This isn't tough love.

If you cry easy or get turned off by strong language you're not going to want to read this. I need to get this off my chest.

It's inconsiderate to ask my advice and not really give two shits about what I'm saying to you. Acting like you care because you feel like you should is wasting my time.

I really don't like that.

I cannot tell you how many women ask my advice on nutrition and fitness. Mostly it's the same repeat offenders asking me the SAME questions over and over. It's always the same people who say things like "I just don't know how you do it."

Guess what? I just do it, I don't bitch like a little pussy and whine that I never look good in a bathing suit.

This isn't tough love, this is tough life.

You wouldn't believe the shit I've been through, it would probably give you all heart attacks to know the things that have happened to me, you deal with it and become better.

You want something, you work hard for it.

Nothing pisses me off more then people who just "read" about fitness and nutrition. You should educate yourself, you should learn as much as you can about your body and what you put in it, but you talking/reading about it isn't you doing it.

If you don't give a fuck about your body why should I give a fuck about it?

"But I want to drink a bottle of wine every night…"

Ok I can see why.

Anytime you say, "But I like, I want to, but can't I just…" my ears shut you off. You want to get your pleasure from pizza, candy and booze, do it, you'll look like you get your pleasure in life from pizza, candy and booze.

I don't think I could ever be a trainer. As much as I love the thought I just have zero tolerance for laziness and excuses.

I know it's fucking hard, you think I don't?! I was fat! I was sick and depressed and so out of shape it was ridiculous. I've lost 40lbs pounds and kept it off, I didn't do that by saying "Yeah but I want to eat cake or I'm tired I'll do it tomorrow."

All the people that bitch to me about how hard it is to be fit, I'm going to start telling them to fuck off. I just don't want to hear it anymore. My middle finger is gonna get a lot of extra exercise.

Buck up and take care of yourself or shut up about it.

You don't have to be nazi about your training and there is a time and place to celebrate and party. You just don't celebrate everyday.

If you don't care about really committing yourself to new principles and ideals then quit being a poser. Quit wasting your money on workout DVDs you never do and fitness mags for routines you never follow. Quit cutting out pictures of bodies you idolize and liking every fucking post on Facebook from a fitness model. And for god sakes stop getting a gym membership you never use. Just stop it.

I never want to hear another person tell me how tired they are and how they "just don't have time." I get up at 4:30 am and make time. I work 10hrs normal, in a high stress environment and deal with some of the shittiest people on the planet.

Make time or stop complaining.

You want advice, respect who you are asking. You want help then take it when it's graciously offered. But don't you dare make excuses, because that's like you spitting in someones face.

I'm into a ton of other things. Music, Art, Gaming. Small talk to me about the Weather, Politics, Religion if you feel brave, but stop talking fitness with me if you don't care. I just can't take being your empathetic cheerleader anymore.

No Excuses! Don't Get in Your Own Way...

Every morning my alarm goes off at 4:30 am and I'm tired. I have a buffer if I accidentally close my eyes for too long another alarm goes off at 4:45. It doesn't matter I'm always still tired.

The point is I get up anyway, no excuses.

I don't know anyone who springs forth from the bed all smiles and jazz hands. It's fairly impossible. Your body is trying to wake up, you're slightly disoriented probably colder then you want to be, your heart is warming up to a faster pulse.

Excuses no matter what they are, are self sabotage. You are only hurting yourself with every excuse you choose to give in to.

Before I got into a steady routine I made excuses all the time and it's soooo easy to do when you first start working out. You're sore all the time, probably really badly. You're not use to using the muscles and they pay you back. It's so easy to say "I'm too sore today" because you're sore everyday. I wasn't use to getting up early either, another easy out for my brain. I'd see the alarm and say "I'm too tired today," but I realized getting up that early I'd be tired everyday.

When I first started eating healthy there was loads of temptation. I never cared before about what I ate and now I felt I was being so good and deserve to have a "treat". Then I realized my food choices were not temporary. I choose to eat better for the rest of my life, I don't need reward for that.

Whatever it is that gets you excited about working out and eating right use it. Even if it seems stupid in retrospect.

Today I was crazy tired when I woke up, rain does that too me. For half a second I thought about going back to sleep, then I remembered I had a Bootcamp class with Terri and I wanted to see everyone in class.

I started taking classes because it forced me to get up and go somewhere. What's really great about starting with classes is your with a group of people about to go through the same thing you are. Once you get to know them you watch out of each other and get loads of encouragement. It's also a great change to anything I do by myself which keeps my routine fresh and exciting.

Other things I do to stay motivated:

• Get a new cute workout outfit (something that you feel great wearing even if you are sweating in it) I'm personally addicted to lululemon so it's sort of a treat to buy a whole outfit there. Totally worth the price because I love how it makes me look! 
• Keep a workout journal. I use this to see the progress I'm making even if my eyes don't allow me to see it in the mirror. At the end of the month I also get measured, weighed and calipered.
• Doing my hardest exercise 1st! This not only helps me wake-up but I really feel accomplished even if I start feeling tired toward the end of my workout.
• Tuning in to how I feel while I exercise. I always feel amazing and I like to remind myself of it as much as I can so I don't forget why I'm getting up at 4:30!
• Tell myself I'm doing more then what most people do in a whole week. Sounds self-righteous but it's true. Terri and Keith use to tell me this all the time and it always gave me boost in performance. 
• Trying on my bikini and lounging around the house (even when it's 16 degrees outside). There is nothing like the reminder of why you are doing what your doing - this works really great when I think I want to eating something really terrible!
• Talking to others about fitness. Believe it or not the more I talk about routines, goals and healthy recipes the more excited I get to do all the things I talked about. I've gone a whole day at work feeling tired and depressed and someone has asked me about my lifting, the second we started talking I was crazy pumped and hit the stack the second I got home.
• Putting my healthy food in fun containers - you just can't say no to raw broccoli and spinach in a happy dancing bunny container.
• Reading success stories of regular people. This might depress some people, but it really helps me. I see all these people who did what I'm doing now and it makes it feel obtainable. People that did something even harder then what I'm doing always inspires me to give my all!
• Being honest with myself. Excuses aren't cool but if I'm really that crazy beat I give myself a break. I think about why I want or don't want something and evaluate the situation. I'm human and I have other things happening in my life you can't be perfect 100% of the time.

Of course the blog is also really great motivation. It's why I started it at the hardest part of my fitness goals. I wanted to make sure no matter how tough things got I could vent into the void.

Excuses never get anyone anywhere. They just make you ultimately feel guilty because you've let yourself down. I HATE feeling that way, it's worse then to stomachache I get from indulging in foods my body pretty much rejects now.

So if you think you could never ever get up early and hit the gym just know it took me many months of forcing myself, lying to myself, and feeling guilty before I just accepted going to bed at 10 pm and knowing I'd always be up before the sun.

The thing is it's totally worth it, everyday I wake up tired I work the limits of my body and mind and I end up in a shower that feels like the only reason I'm alive. Sleeping in isn't worth more then that feeling to me now.

So if you ever feel down and you just can't bring yourself to lace up those sneakers, just think about me at 4:30 am getting ready and feel good knowing someone is up sweating with you :)