Accountability

Accountability...that is what having a personal trainer is! Sure, you can "try" to eat right, you can "try" to get to the gym every day, and when you get there, you can go through the motions of a work out. The whole while you are doing it, you have yourself convinced that you are doing great! This is especially true if those around you love you just the way you are...they always tell you that you look great, etc. This help feeds your thoughts about what you are doing...."Go ahead and take a week off...you deserve it...you've been at the gym the last 2 weeks...a week will not hurt you." Yeah, these are the words I've heard...out of and inside my head. What I've realized this week is that I have been my own worst enemy in my weight loss journey! Sure, I should be very proud of the 50 lbs I've lost up to this point. Yes, I am beautiful regardless. However, I'm still not happy with where I am at! I still carry around an unacceptable amount of body fat (though it doesn't really show, it IS there), and I'm still not in the best physical shape I can be! I don't feel energized, and I'm frustrated! I have sat there and asked myself why...I've been eating healthy, I've been exercising (though truly only occasionally)...and I'm not understanding why the last 10-15 lbs just will not budge!

In to the picture comes a personal trainer! I have to admit, I wanted to eat that piece of chocolate yesterday...but then the words entered my head that I need to back off (not eliminate) my carbs and NO carbs at all after 7:00 p.m. I can honestly say that it was so very tempting to just stay in bed a little longer this morning, and skip the gym altogether...especially since my muscles were still feeling yesterday's workout. And to be truly honest, as I worked out on the elliptical (aka "Demon Machine"), I thought, "Do I really need to do these high intensity intervals?" See, these thoughts and temptations would have done me in before, but now I have accountability! Sure, I only paid for 3 sessions, but that doesn't mean that the personal trainer is going to leave it at that! I've made an investment, and he understands this...so he is making an investment (of his time) in me! I'm sure that even after my sessions run out, he will be watching! Yes, he will stop me when he sees me and ask me how things are going, and maybe even call me in for another free body fat analysis just to make sure that the time invested didn't go to waste and I'm still on the right track! Accountability...

1. Sure, I could have had that piece of chocolate, or any other treat I wanted, and just not put it on my food journal I must send to my trainer every day. How would he know, right? Oh, he would know when I weighed in, knowing that the plan he prescribed was a sure fire solution!

2. Yes, I could have stayed in bed and skipped the gym...but guess what? The trainer would still be there, and wonder why he didn't see me come in to do my cardio as I promised I would do! I would probably even get an email, "Didn't see you this morning...what happened?" Yes, he saw me as I was coming in, and told me "Good job!" on my food logs...he IS watching!

3. And the trainer was busy with another client this morning, so how would he have known if I didn't do all the intervals on the "Demon Machine"? Oh, he would have known, for the reasons I stated in 1 and 2...I eventually have to weigh in again, AND he IS watching!

So, bottom line...I skipped the chocolate, got my achy, happy butt out of bed, went to the gym, and worked my butt off again...all because I was being held accountable!