The Fitness Plateau

Congratulations on losing those pesky pounds! Now you are ready to focus on your ideal shape.  This is not the time to get complacent.  Shedding the extra weight was really the easiest part.  Cut back on calories and do some cardio a few times a week and the pounds will melt away.  But now what?  Don't go backwards!
Now it's time to look toward new goals.  Don't get hung up on the numbers on the scale at this point.  Once you have hit a healthy weight, it's time to focus on how you feel, how you look, not your weight.
After shedding my baby fat, I decided that I really wanted to spend some quality time in the gym and tone up.  I joined an Anytime Fitness and started my routine.  This particular gym has been great because it's literally open, "any time!" I can go when the kids are in bed, early in the morning.  I may have even popped in there on Christmas Eve!  I love it.  After doing a nice routine of strength training and cardio, I started feeling the soft spots firming up.  I was ready for something more.
I have never been much of an athlete.  I think it's because I am not competitive at all.  You want the ball? Please, take it!  So I decided that I needed to find something that I could do to compete against myself.  I began to run.  I have severe hyperpronation (extreme flat feet), so I figured that that disqualified me from being a runner.  But after getting the right shoes and pushing through, I went from running 2 minutes in a row on the treadmill to running my first 5k in March of this year!
So the moral of the story?  As you move past the initial weight loss phase of your healthy life, begin to make new goals for yourself so that you do not plateau.  Never be comfortable.  Always try something more.  This will increase your confidence, your mood and your outlook on life.
Before I close, let me remind you to not get caught up in body image to the point that you live in insecurity.  Don't compare yourself to others or set unrealistic goals for yourself.  God simply wants you to care for your temple and respect Him and yourself by keeping it clean and healthy.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Until next time,
Mindy