How to keep your workout routine well after the resolution has passed.

With the new year coming up, I'm sure you can guess what the #1 resolution is for most people. yes! you got it...weight loss. I recently started doing yoga and have found a certain crazy thing happening that keeps more more motivated than other days. And that's when I wear the right fitting clothes for my body type. I personally don't wear the super tight, super short sports tops. (I mean really...does anyone look good in those that doesn't dedicate their entire life to running a marathon every year?) I have found that if I find workout clothes that flatter my body type, I actually feel skinner during class and if I FEEL skinner then my workouts are working so I must continue on!!!
I recently found this article about flattering workout clothes article it seems pretty interesting and has some really good tips.
Research shows that most gyms' membership, weight loss programs, etc make big bucks in January. You may even start seeing the commercials for discounts and specials starting in Nov and Dec. they are gearing up for the big arrival of members in January. But most of these people have given up by March. We have to change the things we do to get different results. And it's often been said that it's the way something makes you feel that will keep you going. So if you feel great when you walk in the gym or the studio because you look great, well that's a step in the right direction! I don't know about you, but whenever I look in the mirror and see my muffin top hanging over my pants, I say to myself "this is so not working." but if buy that cute little "baby doll sports top" I recently found at target by Champion here, I"m a little more inclined to keep going because "now I'm losing weight!!! yes!! This is working!"

how to start loving your "to do list."

I recently got serious about my yoga practice about 5 weeks ago and have seen some amazing results. I needed to de stress one day and just went to my old studio that I hadn't been to in about 3 years. Back to the 100 degree heat and 70% humidity. And it was just as good and detoxifying as i remember. I left the studio that day thinking "Dang i feel great!!" So i went again the next day, and the next and the next. i thought "what if i did this 5 days in a row!" 5 days in I thought....I'm on to something!

So here I am about 6 weeks later still going strong and regularly attending 4-5 days a week. This habit got me thinking:

What makes me keep coming back to this when I used to always dread the gym?

It made me remember a training or a lesson I once heard about positive thoughts and affirmations. how we reward ourselves. Kind of like the old Pavlov's dog. What is the association to yoga that created this positive experience that kept me coming back?

1. I sweat like crazy because of the heat
2. it was only a 60 min class as compared to the 90 min it used to be. That was doable for me and my busy schedule
3. I felt results after the 1st day
4. Began to sleep better
5. Began to want to eat better
6. I became more relaxed and patient with my family
7. I got much needed "quiet time."
8. after 3 weeks my clothes fit differently
9. I sweat like crazy (oh i already said that!!)
10. my body opened up

And then I realized these are all positive things i'm associating with my yoga practice so I desire to keep going back. Going to the gym used to be "ugh, gotta go workout." Honestly, because I never really sweat all that much so I never felt I accomplished anything, sometimes my workouts were painful especially if lunges were involved, my body would be sore after I lifted a different kind of weight, and sometimes I ate worse b/c I needed to "reward" myself for going to the gym!!! LOL

Those were all negative associations I was attaching to working out. So of course I never wanted to.

This is the lesson: whatever we attach to actions whether it be positive or negative will promote whether we do more of it or not. The training that I once heard about this was if you're in sales or something where you have to make calls, attach a positive result every time you make a phone call. Or when you set goals, do something you love when you reach that goal. Get a massage, buy a new dress, have that dessert (although i don't recommend rewarding with food!!)  And if the thing we must do to get the result we want is viewed as "painful," it will become harder and harder to do. this is where procrastination comes in! this is why we procrastinate!! And there are some things we just don't enjoy doing and they don't make us "feel" good. In many situations, actions must come before feelings. it is the action itself that creates the positive feeling.

Reward yourself today for something that's been on your to do list for a while or take that step toward a change. I bet you'll "feel" better after you do!

Sneaking Snickers

With just 2 days after Halloween, I know you have left over candy you are just dying to get rid of, but the last place you probably want it is in your kids' mouth! I remember when i was young and I would stash my bag of candy collected from the gracious neighbors in my closet and go grab a few pieces every night before I went to bed. But I would save just enough so that I wouldn't run out. This saving eventually led to throwing out a bag of candy every year because I never ate it fast enough and it got old.

As adults now, do you still have a stash of candy you set aside for yourself from Halloween? I usually put my kids' bags in the pantry hoping they just won't see it and forget we even have it. Out of sight, out of mind, right? That may work for the kids, but not for Dad!! Tonight, as I was making dinner, I saw Richard (my husband) out of the corner of my eye go into the pantry. This part is no big deal, but then I just happen to glance over and I hear a "crackle" and saw him put something into his pocket. (I"m still laughing as I type this). and then he saw me see him...(confused yet?). So he did the aimless stare onto the shelves to make it look like he was looking for something. (still laughing to myself as I type this by the way).  And then here's how the rest of the dialogue went:

Me: "what are you looking for?"
Richard: "huh?" (isn't this the response we always get or give when we know we've been busted!!!)
Me: "What are you doing? "
Richard: "oh I was just looking at Grace's candy and what she got."
Me: "Did you just put something in your pocket?"
Richard: "Huh?"
Me: "What did you put in your pocket?"
Richard: "Oh, yeah, just a Snickers."

DAD was totally sneaking a Snickers out of his daughters Halloween candy and had full intention on eating this little sucker in a private place somewhere like some kind of bad habit. It reminds me of people who keep shoeboxes under the bed full of junk food and eat it when they are alone.
I busted out laughing and so did he. It was just so funny to think about this whole scenario and that he was bootlegging candy!!  For lack of a better word.

So sneaking snickers is not a crime punishable by law but it sure does guarantee a great laugh when you get busted of course!

Gratitude

Gratitude. When i started my journal today, i wrote "wow it's November. my favorite time of the year and the month of my favorite holiday. I absolutely love Thanksgiving because it is not about "getting." It seems to resemble of time of reflecting, being with family, finding things we are thankful for, grace, and of course food and football. I truly enjoy Thanksgiving because Gratitude is something that has truly changed my life. When we focus on the things we have, we seem to be given more. Even when we can't seem to find anything to believe in or have faith in, I like what the Bible says, "if you have the faith of a mustard seed....that is enough."  We can build upon that. Have you ever even seen a mustard seed? Well here you go:

They are super super tiny. so sometimes it may seem hard to find something you are grateful for. Other days it may be easy but try starting a gratitude journal for just a week and see what begins to happen in your life. write down 3 things every night that you are thankful for that day. What you may start to see happening is by day 3 or 4, you are going through the day looking for things to put in your journal!!! WOW! you are looking for good things! and not seeing all the bad stuff! What we focus on expands so if we are focusing on good, we will get more good. it is that simple. whatever we sow into the world, we will reap back 100x over!

Here's another great project (don't be overwhelmed! it's very simple) that I am going to do with my family this year. It's the Thankful Basket and you can click on the words to find the details. Go into this month of November with Gratitude. Forget the "oh crap Christmas is in 2 months!, oh crap, another year has already gone by! OMG, my in laws are coming!" Lets forget all that for 7 days and just focus on what we are thankful for and comment on your progress!! I'm sure you'll have some amazing revelations.

A day in the life of a "Mom"treprenuer: Don't Stop Crying

A day in the life of a "Mom"treprenuer: Don't Stop Crying: I was watching an episode of Oprah's lifeclass today and the subject today was "the feeling of love that you can get from an animal." Among ...

Don't Stop Crying

I was watching an episode of Oprah's lifeclass today and the subject today was "the feeling of love that you can get from an animal." Among all the stories on there including Faith, the 2 legged dog and the story of Nate who reunited someone with their dog from Katrina, this blog comes from the "Puppies Behind Bars" story.

Why do we, often men, say "I'm sorry" when we begin to get emotional? When we begin to cry in public we apologize? it really got me thinking. These prisoners who are the best example of "hurting people hurt people," were allowed to raise these puppies into service dogs for wounded soldiers. They are being taught how to love and be unconditionally loved through a dog. And when they are given the chance to share their story and how impacting this program has had on their life, they begin to cry. One prisoner notes," it's allowed him to have the feelings he has had for so long but you learn to restrain from them b/c of this hard environment we are in." Saying all of this while crying and apologizing for it.

Is shedding tears a symbol of insecurity, vulnerability, immaturity, weakness? I believe we are telling ourselves that when we apologize to others for our emotions. It's okay to cry! I believe it's a sign of strength. you are so connected to your emotions and not afraid to show them that it exudes a kind of honor. It got so emotional at this show tonight and I don't know why. I began to shed a little tear myself and i felt myself holding back and i was alone!! I thought why do we do this???? So instead of fighting it, I let the river flow!!! and actually felt better afterwards. It releases some hormone in the body when we  cry.  So think about that next time you begin to get emotional either alone or around other people. Do you say "im sorry" and where did you learn it? Do you hold back the tears for fear of seeming weak? I don't know what the reason is but next time you feel the tears coming, just go with it....

this brings up another thought....why are tears salty??? .....next post i guess....

Baby Proof=Cheap Art

When Grace was a baby, I didn't baby proof anything b/c she simply wasn't much of the investigator. She didn't put anything in her mouth and she was always quite content in a bouncer, exersaucer, or some other toy. Savannah is a whole nother story!!! When she was in the womb, she kicked so much and I remember saying to myself, "if this baby is anything on the outside what she is on the inside, i'm in for a wild ride." And so my prediction came true. She is into EVERYTHING!!! and anything she sees even a tiny crumb on the ground, she hones in on it, goes for it, crawls as if she's in a race against herself, and puts anything and everything in her mouth. There was even a little screw in my closet the other day from the alarm box we had to fiddle with and she went right for it, and almost put that thing in her mouth. Fortunately, I'm also running a race against her most days to get stuff out of her hands! I can't take my eye off her for a second! So ....
I had necklaces in my closet simply in organizers on the ground. and she was getting into them every single day. by the way, you may be asking, why is she roaming the closet? Well, I do still like the brush my teeth and wash my face most days and she is so not content in "toys" all the time, so we let her crawl around with eyes peeled to get energy out while i am taking only a few minutes to look halfway decent most days.
So, back to the cheap art, I had seen people do this and thought hmmmm how can i do this fairly inexpensively? I chose Hobby Lobby when they were having a 50% off frame sale, I found a premade frame i liked and if you go to the corkboard section, they have the exact size (large) that will fit in the frame. i think it was 23x30 but don't quote me on that. I asked the frame dept if they would put the board in the frame. they said "of course!" next question...how much? they said it was free. anything you find at hobby lobby they will put in the premade frames for free. good news!! so she nailed it in, taped it up, even put a hanging feature on the back for me and VOILA!!! I had my corkboard. Now i did have to put some ducktape on the back to secure the board in b/c the tape she used wasn't sticking. I bought the big thumbtacks you see and hung my necklaces right up!!! It totally "fancies" up the room and a great way to see your jewelry. you can do this for anything hanging; ties, bracelets, earrings, belts, hair accessories, etc. So just thought I'd share a really inexpensive way of how baby proof turned into art on my walls. think the whole project was around $50...
Have fun! and comment on any other cool projects you've done yourself.