Monday Motivation: Embrace the journey

Fitness is an ever evolving thing. It ebbs and flows. Some days/weeks/months training is intense and satisfying, while at other times it’s exhausting and displeasing. And, at times, we get caught up in trying to find a “quick fix”, wanting results right now. But reality is, anything worthwhile in life is achieved by hard work, determination, perseverance, sweat and tears. It takes time. It takes hard work. You will fall and you will fail. But you will get back up. You will succeed.

Part of embracing the journey is realizing how far you’ve come to this point. Acknowledge all of the obstacles that have been in your way and that you have overcome. Celebrate your victories, no matter how small they may seem. Avoid negativity. Focus on you and your goals. Accept that there are things you can’t control and focus on improving the ones you can. Forgive yourself and have patience. Tackle each day as it comes and give it your all. Know that you can love your body and still want to change it. Even finishing the race last is an accomplishment—remember that.

Embrace the journey. Without it there is no destination.

Monday Motivation: Jump

What do I mean by ‘jump’? I mean taking a leap of faith and daring to do what you’ve always wanted to do. I mean taking a jump so that you fully realize your potential. To realize your purpose. You have to take risks. You have to put yourself out there. You have to jump. Believe that something greater is waiting for you and waiting for you to make that leap. If you never jump, you will never experience all that life has in store for you. With no risk, there is no reward.

Helen Keller said it best, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

What will you do today to jump? Or what will you do today that gets you closer to jumping?

 

Steve Harvey (yes, the host of Family Feud) is an excellent motivational speaker. He talks about taking a ‘jump’ in this video. I highly recommend you watch it. If you are on the brink of making a change, this may just help push you over the edge to realize it. 💜

But first, running: 6 Reasons to run in the morning

Running in the morning has become a satisfying addiction for me. The treadmill pulls at my body like a magnet; pulling me to it every morning. Of course the first week or two are always easy. You set high hopes and goals and refuse to let yourself down. Then, as if a force is working against you, you think of every possible reason why you shouldn’t get your morning run in—I have too much work, I’m too tired, it’s too cold, my knees hurt, etc. But you push through all of the noise and do it anyway. You stick to your goal and something amazing happens—you start to enjoy it. You start to see its benefits and that solidifies your desire to get up and get running every morning. Don’t believe me? Here are six reasons to run in the morning:

1. A more focused mind and increased productivity.
   It’s amazing how much more productive and focused you become simply by running in the morning. In fact, working out can increase your mental clarity up to ten hours post exercise!
2. Increased energy to get you through the day.
   Although it seems counter-intuitive to think you’ll have more energy throughout the day if you burn energy in the morning, you will. By starting your day with a workout, you will be more likely to beat that dreaded afternoon slump.
3. Stress relief right from the start.
   Starting your day with a stress-relieving activity will set yourself up for less stress when you get to work, according to a recent study. Additionally, people who exercised regularly reported feeling more confident and felt good about their work-life balance.
4. A better mood that sets the tone for the rest of your day.
   It’s no secret that working out will release endorphins, which means you’ll be in a better mood. Why wouldn’t you want to start your day on a high?
5. Feel accomplished and ready to tackle anything.
   Kick off your day already feeling accomplished. This will set the tone for the rest of your day—ready to tackle anything that comes your way. And, if you don’t accomplish anything else… at least you got your run in! 😜
6. Better sleep at night.
   Simply by running in the morning, you could find yourself sleeping better throughout the night. Studies have also shown that people who exercise in the morning have an easier time of falling asleep at night.

There are many other reasons why running (or doing some form of exercise) in the morning is beneficial, but hopefully the ones I did list above are enough to convince you to do so. I’ve personally realized all of those benefits now that I’ve incorporated a morning workout into my daily routine. I feel less stressed at work and more focused. I have more energy throughout the day and I start my day feeling accomplished. I hope you also realize these things by adding in a morning run!

Happy [morning] running! 💜

Monday Motivation: Make mistakes

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.
—Neil Gaiman

Make mistakes.
Push yourself.
Go outside your comfort zone.
Have failures.

The only sure way to grow is to be daring, make mistakes, and learn from them to move forward. We are so afraid of failure when really we should be afraid of not trying at all. Failures don’t define us. Mistakes don’t define us. It’s what we do to learn and grow from those failures and mistakes—how we get up, dust off, and try again—that does.

Reflections & intentions

Happy New Year! 🍾 I can’t believe it’s 2016!

It’s time to reflect and learn from all that we did—and did not—accomplish this past year. I love what the quote in the image above teaches us: “You are NOT a problem. Create an intention, a positive call to shift, a spark of magic + manifestation rooted in SELF-LOVE and backed with ACTION.”

Reflect

2015 was the year of exploration and biking. Any chance we could hop a plane to someplace new, we did it. And any chance I could get on my bike and ride, I did it.

In January we saw spectacularly gorgeous beaches on St. Thomas, USVI. In February we explored Ecuador from sea to mountain villages to big cities. Markets that smelled of fish and raw meat with blood stains on the floor from the various animals having being butchered on spot. We saw markets that were spotless and smelled fresh. Every market having veggies and fruits of all variety piled higher than our heads. Raw meat stacked sky high as well. We saw guinea pig on a stick and cool whip “ice cream” cones. Lush green hills with dense fog and hot baths with healing powers. We climbed a small mountain and rappelled down waterfalls. So much was explored and experienced and countless memories were made.

Over July 4th weekend we ventured to Aruba for a quick trip over the holiday. We drank delicious green juice every morning from a tiny shack on the boardwalk and ate a romantic dinner on the beach as the sun set before us.

For Thanksgiving we stole ourselves away to St. Croix, USVI. We paddle boarded, snorkeled, and won a hermit crab race. We saw bright colored flowers and butterflies that engulfed not only our car but the ditches and road before us like a heavy snowstorm.Miles and miles were put on my Giant bicycle as I biked to and from my part-time job and on 50-mile joy rides after my “real” job. I raced in my first time-trial, only to not finish. I started a training journal in June that I have continued to write in regularly. This keeps me motivated, let’s out some creative juices, and shows me my progress along the way.

We juiced like crazy. Ate too much peanut butter ice cream. Laughed and cried. Spent time with family and friends. Went for walks. Started running almost daily. Initiated Sunday night pizza night. And fell in love with Joe all over again.  I drank way too many chai lattes, caramel macchiatos, and flat whites. I didn’t say ‘I love you’ enough. I didn’t see family enough. Work came first too often. I judged myself. I called myself names. I didn’t feel worthy to chase my dreams. I prayed too little. And I too often compared myself to others. But I showed up every day.

Intentions

All to often my New Year resolutions and goals focus largely on fitness and health. I rarely think bigger, into other aspects of my life. Perhaps you are guilty of this too. This year I am not setting resolutions, I am setting intentions of positivity and growth. I want to:

• Be more “in the moment.”
• Volunteer. (This is a big one for me. I really want to help, on a regular basis, those that are in need.)
• Meditate.
• Enjoy the outdoors more.
• Remember how important small romantic gestures are.
• Continue to run 5-6 times a week.
• Tell those I love ‘I love you’ more.
• Do small acts of kindness that brighten someone’s day.
• Be more giving.
• Realize the power within me and be more forgiving of myself.
• Wake up each day with a grateful heart.

May the gift of love, happiness, peace, and warmth be yours as you make a new start. And keep in mind the past so as to gain from it pearls of wisdom as you make a fresh new beginning this New Year.

Happy New Year!