Looking Back | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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Back in December of 2011, I had the pleasure of doing an email interview with Ali Vincent. I had met her the November before when she did an appearance for the local hospital. She was amazing and inspiring. I loved every minute of that night listening to her talk about her life with Biggest Loser and afterwards. Here is the link to the original interview. I have kept up with Ali’s adventures through her tv show and Facebook and Twitter pages. She is still amazing and inspiring. I enjoy looking back to where I was when I met Ali and where I am now.

I was doing some looking around the internet for something to write about today and I came across something by Ali Vincent on oprah.com. Because we are approaching that time of year when we start to think about rededicating ourselves to a healthier and more fit life, I thought you might like a few tips from Ali herself.

•Get a journal. If you change nothing in your lifestyle then I challenge you to start documenting your current lifestyle. You might be surprised to see what you are actually doing in regards to eating and moving. •Check in. You need to find out where you are in order to get to where you want to go. Whether that means you weigh in, take measurements or test your flexibility, that is up to you. •Set a goal. Having a specific, attainable—yet challenging—goal is important to know how and where to push yourself. It also makes it easier to make a healthy choice if you are trying to attain a specific goal. •Make a plan. Talk to your doctor and find out what is an appropriate calorie budget to be on and how much physical activity you can do in regards to your heart rate. •Remove temptation. Go through your house and workplace looking, with your goal-oriented eyes, and get rid of anything that might challenge you to stay on track. •Get supplies. Find out what tools you are going to need to achieve your goal and get them! You need to make sure you have the right tools for the job. This not only helps you get results but also makes the journey easier and more rewarding. Examples: Food scale, measuring cups, tennis shoes, water bottle, jump rope, etc. •Get fuel. Making sure you have the right food is essential. You want to eat within a half an hour of waking up and every 3 to 4 hours after that. This lets your body know it’s time to get up and work, as well as keep it running efficiently throughout the day. •Make a weekly meal plan. Having this set before you go shopping helps you get exactly what you need without getting extras that might go to waste, as well as helps you steer clear of splurge buys. Once you get home, make sure you clean, chop and prepare whatever you need to make sure that your total meal prep time during the week will be less than 30 minutes per meal. •Get the fluids moving. You want to make sure you sweat at least once a day from activity. In most cases, if you are sweating because of activity, this means your heart rate has elevated and your body is working harder than it is used to. You also need to make sure you are drinking plenty of water!

•LIVE BIG!! ACKNOWLEDGE all the efforts you are making towards a healthier you. SHARE with your friends and family so they know how proud you are of yourself, as well as how you can continue to support each other. REWARD yourself in ways that support your journey —get a pedicure, try a new workout class, buy yourself a new outfit. KNOW that your body will NEVER stop you from living the life you dream of. CELEBRATE because you deserve to be celebrated!