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#MyFitspiration

Commitment – Friend or Foe?

When I hear the word commitment, I immediately think of relationships. In fact, I hear my girlfriends use it more often than not. “He won’t give me a commitment”, “He’s scared to commit”, “If he could just make a decision and commit to it”. Blah blah blah commit blah blah blah. Are we asking our men to do something that we can’t? I know what you’re thinking, women are the ultimate committers, but are we? We are so quick to judge our men for being “non-committal” yet we can’t even commit to ourselves! Ladies, listen up! The sooner you fully commit to yourself the better your other commitments will be. We are committed to everyone else but ourselves! You’re the PTO mom, your bosses right hand girl always committed to your friends but are you committed to you? I meet so many people who are desperate to change their lives whether that’s losing weight, getting healthy or really wanting your life to change in a different way. Commitment means 100% not “When I have time”. There is never enough time for ourselves.

So I challenge you to recommit to YOU. What YOU want in YOUR life. A better mother, better friend, better sister, better girlfriend, daughter and the list goes on. Do you want to lose weight and be healthy or start a better exercise routine? COMMIT. You will be amazed at what this does for your life. Whether you decide on a 30 day commitment or even a year commitment make it! Ask yourself what you really want and don’t waste another second not reaching for it. Will you be perfect? Of course not! But have that word at the forefront of your mind when you get off track. Remember it will be so much easier to commit to someone or something else when you are committed to yourself. Commitment-phobes get over yourselves and join us!! 😉

PS. Tell us what you are committing to in the comments! We wanna know!!
XOXO, Hannah

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#MyFitspiration

Empty the Tank!

This statement will not come as a surprise to anyone. I love CrossFit…and yes, I will fully admit Im slightly obsessed with it. Fear not this is not going to be a propaganda blog post about the glories of CrossFit…I’m saving that for one day soon. It just so happens that in addition to getting a lot stronger physically I’m learning so much mentally in these WODs (workout of the day).

Jim McDade of CrossFit212 rowing back in the day

Last week I had a major “lightbulb” moment in a workout. This particular workout was pretty simple in design, but a BEAST when trying to perform. Jim, who is the owner and head coach of the box I go to (CrossFit212) was an elite rower…do you hear the Jaws theme music yet? Anyway, we do quite a bit of rowing on the rowing machines in our WODs. This workout was a 5,000 meter row…not TOO bad right?? Well, the kicker was the women had to complete it in under 22 minutes. Now, if you’ve ever spent time on a rowing machine you know that is FAST rowing for a long period of time. Now you understand my slight panic. If you didn’t complete the distance in the time frame then the penalty was 1 double under (YouTube it) for every second you went over. Whew. I was going to be there a long time paying the penalty.

Jim immediately sensed my panic & sat with me to discuss what my strategy would be. You all know me enough by now to know that this immediately made my inner “Type A” jump for joy!! The plan was that I would row at 27 strokes a minute & keep my splits below 2:10…a very lofty expectation, but I love a challenge. Ok, so I had my plan & although I was still about to pee my pants I was off rowing. I’ll tell you the hardest part for me was to keep things consistent. Funny enough when I got tired I wanted to chuck my form & just go fast. Jim continued to coach me through stage by stage keeping me where I needed to be. It was right around 4,000 meters in that he stepped in front of my rowing machine and simply said, “Ok, Olivia…at 4,500 meters you are going to sprint & completely EMPTY THE TANK!”

WHAT????? Empty my tank??? No, no, no, no, & NO!!! Immediately, I went to that very “Olivia Place” in my mind…you know the one…the control area. Well, let me tell you she was not happy…What if I started “emptying the tank” & I ran out of gas too early? What if I couldn’t finish? What if I emptied my tank & it still wasn’t enough? Meanwhile, I’m rowing closer & closer to those last dreaded 500 meters. Before I could even really protest I was there…time to sprint!

It was in those last 500 meters that I completely “Emptied the Tank” for the first time in my life. It was the most amazing feeling when I crossed that finish line…AND, I crossed it at 21:27…no penalty…33 seconds UNDER time.

This really got me thinking…what was I saving my gas for all the time??  Really, if you think about it what good does a semi full tank do for you when the workout is over?   I learned what it really feels like to leave nothing on the table & just go for it!!  I’ll tell you what…I left that day feeling the best sense of emptiness EVER!! Sounds weird but it was awesome.

I know now that I want to “Empty my Tank” and give it ALL in every workout…no matter what it is!! I want to encourage you all to explore this idea.  What are you holding back on?? Or, does it come naturally for you to “Empty  the Tank?”. If so, I want tips!! Let’s chat in the comments…see you below.

xxoo Olivia

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#MyFitspiration

Talking Spray Tans

Happy Friday everybody!!!! Olivia and I are big fans of the spray tan. So, after a recent “spraying” we decided to give you a short rundown of why we do it and how it might help YOU. If you need that extra something for photos or a big summer event (or any season for that matter!) this might be of some help.

What do you think about tanning? Any special tips to help us all out? Comment away and have an awesome weekend!!!!

 

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Obsession Confessions

Obsession Confession: Knee Socks

You all know by now I have fallen hard to the knee sock trend…hard! The awesome part is there are so many fun colors & patterns to choose from. I’m a big believer in making your workout attire fun!! If you feel good in what you are wearing you might actually look forward to going to the gym…trust me it works! As always Hannah & I are looking out for your wallet as well…so we found some great deals out there for you. Take a look & let us know in the comments if you like knee socks…and most importantly where you get yours!! 🙂

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#MyFitspiration

To Treat or Not to Treat…

…THAT is the Question

That title (and pic!) got your attention right? There is something about the word “Treat” that evokes some serious emotion! For some people it’s fear…for others it’s sheer joy. I think I fall right in the middle of the two. Whatever you might feel I’m going to break it down for you today. Well, I’m going to at least share with you what works for me.

This last year of maintenance has been a HUGE lesson in balance and boundaries. I’ve learned that “depriving” myself is actually not a bad thing. Yep, that’s right I said it. I feel like the diet industry is always saying “don’t deprive yourself”, because it will lead to binging. I agree & disagree with that statement. Let me explain. Basically, I still want to eat a cupcake for breakfast instead of egg whites…EVERYDAY!! I know that I will struggle with food choices the rest of my life…it’s just a fact. It’s taken some time, but I’m ok with that. Everyone has a cross they carry daily & this is mine. So, I get up every morning & I choose the egg whites. I do this because I know it will yield the results I’m looking for…AND I know it gives my body what it needs. Call it what you will, but this is “depriving” my desire for the cupcake. I choose to look at the word “deprive” as positive because I have found POWER in those choices. Every time I make a good food choice…even when I don’t want too…I gain strength & power over my weakness. I know that I’m a food addict & just like an alcoholic I will struggle with this till I die.

Ok, this is a blog about treats right? Now, does this mean I’m never going to have a cupcake ever again? Ummmm….NO WAY! Everyone needs treats in their life!!! That being said…it’s my opinion that if you have ever had a weight problem…like me…we have to be a little more strategic. (at least in the beginning) I try to always stay present while I’m eating…no more mindless decisions in that department. So, Hannah & I decided very shortly after The Biggest Loser that we would in fact have treats, but we would plan them. That’s right I schedule my cupcake liaisons…no seriously, I put it in my calendar.

I know it sounds a little crazy & controlling…but hear me out. How many times have you had a treat on the fly? Even if it was totally deserved & maybe it was the first treat in a long time…you felt guilty after…right? Right. You probably immediately thought…”that wasn’t worth it” or “Ugh, that was so many calories” or my favorite “why did I do that”! Trust me that is NO way to live. Hannah & I have found that by planning out our treats really allows us to not only enjoy them, but there is no guilt because it was planned for! How often you decide to treat yourself is up to you…but plan it out. We usually have a treat once a month…that might change over time, but for now it works really well. It gives me something to work towards. Remember it’s a TREAT…think about what you really want…don’t make it just an after thought. I literally keep a running list on my phone…I’m not kidding. If I see something throughout the month that looks amazing it goes on the list. That way when treat time rolls around I go to the list and pick what I really want. If I’m waiting a month for a treat I’m not wasting it on a candy bar from the gas station. Just sayin!

So, go forth and TREAT yourself…but plan it out. If this is a new concept for you try it & let us know what you think. Tell us in the comments what you think about treats! OH, and my favorite….let’s chat about our favorite treats!! I’ll go first…I love double chocolate cookies from Levain Bakery here in NYC!!! Yummo!!! Now your turn…and GOOOOO!

Big Love,

Olivia xo