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Lack 'n Limitation

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 15 February 2011 13:45

This couple is constant companions. They are the voice behind words. They are the voice of many. Yet, they utter no words. They speak about race, religion, sex, weight, height, glass ceilings and much more. They are knowledgeable…credible…charismatic even. Unless. Don’t look too closely. Oh wait, you won’t…look too closely...?

Antidote: Abundance and Freedom

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Negative Motivation: The single most important thing to know

Written by Administrator Monday, 14 February 2011 15:31

You are standing at a crossroads.

Something terrible has happened – it doesn’t look or feel good. It’s the numbers on the scale, bad news from the doctor, a relationship turns south, the job ends. You are officially at YOUR crossroads!

Now what?

The Reality of YOUR crossroad…which you won’t like…these terrible events…make POWERFUL motivation! I’m here to remind you that sometimes we need those negative experiences to wake us up. We have gotten lulled into thinking that motivation is those wonderfully photographed scenes with an eloquent quotation. No, it’s not! Sometimes it’s the agony of sleepless nights, anger because of someone’s behavior, saying you’ve had enough, seeing yourself go through the same experience more than once, etc. So here you are at YOUR crossroad. You think things are awful. You are overwhelmed because of that relationship, your health, your career, finances, etc. Use this experience! I guarantee if you don’t…it WILL come back around again.

How can you use the experience for growth and transformation?

Below are essentials tips for your positive motivation:

1. Acceptance - The important part here to note is…you are NOT accepting poor behavior of yourself or others…and you are NOT accepting you wished you weren’t in this situation. You are simply accepting that this was an experience you had.

2. Gratitude – Thank the Universe for this opportunity. You might not think it yet, but develop a mindset of gratitude – it’s imperative!

3. Commit – Commit to positive growth.

4. Evaluate – Objectively take stock of what happened, be honest, get out of your ego, write it down, get counsel – it can tell you volumes.

5. Image – Dream of what you want to create for yourself – be specific.

6. Plan – Remember the baby steps too.

7. Get going!

8. Remember you WILL have a pop quiz! Crossroads are part of life – accept it.

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Remove Roadblocks to Weight-Loss Motivation

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 15 February 2011 14:26

The formula for successful weight loss is pretty simple. All you have to do is eat less and move more. Yet millions of people ditch diet and exercise programs despite a deep desire to look and feel better.

The missing link: motivation.

It doesn’t help that we’re fighting against human nature. According to an article from the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic, consumers flit between periods of indulgent and healthy behavior throughout the course of a week and even the same day, making it easy to understand why so many veer off the path of a weight-loss program so often. It’s bound to happen, even to the best of us. But getting back on track is key.

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Personal trainers offer a treasure trove of tips to remove the roadblocks to motivation when it comes to weight-loss efforts.

“The problem is not so much that people don’t want to work out. It’s more that they are daunted by the serious challenge of actually starting and maintaining an exercise program,” writes Amanda Adams in an article on the topic published by the IDEA Health & Fitness Association. “Many people start a new behavior, such as an exercise program or new diet, for extrinsic reasons, such as wanting to look better. However ... it is doomed to fail because extrinsic motivation is usually insufficient to get people over the hurdles of being too busy or tired to make it to the gym every day. The key to long-term (and even short-term) success lies in developing multiple sources of motivation.”

Finding Your Passion

Online fitness programs offer several ideas for staying motivated, such as enlisting friends and family to support your efforts, breaking big fitness goals down into smaller targets and rewarding yourself for accomplishments.

Others suggest changing routines to evade boredom and, therefore, retain motivation. Varying the time of day, location and type of activity can help. For example, take a break from the typical gym workout and go for a long walk or swim on the weekend.

Staying informed about the risks of being unfit and/or overweight can help, too. And, sometimes, scaling efforts back a bit might be in order. According to one online program, one of the main reasons people give up on fitness programs is that they try to do too much too soon.

Life coach and personal trainer Ruth McCullen says motivation isn’t one-size-fits-all.

“Pointing at someone saying ‘you should exercise’ never works,” she says. “There’s definitely a mental aspect. It’s the stories behind those lives on The Biggest Loser. It’s about capturing that.”

McCullen has her own story, too. Much like that show’s star trainer, Jillian Michaels, who fought her own weight-loss battles long before she was on TV, McCullen combines her personal experience with the ability to enthusiastically motivate her clients. Having once weighed close to 300 lbs, she now runs marathons and coaches others in meeting their own fitness goals.

“It’s about finding one’s passion,” she says. “One person’s passion might be running marathons while another is playing with their children. One of my clients wanted to be a good example for her children. And that became her motivation.”

A Personal Touch

For some, hiring a personal trainer is the answer. The act of paying someone for a service alone can be all the motivation you need to stick with a weight-loss program. They also provide the motivation that’s missing when going it alone by way of encouragement and positive feedback.

In fact, The Biggest Loser candidates likely wouldn’t achieve their transformations without motivation from personal trainers such as Michaels. Still, Cindy Brotherston points out that many might dismiss the idea of hiring her because of pride or shame. But they might be missing a big opportunity to blow past lack of motivation, once and for all.

“Perhaps the single, biggest benefit of hiring a trainer is motivation,” the personal trainer writes on her web site, BusyWomensFitness.com. “On their own, people lose motivation to stick with a consistent exercise program. A certified fitness trainer can provide structure, direction, accountability and a friend who is interested in helping you succeed.”

– Deanna Glick (Writer/Editor AOL Time Warner)

http://daol.aol.com/articles/remove-roadblocks-to-weight-loss-motivation

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200 Miles in 2 Days

Written by Administrator Monday, 08 June 2009 20:27

MS Ride from Richmond to Williamsburg - Another memorable event.

The MS folks and volunteers have this event down. You can’t ask for much more support from the motorcycle riders, support vehicles, rest stops, route markers, EMS folks, police escorts, band, etc. It was all good.

The team (They Talked Me Into This) did a great job and everyone did a PR (personal record) on the course! I couldn’t be more proud. One of our teammates traveled with their bike, so dealt with some “reassembly” issues. Someone had food poisoning on Friday, so was struggling through feeling bad and low calorie intake. (What a trooper!) Otherwise, it was just the aches and pains associated with long distancing riding. In fact, several of us have already signed up for next year (could be delirious or endorphin high). We even have a new idea brewing for next year’s team - think costumes and sport bikes theme.

Weather was great the first day, overcast and temps in the 70s. Day two the sun came out, so was noticeably hotter and required more hydration. I really noticed the head wind on day two, but lots of people thought we had it both ways. Lol.

When I knew the team was together and okay, I’d ride on and had a strong couple of days. I doubled back after a change of socks at the finish line to get some extra miles and bring the team in. My last riders where on a tandem and had hit the “wall”. I was really praying they’d crested the last hill near RIR, but got the benefit one more time. My quads are tight today, but nothing that a little stretching and some TLC won’t cure.

You know in every event there is a moment…mine came when the man grilling the burgers and hotdogs thanked me for being out and called me a hero. It surprised me. He has a loved one with MS and probably 20 feet away a man sat in his wheelchair who has been struggling with MS for 17+ years. He was thanking me…I might be hardcore according to some people…but I don’t live 365 days a year – 24/7 with an incurable disease. I thanked him…because what else can you say. It’s humbling and reminds you of what's most important.

Again, thanks for all my supporters. We had a great weekend and looking forward to you joining us next year.
Ruth

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My Big Day

Written by Administrator Monday, 11 May 2009 11:47

I am so proud! It was my first triathlon and first ½ Ironman. (70.3 miles for the novices.)

Let me first say, Spotsylvania has some really pungent black angus manure; Unitards in light colors need to be banned (you ride behind a guy with a red unitard on and tell me your impression!); It is priceless to be able to say, “On your left” to 8-10 Hispanic men on horseback (one for the memory book!); The policemen deserve to feel proud after being thanked for their service on the race course; I’ve also determined I’m not quite ready for the Tour deFrance, because the water hand off made me wobbly; and lastly, I’m not really sure what I think (or why) my left calf was tattooed with my age on it. I did however notice everybody’s and it made for good “reading material” when the mileage was getting long.

As any good milestone (pun intended) brings, I reflected on several things during the race and the subsequent hours, which I’m particularly thankful and wanted to share.

Weather – It turned out beautiful. A little hot and humid (80s and all in the sun) on the run, but overall much better than predicted. (They were calling for rain with thunder and lightening.
Lake Anna State Park – What a beautiful park! And surrounding area. I think we must have crossed the lake about 5 times on the cycling course. I’m hoping to go back soon to enjoy all their facilities.
Swimming – I hadn’t had much experience swimming before I started my training, so still “under development”. I did freak mentally as I started the swim, because the water was choppy from the weather and was thankful it was a two loops. (The 100 yard run on the sand gave me a few minutes to catch my breath, see where I was, and do it all again.)
Cycling – My confidence grew tremendously! Two loops outside the park. The first time ¾ was very hilly with the wind in our faces. I don’t know what hit me, my endurance mentality or training, but I got in the zone and felt great.
Mum and Dad – For listening to me patiently as I trained, organize and get my head in the game. What would I ever do with out you both?
Corinna – As always, you are one of my biggest fans and dearest friends. I am truly blessed. You couldn’t have a better spirit both to me and the other contestants. So many people could take a lesson from you: you really “get it” and feel the pride with and for the participants.
Andrea and Joy (fellow SEAL Teamers) – Two strong ladies, that if it wasn’t for the triathlon training, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to spend so much time with. You are both great ladies – many, many thanks.
My Many Friends and Family – To everyone that was supportive and encouraging – many thanks! It is heartwarming to know there are so many people who care and are supportive of me. I am truly humbled for all your well wishes.
Organizers, fellow contestants, volunteers –
- The lady transition organizer: She felt the need to show this “newbie” how to lay my socks out. Poor lady, she couldn’t quite “get” that I really wasn’t concerned about scrunching up my socks that might save me two tens of a second in my transition time.
- John: My fellow transition buddy. You go man! (He’s a several time full and ½ Ironman triathlete). Except for my genuineness, he thought I was sandbagging because I looked so prepared and knew too much about Body Glide for this to be my first. Nice to see you on the run, thanks for the encouragement.
- Neils: You are a joy! We just happened to be near one another on the run and I was day dreaming about what I wanted for dinner. I decided he needed to hear it all. Humorously, he thought it sounded like a great topic and picked up the pace. We ran in together and hugged one another with our metals on. I’m glad my motivating spirit gave you the courage to run it in!
- Awards volunteer: She couldn’t have been more surprised and tickled. She was putting the metal around my neck and I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her like a long lost relative. (Although, now that I think about it, maybe the surprise was that I had just hugged her with my sweaty clothes on!)
- Volunteers: Especially to a young volunteer (16 yrs old) who thought I was reaching for her instead of the trash can and was ready, willing and eager to give me a hug on the running course. You go girl!
- Cheering crowds: Only one negative here…you could at least stand up as we go by! Instead they lounge in great comfy camping chairs! There is just something wrong with this...
- Fellow RTC Member: Thanks for cheering me on.

Thanks so much I just had to share my experience. I have a personal philosophy about preparing for a major event like this. I believe when one is so focused other people, events, stuff seem to come “out of the woodwork”, especially as the day draws closer. I think it’s the energy – some are positive but many are deliberately trying to thwart or sidetrack us. True to form…the eve of my Big Day, I came home about 9ish and notice a couple of things had been stolen right off my front porch! So after contacting a friend, chatting with neighbors, I called the police to report it, then an officer calls me back to get my report, etc. It meant with an alarm set to ring at 3 AM, I was ready to close my eyes just before midnight.

On the way home from the triathlon, I concluded…they can steel things, but not the heart that put it there.

It was a fabulous day!

Ruth

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