"Admitting the problem is the first step...."

One thing I've always believed, but may seem cliche, is that 'admitting you have a problem is the first step'.

Are you broke? Then do you have an income problem, or a spending problem? Where the problem lies, there is a solution.

Are you bitter? Do you have a forgiveness issue, an anger issue, are you controlling and mean, and anyone who doesn't let you bully them around - you grow bitter towards?

Are you overweight? Do you have an eating problem? A lack of exercise problem? Or both? Where the problem lies, there is a solution.

Many tell me they want to lose weight. But not very many know where to start. I always start with asking the person, what do you eat? What are the big-offender foods? When people make lists of what is going in, then the fog is lifted off the problem and people see clearly.

Perhaps you don't think you make unhealthy, food choices. Here's my suggestion, WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN THAT YOU EAT for a week. Every bite. Don't worry about calories up front, just figure out what is going in. Write the size (ex. large, medium, or small fry...don't just put 'fry' since there is about a 150-200 calorie difference per size). Write the food.

Then after the week, you can review what you ate that you didn't need. You would be surprised.

Then, if you don't exercise at all. Why? Is lack of time a factor? If you believe so, then here's where I would suggest that you track your time. Track how long you talk on the phone w/ friends catching up, gossiping. Track how much time you are on FB/Twitter, just going thru to stalk. Track how much time you spend watching t.v. a day/night. Then I want you think about how those sedentary activities are affecting your life, and how if you traded just one of those activities w/ brisk walking/jogging or a workout dvd, how much less would you weigh?

It's not rocket science really. All you need to do is CREATE A CALORIE DEFICIT!  You can do this by eliminating 1 bad food a day + adding 30 min. of activity/day...at the start.

So tell me, what is your problem? And what is the solution?

Waiting until it's too late...

Why do we wait until it's too late to get disciplined?

Why do we wait until we are behind on our bills to get on a budget? Why do wait until we're diagnosed with diabetes to start watching our sugar intake? Why do we wait until a presciption for high cholesterol, high blood pressure is given to try to watch what we eat? Why do we wait until our spouse is ready to walk out on us to change? Why do we wait until our kids have no desire to spend time with us, to make time for them? Why do we wait until we are dying to pursue God?

Why do we wait until it's nearly too late?

• There are 20-something year olds that I see eat a ton of sugary foods. I warn them to change now so that they don't get diabetes in their 40s.
• There are 30-something year olds that I see drink alcohol liberally. I warn them to give it up or cut waaaaaay back now, so that their liver doesn't fail them in their 40s.
• There are people who have been smokers of 10+ years. I warn them to give it up now to avoid lung cancer in their 60s....COPD in their 50s.

There are warning labels on every thing. Why do we not heed the warnings?

I have finally come to the point of wanting to cut back on caffeine (2-3 cups of coffee in the early a.m. + a tea most afternoons). I don't drink the Monster, Rock Star, Red Bull drinks. I don't drink sodas all day. I'm not as bad as some, but am looking to the future realizing how delicate my kidneys really are.

What about your heart? Are you taking in too much fried food now? You may not have any health problems now, but if you don't give up the fries, pizza, burgers, and chips now...a heart attack may really be around the corner for you in your 50s, 60s, or 70s.

In terms of your finances, do you have plan in place to get out of debt? Are your credit cards maxed out because you refuse to tell yourself 'no'? Are you living paycheck to paycheck w/out an emergency fund? I was blessed to hear a friend's plan of paying off their home a.s.a.p. Is that a reality for you?

I heard this weekend that the gov't says we may go BACK into a recession. Did we even get out of it? Did unemployment really drop??? Or has it continued on the rise? 

Why can't we just admit that our country is really in a depression??? The country's credit rating was even dropped in the last couple weeks right? If it was declared we were in a depression, would that affect your spending & saving???? Or is the gov't going to wait until it's too late & half the nation is starving to declare a depression?

I want to sober us up in the fact that WE CANNOT WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE to make changes!!!

• We have to stick to the budget TODAY!
• We have to stick to the diet TODAY!
• We have to stick to the workout regimen TODAY!
• We have to give up the alcohol/drugs/junk food TODAY!
• We have to pursue a relationship with God TODAY!
• We have to make time for our spouses & kids TODAY!

This is my plea for you to make healthy changes across the board: in your finances, your church attendance, your nutrition, exercise, and family.

Any goals you been procrastinating to pursue, pursue them today!

Stop procrastinating TODAY &

make a change while there is still time!!!!

 

Is this you??? Putting off until tommorrow to stop the procrastination?
Don't let one more day go by! Get serious today!



Measurable Results!

I am a person who loves seeing results, whatever it is! I love seeing $$$ in the bank, a clean room, empty laundry baskets, people loving on me (healthy relationships), and 'down 1 lb.' on the scale.

The FIT TEST that you do every couple weeks with the Insanity program, shows you that you're improving & I love it. Today is the beginning of WEEK 5. It is suppose to be the beginning of recovery week, but I wanted to start it off w/ a little 'report card' of our improvement. To stay transparent & accountable, I will list my numbers from the first week of starting Insanity...and will list today's results.

FIT TEST RESULTS & IMPROVEMENT:

Exercise/Move                         End of Week 1-June 25th                   Start of Week 5 - July 18th
Switch Kicks                                      80                                                88     (+8)
Power Jacks                                       50                                                65     (+15)
Power Knees                                     106                                               103   (-3) ????
Power Jumps                                      34                                                40     (+14)
Globe Jumps                                      12                                                 18     (+6)
Suicide Jumps                                    17                                                 21     (+4)
Push-Up Jacks                                   13 (most on knees)                        20     (+7)     (on feet too!)
Low Plank Obliques                            56                                                82     (+26)


Now What?

Now, in just another 2-3 weeks, I will reevaluate myself again. This is a great gauge that serves a purpose. One, I see that I am physically changing/improving w/ strength and endurance. And two, proves that this program works.

Another way that I know that I am doing something right - I am down 5 lbs. It's always a challenge for me to drop weight once I hit 134/135. I think it's a mental thing. Since my original goal was to 'get below 137 lbs.', I seem to get stuck at 134...maybe 133...then I go up a pound or 2. This was my original goal - I  wanted to weigh in at this weight because that's what I weighed before I got pregnant w/ boy #2.

Now, I'm wrapping my mind around getting down to 127 lbs., since that is the lowest weight I've ever been in my adult life. I think I was 21 or 22 years old, (12 yrs. ago) when I weighed that...and I did it the WRONG way of using Hydroxycut!

Now, I'm 34 & I'm doing it all-natural. Through diet & exercise! Healthy foods, no artificial/stimulant help! I do have people asking me 'when are you going to stop losing weight?'...Their question needs to be "when are going to stop taking on ridiculous challenges?"

(Next challenge may be the Volkslauf. I keep toying with the idea. And I've got to make a decision very soon.)

So, I think the answer to that last question is "NEVER". Because as soon as we stop taking on challenges - we stop growing! And who want to stop growing???? NOT ME!

"I CAN'T"

(Disclaimer: I'm going to hammer you today...are you up for it? It's going to make you strong if you hang in there with me!)

I DON'T UNDERSTAND:

Do you ever say this? Do you tell yourself this? Others? Now if it's what you have to say to 'protect' your time for your family that's one thing. But if it's your response to setting goals or reaching goals, I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN!

A couple weeks ago, a friend confided in me that they 'just can't lose weight'. A friend of my husband said that they 'just can't eat healthy'. I just don't understand that way of thinking, but I believe it's that belief that is holding so many people back from achieving their goals & dreams.

What is it that you can't do? What is stopping you?

Figure out what you want to do...then figure out what is stopping you. It may be YOU stopping YOU!

REFUSE TO LET..........

• circumstances
• bad habits
• weaknesses
• addiction
• relationships
• procastination

                                           ............STOP YOU!


I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN:

• lose weight
• get your health back
• exercise
• get out of debt
• save your marriage
• have self-discipline
• discipline your kids
• be successful
• change
• love again

The list goes on and on! What do you need to hear that you can do?

Do me a favor...list out all of your cant's: 'I can't ___________'. Figure out what it is that you don't think you can do. Then write out the opposite: "I CAN ____________". Then take a black marker and cross out each 'I can't' while saying, "YES I CAN_____________".

It's all about believing in yourself, believing YOU CAN!  I believe you can. It's humanly possible to have self-discipline, forgive, pay off credit cards, give up unhealthy foods, or get moving/exercising!!!!

You can do it!!!!! Whatever it is, you can! Now say it - YES I CAN!

A GLIMPSE INTO MY KITCHEN!

As a result of chatting with a friend this week in regards to what we eat, I realize that most people have a kitchen full of 'goodies' that do not set them up for success. And your meal preparation is a little 'old skool, w/ all the butters, gravies, a starch for EVERY meal. Here's a glimpse into my pantry & fridge this morning:

Few things to point out in my pantry that I hope you can see in the pic: It does NOT have sugary cereals, in fact the only cereal we buy is oatmeal and Cheerios (which we're out of today). And I only put a little bit of honey on the oats, no sugar on the Cheerios for my kids. I use Pam spray to cook with no oils/shortenings. You can see some tuna in there, black beans, and dressings. We use salad dressings w/ 50 or less calories per serving - preferably 35. Dave and I drink Almond Milk (40 cal./cup). Not sure if you can make out the mini-bagels. These things are 110 cal./bagel....a lot less than a regular one that is about 300 cal. or more. When we have rice, we have the brown rice and always measure out 1/2 cup cooked. (MEASURE YOUR FOOD.) The noodles and potatoes in the picture - those are for my boys. They are not on a diet. In fact, I feed Daniel fattier foods just to keep him at 32 lbs. You'll also notice: NO CHIPS. No way! For a snack, we may have pretzels from time to time, or popcorn (not the 'movie - buttery - high calorie' kind, but the light). We eat carrots sticks or pickles w/ our lunches for that little crunchiness that we want.

Here's my freezer & fridge. Let's start in the freezer, I've got skinless/boneless chicken breast (10 lbs. for $19.99 @ Costco), frozen veggies (broccoli medley, corn, peas, etc.) frozen blueberries, and some ground beef for the boys. And those popsicles are Chocolate Shakeology pops (only 30 cals. each).

In the fridge we have fresh veggies (asparagus, tomatoes, salad mix), nonfat plain yogurt (that we use as sour cream, or mix w/ stevia & the blueberries for a dessert). I try to keep boiled eggs handy for a quick protien snack (minus the yolks). Not sure if you see the cottage cheese - lowfat, always measured out. We use turkey lunchmeat, low-carb high fiber tortillas for wraps (throw in tomatoe, lettuce, pepper rings, pickles - a flavorful alternative to a reg. sandwich). And then you see my door full of sauces. I try to find sauces that don't have a ton of sugar and I measure most of these out (especially salad dressings) to give our lean food some variety, flavor, and to change it up. Teriyaki, bbq, salsa, low-cal balsamic, low-cal italian, and good 'ol Cholula. (Love Cholula on a quick cottage cheese wrap for a pre-workout meal (only 180 cal.), or something to eat before I head out the door.)

I always have fruit handy. Right now our peach tree is giving scrum-dum-delicious peaches. I have a banana before I work out. Just can't seem to make it thru one w/out a snack. Apples are easy to slice up and take on the go for the Daniel. When I come home from the grocery store, my fruit bowls also has some pears, plums, and there are grapes on the counter. I always come home w/ strawberries, but we eat those the day we buy 'em (WinCo's have been sweet lately.) Fruit is a great healthy snack.

Instead of reaching for crunchy chips, grab an apple. Get some carrot sticks out of the fridge to eat. Pop up the light popcorn.


It's not hard to eat healthy. You just have to buy the healthy stuff. If your family usually goes w/ you to the store - next time, make them stay home so that you can control what goes in the cart. Don't let that sugary, high saturated fatty, junk food junk in the cart & your family won't have it to eat. If you keep providing healthy choices, they'll have no other choice. The one who does the shopping and cooking is really in control of what goes in the mouths of the family. Just say to them, "We're going to start eating healthy so that we can have a better, longer life". Who doesn't want that?

Was I too tough on you this week?

Looking over my last few posts, I was worried that I was too hard on you. In fact, I was asking myself, "what's my problem?" Why am I pounding my readers over the head w/ 'push yourself', 'try harder', 'stop procastinating'?

And yesterday, during a conversation w/ a friend, I realized what it is.

In the last 2 weeks, I have had soooooo many conversations with people about health issues that are all related to: lack of diet & exercise.

Do any of you see or understand that diet & exercise are actually PREVENTITIVE measures you can take to avoid many diseases and conditions. Instead, many go with the 'reactive route' of medicines, procedures, prescriptions, and still deal with the diseases/disorders/conditions/discomfort/early death.

Don't even get me started about how I feel that doctors should be more proactive with patients and get them plugged into a regimen to be healthier, until waiting 'til it's too late to just prescribe a pill, injection, potion, or lotion.

In the last 2 weeks, I've heard of people who have been diagnosed with:

• Borderline diabetes (a person that I've shared health & diet w/ over 2 years)
• Chronic Kidney Disease (a person I've pleaded with to give up sodas (4-6/day) for 7 years)
• Diabetes (a person who needs the shots & medicine, who is reluctant to eat better)
• Kidney Disease (a soda-addict that now goes 3X/wk. for their 'blood to be cleaned'/dialysis)
• COPD (this condition will progress thru stages, to the point of chronic pneumonia/on oxygen - this person is still smoking)
• High Blood Pressure (this person says, "I only have HBP"....for now...and they're not making changes w/ their diet/exercise)
• Liver Disease (this person has been a chronic pill popper, pain med consumer)

All these things are pretty preventable through making healthy choices. Can you see why I get so fired up & passionate?

A couple months ago, a friend of mine asked me how I stay motivated to just keep going w/ my workouts and eating lean. Look at that list above - I DO NOT WANT THOSE THINGS!!!! I want quality of life when I'm in my 50s & 60s. I don't want to spend my days when I'm 'retired' in the docs offices, in line at the pharmacy, plugged into machines to breathe/live, etc.

What can you do today? Stop the crazy soda consumption. Give up smoking. Start walking, jogging, a workout program. Drink more water. Decrease your red meat consumption. Cut back on caffeine. Cut back/give up the alcoholic drinks nightly. Stop stuffing your gut w/ cookies/cakes/ice cream - SUGARS. Give up the pizza dipped in ranch w/ a super wedge! Eat the green stuff, the lean stuff, the healthy stuff - and get moving ASAP!

This is why I share a message of self-control. When we control our appetites & desires for unhealthy foods/drinks, we are setting ourselves up for a better life, one of less disease. Hear my heart - make better choices so that you can have a better life! Please.....

P.S. Get your kids off this junk too - people are getting sicker earlier....and we as parents need to be more responsible w/ what we feed our kids! Help them live longer while they have you.

Baby Steps or Giant Leaps

How do you reach your goals? By baby steps or giant leaps?

My husband and I recently bought a house. The idea had been discussed for nearly a year. The decision to do so in a night. We took a giant leap toward the goal of moving out of our neighborhood and across town.

Last fall I took baby steps toward a goal. The first goal was to lose the last 10 lbs. of baby weight. So I made the decision to go to a Turbo Kick training in Laguna Hills. This deadline to get fit and lose weight was just what I needed to push myself to lose those 10 lbs. and reach my primary goal. Receiving the certification to actually teach a Turbo Kick class gave me a new goal to consider. It made me think & consider whether or not I wanted to be a group exercise fitness instructor. Never had considered it before in my life. But all of the sudden it was an option. And it would be instructing the most fun workout I had ever done in my life - Turbo! But I wasn't sure. I still some steps to go. I had to learn the workout, know the routine by the music, remember each move...and then be able to confidently lead a group through a round of Turbo Kick. (A little intimidating, right?)

Fast forward a few months, I'm a Beachbody Coach (which that was a giant leap I made in a day, something I had considered before, but with the right, fresh business-minded approach I was given, I knew I had to leap out & do it!) Now that I'm a Beachbody Coach, I am starving to be around goal-oriented, fitness-minded people. And what a better place to meet them than the gym, right?

So with incentive of a free family membership, the passion to get out of my momma-cave and meet like-minded people, I said, "I should be a fitness instructor - I should go for it". So the last 2 weeks, I really paid attention to the sequence of the workout...and completed it, to the music (no aid from a dvd), and nearly have the cueing down.

So what is the next baby steps to take? Fill out the application for the position, deliver it & wait for a call back. Thinking about it gives me butterflies. Not sure why. But, I know that once I hand that app over, I am going to work out harder, count my calories more accurately, and be so excited on the inside that I took the last steps IN MY CONTROL to be a fitness instructor. Even if they never called me back, I feel successful! I completed my list of baby steps in becoming a fitness instructor. Perhaps, completion = success...for me!

What's great is I will drop off the application and then leave it in God's hands. If I get the position as a group X instructor, I will have yet a couple other baby steps: get CPR certified & my AFAA group exercise certification. But that's the easy part. I can pass a couple more tests, right?

See, reaching goals and having success in our lives doesn't have to be these huge monumental moments printed on the front page of a newspaper. It's consistently taking baby steps or giant leaps...depending on your time, resources, or faith. It's making your mind up that you're going to do something, figuring out what it takes to get there, then checking each step off a list with persistence. My list is nearly checked off to be a fitness instructor. First thing this Monday morning, I completed the application. This afternoon, I am dropping it off. It really can be that easy.

Need some assistance with setting some goals? Coming up with an action plan to reach them? Email me at jennifermorin@beachbodycoach.com - I would love to help you! Take the first baby step of reaching out and I'll help you take a leap!

Flexing my organizational skills!

Just relocated across the town I live in. Have 2 kids & a husband. Just launched my own home-based, internet-managed business. What does this all mean?

In RE: to my home:
1. I still have a little bit of stuff to put away.
2. I have a house to decorate, but need to paint before I do that.
3. Find a smokin' deal on some coffee brown, low-back leather sofas.
4. Keep my awesome kitchen counter (off from the garage) decluttered.

In RE: to my kids:
1. Need to plan out park days better.
2. Need to schedule daily story/activity time regularly.
3. Got to get more energetic & creative.
4. Get out of the house more (backyard, museums, playdates, etc.)

In RE: to my husband:
1. Schedule date-nights w/ him.
2. Continue our brainstorming mornings.
3. Work cooperatively w/ him.

In RE: to my Beachbody Business:
1. Listen to training calls & watch training webinars.
2. Place an order of marketing tools.
3. Find the health-oriented/desperate to lose weight people.
4. Execute my program & get in the best shape of my life.

Now, the hard part...I need/want to do all of the above NOW, and I still have things like laundry, grocery shopping, family bbqs, and day-to-day chores. All the while, I need and must keep my time with the Lord as the #1 priority to help everything else flow & happen. This week, I need to flex my organizational ability.

For me, this entry above has helped get it out of my head & in front of my eyes. Next step is to make a realistic list of things I need to focus on just this week. And then daily, put one of those items on my to-do list. For me personally, journaling and writing out all the stuff I need and want to do helps. Sometimes when I read what I've written, I am able to cross out the non-essential stuff & then highlight the high priority items.

I think it's Dave Ramsey who has coined the phrase "On Paper - On Purpose". I've lived like this for quite sometime w/out a catch phrase. But nonetheless, we all know that when we write down our goals, we are more likely to achieve them. So look at your everyday 'to-do' list as a 'List of Goals for the Day'. Try it yourself & see what you get done this week. Got my list going...now to get my time organized, my mind flexed & focused! Let's get 'er done!!!!

STOP PROCASTINATING!!!

So the first half of 2011 is gone and are you where you said you would be? Have you got done what you set out to do?

Who of you said that you would lose weight at the first of the year?

Who of you said that come summer, you'd be in shape?

Who of you are tired of procastinating & just finally want to get w/ the program?

Stop procastinating! Some of you procastinate by avoiding work, avoiding chores, avoiding anything that requires effort or takes any kind of self-discipline. This is then followed by feelings of being overwhelmed, discouragement, maybe even depression. But you can stop this vicious cycle by taking action today!

Today, I want you to set 2-5 goals you want to achieve. Then brainstorm on how you can get there. Set some deadlines, and then start putting action toward those goals. You can do it! Make yourself do what is good for you so that you can have a life that is great!

Enlist me as your free coach! I will help you reach those goals you long for...especially when it comes to weight loss! I am diehard -  you will appreciate it when the inches come off, the lbs. are shed! Let's lose that weight once & for all! Email me at jennifermorin@beachbodycoach.com or friend me on FB.