Push THROUGH the End

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here

If you're like a good number of people, you've already given up on your 2016 goals, especially if they involve anything with your health and fitness.  I've seen steadily dwindling numbers in all of my group exercise classes since Halloween and I know in the last two weeks of the year the gym will seem like a desolate place.  The holidays seem to be the perfect time to take a break or give up altogether, with the idea that you'll rededicate yourself in the new year.

"Integrity is keeping a commitment even after circumstances have changed." -- David Jeremiah

Going through such dramatic changes is the perfect ingredient for disaster.  Don't fool yourself into thinking you can flip the switch on January 1.  The goals you set for your life should change your life.  Have you heard the words, "It's a lifestyle change," when it comes to reaching your ideal weight?  Well that statement really applies to any and every goal you are setting.

"You're always a student, never a master.  You have to keep moving forward." --  Conrad Hall

Yes!  You will have to overcome some tough challenges to reach your goal.  These tests are meant to mentally prepare you to accept the reward you wish to attain.  Remember, the reason the current you does not yet have want it is you want is because you are not mentally or physically strong enough to accept it.  Giving up now with the intention of starting again only proves that you are not ready to receive what you so desperately wish to have.

Regardless of the goal, you can still make progress during this time of year.  This will make the transition into the new year a smooth one; building on the momentum you set now.  Use these ideas to help you push through the end of the year.

1. Remember, all progress counts!  One of my virtual mentor's stated that "Life Is Movement."  Think about it.  Things are constantly changing and moving.  As long as you are living, your body continues to change.  You cease to change when you die.  Does this mean that when you refuse to change or when your stop changing, you are dead?  Well, essentially, yes!  It doesn't matter how fast you get there, as long as you get there.  Keep placing one foot in front of the other until you reach your destination.

"Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward." -- Victor Kiam

2. Push Harder!  It always gets tougher at the end or just before a big breakthrough.  When reaching your goal gets tough, it's time pick up the pace and renew your enthusiasm. It's time to revisit why you want what you want.  Ask yourself what achieving your goal will allow you to do.  Visualize what it will look and feel like to finish!  Use this to help you push harder.  Don't be afraid to fight for your goal. 

"You have to keep pushing towards those dreams no matter what setbacks happen." -- Anthony Hamilton

3. Get focused.  Staying focused may be difficult during this time of year.  With the changes in schedules and the addition of new or different activities, it can definitely be a challenge to stay on task.  Multi-tasking is a myth.  Your brain can only manage one thoughtful activity at a time.  Attempting to multi-task only leaves you exhausted with fewer accomplishments because you spend more energy trying to "context switch" between tasks that require though.  Instead of trying to tackle a lot of different important activities at the same time, try to set small increments of focused time to tackle the important items on you list.  Schedule small breaks in between tasks to allow for your brain to recover and pick it back up again.

"Never give up, and be confident in what you do.  There may be tough times, but the difficulties which you face will make you more determined to achieve your objectives and to win against all odds." -- Marta

The holidays are a great time to celebrate life.  Remember this as you consider quitting or taking a break from the work required to reach your goals.  It's fun to celebrate the life you have, especially while working to build the life you want.  Imagine the celebration next year as you continue to push through the end of this year.  Give yourself the best opportunity to truly enjoy that celebration by building momentum now.

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop." -- Confuscius

Celebrate Now and Celebrate Later

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here

I truly appreciate those 'random acts of God' that help to keep me on track and save me from myself.  You may think I'm terrible when I tell you why I'm so thankful and that's OK, because I know there are some folks out there right now who, like me, are concerned about keeping their health on track during this season where so many have every excuse to overindulge at their fingertips.  It seems that every organization uses the end of the year to celebrate this year's accomplishments as we certainly should.  It's just the way in which we celebrate that leaves me, in some ways, to feel like a scrooge.

"The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly what it is: a miracle and unrepeatable." -- Storm Jameson

Last week, I was ecstatic for my excuse to avoid my office's end of year sugar-fest disguised as a holiday/year end celebration where everyone is encouraged to make their favorite holiday sweets to share.  We then gather right after lunch for two hours of sugar and games during the work day to 'celebrate' our accomplishments for the year.  Although the organizers included the option for 'healthy' treats this year as to not appear to force people to choose unhealthy desserts, it's historically been a dessert-fest and that's what people bring.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -- Mae West

Ecstatic may be the wrong word, because I was definitely not feeling well.  I was feeling a tad under the weather.  I believe I was just feeling run down as I have a difficult time keeping a reasonable sleep schedule.  I noticed my body was feeling much colder than usual and although we were experiencing a change in temperatures, my body was signaling me to take a rest.  So I listened and celebrated all my hard work for the year warmly nestled in my bed, instead of doing double damage with immune-system-weakening-sugar-filled treats I would have succumbed to had I chose to go to work and attend the treat fest.  

"Self sabotage is like a game of mental tug of war.  It is the conscious mind versus the subconscious mind where the subconscious mind always eventually wins." --  Bo Bennet

Believe it or not, many of the events we attend during this holiday season with the purpose of celebrating create a perfect storm for self-sabotaging behavior.  There is always an abundance of high calorie food and drinks, especially those loaded with sugar.  Even if we manage to keep things in check, attending these events may add to our busy schedules causing us additional stress or will cause us to sacrifice other activities we may normally participate in.

"Just imagine how much you'd get done if you stopped actively sabotaging your own work." -- Seth Goden

 

Self-sabotaging behavior is any behavior that gets in the way of long-standing goals. Many times, people engage in this type of behavior simply because they do not believe they are deserving of success. Here are a few ways to avoid turning celebrations into sabotage so you can truly enjoy the Holidays now and still celebrate later:

1. Make a workout schedule and stick to it. If you find you have an especially busy day, plan for a couple short times to get moving. No one needs to workout for hours on end. 30-60 minutes will do, but if you are particularly busy 3-5 10 minute activity sessions beats nothing at all. If you don't have access right now, get 30 days of free streaming workouts through Beachbody On Demand.  Planning and sticking to your workout schedule will not only provide you with the mental and physical energy you need to get through your busy days, but will also give you at least one thing you can have control over.  During this busy time of year, we need to feel in control of something in our day to avoid feeling burned-out or let down.

2. Get good sleep. We all know that it's hard to keep your stress and emotions in check without proper rest, but do you understand how minimal sleep disrupts your hormones? Studies show that even one night of poor sleep raises your insulin levels. If you're over indulging in sugary treats on top of that, you are keeping your body in a high stress state. This encourages your body to protect its vital organs by storing fat.  

3. Celebrate by focusing on the company and not the food. To do this, avoid showing up to events hungry and drink more water while you are there. Plan for any treats you may encounter at the event. It's OK to be a food-snob, or as I call it a "fit foodie." Enjoying great food is great, just make sure it truly IS great.

To celebrate yourself, you have to be your biggest cheerleader and avoid self-sabotaging behaviors. You must believe you are deserving of success. The best time to start getting in the best shape of your life for 2017 is NOW! It's not the time to toss your workouts until the new year or over-indulge in foods that will not benefit you. So many people attempt to hit the ground crawling once the New Year rolls around as they struggle to pull themselves out of bad habits they slid into during the holidays. It is difficult to pull a complete 180 and go from overeating and overindulgence to eating clean and exercising within a matter of a few days, even for the most dedicated individuals. Now is the time to truly celebrate yourself and set yourself up for more celebrating in 2017.

Movement Monday: Speak the Life You Want

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here

"What you radiate outward in your thoughts, feelings, mental picture, and words, you attract into your life." -- Catherine Ponder

Do you believe in the Law of Attraction?  It's considered one of the more powerful forces in the universe, yet most people do not understand how to use it to create the life they desire.  Perhaps you've used it without realizing.

The Law of Attraction says, What you think about, talk about, believe strongly about, and feel intensely about, you will bring about.  You are a culmination of your thoughts, which form your beliefs which lead to your actions.

The Law of Attraction is not new, although the naming of it may be.  Christian's are commanded to "pray without ceasing," in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  Praying causes you to speak what you want.  It shifts what you dream and believe into the tangible.  There are many biblical scriptures that relate to this truth.  "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." - Matt. 21:22

Understanding this simple truth will work wonders in your life.  So how do you use this simple law to get what you want in life?

First, you must ask for what you want and not for what you don't want.  This is more difficult than you think because our brains are trained to avoid the negative.  It's easy to say "I don't want to be ____," or "I don't like ____," but speaking about what we don't want leaves a lot of ambiguity as to what it is we want.  Plus, it gives energy to what it is we don't want and believe it or not, we are more likely to receive exactly what it is we did not want.

An affirmative thought is 100 times more powerful than a negative one.  I remember having a conversation about speaking in the affirmative with my son while he was recovering from knee surgery during his Freshman year in high school.  He was afraid to lose his opportunities to participate with the varsity football team in his Sophomore year; an opportunity he had worked diligently for the last year until he was injured.  I encouraged him to speak about what he wanted and to remind himself of it every single day.

We need to be clear and speak on what it is we want.  When we understand exactly what we want, we are more likely to seek the information to bring it into existence.  This leads us to the next step.

Believe that you'll get what you want, then take action.  This is why the first step is so crucial.  It is easier to believe and take action on something that is distinct.  For example, a lot of people will say they want to lose weight, not realizing how vague this statement is.  They may succeed in losing some weight, but do it is such an unhealthy way they've left their body in a worse state than they started.  The weight they've lost may have been mostly muscle mass leaving them weaker and unhealthier than they started.  Their lost muscle mass leaves them with a slowed metabolism leaving it more likely for the 'lost' weight to be found again.

“You don’t get in life what you want, you get what you believe.” -- Oprah Winfrey


Once you believe in your concrete desires, you must take action.  Taking the actions that will create your desired result affirms your belief that what you want is within reach.  It adds to your expectation.

Lastly, receive what you want by becoming a match for it.  Focus on creating positive emotions towards your desires.  Be grateful for what it is you do have, even the lessons you've learned or you are learning in the process of reaching your goal.  Speak on your gratitude for your desired results as if you've already achieved it.  This is exactly what daily affirmations are; a visualization and statement of your goals as if you've already reached them that you repeat daily.