Carl Daikeler

I am excited.  Last June I was fortunate to be able to share my story at a local Beachbody event in Lincoln, NE with the CEO of Beachbody in attendance.  It was a very memorable time since it was the first time in a long time I have talked in front of that many people.  After that point, I was also able to give my story when Tony Horton visited Lincoln last month.  That time speaking in front of over 200 people.  Now I again get to give my story to the Beachbody corporate staff and Carl Daikeler tomorrow.

This is why I love Beachbody so much.  The company has incredible products..I know because I have used most of them...but the people that are involved with Beachbody are top-notch!  Each person I have met personally care very deeply about the direction of this company and the quality of product it produces.  Beginning of course with Carl himself and then flowing all the way down to people like me.  We are all truly in this together :)

Voices in my head!

I woke up this morning, drank my coffee, and set about my daily activities.  Nothing new, nothing exciting, just everyday stuff.  As I was looking at a mountain of laundry, I could hear the programmed voice in my head trying to pull me down with “You will never finish this!”  What???  Why would I do that to myself?  Aren’t we on the same team here?  I know this sounds crazy but I really do talk to myself like this. J

Why I share this with you is because I have heard that voice before..right before I started P90X.  I realized that if I had listened to all the negativity floating around, there would have been no way I would have completed the program.  John C. Maxwell says “Your life changes when you change something you do every day.”  What I did every day was doubt myself.  I changed that when I stepped away from the feelings of weakness and pushed play with Tony Horton.  I did this despite physical reasons not to workout!  The best part was even on the mornings when my muscles were aching, I didn’t hear those voices ever again.  All I heard after that first Chest and Back routine was “You go girl!” 

Are you holding yourself back?  Are you unwilling to change something as simple as the negative voice in your head?  If so, I am here to tell you that you can change that voice..all you have to do is believe!  

What is your breaking point?

Everyone has bad days.  I have good days and bad days.  This is my bad week because I had my monthly chemo (Tysabri) on Wednesday.  I always feel run down, my thoughts don’t work as well as I would like them too, and I know I am not at my best.  It is hard to know that I am causing my family worry and stress but to feel absolutely not in control of my own emotions.  I become very different for a few days and it is hard on my family.  I am so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing husband like Dan.  It is twice as hard on him as it is on me.  He and my boys are my strength during these times.  But my point here isn’t to show how difficult my life has been, it is to highlight where I am now.  I have been at various “breaking points” in my life.  I would love to list them here for you but I would rather talk about the opposite…my “building points”

My building points always begin and end with Dan.  I can’t even begin to tell you all that he has helped me through.  He is my number one builder.  He has sacrificed so much to protect me, to strengthen me, and to make my life easier.  Thank you darling for being there through it all.  It is because of him that I am in such a wonderful place now.  Last year Dan decided he wanted to make a change.  He ordered P90X  from Beachbody and committed to working out.  Tony Horton’s program is truly amazing.  Because of his commitment our entire family has become healthier and fit.  I have come a long ways thanks to the benefit of exercise and Shakeology.  I now get the nutrition I need to move forward.  Are you caught in your breaking point or are you striving to get past it?  Either way, just keep moving forward and the point will turn from a “breaking” to a “building”!

I’m giving it all I’ve got, Captain!

I just finished my workout..P90X Shoulders and Arms with my 11 yr old son..and I must say it was not my best by all means.  It was difficult to focus, to actually get the burn I know I needed. I wasn’t slacking, I was hitting it hard but I just didn’t feel right.   I finished the workout, so did my son, but I left the workout room feeling a little low.  By the time I finished mixing my Shakeology I realized that I had no reason to feel bad.  In fact I should be proud of the fact that I showed up and gave it my all. 

I was reminded of something Dan told me when I first started this journey with Beachbody and P90X.  I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to push myself hard enough because of my MS.  He told me that I won every time I put that disc in the machine and pushed play.  He was right but I still doubted myself.  I then thought of a Bible lesson I remembered from church referring to giving.  In this verse Jesus had observed a crowd placing their offerings in boxes in a temple.  Many rich people threw in large amounts but a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins.  These coins were worth less than a penny by today’s standards but Jesus saw what she had done.  He then taught that she in fact had put more in the box than any other person in the temple that day.  Not because it was worth so much, but it was all she had, and she gave it all.

I want to be that widow when it comes to every aspect of my life, but I focus on that whenever I start my workout.  I give it everything I have.  I may not feel the best, but I always show up and give it my all.  I encourage you to do the same.

 

PoundPuncher Bracelet

 I added a link featuring our friend Kelley Davis’s amazing invention to help keep you focused on your weight loss journey.  She has lost over 70lbs herself using her PoundPuncher bracelet to inspire her and to give her the motivation to keep going.   Congratulations to you and thanks for sharing Kelley!  Check it out :)

Stress..and ramblings...:)

Dealing with stress is a daily struggle with me.  My body doesn't react well to stressful situations, of course I'm not sure if that is unique to me because of my MS  or because I am a female. :)  Anyway, I noticed this week as I tried to bulldoze my way through receipts, expense reports, etc during my annual tax deliberation that I was feeling the old stress overload happen again.  The tightness in the shoulders, the familiar aches and pains creeping into my body and the pain in my lower back hurting with a vengeance and I began to feel a bit dismayed.  I thought that I was completely over those feelings.  I mean..I finished P90X for goodness sakes!  I should be able to handle anything, right?  I then realized that these aches had nothing to do with my MS, or my current state of nutrition or fitness, it had everything to do with how I was allowing some outside force dictate how I was feeling.  I was feeling stress over something I had no control over.  Can I avoid paying taxes?  I wish, but alas, I can't.  So why let it give me stress?  I put my foot down and told myself in the infamous words of my dear friend Anne Dovel...Stop it!!  Then, when I finished laughing at that comment I realized that stopping a familiar cycle is the hardest habit to break.

We all have cycles we follow.  I fold my bath towels a certain way because that is the way I was taught when I was young.  That is a cycle..a learned behavior.  This can apply to so many aspects of our lives from our fitness regimen, the types of foods we eat,  to yes...how we react to certain situations.  I learned at an early age that tax time was a very stressful time and I have allowed that cycle to cause me undue stress for years by choosing to continue that cycle of thought.  Think about parts of your life that cause some innate reaction either good or bad and you can probably trace it to a certain part of your life that held significance to you.  The big question is whether to keep that cycle going or to make the choice to stop it once and for all.  I do not want my children to view this time of year with even a smidgen of anxiety because of my actions.  So for my sake..my body's sake and my children's future I say in a loud voice ....Stop it!!

Take some time to assess your life.  Do you have "excuses" pop in your head for no apparent reason?  Then take the time to truly assess that thought process and decide if it is something that you want to allow to continue.  You have the power to control how you think..it isn't easy, but it can be done.   How do you choose to think?  Are you a follower, or are you someone who can take charge of your life and your thoughts?  These are the questions I ask myself, and I'm pretty sure I'm leaning towards taking life by the horns and kicking it in the rear!