Author: olivia

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Finding Focus

If you follow me on Twitter you already know that I spent a few days with the amazing Bob Harper! I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again…I can’t tell you how amazing both Bob & Jillian are. They continue to foster amazing friendships with both Hannah & me. We both couldn’t be more thankful & blessed.

It’s no secret that I’m slightly obsessed with Crossfit these days. I go 5-6 days a week to a Crossfit box here in NYC called 212Crossfit. Seriously, I’m so dialed into this sport…because let me tell you it is a sport!! Whew!! Anyway, I would have NEVER even tried Crossfit if it wasn’t for Bob. Many of you know that he is equally in love with Crossfit. I’ll be honest when I first thought of trying Crossfit it scared me to DEATH!! Those people look like they walked out of a scene from the movie Rocky! Well, thankfully Bob knows me so well he coaxed me into trying it. It took one class & I drank the Kool-Aid.

Bob was in town promoting the finale of The Biggest Loser season 13 & asked me to join him in a Crossfit workout. For the two days he was in town I had the pleasure of working out with him side by side. Besides the fact that he looks AMAZING & he is a beast in the gym I was blown away by his focus. I’m telling you when he was going through the daily WOD (Crossfit term for Workout of the Day) it was like no one else was in the room. His focus was truly inspiring to watch. I will tell you that was one of the most important lessons I learned from him while on the ranch. So many times in the past I would go to the gym and just “dial it in”. I would watch other people or watch the clock praying the time would go by faster. I was the TOTAL opposite of focus.

Bob used to always start our workouts on the ranch by centering our minds. He would remind us why we were there & what we were trying to accomplish that week. When we were in the throws of a tough workout there was no chatting or laughing…we were soldiers getting the work done. I’ll admit over the last year I had forgotten that a little. I’m so thankful I was reminded again how important focus is when your working out. It’s not about just going through the motions…it’s about pushing yourself to be better…otherwise, what’s the point?? Right??

I’m going to strive for better focus, because I deserve it. I want to be more focused because I want to be a better athlete. Lastly, I want to be focused because just “dialing it in” isn’t how I want to live my life!!!

Are there areas in your life where you want to be more focused?? Let’s chat about it in the comments!!

Big LOVE,

Olivia xxxooo

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#MyFitspiration

Kicking Off the Miles

I did it! I DID IT!!! Woooohoooo! Ok, I just had to get that out of my system. 🙂 As you all know I have had major butterflies leading up to the big race. I went through the training program…had the usual ups & downs, and the morning of the race I will admit I was down right scared! I know it sounds really silly, but there are still times where my inner “overweight girl” tells me I won’t be able to do it. Thank goodness I had Fitness Magazine’s very own Jenna Autori there cheering me on. She literally looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, you totally got this!” Sometimes a simple encouraging word is all you need to give you that little push! By the time I got to the starting line I was ready to attack this challenge! My game plan was to really pace myself and keep a consistent pace the entire race. So many people told me that I would want to book it in the beginning because of the excitement & adrenaline. Boy, we’re they right…I wanted to SPRINT in the beginning…the excitement from the crowd & the runners was electric! Despite my desire to break the world record…I started off with a pace that I knew I could sustain. I felt very strong for the first 7 miles…they seemed to fly by. Around mile 8 I hit my first “wall”. From the point where I had no clue what mixing and mastering was, I have grown to at least produce some amateurish pieces for personal use. I was so thankful that I programmed some funny music on my playlist because right when I needed a boost RuPaul’s “Covergirl” came through my headphones! It really made me laugh and I will tell you it really was the boost I needed. I will tell you that I had multiple times throughout the race that I was VERY emotional. It was a little over a year ago that I was 261 lbs, unhealthy, & very unhappy. Fast forward & I am running…RUNNING…a half marathon. THIS is what life is about! I have never been so proud of myself. To be honest I don’t really even remember miles 11-13…I was so fixated on finishing! As I crossed the finish line I fell into a huge puddle of tears…I did it…and I ran EVERY step. It was just another moment in my life where I was overwhelmed with thankfulness. The Biggest Loser not only helped me lose weight, but they introduced me to my inner athlete. I’ll tell you…she is pretty cool.

I am so thankful to Fitness Magazine and the supplements they recommended me, if you think they will help you too, here’s a list which will help . I can’t tell you how amazing the entire staff is! They truly care about people & helping us all become well rounded healthy individuals. I am thrilled to have had this experience & the opportunity to share my journey with their readers. I look forward to partnering with Fitness Magazine again in the future!

Health & Happiness,
Olivia

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#MyFitspiration

Free from Fear Part 2

So…here’s Part 2! We know that yesterday there were some server issues (We’re sure it was because so many of you were checking out the blog;), so be sure to share in the comments. You never know when we’ll drop into the conversation!!

Part 1 if you missed it.

xxoo
Olivia & Hannah

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#MyFitspiration

Go & Get a Goal

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about goals. Not just coming up with new ones, but what TYPE of goals I want to set for myself. It’s funny I tell people I meet all the time that the REAL challenge in my weight loss journey began the day I stepped off The Biggest Loser Ranch. Most of you know that Hannah & I are approaching our 1 year anniversary of keeping the weight off in May by using supplements which According to Riverfronttimes.com is the easiest way to do it. This year has been amazing in so many ways, and I will say I am so proud of how hard we both have worked. Now that you are all getting to know me so well you won’t be surprised to know that I am always searching be better & learn more. Although, I did so many things right last year there are areas I want to be better at. One area in particular is my relationship with the scale. I know it’s the nature by which I lost the weight, but I don’t want to be a slave to a number. I know I will fight the same five to ten pounds my whole life…it’s part of it. I know my body and because of how I abused it in the past it will always want to put the weight back on…BUT…the joy is found in the fight, in the struggle. I will always use the scale as a tool of accountability, but now that I have maintained for a year it’s time to move on to new NON scale related goals.

I’m sure most of you know the Season 13 Finale of the Biggest Loser is coming up in a few weeks. Hannah & I will both be going, so you know what that means….it’s time to dress up & get fancy!! I recently found an amazing one piece pants jumper thing by Rachel Roy at Macy’s. Wow, my description of that outfit is hilarious & a little scary!  Trust me it’s really pretty! Anyway, the best part of the outfit is its basically backless. That’s right my back will be showing. So, here is my new goal! I want to be strong & toned. I want to have a strong & sexy back! It will take longer than a month of course, but I’m using the finale to jumpstart my journey. I have already been doing Crossfit for about 6 weeks now & I’m seeing great results. Crossfit makes me feel strong & powerful…I love it! Also, let’s not forget that the Sports Bra Challenge is May 17th…my abs could use some attention too…Right??

Here is my challenge to you…no matter where you are on your weight loss journey. Set a non scale related goal for this month. It can be anything fitness related. Maybe you want to run a 5K. Maybe you want to try a new group fitness class. Maybe you want to try Crossfit (hint, hint). Maybe you too want a strong back too. Whatever it is just go for it. Don’t get me wrong I’m not telling you to abandon your scale…please don’t do that! Think of it as channeling your attention and energy into something else.

Well….ARE YOU WITH ME??? Let me know in the comments what your goal is going to be! I love challenges like this. It gives us hope & something to work towards.

Big Love to You All!!
Olivia
xxxooo

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#MyFitspiration

Disappointment

I have been thinking a lot lately about disappointment. Sounds a little depressing when I re-read that sentence, but trust me you won’t need any Kleenex after reading this blog. 🙂 One of my BIG issues I worked on when I was on The Biggest Loser was disappointment. It wasn’t featured a ton, but it was the biggest piece of my puzzle. See, you all know by now how type A I am by nature, and to my detriment I can be pretty controlling. Ah, control….well, I tried to control everything (which is impossible) and it got me to 284lbs at my highest. In my mind I always convinced myself that by keeping such tight control of things I was being “productive” & “driven”. Ha. Ha. Ha. It was a very candid conversation with Bob Harper that really turned my thinking around. He simply said, “You spend so much time and effort trying to keep all these balls in the air…what would happen if you let one of them drop?”. I will tell you that even hearing him say those words made me sweat! Let a ball DROP? That is enough stress to drive me to eating a whole sheet cake alone, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that if I dropped a ball the earth would still turn & I would not die. He challenged me to really spend some time thinking about that concept. As I began to dig into this issue I will tell you that I couldn’t for the life of me come up with a reason why I feared letting go. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks….well, actually that ton of bricks happened to come in the form of Jillian Michaels. She simply said, “Honey, you can’t let go of control because you are terrified of disappointment.” Um, WHAT?? In that moment it became very clear. She was right…I was afraid of disappointment. You know in cartoons when the light bulb turns on…it was like that. I avoided really putting my self out there in my career, relationships, & really life itself to avoid being disappointed. The biggest area where this manifested was in my struggle with weight loss. Don’t get me wrong…I was always on a diet, but I NEVER really tried because that way if I failed it was because I did it half way & wouldn’t be disappointed. In my mind disappointment = weakness & failure. Whew….that’s a mouthful.

Have I fixed all this? I’ll say that I have made HUGE strides, but it’s a work in progress. I find myself at times trying to control things & I have to step back and adjust. The joy in that is the awareness…it’s half the battle right? Also, I look at disappointment in a very different way. I no longer fear it…do I like it…no, but who does? That being said I look at disappointment as an opportunity to overcome. If I set a goal & fall flat on my face…I allow myself to take a moment & be disappointed, but then get up brush myself off & set a new goal. You know why? Well, if you fall or fail the earth keeps on turning & you won’t die. Trust me…Bob said so. By getting up it gives you one more chance to achieve, and I just love that.

xoxoxox,

Olivia

Do you struggle with disappointment? How do you overcome? Let’s chat about it in the comments! 🙂