It’s always fascinated me why so many people seek out personal trainers.

Of course, they want to achieve their goals of losing weight, getting back in shape or overcoming some nagging injury that’s holding them back from staying physically active.

But, whenever I consulted with a new client the answers I’ve always found most intriguing are one like:

“I know what I need to do to lose weight but I just don’t do it”

“I know I need to exercise”

“I know I need to start eating better”

“Why don’t you do it?” I would ask.

Then there’s the list of reasons that includes something like any of the following:

“I just can’t seem to find the motivation”

“I start out good then I just stop”

“My life is too busy right now”

They seem to have the answers to achieve their goals within themselves but they tell me how they want me to ‘motivate’ them.

Now, I love being a positive influence and helping people achieve goals in health, fitness and life but the one message to really grasp is that motivation must come from within ourselves.

Sure we can find a source of motivation from sources outside of ourselves but that’s only temporary.

If we’re going to see our goals through from start to finish then we need a constant source of motivation which we can only find within ourselves.

If we depend on people, places or things all of which are external sources we’ll find ourselves lacking the drive to keep ourselves going in the face of adversity.

• Your workout partner quits on you

• The gym is closed

• Your favorite group fitness class is no longer offered

• Your awesome exercise instructor moves out of town

Now what?

What will you do?

Give up on your goals?

When your source of motivation is externally guided you give up your power to create the results you want.

There are challenges that will surely come our way during our journey toward our fitness goals.

And it’s only when we have the DESIRE to achieve the goals we set out for that we will move mountains and let nothing stand in our way of getting there.

Our real desire and motivation comes from knowing WHY we want our goals.

Having a BIG enough reason to reach your goals is what gets you out of bed in the morning to push through those grueling workouts, to stay away from that slice of pizza or that piece of cake, to do just one more rep when you’ve got nothing left in the tank.

It’s what keeps you committed and focused when you need it most.

And, it comes from within YOU!

In the video below I share the #1 reason why most people sabotage themselves, how to put an end to it and find your motivation to reach those goals you set out to achieve:

YOU are stronger than you know!

YOU are powerful beyond belief!

YOU are your source of motivation!

Let NOTHING stand in your way of success!

Here’s one of the most effective goal achievement plans I’ve personally used to go from goal setting to goal getting by achieving more in 90 days than I had in the past year.

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I came up with this recipe late one afternoon when I realized I hadn’t any good ideas of what to eat for dinner.

I didn’t want the same ol’ same ol’ and when I looked to see what we had in the freezer all I saw was chicken breast.

Now, eating clean, nutritious foods is a MUST when you’re trying to lose fat and look and feel your best but there’s only so many times you feel like eating plain old chicken breasts.

After a while it’s just bland, bland, bland.

So, I started thinking about a different way to make chicken rather than baking or grilling it and the idea popped in my head to make chicken soup.

But, I didn’t want just plain chicken nor did I want to add pasta noodles that are processed or whole grain types that are filled with gluten.

In the end, I came up with the perfect solution that my wife and my 4 year-old daughter LOVED.

It’s easy to make, you can get all the ingredients without busting your bank account and it’s flat out delicious.

Try out my Burstin’ with flavor chicken veggie soup:

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 32-oz chicken broth
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 3 celery stalks (chopped)
• 3 carrots (sliced)
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow squash (diced)
• 1 zucchini (diced)
• 1 leeks (sliced)
• 4 small red potatoes (diced) – if you’re a bit ‘carb sensitive’ as I am then prepare this dish without the potatoes
• 1/4 head of cabbage (shredded)

Directions:

• Boil the chicken breasts in a pot filled with water for about 20-30 minutes
• Dice up the chicken breasts and set aside
• In a big pot add the olive oil (and a little diced fresh garlic if you prefer) and heat on low-medium
• Add the onion, carrots and celery and allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions start to become transparent
• Add the chicken and the broth, cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes
• *Note: you want enough broth to just cover all the ingredients so add more if needed
• Add the rest of the veggies EXCEPT for the cabbage, cover and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft but not mushy
• Add the cabbage and use a ladle to gently push it under the liquid then continue to simmer for another 5 minutes

Add sea salt and black pepper to your liking and enjoy!

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The New Year is in full swing and if you’re like most people who have made resolutions to lose weight and get fit this year you’ve probably started out strong by working out, eating better, doing cardio, attending group exercise classes and making strides towards your goal.

But, all of a sudden you got back into your work schedule, family commitments happened and life just got in the way and you’ve gotten off track. You’ve now entered the danger zone where you just might be ready to give up on your goal.

But, what happened to your motivation in just these few short weeks?

As a fitness professional for over 11 years I’ve worked with clients who had the best intentions and while many went on to reach their fat loss and fitness goals there are those who for whatever reason didn’t.

So, what’s the difference between those who achieve their goals versus those who fail?

Read the rest of this entry »

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Earlier today I competed in my first Toastmasters speaking contest.

The topic was to deliver a humorous speech and I came up with a couple of life lessons I’ve learned that have helped me overcome some very challenging times over the years.

I won this contest which means I’m moving up to compete in the division contest this coming October.

Anyway, here’s the video of my speech ‘Learning Life’s Lessons’:

My second speech was an improptu answering the question if I could relive any age what would it be:

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Here’s a little something I found very inspirational…

…It’s the story about Olympic Skater Dan Jansen.

He fell,

He failed,

He failed again,

But, it wasn’t his failures that defined him…

…It’s what he CHOSE to do about it that made all the difference.

We all face our challenges…

We all fall down from time to time…

We all fail from time to time…

But, we can ALWAYS get back UP, dust ourselves off and get back on track.

We don’t have to be Olympic gold medalists…

We don’t have to be world record holders…

But, we can choose to be the strongest and best that we can be.

We can expect more of ourselves than others do.

Don’t short change yourself.

Don’t ever count yourself out.

And, NEVER ever give up!

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