Two Weeks of August ALL In Challenge

I'm a fan of Tony Robbins and have been for years and years. I have loved and believed in his quote below:

A real decision 

is measured by the fact

that you've taken a new action. 

If there's no action, 

you haven't truly decided.

I am ready for some massive ACTION.  I have goals written down that I damn well am going to accomplish. I need to take action and reclaim some pride in myself and my ability to STICK TO IT! 

Brian Tracy says that self-discipline is the most important component to any success.  Self-discipline is getting out of bed in the morning when your alarm goes off and NOT hitting the snooze button.  Self-discipline is laying your workout or walking or running clothes and sneakers (I'm an East Coast girl, we call them sneakers, you can call them 'running shoes' if you must!) the night BEFORE so there is no excuse that you can't find them in the morning. Self-discipline is walking the full three miles at 6am you planned on - - not just one mile, not just two. It is doing the whole set of repS at the gym, not just a few. Self-discipline is telling yourself that you're going to do something and DOING IT!  Self-discipline is planning your healthy meals, drinking your water, taking your vitamins, preparing your protein shakes, writing your goals out, logging your food, and doing what you said you were going to do.  Make no excuses to yourself about yourself because there is no heavier weight in this world than the weight of regret. 

On Monday, August 19th I am going to begin two weeks of an intensive (for me!) fitness and weight loss plan.  On challenges I've organized here, on Twitter, and Facebook before I have always allowed for "days off" during the month long challenge.  With only two weeks left in August, this HealthyLoserGal August ALL IN Challenge won't be taking any days off.  We're going full steam ahead into September which happens to be one of my favorite months of the year - full of new starts and new possibilities.  

For two weeks I challenge you to set a walking and/or running goal and to write that goal down in a journal. I am going to be walking a minimum of 2 miles daily to total no less than 15 miles a week.  Every other day I will be in the gym during the work week and both days of the weekend for an hour or more (but no more than 2 hours).  So Tues-Thurs-Sat-Sunday will be my gym days.  If possible, I'll fit in more.

I will be working on my core with stability ball and floor exercises and my arms and legs with free weights and nautilus machines.  I will drink half my weight in water each day (and will probably log another mile weekly in trotting to and from the Ladies Room! lol).  I will plan my food for the week on Sundays, shop on Sundays, prepare anything that needs to be cooked and/or made ahead, and not waiver from these planned meals.

I will be grateful for each and every obstacle that pops up and that I have the self-discipline to overcome. I will be positive about the challenge and the fact that I am working hard toward goals that I am achieving. I will encourage my friends here, on Twitter, and on Facebook to stick to their goals and plans because working out and reaching goals with a community is far better than going it solo! ; )

So... here are the #hlgAugALLin challenge details:

1)  Set a fitness goal for either walking or running for the 14 days.  If you're morbidly obese or completely out of shape, 1/4 mile to begin with is doable for anyone and I know you can do it!  I will be rooting you on!

2)  Plan out your food and get ready to count calories. There are plenty of online sites, apps,etc. but I like FitDay.com which is a great FREE resource for planning, counting and logging food (and exercise)! They have an iPhone app, too.  If you're trying to lose weight, don't go below 1200 calories or over 2000 daily, it is that easy.  It takes 3500 calories burned to lose a pound.  Watch what you're putting in because you're going to have to work it OFF to lose weight.  Calories in / calories out.  When planning your food, plan to drink lots and lots of water!  Water is soooo important to good health.

3) Set a second fitness goal that you can do 4x each of the two weeks.  You saw that I'll be in the gym and what I am going to be doing (notice I didn't say that I am 'planning' to do!).  Depending on your current level of fitness, you should chose something that will challenge you, that will take you a little bit out of your comfort zone so that - when you accomplish it - you will be exhilarated and proud of yourself for sticking to it!

People with clear, written goals, 

accomplish far more 

in a shorter period of time 

than people without them 

could ever imagine.

Brian Tracy

4). Finally, plan to write down your two week challenge goals and keep a journal for the two weeks.  Your journal can include as little as your goals (a must!) and a record of everything you ate and drank, your exercise log, and the times you got up and went to bed.  Or it include much more (and I suggest you write about your feelings and your own habits and self-discipline struggles in your journal) including your moods, your hopes for your health and fitness, your short term and long term goals, and your observations of how you're doing.  If you have failures, they should be journaled, too, because often times our failures teach us great lessons that we can overcome in the future.  This challenge isn't about perfection, it is about progress and improvement. 

I'd love to have you join me on August 19th to start off August ALL In Challenge!  We *can* be self-disciplined and achieve our goals without the regrets of giving in to temptation! Only 14 days are between you and achieving your August goals.  Who's "all in"?  : ) 

Jan / HealthyLoserGal 

Ready. Set. Dream.

It is always the right time to dream new dreams... bigger dreams... and to bring dreams back to life that you may have given up on long ago!  Drag those "I could never do that..." and "How could I possibly go there?" phrases to the curb and give them a good hard kick 'bye bye'.  You need to reclaim yourself and your dreams and believe that anything is possible again.  Because (psssttttt!)... anything IS possible!  YOU just have to believe in yourself and turn those negative little voices in your head and sometimes the negative voices surrounding you in your life ("supposed" friends, family members who don't wish to see you succeed or change for selfish reasons of their own, your group at your work, you know the ones who are in this category!) into positive beliefs and positive influences in your life.

All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.
Brian Tracy 

If you follow the blog or have seen my tweets, you must know I am a big believer in "Dream. Believe. Achieve!".  : ) I've just completed a new DREAM BOARD (also called a Vision Board) as I'm embarking on a new chapter in my life as I return to my fitness and health disciplines and as I embark on a very exciting new healthy business venture!  It was time for me to renew my goals and dreams in my own life, to think about "what do I *really* want in my life", "where do I want to be in one year, two years, five years", "if I weren't worried about (fill in the blank), I would...".  I absolutely love having a dream board because I KNOW the dreams on the board, with action put behind them, and belief in yourself and (for me) God and the universe to bring you the dreams you have, and deep gratitude for what you already have becomes dreams realized.  Four years ago I put up my 2009 dream board as my background on Twitter because I knew - that way - I would see it every day, a couple of times a day, and would be reminded of what my dreams were... where I was focusing my energy and momentum.  I have purposefully left that board up for you to take a look at because I have achieved 75 percent of the goals I once thought "out of reach".  75%!!

So let's get started so that you can begin making your own Dream Board and allow great things to appear in your life, too.














1.  Find something to use as a "board"... it can be an old white paper bag, or a poster board, or a piece of foam board that you can buy for under $2 in most office supply stores.  It can be whatever size you feel you'd like it to be... mine is foam board and BIG! :)   You'll need scissors and a glue stick and a stack of old magazines or newspapers or wherever you can find inspiration!

2.  Lay back, close your eyes and DREAM!  What do you really want in your life?  Be specific! Do you have fitness goals?  Do you want to be able to walk a mile without having to stop?  Do you want to skydive?  Do you want to be a marathoner?  (Remember, even if you can't walk 1/4 mile now, you can STILL believe in yourself and your ability to achieve ANY dream, so if you want to run a marathon... that is a dream/goal for you to write down!) You don't have to know now how it is going to come true, just add it to your dreams! Now... what about your personal life?  Are you happy in your relationships?  Do you wish you could see your family more? Do you wish you had more girlfriends?  What about your finances? Do you wish you were able to afford new outfits every season?  New running shoes?  A vacation home on a lake?  A second car? A motor home?  A trip to Australia?  Whatever YOUR DREAMS are - they are your dreams and worth going after.  No one else has the right or the ability to dismiss your dreams.  You get to hold onto them, believe in them, believe they can and WILL come true.  

3.  Write the dreams and goals down.  Big and small.  Make a list and date it.  (You're going to put this list into an envelope and paste the dated envelope on the back of your dream board!)

4.  Now begin paging through your magazines and materials and cut out everything and anything that appeals to you or attracts you.  Words that mean something to you personally, images of people doing things that are part of your goal.  You'll see in the photos that I have cut out a photo of a woman jumping up onto a high box.  I cannot do this yet.  (Note the "yet"!)  But I have a goal to do this and I will do this.  And the photo is a reminder of this goal.  When I see it now every morning, I say to myself, "I've GOT that!"  That positive attitude may take a little work for some people at first, but attitude is like a muscle, it may hurt a little and feel uncomfortable for a little bit, but pretty soon that positive nature and attitude will be second nature to you and not feel odd at all. We ALL want to be positive people, that is how we feel best - when we're smiling and happy.

5. Start a big pile of all your dream photos and words, phrases and begin to lay them out on your board.  I segregate my dream board a little because it is so big... I have a personal fitness side, the middle is about dreaming, believing, and achieving, and the other side is about financial, relationship and business goals I have for myself.  But you should organize your dream/vision board however you feel best it works for you!

6.  Finally, starting pasting down the photos.  I paste and say to myself with each photo or phrase I put down "This dream of jumping on a high box will come true before (and then insert a date) and I will be so excited to have achieved this goal! Thank you, God!"  Sounds a little crazy at first, but I learned this part of the process from reading Jack Canfield's "The Success Principles" and it seems to have changed how I look at each phrase or photo to being able to single them out individually in my mind and know their intent.

7.  When your board is dry, turn it over and paste the back of an envelope to the board and fold up your list of dreams/goals and put it into the envelope, dated.  Let it dry and then find a place you can put your dream board every single day.  If you want to hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall, a cheap, easy way to make a hanging hook is to take a large paperclip and bend the top outward, taking a piece of duct tape and taking the flat part of the paperclip to the back of your Dream Board.

It is best to hang or place the board where you'll see it multiple times a day.  Take a photo of it and use the photo as your desktop wallpaper and your smartphone background.  Print the photo out and stick it on your frig as a reminder of your dreams and goals.

People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.

Brian Tracy 

Believe in your goals and take action to make them come true.  Every dream is achievable if you're willing to work hard enough, give up or go after what it is that is needed to accomplish them.

Good luck with your dream board.  I would LOVE to see photos of them on my HealthyLoser Gal Facebook wall! : )  If you have any questions, leave me notes in the comments here and I'll get back to you with an answer as best I can!

Here are a few additional resources that I like about Dream Boards and Vision Boards:

From Jack Canfield: http://jackcanfield.com/how-to-create-an-empowering-vision-book/
From Oprah: O Dream Board: Envision Your Best Life
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/O-Dream-Board-Envision-Your-Best-LifeTM

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan / HealthyLoserGal

Healthy Habits Challenge: Self-Discipline & No Excuses!

I can't believe that in six weeks we'll be at the end of August - - summer's end!  Only SIX WEEKS!!

Well, I don't know about you - but I plan to make the most of these next six weeks!  Did you know that behaviorists have learned that it takes somewhere between 30 to 66 days to form a habit - - a GOOD one or a BAD one?!

Usually I start a Healthy Loser Gal challenge at the beginning of the month but this challenge is going to be six weeks long and is all about self-discipline and creating great habits that will carry us into a fantastic, fit Fall! (And, too, hopefully then last a lifetime!)

Someday Isle...

I've been doing a lot of reading this summer and have really been enjoying learning self-improvement techniques and quick tips.  One book, "No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline!" by Brian Tracy, is really aimed at self-improvement for sales and business people, but the lessons I've learned have already helped in my daily life.  Brian Tracy talks about home many people live on "Someday Isle"... because they don't have the self-discipline to work toward their dreams now. This was me for soooo many years.  I would say "Well, someday I'll lose the weight..." or "someday I'll start to exercise again..." and "someday I'll stop watching t.v. every night and eating myself into a comatose state...".  Someday Isle... Someday I'll...

Until... one day... I finally left "Someday Isle" and began living in the present, believed in my goals and dreams, and - here's the kicker - got off my backside and developed self-discipline and then habits to work hard and achieve what I truly wanted:  to lose 100 pounds and get my 50 year old self fit again! : )

"If it's to be, it's up to me," Brian Tracy says.  How true!  No one else can walk fitness miles for me, no one else can plan my meals or stop me from overeating, no one else can accept a challenge for me and then see it through.  Those are steps I proudly, confidently take on my own.  Being confident is the key - - and remaining positive!

I want the next six weeks to be AWESOME!  Will you join me? : ) I want us all to ask ourselves this question:  "If my life were ideal, what would it look like?"  Get a really good picture in your mind, write it down and then answer this:
"What is the main discipline I need to achieve that picture?"

Once you've answered that question, you now have your focus for the next six week when - with self-discipline - we can form new behaviors and form HEALTHY HABITS!  (Thank you, Brian Tracy, for inspiring me to answer this question!)

I have many things I need to become more disciplined in but planning is the healthy habit I'm concentrating on for the next six weeks of Healthy Habits Challenge.  In many cross areas of my life, planning will make a tremendous difference.  It is great to be "spontaneous", but too much spontaneity can lead (in my case) to disorganization and chaos.  And chaos = disorder and that is never good!

The healthy habits I plan to gain in these next six weeks are:
1) Planning out my week and daily schedule with some weekend flexibility
2) Planning my weekly food
3) Packing my food every morning prior to leaving for work
4) Planning in my daily fitness
5) and finally, committing time (planning it in advance) to blog regularly and track my progress, find out how friends (that's you!) in the challenge are doing!

My week days are going to start an hour earlier to plan my day out, set my goal list, and do what I call my 'home fitness' which is usually walking, WiiFit or a DVD.  (It is summer and right now my home fitness is walking 95percent of the time!)

I'm starting the Healthy Habit Challenge tomorrow morning - heck! I've really started it today as I've written this.  I'd LOVE for you to join me in these next six weeks so we can share our accomplishments, encourage one another.  There truly is power in numbers and self-discipline is so key to achieving our dreams and goals! If we say we're  going to make a commitment to ourselves, let's DO IT!  No backing away... no excuses. We determine to do it - and darnitall - we do! :)

When we give in to that inner voice that urges us to do something other than what we'd planned to do, we lose a little bit of our conviction.  And then, if we continue to give in, the habit of 'giving in' becomes our reality and wins. Let's not let that happen any longer in our lives. This time, in the next six weeks, WE WIN!

It takes only six weeks to develop a habit - a HEALTHY HABIT - what is yours going to be? : )

Dream. Believe. Achieve!
Jan ~ Healthy Loser Gal