Mini-goal - Week 3

Week 1 mini-goal - 3 days of 30 minutes steady state cardio - check!
Week 2 mini-goal - Make one fabulous meal at least every other week - check!

So this is the third week of mini-goals and I've decided to pick my first goal in my list which is

Strength training 3 times per week - may include a class like TRX or some kind of circuit class

So far I'm right on track. Last week I kind of had to push to get in my 3 days of cardio since I wasn't in town on Monday or Tuesday. I wanted to count my hike from Monday as my workout but I wasn't sure if that counted so I didn't count it. Wednesday was really hot here and I went skating. I was really pushing it and then my wheel on my blades broke. I guess it was a little worn out. It was actually kind of funny when it happened. Oh! And I had forgotten my ipod as well. Not really the best workout but I got it done nonetheless! Yeah for me!

One change I may make is 2 days of 30 minutes steady state and 1 day of HIIT. I kind of miss HIIT. I'll keep you posted how my week goes. Can't wait to do some serious weights. I think I'm actually motivated for that! Another great thing. BRING IT ON!!!

Random knowledge of the week: I don't know why I didn't know this but I didn't realize that daylight savings always ends the first Sunday in November and starts the second Sunday in March. Always! Did you know that? Am I the last to know? It will certainly be easier to remember now when it is! Not that it makes me happy. I dislike it VERY much!

Here's to another great week. Hope all of you are doing very well.

Quick! Tell me the last compliment you received!

And now tell me the last criticism you received!

Which was easier to recall? My guess is going to be the criticism. Why is that?!? Our minds are so good at remembering the bad, the negative, what you did wrong, how you messed up, etc. etc. It's so hard to train your brain to remember the good, the compliments, the hugs, the high fives. So so hard! So today, do yourself a favor. Pat yourself on the back and remember at least one compliment or one hug that meant the world to you. Or one kind thing that someone said that helped you out of a "black hole" and made it "all better." Or a smile or comment that took you by surprise and lifted you up.

There are some things that I have heard in my life that I tend to forget. And they should be things that I repeat to myself often. Yet I don't. And when I do I feel so much better about myself, knowing I'm making a positive impact on this world, even if it's just in one tiny little corner. Yep, that's what it's all about. Who are you impacting positively? And what are you giving them? What are they giving you? Goodness abounds in your life so it's up to you to decide how much goodness to keep in your heart and how much bad to let go.

I don't know about you but I really would rather remember the good, forget the bad. So I'm going to try to do that more. Life is going to have its challenges, its ups and downs but the more time you're up, the less time you have to be down. So anyone care to join me on a "remember the good" journey? Come on...it will be fun! Just think of all the great things people say about you and it will lift your spirits. Come on...whatcha got? Here are a few of my favorites:

• "You're the best aunt ever."
• "It takes very little to make you happy."
• "You are so generous."
• "You are a great friend."
• Some words that have been used to describe me: generous, kind, playful, up for anything, funny, fun, thoughtful, caring, giving, happy, cute
• "Thank you for being there for me." 
• "You're very strong."

These are just a few.  Go ahead. Toot your own horn. Remember the good. Forget the bad! Life is too short, too precious, and too wonderful to hold on to all that negativity. Let it go! Don't doubt yourself, your actions or your methods. Do the best you can with the knowledge you have. Trip, fall down and then get back up. And when you review your journey, remember the lessons, forget the pain. Remember the compliments and all the positives. Set your journey on an upward trajectory. Remembering the good can't hurt, right?

Remember the good!!!!

This is my biggest goal as I head into my 45th year of my life! Join me if you dare!!! :-)

What's your excuse? You ready to let it go?

So I read this article written by Kellie Davis at motherfitness.com the other day and it struck a nerve with me! Love it when that happens when you read an article! This quote in particular really struck a chord!

"I know this guilt disguised by excuse so well because I used it every single day for years."

This is me, has been me for a few months now. I know I've talked about metabolic damage, about how I just keep gaining weight and I'm just not in the mood to track my food, or workout like I used to (pre-competition), don't want to eat vegetables, want to eat what I want, etc. All of these things are true. But they truly are EXCUSES! At some point, I just have to suck it up! And guess what? The time has come. Yes, I believe I have some metabolic damage and yes, I believe it will take some amount of time to work through that. Absolutely! However, in the meantime, it really can't be my excuse for eating french fries on probably a weekly basis or going out to eat often and overindulging each time I do. Nope, I can't do that anymore. So it's time to tighten up the reins.

I don't need excuses or willpower. Nope...what I need is a PLAN! I've been free-falling for a while now and I think I'm okay with not doing that for a while. Until I at least like the way I feel, until I feel healthy again. Right now I'm carrying too much excess weight for me. I feel fluffy and out of shape. In case you aren't sure, these aren't feelings I ENJOY having! Haha!

I don't want to be drastic in my changes since I most likely won't stick to them all if I do them all at once. So I will be implementing these slowly. I'm not doing Donloree's 12 weeks of Fitmas but it's going to be something similar to that for me. These are in no particular order.
1) Weight workout 3 times per week - may include a class like TRX or Leanin' Up which is like a circuit class
2) Steady-state cardio (minimum of 30 minutes) 3 times a week - this actually has more to do with me needing to increase my cardiovascular strength than for any "weight loss" reason
3) Tighten up my food - eat homemade food for almost all meals, maybe go out once or twice a week and then eat "right", meaning no binge eating or eating everything on my plate just because I'm out to eat
4) Cook more meals (dinners in particular)
5) Add in more vegetables, either as smoothies or soup if the actual veggies don't sound appealing.
6) Don't mindlessly eat. Don't eat out of boredom or because it's just "what I do now".
7) Move more. Make sure I'm not sitting on my buttocks in front of the TV/computer/ipod touch every night. Once a week okay...but every night? NOT okay!
8) Be in bed by 10:30pm. That means not getting ready to get in bed. This means in bed, jammies on, teeth brushed and flossed, in bed...book in hand!
9) Foam roll every day.
10) Cook a "fabulous" meal at least once every other week!
11) Make a new recipe once a week
12) Enjoy my meals and workouts and give thanks for both daily!

So, there you have 12 weeks of new goals! Yes, again having a plan is key and having some baby steps to getting there is even more important. I will add one of these each week until Christmas since it's exactly 12 weeks from today. I think I'll be feeling pretty good by Christmas.

This week's goal then will be #2! Steady-state cardio 3 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time.

I guess I'm getting up off the ground (or the couch at least) and moving forward with a plan, a winning mindset, determination, and gratitude. Does that just about cover it? I think so! Anyone care to add anything? Anything you do/say/feel to help yourself stay on track? Any other ideas for mini-goals along my journey to have "better health"? Would love to hear about them! Hope your weekend is grand!

I took my knee out for a test drive today.

And it did fairly well. I did just body weight glutes and hammies. There were a couple of things I did that felt a little weird. And I was going to do step ups but I think there is something about that exercise that I'm not doing right. I don't think my knee tracks over my foot. I actually think that's how I originally hurt it but then I forgot about it until today. I'm pretty sure that was the original injury. See...the good thing about getting older is your memory isn't as good so you can't really remember why/how/when you hurt yourself originally! Isn't that awesome?!? LOL!

Meals today:
1) Pre-workout: Matcha shake w/ 1 scoop protein powder and 1/4 cup oats; also glutamine and BCAAs
2) Post-workout: 1/2 cup Voskos Greek yogurt w/ 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, 1 t instant decaf coffee, 2 T pecans, 1/2 packet stevia, 1/4 cup oatmeal - yummy wow-wow!
3) 3 egg whites, 2 eggs (yeah, I was having an egg-cracking problem - don't ask), 1/4 cup oatmeal, 1/2 apple w/ 1 T peanut butter
4)1 slice of Iris's turkey/chard roll-up (very yummy with homemade tomato sauce...yum!), 1/2 tilapia fillet, 1/2 cup brown rice
5)1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 apple
6) Half batch of Protein Oatmeal Cookies!!!! WAHOO!!! SOOOOOOO TASTY!!!
7) Still to come...mighty green smoothie (I need some veggies!)

Why the defeated mindset? Does it ever surprise you how quickly you can go from being highly motivated to being quite defeated? Are we so used to being told that we can't do something that after 40+ years you actually believe you can't? If you read my post from yesterday you know I'm highly motivated for 2 major...MAJOR goals. Well, in researching one of them already today, I started asking myself: What am I doing? I can't do that. I've never been good at that. Who am I kidding? But I guess the good thing is that I didn't let that stop me. I decided that plenty of other people have done it so why not me? Yes it may be harder for me and yes, it will be a challenge. But what is life if not for challenge? So I will forge ahead and go with my general plan and see what happens. I can only shoot for my dream and you never know what might happen along the way!  As long as I'm headed in the right direction then I'm doing something. And as long as I'm going in the direction with the best of my abilities and pushing myself past what I think is possible then I'm succeeding. That's all there is to it.

Just wrote up the Protein Oatmeal Cookie recipe. Oh, these are good...really really good. I LOVE them! I might eat them every day for every meal! Okay...kidding! Just kidding! But they are THAT good! I also made some of my Orange Cranberry Cereal Bars. Yep! Danger! Watch out! Tasty treats all around me. Can I be in control? Yes, yes I can!

Hope your week is off to a great start! Here's to another great week and moving closer and closer to those goals we keep setting for ourselves! YES! We've got this, right? RIGHT!

Watch out world! Here I come!

Yesterday was my first day back in the gym in over a week. So Erin, you might be asking, how did it feel? And the answer, my friends, is GREAT! It felt great to be back in the gym. I had to control myself and not overdo it. It just felt good to be in the zone, make my body do what it can do. To understand that I have control over how and what I want to improve and how I will be getting there.

I also just finished reading Apolo's book Zero Regrets (in just 3 days!) and I'm now highly motivated. I know what I want and I'm going to go get it! I will do all I can to become the person I really want to be. I have more direction now than I have in a long time. Probably since I decided I would do a figure competition, about 19 months ago. I have two very main goals in mind and I have to do some research to see how exactly to make sure those come to fruition. One may not be possible and I probably won't know for for sure until the end of this year. But the other one is definitely possible and it's just a matter of finding the path that will get me to that destination. It's just awesome! I feel the fire in my belly and I can't wait to get started. I'm sorry not to share my goals with you but I don't want outside opinions to douse my inner fire. I'm sure you all understand. But believe me, as my dreams/goals shape into realities you will most certainly be made aware of them and learn my battles/struggles and accomplishments/successes along the way.

As I was reading the book I kept thinking about why recently I haven't had the motivation that I had during my contest prep and then it became abundantly clear to me that I didn't have big enough goals for myself. I didn't have anything that was scaring the hell out of me and exciting me at the same time. I think without that fear that I, personally, don't have the motivation necessary. I want to be able to say that I have done all I can to reach my goals no matter what. I'm sure I will trip, stumble, and fall but I'll get up again, learn many things along the way about myself, others and life in general. I have fear of my goals and that is PERFECT! I can't imagine a better way to live. It's the reason I had a highly successful contest prep. It didn't matter how I placed, my goal was to get to the stage and do my first figure competition ever at the age of 43. My goal was to push myself physically into a state I never had before. I now know that if I can do that at 43 there are many more things I can do. Absolutely! No doubt about it!

As I get older, I tend to limit myself thinking that I can't start a career path at this age! That's insane. What if it doesn't work? What if I don't succeed? What about how much older I'll be if I go to school or spend that time getting a certification, education? I'll be how old?!? Nearing 50? And just starting a new career? What am I thinking? And what about the money? How is THAT going to work out? But not any more! Now I must think that I will and can and I have to find the path to do it. So with all that fuel I am going to find a way to make MY dreams come true, to make MY life the absolute best I can make it so that when I get to the end of my life I can say that I did the best I could. I made the best life possible for ME with the tools I had and the will only I possess! It's up to me. No more sitting on my laurels. It's MY TIME!!!

So like I titled this post, watch out world because here I come! The new and improved Erin! The person I was destined to be is starting to take shape right now...right here! You'll see and hopefully I will only serve as inspiration to those that want to chase their dreams regardless of their age!

“The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” 

~Mark Twain

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ~Henry Ford

WHOLE BODY PLAN

First of all, let me just say thanks to those of you that frequently read my blog. Secondly, I definitely appreciate the comments and LOVE it when you write on my posts!! It makes me so happy! I decided I'm just going to respond to the comments from yesterday's post here since I realized in writing the responses that these were probably things that people might want to read:

Karatenurse had this to say: 

As I get closer to stepping on stage, I have started mapping out my post competition plan. So, far my plan is to have one day of cheat meals and then Monday morning I am back on clean eating. Since my trainer has me carb cycling, my new "normal" will be my medium carb days. Would something like that work for you? Since you find comfort in your comp prep diet, could you go back to it? This is my first time through, so I am really pretty clueless. Like I said, I am making a PLAN but have no idea what it is going to feel like when it is actually the week after and it's time to put my PLAN into motion! Keep posting your feelings about this! I'm reading!!

My response: Yes having a post-comp PLAN is definitely key. To be honest I was just fine for about 5-6 months following my comp and since then it has become increasingly difficult but I think I’m getting back on track. As for my prep diet, I can’t really go back to it because I’ve completely changed my workout routine so now my calorie needs have changed. I also want more fat in my diet since that is definitely something that I could feel my body was missing during contest prep. 

Meaghan wrote this: 

I just brought that topic up last night with my fiance, about eating after a competition. Saturday will be my 6th competition, but the previous years I didn't make a plan and I just ate whatever. Not right away though, I actually didn't even know what to eat because I forgot what typical people ate. But I soon remembered, but my weight bounced back. I have my wedding 2 months after my show, so I don't have an option to do that this time, nor do I want to. I am slowly going to bring foods back into my diet, but the first two weeks after my competition I will be eating my competition diet and will slowly add carbs back into meals and variety as time passes. My body is so used to a caloric deficit that if I give it too much it will store it for fat. I know what you are going through...it is hard and it is hard for people who don't compete to understand it. My only suggestion would be to make a plan/schedule...I say that because I love living off schedules and it helps me stay on track with everything in my life. Maybe it will help :)

My response: Thanks so much Meaghan! Ooh, congratulations on your impending wedding! That’s so exciting! I wonder if your carbs were missing entirely or if you were just having very few carbs. I think one of the things that is hard for me is that I was at my stage weight for basically 8 weeks or so of my contest prep. So I was at that weight for a long time so now it’s hard to remember what it feels like to be a woman with some fat on me. Still to most I’m sure I look fairly lean but you know how your mind plays tricks on you once you’ve been super lean! Having your wedding 2 months after your comp will definitely help you stay on track. Yes, having a plan/schedule will definitely help me so I’m working on that and I’ll definitely let you know what it is. Thanks for your input!

And finally Lisa had this to say:

OH Erin I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. I'm a mess with food. Okay, I'm eating better and more clean right now but I'm still lost when I don't have a plan. After my comp I told myself I'd only "cheat" for two days and then get right back on things.Yea right. My mind and body had different plans. Not being able to eat that yummy stuff for so long I binged and I binged like a champ. I didn't gain too much, 10lbs max but that's because I was still working hard at the gym. took me about a month to get it together and now I'm on track again but it's tough. I agree with how comp is so different! I'm trying to get myself to think of what I want or don't want to eat, not what I can or can't have. You know? Hey, at least we understand this about ourselves =)

My response: Lisa, hahaha…a mess with food! Yes, exactly! You know exactly how I feel! Such a good point about what you do and don’t want to eat vs. can and can’t have! Love that point. Yes, we know this. I know it’s just another challenge but for me it’s difficult. Life was much more blissful when I was just a foodie and had the girth to show for it!!! Now I have to be a little fit foodie and that’s a tough one! Thanks again for commenting!

So again, thank you all for what you write and/or say to me. I have so much support and it really helps out in this world to have that support, both virtual and actual. So...THANK YOU to each and every one of you for your continued support as I make my way through this jungle of life!

I've thought some more about what I wrote and what responses I got. The basic theme is to have a plan and I agree with that. But I want it to be a fairly loose plan and include not just my food and workouts but also things for my mind so I've come up with this. Are you ready? 

MEALS:  

5-6 meals per day or more like 3 meals and 2-3 "snacks" - Click this link for ALL the foods that I CAN eat!!

2 "refuel" meals each week to be taken whenever I'm in the mood for them - unlimited fun but watch the quantity - My refuel motto has to be this: "Enjoy every single bite but don't overdo it."

WORKOUTS:  

3-5 days per week of heavy weight training 

Ab work about 3-4 days per week added on to training days

Circuit or HIIT workout 2-3 times per week for 10-20 minutes

MIND:
Walk or stroll 3-4 times a week
Meditate 5 minutes daily
Read (for pleasure) 20 minutes or so a day
Unplug for 10 minutes a day

Recovery Rate...

Hmmm...is it just me or do you sometimes take DAYS for recovery? There are a few reasons I could think of for this: 1) I'm lifting heavier and harder; 2) I'm not sleeping enough or well enough; 3) I'm not eating right or 4) I'm getting older. At any rate my body doesn't seem to be recovering as fast as usual. At any rate, I really think I need to focus on getting the right amount of good sleep at night. No more of these 6-hour nights. That's just not enough for me. If only I were young again and could easily go on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Not anymore!

Last night, for example, I was in bed early! Asleep by 9:45 or so but when my alarm went off this morning I was dragging. Of course I didn't sleep well and I remember tossing and turning a lot! So I got up and got my first meal going with the plan to hit the gym. But after I ate I decided I was way too tired and I just had to go back to bed. So I did. And I slept and woke up feeling "right" which is not how I originally woke up!

Since I've been eating right this week, that couldn't be the problem. There's a lot of construction going on outside at night though and I think that just disturbs my sleep. I just need to make a conscious effort though to "shut down" earlier at night. If that means not watching some of my shows then that's what it means. I can always record them and watch them the next day earlier in the evening. So my mini-goal for next week is all electronic items need to be off (and stowed away...lol!) by 9pm. That will give my mind and eyes time to rest before sleeping. Can I do it? You bet!

So no workout yesterday and possibly not one today either although I may go for a walk later. My body's tired though and I feel it. I would rather rest today and have a kick ass workout tomorrow than work out today and feel too tired tomorrow for an awesome workout! I guess I just want to make my workouts count and not just do them because I feel like I "should" or it was on my schedule.

I'll keep you posted. Hope you are all having a great Friday and Happy Good Friday to all of you that participate in that!

Did I say 9? I meant 9:30.

Apparently when I set my mini-goal this week to be in bed by 9, I must have meant 9:30. At any rate it's a heck of a lot earlier than the 10:30/11:00 bedtime I was doing so I still feel good. I've been in bed by 9:30 every night. Sometimes at 9:15 and other times at 9:30. It's a step in the right direction.

I got up this morning and did fasted cardio. My hamstring is still healing but feels much better. I just have to keep icing and rolling and I will be fine. It doesn't hurt really to do anything but to stretch it. That's the only time it really hurts so I just have to be careful. I warm up more than usual and definitely stretch when I'm done.

Today starts another challenge. My ex-coach Gina is having a 21-day challenge. I am participating in the challenge by meditating for a minimum of 5 minutes daily. Yes, this will be a challenge for me but I look forward to it. I did my first meditation tonight when I got home from work. I set my timer for 5 minutes. But when that was up it seemed like it had gone so fast and I enjoyed it so much that I did another 10! Woot woot!!! Look at me go!

This morning I did fasted cardio - 30 minutes stepmill and 10 minutes on the incline treadmill walking. This was all rather challenging since my asthma was kicking in a little. Luckily for me it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I didn't have to take my inhaler but later in the day I did have to take some Claritin. I love this weather but when things start to bloom it's death to me and my sinuses. So sad.

I got to the gym early and left early, leaving me enough time to throw together lunch (and dinner) before I went to work. I'll post my recipe for Quick Italian Ground Beef Stew shortly. It's delicious. For lunch I just ate it with some Farro mixed in it. For dinner I'm putting it over spaghetti squash. Yummy and yummy! I would say it probably took me no more than 10 minutes to throw it in the crockpot. At lunch it was done but the celery and onions were still a little crispy so I left it for a few more hours while I went back to work. Quick and easy...gotta love it!!

Tomorrow I'll be doing weights again. I kind of feel lost since I'm only doing glutes and hammies once a week right now while I'm healing! Very weird to be excited about doing weights. It took me a long time in my life to get to this stage - to actually miss doing weights and get excited to lift again! How funny is that!

Not that I'm very excited about it but since the time change starts this weekend, the great thing is that I can work out after work at the beach or do the stairs or rollerblade!!!! I CANNOT wait!!! Wahoo! But don't like getting up in darkness again or still! Oh well, such is life! 

Goodnight all y'all! Ha ha ha!! Here comes Friday! Get excited!

Monday is here and I couldn't be more excited!!

You know, some days you're on and others you're off...way off! Well, guess what today is? IT'S AN ON DAY!!! Wahoo! So I have so far made the most of it. Yep, I sure have. I was up BEFORE my alarm at about 4:55 or so. I got up and made food - oatmeal, egg whites and strawberries! Yummy! And then it was off to the gym for an AWESOME shoulder and upper chest workout. Yes, things were going well. Start with the right mindset and you will go places, right?

I am happy to report that I've been putting in a little extra effort to my workouts and nutrition and they're paying off. My weight was up a little so I need to get it under control. I've been much better about my food, keeping it clean and only having my 2 refuels in a week. It's perfect! I'm feeling much better and I'm sure the progress will be slow but slow progress is definitely better than no progress.

My focus for this week is early bedtime!! Yes, absolutely! I've been saying that for a while now but this week I really am going to do it, hold myself accountable and make it there. 9:00 bedtime for me this week. I always read or something before I sleep so if I'm in bed at 9 then I can be sleeping by 9:30 and that leaves plenty of time for me to get a good 8 hours or so! Yes, sometimes I wish I were younger because back then I just didn't need as much sleep. But now I do. I hate to admit it but I do. I feel better in every way when I sleep more.

Do you have a mini-goal for the week? Set one today and stick to it every day. Let's do it together. It's always more fun with company!

I'll be posting a shrimp recipe later that's very easy and very tasty. I made it for dinner last night. Yummy!

Have a great Monday! We are going for it this week! WAHOOOOOO!!!!!!

Well, hello there MARCH!!

MARCH 1ST, 2011! WOW! Where DOES the time go?

Time to reassess again, right? I know it is for me. Am I on track with my goals? Am I sticking to my plan? If not, why not? What can I do differently? Do I need to change my goals to fit me and my lifestyle better? Are some goals not as important? What is my priority? Do I have a plan for that? What did I learn last month? Do you ask yourself these kinds of questions?

I do. It's funny because for most of my life I didn't plan. I wasn't good at planning so this whole planning and goal setting and achieving is fairly new to me. So often I find it challenging. But I persevere and learn more and more about goals, setting them, and achieving them. Along with this comes many lessons and learning more and more about myself. Some lessons are harder than others and some are harder to learn than others. I also now have learned what it feels like to truly succeed at something you really put your mind to. This is something I really needed to learn. It motivates me to make more goals and plan the steps needed to get there. And most importantly it motivates me to take action. I was more scared before of FAILING. Ooh, such a scary word! I didn't want to try for something unless I was going to ace it and do it perfectly. Boy! I'm way past that now. Perfection isn't something I strive for at all. Excellence, yes but perfection? NO!

One of my goals right now is to improve my backside, meaning the booty and glutes! With that being said I set myself on a mission. And I have had some really great workouts as you can see here and here. With that being said, yesterday I was still sore but for some insane reason I wanted to run (well, jog or whatever) for my cardio so I did that for 15 minutes and also walked for about 5 on the incline. Well, guess what? I didn't warm up enough, stretch enough, or was just too sore and tight from my Saturday workout and guess what? I think I pulled or strained my hamstring. Yes, it hurts. It's not excruciatingly painful but it's painful and feels strained. It's tight to stretch it. So I'm icing it when I can (that would be at home since it's a little awkward to do at work) and also using my Traumeel. I love that stuff and hopefully it will help. We'll see. I'll wrap it tight tonight and see what happens. So I'm a little bummed but I just have to make the most of it. I guess now's the time to really focus on switching up my upper body workouts! Any suggestions? Let me know!!!

So here comes March! Let's just keep it going - make those goals, set those plans, and take some serious action to get to those goals! Join me, won't you?

Take Action Now!

So this is funny. Today while I was doing my 40 minutes of cardio on the incline treadmill I was thinking about how you really have to set you mind to something and then just go for it and take action to get that something. Well then guess what? My ex-coach/mentor Gina posted just that exact thought on her member site today as well!! Isn't that just too funny? Sometimes I think she and I are connected at the brain. It's too funny!!

I can't remember what song I was listening to that made me think that but it said something about doing anything you set your mind to. It's such a good point. While I know this is true and I know it's what I should be doing, most of the time I don't do it. I'm much better about this than I used to be but every once in a while I get stuck. Or I think of a great idea and want to get started and then I just don't even know what step to take next. I think this is fairly normal human behavior. If we all knew what steps to take all the time we would be taking them, wouldn't we? That's why it's KEY to look to others for help, advice, and direction.

Talk is cheap when it comes to realizing your dreams. You can just talk about them, you have to act on them. Take a little step every single day. But do SOMETHING that will set you on your path. If you don't put your foot on the path, you'll never be able to go down it. I found this quote and boy, does it resonate with what I was thinking just this morning?

To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan . . . believe . . . act!

~Alfred A. Montapert

DREAM - Go crazy! Just get nuts with your dreams! Sit by yourself with just you, reserving no judgment, not wondering how you will get there. Just be and just DREAM! Let your mind go free. Act like you did when you were a child - innocent, invincible, and a dreamer! Be that child and just dream away. It will do you a lot of good and it's fun besides.

VISUALIZE - Whatever that is to you. If it's closing your eyes each day and seeing yourself at that pinnacle or if it's a vision board or a note or message or anything that will get you there, just visualize it. Believe it in your mind's eye!

PLAN - This is where a lot of us get stuck. Planning can be challenging but it's so worth it in the end. And by having a plan you've already set the wheels in motion. The plan is the key, I believe. By creating a plan it means you've thought about your goal(s) enough to actually formulate a plan. Think about anything you've successfully done and you'll realize that there's was always a plan to get you there...ALWAYS!

BELIEVE - Oh boy! Another tough one! You MUST, absolutely MUST believe in your dream, vision and plan! If YOU don't believe in it, how will you ever convince others to believe in it? As difficult as it may be, you must believe in you, your dream, and your vision!

ACT!!! - This is probably the worst sticking point for everyone. It's so hard to take action when you don't necessarily know what the outcome will be. But you have a plan now and that will only lead to taking action. Sometimes the actions have good results and other times not. That's all part of the plan though. We all know things don't always go as planned so we really must trip, stumble, fall and get up to take another action. See? Part of the plan.

I would also add to this TRIP, STUMBLE, FALL, LEARN, REGROUP and REDIRECT!! Because these are all the things that will happen as soon as you start taking action. But don't be afraid of these things. They ALL have helped us grow into the people we are today. So do you have a plan of attack? Are you ready for your dream to start being realized? Join me this month as we move forward into our dreams one little action at a time!!

In life, the first thing you must do is decide what you really want. Weigh the costs and the results. Are the results worthy of the costs? Then make up your mind completely and go after your goal with all your might. ~Alfred A. Montapert 

Hold on 2011...HERE I COME!!!

So I was a little slow going at the beginning but I'm here now and really ramping up. I've worked on my goals and will post a good many of them below. I won't post all of them just because some of them aren't really for anybody's eyes buy my little slitty ones!!!! LOL!

Today was a pretty good day. I'm feeling more in control and as if I have a little direction. More to come later I'm sure but for now I have some goals set for the year with mini-goals to be set throughout the rest of the week and the weekend. Hence the title of this post!

I did get up and get 45 minutes of cardio in today. I did 30 minutes on the stepmill speed training at level 10 and then 15 minutes incline treadmill at 4.6 and 10% incline. So a little lower level on the stepmill and lower incline on the treadmill but I wanted to get time in and not necessarily intensity you see. So good job me!

I ate pretty well today too.
1) 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/4 cup blueberries and 1 T coconut oil
2) 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oatmeal
3) 4 egg whites & 1/4 cup oatmeal
4) Homemade chili verde!! (recipe coming soon in the next couple of days!), 1 Ezekiel tortilla - dessert was 2 dried apricots
5) 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup applesauce, roasted kabocha - dessert was 2 chocolate squares
6) Spaghetti squash with homemade meat sauce and parmesan

I'm finishing this post, washing my dishes, laying out my workout clothes for the morning and then it's off to slumberland! So early to bed is one of my goals for this year and it looks like I'll be doing just that. Woohoo!

2011 GOALS:
• Travel someplace I’ve never been before
• Maintain a clean house
• Expand caramel business
• Create my own fitness/nutrition plan for me (and hopefully others in the long term)
• Buy a new computer
• Go greener
• Redo blog/buy domain
• Create 50 by 50 list! – ooh! Big one! - stole this idea from Dani and this page she has! Great idea!
• Get personal training certification
• Spend more spiritual time/meditate
• Volunteer at least once a month
• Redo and maintain budget
• Declutter my home
• Unplug electronically 15 minutes a day and up to 1 hour by the end of the year
• Farmers Market – at least twice a month
• Journal at least twice a week (pen to paper kind! Not computer)
• Go to sleep earlier consistently (by 10pm)
• Be on time to work!
• Write e-book cookbook

I'll keep you posted on how my goals are going and action steps I've taken to reach those goals. Some of the goals I didn't write I will also share with you as I complete them.

Have a great evening! Keep up the awesome work and hope you've jumped on or are in the process of jumping on the bandwagon for a great 2011!!!

Here we come!

Happy 2011!!!

Yeah, it's here! Another year! Yep, that's right. Another year to do what YOU want to do, what YOU set your mind to and have accomplishments even YOU didn't believe you could accomplish! So did you write up your goals? Do you have an action plan? Did you hit the ground running yesterday? If not, why not start today or even tomorrow?

Oh, before I forget, this is another video we watched and cracked up about that I forgot to put in yesterday's post. Hysterical quirky cat Maru! Too funny!



I, myself, didn't really hit the ground running and have decided to make January 3rd my new year. I think I needed to regroup after being on vacation and wasn't really good about jumping right into my goals and eating right again. I'll admit it. And no, I'm not ashamed nor guilty. I haven't been eating terribly but just not extremely clean. On Friday night I was going to make Chile Verde. Still haven't made it but have every intention of making it this week. I'm going to lighten up the recipe since it is normally made with pork shoulder which is quite fatty. I'm going to try to make it with pork loin or even tenderloin so I will let you know what happens and post the recipe as soon as I make it. At any rate I was definitely in a Mexican food mood so my BF and I decided to head to Armando's in Monterey Park. I LOVE this restaurant. It's delicious and has super spicy salsa - you know I love that! I ordered Albondigas and it came with rice and beans. It's not the nasty, flavorless red yucky rice that a lot of non-authentic Mexican restaurants serve. It's a deliciously flavored light orange rice that's clearly made with some garlic and onions and oil of some sort. So delish and the beans are delish as well. The Albondigas was so tasty and so great for warming me up. I don't know what's going on but I'm finding it hard to warm up here in So Cal!! LOL! Who would have thought?

We had a nice and quiet New Year's Eve. We got up and had a nice leisurely breakfast. Basically it was a bastardized Huevos Rancheros with chipotle sausage. I had leftovers from the night before and our fantastic waiter sent us home with extra salsa and about 5 tostadas (fried tortillas). I placed one of those in the bottom of a big bowl, made some over medium eggs (2 whites, 2 full eggs), topped with salsa and sausage! Divine! So, so tasty!!! YUMMY! I actually overcooked the eggs. Don't worry though. Today I redid that breakfast and didn't overcook the eggs. To die for! I actually could eat this for breakfast anytime I want...and you can too! Just bake a tortilla of choice that's been sprayed with olive oil until crispy. Then make your eggs or egg whites, top with salsa and have some chicken or turkey sausage on top. Yep, still clean and really tasty! Try it...you'll like it!

The night before we had decided to go to Santa Barbara for the day. We set out about 12:30 or so and of course there was no traffic and we probably got up there around 2 or so. We drove around beautiful Montecito and then went to walk on the beach by the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel. This is a picture of the beach we walked along from the Four Seasons website.

It was sunny when we got there but then it was cloudy and cold but it was so beautiful and relaxing and so rejuvenating to have peace and ocean waves. We checked out the tidepools, watched the little sandpipers run up and down the beach eating the sandcrabs, checked out the sea anemones and their "catch" (lots of broken shells!), and saw a beautiful starfish. It was really, really great!!!

We ate Mr. Lee's sandwiches which we had bought in Monterey Park. They were the grilled pork (banh mi I think it's called) so they are made on a French baguette and stuffed with carrots, jalapeno, cilantro, daikon, and grilled pork. They are yummy! Then we walked around on State Street a while and popped into a couple of shops. Had a drink at Coffee Bean and then headed back to L.A. On our way back we wrote up our 2011 goals or all that we could think of at the time. I still have to finalize my goals and make an action plan. This may or may not happen today but definitely whatever doesn't happen today will be solidified by Thursday. So watch out world 'cause here I come!!!

So to answer my questions from the beginning of my blog...yes, I wrote up my goals...no I don't have an action plan and no, I didn't hit the ground running. But am I going to? Yes, absolutely! Last year being the first time I ever really wrote up any goals/resolutions AND an action plan I know the power of these now and realize that I must do it again. I wrote them at the beginning of the year and throughout the year. It's really the only way to go. Otherwise there's a lot of dreaming and talking and not a lot of doing. I've decided that I don't want to be just a dreamer and talker but a doer. I started this in 2010 and will continue it until the day I die. It's a much, much better way to live and gives your life much more meaning. And the best part is that at the end of the year you can look at all that you accomplished in the year. It's a great, great tool!!

Here's to another great year! Write up your goals and get the wheels in motion! Make them big but doable and break them into pieces so you don't get discouraged when you don't see forward movement. Here's to 2011!!! ENJOY!!!!

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~Larry Elder (aka "the sage from South Central" American radio Speaker, b.1952)

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~Jimmy Dean

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” ~Albert Einstein

Whoa! Where did the week go?!?

Apparently I've been a little busy this week. And to be honest with you I wasn't feeling great, both mentally and physically. But today I'm back on it. I had to straighten up my food a little and get in a couple of good workouts. But I'm back at it. Even though I go out of town in a few days I went and bought a bunch of veggies yesterday just so I can eat well until I leave! Very important. I was on a slippery slope this week but I'm back again. Whew! I don't like that feeling like I'm eating wrong and then eating even more wrong and then totally out of control, tired, lazy...you know the drill. The holidays can be overwhelming like that. And I think that combined with my side business selling caramels this year I've been very overwhelmed! Very! So I regrouped and here I am!


Last night we had our office party at an Italian restaurant. It was delicious!!! I had bread and olive oil and bread and butter!! Then I had some of their focaccia which was basically very thin pizza crust (think of a cracker) drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of rosemary and salt! DELISH! Then it was on to salad with roasted veggies and lemon dressing - also very good. Then I had scallops with wild mushroom sauce and we ordered gnocchi for the table with tomato sauce. It was divine! This restaurant is known for their gnocchi and it was light in texture and just scrumptious!! Then it was time for dessert. Everyone at the table ordered some apple thing that sounded good but not great. My boss ordered chocolate mousse and I ordered custard with caramel sauce! OH MY! It was so ridiculously good. Everyone tasted it and they all said they should have ordered that. The caramel sauce tasted just like MY caramels! It was ridiculously good. So very tasty!

I just found this article on Men's Health and since I just finished my little guest appearance on Gina's video on rolling, I found Rule #7 of this article very apropos! So don't forget to get your roll on! Very important.

7. Massage Your Muscles
PVC piping does more than make a daily guest appearance on HGTV. It can actually save your muscles. That’s because foam rolling—with a PVC pipe, foam roller, or even a tennis or lacrosse ball—is the best exercise you’re probably not doing. When you lift weights, sit, stand, or breathe, the quality of your tissue can be altered. Little adhesions build on your muscles. Think of the adhesions as knots. I don’t know about you, but when I have a knot in my shoelace, it’s a pain in the ass to fix. Now imagine tons of knots all throughout your muscles, inhibiting your every movement. Doesn’t sound fun, right?
Foam rolling helps remove these knots from your muscles, so you improve the quality of your tissue. It doesn’t always feel good, but the results are better than sex. (Ok, that’s a lie. But still, please foam roll. It’s my big hope for 2011)

Today I started out with a meal of puffed kamut cereal and an egg white omelet with zucchini and cherry tomatoes. My second meal was a big fat salad with cucumber, zucchini, celery and cherry tomatoes with a dressing made with just 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I added some rotisserie chicken and a little hummus and it was fantastic! So veggies are up today! Yeah for me!

I'm going to do a circuit later and then I get to relax with my BF and get ready for one more day of work and then I'm off for Christmas vacay!!! WOOHOO!!! I can't wait to relax and enjoy! That's the part of the holidays I really love - family time, laughter, games, enjoying each other's company! Can't wait!!!!

Have a great Sunday and get ready for this final week before Christmas and then one more week until the new year. Are you ready? Work on your goals and be S.M.A.R.T. - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely! New year...new time to reach bigger and better goals!!

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." ~Anatole France (French Writer, member of the French Academy and Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921, 1844-1924)

Hello Monday! Hello new week! Back at it!

I had a good weekend with a few challenges. I'll write all about that later. Just basically wanted to say hi and hope you all have a fantastic day today. My weekend kind of got away from me due to a few unforeseen issues! But here it is Monday. It was coming whether I liked it or not so here it is. WELCOME MONDAY!! Thank you for stopping by yet again.

I was up and at 'em at 5 something this morning, ate a quick meal and off to the gym. I knocked out some good shoulder work and a little abs and some push-ups and then finished off with 15 minutes of jump rope. It was a pretty good workout. I think I do much better when I do heavy shoulders at night as opposed to in the morning. I just feel like it's much better for me. Other things I can do in the morning but that one is good, not great! May have to switch things up in the new year. I'll keep you posted on that.

Hey! Remember my Cranberry Orange Cereal Bars?

Well, they are certainly not easy to resist! Yesterday I ate three of those bad boys!!!! Woohoo! What a champion I am! LOL! I ate my last one from the batch this morning. So I'm safe until I make them again!!

Have a fantastic day! I'll get you all caught up later today or definitely tomorrow. It was definitely a Murphy's Law kinda weekend. That's for sure! As Gina reminded her website members today, get your 2011 goals ready so when January 1st hits you know what direction you're going to be running! Are you ready?

Ahhhh!!!!!! My muscles are SHOCKED!! LOL!!!

Wow!!! I am beyond sore today. Every muscle in my legs hurts today and this is even after my stretching and lots of glutamine!! Oh boy!! See what happens when I'm left to run amuck in the gym? I just get out of control. So, earlier in the day I did my circuit workout and my legs were already feeling that from my skating the day before. Well, silly me and trying to keep up with the 2-a-day cardio I went back later in the day and did some running on the treadmill. *Sidenote* I am NOT a runner!!!!! So I ran about 18 minutes on the treadmill and then finished up with some fast walking on the incline. I don't know what I was thinking...or perhaps I wasn't? Ha ha ha!!! At any rate, I'm sore today and definitely not doing 2-a-day today. Maybe one or maybe none!!! But I'll keep you posted.

So as I mentioned yesterday, I shouldn't be left alone in my home with my Cranberry Orange Cereal Bars. After I got home from the gym I had another one. And believe me! Right now I'm thinking of having another one but I'm resisting that urge. They're soooo good, a little too good!

This morning I didn't wake up till 8:00!!!!! What the heck? Oh, boy...next week is going to be a little bit hard for me!! I guess my body is just screaming for some rest and yesterday I didn't nap and worked out like a fool. I guess I might nap today or at least get to bed fairly early again!

So the question has been asked a few times...WHAT'S NEXT? I have a few things that I'm working on but they are all in process and I still have to solidify some things as well as figure out other parts of my life but for now this is what I have.

1) Selling my homemade caramels for the holiday season! Yes, if you've ever tasted these, you know what I'm talking about. They are delicious and would make great gifts! If you haven't tasted them then lucky you, I'm going to be sending out free samples in the next month or so and you can taste and decide for yourselves. These are by NO MEANS healthy but they are incredibly delicious and once a year they are just fine to have!! Since I'm a big believer of "everything in moderation" these would definitely fall into that category.

2) I'm going to start guiding others to their fitness and nutrition goals. Yes, I'm going to be a personal trainer and also a nutrition counselor. I have a few "clients" already set up and we will begin their journeys in the next couple of weeks!

3) Along those same lines I am going to branch out to do some personal chef work and cook great food for others so if you know anyone in the area that wants to eat better just let me know! Or if you are in the area, please feel free to contact me about cooking for you.

4) Finally, and this is my biggest goal for now...increase my weight a little to a maintainable weight and then keep on track and maintain my weight so by my 45th birthday next year (12 1/2 months away) I'll be sporting the best ME ever! And I will do it all in moderation - food, cardio, training, socializing, etc.! Here's to MODERATION and ME!!

There's more than just those goals but those are for now and what I want to focus on. I have other personal things that I don't feel a need to post. I don't need the world knowing everything about me...just enough!

Oh, and I haven't forgotten that I owe you all before pictures and those are coming as well! Hopefully by the end of the week I will have those up!

Have a great day! Have you set some new goals recently? Anyone care to share? Would love to hear about them!!

Wow! Friday, REALLY?!? 8 DAYS!!!!

Comin' down the home stretch now!!

Last night I didn't sleep so well. My ear was plugged and ringing and very uncomfortable so even though I got to sleep early it didn't help much. Oh well. There's always the weekend (ahhh....LOVE 3-day weekends!) My ear was still plugged this morning so AM cardio was weird, at best. I was totally going through the motions. But I massaged my lymph node under my ear on the way home and now I can at least hear out of that ear and the pain is less. Odd.

On with the day then. So it's Friday and only 8 days till SHOW TIME!! Can you believe it?!? I can't believe it!! Tomorrow I get to meet with my coach one more time and practice strutting my stuff! Of course I'll see her a couple more times before the actual show but just for her to get a good look-see at me and make sure I'm where I need to be. People keep asking me if I'm ready and I can definitely say that I am! I've practiced as much as I could and continue to, of course! I've eaten what I was supposed to when I was supposed to. Ditto for training and cardio.

People also keep asking me if I'm ready to win. I don't care how I place at all! To step on stage was my goal and THAT I am definitely going to do. So wherever I end up in the placing doesn't matter to me. The journey there was what I needed for myself. Set my goal, set my mind and doggedly go get it!!! That's what I did so the placing doesn't matter since that was never MY goal.

Today is another good food day - as in NuttZo on Julian bread, spelt flakes with Paradise Green Tea protein "milk" and steak later. Yeah, I'd say that's a good food day! Woohoo!

I have shoulders, tris and abs workout tonight followed by more cardio. Then it's home to pack for my trip to San Diego tomorrow and as early to bed as possible because this girl needs some z's to make up for last night's restless sleep.

Until later or most likely Sunday, be well and have a splendid weekend!

When a goal matters enough to a person, that person will find a way to accomplish what at first seemed impossible. ~Nido Qubein

Hello July! WELCOME!!

Can you believe it's July? So, halfway through the year...are you doing what you set out to do at the beginning of the year or a quarter of the way through it? Are you doing what you set out to do last week? Or even on Monday of THIS week? Time moves along pretty quickly so it's important to assess and reassess where you are and where you're going.

It's interesting to me how easy life is when it's all planned out for you or should I say when you plan it out for yourself. I've never been on such a regimented schedule in my life that I remember. Well, I guess the last time would have been when I was completing my college degree. I had laser light focus on my goal of finishing school. To be honest I just wanted to get out. But with that came my highest grades of my college years. I'm not dumb by any means but I didn't do well in school because I was bored and kind of unfocused. I didn't really know what I wanted to be but I knew I was supposed to go to school. Yes, I'm glad I went and very grateful that I was able to go. But in some respects I wish I had waited to find out what I wanted to do. Of course, that might have backfired as well since I know many people that thought they knew what they wanted to do only to complete school and really dislike their field. That was not the case for me so I suppose that's good. But for the first 3 years of college I had no idea what I wanted my major to even be. So in the last 4 quarters of school I think I completed as many hours as I did in the first 9 or so! Yes, focus and planning are KEY to life. That is what it is all about.

I've definitely learned through this journey that preparation is KEY!! I would not be able to stick to the plan like I have if I weren't constantly prepared. Yes, it means less of a social life for me but prepping many of my meals on Sunday makes the week so much easier. The more you can cook in advance the better. So having freezable meals is very important. If I cook pork tenderloin or even make meatloaf or my Thai Basil Chicken. Whatever it is I usually make big batches and then I have them to eat whenever. I freeze a lot of my cooked protein. The only thing I don't freeze is my cooked fish, just too weird texture for me once it's been frozen.

I'm off to a great start for this month. I've been on plan every day since I started except ONE!! Wow! I just thought about that. That means I've eaten to plan and completed all my workouts to plan for 37 out of 38 days. Well, that IS an accomplishment, isn't it? So proud of myself. Like I've said before I have always had a hard time setting goals and an even harder time reaching them. In this process I set a new goal each week and hit it! That's impressive to me. It just shows me how much I can accomplish if I really put my mind to something. I love this process for learning a lot about myself and those around me. It's been a great journey so far. I'm only 10 weeks and 1 day away now...WWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

Today was my leg workout! That's one hard workout and I'm always wiped out after. I guess it's because your leg muscles are your biggest muscles and therefore using the most energy. But yes, always wiped out. I'm going to sign off here in a sec, make my chocolate protein cake which you must try if you haven't!!! and head to bed. Oh, and I need to drink some more water!! Oh, and I need to practice posing!!

Have a wonderful night and here comes the weekend...get excited...it's almost here!

Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives. ~Anthony Robbins 

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith on Oprah

Oprah had Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and family on her show today. I just watched it and let me just say that is one powerful, strong, forward thinking family!

Here are a couple of things they said that I think are very powerful.

On their "marriage business plan", Will said this:
It’s like if you don’t have a goal, if you don’t have a purpose for your relationship and pretty much anything, if you don’t have a purpose, if you don’t have a place that you’re going, something that you want to accomplish, something that you want to do, you can really get lost in the murk of the journey.

There has to be a vision, right? So why, why are we together?

But as an answer for why two spirits would join together and decide to travel this perilous journey of life together, you're fine or you can cook or you keep the house protected. That’s really not enough. There’s really so much more that you have to be dedicated to to be together.


Raising children that are grounded, gracious, giving:
Will: We don’t allow them to just sit around. We talk about the concept of the group and the necessity of you adding to the family, and then you have to add to your neighborhood, and then you have to add to humanity.

Jada: Giving them purpose. Because when a person has purpose then you instill self-esteem and when a person has self-esteem then that’s what grounds them.


On acting:
When you’re choosing your work and choosing the material, are people going to be better or worse after having contact with your material?

Will on "searching for his place in the world":
I’m energized every day just by what the possibilities are. With having children, there’s a whole new burst of possibilities.


And finally:
My grandmother used to smile all the time. Once I asked her why. And she said because I know what I’m here to do. Really, what’s that? I’m going to make everything I touch better.


I thought these were all great messages. I hope you like them. I found them great and hey, any couple that can not only survive Hollywood but THRIVE in Hollywood must know a thing or two about life, living and people, in my opinion.

Saturday's here! Yippee! Be the person you want to be!!

Yesterday my legs were very fatigued, not even sore really so much as just fatigued. That's good and means I'm doing the right thing. I can't believe how much better I feel than just a mere 8 months ago. All the pain that I was experiencing is basically gone. Yes, I still have pain because, after all, I'm not 20 anymore! Or even 30! Or 40 per se! Yes, you get older but you get to be a much healthier, better you. I was up and at 'em this morning but not as early as usual, didn't get to the gym till 6:45! Wow! Super late for me but I had a great treadmill workout (45 minutes on 15% incline at 4.6-4.8) and felt good. I'll be going back today to work my buns and hams! Yep, still trying to get my butt up and out! LOL!!!

I was listening to the Black Eyed Peas this morning and the beginning of their Boom Boom Pow song. This is what it says, "There's nothing to fear. Everything around you is changing. Nothing stays the same. This version of myself is not permanent. Tomorrow I will be different. The energy never dies. Energy cannot be destroyed or created. It always is and it always will be." I particularly like the 2 lines that say that this version of myself is not permanent and tomorrow I will be different. Wow! So true. I guess sometimes that just really hits home. I love that you can change yourself every day. You can recreate yourself everyday so just decide today who you're going to be, what you're going to believe and be that person today. Be someone that you love today.

Keep in mind all day long the person you want to be. Do you want to be a negative, bitchy, rude asshole? I think not so take actions today that support who you want to be. I'm pretty sure if you put thought into it then you will have words in your description of yourself today that are very positive. Some words to describe me today are giving, caring, happy, successful, loving, accomplished. I have a vision of who I am today and that gives me a great amount of energy to help me be that person today. I know I can't do it every day and I'm by no means perfect at all but I really like the person I'm becoming and I think so much of that has to do with the positivity I'm experiencing in my life and all around me. My coach has an EXTREME amount of positivity. She's not a "rose-colored glasses" person but a realistic person that knows we are all human and we have our faults and make mistakes but if we strive to be a better person than we were yesterday, we will surely become more and more like that person we want to be.

No, it's not an easy road but it's something that I've definitely seen the results of. When I let my day define me, I'm not the person I want to be. However, when I define me, I become the person I want to be and my day goes accordingly. So important! We all know that we become our thoughts so it's very important to be that person today. Don't let your day direct you, YOU direct YOU! Others' actions are just that...OTHERS! Don't let them ruin your day, change your happiness, and bring you down. If they're getting in the way of being the person you want to be today then ignore what they have to say and understand that their unhappiness, sadness, bitterness is all a product of their thinking...DON'T let it take you down! Keep with your thoughts on improving YOU! You'll thank yourself later, believe me!!

So, who are you going to be today, tomorrow, this week, this month, this year? Think about it, write it down, recite it and take actions in accordance with that vision of who you are and where you want to be. If we all be the person that we want to be this is going to be some fantastic world to live in. Be positive! Be happy! Give others some of your joy and keep some for yourself! It's going to be a great Saturday and weekend! Enjoy it!

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ~Mahatma Gandhi