Blog Archives
Monday Motivation – Be Greater Than Your Excuses
Life – It is truly one big excuse.
Something can and will always be getting in the way, making your goals more complicated and difficult to accomplish.
Basically what I’m telling you is there will always be excuses and reasons NOT to do something.
The question then is…How bad do you want it?
Because if you really want it bad enough, nothing will hold you back and you will find a way to accomplish your goals.
If you aren’t dedicated to your goals, any excuse will cause you to fail.
And I’m sure right now a few of you are shaking your head and telling yourself…”But I really don’t have time/money/resources/knowledge…whatever to accomplish my goals and I really REALLY want to.”
Uh sorry…But you are LYING TO YOURSELF and making excuses.
And to some extent all of those excuses are valid. They all are reasons why you can’t accomplish your goals. They are all barriers and hurdles that you have to overcome if you want to succeed.
The point is, if your desire is strong enough, if your plan is good enough, then those excuses are just that – merely hurdles that you can overcome.
Notice that I said DESIRE and PLAN.
Because motivation will only keep you going for so long that you need to create a plan to help keep you on track when the excuses build and you want to stop moving forward.
Wait…So I said if you want it bad enough you won’t give into your goals yet I also said that motivation isn’t enough and that you need to have a PLAN.
YUP!
If you want it bad enough, you will create a PLAN that will not allow excuses to derail your progress.
You will create a meal prep plan that doesn’t allow you to give the excuse that you are too busy or stressed to cook. And you will create a workout program that is convenient and quick that fits your crazy, busy schedule.
You will create a plan that address your excuses instead of using your excuses as a way to get out of doing what you know you truly want to be doing!
Because when you really want something, you PLAN for success!
So what’s your plan for this week? How are you going to be greater than your excuses?
P.S. A huge thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate our Grand Opening on Saturday! Had so much fun! Here are some pictures from the event…
Downplaying Our Beauty
So the other day in the car, Ryan and I were listening to a radio segment about beautiful people being treated differently.
And while the segment itself was completely absurd and light-hearted, I was amazed by all the people calling in and claiming to be beautiful and that it had caused them problems.
I briefly thought, “Who the heck would call in to this!?!”
But then part of me also thought, “Good for them thinking they are amazing looking and not being afraid to say it!”
Rarely if ever do you truly run into someone who believes they are beautiful and are willing to state it out loud. Most of the time instead women downplay their beauty and instead focus on their flaws.
It’s like they are scared to come off as cocky or overly confident. It is as if they don’t want to take a stand in case someone else doesn’t agree with them and instead sees their flaws.
Even when complimented often women will downplay things instead of just saying, “Fuck yea…I’m awesome!”
Why is it that so many women downplay their strengths?
Why isn’t it thought to be acceptable for us to state out loud with our head held high that we agree when someone compliments us and that we know we are awesome?
Is it fear of someone not agreeing with us that holds us back? Is it fear that we will come off as cocky?
Or is it simply that we don’t recognize our own beauty or our own strengths?
Whatever it is, today take a second and say out loud, “I’m fucking amazing and beautiful and today I will kick butt!”
Because, guess what?
YOU WILL.
Claim the day ladies (and that goes for you too gentlemen!).
Today recognize your strengths and encourage others to do the same!
Building Self-Confidence
The other day I had a great conversation with a few clients about self-confidence.
One of my clients made a comment that self-confidence comes from seeing or achieving success.
And my response was, “Yes, but you have to have self-confidence in order to succeed.”
She nodded her agreement.
But that then left us with the question of, “How do you become more self-confident to achieve success if success builds confidence and you aren’t yet confident?”
My answer, “You lie to yourself.”
“An Unconventional Sign Of Strength And Power”
The other day on Twitter I saw the following statement – “An unconventional sign of strength and power: Not being easily offended.”
Then today, I found this picture on Pinterest:
This one made me laugh…maybe cause it’s true!?! 😛
Are You A True Champion? How Shaun White Impressed Me With His Loss
I think champions are defined not by how often they win, but by how they go out and compete and how they handle failure.
Do they play to win no matter the situation? Do they blame everything but themselves when they lose? And do they bounce back after failure?
Last night, I saw the champion in Shaun White and thought to myself, “No wonder this guy has been at the top and so dominant for so long.”
Perception is everything
January is a time for many of starting over. Of New Years Resolutions, dreams and goals.
But it is also a month filled with unfinished goals. Unfinished goals because people’s motivation dwindles and their positive mindset falters.
Even when we’ve done the best planning possible, life can still get in the way.
And when life gets in the way the only thing that can keep us on track is our mindset.
Because let’s face it, there are going to be bumps in the road.
There are going to be setbacks.
But we can keep moving forward if we have the right attitude and can pick ourselves back up after a fall and get right back on track.
It truly is all about attitude.
And trust me…I know it’s hard.
January is one of the most stressful months for me. Right now I’m to the point of being completely and utterly overwhelmed.
Part of me wants to throw up my hands and watch chick flicks all day on the couch cuddled by Coconut eating ice cream and Reeses Pieces.
But the other part of me, the larger part of me, LOVES EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Because it is all in how I perceive things.
I can see things as overwhelming and stressful.
Or I can see it as a chance to help more people and make a huge difference.
No, 100% of the time I won’t see things in a positive light. But 70, 80, even 90% of the time I will.
And that is what it is all about – having a positive mindset. It’s about setting your mind to a goal and not letting life interfere or things get out of your control so that you don’t get frustrated and veer off course….At least not for long.
We decide how we perceive things.
Yup…It is your choice to be happy or sad regardless of the situation.
So when you are planning to achieve your goal, you’ve got to include MINDSET into your plan.
You’ve got to decide to be excited by the challenges and opportunities your new diet and exercise program have in store for you.
You’ve got to decide to not dwell on the failures and setbacks.
You’ve got to decide to give yourself a quick break when you get down and then get right back on track if slip ups do occur.
You have control over your attitude.
Stay positive and keep moving forward toward your goals!
A New Years Eve Reflection
WARNING: This post is sappy. You’ve been warned.
I think we all need to remember this heading in to this New Year!
I’ve written this blog for almost three years. And rarely a week goes by where I don’t get at least a couple of posts up because I love it so much.
I do it purely for the love.
Because I love health and fitness so much. Because I love all of you so much.
I actually got asked the other day what job I would do if money wasn’t an issue.
I didn’t even need to think about the answer.
Because I’m doing it.
I live, breathe, eat, sweat health and fitness.
I live, breathe, eat, sweat seeing other people realize their own potential.
Every day I want to share my passion with everyone I meet (Seriously, never get into a random conversation with me if you don’t want me to go on some health and fitness tangent because it will happen…Poor lady at the coffee shop who just said “Hello……”)
Every day, I hope to inspire, to educate, to help others grow to be stronger, fitter, healthier, MORE EMPOWERED than they could ever imagine.
And when I say all this, I’m by no means saying I’m selfless.
Far from it.
I’m just saying this is my passion.
And I get a lot in return.
While I help my clients, each of them teaches me something new. Each of them inspires me in return. Each of them touches and changes me. Each of them makes me better and stronger.
You’ve all touched me and taught me so much in 2013.
I only hope I’ve done the same.
We all now face a new year with infinite possibilities. We have the chance to learn, to grow, to inspire.
What are you going to do with your New Year?
P.S. Check back tomorrow for a chance to have me help you get started on your New Years Resolutions for FREE! Oh yea! Working with the Man Biceps! 😛 Ok…Sappiness is now complete.
Stop Comparing and Focus On Yourself
I hear all the time “I’m not as in shape as (insert person’s name here) so I’m probably not in-shape enough yet to train.”
I also hear all the time, “I’ve been here as long as (insert person’s name here). Why can they lifting more than me?”
STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS PEOPLE!
No one is ever in the exact same place as another person or starts at the same point; therefore, you can never compare yourself to another person and their accomplishments.
We all come into the gym, we all start working out, at different starting spots – at different places in our fitness journey.
And no one place is the RIGHT place to begin.
No matter what your level, it is a good time to get started on your journey to a better, fitter, healthier lifestyle.
But what better, fitter or healthier will mean to you, won’t be the exact same thing it means to someone else.
When you start, you can’t look at someone else and compare yourself to them. You can’t compare your progress to theirs or even their current accomplishments to yours.
We each start at different points and are going to have different journeys to success.
Everyone progresses in different ways. And it doesn’t really matter where you are in comparison to anyone else.
All that TRULY MATTERS is that you are making progress toward your OWN individual goals.
So stop thinking about how you compare to someone else and start thinking about how your current situation compares to where you started.
Have you made progress from your starting point to your goals?
Have you learned? Have you grown from where YOU started?
That is what matters.
I mean…Do you truly care if you are better than someone else if it means you haven’t gotten any closer to your dreams?
I don’t….
If you want something to compare yourself to, compare it to where YOU started. Track your goals. Track your progress. Work to make yourself better in comparison to where you started and where you want to be!
Reaching Your Goals – Focus on one thing at a time
I’ve frequently talked about the story of the tortoise and the hare – about how small steady changes over time lead to great, LASTING results.
About how sometimes, if you go all in, you end up feeling too deprived, which leads to failure and you possibly even ending up worse off than when you started.
BUT going slow and steady isn’t always easy and it doesn’t always mean moving forward.
Sometimes it means admitting you just can’t handle more than one change at that time even if that means your progress stalls for a bit.
I’ve actually had this discussion with a number of clients recently. They are busy, stressed and want to make changes, but mentally just can’t handle more on their plate.
That’s when you just have to give yourself a break and pick one thing to focus on.
Sleep deprived? Diet not where you would like it to be? Can’t seem to get in a rhythm with your workout routine?
Pick one and focus on it and leave the other problems for another day….Even if it isn’t the biggest or most “important” change you need to make, it is a change!
Sleeping more may not seemingly give you as quick or as direct a result as say dieting would in progressing toward your weight loss goal, but it will eventually move you forward.
It is a step in the right direction, no matter how slow the direct results may be.
And that step, even if it is small, will create forward momentum.
Forward momentum because you know you did something toward your goal. Forward momentum because you gave yourself some breathing room and only one thing to focus on. Forward momentum because you took the stress away of having to do everything all at once.
Forward momentum because one change spurs more change and often gives you the energy you need to keep moving forward.
There is nothing wrong with admitting you can’t do everything at once.
Most of us can’t even though most of us want to.
Give yourself a chance at success. Be patient and don’t rush your goals.
Focus on one thing at a time!!
A healthy lifestyle is 24/7
While I understand the point of this fitspo…To inspire you to believe that you do actually have the TIME…It bothers me because becoming healthier, fitter, happier takes more than one hour a day a few times a week.
Being healthy and feeling good is a lifestyle…AKA it is a 24/7 deal.
It does take lots of time to be healthy. It ISN’T easy to fit in working out and cooking and being active with a busy schedule especially if you are stressed.
It also isn’t easy to stay dedicated day in and day out when results are slow to build. We all want to see instant progress, which is why the first question many people ask me when they are considering joining is….
“How long will it take me to reach my goals?”
I often ask them…”How hard are you willing to work? How much time are you planning to dedicate to making changes?”
Their minds always first go to how many times a week they can come in to train.
And I would love to tell them that their few training sessions with me each week are enough.
But that simply isn’t the case.
If you want results from all of the hard work you put in at the gym, you need to make smart, healthy choices the other 23 hours of the day.
Especially if you want those results quickly.
Quick results mean lots of time and energy spent CONSISTENTLY day in and day out to reach your goal.
Most people know this. Most people know that they can’t out exercise a bad diet.
Yet all too many people try to. And then they still expect to lose weight/get stronger/feel better/be healthier after really only committing to their goals the three hours a week they come to the gym!
So all I’m saying is, if you want results, you have to commit to your goals all day, every day. That doesn’t mean a little slip up or a cheat day is going to make you fail.
It just means that reaching your goals is a lot of hard work…AND VERY TIME CONSUMING.
Don’t delude yourself. It is.
But if you truly want something, isn’t it worth dedicating the time to get it?
Remember a workout may be 4% of your day, but your dreams, your goals, deserve your attention 24/7!
Man Bicep 