Eights & Weights is Featured in "Beautiful Inside and Out"

Lifestyle coach EJ Ogenyi releases an e-book called "Beautiful Inside and Out" around the holidays to talk about healthier choices we can make for the new year. This year, I contributed to the e-book. Of course, I talked about food and how snacks can be adding to our waistlines over the holidays. This e-book is free and you can view and download a copy here.

Please download and show your support for Nigerian fitness :)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Keeping Your Fitness Resolutions?

Excerpt from "11 Things You Must Know if You Made a New Year's Resolution to Get Fit" on Huffington Post

Did you proclaim 2014 your year to get fit? Here are a few things you should absolutely know if you are going to really make that resolution stick.

Happy New Year! Say it with Sweat!

First off, I really want to thank you all for going through this journey with me. I have good days and bad days (and interesting days), and so do you. My passion is to create awareness and bring simplicity to the fitness world so we understand how we can change our health and our bodies if we try. And so I am grateful that people are following, reading, and actually making changes in their lives.

Let Verizon Help You With Your New Year's Fitness Goals

New Year’s is quickly approaching, and yep, I'm pretty certain that losing weight or exercising will be among the top resolutions for 2014. But did you know, according to Forbes, that just 8 percent of people achieve their New Year's resolutions?

New Year Fitness Resolutions

It’s the New Year! Yay! Happy New Year, folks. I’m sure with the new year also came new resolutions to lose weight, get fitter, eat better, and just become more health conscious. Yes, it happens every year.

As you are worrying about how you are going to achieve both your personal and fitness goals this year, I wanted to share something I came across yesterday that I thought was a great mindset to start the year with. Kellogg’s Special K brand is celebrating a “What Will You Gain?” day today. This is an attempt to make us all think of something other than the scale today.

The premise of the WWYG day is for us to all focus on the positive part of our fitness goals. When you lose that weight, gain muscle, or whatever it is your health goal is, what are you looking to gain? Many say sex appeal, confidence, even pizzazz. I say strength. I would like to get stronger, both mentally and physically.

So take a day to focus, relax, look at the end goal (and not just the work it takes to get there), and share with us. What are you looking to gain this year?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: SpecialK.com

A Backslide-Free Year

Yes, you made your resolutions, checked them like a million times, cancelled them out, and made new ones. We all know how resolutions usually turn out. It is evident from the number of people at the gym on January 2nd, and the number that are still there by February 1st. Resolutions tend to fizzle.

But that doesn’t mean that if you plan to be fit this year, you are destined for failure. There are a few decisions you can make to help you stick to your plan:

Try something new: So you were on the treadmill last January and that failed? Keep it interesting this time! Try something you haven’t done before. Is it spinning, swimming, or yoga? Give it a go.

Mix it up: Everyone gets bored of exercise when we do the same things. While you’re trying new things, try a large variety of new things. Mix up what you do on different days to keep yourself from getting bored. Maybe run on Monday, do Zumba on Wednesday, and go to a spinning class on Friday. But whatever you do, keep it interesting.

Create accountability: You’ve heard that when you work out with a partner, you work harder. That’s because we’re all competitive. But you can do more. Attend fitness classes regularly so the instructors and other attendees know you. It’ll make you less likely to miss a class when you know you’ll be asked questions later. Plus, fitness classes are always super competitive.

Track your progress: Keep a consistent log of what you do, and if you’re doing better week after week. You could use one of these websites to keep a detailed log.

Stop making excuses: So you failed last year? What did you do wrong? Find your mistakes and fix them, rather than use them as a clutch! You cannot move forward if you keep finding a reason not to succeed. If you want to get fit, you have to put in the work.

Find diet choices that work for you: Because Weight Watchers worked for your friend does not always mean it is the best option for you. Nobody knows your weaknesses better than yourself. Do your research before you choose a diet, and make sure it is something you can stick with.

Pamper yourself: If you can afford some spa time, try to get some in this year. Our bodies need pampering after all the hard work we put them through. However, try to make your pampering time a reward for all the workouts you've done. Push yourself harder so you can get pampered after. That's my policy ;)

Good luck Eights & Weights! We're here to support you every step of the way.

Photo credit: sportsnfitnessar.blogspot.com

New Year, New Challenge

Happy New Year readers! I hope you celebrated enough for the whole year. Now, it's time to get back to reality.

So I'm usually totally against New Year resolutions. It just sets us up for failure. I'd rather we see a problem, and go ahead and fix it. Don't wait till the New Year to make a resolution. That said, because the New Year signifies the end of the holidays, it is a good time for some reflection. It's time to think about what we want our goals to be over the next few months.

If you're trying to lose weight, think about what weight you'd like to be in March maybe and start working on a plan to get you there. If you're trying to build some muscle, think about what exercises you'd need to do, how much money you may need to spend, and how it all fits into your work and social life. If you're trying to put on weight the healthy way, also think about what food you should be eating so you can remain in good shape.

As you make your plans for the next few months, please share them with me. Email me at editor@eightsandweights.com!

Cheers Eights & Weights! Have a lovely week!