Everyone is looking for a quick fix to fitness and weight loss, aren’t they?
The magic diet plan, the amazing meal replacement, the perfect workout, the…….sauna exercise suit.
We all know the truth, though.
There is no magic anything.
Real results with weight loss and fitness takes hard work, will power. and dedication.
Those words aren’t glamourous or exciting.
But when you actually do them, the results are exciting.

The flip side of that is when you fall off the wagon, when you let your dedication and will power slip a bit, those results show too.
I saw that truth in black and white this weekend.
I don’t own a scale and haven’t since I left home 16 years ago.
I weigh myself at my parent’s home whenever I visit, or on the occasional doctor’s visit.
I never concerned myself with it much, and I’ve mostly used my clothes as an indicator of weight loss or gain.
If my pants were getting too tight, then I needed to take some action.
If not, then I was doing all right.

There is value to not obsessing over weight, as it is not a full description of your fitness level and health.
For me, however, having no concrete measure of my body, it was easy to not have any kind of focus for keeping my body fit.
I could be lackadaisical and just wear looser fitting clothes when things started feeling uncomfortable.
It wasn’t until I started Boot Camp that I ever had measurements or body fat taken, and was given any kind of fitness and health goals.
And it wasn’t until I worked out for a while and saw those goals being met, that I really knew what that looked and felt like, instead of just a vague feeling of my pants being too tight.

So back to this weekend.
After missing almost a month of Boot Camp, and then going on vacation and doing a fair bit of “vacation eating”, I definitely felt it in my body.
Beyond tighter pants, I felt soft and spongy, and generally less fit than I have in a while.
But it was when I had my measurements, weight, and body fat taken for the Life Body Core challenge, and then compared them with my stats from 6 months ago, that I got a full picture of my status.
I’ve been slacking off.
And it shows in every area.
Bummer!

I could have gotten really down on myself, felt like giving up, eaten a carton of ice cream, or become frustrated.
Instead I chose to use the situation as a learning experience.
After a life time of not really keeping track of anything, I now have some real numbers to compare.
I don’t just feel that my hips are bigger, the numbers tell me they are.
How is that helpful?
Because now I can see where I’ve been, and I know I can get back there again.

I am still learning so much about fitness and healthy living.
This experience has really shown me the value of keeping concrete track of my progress.
Not in an obsessive, over the top way.
But in a healthy, preventative, get your yearly check up, kind of way.

I share this to encourage you.
If you are hesitant about getting an evaluation done with one of the trainers, about getting your body fat pinched, and your hips measured, don’t hesitate anymore.
I know it can be scary.
It was scary for me the first time too.
But it will give you a place to start.
And then, it will give you a place to go back to.
You will see if you are improving or if you need to step it up a bit.
We shouldn’t be afraid of the numbers.
We should use them to push ourselves in the direction we want to go.

There is no magic pill, or suit, that will transform us into fit gods or goddesses.
But with some hard work and determination, with encouragement and help from our trainers, we can get there.
And if we fall down, we get back up and keep going.
Right?
We don’t give up.
I’m working on it.
Who’s with me?
Remember, keep on Living Fit!
Greta