Get your head out of routine

Life can get pretty routine.  Which is nice because we don’t have to think too hard about things.

The problem is when we don’t think about things we aren’t engaging as much in our lives and we tend to stay on auto-pilot.

While at an athletic training symposium this week, I heard a talk on sport psychology from an ATC who works with elite athletes.  He mentioned that everyone has a super bowl they are training for.  When an athlete goes down with an ACL tear, their eyes get fixed on getting back on the field, or winning a championship on a restored and healed leg.

We “regular folk” aren’t necessarily playing a competitive sport.  But we are in the game of life.

““The game of life has two participants, players and spectators.  Pick one.” ”

— unknown

Good athlete’s don’t get that way because they sat around thinking about it.  They got better and excelled because they took action on a daily basis with tenacity to fight for it.

How much have you side-lined your personal goals and dreams because of a nagging injury, or fear of putting yourself out there to accept a physical challenge?

There is always a way to find victory in your pursuit toward your own Super Bowl moment:  

1)   Get empowered: Find a way to get inspired and find hope again.  This step is one of the hardest, and yet in the end the most simple.  Say yes to taking the first step. You are capable.

2)   Fail:  There is no better way to get over your fear than to fail and realize you can get through it.  Failure is what helps you learn.  It’s not a weakness.

3)   Celebrate your milestones:  Find ways to reward yourself with the little things. Never miss an opportunity to find appreciation for progress.

4)   Surround yourself with the Positive: Constantly reinforce your positive thinking by finding people who will encourage you, listen to inspiring music or podcasts, or share your journey with social media as a way to document how far you are going and to get accountability to reach your finish line.

5)   Lean into the Magic: you have to be in constant touch with your hopes and dreams. Keep your vision and your super bowl moment top of mind by creating vision boards, putting pictures on your screen savers, talking and reading about it with whomever will listen.

“Capacity, audacity, and tenacity will take you to your mountaintop” –Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari series.

Your dreams and goals are worth pursuing.  If you need a helping hand to get started, give me a buzz and I will help you create your first action steps!

The thing that kills motivation

Motivation is the driving force behind everything we do. 

It’s your “why”.

Most often our motivation is tied to a fear of failure, a fear of disappointment, a hope of increased joy and satisfaction, or our innate desire to accomplish a purpose-filled life.

In any case, having ample motivation is important if you want to make a change in your life - especially when you aren’t particularly in the mood to push past your comfort zone.

“Passion is not what gives you bliss, but what you’re willing to suffer for, what you genuinely believe to be worth the exercise.”

— ―Justine Musk

When you get really clear on what motivates you the “why” overcomes the suffering and makes taking more painful steps a little easier. 

But what about when you get stuck and can’t seem to find your will?

The silent killer that destroys our ability to focus on positive growth and change is Envy.

Coveting what someone else has will always leave you feeling like you are not enough, that your life somehow has less meaning, or that everything you do doesn’t measure up- so why bother anyway??

In our world of social media and sexualized images everywhere we turn it’s easy to find plenty of things that induce a state of envy, especially when it comes to how easily so-and-so lost 10 pounds, or how “x” diet is the new miracle, or how someone just finished their 5th marathon.

Of course, these are certainly inspiring and motivating stories, but let’s be honest…sometimes it can really make us feel like we have a long way to go, or get us wondering “what’s wrong with me” or “I wish I could do that!”.

The cure to envy is to celebrate.  Celebrate every single tiny step you have made to advance your health forward.  Celebrate other people for every single little breakthrough they have.  Tell people they inspire you and get curious about what they are doing! 

You can’t afford to lose your motivation.  The world longs to have you fully alive and sharing your gifts from a state of strength and health.

So write yourself a love letter of encouragement, call a friend to ask her what she is doing to look so buff these days- and then set your gaze on a tiny step you can take forward today that gives you pride. 

Of if you really want the accountability to stay out of envy mode so you can make your body your strength rather than your excuse, then check out my new Monthly Online Health Coaching Membership.  I will hold your hand, cheer you on, and get you unstuck.

Then leave some comments below about what motivates you!

Need some motivation to workout?

Most clients who come to see me are hoping to ultimately lose weight.  Yet once that goal has been discussed, the deeper longing rises up, and what bubbles to the surface is a hunger for more energy and confidence.

Saturday, May 7th at 8am,  I am hosting a Restoring Strength hike at Marshall Mesa Trail in Boulder (I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the weather will be nice and the trail will be less muddy!) to energize your body with a little technique you can do every day, and to help you revive your “Fun Flair for Self-Care”.  The hike is about 3 miles, and I’ll be there with snacks and beverages to boost your self-care love while you get to walk some amazing Colorado ground with other inspiring women.  Don’t miss the fun. 

After 9 years in private practice as a personal trainer, and over 17 years working in health and wellness… I can tell you that it takes strength to get stronger. 

Weight loss isn’t easy for many people who lead busy lives and who are dealing with hormonal issues.  And isn’t that most of us?

What I see time and time again, is that the dividing factor between those who gain the energy they need to keep pursuing the habits that lead to weight loss, and those who give up, is the strength and resolve a person has to stick with their intentions.

So what’s the secret formula for keeping your mental strength and resolve?

3 Simple Beliefs:

1.  A belief that you are capable of doing what is required.
2. A belief that you are worthy of a positive outcome.
3. A belief that the energy you create will be used to generate something good.

Inside of each of us is a well spring of child-like energy that stems from times before we held limiting beliefs.

Children don’t often care about the outcome, they care about having fun.

• They get curious about how much they can lift at once. 

• They dance around because they feel like it.

• They sprint to entice you to a game of chase (because that’s a really fun way to feel loved).

So where can you find the spark of child-like energy to get you going and to resource when you need a little fuel to keep going?

It’s actually really really simple.  We just make it hard because we’re adults.

Play.

No matter how tired or un-motivated you are, to cure the blah's in your movement get curious about what feels like play to you. 

Balance on one foot, Strike a funny pose and hold it; See how far you can jump; dance around to a silly song.   The endorphins from the smiles and laughter alone will be worth the effort!

And if you are in need of some consistent energy to get the get-up-and-go desire for play, check out my "Consistent Energy to Strengthen Your Body" Video Series to learn how to rise up and move.

What's The First Thing You Do Every Morning?

Just as we've mentioned (lots and lots) how crucial getting enough sleep is, what you do first thing in the morning can often set the tone for the rest of your day. It can affect your mood and your behaviors for the following hours. What's the first thing you do every morning?

Do you:

• Check your e-mail?
• Run to wakeup the kids?
• Drink coffee?
• Check Facebook or other social media?
• Read the news?

What if you were to set your alarm for literally 5 minutess earlier and spend 5 extra minutes doing something that could really positively affect the rest of your day? It could lead to a more productive work day, keep your stress levels regulated, lead to a better workout, help your food cravings even! We'd love for you (if you don't do it already!) to add in one of these listed below or something similar that would jumpstart you in the right direction.

Try:

• Journaling for 5 mins about ANYTHING! A dream you had, an interaction you had from the day before you want to remember, your goals for the day, organizing your day, etc.
• Taking the time to listen to a favorite, motivational song that makes you feel like you can conquer the world! You can do this in between hitting the snooze buttons while you're still in bed!
• A 5 min meditation, this can be a guided recording or not and you can even stay laying in bed if you'd like! We think you'll end up loving this so much that you may end up choosing to wake up earlier for a little longer of a meditation.
• If you're not quite ready for meditation, take a few deep breaths and simply repeat a mantra you enjoy. THEN, hop out of bed! 
• Stepping out of bed and doing some gentle stretching right in your bedroom. Very gentle light stretches would be perfect; as easy as reaching up towards the sky with a deep breath in while lengthening your spine and then folding over letting your breath out. If you'd prefer, you can even stay in bed, laying flat on your back pulling one knee towards your chest at a time to start.

5 simple extra minutes in the morning can truly make a difference in how the rest of your day goes. Taking the time to center yourself and be present first thing in the morning  can bring a whole new outlook; the point is to take a few extra minutes for yourself to feel whole, reassured and happy. Give it a try! If you'd like some more guidance on some tools to use for your new morning routine, please feel free to reach out to us.