Small things....

So, today I am grateful for the small things. Take for instance the guy at the gym this morning... Thank you guy at the gym with his girlfriend for pushing me harder than I thought I could be pushed today. By your kindness in grabbing your weights for your girlfriend, I was forced to go up in weights. So thank you for inadvertently pushing me to reach my limits this morning... lol... No, I really am grateful to those around me that help me become better... There is this one guy at the gym who always gets on the treamill 2 away from mine... when you get that close to me, it becomes a race... The commercial with Mia Hamm and Michael Jordan comes to mind- "Anything you can do,I can do better..." Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

MY GOAL IS TO BE IN THIS GOOD OF SHAPE AGAIN!!!! Slowly but surely!!!

GRRRRR....

Today I didnt want to get up... But I have devised a way to ensure that I get out of bed at 0400 and to the gym by 0415 every morning. I sleep in a sweatshirt and long pants with socks on. Anyone that knows me well knows that I hate to sleep with socks on and be hot while I am sleeping... Drives me nuts. So by 0350 I am sweating like crazy and have to get out of bed to cool off. See, love to outsmart myself!!! Not a bad workout today. I only did 2.5 miles of sprints... but, it's better than laying in bed!! Everyone comes to a point where the have had ENOUGH. Today is the day most people really mean to make serious changes in their lives. They talk about all the great things they are going to do this year and the positive changes they are going to make. They get excited and pumped and start down a new road of progress for themselves in many areas of their lives. Unfortunately, this usually lasts for about 3 days. They miss the most important part of the equation: The never cross from getting excited and pumped over to taking action...or if they do its short lived. Real change takes real commitment and real action! Its takes forcefully implementing new habits. Which means doing things you don't feel like doing over and over again until they are new habits. The first couple days will be easy, but its what you do once the initial excitement wears off that determines if you are going to make it or not. Real change means making a decision and sticking with that decision no matter what happens or how hard it gets. Expect challenges, expect setbacks but expect to overcome them...but most of all...expect to do the work! What you have done up until this point in no way dictates what you will do from this point forward. Whatever it is you are looking to change this year, you can and will....IF you are willing to move through just talking about the possibilities and on to ACTING on the plan that will bring you to your destination. Attaining goals is simple in concept, but challenging in discipline and effort. Thats ok, because the end result is always worth it. When was the last time you got something amazing with little or no effort? "What one man can do...another can do". There is no truer statement when it comes to accomplishing anything. Many people have already set the bar for what is possible, all you have to do is follow the plan. You are not the "special" exception to this rule. Many people have accomplished what it is you want with much tougher obstacles in their way. Let this statement ring in your head when the going gets tough for you...which it will. Lets make this THE YEAR. Forget about the past and what dreams may not have been fulfilled and lets get focused on what we really want for ourselves and make a decision to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Routines and Schedules...

YAY!!!! School is back in. I can get on my schedule again. Even though I haven't been writing, I have still been working out. It's a funny thing. I have this inner athlete that pushes me along. Take today, for instance. I was just going to run a mile for warm-up. Then the inner athlete in me says, "Are you kidding me? Is that all you've got?" So I pushed a little harder, ran a little faster. I burned 950 calories this morning. I don't know that I will ever satisfy the "inner athlete", but I am extremely grateful to have it pushing me along and helping me reach my goals.

motivation

Patience. The lack of it can be the biggest culprit of failed goals and regret in any area of life. Big life changing results are the result of consistent small steps over the course of time (sometimes years). Big life changing results are NOT the result of massive effort for a few days or weeks. Most people quit before the real progress can even be noticed...and you always find yourself back in the same place...the beginning...more desperate each time. You wouldn't get to mile number 10 in a marathon and decide to go back to the starting line would you? Obviously, with that mentality you'd never get to the end. So don't make the same mistake with your life. Get some patience. Do the work consistently. The results will be there.

Shame on me!!!

So, I was caught in the Christmas laziness.... I just got back into the gym this morning... its been almost 5 days since my last workout... Man, I sound like an AA meeting gone bad. Anyways, I figured out a few things this morning. First of all, I have a long way to go till I am in great shape. Second, I am going to repeat this weeks workout again next week. I dont feel like I have mastered it, but I will. Third, I was doing my cool down on the bike and watching ESPN. So, this commercial comes on and I just start laughing out loud. It was a commercial for professional bowlers, and it was trying to make them look all sexy and what not. Two things-- I didnt have my headphones plugged into it, so the song that I had on "Sexy and I know it" (which makes me laugh anyways) was playing when this commercial came on... And next-- there is no possible way to make bowling look sexy... Don't get me wrong-I have a great time bowling with my kiddos... But sexy?? LOL... So, all in all not a bad workout this morning... 800 calories burned...

Mild case of OCD...

So, today I found out that a mild case of OCD is okay... I reached my goal of 500 calories on the bike. Then I needed to cool down, so I threw in another mile. But, then the calories didnt come out to a 50 or a 0. So, I kept going. Then, the miles didnt match... I could've spent forever at the gym fixing this problem... Good workout today 22 miles on the bike... and who knows how many calories... I just know that I went over 500... WOOT WOOT!!!

LOVE THESE BABIES!!!!

Perfect for my "Perspectives"

Most people are so afraid that others wont approve or believe in their dreams/goals that they don't even try. Well, I hate to break it to you, but if you don't even have enough courage to say what you really want for fear of others disapproval...your chances of making it anywhere but where you are currently are virtually non existent. Success makes other people uncomfortable because they are forced to look in the mirror and judge their own progress.The truth is, many people (sometimes the ones closest to you) are going to always want to see you fail at whatever it is you do for this exact reason. THIS IS A FACT. Everyone who has ever accomplished ANYTHING has dealt with this. NEVER let them stand in your way. You don't need their approval to succeed...you only need your own belief in yourself and willingness to do the work! Nothing is impossible. Quit being a whiner/excuse maker. Put on your work boots. Get to work. Learn to be strong. If people get in your way, ignore them or run them over. Do whatever it takes...because in the end you'll be the one with regrets if you don't.