"Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can't, You're Right."

   This is actually an email I wrote to my clients about developing the right mindset to achieve your goals, but it's something I really feel strongly about so I thought I'd share it here as well:

     I'm going to start my first email to you with a quote that I use as inspiration in my daily life and one that believe is very important to think about in regards to reaching your goal.

    Believing that you can accomplish something is the first (and possibly most important) step to actually achieving your goal. If you believe that you can achieve it you will find a way to do it, if you don't think it is possible you will find excuses. Why are you going to take the time and effort to work towards something if you don't think you will ever get there?

    So the first step to reaching your goals is really believing that it you CAN do it. Of course it will take hard work and it won't happen overnight, in fact it's going to take dedication and consistency over a few months (more or less depending on the goal). But If you KNOW that eventually you WILL achieve it, then you can view each workout you put in and every well balanced high nutrient meal you eat as getting you closer to that goal (same goes for any other behavior necessary for reaching your goal  i.e. every time I study I get closer to passing my nutrition certification.)

    On the other hand if you don't think it is possible, you may think to yourself (even if its subconsciously), "why am I going to take these steps if it's not going to get me to my goal anyway?"  Your much less likely to make the time to workout, to push yourself to the limit, to fuel your body correctly because you don't see it as getting you any closer to your end goal.

    It really becomes a self full filling prophecy: You think you can achieve it, so you put the work in day after day even though some days are tough and you might not feel like it (and I believe the days that are tough and you really have to motivate yourself to get it done are the days where you make yourself stronger both mentally and physically). You get it done because YOU KNOW that it's going to get you to where you want to be.  Eventually you reach your goal and the work was more than worth it, and then you set new goals. Goals you might not have even thought were possible before but now you know with dedication anything is possible.

                                                                Or

      You have a goal(s), but you don't truly believe it's attainable. You put some work in, especially in the beginning, but if you don't feel like getting out of bed one morning or you aren't in the mood to push yourself that day, you skip it. You think, " what does it matter, I'm never going to reach my goal anyway. " And so you make very little progress and get even more discouraged. You're even less motivated to workout/ eat right/ any other behavior that moves you toward your goal (because you don't see them as things that will get you there) and eventually you give up. You just proved yourself right.


I'm going to relate this to my own life as an example.

  Big confession: I can't drive. Over the past 7 years I've taken my road test 2 or 3 times (don't remember haha) and haven't even reached the three point turn or parallel park before failing. I have this mental block where I truly don't believe that I can drive. The few times I took my test I really didn't put in enough practice. I didn't think I could do it so I didn't make the time to practice and improve. And as a result I further confirmed my thought that; "yes, I was right, I can't drive."

    I am working on believing that it IS possible. That every time I go out and practice driving I will get a little closer to actually being able to do it. It is not easy. It takes concentrated effort just to change your thought process. To, every time a negative thought comes into your head, take it and turn it into a positive thought.

   Every time I think about driving, I feel self doubt creeping into my head and I'm making it a point to squash that doubt by thinking, "Yes, driving is something that is difficult for you, but it's NOT IMPOSSIBLE. Have you ever put in 100% (or even 80%) effort to achieve it? No. So until you are making the effort to practice driving at least 3-4 times a week for 30+ minutes consistently ( 2-3 months), don't you dare tell yourself that you can't do it. You CAN do it, you just haven't put in the time and effort needed yet."

   
    I'm challenging you all :), to think about your goals and whether or not you truly believe they're possible. And I want you to know that I 100% believe they are achievable with CONSISTENT hard work and effort over time. The more consistent and persistant you are, the sooner you will see the results you want.


    "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than ANY obstacle. " ~ Christian D. Larson


Looking Forward To Womens Swimwear For The Coming Season

Summer is fast approaching, and you know what that means; it is time to bare all. In your swimsuit, that is! Maybe you have dieted, worked out or started taking yoga classes in order to shape up for the body baring season that is summer, but don’t forget the most important aspect of the season; your swimsuit.

It may be the smallest ensemble you wear all season, but that does not mean it is the least important. Your swimsuit serves not only to keep you covered up on the beach, but to make a statement as well; and that statement is a fashion statement. Whether you are on the beach, by the pool or on a boat you want to look as fabulous as possible, which is why you should look forward to womens swimwear for the upcoming summer season.

Womens swimwear this season is more fabulous than ever. Gone are the days of boring womens swimwear; this summer, the hottest looks are bold and beautiful. One of the hottest new looks in womens swimwear this season is pattern. Even the smallest of bikinis are rocking a bold pattern, whether it is peacock feathers, paisley or stripes. Patterns are everywhere this summer, including on swimsuit cover ups. The bolder the pattern, the more fabulous the beach wear.
With pattern comes color and this season’s womens swimwear is no stranger to bold, vibrant hues. Think bright; blues, yellows, reds, oranges and pinks are hotter than ever but the most popular color you will see this season in womens swimwear is purple. Purple is everywhere this summer, and if you want to have the most fashionable swimsuit on the beach, think purple.

Now that you know to look for vibrant colors and bold patterns you need to know which styles are the must haves for this summer. The most classic look on the beach is the bikini, and like every year, the bikini is as fashionable as ever. However, this summer you will see altered forms of the classic triangle top bikini. Designers are including more bandeau tops in their collections; which is a great look for women looking to avoid unflattering tan lines this year. Also, the tankini is going to be big this year. Perfect for women that want the convenience of a bikini with modest lines, the tankini is a look that many women are opting for this summer.

This summer, sexy is going to a whole new level with the monokini; the one piece swimsuit with cutouts. Monokinis can be modest, with a small cutout on the side or back or it can be extreme, smaller than a bikini with only a small strap that connects the top and bottom. This look is one of the hottest on the beach this summer; wear one with a bold print, a vibrant color or pick on in a solid neutral and accessorize it with bold jewelry, a big hat, modern sunglasses and a killer pair of espadrilles.

This summer, there is a lot to look forward to when it comes to swimsuit shopping.

By: chickie maxwell

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

MyReviewsNow offers information regarding womens swimwear. To learn more about womens swimwear, visit our website at MyReviewsNow.net.




Dating Traffic

Why Russian Women Are Chosen As Life Partners?

Way back in the 90s when western men first arrived in Russia, they were dazzled by beautiful Russian women. Soviet women have that pretty looks and every day they become more and more beautiful. This is their peculiarity. Russian women are supposed to be very sensitive, family inclined in comparison with western women.


Marrying Russian women has some benefits for western men. Russian women are adventurous and brave. They usually make comfortable atmosphere in an emotional aspect when it comes to family. That is the quality western women usually lack. This makes foreign men be attracted to Russian women and determined to search for a Russian woman as their life partner.

Nowadays the criteria selection of a Russian woman as their life partner becomes stronger among western men. It is also due to the reason that they seek some kind of an adventure in their family life. They need a woman who can support them at times of crisis or help in reaching their goals. Russian women have this quality of being stronger when it comes to overcome various difficulties in life.

They are always ready to face such difficulties. In fact life in marriage is much more comfortable when one marries a Russian woman. Marriage with western women often ends with a short span leading to divorce and bitter separation. A proper dress code is maintained by Russian women keeping in mind that they need to look beautiful all the time. Dressing up like models with good make-up and pretty dresses, their beauty really makes one speechless. And one cannot stop admiring them. One always seeks a fresh wave of air in their lives and Russian women have that scent that is like a magic perfume spread across the atmosphere attracting western men.

We also found that one of the reasons why western men prefer Russian women as their brides is that Russian women play greater importance when it comes to family life. They give love and care about their husband or kids. They also take care of the entire home without any complains. This is of course desired by every man who wants a perfect housewife handling all the core family duties during his absence. We can say a family-oriented woman is desired by western men and that can be seen only in Russian women. Men do not like independent and career oriented women who may take priority in work rather than family life.

And a question arises now: how can we reach these Russian women for dating? It became very easy with the Internet being the major connection channel. One may find lots of Russian dating sites that have profiles of some beautiful Russian women. These dating sites also arrange meetings with Russian women that you have selected from their site. If the meeting goes well and both of them accept each other then it leads to happily married life.

The internet surely proved to be a great advantage for foreign men who cannot spend time and money for personally visiting Russia and searching for their life partners. You need to spend money on tickets and other trip costs. Online dating will give you a chance first to choose and then to learn your potential bride beforehand. And only when you have some dates with your Russian woman online and feel that it’s worth having a personal interaction with her. After that you may decide to go to Russia to meet your chosen girl. So, if you are planning to marry a Russian woman then plan it perfectly by getting information about her through these dating sites. Let those agencies arrange some meeting with the woman you liked. You will surely get the best life partner.

By: Mike Belch

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

The success of marriages with Russian women from BeHappy2Day has its certain explanation.



Dating Traffic

Lift For The Bikini!

  Happy 2012!!

For the New Year I figured I update my site to better reflect my training philosophy, so "Run for the Bikini" is now officially "Run (and Lift!) for the Bikini!" :D   I know it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but I can't emphasis enough the effect lifting has on both changing your physique, improving athletic performance, and instilling confidence.  Those are the Big 3 things that keep me motivated to workout  (not in that order) so I'm sticking to it, like it or not :P

I've written in my recent posts about how I've been following the Jamie Eason LiveFit Trainer since September.  I finished the first round the day before Christmas, took that week off diet wise (I did still lift   daily) and started back at the beginning this past Monday.  I am adjusting things slightly this time to meet  my specific needs/goals, but for the most part I follow it as written.

    I've had AMAZING results with it and it helped me reach some goals that I was "so close, but yet so far" from achieving. 

     For 1, my pull-up/ chin-ups.  Early in the program I achieved my first 2 dead hang chin-ups, I can now proudly say I'm up to 3 dead hang chins, 1 glorious dead hang pull-up and I even did a chin-up with a 5lb KB on my foot. 

Inspired by Girl Gone Strong, Neghar Fonooni:

  So Freaking Gorgeous!!!   

~ Goal for 2012 : 20lb KB Pull-up/Chin-up.  For right now I'm going to work on increasing my number of non-weighted ones :)

    #2 THE HUGE, NEVER ENDING QUEST TO BREAK 20 MINUTES THAT I NEVER THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN. 

     Even though I broke it twice, it still feels a little unreal to me, ESPECIALLY running 19 Flat.  

     The more shocking part of it is the training that led me to run that fast.  This is how cardio is laid out in the JE Trainer: Phase 1 (4 weeks) - NO Cardio, Whatsoever! (although I personally ran a few races) Phase 2 (4 weeks) - 3-4 times a week medium intensity cardio Phase 3 (4 weeks)- Sprints, 30 seconds on/ 30 seconds off for 30 minutes (I usually went at a 10.5- 11.2 pace for my on, jumped my feet to the sides and rested for the off).  

      I think what affected my race times the most was a combination of these 4 things: 

   1) Increased leg strength and also gaining upper body strength made me a stronger, faster runner.

   2) Losing exclusively body fat, you know how they say each lb of bf you lose takes a few seconds off your time, I know whole heartedly believe that.  And with this program I preserved all (and even added some) muscle while losing 10lbs (mostly fat, some water), as evident with my body fat % dropping from   23% to 16-17%

   3) SPRINTS!  Since speed has always been my weaker point, improving upon it had a huge impact on my performance.  In those weeks leading up to my 19 minute 5k, my running training was exclusively those 30 on/ 30 off sprints (with a short warm-up/ cool down), I did not do a single steady state run.  I don't recommend this to everyone looking to improve their 5k times, but as I said speed being my weakness this worked for me.  If you are the type of runner who has a lot of speed but lacks endurance this mort likely wont have the same results for you.  

   4) Phase 3 of the program includes plyometrics as active rest and a whole lot of jump roping.  This made my lifting in this phase as much of a cardio workout as a strength one.  It also improved my power and overall conditioning.

~ Goal for 2012: Sub-19 Baby (I'm ridiculously close to this but I have a feeling I'm going to go a little backwards before I PR again)

#3 It's January and I would feel perfectly confident if I had to wear a bikini tomorrow :)

   

     Honestly I've never had this kind of definition in my life, and I'm LOVING it!

This is a progress pic from beginning of December- 2 & 1/2 months into my first round of the trainer.

Taken 4 days ago, I gained a little bloat weight over the holiday week, but after this week of eating clean and lifting heavy I'm back to where I was when I finished the trainer on 12/23.

    This go around I am really looking to put on some lean muscle mass.  I ended my first round a few lbs under my goal weight which I don't mind, but I don't want to lose anymore weight.  I'm taking the "no cardio in Phase 1 rule" very seriously which is a little scary (for me), but at least its January so there isn't much racing going on.  And I'm amazed at how much clean food I have to eat to keep weight on, much less gain weight while lifting.  

~Goal for 2012: Continue to gain muscle and possibly. . . enter a bikini comp? Eeeek!

  Ohh and another thing I'm pretty darn proud of: Back Squatting #135 for multiple sets of 5 reps.  It's not all that heavy but it's 20+ lbs more than my bodyweight, so it makes me extremely giddy :)

~Goal for 2012 February/March 2012: Back Squating 155 for sets of 5, 165 for sets of 3, 175 1 RM

     If you incorporate resistance training/lifting into your workouts, how has it helped you achieve your goals?