What does it mean to embrace every moment? Don’t we already do that? For many, I think not. I know for myself, many moments pass by that don’t get embraced. That may be the case for you.

There are many moments in life that happen and should be embraced, appreciated and recognized. through much personal development over the years, I have been able to benefit from many of these. Things that some people may take for granted. I know I did in the past.

My beloved German Shepherd, Owen, taught me what it is like to embrace the simple things. Just with a soulful look into his eyes, or a mere tail wag, could make you forget about the drama of the day. He would help bring a smile to your face and a calm to your  space, just by being in the room with you.

He often made you feel like you were the most important person on the planet and that you were appreciated and loved. With a paw on your knee or nudge with his head, he could make you remember to take time for play and forget about work for awhile. Other times he would just rest at your feet and that would turn a “get up a get going, there is so much to do today” cup of coffee into a “isn’t life great and beautiful? I love Mondays!” sort of moment.

Owen certainly had a way with teaching, mentoring and friending. Just ask any of the students learning to become veterinarians.

Yes, Owen taught many of us about embracing life’s moments. But I don’t think everyone needs to have an Owen in their house to help them do so. I just think you need to take the time to do so.

Start your day with thoughts and words of gratitude and appreciation before anything else. “Thank you for…” “I’m so grateful I get to…” Practice this, and many moments will appear before you and remind you to embrace them. Whether it’s a call from a friend, drive through the country, a purring feline, or cup of coffee with a canine companion. Those are the moments to absorb, recognize and appreciate.

I recently saw a post about lessons dogs can teach us and I thought I would share a few of them that Owen really embraced!

• Live simply Love generously Care deeply Speak kindly
• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• 

Take naps, stretch before rising Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• 

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.

Thank you, Owen, for the many lessons you taught us over the years. And thank you for all of the incredible moments you so generously gave to many many humans and animals. You were one amazing son.

Thank you, Beachbody, for enabling me to have the means and time to spend so many extended, wonderful years and moments with this amazing German Shepherd.

Starting in September 2011, I began inviting people to participate in a fitness accountability group. These were small groups of 5 people or so. The goal is that we all work together and help each other create lifestyle habits toward better health! The results have been nothing short or awesome!

All of the participants did everything at home, on their own time and schedule. There were no in-person meetings or group workouts. Our Group interaction was done all on Facebook.
People got some great results! One, gentleman in particular joined one of our 30-day groups using 10-Minute workouts with Ten Minute Trainer. Darryl lost over 15 pounds and got great energy from Shakeology. He also lost a pant size! I am so proud of him!!

We started our group with a conference call where we all introduced ourselves and then dug into the the most important question we need to ask ourselves before starting a workout program.

What is your reason WHY? Answering this is the biggest motivation that will push you to reach your goals. It will help you blast through roadblocks (and we know they will happen)!

Each member shared on the group page and were encouraged to write and post their why somewhere they would see it and read it daily. This gives a clear purpose and focus when it comes to reaching health and fitness goals. It also makes daily choices sustainable so they transform into a lifestyle as opposed to one short moment in time.

So, I challenge you.

• What is your why?
• What do want to achieve and what will reaching those goals allow you to do?
• If you were to reach them, how would you feel?
• What would improve? And most importantly, what would you do to keep it that way?

What is your WHY?

How did our group get such great results and transform their journey into a lifetime of health and fitness? Well, they bundled all the right things together set them up for success. These are the very components I have used over the past decade to reach and maintain my results and also challenge myself to constantly improve.

The formula? Fitness + Nutrition + Support = Success!

I have seen people struggle when one or more of these components are missing. That’s why I was so ecstatic when Beachbody began offering Challenge Packs. They are the complete package of fitness, nutrition, support tools and free coaching for achieving health and fitness goals.

Each month I am leading these accountability “challenge” groups using a specific workout program to meet the needs, interests and goals of the participants. We recently started a P90X Challenge Group and plan to launch a different group (or two) every month.  If you would like to be considered for one of these select group, please email me with your Why and “fitness personality,” and I’ll match you up to an upcoming group.

If group accountability isn’t your “thing,” you can always take advantage of a challenge pack and benefit from all of the fitness, nutrition and support.

What exactly is in a Challenge Pack?

• World Class Fitness – a Beachbody exercise program that matches your fitness personality
• Optimum Nutrition – Replace one meal a day with Shakeology.
• Phenomenal Support – Group accountability, a coach to mentor and online tools such as an online gym, customized meal planner, recipes and tips!

There are 2 options a customer pack and coach pack. Both are the same price no matter what fitness pack you choose [$160, $180, $205]!!

• Customer pack – includes a choice of one of Beachbody’s top-selling fitness programs, as well as choice of Shakeology and a 30-day trial to the Team Beachbody Club.
• Coach pack – includes the same as a customer pack, PLUS a Game Plan Tools Kit and Business Essentials Starter Program.
• The Coach pack listed above has 2 additional perks!
• This Give a person the coach discounts (25% off)
• Tools to to grow a business and get paid from Beachbody.

I am often asked why I stay so disciplined in my eating and so committed working out every day.  It has been a process over the past decade when I decided that I was getting too fat, my desk job and poor habits were taking control and diabetes was in my future. Through daily exercise I feel good, look good and have an awesome attitude toward life. I also feel I’m much more pleasant to be around!

I know that if we are going to end this trend of obesity, it has top start with taking care of ourselves first and identifying why. If you’ve made a resolution each year to lose weight, make regular exercise adopt a healthy lifestyle and you find yourself failing year after year, take a moment to think about your “why.”

Have it written down in a few short sentences and post it in as many places as possible to see it and read it daily. This is the first step in putting yourself first.

Hillary and I will help you get results. We will coach you!

I just finished phase 1 of P90X2. This program isn’t harder than P90X. It’s different than P90X. In that, I mean, you challenge your body in different ways. I absolutely love this workout and look forward to Mondays when it appears on the schedule. X2 Core isn’t harder than Core Synergistics. It’s just different. So let’s compare the two.

For one, phase one of P90X2 has core work threaded throughout every workout. It becomes obvious pretty quickly in every workout that you need to engage the core.

The very first workout in this phase is called X2 Core. Very different from when you did the Core Synergistics workout in P90X. That workout did not come until week 4 in what is referred to as a “recovery week.” Over the years, I made Core Synergistics part of my weekly routine when I was doing P90X as I just noticed my body functioned better on other exercises. I also got the same benefit from yoga, but that’s another topic for a future article.

The Foundation Phase Begins with Engaging the Core

Pushing play with the X2 core workout engages your midsection right from the get go plus it blends stretching, yoga-like moves with a stability ball and core moves using a foam roller. There’s also a “massage-like” effect during a foam rolling section of the warm up. This warm up is pretty standard in all of the phase 1 workouts of P90X2. The Core Synergistics in P90X has you doing the warmups pretty typical in the other P90X routines with jumping jacks, marching/running in place, lunges and static stretching

The X2 warm up seems to take almost 12 minutes and when it’s time to hit the main workout it seems like you are almost half done. That’s my perspective anyway.

One big difference in the X2 Core routine seems to be more stability ball digging even deeper to those smaller muscles. Some of the moves appear easier until you are in the flow. It is then you realize that in order to use proper form and stay balanced, you need to engage and tighten core muscles, including the buttocks, throughout the exercise.

Both routines have roughly the same amount of exercises and some of the Core Syn exercise are expanded upon in X2. Such as the Dreya Roll is the same, but you hold a medicine ball and jump. You did Banana Rolls in P90X. This time you are just in the banana position the whole time and you transfer a stability ball clenched with your hands to clench with your feet. This is called a Banana Ball Switch Crunch. The Sphinx push up has now evolved into a Sphinx Plank Crunch. Talk about core power! The Bow to Boat in P90X is now a Roller Boat. This has you stopping the momentum of rolling on your back and tightening for that perfect boat posture.

New moves in X2 includes one that quickly became my “nemesis moved,” the One Leg Med Ball Burpee. Core Circles using a stability ball look harmless enough until you realize the amount of engagement needed to accomplish good form and balance.

There are plenty of new core exercises in X2 that challenge your strength and balance. Sphinx Plank Crunch and Warrior 3 Cross Crunches start the line up. I’m getting better at all 18 core exercises, but the one that still perplexes me is the Plank Burpee On Stability Ball. Yep, I’ve got to modify this one.

Take a look at this trailer for X2 Core

Here are at names of the X2 Core Exercises between the warmup and cool down.

• Sphinx Plank Crunch
• Warrior 3 Cross Crunch
• Single Leg Walk Out to Sphinx
• Half Angel
• Roller Boat
• 3 Speed Med Ball Push Up
• One Leg Lateral Leap Squat
• Core Circles
• Holmsen Screamer Lunge
• Med Ball Dreya Roll
• Plank Burpee On Stability Ball
• Banana Ball Switch Crunch
• 3 Point Squat Press with Med Ball
• Slo Mo Balance Climber
• X2 Diver
• Ryan Sphinx Twist Crunch (2 sides)
• One Leg Med Ball Burpee

I love the fact that Core is part of the weekly routine in this phase and that it’s not a “recovery” workout. The DVD is a great blend of stability, balance and explosive power to engage that midsection and give it definition. A few fitness benefits from this routine are better functional form for every day life and better posture. X2 Core isn’t harder than Core Synergistics. It’s just different.

Want a coach to help you stay accountable and help you?

There certainly are some challenging moves in P90X2! You may have seen my assessment at how P90X2 is going so far. If not, see video below.

As I come upon completion of the the 3rd week in phase 1 (the foundational phase) I realize there are some moves I want to do better. I know this isn’t a course for mastery, but darn it, I want to conquer them! These moves are what my friend, Arlene Paraiso, calls “nemesis moves.” So, while I am getting better each week and have noticeable improvement in each exercises, I’m going to add in an extra week or two for phase 1.

P90X2 is flexible in the calendar where you can do this phase from 3-6 weeks depending on your needs. I love this because it allows you to have the goal of “getting better” as opposed to “getting through it.”

So, what are my nemesis moves so far? Well, each workout has it’s own set. So far:

X2 Core is: One Leg Med Ball Burpee (Alternate Every 3 Reps)

X2 Total Body: Mule Kick Burpee and Balance Kickback on Stability Ball

X2 Balance and Power: Russian Twist, Decline Sphinx Plank Press, Renegade Row 1⁄2 Lolasana, Crawly Crab Press

X2 Ab Ripper: Phelan Twists

I will get better!!

If you are wanting to conquer X2 yourself you can get it here!

Here’s my assessment so far after 2 weeks of P90X2:

Right now you are deciding on those “exercise” and “lose weight” goals for the year. You are seeing a ton of advertisements for promising gadgets, magic gizmos, and can’t refuse offers. I’m so proud of you for setting the goal to become healthier. So how do you decide what with work for you to help you reach your goals? This is how to choose your exercise program this year!

You and I both know that no matter what, it will take dedication and commitment to show up for yourself and put in the time and work. It’s a must. No magic pills will do it. No crazy drops (don’t get me started on this!). No wild, “scientifically engineered” gadgets.

Eat right and exercise. Simple in concept. Tough to do. But you’re worth it. And you know what? By the time it takes to devote energy to things that won’t work, you could have done what you have always known (eat right and exercise) and gotten healthier than the day before. Do this for 20 out of 30 days each month this year and you will make strides toward your goals. Use one of our eat right and exercise programs, and you may surpass your goals! Perhaps in a few short months. Still, you have to develop a life time mindset. So, let’s talk about those goals for a second.

What are you wanting to achieve by the end of the year? Why? What’s that reason? Seriously! “I want to drop 30 pounds” doesn’t mean much unless you can tell your reasons and what it will enable you to do. Give that thought first. Write it down. Then continue reading.

This year I want to achieve __________________ with my fitness and nutrition.
My biggest reason why is __________________________ because it will enable me to _______________________. I plan to start on ____________________.
My 30 day goal is:
My 90 day goal is:
My 6 month goal is:

Now, let’s chat about that fitness personality of yours. You want to find something that you know will get your results. Something you know you’ll stick with. Something fun! And Something at your current level!

I would love to recommend getting a gym membership somewhere as I know of several that have state of the art facilities and classes that are off the charts. Making sure you use the membership often to justify costs can be a struggle for some. I have seen too many of my friends get stuck doing monthly payments for years on end. If you are one who regularly goes… then good for you. Go find the one with all of the features you need to show up for yourself!

If the gym, health club or rec center isn’t for you, then I recommend some workouts that you can do from home. They take little space and minimal equipment. As a matter of fact, all of the equipment you need to get started comes with each of these programs.

Another perk… each program comes with it’s own nutrition plan. And to add more fuel to the fire to get you better results, I’ll list some bundle options that adds in a customized meal planner, support tools and an optimal nutrition meal replacement that is off the charts and have you looking for a new wardrobe!

Let’s define your “fitness personality.” What program trips your trigger? Weights? Dance? Kickboxing? Cardio? Are you just getting started, or looking for something more advanced? You can see descriptions of programs below.

• Getting Started – Turbo Jam, Body Gospel, Slim in 6, Rockin’ Body, Power 90, Les Mills PUMP
• Cardio – Brazil Butt Lift, Insanity, Turbo Fire, Hip Hop Abs, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Power 90, Insanity The Asylum
• Weights/Strength – Les Mills PUMP, P90X, P90X2, ChaLEAN Extreme
• Advanced – P90X, P90X2, Insanity, Asylum, ChaLEAN Extreme, Slim Series, RevAbs, LesMills Pump
• Perry’s Recommendations (these got me lean and ripped) – P90X, Insanity, Asylum, Les Mills Pump & P90X2

Bundle it with a Challenge Pack! Save $25-$45 and get free shipping! Each pack gives you an awesome fitness program, Shakeology Home Direct, 30-day Trial to Team Beachbody Club. So that means Fitness + Nutrition + Support Tools = Results Plus! I will be your coach every step of the way. My gift to you for putting yourself first!

THE TIME TO START IS NOW!

Challenge Pack orders click here and click “Commit To Get Fit” and then choose your bundle!

Browse the Entire Library of workout programs here!

WORKOUT PROGRAMS

Les Mills PUMP
Les Mills Trainers 15-50 minutes Engineer your perfect body with Les Mills PUMP. This barbell-based rapid weight loss and accelerated strength-training program incinerates calories to help give you the ultimate tight, toned, and lean body you want. The secret is  “the rep effect,” which requires that you use lighter weights at a higher rate of repetition so you can burn up to 1,000 calories per workout and get leaner faster.

INSANITY
Shaun T 30–60 minutes Transform your body in 60 days with the most intense workout program ever put on DVD. MAX Interval Training—you perform long bursts of maximum-intensity exercise with short periods of rest.

P90X
Tony Horton 45–60 minutes Advanced total-body training program focused on abs, legs, chest, back, and arms. Twelve routines that keep introducing new moves and challenging your muscles to get you absolutely ripped in 90 days.

TurboFire
Chalene Johnson 10–55 minutes Burn up to 9x more fat and calories than with traditional cardio. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) ignites your metabolism and helps your body burn calories for up to 48 hours after your workout.

RevAbs™
Brett Hoebel 15–45 minutes Fat-burning cardio, muscle-building and sculpting focused on abs and core. Abcentrics™, Capoeira, cardio intervals, strength training, and ab/core work to get you six-pack abs in 90 days.

Body Gospel
Donna Richardson Joyner 10–45 minutes Calorie-burning cardio, core exercises, and strength training to tone and tighten your entire body. Inspirational gospel music powers you through cardio and light resistance workouts to help burn fat and reshape your body.

Turbo Jam®
Fat Burning Elite
Chalene Johnson 30–50 minutes Advanced kickboxing and body-sculpting moves focused on core, thighs, and upper body. More intense targeted workouts to maximize your fat-burning and sculpting results.

Power 90
Tony Horton 35–45 minutes Fat burning and total-body sculpting focused on abs, thighs, and upper body. 90-day boot camp featuring fast and effective circuit-training workouts to transform your body in as little as 35 minutes a day.

Brazil Butt Lift
Leandro Carvalho 30–50 minutes Reduce your hips, slim your thighs, and lift your butt while you burn fat and melt away saddlebags. Combines Brazilian dance, cardio, and signature sculpting moves with Leandro’s proven TriAngle Training method that works your butt from multiple angles.

ChaLEAN Extreme
Chalene Johnson 30–45 minutes Advanced circuit training program develops lean, sexy muscle to help you burn up to 60% of your body fat for overall body transformation. The proven 3-phase circuit training technique is guaranteed to give you results every 30 days—the more muscle you build, the more fat you burn because Muscle Burns Fat®!

Slim Series
Debbie Siebers 60+ minutes Advanced body slimming and toning focused on abs, thighs, butt, and hips. Combines intense cardio with greater resistance to continue slimming and toning your body.

INSANITY:THE ASYLUM™
Shaun T 45–60 minutes Get stronger, faster, and quicker in just 30 days. Unleash your inner world-class athlete through plyometrics, speed, agility, strength, and core workouts in a jaw-dropping series of progressions. In just 30 days, you’ll push yourself to the next level of game-day readiness with dramatic, measurable improvements in your athletic performance.

Hip Hop Abs
Shaun T 25–45 minutes Calorie-burning cardio and total-body sculpting focused on abs and core. Fun hip hop dance moves set to hot music to burn fat and sculpt lean sexy abs.

Rockin’ Body
Shaun T 15–45 minutes Calorie-burning cardio and full-body sculpting moves. Party off the pounds as you dance and sweat to the hottest hits of all time.

Brazil Butt Lift
Leandro Carvalho 30–50 minutes Reduce your hips, slim your thighs, and lift your butt while you burn fat and melt away saddlebags. Combines Brazilian dance, cardio, and signature sculpting moves with Leandro’s proven TriAngle Training method that works your butt from multiple angles.

To tell you the truth, I pretty much wrote this workout off as something I wouldn’t be interested in.. until I bought it, tried it and I love it! Finally! Les Mills BodyPump that is taught at thousands of clubs in world wide every week. So, it’s very popular! There’s now a  home version called Les Mills Pump (here’s a video clip)!

I have several friends on Facebook who are BodyPump trainers and taught in clubs. Some of these friends are Beachbody Coaches and they were fired up when Beachbody decided to partner with Les Mills in the creation of this at-home workout program. My wife, Hillary, told me that they offered BodyPump at her old Gold’s Gym. So there was a lot of buzz around it, but I like working out from home and already have an entire library of Beachbody workouts so there’s no shortage of variety. I just didn’t see where Les Mills Pump would fit in. Plus, I thought the equipment would take up way too much space (I was wrong there… see video below)

So, I had focused on getting ready to do P90X2 and let the idea of Pump go to the wayside. That is, until Beachbody announced that we could buy Pump before anyone else (a nice perk of being a member of Team Beachbody!). I decided to take a closer look at the details of Les Mills Pump, and actually got “pumped!” I love the fact that this program has you working out just 3 times a week a week and you can burn up to 1,000 calories per workout. It seemed like I could add this in while doing P90X2 without any problem. PLUS….Hillary and I could do it together!

When our box arrive inside it included a barbell that that can be disassembled into 2 pieces, and a set of 2 5-lb. and 2 10-lb. weighted plates. It also came with tools to help you succeed such as the fitness guide book and a nutrition guide book to get you super awesome results.

We dug right in with some of the longer workout DVDs (which range from 20 min to 55 min). We instantly loved it. We found the music to be super inspiring and made the workouts go by super fast. The exercises were very doable, yet effective. We felt the burn in our muscles and at times yelled at the trainers on the DVD! The workouts were very different than anything I had tried before. Typical strength workouts use heavy weights. Les Mills Pump uses low weights with high-repetition. This will help you get lean, strong, and sculpted (see videos below)!

After our first few workouts together, we thought, “Who would Les Mills Pump be right for?”

• People of any weight, age, shape or size
• Beginner, intermediate or advanced fitness levels – YES!!!
• Men and women – YES!!
• Athletes looking to strengthen all muscle groups for better performance
• Anyone wanting a long, lean, chiseled and sexy body
• Anyone looking for a HYBRID program with another Beachbody Home Fitness Program

I think this is a must have for anyone looking to lose weight and get lean. This may just be the fastest way to get in shape. With 6 to 7 trainers in each workout using an amazingly pumped up music variety, you’ll have the motivation to show up for each workout. You will have blast and work up a great sweat. Time flies with these workouts.

You combine this with the optimum nutrition in Shakeology and you will be unstoppable in getting results!

Another night perk for motivation, you will have me as your complimentary coach to connect with for more support!

Here’s are some videos of the exercises we did on our first two workouts along with an initial review!

People don’t often realize that once you’ve reached )or approached) your fitness goal, you now have a new “normal!” For many people I coach, they get amazing results with their complete fitness and nutrition program in as little as 6 weeks. The thing is, some struggle to find a way to maintain it. To be lean for life they need to embrace their new habits.

Most do a 30, 60, or 90 day program striving for results. They show up every day and exercise and (mostly) eat right. The final weigh-in and photos shows awesome results. When this occurs, people should be thinking “what’s next?”

If you were just trying to lose weight for something temporary like a wedding or vacation, you’re going to gain the weight back unless you have a plan. You have to change your mindset from thinking, “Hey, I got to the finish line, looked good for my event and now I can let myself go!” This is the point of being at your new normal and not going backward. It’s the new starting point. Moving forward you may not have to work that hard to maintain your goal, but it still takes work. You just need a plan that is consistent to maintain those results. Take note of how you feel when you reach your goal and say, “This is the New Me! I need to treat the New Me well because I feel more energetic, confident, happy, healthy and want to feel this way for life!”

This assumes you have done a sensible and systematic exercise and eating plan like we have put together at Team Beachbody. If you are doing one of those unhealthy diet plans that involve liquid drops (GASP!), or extreme diet plans, you know they aren’t healthy and aren’t sustainable for life. This is why you see people dropping 50 pounds and 6 months later being 75 pounds more heavy. It didn’t become a lifestyle.

So, what’s a person to do? Consistently make healthy choices. Habits will help you brain to “get it.”Battle that urge to slip into old patterns. Here are some great tips to keep it going for life!

• Exercise almost every day. If you’re pressed for time, use Ten Minute Trainer, Les Mills Pump, Chalean Extreme or RevAbs to get the most out of your time!
• Eat a well balanced diet to fuel your body. Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, lean protein
• Minimize TV watching
• Eat Breakfast. I start my day with a quick, filling, amazingly tasty and nutrient dense Shakeology.
• Get daily and weekly support from a coaches like us. We are hear to guide, support and motivate to not only see you get the results, but to also maintain the results to constantly improve your health and well being every day.

Here’s to your Fitness Goals and Here’s to Your New Normal!

Here are 5 amazing ways to start your day. I can pretty much guarantee these will make a difference in all areas of your life.

I have done these things sporadically through the past decade with hit and miss results. Once I started putting them together into a morning routine I started noticing great benefits. I’ve even mentored and coaches several people who have seen some pretty impressive things happen. I’m excited to share these with you because I know it will make a difference. PLUS, you can probably doing it within the first 30 minutes of waking up. Your days are about to become amazing! Just watch and pay attention to what shows up in your life!

Here’s the list. I’ll describe each one below.

1. Give thanks for what you have
2. Read a list of “what you want out of life” (intentions)
3. Jot down the top things that happened the previous day
   (reflection of what showed up)
4. Read 10 pages of a good book
5. Exercise for at least 10 minutes

Seriously! Starting your day with 30 minutes of making yourself the priority helps you take on the rest of the day. It puts you in control of what goes into your head and helps you face any challenges of the day, gives you a positive perspective, and opens you up to your potential so you can take action on what you want out of life.

When you get up rushing to get ready, sitting and watching the news on TV, or checking email and Facebook, then you are putting external things in control of what goes into your head. This is usually drama or mind clutter that gets in the way of what you need. By simply reversing the timing of what is input into your mind and body and starting your day with the list above can make all the difference. Try it for 30 days and see what happens!

1. Give Thanks For What You Have
Starting your day with gratitude will give you a sense of joy and connect you to what you value and what is truly important to you in life. Some people meditate as a part of this process.

2. Read a List of “What You Want out of Life”
Write down one or two goals or dreams of something you really want out of life. Then write why you want them and how you’ll feel when you reach them. Read these daily.

3. Write out What Showed Up the day before
Here’s the fun part, As you start putting these into your daily routine, special things will start showing up. Each day take a notebook (I use a spiral) and record a few highlights of your previous day. It’s a great time for reflection and appreciation. Plus you’ll start to realize some pretty significant things begin happening as a result of these activities. Take note of these happenings because they are indicators and gifts that are moving you toward your goals and dreams. Many happenings will reveal themselves that you will want to take action on. These take you to the next step on your journey and the path will not be what you expected. Embrace the journey and have fun with it. It’s almost magical! If you want to enhance this even further, play some empaowing intrumental or subliminal audio in the background

4. Read 10 Pages of a Good Book
Personal Development is the one single component that will define your path to success more than any other . Make a commitment to read 10 pages of a good book. It’s an investment in you. There are many many books out there. Go to Amazon and search for “personal development!”

5. Exercise for 10 Minutes (at least)
You already know the benefits of exercise. Thing is, it doesn’t have to be a full intense 60 minutes. Even 10 a day makes a big difference and adds up over time. I am currently coaching several individuals who are having amazing results with the Ten Minute Trainer program. A friend of mine lost 40 pounds in one year. My current challenge groups have people seeing results already in the 3rd week – one guy is down 13 pounds, another is down 7 pounds and one lady has lost almost 2 inches in her waist.  I’m so proud of them. Exercise is important and also invests in your older self!

Kick start each day with these actions and avoid the external imposing stressors and you’ll see some pretty incredible things happen. Of course you’ll have written record of what showed up. Most importantly, YOU showed up!

Many people feel that there is a benefit to having a cheat meal (or sometimes a cheat day) as a part of their overall nutrition program. I’m not going to weigh in on that subject. This article isn’t about whether you should or shouldn’t. I’m going to assume that you look forward to the occasional cheat meal with some sort of food that isn’t the ideal fit for your nutrition and health goals. This article is about putting yourself in control to make conscious choice about those “cheats” and how to not let them take control to become cheat days/weeks/months.

You decide to have something off the “healthy” radar. My tip. Make it A REALLY GOOD CHOICE. Make it worth while. Make it something that you’ll look forward to all week long. Make it worth putting in an extra workout or two to burn it off.

You see, when you give yourself permission, your mindset changes. You won’t just mindlessly snack and blow 300 calories here or 500 calories there or even more if you truly lose track.

You also give up the guilt, because you are giving yourself permission to temporarily go astray.

What foods should you cheat with? Chose something that is a favorite. Something that you’d be willing to drive 2 hours to get. Don’t waste calories on something that is just “kind of good.” It’s too easy to just eat something in the here and now because it’s sitting right there in the fridge or on the counter or at the sample tables in Costco and Sam’s Club.

For me, I love Pizza. Now, most of the time if I’m going to have a comfort food I first look at ways I might make a healthy version of it. When it comes to pizza, there are just some restaurants that make such incredible creations, that I will go out of my way to have it if I truly want it and feel I’ve worked for it. I don’t look at it as a reward. I don’t use fattening foods to reward myself. This is merely a choice I make on occasion if I find myself really wanting a special treat that doesn’t align with my fitness and nutrition program. See the difference?

So typically you will not find me grabbing in the candy dish or visiting the break room to see who brought donuts.

My recommendation if you find yourself needing to cheat on your eating: think through your choices. This takes practice. Especially when you are at the beginning of your journey. But each time you succeed, you give yourself power. You become successful. And you give yourself a leg up to keep getting the results you are wanting. It’s also good to take note of how your body feels afterward. Many times people feel a bit sluggish or bloated. That’s good feedback to listen to!

If you’re looking for a complete fitness, nutrition and support system with free coaching, look no further. I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

Yoga is way too hard! Do I have to do it? Is it necessary in the grand scheme of things? I used to think it was not. Yoga is one of those workouts that always seemed way too boring and “fluffy” too me. I’m sure I had this perspective due to ignorance and maybe a little bit of fear. This was, it always seemed to be everywhere. On morning TV shows and almost always threaded through Beachbody programs.

So, what did I do when I first started working our and came to the yoga exercises? You guessed it! I skipped them. Who need to do yoga? I mean I tried and it was way too hard. My mind wasn’t into it. Besides, what was the point?

Fast forward eight years to the writing of this blog and I actually look forward to “Yoga Thursdays!” I actually have a special name for my workout. Am I crazy? Well, my body and mind don’t think so.

Here’s what I have discovered, personally, by incorporating yoga into my weekly routine. It’s not “fluffy” at all. It’s empowering. Seriously. While I am not at a point to totally shut my mind clutter off during the workout, I do find my mind has a chance to let stress fade,. I also get a sense of energy that floods my mind and body. it’s hard to explain. I just end up feeling grateful for all I have.

From a workout standpoint, I am certainly more flexible. But the biggest thing I noticed was that these workouts improved all my other workouts and level of fitness. I would have never thought that! I am able to have better form and posture when lifting weights, doing pushups, core work and more.

The sheer challenge of yoga is another mental and physical benefit. The need to focus one balance and calm, well timed breathing seems to have this camling of the soul effect. Another one of those hard to explain feelings until you have experienced it yourself.

Now I am sure there are way more benefits than I am listing here. These are just a few that come to mind. I am so, so glad I decided not to skip the yoga workout when I started my second round of P90X. I would not do it during my first round and even skipped over it back when I did Power 90. I am so looking forward to doing the P90X2 Yoga workout again soon! I loved it!

I guess that shows me one more lesson I learned. Yoga helps one learn to grow and step of of their comfort zone.

My recommendation: if you hate yoga and think yoga is too hard, then you owe it to yourself to work at it no matter what. You may just find it to get a special day named after it each week!