You, you, YOU!

Greetings and salutations my friends! Last night, I had the opportunity to listen to Tony Horton speak about the "Zen of Fitness." Now, don't think I'm going to start 'ohm'ing or requiring you to meditate, but he brought out some really valid points that can be helpful to many of us.

First, he talked about the last 20 years of life. Now I'm sure most of us are nowhere near that phase (at least we hope we're not), but what you do today clearly will affect how comfortably you live the final phase of your life. It's important enough to repeat...what you do today will affect how comfortably you live the final phase of your life. Look around at the older generation with whom you come into contact. There's a tremendous variety, and I assure you, some took better care of themselves in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, which is why they do so much better in their 70s and 80s. It makes sense, so start taking care of yourself today, so that you can truly enjoy those twilight years when they come.

Second, Tony talked about accountability. Look, I'm not going to sit here and say that working out six days per week and eating healthy is easy. Oftentimes finding the motivation and willpower to push play or to not eat that entire strawberry pie is quite the challenge. Too often we make excuses for ourselves. I hear it all the time...it's too hard to cook healthy, I don't have the energy to workout at the end of the day, I don't have any time to workout, my husband and I were working out together, but he quit, so I did, too. I know all of them, because I used to use them all the time. Put the excuses away...you deserve to be healthier. You deserve to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

Quit thinking that you NEED others to be successful with YOUR goals. Quit thinking that you need your spouse to be your workout buddy. If he or she quits, fine, but don't let that be your stumbling block. If I waited around for my husband to workout with me, I'd be waiting an awfully long time. No energy? Well I'm here to tell you that if you workout, you'll actually gain energy from the endorphins that rush to your brain during exercise. No time? Put down the remote control, step away from the computer, and make time for yourself. Let your spouse watch the kids for 30 minutes and do something JUST FOR YOU. I experienced a lot of grumbling on behalf of my spouse when I committed to me. He grumbled about what we ate, he grumbled about the hour I needed with our one television, he grumbled that there weren't potato chips in the house. After he started seeing the changes in my physique, energy, and attitude, he stopped grumbling. Heck, he now is trying to quit his smoking habit and is cutting back on the Coca-Cola and Ding Dongs. So while my changes may have helped motivate him, HE is making the choice to invest in changes for himself.

Noone is responsible for you except for you. As Tony Horton wrote in his own blog, "It's not your mother or your father. Not your sister or your brother. It's not your God or your Government. It's not the high school bully or your eighth grade home room teacher. It's not your therapist or your wife or your boyfriend. It's not luck or even circumstance. It's not your height, weight or age that makes life great, or not. It's You!" While it's great to surround yourself with positive, supportive individuals, noone except you can make the decision to change your life and make it better.

Let me know if you're ready, and we talk about fitness and nutrition goals. Just go to my coaching page and send me a message. I will be in your corner, if YOU are ready to invest some sweat equity in yourself.