Motivation, do you have it? Do you need it?

We are quickly approaching the end of 2010, which brings up thoughts of New Year Resolutions.  Are you going to make serious changes this year?  If so, what motivates you?  If you thought you couldn’t fail, what would you do?  If you had someone beside you every step of the way, would you be successful? 

Very important questions.  I have asked and been asked these questions at different times in my life and strangely enough, I’ve had different answers every time.  Why?  Because each time I was asked these questions I was at a different place in my life.  The first time I was asked about my motivation, I could pinpoint a person that was my inspiration and my motivation.  I pushed myself to succeed because I thought I had to measure up in some way to another person’s ideal.  I now realize it is my responsibility  if I succeed or if I fail.  I need to own my life decisions. This takes a serious mind shift.

Jim Rohn's quote immediately came to mind while I was typing this.

 “The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, 'I wish someone would come by and turn me on.' What if they don't show up? You've got to have a better plan for your life.”

 If you continue to depend on an outside source to push you, to motivate you, success might come your way. However, if that source didn’t show up one day, what would you do?  Could you continue to succeed?  Or would you fail because you didn’t have it in yourself to push you to the next level?  It boils down to how bad YOU want it.  I have to revisit my reason for succeeding every day.  Sometimes I listen to myself and other times I don’t.

Where are you in your life right now?  I’m taking a very hard look at myself right now and realizing the person I have failed is myself.  I want to be transparent with you.  I do not have it all figured out, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other metaphorically speaking.  I have, at times, become lackadaisical in my daily workout regime and my eats could always be much better.  I am a sugar addict.  Whenever I feel stressed, I immediately reach for sugar. I own that, don’t like it, but it is my methodology.  I know now because of these many months of P90X that my body becomes stressed because I haven’t been doing the things I need to do to take care of myself.  I choose food that doesn't support my body,  I choose to skip a workout, I forget to work on my personal development, etc.  This is a vicious cycle that I don’t want to continue.  I need to step it up and focus! 

Here I go...moving forward with a renewed sense of commitment. Care to join me?  Is it your time right now?  Do you have a plan for your life?  If you don't, let me know, perhaps we can work on it together.  Dream BIG my friends, how else will you know how beautiful and satisfying 2011 will be!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)

It's Go Time!!

This marked the first week of the new school year, and while I wasn’t truly looking forward to school I’m glad it is here.  Glad because it has forced me to look at where I am at this moment.  I have discovered something that doesn’t make me entirely happy.

I was comfortable over the summer.  I relaxed, enjoyed my family time, focused on our Beachbody business, and life was good.  Good in a VERY relaxed, lackadaisical sort of way.   Now in retrospect I should have approached my summer a bit differently.  Instead of seeing it as strictly a “vacation” I should have seen it as an “off season”. 

When professional athletes are not competing they don’t just stop whatever they are doing and begin eating Krispy Kremes for every meal.  They continue their conditioning and their nutrition so that when game time arrives or training camp begins they are in shape so that they can perform to their highest level.  Why wasn’t I in that same mindset?  Can you tell I’m in football mode now? LOL.

 Anyway, I’m not saying that I’m an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I do want my body to continue to function at the level that I have  grown to like.  It didn’t get that way by eating a bag of coconut M&M’s everyday or just going through the motions of my workouts.  I did it by committing to myself...committing to changing my habits to include regular strenuous exercise (P90X) and healthy nutrition.  That is exactly what I am doing again. I just finished a 3 day Shakeology jumpstart, losing 7 lbs and most of my cravings.  I am following my schedule, I’m tracking my food intake, and I’m being disciplined in every aspect of my Beachbody experience..whether that be coaching, training, or in my daily accountability.  Please join me in this quest to be consistent and healthy not just for myself but also for my entire family.  That is the reason we started and that is the reason I continue.

How do you react?

Say the right words, Read the right books, Listen to the right tapes, Be with the right people, Do the right things, Pray the right prayer.  We all worry that we aren’t enough or aren’t doing enough to be successful.  What do you do to tip the balance in your favor?  Do you keep moving forward or allow life to stop you in your tracks?

Struggles..they are what defines us.  When faced with something that seems insurmountable, how do you respond?  I don’t know about you, but I never plan out how I react to situations, it just seems to happen.  Like the other day for instance. I was being very specific in what I needed to accomplish, highly motivated to take on the mountain of to do’s I had written down.  The boys were going to be off getting some awesome “boy time” outside playing baseball so I had the house to myself.  I was excited because my house was quiet and I just knew I would be very productive!

 I accidentally knocked my insulated coffee mug off of my desk with the lid open and it began to spill on my hardwood floors.  I bent down so I could pick it up, accidentally knocked it under my wheelchair as I am parked at my desk.  I couldn’t get up unless I moved my wheelchair from the desk so I had to roll backwards and thus dragging my coffee cup with me spilling coffee all the while.  I did not react well.  I was angry at the weakness being shown in myself.  I ranted and raved, talking very disparaging about my MS I must admit.  I did finally calm down and became the rational person I am usually.

I managed to set the cup upright but not before I had coffee all over my floor.  I couldn’t use my wheelchair to get rags because it would have had to roll through the spill, so I had to walk.  If you have ever seen me walk it is a slow process, considering I wasn’t even able to stand until I started P90X and Shakeology this is a huge step for me..literally!  I didn’t have a cane, walker, or even an able bodied person to help me so I had to use walls to keep me balanced and upright.  I did it..admittedly it wasn’t pretty but I succeeded in doing something incredibly basic and it was a triumph for me.  You see until Dan and I changed our lives if I had to do something like that it would have been impossible.  In fact, I remember one time falling and having to army crawl somewhere just 10 feet away and it taking 30 minutes.  This little speed bum took me less than 10 minutes to clean up.  I felt incredibly victorious!

I share this with you because I wanted you to see that struggles come in all shapes and sizes.  Some struggles are HUGE and life threatening, but struggles also come in little things like spilled coffee.  You will continually face things in life that will either set you back or will strengthen you.  I spent several years letting little and big struggles beat me down.  I refuse to do that anymore!  I am in control of my life and how I respond to the things going on around me are a direct reflection of that mindset.  I encourage you to be in control of your current struggles, whatever they might be.  It all begins with you!

How is your workouts going?

Are you committed to a workout program?  Any workout program..it doesn't have to be P90X!

One of my all time favorite blogs to follow is Steve Edwards ( http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com )  He never ceases to enlighten and encourage me when it comes to how my body works.   In this post he is specifically talking about Beachbody programs.  I love that he is simply telling people that it doesn’t matter which program from Beachbody you choose, they all work. 

I laugh because before I had to deal with the issue of my MS I was a very active person..I did aerobics, I walked, I jogged, I played sports, etc. and I have to admit I was a bit of a fitness snob!  I was convinced that the exercise I chose at the time I was doing it was the ONLY thing that would work.  Steve does an excellent job of mentioning that each program is tailored to a person’s interests  and likes. 

All of the programs work...I have seen that in my little circle!  The difference with these programs versus the workouts I used to do, is that we at Beachbody have thought of everything to help you succeed.  The exercise programs are top notch, our nutritionals ( ahem..Shakeology!) are world class, and we have a tremendous online community to support you the entire time!  Between Dan, myself,my inlaws, my sister, and our friends, we have used over 9 different programs and we have all lost weight and gained energy!  Over 250 lbs in the last year!  So don’t get hung up on doing a specific program because your friend is doing it, pick one that interests you.  Commit to the nutrition plan and the schedule that comes with the program and you will see success!  Besides, you will have an entire network of Beachbody friends like Dan and myself to help you every step of the way!  You are the next transformation winner, I can feel it! :)

New Workout Programs from Beachbody!

Beachbody isn't just about P90X and Tony Horton..we have more!  I wanted to talk about two wonderful workout programs from Beachbody coming out soon.  The end of May, Body Gospel will be making it's debut and Beachbody is pulling out all the stops.  A worldclass workout filmed in front of a full choir and Donna Richardson Joyner leading real people to work out . This will also have the standard nutrition guide as well as a daily devotional to help you stay motivated and on track with your nutrition. 

The second is TURBO FIRE!  This is the next in line following Turbo Jam and it is fantastic!  I had the privilege of working out to this at Summit with Chalene Johnson and it was amazing!  This workout is High Intensity Interval Training and is designed to burn more fat than strict cardio based programs.  I posted a preview at the bottom of this page so you will have to check it out.  This will be something you have to try to believe!

Hope you all have a great day! :)

Who takes care of you?

Too many of us become overwhelmed, stop taking care of ourselves and expect others to step in and do it for us. This is what led me to begin my downward spiral before Dan found Beachbody. I didn’t think I was of any value to others, I felt that I wasn’t able to take care of myself or my children and I found it easier for others to do it for me. I became dependent on others to motivate me, I found myself feeling unworthy. Sounds pretty depressing doesn't it..exactly.  Depression was a constant in my life just 14 months ago.  So how did I take the steps to change that? I got moving!


It doesn’t matter what you choose to do as long as you are doing something. Go for a quick walk, jog in place in your living room, do jumping jacks, or like me sit in your chair and move your arms! Get your blood pumping!
I chose to do P90X because my husband was doing it and it looked like fun. We modified the program to fit my ability.  Just becoming active changed my perspective because it gave me a feeling of accomplishment. If you are feeling lost in the shuffle of life, exercise can help with that! There are several articles that discuss the benefits of exercise when dealing with depression. I didn’t want to hear about that when I was drowning in my own issues but now I see that it truly helped. It was the catalyst to turning my life around. By getting my body moving again with P90X then adding the superior nutrients in Shakeology, I found myself again. I became the person I wanted to be, not the one that MS was forcing me to become. That was a year ago, and our family life is completely different.  I am finally feel like I am worthy of being taken care of by the most important person in my life...me!  I still have Multiple Sclerosis, but it doesn’t have me.


Suffer from depression? http://bit.ly/boDhM4

WOW!!!

What a weekend!!!!

I am brimming over with excitement today. This past weekend was Beachbody’s annual Summit. If you are on facebook you will have seen that I was the female GRAND PRIZE WINNER! I wanted to write something profound today, so here I sit in front of my computer racking my brain for something meaningful to say that will convey exactly how I am feeling. I’m thinking…I’m thinking….still thinking….okay here goes…

THANK YOU

That is the most profound thought in my head right now. As I was immersed into the Summit experience with over 1100 people who have been touched in someway by Beachbody, whether that be as a customer who changed their fitness level or by the struggling single mom who is using her Beachbody business to pay her bills, I was in awe of the positive, loving spirits that surrounded me. From the very first day Dan and I arrived at our hotel I was immediately touched. As soon as we pushed through the doors, we were approached by two beautiful women who had flown from the Netherlands to tell me how I had inspired them. My heart began to swell..as well as tears..to see how much love was in their eyes. I had never personally spoken to them before that moment, but in that first meeting, I felt full of awe and my heart began to swell.

It continued from there. I heard wonderful, amazing stories from so many that said learning about my struggles and how I pushed through them had changed or inspired them to do the same in their own lives. We would hug, and I would even cry a few happy tears, and my heart would swell a little more. Then I would talk to someone who either had MS or knew of someone with MS. We would talk of ways to encourage and support each other and their loved ones. I saw people who were involved in MS Society events like walks, bike rides, and volunteering their support and my heart would again swell.

I felt that love with every conversation, every smile, and every hug until I thought my heart would burst. I loved the stories of people helping people through their trials. We were bombarded with positive energy from all angles. Each and every person there was a survivor in some amazing fashion and I felt so honored and humbled to be on that stage in the end. That is the reason for my “profound” statement in the beginning…I again say from the bottom of my heart..

THANK YOU

Because while you were telling me of how I inspired you and how amazing you found my story, I was thinking the same about each and every one of you. Lives were changed this weekend in the most beautiful way possible. You can be a part of that. You have a story..you can change peoples lives, you can make a difference. My only hope is that every person that reads this can feel my love because I am sending it straight to you. 