Rest Day Quote

"Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don't talk like they talk, 


don't act like they act and don't use their excuses. Take

charge of your own life." 


-Jim Rohn

Question of the Week...

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." -Eddie Robinson 


*Have you unlocked the door? found from Darren Hardy

Take the Path of MOST Resistance...

Chest to Deck is def the MOST Resistance

Everyday you make choices. And throughout each day you make many many choices. And where you are at in life today (your current waistline, business/job success, relationship strength and bank account balance) is directly because of those choices you have made up to this point.

Here is a great post on how you know if you are making the 'right' choices with your life by Darren Hardy about The Path of MOST Resistance

Here’s a simple formula:
When in doubt, choose the harder task or what you don’t want to do—that’s usually exactly what you should do. Take the path of MOST resistance.

Put it this way: If you are disappointed in any area of your life, whatever choices you have been making aren’t working.

Definition of insanity:
Doing the same things you’ve always done and expecting different results.
Here is the force you are fighting: You and your brain are creatures of habit. You simply talk yourself into taking the easy, low resistance and comfortable route. Like the pull of a rushing river, your unconscious habits continue to take you downstream in the wrong direction. To change your direction you will need to swim upstream, against the resistance of the rushing river, against your habitual tendency.
Low Resistance:

• Going along with the gossip
• Surrendering to peer pressure
• Saying yes to needless obligations
• Submitting to the crying demands of your children
• Starting your new program on “Monday” (instead of today)
• Reacting in anger
• Holding a grudge
• Giving the ‘silent treatment’

High Resistance:

• Going to the gym when you don’t feel like it
• Forgiving someone who wronged you
• Feeling the fear and doing it anyway
• Admitting you were wrong and apologizing
• Ordering the salad when you want the burger
• Saying no to (yet another) shot of tequila
• Calling that big, scary big prospect (again and again)

If you want to finally obtain what’s missing from your life, you need to stop always doing what you feel like doing and start doing the things that make you uncomfortable, the stuff you avoid, and the things that you think are hard.
If you dedicate yourself to only doing the things you don’t want to do, all day long, your results would shock and amaze you and everyone around you.
Make a list of the things you avoid, postpone and hate doing, but you know you should. If you attack those today, your life will change. What’s uncomfortable is good. It only feels wrong at the start because you have an automatic bias toward the easy. Fight that tendency. Swim upstream. Take the path of most resistance.

Declare it and take action. What three things do you NOT want to do, but you will commit to doing today? Tell us in the comments below.

Mental WOD 11: Drop all Cock Blockers...

Ahhhh no cock blockers here;-)

Who out there is a nay-sayer to you about your goals and dreams?

How many times do you do feel really good about yourself and the decisions you make and the next thing you know a friend, family member or co-worker throws (and you didn't ask them) their 2 cents in and makes you feel bad or is trying to stop you in your tracks.

If that has happened before you have been MOTIVATIONALY COCK BLOCKED...and it needs to STOP IMMEDIATELY!

And that is exactly what this week Mental WOD is all about.

Whoever has Motivationaly cock blocked you in the past you are to cut off communication with them for this week. If you see them everyday (like a co-worker or hell some you live with) just be busy, keep interactions brief and superficial. If you are solicited into a conversion with a cock blocker than refer to a previous blog post Keys to Deal with Negative Nancy's for additional info.

Don't get me wrong, I am a lover not a fighter, I'm NOT saying cut these people out of your life completely (well at least not yet;-). The purpose of this week's Mental WOD is to remove and eliminate the nay sayers and negative people around you and see how different you feel and act with "no more drama in your week".

Are you getting Motivationly Cock Blocked??? You now know what to do.

P.T.S!!!

Change YOUR Words Series: Today's Word...'Strict'

Change YOUR Words is going to be a new blog series I am happy to introduce.

The way we think and speak are vital to how we feel and perform. Words are very very powerful. They can be used to your advantage or they can hold you back and stress you out!

We all have emotional attachments to words. Some people view a certain word different than others. Sometimes when I am in a conversion with someone and I hear them say a certain word, I ask them to define what they mean by it. Not because I don't know what it means, but because I want to know what they mean by it or how they 'feel' about it.

Today's post of "Change YOUR Words" is 'Strict'.

"I'm going 'Strict' Paleo for 30 days"....CHANGE TO...."I'm going 'All In' for the 30 Day Paleo Challenge".

From here on out when you think, hear, or read the word 'Strict' you will now change that word to 'All In'. For the purpose of this post we are going to refer to strict as dealing with nutrition and dieting.

'Strict' has a negative feeling and connotation attached to it. When you go 'Strict' you restrict what you think you want...i.e. cheat food, meals, alcohol, etc... Being 'Strict' or Restricting yourself makes you mad at yourself because you are upfront denying yourself something (whether it is good or bad for you) that you want to have.

Go 'All In' instead;

'All In' is a completely different way to mentally + emotionally look at being 'Strict'. Going 'All In' is a forward thinking way of committing to yourself and others that you are going to focus on healthy habits and do whatever it takes to succeed. It is always easy to commit to goals/challenges in the beginning because it is new, exciting and hasn't become hard yet. Once the initial excitement of the goal/challenge fades then it is time to see what you are made of. When you take the mindset of going "All In" you are committed to yourself the goal/challenge and that will give you the opportunity to positively WIN!

Now it's time to go 'All In' on the comments...P.T.S!!!

The 'Situation'

Jackie is an uncomfortable:-0

Do you take control of 'the situation'?

-OR-

Do you let 'the situation' take control over you?

Here are a few real life examples: (not mine of course;-)

Situation #1: 
"I can't go that weekend...I have to work"
Real Problem:
-A job that is too demanding
-A social life that is too demanding
-Poor time management during the work week
HARD Questions
-What is more important to me - this job, or my friends/family?
-Where can I be more efficient to ensure my work is done during the week?
-How can I convince my boss to let me have weekends off?

Situation #2:
"I couldn't stick to my diet...We went out for happy hour."
REAL Problem:
-Friends/occasions that are out of line with your fitness goals
-A diet that is too strict
HARD Questions
-How important is this diet to me?
-Am I willing to give up certain drinks and food, or would I rather enjoy myself?
-Can I plan my social events around my diet?
-What would I have to give up instead?

Situation #3:
"I haven't been working out...I'm too tired, since I haven't been sleeping as much as I would like."
REAL Problem:
-Poor time management
-Poor planning
-Incompatible lifestyles of staying up too late, and getting up too early.
HARD Questions
-Why am I staying up too late or getting up too early?
-How important are these activities to me?
-What activities am I will to give up to make my time more manageable?
-How important is working out to me? Is it a priority at this point in my life?

I find most of time people don't plan or think ahead. Then all of a sudden they are caught in 'the situation' that is much harder to get pull yourself out of successfully.

Don't let that be the issue. Ask the REAL questions, plan ahead and make it happen!

P.T.S!!!

Question of the Week

"Nobody but you is responsible for your life. It doesn’t matter what your mommy or daddy did or didn’t do, you are responsible for your life. You are responsible for the energy you bring to others." -Oprah 


What energy are you walking around with today? 


How will you raise it?

REST DAY QUOTE

Your greatest limits are not external. They are internal, within your own thinking. They are contained in personal “self-limiting beliefs.” ~Brian Tracy

Mental WODs are back next week.

Rest Day Quote



2 of My Favorite Girls

Winners always ascribe their success to hard work and application. Mediocre people always ascribe their failures to bad luck. ~Brian Tracy

Keys to Deal with Negative Nancy's

Only Positive People Allowed Club

They are out there and all around us. Some of them are close friends, family, co-workers. You love them and that can make it hard to remove them from your life. But they suck the mojo right out of you! I'm talking about...

NEGATIVE PEOPLE!

How do you deal with them?
How can you continue to grow if 'these' people keep trying to hold you back?


Here are 7 key tips on how to Deal With Negative People

-Don't Engage in the Negativity: This is a tough one. You have to overpower their negativity with your Positivity.

-Hang Out in Groups: Misery loves company. Well it works the other way too. Surround your Negative Nancy with some of your Best Positive Upbeat Friends.

-Objectify the Comments Made: Don't always take the comments they say personal. Sometimes it is just the way they are and it is not directed towards you personally.

-Go with Lighter Topics: If the topic gets to be too much...Change it.

-Be Mindful of the Time You Spend with Them: According to Jim Rohn, "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with". If that is the case, I would start filling up your time with your positive friends so you don't have as much time to spend with your negative peeps.

-Identify Areas You Can Make a Positive Change: Sometimes it may be something specific that is making that person negative (relationship, job, they are FAT, etc...). See if there is a way you can help fix the problem and eliminate their negativity for good.

-Drop Them From Your Life: If all else fails. Drop them like its HOT! You only have one life to live. Don't let others drag you down. Cut them out. I know I've had to do it before. It may suck in the beginning but its better in the long run.

For the complete explanations on each tips go to Zen Habits

P.T.S!

Rest Day Quote

Chow Time:-)

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." -Napoleon Hill 




*Is there anything that you've been putting off for better timing?

How To Put YOUR Motivation on FIRE and Keep It That Way...

Brian gets me EXCITED about Coaching a Class he attends!

Why is it that at one point in our life we can have so much drive, desire, focus and at other points in our life we can be the laziest, most un-motivated, depressed person we know???


Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, 
“Nothing great is ever accomplished in life without enthusiasm.” You have to have a passion to see something great happen. That’s why you need to nurture your enthusiasm if you want to change.


If you say, “Well, I kind of, sort of, maybe want to change” it isn’t going to happen. If you say, “Well, I’d like to change in my spare time” it isn’t going to happen. But if you are passionate about your goal it will become reality.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to lose your enthusiasm. So how do you maintain it? Speaking from personal experience, it takes more than positive thinking or psycho cybernetics. Found from: The Principle of Motivation: Nurture Your Enthusiasm


Enthusiasm will get you feeling better and doing things you never thought possible. You can literally improve everything in your life today by being FIRED UP! You can literally snap yourself out of whatever funk you are in RIGHT NOW by throwing a HIGH of Enthusiasm into your mood.

The person with the HIGHest energy wins everytime!

P.T.S!

Mental WOD 10: Ask Yourself The HARD Questions



Just another Monday at CrossFit 818

Information is readily available everywhere we go. With the internet available literally at our fingertips with our home computer, wireless is everywhere, our laptops, phone's, etc... If there is a question you have find out the internet can answer that for you right on the spot.  Most of us know what to do, but why don't we do it?

This week's Mental WOD of the week is to "Ask Yourself The HARD Questions?"

-We know how we are 'supposed' to eat/exercise. So why don't YOU???
-Why is it that other people you know (friends/family/co-workers/other people at your gym) have the same information, the same gym, the same workout programming you have and they are succeeding and you aren't?
-What 'REALLY' stops you from getting to your goals? (I will give you a hint, its not your spouse, traffic, kids, friends, family, work, lack of time, or anything else you CAN control. It is something deep down inside of you that you are afraid of and once you finally find it, it will be harder to actually deal with, but YOU can if you REALLY want to get over it)

P.T.S!!!

Get Your ZZZsss....

Bad Nights Sleep is a Bad Days Squat

The #1 most important element is your success with your FITness, career and well being is...S-L-E-E-P!

Sleep is MANDATORY for results in everything you do and want to get out of life.

"But what if I have a hard time going and staying asleep?"

Treat it no different then starting a workout program or nutrition plan. It takes building consistent habits to form healthy sleep patterns.

Below is a list of ways to promote a better night's rest:

1. Let Lavender Lull You to Sleep. Known for its relaxation benefits, lavender is often used to aid sleep. Keep a dried lavender bouquet on your nightstand, dab some lavender oil on your neck before turning in, or burn a lavender-scented candle while you're getting ready for bed. The aromatherapy will work wonders for your state of mind and your sleep habits.

2. What Relaxes You? Whether it's a warm bath, soft music or a good book that helps you relax and unwind, make sure you give yourself that time to let go of the day and mentally get ready to fall asleep. Keep the lights low, the noise level down and invite sleep. Just as you have to warm up in the morning to get ready for the day, you have to wind down each evening.

3. Nighttime Yoga. Renowned yoga instructor Patricia Walden encourages using a series of yoga moves designed to quiet the mind after the stress of the day and to help you make the transition from active to quiet. Before going to bed each night, she suggests doing a combination of standing poses, forward bends and restorative poses to help you ease into night.

4. Pamper Yourself. Create a dreamy atmosphere in your bed with high-quality sheets and linens. Treat yourself to those 500-thread count sheets and splurge on a good pillow. Indulge in that down comforter that feels like you're sleeping under a cloud. Making sure you're comfortable in bed is key to resting well.

5. Clear Your Mind. Learn to let go of the worries and stress of the day as soon as you get into bed. No working, sending e-mail or checking the Blackberry one last time. Try using visualization techniques that help you forget the trivial things and allow you to mentally escape. If you visualize yourself on a beautiful beach, you might just dream about it later! Found at Success Mag

Now hit the sack!

How do YOU view change? As loss or OPPORTUNITY?

Two of my favorite peeps

"Decide today to be a master of change rather than a victim of change." -Brian Tracy 

Feedback...How do YOU Use It To Your Advantage?

Everything we do in life gives us a result. Maybe the result is not what we want at that particular time, but you do get a result because you receive feedback. Sometimes good...Sometime not good.

So what do YOU do with this feedback?

Here is a great example:

I’ve got this friend who thinks of himself as a pick-up artist. No matter how you slice it, it’s amazing to watch.
Wherever we go, he engages the prettiest women around us. And just for the record, he’s not super-attractive. He’s short and has a big nose. So don’t think for a minute he’s getting over because of his good looks. That’s not what’s at play here.
Simply put: He tests women—waitresses, hostesses, women sitting innocently nearby. No one is immune. When one of his test questions backfires on him, he isn’t deterred. “It’s just added information I use to refine my approach,” he says.
One evening, we are in a fancy restaurant in midtown Manhattan. The waitress comes over and welcomes us. My friend turns and asks, “Have you ever met anyone as handsome as me with such a big nose? How handsome do you think I am?”
She doesn’t respond; he switches it up. “Let me guess,” he says. “You are Lebanese and French and you only date Jewish men?”
I try to rescue her. “Ignore him. He’s an idiot.”
That gets a smile from the waitress, so he alters his approach again. “Don’t you think it’s rude of my mom to call me an idiot?”
Now I feel compelled to explain to the waitress that I’m not his mother, that I’m clearly younger than he is…
“Don’t believe a word my mother says. Can’t you see we share the same pointy chin?” he asks.
She chuckles. He sees an opening, or he just goes with a hunch. “I love Lebanese women,” he says, “but I feel bad that you are falling for such an ugly guy like me.”
She says he doesn’t have to worry about that happening, but what actually transpires that evening is a very different story. By the end of the meal, he has coaxed her into talking about her dreams of being an actress, her overbearing Lebanese mother, her dating sagas and her weekend plans. And, as promised, by the end of the meal, she has fallen for him. She thinks I don’t see her slip him her telephone number.
My friend explains his technique in one simple sentence: “It’s all recoverable.” He explains, “Every answer she gives, every facial expression—it is all just data. I don’t take any of it personally. I am learning what works and what doesn’t work, and I’m constantly reinventing my approach so that I figure out what she’ll like. Give me enough time and an available woman, and she will be mine.”
His key to success: reinvention.
Everything you say is recoverable. Every misstep needs to be taken as information to be used in crafting your next attempt. The big nose line didn’t work. Try the mom joke. If that gets you an eye roll, promise to behave. Pay attention and stay in the game.
Life is a series of these seemingly small reinventions. Every experience you have provides you with feedback. If you allow it, this feedback can help you figure out how to get what you want.
Of course, the real challenge comes when you get negative feedback. You tend to take negative feedback personally and as a reason to stop what you are doing. You respond emotionally and break down. That’s not reinvention. That’s giving up.
The truth is that negative feedback is the most important information you can get.
If you don’t respond emotionally to setbacks or disinterest, then you can reinvent how you approach everything, like my friend. But you have to keep forcing a reaction, paying attention and reinventing your approach until you get what you want.
Go ahead, admit it. You think I have a pointy chin, but you love reading my columns.
Found from: http://www.successmagazine.com/robbins-the-pickup-artist/PARAMS/article/1124/channel/22

What do you do when YOU receive feedback that you don't want to hear?
Does it stop you?
Or do you reinvent yourself to get the desired outcome?

P.T.S!

The Most Important Part of Goal Setting

July 2010 100 Day Burpee Challenge Finishers

All of us set goals for ourselves many times throughout our life. Some of us hit those goals, some of us don't.

Whether you hit your goal or not, the most important part is the take-away (assuming that we finish what we started).




What did you learn throughout your journey?
What did you learn that worked for you?
What did you learn that set you back?
What kept you motivated to continue on when you didn't 'feel' like sticking to your plan?

Learning these elements are vastly more important than actually hitting the goal itself. We are going to make tons of goals throughout our life time. The things we learn about ourselves throughout the experience of attaining a goal is going to ensure whether we hit our future goals or not.

The problem with people who don't have goals or are afraid to set goals for themselves is they lack experience of going through the process of reaching a goal. It takes personal experience, sacrificing the short term pleasure for long term success, and creating the daily habits of doing exactly what it takes to reach a goal.

It is easy to stick to your plan for the first few days/weeks, but you really will learn what you are made of when you continue to stick to your habits when you DONT want too. You have to prove to yourself that you can stay on your plan when you immediate emotions what to give in and let yourself off the hook. Once you make it through that process is where the real learning begins and the real motivation and mental toughness can happen within yourself.

The great thing about setting a goal, stretching yourself and finishing. Is that you are doing more than you did before you set your goal and you automatically get BETTER. Even if you don't hit exactly what you set out to accomplish you have to realize that you have accomplished more then you have before you set your goal. And when you continue to do that and work through the goal accomplishing process you will continue to improve yourself and your quality of life. And that is what counts.

P.T.S!!!

Mental WOD #9: One Thing at a Time

"Iced or HOT coffee...What should I do???"

We live in a world of information OVERLOAD! Personally, I catch myself over thinking and over doing too many things at once.

The world’s information avalanche actually can hobble learning, Schwartz says. Learning is most efficient when dispensed in spaced cycles rather than in one big glut. And when projects likewise are broken down into smaller chunks, you can maintain high levels of focus as you conquer interim challenges.
The capacity for absorbed attention is perhaps the most influential factor on productivity.Multitasking is actually a time-waster, with studies showing it takes 25 percent longer to work on multiple assignments at once (actually switching back and forth between them) than if the tasks were completed sequentially. Email, a tremendous distraction, saps and squanders mental energy that could be applied to more meaningful work. -Found from http://www.successmagazine.com/on-your-mark-get-set-recharge/PARAMS/article/1389/channel/22

To preserve your mental energy, focus and increase your productivity, I would like to introduce this week's Mental WOD...Do things one at a time.

After you PRE PLAN YOUR NEXT DAY work your TDL or tasks throughout the day, one thing at a time.

Avoid the distraction, stay focused and finish more and finish better.

Definition of 'TRY'

Someone just "TRIED" to pick them up at the bar....
They don't tolerate trier's

One of the BIGGEST sugar coating words on the planet is the word..."TRY"

I will TRY to make it to the gym 3x a week.
I will TRY to start Paleo.
I will TRY to lose 20lbs.
I will TRY to wake up early and go to the gym.
I will TRY to blah, Blah, BLAH!

TRY is the perfect word to let yourself off the hook, to you, your family, friends, coaches/trainers, boss, gardener, dogg, grandma, etc... when you don't complete what you set out to accomplish.

When you say TRY, what you really mean is, I will say I will go for the goal, but if I don't succeed (which I probably am not) please don't get mad at me:-0

The moment you let TRY become part of your vocabulary and creep into your plan/program you are allowing yourself to have an 'out' just in case things don't work out the you planned.

And when you have an 'out' it is doubt. And that doubt you could be the very thing that keeps you from completing/reaching where you want to go.

When you don't do something, you 100% don't do it. When you set a goal and go for it, no matter if you succeed or not, you learn, you grow, you gain.

Moving forward TRY is not part of your thoughts or vocabulary...It is now DO. And JUST DO IT!

P.T.S!

Related blog to read: JUST PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER

ReST Day/Quote Day

 CrossFit 818 is ROCKIN

"The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right." -- Henry Ward Beecher