Product Review- iPhone 7+ case by Supcase

Alright everyone- if you know me, you know that I love my gadgets.

I am that person who wants to have the latest and greatest tech toy  at all times, and something that comes along with that is protecting them. Unfortunately, I’m weirdly picky about my phone cases, and that makes it really difficult. So usually I just go without a case… until recently when I dropped (!!) and then immediately stepped on (!!!!!!) my precious iPhone and decided that enough was enough. I tried using the OtterBoxes and the LifeProof cases and I just don’t like any of them. I’m always going for a smooth, sleek design that isn’t going to make my phone look like any more of a gigantic brick than it already is (looking at you, iPhone 7+. You’re literally as big as my whole face).

So a friend recommended that I look into the cases made by Supcase, and I snagged one. It’s the UB style and is black around the sides with a clear back (so you can still see that beautiful matte black iPhone, hallelujah). The case itself comes with plastic coverings on the back clear panel so it is crystal clear when you put it on. I love the look of just the “naked” iPhone, so this is PERFECT for me because if you just glance at it, it really doesn’t look like there’s a case on it at all. I’ve dropped it a few times and the shock protection quality is great. I even dropped it face down off of the treadmill and it was totally fine- the front of the case is just barely raised above the screen so it isn’t noticable but it keeps the impact off of the glass itself.

Something that surprised me about it was that the coverings for the lock and volume buttons are flush with the rest of the case- not raised up off of it. I LOVE this. The case looks so sleek and like I said, it really sometimes feels like there isn’t one.

I’ve heard so many times from my friends that they just want a case for protection and function- no frilly, girly, flowery stuff. This is the one for you. Seriously. You get the protection and can actually showcase the phone you bought since it’s clear. So for all those girls out there like me who don’t care for the decorative nonsense, get this no-nonsense case. UB style by Supcase. DO IT. 10/10 stars from me!

xx Tiffany

 

That Time That Twenty-One Pilots Got it Really Right

Hello everyone! I’m a little bit late, but Happy Sunday! I hope your weeks have been great and positive and productive and absolutely nothing like mine!

To use the term “stressed out” to describe me this past week would be an incredible, laughable understatement. From an absolutely crazy week at work to several things going on in my personal life, I have been drained mentally, physically, and emotionally. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a bad week, and it all just crept up on me and hit me all at once!

RUDE.

Because I have anxiety, stress is nothing new to me. I experience stress literally every day. But when it happens like it did this week and just hits like a hurricane- all I can really do is sit in the downpour and wait until it stops. And that’s actually a great example of what this week felt like- a bit of a hurricane. Probably like a category 3. A big part of the issue is that I don’t want anyone to know how stressed I am, so I try to hide it and I don’t talk about it, and then everything builds up until there’s some sort of explosive outburst and everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

So in reference to the title of this entry,  the song “Stressed Out” is my JAM right now.

Not only is it a huge pain to deal with, but stress is incredibly unhealthy. The particularly frustrating thing about it is that it effects all aspects of your life. Looking at it from the perspective of your health, stress can cause fluctuation in eating and sleeping patterns, diminish energy levels, and wreak havoc on your blood pressure and general homeostasis. Aside from issues that are strictly health related, stress has a huge impact on your emotional state and interpersonal interactions. For example: as aforementioned, I’ve been exhausted this week, but my sleep has been fitful at best. I’ve been tossing and turning, waking up every few hours, never really getting a proper REM cycle in. My workouts have been incredibly off kilter and I’m (shockingly) not eating enough to properly keep my body fueled. I also have had to apologize to several people (in both professional and personal relationships) for being short with them or for handling a situation badly. Stress is a monster to deal with, and this week (although I put up a valiant effort) it definitely won.

So going forward into a new week, I am starting on a quest to de-stress myself. None of these stressful situations have gone away (and in fact, some of them have gotten more stressful), but I know that I can’t let my stress and anxiety control the rest of my life. I encourage you all to do the same this week, and shrug off any stress or anxiety that you may have. This week, I am going to:

• Do at least one thing that I love  and that makes me happy every day.
• Try my best to leave stress from work at the door when I come home.
• Count my blessings. Twice.
• Commit to relaxing before bed (a cup of tea and a book are great for this).
• Not let my stress get the best of me.

Last week was a rough one, but I’m ready to take on this upcoming week with a fresh outlook and try to start over! What are your favorite ways to de-stress?

Have a great week everyone!

xx Tiffany

Do Your Own Thing

Hey everyone! TGIF, am I right? I hope you have all had an awesome and productive week.

This week started my summer cut and let me tell ya, I am struggling. I am so used to my flexible dieting and I love treating myself and not depriving myself of the *things I love (*read: carbs). So cutting most of that out and being way more strict with myself is definitely something that I’m not used to. While I know that I’ll thank myself a month from now when I’m at the beach (celebrating my 21st birthday !!!!!! Ahhh!!!!!!!) and all summer when I’m rockin’ my bikini, right now all I can think about is Oreos and baguettes. But I really have to decide where my priorities are, and I’m trying to cleanse my system a bit so I’m not struggling so much with the cravings for sugar and junk. It’s only been one week and I’ve already seen some improvement- I’m excited to see how this goes! Also some exciting news- I’m looking into going back to school! I’m still in the process of narrowing down exactly what I want to go back for, but the ideas are in the works! I’ve loved taking my year off, and I’ve learned a lot and gained a lot from it, but I’m ready to get back into pursuing my education. I so detest feeling stagnant in life!

The title of this post is “Do Your Own Thing”- I have a workout tank top with this phrase on it and I’m not quite sure why, but it’s one of my favorites. I felt that it was an appropriate introduction for what I have on my mind. I just wanted to take a second today to talk about being yourself and embracing your uniqueness and all of those little things that really make you who you are. This comes about because it seems as though I have a follower who is taking things a little too far… I understand that imitation is supposed to be the most sincere form of flattery, but it’s gone a little bit past that (and this has been going on for several months now) and honestly, I’m getting a little irritated.

I had to ask myself why it irritated me in the first place. I wanted to inspire people, right? That was my whole goal in starting this blog and my Instagram. And I am glad that maybe I’ve been able to inspire this person- I mean they must think something of me, why else would they be doing any of this? I guess it irritates me partially because: A) I’m trying to make a name for myself and a brand for myself online, and this person is pretty much copying what I’m doing (down to aspects of my personal life, the type of posts that I make, and things that I say) and B) I value so highly the concept of being yourself and expressing the person you truly are, and it makes me sad to see someone using so little of their own originality in something that they’re so “passionate” about.

Everyone borrows a little bit of themselves from other people. It’s only natural. It’s been proven (by some scientists, somewhere, surely) that you pick up idiosyncrasies and habits from the people that you spend a lot of time with. This is natural. This is human nature. But sometimes, people tend to take it to a point where they’re not being who they really are or saying what they really feel- they’re borrowing everything that should make them unique from other people. Seeing this happen to people is so sad and disheartening to me. I firmly believe that people should express themselves and embrace the things that make them unique rather than trying to conform to what they think they “should” be like, what anyone wants them to be like (whether it be friends or family), or what they think that they want to be like. To strive to improve yourself is one thing, but to want to be a totally different person is another. Each person was made unique and has something different to offer the world. Don’t drown out your own unique ideas and opinions and strengths by trying to take on someone else’s.

So I said all of that to say this: be yourself. It’s so much easier and way more rewarding than trying to be someone else. If someone in your life can’t accept you for who you are, they don’t need to be a part of your life anyway.

Also, it would be really rad if this person would cool it with the whole “copycat” thing that’s going on right now.

I hope you guys have a great weekend! As always, e-mail me if you have any questions and find me on Instagram and Twitter at xfittiffx.

xx Tiffany

My Motivation

  
Hey everyone! Welcome back. I hope you all have had a great week so far! It’s my spring break, and I am thoroughly enjoying my time off. I thought I’d share my most recent progress/transformation picture with you guys- on the left was this time last year and the right is now! I’m proud of myself and my accomplishments and I can’t wait to see what else is to come! 

Lately, a lot of people have been asking me where I get my motivation from. This usually happens after I tell them that I get up at 4:00 (yes, in the morning) to work out before I go to work. The most common responses I get to this are as follows:

“You’re insane.”

“Wait, WHAT time?!”

“……. Why?”

And then the big one: “How do you motivate yourself to do that?”

Ever since I started on my fitness journey, one of the main things people want to know about is my motivation and where they can get some. Unfortunately, I can’t show you where to get it. There is no black market for motivation. Starting off, my main motivation was simply that I was tired of feeling gross. I felt lethargic, fat, and unhealthy. It got to a point that I knew I needed to make a change, so I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and changed my lifestyle. I found a lot of motivation on fitness blogs and instagrams, and in the beginning they really helped me stay on track. I began comparing myself to those people though, and when I realized that it wasn’t healthy or beneficial, I decided that I needed to find something else. That’s where I started, but lately my motivation has changed. 

I am my own motivation. I do this for myself, for my health, for my happiness. I am competing against myself. I am motivated because I know that I can do better, that I can reach my goals, and that I can top my own personal records. The only person I will compare myself to is who I was yesterday. I think this is the best way to motivate yourself- by competing against yourself. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally fine if you see someone being successful and you take inspiration from that. I can only hope that I’ve been able to inspire some of you guys. But there’s a difference between being inspired by someone and using them as your motivation to keep working by continually comparing yourself to them. 

Everyone is different and everyone loses/gains weight and muscle differently! This makes comparing yourself to another person more detrimental than anything else. Find your motivation to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be and don’t worry about other people. 

That’s all I have for today, I hope you guys have a great Friday and a safe weekend!

xx Tiffany

“perfect”

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! I hope you’ve all been kicking butt and taking names. I know I’ve been trying to, and let me just tell you that it’s way harder than it looks.

I’ve changed jobs and my entire life schedule has changed around it- and sometimes fitness falls to the wayside. I’m getting into a new routine now (one that involves waking up at 4:00 am to go to the gym. Ouch) so things are finally getting back on track for me, and I’ve been able to get my thoughts together.

So today I wanted to talk about something that’s really been eating at me lately. It’s not all about fitness or health but they both definitely come into play. This is something that people have been talking about for a while (however, I have seen a lot more of it in most recent years) and I have to throw in my two cents (and I know you want to hear it).

I am not “perfect”.

There! I said it. It hurt. It hurts me a lot to think that I’m not “perfect”, and nor will I ever be. My idea of “perfection” is way outside any possible realm for me to attain. There is no amount of exercise or healthy eating that will get me to my idea of “perfection”. Working out every day and only eating clean is not going to change my entire body shape and structure. I have been brainwashed by the media and society to believe in their idea of “perfection”, and as much as I try to fight it, I still find that I’m comparing myself to these fashion icons or models (and this exists in the fitness community as well- not just in Hollywood). This idea of “perfection” is so skewed and so toxic that it can poison even the most confident of minds, and confidence in yourself is one of the most important things that you can build.

The fact that my idea of “perfect” is so far away from what I am now absolutely terrifies me. It terrifies me for future generations of girls who don’t know how to be strong and love themselves- girls who don’t have other strong women in their lives to show them that their beauty is perfection in it’s own right and by it’s own design. I am terrified for the girls growing up in a society that glorifies celebrities and models who weigh about as much as just one of my legs. I am terrified because I have a little voice inside of me, the one who looks at a picture of some beautiful celebrity and wonders why she’s not good enough or tall enough or pretty enough or skinny enough and I know that every other woman out there has that little voice too.

I want to encourage anyone out there who is struggling with the pressures of society and the media. You are good enough. You are perfect by being yourself. You are the embodiment of perfection in your happiness and in the way that you laugh. Your body and your face are perfect because they are a part of you. You are perfect when you are happy and you are perfect when you are sad. You are perfect when you are on the mountaintop and you are perfect when you are in the valley. Your struggles make you perfect. Your heartache makes you perfect. When you think of the word “perfect”, I want for you to picture yourself.

What the media and society think is not important. What YOU think is important.

I’ll step off of my soapbox now, I hope you found some encouragement from my rant. Have a great week you guys!

xx Tiffany

 

Baby, I’m back!

Helloooo, everybody! Thanks for taking the time to come read my thoughts for a minute (or maybe quite a few minutes, I have some explaining and ranting to do).

As you may have noticed, I took a brief hiatus from blogging around December-ish. I’ve had a few people contact me asking where I went, why I stopped writing, and whether or not I would be back. I always said that I would explain it later, and I procrastinated doing so for a while, but I think that I have finally gathered all of my thoughts (or at least most of them), so here I am.

To start, I was not in the right mindset to be writing a positivity blog. At that time, I was very frustrated with myself and with things going on in my life, and I didn’t want that to come out in any way in my writing. I want this blog to be something that lifts people up, motivates them, and that they enjoy reading- I didn’t want to convey any sort of negativity or frustrations and pass that along to my readers. Secondly, I had honestly gotten a bit overwhelmed. Trying to come up with good, solid topics to write about was something that I struggled with (being the perfectionist that I am), and it ended up that I was staring, frustrated (see above comment about frustration in my life), at a million different drafts that I didn’t like or just didn’t seem to be quite how I wanted them to be. I began posting less frequently, and when people continually asked me, “Why haven’t you posted? What’s going on?” it stressed me out to the max! I have anxiety (which I believe I’ve mentioned before) and the thought that I was letting anyone down by not posting or making people upset created so much more stress and negativity in my life. I started this blog to encourage people and as a fun way of me expressing my passion- not to stress me out and become more of a job than a fun, creative outlet. So I decided to take a break from everything for a while and get myself sorted out and my head in the right place before I went back to blogging.

It’s been a nice mental vacation but I am glad to be back and doing what I love!

These past few months have been incredible growing months for me. I believe that in life you go through a continuous cycle- stagnant periods and growth periods. They can last anywhere from one month to several years, but I do believe that they exist. I am absolutely in a growing time right now, and so much is changing! I have never been more ready to accept change and go where the wind takes me. Bring it on, 2016!

As far as fitness is concerned, I haven’t slowed down at all (if anything, I’ve picked up the pace). I’m noticing some significant changes in my body lately and like I always say, results are the best motivation! If you’d like to keep up with my physical progression and daily(ish) workouts, follow me on Instagram. My username is xfittiffx and as long as you’ll ignore my nasty face and sweaty gym self, I would love to have you follow me and keep up with my journey!

I’ve had several people contact me lately, asking about my workouts and my diet and such. That’s a pretty regular occurrence for me, but these have been different because these people have told me that I inspire them or that I’m their motivation. I never in a million years thought that people would look up to me for much of anything, and I cannot begin to tell you how humbling it is to hear those things from you guys. You know who you are- thank you for reminding me why I do what I do. You are amazing.

Thanks for reading, I look forward to resuming this blog for you guys! As always, feel free to contact me at squatsandsass@yahoo.com (I’m always looking for new ideas and I love answering questions)!

xx Tiffany

Yes, it’s time for New Year’s Resolutions.

Hello everyone, welcome back! I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving!

It’s officially the first of December- what?! The last month of 2015. Where on Earth did this year go? Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose.

Most people at this point in the year are now completely laser-focused on Christmas. I mean, I can’t blame you. Christmas is awesome! But something else looms in the distance… New Years. Which means New Year’s Resolutions, which is something that most of you probably haven’t thought about yet. Most of you probably think it’s too early to start thinking about the new year. However, now is a great time to start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions.

I used to really hate New Year’s Resolutions. To me, it was just another way that people would talk up all the ~amazing~ things that they were going to do, and then they would never do them. That or they would drop them after they got bored or frustrated after only giving it a week or two of effort. Now I realize that they can be incredibly beneficial and really are a great way to start the year fresh- when they’re done correctly.

The important thing about these resolutions is that you form solid goals that you put time into thinking about. That is a key factor in setting any goal, and if you have any more questions about goal setting, there’s another post somewhere on this blog that is totally dedicated to how to set attainable and healthy goals. So yes, it may seem early to be thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, but in reality, the more time you take to plan out these resolutions, the more likely you’ll be to stick with them and really be able to make a change.

Some things to remember:

• Know your limits, but strive to excel and amaze yourself. You are your worst critic, but you also have the power to be your biggest motivation.
• Resolutions don’t work unless you do. Acknowledge and accept that anything you plan to do will take time and effort to be truly effective.
• Start early and get in the right mindset. 95% of this stuff is mental. If you’re in the right mindset, it opens you up to being able to accomplish much more than you ever thought possible.

So my plan as far as resolutions is this: Make a list of my goals, write it out, and post it everywhere. On the fridge, on my door, on my mirrors, I mean everywhere! I want to commit every single one to memory and get my mind set on accomplishing them before we even get into the new year, so that when it arrives, I’ll be ready to hit the ground running.

I’d love to hear from you about your New Year’s Resolutions, and as always, I’d love to hear any feedback or ideas from you guys as well! Holla at ya girl with an email (squatsandsass@yahoo.com) and I will address it as soon as possible!

Make it a great week you guys, this holiday season can be stressful but strive for positivity in all things!

xx Tiffany

Thanksgiving AKA Cheat Day

Hey guys! Welcome back! I hope your week has been positive, productive, and successful!

I’ve been having a rough couple of weeks and I’ve really had to work hard to stay positive and to keep my mind on my goals- I’m working on just building my dreams right now! So many goals, so little time… Right now I’m just wondering where to begin! Life is full of so many positive opportunities- I don’t want to miss a single one. You know, “carpe diem” and all that.

So for all of my followers in the States, since we’re coming up on Thanksgiving this week, I’m going to talk about cheat meals and cheat days! Even if you don’t live in the U.S. or don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, at least the first half of this post will apply to you!

I know that a lot of people look at dieting as something that is very restrictive and has to be followed down to the very last calorie, but I like to have a more flexible outlook on diet. In all honesty, one cheat meal isn’t going to kill you. Cheat day is my favorite day of the week. I don’t have to feel bad about eating my Oreos or getting Mexican food or Pad Thai. Cheat day is just an absolutely awesome way to A: reward yourself for being so dang good all the time and B: satisfy your cravings in small amounts rather than binging for a week after being totally deprived. Eating one unhealthy meal isn’t going to make you unhealthy any more than eating one healthy meal would make you healthy. Now that’s not to say that you need to consume an entire week’s worth of food in one day- but I always encourage you to indulge in things that you love that are not included in your diet plan.

So we know that Thanksgiving is all about being thankful (count ya blessin’s folks) but also it is all about really testing the limits of how much food you can fit in your stomach in one sitting (or maybe a couple… some Thanksgiving celebrations last all day). This turkey day, my goal is to eat all of the things that I love and enjoy and to be very thankful that I have the opportunity to do so. I’m going to be thankful that I am in a position where I have to restrict the amount of food I eat- because there are so many in the world who don’t get to eat on a daily basis. While I’m trying to eat less, some people are just trying to eat. So this Thanksgiving, I will be very thankful for every carb I eat, every calorie I count, and every pound I gain.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the negatives- what we don’t have or what we can’t do- but Thanksgiving is really a time to be thankful for the incredible lives that we have. If you’re even able to read this blog, that means that you have access to the internet, a luxury that belongs to only 40% of the world. So this Thanksgiving, hold your family a little closer. Thank God for your food and for all that you’ve been blessed with, even if it doesn’t always seem like much. Be thankful for what you have, and if you don’t have something, be thankful that you live in a place where you have the opportunity to work towards having it. The world can be a cruel place, but for just one day, try to count only your blessings and not your losses.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, I hope you all have a wonderful week and a Happy Thanksgiving! I know I’m looking forward to my biggest cheat day of the year! And let’s not forget about tomorrow…  Get up, get out and never miss a Monday!

xx Tiffany

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

Happy Hump Day everyone! Welcome back to my blog! I hope the first half of your week has gone smoothly- we’re halfway to the weekend, folks! Time to buckle down and get through the rest of the last week before Thanksgiving! Is it just me that feels like this year has absolutely flown by?! Thanksgiving is next week, then Christmas after that, and then before we know it, it will be 2016!  And here I am, still catching myself writing the date as 2014…

Many apologies for the delay on my posting- this past week has been crazy for me and it’s been difficult to find time to write! However, I always think that it’s better late than never and I’m really excited about our topic today!

This week I wanted to talk about the different ways that you can incorporate fitness into your life. I know that I talk a lot about the traditional “hitting-the-gym” method (and that’s a lot of what most people focus on when thinking about losing weight/getting fit), but there are so many other ways to have a healthy, active lifestyle and to incorporate fitness in your day-to-day routine. This came to my mind because I recently took up kickboxing, which is something that I’ve always wanted to do but never really knew where to start with, and I absolutely love it. It’s motivating, it’s fun, it’s stress relieving, and it’s an awesome workout as well. It’s definitely kicking my butt so far, but I am quickly becoming obsessed!

So since starting that up, I got to thinking about the fact that many people just might not love the gym scene. I know that I found my passion in a gym, but honestly, it’s not for everyone. There are so many other ways to get a great workout and be active without feeling like you’re just going through the motions and doing the same routine everyday, and it’s easy for that to happen when you just go to the gym, do cardio, and lift a little bit. Lately I’ve been getting a little burnt out with my routine, and I’m thrilled with the change that kickboxing has brought into it. I feel even more motivated about my fitness than I ever have, and it’s brought a new thrill into working out!

It’s my opinion that some of the best motivation to work out is to LOVE what you do and to look forward to doing it- and you may not find that by just getting a membership and hitting the gym. As with every other aspect of a healthy lifestyle change, each person has to find what works best for them. It’s ok if you don’t feel like the gym is your calling! I encourage you to find something that you genuinely enjoy doing and start there. Whether it be yoga, pilates, cycling, zumba, kickboxing, MMA, running, dancing, clogging, or anything else- love what you do and you will feel much more fulfilled with your lifestyle change!

I hope you guys have a great rest of the week, get out there and DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

xx Tiffany

  

Positivity and Believing in Yourself

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday!

Even though the weather is (still) rainy and gross, today has been a really productive day for me and that is definitely quite the accomplishment considering the fact that when it rains I usually just nap all day! As a professional napper, I can confirm that rainy weather is indeed the best napping weather.

As far as an update on my journey: I’ve done much better about keeping my diet clean this week (yes!!!!!!!!!!!) and I’ve really noticed a difference in my energy levels and in my physique. Diet makes a HUGE difference, people! They say that abs are made in the kitchen and that is NOT a joke. My goal is to stay on track for the rest of the winter. We all know that your spring break bod is really made in the winter! Not a week before, not a month before. A season before. I’m ready to put in the time and the work- who’s with me?!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about positivity and believing in yourself (this is a health and positivity blog, after all). To preface this, I’m a self-proclaimed realist. I don’t consider myself to be an optimist or a pessimist, there is no ultra positive or ultra negative perspective from which I see the world. I look at the facts and from there I come to the most logical conclusion about the outcome of a situation. That’s not to say that I am not positive or negative at times, but to my logical brain, it just makes more sense to look at what is most likely to happen and go from there. Does that make sense? I hope so.

While I do so value being realistic, sometimes it’s really amazing the difference that a positive outlook can make. In a way, I see negativity as a form of self-fulfilling prophecy- if you believe that something bad will happen, you’re more likely to subconsciously make that bad thing happen. If you’re continually down on yourself, thinking “oh I’m going to fail this test” or “I’ll never get a raise at work” or “I probably won’t be able to lose those last 5 pounds”, those things are much more likely to play out in that negative manner. I’ve been there, I’ve done it! Everyone has. I believe that being negative is just part of human nature and the many flaws that we are all made with. Negativity comes about in more forms than just self doubt- you can also allow negativity into your life by holding on to grudges, anger or resentment. Basically anything that doesn’t bring good into your life or the lives of others has potential to harbor negativity.

I used to lean much more on the negative side of things. There were definitely some darker days in my life when I was nothing BUT negative. But by allowing more positivity into my life, everything has changed. I’m not saying that it’s all rainbows and butterflies all the time (that’s a little too optimistic), but it is my belief that being positive and believing that good things will happen brings about more good things in your life. This all comes together in a big way to me when it comes to believing and having faith in myself.

I haven’t always had the confidence in myself that I have now, and I still struggle frequently with self confidence and doubting myself and what I can accomplish. Throughout most of my life, my self-confidence has always been very low. Looking at myself, I only saw the negatives- my flaws. My shortcomings. My weaknesses. Talk about a poisonous way to live- how can you have love and positivity in your life if you don’t have it for yourself? In my health journey, I’ve really had to set aside those negative thoughts of self-doubt and start believing in myself and encouraging myself in a positive way. It wasn’t easy at first, but once I started seeing results, it really hit me- I did it. I could do this. This wasn’t some unreachable dream, this wasn’t a fantasy in an alternate universe. I had put my mind to something and although I had doubted myself, I had accomplished what I set out to accomplish. Slowly, the negatives started being replaced with positives. The loathing replaced with love. The doubt replaced with confidence. Just one of the many ways that making this change has totally transformed my life- for once, I have confidence in myself. I believe in myself. I am purging the negativity out of my life and accepting in positivity. When I refer to this as a lifestyle change or a health journey, I mean it in so many more ways than one! It has become about so much more than just losing weight and eating clean.

Believing and having faith in yourself is one of the most important parts of making any lifestyle change, but it’s especially important in a health and fitness setting because so much of this lifestyle and the results you get depends upon how well you motivate yourself even when you aren’t motivated by others. Underestimating yourself and setting the bar low means that ultimately, you’ll only reach that low bar- when in reality you could have gone all the way to the top.

I apologize because I feel like this has been somewhat scattered but it all boils down to this: don’t let negativity poison your life and your dreams. It’s so easy to have negative thoughts and to be down on yourself but it only holds you back. I encourage everyone out there to let go of the negativity in your life- whether it be grudges over past transgressions, self-doubt, anger, resentment, anything- and pursue a life full of positivity, hope and confidence. It’s not always feasible to be positive and I understand that- but even a sliver of sunshine behind a rain cloud hints at the end of the storm.

tl,dr: BE POSITIVE AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT THIS!

Thank you so very much for reading! I really hope you got something out of this- even as scattered as it seems to me!

Have a fantastic week! Tomorrow is Monday and that can be a drag BUT guess what boosts your endorphins and dopamine/serotonin levels? Exercise! So don’t forget tomorrow to NEVER MISS A MONDAY and start the week off right!

xx Tiffany