New Year Success - Turning our Goals into Action Plans

It's HERE!!! Whether or not you were there at the first tick of the clock past midnight, YOUR NEW YEAR HAS ARRIVED! Today is the BIGGEST DAY of the year! Today is the day we begin setting our path and making our way to the most successful year ever! I'm so excited and reviewing my goal list as we speak! This year is going to be our year. I can just feel the positive energy all around me! Who is with me? So what are your plans for today? This is the day you make the most IMPORTANT TO DO LIST for the entire year! This is the day you turn those resolutions into GOALS with ACTION PLANS!

When getting ready to write your goals be sure to use "positive affirmations." Instead of saying "I want to" or "I will try," use statements that begin with "I WILL", "I CAN" or "I AM." Our realities are merely a reflection of our self-talk and inner thoughts. These thoughts are what form our beliefs. By using our goals as positive affirmations, we challenge any negative thoughts by creating targeted statements that are reinforcing our goals and creating how we see ourselves as we want to be!

Today I want each of you to take the list of goals from our goal planning exercise. Re-write these into "positive affirmations." So if you wrote something like, "I want to want to weigh 30 pounds less," re-write it to say "I will lose 30 pounds." By choosing what we say and how we say it, we are building our power inside to resist the negative and creating the person we truly are. Also be careful to not use negative words in your affirmation, so instead of saying "I will not overeat," say something like "I will practice portion control." Negative words tend to make us feel we are being "told to do something" and it takes the power away from us. We really want affirmations to empower us and let us know we are in charge of our destiny.

When you wrote out your list during that 20 minutes, you were unleashing the flood of energy inside of you that was filled with hopes and dreams. Your opportunity to believe in all the possibilities you have inside you. Those were things (even as crazy as some may have seemed) that you would really like to see happen.

After you have re-written your goals from the exercise into positive affirmations, I want you to separate and put them into one of the following categories: HEALTH, WEALTH, CAREER, RELATIONSHIPS, PERSONAL GROWTH, LIFESTYLE and SPIRITUALITY.

HEALTH: Anything to do with your "physical well-being and physical self" which could include your fitness, nutrition, weight, appearance, hairstyle, quit drinking caffeine, quit smoking etc.

WEALTH: Anything that improves your "financial well-being" which could include your budgeting, investing, opening savings accounts, debt repayment, spending money, etc.

CAREER: Anything to do with "what you do to create wealth or self-worth" which could include your job, business, skills, mentoring someone, coaching, etc.

RELATIONSHIPS: Anything that "builds and enhances your relationships" such as time with family, friends, co-workers, a date night with your spouse, etc.

PERSONAL GROWTH: Anything that "builds your knowledge" about something you want to do or learn which could include going back to school, taking a business course, studying nutrition, reading, time management, etc.

LIFESTYLE: Anything that has to do with "how you live" which could include buying a new home or new car, remodeling the kitchen, taking a cruise to Alaska, going on a family vacation to Disney, etc

SPIRITUALITY: Anything that brings you "peace and tranquility" this could include commitments to your faith, attending your church, practicing meditation, anything that brings you inner peace.

After you get these sorted into categories, start prioritizing them by giving each a deadline you would like to have it accomplished. This should help you determine whether or not your goals are short-term or long-term and which are most important to you. Then I want you to pick the top three you would like to begin focusing on. These are the ones we will begin to work on by giving them action statements. Once you've done the process it will be easy to come back and develop your action plans for the remaining ones.

Let's say one of your goals is "to lose 30 pounds." First you are going to look at the goal and ask yourself "why" is this important to you. Perhaps, because it would alleviate the stress to your joints and help relieve some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis or it would make you feel better about yourself and improve your self-confidence, etc. The point is by knowing "WHY" we are doing something our goal has relevance and importance. If our goals are important enough to us we will find our "HOW" to get it done.

So you would re-write the goal as "I will lose 30 pounds." Then yourself a deadline to accomplish your goal. Something like, "I will lose 30 pounds in 90 days." Now comes the "how" or your action plan. How do you specifically plan to accomplish your goal. Action plans simply define the steps we must take to achieve the goal. So it will look something like this:

1. I will "PUSH PLAY" and exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
2. I will schedule my workouts into the WOWY Super Gym and invite at least two people to join me.
3. I will post my accountability to the Cinderella Pact thread daily.
4. I will practice portion control.
5. I will follow my menu planner and preplan my weekly meals each Sunday.
6. I will drink 8 (8 oz.) glasses of water each day.
7. I will track my calories daily.

The possibilities are endless. It is so much easier to bring our goals to life when we understand why they are important to us. Remember, when the "why" is strong enough we will find our "how."

After you get your goals and plans of action down on paper the next thing is to EXECUTE your plan. I suggest posting your goals where you will be able to visit them daily. By reading our affirmations we make them part of our subconscious and self-talk. And remember this is exactly what are beliefs are based on and those beliefs become our reality! I keep mine posted at my computer desk, then every morning as I plan out my day with my "to do" list, I am always certain to add the steps necessary I need to take that day to ensure I am working towards my goal.

But it isn't just as simple as getting them on paper and reading them...we actually have to do the work too. This is where some people will slowly lose steam. So we are going to make sure you don't. So how are we going to do this? By making sure our goals are MEASURABLE! We are going to have to give ourselves some mini targets to hit. Kind of like mile markers on our journey to make sure we are staying on course.

So in this scenario, I would suggest you probably do bi-weekly weigh-ins. Losing at least 1-2 pounds of weight a week is a safe, realistic and attainable mini target to measure your progress. You don't want to weigh too often because it could become discouraging especially since we know how easily our weight can fluctuate. You will also want to take measurements bi-weekly. This way if the scales is being EVIL, and we all know how unpredictable it can be, at least you will get a fair assessment if you're on track with your goal because losing body fat is an important measure in your goal for weight loss, too.

Next always EVALUATE your progress. If  you haven't made progress in a couple of weeks, it is possible you need to review your action plans and make some changes to help ensure you are making progress. The key here is not to reassess your GOAL but the ACTION STEPS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. You never want to change your goal, only what you must do to get there.

This is just a little bit to get us started. Another useful tip I use in setting goals is keeping them SMART. Smart goals are simply: S=Specific; M=Measurable; A=Attainable; R=Realistic; T=Timely.

I hope this helps you with your goal planning.

2011 IS THE YEAR OF SUCCESS!!!

Keep Bringing It!

12 Steps to Fitness

The countdown has begun! We are only a few short days away from 2011. How will you be starting your New Year? Have you made your list of resolutions? I can tell you for sure getting fit and healthy are leading my list. Now that I have the holidays and temptation behind me, I'm ready to start off my New Year with a "can do" attitude!

This weekend I posted a video blog introducing "12 Steps to Fitness." Basically what I am going to do is a weekly series introducing a new challenge each Sunday for us to follow during the coming week. This will be a 12 week series and a step by step approach to help us get Fit and Healthy in 2011. For those of you already on track with your nutrition and fitness regimen, it will be more of a refresher course. But for those who are just starting out and ready to give up your bad habits and trade them in for healthier ones, this will be more of a habit building process to help you make better choices in the upcoming year. Sometimes it is those little changes that lead to huge success.

I know it can be overwhelming once you decide to lose weight or try to change unhealthy habits for good ones. So instead of having to concentrate on all the right things at one time, we are going to master each step one at a time! So you might think of it as climbing a mountain, one rock at a time. Now that doesn't mean you can start off your new fitness regimen with a half-hearted attitude. I still expect you to follow your nutrition and fitness guides that come with your programs. It just means we are going to pay particular attention to key steps each week that will keep your program rocking passed the 90 days! I want to help you be successful by sharing with you some basic steps to keep you on track and focused.

If you haven't already chosen a fitness program, Team Beachbody has a huge assortment of some really good programs for all levels of fitness. If your not quite sure what type of program you might want to try, be sure to check out our comparison chart. This will give you a great overall look at each program and help you align your program with the fitness goals you have in mind. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about the various programs. Simply go to my website and click on the "Contact Me" button and together we'll find a program that's right for you. Even if you aren't sure what you would like to do just yet, I still want you to follow along. The tips and steps I will be sharing with you, will help you breakdown the barriers that are keeping you from reaching your fitness goals. Besides, we are all more likely to achieve our goals when we have someone keeping us accountable. So let's do this together and become each others success partner! I can even coach you for FREE!

As a special bonus, this Friday, December 31, 2010, I am going to post a special video blog on Goal Planning. To help get the most out of the video, I would like you to do a simple brainstorming exercise beforehand. Sometime this week take out a pen, blank sheet of paper and a timer. Find an area in your home or office where you will be completely uninterrupted. Set your timer for 20 minutes. During that 20 minutes I want for you to write down as many things as you can think of that you would like to accomplish during 2011. Go ahead and dream big! Let your heart lead the pen on the paper. Think along the lines of your career, health, fitness, nutrition, relationships, finances, recreation, education, etc. Whatever your heart desires. At the end of the 20 minutes, put your list away. We are going to use this list for a goal planning exercise.  So be sure to bring your list and check out my YouTube channel for details.

Instead of writing down a bunch of resolutions, let's take it one step further and turn them in to goals with an action plan! I want to make 2011 my best year ever! Hope you will join me.

Get Ready to BRING IT!

Your New Year in Fitness

This is that time of the year when we all look back and reflect on the year that has passed. It is when we look at where we were and how far we've come. Some of you are going to feel pretty amazing about the changes you made in your life and some of you might just be ready to put the whole year behind you. Whatever you are feeling, just know that in a few short days we have a brand new horizon dawning...ah the New Year! I'm such a fan of New Year! It is that one wonderful day we all wake up eager to turn the page to a new chapter in our lives...filled with hope, goals and glorious "resolutions."

Wikipedia defines a New Year's Resolution as, "a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous." I think that is a pretty fair assessment of what a lot of us will be thinking of when we set out to define our own resolutions for the coming year. So have you given much thought to what you would like the next 365 days to look like?

I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing it is a pretty safe bet a lot of you will probably lead off your list with losing weight or getting into better shape. Holidays usually bring on lots of wonderful gatherings of friends, family and FOOD. Hard as we try, the majority of us are going to be tempted and will probably overindulge. We will feel incredibly guilty for the lapse in our fitness schedules and wish we were better keepers of our time. One excuse will lead to yet a little more procrastination and then BAM! You wake up on New Year's Eve and think, "what are we going to do about this?" Sound familiar?

The good news, you are not alone. It happens to many of us - even those of us that pride ourselves all year long at being the most meticulous planners of our day. Seems like you hit the holiday season and instead of having a 24 hour day to manage, you are faced with trying to fit another 8 hours of activities into that already crammed day planner. So we make choices...some good, some bad and try to balance it all.

For those of you that have mastered the art of the ever so popular "to-do list" Chalene Johnson so fondly reminds us of with her twitter tweets, I admire you and try very hard to emulate your success. They do undoubtedly make your day more productive. However, this time of the year I find my "to-do list" looking a little more like Santa's "naughty and nice" list. You know, kind of like "it would be NICE to do this," and in pops NAUGHTY and my hour workout turns into a Christmas shopping excursion instead. Or my carefully packed lunch is ditched for a not so nutritious cheat meal for the opportunity to catch up with an old friend at a nearby restaurant. Hey, I'm just being real here...I know I'm not alone on this one. The majority of my year, I would make Chalene proud - but this is just a crazy time for me!

To my rescue, comes New Year! Yes, I definitely like "do-overs"! My opportunity to put my world back in kilter and restore hope for my redemption. I plan to be kicking it off, of course, working on my own set of lifestyle changes. The difference this coming year will be my overall expectancy isn't going to be so much focused on weight loss as it will be on just being healthy. Of course, this will include the steps necessary to continue my weight loss journey - just it will be more the byproduct of working on a series of small steps to get me there. Um, and we will be making list! LOL!

Don't worry, I plan very much to share this with you and hopefully a few of you will join me in this journey. Starting January 1st I will be kicking off what I am calling a "12 Steps to Fitness" program. This will include a series of 12 weeks of small lifestyle changes that will hopefully make our New Year more successful as we work on our health and fitness. I will be posting more details in the upcoming days leading up to our kickoff.

So if you are interested in joining me, I definitely welcome your company. There will be fun, accountability  and hopefully a little sharing of motivation and inspiration. There are going to be no special requirements other than you simply show up each day and journal your progress. You will be totally in charge of your fitness and nutrition regimen, whether it be one of the many outstanding Team Beachbody programs offered or something else your heart desires. I will just be here to make suggestions and hopefully become your success partner. All I care is that you make the effort to make the changes necessary to help you live a healthier more productive life! Because that my friends, will ultimately help me achieve my number one resolution and commitment to Team Beachbody as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach: to help others achieve their fitness and nutritional goals so that they might lead healthier more productive lives.

Everybody wins when we work as a team!

Time to Plan Your Fitness

I've decided to make June my "Fitness Awareness Month" to get myself psyched for the upcoming Turbofire ® Explosion!!! So I am going to dedicate the next series of blog posts to helping others prepare for their fitness journey and getting the body they have always wanted. I'm excited about my life and love where my fitness and nutrition are taking me.

So now it is time to pay it forward.

Some of you are just now taking the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle. You've decided no more fat clothes, fat jokes or just plain old fat anything. You are done with the excuses and now you have your mind right. This time you are going to succeed. So how do you get started?

First, you will need to decide on an exercise program that will best fit your fitness goals. Do you want to lose weight, tone up, add muscle or maybe a little of all three? Are you looking for a program that is disciplined or do you like one that just gets you moving? Picking a fitness program needs to be unique to your fitness goals as well as something you are going to enjoy. So where the P90X ® might be the popular choice, it isn't necessarily the one size fits all program. Not saying that it won't be an option in the future as your fitness goals change - just saying it is nice to know that Team Beachbody works hard to incorporate a variety of programs to meet the needs of the various levels of fitness. Still not sure just what program might be best suited for you? Then check out the comparison chart to get a few ideas. Of course, if you still have questions or would like more information on a certain program, you can always contact me at equildottsin@beachbodycoach.com. I will be more than happy to work with you in finding a program that will get you started in the right direction.

After you have decided on your program, the next thing I would recommend is building a good support system. Letting others know your course of action and asking for their support can sometimes be difficult. All to often friends or family members, though not intentional, can actually sabotage the greatest of efforts. If you have never been overweight, it is hard to understand the emotional side of the weight loss journey. It is not as if there were a magical switch you could just turn on and off when you wanted to lose a few pounds. If that were the case, there would be no obesity. That is one of the reasons I started the Cinderella Pact. I wanted a place where people could come for real support and motivation. A place where we could share our successes and get support through the challenges. The girls on the Cinderella Pact thread on the P90X ® Programs Message boards are working hard to make their journey a successful one. They are a great inspiration and a wonderful resource to finding ways around the stumbling blocks that come up. We are a team and we definitely understand what you may be going through. Feel free to pop over to our thread and check out the community we have built, not to mention picking up some great nutritional recipes, too. It doesn't matter what fitness program you choose, we have a variety of different programs going on in there and many veterans to other programs there as well. I am certain someone can get you going in the right direction. If you have questions, we definitely will find the answers.

If you are not a member of Team Beachbody, definitely come in and take us for a test drive. You can always start as a FREE member where you will have access to the Team Beachbody Message boards, the WOWY SuperGym, your own Personal Coach, the public chatrooms, helpful fitness tools and workout buddies to keep you motivated - just to name a few features. Then later if you decide to become a paid Club Member, for as little as $2.99 a week you will have access to such great features as the VIP celebrity trainers, the VIP chatroom, your own fitness blog, nutritional recipes and even personalized meal plans! It really is a great place to come and track your progress and share with other people that are making fitness their lifelong plan. I've met many great inspirational friends and definitely know this is the best place to keep me on track and up to date with the best information and programs available to help me continue my success.

Now once you have all this in place, it's time to focus on the nutrition. Yes, learning to eat properly is going to be key to your success. Sure finding the right exercise program will get you results, but if you really want those results to SHINE, you have to have the proper nutrition. Team Beachbody has the tools to get you started. They even give you Michi's Ladder where you can view what foods you need to incorporate in your daily nutrition to get on track and stay on track. Most programs will come with nutrition guides that will get you started in the right direction making healthier choices right from the beginning. There is also a wealth of information available on the Team Beachbody message boards if you have unique or special needs with your diet. The Cinderella Pact has been working towards a Vegan/Vegetarian diet plan and having GREAT results while eating GREAT foods. Just because it's healthy, doesn't mean it can't taste delicious. We are even finding ways to recreate our family's favorite comfort foods and making healthier versions. Can we say, "YUMMY?" You won't find any cardboard box dinners in here. Oh no, it is real food for real people. This is a lifestyle - not a quickfix yo-yo plan. What you learn here will keep you moving forward towards reaching your success goals. Many of our members even go onto become coaches, like me! It is all about paying it forward.

There you have it - three surefire ways to get started on the right foot to reaching the ultimate goal of becoming the New Healthier YOU!!! The RIGHT Exercise Program - a GREAT Support System - and Proper Nutriton! It doesn't get any better than that! Good luck on your journey and remember, "It's not a race - It's a lifestyle change!" See you on the fit-side!

Goal Setting 101 with Coach Equildottsin

Goals give us direction and purpose.

Goals add meaning to our lives.

Goals challenge us.

Goals make life more interesting.

Goals make life more rewarding.

Goals make life better.

Life’s Greatest Lessons ~ Hal Urban

“Virtually nothing on earth can stop a person with a positive attitude who has his goal clearly in sight. ~ Denis Waitley.”

One of the most important lessons I have learned in life is success doesn’t necessarily equal fortune and fame. Though those things are nice, they are not what truly define the successful person.  Success for me is that pivotal moment when you have reached one of your goals. That wonderful “Atta-boy” feel-good moment of just knowing “you did it!” So it would only go to say, to be truly successful you must first have goals. Once you have goals, you need to have a plan how to achieve them.  Otherwise, how are we going to measure our success?

When I think of goal planning, I like to remember the SMART principle. It is probably the best way possible to get those goals on paper and you on your way to making them happen. The SMART principle is just a simplistic way to help you set goals for yourself.  It states all goals should be:

S  = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Realistic

T = Timely

Specific– One of the things I have wanted to do all my life is become a runner. In school I was one of those clutzy kids that just muddled through in the shadow of everyone's spotlight. I just didn't have the confidence. But now that I'm actually seeing what P90X can do for me, I'm ready to make those distant dreams reality.  Saying “I want to jog” is too vague. Though it is the desired outcome, I need to be more specific. Saying “I will jog three miles three days a week” is more specific.

Measureable—Now that I have a goal, I need to determine how I will measure my progress. Looking at the above statement, how can I be sure I am on target? How about, “I will try to increase my jogging by adding quarter mile increments each week, working up to three miles at a time.” Now I have a target and it is as simple as going to the track and counting the laps I jog once a week to assess my progress.

Achievable—Goals must be achievable. I like to remember the good old phrase, “If you can conceive it, believe it, and ACHIEVE it!” But you also need to be practical. Saying “I’m going to run my first 10k in one month” is like sitting myself up for failure. Not to mention, the possibility of injury from overtraining. Though the end result is what I want, my focus should be on the little steps that get me there. The “I CAN DO THIS”, not the “DO or DIE.” Remember, “It’s not a race, it’s a lifestyle change.” 

Realistic—Goals need to be realistic for you. You know I am a strong believer in “everything is possible.” To a certain degree, that statement does hold truth. But then again saying “I will be running my first marathon in 30-days” when currently I am barely making a mile without stopping doesn’t make a lot of sense. Shooting for a three mile jog does. Keeping my perspective in check is a good way of making sure I don’t become discouraged.

Timely—You have to give yourself deadlines. Plain and simple, “Goals are just dreams with deadlines!” If you don’t give yourself a target to reach your goal, then it really isn’t a goal—it’s a WISH! Though wishes are nice, they very seldom become reality.  If you want something to truly happen you have to have a target date to get there!  Deadlines give us a sense of urgency. It gives meaning to taking action to make it happen.

My latest goal is to be able to jog that three miles three days a week. I'm giving myself 9 weeks to get there. By that time I will have completed the P90X Plus and moving onto the INSANITY! Yeah, you heard right. That is the next item on my fitness agenda! What's yours?

That is my 101 on Goal Setting. Now for the fun part – get out a piece of paper and start brainstorming some goals you would like to accomplish. Don’t be bashful…the sky is the limit here. Give yourself about 20 minutes. From that list pick out 2 or 3 that you really want to focus on over the next 90-Days. Now go back and reread the SMART Principle. Map out your game plan. Get started on becoming that SUCCESSFUL PERSON we all know you are capable of.  Life is just easier when we have direction. Remember to visit your goals weekly and measure your progress. Make adjustments where you need to. Then by all means, REWARD YOUR SUCCESS!

Keep Bringing It!!!

My latest Video Blog on Goal Setting!

Planning for Success

Goal planning is essential to getting you where you want to go! Think of it as planning to go on a trip. Before you get in your car to set out on your destination, odds are you have already mapped out your route to your destination. Goal planning is essentially the same thing - mapping out where you want to go and how you expect to get there.

Setting deadlines is a great way to keep you on track. We all know the unexpected is bound to happen, so try to plan what you will do if suddenly you have to make a detour. Having a well thought out plan just takes the guess work out of making your goals obtainable.

Set your goals in small obtainable milestones. Try not to focus so much on the big picture as all the little steps that will get you there. If your big picture is losing 50 lbs, set your goal for 5 lbs. Once you have reached the smaller goal, reward yourself then re-evaluate your goals and plan for the next 5 lbs. You are more likely to stay motivated if you take it one step at a time, than to become overwhelmed by having to reach the Big Picture before you reward yourself.

When writing goals remember to "KISS" yourself! Keep it short and simple! Try not to focus on too many goals at one time. Start with a few goals that you can reach over the next few weeks (ie. lose 5 lbs, increase weight by 5 lbs, add 5 more reps, manage 5 unassisted pullups, etc.). As you reach each goal, make plans for the next ones.

Keep your goals where you can see them and visit them often. Post them to your refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, a bulletin board, a white erase board, your car dashboard, etc. Just anywhere you are likely to see them daily. Keeping focused on what you want to achieve will help you get there!

I am so ready for the Clean Eating Challenge to begin! Looking forward to saying "GOODBYE" to fat and "HELLO" to my skinny jeans! Don't forget to stop by the Cinderella Pact and check it out. Even if you decide not to participate in the challenge, I am sure you will find some very helpful tips on reaching your nutrition and fitness goals! If you don't already have a Team BeachBody membership, sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP and I can coach you for free. You can always email me with any questions at equildottsin@beachbodycoach.com . I hope you will come join us!

AIM HIGH! Anything is possible when you set your mind and heart to it!