Are you setting New Year’s Resolutions? Did you reach your goals last year? Do you remember what your goals were? Hear my thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions in this video and hear about the redirection of On Top of the Box in 2014!
]]>1. Sleep
If you are not sleeping your body is not repairing. Have big fitness goals? Wanting to let go of some fat and gain some muscle? Well the magic happens at night! I have seen people get all of their workouts in and follow a really good nutrition plan and still struggle to reach their goals because they aren’t fitting enough sleep into their day.
Lack of sleep also leads to a lack of willpower to make healthy choices in every other area of your life throughout the day. If you are tired, it is a lot harder to get your workout in and a LOT harder to say no to the chocolate, the bowl of ice cream, the cozy couch and a movie.
2. Water
Many, many of us walk around dehydrated. Once again, water is essential to reaching your healthy goals. Whether you want to gain or lose weight or just maintain your optimal health – hydration is often the missing link to results.
Thirst can often feel like hunger. A good rule of thumb if you are really having cravings is to drink a big glass of water and then wait 10-20 minutes to see if you are still really feeling hungry.
3. Nutrition
Good nutrition leads to good…EVERYTHING. You only have one body, if you don’t take care of it where are you going to live? Eliminating processed foods and switching to 5-6 small balanced meals a day vs the typical three larger meals is a great start. I firmly believe that 80% or more of ‘being in shape’ is all determined by your nutrition.
4. Workouts
Last, but not least, is working out. Not only great for stress relief and self-confidence but working out is also the key to long-term health and freedom. As we age, we begin to lose muscle mass. Maintaining muscle mass is the key to freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want as you age. Play with Grandkids, travel, live independently – all of these things can only happen if you have maintained your health and muscle mass. Weight bearing activities, in addition to cardio, help build muscle as well as bone density – and you’ll look good naked. Ha ha.
So, if you are just starting out and your are feeling overwhelmed, I hope this gives you some confidence and a starting point. If you are plateaued and not getting the results you are seeking – it’s often the basic steps 1 and 2 that need a bit of focus.
Seriously, aren’t you excited about a to do list that starts with sleep?
]]>Here is a link to the blog I mention in the video:
]]>This sounds simple but you’d be surprised how many people wander through life constantly delaying decisions. How many emails are in you inbox right now? I’m willing to be most if not virtually all of the messages just sitting there, filling it up, are delayed decisions. Respond to it, delete it,forward it, or save it in a folder. This one is a major task for me but I find cleaning out my mailbox to be a very empowering practice to use to get into the habit of actually making decisions.
The decision not to pursue something is also very powerful. Many of my coaching clients are exploring and looking for their next path, vocation or purpose. Every time a decision not to do something is made, space is opened and cleared for a new experience or idea. Sometimes getting what you want is all about deciding what you don’t want!
I hired a virtual assistant to help me draft documents and I hired cleaning service for my house. I often work part time doing things I enjoy in order to pay for things I don’t enjoy. The people cleaning my house and drafting my documents love that they get paid to work on their own schedules and be their own boss. Yard service, maid service, meal planning…do all of these things sound like things only rich people or spoiled people actually utilize? Think again! Have you actually priced it out? Do you love to clean but hate to mow lawns? Barter and get creative. Ask around, see if you can pick up one cleaning job. Use that money to pay someone to take care of your yard. Can you work one day of overtime in exchange for a maid service every two weeks? Imagine eliminating the things you dread! Start doing more of the things you love and delegating the things you don’t. By doing so, you are passing on your dollars and time to someone else that is, hopefully, doing what they love and on goes the cycle.
Good In, Good Out
Choose what you are spending your time on and filling your mind with very carefully. Are you starting your day by watching the news, then reading the paper, then listening to gossip or trash talk on the radio? What would happen if you listened it an educational or inspiration podcast or CD in the morning? What are you reading or watching at night? Books that help you grow? Stories that make you feel good? If not, why not? Try it for one week – just surround yourself with good information. Information that makes you a better you. The transformation in life experience with these little tweaks is astounding.
My motto is: You don’t have to recreate the wheel, you just have to make it turn.
Got a question? Someone else has asked it.
Want to do something new? Someone else has done it.
What to learn something new? Some else is already an expert.
Does that mean you shouldn’t ask it, do it, be it? NO – it means you should interview people, research, learn from others, and use the work others have done. People LOVE to help. Send emails, call around. You will find people love to be asked about what they know and a side benefit is that it is so fun to validate them and their knowledge! This is the information age, you can learn pretty much about anything with the click of a button. When you find the information you are looking for, don’t feel that you can’t also become another expert on the topic or activity. Find your frame of reference and your expertise and share your greatness with the world. Someone will resonate with you and you can pay it forward. Just make the wheel turn!
]]>At two points in my life I have achieved major fitness goals and what I perceived as my ‘ideal’ body, or at least pretty close to it. I learned a number of lessons along the way but the most important thing I came to realize is that my life was still my life – even at my ‘ideal’ weight. I still got up and went to work. People still treated me more or less the same. The biggest changes I experienced were as a result of my shifting attitudes and actions, the way I was perceiving the world.
Here are 2 Key things you can do to be happy and live in your ‘ideal’ body.
1. Associate happiness with the present.
Why postpone happy?
Many times we attach happiness to a future event:
I’ll be happy when I get that job…
I’ll be happy when I graduate…
I’ll be happy when I lose 10, 20, or 50 pounds…
I’ll be happy when (you fill in the blank).
The thing is, most often, life isn’t drastically different at X pounds. Are there improvements? Yes – absolutely! But, there are still hardships, disappointments and even new frustrations. If your thoughts, daily actions and attitudes are still the same, your perception of the world and therefore your experience of life will most likely be pretty much the same with just a slightly different flavor.
“Happiness is found in your daily actions and your journey not in your results and accomplishments.” – Tanya Hagre
2. Love yourself.
It sounds really simple but it can be a big transition. Mentally and physically, really dig deep and give yourself permission to accept who and what you are. All the way from my curvy hips to my chubby cheeks, I honestly smile at myself in the mirror with affection now. If you are working toward some physical goal to gain or lose weight, tone up or lean out, that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the skin you are in right now. Treat yourself like your most cherished possession and you may notice progress comes easier as you eliminate toxic foods and toxic thoughts not because you hate this or that aabout your body, but because you love yourself too much to do things that no longer serve you. Strive for goals from a place of celebration of what your body is versus a place of frustration and dissatisfaction with what it isn’t.
“How simple it is to see that we can only be happy now, and there will never be a time when it is not now.” ~ Gerald Jampolsky
]]>One of my favorite quotes is, “you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
Who are your 5? What are their characteristics, goals and values? Do they make you a better you?
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I am enough.
You are enough.
You are enough to do, create and be whatever you desire!
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