As our girl Jordin Sparks sings, “one step at a time, there's no need to rush.” That’s my new fitness mantra. One step at a time. When we begin any type of journey - fitness, educational, career, we all have goals we want to accomplish. If you’re anything like me, you want to accomplish them like, yesterday.   My current goal is to lose fat and gain muscle, to get rid of the fluff if you will.  This time around I’m going about it in a much more healthy way, eating nutrient dense foods rather than drinking shakes all day.  I’m looking at this experience as a marathon, not a sprint and allowing myself balance and indulgence every now and then.

It can become discouraging when you put in such hard work and sweat day in and day out and you don’t feel like you’re seeing the results you want. The key is to stick with it. I recently read the book, You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero. There was a chapter where she wrote about body image and self-love that really stuck with me. If your best friend starting working out and lost only a few pounds, when you saw her you would be totally happy for her! “You’re doing great! Keep it up! SO proud of you!” Well, guess what buttercup, BE YOUR BEST FRIEND! Take a step back, look at yourself as your bestie and think of what you would tell her! You wouldn’t say, “Well, yeah your thighs are a bit smaller but that stomach…you got a long way to go girl.” Or maybe you would, but you probably shouldn’t.

Another tip - take progress pictures – but don’t look at them for at least 4 weeks. Take them everyday in the same room, same lighting and similar clothing. Only look back 4 weeks later from day 1 to day 30. Appreciate the difference no matter how big or small. Slow progress is progress, and it’s still better than sitting on the couch eating Cheetos.

You will have good days and bad days. You will leave the gym feeling like a rock star and some days you will leave feeling exhausted and beat up. But each time you enter that gym you are making a positive choice. Each time you scan your little card you are taking another step in your journey. You got there. And most of the time that’s the hardest part!