Do You Make Time To Celebrate Your Successes?
I believe that positive action yields positive results. Even small steps make a difference in our pursuit of bigger goals. I also know that one of the most important positive actions is believing that you can succeed. Life coach and my friend, Denise Bischof, is here today to help you learn how to expand on and celebrate your successes.
Think of how people successfully teach children to walk. We cheer, give hugs and kisses, and do whatever we can to inspire them to enjoy learning this new skill.
And, when they fall down – which expect them to do – we encourage them to get back up and try again. There is no shame, no reprimands — only pure love and encouragement.
So, why is this so different for adults in our culture?
What It Means To Engage Your Abs
Have you ever struggled to engage your abs during exercise? This guest post from my friend, Maria Savvenas, will explain it all. – Pamela
You’re in an exercise class doing crunches. You hear the instructor say, “engage your core.” You think for a second and guess to brace or harden your abs. You go on with the exercises applying the directive to the best of your ability.
Two days later, you’re in a yoga class. You hear the instructor say, “draw your naval to spine.” You suck your belly in, hollowing out the area to remove as much structure as you can between your belly button and back.
Between the two scenarios, you go between completely hardening your abs to completely sucking in your abs. Your back hurts. And you’re not sure how to breathe. You don’t feel your abs getting stronger. It seems like everything is getting stronger but your core. So, what is really going on here?
The Real Reason I Became A Personal Trainer
Several years ago, while we were warming up, a client asked me “are you always this happy?” I replied, “yes, because this is the easiest part of my day”. Being in the gym with clients is why I became a personal trainer. Of course, it’s the best part of the day! The hard parts are the bits you don’t get to see. Things like puzzling over QuickBooks or hours in front my computer scheduling social media posts are not why I became a personal trainer. But since I work for myself, they come with the package. Being in the gym is where I get to be the teacher I always thought I would be.
Now, as I look back on ten years of Thrive Personal Fitness, I know a lot more about how to coach, run a business and live mindfully than I did in 2009. I think the lessons I’ve learned can be helpful to you on your fitness journey or if you’re thinking about changing career paths like I did.
Essential Steps To Choosing The Right Personal Trainer For You
Technology has made choosing the right personal trainer harder, not easier. Trying to decide between all the options for getting your workouts can leave you overwhelmed and unsure. How do you decide which personal training option – working in person or online – is right for you? Where do you start to find the right match for you and your goals?
Common Exercise Form Mistakes You Need To Stop Making Today
Does something feel not quite right when you do a squat? You feel like you know what a squat is supposed to look like, but you’re not sure you’re feeling it where you should. You are quite sure your knees shouldn’t be the first place you feel it. You’ve tried asking the personal trainer working on the floor at your gym, but he treats you like an outsider and tries to get you on the leg extension machine instead. Frustrated and confused, you retreat to the cardio room and your trusted elliptical.
You belong in the weight room just as much as the grunting guys at squat rack bar. Don’t let form frustrations keep you from taking on challenging free weight workouts. It is easier to fix common exercise form mistakes than you think.
Ask Yourself These 5 Questions For Better Workout Results
How many times have you lost track of your reps because your brain was still at work? How often have you forgotten what exercise goes next because you were replaying the fight you had with your spouse before you left the house? To get the most out of your workout, you need to stop checking out in the gym and tune in to your body.
If you find yourself just going through the motions of your workout, you may not be getting the benefits you desire. Injury is also more likely to occur when your distracted and detached from your body. Instead of checking email between sets or chatting up the person next to you, look at your workout as a time to practice mindfulness and connect with your body. Here are five questions to use as touchpoints during your workout. Use them as pointers to keep the mind engaged and get the most out of your gym workout.
Here’s A Quick Way To Solve Your Meal Planning Problems
They always say necessity is the mother of invention. Why can’t it be the mother of your meal plan? You hate meal planning. You’re an inspiration kind of person. Planning seems so cumbersome and it feels hard to find the time to do it. You don’t know what you want to eat for dinner tonight much less five days from now. Which means most nights are grab and go or a hodgepodge of leftovers.
Are you ready to embrace a simple method that combines planning with flexibility? If you hate meal planning. Let me introduce you to the perfect method for making summer meals easy – meal piecing.
A Beginner’s Guide To Buddha Bowls
You know what to do with all the berries in your CSA box, but the veggies can feel like too much pressure. You have romaine and radishes for days. You’ve paid for them; the last thing you want is for them to go to waste. Especially if you want your spouse to agree to sign up for a summer share again next season. You need an easy way to make the most of your CSA share.
Don’t waste your time looking up fancy recipes on Pinterest. Your simple solution to not wasting produce is here. Let me introduce you to the Buddha Bowl.
How To Start Designing Your Ideal Week
You needed accountability and some structure. So you decided to join an online workout program with your best friend. She’s been doing it for months and loves rising in the morning to check off her workout in her planner. She’s agreed to text you each morning so you can “workout together,” but you are hitting the snooze button by Wednesday. Why is it so easy for her to stick to a fitness routine?
Because she’s found the structure that works for her. Maybe she doesn’t need the same level of accountability you do. We’re all different. That’s why the first step to designing your ideal week starts with figuring out your personality and matching it to the right system for you.
I’ve got five books for your summer reading list that will help you design your ideal week and stick to a fitness routine.
How To Create A Simplified Summer Fitness Plan
The long delicious days of summer are finally here. You’re ready to spend time camping with your spouse, working in the garden and playing with your nephew at the pool. You want time to slow day but your days are filling up fast. It’s so tempting to skip your weekend long run or your favorite after work fitness class. You need a simplified summer fitness plan.
