Tag Archives: inspiration

Jan 28 2013
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basics, challenge yourself

Champions

I don’t normally care for series of any kind.  I usually lose focus when it comes to multiple editions of the exact same thing.

Take Hunger Games, for example.

Book 1 – entertaining.
Book 2 – “Didn’t I just read this?”
Book 3 – OMG someone die already.

***Although I must make an exception for my beloved Gossip Girl.  I could watch Dan Humphrey all day, every day.

Anyways, this past weekend, I had the opportunity and pleasure to travel to Dulles, Virginia to attend my regional Mary Kay January Jump Start.  (I haven’t mentioned this before, but yes, I am an active Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and I absolutely love it!) The January Jump Start is intended to be a more casual and inspirational event, boosting people to finish out the last two quarters of the year with success by doing a ton of year-to-date recognition and hosting amazing motivational speakers.  This year, we were rewarded with the opportunity to listen to Sean Key and Auri Hathaway tell their stories and teach invaluable lessons about being successful in Mary Kay business and in our outside lives.

http://bravearea.com/leadership/SeanKey.jpg

Sean Key – MK Vice President, Sales Force Education

http://www.unitwise.com/Content/images/home/nsds/auri.jpg

Auri Hathaway – National Sales Director

They were both incredible speakers, but the general theme of the weekend centered around the idea of being a Champion.  Sean Key kicked off the day by outlining the characteristics of being a champion.  All ten of these ideas can be placed anywhere in your life to be successful!  Whether you are wanting to finally keep a New Year’s resolution, land that job you have been dreaming about, or even beat the battle of the bulge, the Characteristics of a Champion can (and should) be implemented in everything you do! (I must warn you: if you share these secrets with others, you might find yourself amongst a group of champions, therefore not the idol that people aspire to be.  If you are ok with that, share away my children!)

So here they are, people, with reckless abandon for you to take and use and change your life with.  I chose to keep this as a list as opposed to draaaaaaaaaaagging it out as a series because frankly, it would eventually bore me to write that.

Characteristics of a Champion

  1. Champions win the victory in the head and heart before any of the work is done.
  2. Champions tap into their imagination more than their memory.
  3. Champions believe the risk of victory is worth more than the disappointment of failure.
  4. Champions have champion coaches.
  5. Champions know there is nothing more powerful than a winning attitude.
  6. Champions are motivated by the dream but made by the routine.
  7. Champions focus on maximizing strengths, not protecting their weaknesses
  8. Champions have unquestionable integrity.
  9. Champions go the extra mile.
  10. Champions never give up.

All of these characteristics, while slightly cheesy and cliché, are so important when you are trying to reach your goals.  I encourage you to go through this list with your goal in mind and be very realistic with whether or not you are showing the characteristics of a champion.

I also encourage you to watch Gossip Girl on Netflix if you haven’t already.

 

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May 16 2012
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basics, challenge yourself, life, Uncategorized

Your Best Body: Part 3 – Support

I have a really great group of friends here in Madrid.  We took to each other like family within days of meeting one another and now, as some of them are preparing to return to the states, I can’t imagine my life without them.  They are some of the most intelligent, creative, hilarious, and unique people I have ever met.

One of our favorite activities to do here is to lounge in the park and botellón.  Botellón for Spain is like pre-gaming for the States with the only differences being the lack of any actual game.  Basically it’s just a bunch of people, lounging in a park or open area, listening to music and drinking alcohol.  Generally this is a night-time activity, but my friends don’t discriminate against the earlier hours of the day.  We will botellón anytime, anywhere.

Recently, during one of our many afternoons in the parl, I noticed something that probably no one else in my group of friends would have ever picked up on.  After a round of drinks had been poured and dispersed, the group raised their glasses and said their cheers to one another.  In my normal fashion, I was without drink.  I raised my empty hand, mimicking a drink, and said my cheers right there with them as my friends pretended to clink their glass with mine. To us, our friendship, and to this amazing life we are living together!

What was so memorable about that second in time was that no one even questioned me when I raised my empty hand.  There was no ‘Where is your drink?’ or ‘How come you aren’t drinking?‘  My friends just know.  They know about my healthy lifestyle and that I choose to not drink alcohol for the most part.  They know that my workout is a top priority in my day even if that means joining them in public with my gym clothes on.  They know that I don’t eat certain foods purely by choice.  And you know what?  They are ok with it.  In fact, they are some of the most supportive people I’ve ever met.  To be honest, I don’t know how they can manage to be seen with me when I show up wearing spandex and my hair looks like I’ve been electrocuted.  Not to mention I smell.  Good friends, I tell you.

When I originally switched my eating habits, I was faced with a lot of challenges socially.  A lot of my friends didn’t understand why I didn’t want to eat certain foods.  Many of them would even try to make an argument about it.  If you have at all changed the way you eat, surely you have heard at least one person say, ‘C’mon! It’s just one bite’ or ‘It’s not going to kill you.’ And for the most part, they are right.  One bite is not a big deal.  One meal will not kill you.  It won’t even undo all of the progress you’ve made.

But that’s not the point.  That person, just by even trying to convince you of something, is not being 100% supportive of your goals.  And that is something that can definitely make this process toward a healthier life extremely difficult and grueling when it really shouldn’t be.

Now don’t get crazy and go ditch all your friends.  That’s a bad idea.  They won’t like it.  You won’t like it.  And you definitely won’t like it when you have reached all of your goals but you are sitting at home on a Saturday night, all alone with no one to show off your hot body to.  (Because that’s our ultimate goal, right?  Showing off our hot bod to as many people as possible …..or is that just me….?)

As you are changing your lifestyle and prioritizing health and wellness, TELL EVERYONE!  Tell your mom, your dad, your boyfriend, your lover, your boss, your annoying neighbor that you hate, and even your children.  Tell everyone.

Not everyone will be 100% on board, and that’s OK.  Your kids will probably tell you that they hate you and that you are the worst parent everrrrrrr for making them eat broccoli.  Some friends might get a bit jealous when you are starting to look super hot and want you to order the mozzarella sticks with them.  Colleagues will want you eat that piece of cake for so-and-so’s office birthday party.  You will face judgement and adversity.  But I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a support group around you pushing you to be the best of yourself.  These people will be vital in your long-term success.  Find that group of people, big or small, that won’t question your habits or pour you a gin and tonic at your next botellón against your wishes.  You want to surround yourself with the people who will clink glasses and cheers to you even if you aren’t holding a drink in your hand.  To us, our friendship, and to this amazing life we are living together!

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My support group extends much further than Madrid.  I am lucky enough to have support sent to me from all over the world.  A special thank you to everyone who continues to push me to be the best version of myself! Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of my goals.

Stay tuned for Part 4 of the Your Best Body series!

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May 13 2012
3 Comments
basics, challenge yourself, life

Your Best Body: Part 2 – Motivation

I mentioned in Part 1 of this series that the first step to reaching your health and fitness goals is to accept your body the way it’s built.  That is probably the hardest, yet most important factor impacting your success.

The next aspect of reaching your goals is your motivation.  What motivates you?  Why are you trying to reach this particular goal?  What inspires you to get in control of your health?  Why are you trying to lose weight?

I like to think that there are two types of motivation for achieving your goals:
short-term and long-term

Short-term motivation is easy.  I mean, how many times have you told yourself, “I’ll start tomorrow”?  Well if you were to ask me that question, I would tell you to count the number of days I have been alive since about the age of 14 and you will have your answer.  You are extremely motivated in that moment when you tell yourself that ‘tomorrow is a new day’ – I know you are.  I’ve been there.  Hell, I’m still there. Even when I was at my best physique, I always told myself that the next day would be better.  There were always changes to be made.

Tell me if y’all feel the same way, but I am really good at finding short-term motivation.  I can pop on the internet, look at some pictures of really fit girls, and be extremely motivated.  A simple Google search can send me in a tailspin to thinking there is more I can do here to improve my diet and my body.  We are surrounded by short-term motivation in the form of magazines, internet, television, movies, and so forth.

But for me, this motivation only lasts for about 8 hours.

I might spend the majority of my day being motivated and even following through with my goals, but then the evening hits after a long day and I am feeling super lazy and begin to rationalize eating crappy food.  Where did my motivation from this morning go?  I must have left it on the metro somewhere.  Or knowing Madrid, someone pick-pocketed it!  Hey, give that back!!!

So I will ask you again.  What motivates you?  Why are you trying to reach this particular goal?

The hard part about motivation is seeing it from a long-term perspective – finding the answer to those questions that will push you through the simple distractions.  Your brain is a funny thing.  It can really trick you sometimes and you need to learn how to be in control of it.  I can’t begin to tell you how many times my brain told me that it was acceptable to eat that ice cream or skip out on my workout.  And with a damn good argument to boot!  After all, I believed him didn’t I?  But to really pinpoint your long-term motivation, you have to look within yourself.  Be honest.  Only you will have the answer to those questions – no one else.

Find your real motivation.  For me, the motivation to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle is so that I can avoid getting sick in the future.  I saw my beautiful grandmother suffer from not one, but many strokes and the affect it had on her life and the lives of those around her.  Frankly, I don’t know if her diet contributed to that or not.  I wasn’t around enough years to know.  All I know is that I want to do everything humanly possible to avoid it for myself and if that means choosing all natural foods over processed crap, then so be it.

Your motivation might be to finally look in the mirror without bullying yourself and filling your mind with self-hate.  It might be that you want to join a certain sports team or alleviate symptoms from an auto-immune condition.  Hell, I don’t care, we can be a bit more shallow with this as well if you want.  Your motivation can be to fit into that super cute bikini and turn some damn heads.  I got you on that one, girl!  Or men, maybe it’s to be able to play sports with your kids.  Or just to take your shirt off at the pool and not be embarrassed.  I don’t care what it is!  JUST FIND IT!

Your long-term motivation is what will push you in the tough times when you feel like the work you are doing isn’t showing any results.  It’s the thing that will comfort you when you feel like you can’t do it.  It’s the thing that will pick you up after you fall and remind you that mistakes are human.  And it’s the thing that will tell that sneaky son of a bitch in between your ears, “Nice try buddy, but I am not going to eat that ice cream or skip out on my workout because it is not helping me to reach my goal!”

So, what is it?  What is your motivation?  Why are you doing this?  Whatever it is, don’t ever lose site of it.  Write it down and hang it on the wall if you have to.  We all need a constant reminder of our aspirations.

Stick around for Part 3 of Your Best Body!

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May 09 2012
3 Comments
basics, challenge yourself, life, weight loss

Your Best Body: Part 1 – Acceptance

Disclaimer:  I am not a nutritionist/personal trainer/health coach/cave woman/chef/morning-person/camel…it doesn’t matter what I write here because I lost all credibility within the first five words.  If you haven’t left yet and made it to this part of the disclaimer, remember to speak with a professional for your personal dietary or fitness recommendations.

I get asked quite frequently, “Sarah, how can I lose weight?  Apparently the Muffin-Top was never in style…”

First of all, you’re right.  The Muffin-Top was never in style.  You know what is always in style though?  Being healthy.

Let me set something straight first before I give you my non-medical, unapproved advice on how to trim down that tire around your six-pack.  This might be some of the best advice I will ever give you and yet I know most people will choose to ignore it.  For those of you who really want help being healthy, I suggest you pay close attention to the information in this particular post.  But only for those of you who are serious about being healthy.

Here it is: The body you have is the only one you’ve got.  No one else has your body.  Something that works for one person might not work for you.  There will never be a one-size-fits-all approach to health and fitness.  I know, I know, that’s really fucking annoying!  I totally understand.  I wish there were a rule book on how to be ripped and all we needed to do was just follow it step by step.  I mean, people try.  They’re called “diet books”.  Your local book store probably has a few shelves full of them.  Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t – it just depends on the person, right?  Right.  That’s because everyone is different.

For some reason, people seem to push that piece of information to the side like it’s not important.  I still find myself doing it sometimes.  I’ll spend hours looking at blogs and websites trying to find the perfect meal plan to trim down.  But there you go!  There’s a reason why I spend hours looking.  Because there isn’t just one way of doing things!  Everyone has their opinion.  Listen, I would love to be able to eat whatever I want and not gain weight.  We all know people like that – people who can eat a cheeseburger, milkshake, and fries and not gain an ounce.  And we hate those people so stop being friends with them.  Just kidding (sort of).  But my body is not built like them.  If I order a milkshake, I gain weight before it even arrives at the table.  And I just have to accept it.  That being said, my first and most important piece of advice for losing weight is to embrace the body you have.

Now, there is a big distinction between accepting the body you have and accepting the condition your body is in.  Don’t go out there telling yourself, “Oh, I am overweight and I will always be overweight so I’m just going to continue eating like shit.” No.  The condition your body is in is a result of your habits.  Bad habits = bad body.  Good habits = good body.  Accepting your body type is a completely different thing.

I’ve told you before that my mom is a smart lady.  She is the reason I am even slightly concerned about my health.  She’s not just healthy for her age, she is healthier than many of my 25 year old friends.  She also has these massive weapons attached to her body that she worked really hard to attain.  Here is a candid shot of them.  I can only imagine what they’d look like flexed.

So naturally, people (especially women) would always comment on her arms whenever she allowed those pythons to show.  They would always ask her how to lose weight or get in shape, and she would always have the same response.

“I just realized that I will never be one of those skinny girls so I just decided to start lifting weights and work with what I had.”

I never really paid much attention to this growing up (among other things), but I realize now how relevant that statement is when I look at the overall health of a person.  As I’ve gotten older, and because I am the spawn of this beast, I’ve recognized that my body is very similar.  I will never be one of those naturally skinny girls.  I have muscle (a lot of it).  I am definitely heavier than I look and I will always weigh more than most girls.  I have a big ass and I love it.  I will never be smaller than a size 4/6.  I will always have to watch what I eat if I want to stay trim.  I gain weight really easily.  There will never be a gap between my thighs, but I will always have strong legs.  Bread.and.sugar.make.me.fat.

I could go on for days comparing myself to other people.  The main thing I want you to work on before we move to part 2 of this series is accepting your body.  Recognize the things you will never be able to change and just get over it.  Hell, make a list if you have to.  Write down every single thing that you can’t change and post that sucker up on the wall.  Then get over it!  Accept your body for what it is.  Only until you have done this will you be able to find a lifetime’s worth of success in being healthy.

Stay tuned for the next part of this series toward your best body!

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Mar 09 2012
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blogs i'm loving, challenge yourself, paleo

Girl Crush

I have a girl crush.

You probably already know it by now because I talk about her all the time.

She is just so cool and I want to be like her and hang out with her and cook food together and just be friends.  BFFs if you will.

If you don’t already know who my girl crush is by now then you clearly need to stop everything you are doing and start reading all my posts prior to this one.  No, seriously.  Get a move on.

For those of you who have read all of my posts (thanks, mom), you will already know that I adore Diane Sanfilippo from Balanced Bites.

Anyways, since I always love testing the waters and conducting an experiment, I have been doing a lot of research on figure competitions.  I’ll be honest:  It has always been a dream of mine to compete in a figure competition.  Some people have aspirations to run a marathon … and some people want to get completely shredded, slather on a fake tan, primp, wax, and flex their way to 1st place.  I happen to prefer the latter.  No big deal (minus the walking-on-stage-in-barely-there-bikini thing).  From the hours upon hours of research I had been doing, I couldn’t find any information on competing while following a Paleo approach.  All of the sample meal plans included things like oatmeal, rice cakes, protein shakes, and many other stereotypical diet foods that we all hate.  If you haven’t noticed, bacon is usually the deal-maker to get people to try Paleo (just sayin’) so rice cakes never stood a chance.

“Where is this post going, Sarah?” Stick with me here.  There is a method to my madness.

Anyways, Diane and her friend Liz (Cavegirl Eats) have this really cool podcast where they answer questions people submit on their websites.  Usually lasting about an hour, these podcasts are amazing for when you are going on walks, sitting in traffic, or just listening to on your iPod while you go about your normal day.  So obviously I decided to submit a question about competition diets to the podcast in hopes that mayyyyybe it would get answered.

And it did!

You can listen to Diane’s response by visiting the podcast episode here.  You can also read the exact question I submitted among others from the podcast.  She gave some great feedback and it was very helpful information!  Even though she repeatedly advised against it, I will be honest and say that I am still researching the possibilities of competing in the future.  It is not as realistic right now living here in Madrid, but I am still very curious about the approach to nutrition.  I might even test out a version of this competition style diet more tailored to my body and the Paleo lifestyle.  There will be more on that later once I have done enough research to make a decision for myself.

As for my girl crush, it’s still going strong.

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Feb 25 2012
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basics, food, living in madrid

Excuses and Cheating

For the purposes of this post, I will consider these words to be mutually exclusive.

Excuses

Hello.  Remember me?  Probably not.  My name is Sarah and I am the owner of this little blog.  If you scroll down a bit, you will see some (self-proclaimed) inspiring and down-right hilarious posts all about health and fitness.  That’s because it is my passion.  Makes sense right?

  Not knowing how to turn your passion into a career (yet) = make a blog

So here you are (thank you for coming) and you might be wondering, “Well, why haven’t you been posting regularly?  This is your passion, right? Don’t you have anything to say?”

‘No.’ would be the simple answer to that.

I have literally had the worst writer’s blog of all time during the month of February.  I would literally think about my cute little site everyday and go blank.

‘I have nothing to write about.’

I was completely uninspired and for that, I apologize.

(Notice I tried to make up for it by uploading a picture in my last post.  Poor form, Sarah.)

Cheating

So after my 21-Day Detox, I was feeling great!  I was feeling healthy, fit, and inspired.  I was also feeling slightly leaner and more focused in the gym.  You can read all about that here.

But…. (you knew that was coming)

But, the sights and smells and tastes of Europe got the better of me.  Passing by the pastry shop everyday on my way to work is no easy task, and I dare even the strictest of Paleo followers to not just consider stopping in.

Make that a double dare.

As you might expect, I did stop in once.  And then twice.  And then before I knew it, the “control” over my sweet tooth had sprinted out of my body, nowhere to be seen.

The past month I have found myself really struggling to battle the evil sweet tooth.  It sounds dumb but for those of you who love sweets, you know what I am talking about.  It’s like another person in your brain making excuses for why it’s acceptable to indulge ‘just this once’.  But it’s never just once, is it?

So maybe those two words are not mutually exclusive after all….

I think I was having trouble being inspired to write because I was feeling a bit out of control of my health.  It’s hard to write a health blog when you aren’t living a healthy lifestyle.  Anyways, this post is serving not only as an update for you as to where I have been, but as a reality check for myself.  An honest update about why I haven’t been writing.  There. I said it.  Moving forward.

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Jan 14 2012
2 Comments
challenge yourself

Change of plans.

So by the turn of the new year, I really didn’t have a solid set of New Year’s resolutions to attempt (and subsequently … most likely fail).  Hell, I didn’t even have one!  I kept saying that I was going to drink less coffee this year.  But c’mon! I live in EUROPE now!! You can’t just ditch coffee.  It’s practically sinful to turn away a café con leche (or americano in my case).  And there were a few reasons why I wouldn’t be successful with this resolution:

1.  I love the taste of coffee.
2.  I teach a couple classes at 8am.
3.  I like to be social sans alcohol (most days)
4.  Coconut cream + coffee = heaven in a mug
5.  …8am.  aka the class begins at 8am.  Don’t ask me what time I set my alarm clock for.

what my morning looks like. notice the time. do you understand now why this isn't going anywhere? thought so.

Anyways, so my consumption of coffee over the past 14 days has not changed one bit and I don’t intend for it to.  However, over the past 14 days I have come across a few bad habits that I feel are worthy of becoming “resolutions” for 2012.  So without further ado…

My 2012 Resolutions

  • Instead of ditching coffee completely (never going to happen), use it to better myself.  Start waking up earlier and being more productive in the mornings.  Essentially, become a morning person…with a little bit of caffeinated help.
  • Practice my Spanish everyday.  You would think this would be easy seeing as how I live in Spain with two roommates who speak Spanish.  Well, obviously it is not otherwise it wouldn’t be in my list of resolutions.  Because I am so acclimated, I can go an entire day (or more) without speaking Spanish.  This is just unacceptable.  I am determined to become fluent!
  • Eat more slowly.  I am notorious for literally inhaling food like a Hoover.  Bad habit that needs to be addressed.
  • Drink more water.  No explanation needed.
  • Wash my hair more often.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  I probably wash my hair about twice a week (if you’re lucky).  I could honestly go longer than that but the reason why I should wash it more often is because it really cuts down on the tangling if I wash it more frequently.  I only shampoo about once a week, but I condition every time!  I am aiming for an every-other-day routine.
  • 5 pull ups.

crazy hair. don't care.

So there you have it, people.  My list of goals for 2012. 

What are your resolutions?  Have they changed in the past two weeks?  Have you been successful so far?  Tell me all the gory details!!!!

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Nov 09 2011
1 Comment
oh my thank you, workouts

Thanksvember 2011: Thunder Thighs

I am thankful for my muscular legs and the work I put in to sculpt them.  They walk my happy ass all over this city without losing a breath.  Yeah, I might have trouble jean shopping.  But who cares?  Why would I want to cover them up with jeans anyways?  Be thankful for your body and proud of the work you have done to reach your goals.  Thunder thighs are two trophies you can always show off.  So be thankful and let ‘em show, ladies.

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Oct 16 2011
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basics, life

this is your life

I was feeling like I needed a bit of inspiration or motivation today so I thought I would share with everyone!

The Holstee Manifesto

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Oct 03 2011
1 Comment
life

take it easy

Suddenly, being out of school feels a bit like being laid off from a job.  I don’t even know what to do with myself.  Except there is so much to do.  Apparently finding a good job that pays me adequately and doesn’t require an hour-long excursion into the suburbs of Madrid is a bit harder than I had expected.  This may sound a bit conceited, but I have always gotten what I wanted.  Not because I am spoiled or anything but because I know how to ‘walk the walk and talk the talk’ with the best of them.  That is, until I entered the teaching world three days ago.  I have no fucking clue what I am doing.  All I know is I don’t have much time to figure it out before I am broke.

I had a lovely afternoon exploring new areas of the city with my friend Gina and got to snap a few shots of some lovely views.  We visited Circulo de Bellas Artes where you can see some stunning scenery from their rooftop for a measely 2 euro – totally worth it!

After stressing all day (and currently as I type), I need to remember to take it easy.  Everything always happens for a reason.  The right job, the right people, the right situations will enter your life at the exact moments that they are meant to and for the right circumstances.  It’s so easy to lose focus to stress, but we are always in control of our own being and as my favorite expression states, “happiness is a choice“.

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