Mind Your P's and Q's.

Planning, Persistence and Patience are key components in achieving many things in life.  It's how you apply the components that determine the outcome.  Seems simple enough yet we make it more complicated than necessary.

Planning takes time.  It takes effort.  It's not always fun. Nobody plans to fail but it is part of the process.  When failure rears it's ugly head, a decision needs to be made to push forward to reach your goals or give in and give up. This is where persistence takes charge.  If your not persistent, failure wins. Persistence sucks.  It can take a long time.  It can take a lot of energy.  It can be annoying.  But along comes your friend patience. Patience can be calm.  Patience can be short-lived. Patience can yield rewards.  Patience can run out. Now what?

Back to the plan.  Back to persistence.  Back to being patient. It's a vicious circle.  A circle of life if you will.  You must begin the cycle again and again to get closer to your goals.  If you decide the cycle isn't worth making the rounds, then you don't deserve the rewards.  It's really that simple.  If it's worth doing once, its worth doing again and again.  You may never reach perfection but you will learn a great deal in the process and each time you will improve the quality of the outcome.

So watch your P's and your Q's will follow.

Jewels vs. Tools

What's the best way to a fitness girl's heart? Shiny expensive jewels or tools of the trade?

I've never owned a diamond except for my wedding ring.  Seems a bit unusual for a gal my age. However, it's just never been something that's been important to me.  I don't trust myself to not lose it! I also don't see how baubles improve my life.  They are nice to look at but yield no real benefits. Tools on the other hand aid in the sculpting of my physique and keep me on the road to a long healthy life.

Living a healthy lifestyle is not always cheap.  It costs more than time and energy.  Our bodies adapt and our minds grow bored with the same routines day in and day out.  Creativity becomes essential to keeping us engaged and our bodies making progress. Without change, we remain the same. This is where the tools come in.

Training occurs in many environments and uses a variety of tools.  The tools can be cheap and simple like a jump rope, a bench or a bungee cord.  They can also be more complex like equipment found at a gym - step mill, elliptical, nautilus machines, free weights, etc. There are also 'in-between' tools such as kettle bells, TRX straps, ab wheel, weight vest, training sled, val slides, bosu ball or a balance disk.  It's the manner in which you put these tools to work that determines how useful and productive they will be for you.

Training doesn't have to be complex, it just needs to be done smart.  Don't spin your wheels unless you are on a bike.  Don't run in circles unless you're doing wind sprints.  Don't weigh yourself down unless you can pick yourself up. You can muscle up by training smarter, not longer. If you feel the need to chew the fat, make sure you are talking to the right person about the big picture. There is a great deal of information about training but very few actually understand the science behind it. It matters.  Be a shiny gym jewel rather than a diamond in the rough.

My boyfriend has given me many, if not all, of my gym jewels!  I love them!  To me, it is a sign of love, affection and support. He is my biggest cheerleader in the lifestyle that I have chosen to live.  He knows the value of the gym jewels.  He is my coach, trainer, nutritionist and partner in life.  The long term value of my gym jewels outweigh the biggest diamond money can buy.  My health is more valuable than any diamond.

My gym jewels are baubles that will get polished with my sweat and chiseled with my grip and ground with my muscle. These baubles are worth their weight and I'm more than happy to show them off.