High Achievers

If you're like most people living in the NY/NJ metropolitan area, you rush around so often, barely getting where you're going on time. We are a group of high achievers, trend setters...the "movers and shakers" so I've heard. Is it a necessity to survive and pay your bills? Or is it an addiction to constantly be at your best? Regardless of the reason, I believe the satisfaction one receives from accomplishing a lot and achieving above and beyond is what makes it worth pushing beyond the "norm".
When most people are going home to "relax" and turn into a couch potato, there are the other people who are staying late to pick up the slack at work, the people who work 9 hours and then go to the gym, and the ones who are giving them an ass-kicking workout! Don't hate...immitate!

Are You Sticking To Your Workout Routine?

Today’s article is courtesy of my good friend Jay Cataldo who is a NYC life coach and owner of Definitive Diva.

Thanks Cindy. Even though summer is here, it’s not too late to melt off those last few pounds. While Cindy can give you plenty of advice on how to get in shape, I wanted to share four quick tips for helping you stick to your workout routine when dealing with a hectic schedule.

1. Make a list

Every night before I go to bed, I make a list of all the things I need to get done the next day. For some reason, having a list of things to cross off at the end of a day really helps to motivate me.

One thing that makes the list even more effective is when you schedule in times for everything that needs to get done (i.e., instead of writing down “workout”, you should write “workout 7-8pm”).

2. Make a vision board

A vision board is simply a collage of pictures designed to motivate you and keep you focused on the end result. If you are looking to lose weight, for instance, you might want to use pictures of fit women, pictures of you when you were at your ideal weight, and maybe even pictures of the island you’d like to travel to when you’re in tip-top bikini shape.

You can choose to make a physical vision board or you can find some digital images and make a collage on Microsoft Paint (or a similar program). Just make sure to look at the vision board at least twice a day (both when you wake up and before bed), being sure to feel the feelings you will experience when you finally attain your goal.

3. Don’t skip workouts unless an emergency comes up

The act of skipping workouts usually starts a downward spiral that can lead to a serious lack of progress. So unless a true emergency comes up, be sure to get your butt to the gym no matter what!

4. Get a harassment buddy

Sometimes, we need a little outside help to stay on top of ourselves. A workout partner is great to have, but more importantly, it’s good to have someone who will harass you when necessary and make it really uncomfortable for you to slack off. If you can’t find anyone, you can use this free service in the meantime: http://www.hassleme.co.uk

That’s it for today. Hopefully, these four tips will make it easier to stick to your routine. Thanks again to Cindy for letting me share this info with you. If you like some more health and fitness advice, come chat with Cindy and I on our Diva Forum.

Make it happen,

-Jay Cataldo
www.JayCataldo.com
www.DefinitiveDiva.com

Atlantic City Follow Up

After reading over one of my own blogs from June '07 describing my annual weekend in Atlantic City for my Fitness Convention, I feel a need to contrast it with my recent trip last week. Being a divorced mom of three (now teenage) children, going from one job to another, and running around like a "chicken without a head", I very rarely have a couple days alone to move about at my leisure. My description of my fitness convention 2 yrs. ago, when I went alone for the first time in years was a clear indication of what it's like to let a bird out of it's cage...out of control!
Of course I always go to my morning classes in hopes of learning some new moves to do in my kickbox or step classes, or maybe get some good ideas to try with my clients, but I usually take off after lunch if it's nice out to hit the beach. The difference two years was that I went alone but had friends to meet up with and treated the day as one big party, drinking on the beach, in the casinos, happy hour with my friends, and continuing into the night. Needless to say, I missed my classes the next morning...NOT GOOD!
This year I brought my two sons, one whom was taking classes and the personal trainer exam, and my 13 yr. old whom I got to spend some "quality" time with. We went to the beach after lunch and I did get "A drink", we walked the boardwalk and shopped, and then my older son met up with us and we all went to Rainforest Cafe' for dinner. It was a great opportunity to spend time with them without the interruptions of my hectic schedule, their video games, or other family members being around to take my attention.
I was actually in bed by 10pm and up early, feeling great and ready for my morning classes. I did get some new ideas for my classes, bought 4 new Cd's for my classes and a new pair of cross trainers. Maybe if I plan these "get away" weekends more often I wouldn't be like a bird out of a cage when the opportunity arises.

You Are What You Eat

Most people today are, to some extent, aware of the nutritious value in the food they're eating, whether it's good or bad. The media is overflowing with advertisements for different "diet" products, vitamins,cooking shows, as well as commercials for diseases you can get from not eating "healthy" foods. So how is it possible that it took me over 20 years of being a health FANATIC to finally realize that the so called "healthy" foods I've been eating come from SERIOUSLY TORTURED animals that are filled with diseases, antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones. It's not that I've never heard about it, but I didn't know the extent of it until I recently watched some undercover videos of slaughterhouses demonstrating the SEVERE CRUELTY and horrible conditions of the animals I've been eating...poultry included.

If you knew your neighbor was torturing his dog or cat everyday, would you report it or just pretend it wasn't happening? If your cat had kittens, would you put the males kittens in a plastic bag and throw them in a garbage bin to suffocate to death just because you had no use for male cats? Every day, hundreds of thousands of male chicks are killed by suffocation in plastic bags, decapitation, gassing, being left to die in dumpsters, or being thrown alive into grinders, sometimes remaining alive for even twenty seconds after being slowly tortured and mangled (Rollin, B.E., Farm Animal Welfare).

A pregnant sow's (mother pig) biological need to build a nest before having her litter is so great that some sows confined in "gestation" crates will rub their snouts raw on the concrete floor while trying to satisfy the drive. Piglets are taken from their mothers as young as 10 days old and packed into pens to be raised for breeding or meat. Due to overcrowded conditions, the piglets develop stress-related behaviors such as cannibalism and tail-biting. Factory farmers chop off the piglets' tails and often use pliers to break off the ends of their teeth. In order to prevent unpleasant odors due to sexual pheromones, the farmers rip out the males' testicles. All of these procedures are done without any use of painkillers (www.merceyforanimals.com).

History classes all over the world will teach about the horrendous treatment that occurred during the holocaust, rightfully so; but most people will turn their backs on the cruelty that is happening everyday to millions of animals. How can a person physically and mentally be "stress-free" when their eating animals that were tortured and completely "stressed-out" until their death? Does the word "Karma" ring a bell?

The average vegetarian spares the lives of more than 50 animals each year. That adds up to thousands during a lifetime. For healthier options and recipes with "peace of mind", go to www.chooseveg.com, www.veganhealth.com, and of course www.facebook.com/cindyfoxfitness.