Get a Six-Pack in 7-days. What?!

"Flat abs, firm butt, killer legs! Click to read more"

"Lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks from walking"

"Get bikini ready in 30 days"

How many times do you see articles with these claims? Maybe it's in magazines, from some email mailing list you are on, or in your Facebook newsfeed.

While some tips can be positive and insightful, and often times, the 7, 21 or 30-day plans can be motivating and inspirational, the titles can bring a false or unrealistic hope of success.

Often times the message is, "do "X" and you'll get killer legs" or "do Y and you'll lose 10 pounds in two weeks."

The truth is, hitting your health and fitness goals takes work and dedication. Plus...all of us will have a different journey.

Work. This will be different for every individual. You may have a goal to lose 100 pounds; and you may be starting from a sedentary lifestyle, ordering food out everyday. If that's you, understand that your goals are going to be different than someone who exercises 4-5 days a week, eats a healthy balanced diet, and wants to improve their time for their next marathon. In the first scenario, goal #1 may simply be to walk for 10-minutes a day, everyday for a week, and not change anything else at first. In scenario #2, the first goal may be to do a planned set of sprint intervals directed at improving speed. In both of these scenarios, the goal setter will move forward toward the big goal. Guess what? Both are good!

The secret is, don't compare yourself to someone else or their goals. Your goals are your goals. Develop a game plan that makes sense for YOU, not a plan that makes sense for your co-worker, your best friend, or even your spouse.

Dedication. This is somewhat universal. To hit your goal, if it's a stretch, you are going to have to be dedicated on some level. For some it may be simple. A seasoned college athlete, who is given a new directive and workout plan by a coach, may find it simple to get the work in, because he/she already has workout slots planned during the day AND he/she is already in the mode of improving physically AND understands the benefit of doing so.

If you are new to exercise, you may not know these benefits (or you may not believe them just yet). You may not have a specific time (or dedicated hours) to workout or cook in order to hit your goals. It may take more dedication from you.

You must determine what you are willing to put in.

What you are willing to give, no matter what your neighbor, your spouse, the woman you pass running on the street everyday.

How dedicated are you to your goal?

When it comes to what we all read and see everyday from the media, or hear from our friends... use the grocery store approach. When was the last time you went in the grocery store and bought every single product that was available to you? Some products are right for you, and some aren't. Some are appealing, some aren't. Some of us love mustard, some don't.

Use the same philosophy when you are considering your health/exercise/food plan. Keep searching til you find something right for you. And then when you find it, don't get swayed by other plans that sound better or give you a false hope of quicker, immediate results.

For the last several years, I have known that I love CrossFit. While the program and interest is growing rapidly, it's not for everyone. For example, my dad, who is very active, hikes and walks all the time, has no interest in seeing what CrossFit is all about. Does that make him or I better than one another? No. It's a difference in preference. If I told my dad that he was wasting time hiking and that CrossFit was the only way to achieve health, would that make him better or worse? We are all different in our workout preferences. Don't give up til you find yours.

Use media, magazines and other articles for inspiration, but don't let them sway you from your game plan. Hook up with a partner who can give you feedback with regard to your plan and help keep you accountable to it's completion.

Keep it real when it comes to YOUR goals, where YOU are at. Don't compare your worst to someone else's best. Compare your best to where you are now. Let someone come into your life and show you how you can do more than you think you can, in the arena that you want to play in.

In health and prosperity,
Monica

A Call for Urban Chivalry

Ladies and gentlemen, today let's discuss an important element of health that is not often related to our well-being:

Making a positive impact on others through the smallest of actions

Everyday we can make small gestures to improve the well-being of our own self and the lives of others; on the Metro, the bus, walking, shopping, getting on and off the elevator, etc etc. The small stuff, that we do mundanely, everyday in order to survive, thrive and live. So, how does it work?

It's not necessary to delve into a bunch of negative stories about the person who cut you off while driving or the person who doesn't move aside on the Metro no matter how many times, you say "excuse me" politely. We all have these stories.

Instead, let it be our duty, to raise ourselves to a higher standard, regardless of the actions of others around us. One of the definitions of chivalry is "the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms." Click here for the definition of dexterity -- I certainly had to look it up ;) We don't have to knights (or even men) to practice the art of chivalry.

Heres' what we can everyday, in our cities and hometowns to make a simple, positive impact:

On the Metro (or your local train and bus system)
If you are healthy and stable on your feet, give up your seat for pregnant women, anyone older than you, parents with kids, or anyone who looks like they just may need to sit.

A few weeks ago, I took my nephew to the zoo in a stroller and we rode the Metro. A nice gentleman offered me his seat. It's been several weeks and I still remember his face and the action.

Stop at crosswalks
Have you ever been at a crosswalk and let the thought come to mind, "gosh, no one EVER stops at crosswalks." Well you can squash that thought and make someone happy by stopping! Everytime I see this happen, cars in the other lane stop too. Be the trendsetter.

Hold the door
For anyone and everyone! This small gesture can brighten up someone's day in a really cool way. This past Christmas, I was sitting at a delivery dock waiting for an order to come through. I observed a man open the door to the store, wait a few seconds for a stranger to walk through the door and then went on his way. She thanked him with a surprised tone. After that the woman proceeded to talk to me about it for the next 5-minutes, about the rarity of the gesture. It made a positive impact on her.

Just now; seriously! I took a break from blogging to change locations. An older woman who was hobbling with a cane, held the door open for me. "Thank you so much," I said with a big smile. She beamed. She wanted to do something good and was excited that it was well received!

Smile and say hello
If you need to boost your own mood and/or shock people walking by; just smile and say "hi." In my experience, some people don't know how to react. You'll get all kinds of looks and expressions. Plus the smiling will lift you up! You never know when a smile can make someone else's day!

Be courteous when walking, biking or driving
Wave "thank you" if someone lets you cross the street, go first at a stop sign, or pass them on the left...even if you have the right away. Why not? Today I was riding my bike on the wrong side of the sidewalk when I came face-on with a runner. It was a narrow sidewalk and there was a fire hydrant in the middle of the sidewalk between us. I was stopping and going to pull over, since I was definitely wrong, but he checked traffic and stepped into the street to let me pass! How often does that happen? My thanks was an appreciative one.

Can we all do these simple, easy, mood boosting things? I recently heard a successful business person say, "So many people are walking around like Clark Kent, because they don't know they're Superman." Lifting someone else up with a smile or a positive gesture puts you in the above average category, even though it's with little things. Let's help others see the brighter side with our little actions!

30-Day Sugar Free Mentality

Yesterday I started on a 30-day sugar free challenge, which is not as extreme as it sounds (I initially thought that it was going to be!). As I am studying it and putting it into practice; I am learning that my current diet is not far off from this, and it's just a matter of eliminating a few non-useful items, getting rid of processed foods, and temporarily taking away a couple of my regular foods (to be added back in after 30-days). This journey for me is for a health reason (nothing's wrong; I just want to be at my best!). Also I want to gain a better understanding about eating sugar free in order to share with others.


After watching the 60-minutes special from April 1, 2012, "Is Sugar Toxic?" it became clear to me that this was something I wanted to understand better. Sugar in the diet (whether apparent or hidden) may be a contributing factor to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. My personal question for myself is, how much will going sugar free affect me? If it's a strong effect, to me that means that there is too much hidden sugar in the diet. Not a dietitian, but this just seems logical to me!


Originally the plan was to start this journey after my trip to Puerto Rico this week, but procrastination is a failure disease, so yesterday was the day! The reason I am blogging this, is because it will keep me accountable while away. My plan is not to obsessive about being sugar-free while, but to be conscious.

Knowing that my good friend, Stefanie, is also doing the sugar-free challenge (and is 2 weeks in and feeling great!), it's incentive to keep on track. Always good to have a support system!

Day one went great. Already a lesson was learned! It was a busy day; I had about 45-minutes in the middle of the day to grab lunch. Popping into The Fresh Market, where my go-to grab-and-go is a panini or sushi, I knew today that wouldn't be an option. There is a delicious salad there that is spinach, berries, feta and walnuts with an all natural balsamic vinegar. Perfect. Usually when I go in there, I have rationalized that the panini is a better choice because, it's a dollar less and it has more calories which can be split into a meal and a snack. I have always viewed the salad as expensive, but yesterday when I got to the register, I thought, "wait..this is only $7." Ha! What a rationalization prior!


Now it's not like I never order salad, or that I eat a panini everyday, but this made me think about little choices and little rationalizations that maybe I make everyday. One to ponder. The salad was delicious, and I felt good eating it. Part of it was that I had picked it with a purpose, rather than a random choice on a random day, based on what looked good.

View 3 recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, sugar free on my food blog!

In health & prosperity,
Monica

Strategies to Improve your Allergies

This year more than ever before, allergies have been a big topic out and about. Based on some great suggestions from  fellow allergy sufferers, I have compiled a great list of suggestions that you can implement TODAY to help relieve symptoms.

Change Your Pillowcase...Frequently
You can also add to this, wash your hair before bed. Think about it. You are exposed to the elements all day (including allergens), and then when you lay your head down at night, you are laying down with your day in your hair. If you are waking up groggy or with a lack of energy and are also experiencing allergies, consider changing your pillowcase daily or every couple days. I bet you will notice a difference!

Gargle Salt or Seltzer Water
If coughing is one of your symptoms, try gargling which can help break up the pollen in your throat. Kind of weird, but if you are ingesting pollutants in the air, the gargling can help relieve this. I tried this when I was having coughing attacks and it really helped.

Take a Supplement
It's no secret that the pollen is high this year & it can cause you to feel groggy & unexcited.
For me, this year it's been kind of a weird head feeling with a feeling of disconnectedness or sometimes fuzzy eyesight. When I started noticing symptoms early March (including a uncontrollable cough that hit me 3 days in a row), I started taking Clearguard. A couple days later, I noticed significant relief and did not any more coughing attacks or weird disconnected feelings! Phew. Then about a week after that, I stopped taking the Clearguard because I was feeling better (must not need it right?!). Wrong! About two weeks after that, I started getting the symptoms again. Three days ago I started taking Clearguard again and while I'm still experiencing the disconnectedness, the coughing has already gone away. Expecting the rest of the symptoms to decease soon. Clearguard is inexpensive and all natural with acerola cherry (power antioxidant), cinnamon, and Spanish needles. I have several other success stories, if you want to know, just email me (not trying to infomercial it up, but I do very much believe in this product!)

Exercise Outdoors in Late Afternoon or Early Evening
According to a report on allergies from health.com, grass and trees release the majority of  pollen in the early morning and afternoon. If you're like me, and love the outdoors, wait til later in the day. Good thing it gets dark late!

If your allergies are super serious (or you have major immune issues)...

Consider a High Quality Air Purifier
My grandmother, who smokes indoors, has one of these in her home, and it make a world of difference when it comes to air quality. She's the most fun, spunky, clever 88 year old that you'll ever meet, but before she bought the air purifier it was really tough to breathe indoors when visiting. The air purifier I'm thinking of is the Atmosphere Air Purifier. It's an investment, but it's well worth it if you have severe trouble with allergies or have any type of auto-immune issues. It's 99.9% effective at removing contaminant particles like pollen, bacteria, dust mites, viruses, smoke, etc. Email me with questions!





I would love to hear comments from those of you with allergies and what you do to relieve symptoms!

Interview Yourself

This message is short and sweet and it has to do with self talk. Yesterday I was driving in the car, on the way to a networking event and I thought to myself, "Would I hire me?" Better yet, "What do I bring to the table and do I know how to sell those skills AND figure out if the position/job/career is the right fit for what I am looking for?" It should be a two-way street right?

I don't claim to be an expert in job hunting, interviewing, and whatever else is involved with that process.  I have never gotten rejected for a job that I applied for, which really isn't  that impressive, because I have never applied for a job that really stretched me, if that makes sense. So I can't tell you how to answer questions, or what to say or not to say, but I can tell you about attitude...and I mean specifically, the attitude you carry about yourself.

In the car, I asked myself regular interview questions (I think!) and then answered them boldly and confidently. The reason I am blogging about this is because I learned a ton from the 20-minute conversation (with myself!) and thought you may want to try it too. It revealed a different side of myself, specifically to do with my career, what my strengths are, what my weaknesses are, IF I were looking for a job, what would be a good fit and what wouldn't.

After this, I had clarity and a little bit more understanding about what I'm all about. It was fun; it provided valuable information, and I felt refreshed afterward.

As far as questions go, this may vary a bit depending on your industry, but this is what I asked:

What are you looking in a job or career? 

For me, I know that I must be working with people in an active environment. My role must be in leadership, and it must involve helping make someone else's life, job, career, self image better, and it must involve setting expectations for something better than expected.

What motivates you? Why do you want to pursue this project/position/career?

What are you really good at?

I know that I am really good with developing ideas, being creative, inspiring new projects, getting the ideas of something rolling, but that I need support when it comes to organization and implementation.

What type of work environment do you thrive in?

Do you like working with people? Managing people?

What type of leadership do you respond best to in the workplace? Surprisingly, I like harsh, truthful, almost negative-inspiration management (in the workplace). For example, tell me something is too challenging for me, or that I can't get it done, and I will prove you wrong. Set low expectations for me, and I will look for every excuse to get out of that environment. For me, the manager doesn't have to be the sharpest or the smartest, but simply needs to lead by example, and help take me (and my associates to the next level)

What are your strengths? And how do you work on improving them?

This is simple for me. My strength is encouraging people, of finding a "why" for what he/she is doing. For taking that info, digging deeper and figuring out how to help someone get from where they are to where they want to be, but aren't sure they can get to. My heart is for people and I thrive on helping others, so if I am in an environment where this is possible, it works. If I'm not, or I feel like my ideas, creativity or passion is being stifled, I'm no longer fit for that environment.

What are your weaknesses? And how do you deal with them?

Organization. Flat out. Specifically with paperwork. I'm great with scheduling appointments and events and getting things done, but ask me where my last invoice is or for my mileage record (I'll show you logs in my iPhone, on my computer, in a random notebook--or 2). It's ridiculous, but I have learned to laugh about it and celebrate small successes in organization, like today, I punched holes in a set of papers I regularly access in a binder. All the papers are finally in the binder (not in order), but they are at least all within the rings :)

If you can answer these questions about yourself (and whatever others pop into your head), it will give so much clarity into what you are really looking for out of a career, job, project, position, client, etc and really help you delve even more into who you are!

Embrace Your Skills

That's about right!

I envy organized people. You super organized people are all super human. Walking into a house and seeing style, design and order, I am instantly in awe. How do you do it?

People who have never been to my apartment or looked in my car, usually think that I am super organized. This is funny. Am I putting on a good facade? For real, I don't EVER try to pretend that I am organized. Over the summer, I subletted an apartment from a good friend, who is super organized (she's one I am always in awe of!). She returned home to reclaim her apartment about 5 hours before I thought she was going too. Not good. There were piles. One pile was my purse that I had dumped on the floor to sort (over a week prior). There was a pile of books that needed to go in a box, several piles of clothes, dishes in the sink, a vacuum in the middle of the floor (it's like I started vacuuming and then got distracted--who does that?!) She thought it was hysterical, because she always saw me as super put together. In some ways, yes, but when it comes to my home, my car or my notebook. No...

Sometimes I put together a notebook or organize a drawer and I am super proud at that moment. But you know what happens? Two days later, I can't find anything, and I spend more time looking for it, than if it was out of place! Who can relate?

Technology is awesome and every so often, I'll try out a new iPhone app, thinking, "YES...this is the one, I'm going to use this everyday and keep track of things; this time it will be different." Guess what?! It's not. I have yet to embark on a new organizational track that I follow for more than 48 hours. Why? It's not a skill. It's not my nature. And guess what else?! It's ok.

My brother alphabetizes his DVD's. He also folds his trash when he's in the car, which is hilarious--especially when he mandates that I do it too when I'm in his car. I remember once, he handed me a energy bar wrapper and said, "ok, now fold that up and put it in the can." What?!! He is super organized and I envy/accept that! I'm lucky if 1) a dvd is in a case, and 2) if it's in the right case. If you ever borrow a DVD from me, PLEASE check to make sure the right one is in there. It's a 50/50 shot.

Recently, I heard John Maxwell (THE expert on leadership training), teach about focusing on your strengths. He said, in his dynamic and expressive John Maxwell way, "Why would you give more attention to your weaknesses than your strengths?! If you focus on your weaknesses, you'll get weak. If you focus on your strengths, you'll get stronger."

(Please not, the above is definitely a paraphrase...if I could find the notebook where I wrote this down, I could quote Mr. Maxwell better!) Here's a blog post from John Maxwell, "Removing the U from Failure" that sends a similar message.

So all these anecdotes and silly stories are leading up to "the well with all" message today, which is:

Embrace your skills

Focus on what you are good at, and keep doing that, get better at what you are good at.  If you embrace your skills, you will get stronger overall, and your weaknesses can be minimized (or at least subsidized by someone else!). You see, one of my goals, is to get to the level where I can hire someone to do the organizational things (I'm sure I don't even know what all those things are!), and just focus on what I'm good at.

This doesn't mean that I currently embellish on my lack organization (like putting my socks in the dishwasher just because), but it does mean that I don't spend a significant amount of time trying to change something that could be just part of me. You see, this week alone, everyday I have set the goal to organize my closet. Everyday this week, I have walked in, stood there for a couple minutes, stared at the closet and thought, "I don't ever know where to start."

Two months ago, I set the goal to punch holes in several sheets of paper for a binder that I use regularly (you super organized people are cringing, 'why haven't you done it?'). Here's a hint : if you have to set a goal to punch holes in paper, you are not organized. Guess what?! It's ok. Embrace it. Go do what you are good at.

Last story. When I worked at the gym, we had signature sheets for our clients to sign after they did a personal training session. My binder was green (everyone else's was black). My sheets were in no order, while most everyone else had tabs. I liked my green binder, because it was easy to find, but I always kind of wished my sheets were alphabetized. One day I came in to train and my green binder was gone. It was replaced by a black binder with tabs labeled A-Z and my clients placed under the appropriate tab. A colleague of mine who knew that I would NEVER do this on my own, had organized and conformed my binder for me. I will admit, for the first week, it took me longer to find each persons signature sheet, but I was super thankful for it, because it made me feel organized. He is super organized.

Do you know your skills? Do you know the traits that make you, YOU? What do people commend you for? When do you know you are in your zone, bringing your A-game?

Seek those moments, embrace your strengths and then take every opportunity you can to fulfill them. You will lift yourself and others up when you take hold of this.

Now breathe a sigh of relief, knowing you don't have to be perfect, just the best version of YOU. Ahhh...

Eating for Energy: 8 Tips

Sometimes the simplest plan, is the best plan. Especially if you are busy! Staying properly fueled AND keeping it healthy can be tough, especially with a hectic schedule. Eating properly is an everyday process and as busy as you are, you should carve out time to plan for healthy, energizing eating (it may actually save you time and help your productivity in the long run). Here are 8 tips to get going.

1. Keep fueled. Eat often. This could mean anywhere from 3-6 times a day. Listen to your body, know what pattern you prefer. This keeps your metabolism running steady and your mind sharp. If you are busy, figure out ways to eat healthy on the go that work for you. Prep food in advance to take with you for a busy day (this is a challenge for me!).  Stay fueled, and you will stay energized!

2. Hydrate. Keep a water bottle with you during the day and make sure you are drinking. It not only helps keep you alert and avoid dehydration and drowsiness, but it can also keep you from craving unwanted snacks, like candy or potato chips.

3. Take a whole food multi-vitamin. Test yours. Does it break down in a glass of water. If not, can you be sure that it will break down in your body? I wouldn't bet my health on it.

4. Get B12. Many people are actually deficient in B12; there is actually a genetic test that can tell you how your body metabolizes B12. You can ingest B12 under the tongue, in pill form, or in my personal favorite form, a healthy energy drink. I find it helps with sustained energy and mental clarity. Score!

5. Eat iron-rich foods. Have you heard that kale is the new beef?

6. Eat foods with Omega-3's, like salmon, tuna, olive oil, avocado or ground flax seed or take an Omega-3 supplement

7. Limit saturated fats and fried foods

8. Eat carbs (whole grains, fruits, & vegetables) with each meal. Start your day with complex carbs (and protein) and taper throughout the day.

If you are exercising in the evening after work, be sure to fuel up with a snack a hour or two before you workout, so that you get the most out of it. This doesn't mean that you need to gorge, but don't neglect! After your workout, be sure to eat a good source of protein to help your muscles repair.