My Tips For Making it Through a Tough Workout

We've all been there. We all visit there once in awhile, or maybe more often than we'd like. The "I DON'T WANT TO WORK OUT" place.

I spent 20 years refusing to work out at all, so I get it.

I've thought up some tips that will hopefully help you out. I also asked a couple of friends for their input -- thank you Molly, Hilary and Sarah :).

1. Figure out WHY: Why are you working out? Is it to lose weight? Get healthier? Those are good, but they're vague. How much weight do you want to lose? What does getting healthier actually MEAN? Is it measured by cholesterol points, body fat percentage, or something else? Is it fitness related? "Getting stronger" is a good place to start, but make it more specific --- "Be able to bench press 150 lbs" or "Execute a perfect high roundhouse kick" (that's one of my current ones!). Write your WHY down ON PAPER!

The point is, the bigger and more detailed your WHY is, the more likely you are to actually accomplish your goals. Which brings me to my next point --

2. Goals: SMART goals. Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely. Don't set a goal to lose 50lbs by tomorrow; it's not gonna happen. But 50 lbs by September of next year is totally doable. 

3. Mentally Prepare: Great, so you've figured out your WHY and your specific Goals. Now you're ready to go. And let's face it some workouts just are not easy. Did you buy P90x or Insanity? You're in for one heck of a ride. Mentally prepare by understanding what's coming, and embrace the CHALLENGE! 

4. Find a Workout Buddy: omg!! This has been ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for my journey. If I had no one in my corner supporting me I would be a dead duck. I can't even tell you. When I started becoming interested in losing weight years ago, I found a couple of buddies online I exchanged emails with and we helped keep each other on track. I did not feel comfortable talking to anyone at the gym or anyone in real life about what I was doing. I mean, I know firsthand that people will try to sabotage you and derail your efforts. That's why you have to find some people who are on the same train as you. Is there anyone out there that needs some support? I'll be your buddy! Go Here and click join, and I will connect with you from there. If you are doing any home workout programs I can probably connect you with people who are doing the same ones.

I did eventually start talking to people at the gym. Poor Mike, lol

5. Get Into A Routine: This one is self-explanatory. It is WAY TOO EASY to skip a workout when you don't have a set routine. You can plan on doing it before work in the morning, but then later tell yourself you'll do it after work, and you never do it. Sound familiar? Get into a routine. Just do it. Find out what time works for you and stick to it. And stay accountable with buddies I mentioned in the previous step.

6. Mantras or Positive Sayings: These can help when you are ready to die. Say to yourself, "I can do this" or "Push harder" or anything that motivates you! Everyone likes different types of quotes so whatever works for you, use it. Do you work out at home? Post some quotes and sayings on the walls of your workout room!

7. Music: Music matters!! Nothing like a great new playlist to motivate you to get movin', especially if you are not doing group classes or home DVDs.

8. Lastly: The last thing I would like to say is, know when to stop. Know when to push yourself and know when you are doing too much and need to stop. We don't want any injuries!! Alongside of that, if you really hate EVERY SINGLE WORKOUT you are doing.... don't do it. Find something ELSE that you will want to commit to. There is an activity or a soulmate workout out there for everyone. You just have to find it. And trust me, I tried EVERYTHING before I found my loves in Turbokick and BodyCombat classes!! 

Anyone have anything to add to this list?

Must Read Personal Development Books

Happy Tuesday!

I have been reading a lot this year. Specifically, personal development books. I never read these types of books before this year, but HOLY COW I was missing out!!

I am no expert, and I still have a LONG list of books I want to get to, but here are some of the books I have enjoyed this year. Hopefully you will benefit from reading them too. Any questions? Send me a message!

Click on each title of the book to be redirected to buy it.



First Steps to Wealth, Dani Johnson

I haven't even finished this book yet and it's risen close to the top of my Most Favorite Books Ever. It looks like a business book, but it's really an everything-book. In fact, the majority of it talks about how to talk to get to know people, identify their personality type, and how to talk to them based on their type. Personally I always feel like I could use more help in that area -- "People skills" -- so I am benefiting a lot from this book. Dani is someone who went from homeless to millionaire, and most of it was based on her success at how she communicated with other people. Her tone is straight and to the point with no sugarcoating. I like that!




The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential, John C. Maxwell

This book is amazing!!! John C. Maxwell is a very well known leadership speaker and author, and he definitely knows what he is talking about. I got the chance to attend a short presentation from him in June.  This book is all about creating a personal growth plan. Just because you exist and time passes by does not mean you are growing as a person. You have to be proactive about it and take ACTION. This book was easy to read and understand but the principles are extremely powerful. In fact, I think each chapter could be expanded into an entire book. Some of the laws discussed are: Law of Design: To maximize growth develop strategies. Law of Awareness - You must know yourself to grow yourself. Law of Consistency. Motivation gets you going. Discipline keeps you growing.   


Goals! How to Get Everything You Want -- Faster than You Ever 
Thought Possible

This was one of the first personal development books I read. GOALS by Brian Tracy is definitely the first book I would recommend to a 'newbie.' This book is very direct in its approach. It teaches you how to prioritize, set goals, organize yourself, and go after those goals, step by step. 

Car Smart, Chalene Johnson

If you know me even the slightest you know I ADORE Chalene Johnson. I cannot say enough good things about this lady. Most people get to know her through her home workouts Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam, or ChaLEAN Extreme. I actually first found out about her through word-of-mouth and didn't make the connection that she created these workouts until much later. Why? Because fitness is just ONE of Chalene's jobs. She is a teacher, and hugely into personal goal setting, success and just being an overall good person!! I've met her, spoken to her, and worked out with her on more than a few occasions and I can really say this woman practices what she preaches. So getting back to the Car Smart, which by the way is an Audio program for the car, not a book -- it's 12 discs each covering a different topic. Some discs are similar to the Brian Tracy book above and talk about priorities, goals, and to-do lists. Other discs talk about how to deal with difficult people, how to be confident in yourself, fitness tips, and more. This is well worth the money because you will want to listen to it more than a few times for sure!


I have more books to add to this list, and more books to read, but I am going to stop here for now....What are your favorite personal development books! I'd like to hear them!

Happy reading!

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Completely Random Crayon Art Post.

Okay, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with fitness or goals, but I did this crayon art the other day and I just had to share it SOMEWHERE.

You know those melty-crayon pictures you see on Pinterest all the time? I decided instead of melting the wax straight down, I wanted to make a circle shape.

I lined the sink thoroughly with paper towels -- you need to do this because the wax WILL splatter!

I glued the crayons in a circle on the board and then gently started melting using a low setting on the hair dryer. There were times were  I turned it on full blast for a few seconds to create more splatter effects. But you have to be careful doing that! I rotated the board slowly as I melted so the colors would blend together a little bit.

And here is the finished product, with a little bit of digital clean-up!!! 

I LOVE how this came out!!! The colors make me SO HAPPY lol. . . I will proudly display it on my wall.  I will definitely be making more of these too. The whole thing came together in less than an hour!

Have you ever done any crayon art?