Goals Archives

Making a Decision will Set You Free (Yes, Get Off The Fence!)

Being stuck on the fence gets us NOWHERE!

So, if you’ve been stuck up on the fence, unable to make a decision, paralyzed and afraid to take the jump toward your happiness, I am zooming in today to help you. Today is the day that we will work on making plans and making the decision to get off the fence!

So, how does a person do that?

Here are the 5 Steps To Get Off The Fence. It’s time to make a plan to get happy and making progress in life!

Step 1 — Determine Where You’re Stuck

The first step to get off the fence and live a fulfilling existence, is self-awareness. You have to figure out where you’re blocked, stuck or not making progress. This takes time alone, and the ability to be still and quiet to think about where you are not happy. Exercises such as making two lists: One list called “CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS I WANT TO MAKE”, and the other list is called the “OFF THE FENCE/HAPPINESS ACTION PLAN”. So, for example, if you want to start your own business, on the left hand side, you would write, “Start my own business,” and on the right hand side, it would read, “Moonlight my start-up on the side, working ninety minutes at night and four hours on the weekends until I am making some money and can quit my day-job to focus on my business full time.”

The trick is, the more detailed your two lists are, the better. Post your list in a visible spot. It holds you accountable, and keeps your eye on the prize.

Step 2 — Commit to Doing the Work

Know that nothing will work unless you do. One of my mentors says, “Nobody ever drowned in their own sweat.” It was something that really sunk in and always stuck with me. I believe and and taught my kids that “hard work is always rewarded”. Happiness doesn’t come without a commitment to happiness. Without work. Your happiness is a choice. You getting what you want out of life is YOUR DECISION. And the same holds true for your unhappiness. So, commit to doing the work. Whatever your goals are, commit to hustling to make them happen.

Know that sitting perched on the fence is paralysis. To live stuck is like residing in purgatory. Most people stay stuck because it’s a comfortable place to not have to commit and see something through. But you can’t manifest your highest self without making a decision, no matter how small. It’s about that first baby step. You MUST take it. If you are having a hard time moving forward, consider hiring a private coach to help you! For heaven sakes, take action!

Step 3 — Expand Your Skills

Yes. Expand your skills and commit to learning something new. Often we stay stuck and on the fence because we don’t have the skills and knowledge needed to move forward. So work at getting that knowledge and expand your skills. This could mean taking up a new hobby, enrolling in a course, volunteering, or simply giving away your expertise for free. What I mean here is, if you want to become a PAID speaker for example, speaking for free is a great way to get your name our there, and gain experience and expertise. If you want to start a consulting company, offer coaching or consulting for FREE at the beginning, both to get your feet wet, AND to build a customer base.

Expanding your skills does not only mean just enrolling in courses and acquiring new knowledge, it also means putting the current knowledge you have to work…. (ACTION!)

Step 4 — Get Out There and Meet NEW People

Commit to taking up a new hobby, volunteering, getting more involved in your community, or joining a networking group — for the purpose of meeting NEW people. We often meet the people we need once we get out there and make an effort. When you reach out to people in your network, ask for help, discuss options, then you will acquire the knowledge to help you get off the fence and move towards your goals.

If you allow yourself to just be open, and to join places like your local Community Groups, book club, sports or activity club, a writing group, traveling to live events or finding a mentor….it will naturally happen that you will meet the people who will help you move toward your goals.

Step 5 — Make More Time for the Things You Love To Do

When you do the things you love to do, it helps boost your serotonin levels (the happiness hormone), which aids in fighting depression, and other mood disorders. Doing the things you love can put you in a state of euphoria, lowering your cortisol levels (the bad hormone), which clears your mind and allows you to make good, quality decisions. For me, I love spending time with my sisters — we laugh, have fun, and it does my mind and body good. I also love spending time alone in a bookstore, working on personal development, or just perusing the aisles in an art section of a store. It calms me and regroups me. What is it for you?

When you do what you love, you are being good to yourself. You are spoiling yourself. And spoiling yourself is your right. Feeling good allows you to make clear decisions. Do it, guilt-free.

In the same token, it cannot be stressed enough the importance of the following four factors in sharpening your mind for effective and strategic decision making:

Get a healthy amount of sleep
Maintain an active lifestyle and get daily exercise
Healthy nutrition and superfood to feed the body and mind
Meditation (Spend adequate time to relax without interruption when the mind is quiet)

So my wish for all of you, is to get off the fence as soon as possible!!! it will free up your mind and allow you to move forward in life and achieve great and passionate things!!

To join the Athletic Grandma community and to get your FREE download about how to improve your self-discipline, please click HERE..

(Acknowledgement: ‘The 5 Steps to get off the fence” Adapted from Erica Diamond, at www.womenonthefence.com)

The Comfort Zone is Not a Good Place to be (Its Really True)

I have to admit…the workout this morning was a killer one! 9 rounds of hopping, jumping, twisting, pushing, pulling…on the floor, then off the floor …yup, not an ounce of energy left by the time I was done this 38 minute workout!! ?. I guess a person can think of it this way…by pushing yourself to do something that is difficult and outside what would be considered “easy” that is how you grow and improve! Bonus…I guess it was worth pushing myself today …I will be stronger for the next time and I am building my self-discipline ‘muscle’ which will help me in many other areas of my life too! ??

Wait! …Isn’t it just easier to stay in my comfort zone?

NO!

Each of us has our own “comfort zone” which is far more than a describable place. It is a mental, emotional and behavioral place that kind of is all about the routine of our daily life. When we are in our “comfort zone”, it suggests the place of safety, familiarity and security for us. Being in this place has us comfy and calm, has minimal emotional change, and even is somewhat free of worry. People create a comfort zone at times to have a healthy place to go to relax and enjoy life, which is fine. BUT, stepping out of our comfort zone is what it will take to actually change, grow and transform our lives!!

Experiencing some stress here and there and facing fears is actually a good thing. If all you ever do is strive to stay wrapped up in your little cocoon, keeping warm and cozy, you may be missing out on quite a lot in life. Perhaps you will have little to no new experiences, minimal challenges, and take no risks.

Taking no risks and not facing fears = ZERO progress in life!

Be sure to take time to look at the big picture in your life. It is important to look at every area when thinking about this concept… such as business, personal, family, health, fitness, financial, emotional etc… If you have a hard time stepping out of your comfort zone you may experience difficulty making changes, growing in life, and ultimately, improving your life in amazing ways! Remember, growing as an individual actually helps you to keep up with the times, define your passions and to help give your life personal meaning.

In simple terms, what we fear most about challenging ourselves is that we may fail and/or get hurt in the process. IF we let this stop us, we will never achieve anything! Consider this one…the majority of us totally have the ability to rise up, face fears, overcome obstacles and totally succeed in accomplishing new and challenging things! We just have to WANT to!

Be open minded, face your fears and for heaven’s sake…life live to the fullest by taking chances, challenging yourself and making progress and growing as a person…you will be so HAPPY that you did !!

PS. If you have trouble moving out of your comfort zone due to extreme fear, it may be time to recruit the help of a coach to help you to overcome those fears… life is too short! Time to LIVE!

To join the Athletic Grandma community, and to get a FREE download about 7 ways to increase your self-discipline, click HERE!

Dragging Butt in the Morning? (It May be Worth the Drag)

Getting up early in the morning some days can be pretty rough (I was never a morning person)… today was one of those days. Hit the snooze button too many times, really had to push myself to get up as my whole body was feeling heavy and actually quite lazy.

Once I came downstairs and had a look at what workout was on the menu for today, I actually groaned. It was MMA power sculpt which is a really hard one and my least favorite of them all. Eugh!

I was close to saying “to heck with it, I will do it later”, when I realized that “later” likely won’t happen. Life gets busy in the day and time slips away! I took a deep breath and just made myself do it! It was grueling and difficult for me today. I got tired faster than usual and was sweating a LOT! Was very happy when it was over and felt a sense of real accomplishment that I was able to make myself do something I really didn’t want to do…because it was good for me.

I had to remind myself this morning, of the reasons that I started doing early morning workouts in the first place! The benefits of early morning workouts are incredible! Even if you are not a morning person, keep an open mind, because I felt it was impossible for me to become an early riser at one time, but once I felt the difference, I was hooked!!

The Benefits of Morning Exercise are so worth the drag…here is why…

ROAST THAT METABOLISM for the whole day!

By getting up and doing a workout first thing in the morning, the metabolism gets kicked up and makes you burn more calories and use the food you eat to replenish body and for energy instead of storing it as fat!

NO INTERRUPTIONS!

By getting up early in the morning before anyone else in the house is awake, it prevents the potential for interruptions and allows you to be more consistent with your workout schedule. When I used to do evening workouts, there was always something in “life” interfering with my schedule causing workouts to go way too late or being missed entirely!

IMPROVE NATURAL ENERGY

By getting up and doing an early morning workout, it jacks up our energy to start our day! Morning exercise improves focus and mental abilities the whole day! By working out in the morning, my mind is totally ready to take on whatever tasks are lined up for the day! Exercise has proven to give even more mental alertness and prolonged energy than caffeine!

SELF DISCIPLINE

I talked about self-discipline the other day and just like building on any other habit, success in achieving new habits totally build up your self-discipline “muscle” AHA!! Implementing a morning workout routine will help to increase self-discipline in many other areas of your life too then!

SLEEP BENEFITS

Morning workouts have been shown to improve sleep quality. By working out in the morning, our bodies will have the healthy tiredness that we are supposed to have at the right time (bedtime!). Evening exercise can potentially have the opposite effect because of adrenaline release during exercise and may interfere with sleep quality. Another AHA for me since my sleep used to be much worse with evening workouts!

BE SUCCESSFUL

By developing a healthy habit such as morning exercise that increases metabolism, allows you to be consistent with your workout plan, improves energy and focus through the day for other life activities, builds your self-discipline ‘muscle’ and improves your sleep….you can only IMAGINE how much easier it will be to reach your fitness and health goals!! By making yourself (yes, dragging your butt) get up in the mornings, and making the sacrifice to do so…makes it more likely that you will stick to a healthier eating plan through the day as well. ….Rather than eating too many calories and having the mindset of … “oh, i will just burn this food off later” (as in…with an evening workout…that may not happen)

HATE MORNINGS?

I used to hate mornings too! I had to really make a solid decision for change and use self-discipline and determination to keep it moving forward. I used a few rules for myself to help me to implement this new habit. 1. I put the alarm far away so that I would have to get up to turn it off; 2. I make myself get up right away before my mind can stop me 3. I would set my workout clothes the night before to be prepared to get moving; 4. I have 500 mL water as soon as I get up, then have a pre-workout energizer shot and GO 5. Found an exercise program that I enjoy so that it is not a ‘chore’ and is only 30-45 minutes. 6. Remind myself of all the benefits that I get from morning workouts on a regular basis

OK…so if you are not currently a morning exerciser, then I challenge you to consider it. Have a look at the benefits above and seriously ask yourself if you would like to have those benefits in your life? Is it worth dragging your BUTT out of bed each and every morning? Give it a try and pre-schedule some home workouts in for a full week, then decide if it is worth the drag. I believe you will be amazed and will do it again…and again…and again…

To learn about 7 ways to increase your self-discipline, be sure to enter your name and email for a free download. Having strong self-discipline can totally change your life in many ways!

The Mind is What the Mind is Fed (Its More Than Just Food)

Feed the body AND the mind what it needs every day.

Having my superfood shake after a good MMA Plyo workout this morning… I started thinking about how important nutrients are to our body. Superfood nutrition is essential for maximal energy, to aid weight loss and to boost sense of well-being. Nutrients we take in are only part of the story for the health of our mind though. Our mind needs healthy information fuel as well!

They say “the mind is what the mind is fed”.. mind food doesn’t come in packages though and you can’t buy it at the store. Mind food is your environment–all those countless things that influence our conscious and subconscious thought. The kind of mind food we take in determines our habits, attitudes and personality.

The mind reflects what its environment feeds it just as the body reflects the food you feed it.

Is this really true?

Habits and mannerisms that we have are typically picked up from other people. Just try to find one that isn’t! Even weird little things like the way we walk, words we use, hold a cup, the way we dress, preference for music are all influenced by what we experience and pick up from others.

The most important point here is that even the size of our thinking, our goals, attitudes and personality are formed by the environment. If we have associations with negative people, it makes us think more negative! If we have associations with petty people, it will also develop petty habits in us too! On the other hand…association with people who are big thinkers and ambitious people, can bring those things out in us too!

Certain types of people tend to discourage others and tell them that what they dream of cannot be done. These types of people usually are unsuccessful and are often only mediocre in terms of what they have ever accomplished. Don’t let these type of people discourage you from your dreams!!

The late Jim Rohn, a mentor of mine, states that we become the 5 people we spend the most time with… and if you think about environmental influences and how they affect our behavior and habits, its totally TRUE! “Birds of a feather flock together”…and since how we think is directly affected by the group we are in, be sure you are in the flock that things right!

Besides being around the influence of people, the kind of information we feed our minds every day is also important and influences our brain chemistry, positivity, and belief in ourselves and the world. Watching world news and reading the newspaper full of negativity can be draining on our emotional energy (and we do not realize just how much!). Spending time playing mindless video games, reading fiction and watching extended amounts of TV shows all waste mental energy and all have an impact on our thinking and our potential for success.

So, what would good mind food be?

Listen to motivating podcasts, read inspirational books (or listen to audio books) about how to think bigger and to improve yourself and read inspirational stories of success. Use these stories and books to inspire you, to throw all of that thought poison out of your environment…to help you stay positive and to be a good person. Learn positive ways of being and have your new attitude be your ally towards a happy and successful life and to encourage others! Making the switch to positive mind food for me has completely changed my life, my relationships, my attitude, my belief in the world and myself …and my zest for life!

Overall, clean eating and superfood nutrition are essential for our physical and mental health, to have a healthy weight, avoid chronic disease and to have healthy energy levels. We often forget that the food for our mind is just as important to feel happy, accomplished and positive. Take some time today to think about what you can do to rid yourself of negative influences and to implement some more positive habits to feed your mind in a good way and work at being a good example for others.

COMMENT on this post in the REPLY section of this page with your thoughts!

As a reward for joining the Athletic Grandma community, get a free download containing 7 tips to help gain more self-discipline in your life, CLICK HERE!

P.S. A couple of great starter book ideas for you!

“The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy

“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz

Sick Day Exercise? (You Better Believe it!)

Sick days really bite, don’t they? How do we make sure that those sick days don’t interfere with our health and fitness plan?

Quite often, at least for me, when I am NOT sick, I push myself to lift more, work harder, and sweat like crazy. Even though, in my regular program, I do have a “rest”day each week where I do slow work and stretching, it would always be beneficial to do more of that to optimize my physical condition.

By doing some exercise even on a sick day, it helps us in more ways than one!

1. During sick day, we move slower and more deliberate and don’t use weights. This helps us to improve range of motion as well as our form.

2. Taking more time to relax in those stretch positions really helps to lengthen, strengthen muscles and keep our joints balanced and strong.

3. By committing to do at least some kind of exercise every single day even when we are sick, it keeps the momentum and habit moving forward and you are more likely to jump in where you left off once you are well without difficulty. By skipping days or workouts, it is proven that our motivation drops and our drive as well.

…so my advice to you…do a workout every single day even if sick. Take it easier on sick days and perhaps go without weight and spend most of your time doing stretches and maybe even some yoga to maximize your fitness and keep that motivation alive!!!

To get a FREE download with 7 tips and a worksheet about how to improve self-discipline, click here

How to get Agile and Lose Weight (Yes it is Even Possible for Grannys!)

Being fit is far more than just big muscles and strength! It’s about being able to move, twist, jump, maneuver, run…and more …all without getting injured! The MMA fighters need to do more than just fight to keep up their fitness level, and so should we?. My agility power and a core workout were done this morning with sweat pouring and after it was over I was all smiles because it felt so great! Was a tough workout though!

As we get older, meaning over 40 and beyond, it is incredibly important to work on strength and agility training to maintain our strength, balance, coordination and joint range of motion. Walking is good exercise, but it really is not enough since it doesn’t work the essential muscles or the mind in the ways that agility training does..

Reaction time and coordination slow down as we get older, but we can fight that with only 10-15 min of practise every day. Agility skills help us to react faster, reduce risk for falls and this type of exercises puts pressure on the muscles and bones which help to keep them healthy and strong. With agility training, our posture improves, giving more upright walking stance and confidence and have less discomfort in our back.

The benefits of Tai Chi, yoga, Tai Cheng (take a minute to watch the video) with their slow controlled movements also really help to increase range of motion, balance, co-ordination and flexibility. If you don’t have time or feel comfortable going out to a class for this type of exercises, we have this type of program available on DVD or digital streaming and it can be used at home.

Dancing is also another good exercise to improve agility. It can be very fun and social activity as well, which is a bonus.. Dancing benefits not only our physical agility, but also our mental agility and reduces cognitive decline (BONUS!). There are many kind of dance available and if you would rather dance at home, there are country dance programs that can be done at home as well!

Remember as a kid we used to play hop scotch? Just that little bit of hopping, balancing on one leg really trains the brain and builds agility. Consider playing with your kids or grandkids and reminisce about those fun times and enjoy!! It will feel more like fun than exercise for sure. This morning with my workout (check out my current core blasting fighting program!), we did something called “Hop Squatch” which is very similar to hop scotch, but only with squats between single foot hops! LOL

By being consistent each and every day and working on agility to some degree, we have better posture, strength, balance and even energy! This will make us even more active in other activities, promote weight loss and a higher level of positivity and self-confidence. It is definitely worth working on and no matter what your age, there are exercises that will help! For more assistance finding a program to suit you, contact your local senior services, or contact me about some effective and fun home based programs that will help you out.

To join the Athletic Grandma Community and receive a FREE download about 7 tips to become more self-disciplined in your life, click HERE.

It is Totally Possible (There are No Limits)

When I first started my fitness journey, I never would have been able to do a deep squat like this! No way! I had crunchy knees doing stairs and sharp pains in them…not to mention a bad lower back that always seemed to be “going out of place” and causing me sharp pains, pains into my legs and nothing but grief.

The day that I made the decision to put my health and fitness first was when this all changed!

It was a beautiful summer day 3 years ago when I decided to have fun and be silly by doing handstands and cartwheels on the lawn… Turns out, it was not a very good idea! …for 2 full weeks after that I had so much pain in my neck, shoulders, back, hips and even my feet, that I told myself enough is enough already!!! I was asking my self in disgust…”How did I get so out of shape!?”… I seemed to have gotten out of shape so fast! As it turns out, making decisions to eat junk food and skip workouts over a long period of time really didn’t do me any favours!

Something had to be done about this!

Once I made the decision and started working out using a professionally designed workout-at-home program, it was so hard! I could barely do a minute of jumping jacks and I could barely do a push-up on my knees! I thought I was gonna die, but my determination to change and improve my health kept me going. I recruited the help of a physiotherapist whose help I sought out regularly to help manage my pains and to help me adapt my form as I slowly got stronger.

It took a few months of working hard on exercising to start noticing that I had less back pain in the mornings, was walking up stairs with less pain, was getting so much stronger and was building some nice muscle at the same time! I noticed that I was getting heavier on the scale though! All that new muscle was heavy! EEK!

Getting bigger and heavier was not what I wanted!

At this point, I revamped my diet, dialed down my portion sizes and added superfood daily at the suggestion of my Beachbody coach. By this time, I was also able to keep up with the trainer and able to complete the video program instead of continuously adapting due to pain! Within 3 months after starting superfood, clean eating and portion control, I had dropped 35 pounds and was feeling the best I had felt in my life!! I still had some pain in my knees and lower back, but definitely not as often and not as severe…

My successes led me to believe more in myself and what I was capable of. I was motivated to achieve more! I started another program with higher intensity, completed it, then started another, completed it, then another, and another. Now, by this time, my energy was improving, my motivation was getting higher, my pain was getting to be less and less and I was feeling good and strong with the proper nutrition and exercise. This proved to me repeatedly that the work I was doing was not just getting me healthier, it was totally changing my body and its capacity to lift and move in ways I never dreamed of.

3 years later, fast forward to today, I am 42 pounds less than when I started, am committed to my daily superfood, clean eating and portion control as a long-term forever lifestyle. It is very simple system to follow, has really improved my strength, (peri-menopausal) hormone balance and energy, and as I keep going I CONTINUE to improve my body’s capacity to move, bend and lift. I had originally thought I would reach a plateau in terms of what my body is capable of, but it turns out that is not the case!

There is no limit to what can be achieved!

Week by week, workout by workout, I continue to get stronger, and am capable of more! I can run faster, can run up the stairs (no crunchy knees anymore!), can lift and move furniture, carry around my 41 lb grandson, sit all day at a desk, lift and toss bales for my horses, fork hay, do yardwork, shovel snow and can squat deeply with NO PAIN! Who would have thought this was possible? I am proof that it is totally possible to rehabilitate from anything and any physical problem if your mind is determined enough and you have a firm enough belief in yourself.

By transforming physically, it has changed my mindset and attitude as well. I am happier, more positive, feel stronger and more stable emotionally, have improved my relationships (work, home, family, friends), believe in myself more on many levels, and have more passion and excitement for life! (and a bonus is I was able to get off of every prescription medication I was on!)

You may be wondering how this story may impact you? You may be wondering how you too can have a complete body and mind transformation? How can you totally change your life as well? How can you improve your hormone balance, lose weight and become a happier person? My advice for you is to seek out the help of a coach (like me) to support, motivate and keep you accountable and help you through your journey to better health and fitness. I can teach you about superfood, clean eating, portion control and support you through your progress in fitness and even help you get off prescription drugs. I have been through all of this myself, have experienced both the pain, failures, difficulties and challenges, so I totally get how tough it is.

Think about this…

Being on a health and fitness journey is hard, but it is ALSO very hard to live overweight, hormonal, unhappy, in pain and totally miserable. Make a decision today and chose your hard!

To join the Athletic Grandma community, enter your name and email address HERE and receive a free download about 7 ways to improve your self-discipline.

CONTACT ME HERE about getting onto a program that will change your life.

Strength is Worth the Sweat (and how Professional Programs get the Best Results)

This morning’s agility and strength workout really got the sweat moving! On day 16 of my 30 day fitness challenge and I am feeling stronger and more capable of pushing my body weight every day. This program is heavily focused on core work, so I can feel my midsection really firming up as well (bonus!!)?

Committing to completing a specific program really helps to boost motivation and results! To push yourself for a 30-day stretch and give yourself rewards for completion is very satisfying and then is motivating to do more!

For me, just being generally an “active” person versus completing a professional program is far too boring! I need the vigour and excitement of always achieving new things and testing myself to see just what I am capable of! Plus, with professional program challenges, I have achieved far better results than I ever did in the gym.

I remember those days in the gym with a semi-structured program (check off sheet), waiting for machines, dirty equipment at times, inconvenience of travel and excessive use of my time …all of this and the results were just not there!

Professional programs are specifically designed by trainers to give us total body conditioning, strength, agility, flexibility in a totally balanced and thorough manner and we can do them in the convenience of our home and for only 30 min per day! (…and yes, there are even beginner programs too!) The professional programs we have come with very simple and easy to follow nutrition programs which definitely work to maintain energy, lose weight and get amazing results!

Ultimately the message for today is that professional programs WORK! …and it is totally worth trading sweat for strength to not only get results, but to feel awesome! ?

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Be sure to join the Athletic Grandma Community by entering your name and email address. By joining the community you will get a free download about 7 ways to improve your self-discipline.

Do What Exercises you Love (Be Happy While You Lose Weight!)

It is so important to find a workout that you love and enjoy in order to have long-term success in health and fitness.

If you are trying to make yourself do a program that you hate, it is going to be very difficult to complete it and to be successful in the long run.

I tried quite a few programs before I found one that I truly LOVE that gives me a full body workout, nice muscle tone and that I feel I can really connect with. This MMA style fighting program is right up my alley and makes me happy, smiling, sweaty and feeling killer awesome every single time!! It’s not easy, but it comes with a simple nutrition plan, I love the challenge and it keeps me moving forward with great motivation!?

Check out my MMA Power from this morning! 🙂

If I think over the last 3 years and the vast number of programs I bought in order to find “the one”, it is crazy how much money I spent.

What is an easier answer to this?

Guess what? There is no need to buy a bunch of programs any more!! There is a new option available where there is ONE fee per year that includes every single program in the system! This will allow you to pick the one you love without having to buy each individual one to test them out! What a great concept! See more info below on this!

Enjoy your Monday and work at finding a fitness program you LOVE! It is so worth it, it will change your life and help you to achieve your fitness and weight loss goals much faster!

I am feeling accomplished this morning! Day 15 out of 30 of my MMA challenge is complete! ?

The beauty of an all-access system is that it includes EVERY program through digital streaming that has ever been created from Tai Cheng to Yoga, to Insanity and P90x and also includes the newest programs such as Hammer and Chisel as well as Core de Force (my favorite!).

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! Have a good one!! 🙂

To become part of the Athletic Grandma Community, be sure to enter your name and email address HERE and get a free download of the 7 ways to improve your self-discipline!

Stretching Benefits every Middle Age Grandma Needs to Know (and 7 Ways it Helps me)

Stretching regularly gives your body the capacity to do more and more!

One thing I have learned is that taking the time to stretch regularly certainly has benefits.

It not only boosts strength and performance and capacity in other activities, but minimizes chance for injury. Stretching also gives time to breathe and be present within yourself.

I used to have a hard time stretching properly since I was always in such a hurry and didn’t truly see the benefits. Now, I have learned to enjoy the opportunity to quieten the mind and gently stretch the whole body and it has really now helped me in several ways….

Here is 7 ways stretching has helped me…

Taking the time to stretch has helped to ease stress, and after a week of challenges and stressful situations, the muscle tension and uneasiness that can occur needs some release! Stretching really helps to relax the muscles and improve blood flow. It helps to release endorphins, which give me a sense of relaxation and well-being. It has helped me to have a more optimistic outlook.
Stretching has helped to improve my posture and ease off pain in my upper back. After working on a computer and being slouched over a desk all week, stretching the lower back, chest and shoulders helps to get my spine in better alignment and improve my posture. Having my shoulders back in proper position and sitting taller has really helped to have less muscle aches between shoulder blades and thus less headaches!
The range of motion in my muscles have improved a lot over time and I have had much less issues with injuries and definitely have noticed less lower back incidents or pain “tweaks” with day to day activities such as picking up my grandson, carrying boxes and moving furniture.
I have noticed that by being consistent with stretching, that my muscles have more stamina and energy. Stretching improves blood flow and healing of the muscles and I noticed my exercise endurance has improved! I can make it through more lifting reps and my cardio has improved significantly since my muscles don’t fatigue as quickly. Oh, and I notice that my muscles recover faster after a workout too and I have far less muscle soreness even with heavy workouts.
What I found before I dedicated to stretching regularly was that my muscles were tight and were less effective during exercise. So this regular stretching I am doing now relaxes all of my muscles and allows them to be more fully available during vigorous exercise…thus my performance improves! I can run faster, lift more, jump higher etc and it feels great!
I have noticed stretching and relaxation prior to bed time is beneficial. Only 5-10 min of relaxed stretching and deep breathing prior to sleep has helped to improve my sleep quality.
I do 3-5 minutes of lower back, and hip stretches before getting out of bed in the morning which really minimizes lower back stiffness and pain… I find that without this short stretch session before getting out of bed, that it takes about 30-60 min to feel the stiffness ease off. The joys of being a over-45 granny! 🙂

Stretching is an important component of any fitness program. Be sure to take the time to do this on a regular basis to feel better, be stronger and more resistant to injury, improve your athletic performance and to feel more positive too!

I am feeling happy and accomplished today…got a 20 min workout done called MMA Active Recovery….Day 14 of my current 30 day fitness challenge is complete!

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