Become Your Own Priority.

Maya Angelou said 'never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option'; and I agree with her (how could anyone not agree with MA) but I also believe no one is going to make you a priority when you aren't even your OWN priority.  It is simple to blame others for how you are feeling or for certain hardships you are experiencing but the hard part, which also happens to be the part that will change how you are feeling and how you handle said hardships, is facing the role you play in your own life.  The most important thing you can do for everyone and everything around you is to become your own priority.  Strive to be the you, you want to be.  Don't expect a handout if you've never lent a helping hand.  You probably won't receive a warm greeting when you present a grimacing look.  You won't see the results you want if you don't put in the work.  No one will ever be able to happily and sufficiently take care of others if they don't take care of themselves.  Become your own priority: strive to be the you, you want to be.  The rest will fall into place.

Be happy with what you have and grateful for what you get.

I had a great talk with a great friend this evening, a conversation that I believe left us both feeling happy.  Neither one of our circumstances had changed within that hour or so of talking but the way we felt about them did.  Too often people say "I'll be happy when...".  The truth of the matter is you can't attach your happiness to someone or something else.  Too much time is spent being unhappy about things we cannot control.  So you've hit an obstacle, gotten off track or had a bad day being bitter will not make it better; overcome the obstacle, get back on track and let go of the bad day.  

I try to pay close attention to my clients, their attitudes and their habits.  What I've come to learn is no matter how hard they work, how strong they are or how many hours they put in the clients with happy, positive attitudes have seen quicker and bigger success.  

Tomorrow, practice being happy with what you have and grateful for what you get.  You'll be surprised how easily you hurdle those obstacles.  

Raise Your Standards, Change Your Life.

There are two things I'd like to point out about this picture: 1. Each of these women have lost over 50 pounds 2. Each of these women have lost over 50 pounds by taking the TIME + EATING RIGHT + WORKING THEIR BUTTS OFF (literally). I would bet every dime I have that these women will NEVER gain that weight back because I KNOW they won't.  Losing weight is easy (in theory); Increase your calorie burn and decrease your calorie intake... pretty basic stuff.

I do a lot of research about workouts online and keep up with all the fitness magazines and I suppose I ignored all the extra ads until recently.  How can we blame people for not only wanting the quick fix but believing it will work when that is what is advertised every time you turn a page, google for tips, or drive down the road?  The point is these fad diets, supplements, and gimmicks work... IF your definition of work is short term.  If you ask me it didn't work if it doesn't last forever and gimmicks don't last forever, they never have and never will.

It is time to raise our standards of "work" from how hard we work to what we accept as something that is working or has worked for us.

There is no quick and easy way to climb the corporate ladder of success.  There is no quick and easy way to get the starting position on a team.  No quick and easy way to build a great relationship.  No quick and easy way in any aspect of life so don't expect one for your body and health.  The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

You Are What You Eat!

With holidays and big events I managed to neglect the weekly blog.  Within the last two weeks I've been asked multiple times about diet pills, supplements, fad diets, etc.  With that in mind I'd like to leave you all with a quote from Cher (who in her 60s has an AMAZING body): "Fitness: If it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body." Read the quote again, think about it, digest it and if you still want a great body... get to work.

Daughter, Sister, Girlfriend, Friend, Personal Trainer & a Work in Progress.

If asked to describe myself right now I'd say "a work in progress".  My hope for myself is that in 5 years, 15 years and 50 years if asked I'd still describe myself in the exact same way.  The fact of the matter is once you stop progressing you put a halt on progression (and no I did not just repeat myself).  I strive to reach goals everyday: checking everything off my to-do list that day, preparing for my next run to prepare for a half-marathon (whew) or being positive; once I check everything off my list I'll make a new one, once I finish the race I'll train for a triathlon and being positive takes minute-by-minute work.  The point is the work within you is never finished and there are no days off.  Choose your goals carefully and work diligently to achieve them: if you haven't reached them yet, your work is not yet done; if you have reached them, your work is not yet done.  Stop setting limits on yourself and start putting in the work.  No one has ever received a reward for being good enough and no one has ever been fulfilled by being complacent.

Good Enough May Have Gotten You Where You Are But It Won't Take You Where You Want To Be

If you haven't already noticed I'm a big fan of old cliches and one of the oldest comes to mind: Never settle for less than you deserve.  In today's society we are constantly settling for good enough... in careers, friendships, relationships, workouts, diets everything.  NEWS FLASH: good enough may have gotten you where you are but it won't take you where you want to be.  I won't get into the relationships and careers because I don't have time to write a book on a Monday evening.  What I will get into is the part of taking care of yourself.  While big changes must start with baby steps those baby steps need to continuously get larger and larger.  If your goal is to workout twice a week then within two weeks it should be up-ed to three and then four and so on according to the work that needs to be done.  If you want to start eating healthy replace one bad habit with a good one at least every week if not every few days.  Make a decision to stop underestimating what you are capable of and overestimating how much you think you have been doing. Most importantly stop settling for doing "good enough for now".  George Sheehan (physician, author and running enthusiast) said: "We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down, until, until, until.  It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living."  Nothing will happen until we do something about it and that something can't just be good enough you've got to give it all you got.  Spend some time with yourself and decide if you are giving it all you've got or if you are just doing enough to get by and never settle for less than you deserve.

It Really Is Mind Over Matter...

A negative thought is similar to that annoyingly catchy song; once it's in your head you can't get it out.  Negative thoughts also have a way of producing other negative thoughts and so on and so forth until you've become the year round Scrooge.  We're all guilty of getting in a funk but the important thing is learning to pull yourself out of it.  Just like any other addiction the first step is admitting it. My hope for you is that you become aware of your negativity before anyone else has to point it out or even worse until you don't have anyone left to tell you.  People monitor their hours, their food intake, what their children are watching on television, who is dating who on facebook... but they aren't spending enough time monitoring the absolute biggest factor in their daily lives: their thoughts.  Start monitoring your thoughts.  Recognize negative self-talk as well as negativity toward others.  Spend the next few days becoming aware of every negative thought.  Once you are fully aware of any negativity slowly begin to replace each negative with a positive.  If you are thinking "I don't feel like doing this" replace it with "I'll feel so good when I finish".  As cliche as it sounds it really works! Wally Lamb said it best... "better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."