Deidra Mangus

Now that the warm weather is here and bikinis, tanks, and shorts are coming out, how comfortable are you feeling? I feel like most people start January out right so they can look good for summer, but I am taking notice that a lot of people fell off and are not where they want to be.. including myself!!! We fall into the snacking, forget to workout, or just don’t make time, and then the excuses pour in!

So, what can we do NOW to start making changes? I mean, if you don’t start now, your only delaying your success! So lets not wait until next week, or “tomorrow”.. literally, whatever you are doing, wherever you are, JUST START NOW!! When you are able to do it now, then you know you are treating your fitness and health like a lifestyle and not a diet! We all know diets do not actually work.. they are temporary fixes that will leave us more upset and angry when we go back to normal food.  Because that is what we should be doing! It’s all about portion control, exercises, daily motivation, and working hard every day!

Either way its hard work, so which hard work will you choose? To work hard and succeed and be happy, or to work hard trying to overcome illness, obesity, and unhappiness/anxiety/stress/depression… The choice is yours!! But if you pick the first one, I’m all in on helping you make those goals happen!

So now I am going to share with you my 10 ways to stay on track with your fitness and health goals so you can feel and look amazing this summer!!

1. SET GOALS– Without setting realistic expectations, you have no direction to go! I know many people fail to set goals because they don’t want to be let down if they don’t reach them, but guys, what if you do succeed?!? Then you can have that great sense of accomplishment! When you make those goals, write them down on paper, hang them up, and even put them in your phone (use as background) for extra motivation!!
2. POSTIVE MINDSET- Let’s add on to #1 You know your mind can be your worst enemy.  If you tell yourself something,  you are most likely to do it… Good or bad. Think of the things you say to yourself or think what will happen. If you stay positive, you will have a positive outcome!
3. PLAN & PREPARE- Failing to plan is planning to fail! This is especially important with nutrition! Nutrition is 80% of your results. You can workout as much as you want, but if you eat like
   crap, your going to be stuck in the same place! Here is my meal prep for this week! I made everything I needed to that is good if I cook ahead of time! I got my lean protein (chicken, turkey meatloaf, shrimp stir-fry, chicken sausage), fresh fruit, veggies, and protein pancakes!
4. TAKE BEFORE AND AFTER PICS AND MEASUREMENTS- Did you know the scale is kinda pointless when it comes to tracking your fitness journey, especially if your doing it the “RIGHT” way?? The scale doesn’t measure body fat lost, muscle gained, and inches lost! But by taking your pictures and measurements before and after (and during), will allow you to really see how you are doing in your journey!
5. TRACK YOUR FITNESS- Some people think they don’t need to track what they are doing, but I promise this is going to help you so much with staying on track and really seeing what you are and are not doing! For instance, with your nutrition, I highly recommend either writing it down on paper OR even track it on your phone (since MOST people have it with them 24/7). Using an APP such as MyFitnessPal will help you with your goals according to your activity level, caloric intake, and exercise!
6. FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY- Having that extra accountability will go a long way!! When you want to give up, having someone cheering you on will give you a little kick in the booty to keep going! Ask someone with similar goals, someone who is motivated and who is supportive of you!! Someone who you can talk to frequently!!
7. 1 CHEAT MEAL A WEEK- Ok, so nutrition is 80% of your results!! Some people feel its easier to just “diet” and eat clean ALL THE TIME with no cheats… But little do they know when you do not give yourself a little cheat here and there, you are depriving your body and eventually can lead to binging. So give yourself a little cheat, I say once a week, and as long as you are right on track throughout the other days, I promise, you will LOVE your results!! Plus, your body needs a little tricking!! Its a simple way to get off that plateau!
8. NO EXCUSES ALLOWED- Oh I hope this doesn’t sound too harsh!!! This is my tough love!! Take it or leave it!! lol But I promise, if you take it and use it, you will love me later when you are at your goals AND stronger physically and mentally with more will power! So let go of the excuses.. the excuse that “I have no time”… Go do a 25-30 minute in home workout (such as 22 Minute Hard Corps or 21 Day Fix) that doesn’t even require you to waste time driving to the gym! Trust me, it works and I’m living proof!! Its how I reached my goals and really go into my fitness journey more! I saw there were opportunities at home where I didn’t have to leave my kids, get a sitter, or drive anywhere but getting a schedule to follow, nutrition plan, AND the trainers do the workout with you so you know exactly WHAT you are doing!! Speaking of excuses…. How about having FOOD available when your on the go and rushing around??? Yup, I now know what it’s like to have kids in sports and going straight from school with little time to spare!! BUT… prepping and setting yourself up for success is crucial and totally doable!! I pack for both kids and myself for dinner, so right after school we go straight to T-ball, have a picnic, and then my snacks are right there!! Just an example of how I roll at T-ball practice!! I got my Shakeology (Superfood shake full of tons of natural ingredients that will keep your energy going, cravings gone, and fuels your body)! Its all about being prepared to succeed!! 🙂 
9. GET INVOLVED IN A SUPPORT GROUP- Having that DAILY support will keep you going and surrounding yourself around the right people!! I found when starting my fitness journey, I needed to check into a group so people saw what I did and didn’t do.. Giving my post workout pics and seeing everyone else doing it made me motivated to keep going!
10. CELEBRATE EVERY SMALL VICTORY- Here is the deal.. if you wait until the very end to reach your ULTIMATE fitness goal, you can easily get frustrated and de-motivated because your not reaching smaller goals in between.  So, when you set those goals, be sure you set small, realistic goals that you can celebrate along the way to keep that momentum going!

If you are ready to take your fitness to the next level, please fill out the application below for a spot in my next 30 day fitness Summer Strong Bootcamp! You will be required to check in daily to show your accountability and to incorporate a home fitness program of YOUR choice, which I can help you decide once we go over your goals and your needs!