Be a Leader

In spin class a few weeks ago I noticed if I sprinted with gusto, the other participants in the class would keep up. If I took it easy, they’d slow down as well. The funny thing about this? I’m not the teacher. I try to stay in the back row. There’s nothing wrong with using another person to help you push yourself, but why not be the leader yourself?

It's easy to say, well, I'm doing better than the lady lifting weights next to me, but that just degrades her and you. It's okay for someone else to be stronger than us. It's okay for us to have different goals. My challenge is for you to be the best you. Push yourself, improve yourself, and know that it doesn't matter what your neighbor is doing. It matters how you feel about yourself and what you're doing to reach your goals.

Every single body is different. I will never be a hundred pounds. That used to bother me. Now I love my tall, strong body. Please don't tear yourself down by comparing yourself to others and don't tear someone else down to feel better about yourself.

All you can be is your best you. Let's do that in 2010. Be the leader of your own life. Here's to all of you!

Cheerleaders

I used to be a rah-rah. Yes, many years ago I donned a too-short skirt and my pom-poms and cheered my team to victory. Back in the days when cheerleaders wore cheerleading uniforms that covered all their sides. Our group of rah-rahs firmly believed we were supporting our team, their good luck charm. In our minds we were selfless creatures holding up the sidelines for the greater good.

To get you in the spirit of cheerleading, I have a couple of challenges for you today.

#1 Challenge – Be someone’s cheerleader.

How can you be someone’s cheerleader? Look outside yourself. It’s easy to find someone who needs a lift and make them feel good about themselves. It could be your child, spouse, sibling, neighbor, friend, or co-worker. Opportunities abound to build someone’s self-esteem. Kind words will never come around to bite you. Quite the contrary. You’ll find as you encourage and lift others your feelings of self-worth and happiness will improve.

#2 Challenge – Identify the person who cheers you on. First tell them thanks and second internalize their words.

I have been blessed with an amazing mother who truly believes I can do no wrong. Everybody deserves someone like that in their life. I hope you all have someone who makes you feel better about yourself. Many of us have the tendency to dismiss anything positive said about us. We blush and change the subject. It’s important to be humble, but at the same time you need to feel good about yourself or you won’t be able to accomplish all the good you could. Internalize the compliments you receive and use them to make yourself a better person, use them to make your corner of the world a better place.

You don’t need a short skirt to cheer your team on. Get out there and make someone feel good today.

Self-Control

I often talk myself into making mistakes. It's easier to convince myself that I don't have any self-control. I can't stop myself from eating that bowl of ice cream (it's always nice to blame someone else. It's not me, it's my lack of self-control.)

From this day forward I am recruiting the power of positive thinking. I've got more self-control that I know what to do with. I believe that I can stop my fingers from wrapping themselves around that piece of chocolate in the candy dish and plunging it into my mouth. I can resist the urge to whip up a batch of cookies and bake whole wheat bread instead. I can stop eating when I'm full instead of busting. I can wake up a few minutes earlier and work harder at the gym.

I, Cami Checketts, have self-control. (And I have a great back-up plan when that self-control falters. I'm going to call my husband or one of my closest buddies and let them remind me that I'm strong!)

How about it, friends? Who's with me?

Self-Control

Self-control is the key in improving the lacking areas of my life. I want to be a fun, interactive Mom (control my time-wasters so I can focus on the boys), I want to push myself physically and accomplish my writing goals, I want to eat reasonably and feel healthy. I searched the web for some kind of self-control tips, but the best article I found talked about how we don't need willpower, we need to make choices. Here's an excerpt from it:

Chant the following each day, several times. They are mantras that will save your life:

- The choice to do nothing is still a choice and yields nothing.

- I am responsible for my body. If I don’t take responsibility, who will?

- I make choices daily as to how I'm going to fuel my body.

- I will STAY aware

- Choice IS control (i)

I like this list. We have choices to make every day. I falter because I let myself think that certain choices won't make a difference in the long-term or I justify my behavior. (I ran hard this morning, I deserve this bowl of ice cream!)

How do you keep yourself in control? How do you motivate yourself to make healthy choices?

(i) A Guide to Empowerment and Self-Control by JLee Davis - http://www.99waystoloseweight.com/18-empowerment.html

Exercise Burnout or Lack of Motivation?

When your alarm screeches at an a.m. hour, that should never be seen unless you have a newborn, do you leap out of bed thrilled to hit the gym or lace up your running shoes or do you roll over and smack the darn thing. Lately I've been more of a smacking kind of gal. Once I finally get to the gym or go for a run or bike ride I really do enjoy myself but I honestly dread going. 

I wonder if I'm suffering from burnout or if I'm just lacking sleep or motivation. Most of the articles I read about exercise burnout suggest that it may stem from over-training with symptoms such as decreased performance, lack of coordination, loss of self-esteem, or prolonged recovery from injuries. If you have any of these symptoms you should reevaluate your training schedule, include more variety in your routine, and maybe force yourself to take a break a couple of days a week. 

But what if you're just like me and need a kick in the running skirt? Here are some ideas that have helped me through the years.

1 - Put your alarm clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.

2 - Set out your clothes the night before - it just kills me if I have to put those clothes away clean.

3 - Plan on meeting a friend - make sure it's someone who makes you feel guilty if you don't show up! 

4 - Put a quarter in a jar each time you workout or make a conscious choice to not eat a treat, in a few months you might be able to buy yourself a shirt.

5 - Go to bed on time - Set a certain time each night and force yourself to go to bed. (This one never works for me, but maybe it'll help some of you!)

6 - Get your spouse/significant other on board. Write down your goals and then share them with someone who loves you and wants to see you feel good. They won't even have to say anything if you mess up, just knowing that they know will help keep you on track.

7 - Vary your workout. This helps with not only burnout but increases your results. Try a new type of cardio or a new class at the gym or a new strength-training move. Get outside and do something fun like hiking, climbing, swimming, or a team sport.

8 - Plan out your workout the night before. You won't waste any time in the morning and you'll be focused on your goal. Sometimes this helps me but sometimes I'm apprehensive about how hard the workout is going to be and I smack that snooze again and again!

I'd love to hear your ideas for how you stay motivated.

Thanks,

Cami

 

I thought this article had some great exercise motivation ideas - http://www.topendsports.com/psychology/motivation-moving.htm