Motivational Monday - Make a step ONE, do ONE thing

So here it is, the beginning of my next adventure. Blogging...being blogtastic, bloggidy blog blog....why is it even called a blog? Say it enough and see what happens. 
This is my journey...to motivate, inspire, help, teach, learn, love, laugh, cry... If I can inspire just ONE person to do something, make a change, be happier, do one thing that scares them, then my journey is a success. 
In return, I'm here for motivation. We all inspire each other, you learn from me, I learn from you. It's a big giant circle of love and happiness...that's my goal anyway. H8 will not be tolerated. Negativity won't be tolerated. Not saying it has to all be sunshine and bubbles, but I don't want drama. 

So here we are on a Monday. Most people like to start new things on a Monday. Why? Why not I guess. But remember that starting something new on a Tuesday is just as exciting ;)
Do you want to start today? Do you want to make a change? ANY change. It can be anything... losing weight? gaining muscle? cutting your hair? being happier? cooking a new meal? growing out your nails? All you have to do is start! And it's so easy!! Set your goal, do ONE thing today towards that goal. Make a phone call. Do a push up. Track a calorie or two. Read a book. You will be amazed at how easy it is to get started when you just start!
(Don't get all pouty here and say to yourself - "yeah easy for her to say"). It is easy when you just start with a little step. There's even songs out there, Disney songs I'm sure, that explain just this. For me it was September 2, 2013. Fall was beginning and the weather was changing. I needed to put jeans on, jeans I hadn't worn since early spring. I started with my usual go-to pair of jeans...oh man, they wouldn't zip, not even close. I moved onto my "fat" jeans (we all have a pair or two), I got those bad boys to zip, but it was NOT pretty. Those suckers were SKIN tight, and not in a good way. I was not happy. This was not acceptable to me. I wanted to change. Now please note, it's not about a number on a scale, or the way you look. It's all about how you feel and how you want to feel. If that part of you is happy, then don't change a damn thing!! I felt awful. I was in the worst shape of my life. I could no longer use the "I just had a baby" excuse, as my youngest was 18 months. Within minutes, I downloaded a calorie tracking app so I could start tracking my calories, as, I kid you not, I easily was taking in 3,000 calories a day. I love food, always have loved food, always will love food. This was step one, one thing. A start. It took about 30 seconds, and it was the beginning of my journey. I knew exactly what I needed/wanted to do, now I just needed a little help. I started following a ton of healh/fitness sites on instagram (my next goal is to BE one of those sites now). I needed motivation, and healthy tips. It's been the greatest thing ever. I re-found my love for fitness almost immediately and just like that I started to feel better. I used to be a pretty hard core gym rat back in the day, so I knew that girl was somewhere in there, and I was inviting her back out slowly. She got the invitations, and decided to show up, and I must tell you that I love her. OOoh, there's another thing, don't be afraid to love yourself! It should not be confused with being cocky or stuck up. Be proud of yourself! Shout your happiness and goals and progress from the rooftops! Screw other people that are not supportive of this, you don't need them in your life anyway. It's OK to be happy for yourself. It's so sad that in today's society the norm is to be down on yourself, mean to yourself, rude to yourself. I could go on and on about that but I'll just leave it at, LOVE yourself! Be your own bestfriend. Tell yourself jokes, laugh with yourself, ok you get the idea...

So here we are about 9 months later...I've lost almost 30 lbs (but remember it's not about a number on a scale). I'm in almost the best shape of my life. I feel awesome. I'm not done, and I'll never be done, as this is a lifestyle change, not a diet or something I did for summer. My goal wasn't to be "skinny", no offense to skinny people, I'm just not one of them and never will be. I wanted to be healthy, fit, and happy. Check check and check. Oh I still eat pizza and ice cream and random junk, just not as much as I used too. It's all about balance friends. I've started to do things I never ever thought I'd do again. I thought I'd always have to use the excuse that my age, or fact that I had kids, was why I looked the way I did. Well guess what...age is nothing, it just might mean you have to work a little bit harder. Welcome the challenge. Slap it and kiss it and invite it inside for dinner. A healthy dinner. Like this one: Easy Mexican Skillet Meal

Sidenote about "looking like a mother" - when I started changing my body, losing weight, working out, etc etc, the almost #1 thing people, mostly strangers, said to me is "wow, you do NOT look like you've had any kids!" Yes, I took this as a compliment I guess, but there is NOTHING wrong with "looking like you have kids"!! I guess in today's world, if you have kids, you are expected to look...what? frumpy and fluffy, and how exactly? I'm not sure, but moms come in all shapes and sizes and colors and textures and flavors and they are ALL wonderful! Being a mother is a privilege that many people would do anything to have. It is a blessing, and it should NEVER be anything you are ashamed of. Stretchmarks, saggy boobs...really saggy boobs, a little extra fluff here or there...it's ok! Embrace it. So anyway, I'm proud of being a mom, it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me (of course my wonderful baby daddy is too, he's the reason for the season). Am I proud though that I lost my "baby weight", sure I am. It took a lot of hard work. So if you ARE unhappy with what some little people growing inside of you have done to your temple, I'm here to show you that you can change it, if you want. Then, when you are a rock star bikini model, just get a "mom" tattoo on your arm like I did so people don't have to be confused on whether or not you've had kids. 

Ready for your Monday motivation? Drop down and give me 20! Push-ups that is. Seriously, get down, right now, and do 20 push-ups. It's ok to do them on your knees, just do them. It doesn't matter what you are wearing, or where you are. JUST DO IT! If 20 has you laughing and shaking your head, then do 10! I challenge you to do at least that many. That can be your start, your "do something" moment. If you are sore tomorrow, you'll know you did something. If you are not sore, you know you can do 10 more, or maybe 15 more. 
Accept my challenge. Do it. Then tell me about it. Leave a comment. 

and here's a friendly reminder:

Here's me doing my push-ups, in my kitchen, while making dinner. My videographer is 4, FYI

Peace and chicken - Emily K8