Monday motivation – what stops us from being amazing
Hi everyone! Happy Monday and I hope you all are enjoying a holiday in our fair Province today.
The balmy weather should be reason enough for you to be outside doing some kind of activity. My parents were heading outs xc skiing this morning to Bird’s Hill to tackle the Kiln trail again (and they’re becoming quite the skiing pros after heading out at least three times a week to ski).
Any skiing for myself was tossed aside after developing a nice little cold…again. And then in my generosity, sharing my cold with my BF. He was, of course, thrilled to be sneezing and stuffed up. Let’s just say we were quite the couple this weekend.
But with the start of a new week, we’re on the mend. I can finally hear now that my ears aren’t plugged up…which makes for much nicer conversation when you only hear, “mwah, wah, wah, wah, wah”. Lol.
Anyway, I had plenty of time to think about this blog post. It’s definitely a more serious topic because no one likes to think of themselves as being mediocre. Yet, at times, we all do this to ourselves.
I can’t ignore the reality that in the past three months I’ve been sick three times. That is atypical for someone who is supposed to be as health conscious as I am.
You wanna know what I think, no, what I know is the culprit?
My mental mindset.
When my mindset is in a funk, how can I expect my body to not be in a funk, too?
My blog title is “what stops us from being amazing?”
The answer: us.
Our stinking thinking.
We get “busy” and let that busyness get in the way of one very important task…working on our mind (especially in a world where we’re surrounded by too much negative).
I didn’t do a dream board workshop at start of the new year with the kids from my church youth group. Therefore my dreamboard is stagnating. I haven’t looked at those images that inspire me, that excite me, that cause my subconscious mind to go “wo-hoo!”. Because as you know, our subconscious mind is lit up by visual images.
I haven’t allotted at least 15 minutes each day to dreaming. About the house I will have in the mountains, where I can step out onto my backyard onto trails. About the deep blue BMW 5 series I will drive, hugging the road with each turn. About the vacation for a month to Italy I will take with my partner. Nothing.
Me, who loves goal lists, hasn’t fully put down to paper my 2012 goal list for personal, Life business, fitness business, leadership, travel, trail running. My goodness!
Why?
The reason all of us stagnate. F-e-a-r.
That four letter word stops more people from achieving greatness than anything else.
And what am I afraid of?
Part of it is that I’m afraid I won’t work hard enough or long enough to get that goal done. I have so much to do and those lists seem so long, and that scares me.
Another part is that I’ve gotten comfortable. And comfort and complacency are mortal enemies of greatness. For to achieve anything great, you must get uncomfortable.
Finally, I’ve let some setbacks truly set me back and stop me in my tracks. I’ve temporarily bought into what 95% thinking says: that failure is a bad thing. The reality is, we only grow and succeed by failure.
So, here it is. I’ve laid out my situation to you. Kinda ugly. Tastes bitter. But it’s the truth.
And now I need to create a different ending.
One that sets me back on track to feeding my elephant (subconscious mind) instead of my ant (rational mind).
This requires a constant, daily (perhaps 2 to 3x daily) reminder about what lights a fire in my soul…so that nothing (negative thoughts, people, the media) can stop that flame.
I have 6 months until my trip to Iceland. 6 months to another marathon. 9 months until my next birthday. 10 months until the year is over.
That’s plenty of time to harness my potential and work my mind to achieving some big goals for this year (goals of which I will now put down to paper along with the steps I will take to achieve them).
So here are my first five steps that I’m starting with right now and to be done by the end of this week:
1. Write down my top three goals for each area of my life that I want to achieve success.
2. Develop my affirmation statements, write them down on cue cards (that I have bought) and keep these cards accessible to read three times a day, especially when I get up and go to sleep at night.
3. Search for and cut out pictures for my 2012 dream board. Put up my dreamboard in my office.
4. Get back to reading from my leadership and life books a minimum 60 minutes per day.
5. listen to 3 life CDs per day (this means I need to download them to my iPod and iPad so I can have them when I’m on the go
6. Bonus – ask myself each day if I have done things that will lead me closer to greatness, or mediocrity. This self assessment will direct me to close the day knowing I have done everything in my power to be my best.
I’ve made you, my readers part of my accountability process. This blog is public so my commitment is now very public.
I want to leave you with a quote on dreaming, I think more may appear in future blog posts:
“You can live your dreams if you can embrace change? It’s by taking chances that you’ll learn how to be brave.” ~Nikita Koloff
Recipe Tuesday: A sweetheart recipe
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!
Hopefully your sweetheart has something special planned out for you.
I actually heard a stat on the radio that about 10% of people are forgotten on Valentine’s Day by a loved one. That’s awful and extra pushups should be the punishment for that cardinal sin.
Anyway, Chris and I have a quiet V-Day planned. We’re going to make supper together at home and then watch a movie. But I wanted to share with you the meal I have planned for tonight, perfect for a couple.
Ingredients:
*2 small orange fleshed sweet potatoes
*2, 3 to 4 ounce servings of sirloin steak, trimmed of fat
*1 cup sliced organic mushrooms
*1 cooking onion
*2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
*ground pepper, to taste
*2 cups organic spinach
*1/2 cup yellow pepper slices
*1 Roma tomato
*1/2 red onion
*3 tablespoons Salata German-style vinegar for dressing
Preparation:
1. Pierce sweet potatoes and microwave for 7 minutes until soft in middle. Wrap in aluminum foil to place on BBQ. Turn BBQ on.
2. Take a fork and stab the steak all over to soften it. Then rub olive oil over it. Season with ground pepper, sea salt, and Italian seasoning. Do both sides.
3. Put frying pan on medium heat, add olive oil. Then add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, covered for 2 more minutes. Set aside.
4. Place steak on BBQ lower rack and grill for only 3 minutes per side, if the steak is on the thin side. You don’t want to overlook the meat. Put the sweet potatoes on the top rack and cook alongside the steak.
5. Toss the spinach, onions, tomatoes and peppers into a bowl. Mix with the vinegar.
6. Serve salad with the full meal of steak and onions and baked sweet potatoes, topped with a bit of butter and cinnamon.
Enjoy.
Monday Motivation…from the heart
Happy Monday everyone! Did you enjoy your weekend?
I went to a leadership seminar on Saturday evening, which is always a great way for me to recharge my mental fitness; being in a very uplifting and positive environment with other people does the trick.
On Sunday we headed to Beaudry Park and did some xc skiing. The first section was still a bit rough due to the lack of snow, but once we crossed the river to other trails…just beautiful. Straight and smooth allowed me to coast down them and get a great workout. In total we did 16km and I’ll take that anyway for a workout and quality time with Chris.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I wanted to do a timely post on matters from the heart and how that can motivate.
So, let me share with you my top four ways to motivate from the heart. I’ll use the example of my Winnipeg boot camp classes this morning. Lots of people in class, some even wearing red and pink for V-Day. I wanted to make every participant feel special. The quote: “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” really is a big part of my training and business philosophy.
1. Show Appreciation.
I do my utmost to show my boot campers that their thirty minutes with me each morning is well spent. I think to myself, even if this person gets no appreciation whatsoever at home, I’ll be the one to give it.
That might be the difference maker in them having a great day or a crappy day.
This morning following class, I handed each boot camper a long stem rose for Valentine’s Day. Sure, their sweethearts might get them flowers. But whati they’re not that kind of partner? Well, I care enough.
2. Use each person’s name. At least once.
I can’t tell you how many fitness classes I’ve gone to visit where the trainer doesn’t mention the name (or even remember) the name of their clients. For shame.
I say each and every boot campers name three times in a workout. How do I know? I set that as a standard for my training. It could be a hello Andree in the morning. Or “way to go Jen with those pushups!” during a workout.
Everyone loves to hear their own name. Don’t you?
3. Have fun.
Another great way to motivate from the heart is to truly have fun. Boot camps bring out the sanguine personality in me. And I’m not a sanguine at all. But I force myself, no, I’ve trained myself to be more outgoing and goofy. I like getting a laugh out of my boot campers. Wearing a funny outfit. Singing to a song during class. If I’m relaxed and having a good time, my boot campers do, too. Even while doing burpees!!
4. Bring the positive energy.
The last way I motivate from the heart is through a ramped up energy level. I know my boot camps aren’t inexpensive. People pay good money to spend an early morning with me. I darn well better bring the energy as if I’m being filmed by a tv crew for a music video. My voice levels change. I’m always moving around the room- getting down next to boot campers, then standing by them, then hopping across the balance beams.
Being positive also means not permitting whining, complaining or negative talk – self or otherwise. It can take one negative comment to bring down the house. Kind of like crabs in a bucket.
*****
So that’s my take on motivation from the heart. Make it your goal this week to bring the energy, have fun, use a person’s name and show appreciation…and see how your life and that of your clients’ changes.
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yours in health and God bless
Sara
Recipe Tuesday: heart health for breakfast
Good morning. How’s your Tuesday starting off?
I was happy to get me and Chris off to a good start with a healthy breakfast. Breakfast has been a challenge for him in the past due his busy work schedule, but I can’t overstate how important breakfast is for your metabolism and your body.
Did you know that you’re 400 times more likely to be overweight if you skip breakfast? The reason being is that you set your body up for starvation mode and fat storing mode right from the get go if there’s nothing in your system to fuel it. Kind of the opposite thing you think would happen, huh?
If you can spare two minutes in the morning and have the ingredients already in your fridge and freezer, then you’re set.
Here’s the ingredients: 1 cup Almond beverage, 2 Tbsp ground flax, 1 scoop high quality protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana. You can add extra ice if you want it a little more slushy.
Pulse and blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and there are no more chunks of fruit. Pour into a glass. Makes one serving.
I also toasted him up two slices of sunflower and sprouted grains bread with natural peanut butter. I had mine with Almond butter (somehow he can tell the difference, even when I try to be sneaky Lol.)
This is a super easy and delicious berry shake for him that was loaded with heart healthy fiber and muscle building protein.
February is heart and stroke month and getting enough fiber in your diet will help for heart, cholesterol and even digestive health. A trifecta of benefits.
Here’s the low down on fiber.
There are two forms: soluble (it dissolves in water) and insoluble (it does not dissolve in water). Together these make total fiber.
A number of studies have found that a high intake of total fiber can lower the risk of heart disease and shown to reduce the onset of Type-2 diabetes.
Soluble fiber is associated with lowering cholesterol. When ingested it binds with cholesterol and prevents it from being absorbed. Having more soluble fiber in your diet also slows the absorption of carbohydrates, meaning that you don’t get the blood sugar spikes.
Insoluble fiber helps the bowels. Basically, it helps you poop. You don’t need all those so-called detox cleansing systems if you consume plenty of fiber. Your body will take care of that naturally.
And since fiber is filling, a diet high in fiber will help with weight loss, because you’ll feel fuller, longer. Try eating three apples and see how hungry you’ll be. Compare that to a muffin or donut. The latter will go right through you and you’ll be hungry in 20 minutes.
How much fiber to eat? I checked out the WebMD website for guidelines and for female adults you need between 21g and 26g of fiber daily. Adult males can have 30g to 38g a day. Most Canadians fall far short of that. BIG TIME.
How to get fiber from food?
Eat whole foods that come from nature and are not processed.
Examples of soluble fiber foods:
-apples
-berries
-oranges another citrus fruits
-kiwi
-oatmeal and oat bran
-Beans, peas and lentils
-rice
Examples of insoluble fiber foods:
-sprouted grains and other whole grains like spelt, Ezekiel
-ground flax
-veggies like carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beets
*a lot of sites like to recommend whole wheat products, but I have a problem with wheat on our digestive systems, so I don’t recommend wheat-based foods
So All-bran and William Shatner had it right, make fiber your friend.
Have a great day of eating. Yours in health, Sara
Monday Motivation…even when your team loses
Hey gang!
Happy Monday to you. Hope you had a great weekend and spent some time outdoors doing some sort of activity – I know Chris and I went xc skiing at Beaudry Park and while the trails were just decent, it was so beautiful to be in the forest.
Now to my subject line for this morning’s blog.
As you know I was pumped up about the Super Bowl and my Patriots being in it again and going for the win to put to rest the commentary that the Giants somehow “have their number”.
Too bad my Pats didn’t get the memo.
Yep, they lost in a nail biter.
Worse for me is that Chris is a Giants fan. And he gets to wear his Super Bowl champs gear while I have to tough it out for another off season.
This brings me to staying motivated even when you sometimes don’t always feel like it.
Take for instance, my Winnipeg boot camps this morning.
I could have been a real Debbie Downer and let that impact my classes. But that wouldn’t have been what my boot campers expect of me. And it’s so hard to get through a Monday morning workout already without having your trainer not bringing her game.
So I left behind my disappointment from last night’s football game and kept repeating to myself – “time to put on a freakin’ show Sara, it’s game time.” I also try to imagine that I have a video camera on me taping my performance.
Listening to pumping music is also a great way to get in the groove. My new favorite song lately is “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida. It has the perfect beat and you just feel good listening to it. And it made an appearance at our boot camp. Love it.
For our workout I gave our groups the following tough tabata workout: 40:20:6
Pushups and Leg curls
Dumbbell swings and planks
Inverted rows and split squat jumps
As the song goes: Oh, oh, oh, oh some time, I get a good feeling. It’s a feeling that I never, never, never had before. Enjoy and hope your Monday gives you a good feeling to last the whole week. God bless.
