Hey There!

I love healthy food, exercising, being outside, being inside, fitness classes, & fitness challenges. I love to ride my bike.  I really love to feel strong, energetic, challenged, pushed, and accomplished.  I dream of doing an IronMan triathlon.  I dream of being a runner.  I love learning about healthy lifestyles, learning new exercises, and setting goals.  I like to comfortably do the activities that I enjoy, play with my kids not watch them play, and fearlessly embrace any new sport or activity that strikes my fancy.

This is what I call fitness.

I also have a life.  I have a husband & children.  I have gobs of extended family.  I have neighbors, friends, a church calling, school & extracurricular activities.  I get injured & sick. Also bored & uninspired.  I can't fit into 24 hours all the things I need or want to do.  I am a sugar-holic.  I love eating, food, & holidays.  Everything deserves celebrating with food.  

This is what I call reality.   

This is why I'm calling this little blog

You probably have many of the same goals & challenges that I do.  You don't always have two hours to commit to our cardio day.  You draw a blank when it comes to what exercise to even do.  You don't always have access to a wide range of free weights and weight machines.  You don't have personal trainers, unlimited grocery budgets, or kids (or spouses) who'll even eat what we cook.  Your tastebuds aren't dead, and you don't always eat clean.  You can't always afford a gym membership, & maybe you don't want to.  And you definitely don't wake up at 5 am.  However, we can do little things every day that add up to a habit, a commitment, a lifestyle, a change.  Sometimes all it takes is a little cheerleader (which is my specialty), a little direction, & a little reminder. It is totally possible to fit fitness into your reality.

I recently found an ancient three-ring binder in my cluttered basement filing cabinet filled with torn out workout pages from Shape, a homemade food journal, & a page with my fitness goals on it.  Funny.  Except.  My goals today are the same as those from 16 years ago.  And I still haven't reached them. Don't get me wrong, I don't have much to complain about.  Thanks to some stellar genetics (thanks mom & dad) I naturally hover at a relatively high fitness level & muscle mass, & have super-low cholesterol (thanks to my daily bacon&egg eating grandpa).

But there's no need to feel cozy and comfortable where I'm at if I've had the same goal for 16 years, and I still really want to reach it.  It just means I'm terrible at follow-through.  It has helped me realize a few things:

• Quick diets will never do it.
• I will never in a single day be able to exercise enough to burn the amount of junky simple carbs I ingest.
• I recognize that my 38-year-old body burns calories differently than my 25-year-old body. (or even 30 or 35 for that matter)
• Increasing the quality of the food I eat combined with exercise will help me reach my goals.
• Inviting others along increases the likelihood that I will achieve my goals.
• This is a long-term commitment.  Results will be gradual.

The main way this will be happening is via Instagram: @fitnessinreality.  Follow for workouts, tips, inspiration, clean eating, challenges, & sundry.  This blog will contain more in-depth information including recipes, physiology, nutrition, psychology, & my own little journey (in case you're interested).

SO.  Join me as I attempt to reach my long-cherished never-reached fitness goals, and make them my reality. It would make this whole thing that much sweeter if it helps you reach your goals, too!