Pepper-minty: Haute + Spicy Ways to Catch Up On Your Body Goals

June 20, 2018 EDEN BodyWorks

“Summer bodies are made in the winter”... It’s a saying that I learned quickly when I first began training to compete in NPC Bikini competitions. Although that chapter of my life is closed, I still carry the essence of the saying with me. I am cognizant of the lesson it teaches about delaying instant gratification and creating habits now that will pay off in the future. Fitness isn’t instant. It’s discipline and harmony.

Butttttttt if you’re late to the body goals party and need a plan B you may be wondering or even hearing on social media about all the spicy ways you can catch up. Let’s address them.

1. Speed Dieting (hmm...)

A post shared by Lift Heavy | Live Healthy (@30daysofdope) on Jun 18, 2018 at 8:31pm PDT

Diets are marketing tools for quick weight loss. Simple as that. They’re intended to get you seeing results quicker so that you feel better about yourself and (hopefully) stay committed. Spoiler alert: we all fall off of a diet plan sooner or later. Dieting first and working out second is a mindset that a recent BuzzFeed article addresses and it’s where you’ll find this quote:

"I don't use the scale as a measure of progress because for most people it keeps the focus off health and promotes unhealthy attitudes toward body image and self worth."

Speed dieting is a slippery slope of results. While you will probably see results quicker once the diet is over, your behavior or attitude/self-image may not change. And this can become mentally taxing.

If you’re going to take the diet approach, the safest bet is find someone who’s concerned with your nutrition and your wellness as a whole. Checkout 30DaysOfDope or BreakingUpWithObesity as a springboard for information and their opinions on diets, fasting, and nutrition.

2.Waist Trainers (hmm...)

From a scientific standpoint of the body, waist trainers are not healthy! I believe fitness should be centered around the health of your mind, soul and body, so my unsolicited advice is to leave this option on the table. Just don't do it.

Your core is the center of your body and you pretty much use it in countless exercises for proper form and balance. Inhibiting it could cause a spell of health and body related problems long term. If you’re looking to trim some inches of your mid section, squeezing everything out of place just seems like painful torture.

The alternative to waist trainers are the more acceptable sweat bands. Sweat bands/belts are thinner and less constricting. They are designed to make your mid section sweat, releasing water weight that you could be carrying around your tummy. Sweat belts will make it appear that you’ve lost “weight/fat” but the weight is really water.

3. Accountability Partner (Better)

Having an outside perspective (workout buddy and/or trainer) to motivate you, or someone to educate you on the movements and exercises best for your body is a great place to begin.

A post shared by TEMPEL (@performance.tempel) on May 29, 2018 at 1:56pm PDT

Workout Buddy

Talking with a friend, a mentor, a family member who also shares the same zeal for working out will encourage you to not only start but to keep going! Word is bond, so if you make a workout pact don’t be the person to flake. Take accountability serious enough to know that the results are dependent upon your own personal consistency, your partner is there to help mentally when things get tough.

Trainer

With #bodygoals being a “thing” on social media, it’s not hard to find someone well versed in the worlds of nutrition or exercise science. A word of caution when it comes to personal trainers or wellness advocates: Do your due diligence. Ask questions, don’t just take their word for it, or even blindly believe their before and after photos. Everything is relative! Consider their clients’ progress over an extended period of time, not just after 30 days of work. Yes, fitness includes weight loss but it also includes consistently getting better, being agile, flexible and committed to the health and alignment of mind, body and spirit.

For accountability inspo follow Curly_cheetah , Black Girl Barre, or Nikekiana

4. Routine (Best)

The truth: There are no quick fixes for your body in fitness.

Some of the aforementioned "fixes" are springing boards to allow you to to see results, but there is no 30 day plan that creates a sustainable bangin' body. There are no fast tracked fasts, eating diets, or temporary lifestyle changes that will create and keep the ideal body. It’s all about the way you choose to live your life—the day to day decisions you make.

Create a routine that you can commit to and consistently encourage and challenge your body. And start that routine now! Find fulfillment in the journey of fitness. Those incremental results are the key to body goals, because the truth is your body will continue to change.

Here’s a full body HIIT routine that you can start with today, at home:

My Personal Opinion

There is no one answer that fits all or everyone. Everyone's body is different and fitness is about YOUR body. Learn as much as you can about your body by trying and putting for an effort to be fit.

In this very moment your body is beautiful. Body goals aren't about perfection, it’s about being better in comparison to nobody but you.

I’ve been on my fitness journey for five years and have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows along the way. Until about a year ago when I finally started enjoying the journey in full that I reached and continue to set new #bodygoals. The workouts (working out sucks by the way!), the results, the mental stability of why I started, all of it works together to bring joy, release from stress and fulfillment that I am better.

Workouts, cool hunting, and recipes for well being. When aesthetics meets performnace, that's all the sex appeal you need. Maximize your life's potential. No guts, no glory.

A post shared by TEMPEL (@performance.tempel) on Aug 17, 2017 at 11:47pm PDT

Special Giveaway!

Post sponsored by PerformanceTempel.com.

To celebrate your body and to motivate you to your own personal greatness on 6/22 we'll be giving away a special summer solstice kickoff gift pack full of Tempel gear, the Peppermint Tea Tree Collection, and more kickbutt surprises. Be sure to follow the @edenbodyworks Instagram and Facebook (Facebook.com/EDENBlog) pages closely!

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