IT'S 2013! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! NOW CHANGE...

Resolution: a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something; the act of  resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.; the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

Well, 2013 snuck up on us so fast, I'm sure some of you are wondering how you arrived exactly where you are.  Minutes creep into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, months into a year, and all of a sudden you realize you haven't accomplished anything more than making it through every day.

YUCK!  What a depressing thought that sometimes we do little more than make it from minute to minute.  Everyone makes New Year's Resolutions, even those people who say they don't make them.  They are like so many other people who don't want to share their resolutions out loud, because this means accountability, and accountability means people there watching them if they fail.  We all  view the new calendar year as an opportunity to become a better person, change who we have been, and move on toward our larger goals.  The problem is, so few of us actually make a plan, take charge, and work toward those goals.

I want to share a few links and resources that I have been blessed to find on my new journey in the fitness field.  First, is the Beachbody Company, which includes all of their programs, products, and supplements. There is a program for everyone, a nutrition guide with every program, and a support team available 24/7 to help anyone who needs motivation moving forward.  I'm sure this seems like an endless plug for a company I work for, (and I do so because I truly believe in their products and programs), but there are quite a few realities that come to light after reading Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.

Mainly, when you exercise you are smarter.  Period.  So imagine, that you can change yourself mentally, be more positive, more productive, and overall better at everything that you do just by getting a combination of strength and cardio exercise.  WAIT. WHAT??? All the whining and complaining you do about how you don't have enough time for exercise and proper diet becomes null and void, because if you do those two things, you gain more energy, which makes you more productive, which provides you with even more time.  STOP MAKING EXCUSES!!!  That, BTW, is exactly what you're doing.  I'm just calling a spade a spade.

The awesome part about Beachbody, is that they offer you the opportunity to learn about diet.  So many programs are just DVD's, and since 80% of how your body looks depends on what you put in it, it seems pretty absurd to only offer people a small percentage of the puzzle.  From there, you can jump into some awesome books about Clean Eating, and then begin really fueling your body so it can function at top capacity at all times.  DOESN'T THAT SOUND AMAZING?!?

Lastly, I want to talk about personal development, and putting it bluntly, getting your shit together.  We all have that one friend who is super organized, and we probably consider them a little bit crazy in one regard, but in another, we envy the control that they have over their lives.  Well, life is about habits; the habit of exercise, the habit of eating right, and the habit of organizing our daily lives.  We just have to learn these habits for ourselves.  In Eat That Frog, Brian Tracy writes, "You can increase your productivity by 25 percent or more--about two hours a day--from the first day that you begin working consistently from a list." (15-16)  HOORAY!!!  We exercise, we gain more time.  We organize our lives into lists, we gain more time.  Read this book.  Once you have read it, make a commitment to change your life, and check out Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Push.  It's free, and it has the potential to change you into someone you had only dreamed of becoming.

So 2013 is going to be your year???  I know it's going to be one of the best of mine.  I'm working every day to make sure that it is amazing, rewarding, productive, and truly reflects who I am as a person, and who I want to become over the next 12 months.  You made a resolution.  Write down your goals, print them out, print out the definition of resolution, and tell yourself every single day:  PEOPLE WHO HAVE GOALS SUCCEED, AND PEOPLE WHO SUCCEED HAVE GOALS.  I AM NOT AFRAID OF FAILURE!!!

I love you guys.  Keep strong.  Change for the better. PUSH PLAY EVERY DAY!!!

<3 Maria