Change Your Thoughts and You Change Your World

It is Monday...a new day, a new week, a new opportunity to be great, and create what you want.
Today I choose to accept who I am and where I am now. Today I will get in touch with how I feel about myself and give myself the opportunity to change the thoughts that may be holding me back.

Your Body is One Thing, Your Brain is Another. 
Are you aware of how your thoughts make you feel about yourself?
Do you know how you think about yourself directly affects the outcome of your daily life?
Do your attitudes and personal beliefs shape your outlook on life negatively or positively?

Our thoughts are a window into how we conceive of ourselves — our strengths and weaknesses, our limitations and aspirations. Our thoughts create our feelings that determine our successes. And yet most of the time we float from one activity to the next head down and scowling without considering that we can choose to think in a more positive way and take control of the outcome.

Many of us get caught in the cycle of critical thoughts about ourselves that wear away our self esteem. The more we become conscious about these negative thoughts, the more we can choose not to believe them and take back the control from the negative view for a positive outcome.

A few things to think about when you are faced with an intense thought/emotion that may lead you to react negatively:
• Stop. Be aware of your negative thoughts, how you feel and what you want to do.
• Don't react. Sit with your thoughts for 1 minute.
• Think of a positive thought (Favourite movie clip/line, trip, moment etc.)
• Reinforce your confidence and acknowledge your accomplishments. (You are smart, successful and happy!!)

Once you stop and think in a more positive way, you are taking the first step to initiate change.
Keep in mind that the above is a fluid process; it doesn't have a beginning or an end. It is about being conscious and living each moment of every day with eyes, heart and mind open to positive thoughts.
Cheers :)

Food for Thought

Hi Everyone,

I am writing today on my whirlwind relationship with food. Maybe you can relate?
I, like many of you can go back to being a kid and being consoled, bribed, threatened, rewarded and loved with treats, sweets and yummy goodies! All of these sugar/carb years under my belt have brought me to turn over a new leaf and be truly HONEST with my relationship surrounding food. 
For many years I trained 6 days a week. Running marathons, yoga, bootcamp I have even hired a handful of personal trainers. But this past year I have ignored my body. I have overtrained and now am paying the price. Now due to injury I am unable to train and therefore not hitting my fitness goals. I am bummed, but I have been given an opportunity to educate myself on nutrition and how food can help me heal inside and out. To be pro-active, 2 months ago I hired a nutritionist. I needed guidance on shifting my strategies in order to best target 3 main objectives: health, workout performance (supporting my training), and body composition (keeping lean and optimizing fat loss). One element that has always been a key to my success but that historically I never pay attention to, is my happiness as it relates to food. It seems kind of obvious, but somewhere in the conversation with my nutritionist about diet and the strategizing about food, I forgot to check in on my feelings surrounding food and what at the end of the day actually makes me happy. Is it my relationship, my friends, my work or the possibility that I will be eating a piece of cheesecake for dessert? So to be successful, we designed an overall plan that stresses it’s not just about carbs and proteins and calories – it also has to be about whether or not, on a whole host of levels I am happy and having a healthy relationship with food. Call me crazy but I want to enjoy eating my food, not spending time over thinking and stressing over every choice! 
I now follow a handful of simple steps to help me attain my 4 goals: 
Health, Workout Performance, Body Composition and Happiness.
1. NEVER say DIET!
2. Eat EVERY 2-3 hours.

• 3. Eat 6 SMALL MEALS PER DAY. The challenge is portion control. Each meal must consist of: palm size portion of protein, 2 hand fulls of veggies...I add a carb source after workouts.
• 4. TAKE YOUR TIME eating and ENJOYING YOUR FOOD.
• 5. KEEP IT SIMPLE.
• 6. SMILE.
• In my opinion, and many of you may feel the same, the most important and the most difficult habit to break...negative self-talk. I stress the importance of treating yourself well and affirm something positive each and everyday. If your best friend came to you upset that they were having a tough time dealing with emotional eating you would not beat them up even more with harsh words and a judgmental attitude. You would be supportive and kind, yet how many times have we stood in front of the mirror berating ourselves angrily for slipping with our diets? We have to learn to treat ourselves as if we were our own best friends – with loving kindness. Nothing is gained when we add our own self criticisms – often playing like a broken record over and over in our heads. If you slip, it is not the end of the world. Resolve to get back on track. Refocus on your goals and move forward. You may repeat this process a hundred times, but each time that you get back up on your feet you will be a little bit stronger. Eventually new healthier habits will form and you will reach a breakthrough – bottom line, don’t quit!

Over the past 2 months, I have found my biggest obstacle has been understanding and analyzing my feelings that trigger me to turn to food. We have all gone through something, and we each have our own stories full of life’s various hurts and disappointments – some of which still may haunt us. I have gone through my share of negative experiences, and a few years ago I dramatically changed the overall direction of my life for the positive. What I discovered through out this journey was that once I started to focus my life around my dreams and what I was passionate about (health, fitness etc) it became possible to dramatically enrich my life. Once your focus is on developing yourself, you can make much better decisions in every area of your life – including your diet.
To date, I currently train 3 days a week and opt for moderation and balance as a priority. Cheat "days" are out – moderation applies to desserts and sweets. I am not in the habit of eating desserts on a regular basis anyway, but I may choose to enjoy a small piece of dark chocolate with my coffee every now and then, and that is OK. 
Over the next little while I will be adding healthy, yummy recipes that have helped me succeed. Workout videos to spice up your exercise routine and kick plateaus in the a##! As well, I will share inspirational stories from followers, and personal trials and tribulations from my journey to becoming a healthier, happier ME.
Cheers :)

It's a Lifestyle, not a Plan!

Getting healthy, fit and strong is a choice all of us can make. 

It's a decision that requires commitment, will and a positive mindset. A belief that what sometimes may feel like an insurmountable task will become realistic leading to a whole new level of you. Your mind will feel clearer, and your ability to focus will become greater. Plus, building up your strength will make your confidence and motivation soar!

The journey of uncovering yourself from the inside out does not happen in four weeks, eight weeks or twelve weeks. It's a lifestyle, not a plan!

Cheers :)

No More Excuses.

Hi Everyone!


When it comes to eating and exercising, people are quick to produce an excuse – any excuse! Always explaining why they can’t do it. Coming up with excuses may be pretty easy, but I find shooting them down to be even easier.
I don’t have access to a gym...
You don’t need one. You can use the outside world as your gym. If bodyweight exercises aren’t enough, make your own gym equipment: DIY sand bags, buckets of rocks, step ups on park benches, medicine balls. 
I don’t have enough time to workout... 
If you’ve got 15 minutes you’ve got enough time.
I’m injured and can’t workout...
If you can walk without assistance you can still workout.
Whenever I start a new plan I get overwhelmed and fail...
Take baby steps and you’ll discover it’s absolutely worth the effort. Ease into it. Slowly ramp up activity levels. 
My habits are deeply rooted and there is no way out... 
I’d bet that your Primal genetics are even more deeply rooted than your bad habits. There are ways to break bad habits and ways to develop good ones. 
There are too many social distractions. My family just doesn’t understand...
Don’t give in to the mob mentality. And if your family doesn't quite understand, just let it go. Your results will speak for themselves.
I hate structured, planned workout regimens...
Hey, I understand where you’re coming from, which is why I play instead. Why not try a totally spontaneous workout that can be done anywhere.... 
I cannot take credit for this...it was created by Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
This 7-Minute Bodyweight Circuit can help you lose weight, burn calories, and blast your metabolism. No weights required.

• Bodyweight squat (10-20 reps)
• Pushup (10-20 reps) - do it on your knees if you must
• Reverse lunge (10 reps per leg)
• Plank (30 second hold)
• Close-grip pushup (10-20 reps)
• Side plank (20 second hold per side)
• Mountain climber (10 reps per side)

Do this with no rest between exercises. Rest 1 for minute at the end of the circuit and repeat up to 3 times. If you are a beginner, do fewer reps and take longer rests. I love this workout!

I can’t seem to break through and see any additional results. It’s frustrating and makes me want to give up...

If you get stuck, there are little tweaks you can apply to jump start the progress. Or maybe you just need some extra motivation.

I keep stress eating, going back to the carby stuff. I know it’s bad, but it makes me feel better...

You need to de-stress - but not with food. You might feel better in the short term, but you’ll feel terrible, bloated, and guilty in a couple hours. 

Post this on your fridge. In times of weakness, or if you ever feel an excuse coming on, reference it. You’ll always have an excuse for not working out or not eating right, but I’ll always be here, ready to shoot that excuse down. 
Cheers :)

Make it Happen

Hi Everyone!

Today you CAN make a different choice from yesterday!

Start each and everyday by making 1 small positive choice. For example, choose to eat breakfast, choose to smile at your co-workers, choose to drink water instead of soda. In only a few days, all of these small choices become successes which help to build a healthier self image, stronger self esteem and overall happiness in your daily life.

Remember, the only person that can hold you back IS YOU.

What are you going to do differently today to live happier & healthier?

Here is a suggestion...

The-Awesome-Super-Sweaty-Total-Body-Workout 

100 Squats
25 Squat Jumps
25 Shoulder Presses
25 Bicep Curls
50 Bicycle Crunches
25 Mountain Climbers
15 Pushups
10 Burpees
15 Pushups
25 Mountain Climbers
50 Bicycle Crunches
25 Alternating Lunges
25 Bent-over Dumbbell Flyes
25 Squat Jumps
100 Squats
(Remember to stretch...it feels sooo good!)

Cheers :)