The book tells a crazy (and true) story about about a group of Hungarian soldiers who became lost in the Alps in the middle of winter.
After two days without word, everyone assumed they were dead. But they returned to their post on the 3rd day, unharmed.
People were shocked that they survived the elements without supplies or communication in the brutal weather.
When they were asked how they survived, one of the men pulled out an old, worn map. He said they used it to navigate home.
But here’s the thing: it wasn’t a map of the Alps. It was a map of the Pyrenees.
WTF? How can you explain that?
Here’s how: the value of the map didn’t come from it’s accuracy. The map was a catalyst for action.
The value of your plan doesn’t come from it’s accuracy. The value of your plan exists only in it’s ability to encourage you to ACT.
We set ourselves up for failure when we give in to inertia and stay where we are, brooding about uncertainty or lack of motivation.
We need to move. We need to go. We must act. We have to resist inertia and just take steps forward.
You will learn from your action.
Planning can stifle action. Preparing can prevent progress.
You don’t need an accurate map or a detailed plan. You just need to take action. Then do it again.
We learn from doing.
Speaking of doing…today’s workout was harder than I thought it would be.. It has been about 6 weeks since I’ve done any running and I could feel it. However, I talked myself through every stride and felt really proud of my effort.
“All Fours”
AMRAP 4
400 Meter Run
27/20 Calorie Bike
Max Power Snatches (75/55)
rest 4 minutes
AMRAP 4
400 Meter Run
21/15 Calorie Bike
Max Power Snatches (95/65)
rest 4 minutes
AMRAP 4
400 Meter Run
15/10 Calorie Bike
Max Power Snatches (115/80)
Instead of power snatches I did power cleans since I’m trying to rest my shoulder. This workout definitely kicked my tail!
On the food front:
I’m getting into quite a rhythm with these cabbage salad bowls eh? Breakfast of champions after today’s workout! Raw shredded cabbage, 2 eggs, bacon and Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo.
And – can I tell you how freakin’ pumped I am to get the PK Mayo so much cheaper on Thrive Market!? Seriously! It’s $9.99 at Whole Foods. It’s $13.25 on Amazon and it’s only 7.45 on Thrive Market!! That blows my mind.
Plus, like I announced on episode 379 on the podcast, you can save even more on Thrive thanks to the sweet deal they’re giving Primal Potential fans.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Back to that Primal Kitchen Mayo though – I’m not even a mayo fan but I love this stuff! I use it as a dip for veggies, as a salad dressing and anytime I want to add flavor to meat or veggies. Seriously, it’s awesome.
Back to what I ate today.
Mid-day I had half an avocado with some canned salmon mixed with Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo (nope, they don’t pay me to say that, I just love the stuff).
Dinner was a different Chipotle – I headed over to Chipotle Mexican Grill and got a salad with grilled chicken, pico & guac.
I have a couple options of stories to tell myself when my alarm goes off.
Story 1: I’m exhausted. I traveled all weekend. I’m not a morning person. I hit snooze a million times. I can’t seem to get up. No matter how hard I try, I never get up when I say I will. Whatever I said I would do, it’ll be there later.
Story 2: I’m working towards something that matters. These moments when I don’t want to get up are the ones that matter most. What I do when I don’t feel like doing the work determines if I grow or if I stay the same. There is a beautiful day full of potential waiting on me.
One story moves me forward. One story holds me back.
The same is true of the gym.
I don’t grow when I go to the gym on days I feel like it.
I grow when I go to the gym on the days I don’t.
And look – this isn’t about pushing through pain & sleep deprivation. I go to bed early. But I still want to hit snooze because it’s just easier.
Here’s what I tell myself when choices are hard:
It’s hard? Perfect. This is where growth happens. I live for these moments. This is my opportunity to get better.
When it’s easy, I’m not improving.
When it’s hard, that’s when I’m really challenging myself and being intentional about getting better.
I got up early each morning while away this weekend. I didn’t want to.
It’s hard to get up early when on vacation. It would be easier to stay in bed.
Perfect. This is exactly what I need.
It’s hard to go to the gym while everyone else is relaxing.
Perfect. This is exactly the opportunity I need.
Today’s workout was hard. Perfect. I struggled and wasn’t at my best, but I got it done.
“Mighty Mouse”
AMRAP 18:
30 Thrusters (75/55)
30 Box Jumps (24/20)
30/21 Calorie Row
30 Toes to Bar
My shoulder is currently injured so I did front squats instead of thrusters and GHDs instead of toes to bar. The scaling didn’t make the workout any easier – it was hard as heck! As usual, I felt pretty amazing afterwards!
On the food front:
I had a new-to-me delivered over the weekend and waiting for me when I got home late last night – Keto Kookies.
I had them as a post-workout meal with a cup of coffee. While they weren’t bad, they were really, really sweet and very clearly NOT a traditional cookie. They were very creamy and, due to the high fat content, felt pretty heavy. Combined with the sweetness, I’m not sure I’ll buy them again. They weren’t bad – don’t get me wrong – but I try to limit healthier versions of treats. Treats are treats and I want to enjoy them occasionally instead of trying to find more fat loss friendly versions to include more regularly. I don’t want to include them regularly. That’s just better for my approach to food.
They did, however, keep me quite full. Around 2pm I had my cabbage salad bowl and tapped out on food for the day.
While my Friday travel day was super clean from an eating perspective and Saturday was too (with the exception of 1 drink), Sunday wasn’t so great.
While I don’t judge food choices as good or bad and I certainly have no guilt about it, I say “not great” to mean it didn’t make me feel so great. I ate more than my body needed and dessert. It was tasty, no drama needed, but it certainly allows for less eating today!
I’m sooooo much happier when I eat clean & avoid sugar! Here’s to crushing my choices this week and making myself feel proud and energetic, choice by choice!
Remember a couple months ago when I suggested having some free coaching calls & airing them as podcast episodes? We’re doing it!
Today I’m talking with a mom of 2 toddlers who has lost 50 lbs in the last 6 months and wants to lose 50 more but she’s struggling with both confidence & consistency.
We cover a lot in today’s episode including getting motivated to workout, feeling like you’re not good enough and staying focused when your sense of urgency decreases as a result of success & progress.
She shared with me that she struggles to accept compliments on her weight loss. I asked her why and she recounted a story of her mom telling her, as a child, to suck in her gut.
Even with 50 pounds of weight lost, she feels not good enough.
At one point I shared a favorite quote of mine with her: if you don’t like the story you’re in, leave.
I think you’ll really enjoy this episode!
I’ll be opening up more free coaching opportunities soon, so make sure you’re on the VIP email list so you don’t miss out!
My alarm went off at 3:35 this morning. I had a flight to catch.
Travel days used to be complete train wrecks for me: candy from Newport News, pretzels from Auntie Annie’s, snacks in flight – you name it.
I used the departure from my normal routine as an excuse to eat everything that wasn’t nailed down.
It was something I looked forward to in one way – eating whatever I wanted all day long – but the reality was way worse than the fantasy.
I felt self conscious, exhausted and there would be a looming sense of guilt & disappointment. A far cry from how I want to feel.
Because this had been my pattern, I felt intimidated by travel days. I felt like they were pre-determined failures. I believed that I couldn’t possibly be successful and feel great when traveling.
I bought into a story I created where I had no control when I traveled and I couldn’t possibly make it through a travel day without over indulging.
Fortunately, I realized that changing that story is a choice.
As I tell myself & my clients: if you don’t like the story you’re living, leave.
Create a new one.
I didn’t like the story of travel days being train wrecks. I didn’t like the story of having no self-discipline when traveling. And: it was optional.
So, I left that story & created a new one. First with my mindset, then with my choices, I created a new story.
I am in control of what I eat, how much & when no matter where I am or who I’m with.
I make choices that make me feel my best.
I consider how a choice will make me feel before I make it. I only indulge when it’s truly worth it, and Hudson News has nothing that’s worth it.
On the food front:
I got up at 3:35am and had a bottle of cold brew coffee while I drove to the airport.
I got another cup of coffee at the airport and got creative with my packet of coconut butter. These packets tend to separate a bit, so I put the oil into my coffee & ate the coconut butter straight.
I definitely drank more coffee than I normally do – I had several cups of the flight – but the coconut butter completely took the edge off my hunger.
Once I landed I got a pack of Moon Cheese from Starbucks (it’s just dehydrated cheese) because it was portable and I knew we wouldn’t be having a meal for a few hours.
Where’d we end up for lunch? Hardees. First time for me. I got a cheeseburger without the bun and they wrapped it in lettuce. Not bad. Point: fat loss friendly can happen anywhere.
Dinner was kinda late so I had some almonds and kept it simple with meat & veggies at dinner time.
If you don’t like the story you’re in: leave.
PS: If you want to try out those coconut butter travel packets, get them from Thrive Market! You won’t find them cheaper!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
I’m pretty excited to share with you some of my favorite fat loss foods because I recently found a way to get them for less!
I’m a huge fan of saving money. I believe in the idea that it’s not about how much money you make but rather about how much money you keep.
Prior to losing weight, I paid off about $130,000 in student loans and personal debt and since then, even with a divorce and starting a business, I have remained debt free.
The little things add up and in today’s episode I’m sharing my top fat loss foods that I don’t want to live without and how I’m saving money on them.
The folks over at Thrive Market emailed me a few weeks ago to suggest I shop for some of my fat loss friendly groceries on their site.
I won’t lie: my first response was “Thanks, I’m good. I get great deals and free shipping on Amazon.”
Fortunately, they persisted. They told me their prices were lower than Amazon’s and their membership fee was less AND they were willing to give me & my listeners a free 30 day trial, 25% off our first order and free shipping on that first order!
Below is my list of things I’m loving from Thrive Market and I detail in today’s episode how these prices compare to some retailers and Amazon.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Tune in to today’s episode to hear why I love and how I use:
