If 2014 set any precedent for this year, then 2015 is gonna fly by!”
This is a big year for me. I’m turning 30 this July and it’s kind of freaking me out a bit. My 20s were awesome. I’ve had a blast writing, traveling, got married, bought a house, paid off my debt, and did all the things grown ups are supposed to, right? I even launched this website and with the help of you, dear reader, have kept PrettySouthern.com going strong for four years! But my body has paid the price.
Me on my honeymoon in 2010
When I got to college, the world of late nights drinking, eating Pokey Sticks from Gumby’s, and the 3 a.m. trips to the Pita Pit packed on 20 lbs over four years in Athens. I was able to lose some of that weight after graduation (I dropped 15 lbs my two years out of school) plus I got “wedding skinny” where a gal stresses herself out so badly she drops weight during the last few days before the wedding. After getting married, the weight from “happily ever after” came back. Launching a food blog hasn’t helped for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I’m not posting the obligatory before and after pictures because I’m not unhappy with the way I look, quite the contrary actually; what I’m not happy with is that I can’t run a mile in under 12 minutes, and I’m stuck at a desk most of my day (the curse of being a writer is you have to keep your butt in a chair). My routine now doesn’t factor in 30 minutes of cardio each day.
The jiggly bits have got to go.
Therefore, over the first six months of 2015, I’m on a quest to lose 15 lbs before my 30th birthday. I’m calling it my #15in15. That’s about 3 lbs a month, and to burn a pound of fat takes roughly 3,500 calories. For all your FitBit users out there, y’all know it’s a lot of steps.
The good news is, I have friends to help me. PrettySouthern.com is going to shift gears a bit. We’ll continue to post our food blogger adventures with a few helpings of fitness. I’m going to get my butt kicked by personal trainers, check out some classes at Cyc and Pink Barre turn, plus try more healthy recipes. I’m also going to try and get at least 15 more minutes of physical activity in every day.
If anyone else out there has fitness resolutions for 2015, please share your story in the comments section below. Let us know your tips, tricks, successes and “opportunities”. We’re all in this together. After all, as my new friend Ulrick Bien-Aime says…
“Your health is your wealth.”
Lauren Patrick is a native Southerner, UGA graduate, and the editor of Pretty Southern.com. Y’all can find her writing, wining, dining, and working out in Atlanta. She’s a member of the Atlanta Blogger Network and Atlanta Food Blogger Society. Keep up with her & Pretty Southern on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
This is really exciting! I can’t wait to see what recipes you come up with! It’s great inspiration to get healthy!
Bon courage, Lauren! It’s tougher to keep off the wigglies once 30s ooze in, especially with all the yummies all around. I’ll supplement your quest with a dose of wishins’ for balance/equilibrium, healthy consumptions & a stress-free stroll through the everyday (a key component in the voyage to healthylandia).
Godspeed,
-Rafael
It’s too bad I never opened that gym I always dreamed about. However, Dynamo Multi Sport in Atlanta got be ironman ready. Great and welcoming organization for anyone interested in swim,bike,run. My coach Brent completes these races while assisting his brother, super inspirational duo. They started the Kyle Pease Foundation and help other athletes that need special equipment to enjoy fitness. Those were my go to inspirations for fitness while I was still in Atlanta. Good luck on the fit mission. I bet you’ll get it accomplished before 30 🙂
I have lost 30lbs in 2014 and am hoping to lose another 10-12…3 babies really packs on the lbs 🙂 I have done mine with beachbody T-25 (25min workouts you can do at home) I also ran my first 1/2 marathon in January and now I’m about to start beachbody’s 21 day fix in February! The great thing is beachbody comes with a coach and it’s all done through Facebook so you just write and take pictures…I am a coach so if you are interested in trying a group let me know. Oh and the best thing is groups are free 🙂 because it doesn’t cost anything to have a Facebook group. The groups are all about motivating you and giving you that accountability to reach your goals!! You have got this Lauren!!
I find that my FitBit really helps me hold myself accountable for my activity. Totally recommend investing in one (or something similar)! Also, fruit-infused water is great. My favorite combo is cucumber, lemon, and mint. 🙂
Do you have a Kindle? If you don’t, buy one and get some absorbing reading material, then set it over the timer on the elliptical. That’s what helped me up my elliptical workout from half an hour to an hour plus (or from 300-350 to 600+ calories)–it make the time go by so much more quickly.
Books are difficult to read on the elliptical because they’re often inconvenient to hold open (esp. paperbacks) or you keep having to turn the page, but “pages” on a Kindle screen can be turned with the flick of a finger.
Another weight-lifting trick I know is the “Five By Five.” Start with a set weight, do five repetitions, add five pounds to each end, five more repetitions, etc. My pectorals are usually rather sore the day after I do it. Muscle burns more calories than fat does simply by existing, so it’ll up the amount of calories you burn outside of exercise.
That help?
Thanks E! We need to take a walk in Chastain soon!
30 is not that bad, I promise!! Let me know if you ever want to workout together and/or check out a fitness class. I am always game! 🙂 Good luck friend!