Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! 

Enjoy your time with your friends and family and don't over think these next few days. Don't over indulge, but enjoy yourself, this day only comes once a year :)

4 Simple Tips for a Healthier Christmas Day
1. Get a Christmas workout in

2. Make sure to eat tons of fruits and vegetables before you head over for seconds or desert

3. Drink water between cocktails/alcohol

4. Don't over do it *moderation is key*

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

How you can feel better in 11 months

The past 11 months have been some of the absolute best in my life for so many reasons, but I truly believe one of the main reasons is because I've tracked my fitness progress with pictures. This is something I've always told my clients to do "focus on your pictures, how your clothes fit and how you FEEL, not on the scale!"

This year I finally decided to take my own advice and I've never been happier! In the last 11 months I've gained 3 pounds and MANY of my pants were getting super tight. Most women would FREAK out over this, and I'll be honest there were times when I thought to myself "What the heck? I feel like I'm in the best shape ever and my nutrition in on point moreso than it's ever been, what is going on?" 

Whenever I would think those thoughts it was time to take a progress picture, I wasn't great at doing them every 30 days, but I did them this year more than any other and I am AMAZED by my progress! The scale was moving up because I was finally gaining muscle and my pants weren't fitting because my butt has MOVED, seriously, it's higher than ever before in my 25 years on this planet...blows my mind!

So how did I get this way this year? What changed? How can you make sure you feel amazing in the next 11 months?

TRACK your progress with pictures, exercise, and eat well

Those 3 things will transform your life. The first picture was my start of P90X3, my second was at the end of P90X3 and the last one was after doing a hybrid of P90X3 and Piyo along with the 21 day fix meal plan (and shakeology of course)! These 3 programs have changed my life this year, they've helped me realize my pants size and what the scale says are NOT important, it's how I treat my body and the choices I make that truly matter. 

This is a journey, you have to embrace the process, it does NOT happen over night, it doesn't happen over 3 months, a year, etc...it's a LIFETIME process so you need to make sure you're creating LIFESTYLE habits to help you through. 

There are going to be SO many times when you feel like failing and giving up, make yourself a promise that you won't. Make yourself a promise that you will see it through!

If you need help with what direction to go in I can help you, just send me an email at samanthamarlett@gmail.com 

Don't hold yourself back, your time is now!

You aren't alone, I struggle too

I don't know why this is, but from talking with friends, family and so many people on social media, I've found us women, just don't feel comfortable in our own skin! It's a daily struggle for so many people and while I've learned to overcome it most days, I still have days when I struggle too! When you think "How does this make me look,?" "Why does this shirt lay that way?" "That totally makes me look like a whale" and on and on and on... Wonder why you feel so bad about yourself all the time? It's because you're being so MEAN to yourself! Stop beating yourself up and stop focusing on a look and start to go for a feeling and behaviors....what in the world do I mean by that? Here are some guidelines to help you ditch the negative self-talk and start living a more positive life:

1. When you catch yourself saying something bad about yourself, STOP and think about the things you're DOING daily that are positive :) Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, eating a nutritious lunch, exercising for 30 minutes, focus on the positive :) 

2. Focus on others. This is hard because we are naturally selfish people, but start focusing on others and how you can HELP others: lend a helping hand to someone in need, give out a random compliment to a stranger, pray for a friend in need, etc :) 

3. PRAY. The power of prayer is like no other power I know. This key component is what has helped me the most over the past few years. Be thankful for this body that God has given you and remember you have been made in HIS image. Don't talk down about what God made! (that's YOU)

What tip are you going to try out today? Any other tips that have helped you feel better about yourself?