Pursuing our dreams is never an uncomplicated endeavor; but some people never even start down the path to define their dreams, let alone go after them. Our success lies solely within ourselves and what we each define as success. . Have you defined what success is to you? Your goals and successes are yours and yours alone to pursue and perfect. Everyone's goals are personal and no two are the same. You are a fabulous, powerful, much loved INDIVIDUAL. Don't shy away from Y

I've said it before: WHAT IS YOUR WHY? . Why are you doing what you're doing? Why do you have the goal(s) you have and what plan have you put in place to reach that goal? What are the benefits of achieving your goal? Who else does this impact and who else can this serve? What are the consequences of NOT following through... . In lieu of me going on and on about you finding YOUR why...I thought I would share mine. MY WHY is twofold. First, foremost and ALWAYS, my why i

Listen to me very carefully... we all want to reach our goals with the flip of a switch or the snap of our fingers. . We search for ways to make change happen without inconvenience, pain, stress, or exertion. Guess what? It doesn't work that way. Get off your butt, get your body moving, choose the healthy options rather than the drive-thru greasy burger and stop whining! . It’s going to suck. Period. Know that and understand the process of transforming will have its ups an

NOT what I wanted; but now my reality. So...what now? I have been fighting against a lower back/hip issue for weeks now. I have finally accepted the reality that I have no choice but to heal before I push any harder if I'm going to transform my legs and lower body into the picture I have painted in my head. This was NOT on my training schedule... So I could have, and part of me wanted to, feel sorry for myself. But instead, I knocked those feelings OUT! It sucks, but I

It's the first full week of the new year; how are your workouts going? How is your nutrition going? How is your morning or evening journaling going? How is your reading time going? It's only day 6, DO NOT give up. So many people just give up because they "don't feel like it", "it's too hard", or better yet: "they can't find the time". Do you hear yourself saying any of these, or maybe another excuse? There are 168 hours in a week. Why do you not have time? Really, dum

One of the most common complaints I hear from my training clients and friends in general is their inability to successfully execute push ups due to the pain in the wrist that this movement creates. This is one of the most informative and easy to understand posts I've come across so I wanted to share it with all of you. Credit: @tony.comella — 🤓The push up (and plank) requires about 90 degrees of wrist extension. If we are limited with this motion or an injury has made it unr

Be where you are, enjoy the process of becoming completely undone, and fall in love with who you are. Don't live in your past, don't skip past your present... BE in the moment, every moment, every conversation, every song, every heartbeat, every heartbreak. The absolute hardest part of this journey of mine to inspire, encourage, motivate, and help others in their health and fitness goals is to put myself out there... people can be cruel, judgmental, rude, and creepy. The wo

This is me EVERY single morning in the wintertime. I am so grateful for my "Beastmode Voice"; the one I had to train over and over again because when I first began this journey of early morning workouts and training, "Little Voice" was the one who kicked ass... Call it self-motivation, call it self-discipline, call it "just getting tired of my lazy butt hitting the snooze button 17 times" - call it whatever but just don't think about what you should do when the alarm goes of

2018 has been a year of great joy and great struggle. It has tested my limits and fueled great inspiration. So many times we focus on the negative and I have promised myself that I will no longer do that, not ever again... The past is the past and I have learned a lot from it. I have learned that my strength is not derived from things outside of myself. I'll be damned if I ever allow another opinion or negativity of another do anything but light my fire. What I am talking

You and I... let's just kick ass this year and beyond. It's not a resolution, it's a pledge, to ourselves, from this day forward. We make promises and resolutions every year to everyone else and now it's time to honor our own journey, our own life, our own goals, our own beautiful selves! It's not selfish. Not in the least. For without your internal, self-work you aren't any good to anyone else anyway... We all have mountains to climb, obstacles to conquer. As I look up

Find your what, find your why - define it, live it, breathe it and KEEP GOING! It IS worth it and the internal voices that are wearing you down know it too. Self sabotage is "a thing" and I struggle with it many mornings when the air is cold, the snow is falling, and my down comforter is a lot more attractive than the world outside. I've been thinking about this phenomenon of self sabotage a lot these past few months as my battle forward hits the walls of self doubt and nay

It is time to dream, conquer my fears, and do the work.  I need to stay focused and I know I will accomplish anything I put my mind to. How are your thoughts; what is your inner voice telling you?  Do you lie to yourself and say "I can't do that". Change your conversation... ask yourself "How can I do that? What needs to happen?" People will tell you "you can't" or "you shouldn't" but you need to shut down those voices.  Do NOT entertain them for a moment.  Don't give in to t

Mountain tops and valley floors...  crawling up out of dark places and finding peace, joy, and pure excitement in some of the most unexpected people and places.  I've been removing toxic out of my life and I am gaining so much healthy. Lifting the iron, hitting the bag, setting and striving for some insane personal fitness goals has set my mental and emotional state in a locked, solid, strong space. As we move into this new year I want to share my story, myself, my struggles

Mindset... where's yours? Are you stuck in a rut, are you so "busy" that you have no space to work on yourself - physically or mentally? Growth and discipline can be our enemies or they can be our best friends. Either way they will direct your life so make sure you choose what path you are headed down. Growth in a damaging direction and lack of discipline will create a life of havoc. We are the defenders of our lives, our future, and our hearts. Do not let yourself or an

Yes do this! Seriously find a friend, a partner, a trainer, someone who will push you to and past your physical limits. As a personal trainer I have a personal trainer who literally makes me scream each week because of the things she makes me do. But it is the most satisfying workouts I have with her because if she wasn't there I might not push past that level I've been stuck at for too many sessions. Add some weight, do more reps, run farther and faster. SO GOOD! And w

A slow steady change will be the change that will last you a lifetime. This is such an important truth for everyone to understand. When you are striving for health and wellness don't just focus on the physical transformation. Without the mental and emotional transformation you will miss out on a total lifestyle shift that stays with you for the rest of your life, not just a brief chapter. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a slow steady change. Fad diets, quick w

Your future starts now. Don't be the person that sits with the thought that "tomorrow I will start" "tomorrow I will do this thing". Love yourself enough and love those in your life enough to become your best you. The decisions you make today impact not just you, but them. Commit to be stronger, commit to be healthier, commit to stop finding excuses. Be courageous, be determined, be confident. CHOOSE to be those things...they do not force themselves upon you. #choices

3 months will be March... We all know how quickly this year has passed and yes before we know it winter will be ending and we will be looking at what to do once summer arrives. So WHY NOT start now with your health and fitness transformation? You do not need to go on a diet, you do not need to start a strict exercise regimen...you need a lifestyle change. Something that will last a LIFETIME... This is not something that is scary, it is life changing!! Start now, you'll be s

When it comes to training at a high level I personally find that if I don't have one (or more) people in my life who hold me accountable, challenge me, encourage me, and force me to look inside myself to find that last bit of juice, uumph, energy, or whatever you want to call it during my workouts, many times I'll end my training session nowhere near failure. People laugh about their trainers or their workout partners yelling at them. There are some who do this, some who don

What is your why? What is the emotion behind it? Emotion creates motion... Know your why - what is your goal? Another new year is upon us. How many times have we set goals and failed to even try to meet them. Instead we weave them into our ever-growing tapestry of "wish we had". Why not make this year the one where you actually pull the tapestry off the wall and consume it by not only meeting your goals but crushing them? What are the benefits of achieving your goal? W