When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears. – Tony Robbins.

 Pic source

Lately, the word gratitude has been used more and more frequently.

The post 3 Ways Gratitude leads to Positive Impact in Your Life appeared first on Your Life YOUR Way.

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How do you stay fit while traveling?

As someone who is dedicated to staying healthy and active, I’ve frequently had to change up my fitness routines and diet while traveling.

While going out of town for a weekend or so may not pose much of a challenge, being in another country for a long period of time absolutely can.

As a frequent flier who has stayed for months at a time in Spain and the UK for internships, I’ve learned how to adapt my fitness routine by trial and error.

So here are five of my best tips for staying fit and healthy while traveling.

1. Be Flexible in Your Choice of Activity

I love to play paintball.

Even though I’m not a particularly highly skilled player, it’s taught me perseverance and the importance of teamwork. Besides, it’s an unparalleled stress reliever for me. I know the cost of playing paintball anywhere before I go, and always look up new arenas to play on my travels.

It’s easy to have an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to fitness. It can be tempting to give up if you can’t do your favorite activity. I get that. I really do.

However, research supports the idea that varying your routine results in better overall fitness. That makes traveling a wonderful opportunity to try something different!

Maybe your trip to the coast means you’ll be running on the beach instead of cycling for a week. Or maybe you’ll adapt your lifting routine to something you can do in a hotel gym.

Either way, open-mindedness is key.

2. Look into Food Options Before You Go

If you’re the kind that eats a healthy diet, traveling somewhere new can be a little jarring.

Even though you may like trying new things, finding healthy options when you’re navigating a new culture can be an extra hurdle.

One thing that has helped me tremendously is research.

Before I travel anywhere, I’ll look into common foods that are served there and try and pick out a few things that fit my macronutrient ratios.

My diet is healthy, not restrictive, so becoming familiar with a given region’s foods helps me plan ahead.

And if I know I’ll be extremely busy when I get to my destination, I can simply stock up on ingredients for easy green smoothies or other quick (but nutritious) meals.

3. Get Organized

Travel expert Johnna Kapaln praises checklists as a simple but effective way of staying organized while traveling. I agree – all the research I do before going somewhere typically makes its way into a list form in some way or the other.

And while it’s important to organize your travel plans, it’s also helpful to keep your fitness plans organized. Since you’re likely to become preoccupied with other things, create a “stay fit while traveling” schedule to make it easier on yourself.

You can stay on track by planning out what exercise you’ll do and when (I keep a separate planner where I track my daily exercise goals).

4. Be Mindful of the Weather

Weather impacts us more than we might think. A 2008 study found that weather factors like warmth, sunlight, wind, and cold can influence mood states. This effect might be more pronounced if you’re traveling somewhere where the weather is different than what you’re used to.

For instance, my internship in England was challenging not because of the internship itself, but because it was often cloudy and rainy. Exercising early in the morning helped boost my mood.

Similarly, if you’re headed somewhere with a pleasant climate, exercising outdoors can have a positive effect on your mood.

5. Stay Motivated!

My motivation for staying fit comes, for the most part, from within.

I want to feel great and like the body I see in the mirror. But sometimes, the stresses of travel make it easier to try and skip out on one workout too many.

While making a schedule helps keep me accountable, finding camaraderie in groups can also help my motivation level. Group fitness studio founder Lisa Corsello says that choosing a workout with a designated time – like an exercise group or fitness class –  can make you more likely to follow through.

I’ve definitely found this to be true.

If you’re going to be somewhere for an extended period of time, one of the first things you can do is look up what sorts of groups are in the area.

Personally, I’ve joined everything from friendly kickball leagues to cycling groups.

Traveling can sometimes feel isolating, especially if you’re at a place where you don’t know anyone. Joining these groups is a great way to make connections while also sticking to your fitness plan.

So you see, while it’s a challenge to stay fit while traveling, it isn’t impossible.

By planning ahead and by keeping an open mind, you can stay on track with your goals and maybe even pick up a new favorite exercise (or recipe) in the process.

So tell me, how do you incorporate a fitness routine in your travels? I’d love to hear how YOU do it!

About the Author:  Amanda Wilks is a writer, blogger and sports and fitness advocate -her contributions can be seen mostly on The Paintball Professor‘s website.. When she’s not working on another article, Amanda is fine-tuning her stoppies on a virgin hill or plotting her strategy in a new paintball arena. 

About this site: Hi! I’m Tia. Multi-passionate Sparklepants, Curator of Awesome. I run this website featuring kickass inspiration to help you sparkle through life, no matter what. Go here to ignite your Inner Sparkle — that shimmery part of your spirit that says YES to courage + connection, and NO WAY to ‘shoulds’ + restrictions.

The post 5 Simple Ways to Stay Fit while Traveling appeared first on Your Life YOUR Way.

Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up. – Mary Holloway

One of life’s greatest misfortunes is that it does not come with an owner’s manual. For the most part, you can either improvise or become paralyzed into inaction.

Things do and will happen: your partner leaves you, you get passed over for a promotion, you get mired in debt, etc. There are only a handful of things that you can control.

This is why resilience is critical in a volatile world.

What is resilience, exactly?

According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity in all facets of one’s life, including one’s professional and personal lives.

Resilience is not some special quality that is possessed by a select few. In fact, it can be learned and developed. Furthermore, people who have developed resilience also experience distress like everyone else.

What makes them different is how they respond to the things that seem to be beyond their control.

Why is resilience important?

When we find ourselves overwhelmed by the things happening in our lives, when we let our judgment become clouded by thoughts of impending doom, we lose the ability to respond accordingly and fail to bounce back stronger.

Developing resilience is crucial for living in an increasingly volatile world for numerous reasons.

For one, through the development of resilience, we can fortify our defenses against adverse situations that often leave us overwhelmed.

Second, resilience can provide us with the balance needed to navigate stressful situations with ease and poise.

Third, it can help stave off mental and emotional issues.

Training your mind

Resilience is built by modifying your thoughts, behaviors, and actions. How do you train your mind to think differently?

Take ownership of your reactions

We may not be able to control all of the things that happen to us. We do, however, have the power to choose how we respond to these. And when you take ownership of your feelings, you no longer become a hapless victim.

Think of adversities as opportunities for growth

The human mind develops when it ventures beyond the comfort of the familiar. Embracing and overcoming challenges forces us not only to develop resilience; more importantly, these can also give us the tools to thrive in almost any type of situation.

Focus on the now

We can’t do much about the past. The future is uncertain. We do, however, have the power to act now.

Overcome fear

When people are paralyzed into inaction, the chief reason behind that is fear. For humans, inaction is the path of least resistance.

But when we practice thinking of failure and believe that we can handle what life throws at us, we become more capable in the face of real threats.

Learn to let go

Anxiety and fear stem out of the lack of control of what will happen in the future. It is natural for us humans to crave control, to crave the familiar.

However, we have to embrace the idea that our own happiness does not need to be dependent on others or on external factors. In order to find happiness, we have to look inward.

Build a support network

Part of accepting the fact that you cannot control everything is the idea that we will need the help of the people around us. Establish and cultivate quality relationships. If you find yourself stagnating in one aspect of your life, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a personal coach.

Frame yourself in a positive light

The first and most important person that you will need to trust is yourself. That becomes easier when you think of yourself as a capable person.

Often, that will entail looking at things from a positive perspective and avoiding judgments.

Be more decisive

Instead of running away or crumbling into inaction, look at the things that you can act upon and do so decisively.

Set goals for yourself

Bouncing back from adverse situations often takes time. The important thing is that you move, even if it means taking small actions. By planning goals, it becomes easier to move yourself away from the situation you are facing.

Take better care of yourself

Exercise. Meditate. Enjoy your hobbies. When your mind and body are in an optimal state of synergy, it becomes easier for you to deal with stressful situations.

There is no template for resilience. The truth is that it is a journey that each of us must take by ourselves. Find what works best for your own unique situation.

About the Author: Salma El-Shurafa is an experienced Executive Coach and founder of The Pathway Project. She is a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach from The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and a graduate of CTI’s Co-Active Leadership program.

About this site: Hi! I’m Tia. Multi-passionate Sparklepants, Curator of Awesome. I run this website featuring kickass inspiration to help you sparkle through life, no matter what. Go here to ignite your Inner Sparkle — that shimmery part of your spirit that says YES to courage + connection, and NO WAY to ‘shoulds’ + restrictions.

The post 10 Ways to Build Resilience in the face of Uncertainty appeared first on Your Life YOUR Way.

Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live. – Robert Kennedy.

Pic credit: unsplash.com, luca-baggio-112868.jpg)

Do you believe in fate?

Do you believe that everything that happens in life was meant to be, like everything happens for a reason?

I have a different point of view.

I believe that most of what happens in our life is a consequence of the choices we make.

Some choices are routine and pedestrian, like when will we wake up or what will we dress in today. Other choices are more profound and durable, such as where will we live or whom will we marry?

Some things do happen in life that we don’t choose.

I didn’t choose to suffer a catastrophic injury that day.

I don’t believe you, your friend, relative, or loved one, choose to be diagnosed with a terrible illness or disease.

But I DO believe that we can exercise choice in how we respond to these involuntary events.

When something bad happens, will we succumb, surrender and give in OR will we fight the good fight?

I contend that “I AM” by choice.
That “YOU ARE” by choice.

Back in 2007 I would describe myself as a recreational enthusiast.

I loved the outdoors. I especially loved road cycling. In June of 2007 I was unfortunately involved in a catastrophic road cycling accident that rendered me an incomplete quadriplegic. What this means is I have paralysis from the mid-chest down to my toes.

What this also means is that I have a small window of recovery opportunity to regain lost function.

How much I might regain was/is impossible to predict.

The nature of this kind of injury is that the spectrum of recovery is very broad. Some people never get out of a wheelchair; others are living fully independent lives and everything in between. I asked my practitioners repeatedly if I would walk, exercise, work or drive again and always received the same answer.

“Jamie, it depends on the neurological progression.”

Bottom line is they couldn’t tell me for sure and I found myself living in this cone of uncertainty, not knowing for sure what lost function I might regain or what my life might be like. It was exasperating.

Which brings me to night five in the hospital after I was admitted.

It was the longest night of my life. I lay in a cold hospital room, alone, motionless, debilitating pain, sweating profusely. The sheets were soaked underneath me. I was filled with jumbled emotions – despair, frustration, sadness, depression and anger. I was broken, my life shattered in an instant.

I knew my life was at a fork in the road.

Which way was I going to go? It would have been so easy to surrender, give in, let this injury defeat me and win. Every cell in my body was screaming at me “don’t” – the mountain is too high, the climb too difficult.

Or, I could decide to fight the good fight, give it everything I had, for as long as it was going to take.

In my stupor that night, I reflected back to a conversation I had earlier with my physician. In the course of that dialogue he said, “Jamie, you need to choose…get independent!”

I thought about that and suddenly the light bulb went off. There it was – my vector, my beacon, my North Star, my lighthouse – my choice. I decided that night that I would aim not to be enabled by anyone or anything. Nobody was going to spoon feed me. Nobody was going to dress me.

I wasn’t going to be confined to a wheelchair.

In short, I defined my terms.

I resolved to take a stand. I chose to win.

Winning not in the absolute sense as in crossing the finish line first or scoring the most points. No, this was winning on my terms. I chose how I would rebuild my life. I chose how hard I would work.

I chose what goals I would set for myself.

My future wasn’t going to be dictated by what modern medicine believed was the typical recovery trajectory of an incomplete quadriplegic. If that were the case my recovery would have maxed out after 1 to 2 years.

That hasn’t been the case. I’ve had more recovery in the last 7 years than I had in the first 3 years by many fold.

How?

There are many reasons but at the top of the list are..

visualization + mindfulness + attitude.

From the time I started rehab I was trying to get my forefinger to touch my thumb. It was monumentally difficult work. I made a movie in my head, picturing would it would be like to have the two fingers touch, and then being able to apply enough pressure to hold a utensil or peel a wrapper off a straw.

I broke the movie down in to great detail, and choreographed it.

I was the author, editor, publisher, scriptwriter, actor, producer and director of my life.

I played that movie in my head until it could play by itself with no conscious prompting on my part.

Until it came true.

As the recovery journey unfolded over the ensuing weeks, months and years I have used that approach in everything I do. It started out with seemingly modest goals, coupled with small victories. These led to bigger and bigger goals and victories.

And the goals became even more audacious, so much so that I was able to recently ski and road cycle again, without accommodation.

So what’s out there for you?

What’s aspirational in your life, something you want to achieve that may seem too daunting, too difficult or perhaps seemingly impossible?

I’d ask that you consider filling in the rest of this phrase:

I choose to ___________.

Write down your response. Begin to visualize what achieving that choice might look like and begin making your movie. Choreograph it in as much detail as possible until it too can play by itself in your mind without conscious prompting.

I submit to you that with unwavering commitment and resolve what may seem daunting and unachievable can actually happen.

Define your terms. Resolve to take a stand. Choose to win! 

About the Author: James Osborne is a businessman, former IT executive, fitness enthusiast, author and avid traveler. He is also an incomplete C7 quadriplegic. Jamie’s dynamic and engaging personality has made him a sought after motivational speaker, captivating audiences with his personal account of how his belief system, brain’s plasticity and healing abilities, are changing his physical reality. His book Will Your Way Back is available on Amazon.

About this site: Hi! I’m Tia. Multi-passionate Sparklepants, Life Lover, Curator of Awesome. I run this website featuring kickass inspiration to help you sparkle through life, no matter what! Go here to ignite your Inner Sparkle — that shimmery part of your spirit that says YES to courage + connection, and NO WAY to ‘shoulds’ + restrictions. Click here to contribute a post.

The post How I Overcame Tragedy With A Winning, Positive Mindset appeared first on Your Life YOUR Way.

The secret to getting ahead is getting started – Mark Twain.

I’m a slim girl so it was just another excuse for me…

An excuse to not keep fit.

As we know, just because someone is slim, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re FIT.

I was no exception to that rule.

Two flights of stairs and I’m cat-walking up the stairs to style it out and to disguise the fact that I’m running out of breath. I was ready to change that, and this is my story of how that happened.

How it began..

My running journey started about 8 months ago. One of my friends runs regularly and I always promised to join her “one of these days”, with no real intention of doing so, because as I would often say to myself or anyone close enough to hear me, “If I start running the little weight I’ve got will just drop off”.

To be fair this was a concern for me as one who is in the minority category of finding it incredibly hard to gain weight while actually wanting TO do so.

So on this particular Saturday, after a week or so of considering it semi-seriously, I thought, “What the heck, go for a quick run just to the nearby playground and back”.

I briefly wondered what to wear and looked out the window. What do I see? It’s drizzling. First thought is, “Oh drat, well I guess I can’t go now”. Lazy me secretly thought, “Yes” with a little side fist pump.  

I started mentally re-planning what to do with my next hour or so free time. As a busy mum of two, my mind was already drifting to making lunch or picking an area of the house to start cleaning.

Thankfully the Star in me (you know – that “good cop”, “get up and go”, “come on you can’t give up that quick” side of me) stood her ground, and I found myself walking up the stairs to dig out some leggings, t-shirt and a raincoat.

I quickly put them on then grabbed my trainers. Just to show you how odd this whole scene was the kids asked (with extra incredulity in their tone thrown in for good measure), “Mum, what are you doing?” “I’m going for a run”, I replied like it’s no big deal.

They looked at each other and my son actually had the nerve to laugh out loud!  

Just do it!

Ignoring the naysayers, I grabbed my key and was out the door before Lazy me tried to talk Star me out of it again. Luckily hubby was still asleep so I didn’t have any more explaining to do and hurried out of the house.

I have this health app on my phone that includes a running module so I used that for guidance and motivation and went off, setting myself the slowest, shortest pace I could find – the light jog, 20 minutes.  

8 months on, that decision was one of the best ones I made last year. 

The road may be bumpy but perseverance pays.

This was not a smooth transition by any means. That first run was 3.29km, completed in 26 mins 32 seconds at an average pace of 8.03 mins per km. I ran for about 20% of it and walked/semi skip-jogged the rest.  

Honestly I couldn’t run more than 100m without feeling like I was about to die.

If anyone happened to be watching me that day they would have had a good chuckle at my expense thinking “look at this fake wannabe runner”.  

I looked and felt a mess.  

I ached all over, there was sweat everywhere, but amazingly I felt great!

I was going through some particularly testing times at that point so was keen to do something positive that would help me get out or through that funk. So whilst I ran/walked/semi-skipped/jogged I also prayed, cried and sang along to the songs playing through my earphones (how’s that for multi-tasking ladies).

I was doing something for ME!

It wasn’t about hubby or the kids or work or anything or anyone, just me for me. I was giving back to myself, working on me, doing something that I had always thought I should do, but didn’t think I could because I didn’t have the time, the energy, the weight, etc.

I see you nodding… you’ve been there too, right, with your own particular excuses :)? 

Just keep running

I started and survived that first run, and emotionally it felt good. That gave me encouragement to go again the next Saturday, and then the next and the next.

I think on run 3 I experienced the peculiar sensation of simultaneously having one leg feeling like pins and needles, whilst the other felt like it was literally on fire.

Luckily it was over in a few seconds, but it was not pleasant and again I was tempted to stop.

Star me pushed on and through, and I finished the run, this time managing to run 50% of it and at least 400m before feeling like I was going to collapse.

I made a commitment to run for at least 30 minutes every Saturday and save for a few occasions when I really couldn’t due to commitments I couldn’t change, I’ve stuck to it.

I’ve run in the freezing cold, in the rain, up and down hills, dodged cats, dogs, and dog poo.

It’s been quite an adventure.  

I’ve challenged myself and my body, and my pace has gradually improved. Last Saturday I ran my best pace yet, 4.92km in 30 mins 14 seconds at an average 6.08 minutes per km.

Best of it is, I did that without stopping once!

Who’s laughing now?

My kids don’t laugh anymore, what’s more, they even want to come running with me now.

I look forward to it every week. I get to clear my head, push myself further, give myself pep talks, and soak in nature. I feel more confident in myself, stronger and healthier. It was a small start, but I’m so glad I didn’t talk myself out of it. In fact, I’m loving myself for it.

To sum up, here’s what I learned from this experience –

1.  Whatever it is you’ve been putting off – health regime, career change, new venture – don’t worry about starting off small or making a big splash. The most important part is to just start it.
2. Once you start, stay committed and keep at it until it becomes a habit.
3. Ride through the bumps along the way by focusing on the end prize to help keep you motivated

Enjoy life, enjoy YOU. If you liked this post, let me know below. I’d love to hear from you!

About the Author: Hi, I’m Uju Maduforo, an Operations Manager and a busy mum of two. I love getting to know people, learning about culture, and writing. I’m working on on a book I hope to publish this year. Check out my blog & connect with me at livinglifemadstyle.wordpress.com

About this site: Hi! I’m Tia. Multi-passionate Sparklepants, Life Lover, Curator of Awesome. I run this website featuring kickass inspiration to help you sparkle through life, no matter what! Go here to ignite your Inner Sparkle — that shimmery part of your spirit that says YES to courage + connection, and NO WAY to ‘shoulds’ + restrictions. Click here to contribute a post.

The post How To Start Running & Get FIT with My #1 Tip for Beginners appeared first on Your Life YOUR Way.