Fall into Your Goals

The fall is always a time of renewal for me. 

The leaves falling reminds me of letting go of any baggage or negativity or any voices that may say, "no you can't do that." 

All that stuff falls to the ground and is raked away by us or washed away by the rain. What's left is a bare tree, ready to be renewed. You can be like this too, if you have things that you want to change. 

This month I have set 1 goal for myself and only one. It's scary, it's atypical, it's out of character, but I believe that hitting this one goal will catapult me & start the process of building momentum for what I really want.

Usually I set 3-4 business goals, 1 personal training goal, 1-2 personal health goals, a spiritual goal and an organizational goal. What? This is nuts--it's a lot of pressure, and it's unhealthy. And I almost never hit every goal I set (or even remember what they are a week or month later)

This month I have one business goal. 

One.  

This is the first time in my life I have only set one goal in a month. 

Change must be proceeded by change. 

I'll update you at the end of the month.

If you want change you have to change something. This is profound, I know. But how often do we desire change, but we change nothing. Or how often do we think we are changing, but then fall into old habits. 

 This fall, choose to fall into change. Pick one thing you want to accomplish and pursue it wholeheartedly. I bet that things will start to fall into place for you!  

Ok, enough puns about fall, it's time to take action. 

What do you want? What are you willing to do for it? Where do you see yourself at the end of October? Did you hit your goal?

In health & prosperity, 

Monica

19 Hikes in 30 Days

Yesterday marked day 30 in my quest to do 30 hikes in 30 days. Somewhere around hike 7, I realized how ambitious this goal was and how with a career and a business, doing a long hike everyday may or may not be possible.

This is not an excuse; it's a reality.

Hiking takes time (and also driving to each one takes time) and I didn't want to compromise the integrity of the hike, by doing half a$$ hikes. If I am going to do 30 hikes, I'm going to do 30 hikes, not 30 semi-maybe this counts-no one will know if I compromise hikes.

Let me next say that I missed my goal of 30 in 30 days.

But I did 19.

I'm impressed and happy with myself for doing 19 hikes in 30 days. Real hikes. No compromises. No cheating.

As I got into the pursuit of the goal, I realized how tough 30 hikes in 30 days actually is. I appreciated the goal more when I was taking action on it.

This is why at the end of the 30 days, I can get excited about the fact that I did 19 hikes, instead of bummed about the fact that I didn't do 30.

And guess what? 11 of those 19 hikes were brand new. Never before Monica charted territory. If I hadn't set the goal to do 30 hikes, I may not have ever done these 11 hikes, which I gained lasting value from.

So BIG question....

Did I succeed or fail?

Truth. I successfully completed 19 hikes. And I have 11 more to do.

I would fail if I stopped hiking at 19, because the 30 days is over. I'm not stopping. I will complete the 11 hikes, and in a timely manner. You won't see me blogging about my last 11 hikes in 2013. I will finish it ASAP.

So the point...and how it applies to you.

Set a goal that stretches you, and then pursue it. Evaluate it (not the first or second day, but after you've had a chance to understand if it's the right goal for you).

If I didn't set this goal, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to get as many in as I could have. I wouldn't have hiked Old Rag for my birthday, or met my friend Janelle on a Tuesday morning to explore a lake trail near our houses, or driven to Virginia to hike an unfamiliar trail with my friend Rachel, or hiked from Bethesda to DC with my friend Laura, or finally crossed a small bridge to Roosevelt Island in DC (highly recommended, it's like being in the Matrix!)

Going for 30, meant I got 19 in, instead of the usual 4-6 I would have done without thinking about it.

Set a goal that gets you out of your comfort zone, that maybe you are not sure that you can do (right now).

Pursue it.

At the top of Old Rag on my 30th Birthday!

Evaluate it.

Reset it.

Smile and speak that you will make it.

Hit your goal.

Set another goal.

Then set another.

And another..

Don't be afraid to miss a goal. Finish what you started. I didn't fail by doing 19 hikes in 30 days. I would fail if I stopped there. Because I am capable of more. And you are too.

Be brave and set new standards for yourself today!

Rock Your Cholesterol with a Busy Lifestyle

 

It's no secret that we live in a fast paced world, but what you may not know is that one in six Americans have high cholesterol; yikes!  But there is good news too. Between 1960 and 1962 about one out of three adults, ages 20-74 had high cholesterol. This suggests that we are getting better in the new millenium...good! 

With a busy life, sometimes nutrition takes second priority, but it doesn't need too. No doubt, with the overload of information available today, knowing what to eat can be confusing and may even cause you to throw in the towel and think, 'what's the point.'

I understand.

Dietetic trends, fads, and even research seem to change regularly. It's tough to know what is right and what may change in five years!  What I have gathered over the years from reading, talking with registered dietitians and consulting other health professionals, are some general rules for healthy eating.

These rules for improving cholesterol apply to anyone, whether you don't have time (or desire) to cook, if you are already eating healthy, or if you are not, but want too.  Whether you are feeding just yourself or a family, or if you just want to have a list of what the heck to eat, in order to improve your cholesterol. 


5 Tips to Improve Cholesterol Through Food

1. Eat fat, but make it low in saturated fat and avoid trans-fats. The simplest way to do this is to limit fast food, fried food, whole milk and 2% milk, creamy dressings, pastas with cream sauces, and even sandwiches out at a deli. Whoa! It sounds strict, but its really not. Make smart choices out, like mustard instead of mayo, dressing on the side, or skim milk in your coffee. At home, make your own dressing or cream sauce with greek yogurt, a little lemon juice, and spices. Bake fish and chicken at home and freeze, instead of driving through somewhere on the way home. Figure out what works best for you to avoid these typical American fat filled downfalls.

2. Eat fruits and veggies. Filled with fiber, water and nutrients, fruits and vegetables are a low calorie, easy option to included daily with your meals and snacks. Easy ways to include vegetables in a snack is to cut up pepper strips, celery, cucumbers or carrots and eat with salsa or a tablespoon of hummus. Try adding an apple or grapefruit with your breakfast, or making a quick smoothie of frozen blueberries and banana for dessert. At the beginning of the week, chop up a bunch of veggies, place in a big bowl and top with any kind of vinegar, olive oil (a drizzle) and spices. Serve it up as a side dish for lunch or dinner all week.

3. Eat whole grains instead of the whites. When looking at ingredients, buy products with 100% whole grain, and avoid products with "enriched" anything. Fiber helps to improve cholesterol and helps you digest your food. Enriched is not whole grain, and has been stripped of the fiber, making it similar to white bread. Check the ingredients on your favorite bread, pasta, and oatmeal.

4. Eat more foods high in Omega-3's. This includes foods like, salmon, tuna, mackerel, ground flax seed, olive oil, walnuts, almonds and avocado. Omega-3's are important because they are the heart healthy fatty-acids and we do not produce them without food/supplements. You may also need an omega-3 supplement, if you don't eat enough of these foods, or if you want to improve your HDL. Your HDL (or happy cholesterol), should be above 60; you can get this checked easily with your doctor. The American diet is very high in foods with Omega-6 and 9's, like chicken, beef, steak, butter, even tilapia. Your Omega's must be in balance to work most efficiently. In addition to cholesterol benefits, omega-3's also has a positive effect on brain health and concentration.

5. Prepare to eat healthy. Success comes from simply knowing what to do, doing it and repeating it. As you get more comfortable with these steps and integrate them into your lifestyle, taking into account your time constraints, cooking desire, and budget,  you will find what works for you. Don't expect to be perfect at this right away (or ever!). Treating yourself right and hitting your goals is a constant process and understanding that will help you move forward and feel good about it each day. Here are some tips for prepping to eat cholesterol healthy:

a. Go to the grocery store and invest in plastic food storage ware. Get a couple of different sizes. These are so useful when cooking food to take to work or on the go for the week. Using this method, you can cook and then split it up right away, so that you have portioned food, ready to grab and go. The possibilities with this method are endless. My go-to dish is quinoa, some type of beans and several diced veggies, like peppers, onions, cucumbers, artichokes, and scallions. Or try cubed chicken with whole grain pasta and spinach.

b. Roast veggies and bake sweet potatoes. To roast, choose veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, any kind of pepper, tomato, zucchini, and squashes.  The key here is to cut veggies to relatively the same size, so that they cook pretty evenly. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place veggies in a baking dish.  Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil for every cup of veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30-45 minutes. For sweet potatoes, clean and then wrap in aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for about 30-minutes. Store in fridge and take out during the week when ready to eat.

c. Defrost your meat during the day. In the morning, take your salmon, chicken or other protein out of the freezer and place in fridge while you're away during the day. When you get home, do a quick marinade of something like fresh squeezed orange, olive oil and garlic, and bake, grill or saute. Serve with a side of roasted veggies or a salad that you made earlier in the week.
Following these five steps will help improve your health and cholesterol. Here's the biggest tip. Focus on one step at a time. Don't try and master all five steps at once. Work to improve your diet and lifestyle, but know that change is a process and it doesn't happen all in one day!

Resources:
Centers for Disease Control. Cholesterol Facts. January 30, 2012.

Mayo Clinic. Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers. July 27, 2012. Mayo Clinic Staff,

Harvard Health Beat. 11 Foods That Lower Cholesterol. October 2009. Harvard Heart Letter.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC. December 2005. NIH Publication No: 06-5235.

30 Hikes in 30 Days! (Recap 1-5)

One of the mini waterfalls along the trail

Hike 1: Swallow Falls Canyon Trail, Deep Creek, MD
 Take off the blinders and live adventurously

It's amazing what you find when you take a couple steps off the paved trail.

My hiking compadre and I decided to go off the beaten path a bit & explore.

The cave we found by looking beyond the trail!

As we were trancing through the woods, we both agreed we felt like we were on the set of Hunger Games. 

We balanced ourselves over fallen trees, ran up and down wooded hills, and zig zagged through roots and branches.

We hopped from rock to rock across the river a couple of times.

We even found a bow and arrow.

Just kidding...

We did get to a spot where there was this straight up rock wall and we both kind of wondered if we could do it. We jumped right in and climbed it quickly, finding that the doubt was overcome by quick action & a good grip on the rocks!


Next to one of the waterfalls, we climbed up a a couple of rocks and found this awesome little cave. It was so lovely and unique and it was like a little secret that only those brave or creative enough to step off the path a little bit will see. 
August 26, 2012




Hike 2: George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, VA
Explore your own town or city, there is always opportunity right under your nose

Front view of the George Washington Masonic Memorial

With hiking on my mind, I found this memorial by happenstance after running an errand in Alexandria. Somehow I had never seen it before up close, so I decided to explore. 

This is my urban hike. Hiking doesn't have to be through woods or mountains, sometimes the best adventures are right in your own backyard!

The GW Masonic Memorial is surrounded by hills, so I took 25-minutes and hike up to the front door, around the building and then up and down the stairs and around the winding paths in front of it. 

This sign said, "no exercising" on property

One of the things that I love about DC is that the buildings are short and you can see the Washington Monument from so many different places. Standing at the top of the stairs, I looked to the left and saw the Washington Monument and the Capital in the far distance. Mapping it, I found that the Washington Monument was 7.5 miles away walking!
August 27, 2012  

Driving on 95 today I saw the Masonic Memorial. I've seen it before, but now I know what it is! It helped me understand where I was compared to DC.
September 1, 2012

Hike 3: Billy Goat Trail A & Great Falls Overlook, Carderock, MD
From a bird's eye view, you see the whole picture from afar. Dig deeper and get close to find out the the real story.

This is my go-to hiking/running trail. I love it!

Twice a year, I go to the falls overlook.

Today I saw a group of rafters on a tour of the Potomac.  I could hear them yelling and cheering and encouraging each other from a distance, before I could see them. When I got within eye sight, I could see they were fighting to get up a rapid and cheering each other when there was success. 

Bird's eye view of the rafters.

From my perspective, from way up top the mountain (the bird's eye view), the rapid looked small. 

Blue markers mean you are on the trail!

The rafters were working hard, paddling with all their might, and putting their whole bodies into it.  

The point..don't judge another's struggles. Your struggles are your struggles. When you see someone overcome something, no matter how big or small, congratulate them and make a big deal out of it! 

The bird's eye view only tells part of the story.
August 29, 2012










Hike 4: Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson, MD
Hiking isn't always glamorous

View from the overlook. It was a bit foggy this day.

The trail I chose shoots straight up to the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain. It's efficient. There is no mercy. Within minutes my heart rate was skyrocketed and in the 95 degree, high humidity environment, I was glistening a pretty good deal.

As I got near the peak, and was finally on just a slight incline,  I passed a young kid walking leisurely down the trail with his mother. The kid pointed at me like a zoo animal and exclaimed "it's wet, it's wet."

It's fun to see where your feet take you!

Awesome.

It was a good laugh.

Point being, getting to the results you want isn't always pretty. Sometimes you have to dig in and accept that the job to be done is going to take some sweat equity. Just do it...and then celebrate.






Hike #5: Bull Run Park, Bull Run Occoquan Trail, Manassas, VA
Sometimes the road to what you want isn't super exciting. Hike on anyway!

I feel super young in this pic, and I like it!

Today I went hiking with my original hiking buddy...my dad. When I was a little one, he used to put me in a baby backpack and hike along the mountains and trails near Augusta, ME, where we lived. I am pretty sure this is why I like hiking so much today.

At dad's suggestion, we went to Bull Run Park, which neither of us had been too. We found a trail and started going, to find that although it was through the woods and on a dirt, rooted, leaf covered path, it was pretty flat and not too exciting. Kind of like a simple walk through the woods.

We had a great conversation throughout the 3 hour hike, but agreed that this wouldn't be on our #1 list for returns, just because we both love a challenge.

Point being, when you are striving for goals, everyday may not be super exciting. That's all part of the process. I constantly want things to be fun and challenging (I know weird, right?). Stay in the process, pursue it and move forward, even when it seems more boring. The reward is there!

Uno Focus

This week, my brain has been working overtime. I've been distracted by so many thoughts, activities, friends needs, family concerns, you name it. I'm sure many of you have experienced this. You know you need to just take a chill pill (sorry, that's such a 90's reference!), but for some reason you think that going on and on like the energizer bunny (shoot...more 90's), will produce the result you are looking for.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "you have to slow down to speed up" ?!

I have and it kind of drives me crazy sometimes, 'how can I slow down, when I want to move forward quickly?!'

The truth is, sometimes we have to remain oober focused on a goal that we set in place and commit to achieve. Whenever you set a goal, no kidding, obstacles will be placed in front of you. It's not like skipping through a field of daisies. Sometimes, I think we get so excited about setting a goal, that we forget that it's a process to get there, to achieve the goal. Setting the goal doesn't mean it's done. Getting up and doing something gets the goal moving in the right direction.

Sometimes we achieve right away and sometimes it takes time. I believe if you set a true goal that you are passionate about, that you will wake up thinking about it. Does anyone remember in Sister Act 2 (omg, so much 90's!!), when Whoopi Goldberg talks to Lauryn Hill about her passion for singing. This has always stuck in my mind. Watch the clip.

If you're like me, you could wake up thinking about one thing, and then throughout the day get distracted by a dozen others. How do you know what you are passionate about, or what you should do for your future?

I challenge you with this.

The other day I was playing tennis with my good friend and I had all sorts of stuff on my mind. Pretty much everything but the tennis game. And guess what? I was playing like..awful. He was about to serve and I said, "Monica, for the next hour, all I want you to focus on is that little yellow/green (who really knows what color!) ball and just beating it over the net as powerfully as you can.

Don't you know I played better. I had laser focus on that ball and how I wanted to hit it low and fast over the net. Now, let's not be overzealous and think that all of a sudden I was a Williams sister, but the point was, I was playing at my best.

Can you focus on something and do it at your best?

Your best is different than my best, which is different than your best friends best or your bosses best. Be you. Perform at your best. Keep focused. Focus on one thing at a time and master it for you. I bet if you do this, you will move forward.

In health and prosperity,
Monica

There's Something About 30

What is it about turning 30? I can't stop thinking about it! In a very good way, I'm excited about 30, because I feel like it's a really good time in life to step out and just go after dreams.

Actually, the truth is, anytime is a good time in life, if you choose it; 30 is just where I happen to be :)

I find myself asking, "where did 24-30 go?" (and this is the only thing that makes me feel a little old, having that thought!)

My 20's have been great, filled with so many memories, some I'm proud of and many I'm not. But there is something about 30, that has sparked my brain into thinking about my birthday and the month of September, all the time. I honestly have to stop myself and live in the moment, as in my mind I've been 30 for a couple months now, even though my birthday isn't until September 9!

I remember being 18 and thinking 30 was so old :) I remember when I turned 21, my younger sister (only 18 months younger, by the way) said, "oh my gosh, you're 21, that means you're almost 25 (gasp!), that means you're almost 30." I remember just looking at her and thinking...well... let's leave that at a thought ;)  It's become a joke in our family related to all birthdays. I'm the oldest sibling and first cousin, so I get to hear the brunt of it, ALL the time, but I appreciate the role :)

The truth is, I feel younger, more energetic, more athletic and definitely more driven at (almost) 30, than I ever have in my whole life. I have such big goals for the future. If you want inspiration, read this blog titled 7 Famous People Who Found Success Starting in Their 30's. Wow.

As a tribute to my 30th year, I have decided to take on the challenge of doing 30 different hikes in 30 days, blogging about it and then hopefully publishing it into an E-book. It's not going to be all about hiking, but about attitude, about pursuit and about hitting a goal you set out to do. See I have set this goal and put it out there, so there is no way I'm not going to complete it. It doesn't mean it will be easy, in fact, I'll be away in Alabama for 3 days at the very end of the month, so there will need to be adjustments. But it will happen..

I challenge you, to take 30 days and pursue one thing. Make it positive, keep it simple and dedicate it to something to move your life forward. We are all in different life stages, on different paths, in different industries, with unique passions, and specific life goals. We can unite together with one common goal: to move forward. 

In health and prosperity,

Monica

Get a New Perspective

I know you have goals. You wouldn't be clicking into a blog about a healthy attitude if you didn't have goals, dreams, ambitions, or simply a drive to improve your life. I really like blogging about attitude and health and helping people realize they are capable of more (and just in case you were wondering...you are capable of so much more!). For the last 60-days, I've taken a break from this blog, because I had to make sure that I was living out what I was posting here. This was a decision based purely on my own personal goals and dreams. It was effective.

Today's topic is how to gain a new perspective and get your creative juices flowing. The premise is simple. It starts at home and then extends to your sphere of influence and people that you meet out and about living your life.

Let's start with the home.

Sometimes, we can get so focused on our routine or the rut that we've created for ourselves, that we lose perspective on the goals we set out for. It's easy to come home from a long day of work or a grueling weekend with the family, it's easy to come home, plop on the couch and not pursue your goals.

In my experience, here are a couple of things that you can do at home to liven up your regular routine and change your perspective on the home front.

1) Rearrange furniture. Changing your view from your favorite chair is a great way to get creative juices flowing and set up a new habit. This week, I moved my couch from along a wall to kind of caddy cornered along another wall and faced my favorite arm chair toward the windows. It's a whole different view and I've been even more productive since.

2) Get new sheets or curtains for your bedroom. Changing up the colors that you are surrounded with when you wake up and go to sleep can help get your creativeness sparked. If you've got white or cream colored sheets, go for something bold like red or something mellow and soothing like a light turquoise. Changing a color of a view from the bedroom can inspire you in the morning, because it is showing you something new.

3) Stock your fridge with something fresh and healthy that you've never put in there. It could be seltzer and lemons (make some lemonade in a pitcher!). It could be a big fruit salad that looks you in the eye everytime you open the fridge. The point is, break out of your regular routine and try something new!

4) Be spontaneous. Go to a movie after work on a whim. Take a Saturday morning and ride your bike outside for a couple hours. Go to that big flea market you see advertised and have never made it too. Make coffee and sit and read a magazine or a good book. Grab your spouse or your best friend and drive 2 hours out of town just to go out to dinner in a different state. Just do something you don't regularly do and you will find that your stretched mind will look for more ways to get what you want!

5) Dream big. Think of something you want that you can't afford or can't get right now (today). Print out a picture of it and then write out what you would have to do to get it. It's not about being materialistic, but about being honest with yourself about how you can meet a goal, if it is a true desire. Write out the plan and then post it where you'll see it daily, maybe the bathroom mirror, your car or your bedside. It could be anything, a new car, a designer purse or shoes, or it could be a charity/community organization you've had the heart for, for years. Whatever it is, put it in front of you, and you'll be more likely to move toward achieving it!