Man! Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just Me?

My husband and I were in Cancun when I wrote this title. It seemed appropriate at the time, since I had just returned from using the exercise facilities at the resort.

Why would I work out while staying at a resort??? My body craved it, thats why! It had gotten used to feeling the rush from sweating out the bad stuff and getting my blood pumping! There’s also peace that comes when I work out, and I’m sure I’m addicted to that somewhat. I told my husband that I needed to go work out because it was the only way I knew to get my brain to shut up long enough for me to relax! I get clear when I work out. That’s why I did it even while we were on vacation. What a great way to actually enjoy my vacation – not thinking so much!

Of course, this was just another opportunity for me to “work”, since I started thinking of all the things I wanted to write about, and changes I want to make, and things I want to read, and people I want to talk to and send cards to, and…….WOW! Maybe I need to go work out some more (that way I’ll just pass out and stop thinking!).

It occurred to me that I never really stop “working”. Or is it that I never stop being on vacation? What’s the difference anyway? My life is pretty good – I can’t complain. I’m a Stay At Home Mommy, with an Entrepreneurial lifestyle. I get to raise my kids at home, and work when I want to (or have the time to!). My kids can be my first priority – whenever they need me, I’m there. Having a Networking career allows me that freedom. So, whether I’m at home, at the grocery store, or on vacation in Cancun, I always have the freedom to do what I love! At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships. Building someone up. Showing someone the way. Taking the time to listen to them, their needs, and try to help them find a solution. Be the LIGHT!  You never know if the smile you give someone will change their life.

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”

If you can’t stand the heat of parenthood and entrepreneurship, then get out now! Well, if you’re already a parent, you can’t really “get out” of that! But you can make other arrangements, if being a stay at home parent is not for you.There are times you will reach your Boiling Point with both. It’s important to be ready for those times, and working out (for me) has been a lifesaver in those areas! I have learned so much about myself just in the last month alone from working out and taking a vacation (from everything). I will go into more detail about our trip to Cancun in another post, so stay tuned!

There are things you have to do if you want to get ahead in your business, however, I have never felt it to be at the expense of being at home with my kids. Next month I will be attending the No Excuses Summit in Vegas, and Daddy will be taking over parenting duties while I’m gone. Some might consider that a “sacrifice”. That’s not how I see it, though. I view a “sacrifice” as having to give something up in order to get something else. To me, it’s more of a GIVE-GIVE situation: My kids are GIVEN a vacation from Mommy and GIVEN some time with Daddy. I am GIVEN some time and tools to grow my businesses, and that will GIVE me the ability to GIVE to others! See how that works? A little mind shift will make all the difference!

Bottom line: It’s not just me, It’s HOT in here! But I can take it, so BRING IT ON!!!

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

Yours In Sweaty Success!

How Doing “Mountain Climbers” Can Reinforce Your Goals!

One of the exercises in the INSANITY DVD series is called “Mountain Climbers”. While I was sweating my tushy off doing these things, it occurred to me that reaching for our goals could be done the same way – physically and mentally. Now, if you were actually climbing a mountain, you would be reaching for the next place to put your hands and feet. Climb, climb, climb, all the way to the TOP! In my mind, I imagined that I had a goal – something to reach for – and decided to do a little project.

Get a set of 3×5 cards. Write one goal on each one; as many as you can come up with. Punch a hole in each one, and thread with string. Give yourself about 18-24 inches, so you can hang them from the ceiling, a light, or a ceiling fan. If you are doing these workouts in your living room, this can be a good way to literally “reach for your goals” and imagine yourself climbing to the top to reach them! It’s amazing what this little trick can do for you. I have received some insights by doing this only a couple of times. Try not to go all crazy and hang 50 of these things up at once! It works best if you do only 2 or 3. Why? First of all, having a bunch of these things hanging over your head can be quite distracting. Second, if you hang only 2 or 3 of them (and rotate with each workout), you can focus on what you’re working toward, and insights will have a better chance of making their way to you!

Goals require that you take “steps” to achieve them. Where will you put your hands and feet? One decision leads to another until you get to the top of your own mountains.

This little trick refocuses your attention on the benefits of what your doing, and can be a nice distraction from those voices in your head telling you to quit. If you notice yourself daydreaming, however, pull your attention back to the video, and don’t forget to breathe!

When you’re done with your workout, pull the cards down, and imagine you have climbed to the top of that mountain! Drink your refreshing water, and breathe deeply. Know in your heart, that you WILL get there.

Leave me a comment and let me know if this helps you in any way.

I will be adding other INSANITY insights as I continue on my journey!

To Your Unlimited Health and Wellness!

Can I Handle This?

I’m not just talking about the physical strength, but the mental musculature to overcome those little voices in your head. And they WILL come!

The payoff is worth the struggle, I PROMISE YOU!

If you are familiar with the Beachbody family of videos, then you must know about Shaun T. Insanity! I have been doing INSANITY with my husband in the mornings for the past 3 weeks. Now, while I have missed doing the entire DVD a few days in there (due to a cold), I still do at least something, just because it helps keep me in the game mentally.

IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A SET OF WORKOUT DVD’S!!!

The level of physical effort and “mental negotiation” you dedicate yourself to do on a daily basis, will not only give you immediate results you can see in your body, but will start showing up your life in EVERY way!

Your love life will improve (for obvious reasons), and your BUSINESS will improve. How will this improve my business? Let’s take a look:

First of all, your energy levels will start going through the roof! Could you use more physical stamina? When you can wake up in the morning, and literally jump out of bed with energy and excitement, you will obviously get more done, and get it done more quickly.

Second, mental clarity will partner up with all that new found energy, and help you with remembering important people and things, as well as assist in the creativity it takes to get to the next level in your business.

Third, by doing something new, challenging and exciting, you’re going to want to open up your “circle of friends”. If you belong to Facebook or any other social networking site, you can “Friend” these people you now share a common interest with. Not only will you get support from them, they will support you as well. Do they need the business product service you are offering? Do you need something they are offering? Beyond the business side of it, you may become really great friends with some of these people!

Make no mistake, you will sweat, you will hurt, you will want to sit down after 5 minutes, you will want to quit, you may even want to cry. Just hold on. Push yourself beyond what you think you can do. Be consistent. Take the time to do something AMAZING for yourself. That is just the physical part of this journey.

On the business side, the benefits of pushing yourself WAY beyond your comfort level, far outweigh the work it takes to get there. There is no screwing around with the workout DVD’s, so why would you do anything less with your business? You have to be drastic and fearless about building whatever business you are in – whether you’ve been in it for a while, or are just starting out. And if you have yet to begin your journey to financial freedom, understand that this will help you break any barriers to your ultimate success. Conquer your body and your mind! You CAN do anything!

So, now you must ask yourself….

Can I Handle This?

Let me know what your answer is!

INSANITY – Cardio Recovery Day (Mental Issues Here!)

Our mental blocks really do screw with us! The manner in which we talk to ourselves CAN be changed – Let’s just be honest about that! All the mental chatter I had going on this morning (while trying my best to FOCUS on my workout) was seriously undermining what I was trying to accomplish. It is my goal every day with this INSANITY workout, to PUSH THROUGH IT as much as I can physically handle, without going overboard. Injury will sideline you, if the moves are not done in correct form, or with focus. So at the very least, do it right, all the way through to the end. At least at some point you get so tired, your brain just kind of shuts up for a minute!

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!

There is this small but powerful river of doubt and frustration in the back of my mind – and I’m aware of it. Being aware of your issues is a great step toward overcoming them. My Life Coach Kim Somers told me to make decisions and perform actions that keep me moving in a forward-positive direction. My daily goal for the workouts is to NOT SIT DOWN! It doesn’t matter how tired I am, or how much I want to quit, as long as I’m standing, there is hope for me!

You would think by the title of the DVD, this workout would have taken pity on a weary body….YEAH RIGHT! I actually think this one was MORE INSANE! That’s fine. Bring it on! But be gentle, please.  :-)

A couple of the moves I couldn’t even do…weak wrists I guess. At least my feet don’t hurt today! This morning was the toughest mentally for me. My alarm went off at 6am, and I did not want to move out of my comfy bed! Once I had my clothes and shoes on, I was SURE there was something else I had to do before we started. NOPE – just delaying the inevitable! So we started the workout, which seemed harmless enough, since we weren’t immediately jumping around. As I learned from yoga, however, you don’t need to jump up and down to break a sweat. Slow moves and held poses can kill your muscles just the same! With my heart rate still up, my core was worked as well as my arms. Actually, there was no muscle group spared in this DVD!!

At the end of the workout I realized how fast the time flied. While I wrestled with my doubts and desire to lay down, we made it through to the end. 47 minutes went by like a flash….then it was over. With the rest of my day ahead of me, I felt empowered. Only a few minutes until my 2 year old woke up, and another hour until my 1 year old woke up. There were things to do, no time to lay down!

While this post is mainly about the INSANITY workout, the mental block issue can be applied to relationships and business. The point is to keep moving forward in a positive way. Keep moving. Keep moving. Keep moving. Do everything that will get you to where you want to be. If your WHY is strong enough, you’ll do what it takes to get there!

Growing Forward With You,