Have you ever found it hard to be happy regarding your weight loss efforts because the scale displayed an unappealing number?

In my mad pursuit to get the weight off, I hit a Plato a week before I was scheduled to run a 5k. My goal was to be under 150lbs so my Achilles wouldn't sideline me due to the amount of pounding & weight.

I worked pretty hard doing bleachers, lunges & squats. I kept my eating intact and put in extra time running fourteen laps to build endurance & burn more fat...at the end of the week I was satisfied with the amount of energy & effort I put forth. My brief moment of satisfaction was damper the instant the number popped up on the scale..."No Improvement" How could that be. I'm in a smaller dress size...I look leaner in the face....I have more energy and more spring in my step.....But how can I celebrate when I didn't loss any weight? Let me tell you how....

You take a step back and journey to when you first got started....do you remember how you felt, how you looked and all the bad habits that caused the weight gain.....Haven't you changed your habits, put time and attention into what you eat? Haven't you make working out a priority where at first it wasn't....Haven't you seen your energy level improve, aren't your clothes getting loose too. Haven't others said they see a change in you....you don't even think the same....You have a right to celebrate regardless of what the scale has to say.........

You've come a long way and NO you're not where you started, so celebrate your success on the way to where you are striving to be....Celebrate through adversity, because the wall is going to come down the more you pound against it....Plato's happen, it's a momentary setback....Yet nothing can erase the fact of how far you come from week number 1.

Give yourself permission to smile and go on run your race....I did it at 150 pounds with a strained Achilles heel and I finished with a smile of my face.....Did I cross the line first, most certainly not. However, I became a winner the instant I took my first step. Pain & fatigue quickly became my companions after the first mile was done....I wasn't gonna let them deter me from finishing my race....I had to fight all the adversity to obtain the prize....Somewhere within me came the strength to encourage an elementary school runner who was ready to give up eight hundred meters from the tape....I grabbed her hand and said now is the time to take a deep breath and finish what you've started..look how far you've come..the finish line is just around the corner, cross it and then you're done.....Run on ahead and I'll see ya when I get there....you've got to finish it & I've got to finish mine.

It's not how you start, It's how you finish....Plato's aren't meant to discourage, but to PUSH into purposeful MOMENTUM....Celebrate your achievements along the way, meditate on the good in your day & let the negative news go some place else today.

How many times has bloating hindered you from showing off your abs or wearing that short top?

For the guys it could be that last can of beer or for the ladies that time of the month even to much salt in your meal. I came across the top 10 foods to avoid that contribute to belly -bloating

Here the list
1. FRIED FOODS (they're digested more slowly you feel heavy & bloated)

2. CHEWING GUM (you swallow air when chewing. It's trapped in the GI tract causing bloating, pressure & belly expansion)

3. GASSY FOODS (legumes, broccoli, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, peppers, and citrus fruits)

4. SALT (salt-based seasonings & highly processed food)

5. SPICY FOODS (foods seasoned with cloves, hot sauces, Chili powder, black pepper, nutmeg, catsup, barbecue sauce, onions, mustard, horseradish, vinegar or tomato sauce)

6. SUGAR ALCOHOLS (cookies, candy and energy bars causing gas, distention, diarrhea and bloating

7. CARBONATED DRINKS (those bubbles end up in your stomach)

8. HIGH-ACID DRINKS (acidic fruit juices, coffee, hot cocoa, tea and Alcohol)

9. BULKY RAW FOODS (eat only cooked vegetables, can fruits in natural juices, unsweetened dried fruit)

10. EXCESS CARBS (decrease carbohydrate consumption briefly so body can burn it off & drain of excessive fluid)

CALF EXERCISES
warm up 10 to 15reps without weight

Exercises
Seated Calf Raises 5sets X 10 - 12reps
Standing Calf Raises 5sets X 25 - 50reps
Donkeys 4sets X 15 - 20reps