Weekend Challenge - Why?

Finally Friday - Yay! We made it to Friday! Every week we post a WEEKEND CHALLENGE! This week’s challenge is to Define Your Why.

The key to making your New Year's Resolution a Reality is defining your  WHY.

The number one New Year's Resolution is to lose weight and the sad fact is that most have already hit that first bump in the road and thrown in the towel.  Defining your health and fitness WHY is a key component in your success.  Why do we fail?  Why do we wish to succeed?  In answering these Why's lies your aha moment.  This is an easy challenge, if you are honest with yourself.  Sometimes self-discovery with blatant honesty is the most difficult challenge of them all.

Brainstorm for your Why

This weekend I challenge you to sit down with a piece of paper and do a little brainstorming.  Remember that while you brainstorm you do not critique, that's the kill switch on your creativity.  You'll critique later.  Divide the paper into two sides: WHY and WHY NOT.  Set an egg timer for 3 minutes.  Write down all the reasons that pop into your head for why you want to become more fit and healthy, why you want to lose weight.   List every reason from the noble to the selfish; wanting to live longer for your kids to wanting to look good naked, health reasons or skinny jeans.  Every thing that  comes to mind, no matter how shallow.  Do the same thing for your why not, giving that egg timer another 3 minutes.  Be brutally honest.  It's hard, I'd rather play Xbox 360 than workout, I love fast food...what ever they may be.  Maybe you're lazy, maybe you just don't know where to start.

Now We Critique

Look over your list thinking about how important each of the things you wrote down is to you, rank them from 1 to 10, from not important to critical.  Do this for both sides, then rewrite your paper.  You already know your why, this just helps you visualize it.  I'd put money down that your WHY list is way better than your WHY NOT list.  After you rewrite your list so it looks neat, look it over again.  Define your biggest WHY.  Why is it important to you that you lose weight, get fit, get healthy?  Welcome to your AHA MOMENT!  List your goal in terms of this why.  For example: "I will lose weight because diabetes, stroke and colon cancer run in my family."  Or "I want to lose weight to rebuild my self esteem."  "I need to lose 25 pounds so I look great for my wedding."  "Losing 50 pounds will allow me to play with my children."  "I'm tired of being a puss gut that embarasses my wife and gets winded tying my own shoes, dropping 30 pounds will make me the man she married."  Be honest, make it personal, be specific.  The more specific you are the better!   Stick this reason why where ever you will see it: on your mirror, on the refrigerator, on the microwave.  Make it highly visible.  Make it a promise and it's even better.

Your AHA moment is a powerful tool in defining and achieving your goals.

My Why

My why became brutally clear when my husband was hospitalized with a "horrendously bleeding diverticulum", the surgeon's words, not mine.  He lost over 1/3 of his blood in less than an hour and earned a stay in ICU.   He was pre-diabetic and had to test his blood sugar daily.  He had high cholesterol.  Real high. My mother lost 13 inches of her colon to colon cancer.  My father had 2 back surgeries.  I was diagnosed with PCOS (Ploycystic Ovary Syndrome).  It got me thinking about other health issues that run in the family: high blood pressure, diabetes, ovarian cancer, bad knees, bad backs...then I thought about all the photos I didn't allow to be taken of me with the kids, or my grandson, the places I didn't go because I hated how I looked, how low my self esteem was.  In comparison the fact that I was lazy and losing weight would be hard paled.  In short, my reasons why not were pooh.  We needed to get serious about eating better or my husband was fast tracked to a heart attack, we decided the reasons not to just didn't measure up.  It was our aha moment, we were racing toward the brick wall.  It was time to test the breaks.

Knowing your WHY is Empowering

By having a definable reason why we want to make this change, it will make it much more likely that you will follow through.   When you stumble, and you will stumble, this WHY is the reason you get back on the horse that threw you.   Knowing exactly why you wish to achieve this goal defines why it is so important that you stick with it when the going gets tough, and it will get tough from time to time.  Knowing where you want to get and why you need to get there will also help you to reverse engineer the process you will have to go through to achieve it.  Knowing your why is empowering.  You have taken the first step toward making that New Year's Resolution your new reality.  

Enjoy the Journey

It's about the process, not perfection.  Enjoy the ride.  It won't be easy, but I promise you that it will be worth it...for you and those who love you.  Put in a little time here and when you define your goal in a context of why, you'll propel yourself toward reaching that goal.  Reverse engineering your way from where you want to be to where you are gives you small, sustainable changes that you can maintain for the long haul.  It's a lifestyle change, not a diet.

Resources:

• Tony Horton, of P90X fame, shares his thoughts about how to stay motivated and how to define where your desire comes from in How Do I Keep Going?  He shared more of his 2 step strategy in this article with Dr. Oz, Tony Horton's 3-step Diet Plan. 
• Join me on facebook at the fitter Fitter for motivation, accountability and to connect.  Having a support system will greatly increase your chances of success.
• Explore tons of tools and home fitness programs that can help you work toward your health and fitness goals with a free membership at teambeachbody.  Pick a program, find nutritionals, connect for motivation and support.

Motivation Monday - GOALS: Setting and Achieving Them on Schedule

Motivation Monday is the day of the week when I share a motivational book title of my "have read" or "wish to read" lists.  This week's feature is Goals : Setting And Achieving Them On Schedule.  

From the legendary Zig Ziglar, GOALS: Setting and Achieving Them on Schedule.

Self improvement is an important part of any health and fitness regimen.  One might argue it is at the core.  Spending just 10 minutes per day on inspiring, motivational material can program your mindset to look for opportunities you may miss if you are in a funk.  If your resolution was to lose weight, the road ahead will be difficult and long, consistency is the only way through it and in sticking with it, attitude is everything.  Rather than listening to the latest problems on the radio, try replacing your commute one way with self-improvement oriented.  This audio CD by the legendary Zig Ziglar fits the bill perfectly.

SUCCESS CAN BE YOURS WITH ZIG ZIGLAR'S GOALS

IF YOU HAVE DREAMS, THEN YOU NEED GOALS!

In Goals, bestselling author Zig Ziglar presents his dynamic seven-step formula for clearly defining your immediate and long-term goals...and then realizing your dreams. This step by step program is filled with inspiring stories from sports, business and science that demonstrate how to:

• Begin with a set of specific written goals
• Understand the reasons behind your ambitions
• Identify the resources you need to achieve success
• Develop a scheduled plan of action

You'll learn how to work around obstacles and change your strategies without changing your vision; how to become a team player, how to master your time; and how to set goals for everything you want in life.

Goals create motivation; motivation creates energy; energy helps make your dreams a reality. Take the first step toward reaching your aspirations and set your goals today!

“His motivational style is so unique, so sincere that he really inspires me to do more. ”     

“He offers a seven-step formula for helping you clearly lay out a plan for success. ”
Go Get Goals: Setting and Achieving Them on Schedule.

More from Zig Ziglar:
Are You Born to Win
Finally Friday - Give More

Finally Friday - Give More

Finally Friday - Yay! We made it to Friday! Every week we post a WEEKEND CHALLENGE! This week’s challenge is to give more.

Photo from a Degree Deoderant facebook challenge post

It's easy to give to others, we all feel better about ourselves when we help out.  Especially at Christmas time.  But, how do you treat yourself?  

How do you treat yourself?  
That's a big question.  Take a few moments with a sheet of paper and pencil.  Write down what you think of yourself, what you say to yourself.  Be honest.  Do you call yourself stupid?  When you look in the mirror do you still think "ok, fatty, that's the best you can do, just head out the door"?  If you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror while dressing or getting in or out of the shower, do you think "who could love that"?  Look at your list and ponder this.  Would you say any of those things to your friends?  Would you even say them to a stranger?  Chances are no.  I know I am way harder on myself than I am on anyone else, I forgive their shortcomings and mistakes but for myself I expect much, much more.

Do you realize that to erase one of these bad things you will need to repeat a positive thing 1,000 times?  Turn those negative comments into affirmations.  "I am loyal and dedicated."   "I never give up."   "I have true beauty that radiates from the inside."  Whatever it may be, write them down and post them everywhere.

Got that?  Good.

Don't Choose Excuses, Choose to Take Action

Insert Excuse HERE:__________

Now, ponder this: we choose how our tomorrow will shape itself.  We make a choice to cheat a little today, and eat a candy bar because it's easy.  We choose not to do our workout because it's hard, we don't have time, we don't feel good, insert excuse here ________.  By doing these things we are saying that our need to be fit and healthy is not as important as sitting on the couch, that bag of potato chips, that candy bar.  Then we are disappointed by the weight gain we see tomorrow.   Take a moment to view what Zig Ziglar had to say about setting goals, it's pretty inspiring and talks to my point.



This Weekend Challenge is to push yourself.  
Take that goal of yours, write it down, embellish it, love it, honor it.  Then push yourself to meet it.  Go 5 more minutes, give 5% more in your workout, pass up that beer before the holiday dinner party, or the dessert after.  Do more.  Because, when we cheat on these things that, if we did them, would propel us toward our goals, we are only cheating ourselves.  Would you ever go back on that promise to your parent, your spouse, your child, your best friend?  No?  Then why would you ever give yourself anything but your very best?  

Push yourself.  Go 5 minutes more.  Put 5% more effort into your workout.  Give more to yourself.  You are so very worth it!

Interested in any of these challenges?  Connect with the fitter Fitter on facebook!

Other Weekend Challenges:
Be Grateful
Cleaning IT Up...and making it Pay
It's all about Water

Other Challenges:
Take the Beachbody Challenge - what it is and what you get out of it, while this post is Shakeology specific, the premise is the same.
How Bad Do You Want It - my first Beachbody Challenge
I'm a Winner - learn about the Clean Slate Challenge

Motivational Reading Anyone?

If you're looking for a motivational book, not just a diet and fitness book, but a book that can teach you how to master the art of attaining any goal you set for yourself, this is it.  

PUSH: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve!  

Fitness superstar Chalene Johnson of Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, ChaLEAN Extreme and the Courageous Confidence Club created a revolutionary 30-day system that will allow readers to transform their bodies, their diets, and their lives!

Chalene Johnson built a fitness empire from the ground up, selling over 6 million DVDs and helping legions of loyal fans shed pounds and transform their lives with her trademark enthusiasm and energy.  PUSH, Chalene’s first book ever, distills the wisdom that has made her a fitness queen into a totally unique 30-day system that will help readers reset their priorities, get their lives together, and lose weight for good.  Life-changing tools plus Throw-and-Go recipes and the Bangin’ Body Workout!  Click here to read more!

" What the book is (when used properly):

   * An opportunity for soul searching
   * A deep introspection of your life, your choices and your priorities
   * A challenge to make concrete changes to align your life with your priorities (not someone else's

   * A way to demystify and debunk some of the myths around weight loss

  What the book is not:
   * A quick fix
   * Easy answers
   * Predetermined "Step by Step do this then that" diet/fitness book
   * Revolutionary "  ~ Tonja Davis

" Be prepared to PUSH yourself

   * I love Chalene.  I love her energy and enthusiasm and she is truly motivational and a great example.  Her positive energy shines throughout the book...The book is beautiful with all the colourful pictures.  The program in this book is very aggressive and requires a lot of hard work." ~ LB

My beachbody team was blessed to be given the PUSH 30 day program, what a gift it was.  LB and Tonja are right, this isn't a quick easy slam dunk.  That being said, the program works if you work the program.  Commit to the 30 day PUSH and it will change your life for the better!

Links: 

the Courageous Confidence Club - join Chalene to help her achieve her own PUSH goal in 2015 and discover your own Courageous Confidence...I'm enrolled!  It is the best money I have invested in myself this year!

the 30 day PUSH - get the first video emailed to you!  Learn more about what you get in the 30 Day program here!