Beginnings

Hello all :)

I have decided to start a blog for a couple of reasons. One of them being that now I have finished school and have a full time job. Full time jobs mean money and money means that I am going to take a vacation next winter to somewhere much warmer then Nova Scotia. When I am on the beach having a wonderful vacation I want to be wearing a bikini and I want to feel great doing it. Now don't get me wrong, I feel like I am in decent shape and overall I like my body but I would be kidding myself if I thought I was in bikini shape. Up until recently it has been impossible to find a normal one piece bathing suit that fits me properly let alone a two piece. When I found this site though I knew I had to get a bikini from it. I also want to buy some dresses from there but at those prices I want anything I buy to be things I can wear for years to come. This is the fun goal but more importantly I just want to get in better shape overall.

I have a moderately active lifestyle in that I live in the middle of Halifax in a third floor walkup. My fitness regimen therefore consists of walking everywhere and lots of stairs. I don't binge eat but I don't eat as well as I could. Ever since I have been a teenager my weight has fluctuated up and down and right now it is up. Most of my pants are size 11 but I have some size 13 that I have had to wear recently and they are getting to be on the tight side. I refuse to buy more clothing unless it is because everything I have to wear is to big (I would enjoy being forced to do this). So I am going to start eating better and exercising regularly.

To hit the ground running I have picked up the biggest loser trainer Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD and her book Making the Cut. For the DVD all you need are free weights and a mat if your floor is hard. I already had some weights so I picked up a super cute Gaiam yoga mat. It is hot pink with lighter pink hearts on it. I figured I may as well like the look of my mat because I am going to be seeing it a lot in the near future.

I have heard great things about the DVD from friends and the book looked good when I researched it. I have read most of the book already since buying it yesterday and it looks like it will be a great resource for me. It has tons of recipes that actually look very yummy for healthy meals and snacks. I will do a more through review them it later.

The deal with the book and the DVD is that you work out and eat properly for 30 days (hence the 30 day shred title) and by the end of it you should be more lean and toned. I am going to stick to it for 30 days and chronicle my progress here. By the end of the 30 days I am hoping this lifestyle change will have become habit and will be something I can stick to for the rest of my life.

This isn't going to be about transforming my body by magic. I know that it will take hard work and discipline to achieve the results I want. But I do want them and am willing to put the work in to get them. This blog is to make me more accountable. If I say I am going to write about each day I will want to have good things to write. At least that is the plan.

Stay tuned for the initial measurements, weigh in and fitness test! O: