Category Archives: Goals
Failure Might Just Make You Mad Enough to Succeed
How do you handle failure? Do you fall apart? Do you quit? Or, do you get so mad you do something to change it – to change you?
I CAN Get Better
I can’t change my circumstance, but I sure as heck can change me. I CAN become better. I CAN learn from each and every mistake. I CAN continue pressing on no matter how much I’ve failed, no matter how others view me, and no matter what odds are against me.
I CAN Get One Step Closer
Will I become everything I want I hoped to? Will I achieve every goal or dream? I don’t know but, if I try, I can definitely become BETTER. I can get closer to my goals and dreams if I keep pressing on. But if I quit, I don’t just stay the same – I actually become worse, weaker, and further from my goal every single day I neglect to chase it.
I CAN Let Failure Fuel Me
One thing I know is I will use every ill word, every lame opinion, every frustrating obstacle and every negative comment to FUEL ME to become stronger and better. I will not let it destroy me, or my spirit.
I CAN Face Our Fears
I will not let my own doubt, insecurities, failures or fears paralyze me. I will face my fears head on and trust that God will give me the strength to handle everything that comes my way so that I can become everything He has designed me to be.
I CAN Press On
Today I decide, once again, to “keep showing up”.
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Breaking a Plateau May Take New Start
Have you ever just experienced something you almost didn’t go through with and thought “I’m so glad I did that”. This happens to me all the time. It’s not always about fitness either. It happens in all areas of our life. My laziness tempts me to stay at home, instead of doing something as silly as going bowling – and then I think “Wow! That was fun! I’m SO glad I did that”.
This not only happens when you are contemplating doing something, but it also happens when you are in the middle of something – like a diet or fitness program. We reach a physical and/or mental plateau. We begin to doubt if we are on the right path, or if it will be worth it – and we’re tempted to quit. Ironically, these times are often the valley right before an amazing mountain top experience.
Too Much Time at the Rest Area
Picture a guy on a journey, who gets tired, and decides to rest for a while. Does he rest forever? He could if he wanted to, if he’s satisfied with where he is. However, if he wants to get where he was headed, he’s going to eventually have to pick up where he left off and start moving again.
In this picture of Steve, only he knows what he’s doing. He could be putting the weight down, or he could also be picking it up. This is where many of us are in life. We are at a place where we can call it quits or we can claim a new start – the decision is all yours.
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What To Do Before Victory Comes
How many great things would you have missed if you didn’t show up?
Photo by Cherie Wren
How many times have you worked hard and done all the right things, for what seems like a lifetime, with little to no results? We may admit to making some improvements – but no matter how far we have come, it is so incredibly easy to get discouraged. It’s so easy to focus on how far we have to go, instead of far we’ve come.
I know I’ve talked about this before, but some topics just need to be addressed over and over again – and this is one of them. Whether we’re talking about the last 5lbs of fat or losing 100lbs – the end goal can seem like eternity when you are focused on a goal. Sometimes, quite frankly, I’m often tempted to just give up – and yesterday was one of those days for me.
Then it hit me. Have I become obsessed with my goal or am I just determined to get there? And what is the difference? I concluded that when you are determined, you are focused on a goal without losing focus of the rest of your life. However, obsession is focusing on a goal to the point you lose focus of everything else. If you are determined, you should become more disciplined and in control – not lose control.
Even though I feel it’s important to keep your goals within site, the main focus should be what you are able to do now. I believe you can get so overwhelmed with what needs to be done, it can paralyze you. This happens in marriage, work, fitness, relationships and in life in general.
The answer? Just Keep Showing Up! That was the answer a guy gave his coworker when asked how he’s stayed married so long – and honestly, it is so true. Sometimes the answer to success isn’t some majorly complicated philosophical response – sometimes it’s “just show up”.
If you are tired of being stuck at a plateau in your weight, or maybe you feel your job or marriage is not meeting your expectations, let me encourage you to keep showing up. You can’t win a race unless you show up – and you surely can’t experience victories in life if you don’t show up. There are so many wonderful things that happen to those who show up.
Just Keep Showing Up Photo: by A Misty Moment.
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When Our Will Makes the Way
Yesterday I talked about willpower, today I want to just talk about the will.
We’ve already determined that will means “to choose”, however, I still feel people initially think it means desire, or an inner strength, that we don’t have control of.
The first time I really thought about the word “will” was in my mom’s kitchen 18 years ago, when my mom was talking to me about marriage. As I was approaching our wedding date, mom explained to me that all the lovey-dovey feelings Steve and I currently had would eventually change. Not that our love would go away, but it would be different. She said “Love is not a feeling, it’s a choice. At some point in your marriage, you won’t ‘feel’ like loving Steve, but you will have to choose to continue to love Steve.”
This, coming from a woman who has been married to her high school sweet heart for over 40 years now, was information I needed to know. WHAT? You mean, you had times in your life where you didn’t love dad? Yup! There were times where she chose to love him even when she didn’t “feel” like it. Of course, when you do this, eventually your feelings change, and catch back up again, but these are the times many marriages give up.
Well, fast forward 18 years and I can say – She was right. Yes, you heard it mom! You were right. 
Steve and I have had those times and we knew in our heart we had to make the RIGHT decision no matter how we felt in the moment, and boy does it pay off – and the same goes for fitness.
We are faced with decisions everyday of things we don’t want to do, but things we SHOULD do. Like a marriage, we must make the RIGHT decisions, not the one that is easiest, or feels the best in the moment. Making the right choice will always pay off in the end.
Instead of saying “when there’s a will, there’s a way” we should say “our will makes the way” because making the right choices paves the way to success.
Don’t take the easy way out. It’s only temporary relief that prevents a long-term reward.
If this hit home for you, then read Steve’s blog today for more motivation and encouragement to do what is right for your body, right for your life.
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Are You Taking Baby Steps Toward Your Goal?
When it comes to fitness, most of us do not have any patience for slow results. With that said, how come so many people choose to take baby steps to get to their goal? Don’t you want to sprint and LEAP your way to success?
Watching a person on a slow path to fitness success is as painful as waiting for Tim Conway’s old -man character to shuffle, inch by inch, across the Carol Burnette’s stage back in the day. Of course, we all got a kick out of watching everyone suffer through his slow-mo pace but there is nothing funny about watching someone shuffle through their weight loss or fitness journey – when I know good and well they can reach their goal a lot faster if they took bigger steps.
Listen, if you have talked yourself into taking the slow and easy path, think again. Although your plan has to be one you can live with, you also have to live with the pace in which you get results. If that pace is too slow for your personality type, you are likely to give up. Maybe, just MAYBE, you need to SUCK IT UP and RAMP THINGS UP so you get to your goal faster.
Honestly, what do you really have to lose? So what – you skip a few party favors, you back off on the burgers, you add a few more 30-minute cardios, you quit eating such big portions, you lay off the booze for a while. REALLY? Is it THAT hard? People do it every single day, so why not you too?
Ask yourself this: Is food really more important than how you look and feel? Is laziness what you want to define you? Don’t let lame excuses and lack of faith in what you can accomplish get in the way from taking that leap of faith in what fitness can do for you.
There is someone JUST like you, with all YOUR excuses, with all YOUR struggles, with YOUR workload, with YOUR past and with YOUR same resources (or lack of) reaching their goal quickly – all because they are taking LEAPS and BOUNDS, not baby steps.
Try one of our FREE programs & LEAP your way to success:
BCx Express™ (30-minute fat-melting body-toning workout)
BCx Boot Camp™ (1-hour body transformation workout)
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FIT TIP: The Secret Behind the Impossible
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St. Francis of Assis.
You surely can’t do the impossible, if you aren’t even doing what is possible now. Maybe you aren’t doing what’s possible because you are too busy attempting the impossible. This can be anything from trying to maintain a crazy workout schedule that would take an act of God to keep, or it could be your poor attempt to buy all that healthy food that is rotting in your refrigerator because you haven’t had time to cook it. Before you can do what’s possible, you need to know what you realistically can pull off right now.
Bridge the Gap
I believe people often set their sites too high. It may not be too high for someone else, but it could be too high for you – at this exact time in your life. If this is the case, what do you do when you can’t reach something? You bring a ladder out – and the same goes for your goals.
You must have something in place to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, no matter how impossible it may seem. How steep the climb depends on how close you are to the goal. Another words, if you are far away from your destination, it will be a mild climb and may take a while. If you are wanting to reach your goal quicker, the climb will be more challenging. But remember, BOTH ways will get you to your goal. You just have to decide on what you can handle – both mentally and physically.
If you are impatient, you may require a steep hard climb so you can reach your goal quickly. Someone who is not ready for that big of a challenge may need to take the slower route. Unfortunately, many people feel like they are so far away from their goal, over time, they forget they are still actually moving in the right direction at all. Others never even really set a goal and find themselves climbing the wrong ladder altogether. Listen, in order to reach the right destination, you MUST know where you are heading and PURPOSEFULLY go there – every. single. day.
Don’t Look Down
You’ve heard the saying “no matter what you do, Don’t Look Down!” That saying is SO true with fitness. As soon as we look down, we get shaky. Looking down can refer to looking back, longing for some of the things we “enjoyed” that we may have left behind. Looking down can also refer to negative thoughts, allowing ourselves to get mentally down. No matter what the distraction is, as soon as we take our eyes off the goal, we set ourselves up for getting off course or doubting where we are and where we are heading.
Are You Willing to Climb?
- You CAN lose 50lbs IF you are willing to do the work consistently for 6 months.
- You CAN compete in a figure competition IF you train and diet hard for 90 days straight.
- You CAN build muscle IF you are willing to lift strong and get the protein you need for growth.
- You CAN lose that 10lbs IF you are willing to eat out less and cut back on the alcohol.
- You CAN have less back pain IF you are willing to stretch and strengthen tight muscles.
- You CAN have more energy IF you are willing to do more cardio and lose a few pounds.
- You CAN control your weight IF you start managing calories.
- You CAN completely change your life IF you are willing to invest in making the changes your body needs.
Everyone Begins at the Start Line
Remember, everyone who has reached their goal was once just like you. Sure, running a marathon may seem absolutely crazy right now. Losing 50lbs may feel like it’s too far out of reach from where you are now. Or, maybe living without back pain would almost seem more like a miracle from how you feel now. This is where the impossible becomes possible – by doing what is possible for you at this very moment, each and every day, until you get the results you want.
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Fitness: Conquering Your #1 Enemy
We don’t always want to do the work,
but we always want the reward.
Have you ever flipped through a magazine, gazing at an amazing physique and thought “This is who I want to be”. But no matter how motivated you are in that moment, you skip your next workout? Or maybe you’ve been i n church and thought ” This is who I want to be”, but as soon as you leave, the fire in your heart dies leaves also?
It’s so easy to be focused one day and off the wagon the next. Why? Our flesh wants what our flesh wants – and our flesh never wants what is good.
When I looked up the definition for “flesh”, I had to laugh because the first definition described our flesh as soft. This is so incredibly true. Our flesh is easy to penetrate, it’s not firm or strong at all. It also referred to it as the surface. Again, so true. Our fleshly desires are always shallow, based on what’s on the surface of reality – not what is deep and lasting. Lastly, it describes the flesh as our body opposed to our mind and soul – the physical or carnal nature of mankind. Our flesh, literally the opposite of our soul, is our own worst enemy.
Your #1 Enemy
I hear people say “you should be able to eat what you want” or “you need to live”, as if doing what is good for you is dying. If you think of your fleshly desires, can you ever think of it wanting something good for you?
Think of the Seven Deadly Sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony - they are all led by our flesh. Even if they weren’t considered a sin, there is not one of those things that are actually good for our health. And whether you like it or not, you will constantly battle your flesh for the rest of your life so you might as well learn how to battle it.
6 TIPS TO VICTORY
1. Keep your head in the game. You may not be playing for a national championship or a gold medal, but you have your own goals and they are just as important. The same way a coach would warn you to keep your head in the game, you need to do the same. Do everything you can to avoid distractions, and keep your mind and heart focused on the things that are important to you.
2. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Unfortunately, we all have friends that aren’t “good for us”. They are the first ones to talk us into going out for Pizza or the first ones to invite you to a party. Life is so much easier when your closest friends are also actively battling the flesh too.
3. Keep yourself in check. Ask yourself “will I feel good about this decision tomorrow?” If you feel like skipping your workout, verbally ask yourself how it will make you feel tomorrow. Or how will you feel tomorrow after having that bowl of ice cream? We all know the guilt that comes when you follow the flesh, it’s important you remind yourself of that. Living by our flesh will always lead to disappointment.
4. Invite others to keep you in check. This could be a spouse, a friend, a workout partner, a trainer or even an online friend. Everyone needs the added accountability.
5. Constantly and purposefully refocus. Our flesh constantly reminds us of what we want, so we have to constantly remind our body what WE want. What are you doing every day, and possibly several times a day, to help you stay focused? We need visual cues and text to remind us what is truly good for us.
6. Just do it. Everyone wants to be a winner but few people want to do what it takes to become one. Whether you are just wanting to lose weight or you are a professional athlete, it takes discipline and dedication. If an athlete woke up everyday just thinking about the training, it wouldn’t take them far. They aren’t focusing on the training, they are focusing on the triumph. Train with a purpose. Eat with a purpose, Live with a purpose. And even when you don’t feel like doing the work, remember you will always feel like getting the reward.
As Nike Says: “Make It Count“
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Get Paid to Workout?
Need motivation? Do you wonder if you’ll EVER get fit and lose that weight? Do you struggle to make good decisions? Do you feel like all you do is sabotage your life? (Love this Glasbergern cartoon!) Well, this blog is for you!
We ALL struggle with food and laziness in some way. We ALL make dumb decisions. We ALL want one thing and often do another. We want to get skinny, yet we keep making ourselves fat. We want to be strong but we continue to sit on the couch. What will it take for us to get off our fat lazy butts?
Duane Hoffman / msnbc.com
Show Me The Money
What if you got paid for exercising? Let’s say I gave you $3,000 every time you ran 3 miles? You wouldn’t miss one day – and before a year was up, you would have made a million dollars!
Haven’t you heard Read the rest of this entry
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CUT & PASTE: 20 Tips to a New Body
If only we could hit the Control X and Control V to reshape your physique! Here are some cut and pastes that actually work!
CUT: Sever, Separate, Detach, Remove, Delete.
If you want to rearrange your body, you will need to rearrange your life – and some things will need to be removed altogether. You can’t keep the same things in your life and expect a different result. You also can’t lose weight unless you are taking in fewer calories than you are burning. That’s just science. If you’ve maintained your weight the way you have been eating over the last year, you can cut calories easily by cutting stuff back (or out) of your diet.
1.) Cut portions in half (use salad plates instead of dinner plates to manage portions)
2.) Cut bite sizes (use small forks and spoons instead of shovels)
3.) Cut out high calorie drinks
4.) Cut down on sauces and condiments Read the rest of this entry
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Change Your Body, Exercise Your Ears
This blog is dedicated to the lost, confused, discouraged, overwhelmed, helpless and hopeless. If you are wanting to get fit but don’t know where to start, you will when you’re done reading this blog.
Year after year I see past failures turn into today’s successes. I see people who have failed every diet plan and workout program eventually succeed. Why? What exactly happens inside our brain remains somewhat a mystery, but here’s where I think it all begins.
It all starts with your ears. You can go to church Sunday after Sunday for YEARS and, suddenly on one particular Sunday – BAM! you change. It’s not like “the message” changed – YOU changed for the message. The difference is you were listening (really listening), you were seeking the truth, you were ready to hear it and you were ready to apply it. However, if you never showed up to hear the message, the message would have never had the chance to impact you. Read the rest of this entry
