Category: Health Coaching

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Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Spiritual Health

The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received…Part III

and Truth I know now…

In our final installment of the 3-part series I’m calling, ‘The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received” I’m going to be sharing probably the most ubiquitous bad health advice we’ve BOTH ever received. 
 
While the world has advanced with greater and greater scientific and specific health knowledge, it has also made room for a looooooot of bad advice.   
 
Today’s bad advice doesn’t have a story around it like the others because to be honest I can’t remember who exactly first told me this one, or if it was actually just my MIND that inferred this advice from simply how society approached health and wellness.  
 
The bad advice that I now know better than to fall for is this: 
 
HEALTH IS ONLY ABOUT EXERCISE AND NUTRITION.  
 
Isn’t this what society teaches us?  All you need to focus on in order to get health and stay healthy is to concern your efforts on what you’re eating and how you’re moving.  
 
If you struggle with your health, it’s only because you’re not doing something “right” with regards to your movement and your eating.  
 
This is what I have believed for over 3 decades of struggle with my body and body image. This advice sent me into a frenzy of exhaustive effort, almost becoming addicted to thinking about my eating, obsessive with my exercise, and never feeling satisfied with where my body was.  
 
Oh, you aren’t seeing results?  Well, try harder.
You adapted to your workouts?  Hmm, you should probably just try harder. 
You put on 5 lbs from a weekend  of excessive eating?  Try harder! 
 
This has been so conditioned to our psyche, we have formed a mindset of lack and scarcity.  Never feeling “good enough” and always on guard for the evidence that proves we are underperforming.  
 
 
The thing about believing that advice that all it takes to be health is to focus on your eating and your exercise is because there IS TRUTH in this advice, but it’s only half of the truth. 
 
There’s no denying that your physical health depends on your eating and exercise.  But it’s missing the 2 other pillars of health— your THINKING (what I call WISE’her) and your SPIRIT (what I called SURREND’her).  
 
So, let’s get into the WORD of God for what might reveal what TRUE HEALTH looks like for every one of us. 
 

Bible Background...

The Apostle John was one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus during His time on Earth.  John wrote the Gospel of John and was one of Jesus’ best friends and self proclaimed to be the “one whom Jesus loved.”   
 
John was also the disciple to lived the longest.  Where many of the others were martyred for their Faith in Christ the Messiah, John lived into his 80’s in the town of Ephesus.  It is from this city that he penned some of the greatest books of the Bible:  1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. 
 
Well, it is in the short letter called 3 John, we see where this wise, Jesus loving, disciple tells us what is KEY to health.
 

 His greeting in this letter states: (3 John 1:2: GNB)

 
John tells us two very critical things in this simple greeting. 
 

 1. Our HEALTH is very important to our calling.  You cannot be of your best use to God’s mission if you are NOT well in health.  While this might seem obvious in statement, it’s NOT obvious when you look at the state of health of the church.  I pray that this continues to change in the Body.

 

2. It tells us that really, our body’s health CAN ONLY BE AS HEALTHY as your spirit and soul.  

It’s important that you EQUALLY invest in your SOUL (your emotions, your thinking, and your will and motivation) and SPIRIT (your relationship God within you) as you do in your physical health.  
 
What I realized in order for my struggle-to-turn-to-success in my own body is that my PROBLEMS were not with my body, my eating, and my exercise regimens.  My problems were in how I was THINKING about my body, my eating and my exercise.  
 
The thoughts that created the feelings and misdirected my motivation all were problems in my SOUL that was buried in my FLESHY nature as opposed to how God has called me to walk, within my SPIRITUAL nature.  
 

With this new found freedom of truth I have built a platform of complete education and direction for women who are ready to live TRULY HEALTHY lives.  

 
It’s called the her Health Lounge and it’s a 26-week journey to a LIFESTYLE of health.  
 
The Lounge is an online portal where all members have 24-hour access to over 80 coaching videos discussing the necessary knowledge one must have to truly walk in Spiritual and Physical health.  
 
 
We spend 8 WEEKS devoted to BODY (nutrition and fitness education), 8 WEEKS devoted to MINDSET, and 8 WEEKS devoted to SPIRIT.  
 
All members receive my best tools for physical success with my Nutrient Based Eating program and book, as well as my signature STRONGher Fitness & Mobility program delivered on the Lounge portal as well as my STRONGher APP with the full-length video demos.  
 
 
The best part is not just the Lounge and it’s amazing content, but it’s the COMMUNITY of women and the COACHING from myself and my co-caoches.  This program offers your access the the most encouraging and motivating Facebook group out there!   
 
And you will also sign up for either (13) 1:1 coaching calls every 2-weeks  or (8) small group coaching calls every 3-weeks.   It’s in these calls that you will hold yourself accountable and establish a clear pathway to success! 
 
I’d love to welcome you to this opportunity to improve your physical health by focusing equal effort on your Spiritual health as well!  The doors open to sign up on April 3 and will close on April 9.  Our 26-weeks together will start April 10!  
 
Be sure you’re on the waitlist if you want to get first dibs.   I’d love to reach out to you to set up a call and chat more to ensure we are a “wright fit” for each other.  Click HERE to join that waitlist.
 
 

Are you "A. Wright Fit" for the her Health Lounge? Watch and find out!

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

Categories
Fitness & Training Health Coaching

The Worst Health Advice I Ever Received…Part I

and Truth I know now…


This week, I’m going to be sharing a 3-part series on what I’m calling the “Worst Health Advice I Ever Got” and how I have learned the REAL TRUTH that I will share with you.  

Before I start, let's be clear there are no VICTIMS of bad advice.  Ultimately we all make our own choices and have to take personal responsibility and that's exactly what I was able to do here.  So, if you take nothing else away, I want you to know you are your best "expert" of your body.  Own that right and responsibility!   

Nevertheless we know that the health and wellness industry is quite NOISY.  There are many self proclaimed “experts”of things they have no real experience with outside of their own experience or a limited number of clients.   So, the moral of this story is to look beyond the scope of who is giving you advice and make sure they really are qualified to advise YOU. 

So my first story kicks off when I was 26-years old and I was living in San Diego, CA.  As a hardcore football fan, I had scored what I thought was the job of my lifetime as a intern in the Community Relations department of the San Diego Chargers team. 

This wound up being a really *interesting* 2-years of my life, and very challenging for reasons I won’t get into with this story, though it was an exciting opportunity overall. 

The unfortunate part of this time in my life is that it was also my HEAVIEST WEIGHT I have ever been.  The combination of being emotionally stressed, working 2 jobs full-time plus a third part-time job to make ends meet in San Diego meant that I was exercising little  and “eating my feelings” and thus put on a good 25-30 lbs. 

Now, due to my hormone structure, my body shape is certainly pear and I carry the majority of my weight in my thighs and my butt.  So, I was up to about a size 12 pants and was not happy about it. 

Finally, having enough of feeling so unhealthy, I decided to push myself back into regular exercise.  I was able to use the Chargers facility to workout after all the of NFL players were done for the day.  So, I began going down to their training room, doing a little bit of running on the treadmill and then some weights and exercises afterward.   

I was in the middle of doing a crazy set of body weight lunges up and down the football field outside when I noticed some shadows in the building and heard some snickering.  

Lo and behold there were 3-4 of the NFL players there watching me and laughing.  One of the players I knew a little more personally because I had started to work with he and his wife helping them with their nonprofit charity.  So, it was this player who shared with me what they were laughing about.

He told me, and I quote, “You really shouldn’t be doing so many lunges when you already have such thick thighs.”  End quote.

So, first of all, yes I really wanted to smack him and I was MORT-I-FIED to know that this was the reason they were laughing. I CAN’T EVEN get into the rant about the sexist jerks because the more important factor was all about his “ADVICE.”    This just goes to show you that even people who are trained to be professional athletes don’t necessarily know WOMEN'S BODIES!

It is WHOLLY INACCURATE to believe the lie that if you already struggle with carrying extra body fat in a certain body part of yours that you shouldn’t do strength training on that body part.   

ESPECIALLY given the fact that I was doing BODY WEIGHT lunges, which means it’s nearly impossible to grow that much muscle that would warrant concern about the size of my thighs.

It’s literally the OPPOSITE of what you should be doing.  If you want to lose body fat in any given area, you need to strength train that area!  

——> MUSCLE BURNS FAT <——

Even HEAVY WEIGHT TRAINING will ultimately help you (eventually) LEAN your problem areas, and I have proof.  

~2ish years after this incident many of you know I trained for 5 months to do a bikini competition.  I started my training process having been training regularly, but still carried my weight in my thighs (as you can see from my ‘before’ picture).  

To get my legs to get as lean as they look in the 'after picture', I lifted weights….HEAVY WEIGHTS.  I was squatting nearing 200lbs, leg pressing 450lbs plus hundreds and hundreds of weighted lunges every week!  Because this was my “problem area” I lifted this area MORE than any other area.  Seriously!  

If you don’t build the muscle of that specific area, you are going to have a much harder time in burning that fat in that area.     

Now, TO BE CLEAR, my fat loss was MORE about my DIET and even the cardio that ultimately helped me lean out so quickly for the competition (though, I admit this was a very unhealthy part of doing these shows that I now work with my clients in a much WISER and slower pace to ensure they don’t have the unhealthy rebound weight gain and potential metabolic damage.)  

So, this is a very common misconception I deal with all the time with my clients.  

My client who carries weight in the back of her arms is afraid to lift upper body and triceps.  My client who carries it in her butt and thighs, is afraid of lifting weights in her lower body.  

Women are STILL AFRAID OF “BULKING" in these areas, so let me lay to rest what really does happen when you lift weight and why it’s an investment WORTH doing and ignoring any BAD ADVICE that tells you otherwise. 

TRAINING TRUTHS TO LEAN OUT:

—Building muscle boosts your metabolism which helps you burn fat. In fact, muscle has MORE of an effect on your metabolism than even your eating does!  

— Building muscle the right (i.e. at higher intensity) way can help you burn more fat than cardio alone.  It’s such a misconception to women to only do “light weights and cardio” to try to lose fat or "tone up."   Though there’s no denying that cardio can help you lose weight, these efforts can actually help you lose muscle which will ultimately do you a disservice as you age by slowing down your metabolism!  Building muscle, called hypertrophy, is a necessary component of getting lean and staying lean.  You will love your CURVES MORE when you have more muscle. 
 

— For women, truly getting “BULKY” is nearly impossible without a very intentional process that includes diet modifications.  Some women do have slightly more testosterone, so they might be able to get certain body parts larger, but they’ll also have to eat a substantial amount of calories to do that too.   Most women don’t have the hormone structure (testosterone and growth hormone) that will help you truly “bulk out.”  
  

—The truth is that when you lift heavy weights, women do have more short-term inflammation which makes you “think” your muscles grew overnight, but the inflammation will subside and they’ll go right back down and may even have some less body fat around them!

—Leaning out IS a process of BUILDING and BURNING that takes  AWHILE and you’ll have to pay more attention to your diet.  I coach on a practice I learned from Metabolic Effect that’s called a “toggle” of Exercising More and Eating More to help you BUILD some muscle for 2-weeks in a row and then Exercising Less and Eating Less to help you BURN more fat for 1-week.  I toggle these 3-weeks throughout my STRONGher Fitness and Mobility Programming and app!

 

—You CAN strengthen a muscle without building the size!  This is what I coach in my PERIODIZED STRONGher Fitness program  The key differences is knowing how heavy of weight to lift (a % of your 1 Rep Max), the number of reps to lift, and the amount of time you spend resting in between each set.    These are my areas of expertise as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. 

So, if you too have realized you were believing some BAD ADVICE in regards to the value of strength training and fat burning, I encourage you to join us in the her Health Lounge where I will coach you through 26-weeks of this extended weight training programming to ensure the loveliest, leanest and strongest body you’ve ever had!   The h2L is available April 3!

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

Categories
Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health

Hello from the other side…

Hello From The Other Side...

What do we do on the other side of big, monsterous events in our lives?  Events of our highest highs and our lowest lows? Those times where we FINALLY achieve a hard earned goal, or those times where we are shocked with circumstances unforeseen, like we all were with last week's national tragedies. 

Hello from the other side....this is where I am.  

I shared last week that I passed my CSCS test, but I didn't share that the week I took it had some terrible circumstances that were actually far more important to me than my test. 

I'm talking about crazy things happening-- like the news of a murder suicide occurring next door the the home we own in San Diego (and are renting out) and other frustrating events like relationship flare ups and disagreements.  Unsure if a resolution was in site.   

Have you ever noticed how the closer you are to a great achievement, the more "life" (a.k.a the devil) seems to try to get in your way and test you?  

Somehow I made up my mind I was going to ignore the temptation to allow the devil use it as an excuse to delay plan of taking the test and more importantly, delay my purpose.  

I buckled down and wholly and completely depended on God to help me study and focus.  It was touch and go there for several days.  But He showed me time and time again that He was with me, even having more than one friend reach out to say I was on their mind, not knowing at all I was struggling.  

By His grace I took that test, I passed that test, and the rest of my life gracefully sorted itself out.  He does amazing things when we trust that He will and allow Him to take control.  This is the art of SURREND’her.  

Whew, crossed that bridge!  

EXCEPT, then there was last week.  We all saw the unspeakable tragedy unfolding….yet again.  It rocks us every time.    We cry out to God, we shake our heads in disbelief and shed some tears for those we know were taken too soon. We are angry and we seek justice. 

And now as a nation, we have found ourselves, once again, on the other side of tragedy.   

 

So, hello, from the other side... again.  

Whether you achieved a high of goal achievement or a lows of tragedy, you come out on the other side emotionally exhausted and... changed.    

If you have been here before, you might recognize the feelings of confusion in your soul.  For me, I feel like EVERYTHING in my life has shifted as I have crossed a great bridge.  And YET, in so many ways, NOTHING has changed either.    

I am caught wondering what you may be wondering, “Well, what do I do now?"  I'm tempted to just go back to how I operated before it all...

But, this week, I came across a scripture I’ve seen before, but it had new meaning to me.  I think it can help you too, if you allow it.   

 

Isaiah 40:31
 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

 

LET’S LOOK AT 3 THINGS THE VERSE TELLS US THAT WILL HELP YOU TO  FROM THE OTHER SIDE: 

  1.  IT TELLS US SPECIFIC ACTION TO TAKE: 

Does this confuse you?  Yes, I called this passage an ACTION PLAN and yet, this verse very clearly uses one word that I don’t think any human being likes to hear:  “WAIT."

But it doesn’t stop there….  it says “Wait on the LORD” which is not inaction, but just the opposite.

Another term you could insert into this context is to SEEK the Lord.   Or perhaps another tough word, OBEY.  

So, this is NOT time you just spend twiddling your thumbs or waiting on the door to ring and it be the hand delivered news of what you are supposed to do.

No, this is time you spend in His word and in prayer so you have Guidance and *clarity* beyond what your emotions want you to do.

2.  IT TELLS US WHY GOD WANTS US TO WAIT ON HIM:

The purpose of us seeking God and waiting on His guidance is not because God wants to drive us crazy and is playing some kind of game with us.  
 
It’s because He sees how emotionally exhausted we are from whatever we just endured.   He is preparing us to win THE WAR and what you’ve just endured was but one battle.  
 
It's also a test to see if we really TRUST Him.  We’ve all seen that hasty moves that are made under distressed and emotionally exhausted mindsets rarely bring wise decisions.   

To our human mind, we think this emotion is supposed to fuel us into action.  And in some ways, it is true--emotion is our human fuel.  

But emotion that goes untested by God’s Word might make us more of the problem than the solution.  

Thinking that our depth of emotion somehow makes us able to play the role of God is not only foolish but idolatrous.  This is the trouble we are seeing in the world after the tragedy last week.  People are taking justice into their own hands—essentially trying to play god.  It will never end well.  

  1. THIS VERSE TELLS US THE OUTCOME OF THIS ACTION PLAN: 

When we seek God and delay action until His way is apparent, it not only relieves us from the burden of trying to fix it all ourselves, but it also provides us the sustenance  to ENJOY LIFE through it all too.   

"Mount up on wings like eagles” sounds like a life of delight to me.  A way to soar above the fray and rise above your circumstances.  

There are more goals to be won.  There are more battles the devil is going to wage in our mind and circumstance. 

I’m going to tell you something you may not want to hear, but it’s also the truth.  

This may take a while.  Your purpose; our nations peace; the process of mourning....all of it.  

But when we wait on God and seek Him diligently everyday, "we shall run and not grow weary, we shall walk and not faint.”   We must keep going.  

And the most beautiful part of what God does for us when we seek Him are His gifts of peace and joy and hope and love THROUGH the journey, not just when it’s over and fixed.  He gives us these gifts daily, no matter our circumstances.  

We all want these every day.  But are you seeking God to receive them, or are you seeking others, your government or even yourself to achieve them?  

Are you waiting on the Lord?  Or is the Lord waiting on you?

 

"Harvesting My Health" Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

FREE 7-Day Devotional

Categories
Health Coaching Spiritual Health

Living Joy Out Loud with Ashley Banks

Living JOY Out Loud with Ashley Banks

JOY_750

Introduction to Ashley Banks: 

As I have been loving doing this year-long series on the living a more FRUITFUL health (refer to Galatians 5:22-23)  and anticipating getting to this fruit of JOY, the VERY FIRST person I thought of when I thought of the word joy was Ashley Banks.

Have you ever known one of those people that just exudes joy?  They just have this positive and happy energy around them and you just gravitate toward them?  Well, that is Ashley 100%.  I had the privilege of knowing Ashley while we both taught and trained at a gym in Denver, CO back in 2012-2014.

So imagine my utter shock when I found out just last year, from a bold post of brave honesty, that Ashley had been raped by her doorman while living in New York City in 2008.

This tragic occurrence was vastly incongruent with the  contagiously JOYFUL friend I have known all this time!  I think I was among most of us who thought that happy people got that way simply because they didn't have tragic circumstances.

Given this history, no one in their right mind would EXPECT Ashley to be as joyful as she is.  We would all give her a "PASS" if she had a hard time in life.  But, Ashley isn't like that.   She doesn't life a life for excuses.

She CHOOSES JOY every day.  Still living in Denver, she is now happily married, traveling the world and living the life of her dreams as a fitness instructor and health and mindset coach.

You are going to love all she has to say on how she "chases possibility" every day in health, mindset and life!

 

Don't Have Time To Watch The Video?

Here are the Highlights 😉

Happiness Is A Choice (Minute 5:00)
“I choose joy.  It was hard and it was something I trained myself to do.  The more I did it, the easier it got.  I feel like it was something I was as a child and then just chose to come back to it.”

Rising Up and Remaining Hopeful After Surviving Rape (Minute 7:30)

Ashley was raped by her doorman while living in New York City in 2008.

"I choose to look not at what happened to me but on what came from it.   I moved to Colorado six months after that happened and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.  So I see the possibility that came from that dark time….and I now chase the POSSIBILITY in life.

My hope wasn’t a conscious thing more just an inner knowing."

Handling Losing a Job (Minute 10:00)

"I learned during this rather embarrassing and humbling time  from getting fired to then how simple life could be.  I was making twenty dollars per class teaching yoga, all my bills were getting paid, and I was loving life.  I learned there will always be a way and that I will always come out better than when I started."

How To Make Working Out FUN! (Minute 13:00)

"I teach classes because I am all about getting people together.  I make sure there’s good music.  And most importantly I set my INTENTION, once again, to choose to make it a fun experience.  It’s the same amount of energy spent hating something or enjoying it, so I might as well choose to enjoy it!"

The Power of Choice (Minute 16:00)

(Mandi) "I almost look at choosing JOY as this competitive way that we can defeat the darkness in life.  I use it as a personal challenge to WIN in life; that I’m not going to let the darkness win."

Philosophy Regarding Worry (Minute 17:30)

"Worry and happiness are both emotions.  Emotion is really just ENERGY in MOTION.  So the only difference between WORRY or JOY is what you are focusing on.  Most of the time we are worrying simply because we are focusing on what we DON’T want to happen instead of what we DO want.  I simply change my focus."

Creating an Environment of Joy (Minute 21:00)

"I intentionally express joy by making t-shirts, wearing bracelets, and putting a pop-up reminder in my phone three times a day that says “Let it Go” and I usually start singing the Frozen song at that time too.  I create this awareness for JOY so I remember to choose it."

Questioning, But Also Living By Your Emotions (Minute 23:50)

"I believe its up to all of us to create our ANCHOR and our identity comes from that.  You mentioned the Bible and your Faith being your anchor.  I don’t really have a label for mine and I didn’t grow up religious so I kind of created my own anchor that has become my CERTAINTY."

The Ability To Laugh At Yourself (Minute 26:00)

"The other day I was teaching a class and yelling at this guy “Peter!” to work only to realize three-fourths of the way through that his name was Greg.  I do things like this all the time and send out emails to the wrong people etc.  I’m pretty clumsy and everyone just shakes their head.  But, it’s funny and I laugh about it."

To work more with Ashley Banks you can follow her on her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ashley.hawkins.3388

To participate in one of her upcoming Life Balance 45-Day Challenges, visit the link http://growth-u.com/ and contact her on Facebook!

Coming Soon!

 The DIY Guide to

Nutrient Based Eating for Fat Loss! 

In just a few short weeks, you can get your very own guide to WHAT the Nutrient Based Diet is, HOW you can start including this lifestyle approach to eating, HOW you can shop and prep the food no matter what your schedule, AND the 4 Simple Steps that you can adjust to it to make sure it BOOSTS your Metabolism and allows you to see FAT LOSS!  

I have for over 2 years including this system into my own life as well as through my personalized coaching and membership site to the her Health Lounge, but I am now making this Nutrition component available for you to guide yourself!   

To be the first on the list, feel free to sign up HERE and I'll send you a FREE infographic on HOW to eat Nutrient Based!

NUTRIENT BASED

Categories
Health Coaching Spiritual Health

How to Fall In Love with the Process of Health

How Some of the Brightest Minds in the Health & Fitness Industry Fell in LOVE with the Process of Health

Health. It’s an important topic to discuss. You can’t roll the dice when it comes to your health – you need to be concious about the decisions you make. I am the fittest I’ve ever been but I still worry about my health. I know some things, like cancer, can happen to anyone which is why it’s important you have the best critical illness insurance policy you can find. So, even though I’m worried, this doesn’t stop me continue improving my health because I know there are certain conditions I can avoid or prevent as long as I can stay healthy.

“I’m not like you…” It’s a commonly heard expression anytime I encounter a family member, friend or client that is feeling overwhelmed or defeated by their own process of health.

There is this misconception that just because I am in the “business” of health, that somehow I just magically have this *DESIRE* to be healthy, eat right, and exercise regularly.

People will commonly express their frustration to me as though I were somehow “chosen” by God to LOVE this passion of health and fitness.

Well, they are partially right.

There was a CHOICE involved in the process that led me to indeed LOVE the act of taking care of my health so much so that I might also choose it as a career path as well. Just like how people can make the choice to try options to help them, be it Blessed CBD oil or other kinds on the market. But the choice was more of MINE than God’s. God isn’t the one that makes me visit my doctor or a health clinic to learn more about a potential health concern I may have, I’m the one that has to do that, along with ensuring that I am physically and mentally fit, eat healthy, etc.

God has actually bestowed in EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US THE POWER to love ourselves enough to take care of our bodies. This is not something that only I and a few thousand fellow fit-enthusiasts have, it is empowered to us ALL.

But it is each individual’s CHOICE to recognize that power to choose within them and to then PLANT SEEDS & GROW the HARVEST OF LOVE through a journey.

You CHOOSE LOVE just as you CHOOSE JOY. It’s not a special “talent” that just certain people have.

Now, what WILL be different for you is what your process will look like.

Because God did make each and every one of us with different abilities, tastes and personalities, you can’t follow ANOTHER PERSON’S PROCESS and expect to cultivate love for your own journey.

It just doesn’t work that way!

You need to look inside yourself and see what it is that makes you passionate about your health. Is it the healthy food you consume? Is it the gym routine you have? Is it the sports you play? Maybe you just haven’t found the right physical activity you can enjoy yet and need to look at the guides on Globo Surf to see if you’re into rock climbing or hiking or skiing – there are so many posibilities!

God will use YOUR BACKGROUND, YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, YOUR PERSONALITY, YOUR TALENTS, YOUR HEART and will help you mix it all into a journey of love all your own.

ANNNND, best of all (which will feel like a “WORST” of all, but I promise you it’s the BEST part) is that God will use the VERY THINGS that you find to be the MOST DIFFICULT and FRUSTRATING and use them for your own GOOD and SUCCESS! They will be the very things that will set you apart and help others around you too.

It’s 100% FACT!

It happened in my life and I’m here to show you today, that it happened in several of the BRIGHTEST MINDS in the Health and Fitness Industry too!

You’ll see the running theme from these real life testimony’s of women who now truly LOVE THE PROCESS OF HEALTH is this:

“I struggled with x, y, and z and THEN I finally came to epiphany ________ and that made all the difference.”

Remember, that when you fall in LOVE with the PROCESS of health, whatever that process might look like for YOU, the results become a forgone conclusion. (Paraphrased quote by Jen Sinkler).


How DID You Fall In Love with the Process of Health?

So, enjoy some quotes from some of my amazing friends and fellow health coaches and trainers that answered the question, “How did you fall in LOVE with the process of health?”

Jil_Coleman (1)
JILL COLEMAN, Owner of JillFit Physiques

“I find that we are often attached to our negative emotions, like shame and guilt and remorse and self-digest, for example, when it comes to our eating and the way we see ourselves. We are attached to them because we worry what it would mean if we *didn’t* experience them. We wake up after a poor weekend of eating and the default is guilt and body shame because we feel like those things have utility, we think that they somehow keep us “in line” and without them then we’d really go off the rails.

I struggled with this for a decade. To *not* be dissatisfied with my physique felt like giving up, like I wasn’t trying hard enough. But over time, the misery and the never-ending feeling of not-good-enough got so old that I couldn’t afford to *not* find a solution. The solution for me was a combination of awareness, plus self-compassion (which in research has been shown to help up us stay MORE consistent, not less), plus a desire to commit to my growth instead of committing to my BS and time, patience and self-love. It wasn’t easy at first, it felt like giving up. But over time, I started to see that the alternative (waking up every day and hating my body) was no way to live. I realized that wanting to be happy with myself was literally one single choice away.”

adelejonesADELE JONES, Owner of The Fit Life

“I started loving the process when I stopped focusing on calories, calories consumed and calories burned. I started focusing instead on eating food that accomplished two goals: nourishment and enjoyment. And I started exercising to get STRONGER instead of smaller. I found joy in knowing that there was not an end result but instead, cultivating self-care and health into my daily habits.”

Rycroft_BOY_ImageMICHELLE RYCROFT, Owner of Ripped By Rycroft

“It must be so easy for you” is a phrase I hear a lot from family and friends. On the inside I always chuckle at this because while it is easy for me now, there was a time where the whole process of trying to improve my health was a daily battle. In the beginning I didn’t like the fact that I had to eat less food and workout. It meant giving up my favorite foods and my free time. There were too many rules for me. Week after week I would fight the process, until one day I realized I was literally fighting against my own body. I was angry with it. I was treating my body like the enemy when in reality, my body wasn’t the enemy at all. My thoughts about my body were the real enemy.

When I finally made this realization, the process of becoming a healthier version of me became so much easier. Our minds hear everything we speak or think. So instead of filling it with all the negativity, I started filling it with positive thoughts. This led to viewing food choices as fuel and workouts as a form of body love. My body started to crave the good things. It wanted the better food choices, food that would provide it with energy and workouts that made it feel good.

Honestly this was a process that took time. It definitely did not happen overnight and I fell down a lot, but every single fall was an opportunity for me to learn and improve. I fell in love with my body through the process. I found a new appreciation for the things it had accomplished in the past (like having 2 children) and for the things it could now do because I loved it, because I started to take care of it.”

beckywilliamsBECKY WILLIAMS, Owner of B. Kinetic Fitness

“I’ve always struggled with liking my body and truly appreciating what it could do. I based an inordinate amount of my self-worth on what my body looked like, which only made me miserable and did nothing to keep me motivated to take care of it. It wasn’t until I made a concerted effort to embrace my body as it was (even if it was not as lean as I wanted it to be) did I find that elusive motivation and drive to do smart exercise and eat the foods that made me feel my best. This process has taken years, but it has made my healthy lifestyle easier and a lot more enjoyable.”

kateheadshot9_1KATE WHETSEL, Owner of Real Life Fit by Kate

“I think what made me fall in love with the process of getting fitter was how empowering it was to be able to affect change not only on my body, but my mind.

Through small effort after small effort, over time I was able to do things I thought were not possible for me. I gain physical strength through working out, and I gained confidence in my ability to shape my own life through continued positive choices and action. 10+ years later, that is still what keeps me in love with the process–the empowerment.”

erinhenry1ERIN HENRY, Owner of Miss Fit

“I was a late bloomer. Growing up I was a scrawny, weak kid who could never throw or kick as hard or far as anyone else. I’m not exactly sure what clicked, but starting sometime around junior high I started getting faster and stronger….and that was fun. It was fun to win races, and it was fun to see how my body responded to hard work. All through high school, I was an avid athlete, training and competing in any spare moment. I loved how feeding and training made my body feel and perform.

I wish all of our clients and readers understood this feeling; the feeling of having and achieving a physical goal unrelated to weight or dress size or cellulite. Though the extent of my athletic competitions today consists of losing against a nine year-old in FIFA on the Xbox, I still lift and I still sprint. There is an emotional and spiritual power that comes from physical strength that I cannot describe. Yogi’s call it their practice and so do I. My practice creates discipline and focus in other areas of my life. Doing something hard, something painful, that I couldn’t do before builds my confidence and resilience.”

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AMANDA WRIGHT, (Yours Truly) Owner of A. Wright Fit

“I finally learned to love both the highs and the lows that happen in the process of health when I detached from comparing myself and my body to others and fully embraced just how loved I really am, exactly as I am. Subconsciously, I never felt “good enough” in my own body simply because I had a violent case of the “er’s” in life. There was always someone “skinniER,” “strongER,” “prettiER,” and everyone *seemed* to have an “easiER” time than me in losing weight and feeling confident.

It wasn’t until I finally stood up to those thoughts in my head and JUST DECIDED that I was no longer going to compare myself to other women. I began to simply push myself to become the BEST VERSION OF MYSELF and I slowly freed from the torturous acts of “health.” It’s what I now call turning my “ER’s” into her where I keep my eyes focused on this vision of FUTURE SELF and the woman I know God has called me to be. I keep this vision of her in my mind and have resolved that I want to be STRONG like her; I want to be WISE like her; I want to live more SURRENDERED like her. It radically shifted everything for me and has turned me from using health as a PUNISHMENT to health as a REWARD and joy. I am so so lucky that I have this perfectly imperfect body that I now LOVE.”


“Harvesting My Health” Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I’d love to welcome you to my email list! I’ll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe! In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on “Harvesting My Health” through the 7-Laws of the Harvest! I think you’ll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I’ll look forward to connecting with you soon!

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Categories
Fit Faith Friday Health Coaching

{FitFaithFriday} Debbie Baisden

Debbie2_Momsanity

As I mentioned last week, I was honored that Momsanity extended such love and care to me as a "newbie" into the Fit and Faith world. The more I learn about these two women, the more I admire them and know that God had a hand in our introduction. I can't wait to see where it grows!

You'll find all of Debbie's answers to my questions to be incredible and helpful to all of us that are going similar circumstances. She *GETS IT* and that's such a blessing.

HOWEVER, what she doesn't tell us in this interview is more of her story, which speaks volumes of who she is.

Debbie started her own business (with the lovely Emily) after unexpectedly losing her husband and the father of her 4 young boys, who were 8, 7, 4 and 4 (twins). Emotion catches in my chest just trying to comprehend that.

The strength this woman has, and the warrior that God clearly called her to be, speaks volumes to the courage that Debbie has, the passion that she has to help women in their Fitness and Faith, and just how amazing God is that He can turn such tragedy into grace-filled and joyful opportunities in this life.

You can read more about her personal story from a blog I found of her website on her personal blog HERE. My favorite line is right after she tells about this unspeakable tragedy, her first sentence says, "God is so good."

Understanding the background of Debbie's life is a gift to see what humble strength looks like. She truly cares about what she does and about helping women in their Fitness and Faith. I'm honored to showcase and feature her here!

 

Me: Tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you came to start it?  

Debbie: Superficially, I began pursuing all things fitness and nutrition because of vanity.  My pants were shrinking and my diet rivaled a teenage boy’s.  My friend (and now partner-in-crime) Emily taught me there were smarter ways to get my pants to fit that would help me look and feel my best.  Now she and I have teamed up to help other moms navigate fitness and nutrition in a way that honors Jesus.
 

 Me: How do you think your Fitness impacts your Faith and your Faith impacts your Fitness?

Debbie: By taking care of my body that’s made in the image of God, I am able to have the strength and energy to serve Him better.  By turning my workouts into a form of worshiping my Maker, I have a perspective of thankfulness for an able body.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!
 

Me:  What is the number one thing that you see women struggling with today?  How do you think Fitness and/or Faith can help them?

 
Debbie: I think women are discouraged.  Change seems impossible, defeat from the past echoes daily and they are just so busy that they are drained in every area of life.  I think faith is the game-changer and fitness is simply a byproduct.  When they can dig in to God’s Word they discover how precious and valuable they are.  As they spend more time in prayer and study, they are transformed inwardly and have this realization that it’s an honor to take care of their beautiful bodies.  It is all about a heart change.
 

Me: What is the biggest lesson you've learned recently?

 
Debbie: God is having to constantly teach me that I am not the boss.  I have the need to drop to my knees and lay everything at His feet.  I have asked Him to stretch my faith and to increase my reliance on Him.  He is doing that both professionally as well as in my walk with Him.  I am being forced to be uncomfortable, which is exactly how my faith should look.  I must stop boxing God in and attempting to humanize Him.
 

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future?  What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities?

Debbie:  Without Him, every plan will flop.  I want Him to direct my steps.  I want Him to be before me, beside me and behind me.  What I want is to become a cheerleader for more women, teaching them that they are already worthy and that they can juggle the demands of motherhood in a way that brings joy.  I really want to empower women to take care of their bodies in a way that honors Christ.  Momsanity has a lot of plans in place to really go all out and it’s exciting to see what this year looks like.

 

Me: Is there anything you have coming up that we can join you in? 

Debbie: Momsanity does in fact have at least 2 major exciting announcements this spring!  Both of these will be really amazing ways to help moms in our mission that focuses on Motherhood, Faith, Fitness and Nutrition.  We will begin announcing in February what we have been working hard on for months.  Until then, stay tuned to www.projectmomsanity.com so you don’t miss out!
 
Without_Him_every_plan_will_flop._I_want_Him_to_direct_my_steps._I_want_Him_to_be_before_me_beside_me_andbehind_me.
 
If you'd like to connect with Debbie, here's where to find her!
 
Debbie Wilkins Baisden is a widow-turned-newlywed mom of 4 little boys who thrive on volume, violence and destruction. Debbie leads local workouts and runs 2 online businesses that zero in on helping others look and feel their best. You can find her at www.projectmomsanity.com and www.fitwithdeb.com
 
 
 
Categories
Fit Faith Friday Health Coaching Spiritual Health Uncategorized

{Fit&Faithful Fridays} Maryalice Goldsmith


As I started A. Wright Fit and stepped into this “Fit & Faith-based” company, I was met with many challenges—one of which was I really didn’t know what I was doing. (Disclaimer: To a very large degree, I still don’t!). But one of the smartest things I invested in during this start-up process was a business and mentorship coach and group of women to help me along the way. This gem of a woman, Maryalice Goldsmith, because my online mentor. She is just one of my coaches, along with Jill Coleman who started the Best of You Coaching program for online coaching professional women!

can be a bit tricky, but Maryalice has such warmth and compassion, that it actually translated very profoundly through your writing and assistance. As I started to know her better and looked through some of the awesome programming she was offering in her own online space, I was in awe. Read on about what Maryalice has to say to some of the deep Faith and Fitness related questions I asked her. You can also read the entire article on my blog post here:

Maryalice Goldsmith

InsideoutWellness, GoGetters Online Mentorship

Me: Tell us a little bit about what you do and how you started your business?

Maryalice: I started my business back in 2008 as a “hobby”. I put my 3rd and final son on the bus and thought, “What the heck am I going to do now?” After being a stay-at-home for 14-years I knew I wanted to tap into more areas of my brain. I loved being a stay-at-home Mom, but I got to that point where I knew I wanted to challenge myself and do something outside of that.
I decided to get certified in personal training and I started my “hobby” in the basement of my home. Whilst I’m still currently operating from my basement, it’s better than nothing. Eventually, the business will get to a level where I can move to a different space. For now though, I’m stuck in the basement. When I get clients, I do feel a little bit unprofessional telling them that I’m in the basement of my home. When I told my friend this, she suggested that I could always visit yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk to look at getting an office address in London. That would make my business seem a lot more professional, so I might look into that at some point. It would also save me from giving my home address out.

In less than 18-months I had over 36 one on one sessions and 6-different varieties of bootcamps; boxing, TRX, sports conditioning and traditional style bootcamps.

I was in for about 50+ hours per week.

This was so not the goal. So I decided to check myself before I wrecked myself.

I made the decision to go online so that I can reach more people, get more time back in my life, and that work life balance we all desire. If it wasn’t for numerous guides to get me online such as this how to park a domain article, I would have had to fork out a lot of money trying to gain an online presence.

Running an online fitness empire is empowering, but it does have its technical challenges, especially where managing a website is concerned. For example, it is so important to use a reliable server such as Hostiserver to ensure that visitors to your website enjoy a smooth experience and are therefore more likely to engage with your brand.

It has been the best, most challenging, most incredible experience of my life.

Maryalice_against the wall

I hired a business coach back in 2013 and in 2014, she hired me to help her coach her clients. How cool is that?

2015 has been one of the best years in my business, I am so incredibly grateful.

My goal for 2016 is to continue to impact women in a positive way.

I run maryalicegoldsmith.com and I have two signature programs; Go Getters Online Mentorship and InsideOut Wellness.

I literally get to coach women everyday how to live happy, healthy, and successfully from the inside out.

It is truly a dream come true!

Me:How has your Faith impacted your Fitness and your Fitness impacted your Faith?

My faith means everything to me. It was a gift given to me by my parents – the very best gift they have ever bestowed upon me.

My faith impacts my fitness because I believe in order to honor God and the body He gave me I need to treat it with care, pride, and love – the way He would.

My fitness impacts my faith because when I respect my workout regiment I am the best version of Maryalice I can be. I am happier, more energized, and I shine my light (it’s a pretty bright light!!!). When I am not taking care of me, well that light is not so bright.

I don’t have that pep in my step… it all comes down to taking care of myself and giving myself what I need to be the very best version of me. Fitness helps me accomplish that.

Me: What is the biggest struggle you see women facing today? How do you think Faith and/or Fitness can help them in finding a solution?

Busy-ness! We are so busy with work, the kids, family & friends, and life in general.

I believe this busy-ness has distanced many women from their faith. In that, they are distant from their soul.

They have lost their connection with their spirit. They no longer know what they want, need, or desire out this life. They are on autopilot and as a result, they have become more and more numb to their goals.

Maryalice Goldsmith-0003

The power of faith is enormous. There is NOTHING in this world you cannot face without faith.

It grounds us in understanding what truly matters.

It motivates us to make decisions that honor who we are and believe that no matter what, if we are staying true to ourself, everything will work out.

Having faith allows us to understand that this moment is simply that, a moment in time. NO matter your struggle, your burden, and or your fear… this too shall pass.

With faith you are armored with a strength… it is the strongest muscle that supports your soul!

Me: Do you have anything coming up that we could join in?

I am super excited about my upcoming Go Getters Online Mentorship that will kick off on January 11th. I have put a great deal into this program and I’m super proud of it.

My Father, who passed on May 23rd of this year, was my greatest motivator. I could remember being as young as 8-years old and my Dad telling me, “Maryalice, you can be anything you set your mind to, ANYTHING. I don’t care if you want to be the first President of The United States – you can do it. You have to work hard, be the best you can be, and be a go getter!”

So, in honor of my Dad I want to help women be Go Getters Online. To go after their dreams and create the lifestyle they desire by building a thriving online business.

If you want to start your own business, then you can do it. Just don’t forget that it is a lot of hard work, and you need to be determined to succeed.

Make sure you know what you need to do, make a detailed list if you need to. For example, it’s important that you register your business as soon as you can (check out Your Company Formations Limited for more information on this), make sure you have a solid business plan etc.

Don’t panic though you’ve got this. And if you are worried then I’m here to help.

This is an 11-month hand holding mentorship, NO SHAME! You can access all the information here: http:www.maryalicegoldsmith.com/go_getters_online

The application process is open, and anyone who fills out an application will receive a link to hop on a call with me. I am only taking 20-serious online entrepreneurial women, so its important that we vibe.

I also believe in human to human contact and the online space often prevents that from happening, I am looking to change that.

To all you Go Getters reading this, I would love to connect!

You can also follow Maryalice on all things social media here:

www.maryalicegoldsmith.com
www.facebook.com/insideoutwellness08
www.twitter.com/MaryaliceHere
www.pinterest.com/insideoutwell
www.instagram.com/maryalice_goldsmith

Categories
Health Coaching Spiritual Health Uncategorized

“You’re not bad at it, you just haven’t learned it yet.”

What are the stories you have been telling yourself about your health and body these days?

Are you telling yourself you’re not capable of being in shape? Are you telling yourself you are never going to overcome your serious sweet tooth and overeating tendencies? Are you miserable while eating your healthy food selections and watching the “skinny” girls eat all they want and not gain any weight?

Our health can be one of the most stressful factors we deal with. Last week, I learned a valuable lesson in probably the only other category of our life that is equally as stressful, if not more-> MONEY. I learned some great insight into the “story we tell ourselves” that I think will help you re-write your story today too whether about health, money or whatever!

Here’s how it went down….

The other day, I was at my counselor’s office having our monthly chat. We see her mainly as a marriage counselor, but I go to her independently too. I have found that I really value having a professional to go to for the times where those really tough circumstances come up, as they inevitably do, and I don’t necessarily want to always air my dirty laundry on my mom, friends or husband. If you have never tried seeking a pro, it truly changed my life. She and I were discussing a heated discussion my husband and I had recently had regarding money. Money is just one of the toughest subjects to talk about, ever. No matter how much you may have or don’t have, money is stress-inducing. And as the Bible states, “To whom much is given, much is required.” Being new to the amount of financial responsibility my husband has, there is a significant learning curve I feel the weight of. I have come to realize that whenever he seems to be stressed about money, I internalize it (well, and make it about me, darn it.) I start to think about all the ways that I have not been stewarding and spending money very wisely, often spending out of haste and convenience and just plain old ignorance. Financial stress is something that many people deal with. But it is important to realize that there are ways to get this aspect in your life back on track. Whether someone has decided to start saving for a holiday, budget for retirement, or maybe just wants to learn how to manage their finances better, having a reason to take charge of this situation might make it easier for a lot of people to save money.

I will start to internalize it so much that I will start to regret the very things that have been intended gifts of love from my husband. “Oh, he’s stressed about money, I should never have had that destination wedding….” “Oh, he’s stressed about money, I should have just kept my old car….” “Oh, he’s stressed about money, why did I get so carried away at Whole Foods the other day?”

Let me be clear, these are all actually very valid introspections for me. You learn the best by making mistakes and realizing them from hindsight.

There are some ways I spend money that does not actually align with the kind of woman I want to be and am called to be. I will need to change what I DO in order to BE who God intended me to be. However, my mind takes this ideal and distorts it in a destructive way. This is something we all do. As I was explaining this particular conversation I had with my husband to my Dr., I told her this.

“You see, I am really bad with money….”

And she immediately corrected me. “You’re not bad with money! You just haven’t learned how to do this yet. You are still learning and you need to give yourself some space and grace to process this. It’s a change for you.” Wow, without even realizing it, I just exposed my SHAME. She was right! I had only just discovered that you could get a credit card for no credit history to help build your credit or take out small personal loans at the bank. After listening to her, I decided not to be so tough on myself. Bene Brown, renowned Author of Daring Greatly and many other best selling books, explains the difference between feeling guilty and feeling shame is in that word “AM.”

It’s the difference in saying, “I did something bad” and “I AM bad because I did x,y or z.”

Shame is really common but really destructive and tend to traps us subconsciously. I had taken something I’m inept and uncomfortable with and actually internalized it to mean that “I AM BAD.” My brain will convince me of a distortion of this truth by convincing me of a story that “I AM bad” and then I act from a place of that story instead of acting from a place of my Truth. This means, I act from a place of insecurity, instead of a place of patience and grace that is required for the learning process. I learned from Rick Warren, that the natural ramifications of my insecurity will manifest in 3 ways: I either get:

DEFENSIVE-I start to justify all the reasons why I am the way I am (i.e. bad with money) –DEMANDING– I start to demand that my husband help me with the expenses more. –DISTANT-I’ll avoid the subject and focus instead on something I do feel like I’m good at.

The problem with all three of those responses is that it doesn’t actually fix the subject at hand and it causes issues in our relationship. Inevitably, these insecurities and resulting issues are going to come up again until I fix the root issue and finally stick with LEARNING THE PROCESS better. I realized, I need to reframe my intention back toward LEARNING how to be wise with money and it will be an ongoing education. There’s plenty of educational resources online on how to manage your personal finances, such as MyInforms, so I wasn’t concerned about their being a lack of literature out there.

SO, let’s flip this back to health.

With those thoughts that you have, perhaps subconsciously, been convincing yourself is your “truth” (like, “I am bad at eating/exercise/sticking with a program”) is it possible that you too are just internalizing something you simply have not yet LEARNED yet?? You might be thinking, “Yeah, but Amanda, I’m not new to my body? I’ve had time to learn, and yet I still feel like I have no idea what I’m doing? To that, I think it’s important to understand the complexity of our body. Because our body’s are always changing, we are constantly having to adapt to the ramifications of the changing hormones and metabolic factors (including stress!). So what might have worked for you 10 years ago won’t necessarily work for your body where it is now. Maybe in some ways, but not completely. You have to commit to the process of LEARNING how to take care of what your body is doing this year. In that same way that I had learned how to spend money as a single person just fine, but I still needed to learn how to spend money as a married woman with a whole lot more expenses, you too will always need to adapt to the changes your body may have faced in the last year. Sometimes you may be in desperate need of something but don’t have the funds necessary to attain it. In situations likes these, it may be wise to apply for credit; but before you do, get your free report here. And just like I was exposed the negative ramifications that came from internalizing my shame in the way I would become DEFENSIVE, DEMANDING or DISTANT, you too need to be aware of your own reactions to the story you have convinced yourself too. Realize that if you simply change your story from ” I am BAD at eating healthy or exercising” to “I am in the process of learning about my body this year” you will release yourself mentally from having to be an expert in it right now. Instead, allowing yourself some grace in the space of learning. This week, what are you going to seek and learn about what your body needs from you? What are some things you need to investigate and learn about?

  • Maybe you have been experiencing some digestive issues and you need to learn about what foods might be causing your issues.
  • Maybe you have been experiencing some joint and body aches and you need to learn some new ways of stretching and exercising to help alleviate the pain but keep you feeling strong.
  • Maybe you have a life change going on that is keeping you busy and you need to learn some new rituals to streamline your health so you can still maintain a healthy system required for the additional roles you are facing.
Categories
Goal Development Health Coaching Uncategorized

The Quit Quitting Plan

"You can pray for anything, and if you believe you have received it, it will be yours." Mark 11:24

So, we’ve all been there before.

You make changes to your exercise and nutrition routines.  Cut back on those extra desserts, fried foods and other things you love.  You feel great off the start, see some results right away and that motivates you to stay the course….for a time.  

But then, it comes.  Boredom.  Willpower drainage.  The awkward conversation with your husband/boss/sister/girlfriend/mom that emotionally triggers you to reach for that bag of Cheetos or old stale cookies in the back of your pantry.  

Ugh, you just want to quit.  What's the point in trying?  

#AmIRight? 

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If I’m being honest...

I have QUIT every single diet I have ever been on.  

 As a bonafide emotional eater, I couldn’t hang with any “program” I tried to willpower my way through because my emotions ruled my life and my eating behavior.  

  • If I was happy, I would eat. 
  • If I was sad, I would eat. 
  • If I was stressed, I would eat. 
  • If I was bored, I would eat. 
  • When I felt defeated and wanted to quit…..you guessed it, I. Would. EAT!  

  This overwhelming emotional state of living was not working well for my health aspirations.  While I usually tried to compensate for my eating by just exercising more and more (and more), during certain seasons of my life where I was too busy to find time for the gym, my weight crept up easily.

 At one point,  in the course of just 6 months, I went from a healthy 160ish lbs (standing at 5’10”) to 180 lbs.  I was miserable and ashamed but felt stuck.  

I had been actively *dieting* right up to this point.  But the overwhelm from the stress I was feeling, well, you get the picture.  I felt too overwhelmed and just quit trying.  

 But luckily, things can change...

Today, I am happy to say that I NEVER quit anymore. 

It’s not because I don’t have emotional eating tendencies, I still do from time-to-time, although I have a better handle on those too, but because I have built my LIFESTYLE approach to my health and am no longer *ON A DIET* which would necessitate having to *QUIT* my health plan. 

I have experienced a freedom that can only come from doing the inside work on my Spiritual life and my relationship with God.  This has allowed me to find these KEY True Health Habits  that guide me to a healthy living for my BODY, MIND and SOUL.  I no longer rely on my emotions to guide my actions, including any tendency to quit, and I am so happy to share with you my...

 

TOP 5 HABITS TO STAY THE COURSE WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE QUITTING!

1. RITUALIZE YOUR HABITS:  

A habit by itself gets boring really fast.  But when you take the time to ritualize your habit, meaning, you think about now just WHAT you are going to do but HOW you are going to do it in a way that you can enjoy, you keep things enjoyable.  

This means anything from wearing your favorite outfit to the gym, rocking out to a specific playlist on the treadmill, buying a special mug and blanket for you to sit with some hot tea at night instead of that glass of wine. 

Any way that you can add some special and personal enjoyment into otherwise monotonous habits will serve you in helping you feel more *REWARDED* in the process of your health.

 

2. VISUALIZE YOUR SUCCESS:  

Study after study shows that visualizing yourself succeeding in an action is  JUST as powerful as physically practicing the action.  Check out some studies here.  

And, as I always reiterate at A.Wright Fit, from a high level Spiritual standpoint,  it is important to KNOW that God has designed you for something specific and special in this world—a Greater Purpose for your life that only YOU can do, no one else.  Your health is a significant factor in helping you achieve all that you can out of life.  You are to live and THRIVE by God’s work in you and through you.

If you take the time close your eyes and visualize yourself as this future self, your Greater Purpose self,  and focus on her and what success looks like on her, you will train your brain to propel you toward becoming her.  

This is why my motto is STRONG’her, WISE’her, SURREND’her because we must all keep visualizing our own her that God will help us to become.

 

3. JOT DOWN YOUR LESSONS:  

Throughout any process and journey in our life, we are learning so many lessons, and unfortunately the HARD way.  What seems to happen more often than not, we have to learn things the “hard way” about 30-50 times in order for us to finally *GET IT.*  

But it doesn’t HAVE to be this way.  By starting a lesson journal you are saving yourself quite a bit of time.  By writing down your lessons you are committing them to memory in a better way. If you then read and re-read that journal from time to time, you are further conditioning yourself to remember what you are learning and to keep applying it.

Studies show that it takes 21-days for the neurons in our brain to actually create a MEMORY and a full 63-days to form a HABIT.  

Starting a Lesson Journal is a clear way to help keep this process going!  Plus, the satisfaction from real life lessons is incomparable in hindsight.  To look back on all that you learned helps you endure through painful experiences in the future too!

 

4.  SHARE YOUR JOURNEY WITH YOUR *PEOPLE*:  

You are designed for community and so every opportunity given by God also is an opportunity to connect and share with others.   Knowing you have friends or family in the background that are backing you gives you more incentive to stay the course.  

Choose wisely those people you can share your journey with.  Find those people that will be your true Accountability Partners in life, meaning that they account for your abilities and not just your disabilities. You don’t need people that point out your mistakes or guilt you into better behavior.  You need people that can see you the way God sees you and you should do the same for them!  Believe that they will become the person that God will’s them to be too!

 

5. ACT AS THOUGH YOU’VE ALREADY WON: 

This is everything!  God has designed you for Greatness and to WIN in life, and, now have taken the time to even visualize yourself as her, you have nothing else to worry about in this health quest.

 
It’s already been DONE for you.  There is no waiting necessary, really.  
 
"You can pray for anything, and if you believe you have received it, it will be yours." Mark 11:24
"You can pray for anything, and if you believe you have received it, it will be yours." Mark 11:24

Because while you think you are after the specific MEASURED success (which is not a bad thing to have a measurable goal in mind, they do work), you are really after a FEELING, which you actually have ability to choose NOW.  You are her NOW.

In Faith, know that if God has put it on your heart to want to achieve a level of health you do not embody yet, He has also paved the way for you to actually DO IT.  You have all you need because you have God within you.  Focus on Him within and act accordingly. 

Categories
Goal Development Health Coaching Uncategorized

What a Difference A Year Makes

33 Birthday Lessons

32

It's been an incredible year!   I have taken over 47 flights.  I have traveled to 9 countries and over 15 cities, domestically.  I became wife.  I became a *bonus*mom (of a toddler!).   We moved to a new city and learned the art of making new friends.  I started a new kind of company and stepped into a calling.  I spoke openly about my Faith and became a writer.  I overcame some significant strongholds and for the first time felt the presence of God, tangibly.   I also was privileged to coach over 23 women personally, which means I fostered 23 intimate relationships with women in over 11 different cities nation-wide.  Every single day, I focused myself on how I could grow and teach others the ways of living STRONG'her and WISE'her by SURREND'hering more and more to God. 

All of this was done in the 32nd year of my life.

I of course don't say this to boast or even martyr myself in the least bit.  It was just a big year!  While it was incredibly busy and frankly a whirlwind of a life change, I have come away with possibly the greatest year EVER! Through the willingness to embrace all this change has come an abundance of lessons and the cultivation of characteristics and virtues that I didn't even realize were possible.   I screwed up a lot.  I had panic attacks and full on melt downs on the regular.   But, I leaned in and withstood the storms and experience sheer joy time and time again.  I learned to #FailForward, #FailFast, #FailFaithfully. I heard of this great idea of keeping a journal of all of the lessons you learn in life (as you inevitably screw up) so you actually remember what you learn and don't have to relearn it the hard way again.  While I didn't start this particular lesson journal in October of last year, but I did acquire quite a few lessons nevertheless!    

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So, for my birthday today and the welcoming of my 33rd year of life, I would like to offer you 33 lessons I learned last year through all my mayhem.

33 Birthday Lessons

  1. There are over 7,000 promises that God gives us in the Bible.  When you find one that resonates with your current need, circle it and pray on that every day.    "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:11-13

  2. Sometimes you just have to shut up and pray.

  3. There is a huge difference between a promise and a VOW. 

  4. It's ok to say "no" to something "good" so you can say "yes" to something "great."

  5. When you say you're sorry, you can't add a "but" to the end of it, otherwise it doesn't count.

  6. Talking openly about your Faith is extremely hard and even more humbling when you realize how small your Faith really is.

  7. Nagging people to change never actually works.  They might appease you for a second just to get you to pipe down, but it doesn't work in the long run.

  8. Setting boundaries in how you let others treat you is a way of showing them love.  You are offering them a chance to see the Truth of who you are so speak with gentleness and stand firm in your truth.

  9. The opposite of love isn't hate, the opposite of love is fear.  When you worry, you cannot love.  When you are loving, you cannot worry.   "Perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:8).

  10. Asking someone "Why?" is not nearly as inviting as asking someone to "Tell me more about that?"  You get much less of a defensive response.

  11. Sometimes you think you are allergic to foods when really you are allergic to STRESS.

  12. You can get so much more done when you make a list of the top priorities of your day and just do those things.  

  13. There is a perfect  rhythm of working HARD for 90-mins and then taking a short break to do something Physical or Spiritual.  This rhythm makes you far more balanced and efficient, helping you get so much more done WELL.

  14. You can be content in all circumstances by seeing with grateful eyes.

  15. You must not neglect your gift.  You must grow it, cultivate it and give it away.

  16. So what, you're weird.  Radically accept that.   "Those the mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind."-Dr. Seuss

  17. There is true bliss that comes from giving into your "Happy Weight."

  18. "Live not by works, but by Faith."  Busyness does not get you any points with God.

  19. You can actually rewire your brain by visualizing your "future self" and SURREND'hering to her as you make decisions.

  20. God's capacity to give far exceeds our capacity to receive.

  21. There is a distinct difference between "No" and "Not Yet" with God.  Patience is everything.

  22. Comparison is the thief of joy.  We should join in the praise when we see God's blessings on others lives.

  23. Take your environment seriously and it will radically shift your life.  From the people you put yourself around, to the things you watch and read, and the spaces you design for your own work and creativity.

  24. God designed us for Prosperity.  Not understanding the proper value of your TIME will consistently hinder that.

  25. To change any bad habit, including the habit of fear, you must always REPLACE the habit and focus your intention on what you DO want to become.   I suggest love.

  26. Neuroscience now proves a MEMORY is formed after 21-days of intentional thought and dwelling.  A HABIT is formed after 3 cycles of that for a total of 63 DAYS.  For. one. habit.  Focus only on the 'Big Rocks' that matter and will have a bigger impact on your life. 

  27. Those whom are hardest to love are always those that need the most love.  Their insecurity makes them difficult, demanding and distant.   Your love and respect can cure them of all that. 

  28. You learn your true identity and Greater Purpose from others, not by yourself.  God designed us for community. 

  29. "Joy doesn't come from what you have, joy comes from what you know can't be taken from you."  Rick Warren

  30. Your soul is where your body meets your power source. 

  31. It's just like God to take our sinful, selfish acts and decide to bless us anyway.  "God works for the Good of those who love Him." (Romans 8:38)

  32. "Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity." -Brene Brown

  33. You are so very WORTHY of it all.  Spiritual magic happens when we seek to see ourselves and others the way God see us.  Our worth to Him is endless.