Let The Gym Be Your Reflection Letter

Empowered Training
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   What is your place of peace and tranquility? Your social hour, or a place of change?

   With the New Year fully in effect, we search for the changes we will make with the days and months to come. We ask ourselves, how will we make this year different and how can we be different? With all the negativity that we see in the papers, television and social media, it can be difficult to be optimistic and find the “good” in the world. Well….what if there is a way to break from it all and what if there is a possible way to begin a new and exciting journey for your health, mentally and physically.

   Our generation is filled with jealousy, selfishness and a lack of confidence. Anxiety is at an all time high as we are becoming increasingly hyper-exposed to everyone's life situations and stress. We compare our life to others’ and complain about how life is unfair and how lucky the next person is because of the glamorous life they seem to have. In a world where everything is recorded and people’s mistakes and imperfections become judged, it might be hard to wake up every day happy and excited that to take on whatever the day brings. So what do you do? How do you break away from the constraints of society?  

    I encourage you to try this: write yourself a reflection letter. It seems like an absurd and almost impossible idea with how frequently and consistently negative mental talk seems to occur, but it’s an important and useful strategy. List a few positive things you’re proud of, or what you accomplished this week, and most importantly: write what you’re going offer yourself. 

   One of the best things you could offer yourself is time at the gym, working on strengthening the greatest tool you’ll ever own: your body. Fitness is one of the best and healthiest ways to relieve stress, overcome self doubt, and gain control of your life.  Getting in better shape physically and mentally can only increase the amount of confidence and self-love you feel. Refocus that negative energy into positive action items you can pursue every day…and while society wants you to think January’s the month for fresh starts, it usually ends up becoming the month of overwhelm. What nobody tells you is that ANY month is the true month for new beginnings -- when those who want it the most rise from the ashes of burn out. 

 

   Let the gym be your reflection letter. Let every sweat drop and muscle gained be your way of telling your bodyI want something serious. Let 2016 be another year of successes and happiness.  

 

Your Healthiest New Year Yet

Empowered Training
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          It’s inevitable: as the calendar transitions from the end of one year to the start of the next, we often feel that “New Year, New Me” mentality. For those preparing for that fresh start and have an idea, vision, or plan in mind come January, I applaud you. Whether you’re trying to better yourself as a person, your health, relationships with loved ones, or financially, here are a few tips that will ensure your success in the New Year:

  1. Listen to your heart and listen to yourself. When you have a plan and you know that in the pit of your stomach you HAVE to do it, then that’s your subconscious mind sending you a message. Do it and take action.

    Remember you learn to run after you learn to walk. So take those small steps.

     

  2. Surround yourself with those that think positively and support your vision. Avoid people that will try to distract you. Don’t let someone who is comfortable in their ways stop you from working hard. . They will try to get into your head and prove how, ‘crazy’ you may be for pursuing what you want. Don’t let them.

     

  3. Live in gratitude for the present moment. You can never predict tomorrow, and you cannot predict how your day will pan out, but you can do your best to control how you react to things. The moments you feel that failure will come, do not let it get to you. It’s normal to have those feelings, but if you fall into it, you will only begin hurt yourself and give up.

    Acknowledge the fact that no successful event in your life was ever easy. Think of the time you learned to drive. How many times did you mistaken the gas and break or almost hit the parked cars in your area? None of that meant you were a terrible driver, you were getting use to the new environment and change in yourself. So let the fear go, put the gear back in drive and keep moving forward.

     

  4. Write down a plan for the New Year and a couple of action steps you can implement to put that plan in motion. 

 

Starting a new wellness plan is often the hardest part, but once you start and commit to continuing, everything will begin to flow naturally. You’re probably saying, ‘easier said than done’ but that’s why I’m here. That’s what Empowered Training is designed to do for you. The Empowered Training program will help you set up a plan and help to keep you on track until you see the visible results of your hard work, or better yet: feel the positive effects of your hard work. Together we can make this your healthiest New Year yet!

7 Ways to Stay Motivated In The Gym

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We love to look great, stay healthy and push ourselves each day. Health and exercise is part of our daily routine and well, it’s OUR lifestyle. Doing it every day and staying committed to the gym can be tough when you find yourself stuck in a regular day to day routine.  Coming from experience, I personally know the feeling, and it sucks! It takes away the excitement you once had, and instead of it feeling like a lifestyle routine, it begins to feel like a work routine. After seeing first hand, talking to members and things I find to be pretty effective, I have come up with 7 tips to get you engaged and find the excitement into your gym time….

  1. Gym partner- Finding yourself that SWOLE-mate to lift and push you more than you normally do, can do more than just build a stronger relationship. A gym partner that is as serious as you about the gym, will hold you accountable and push you both mentally and physically to help you achieve results.

  2. Change the environment- Changing the scene can make a huge impact. On nice days, take the exercise routine outdoors. When you have beautiful weather, take advantage. Go for a run and after every few miles, stop and do body exercises for a certain amount of reps or time. Rest after and continue. Most local parks have a fitness trail that you follow and gives you an exercise when you reach a check point.

  3. New routine- If you prefer the weights and machines, try changing the way you train. Example, try switching cardio for strength training first and then finish with cardio. Another switch could be the machine or exercise that you do and the reps, sets and rest time. Play with your routine and see what works with you and gives you a challenge.   

  4. Playlist- We all love music, so why not create a playlist that you can pump iron with. Same with the playlist, add and change the songs from time to time.  

  5. Keep track of progress- Record every exercise you do. Write down how many sets, reps and rest time. Each week you repeat the same pattern, you’ll see where you are getting stronger and where you need improvement.

  6. 15 minute prep – Sometimes all you need is a quick prep. Warming up with a motivational audio. Or driving around and taking the long route to prepare yourself with a playlist or just the peace and quiet you have to yourself. 

  7. Rest- If you find yourself doing all of the above and nothing works, try taking one or two weeks off. Maybe your body just needs a rest and often times we ignore the warning signs our mind and body send. Listen to your body and rest, guarantee you’ll feel better when you get back. 

 

"Empowered Training...Change your mind, change your body, change your life!"

Don't Lose Focus

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                As the summer vacation officially comes to an end, teachers and college students alike are preparing for a new year with new opportunities. Most students are excited for what the school year will bring, wondering what they will achieve in the end, and how far they will go. But how many of the students that start out with a plan actually follow through with it?

                You know that hyped feeling on your first day with many new goals, ideas and excitement of what you wanted to get accomplished in the upcoming semester. You started the first day checking off all the things that you needed to do to start your journey to the new goals you set. The first day goes well and you go home feeling accomplished.

              Before you know it, the first week goes by and you manage to check off everything you needed to do. Perfect. Now the second, third and fourth week pass by and what tends to happen? You slowly begin to fall off. Each week that passed by you found yourself not being able to check off everything that you checked off on the first and second week. Eventually you find yourself losing track and falling off course. Flash forward and it’s the end of the year. It flew by and all the motivation you gave yourself and at the beginning is no longer there. Why? Because everything you told yourself you would get done, never got done. You beat yourself up and begin to believe that it’s impossible to set goals.

I don’t blame you. I’ve been there.

               I’ve had the same issue of thinking it was impossible to get anything done. I‘ve found myself repeating the same excuse “I’m too busy, and I just don’t have any time for it.” A favorite line that I would hear many of my friends and family say whenever they “failed” at getting something done. I encourage you to not think of it as failing, but rather that you haven’t yet found the solution. If you feel like you failed, reframe your mind to look at it as being temporarily stuck. Just like a exam: if you can’t answer one question, it doesn’t mean you failed. You can always go back to it when you have an idea of what the solution might be.  With that in mind, let’s talk about solutions to help us stay on track with our goals.

                Firstly, instead of saying that there is not enough, accepting it, and getting comfortable in that excuse, do your best to manage your time. The key to understanding time management is knowing how to use the free time you get to your advantage.

              Find some alone time to sit down for 30-45 minutes with a plank paper and a pen. On that plank paper, you want to outline your weekly schedule Sun.-Sat. Write down the days you go to school and the time you are in each class. Same for the days you work. Write down the days and time you are out with friends and for how long. Write down the days you dedicate to school work. Once you have everything written down, take another sheet or make a chart on your computer with 7 columns. Labeling the top of each column with one day of the week. On the left side make as many rows as you need, because this side will have the hours of the day. Make sure that the first row is the earliest hour that you wake up on and the last row is the latest that you go to sleep during the week. Now that you have your chart created, plug in the days and hours you wrote down in its rightful spot. Be sure you also add in the amount of time you spend traveling to and from school and work; when you wake up and go to bed. Once you have your chart filled in, you will be able to see all the free time you have in each day.

              This is a system I have found works for me and that have worked on many of the successful people that we hear and talk about today. Think of all the free time you spend on social media. Why not put that time to good use to benefit you with what you want to accomplish? Fill each free time spot with something productive that will help you move closer your goals. Think of small steps and doable activities that you can start with. Eventually progress to bigger tasks. You will be shocked by how much you can get done.

              The second thing that will help you stay on track of you goals is getting plenty of rest. Without the adequate amount of rest, you will be too tired to follow your plan.  Each day should be planned with at least 7-8 hours of sleep. You will be shocked with how much you can actually get done in a day. Just imagine what you can get accomplished in one month!

                It important to have control and stability with your day. With only 24 hours in a day, how much time do you spend actually getting work done and being productive? Plan out your day, write down your daily goals. Start out the day with 2 goals that are easy to check off and spread the rest of your goals through the day. Write no more than 7 doable daily goals and keep them in your pocket for a constant reminder of what you need to get done. Trying to keep it all in your head will eventually bombard your mind with too much information to process. Writing down your day allows it to get it off your mind so you can focus on one task at a time.

              Don’t feel bad if one or two days don’t go as planned. It’s only natural. Things happen, but just make sure that when they do happen, you refocus and pick your planning routine back up every night before you go to bed. It will take some getting used to, but once you have control of your time, you’ll have more control of your life.

“Plan Your Work & Work Your Plan”

What Will You Do On Your Next Vacation?

     We can all use a break from time to time. Mini vacations or even a staycation. Whatever you find or can make time for and get away for peace and relaxation. In my case, I am currently on my vacation for 2 weeks visiting family in El Salvador. 

     How often do you hear people complain about their vacations because one or two things didn’t go as planned? Or because they have to pack, and they don’t want to live out of a suitcase? My favorite one, “It was an ok vacation, I didn’t know what to do so I stayed home the entire time”, but my question is why? Why stress, complain or just stay indoors when you are finally given the time to do something fun and exciting. You complain all year about needing a break and when the opportunity is in front of you, you let it pass by being bored and unhappy. Now I’m not saying you have to do something crazy and out of the ordinary like cliff diving, but I’m saying that whatever gives you pleasure and makes you feel relaxed should be the thing or things you do on your time off. Take a few minutes to make an agenda of the things you been meaning to get to but never had the opportunity. Make time to catch up on a few books you been meaning to read, get fresh air and don’t feel guilty if you wanted to sleep in a few extra hours. In the meantime, all the stresses of work and your personal life should be forgotten. Let it go, relax and breathe. Stress will never go away, it will be waiting when you get back so don’t let it suck the fun of all your ‘you time’. The time you get to vacation, you should really enjoy it. Make every moment count and reflect on all that you have accomplished. Organize your thoughts and see where you want to keep moving towards when you get back. Usually the answers to most of your problems come when your mind is at ease. For me, it’s been nothing but relaxation and a clear mind.  

     These past few days have been refreshing. I have come on vacation with my family for 2 weeks, visiting family in San Salvador, El Salvador to be exact. Traveling and doing a lot of site seeing with family has been quite an experience. Never staying in one spot for more than 2 days, I haven’t had the time to update my weekly Monday blog. As much as I don’t like getting pushed back on tasks that need to be done by certain deadlines, I didn’t mind as much with this one. I have been visiting family and hiking mountains that I never once stopped to look at the time. It’s a great feeling knowing that for 2 weeks I don’t have to live my life by a clock. I came here with an agenda of tasks that I wanted to accomplish. As much as I want to get them done, I decided that for these 2 weeks only, I was going to take each task as it came, example this blog. These past few days have not only been time to vacation, but time to think and reflect.

     This is your time, your moment, to enjoy with your family and have stories to tell for years to come. Take the time to do what you been meaning to get done, because at the end of it all work will always be there and so will stress, but the time you have with loved ones and for yourself won’t.

“Take Vacations. Go as many places as you can. You can always make money, You can’t always make memories.”

 

 

Look Around You

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     Motivation! One of my favorite topics to discuss about with clients and with friends. What would be the number one thing that motivates YOU? Truly and carefully think about it. Meaning what comes to mind the moment you feel defeated, but brings you back to your feet? Maybe its family? A friend? Or your dream career? What is it? If you don’t have anything that’s fine. Not all people can say they have something to keep them going when they are defeated. What I can say is, motivation starts with your environment and the people around you. Mostly speaking the friends around you.

     When someone asks you who your friends are, who comes to mind? From that amount, how many of those would you consider to be the ones that push you and always have nothing but a great time with you? If the number stayed the same, congratulations. It’s safe to say you have found your true friends and you really don’t need to read much more.  If you couldn’t find one person, then you should do a reality check and get rid of the negative people in your life. Or maybe consider changing your environment. We always hear the saying, “Friends come and go, but family is forever”, anytime an argument happens between friends. Arguments and disagreements can cause tension in relationships, and this ultimately leads to hurt feelings. The “friends” that constantly bring nothing but tension, stress, and mentally and/or emotionally drain you. I know this from seeing and hearing it from clients. I have and had the privilege to work with countless clients who came to the gym looking to get in shape because they are tired of feeling sad and are unhappy with their lives. Usually unhappiness and negative emotions that are a result of a stressful job, bad relationship with a significant other, death, or family problems. By working out, they are looking to find a way to better their health and find their stress reliever.

     Every client walks in with the same expectation, to see physical change. What they are not realizing is with change they are not only going to see physical change, but also mental and a lot of positive emotional change. As a self-defense mechanism, most clients tend to be shy and stray away from people because they are not confident with themselves. What they are not realizing is that everyone who they think is or could be judging is actually doing the same thing as them, feeling shy and nervous. By saying a simple ‘Hello” and smile, you begin to create a new positive atmosphere around you because you are beginning to break away from that shyness that leads to meeting new people. People who could in fact share the same, or if not slightly different story on why they started working out. Once they see that they are not the only ones who have felt defeated, they begin to form a mutual friendship. The type of friendship that motivates one another to keep pushing and looks out for you. A friendship that gives you someone to help you on your journey to a better you.

     It doesn’t have to only happen in the gym. I used my clients because they are an example on how changing your environment leads to making the right friends and helps you find the positive motivation that you have been looking for. It can happen in anyplace. Just make sure to choose a place that you find to give you the happiness that you seek. Eventually the positive people that belong in your life as well as the right motivation will begin to fall in place. Trust me, it feels great to have 5 loyal, motivating friends than to have 25 “come and go” friends.

“Once you learn how to be happy, you won’t tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less”