How small daily improvements can have HUGE long-term results!

This is very similar to the concept that I've been reading about in The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy (great personal development book, by the way)

So let's just say that you decide to cut 250 calories from your diet each day.  That's realistic. That's less calories than 4 Oreo cookies.  So 250 less calories a day isn't going to make any difference, you say... okay, maybe you won't notice a difference after a day of cutting 250 calories from your diet.  You may not even notice a difference a week after doing it, or even a month after omitting 250 calories from your normal diet.  

But guess what?... 

When you've been 6 months and this 250 less calories a day has just become your usual routine that you follow out of habit, and it doesn't even seem like you're doing anything special... In that 6 months, you've consumed 45,000 LESS CALORIES than you would have if you didn't decide to cut those mere 250 calories per day.

45,000 calories is equal to 13 pounds!!! So without even adding any kind of workout or adopting healthier eating habits... you've lost 13 POUNDS in 6 months... by simply cutting out those 4 Oreo cookies each day, or maybe the Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks is your guilty pleasure.  Wherever you could cut off those 250 calories, do it! It may be tough the first week, but then you'll get used to it.  And you'll see results over time! 

Think about it... just by doing this for another 6 months, you will have lost over 25 pounds in a year, without working out, without eating salads and brussel sprouts for every meal... JUST by cutting 250 calories a day! 

NOW... Imagine if you also decided to replace some of those other calories you're taking in each day with some healthier choices.  Even baby steps... I'm not talking about starting a crazy workout routine, running marathons and living off of greens, but I'm just talking about ordering a wrap instead of a burger.  Get the apple instead of the baguette (Yes, I love me some Panera).  Skip the fancy, sugary coffee at Starbucks and get a black coffee and add your own cream and sugar so you can limit the amount put in it or try a Chai Tea Latte with nonfat milk... maybe you'll like that? And it only has 180 calories compared to a Venti White Chocolate Mocha (which used to be my FAVORITE... until I found out that it has 580 CALORIES-- 190 of them from fat!) Wowzers... no thank you! 

So just keep this in mind and remember, this goes for anything in life, not just dieting and losing weight, but if you start with small, baby steps, making small positive changes in the direction that you want to see yourself go, then it's inevitable that you will begin to see huge changes over time! So ask yourself... where do I wish to see myself at this time next year?  And how can I start making small steps in the right direction, RIGHT NOW? And start doing it!  

Just remember... CONSISTENCY IS KEY!  And that goes for anything in life!

~Crystal

You are the only one stopping yourself

Wow! How true is this? Why is it that we are always so hard on ourselves? Often, others are quicker to cheer us on and tell us we can do something, when we find ourselves building these walls and putting ourselves down for the things that we didn't achieve yet, or the things that we feel that we've failed at. 

STOP with the negative thoughts... STOP comparing yourself to others and STOP being your own biggest obstacle to hurdle! YOU, and only YOU, can decide that it's time to make a change in your life... so stop waiting for the perfect time to do it, because the perfect time will never come...

The perfect time is TODAY.

 The perfect time is that moment, where you realize that what you've done up until this point, hasn't worked for you... and it's time to make a CHANGE!!! STOP building these walls and holding yourself back!!! Think positive, take a leap of faith and JUMP!!! Jump over that wall, chase out those negative thoughts and become that person that you always wished you could be! 

Because guess what? YOU CAN BE THAT PERSON!

To follow my motivational posts, join my free fitness challenge group or become a part of my fit fam, then just go to facebook and 'like' my page!

 KISS MY ABS FITNESS FAM on FACEBOOK

Maria Kang -- My take as a fit mom of 3

After reading numerous articles about Maria Kang yesterday, I decided to make my own post on this topic. I am also a mom of 3 and have gotten into the best shape of my life after having them! You do have to have a lot of self discipline during and after pregnancy to achieve this... And you can complain that you don't have time to workout, because let's face it... most mom's really don't have a lot of spare time--between working, taking care of the house, doing the laundry, cooking meals, bathing the kids, helping with homework, putting them to bed... by the time you've got a second of peace and quiet for yourself... the LAST thing you feel like doing is working out!

I feel ya... I can relate!!... but you know what... A lot of us moms also decide to put ourselves LAST once we have a family to take care of. I know I'm guilty of it! For lunch many days, I would just pick from the leftovers on my kids plates. And when I did actually find time to eat a whole meal... it was something from McDonalds or Chik-fil-A (ewww) So find time to make little steps in the right direction to get healthier and in better shape! Try to make healthy food choices throughout the day, or if you can wake up a half hour before the kids and workout, then do it! Or start going for walks around the neighborhood with your family after school and work.

I suppose I have a similar message as Maria Kang, but I understand that these decisions must be made on your own time and you must be ready to really make some serious changes in your life and be willing to make a commitment to YOURSELF! I believe in you, but in order to see changes, you must believe in yourself! :) If you want to make a small step in the right direction, then I even have an online health and fitness challenge group going on that can help you achieve your goals! If you're interested in joining me, you can APPLY HERE and friend request me on facebook so that we can connect and get you started! :)

Start your own business from home!

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please contact me as soon as possible! We are beginning a coaches training bootcamp group on facebook to help get you started and teach you how you can earn Shakeology for free every month, while helping others and getting in the best shape of your life in the process!  You don't need any fitness or nutrition experience, no certifications, just the passion to help others get healthy and fit and the self discipline to be your own boss and "work" from home at least 30 minutes a day!

The quickest and easiest way to contact me is through email at Crystal.Laiti@yahoo.com.  You can start making money as soon as today, so don't wait... Let's get started on building your own business!

~Crystal
Independent Team Beachbody Coach

Join my FREE Fitness Challenge for October!!

 

 

Alright everyone! Sorry I'm 2 days late, but here is your October Fitness Challenge! I'm doing it a little bit different this month! Each day will be a 5 minute workout! This is to just get you into the routine of adding exercise to your DAILY routine!

 

You'll notice that each day of the week has a different combination of 30 sec-1 min exercises. These will be the same workouts for every week. What I want you all to do is keep track of how many reps you are able to do in the allotted time given for each exercise, everyday.

 

*For example: This week, you may only be able to do 10 crunches in 30 seconds, but a week from now, maybe you find that you're able to do 13 crunches in 30 seconds, and so on....

 

So I am going to post a blank calendar for you guys to print out (or if you have a calendar of your own at home that you can use already, or want to make your own word document calendar to keep track.... go for it! You do what's easiest for you!) But I really do want you to keep track of your rep #s so that you can see your improvement over the course of the month! If you want more of a challenge, then go through it all again when you've finished and you've got yourself a 10 minute workout each day! That's the beauty of this... is you can do as much or as little as you want, but I want you all to at least try the minimum (the 5 minutes that I posted for you each day!) 

 

And remember to check in and let us know when you've completed your workout for the day! Let us know which part you find to be easier or tougher for you! We're all in this together, so let's have fun with it! Thanks for participating everyone!!! And I'm hoping some of you that have just been observers up until this point, will join in on the fun and start posting for us! The more people who really participate and get involved in this, the more motivation everyone will have to get working! Whose in for a challenge this October?  If you're on facebook and want to join us, you can find us at

FunandFabFitFam@groups.facebook.com

Save and Print this one so you can track your number of reps for each day! But remember to keep good form!