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The Dreaded Plateau!

plateaupicUgh! The word sends shivers down our spines! It ‘s not a fun place to visit. Nobody wants to go there, stay there or spend any amount of time there. Unfortunately, many of us end up there and find it VERY hard to leave! We’ve been talking about the dreaded plateau in my challenge groups because it can be SO frustrating to know you’re doing the work, and you’re eating healthy foods, so WHY GOD WHY are you STUCK?!

I know all too well what this feels like. And worse is that when I was there, I convinced myself there was no way off! I was working out almost every day. I was eating ‘healthy’ foods every day, too! I told myself, “Self, you’re 40 now, and this is it, the end. There will be no more progress, no matter what you do, from here on out. That’s it, you’re done.” “SHUT UP SELF! YOU’RE WRONG!” Anywho…then I had this crazy idea that I should give fitness coaching a try! WHY NOT!? That was my ticket OFF the plateau! I didn’t know it then, but I DID have it in me to get off that damn plateau! And what’s great is that it happened while I was helping other people on their fitness journeys. My success was just a big fat BONUS! So 22 pounds later, I’m off the dreaded plateau and finding that my body had it in her to take it to the next level after all. The key is mixing it up, don’t get comfortable and don’t get complacent! Don’t convince yourself – like I did – that you’re too old, too overweight, too busy, too ANYTHING! Just find a way and get it done.

Here is something I wrote to my challenge groups the other day about getting off the plateau:

“If you’re on a plateau, it sucks, but there are ways to bust through. First, look at your workout and if you haven’t mixed it up in the last 30 days, start there. Kick it up a notch. Look into a new program. Change up your routine. Do something you’ve never done. Think outside the box! Increase intensity. Go outside your comfort zone! You really need to get uncomfortable to supercharge your results. And possibly even more importantly is your nutrition. Again you need to be SO on point in order to break through the dreaded plateau! That means NO cheats! 5-6 small meals/day consisting of clean, whole foods and very little or NO processed foods! Keep sodium in check. Eat lean proteins and LOTS of veggies. Don’t eat until you’re full; eat to be satisfied and know when to step away (you can eat again in 2-3 hours). Try not to snack before bed – last food about 2 hours before hitting the hay. Plateaus can be so tricky and frustrating! So you have to really dig deep and push hard! Your body gets comfy when you stall at a weight. It fights to keep you there. What you’re doing is forcing a new baseline weight. It takes effort and a new commitment. But if you’ve made it to a plateau, it means you’ve done the work to get there so you know what it takes to push yourself again! You can do it! I can help!” Help

A few days later I posted this article, which seemed to click with a lot of them! Check it out!

5 Ways to Break through Dreaded Weight Loss Plateaus

The bottom line is you have to get creative. If you typically do a lot of cardio, start incorporating weights into your fitness routine. If you do the SAME things every time you workout, it’s time to switch it up. Beachbody carefully constructs their workout programs/schedules to account for the muscle confusion and switch-ups your body needs in order to NOT get too comfortable. The rule of thumb is that every 30 days you should be changing something up a little, or a lot! I went from Turbo Fire to Chalean Extreme to Les Mills Pump and now I’m on to Insanity and with EACH new workout, I’m impressed with how my body responds in a different way. Combine that with proper nutrition, hitting your calorie goals each day and BOOM! you’re on your way to the next level, off the plateau and on too bigger hills to climb! 🙂 You’ve got this! Just keep swimming – or climbing I guess! 🙂

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Who Loves FREE Stuff?! GIVE-AWAY!

IT’S A GIVE-AWAY! FREE STUFF…I LOVE FREE STUFF!
Enter to WIN HIP HOP ABS and DANCE YOUR WAY TO HOT, SEXY ABS.

If you love to dance and you want to lose weight and tighten your midsection without doing sit-ups or crunches, Shaun T can show you how. Shaun uses a technique called “Tilt, Tuck & Tighten” to help you burn fat as you dance your way to six-pack abs.

In Hip Hop Abs®, Shaun breaks the dance moves down into steps, so almost anyone can do them. And the workouts are set to hot dance music, so they’re high energy and fun.

BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE!!!  🙂 Get the FREE DVD BONUS Workout – Hip Hop Abs EXTREME (a $19.95 Value)

hip-hop-abs-contest

Click the link below to enter! Hurry, contest ends Wednesday at midnight!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You’ll get 4 routines (plus bonus routines) to learn Shaun T’s training techniques, burn calories, sculpt your abs, and lose fat all over. And you’ll have fun dancing to the hottest hip hop music.

Hip Hop Abs also includes the Step-by-Step Nutrition Guide to help you lose weight, the Results on the Run Diet Guide that shows you how to eat at your favorite fast food restaurants, the 6-Day SlimDown plan, a 30-Day workout calendar, 24/7 Online Support, and measurement tools to keep track of inches you lose.

If you win…you’ll LOSE (get it?!) 😉

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Charlie Sheen is Doing It…You Should Too!

winningWhat on earth is Charlie Sheen doing that YOU should be doing, too? WINNING! We should all be winning every day! Because winning feels good! Just ask Charlie!

Don’t you remember when you were a kid how winning made you feel? Getting a blue ribbon, celebrating a big victory at a little league game, hoisting the team trophy, winning a game of checkers, even just racing a friend across the playground…you wanted to WIN! Now compare that with our adult lives…what do we win? Cleaning the dirtiest toilet best? Cooking dinner that most of your family will eat? Maybe…

In 2004 I ran my first marathon and quickly re-discovered what it feels like to ‘win’ again. Of course…I didn’t win the marathon, not even close. I think I finished in the top half though…so around 15,000th place! LOL! But you couldn’t have convinced me that I hadn’t won! As I turned the corner toward the finish line, and reflected on the last 4 months of training, and the 26 miles I had just run….I remembered all the early morning runs, the heat, the blisters, and leg cramps. In the last two tenths of the race I might as well have been all alone, running toward the tape. I was sobbing, in disbelief of what I had just accomplished. When my foot crossed the line, I WON! That’s how it felt. Even writing about it makes me well-up. It was an emotional as well as a physical achievement. And that feeling is most definitely the reason that so many people repeat the whole process again and again. I have run 4 marathons since then and ‘won’ them all! It feels good to win!

Of course the only person I won against, was me. The me that never thought I could do such a thing. The me that would rather sleep in on a Saturday than lace up, fuel up, gear up and go run for 3 hours. I beat the crap outta that me. She never even saw it coming!

I haven’t run a marathon since 2010, but I win all the time. Every time I start a new 90 day program, and see it through to the final day…I win! Heck, every day I choose my workout over an extra hour of sleep, or a t.v. show…I win! Every time (like this morning) that I take an extra 10 minutes to pack up my lunch and snacks for the day instead of feeling the temptation to stop for fast, convenient, junk food…I win! And I celebrate every little victory. It’s usually a quiet celebration: a smile, a sigh of relief, a skip in my step…but it still feels pretty damn good. In my head I’m spiking the football, doing a victory lap, pumping my fist and screaming at the top of my lungs…I DID IT! 😀 “In your face Old Me!” I’m a much more gracious winner now, than I was when I was a kid. I guess then I was a little more like Charlie Sheen.

*A side note: I wouldn’t necessarily recommend winning in the sense that Charlie was winning. Cause on the outside it looked a lot more like losing. But at least he felt good about being the best loser he could be! So in a sense…he WAS winning!

In short…find victory in the little contests of life. We face multiple battles every day, often with ourselves. Show You who’s boss. Put your game face on and be a winner! And celebrate your victories…it feels good! 🙂

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This is Only a Test

thisisonlyatest

When you see this:

~ps431.tmp

What do you say to yourself? “Oh…I’m dieting, I can’t have that.” or “I want that so bad, but I shouldn’t.” Think about it for a minute, because I think what you say to yourself in this situation says a lot about your mindset, which translates directly to the kind of results you can expect. So while you’re stirring that around for a minute…let me tell you a little about WHY I’m thinking about this.

I posted something on Facebook and Instagram a couple of days ago about changing your mind before you can change your body. We all agree on this right? I feel like I’ve written at length about how health and fitness is so much more of a mental than a physical struggle. I made a comment that if you haven’t changed your mindset, than you’re just going through the motions. I firmly believe that. Sure you might be working out, and you might be eating some healthy foods, but if health/fitness doesn’t guide almost every decision you make…you’re not quite there.

I don’t mean that in an obsessive kind of way at all. I know to some it might sound that way. How could health/fitness guide every decision? Well, honestly, if you put yourself first…that’s it! What about you? What about your goals, hopes, desires? If that is in the front of your mind as you go throughout your day, you will almost always make the right decisions for YOU! In other words, don’t forget what you want, and what you wish for yourself. If it’s important to you, if it’s in the front of your mind at all times, than you’ll find the ways to achieve it.

So when someone asks me HOW? “How can I stop going through the motions, and be ALL in?” My answer is sadly: I don’t know. Not helpful at all right!? I’m sorry…but it is different for everyone. Your needs and wants are different from mine. We’re all waiting for the CLICK! The click is when you just get it. The choices are clear. The decisions are easy. Once you’ve experienced the click, you’re turned on and tuned in to what you want. And then it’s easy. I can’t create the click for you, nor can anyone else for that matter. However, I can tell you where to start. Just try. Yep, that’s it…try. Because here is what could happen: That conscious decision to try could lead you to make better choices. You might decide to set some goals. Maybe you’ll put together a plan of action. You might stick with your plan long enough to reach some of your goals. Maybe you won’t get frustrated with setbacks and impatient with slow results. Maybe you’ll start to feel better. Perhaps your mindset will start to change and then…CLICK! Now you’re on your way to real changes. It will be contagious. People around you will begin to notice and EXPECT you to make the right choices for yourself. They’ll say, “I wish I could do that.” Or “I wish I had that kind of will power.” …and that’s a beautiful thing!

And then one day, you’ll be approached with THIS.

cheeseburger_fries

And do you know what you’ll say…

I CAN have it, but I don’t WANT it!

And that is when you will truly have the power over every decision you make. You can do anything you want. You get to decide! When faced with the choice to do your scheduled workout, you COULD choose to skip, but you won’t WANT to. Your mind is made up. CLICK!

Did you pass the test?

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This MIGHT be for YOU!

BB_opportunity

So, if you read my last post…then continue on now. If not, I’ll give you a minute to go and check it out….

….OK, Now, you’ve seen my before and after pictures. The first picture was taken in August 2012, just a few weeks before I decided to go for it as a Beachbody coach. And the second picture is me now, in February 2013, having too much fun to even call my job ‘work’. I’m 5 months in as a coach now, getting in the best shape of my entire life and getting paid on top of it! I get to pay it forward too, and help other people who are on their own journeys. I get to share health and fitness with my friends and family, which has been so fun and rewarding! It wasn’t a step I was totally sure about taking at first. I had some doubts and reservations, but after the first step, I started sprinting! And I haven’t looked back or regretted it for one minute.

If you enjoy helping others…If you like the idea of getting paid to get fit…If you LOVE the idea of being able to work from home, be your own boss and set your own hours…If you would enjoy earning some extra income WHILE helping to end the trend of obesity…than you should check it out!

If you’ve ever considered coaching, or just want to hear more, I’m doing a quick webinar tomorrow night @9:00 EST. It should only last about 30 minutes. I’ll tell my story, and explain a little bit more about what coaching is, and what I do, and how you might enjoy it, too! You can register here: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E953DE8587473D

“See” you then! 🙂

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Groundhog Day – Virtual 5K!

groundhog_5k

Interested in doing a 5K? Grab a friend, spouse, neighbor, significant other, dog, stranger, etc…and hit the road, the sidewalk, the treadmill…WHATEVER! This is your 5K to run, walk, skip, hop, crawl ANYWAY you like! *You get the idea, right?!

You’ve got about 2 weeks to train, recruit, and plan for the big event. Map out a 3.1 mile course, dust off your treadmill, or find a local track…and lace up your shoes!

On Saturday February 2, at 10:00 a.m., we’ll all do our own personal 5K’s, however, wherever and with whomever we choose! We’ll then report back with our results and celebrate all of our personal victories! Whether it’s your first or fiftieth 5K, it’s your race to win! Put it on your calendar and start training!

Sign up below to receive additional information, training tips and instructions! Pass it on, and make it an event to share!

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It!

What_is_itDo you have IT? Do you want IT? What is IT?

IT is what pushes you, what drives you forward. IT is different for you than it is for me. There are no words for IT. IT just is. IT comes and goes throughout your life. IT changes from time to time. You can lose IT, but you can also find IT again. IT might not be where you thought it was and IT might not look the same as it used to, but IT is always there.  IT can feel like a fire in your belly. IT can look like confidence and success.

So what the heck am I talking about? It’s so hard to explain, because it’s an abstract idea. There is just something, that makes people who they are. There is something that creates drive and passion in all of us. If you can harness this ‘something’, it can take you anywhere! I mean that! It is what turns your “I wonder if’s…” into “I can’s…” and “I did’s”!

You have to find it and believe in it, with all of your heart. You need to feel it and give legs to it! What do I mean by ‘legs’? Put it in motion. Apply it to your goals, your desires, your passions, your “I wonder if’s”. Make a plan, and GO!

I know there have been times in my life when I had lost it and life keeps moving. But without IT…you become a passenger, rather than a driver. Be a driver! When you have it, or rediscover it, or find it…you are in control of where you’re going! And you can go anywhere if you believe in IT! Set your mind to IT and JUST do IT!

You can see when someone has IT! They know they can, they can feel IT. IT changes how they approach each new day, and IT takes them exactly where they want to go. You can see their determination and their belief in themselves. They are taking IT to the next level. And they know that there is no limit to where IT can take them. I have participants in my challenge groups that have IT! I am inspired by them every day, and I’m sure that anyone who comes into contact with them is inspired, too. You can’t help but be inspired by someone who has IT. IT is a magical and sometimes contagious thing. You can catch IT!

Here’s the kicker though. I can’t tell you what IT is. Only you know. IT is SO much and SO little. IT is everything, and the ONE thing! Make sense? 😉

Do you have IT? I highly recommend IT! IT can change your life. 🙂

*Offer: If you have IT, and want to take IT to the next level OR, if you want IT and need IT, than consider joining my next 30 day challenge and put IT to the test! Click “30 Day Challenge” at the top of this page for more information.

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Groundhog Day – Virtual 5K!

groundhog_5k

Interested in doing a 5K? Grab a friend, spouse, neighbor, significant other, dog, stranger, etc…and hit the road, the sidewalk, the treadmill…WHATEVER! This is your 5K to run, walk, skip, hop, crawl ANYWAY you like! *You get the idea, right?!

You’ve got 4 weeks to train, recruit, and plan for the big event. Map out a 3.1 mile course, dust off your treadmill, or find a local track…and lace up your shoes!

On Saturday February 2, at 10:00 a.m., we’ll all do our own personal 5K’s, however, wherever and with whomever we choose! We’ll then report back with our results and celebrate all of our personal victories! Whether it’s your first or fiftieth 5K, it’s your race to win! Put it on your calendar and start training!

Sign up below to receive additional information, training tips and instructions! Pass it on, and make it an event to share!

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Top Ten Reasons You Should Find a Workout Buddy

workout_buddy

Having a workout/healthy-living buddy is SO helpful in SO many ways! If you are married, or have a significant other, you’ve already got a prospective partner. Do they need some convincing…get on it! Maybe you have a best friend or sibling that has similar goals…get them on board! How about a neighbor? Talk about convenience! Develop a plan, share a babysitter and make it happen!

Here are 10 reasons you should find a buddy:

1. Having a reliable workout buddy increases the chances of sticking with your program. It’s never a good feeling to let someone down.

2. You’ll have your own personal cheerleader; someone to push you when it gets hard. How often do we give up when something seems too difficult? Your partner can “spot” you when you struggle and pat you on the back when you pushed through it!

3. Time flies with a friend. You’ll be chatting and laughing and so busy sharing your workout time, that it’ll be done before you know it!

4. You can coordinate your busy schedules. You can sit down with your pal and figure out where your windows of opportunity are and then schedule your workout times! You’ll be more likely to stick to it, if someone else is relying on you.

5. You’ll be less likely to cancel. Again, if someone else took the time to fit it in, you will too!

6. You’ll have a talking mirror. Sometimes it’s hard to see and appreciate your own progress. A buddy will remind you that you couldn’t lift that weight last week, and look at you now! Or tell you that your clothes are looking a little baggy, or that you seem to have an extra ‘bounce’ in your step. 🙂

7. You’ll have an additional challenge; a little healthy competition! It’s ok to let someone else drive you to do more! You’ll want to match their intensity, and you’ll push yourself harder to keep up!

8. You’ll get a fresh new perspective and new ideas! You’ll get a chance to see how someone else does it. Maybe they do something a little differently than you do, and it’s easier, or more effective.

9. You’ll be paired up with a ‘fit’ friend; a positive influence you’ll want emulate more than someone else who doesn’t make their health a priority. If your friend orders a salad, it’s easier to do the same.

10. You can celebrate your successes together! What’s better than accomplishing your goals? Doing it with a friend/spouse/buddy that can celebrate with you!

Final thought: If you need a little extra help, grab your buddy and join one of my 30 Day Challenge groups! Find a program you love, a diet plan you can stick to, and the support you’ll need to get it done! 😀

*This post was inspired by a friend that seems to inspire a LOT of my posts. She is a trooper, a tryer and a never-give-upper! I’m one of her biggest fans! 😀

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To Do, Or NOT To Do…

resolutionNew Year’s Eve is just around the corner. The next day is the new year! 2013! What does the new year have in store for you? Have you given it much thought yet? Maybe it’s not a big deal. Maybe it’s just another day, a continuation of the same routine. But, I like to think of it as a new beginning! A new chance to make some little or BIG changes in your life! Whether you intend to or not, you’re making a resolution that day. You’re either going to make a FIRM decision to DO or NOT to do something.

I bet very few people will roll out of bed that day and think to themselves “I’m NOT going to do anything to make my life better this year”. However, the passive act of NOT thinking about it, is your decision, which becomes your resolution. You will have resolved to do nothing.

Instead, start thinking about it NOW. Lay the groundwork to be actively resolved and determined to make 2013 a better year! So that when you roll out of bed on January 1, 2013 you have a plan of action. Maybe that means that you make a list of the problems or things that you need to change, and start thinking about the solutions! For me, it’s time management. I have been actively pursuing solutions to this problem already. I’m formulating plans, trying different methods, looking at all the possible solutions. I am determined to make 2013 a year that I bring it all together. I plan to continue working toward my health and fitness goals, developing as a coach and work at home mom, and organizing my days so that my family experiences the best ME I can be!

So everyone is making a resolution. It’ll be a firm decision either way. So ask yourself this: Am I firmly resolved to do nothing to change my life, or something to make it better? Even if it’s just something small, make a little tweak here and there, but have a plan. Start thinking about it now. Act with determination ‘to DO’! Don’t let your resolution passively default to ‘NOT to do’.

*If health and fitness are part of your firm decision for the new year, consider joining my 30 day challenge. We’ll start on January 7! You’ve got until January 2 to sign up, but why not be resolved enough to do it NOW! Get yourself signed up, and FIRM up your resolution today. See the “30 Day Challenge” link at the top of this page to get started. 🙂 And have a HAPPY HEALTHY New Year!