Motivational Monday’s

Second Chances

Have you ever gone to the dentist for a routine cleaning and come away feeling refreshed and new and like the slate has been wiped clean? (no pun intended) Well the other day I had my regularly scheduled visit and I felt just that way upon leaving the dentist office. It wasn’t that I had a bad report or anything, on the contrary everything was great.

But later that night I had the time to reflect a bit on my teeth being cleaned and how great they felt right at that moment. Now I regularly brush, do the oral hygiene bit and all, but I could be better at some of the things that go the extra mile. Like using the water pick every day. My decision that night was to take this second chance since my teeth were primed and ready to receive the royal treatment each and every day. So I feel good about having a second chance.

What about eating right or exercising? I always know in my mind that if I don’t succeed one day with eating healthy foods or doing that exercise, then I have a brand new day the next day. My second chance. Life is great that way. We can wake up and know that today is a new day, starting out fresh to make things happen right.

How about at work? You’ve struggled with that co-worker over the week, or put off doing that project or task. Again, today is your second chance. Meet that someone at work and before any work related business happens, tell them “Good Morning, How are you today?” Start the day off right with genuine concern and cheerfulness towards others. Eat that frog of a task. You know the one. It’s been lying on your desk for weeks. Go ahead, take a big bite and like the comedian says “get’er done”.

So what’s your second chance today? Write and comment below and let me and others know what it is. When we share our life struggle, they don’t seem as hard to take, so share away!

Decide, Commit, Succeed!

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Fast Easy Weight Loss

OK……so what’s fast?  That’s one of the questions I’m sure is on your mind because how to lose weight quick is pretty common for most people.  The second one may be, how much can I lose?  The third may be, how to lose weight easy?  Fast easy weight loss can be broken down into just a few simple thoughts, ideas and actions.

As the summer sun warms the white sandy beaches around here, a lot of people bring out those bathing suits and try them on only to look in the mirror gasping at how much weight they’ve gained over the winter and Holiday’s.  Now it’s crunch time, the vacation is set, hotels booked and the new bathing suit at the store is on your mond as the one you want to wear.

Let’s look at this a moment…

• How to lose weight quick -First you need to know how many calories it takes for you to breathe, pump blood, grow hair, blink…you know, basically to stay alive.  My number (called RMR, resting metabolic rate) is 162 lbs. x 10 or 1600 calories.  Second, I need to know how many calories I burn in a day apart from any exercise. So 1600 x 20% is 320 calories.  So leading a sedentary life, only doing those things to get me around town, the house and the sofa is 1920 calories.

Here’s the fun part.  I know that I want to lose 5 lbs.  And I want to do it quick.  So the simple math behind this is, burn more calories in a day then you take in.  One pound is equal to 3500 calories.  The “fast” part of this question is, what are you willing to do?

• How much can I lose – Staying with the 5 lb example let’s apply the math above.  If I want to lose these 5 lbs. in 5 weeks.  That means 1 pound a week which I think is a good goal.  So that means I have to eat less than 3500 calories than I normally would have.  So… each day I need to consume 1420 calories.  I’m saving 500 a day and at the end of 7 days I will have lost one pound.  Five weeks will yield a 5 lb. loss.

• How to lose weight easy – OK, so now you know the magic formula.  But let’s kick it up a notch.  Let’s say I do some exercising each day of the week.  And that exercise burns 500 calories.  So the simple equation here is that by eating less and burning more, I can lose 2 lbs. a week.  Now I will say right here that your body needs fuel, so I would not encourage eating less.  Take the one pound of weight loss by doing the exercise.  Not only will you lose weight, you may even build a little muscle which will also help you to burn more calories in the future. So I may have embellished a bit on the headline how to lose weight easy.

Have fun!

All lifestyles aren’t created equal, so take that in mind when reading through this post.

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I recently met a new friend, Kim, who was walking by and noticed that I was reading a motivational book.  Asking what I was reading, I responded that I was reading “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy.  This led to some good conversation about inspirational and motivational books to help you.  I truly believe from that encounter that Kim is going to become a good friend.  You can look at person and tell very quickly that they have a heart that cares for others, a drive that moves them forward in life and a DNA, or “Determined Natural Ambition” that sets them apart from others.

We met again and enjoyed some great conversation and also talked a bit more about books that help us to grow.  I was trying to recall some that I had recently read, but I’ve read so many and started and stopped others only to pick up another one, that I could only name a few at that time.  Inspired by our conversation, I came home and looked on my bookshelf.  I have over 50 at a quick glance.  I decided that I would grab a few of my favorites off the shelf and just put them here as a recommendation for you to read at some point in your life.  They’re all great and I’ll add to this list at a later time, but for now here’s a few to get you started…

• EAT THAT FROG by Brian Tracy – His sub title of “21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time” truly fits what’s inside the cover.  From planning your day to focusing on results to motivating yourself into action are just a few of the topics covered.
• SPARK by John Ratey – is a great book to read about how the mind and the body interact to help keep us healthy and strong.  Our brains are much like muscles that can grow with use or wither from inactivity.
• FAILING FORWARD by John C Maxwell – What makes achievers excel?  Why do some people skyrocket while others plummet?  These are just some openers that John speaks to in this book.
• WHO MOVED MY CHEESE by Spencer Johnson – How we deal with change in our lives so that we can enjoy less stress and more success in our work and our life.
• THE MAGIC LAMP by Keith Ellis – “Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals”.  This book was originally recommended to me by my good friend joey Petri and I’ve found that this book is very helpful for me in gaining momentum.  there is a process to the madness called “L.A.M.P”, but I’ll save that for you to find out what it means.
• GO FOR NO by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz – OKay, in a nutshell “Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, but “No” Can Never Hurt Me”
• MADE TO STICK by Chip Heath and Dan Heath – My friend Tony Horton (author of the famous workout P90X) recommended this book to me.  Why do some ideas thrive while others die?  And how do we improve the chances of our worthy ideas?  This book is AWESOME!  Thanks Tony!
• TRIBES by Seth Godin – Do you want to be a leader or a follower?  Tribes are all the rage these days, but someone has to lead.  Surprisingly that could be YOU!
• THE SLIGHT EDGE by Jeff Olson – My good friend Judy Zavislak has shared this book with me and I must say it’s one that has really made a huge impact on my life.  The slight edge over time will make me into a person that I cannot even fathom today.  Doing the right thing albeit ever so small, each and every day will help me to succeed in those dreams.
• THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON by George S Clason – Take a journey back in time to learn economic tips and tools for financial success that are still applicable today.

All of these titles can be found quickly by clicking on my Recc Books.  But if you are anyone like me, you might already own these treasures.  Just dust them off and give them a read.  Please check back here after you do and share with me and others your comments on these books…or others.

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3 Day Cleanse

Well guys, I did it!  I did the Shakeology 3 day cleanse.  I have to admit I was a bit scared going into it as I have NEVER done anything like this before.  But having read up on Master Cleansing and what that’s about and then what the Shakeology cleanse was about I knew that this one was for me.  It’s not really calorie deficit, but is calorie efficient as mentioned by my friend Steve Edwards in his blog about the Shakeology cleanse.

I had been looking for a colon cleanse recipe and really everything I read didn’t sound like what I wanted to do.  There were all things out there that showed you how to cleanse the body.  Cleansing fast, cleansing slow, cleanse like this, cleanse like that…. good grief it was confusing.  But this 3 day cleanse that found with a product that I already love and use regularly was just the ticket for me.

The 3 day cleanse is just that.  Three days of putting into your body what it needs and wants.  My mind was telling me “cleanse the body”, “cleanse the body”.  My stomach was telling me other things as I went through it.  Here’s what Steve Edwards had to say about how to do it …”The plan consists of three Shakeology shakes* a day with a salad in the evening. If the shakes are plain (Shakeology and water only) I can add three pieces of fruit. The salad is unrestricted as far as veggies go, with 4 ounces of a protein source (if it’s meat or fish and slightly more if it’s a veggie source like legumes), and two tablespoons of an olive oil/vinegar dressing. For fatty acids, each salad will also contain a tablespoon of chia seeds (or flaxseed or hempseed). Plenty of water washes it all down. Coffee, tea, and herb teas are fine as long as they are sans additives, as all are performance enhancing.”

So that’s what I did.  I started out weighing 164.5 lbs. and ended up 161 lbs.  Now I know a lot of that wasn’t body fat loss, but some of it was.  I felt better for having done this and I set myself up for eating right going forward.  If you decide to do this one, make sure you do your own research first and make the decision that is best for you.  Come back here and write to tell me how your 3 day cleanse went.  If you don’t have the product Shakeology yet, just click on my link at the top of this page “Shakeology” and get it delivered to your door in now time flat.  The best thing about Shakeology is that it gives me absolutely the best meal of the day regardless of doing the 3 day cleanse.  In my opinion you’ll not find a better product on the market.

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Hi there everyone!

Just a very quick post on the healthy breakfast I made this morning.  Super easy, super fast and not loaded with tons of fat.  Just crack 8 eggs, saute’ them in a skillet with just a little spray oil on the pan.  Remove the eggs, and add to the pan a cup of baby spinach.  Saute’ till reduced in size somewhat.  Toast a piece of whole grain bread and you have the beginnings of a great meal to start the day.  If you need a tad more carbohydrates, just have a half cup of FACE yogurt.

The calorie count for this meal is; 233 calories, 1g fat, 19g carbohydrates, 36g of protein.

In the video I show you how I chart all my calories throughout the day.  It’s a great, fun and easy tool to have along and know where you are in your calorie count.

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Here’s an approach to muscle repair and muscle growth vs. consuming it. Yuck! I’ve done a bit of research from online websites, fitness magazines and gurus on the subject and I’ve tried to put this together in a non-technical sounding way (as best I can) so that you can have some information to use in your next workout sessions. Please note that gaining muscle mass will also help you burn more calories throughout the day. So shoot for those muscle gains by adding these muscle building secrets to your gym bag.

• 90-120 minutes BEFORE you workout – Eat an energy bar such as the P90X Peak Recovery Bar or an equivalent that has about a 3-2-1 ration of Carbohydrates to Proteins to Fat.
• 45 minutes BEFORE you workout – Take some BCAA’s (Branched Chain Amino Acids), a tablet is easy at 3-4g
• AFTER a good hard 45 minute workout – Mix up a delicious Recovery drink such as the P90X Recovery Formula or equivalent in a 4-1 Carbohydrate to Protein mix. Now there’s sugar in this, but your body needs it! Another 3-4g of BCAA can help too.

So in a nut-shell (nuts are good too…see SuperFoods) knowing what you need to fuel your body with as you exercise during the day is important to our physiology. Muscles need the fuel at different times and we don’t want them to “eat their own” as in a recent Lost In Space movie, but we want to protect them, allow them to recover and to grow. Now if you’re really into digging deep into more of the techie stuff, just look up Catabolism and anabolism as it relates to muscles and exercise.

Now eating throughout the day to help you gain muscle mass is for another story, probably right after this one! Chow!

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Some years back I had the great opportunity to visit the country of Bolivia. We were there at the request of some Quechua Indians to help them in building their church. Needless to say we offered other ministry assistance too. But the story here is what I found out about myself.

We could have just stayed home in our little small town America, but we chose to put boots to the ground and show just how committed to the people there we were. Now the grunt work of the trip required that we help with the construction of the building. Most of it was complete except for the stucco interior. Now you have to picture the building. You can see from the photo of the little town of Chayanta that the buildings are mostly adobe brick with a stucco over them.

Now what’s the stucco made of? I’m glad you asked…rock, sand and cement. They mixed it all up into a lot wetter slurry then I would have it I was doing it, but hey…It’s their house. Now one of the component parts of this mixture was the rock and sand. Luckily we had a ready source of this material all around as you can see from the photos. But to get it, we had to take wheel barrows down this little dusty road to a dry riverbed. Shovel in hand, we dug and dug, filling the wheel barrow full. Now the really fun part begins. If any of you have ever put rocks in a wheel barrow, moved it across your front lawn, you know that you’re glad to reach the other part of the yard and be done with it. So up the road we trekked.

Did I fail to mention exactly where we were? OK, to make amends…here it is. Bolivia, home of the Andes’ Mountains with heights of 13,000 feet. We were all around and generally at an altitude of 12,500 feet. Now it’s HARD to breathe up there.

Now after only a few yards, I was ready to give out. My body just could not take it. Walking was one thing, pushing a fully loaded wheel barrow of sand, gravel and rock was another. The little children all around were laughing and giggling. They took the handles from me and off they went up the road to the church. Whew…was I ever thankful.

Now I know that the altitude had a large part to play with it, but I was out of shape. So what is it that’s getting you winded? Walking up the short flight of steps? Washing the car on the weekend, bending over to clean the lower side, gasping for air when you stand back up? Doing that spring yard work, finding out not only has the season changed, but you’ve added a few years and packed on a few pounds.

So what are you waiting for, a kick in the pants? Take this little story of mine (all true) as that kick. Take control of your life, start eating better, do some exercise that matters and get on that dusty road to success! I’m there with ya!

Decide, Commit, Succeed!

PS….on the edge of the road there, it’s many thousands of feet below and we scraped the side many times in our vehicle….YIKES!

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Some times we just need a little help.  A helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. A gentle nudge along the correct path.  A few kind words at just the right moment to change the course of our day.  How many times have you felt this way?  I know that I have and when it happens, it makes all the difference.

As I was thinking of training wheels, you know, the ones on our bikes when we were just learning to ride.  We haven’t learned the balance thing yet.  We need those tiny little wheels on our left and our right to help hold us up.  Honestly they’re probably not holding much of our weight or the bikes, but what they provide in stability and guidance are invaluable to us at that moment.  Just when we needed them.  Then that scary day comes along when our Dad grabs the wrench and starts to remove those wheels.  Our heart starts beating like crazy, and we have a great sense of trepidation over what might happen without our little friends.

But dad doesn’t just let us take off on our own.  He’s right there with us, holding the back of our seat, jogging lightly along side us all the way.  Up and down the street we ride, gaining strength from that feeling there are no wheels.  Now Dad is sweating up a storm by now, but he doesn’t let go yet.  He’s still there.  Solid as a rock.  Somewhere during the whole event he knows just the right moment to let up on his grip.  Lightly holding the seat feeling through the vibration and steadiness of our riding that we’ve become well balanced.  He let’s go and we’re just chatting away as if he’s still there.  Nope, he’s stopped.  And we’re doing it!

We need more Dad’s in our lives like that.  It seems we’re always learning new things, experiencing more that life has to offer.  If we’re lucky, we have those few people in our lives that we can say are the rocks that we can lean on, or the compass when we’re off track and need guidance.  I’ve found that I need training wheels when I’m learning something new.  It helps.  But over time, I gain that confidence and strength to take off on my own.  My mentor watches proudly from the sidelines.  I find success in that thing I’m doing and feel good about it.  All of these things happen to me and I get the joy of being able to share that with others as I gently hold the seat they’re on.

Be someone’s training wheels tomorrow.  Guide them along as they need it, or steady their course.  You’ll find more joy in the day when you’ve given this gift and stand back proud of that person’s success.

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