Pictures can send powerful messages. You’ve probably seen your fair share of "Before” and “After” photos showcasing transformed physiques. I know I have seen plenty of them on television or in a magazine. These photos can be motivating. It’s pretty inspiring to see how someone turned themselves into a chiseled art form, and then proudly displays their progress saying, “Look at what I did! You can do it too!”

I know because I did it. Eight years ago I decided to push my limits and transform myself into a figure competitor. I entered a figure show. I dieted for twelve weeks. A normal day during those twelve weeks consisted of eight meals and working out twice a day, before and after work. I carried around Tupperware containers filled with my meals and a half gallon of water. Considering I worked full time, it was no easy task.

Everyone thought I was crazy. Admittedly I thought I was a bit crazy too, but I wanted to achieve my goal so badly that I wasn’t going to let anything stop me. After twelve weeks I’ll never forget how amazing it felt to stand on stage showing a physique that I had feverishly sculpted. I beamed with pride as I donned my blue rhinestone bikini. Then I had pictures taken. Lots of pictures. I was in the best shape of my life and it had to be documented! I had created my “After” photo.

I’m not against taking “Before” and “After” photos. In fact I still use photos as a way to document progress when I don’t want to rely solely on the scale. But the problem is that we don’t get to live our lives in our “After” photo. Unlike a photo, we are not fixed objects. We are always changing. 

The physique I had achieved was not something I could maintain, nor was it healthy to maintain. After the competition I started to gain weight and my clothes were becoming tighter. I felt bad because I thought I should look like the girl in the pictures and I didn’t. Eventually I realized looking like I had just walked across the figure stage was unrealistic. Being in a figure competition was reaching a peak in my fitness level and you always have to come back down from the peak.

When you finish your competition you’re not done with fitness. You don’t get to sit on the couch and eat potato chips to celebrate your accomplishment without consequences. Although that photo captured a moment in time of great fitness, I was still going to have to work hard to remain fit.

Several years removed from that photo I can look back and realize it was not an “After” photo. It was a part of a fitness journey that I’ll always be on. What I’ve realized is that there are no finish lines in fitness. Rather than a destination, it’s an ongoing journey that we’ll be on for the rest of our lives. There’s no first, second or third place in this journey. There’s no trophy to compete for. There are no competitors to outperform. Simply stated, “When it comes to fitness there is only your journey, your goals and your health. Make it the best journey you can.”

Is it just me or is social media feeling a little less social these days? I love interacting with people about fitness, their goals and travels but it seems it's becoming increasingly harder to do just that. More of my time lately on social media is spent sifting through videos, articles and pictures that don't pertain to my interests. So, I've decided to start a discussion forum on my website to interact with my readers and friends.



Last year I had a poll on my website asking what are favorite forms of fitness. Along with the choices of running and yoga, one of my readers mentioned taking long walks. I couldn't agree more! Some days, long walks are just the best thing for the soul. So, one of the forums is to discuss your favorite kind of exercise. I would love to hear from you!


If you would like to join the discussion you can become a member by clicking here.


I'll be posting other topics as well. I hope you will join the discussion!

There's little doubt that CrossFit has turned the fitness world upside down.  Gone are the days of traditional weightlifting and cardio routines.  Your approach to workouts has also probably changed; maybe even more than you realize.  Here are a few of the effects from the workout routine we know as CrossFit.

Before:  "I've only ran for 15 minutes.  That's not a long enough workout.  I need to run longer."
After:  "A fifteen minute AMRAP?  That's so long!  I hope I can make it through the workout."

 
Before:  "Wow!  That looks heavy!"
After:  "How much does that weigh?  Oh yeah, I can lift that!"


Before:  "I wonder what I should do tomorrow at the gym?"
After:  "I need to look at tomorrow's WOD.  Uh-oh! What is a manmaker? I better Google that."

 
Before:  "I wonder if those shorts would make my legs look good?"
After:  "I wonder if I could squat in those shorts?"

 
Before:  "Three sets of twenty pushups felt pretty good today"
After:  "I can't believe I just did one hundred pushups in that WOD!"

 
Before:  "I can't remember how many reps of this exercise I'm on."
After:  "What do you mean 'no rep'?  I was almost done!"


Before:  "Box Jumps?  Don't professional athletes do those?"
After:  "Box Jumps? My shins still hurt from the last time I did box jumps!"


Before: "I'm going to lift today and run tomorrow."
After:  "Running in between overhead squats was really hard!"


Before:  "I hope there are some treadmills available when I get to the gym today."
After: "I hope we're not running up that huge hill in the WOD today!"


Before: "Burpees? Yeah I can do those."
After:  "Burpees?  Why am I being punished?"


Before:  "I hate watching the time tick away on the treadmill.  It takes forever!"
After: "I get so nervous when the ten seconds ticks down on the clock!  3,2,1, Go!"


There you have it!  Workouts will never be the same, once you've tired CrossFit!