Strong Journey

Welcome to today! Opportunity awaits, all that's required of you is participation!  Think about yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that,... You will perhaps be reminded of the successes as well as failures experienced over time.  Now think about today and the fact it is a blank slate waiting to be written on.  You have been given one more day to make things right.  How cool is that!  We don't have to dwell in our failures and mistakes because we have another chance to turn things around!   I've heard more than one of you say that you are struggling with eating right and exercising daily, well...here's your chance!  Use the 24 hours given to you on Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday,...to change your habits.  What you write on the slate each day is going to be that of trying or not.  I am constantly telling my students the only way to truly fail is to not try.  When you wake up in the morning determine that it will be a day you give it

Yes, Rest is good.  We all know that the lack of rest through sleep can reek havac on our well-being, but did you know that not enough rest, or backing off on intensity, in an exercise program can have a negative affect on progress?  Your body and mind need a break in order to perform at their best.   You have steadily progressed over the past 15 weeks and have shown great success!  I continue to be impressed with your effort and determination to complete all the workouts.  Now it is time to back off!  This next week will look easy, which it's supposed to be.  During this time really focus on sleep, eating well, and giving yourself a break, kind of an exercise vacation ;-). You will be amazed how good you feel, along with being stronger when we amp it back up again next week.   Have a GREAT restful week! Monday / Wednesday: Yoga of your choice.  Either video or find a class.  The point is to relax and stretch. Tuesday / Thursday: 45 minutes of your favorite

While working out the other day I, once again, had to remind myself that nothing lasts forever.  I was once told that I can do anything for 2 minutes, which was/is true.  This mindset has been used to convince myself that I can do anything for 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, ...  I call these times "bumps in the road" simple obstacles to go through to get to where I want to go.  I get there stronger because of the perserverance and determination to keep going. Using workout lessons in life is a huge part of the benefits of what you are doing.  When difficulties arise you can remind yourself that nothing lasts forever.  Some things sure seem they have no end, but the truth is they do.  There are hard times that can go on and on while others are brief, compare these to short workouts days and long runs.  You have made it through 7.5 miles and will make it through 13.1 miles.  Proving you can make it through whatever hard times you might be going through too. Continui

More than once this week the topic of "comfort zones" has come up.  It is interesting to think how afraid we can be of stepping outside the box we have so carefully made for ourselves.  Each person's box is a different size, some large and some are small but, none the less, they have us locked in.  Fear of failure, harm, disappointment, etc. have the capacity to keep us from the great things waiting outside of our comfort zones. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to step outside your box.  Find something that is out of your comfort zone and take a risk.  I'm pretty sure you will find that it usually isn't as bad as you anticipate it to be, and once you have completed whatever it may be you will have a new confidence that will spread throughout all areas of your life. GREAT THINGS HAPPEN OUTSIDE OF COMFORT ZONES!!!!! Workout: Monday:  Warm up:  5 minute easy bike, full body mobility (swing leg front to back, side to side.  then both arms u

  This morning I got a text from my sister in law, Rhonda, in which she said, "I wonder how I am doing this!"  I loved that comment because of the perfect example it was about accomplishing more than she think possible.  Going from 0 to 6.5 miles and all the workouts in between was not something she would have given thought to a year ago.  And here she is today, successfully training towards an impressive goal! A year ago Sandy started running with me after saying she is no athlete and could, nor did she want to,  run any distance.  After just a few months, on the 4th of July 2016, her and I ran a 5k together.  Two days from now we will again run on the 4th but this time it will be the 10k!  Sandy's dedication to this training has inspired me over the past 13 weeks as she has gotten up early to do something she didn't start off very passionate about.  Her efforts have not only paid off in distance but she receives compliments from many about how good she looks