What Have You Done For Me Lately?

I began my online fitness coaching career just a short 9 months ago. But already, I can't even remember my life without coaching in it! I think I may have found my passion. I thought I would list out just a few of the benefits coaching has brought to me:

• I lost 7 pounds. I got involved in Beachbody by drinking Shakeology and completing the PiYo workout program. The shakes curbed my cravings and gave me energy to get through the workouts harder! And the PiYo toned and leaned out my body. Since then, I've completed the 21 Day Fix, Hammer and Chisel, and 21 Day Fix Extreme programs and I've never felt stronger!! I can't tell you how awesome it felt to go to my annual doctor's appointment, and step on that scale and have them tell me it went down several pounds. It feels great to beat the statistics that say most people continually gain weight each year you get older.
• I am so much more aware of clean eating and whole foods eating. Am I perfect? Hell to the no! (I completely blame my husband for that, by the way). But I thought I ate pretty well before I started coaching. Now I'm so much better. I continue to learn each day and find new ways to cook healthier, shop healthier, become more informed, and eat a larger variety of whole foods!
• Coaching has given me so many opportunities to ever-so-slightly push myself outside of my comfort zone. I'm an introvert and I consider myself shy. I hate being "salesy." But I found coaching does not need to be salesy. I've gotten much more comfortable just sharing my story and little bits and pieces of myself. I feel that much more comfortable in my own skin too. Maybe it comes with age, but I really have started to care less what people think about me. Not all the time, of course, I still unfortunately and probably subconsciously censor myself because of concerns of what people will think, but it's definitely getting better! And those little moments of stepping outside my comfort zone have carried over into other parts of my life.
• Positivity. I am so into inspirational quotes now, people probably want to punch me in the face sometimes. But I really think they help. If you can find something to connect with in a certain tough moment, it can help carry you through that moment! I have had a really rough year with some personal and family issues, and these quotes have given me the hope I need at varying times. As someone who struggles with and continues to struggle with self-esteem and self-worth, I hope to help others to feel better about themselves. I truly truly believe ALL of the problems in our lives are related to low self-esteem (either our own or someone else's) and we need to change that. One of the 3 Vital Behaviors of a coach is to spend at least 10 minutes per day on personal development. This is my favorite part. I'm focusing on improving myself not for selfish reasons but to better help others! I listen to podcasts, read blogs or books, or watch motivational videos.
• Moving toward financial freedom. I am using the extra $200-$400 a month that I am currently earning from coaching to pay down debt. My Big Scary Goal is to eventually achieve financial freedom--pay off all debt including my mortgage and retire from my "real" job within 10 years. Who knows if it will happen, but if you shoot for the moon, you'll land among the stars! (See what I did there with the inspirational quote thrown in?)

I am focused on creating a life that I design. I'm still not sure exactly what that means yet and I'm sure it will morph, but I'm loving the direction I'm heading! If you'd like to learn more about what I do, head over to www.facebook.com/SandyKiley and "like" my page! I'd love to hear from you!

Refocus, Recommit, Reenergize

Here it is...the end of the first month of 2016. How are you doing on your 2016 goals/resolutions? Have you already fallen off the wagon? If so, IT'S OK. Every single day can be New Year's. You don't have to wait for next January 1, or even a Monday to start anew. Just refocus, recommit, and reenergize!

I have most definitely not been perfectly achieving my goals that I set. However, I do revisit them weekly and try to plan out how I will continue to work toward them. What worked this week, and what didn't? What can I do in the future to make those instances of "not working" fewer?

Sometimes just changing one thing can be the key to revitalizing your momentum. Drink more water, plan to get more sleep, join my Challenge Groups, start a new workout program. Automate your payments, save every $5 bill, bring lunch to work one day a week.

Here's a great article from Bodybuilding.com with 61 Fitness Tips to Make 2016 Your Year of Change...there are some great ideas to get you back on track!

Let me know what your favorite tips are below!

We Are What We Repeatedly Do

I think I've figured it out. The key to lifestyle change is...HABITS. Doesn't that sound easy? Yes! Have I mastered it? NO! But, figuring it out is the first step and I think I've already set up a few keystone habits that have helped me.

To me, a habit is an action so ingrained in you or your schedule that you don't even have to think about doing it anymore...in fact, it's not an option or a decision that you even have to make. It just IS what you do.  So, how do you establish habits? Well, here are some tips to developing good habits.

1. Surround yourself with a supportive environment. For me, this means laying out my workout clothes by my bed every night, so that I have less excuses for my morning workout. It means spending the time on the weekends to chop veggies and fruits and prepare healthy snacks and meals. It means using technology and apps if that's your thing to track your water intake or set reminders to drink your water.

2. Think about the good things you want to do, instead of the bad things you shouldn't do. What is your new habit adding to your life? Don't think of waking up early as losing time sleeping; think of it as gaining an hour or two to accomplish your goals or take more time for self-care.

3.  Make your promises public so people can track your progress and hold you accountable. That's right...go ahead and Facebook it! I'm telling you, I've seen it work! And it may just inspire others to do the same.

4.  Find a success buddy. Make sure it is someone close enough to you to tell you the truth!

5.  Use competition for optimum performance, if that's your thing. Personally, this approach seems to backfire for me--I cave under pressure. But there's a reason The Biggest Loser competitions have taken the workplace by storm and people have as many Fitbit friends as Facebook friends.

6.  Celebrate your achievements! Whether it's publicly or just a little internal pat on the back, make sure you take the time to recognize your efforts and successes.

7.  Be willing to be boring! You've probably heard this before--your willpower is actually a finite resource that is used up with each decision you have to make throughout the day, whether it's what outfit to wear or what to eat. This is why Steve Jobs wore the same black shirt each day. It was one less thing he had to "waste" his willpower and decision-making on. So make things so routine that you don't even think about them anymore. I plan my workouts for 5:30 every morning, no matter the day. I wake up, put my workout clothes on, let the dog out, turn on the coffee maker, drink my preworkout, and get going. Every single morning. I use a scheduled workout plan so I don't have to decide which workout I "feel" like doing that day. Every single day I make my chocolate Shakeology for breakfast. Yes, I'll admit it, it's boring. But it works and I don't have to spend much energy thinking about it!

8.  Reward yourself. Treat yourself to a mani-pedi, buy new workout clothes or a new set of weights, get a massage, or just treat yourself to a special outdoor workout in a place you might not usually have time to drive to. It doesn't have to be expensive; it just goes back to taking a moment to recognize your achievements.

9. Lastly, if you're just getting started with habit development, consider starting with an incredibly small habit; one that's so small, almost ridiculous, that you can't not do it. If you want to start working out, commit to doing a 1-minute workout daily. If you want to start meditating, begin with 1 minute a day. You might think, "What good will one minute do?" It will do a great deal in establishing consistency, that's what!

If you want more information on habit development and it's benefits, some great resources include BJ Fogg's website and Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habits book.

Nice to Meet YOU

Thanks for visiting my new blog! I wanted to give a little introduction to myself and my life and my purpose here to start.

My name is Sandy, and I am a 42-year-old (42?!) wife to my amazing and inspiring husband, mother to two awesome teenage children and a snuggly dog, as well as a Beachbody online health and fitness coach, a physical therapist, and a Pilates instructor.

As you may assume from my varying careers, I’m into the body, and wellness, and all of that. But even more than that, the older I get, the more self-aware I get (one of the perks of getting older) and I want to help every person who reads this to just feel better about themselves, whether that has to do with your physical health or one of the many other Eight Dimensions  of Wellness included in the image below as delineated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health  Services Administration (SAMHSA).  This is my goal…not because I’ve got it all figured out (hell, no!) but because I am on a quest to learn as much as I can to feel better, look better, perform better, and BE better for myself, my family, and everyone I come in contact with. Hence, the name of this blog, “The YOU Project.” I want this community to think of yourself and your life as a never-ending project, always able to improve, always striving to push yourself and build yourself up just a little bit more, with the benefit of others helping and supporting each other along the way!

So, please feel free to comment below each post, including this one, giving me your thoughts on the post! Today, take some time to introduce yourself to the community of readers, tell us your goals, tell me what you would like to hear about, or just say “hi!” I can’t wait to get started with this project!