Any day is a Good Day to Start

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot

And it is never to late to decide that you want to be or do something different! With the craze of New Year's resolutions coming just around the corner, I want to remind everyone how much I dislike NEW YEAR's resolutions. I believe that any day is a good day to set a goal for yourself and just because a new year is starting, it dosen't mean we have to commit to doing or being anything different. However, if on January 1st, March 5th (or December 23rd!!) you decide you are wanting to make a change, that's as good a day as any!!

And if your change happens to have to do with exercise or dare I say weight loss, any day is a good day to make a change. Start small, make small goals. If you want help with this, I am always available!

Some final words of wisdom: If you want to lose weight, really LOSE the weight, not just misplace it for a while, your changes have to be maintainable. Instead of focusing on numbers on the scale, look at ways to increase your fitness level and improve the quality of the calories you eat. LIFESTYLE CHANGES. Here are 4 examples to get you started:

1. Increase the amount of walking you do in a day, minimize sitting and riding - emphasize standing and moving.

2. Add in one more day of activity, for 20 minutes - I believe 4 days per week is the magic number. But starting with 1 day a week is a success.

3. Drink more water - it will keep you hydrated, it is good for you, and it will keep you from putting other liquids with higher calories into your mouth.

4. Don't change anything about WHAT you are eating - Just eat HALF of what you normally would. If you are still hungry in an hour, eat the other half as your snack.

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot

5 Lists You Should Check Twice

This time of year is perfect for making lists, and if you are a go-getter like I am, you probably have lists piling up all over the place and you are pressuring yourself to get to them checked off before 2010 gives you 2,010 more things to do. So, I say throw those lists aside!! Instead, enjoy the list I put together below of some fun and helpful "lists" I have come across this holiday season. I love reading other blogs and seeing the creativity that people come up with, I am so jealous that I am not as witty as they are! Happy reading... you can get back to your lists later, like always... they'll be waiting.

1. What I Learned From the Grinch - by Joanna Sutter, Fitness & Spice

2. 10 Steps to Getting What You Want - Tara Stiles

3. 15 Ideas for Dates, Dates With You That Is - Misty Gibbs, My Inspiration Lounge

4. 28 Glorious Christmas Traditions - Marelisa Fábrega, The Abundance Blog

5. 5 Ways to Survive and Thrive During the Holidays - Mallika Chopr, Intent

Beautiful Friday

Beautiful today, tomorrow, and always. Just the way you are.

HAPPY FRIDAY

Leaps of Faith

I am so excited for big changes in my professional life and I have to share my enthusiasm. It is amazing how much I have been inspired and energized just from taking a moment to really go for something I have been wanting for a long time... more on that later...

BUT! I have a card that hangs above my desk that says "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail" we have all heard that many times, and have probably tried to repeat it in our heads as our personal mantra more than once, right?? However, easier said than done! I am a self proclaimed perfectionist who has a VERY hard time failing. Therefor, it is often hard for me to make big decisions or put myself out on a limb because I am afraid to fail. I never really understood how powerful fear was as an emotion. For me, it can be paralyzing. Thanks to a lot of opportunities to stick my neck out and an amazing therapist who has taught me more about myself than I care to know, I think I am finally getting the hang of taking a leap of faith! This last year has bombarded me with numerous opportunities to stare fear right in the face and say "I am not afraid," and I am so grateful that I have.

With that in mind, as my mission is always to inspire others, I just want to say - JUMP. If there is something you have wanted to do, big or small, life changing or just a new hair cut - GO FOR IT. The feelings that will come after the fear has passed will carry you through and motivate you to succeed. If you need more encouragement, send me an email and I will be happy to talk you into anything.

Happy leaping, let me know how it goes!!

And if you need extra motivation, both because Kris Allen is so fun to look at and because the lyrics are so fitting:

Inspiration of the Day

Because words can move us sometimes better than we can move ourselves:

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. " ~ Henry Ford