I would like to begin this piece with a quote from one of my favorite inspirational and influential speakers, Brian Tracy. " You are what you think about most of the time." When you think about it - that one statement is pretty powerful, it says that you create who you are by how you think about yourself. Its something I didn't always see or understand, but when I sit back and reflect on different passages in my life I have come to find it to be very true. You cannot control what others think or do but you do have the power and ability to change others perception of you by how you see your self. If you think you are a worthless, hopeless person with nothing to offer most of the time - you will do and behave as a hopeless worthless person - who life happens to. On the other hand you may be in a bad situation, or spot in your life but instead of choosing to see the situation as hopeless and give up, you think hmm... what can I do to get myself out of this mess, come up with a series of steps and a reasonable time line and keep working towards that goal. Two very different ways of thinking. One is the victim mentality and the other is the Can Do mentality. Sure, not all of our problems in life can be solved right away and we may have to accept the fact that for a certain amount of time a situation is what it is and we have to choose to make the most of it for now, but in time with a plan, we can and do have the power to change that situation, and do not have to accept failure. Only when you stop trying do you truly fail. Think about who you want to be and find someone who has those characteristics, study that person, go ask them questions if you can. Questions like how did you get to be where you are, what things do you do on a daily basis to get you there? By picking up those same habits and actions you can start your own journey to being the person you want to be

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"Sometimes there is perfection in the slightest imperfection" Kristen Lee Happy Birthday Kristen!

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The end of the year always brings about new resolutions with us all and for many getting physically fit reigns at the top of the list along with laying off the sweets and eating a more well balanced diet. All of the fitness goals I just listed our external and help our physical being, but what about our spiritual fitness? Being spiritually fit is directly linked to being physically fit and is on my own list of resolutions this year in my quest toward total fitness.

As a trainer I work with a diverse group of people who have walked down many different roads to get where they are today but the one thing they all seem to have in common is that their struggle with physical fitness stemmed from something that happened to their spirit. Whatever that something was left them feeling unworthy, unappreciated and in turn unable to give or receive appreciation to themselves or others. I truly want to focus on total fitness this year not just the physical. So instead of making a snap resolution to just do something and give up on it a month later I want us to sit and reflect. Find a quiet place and write yourself a letter that you are going to read a year from now. Visualize and list out what you want to bring into your life this year and make sure to honor your achievements of the year that has just passed. Reflect on who you are and why - often it takes a change on the inside, a new way of thinking to bring about the changes you want to see on the outside. A friend of mine always says, “Beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes all the way to the bone". Let your inner beauty shine through this year and smile when you see your reflection!

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Womens Wellness Through the Ages
By Melissa Brown

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Everyone has their moments of weakness when they stray off of their diet -
When this happens you have a couple of choices:

A. Beat yourself up with negative self talk you deserve it right?
B. Just keep eating crap its making you feel better right now, even though it won't tomarrow.
C. Take a look inside yourself and find out why?

I have done A and B, neither have worked for me long term - So I vote for option C and would recommend it to you too. Identify the underlying problem, understand and learn from it, ask yourself why? - Then vow not to let that thing or way of thinking sabotage you again! It takes practice and hard work and even when you tackle that, something else may come up! But I have found that loving yourself and praising yourself for taking the conscious steps toward your goals of a fitter body and using that as motivation works better for me.

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In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd honor the planet with these earth friendly gestures:

3. Go to the nursrey and plant a new tree in your yard - or volunteer to plant one at a local park - Two full grown tress can supply roughly 260 lbs of Oxygen - that is enough to supply the Oxygen needs of One Person Per Year!

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Eating Better = Feeling Better
As most of you know two weeks ago I competed in my first figure competition and well after the show and a lot of hard dieting and cardio I decided to take a break and pretty much eat what ever it was my mouth thought I should have even though my brain was telling me “you know this isn’t going to make you feel good” but I let my taste buds have control and somehow my hand kept making it to my mouth….. I am sure you get the picture!
Anyhow it had been a while since I put my body through that type of abuse! Thank God! I don’t think it could’ve taken another truffle from See’s Candies so we finished the box and we are now done! Besides letting you all know what a naughty girl I was, I wanted to share with you my feelings about this and see if you can relate to it also: When I eat good things for my insides I am a much happier person inside and out, physically I feel better and In general emotionally I am just happier with myself. By taking good care of myself and eating good nutritious food for my body I am sending back a positive affirmation that says I am worth taking care of. Just like when we exercise we are worth taking care of that way, nutrition is just that Nourishment for your whole being. Having goals and taking each step toward them, making the choices that are going to take you to your dream is one of the most positive things you can do for your sense of self worth and place in the world. Moving through life with a direction and a purpose is what makes me feel beautiful on the inside, and you have no idea how happy I am when I hear someone I have helped reach one of their personal goals – It literally makes my day! When you’re feeling good on the inside some of its bound to come out and show! Nourish your body with exercise and good nutrition; and nourish your soul. Reinforce yourself and make your workouts work for you with the right nutrition – you deserve to achieve the level of fitness you desire you just have to make the decision to let yourself have it.
Whatever your fitness goal is there is a plan and a step by step way to get there, you can do it. It’s just making the decision to stick with it and follow through. Sometimes I talk to people who want to improve this or that about their bodies - yet when I explain to them the work that is required to get there they often whine or express unhappiness. Unfortunately these people really aren’t ready to help themselves to happiness because the really don’t want to put the time or effort into achieving what it is they say they want. Wake up there is no magic pill! It’s called hard work, determination and consistency - and that my friend is what yields results!
If you would like to post comments about this article or have any additional insight please email me and I will post them as soon as I Can.

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This is such a powerful quote and I try to share it with as many people as possible because I really identify with it. Take the gym for example; the same people come in day after day week after week and don't really seem to make any progress. Now there are a variety of reasons why this happens but usually number one is they are doing the same thing day in and day out and the wrong way. But why stop at the gym? Couldn't this be applied to just about any area of life your life that isn't producing the results you wants? Keep a goal and every day do at least one thing that will help get you there . All of these little steps add up and before you know it you will have accomplished that goal and begin again the process for the next one. What are your goals? Figure them out make your map and stay on course - be passionate, persistant and patient. You will get there!

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Stress Management

Are you listening to what your body is saying?

Continue reading "Stress Management" »

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12 Traits Of Champion Bodybuilders, by Tom Venuto

You can use this in every arena of your life, I know the title says Body Builder but honestly these can be applied to more than just lifting weights, its about character - Good Stuff.... A Must Read

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