Phit-N-Phat Personal Training

May 2, 2007

Keeping a Positive Attitude

Some of my clients participate in a daily motivational email that I lovingly entitle the Booty Kicking List. This means a client has signed up to get a little push each day to help them keep their eye on the prize.

Today I thought and thought about how I have been able to transform my life. My weight loss is more than eating right and exercising; it’s truly been a change in how I approach my life. For years I was timid, shy, a downer, had low self-esteem, and never believed that I had any power over anything that happened in life. What a terrible way to live, you know?

Then, I met my husband who is the total optimist. He never meets a goal or project that he can’t do. Well, unless it involves cleaning and then he’s suddenly Mr. Incapable. :)  Back to my point, in his mind he has total control of what happens to him. Life throws a curve in his plans…he switches his route and goes on. It’s really quite amazing and is why he is so successful and well liked.

That example he sets is what turned things around for me. Suddenly I started thinking of all the ways I could start doing things versus all the things I couldn’t do because of XYZ. I got creative with my workout schedule, I started thinking of new ways to improve myself, and I spent a lot of time flushing ugly thoughts and replacing them with positive images.

I have to say that this is one of the most important changes in my life. If not for this I would have never worked out. My son wouldn’t stay in the gym day care and he needed constant attention at home. Rather than say, “Well, my son is too needy so I can’t workout,” I turned it into, “I will workout at night after he goes to bed so I can be fit.” Did I like working out from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.? No. I’m a morning girl, but I did it because I knew I could succeed and this was just one way to do it.

Now, Logan’s in preschool and I get to exercise when I want to. It’s nice, but I know if it hadn’t been for all the times I re-worked my plans to fit in what needed to be done I would not be going to the gym now. I would still be in that stinking-thinking mode and finding excuses for myself rather than looking for ways to succeed.

So, my advice to you is to quit blaming everything else for what happens to you and start finding ways to control your life. Don’t be concerned with what others think about you and be concerned with what you think of yourself. Get out there and start living the life you want and you’ll be better for it.

_____________________

Daily Workout: Chest and Arms

Superset One: 3 sets
Chest Press Incline with Straight Bar
Roman Twists

Superset Two: 3 sets
Machine Flyes
Push Ups
Gym Sprint

Superset Three: 3 sets
Straight Bar Curl
SB Pushdown
Leg In and Outs

Superset Four: 3 sets
Hammer Curls with twist
Dips
Push ups

Cardio: 30 Minute Rump Buster from my Cardio Book or HIIT on stairmaster from my Cardio Book (This workout is this evening with said optimist Hubby! Watch out because the pain train is fixing to blow through his station.)

Food Journal:

B – 2 hard boiled eggs and cantaloupe
S – almonds and crackers
L – Chicken breast wrap with soy crisps
S – SBD Bar pre-workout
S – during workout will drink some Cytomax (I don’t workout well in the afternoons and I hope this will give me an added edge)
D – after workout Tuna and sweet potato
S – sherbet with fruit or yogurt with pbutter and sf jelly

2 Comments »

  1. Hey! When I read this, I couldn’t help but think of that motivational (true) story of the man who was paralyzed yet continued to do amazing things. “Before I was paralyzed
    there were 10,000 things I could do; now there are 9,000. I can either
    dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”

    Comment by Trish — May 3, 2007 @ 9:53 am

  2. There is a book that I has been on my list for awhile to read, “Authentic Happiness” by Dr. Martin Seligman. His basic thoughts are that happiness can be learned by practicing optimism, gratitude, doing good for others, mindfulness, hope and spiritual connectedness. And he say to PRACTICE…they just don’t happen. I thought of this book when I read your post. Someday I will actually read it…or maybe listen to it on my iPod while I am doing one of your killer workouts.

    Comment by kerry — May 3, 2007 @ 4:16 pm


RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.