Fitness Motivation: Failure is Temporary
In this mantra I say “failure is not final – unless you give up” but in reality, failure isn’t final until your dead.
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I tend to be brutally honest. In a world filled with diet and fitness companies promising the sun, moon and stars, I feel people are in desperate need for honesty – and that’s not just with fitness. Make-up companies promise to make your skin look flawless (yeah, right!), clothing brands lead you to believe you NEED their clothes to feel great about yourself, and food products make you think you will bite your way into happiness if you can just taste their newest creation.
The Truth
Out of all the advertisers in the world, fitness brands are absolutely the WORST. They will do anything it takes (lie, cheat & steal) to convince you that their gimmick will work for you and it will be easy to succeed – and that’s why I think it is SO important to be honest with people. You need to know the truth. You need to have realistic expectations. Sometimes the truth is encouraging, and sometimes is may be discouraging. In this case, it’s a little of both. The discouraging truth is: You Will Fail. The encouraging truth is: You can try as many times as you want. There’s no limit to the number of attempts you can make – AND the more you try, (like the LOTTO) the more chances you have to succeed. Except with fitness, the odds of success are in your favor.
Quitting Doesn’t Have To Be Forever
OK, so we all fail. But, if you really think about it, we have all been quitters too. Even if we wouldn’t call ourself a “quitter”, we are all quitters at some point and time. Most of us have tried something and quit something. Does that mean you won’t try again and give it another shot? No, it just means you quit for a period of time. Your success just depends on how long you decide to quit for, and how long it takes you to recover from each failure. Some people fail and immediately try again the next day. Others stay down for weeks, month and sometimes years before they try and get back up again.
In the diet and fitness world, failure is going to happen. BUT, as SOON as you try again, you are no longer a failure or a quitter.
Quit Quitting?
You may be sitting in front of the computer reading this as a quitter. Maybe you tried the latest diet and it didn’t work for you. Or, you didn’t workout this week, or eat as well as you wanted to. Maybe you have already called it quits (at least for this week) – or, maybe you haven’t purposefully quit, but you just quit trying.
Maybe you tried all week (and failed), so you are “quitting” this weekend. Meaning, you didn’t quite do what you set out to do this week, so you are not even going to try to workout or diet over the weekend because you plan to start over Monday. Even though you haven’t quit for good, you are quitting for the weekend.
Quit Quitting! You still have 3 days left – today, tomorrow and Sunday to make this week a success – and not a failure. Decide today to allow less time to lapse in between failures and to keep trying over and over and over again. Because, as long as you don’t quit trying, you will never be a failure no matter how many times you fail.
You Failed, So What? 10 Famous Motivational Quotes To Help You Succeed Today
“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” ― H.G. Wells
What you did, or didn’t do, yesterday has nothing to do with today. TODAY, is fresh and new. TODAY, you get to make better decisions. TODAY, you can use what you learned from prior mistakes. You don’t have a disadvantage today. If you really think about it, you have an advantage today.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ― Thomas A. Edison
“You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.” ― Joel Osteen,
You Missed Your Mark, So What? Try Again
“You can suffer the pain of change or suffer remaining the way you are.” ― Joyce Meyer
When you aim for a target and miss, you have a chance to try it again. You have a chance to make corrections. If you didn’t hit your target because you were aiming too far to the right, you aim a little left. You don’t just beat yourself up over missing it or give up. You keep trying. You keep practicing. You keep correcting. Even if you completely stink at it, you CAN get better – with practice. The only thing worse that feeling like a failure because you aren’t always hitting your mark, is feeling like a failure because you are not even trying to hit your mark.
“A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions–as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
You know your weaknesses. You know your strengths. You have a chance to correct mistakes. If you ate poorly yesterday, you can eat good today. If you skipped a workout, you get to workout today. You have a chance to leave the past in the past and just do what is right and good today. Today is literally the only thing you have control over.
“I am not concerned that you have fallen — I am concerned that you arise.” ― Abraham Lincoln
If you focus on your past failures, you will let those failures affect today. You will let them cause doubt. You will allow the feeling of defeat ruin your today – to the point you might not even try to arise today. You have the chance to forgive yourself. You have to chance to start over – everyone does. We’ve all failed, we just don’t all keep trying.
“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying. To the best you can do everyday.” ― Jason Mraz
So, next time you want to have a pity party about how you messed up – get over it! Let that mistake stay with yesterday. Today can be as successful as you want it to be.
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” ― Robert F. Kennedy
Ask ANYONE who has succeeded with diet, fitness, business or marriage if they’ve failed. I’m sure they would all answer that they all did. They just never gave up.
“Success is determined not by whether or not you face obstacles, but by your reaction to them. And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence, they become your excuse for failure. If you look at them as a hurdle, each one strengthens you for the next.” ― Ben Carson
“It is not as important how we start (our past), but how we finish.” ― Joyce Meyer
The Secret to Reaching Your Goal
While goals are very important, I believe some people are so overwhelmed with the end-goal, that they forget they really only have one task today – and that is to reach TODAY’s goal.
You can’t reach your final goal without reaching today’s goal, so why worry so much about where you are headed and just focus about what you need to do today. Whether that is train, eat right, get motivation or increase education, what you do today greatly determines where you are headed. If you treat every day like this, you WILL reach your goal.
What is your goal today? Are you going to reach today’s goal or not?
Keep Showing Up: Because NEXT Time You Might Just Succeed
Don’t Throw It All Away
I have met so many people, on the successful end of their fitness journey, who once had a story of failure. Time after time, I’ve heard stories of how people didn’t stick to a diet, how fitness didn’t work for them, how they wasted a gym membership, quit a program, lost weight only to gain it right back, gave up, quit or failed. And then, they made that decision to give it another try – and they succeeded!
My mom tried every diet in the book over a 30 year span, resulting in one failure after another. Today, she stands tall and proud, 100lbs lighter – and has KEPT it off for several years. BUT, what if she never kept trying? What if she decided she was doomed for failure? Do you think she, or any of the people around her who knew she had a history of being on a life-long diet, believed THIS would be IT? I don’t even know if she believed she could do it when she started, but she started anyway.
Ready for Success
What makes someone succeed THIS time? As much as I’d love to believe it’s our awesome training, our BCx Boot Camp or our gym, they cannot be successful until YOU are ready to be successful.
One, I think you have to let go completely of all your selfish desires. You have to decide that the heavy you, and how you were used to living, is dead and gone – and a new improved you requires drastic change. After you let go of what you think your body wants (food, laziness, not to “miss out” on “living”, etc), then you can focus on what you really want – and what that requires. Once you get your head in the game, you have to commit to it. You have decide you are not stopping no matter how rough it is, how slow it is, and how frustrated you get. Sometimes, you have to purposefully be reminded of where that old destructive path led you.
Strip Away the Old You
I believe you have to get SO sick of the old you, that you realize there is no other choice. Something’s gotta change – and the only thing that YOU can change, is YOU. You realize all your old ways brought you to this ugly place. You recognize the destruction. You acknowledged the unhappiness it has caused. Once those things are very real to you, then you embrace change. You welcome the stripping of flesh, lies and comforts. Once covered with excuses, now you are “naked” and exposed for who you really are and what you have really been allowing in your life that needs to go. You confess (admit) that maybe you have been doing things wrong and that it’s nobody else’s fault. Then, and only then, can you start working on you. You will welcome the clothing of everything healthy. You will be excited about your “2nd, 3rd, or 99th chance” to change – and once you put those healthy things into your life, you realize how good it feels do treat your body right and to do what is right. Then, when you start getting results (which you will) you will never want to go back.
Once you have gone through the mental preparation that success requires, you are ready to show up. You will still have doubt. You will still have temptations. You will wonder what is on the other side, and wonder if this time will be different. You will likely fight the old you every day in some way. BUT, if you keep showing up, you WILL win.
As I reflect on my 19th Wedding Anniversary, I think of all the days we didn’t know what was next. We didn’t know if “this time” it would be better. We didn’t know if we could succeed. BUT we decided to keep showing up. We’ll never forget a scene in a TV show where the main character asked his boss, who was celebrating his anniversary, what the secret to his marriage was and he said “I just keep showing up”. This is not just the case in marriage, but it is the case in fitness – and many other areas of our lives. It became our motto.
There will be many days we don’t want to go to the gym. There will be numerous days we don’t want to do the same job, be married to the same man, or even live the same life. We all have days we don’t want to “show up”, BUT you also never know if the next time you show up, it will be the beginning of success.
Like a dieter who failed 100 times, or the gym member that quit too many times to count, the NEXT time may be the BEST time – and you will NEVER know, if you don’t show up.
Thank you Steve for continuing to show up, even when you didn’t feel like it. Thank you for teaching me to never give up – on us, on fitness and on life. Happy Anniversary!
BEET IT! Beet, Goat Cheese & Arugula Salad
You had me at goat cheese. Seriously, you could put goat cheese on cardboard and it could make it taste good. So, when I saw a goat cheese and arugula salad on a menu, I just had to try it. The beets (in my mind) were my cardboard I thought, but I just had a feeling that this salad was going to surprise me – and it did. So, over the weekend, I picked up some beets and decided I’d repeat this yummy salad I had on vacation. I searched google for something similar to the menu item and this is what I found.
First, I must confess, I’ve never even bought a beet before, much less cooked one. I don’t even know if I had ever had one (that wasn’t pickled or something). This means I actually had to follow directions, which were simple: Peel, chop, boil. I just had to boil them like I would a potato. It was kind of fun getting my hands “dirty” in this new experience – literally! I never thought about the extreme red juice that would come from this vegetable while cutting it up and boiling it. I swear I think I could have dyed clothes with the water I boiled it in. It reminded me of coloring Easter Eggs. What can I say, I am so easily entertained.
All in all, this recipe was super simple – and SUPER yummy! I added grilled chicken, which I marinaded in Lemon Pepper marinade and topped with seasonings, to complete my meal. Besides my typical substitutions, like trading sugar for stevia and diluting olive oil with water, I pretty much followed this recipe (for once) to the T!
I don’t think Steve was as excited about my beet salad as I was, but judging by his empty plate and full tummy, I’d say it was a success in his eyes too when it was all said and done! The sweetness of the beets paired with the flavor of the goat cheese complimented each other so well! This salad will be a regular treat at the Pfiester Pfit Cafe for sure!
Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese Recipe
Salad Ingredients:
- Beets – (boiled until a fork easily goes in it, about an hour), peeled, sliced into strips
- Fresh arugula – rinsed, patted dry with a paper towel
- Goat cheese – chevre (just a little if you are watching calories!)
- Walnuts – chopped (don’t use too much)
Dressing ingredients:
- Olive oil (as always, I cut my olive oil with water)
- Lemon
- Dry powdered mustard
- Sugar (I used Stevia)
- Salt and pepper
Get the rest of the directions and measurements at Simply Recipes.com
Cali-Quinoa: Curried Black Bean & Mango Salad
Yesterday I made a couple of amazing Quinoa salads for this week. I made a Mediterranean salad (which I’ll share later) and this delicious California inspired salad.
When I think of all the flavors that go in this salad, I can’t figure out for the life of me what to call it. I don’t feel like it’s truly “Mexican” cuisine. Maybe you can tell me where a dish like this originated.
The curry and mango almost give it a tropical flair. Personally, for me, it reminds me of California – or one of my beach days when I walked across the beach to grab a Diego salad with curry sauce from Da Kine Diego’s Insane Burrito in Satellite Beach. Either way, as soon as this little salad hits my mouth, I guess my mind goes on vacation. No wonder I love this one!
I love the sweet with the spicy, and all the textures. This will definitely be one of those salads I bring to parties because all these yummy flavors are like having a party on your tongue!
Chicken, Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad
1 cup (uncooked) quinoa
Diced chicken (I cooked 3 breasts)
1 cup chopped mangoes
1/2 cup chopped
cucumber
1 chopped onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
handful of torn cilantro
Salt
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
(you can dilute this with water to reduce calories)
4 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
Cook 1 cup of quinoa as directed (in 2 cups water for 15 minutes). I added a dash of salt and fajita seasoning. Remove from heat and let it to continue to steam (this makes it more fluffy). While cooking your quinoa, also cook your chicken and diced into small cubes. I cooked my chicken in lime juice, cumin and curry. While the hot food cools, start chopping up the cool ingredients. I use the Vidalia Chop Wizard and LOVE it! (Thanks Kristie – that’s a gift that keeps on giving!) In a separate bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Finally, combine the quinoa and chicken with the fresh ingredients and drizzle the dressing over it while mixing it until it is all well coated. Salt to taste. It makes 6 delicious servings.
369 Calories per Serving
- 21 gms Protein
- 12 gms Fat (only 1.7gm saturated fat)
- 45 gms Carbs
- 6.9 gms Fiber
This is a perfect salad for people who don’t have access to a microwave during the day.
Ways to reduce calories and make it even healthier:
- Use Stevia instead of honey
- Use less (or no) oil
- Use more chicken, and less quinoa
This recipe was inspired by Curried Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango at Babble.com
CLICK HERE to learn more about Quinoa – including where to get it, great nutritional information and more!
Encouragement for Procrastinators
When you think of starting a diet or workout routine, you should not just think about starting the WORK. You should think about starting the RESULTS.
You immediately start benefiting from fitness as soon as you begin. You don’t have to wait until you’ve reached your goal weight to “cash in”. You will begin to feel more energized, better, healthier, stronger, leaner, more confident, and proud – just after a few days of consistent healthy living. Unfortunately, in our little pea-brains, all we can see is the work. And, that work is SO big to us, it temporarily overshadows the even GREATER rewards waiting for us on the other side.
The next time you even think about putting off a diet or workout, remember: You are not just putting off the work – you are putting off the results. Don’t you want to start enjoying results today?
Mind, Body AND, Don’t Forget, Spirit
Sundays are the days I really reflect on my prior week – what i did, what I didn’t do, what I want to do better, what I have to change. I think about the things that need to be removed, and the things that need to be added. This requires me to strip away the flesh (the skin, muscle, clothing, make-up & appearance) and think about what is underneath it all. Then I ask myself, “what needs work?” Of course, my answer is a loooong list, but I know the things I need to tackle first – I think we all do.
However, if we don’t stop to purposefully analyze our life and give ourself a little spiritual “check up”, it is so easy to let the days slip by, the problems build up and our soul deteriorate. Just in the same way our muscles deteriorate when neglected – so does our relationship with God when we neglect Him.
The question for me today was “Are you where God wants you to be?”
Am I doing what God called me to do?
Am I being obedient – in the big and the small things?
Am I ignoring Him?
Do I even know what I am supposed to be doing?
Am I giving Him enough time in my week to even let me know?
These are all things I am reflecting on today, and just wanted to share my thoughts with you. While we are on a quest for physical fitness, we should want to improve all areas of our lives – not just our body. I don’t know about you, but I have a LOT of work to do! :)
Have a great and reflective Sunday!
It’s Not Going To Be Easier Tomorrow
Why do we put off things for tomorrow? It’s not like we will be less busy, less stressed, less tired, less fat… It’s not going to be any easier to do tomorrow. Honestly, if anything, it’s going to get harder each day we procrastinate.
I don’t know why we talk ourselves into putting diet and fitness off. I guess, like with any other responsibility, it’s just another thing we dread doing. But the reality is this: We WANT to be fit. We WANT to lose weight. We WANT to be disciplined. We WANT results. And, if we want any of those things, we are going to eventually HAVE to do what it takes to get there. So, if it’s only going to be harder each day we procrastinate, doesn’t it make sense just to start doing it today? You aren’t just putting off the work, you are putting off the results.
#LiveWithFire
“Time” To Do Arms: Timed Bicep & Tricep Workout
This was my arm workout yesterday. It was fun, fast paced, and challenging. I set the timer, cranked the music, and my workout buddy and I went to town! With timed workouts like this, you don’t have to count. It’s nice to turn off your brain and just go. The timer becomes your boss (hence the name “GymBoss“) and you start when it say start, stop when it says stop – and you get your workout done in less time. It’s a win-win!
Using the GymBoss Interval Timer, do each exercise for the allotted time.
1st Round: 45 seconds on & 15 seconds off
2nd Round: 40 seconds on & 15 seconds off
3rd Round: 35 seconds on & 15 seconds off
4th Round: 30 seconds on & 15 seconds off
• Barbell Biceps Curl
• Triceps Dips
• Resistance Band Biceps Curl
• Nose Breakers
• Triceps Kickback
• Plank
Complete all 4 rounds.
NOTE: In this workout, I focused more on triceps than I did biceps. Mainly because women typically care more about the giggley underarm part than they do the size of their biceps. The only time you really notice a person’s biceps is when they flex (and who does that?). Triceps, on the other hand, are more visible and also help shape and tone the arm where most women want – under the arm, the side of the arm and where the arm meets the shoulders (which helps make shoulders look more pronounced). I threw in planks to help tone up the entire arm (shoulders, triceps, biceps & forearms), while also tightening the core. Enjoy the workout! Hope you like it!
