With big things happening all over the world like the royal wedding and the death of Osama bin Laden, it’s easy to forget that there are people still dealing with the aftermath of the tornadoes that touched down in the Southeast recently. I used to live very close to areas that were hit hard so the people there have a special place in my heart. Years ago, I had my own scary tornado experience that involved smashing my truck into a downed tree that was blocking the road. It was nighttime on a curvy back road with rain pouring down and I was alone. I know I had angels watching over me because I hit the tree in the only way possible to keep a large section of the trunk from coming into the cab and smashing into me. Amazingly, I walked away from the accident with no injuries whatsoever, though I can’t say the same for the truck.
I was extremely fortunate, but sadly that’s not the case for those who recently lost so much. I can’t even imagine going through something like that, having to start over…possibly missing loved ones, too. We all need to reach out and help each other and even though we can’t all be there to sort through the piles of rubble or give a hug to someone who’s feeling completely overwhelmed by the loss there is something we can do by donating to the organizations that are there. It’s easy to feel disconnected when you’re not there in the middle of it, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here, another blogger shows unbelievable before and after photos. This video shows damage done in Ringgold, Georgia, just one of the many towns destroyed within a few miles of where I used to live.
For the month of May, any money my husband and I make through our Beachbody coaching sites will be donated to help the families there. So if you or someone you know has been thinking about trying any of the Beachbody fitness programs like P90X, Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, ChaLEAN Extreme and many others or nutrition supplements like vitamins, Shakeology, Results and Recovery drink or P90X protein bars please consider ordering through one of our sites so you can help yourself live a healthier life and also help the people who are trying to rebuild their lives. I can even help you figure out which program is best for you, your lifestyle and your goals. And for each new coach that joins our team, even if it’s just for the 25% discount on the products, we’ll donate $20. To find our Beachbody Coaching websites, send me a message on facebook and I’ll make sure you get the link or you can leave a comment. You can even help just by spreading the word. You can invite your friends and family to pass this info along by going to the facebook event page and inviting them or by sharing this post on facebook, twitter or WordPress. The buttons are just below. Thanks for helping!
As I read a comment on yesterday’s post this morning with a tear of joy in my eye, I was reminded of a video clip on my Turbo Jam DVD. It was part of the “getting to know Chalene Johnson” section and it’s her talking about a phone call she got from a friend who’s pants were falling down. As I watched her tear up as she told the story about such a little thing and how it gave her so much joy to have helped her friend, I knew I’d found something special.
I started doing Turbo Jam when I was at my heaviest, 323.6lbs, and at one of my lowest points mentally and emotionally. Just as much as I needed someone to show me what to do physically, I needed someone who could help me feel like a worthwhile person again and capable of making the changes I needed to in order to get my life back. In that moment when I saw Chalene get so emotional over another person’s success a spark of hope was ignited in me. She was exactly what I needed. (I’m sitting here writing this with tears streaming down my face.)
Now, that little spark has turned into a passion to help others…to pay it forward. The walking group is one of the ways I’m trying to reach out to the people around me. Up until today, the only people who had joined me were friends who don’t live in the apartment complex which is where I advertised the group. But this morning, in response to the flyers that went out yesterday, I got an email from a man who said his “very shy” wife was interested in walking, too. YAY!!! Maybe one person doesn’t seem like much to get excited about, but change happens one person, one decision, one step at a time. I hope to meet her tomorrow morning and that she won’t be too shy to come since it will likely just be the two of us. (As always, scroll over the images for more info.)
It’s really the little things in life that make all the difference. This morning, waking up ten minutes early meant I had time to fix breakfast for my husband and he had time to eat it. It also meant the kids had more time to drink their shakes without me announcing the time every two minutes which normally becomes stressful for all of us. Last night, I forgot one little thing that meant me frantically searching for the camera so I could put the batteries back in and still make it down to the meeting point in time. Turns out I didn’t find the camera, but it could be considered a blessing in disguise because I was forced to use my phone instead which takes better pictures of little things. Perfect since I wanted to talk about little things today.
Though it’s important to be able to see the big picture, it’s the little details that add up to create that big picture. Our lives can be full of joy or misery depending on the details. Take our families. How do we greet each other? Seems like a small thing, but there’s a big difference between being greeted with a smile or a frown. Do we say please and thank you? One or two syllables, but they speak volumes. Any seemingly small thing, repeated day after day, will become the focal point in the big picture. It’s up to us to decide if it will be a thing of beauty or something that makes us want to turn away.
It doesn’t stop at our front door, either. We go out into the world and are faced with thousands of little decisions each day. They way we interact with our co-workers, friends or even strangers makes a huge impact. You may think you don’t have any influence, but you do. Just like one tiny raindrop hitting a puddle makes ripples, a single act of kindness can pass from one person to another, changing the lives of many.
Then, as people join together, looking for ways to make their communities better one person at a time, the effects are even more noticeable.
Then, all those single drops coming together turn into rivers which can bring about huge changes. Ever hear of the Grand Canyon? Of course it doesn’t happen in a day. It takes time, but we all have the same amount in a day. Hour after hour, minute after minute, second after second, moment after moment. It just takes a split second to choose an action that will lead to another and another and another. Sometimes, we only have that split second to take advantage of an opportunity before us so we need to be aware, looking for the chance to make something happen.
Maybe we sometimes think that our attempts are pointless, but we should never give up. Seeds are small, but they can grow into gigantic trees. Buds are small, but they grow into beautiful blooms. It just takes time. We wouldn’t expect a tree to appear as soon as the seed is placed in the ground. We wouldn’t expect a garden to be in full bloom the moment after the buds appear. “Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (One of my favorite verses.)
It all starts with one little thing. How far should I go back? Let’s start with my kids. I needed some adult interaction when the boys were little so I joined a MOPS group because of an invitation from friend I met at church who’s daughter was born on the same day in the same hospital as my son. At that MOPS group, I met another mom who became my close friend and at one point, co-worker. She moved away 😦 and I joined facebook to keep in touch with her. Through facebook, I got in touch with my brother who, if I had ever met him, it was only once when I was a kid and we had basically no contact after that. That led to him coming to visit with his wife and of course, take pictures. Seeing those pictures made me order Turbo Jam which allowed me to see that video of Chalene getting emotional. The motivation I got from her led to me pushing play day after day. My success with that program led me to getting the more challenging version, TurboFire, which I loved and posted comments about on facebook. A coach saw those comments and became my friend which led to her asking me if I wanted to be a coach, too. That decision led to making more friends on facebook, including one who suggested I start posting more stuff on my blog which I started because I wanted to reach more people as a coach. Her suggestion led me to posting my photos from my morning walks which led me to start sharing the thoughts that run through my head while I walk which I hope you are finding helpful. Whew! And that, my friends, is how one little thing leads to another. 🙂
Never underestimate the power of the pen (or computer). Whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or reach any kind of goal one of the most effective ways to do it is writing down what you’re doing and where you want to go.
I’ve been working out pretty regularly for a while now, but when I weighed in last week I found that I really wasn’t losing weight like I had been before. The reason? I was getting slack with my eating habits. I had been sort of tracking what I ate on the bodybugg website, but was finding that by afternoon I wasn’t paying close attention to what or how much I was eating which made it difficult or impossible to track. I knew I had to take control of the situation and decided to start posting my daily food journal. Now I’m accountable to anyone who’s curious about what I’m eating which makes me think twice before I put something in my mouth. I’m not saying everyone has to post their journal, that’s just what it took for me.
If you’re trying to lose weight, you should write down everything you eat unless you’re strictly following the eating plan that came with your workout or using the Team Beachbody meal planner which keeps track of everything for you. There are also lots of great apps that help you keep count of calories, etc.
If muscle and endurance are what you’re after, write down your weights and reps or distance and speed each time you workout. If you don’t have a tracking sheet for your workout, you can print them out from the Team Beachbody website. They key is to have a record of what you’ve done so you can do more each time.
In all parts of life, not just with health and fitness, writing down what you want to achieve will help you stay focussed on what’s really important. Life is too short to waste time in uncertainty. If you feel like you don’t really know what you want out of life or how to achieve it I HIGHLY recommend doing this free 30 day challenge from Chalene Johnson, the creator of Turbo Jam, TurboFire, ChaLEAN Extreme and others. I promise you it will change your life for the better, no matter what state it’s in now.
By the way, in the week that I’ve been posting my food journal I’ve lost 5.6 lbs. : ) If you want to see what I’ve been eating or the photos I’ve been taking on my daily walks or read my ponderings on life, getting healthy and helping in the community you can check out the other categories in my blog. I do post some of the entries on the Team Beachbody website, but there’s much more here on wordpress. : )
Have you ever tried something you thought would be fun or good for you, found it to be difficult, and decided you’re just not good at it? At some point, not being good at that thing becomes so much a part of who you think you are that it never occurs to you to try again. I’ve done that with many things over the years…running, golf, high impact workouts, talking to strangers…to name a few.
When I was placed at the front desk at the dental office where I was working I was so nervous, but it didn’t take long to figure out how to talk to strangers. Most people just want to be treated with respect and to have someone smile and take an interest in them. Easy enough. Not sure why I had such a hard time with that before. Building that confidence made me start to realize I could all kinds of things I never thought possible.
Most of my life I’ve considered myself to not be athletic. That lead to a life long habit of sitting around which meant a lifetime of struggling with my weight. On November 1, 2009 I started Turbo Jam because I had topped out at 323.6 lbs and knew I HAD to do something. It was so hard at first, but my body began to adapt and change. I lost 40 lbs in the first few months. Then I got sick and got off track. All those years of sitting around made it hard to get my momentum back. I needed a challenge so I started TurboFire which is basically Turbo Jam on crack. I assumed that I needed to modify all the moves because I couldn’t do the high impact stuff. The trainer, Chalene Johnson, is a fantastic motivator and is always saying that our own negative thoughts hold us back so one day I decided to jump just to see if I could. Yep, I could. So no more low impact modifications for me. I choose to do more because I can.
Yesterday, I was walking around the school parking lot to pass the time while my son was at basketball practice. My goal was to do 20 laps before the hour was up. As I came around the last corner of lap 14 it occurred to me that perhaps I could jog a lap, so I did. As I came around the last corner of lap 15 it occurred to me that I felt great and perhaps I could jog another lap, so I did. And another. By the end of lap 17 it occurred to me that I could keep going, but I wasn’t wearing the right shoes and my jeans were falling down. Jogging with one hand keeping your pants up is not ideal, though probably hilarious to watch. I went back to walking and ended up completing 25 laps in all. Now I’ve caught the running bug and need to do some shoe shopping.
The point of all this is that we should all take a few moments to think about what we would like to do, but assume that we can’t. Make a list even. Then, try it. Sure it might be difficult and it may require some learning, but what’s wrong with that? We can turn our weaknesses into strengths and inspire others as we do. Doesn’t that sound better than living a life of “I can’t”? Next on my list…golf. What about you?
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