Hi Everybody! Hope you having fitastic day :). We have a special guest here today…Olivia’s husband Ben. You might have seen him on a few episodes of #BL11. He’s running the NYC Marathon Nov 6 and he needs your help…we told him that #myfitspiration readers were the BEST and would surely help him meet his goals.
Watch to the video and then head over to http://bit.ly/bwtwv to show your support. This will help kids AND your heart!!! xoxox, Olivia & Hannah
Are you ready to get all philosophical with me today??
Ok, so I had grand plans of giving you lovely readers a fun video today….BUT…there is always a but…I can’t get this out of my head and this is the BEST place for me to flesh this out. So…here goes.
There was a comment left on one of the past blogs about how much time I spend working out a day, and by posting that on twitter I am putting unrealistic expectations on people etc. Now, this person really was coming from a good place, and I appreciated the honesty. Let’s not get out the pitch-forks and torches just yet, because I want this to be a place we can all be honest…politely please. After I let the sting of criticism roll off me I began to really think about this statement. Am I being realistic about my workout schedule….is it too much?
See, I told ya we were getting deep today. Heehee. This brings up a great point about balance. We all need balance in our lives…in our friendships, family, and even our workouts. For me this has been the toughest aspect of leaving the ranch. How do I find balance when all I know is Biggest Loser….which was my full time job for months and months. How do I navigate transitioning from 8 hours of working out a day to just 90 minutes? I’ll tell you…I just go day by day. Somedays 90 minutes doesn’t feel like enough and I do more if I have the time. Then other days I feel great at an hour and I stop there….although that has been rare. There is also some guilt which I’m working on. 🙂 The point is I’m always working towards a balance that not only works for me, but is healthy.
I get asked all the time if I think I can sustain this workout schedule my whole life….to which I answer….I don’t know. It cracks me up to see people’s faces when I give them that answer. I’m sure they are expecting some kind of noble “I am winner hear me roar” type of answer like “absolutely, I will workout hours and hours everyday for the rest of my life because I have made a lifestyle change” or something like that. I wish I was that confident, but to be honest I don’t know what tomorrow will hold for me or my schedule. What I do know is that I am going to do whatever is required to keep this weight off…I owe that to myself and to the amazing gift I have been given. For now, that means working out as much as I do these days feels right. Does that mean it should be the stick that everyone measures themselves by? No…I repeat…N-O! Sometimes it takes just listening to your body and knowing what is right for you. At the end of the day only you will know what is best for you, your body, and your schedule.
I hope you all know that when I post what I am doing it is not to discourage anyone…to be REALLY honest…it is to hold ME accountable and hopefully encourages everyone that we are all in this together. When I read tweets about someone completing their first 5K, going to a spin class and loving it, OR deciding that no matter how scary it is they are going to take the Sports Bra Challenge it reminds me why I started this journey and why I continue. It feeds my spirit and I just love it. I hope on some level my tweets lift you up as well. I really do feel like we are all here to learn from and edify one another.
I would LOVE to know what you think about balance and how you either achieve it or struggle with it. It’s a great conversation worth having don’t you think?
Much Love and Health,
Olivia
P.S. Can you believe the Sports Bra Challenge is just right around the corner??? Who’s ready….who’s scared? *raises hand* 🙂
Heeellllooo my lovelies! How are you at firsts? First day of school, first kiss, first impressions aaannndd the list goes on! Have you ever met someone who you grew to love but gave the worst first impression? Something to think about. When I was overweight, I always gave an “unhealthy” first impression. You know when people give you the elevator (when they look you up and down) and I’m not talking about men that are checking you out, I’m talkin about straight up judgmental people! They always thought I just sat around on the couch and ate bon bons all day (which is only PARTIALLY true, ahem Saturdays only ;)). Realistically I always thought my first impressions were horrible due to people making assumptions about me due to my weight. The truth is, I made them horrible and never let my fabulous personality shine through because I was so focused on not being stereotyped as the fat chick! I now realize that SO much of that was in my mind. Yes, overweight people DO get treated differently. That’s FO SHO! I never knew men (strangers at that) to open doors for me, give up their seat on the subway for me, randomly ask me out, etc. That NEVER happened to me when I was a heavy gal. I became bitter about that so much so that I dreaded first impressions, always thinking that whatever I was doing was being judged because of my weight. Um, can I just say that being overweight made me a little, um, well…CRAZY…!!
Ok, as I get off track (we ALL know I can get off on a tangent or two!) it’s time for us to OWN our first impressions. Walk into your first day on the job with confidence, meet his or her parents with grace and humility, enjoy that first kiss with no expectations and take these firsts in! Celebrate your first 10 lbs lost even if you have 100 to go, celebrate with your child on their first day of kindergarten (even though you have been up all night crying!). Enjoy them and relish the fact that you are doing something new for the first time! I started a new position this week at my company (not to worry, I am leading a double life, still doing all things BL too!) and my first day I relished it. Giggled as I walked into my new office, shouted with joy as I put my new dress on that morning which was a first (I have never worn a dress to work…EVA!) and at the end of the day rewarded myself with dinner with a friend followed by a mani pedi, purple please! Yes, there is a lot of work to be done but why focus on the hard road ahead? I have another first coming up. You guessed it…….SPORTS BRA CHALLENGE! I guess if Olivia can talk me into wearing a bikini in front of the world we can do this one together! Let’s celebrate our firsts together and take this thing one day at a time! Here are a few cheesy pics of me on my first day! Tell me about your recent firsts? Or do you have any scary ones coming up? Let’s hear it people!!!
xoxo,
Hannah….aka, BananaPants
Now, on to my favorite part of the #FAGEtotal event….the FOOD! I have to admit I was super excited about learning new ways to incorporate Greek yogurt in everyday recipes. That was until I saw the menu. Cue the freakout music. Why you ask? Well, take a look:
Eggs Benedict
Fried Chicken
Potato Salad
Macaroni and cheese
Are you kidding me??? I literally could hear Bob and Jill screaming in my head “You can’t eat that stuff!”….see they are in my head all the time….no, I’m not crazy…well, maybe a little but you already knew that. Ok, back to the story. Now, I was panicking because I knew they were going to make me try it all! This is stuff nightmares are made of for a Southern girl. You know we are polite people pleasers at heart ya’ll…AND I can’t refuse food that someone has made for me…or can I?
Take into consideration all this drama took place in my head over a time period of 30 seconds. After I let myself freakout, I immediately realized that I was in complete control of this situation AND one small taste of each dish is NOT going to kill me OR my waistline. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks…I’m here because although I am not a culinary expert, I have just spent the last 8 months of my life learning how to incorporate healthy eating and modify recipes into my life. BINGO! Give this lovely lady a prize please…bless her heart.
So, I now have purpose and am super excited….please feel sorry for the other two sweet ladies in my cooking group. You guys know how Hannah and I get when we are excited…like rats on crack…seriously. Anyway, the event turned out to be a BLAST and not only did I learn a ton, but I really was surprised at how many ways I was able to modify recipes on the spot. High five Bob and Jill…yes, the ones in my mind.
Stay tuned for cooking videos where I show Hannah some of the recipes I learned from FAGE… keep your eyes peeled for that coming up soon! This will be like an episode of “I Love Lucy” be sure of it. Until then post your favorite modified recipes in the comments…you all have the BEST food ideas ever.
xoxo,
Olivia
P.S. Have I told you lately that I love you (insert a crying Rod Stewart)….Well, I do!
We were so nervous baring it (almost) all for our OK! Magazine spread! In the end it turned out great though and now we are actually excited to spend the summer in the sun!
Be sure to head to newstands to pick up the magazine but here’s an exclusive sneak peak of the first 2 pages, just for our MyFitspiration readers!
Inside the story we talk about some of our favorite snacks, our favorite workouts and a couple more lifestyle habits that have been keeping us healthy and slim since we came home from the Biggest Loser Ranch!