Make Your Mind Over

If you don’t change the way you think, you will never change the outcome you receive.

Have you ever set off on a new endeavor and you are feeling eager, anxious and focused on the end result? You start off with a brilliant plan. Day 1: rise, review the days to do list and start knocking things off like the beast you are. You are feeling so successful and proud. Day 14 arrives and you can’t help but feel like something is different. Today you just don’t have it in you! Today you are wondering why you set off on this journey. What were you thinking? You have 50 million things to do and this is just one more thing that slowly it finds its way to the bottom of your priority list and eventually of the list completely.

What happened here? What started off as a great idea quickly lost its value in the sea of responsibilities and obligations. We become so focused on the administrative aspects that we overlook one important step. Adjusting and acclimating our mindset to what we have plotted out. Once we set our minds on the goals we have written down then those goals remain a priority and stay in the forefront among the barrage of chaos, unforeseen occurrences and bad days.

See if we stay with a doubting mentality then of course we will never taste success! If we think the impossible is impossible guess what? It always will be! Our minds, believe it or not, dictate our outcomes. How many times have you set out to reach your fitness goals only to land in failure alley? Have you stopped to consider why?

It’s because you never adjusted your mindset before you started working towards your goal. It was cute at first and sounded good. You went ahead and purchased your gym membership, brought clean food, new kicks and gear to look cute in while working out, and then it hit you. You realized you actually had to put in consistent hard work day in and day out along with sacrifices and your mind quickly said, “Nope! Next..” Had you adjusted your mindset you would of known this road ahead was not going to be easy, there would be obstacles and roadblocks ahead, days you wanted to give up and give in and days you would slip. Had you adjusted your mindset you would have been prepared for all these woes and had a plan of attack ready in the event they reared their head.

If you are looking to change your outcomes I encourage you start today with changing your mindset. Need tips on how to do that? Check out my blog Mindless Meandering. 

Stay On Track

Don't throw away your weeks worth of hard work, meal planning and progress just because the weekend is here. Keep pushing and moving towards your goal. 

Today's breakfast: 

Eggwhites with sautéed mushrooms/ garlic/ onions 

Spinach and tomatoes 

Blackberries with 1 tsp honey. 

Consistency creates the habit which becomes a lifestyle. 

Consistency is Key!

Make Time or Make Excuses - The Choice is Yours!

The facts are a lot of people want results and very few are willing to put in the work needed to get them! I have to admit there were times I daydreamed of my soon to be six pack, my thighs of steel etched with definition, my super toned arms and the body that just slays honey! However the reality is that daydreaming will not materialize these results. What will bring about the results you want? As Rihanna would say it takes, "Work, work, work, work, work." 

That's right!! There are no short cuts on the road to Health and Wellness. In order to make it to your destination you have to put one foot in front of the other, get dirty, sacrifice and move forward. 

Earlier today the alarm went off well before the sunrise and before most people rise. I was tired and thought, "Oh heck no, not today!" I was really tired. Then it hit me, what is sleeping in going to accomplish? I had already had a full nights rest (granted I tossed and turned a alot). It was pure laziness talking and that laziness is exactly what has kept me from my goal for far to long. Anywho, within 5 min I jumped up, attacked my morning meditation and off I was ready to get moving. As I got ready it hit me I did not have lunch ready nor cooked! Instead of attempting to convince myself that I would eat something healthy I decided to cut all risks and cook my lunch. 

Like a kid in a candy store my mind ran thru all the healthy possibilities I could make for lunch as I rummaged through the colorful assortment of veggies and grains. Within 30 minutes I put together the following:

Fierce Fiery Green Beans 
Sauteed Garlic and Mushrooms with a Sherry reduction 
Garlic Quinoa 

I added a side salad and packed all items into my meal prep containers. Just like that lunch was packed and ready to go! This all literally took 30  minutes. 

So friends do me a favor and the next time you wonder why you are not at goal yet ask yourself, "Have I been busy making the time or making excuses?" 

I know the truth can be painful but it is also empowering. 

Meal Prep .. Just K.I.S.S It!

Whether your day to meal prep is Sunday, Monday or another day during the week not everyone looks forward to the joys of cooking enough food to feed an entire army for the upcoming week. If you are meal prepping with the goal of hitting your macros, carb cycling, or prepping meals to match your workout schedules it can seem daunting. The good news is it can be easier if you just get in that kitchen and K.I.S.S. it!

Kiss it you ask?! How do you kiss something you loathe? Chances are you are complicating your culinary experience with intricate recipes, meals that consists of 200 ingredients, searching every search engine for meal prep ideas which adds to the time spent on prepping. My advice is STOP the madness and just K.I.S.S. it! By that I mean Keep It Simple Sweetie! Stop overcomplicating things! Trust me I get it. I used to be the master of recreating my favorite decadent meals and turning them into healthier options (which took a lot of time in the test kitchen). I should have just been K.I.S.Sing it and learning how to get back to basics and using that extra time to actually do something effective such as cardio!

The truth is chances are if you are overweight (no offense to anyone I say this only because I lived this) you love to eat, you love to savor the flavors and probably eat a lot of what you are not supposed to eat (sugar, processed foods, high fatty foods, etc.). You have a bad relationship with food and you need to reset your mind with the food connection. You too need to just K.I.S.S it! Keep it simple and get back to the basics of eating!

We all know our meals regardless of what your goals are should consist of lean protein, complex carbs and vegetables. This is all your meal preps should consist of - how easy is that?! The problem a lot of us face is we want to jazz up all these ingredients so we want massive flavor (I can’t tell you how many times I hear I need a lot of flavor in my food, I don’t eat that, I don’t like that, I need sauce and gravy – the list goes on). See, those excuses are what has gotten you over weight and keep’s you there. Change your mind so you can change your result! Keep your foods simple, allow Mother Nature’s goodness to add real flavor to your food. Learn to taste food without all the add ins. Learn to eat to live and not live to eat. So how do you get back to basics and K.I.S.S meal preps? Here are some of my tips to save time in the kitchen and getting the goods in those meal prep containers:

·         Cook smarter: Reduce your time in the kitchen by utilizing gadgets that reduce your time in the kitchen. For example throw your meat in the crock pot while you roast your veggies in the oven or steam your veggies in the microwave. Use a rice cooker for your brown rice and grains or crank up your grill and add both your meats and veggies and cook them all at the same time!

·         Keep your menu simple: Stick to the basics! Remember all you need is protein/ complex carbs and veggies (use herbs for flavoring or low calorie options such as mustard, balsamic vinegar, Mrs. Dash, Flavor God, etc.)

·         Stay away from variety: Believe it or not when we keep our meals the same we begin to crave those same meals and cut down the cravings on junk because the mind now knows what to expect.

·         Break it up: For some cooking for 3 days vs. 5-7 days at a time works best for them. It’s more manageable especially when using only fresh produce.

At the end of the day you have to do what is best for you. I encourage you to find what works and enjoy it so that you are prone to sticking to it.

Let It Go!

As I recover and I find myself with a lot of free time on my hands. I have been catching up on a lot of programs and one in particular really grabbed my soul. My 600lb Life has become my favorite series. I enjoy this program because I am amazed with just how much the body can handle, the ability the body has to snap back and I am intrigued by just how much our minds are involved in this weight loss journey.

In watching this show I see how we allow our minds to sabotage us. We allow ourselves to become prisoners of the past, past hurt, disappointments and injustices. For some the mind becomes the captor and they become the victim forever locked away by the demons of the past that still haunt them in the present.

There was a particular episode that lead me to an “ah-ha” moment. There was a lady that had not stood up in 2 years she was so afraid of standing that she refused to try after numerous attempts and with assistance. She kept saying that she just couldn’t do it and that her legs were too weak. While it is true that her legs were probably weak she failed to see was that there were numerous people there to help her and equipment was there to ensure she would not fall. She was allowing fear to stop her from progressing.

Fear is what holds a lot of us back from reaching our goals. Some people are afraid of what they might look like once they reach their goal. Perhaps they are afraid of excess loose skin then again maybe because of past experiences they are afraid of the attention they will receive once they reach their goal. Some people are afraid of what will happen if and when the goal is met. Perhaps fear has you paralyzed because you do not feel adequate. Fear could be preventing you from taking a leap in the right direction because once you take the leap success soon follows and believe it or not, many people are afraid of success.

In order to progress on any journey in life and successfully reach your destination you must first address any fears and lay them to rest. This requires a serious one on one with yourself to understand not only what your fears are but also understand where these fears come from – what is the source? Once you find the source of your fear you can now work to deal with the real issue and in turn you will free yourself from the fear that is holding you back from becoming your best self!

Be strong, be courageous and face your fears head on, deal with them and then just, “Let it go!”

Why Would You?