I Gave Up, Then Came to My Senses!

If you're new to the exercise game, getting back into it, or are a seasoned pro we ALL go through the same day where we absolutely DO NOT want to work out. My day was today.

I go through the same thing about every Tuesday. Why it's Tuesday? I don't know. It just always seems like the day I go through this. I start off the day great, work is busy enough and mid afternoon I hit a little bit of a lull, but then get a second wind and start to get excited and pumped to get home and workout. I head out of work a little early to pick up my youngest from daycare, stop by the grocery store for some supplies then head home. I get in the door and what I had originally planned to take place, didn't. As those of us with kids know all too well, right?!! So I start to get supper ready, get the oldest started on his reading for the night, and have the youngest playing some learning games on the computer. We sit down to eat spaghetti. I do have to mention that I used this new fettuccine Miracle Noodle, which is a noodle that has zero calories. One thing I forgot to do was pat down the pasta after rinsing it so my spaghetti was really runny and I couldn't quite stomach the clear, squid looking calorie-less noodles. Fettuccine is my least favorite pasta, so maybe that was it. I have angel hair and rice, so I will try those and see how that goes. Anyway, back to my original story. Got done eating. Helped oldest with his Spanish homework, cuddled with my youngest while my oldest painted his model airplane. My most awesome and thoughtful friend brought me a shovel, because he knew it was supposed to snow tonight and that I didn't have one. Shortly after that, got my kids up to get ready for bed and while they brushed their teeth, I got into my workout clothes, with almost every intention of working out. Got boys tucked in and kissed goodnight and after 30 minutes of "mom, i pooped, come wipe my butt", "mom, I'm scared of the dark can you turn the bathroom light on", "mom, i can't sleep with the light on", "mom, brother won't let me have the light on and I'm scared and want to sleep in your room" I finally get them settled into bed with a compromise of the bathroom light on but with the door mostly shut so it doesn't bother my oldest. By time I get downstairs to work out, I feel exhausted and depleted of my "excitement" to work out. So I start the normal conversation I have with myself and almost convince myself that suuuurrrreeee, I will totally wake up early the next morning and do two workouts to make up for my lack of one tonight. Then I sit down look at my computer and remember all the people I am accountable to. My almost 2,000 Twitter followers, my almost 400 friends on Facebook, my 60 Facebook Page fans, my accountability partner Cal with whom we are doing a Beachbody Challenge, the people I talk to every day to explain this wonderful business I am called Beachbody, my boys who look up to me as a role model and lastly, but certainly not least, myself! I am doing this for myself! No one else can push me or make me do it, but ME!! So I switch my attitude and start listening to the Chalene Johnson voice in me that tells me, "ok, you wanna flake out on your workout, fine, but you gotta do at least 5 minutes". So I do, I start with 5 minutes. But you know what, I kept going. Once you start, it's easy to keep going.

I finished my workout and although I do still feel tired, I'm extremely proud of myself and glad I did it. I didn't give up on myself. Even the best of us have bad days and want to give up but it's how you reverse that conversation with yourself to make sure that you DON'T give up that is most important.

You are the only person standing in your path to success, get out of your own way!

Skinny Phoenix

2012 New Year Goals

As the year comes to a close and the new one fast approaching, everyone is starting to think about resolutions. Did you realize that 80% of people never achieve their resolutions?! Astonishing. Mainly it's because people make resolutions without a MAP (massive action plan). So in an effort to make sure my GOALS (I use goals rather than resolutions), as well as yours, for the new year come to fruition I am going to lay out some steps to help in the success of achieving them.

Step 1 - Write down your top 10 goals for 2012. When you write them, write them as if it's the end of 2012 and they have already happened. For example, I lost 30 pounds and cut my body fat percentage to 12%.

Step 2 - Be specific with your goals. Simply saying, "I'm going to lose weight" isn't specific enough and you won't have anything to "measure". See the above example? I set 30 pounds as my goal and also had a goal of getting to 12% body fat.

Step 3 - Set a specific deadline for each goal. Be realistic when setting your goal. Don't say I will lose 30 pounds by Feb. 15, when you are starting January 1st. Also, don't be too lax on a deadline either. Saying you will lose 30 pounds by the end of the year is too broad and you are more likely to keep putting it off.

Step 4 - Stay Accountable. Tell several close friends your goals, or better yet, get an accountability partner. This way you'll both hold each other accountable for your goals and you're more likely to stick to them.

Step 5 - Break it down. Break down your goals into smaller short term tasks that will help achieve your goal. If one of your major goals is losing weight then working out, healthy eating, daily food tracking etc. should be on your list of daily to-do's.

Step 6 - Celebrate. Don't forget to celebrate achievements. Especially in the process of reaching your goal. It will keep you motivated. My best example of this is that I get to buy a new outfit after losing 10 pounds. Don't reward yourself with things that are going to sabotage your ultimate goal. Like gorging on an ice cream bender to DQ. Use things that will keep you motivated to sticking to your plan.

Finally when you have set your goals, only tackle those that you know you can handle. Trying to take on 6 goals at once is going to lead to stress, derailment and failure. Focus is KEY! I cannot stress enough. It's once we lose our focus that we start to fail.

So get cracking! Write down those goals, tell your friends, and find the tools to make sure you will succeed this year. You can do it, I know you can!!

If you need an accountability partner, look me up on Facebook. I run Challenges regularly and I am here to help you!

Cheers, love and prosperity to all in the New Year!

Skinny Phoenix

Seriously, I Have Found the Cure for Stress!!

My Monday didn't start off so wonderful today. I woke up, only because my 9 year old had woke me up because my alarm failed to go off. My stomach was killing me for reasons still unknown. I had to rush to get my kids ready and get them to daycare and school. I get to work late. Have a meeting with my boss, who ended up giving me more work that is due in an insane deadline. Had another executive that I had to do work for today, which added to my already bursting workload. Took a short lunch so I could continue hacking away at my mounting tasks. Finally by 6:30 pm, after working an hour and a half late, I decided I better get my butt home so I could work out, shower and get ready to meet with some very awesome friends for dinner.

In between work and my workout my ex-husband decides to berate me with some very rather unpleasant texts which was him lashing all his negativity and hatred at me. I try to stay decently calm when dealing with him, but sometimes that is the hardest thing to do and all I want to do is lash back. I did lash back a little (shame on me, I know), but I regained control and just ended the conversation and stopped responding. I used the anger and frustration that was created because of that conversation and put that, along with the entire stresses of my day into my work out and killed it!  You know how that made me feel afterward? Amazing! I felt so relieved, strong, powerful and in control of my emotions. Working out made me centered again. It brought me the inner peace I needed from my stressful day.

This is one of the main reasons I work out. Not just for the physical benefits of it, but also for the mental aspects. I get that natural high afterward because I know I pushed my workout to my top performance level. I feel at peace, truly happy and euphoric.

I also have recharged my confidence and self-respect to help me better deal with those every day unpleasantries that invade our daily lives. So the next time you've had one of the most stressful days of your week, take that stress out in a workout. I promise that's exactly where you'll leave it!