Time to chat. About motivation. When you look back at your 2015, did you stay motivated with your goals or did you go through your ups and downs? When I started my fitness path years ago, I was never consistent. I constantly tried then gave up. Then tried again and gave up again. All because I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted right away. I thought that muscle was something that just appeared after a couple of weeks. Damn was I wrong. Before starting CrossFit 6 years ago, I was never consistent about hitting the gym. I didn’t like being there, I didn’t enjoy working out, and I definitely wasn’t seeing results. So I constantly gave up and said that a diet or a workout just didn’t work for me. That just wasn’t the case. I wasn’t working for myself. I wasn’t putting in the time, the sweat, the energy, the frustration. I was just giving up when the going got tough.
Until CrossFit. CrossFit gave me something to work for. It made me push myself every day, and that’s what I needed. When I found CrossFit, I also found consistency. But that doesn’t mean I saw results right away. The thing I’ve always had the hardest time with is building muscle in my legs. I was never an athlete growing up and never consistently worked out, so my legs were very difficult to build. I just chalked it up to genetics and said I would never have a certain look that I wanted. But just because I thought that didn’t mean I gave up on working out and eating healthy. For the past six years, I’ve worked out 5-6 days per week, I’ve eaten healthy while still enjoying life’s moments, and I’ve taken care of myself by not drinking too much, sleeping well, and keeping my stress levels down. It’s taken me six years to finally see some progression that I’ve hoped for: muscle in my legs.
Why I’m telling you all this is simple: Stay Motivated. Stop comparing yourself, stop doubting yourself, stop putting yourself down. None of those things will keep you motivated and keep you on track. Stop looking at the small details like cellulite or not enough muscle or loose skin and begin looking at the big picture: health. If you can concentrate on your health first, the other things will come over time. When I started my fitness journey, it was all about looks and aesthetics. But once I started concentrating on just being healthy and happy and doing those things daily to get me there, I began to see the results I hoped for. Am I exactly where I want to be physically? Of course not and I don’t think I’ll ever be. But that’s what keeps me motivated, knowing that I have my entire life to continue to reach for something and get better at something.
So here’s my final note. It’s now 2016, you have a clean slate and you can do anything. I’m not saying it will be easy and I’m not saying you’ll see results right away. But if you find something you love to do, whether that’s Zumba or purebarre or CrossFit or triathlons or spin class, you’ll stick with it and over time, you’ll see your dreams, your ambitions and your goals all come to fruition. Just remember, you set these goals for a reason: because you REALLY want them. So don’t let any excuse, any frustration or any doubt get in the way. Be persistent, be consistent and be patient.
“People do not lack strength, they lack will.” Have the will.
Sunday –
Every minute on the minute for 30 minutes:
Minute 1: 10/10 dumbbell bulgarian split squats
Minute 2: 12 burpees
Minute 3: 18 alternating jumping lunges
Minute 4: 50 double unders
Minute 5: barbell good mornings
Monday – Rest day – Sick day
Tuesday – Rest day – Sick day
Wednesday –
Every 2 mins for 8 Rounds (16 mins)
Round 1,3,5,7:
16 /14 cal Row / Bike and 16 Wall Ball
Round 2,4,6,8:
50 Double Unders
22 KB Swings (70/55)
Then 21-15-9 Reps For Time Of: (11 min Time Cap)
Front Squats
Burpees
Pike push ups
I did this workout by myself so I didn’t keep tabs on time or reps
Thursday –
EMOM x 8: 3 Touch & Go Power Cleans. First set at 60%, add as you go. – I finished at 135#
15 min Ladder Of: (3,6,9,12,15…)
C2B Pull Ups
Thrusters (115/75)
OH Squats (115/75)
I got 15+43 at 65# and kipping pull ups
Friday –
3 rounds for time:
20 wall ball and 20 power cleans (135/85)
I finished in 8:14 rx
Then straight into 6 minutes to find 1 rep max clean – I got to 150#
Next –
500m row
200m kettlebell carry (2×55 or 2×35)
30 burpees over the rower
20 double front rack kettlebell lunges (2×55 or 2×35)
500m row
I finished in 11:34 rx
Lastly –
12/10 wall walks
100/80 calories on the air dyne
I finished in 10:00
Saturday –
With a partner complete:
100 calorie row
100 box overs (24/20)
100 thrusters (95/65)
100 toes to bar
100 thrusters (95/65)
100 box overs (24/20)
100 calorie row
We finished in 39:53 using 55#
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Booty Blast Workout:
5 rounds:
20 reverse hypers
30 in and out squat jumps
16 overhead walking lunges
20 weighted bridges
15 burpees
10/10 banded glutes
See a video of all the movements here
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What I Ate in a Day:
So here’s the thing. I eat when I’m hungry, I stop when I’m full, I listen to what my body is craving and eat that thing most of the time. I don’t follow a schedule of when I eat, I just try to listen to my body and every day seems to be a tad different. Like this day was absolutely all over the place. Since I worked a bit in the morning before I went to the gym, I forgot to eat a snack and since I had to run an errand afterwards, I didn’t get to eat for a few hours after. Not a huge fan of eating until 1 but that’s just how life is. Another thing that ended up happening is we went to a hockey game then to a bar after so when we got home at around 12:30am, I was hungry again so I ate. Even though people say not to eat after 7 or 8 or whatever, I’m not gonna go to bed uncomfortable so I ate. Boom. Just doing what works for me!
6:30am – Wake up – Drink a half cup of coffee with some heavy cream and stevia
9:00am – Workout
10:00am – Take car to dealership which takes waaaaaaay longer than I thought it would, which meant I wasn’t home until about 1pm.
1:00pm – Eat lunch back at home – Leftovers from the night before with chicken curry with white rice and vegetables.
3:00pm – Slice of pear upside down cake (recipe will be on the blog this week!)
5:30pm – Couple handfuls of Jackson’s sweet potato chips with salsa
7:00pm – Dinner downtown at a completely terrible restaurant. So I just got a pulled pork sandwich and ate it without the bun then had a side salad.
When we went to the hockey game and bar afterwards, instead of drinking, I just chugged a ton of water.
12:30am – Once we got back home for the bar, I ate another bowl full of curry and rice before heading to bed!
I’ve been reading your blog on and off for years. You have worked really hard and while you look great, you sound like you FEEL great [more important]. Reading your blog a few years ago was hard at times, you could tell you were struggling and I know exactly how that feels. Empathy, not judgement here! I hope other readers can see the big picture and learn from you, it takes a lot of hard work, time and commitment.
totally! when I look back and read my blog, I wish I could go back and talk to myself to let me know that it gets better so stop being so unhappy along the way. it’s amazing how much things can change in a few short years. thank you for the continued support, even during the hard times!
Because I’m not familiar with the brand, I had to do double-take with your 5:30 pm meal….Jackson’s sweet potato chips with salsa…..I thought, oh man, Juli is losing it, eating the dog snacks now. LOL Sorry just had to share. Keep up the good work and thanks for the uplifting message!
hahaha that’s hilarious
This post really did it for me. My wife and I have been reading your blog and have almost all of your cookbooks. Your latest book (our FAVORITE) was her xmas gift and every single meal at home since then, has been from the book.
I’ve always had image issues, ever since I was a chubby little kid. Things like being the victim of bullying and watching my parents terrible marriage crumble into divorce made me always turn to food which eventually led me to hate myself. To make a long story short, it took me a long time to discover a healthy lifestyle and realize that it wasn’t about having the best body or the lifting the heaviest weights that mattered, just being the best ME that I could be. I truly owe a lot of that to eating Paleo and staying motivated by reading your posts and making your recipes.
Thank you for being a positive influence for me and my family and I look forward to following you for as long as you keep writing, cooking, and inspiring.
wow that’s so amazing, mike!! isn’t that the most freeing feeling? to finally just be happy being you instead of the you you created in your brain while growing up. you have to enjoy the ride, even when it’s not what you pictured sometimes. keep being positive and spreading that positivity to others! thank you so much for the support and for making me want to continue to do this!
I, like a lot of other people commenting on here have been following your blog for quite some time. I just wanted to say thank you so much for being you and helping me become the woman that I am today. Reading your blog and seeing the challenges that you faced and how you overcame them has been a HUGE inspiration to me. I have conquered a lot of fears and learned some new things about myself that I had no idea even existed. Keep up the fantastic work and I am so excited to see what you will bring to the table in 2016! Cheers! 🙂
thank you so so much, krystin! so glad i could be your internet friend to help you along your path in some way! keep up the good work and i’ll keep bringing you new food!!
Juli,
You dont know how much this post has helped me just by reading it. I have struggled all my life with my weight and when I found crossfit everything changed and I loved me again and also enjoyed working out! Over the last six months I fell into a rut that I couldn’t seem to get out of and put 30 pounds back on of the 50 that I had lost by doing crossfit and paleo. Monday started a new year new me and reading this post has given me a new look that even the awesome paleo and crossfit person that you are, you still struggled too! I use your recipes more than any other paleo blogger and author. I just wanted to take this time to thank you for helping me on my journey. Even though you dont know me, YOU have impacted me more than you will ever know! So thank you and I cant wait for more recipes and future cookbooks!!
thank YOU for the sweet comment. it’s so easy to see others as not struggling or not having to go through the same pain we do, but more times than not, that’s just not the case. remember to keep your eye on the prize and know that long term persistence pays off.
Thank you so much Juli for this post, it actually made me cry!!! I needed to hear these words so bad cause I’ve been having one of the toughest periods in me life these past days and 2016 didn’t exactly start the way I wanted. But after reading this post I feel a little better and I will try to move on and just stay focused no matter what and just keep fighting for my dreams and goals. I will not give up until I’ve claimed that mountain. Thank you for being you and for inspiring me to not give up. Lets crush 2016!!
yessss!! time to kick some butt in 2016 and not let our doubts or the downers pull us down! stay positive and stay on track!
Exactly!!! I will!!! Thanks. You too okay? “Success is the best revenge”.
Hi Juli!
I’ve been reading your blog for years now. Have you ever thought about making youtube videos of “What I eat in a Day” so we can follow you around and see how you prepare your meals and whatnot? There are a few fitness channels I watch on youtube that will occasionally do videos of what they eat in a full day and I always find them pretty enlightening.
i’ve always wanted to do all sorts of videos but i don’t have a person to follow me around or to edit the film or any of that jazz. so maybe i’ll find someone to do that someday, because i would love that AND doing cooking videos!
Hi Juli –
This is a great blog post – very inspiring and well put. The line that resonates with me the most is “Stop looking at the small details like cellulite or not enough muscle or loose skin and begin looking at the big picture: health.” This is so true and sometimes easy to forget. And like a lot of these comments, I’ve followed you for a while and your blog is consistently where I get some of the best paleo recipes that we use over and over. Thank you for them!! I got your latest cookbook for Christmas and I can’t wait to try some of the new recipes out 🙂
I know you said that what you eat and when varies from day to day. Just curious if you usually eat on an empty stomach? I like to have some food in my belly (not right before of course) before working out. Do you feel more energized when you eat or don’t eat pre workout. Thanks!
no, i don’t usually workout on an empty stomach unless i decide to workout early in the morning. even then, i usually have something like 1/2 a larabar or a couple bites of leftovers. i just don’t like how my stomach feels when i’m working out on an empty stomach so i don’t do it