Fit Ideas - Let's go hiking!

I love spending time with my kids, my pets, and working out. However, how do you make time for everything when you have so many other things to do??? I take a look and see what can I do to bring it all together. I took my daughter on a short evening hike with our dogs, since they have to stay fit too, and tied in the fact that it would be really cool to see the Las Vegas strip in the evening from the mountain. The video doesn't do it justice, so you'll have to head out and see for yourself how cool it looks! 

Tips to remember... even on an evening hike, bring plenty of water. I bought a camel pack because it's convenient to store not only water, but also keys, phone, flashlight... you get the picture. That said... bring a cell phone and a flashlight. If you lose track of time, you want to make sure that you can SEE where you are going and there are usually spots where you can get cell phone reception in case of emergency. I usually also bring a light jacket because the temperature changes can be quite drastic at times. 

Best thing for me is I get to spend quality time with my daughter and my fur kids while working out. Bonus: I'm setting the example for my kids to live a healthy life.

Fitness on the Road

Oh my word! It has been 3 weeks since my last post. I have been traveling with my Darren LaCroix who is a world champion public speaker, and for which I do marketing for, meeting some pretty amazing people and learning so much!

In the past month and a half, or so, I have been to California, Mexico - for the first time ever, and Indianapolis. In each place we worked public speaking events and our last stop, Indy, we worked an event and had the opportunity to attend the NSA convention. (For those that don't know, it's the National Speakers Association).

Can I say WOW?!?! I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with so many brilliant people! Each session I attended, each speaker I heard added a little more substance to my life. I can't begin to explain have blessed I am to have had that opportunity.

Ok... that said... Two of the biggest challenges I faced while traveling was keeping up with my nutrition and  incorporating fitness into my schedule. By the time we hit up Indy, I think I finally had a handle on it. They had gym in the hotel, which was pretty awesome, especially if I only had 20-30minutes to workout. However, being the outdoor enthusiast that I am, I chose to primarily run outdoors.

• I knew I was going to enjoy some of the local foods so I put to use the 80/20 rule
• 80% healthy foods... 20% not so much
• I carried healthy snacks that I could slip in my purse so I wouldn't have to leave a session to eat 
• I created a "food contract" because I noticed that sometimes the people I was traveling with would go, for what seemed like endless hours, without eating
• I found people to workout with including Eden Little (who is a triathlete, mother of 3 amazing kids with cerebral palsy), Eric Culverson, Jolene Jang, Scott Friedman and Craig Valentine. Each of these people set aside 30 minutes - 2 hours of their very busy schedules to focus on fitness. Not an easy task while attending a week long convention and working!
• To make it fun, I incorporated a light boot camp style run (for example, going on a 4-5 mile run and incorporating, staggered push ups, crunches, and running stairs). I wanted to make sure I got in upper and lower body, core, and some cardio to align with my personal goals. 

I know that Jaime Eason also has a playing cards workout that helps keep her in shape while on the road. 

I have been guilty of making excuses why I have no time to workout, even at home. However, if i want to see an improvement in my health and fitness, if I want to be an example for my children, if I want to accomplish my goals, there's simply no room for excuses. 

Motivation

Do you ever find it hard to find your motivation? Many times we have the desire, but then we postpone our workout with the intention of getting around to it and then life gets in the way. The next thing you know, your day comes and goes and you missed your workout.

One of the best things you can do is create a schedule. Not just for your workout, but for your day. Block out times for work, play, errands, kids... And your workout. If you know that you have a certain time blocked out specifically to workout, you are more likely to follow through.

Another good tip is to try and schedule the same time every day. Most people have a fairly regular schedule and this is not much of an obstacle. However, for some, this can be more of a challenge. If you have a crazy schedule, you can pick 2-3 days to set time aside, with a workout program in place. If that is still too much of a commitment, have a short but intense workout routine, that requires little or no equipment. This is great for people that travel, have hectic schedules, or can only fit in a quick workout on their lunch break. Working with a trainer can help you figure out how to best target your workout to get the most out of it within your schedule.

Keep motivational sayings in sight. You can find an app or have them emailed to you. If you find a quote that strikes a chord with you, write it on your bathroom mirror. Staying positive mentally will keep you on track physically. Most of the time, we quit something we are capable of achieving physically because we talk ourselves out of it mentally.

Lastly, keep pictures progress pictures of yourself up on your bathroom mirror or bedroom door. This will be a daily reminder of where you started and how you are progressing. People have greater success when they have visual stimulation.

Bank of Time

What if You Won $86,400 Every Day for Life?

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest:
Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private account for your use.
However, this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules.

The first set of rules would be:
Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.
You may not simply transfer money into some other account. You may only spend it.
Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400 for that day.

The second set of rules:
The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say,
Its over, the game is over!
It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right?
Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right?

Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right?
You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

ACTUALLY, this GAME is REALITY!

Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can't seem to see it.
The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us. What we haven't lived up that day is forever lost. Yesterday is forever gone.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time.... without warning.

So, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?

Aren't they worth so much more than the same amount in dollars?
Think about that, and always think of this:
Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.

So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply and enjoy life!

Is Your Body Your Sanctuary or Your Prison?

One of the things I tell my clients is this... it's your body and you have to live with it for the rest of your life. Think about this. You take care of your car... wash it every week... make sure the oil is changed regularly... you always fill it up with the right kind of fuel... but if it were to break down, you can trade it in, sell it, or even donate it... Why is it that we take better care of our material things than our bodies?

We live in a society where everything is go go go... we don't take the time needed to take care of ourselves. We eat badly. We don't workout. We let our bodies go to waste. The thing is that we can't trade our bodies in when they break down. We can't exchange them for a better model. Yes, we can get liposuction and plastic surgery, but if you think that is going to help you are dead wrong. Don't get me wrong here. I'm not opposed to a little nip and tuck if it gives you that extra boost of confidence. However, we can't expect a surgeon to come in and scrape away 20, 30, 40 years of destruction. Sorry.

What we need to do is take care of our bodies. We need to eat the right foods, in the right proportions. We need to exercise. We need to make our bodies our sanctuary rather than our prison.

What kind of life will we have if we can't play with our children? If we can't pull ourselves our of an emergency situation? If we are filled with medications desperately trying to undo all the damage that we have done? These are all the things that we neglect to think about as we choose to skip out on a workout and a healthy meal, and indulge in a triple decker bacon cheeseburger with extra large fries and a diet Coke.

I don't know about you, but I have always been very involved with my children and now my nephews. I literally will get down on all fours and throw them on my back and give them horseback rides. I will lift them up high and "fly" them around like Superman. I go to the park and run with them. I take my kids hiking, rock climbing, rafting, running... you name it. I don't just do it for me. I do it for them too. I want them to live full, vibrant lives. I want them to be able to feel strong and healthy. I want them to get the most out of life. You can't do that if you are unhealthy and weak.

Your body should not be a prison you live in. It should be your sanctuary. Take care of it so it can be.