Forget tomorrow!!

I can talk a big game.  I can tell you I am going to work out harder than ever before.  I will eat all the “right” foods and go after my dreams of a healthy lifestyle and I will start it all tomorrow.

It feels great to have dreams and hopes for your life but what good are they if they always live in your tomorrow?  Today is all that matters.  What I do, what I eat, how I live today is what counts not tomorrow.

I choose to be happy today. I choose to be strong today.  I choose to be free today.  I choose to be me today.  No matter what happened yesterday or what is to come tomorrow.  I choose to live out my dreams and reach my goals today.

I can have dreams and goals for my future but to reach them I have to learn to focus on my present.  Something I have learned is one step leads to the next.  Each step gives me confidence in taking the next step.  So if you feel you need to lose 50 pounds don’t focus on 50 focus on losing 1 pound.  Before you know it you will reach 50 and beyond.  Celebrate your progress everyday.

My journey:  FitnessBlender.com 12 minute total body workout, breakfast a bowl of grits & glass of grape juice.

 

Let go of toxic energy

Part of getting healthy is letting go.  We hold onto thoughts, habits and relationships that don’t profit us.  It is like watching a reality tv show with people that you can stand but never miss an episode.  Why do we torture ourselves with toxic energy?

I want to be happy.  I want to be healthy.  I want love. I don’t want to be afraid.  I don’t want to be stressed.  I don’t want to hate.

When you know what you want.  You can then make choices towards reaching your desires.   I don’t workout because it is the right thing to do.  I workout because I want to and I love it.  I spend time with my children because I want to and it makes me happy.  If I worked out of obligation I would eventually hate it and I would be frustrated and stressed.

Let go of false expectations that you or people put on you.  When you know what you want.  You are empowered to receive it.  Don’t allow toxic thoughts or people to keep you from reaching your goals of being a healthy, happy you.

My journey today: Rest Day yay 🙂

At War with me!

Anyone that has made the commitment to change their lifestyle and take action towards having a more abundant life, knows how hard that decision is.  Every day I have a choice.  Either do what I have always done or do something new.  The war is within me. 

I have learned that once I make a decision and act on that choice.  The war is over.  There is no longer anything to fight over, the decision has already been made.  Now my mind, body and the world must deal with it. 

Stop fighting against what you truly desire.  Commit to pursuing your desire and before you know it.  You will be where you want to be.  You must choose what you want and don’t settle for anything less.  If you commit to running a marathon.  You are not committing to running 26 miles.  You are committing to running one mile 26 times.  Every step you take on your journey shows your determination to finish what you have started. 

As I stated, your commitment is good for one day.  Every day you must choose to commit again.  That this the beauty of life, it keeps moving forward.  No matter what you chose yesterday.  Today requires you to choose again. 

My journey today:  ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 1 

Have a great day!

No more excuses, Be yourself

In our society we are conditioned to have an excuse for everything.  When you are in school and you are tardy, the teacher asks for an excuse.  No matter what you come up with, it does not make up the time you missed.  So why give an excuse?  I am realizing how important it is for me to accept my decisions and make no excuse for them.  If I make a mistake, I learn from it.  I don’t try to come up with an excuse to justify what I did. 

By accepting responsibility for my decisions, I have discovered how liberating my life has become mentally and phyiscally.  So before I workout, I make a choice to give up my fears and insecurities and push myself in the workout.  When it gets hard instead of making an excuse to quit, I think about how great I will feel when it is over.  After the workout I reward my mind and body with rest and food. 

Choices are powerful and when you begin to believe in your ability to make them you become mentally fit. Which enables you to push yourself in every aspect of your life.  You workout because you want to workout.  It is no longer an obligation it is what you want.  If you want something you go after it.  If you want fast food you go after it.  If you want to watch your favorite tv show you watch it.  When we stop blaming the world for how we are, we can learn to accept who we are.  We can then see where we want to grow and make the choices to do so. 

You have the ability to get in the best shape of your life mentally and physically, you just have to want to.  No more excuses.  Either you want it or you don’t.  Figure out what you want and don’t let anyone or anything stop you from receiving it.  Remember it is a journey.  Today you may want a donut.  Tomorrow you may want oatmeal.  Today you may workout hard.  Tomorrow you choose to not workout.  It is your journey there is no right or wrong way there is only your way.  Make no excuse for being who you are.  🙂

My journey today:  Insanity Max Recovery Workout, 2 pancakes and gatorade recovery drink and my wife is taking me out for lunch. 🙂 Have a great day!

New Attitude

I have seen changes in my body and the way I feel since I began exercising daily.  Each day I am stronger and believe more in my ability to reach my goals.  My weakness remains though, snacking on junk food.  I workout so hard that I feel that I am negating what I do through excessive snacking, I am not saying I have to be restricted from candy bars or cookies.  I am stating that eating cookies after lunch and a candy bar after dinner may be a little much. J   Though I am feeling the best I have felt in a long time.  I have room to improve. 

I am about 15 to 20 pounds from my goal weight.  I call it the examination period.  Where you have to start looking at your life as a whole trying to find those little habits that may be keeping you from losing those tough pounds.  Here are a couple of things I have found I can improve this month. 

Sleep – I am getting 5 ½ to 6 hours of sleep – my goal 7 to 8 hours of sleep

Snacks – I am eating 2 to 3 separate snacks (junk food) a day – my goal substitute with apples, watermelon, fruit smoothies

I believe if I can add these things to my lifestyle along with the workout plan I currently do I will see great results by in the next month.  My goal is to lose 11 pounds by July 30.  I am two day in since I begin taking out the junk food and I have to admit I been tempted but not deviated from my goal. 

I am learning to takes discipline to reach your weight goals.  I am doing things I have never done before and I am so thankful that I made the choice to become a better me.

My journey today: Pure Cardio – Insanity Workout  Breakfast – two small pancakes and one serving of fruit smoothie.

Be a giver

I am on my better health journey and I am making progress.  One of the things I am working on now is to be a giver.  I want to be a giver more than a receiver.  You see it is easy to sit at a table and be waited on by someone else but it takes growth and humility to serve others. 

I can be selfish a lot of times.  I don’t think about what others may need or want that I have to give.  I believe that if I think of others as much as I think about myself, I will be happy by making someone else happy.  I believe that world needs more givers.  It needs more people loving with no hidden agenda.  I don’t think giving is asking to much.  Whatever I have (money, time, love, respect, wisdom, smile) I want to give away. 

When you give you lose nothing but gain everything. 

I need grace to help me with this.  There are times when I am afraid to share what I have with others but I am learning that I can only give what I have.  Have a great day. Smile!

My journey today: 25 minute full body workout, 15 minute yoga workout

SpringTime

The spring is around the corner and I am so excited to start enjoying the good weather.  I just want to be as active as possible outside.  Maybe I will do a couple of 5k walks.  I want to do something new.   It is time to step up my workout routine.  Not going to go overboard.  But just make gradual changes that fit me.     

My journey today: 25 minute full body workout, 1 mile walk outside 🙂

No more talking!

Sometimes we can talk ourselves into things but we also can talk ourselves out things as well.  There comes a time when you have to stop talking and start acting on all that you desire to be.  Words mean nothing without action to support it.  I can tell the world how great my plans are but they don’t care until they see results. 

If you watch Biggest Loser, after the contestants lose some weight the reaction of their friends and family is amazing.  They want to know how to change their life too, but they would have never listen to them if the contestant did not produce results. 

You see  you are on a journey.  The journey has many “ups” and “downs”.  We all like to embrace the “ups” and hide the “downs” but at the end of the day we must learn how to embrace both.  The point of being quiet is we learn best when our mouths are closed.  

Like a child on a long road trip your mind will say “are we there yet”  but you are not close to your destination.  You have a long way to go.  The best thing to do is not complain about the distance or how hard it is but rather be quiet and learn from your journey.  Along your actions to speak for you.  When you are tempted to whine shrug it off by working harder.  Don’t worry about what is happening around you, focus on what is changing inside of you.  You are worth it.  You will feel better by what you are doing than by what you are saying.  No more talking it is time to discover the better you. 🙂

My journey today: 2 mile walk/jog & 10 upper body workout

The Weight Scale is your friend!

Weight scales can be scary.  Especially if every time you get on it and it does not give you the number you want to see.  When you are trying to lose weight, it is discouraging to think you are making progress but the scale keeps telling you that you are not. It can push us to give up our efforts and throw in the towel.  Before you get on the scale you loved your progress but after the scale gives you a crazy number you are frustrated with your progress.  But really the weight scale is not judging your progress it is just reading your weight.  It does not determine how you feel; all the new energy you have now.  It does not factor the muscle you are building or the mental weight that has been lifted off your mind.

The truth is the weight scale is your friend.  Just like an older brother who beats his little brother in basketball over and over again.  The older brother’s days are numbered because he does not realize that the little brother is getting stronger and better each time.  Eventually the little brother is stronger and better than the older brother.  If it was not for the older brother the little brother would not have realized how strong he was and would have never pushed himself to get better.

The weight scale is the older brother.  It seems like you will never beat it but each time you get on the scale, you are getting stronger.  You are getting more determined to become the person you know you are.  Nothing can stop you.  Believe in yourself.  Weight loss is not easy because learning never is.  You have to go through the process of adversity to learn how to overcome it.  The process makes you a better person in the end.  Don’t be afraid of the weight scale.  Face it.  Know that each day you are getting stronger, healthier, happier you.

My journey today: 25 minute full body workout 🙂

Brand New Car – Breaking unhealthy habits

When you want something new you have to go after it.  A lot times people talk about changing their lives but can’t seem to change anything because old habits are hard to break.  You are just one choice of away from taking back your power.    

If you have a new car you don’t allow anyone ride that have dirty feet or clothes.  You love your new car so much you don’t want anything to tarnish its beauty.  Today your body and mind is new. You look and feel great.   Ask yourself:

What do you want to put in your body and mind today?

What will keep you at your highest level?

Do you really want to weighed down but negative thoughts and foods that drain your energy?

You are the owner of your body.  It is your choice what rides with you and what fuel you put in the tank.  When you change your outlook that each day, each moment is new, you can then cherish your life and decisions before you.  Enjoy the ride! You are worth it. 🙂

My journey today: 25 minute lower body Taebo workout (Thanks Billie lol), 5 minute chest workout