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All right guys, we are more than halfway through the month, and how many of us can honestly say that we have kept up with our 2020 fitness goals? I didn’t make a new fitness resolution for 2020 because I have already achieved my fitness goal. Instead, my resolution was to continue to work towards maintaining my achievement. Over three years ago I started working out for 15 to 30 minutes every morning. I did this for 3 to 5 days a week. I started this practice because I was jetlagged after visiting Nigeria. If I was going to be awake at 5:30am in the morning, I figured I might as well work out. Boy am I glad I made that decision.
Making the conscious decision to work out 15 to 20 minutes ( I only do 30 minutes when I have a little extra time which is rare), 3 to 5 days a week, has left my body in the best shape of my life. I turned forty last year and with the exception of my stomach (we will talk about my stomach issues in another post, but for now let’s stick to working out LOL), I love my body .
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You don’t have to workout 24/7 to obtain your 2020 fitness goals
Most people believe that they cannot get in shape unless they’re in the gym 24/7, hence they don’t bother. I am living proof that, that is not true. I am here to tell you that working out for hours on end to achieve your fitness goals is a myth. The true key to achieving the body you want is Consistency. It might take a while if you’re only dedicating 15 to 20 minutes. Trust me, if you are consistent you will see results. I started seeing results a few months after I started. Because I only commit 20 minutes on most days to workout, I make sure I “bring it” every time. If I don’t give the workout my all, I’m only fooling myself. Hence I tend to do a lot of muscle confusion workout programs and yoga.Check out my post on working out in style here
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What you eat matters
In addition to dedicating a minimal amount of time to my workouts, I also try to watch what I eat. I’m going to keep it real with you guys, I love food. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I absolutely adore food, hence I have no plans to stop eating to look good. I workout so I can look my best, feel my best, and eat exactly what I want. I do not eliminate anything from my diet, but I do make a conscious effort to avoid all white foods and eat small portion sizes. I don’t eat anything in excess, and that makes a huge difference.
As a mom of two that has had two C-sections, my stomach is not what it used to be. Even with clearly defined ab muscles, I still have a little bit of hanging skin that bothers me. My stomach has always been an issue for me, and I will get into that in another post, so stay tuned. I have always been self-conscious of my stomach. I noticed that when I would eat certain foods my stomach would bloat. At first I couldn’t figure out what the culprit was, then a friend suggested I eliminate whites and red meat.
Once I limited, white rice, white bread, white pasta etc from my diet, my stomach stopped swelling up. I noticed a visible difference in my stomach size from merely restraining the intake of these foods from my diet. Food is one of my passions, so I will never completely remove whites or red meat from my diet. I do eat more fish, brown rice, wild rice, and salads. I have also swapped pasta (which I love) for vegetable pasta.
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My “2020 fitness goals” formula
So what’s the take from today’s post;Work out consistently, 3 to 5 days every week
Work out 15 to 30 minutes depending on your daily schedule.
Avoid eating whites, i.e. white rice, white pasta, white bread, and red meat
When working out for the short amount of time, make sure you opt for high intense workouts like; Pilates, yoga, p90X etc
Eat small portion sizes. Use small plates to ensure you don’t eat too much at a time. You can also eat snacks through out the day to ensure you don’t eat when you are starving.
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Moni
Hello,
Thank you for sharing that workout post. That may be something I consider trying. I try and workout at the gym as often as possible. However as a Mom of 2 your time is limited. My youngest is 12 weeks and if I can maximize my fitness approach in a limited time it will be helpful. Please share some workouts that you do regularly in the 15-20 minutes that help you maintain.
Thank you, Lashell
Nice work.
Pls keep it up.