Fitness Corner Kickoff!

Before I let her introduce herself, I just have to say that Cassie is one of the most driven and inspiring people I know. That is all. We're in good hands with her.
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Hello.

I'm Cassie. Darlena has graciously invited me to head up the Fitness Corner section of her blog. I'm honored to be here. And while I don't necessarily feel qualified to be considered an expert, I definitely have a lot of experience with the losing (and gaining) of weight and starting at the bottom to reach fitness goals.

Today something happened in my life that inspired me. At work we were discussing goals and living with intention. That actual discussion is fairly irrelevant but what came of the discussion is that I live my live and set goals with intention. When I set a goal, I mean to achieve it.

So, let's talk about fitness goals. The key to achieving fitness goals is to setting realistic ones.

For example, it is totally unrealistic for me to set a goal to lose 100lbs in a month without losing a limb or two. It is also totally unrealistic for me to believe I can go outside and run a marathon today if I haven't been training properly.

These are unrealistic goals. It certainly would be nice if I could plan to be 100lbs by May (my goodness, I would LOVE to!). A more reasonable goal is to decide I want to lose 5% of my weight and a realistic timeline is 1-2lbs per week. There are some truly wonderful free online resources to help with setting and attaining those goals. My favorites happen to be:

www.myfitnesspal.com
www.sparkpeople.com


These are online resources to help set caloric and fitness goals. All for free! They use social networking to aid in motivation. They have access to workout ideas and options. If you're not familiar with these site and looking into setting some physical goals, I highly recommend checking them out!

And what about those fitness goals? I happen to be a big believer in maintaining balance. One cannot expect to merely depend on a scale for health goals. Health is a many faceted subject.

I've been a bigger gal my whole life. Running days in PE used to be panic-inducing but in 2007 I discovered running. I started with a program called Couch to 5k. It took me through many 5ks and on up to half marathons. Running is my meditation. It can be the thing that keeps me going, the thing that keeps me proud of myself. In 2007 it took me nine weeks to go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to regularly participating in races. Even if you don't think running is your thing, I encourage you to look into the program and give it a try.

And if running truly isn't your thing? Why not set a goal for pushups?  The One Hundred Push Up plan takes you from one pushup to being able to do 100 pushups in just seven weeks!

Craving more? How about Two Hundred Situps?

I've found that using the plans on the sites listed above give me a sense of camaraderie and motivation when I need it the most. And when that isn't enough? Bloggers. The internet is full of inspirational people who have BEEN THERE and want to spread the word on how YOU CAN TOO.

Back to Her Roots and Runs For Cookies happen to be my personal favorites. These are ladies who are down in the trenches and know exactly how hard it can be but have also shown that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.


(I'm in no way affiliated with and of the websites listed in this post. They are just sites I've found helpful during my own journey).

Bio:

Cassie works for a small performing arts non-profit organization full time, is a mother, a wife, a friend,
and just trying to be the best she can be. Hard of hearing (working with musicians) and obese (loves
running), her life is a contradiction. She focuses on weight loss, fitness, goals and trying to obtain
balance in one's life. Cassie's hobbies are community involvement, enjoying the outdoors, horseback
riding, running, reading, and music.