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.
We are addicted to talking about our problems. We complain about everything. We even complain about our blessings! Seriously! We complain about things that we should be purely grateful for: our loved ones, our jobs, having to care for our homes, the abundance of food we have in our homes.
PLEASE: STOP. It’s old, it’s tired, no one wants to hear it & it’s only taking away from your happiness.
I want to be a crusader against complaining, negativity, and parading your blessings as burdens.
You are creating a black cloud over your life and the life of everyone who hears you. You are preventing your own joy and manufacturing problems because of your attitude.
Look, I’m not a saint. I have negative thoughts. I complain. But I am fighting hard to completely eliminate that from my life & my business.
I frequently catch myself complaining (usually in my thoughts) about how busy I am. First of all: the things that keep me busy are choices. I don’t have to go to the gym, I choose to. I don’t have to write a daily blog, I choose to. I don’t have to launch 8 podcasts a week, I choose to. I don’t have to respond to every email I get, I choose to.
I remind myself of the millions of people who don’t have work. Of the people who want to own a business and are struggling to get their first customer. Who can’t afford a gym membership or who desire the level of discipline I have to go each day.
The same is true for you. You choose to have your kids involved in sports. You could make a different choice if it is truly a burden. You choose to stay up late watching Netflix & reading people’s updates on Facebook. You choose to have those cookies late at night that you complain about the next day.
Please, let’s stop.
When I first separated from my ex-husband, I was in a dark, dark place. My heart was broken in several pieces. I felt abandoned by several people in my life. I was afraid for my business. I was afraid for my finances. I was alone. I was sad.
There were multiple times where I found myself crying on the floor and then realized that many people would give just about anything to have my worst day. My worst day would easily be their best. You know, people without a family, without a roof over their heads, who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, who are facing a terminal illness.
Even on my worst day, my life is amazing. It’s a gift. And I’m done complaining about it.
For most of my life, I complained about my body and my lack of self-control with food. I’m so disgusting. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I change?!!
Dude. I CAN change.
I will not complain about circumstances that I am creating!
I’ll either change my behavior or I’ll change my attitude.
There will be things in life that you cannot change. Why would you choose to victimize yourself over choices you’re creating!?
That’s like being miserable because you’re locked in a room to which you hold the key. Unlock the door and walk out or stop making yourself miserable over your choice.
Life is good. Life is great.
I am crusading against negativity & complaining. I hope you’ll join me.
My workout today was a great example of practice in real-time. I didn’t sleep well last night. I had nightmares (again) all night. When my alarm went off at 4:45am I didn’t want to get up. And, I need to leave at 3am tomorrow for the airport, so I started justifying getting more sleep today in preparation for tomorrow & skipping the workout altogether.
I literally began to make myself feel like a victim because I have to be up super early tomorrow…for a fun weekend away!
Dude. No. No way. That will not happen.
I decided to go back to sleep for another couple hours and then wake up and hit the gym a bit later than normal and refuse any future thought of complaint or negativity about being tired. I can go to bed early tonight. I have a comfortable bed. I’m going away for the weekend.
There is no need for negativity.
The workout wasn’t the best and I’ll tell you why. You know how my knee was injured for a few weeks? Well, I basically worked out my shoulders every day for several weeks. No bueno. My knee is soooooo much better but I’ve aggravated my shoulder.
It would be easy to slip into a complaint like “seriously?! If it’s not one thing it’s another.” No. I refuse to think that way. I have 2 healthy arms and 2 healthy legs.
Plus, I learned an important lesson about overtraining. That’s a tool in my toolbox and I’m grateful for it!
Besides, I didn’t hurt it badly – nothing awful happened – it’s just a little sore and I need to take it easy on shoulders for a bit to let the inflammation come down.
All that to say I had to modify today’s workout.
Here’s how it was written:
Teams of 4-5:
5:00 at each station:
Prowler Push
Sled Pull
Ski Erg
Tire Flip
Yoke Carry
Instead of sled pull I rowed. Instead of ski erg I did sit-ups. Not ideal, but still a workout!
On the food front:
I worked out later than normal today so I had breakfast before the workout. Cabbage salad bowl with raw cabbage, bacon, egg & Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo.
Since I’ll be traveling tomorrow and not able to workout, I’m keeping the food a bit lighter today & tomorrow. I had an early dinner of a salad from Chipotle Mexican Grill – lettuce, chicken, guacamole & salsa.
Don’t forget: no complaining! No negativity! Make positivity louder!
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:
