What Drives You?

What drives you? What drives you to be you, everyday? What drives you to get up before anyone else to get to bootcamp, to go to the gym, or to make a healthy breakfast, before anyone else? What drives you to push past your comfort zone? What drives you to crank out those last 3 reps or that last 30 seconds? What drives you to work harder than anyone else? What drives you?

Achievement is not defined by inches and pounds lost. It is defined by the journey. The journey YOU take to get you to where you want to be. It is defined by the sacrifices and hurdles you must overcome to get you to where you want to be. It is about drive. It is all about drive, nothing more and nothing less. So what drives you? Is it the 20 lbs you want to lose once and for all? Is it your quest for a healthy, younger looking body? Is it the fact you want to be the best at something? What is it?

On a personal level, for me, I am driven not by money, not by material possessions but by my inner determination to be healthy and to be a model promoter of fitness and health for others around me in bootcamp, at my studio, and in the community.  It is in me to eat healthy, to be disciplined and to go the gym 4 days a week to workout. I do this every week, no if, ands,or buts.  It is part of me and in some ways defines me. This drive keeps me alive physically, mentally, professonally and spiritually. Without it I wouldn’t be who I am today.

So what drives you?

Stay Focused…

Happy Monday Everyone!

Stay Focused, Eat Right, and Move

Eating right and getting fit is just not about trying to change your appearance to look and feel good.  Getting healthy is a Full Body transformation that takes time and patience.  Your body is an ever changing machine.  You will come across many obstacles, various bumps in the road.  Stay focused on the matter in hand and continue to be strong toward your final destination.  Make sure you have a plan set in motion.  This plan has to have the ability to adapt to change.  Stick with it.  Make the necessary changes.  And, continue to strive forward to reach your goals.  You can do it!

Tuesday Tip: Increase Movement Daily

Research shows that people who are more physically active throughout the day can burn an extra 300 calories per day, over 12 days that can add up to an extra pound of weight loss.  Our bodies were meant to move so don’t become victim of the “sitting disease.”  By just doing a little more throughout your day you can increase the total number of calories you burn.  To accomplish this just reduce the time you spend sitting, while adding calorie burning activities to your day.  Challenge yourself to sit for no longer than an hour at a time even if that means just walking around the office for 2-3 minutes at a time.  This summer wash your own car, mow the lawn, garden or weed, get out at lunch for a brisk walk, take a bike ride, etc.

To be more in tune with how much you are really moving you may want to invest in a pedometer.  First, determine how many steps you are averaging each day.  Then,  set goals for yourself to increase those steps.  You should be getting in at least 10,000 steps a day!

Lifestyle Choice: Healthy and Fit

Here’s a sad fact: About half of those who start a new exercise program abandon it within 3-6 months.  The reason is no mystery- people often are lazy.  We can thank technological advances for that.  Modern humans walk less, sleep less, and eat more.  Years ago we had to work for our food via hunting, farming, and/or foraging.  Add cars, computers, and fast food to the mix and people literally don’t even need to move to get what they desire.

So, how do you get lean, get healthy, and have a better quality of life?  Make the choice a Lifestyle change.  Make health and fitness a priority in your life.  Change your habits.  If you see it as, “I need to lose wait before my next vacation”, or “my wedding is 6 months away, am I going to fit into my dress”,  chances are your successes if made will soon be failures.  Conquering the short term will only last for a short time.

I was talking with one of my clients the other day and I was amazed by the story she told me.  Actually, I wasn’t because she has spoken of her family many times over a period of sessions throughout the years.  But, some of her reflections on her past with her family were truly remarkable.  Her dad, who turns 97 in a week or two, just got released from rehab and back into assisted living.  This fellow had fractured his hip and had a total hip replacement within the last 6 months.  He is fully recovered at 96.  Wow! Impressive!  This wasn’t at all a shock to my client.  Maybe he was lucky and was given some high quality genes.  But, my client stated her father once recorded his stretching activity for 3000 days straight.  How about 8 years worth?  That’s commitment.  The same person who was an avid skier into his 70’s and lifted weights into his 80’s until dementia began to set in.  This style of healthy living has been a lifelong priority for my client’s father.  He instilled the same standards for his children, all of which are healthy eaters and very active people. 

Start slow, incorporate daily movement into your day.  Begin to write down a food and activity log.  Determine what changes you can make for the better.  Make a healthy lifestyle a part of your day.  Put it on the to do list.  Mark it on your calendar.  Get other people involved: family, kids, co-workers.  You don’t have to go overboard, just add small changes to your week to develop healthier habits.  Use a macro, long term approach.  This way you won’t burn out in 3-6 months.

Tip: Positive Affirmation

Write down your goal for positive affirmation. Put it in present tense, as if it is already real and draw a picture or photograph to make it more powerful.  Pick one goal and write it on 10 sticky notes. Place these around the house, office and car to remind you of your goal and personal strength.  During moments of vulnerability we are prone to negative thoughts and mindless binge eating.

Next steps:  Share your positive affirmation with your accountability partner.  Do one thing, just small thing to help you reach your goal each day.  You can plan it out (if you are a planner) each day on a calendar.  Then you know what to do each day and you’re not scrambling or feeling overwhelmed.