Persevere

This past week has been difficult in more ways than one. More specifically, it's been spiritually & emotionally challenging.

Picture this: you're in a bathroom at work, pumping, reading God's word while impatiently missing your 8 month old and wishing more than anything that you weren't where you were right that minute...when all of a sudden: peace, tranquility, joy, & hope rush over your entire being as you clearly hear God answer you! That was me a mere 5 months ago; the day I accomplished what I had spent a quarter of my lifetime trying to do: wait patiently & quietly for His guidance. As a result, FitKO Health was born! You'd think it'd be scary to leave security, good benefits, the guarantee of a steady income with a little one at home--and if you know me at all, you know that sense of financial security would have otherwise made me hesitant & resist following His instruction--but it was actually the complete opposite. I had total faith and trust in God as he assured me and confirmed his grace by leading my eyes to Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, the plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." So then began my amazing journey! But I started on such a high, that I truly never thought about how hard (aside from the financial part) it would be to start my own business...

Now picture this: three weeks into the New Year and a new "part time" schedule, spending allll of your "free time" working, feeling guilty and torn about not just playing with the precious little one you desired to be part-time for, as well as not being able to focus the efforts & time you thought you'd now have to being a wife and a homemaker...while all at the same time, struggling to get traction with your business. Yup, that was me through this weekend. Honestly, talked to KC and seriously considered giving up already. But again, God proved ever faithful and I knew better...once I finally waited patiently & quietly to hear Him. James 1 tells us to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing...Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." I mean seriously??? WOW! And people, that's a promise to YOU, too!!!!

Just as I'm struggling with a business not gaining traction, I know there are plenty of others out there struggling with ______ not gaining traction in their lives either. Exercising more than ever before or eating healthier and not losing weight, feeling stuck in a stressful job or situation and seeing no end in sight...My friends, it's all about PERSEVERANCE and we are all capable of it through Christ who strengthens us! Rejoice in the hope God has given you with whatever goal you set--you set it because hope was brought to you in that regard, and that hope was not accidental, it was purely purposeful! Then, be patient in the tribulation--all things get harder before they get easier...it's a fact of life but we know from God's promises that through those trials you will be greatly rewarded, so be patient! And last, pray continually! Don't just pray when you feel lost or have given up, pray when things are good or just OK...pray continually and you will find the strength and the answers to PERSEVERE!

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Keep at your goal! Run that race until the end & don't give up...I promise you, you will be greatly rewarded!!!!

An "easy button" for health?

People are always asking and forever seeking that quick fix for anything and everything in life...including health! Or shall I say, especially for health? Today there are over 100 million American dieters spending over $20 billion a year on what they believe are going to be their weight loss "easy buttons". Man, would I LOVE to get in front of all 100 million of them, look them straight in the eyes and apologize that they believed so much in these diet pills & surgeries that they weren't able to recognize the one true "easy button" for their weight loss goals: believing in themselves!!!!

Yes, it's true, you will need to spend at least some money to get healthy. Buying fresh, whole foods, nutritional shakes, fitness equipment, boot camp passes, gym memberships, workout DVDs, the appropriate attire...it adds up! I know this--I live it! But the difference between those costs and the $20 billion dieters are wasting each year is, quite simply put, a lack of confidence.

Believe me, I get it! I've worked with and have known enough people that have struggled to reach their goal weight; people who have endured so many challenges, road blocks, and sometimes, have just been flat beaten up by life. But just because you've been knocked down once, twice, thirty-thousand times along your weight loss journey doesn't mean YOU can't SUCCEED! It's all about overlooking the "failures" and remembering, uncovering, and rediscovering all of the many successes along the journey! Sure, maybe you're trying Weight Watchers for the 4th time, but rather than viewing that as a "fail" you need to see it as success! Why? You've fallen off the bandwagon 3 times and you're getting back on again: commend yourself for your persistence & believe that your never-give-up-attitude will get you to that goal weight. Don't look back on the times you slipped up and ate too many points or stopped tracking altogether, that'll do nothing but drag you down & make you feel less capable of doing it this time around; think of the days or times you did absolutely awesome on the program...how did it make you feel? What did you do those days to help you succeed? You need to remember these things in order to believe in your abilities, believe in your capabilities, believe in your goals...believe in you!

So can you do that today? Any time something doesn't go right (diet related, exercise related, work related, family related, whatever-related), don't look at what went wrong--look at what went right! If not today, then another day when you were doing the same or a similar and it went as you envisioned. Remember & believe. Remind yourself & believe. Because I promise, if you believe, you will most certainly achieve!

New Year, New YOU...and Me!

Can you believe it? It's 2013!!! Take that Mayan calendar! But no, seriously, where does time go???? As I sit and marvel at the speed of life, I can't help but praise God for giving me the strength and idea to move forward with his plan for me because it allows me to savor my time with Lleyton and KC, not wish it hadn't passed already! That being said, I have to admit...while I absolutely love being home part-time, it's been a hard adjustment thus far! Starting a new contract position two days a week, trying to build out my business, and figure out how to work from home while keeping in mind my main role ("mommy") has been overwhelming to say the least! (And for those of you who know me personally, you know that I'm a perfectionist and always go, go, go...so I'm sure you can imagine my angst!) Regardless, it's helped me do what we all need to do at the first of the year: set smart, WHOLE, wellness goals! What do I mean by that? Let me explain:

Yes, it's important and also admirable to set smart (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, & time-focused) fitness, nutrition, stress, weight loss goals...but we all know there's more to life (especially our modern day, fast-paced, too-many-things-to-juggle lives) than just these! Am I right?! If we're employees, we have a job to do to get paid. If we're parents, we have kids to tend to before we tend to ourselves. If we're students, we have homework to do, papers to write, projects to meet deadlines...and most likely work on top of it all, too!

As a dear friend of mine kindly reminded me just last week, you have to keep in mind all the "buckets" of your life. For me, there's my 1) God bucket, 2) mommy & wife bucket, 3) ME bucket 4)contract work bucket, 5) FitKO Health bucket, 6) Beachbody bucket, 7) Wellcoaches bucket, 8)Wellness Ministry bucket and finally, 9) a social life bucket! Again, being the perfectionist that I am, I talk myself into believing I'm a "failure" if I don't fill every bucket every day...but that's just not reality, nor is it possible to do...unless I inherit Super Woman's powers...or just choose to be totally burnt out every waking moment (which would probably be 22 hours a day) for the rest of my life! So here's what I did, and I recommend you do, too...

1. Set an overall wellness vision that encompasses all of your buckets. Be detailed, be specific, write it down, and keep it somewhere that you will be reminded of your wellness vision for your life each and every day! Say your vision out loud a couple times to yourself or your support person. Think of all the strengths, values, and support systems you possess that will help you attain this vision.
2. Set smart three-month goals that will help you on your way to your wellness vision. Again, be detailed, be specific, write them down, and keep them somewhere so that they are just in your face!
3. Every week (pick a starting day...I always choose Monday because it's easiest for me to remember), schedule time for you to review your vision & three-month goals. Start your session by thinking about the BEST part of your week last week; all the positivity that was brought forth, all the strength you contributed, etc. Next, look at your three-month goals, then look at your upcoming schedule this week and assess your needs, wants, desires for your health and your wellness vision for that week alone. Which of your buckets does that need fall into (it can be more than one, but don't say "all of my buckets" because that will defeat the purpose)?
4. Set smart weekly goals (1 but no more than 3) that you feel you could confidently meet (confident= a 7 or higher on a scale of 10) to fill that bucket (or two)!!!! But to best determine confidence, you need to first assess what challenges you might face that coming week as you drive to meet your goal, and then strategize how you are going to overcome those challenges should they arise!
5. Remain positive! If you set a goal to exercise for 30 minutes during your lunch break on Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday, but you only were able to do so two days of the three...FOCUS ON THE SUCCESS! You met your goal 2 days of the 3!!!! Then examine how you felt when you worked out those two days. What were the support systems in place, what was your mindset, how did you overcome challenges to make sure you met the goal those 2 days? FOCUS ON THE SUCCESS! And use it as a learning experience to best meet your goal the following week!!!!