What's in Your Fitness Tool Box?

It's hard to believe that for the past few years I have been trying to accept the fact that I was going to be 50lbs over weight for the rest of my life, and now I'm down 14.5 lbs and am feeling better than I have in years! My biggest excuse  was always that I didn't have time to workout. I'd purchase gym memberships with the thought that maybe if I'm actually paying for a gym membership I'll force myself to actually use it, but the fact is when my schedule started getting busy again or the weather started getting bad I still wouldn't go. I convinced myself that between working full time, taking grad classes at night and being a single mommy, I was never going to be able to have time to workout out.

I had plenty of excuses. I didn't do home workout videos because I never seemed to be able to be coordinated enough to keep up with the movements or even keep the rhythm of aerobic type workout programs. Over the years I have found some that work for me. Yoga, is one, I think because the movements are slower and more defined. I'm a perfectionist so I get frustrated if I can't do the movements exactly as the instructor or coach does them on the video.

Then my dad bought EA Sports Active 2 for his PS3. I started out doing some workouts and I really liked it because it combined cardio and strength training. I can do it in my own home, at my own convenience, for whatever lengths of time I might choose. I can even choose the type of workout I want. This is awesome! This is so very important to me because not only does it take away the cost of the gym member ship, and the inconvenience of finding a baby sitter, it also allows me more quality time with my daughter because I can plan to workout after she's gone to bed for the nigh or during her naps! Quality time with my daughter is the most important thing to in the world to me! So this was one major tool in my fitness tool box that I really needed!

Then a friend of mine told me about MyFitnessPal.com. The FREE calorie tracking social website. (Thanks Trish!) Now I had all the tools I needed. A website that provided me with an exact Calorie Goal for losing a certain amount of weight each week and a workout routine that both fit my schedule and was something I really enjoyed doing.

I'm starting to enjoy my fitness routine and it's results so much I just want to keep adding to it. EA Sports Active 2, walks with friends, and most recently I ran across my old Turbo Jam DVDs.( I purchased the entire Turbo Jam Program and the fitness equipment that goes with it when I was in North Carolina. I've used it sporadically since moving back to PA a few years ago, but never really got into it--because of the coordination and rhythm issues). So, tonight I've added Turbo Jam to my fitness Regime. I've accepted the fact that I don't have to be able to do all the moves perfectly for it to benefit my health and fitness, I just need to keep moving! The more I do the workouts the better I will get at routines and sooner or later it'll all come together!

I also have support, not just some of my real life friends  and family who occasionally go for walks with me or ask me about my weight loss  progress, or in my dad's case, support me by buying fitness products and trying to keep healthier foods in the houses (Thanks Dad, you have no idea how much this all means to me),  but also through the social aspects of fitness websites such as MyFitnessPal.com and my Team Beach Body Coach, Jeff Witt and other Team Beach Body members.

The key to keeping up with a healthy lifestyle, especially when it comes down to the exercise and workout aspect of health and fitness is not necessarily finding that ONE thing you can enjoy doing several times  a week for the rest of your life, but finding as many fitness activities as you need to keep you moving and interested in your workouts.

You have to do what works for you. If you can't afford a gym membership, or a Weight Watchers Membership, or NutriSystem, or any other nutritional supplements or fitness programs, forcing yourself to purchase them is only going to add more stress to your life. If you can realistically commit to a certain schedule, time or day of the week to make it to a specific fitness classes. Then it's not going to work for you either. All of these programs that I have mentioned and others that I haven't, will work if you use them correctly. So, I do not discourage anyone from trying them or adopting them into their lifestyles, everyone needs to find the tools that work the best for them in order to meet with the greatest success!