Going for Your Goals: You've Got the Power!

When we aren't happy with ourselves or a situation we're in, the negative self-talk can get very loud and send us off in the wrong direction if we let it. The negative feelings and talk can become a habit, and a way of not dealing with an issue.

The good news is that we can turn it around anytime we want to! We all have the ability and power to start saying nice things to ourselves. Start thinking about what you like about yourself. It's not egotistical or selfish to think about what you like about yourself. It could be that you've got a great sense of humor, smile, talent, or that you're a giving person, etc.

In a little bit we'll take a look at one of Chalene Johnson's motivational video's that talks about this very issue. Chalene is an entrepreneur, fitness instructor personality, motivational speaker, and much more. I have great respect for Chalene. She's truly an inspiration to many! In one of her videos below Chalene tells us to imagine how someone that looks up to us see us. It's like changing the channel when we do that!

Focus on the good in you and what you like about you anytime the negative self-talk starts up. Over time you'll realize and believe that you do have the power to change the negative way you think of yourself into a more positive way. You'll start making healthier and more positive choices in your life. You can change your life at any time! You've got the Power!

Here's Chalene's video, Change that Voice. Enjoy!

Going for Your Goals: What's with all the Positive Thinking?

So, what's with all this talk about Positive thinking? Positive thinking is not a cure all, it's simply the first step of many that one must take in order to pull themselves out of the rut they've been stuck in. Positive thinking enables a person to start thinking and seeing the possibilities instead of the impossibilities in life.

When we start thinking in a more positive way it lifts our mood and provides us with the ability to start thinking clearer; outside of a situation and to begin to see that there are choices we can make. From there it's up to us to take the next steps. If all we do is think positively, but take no other actions to make actual changes in our lives, then we're still in the same situation we were in before.

This is why it is so important to start thinking about what we want, our goals, and to start making a plan to get there. Listing our goals and plans makes it more real and gives us a purpose. That's what this challenge is all about.

To continue on this journey let's take a look at the eleventh video of Wayne Dyer's Excuses Be Gone series.


Then when you have a chance take a look at this site. It offers free affirmation cards. Just click on a card to get an affirmation!

If you've missed any other posts in the Going for Your Goals challenge check out the Going for Your Goals page!

The Family that Gets Fit Together Stays Together

We all know that exercise is very good for us, that it can keep disease at bay, keeps us healthy, de-stress us, clear our minds, and so much more. One other way it significanly can help is to encourage the whole family to get involved.

Step out from behind the computer, television, and video games and spend great quality time with your kids while exercising. You'll not only be getting healthier as a family, you'll be spending quality time with them and teaching them the importance of good exercise and nutrition!

Before you put on your sneakers check out this article for addional information on getting your family working together to improve overall health in your family! Click HERE!

Going for Your Goals: The Positives of It All

Last week we started using the power of imagination to visualize our future and what we want out of life. This can actually be harder than it sounds. Imagination requires us to let go of our inhibitions and take on a childlike way of imagination.

Imagining what we want our future to be without any limitiations creates positive feelings. Positive feelings lead to positive thinking, positive thinking leads to positive attitudes, positive attitudes leads to positive goal planning, positive goal planning leads to positive actions, positive actions leads to the creation of our own future.

In Brian Tracy's book, "Goals: How to Get Everything You Want" he asks us to take a hard look at what we want for our future in our family life, financial situation, and our ideal fitness and health by asking us some great questions. Here are some of those questions to think about. Take some time to write down your answers:

Five years from now where do you want to be:

1. Financial:
1. How much money will you be earning?
2. How much money will you have in the bank?
3. What type of lifestyle are you leading?
4. How much are you going to be worth when you retire?
2. Family:
1. What type of family life are you living?
2. Who are you with or who aren't you with?
3. What type of living standards do you have?
3. Fitness and Health
1. How do you look and feel?
2. Are you at your ideal weight?
3. How much do you workout each week?
4. How are your eating habits?
5. What is your overall level of health?

What changes do you need to make today to get where you want to be five years from now? What excuses do you need to stop making to start those changes?

There's an old saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". If all we do is plan on someday taking action to lose weight, get out of a bad relationship, start a business, write a book, etc, but never start to do it then in five years we will be where we are now. Successful people are action oriented. They think of an idea and start taking action on it to make it come to fruition. We can all be successful! We all have it within us to do the same and start taking action!

Here's a fun and worthwhile exercise: Create Your Perfect Calendar! Think about where you want to be in five years and imagine that you have no limitations on anything:

• What do you want to do on the weekends? On vacations?
• Where do you want to go?
• How often do you want to take time off in a week, month, and year?
• Is your work schedule based on work you enjoy doing?

When we can imagine our future in a positve way it helps us to start taking those steps today to create that future for ourselves. We become happier when we have a purpose and set goals for ourselves because we're working towards our future we've imagined. Working towards something we don't really want creates negativity and unhappiness because we are not being true to our core values.

Next time we'll explore more on our core values. For now continue to write down all your thoughts and answers; when you look back in a few months it will help you stay focused on your goals, and also help you see the progress you've made.

Remember, my friends, imagination is a powerful tool that will open up the world to you.

The Power of Determination!

I'm a firm believer that we all have it within us to be and do what we want in life. Our choices, both big and small, along with our attitudes and behavior determine the paths in life we take. At any point we can change our path and start a new one. It all begins with taking those first steps!

My life has changed considerably because I made the choice to change it. I wanted to get myself healthy and fit again and do that as a way of life. I began eating healthier; even when you're a vegetarian you can still make unhealthy food choices. I also started working out regularly.

Fast forward to a year later and I'm still eating healthy and working out. Not only that I've lost about 55 pounds and gained a confidence in myself I didn't have before. I made the choice to keep at it and have a great support system with my family and friends. I also have surrounded myself with like minded people by signing up to be a Beachbody Coach. Beachbody is a health and wellness company that has many nutritional and exercise products. Their the ones that have put out many popular DVD home workouts like P90X, Insanity, TurboJam, Slim in 6, etc. I signed up to be a coach to get discounts on Beachbody products and to meet others that were in the same mode as me.

Being a Beachbody Coach is very rewarding as I've met such wonderful people and Beachbody provides incredible support for their Coaches. The fact that I get to now help others achieve their own goals is a major bonus! I recently started working out to one of Beachbody's latest workouts by Chalene Johnson, TurboFire. It's an incredible DVD workout program! I am truly loving the workouts and getting great results rather quickly. After the workouts they do introductions of the cast. One of the cast members, Toni, is the first person you see in one of the TurbFire intro spots. So imagine my surprise when during the introduction part of the cast on the workout DVD's Toni says she has seven children. You read it right; seven children! She looks amazing!

I made a new choice when I saw that. She, along with Chalene Johnson, are now my new inspiration for reaching my goals. I still have my other inspirations, but they have helped me take it up a notch. If a woman with seven children can get in that kind of shape, I can get in that kind of shape too. I can do all that I want to do as long as I stay true to myself and plan out my steps. It's not just about losing weight and getting in shape, it's about accomplishing what you want out of life. All that do have one thing in common; determination. I've got it too now, and so can you.
Here's the video I mentioned earlier. Look for Toni; she's the first one they show!

6 Beverage Industry Secrets They Don't Want You to Know

6 Beverage Industry Secrets They Don't Want You to Know

Are you sure what you're drinking is what was advertised? Check out this great article on some of the hidden secrets of the beverage industry!

Going for Your Goals: Positivities

Hope you all did some serious thinking and dreaming as we discussed in the last post of the Going for Your Goals Challenge!

For today let's focus on the last 3 Positivities we had to say to ourselves. Today thru next week repeat each of them at least once a day. It'll help you feel better, get your head cleared, and de-stress you a little.

Here they are:

I deserve and am worthy of the best in life.
I have the ability to do what is necessary to improve my life.

I have the power to change myself


Those are powerful statements that can help to get us focused on our goals and the steps we need to take to make positive changes in our lives. It's up to you! Feel free to add your own to this as well!

Now that you're in a more positive frame of mind take some time to check out part nine and part ten of Wayne Dyer's Excuses Be Gone series! Click HERE for part nine! Click HERE for part ten!



To see all previous posts of the Going for Your Goals Challenge check out the Going for Your Goals page! Click HERE to check it out!

Butter or Margarine? Experts Reveal What's in Their Grocery Cart

Butter or Margarine? Experts Reveal What's in Their Grocery Cart

Great article reviews 4 different types of foods and which is the healthier choice. Check it out!

My Workout Journey!

When you're ready to start working out, one of the harder decisions can be to figure out what type of workout to do. Your decision should be based on what you like and what you're body responds to. You may need to try a few different ones out to figure all that out. I'll give you a break down of my journey through various workouts to give you an idea of what I mean.

When I first started working out, I knew I didn't like the typical aerobics type of classes from previous stints of working out. I had already worked out at a fitness club; problem was I have a tendency to get bored easily, especially on gym equipment that limits your movements. Hiring a personal trainer was not an option at the time and trying to piece together various freebie individual exercises put out by magazines, fitness sites, etc. for someone with little time seemed like a rather time consuming task to me.

Because I had such limited time to workout I thought DVD workouts would be good to try. That's when I tried Denise Austin's DVD workouts. I thought she was a great instructor, but the workouts were a little too slow for me and not as intense as I like. However, she did have one kickboxing workout that I loved. This is when I first really figured out that I like the more intense physical workouts like kickboxing. Since she had only one intense type of workout (that I considered intense or knew of) I moved onto Billy Blank's Tae Bo workouts which I liked because it is a more intense type of kickboxing and I had some mild success with it as far as toning up and losing weight.

At this point I was enjoying the workouts, but still felt something was missing for me so I started mixing up the DVD's I already had from Denise Austin and Billy Blank and kind of created my own workout routine. I stayed with this routine for awhile, as I found it more satisfying then just doing one of the programs. However, after hitting a plateau with my workouts I found myself once again seeking out some other type of workout.

Enter Beachbody; I first saw Chalene Johnson's Turbo Jam workouts on an infomercial and thought that it might be fun to try. I ordered the workout and gave it a whirl. Turbo Jam is fun and intense! I lost weight in no time and started toning up even more. Chalene Johnson is very motivating which also helped to keep me going with Turbo Jam. I then heard about Tony Horton's Power 90 DVD workouts and gave that a try. I did the whole schedule with each workout and then started blending Turbo Jam and Power 90 together for an even more awesome workout!

Before I knew it I was incorporating Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer into my workouts for days when I wanted a little extra boost. By this time you could say I was hooked on the Beachbody workouts because they were informative, fun, exciting and got results! I started seeing ads and infomercials on Tony Horton's P90X. P90X peaked my curiosity so I ordered it. It then sat on my shelf for about six months because every time I thought about doing it I got a little bit scared.

I was scared of the commitment it P90X would take and of the workouts themselves. There came a point though when I felt the need to switch up my workouts again. I could almost hear Tony Horton calling to me from the P90X box telling me to go for it. I made the decision to do it and haven't looked back since! I lost forty-five pounds from P90X and gained confidence, healthier eating habits, and felt a major shift in my life for the better. I found what I loved about P90X is that the workouts covered all types of workouts such as cardio, strength training, toning, and yoga. It was an all inclusive workout. That's what I had been looking for the whole time! I just didn't know it until I discovered it.

After P90X I moved onto Brett Hoebel's RevAbs workouts. I loved RevAbs because it incorporated several different types of workouts including moves from Capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts. My appetite for different workouts and routines grew which is when I moved onto Chalene Johnson's Chalean Extreme, a strength circuit training workout program. I gained more muscle tone and lost inches around my waist, arms, and legs! After Chalean Extreme I went onto Shaun T's workout Insanity. Insanity is an awesome cardio intensive training program that will kick your butt! I know it kicked mine a few times! Insanity helped me to lose even more inches around my waist, arms and legs and increased my cardio stamina considerably!

I was all set to go for another round of P90X when I started hearing some buzz about Chalene Johnson's new workout called TurboFire. When TurboFire was released I ordered it immediately because I have such great respect for Chalene and the program looked amazing. I am not disappointed! TurboFire is a fantastic workout that provides cardio conditioning, strength training, and core & abs workouts. I can say that I'm now addicted to TurboFire! TurboFire is for everyone from beginner to pro! I know that my body is responding great to TurboFire because it's an all around workout that includes, cardio, strength, and toning.

I'll keep you posted on my success with TurboFire by posting my results along the way. I encourage you to find a workout that works for you; it may not be what works for me. One thing for sure though is that Beachbody has a multitude of DVD workout programs that will fit just about anybody's style.

I became a Beachbody Coach about two months into working out with P90X. At first I did it for the awesome discounts you get on products, but then I realized Beachbody had a lot more to offer. Beachbody provided me the opportunity to get myself healthy and fit and help others do the same! Now I'm blogging about various related topics to health and fitness and am getting myself there too! It's a pretty great when you find a company where their main focus is to help others get healthy and fit! I love the support Beachbody provides its Coaches, the people I meet, their great products, and most importantly that I get to help others on their own fitness and health journey!

If you'd like to find out more about Beachbody or their Coaching opportunities check out my Beachbody website! Click HERE! You can always send me an email too!

Calories, Calories, Calories

There's a great article about whether a low calorie choice is always the best choice. Sometimes we go for the super low calorie foods which leave us feeling unsatisfied and aren't very nutritious. Check out this article for the comparisons they list. Very interesting! Click HERE!

Dreaming is Free!

Check out the latest post on the Going for Your Goals page! Click HERE to start your week off right!

Get Your Stretch On!

We all know we should stretch when we exercise, however, many of us aren't sure exactly when and how to stretch. Here's a great article on the 101 of Stretching! It covers seven points on proper stretching:

1. Warm up first
2. Do dynamic stretches after workout
3. Yoga
4. Static stretch after working out
5. Do warmups and stretches appropriate for your sports/activities
6. Stretching shouldn't be painful
7. Stretch to get rid of stress

Click HERE to read all about it! Stretch Safe!

Letting Go

Latest post is up on the Going for Your Goals page! It's about taking control, doing the work and steps we're laying out here, and rally going for it. Click HERE!

5 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise

5 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise

Check out this article on five major benefits of exercise! What was that? I think I just heard any leftover excuses I have scurry off!

Organic for Less!

We've all heard how buying organic foods eliminates the pesticides and maintains the nutrtional value of foods, however, it can be costly for certain items. Here's an article that gives some great advice on how to buy organic food without emptying out your wallet! Click HERE!

The 101 on Fun in the Sun!

We all know that we should be using sunscreen and even possibly the why, yet many folks continue to go without it. Here's some great information on sun exposure, sunscreen and more! It's all part of our overall health and well being. If we're taking time to get physically fit we have to remember to take care when playing in the sun too! Click HERE!

It's a Wrap on Responsibility!

Check out the latest post on the Going for Your Goals page about reviewing and wrapping up our study on responsibility! Click HERE!

Responsibility! That's the key to today's post on the Going for Your Goals page!

Check out today's post on the Going for Your Goals page! You'll be glad you did! Click HERE!

New Post Up on Going for Your Goals page!

Happy Friday everyone! To get your weekend started right take a look at the new post that's up on the Going for Your Goals page. I'm starting to get some great feedback on the Going for Your Goals challenge!

I'd love to hear from you on your progress, and also any struggles you may be having with it. I'm here to help! We're doing it together!

Click HERE to check out the Going for Your Goals page!

Boost It!

Boost your metabolism to help with your weight loss. There are some healthy and relatively easy ways to do just that! Find out more all about it in this article from Livestrong.com. Click HERE!

Win at Dieting!

We've all been there; we start a new diet and do great for awhile and then slip into our old habits again. There are key reasons we tend to fail at our diets, one of them being that we should be eating a healthier well-balanced diet; one that can be maintained for the long haul. This article addresses the reasons we fail at dieting and also offers solutions. Check it out! Click HERE!

Meat Eaters 101!

Meat eaters love their meat, and I'm not here to change that even though I myself am a veggie girl. According to this article there are some health benefits to eating meat, but there are also some not so great things about it as well. Read on to learn the 101 on meat! Click HERE!

New Going for Your Goals post is up!

Check out the latest Going for Your Goals post! Click Here!

We're in this together! Let's Do It!!!

Different Sneakers for Different Workouts!

There is an array of sneakers to choose from when it comes to exercising. To help us figure out the best sneakers for each type of workout Fitness magazine has done a great article on it. Check it out!

Going for Your Goals: Today's Lesson!

Good day to each of you! Take a look at today's lessons on the Going for Your Goals page! You'll be so glad and proud of yourself that you did! Click HERE!