olympia 2011, he was guest posing at my latest competition. He was at the same one last year too!

This is  the latest Fitness Blog World post, I lost track of time and missed the deadline of 8:00 p.m. Monday night, so I will post two on Monday! ha ha

The question posed to us today is this: 

Mentorship what advise would you give to someone starting out on their fitness journey? How do you do it all? How do you stay so fit?

There is so much to say and tell you. I am very fit, there is no doubt about it. I "do it all", that's for sure. I have a full time job that is quite demanding, a husband (married 27 years), a 17 year old son, I am the team mom for his Varsity lacrosse team year two in a row, I cook, I go to the gym every single day, I work with a trainer (now three days a week after work and still go to the gym before work too).

I can easily tell you how I do it all. I do it all because it is all important to me. I believe that we make time for the things in life that we feel are important.

So, that means If you tell me you will meet me, or do something with me and you forget, or are very, very late; I am not important to you, so be careful there.

I believe that health is more important than money. I also believe that we need to love ourselves and feel pride in ourselves. I am proud of the fact that I am in great shape, I am strong, I am free to make choices in life.

My advise to you  would be this:

1) Determine why you want to "get fit". If it is for any reason, ANY, other than for yourself, you will not succeed. 

2) Set a goal, decide what you want to do or what you want to accomplish and write it down.

3) Establish your game plan, you need a plan to make it work. Write it down. What days will you go to the gym and when? What will you do there? What might hinder this? How can you eliminate this obstruction?

4) Don't make excuses. If you don't go to the gym that is completely your fault. So maybe you need to work late, go after work anyway. Cut it short if you have to but go. Make excuses to me and they go in one ear and out the other. I won't feel sorry for you or your situation, I run into the same issues myself, I just deal with it and I don't make excuses up. You have no one to blame but yourself, and since you control yourself, there is no valid excuse is there?

5) Don't expect overnight results. It took you years to get out of shape, it may take several months to see a change.

6) You cannot "wish" fat away. Everything you eat determines what your body looks like. Everything.  You need to learn what foods are good just as much as you need to learn which ones are bad.

7) If you backslide, build a bridge and get over it. No one is perfect, we all make poor choices but learn from your mistake, don't keep making the same one over and over, otherwise it's not a mistake, it's a habit.

8) Love yourself and be kind to yourself.

9) Reach out and ask for advise, ask for tips, share your frustrations and successes. It helps to have someone you can confide in. You can develop deep and lasting friendships by interacting with people who have the same goals as you. 

10) Don't hang out with bad influences. If you have friends who party all night long and encourage you to skip your training, dump them, or slowly move away from their circle, they are no good for you. Birds of a feather flock together.

11) Celebrate your successes, toot your own horn, strut your stuff and be proud!

There is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman who is in control and feels good in her own skin. In jeans, a dress, make up, no make up. You can create yourself to be a vivacious, alluring woman, if you just feel good about YOU!

Decide what is important to you and go after it!

Please visit Fitness Blog World and the 20 additional writers who will be sharing their advise on mentorship.