Month: April 2013

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BE POSITIVE!!!

I am a day late getting this post done, but yesterday I started something that I want to share with the WHOLE WORLD!  I honestly believe that a lot of negativity in the world begins with how we feel about ourselves.  If we feel good about ourselves, we are more positive and spread positive “vibes” with everyone we meet.  If we feel badly about ourselves, it is just as easy to be negative and spread those negative”vibes” with everyone we come in contact with.

I am teetering on the top of the fence with this lately.  I WANT to share my story with the world.  I WANT to be a good Beachbody Coach and help as many people fight this horrible battle against obesity.  And I KNOW that I CAN do it!  I KNOW IT CAN!  I have been there.  I understand.  I worked HARD to get where I am and I won’t “sugar coat” it for anyone!  There is NO MAGIC pills or potion.  You have to eat right, get the best nutrition you can, and WORK YOUR BUTT OFF!  I know all of this, and I KNOW I can help others do the same.  But yet something holds me back…

I can’t seem to get people to really listen.  I KNOW what it takes, but that is NOT what people want to hear.  They don’t want to hear that their 15 minute lunch break walk or their 2 days a week exercise class is simply NOT enough to make a BIG change.  To be 100% honest with them about WHAT it takes, and the fact that it has not come for free.  I have spent a small fortune in Workout DVD’s, gym memberships, running gear, workout equipment, and healthy foods and supplements.  And by doing all of that, I found what REALLY works!  I have been the guinea pig.  That is why I believe in Beachbody Fitness Programs and Shakeology.

So if I am THIS passionate about Beachbody, Shakeology, and helping others find their way to health through fitness and proper nutrition, WHAT is standing in my way you ask???

LOW SELF ESTEEM!!!!

I have believed for a VERY long time that I really don’t matter much.  That “good things” just don’t happen for “people like me”.   My confidence is easily rattled.  I can be going along on top of the world, thinking that I finally got to a GREAT place and I am REALLY going to make a difference, and BAM!  One negative thing is said and I revert right back to that negative, scared, little girl that still lives inside me.  It can be as simple as having a cranky customer at work who degrades me because THEY are having a bad day.  Or my husband complaining about having a bad day at work.   Or people around me ONLY focusing on all the bad things happening in the world.  Or a person I thought was a friend, suddenly deciding that I am only worth gossiping and talking badly about.

Last week I came across this wonderful post on Facebook by one of my favorite Personal Development authors, Brian Tracy.  It is a 30-Day Affirmation Challenge!  I will be posting the daily affirmation on my Facebook Page, Body By Brenda.  Please join me and let’s work our way to a happier life.  More fulfilled, more positive, and with a healthier and higher self-esteem.

And as always….MAKE today GREAT!!!

30-day affirmation challenge

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Inspiration!

I have been called a leader.  I have been called a motivator.  I have been called an inspiration.  But as those of you who have been following me from the beginning know, sometimes it is those who call ME an inspiration who inspire ME the MOST!

As you know, I have been training for the Illinois Christie Clinic Half Marathon.  I ran the full in 2011 which was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.  Injuries lead me to the half in 2012, and I was…well, quite frankly, embarrassed.  But I had an experience last year that could not compare to anything I had ever felt.  The people I knew from BLC and  NOVO Wellness who came to Champaign, IL to run, walk, or to be there for support during the 5k and the Half-Marathon were AMAZING!

I am writing this entry to focus on one person in particular.  Carol Wheeler.  I have struggled with my training due to the speed I have lost due to a hip and hamstring injury, but each time I think of Carol and what she is going through and I push forward.  Here is a clip from the Champaign, IL local news about her.

In Perspective: Finishing the 5k

In it, she says, “this year, she’s training to walk parts of the 5K, and for the parts she can’t walk, her friends will push her in her wheelchair.
This year, they’ll be helping her cross the finish line.”

I am BLESSED and HONORED to get to be one of those friends!  Carol is an AMAZING  spirit!  She is the type of person when you hug her, you feel the love all the way to your soul!

PLEASE join me in cheering on my friend Carol in her first 5k!   Her undeniable spirit will inspire and motivate us all!

Carol and Greg Hottinger, one of the authors of Coach Yourself Thin.

Carol and Greg Hottinger, one of the authors of Coach Yourself Thin, after last year’s IL Marathon.

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Accountability and P90X

 

accountabilityHey Folks!

Well, if you follow me on Facebook, you know I was SICK last weekend.  So between being busy, then sick, and now having to catch up on all I missed, I am just finally getting this post done.  I am putting it ALL out there with this one!  I know I should be REALLY proud of these pictures considering how far I have come, but I will admit I am still very nervous about putting these out there.  But I said I would, so here Ya go.

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This is the suit that I intend to wear IN PUBLIC for the 4th of July!  I know, this is about as “public” as you can get, but I am going to wear it and BE PROUD to do so by then!  I have gotten soft over the last couple months, and I am ready to kick it back into high gear and show myself exactly what I am made of! 🙂

So far, I spent 3 of the days since I started with a HORRIBLE stomach bug!  I decided since that was as far as I had gotten, that I would just start over on Day one as of this Monday.  So today is Day 5, and the workouts are going GREAT!  I am still struggling to get my macros the way they should be, but my calorie level has been pretty good.

Well, if you know me, you know just how “Out of my Comfort Zone” this post is.  But it is only the beginning!  With my determination, Beachbody, Shakeology, and a great support group, I am going to achieve AWESOME results!  Ya’All will be knocking down my door to get on a Challenge Group!  LOL!

BTW…I know I haven’t kept you all too much in the loop about my training for the Illinois Half I-Challenge coming up in 2 weeks!  That is a 5k on April 26th and a half-marathon on April 27th in Champaign, IL.  I am meeting a big group of friends that I met on weight loss support groups(NOVO Wellness and BLC)!  Many of them I have  met before, but some I have never met, and I am SO excited!  Training has been….pretty good.  I still get frustrated by the speed I lost after my injury, but I am learning to accept it.  When I try to press the speed too fast, I am in pain.  When I let my body just do its natural thing, I LOVE running again.  So tomorrow is my last LONG run before taper week.  I can’t believe how fast that seemed to sneak up on me!

I will be updating these pics in about 3 weeks!  I hope to see some improvement by then.  Until then, follow me daily on Facebook at Body By Brenda, and I will keep you up to date in here as often as possible.

MAKE today GREAT!