Motivation Regeneration!

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing; that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar.

Have you lost your motivation? Stalled out? Stopped moving completely? Let’s face it; sometimes it is just hard to stay motivated.  It doesn’t mean that it’s a lost cause. Regardless of where you are, how close to your goals you’ve gotten or how far away you are – you can start, or restart on your path to success now.

For me, it takes daily reminders to maintain motivation and forward momentum.  What works for you?  Here are some things that work for me in keeping the right mindset and staying motivated, so I wanted to share them with you and encourage you to keep focused on your goals, stay motivated and keep moving forward.

    
• First, think positive! When a negative thought sneaks in,  squash it right off the bat. So much of reaching and achieving our goals  is mental, we’ve got to control our thoughts and believe in ourselves!  Believe in yourself, tell yourself you can do this!
    
• Write down your goals, with dates as to when you’d like to  accomplish them. Then, break them down into smaller steps & mini  goals you plan to do each day to reach them.
    
• Write down your ‘Why’. Why do you want to get healthy, lose  weight, or get a new job? Identifying and stating your ‘why’ will help  you focus to accomplish your goal.
    
• Keep a daily journal, or to-do list to track what you need to do and what you accomplished.
    
• Make it public! Putting your goals ‘out there’ for the world to  see will keep you accountable. Find a success partner that will check in  with you and hold you responsible.
    
• Find an inspirational story, picture, something that helps you  envision what you want and post it somewhere you will see it many times a  day to remind yourself.
    
• When you don’t feel like doing your daily to-do’s to meet your goal, revisit your ‘why’ and just do it.
    
• Reward yourself for accomplishments along the way. A new outfit, a  massage, tickets to the game or whatever; you need to recognize and  reward small accomplishments as well.

Though 4 months of 2011 are gone, it’s not too late to really get crushing our goals! It’s a new day, let’s re-evaluate, re-focus, and GO!  What gets you motivated and keeps you going? I’d love to hear them as well as where you are with your goals!

TOP FIVE Things NOT to do at the Gym

1) Being on your Cell phone!

Leave it in your locker! If you are chatting while on your cardio equipment- guess what- you aren't working very hard then as well as annoying people around you. One of my biggest pet peeves is people texting or calling during a group exercise class. If you are waiting for an emergency call, maybe take the day off from the gym

 

2) Being an Equipment Hog

Many gym's have time limits on cardio equipment, especially during peak hours! Cross train then! Jump on another machine or train off hours.

Weight Equipment- oh boy- should we go there? Did your parents ever teach you about sharing? Rest OFF the equipment- maybe stretch a little while your neighbor does a set

 

3) P-U!! Scenting it up!

Gag me with Vanilla lotion! Or Hugo Boss! Or should we say Everything Garlic Bagel- yuck!

 

4) My Sweat is your sweat!

Clean your equipment after you are done- period! That is just nasty! Did you ever see that Seinfeld episode? Just like you shouldn't pee in the shower, you shouldn't leave your sweat dripping all over the equipment.

 

5) Blah blah blah!

Some people go to the gym to ---work out. yes, it is a social atmosphere, but be careful you are not the blabber mouth. It's cool to chat- but you should watch for signs of you are annoying---like following around someone from machine to machine.

 

Feel free to comment below on some of your TOP no-no's when at the gym

Tips in Finding Your TRUE Passion

According to a survey, about 75% of the population do not know what their true passion is. Clearly, almost everyone seems to not be doing what they were meant to do. Surprising because doing what we really love is absolutely necessary if we want to be fully happy. Finding your TRUE passion isn’t as simple as it seems. For some people, yes! It comes naturally! But for most, you have to ask yourself some questions to figure out what you were born to do. Some tips and question to help you decide what is your driving force:



What puts a smile on your face and makes you HAPPY?

Is there a particular event, a particular topic that makes your whole face just lighten up? Whatever it is that makes you smile, and makes you happy whenever you encounter it, this is a sign of something you are passionate about. Think about something that you do or that perhaps you used to do that brings joy to your heart and time doesn't matter when you are doing it.

What comes EASY for you?

Usually, what we find easy for us to do, will be related to what we are passionate about. It’s very hard to hate something that is very easy for us! Open your mind up to the POSSIBLE! Careful not to think that anything is off limits or silly. Careers are born because of a passionate spark. Many people have become successful and even famous on "silly" passions, like Skateboarding, cartoon drawing, product development etc..

What gets your CREATIVITY flowing?

Think about something in your life where you seem to always expand its horizon, always coming up with new, fun, and exciting ideas relating to that subject. Whatever makes you creative, is probably something that you are very passionate about.

What would you do for FREE?

Typically, we are focused on the dollar. That's just society and that’s the game we have to play. The problem is, this leads many people to seek making money first, instead of what makes them happy. I truly believe that if you follow what you are passionate about without thinking about if it will make you rich or not, you will end up being successful. Doing what you have a passion for brings out your best, and this leads to greatness. So think about something that you would just love to do, even if you were not getting paid. Think about something that you look forward to do, something that you wish you could do all the time.

What do you like to TALK about?

Is there a topic of conversation that you just naturally gravitate towards? It's effortless and thoughtless sometimes? Where do you feel you have a great desire for knowledge and spend time or a second glance when you read something about it? If you have to choose to speak on one topic and it was the "National Address"- what would that be! Your 5 mins to go! What makes your eyes brighten up, and changes your entire behavior. You may not know yourself, but ask a friend what they think the answer is for you on this topic.

What makes you UNAFRAID of failure?

When we do what we are passionate about, we have total confidence in our abilities. This makes us not worry about failing, because in our mind, how can we fail when we do what we love?

What would you REGRET not having tried?

We all have these dreams, and somehow, life pushes us in another direction, and next thing we know, we are far from those dreams we used to have. If you were at the end of your life, what would you regret not having pursued? What would you have liked to do, that you didn’t get a chance to?

The Importance of Pre-Biotics and Pro-Biotics in your diet

Did you know that as we age, the beneficial bacteria (a.k.a "good bacteria") in our body declines?

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Eventually, the "friendly bacteria" just naturally ages and loses their "life" or vitality

So what happens and why does it decline?.

* If you eat too fast!
* If you eat too many processed foods that are void of digestive enzymes
* Ingesting NSAIDS like Advil, Motrin, Midol too frequently can be destructive to the intestinal wall.
* Eating all MEAT (other than organic)! As they are loaded with antibiotics which destroy all good bacteria in your intestinal tract.
* Having a diet high in fats and meats as they take a lot longer to break down, which promotes the groeth of harmful bacteria
* Being constipated
* Cigarettes, Alcohol and stress
* Being on Antibiotics

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So what are Prebiotics & Probiotics:

Prebiotics and probiotics can restore the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract.

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Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can be found in various foods. When you eat probiotics, you will add these healthy bacteria to your intestinal tract.

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Prebiotics are non-digestible foods that make their way through our digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics keep beneficial bacteria healthy.



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Supplements:

Probiotics are widely available as supplements. However, not all probiotic supplements are created equal. The prebiotics may be taken as a supplement or may be added to your health foods.

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Personally, I use Shakeology, Available only through Beachbody coaches. This satisfies the complete nutritional needs in vitamins, fruits & veggies, as well as prebiotics and probiotics. Just have one shake in place of one of your meals a day, you will see marked improvement in just 1 week. To learn more about Shakeology visit http://www.thetotalshake.com/

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Many researchers believe declining levels of bifidobacteria in the large intestine actually mark the eventual onset of chronic degenerative disease.

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Tip for starting with adding prebiotics and probiotics to your diet: start slowly. When you first start using a probiotic supplement, there is a chance that you will experience a die-off of bad bacteria in your intestinal tract. This can lead to gas, stomach rumblings and cramping for up to three weeks. Additionally, try eating less processed foods and eat more raw foods to avoid killing naturally occurring digestive enzymes.

Earning a living...And really LIVING!

I'm in the blue crop top and black pants doing Turbo Kick round 44 Turbo with Chalene Johnson, famous fitness celebrity and owner of Powder Blue Productions.

This is what I do for a living! Crazy, right? I teach group exercise, I'm a presenter, but where my bills get paid is from this home business with Beachbody!

I earned this award trip for a 8 day cruise with Team Beachbody. Trapped at sea, with no communication on email, phone, text- nothing! BUT, my business still pulled in over $20,000 that week. I had a blast hanging with friends, my 2 kids and husband, and training with the trainers like Chalene and Shaun T of Insanity and Hip Hop Abs.

These work outs can be done as "at home workouts" or you can take the LIVE trainings to get trained to teach in a group exercise setting. The three formats from Powder Blue Productions http://www.turbokick.com are Turbo Kick, PiYo, and Hip Hop Hustle. Many of the people featured in this video and the upcoming videos have been stars already in work outs such as Turbo Jam, Chalean Extreme, Turbo Fire, Hip Hop Hustle, PiYo, and Turbo Kick. You will see some familiar faces such as: Jenelle Summers, Mindy Lawhorne, Monica Gray, Christine Dwyer, and more!

Work, Home & Life Balance

Is your life off balance? Too much on your plate? (No, we’re not talking food here!) Too much to do and not enough time? And definitely not enough time to chill out and relax?



Don’t worry ~ you’re not alone.

Being a good spouse, parent and professional takes time, energy and patience.

Managing our responsibilities well requires making conscious choices, setting realistic expectations and handling our time and resources wisely — without neglecting our own health and relaxation needs.

But it is possible; we can maintain a stable and nurturing home environment while pursuing a career.

How?

Get up early: Yes, we need our sleep, but that quiet time for ourselves each morning can make a big difference in the day. And hey, if you get up an hour early for one year, you will have created about 10 additional weeks of time.

Manage your time well: Don’t procrastinate, or allow yourself to get distracted. Make your to-do list every day and get it done. Take care of things with the 4 D Rule – Do it, Delegate it, Defer it or Delete it.

Look into all your options: If you work outside the home, can you talk to your employer about flex hours? Is it time to look for a less demanding job? Or can you work from home?

Share the load: Whether it’s having your spouse help with managing the bills or running the kids around, or having the kids helping with housework ~ communicate with your family about needing them to pitch in. Everyone working together as a team eases the strain and also builds stronger relationships.

Don’t sweat the small stuff: You can’t do it all right now, it doesn’t all need to be done right now. Learn what can wait, and what can’t. Mopping the floor can. Going to watch your kids’ game can’t.

Designate Family Fun times: Whether it’s a day at a park, bike rides, family board game night, camping in the backyard or planting flowers together – we should schedule these things in our weekly schedules just like we do for work, and appointments and make sure we show up!

Plan Chill time: Really – I know it seems bad when you have to actually schedule yourself some down time, but it is what it is. For many of us that are on the go non-stop, if we don’t plan it, it won’t happen. So yeah, you deserve a little ‘me time’, whatever that may mean for you. Step away from the computer, shut the phone off and enjoy an hour in a hot bath with a book, a bike ride, window shopping at the mall, shooting hoops with some buddies, fishing, whatever clears your mind. Plan some ‘me time’ on a regular basis and do it. Your children, spouse & career all need you to be rejuvenated. Oh and most importantly - You deserve it.

Does your workspace work for You?

Especially for those of us who work from home, it is imperative to have an effective, functional workspace to maximize productivity. So how do you make that happen?

Think, plan and then act. What do you use most? What do you rarely every touch? How is most of your work day spent? What do you need right at your fingertips? What can go into the cabinets or storage that is a little more out of reach but you know where it is when you need it? Can you set up a space for your desk and computer work, a reading corner or anything else to segregate tasks and organize? To make this happen, if you need to invest in a good desk, filing cabinet, bookcase, wall shelving, a bulletin/whiteboard, desk caddy, and stackable trays, a garbage bin, paper shredder, and a good chair – do it. You and your business are worth it.



Keep it Neat! An unorganized or cluttered workspace degrades productivity, and increases tension and frustration as well. So now that you’ve determined what you use most often, sometimes, and rarely – get rid of the clutter. Trash what you don’t need, and file away papers and files that do not need to be all over the desk. Do not mix personal space with your professional workspace. Sure, have a photo of the family hanging on the wall, but other than that - no personal items that will distract your attention from your work. So yeah, leave the hair brush, nail file and tinker toys in the other room!

Less is More! Arrange the tools that you need daily to be right within reach. Your computer and monitor positioned ergonomically correct, your to-do list, a couple of pens (you don’t need 75!), 1 notebook, the telephone, video recorder and microphone if you do recordings and these types of items within your reach and in the same place every day. Over by the printer you keep printing supplies such as paper, labels and ink.

Light the Way! Natural light brings energy into your space and also makes the best lighting for videos so if your office space is near, or can be near a window – let the sun shine in! No fluorescent lighting allowed! It’s too harsh, and straining on the eyes. To reduce eye strain, have soft lighting over your reading area, over the computer, and behind you so that there's no reflection off the computer monitor.

Add Your Touch! Add some fresh plants, a waterfall, or some music to make your work atmosphere as positive, effective, inspirational yet comfortable as possible. Your workspace needs to help create your productivity, not distract from it. Make it work for you!