3 THINGS I WISH I KNEW WHEN I STARTED MY FITNESS JOURNEY! :)

I decided to get serious about my fitness journey about 3 years ago. I decided to go all in with my nutrition and seriously start my training and not being loosey goosey with my plan and started having goals.

I wanted to prove to myself that I could be great at something. And so I found myself a coach, I got someone who would help hold be accountable and I did a thing! I competed in my 1st competition.

Now, after that competition, I knew my reverse was even more important, but I didn't know how much harder it would be. I would try my best to not overeat, but then I would get invited to a dinner last minute, I would want that candy in that dang candy jar at work, and I would get home and just be hungry and stressed from a stressful day at work. So I would eat whatever and feel guilty AF after that.

I've struggled these past 2 years since my 1st competition, but what I've finally found is a balance. A balance of not beating myself up if I got "off track", a balance of not being ashamed of having a sweet tooth, and a balance of "If I want a cheat meal today, I'm going to have it." After all this is supposed to be my offseason. I don't have to be perfect right now.

So what are the 3 things you ask I wish I would've known when I started my fitness journey?

1. I wish I would've known that reverse dieting was part of my "12 weeks diet." So in reality, I needed to prepare my brain for 24 weeks, not just 12.

-The trick is to be able to keep the weight you lost, you have to find something that is going to be sustainable long term. Something you can keep going for double the diet length, so you can take time to bring your metabolism back up to speed.

2. I wish I would've known "You don't have to beat your body up to just get a good workout in." I tried for too long to be the strongest, see how much I could lift, see how strong I could really be. Which, don't get me wrong, being strong AF is cool, but feeling like you were hit by a bus after each workout and having zero drive to not lift another thing until 2 weeks later wore me out. I have recently learned to love hypertrophy ranges mixed in with mind to muscle connection. I've actually felt a lot better after my workouts, I've had much improved recovery times, as well as finding something I enjoy again in the gym

-And hey, If lifting heavy is your thing, YOU DO YOU GIRL! I'm envious you can lift that much and not feel like you were hit by a truck! lol , and if low impact yoga is your thing, keep it going! Finding the best movement for your mind and your body is truly what matters!

And lastly!

3. I wish I would've known, I'm never not going to get out of drinking water. After all, we are basically high maintenance house plants... So drink your water people! I try to get a gallon in a day, but start with 1/2 your weight in ounces of water. It helps when you feel bloated, it helps you feel more energized, it's basically the best thing you can do is drink some water :)

- Oh, and NOT ALL WATERS TASTE THE SAME! I enjoy putting aminos or flavor enhancers to help me get my gallon in daily. Because in reality, when you refill your gallon daily, it doesn't taste the same coming out of the sink as a fresh "just opened" gallon of Ozarka tastes. LOL.

These 3 things might seem like common sense to most of you, but to me, I've taken many trial and errors as well as time to figure things out for myself. I've been through periods of binging, periods of restriction, and periods of consistency in these last 3 years. I know I have many more lessons to learn, but this is just the start!

I hope you enjoyed this blog today! Thank you for coming to read and hopefully you gained a little insight and a little knowledge.

xoxo,

Aud :)

P.S You can find me on or join our FB group here! I hope to see you around!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/230543501502667