Rolling with punches and challenges, keeping a stiff upper lip, and moving forward with determination and grit helps you to achieve any goal you have
It took absolutely everything I had to get out of bed this morning… After the last two days of the new HIIT and lift program, my shoulders, arms, chest, and especially triceps are super sore and I just feel so tired out.
Before just giving up, I got up and had some energize and some exogenous ketones to fire me up… I waited 15 minutes and then could feel (sort of) enough zip and energy to get myself downstairs to hit play.
Some days, it definitely takes real grit determination and pushing yourself to really get the workout of the day done early in the morning. Even if you are a person who works out often, starting a new program really fires up muscles you have not been using in the same way!! This is why starting new programs can really help to break plateau and take fitness to a whole new level! I am up for this! 🙂
Today, I did an intense 20 min HIIT workout to burn some fat and a 20 min stretch and recovery to prepare myself for the next 2 days of lifting!Now I feel much better, and ready to face a busy day of work and helping others…
To download tips for how to gain self discipline, click HERE!
Yes it is possible for even a granny like me to get abs!!
Working at strengthening and toning the belly muscles like a beast as well as staying away from processed and junk food makes all the difference!! My goal is to have flat toned abs and be rid of this puffy muffin top by the time my 91 day challenge is over…I know I can do it! I am a dang determined granny with a vision anyways…LOL
Determination and a vision for yourself is what will get you the furthest in life in every area! I have learned this one by practising it …and it totally works! ?
What is your vision for yourself? Do you have a health and fitness vision, a financial vision, a business vision, a time freedom or family related vision? Having a strong vision you truly believe in makes anything possible!! Do you believe this?
If you have never tried doing a cardio workout with weights…wow, it’s very challenging! In this particular workout, you have to do repetitive moves quickly and then hold the move for 10 seconds and repeat… this gets those muscle groups fatigued really fast…especially with the push-ups segment!
If there is one thing I have learned in my quest for a happier and healthier life, in order to be good at things and to succeed, I need to be willing to push myself to do what most people won’t. I need to be willing to persist for a long time before I see results. It was an interesting concept to realize and to apply to myself. It has proven itself true though.
As hard as it is some days, just gotta keep hitting “play” and pushing myself to do my best and to do better all the time. This determination and self-discipline can pull you through those rough days.
I had a poor sleep last night and cannot stop yawning, but still managed to push play and get ‘er done. So glad I pushed myself. Time goes by far too fast…so need to keep at it! The time will pass anyways so might as well make it count for something!
How many challenges do we face every single week of the month? Real life contains emotional tests like disappointments, tragedy, societal issues, stress, injury, divorce, death, unemployment and even choices we make with an unknown future. So how do we keep moving forward without being totally defeated with life?
There are several ways we can do this that are truly effective if we are determined to move forward and intentional about facing the issue. By intentionally facing the issue, it builds on our strengths and makes us even more resilient for the next challenge. If we don’t face it, it weakens our capacity for the next time.
Boy did I learn these lessons the hard way…
Despite my hand injury and pain slowing me down, past abuse, and the huge commitment of raising my grandson full time (some days I feel too old for this!), I refuse to let myself get defeated. Through my emotional fitness journey, I found some strategies that I put into practise that really helped me to learn to experience the inevitable challenges, have normal feelings about them, yet find a way to move past them quicker so that they have less impact on my life.
Here is what I learned…
I learned to enjoy my life as it is, instead of wishing it was different. I learned to be present in my current life, enjoy what life has to offer now and not constantly be feeling like I need something different. Having those feelings of wanting something different than what you have now is a huge stress, worry and constantly gets you down. This is a hard habit to get out of, and I need to remind myself of this at times, but it is worth the work!
I learned to be thankful. Wow, this made a huge difference in my life. It is so easy to count our troubles instead of counting our blessings, but focusing on trouble completely eliminates our ability to experience the good we have been given in life. A change in my perspective here made all the difference. I learned to recognize the good and to be very thankful about it.
I learned to slow down. I was constantly in a rush every minute of every day. By being in this state of mind, I was constantly making mistakes, cutting corners, getting ahead of myself and missing out on so many important moments in life. Not to mention that being in a rush all the time was driving my kids crazy! I learned to slow down and remembered what my mom always told me…”slow and steady wins the race”…dang it she was right! Slowing down and being intentional about what I was doing improved my state of mind, I was more relaxed and my life was less stressful and (no surprise), my relationships improved!
I learned to face the truth and the real emotional issues. It was always easier to turn away from life challenges instead of facing them. I was a master avoider!! The fact is, these emotions and truths will catch up to us eventually! I learned that when I faced reality, I was much more capable of dealing with life effectively. Seriously, when you do this, what once seemed difficult, now seems so much easier! Things that seemed scary, now feel more comfortable and familiar. I felt the difference this made in my strength and it helped me to build a much deeper confidence in myself. Feeling capable is a great feeling! ….and once on this path, you just keep getting stronger all the time!
Further to facing the truth, I found that NOT pushing emotions away or packing them away in the “little black pandora’s box” of my mind was the best idea! Seriously, I have learned that we need those feelings in order to have satisfaction, meaning and absolute pleasure in our life. Packing away those feelings in the black box actually drained my energy and had unconcious impact on my personality! Sounds scary, but its very true. We need to experience our real emotions to have satisfaction and joy in our lives!
Another thing I learned is that things cannot be perfect all of the time. I had to really believe the fact that no one is perfect and no one gets things right every time. If we have too unreasonable of expectations of ourselves, there is a constant feeling of failure and inadequacy. This is NOT a good feeling, but had become a bad habit for me. Perfectionism actually leads to anger and lack of confidence and has a negative impact on relationships. This is a tough one to get over since I have had this issue since childhood, but it is an essential one to work through in order to be happy with yourself. I learned that I was able to gain confidence through the process of trying, succeeding, failing and trying again…It built my power, resilience and confidence over time.
The last thing I learned that was a critical shift for me to avoid defeat in life was to realize that relationships in our life need to be nurtured and cared for. This includes coworkers, intimate partner, kids, family…all of these relationships need to be given attention and commitment to keep them alive and positive…and not just occasionally…this is something to work on consistently. The other thing I had to learn was that I am 100% responsible for my contribution to the relationships and for my happiness. No one else was responsible for any of this. Forgiveness, making amends, accepting forgiveness, being open and vulnerable about love and talking about concerns were essential to realize and to apply to my life.
There was a lot of things to talk about today! These were all things I learned by being committed to personal development, being determined to deal with past issues of abuse, focusing on becoming a better person… Ultimately, developing personal strengths in multiple areas of life and thinking bigger like this really does make accepting any kind of defeat in life totally optional. We have the choice and we don’t have to let life’s challenges get us down!
I am feeling happy, successful and accomplished right now since I got day 13 of my 30 day Fitness Challenge DONE! I hope you have a fabulous day!!
To join the Athletic Grandma health and fitness community, click HERE to enter your name and email address!
The New Year is here (can you believe it is 2017… wow!) and Summer is right around the corner, seriously, it is! That is how fast time flies. But the good news is… you are in the drivers seat of your life! There is no time better than right now to start your journey. But in order to tackle these crazy tough Beachbody workout routines, you need to arm yourself with the right tools to guarantee your success. Not going to lie to you, whatever program you are attempting, the work is hard and the commitment is relentless but the rewards that follow are so amazing, so grand, so epic! The time to start is now and I am here to help you achieve that success you desire and those results you absolutely deserve!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY JOURNEY
My name is Diane Gudmundson and I am a Team Beachbody Coach. My journey started two years back when I was 45 years old. I had just topped the scale at 196 lbs. for my 5’8″ frame. Being out of shape was only the tip of the iceberg. I was unhealthy and was on medications for anxiety, body pain and sleeping issues. My hair was falling out, my skin was dry and flaky, and my nails were cracking and peeling. My gut was not functioning properly, I was having pain when trying to use the bathroom with bleeding and even was having difficulty peeing! I was a mess!
My doctor gave me a good physical examination, arranged numerous blood tests and a colonoscopy. It was found that my blood results were normal, the colon was 100% normal The worst part, through all of this, was that I had lost all my self-esteem and confidence. All this at 45 years of age! So, if all my tests and examinations were normal, what did this mean?
This definitely was an aha moment!
The first step of my journey was to find a nutrition plan (not a diet) that was going to work for me and work for the rest of my life. I love to eat all kinds of food, and I was not going to deny myself one of life’s most pleasurable experiences. Avoidance was not an option, limitation and moderation was how I would succeed. I studied clean eating and portion control and with a simple weekly plan implemented clean eating into my life.
I also knew I needed to incorporate an exercise routine. I choose P90x as my first program. Now let me just reiterate how out of shape I was. I couldn’t even go up a flight of stairs without getting winded, I could only do a couple pushups on my knees (barely) and could not last more than a few minutes when trying to do jumping jacks! I had aches and pains constantly, back and knee pain, and really was poorly motivated to do any physical activity. When I went horseback riding, my back pain got even worse, so I lost my motivation to go riding as as result!
I was not going to give up hope!
When I popped in that first workout DVD in on Day 1, I barely was able to do any of it. But I knew if I just made tiny improvements each day, just little baby steps, I was putting myself on the right path towards success.
I could sit here and tell you that it was easy, and that all it takes is a bit of willpower and go for it. Well, it doesn’t work that way and it has absolutely nothing to do with willpower. Changing your lifestyle, changing your body, changing your mind and the way you think, changing almost everything about yourself (including limiting beliefs and emotional issues) in order to reach your goals is going to be the toughest thing you will ever attempt in your life. I struggled, I failed, I hit obstacles, but these difficulties are all required, this is what makes it the greatest journey in the world. If a path is easy, it does not build our strength and capacity!
Support and Accountability works!
I could not have done it alone though and needed all the support that I could find. I found a Beachbody Coach and then participated in an online Accountability Group. I can honestly say that if I hadn’t done this important step, I would never have succeeded! Since completing that first then second round of p90x, I went on to complete Focus T25, 21 Day Fix and 21 DF Extreme, PiYo, Insanity Max 30, Body Beast, P90, 22 min hard corps, and Core de Force! I am loving this because I never get bored and, by switching up my fitness programs regularly, I am getting optimal results! Currently I am doing a mix of Core De Force and The Master’s Hammer and Chisel which has now become my all-time favorite program combination!
Much Happier and now 42 pounds less!!
Currently I am 154 lbs. and I am now in the best shape of my life! Even though I love looking toned and muscular, the way I feel emotionally and physically and my ultimate health is what is most important! I am healthier now at 47 then when I was 25! Oh, and I am happier now than I have ever been in my entire life too! (I am one happy Granny! LOL)
Healthy, Happy and energized for life are three ways to explain how I now live. Now, I want to give back, pay it forward, and share that experience with you and share all that I have learned.
Are you ready to make a change?
If you are ready, ready to make that change, ready to learn, ready to arm yourself for battle, ready to be motivated, ready to be inspired, ready to be accountable, ready to own it and earn it, then I will do everything in my power to ensure you cross that finish line and find success in all your goals.
Take a minute to consider BOTH of these options!
To join an online accountability group with me as your coach, please take a few minutes to fill out the application here.
2. To receive a free PDF download about how to get started with a clean eating lifestyle, CLICK HERE
I adore watching him plod through tall grass. It’s up to his knees in places and he pushes through every step to get where he wants to go. If there’s a mud puddle in his way, he marches right through it. Thick mud tries to hold him fast, but he tugs and yanks without stopping, until his feet are finally free, and continues right on wherever he was determined to go.
Watching him made me think of all the times I’ve had to plod through tall grass in my life – abuse, divorce, relentless weight gain, rejection, working out at 4:00am – sometimes I pushed through, and sometimes I gave up, turned around, and went back the way I came.
Toddlers, I discovered, know the secret to health, fitness, and falling off the wagon.
They don’t hold themselves up to impossible standards like we do. To them, life is one big experiment. Some things they try work, and other times they fall down and get a big ugly bump on their face. They don’t seem embarrassed by it though, and it doesn’t keep them from trying again.
I love that. We can definitely learn from their example.
Time and again, clients will start a fitness program or a clean-eating plan, and within a few weeks, they’ll stop. Give up. Quit. The reasons are many – scheduling issues, the cost, or a lack of planning or time.
Then they beat themselves up for failing, and feel even worse than when they began.
But toddlers know something we need to know. Life is not perfect, and neither are we.
The bumps, bruises, and hang-ups they constantly, continuously, endlessly encounter do not beat them.
To them, life is an experiment. Some things will work, some won’t.
It’s about progress, not perfection.
This is the lesson we need to learn.
Progress requires experimentation, and experimentation will result in fails.
We need to allow ourselves to fail.
Maybe the Plyo workout isn’t for you. Maybe it’s too intense or your wrists can’t handle it. Don’t give up, just try something else. There are loads of choices. Maybe weights, kickboxing or jogging. Try swimming or sports. Just don’t stop!
If counting calories stresses you out, don’t stop managing your diet, just try another method. Try portion control. Or introduce shakes. Or focus on making one small, positive change and holding to it every day. There are lots of ways to make progress.
Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection.
The amazing thing about allowing yourself to fail is that your expectations change.
Now you’re not holding yourself up to some impossible standard. Suddenly it becomes about one thing – the smoothie. Didn’t work? Try different recipes, different times of day, or have juice or a salad instead. It’s okay. We’re experimenting to see what sticks and what doesn’t. The great thing about fitness is that there’s no one way to health.
Progress, not perfection.
Sometimes we need to just take a cue from the inspiring little people around us.
They’re smarter than we think.
What is one thing you do to get back on the wagon after a fail?
It’s a terrible feeling to live under someone’s thumb. Or be physically or emotionally abused. It’s worse when it continues and there’s nothing you can do about it. Every year the injustice continued, I burned hotter with rage.
I vowed that when I grew up, I would never be a victim. More than that, I would not let others be victims either. I would fight for others, even rescuing them if I could – just the way I wished someone had rescued me. It wasn’t easy. The temptation to feel sorry for myself was definitely there. But the rage was bigger than my sadness, and drove me to action.
Thus a lifelong advocate was born. I lived to help others – in the school yard, among my friends, and even down to choosing my profession as a nurse.
I’ve also known a different kind of powerlessness – the feeling of having no control over my body. Despite having loved fitness and physical activity since childhood – and even despite my training as a fitness leader! – my body began to change. My knees hurt. Chronic pain plagued my lower back. Weight added itself to my face and waistline every year without my permission. I was so exhausted sometimes I could barely get through the day.
I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, “Is this what being forty is about? Is this just how it is?” What was happening to me?
I thought I had no choice but to submit to whatever was happening in my body. After all, I was getting older, so I may as well get used to it, or so I was told.
After a while though, I realized what I was really doing. I was simply going along with what was happening, just as my female role model had submitted to all those years ago. I was talking and living like a victim.
That’s the day I renewed my vow to take my power back. I would not be a victim anymore, even of myself, even of my own body.
I remembered something important that day: we need to be advocates for ourselves. It’s an empowering thought, especially for someone who has been victimized and suffered abuse.
It’s strange how abuse tends to repeat and filter down– the abused often become abusers. But we don’t have to. We can thrive. For me, thriving starts with advocating – both for others and for myself.
I took charge of my fitness that year. After signing up for the P90X Beachbody program, it promptly kicked my ass. I couldn’t do more than a few jumping jacks or two knee push-ups before falling apart. My knees and back couldn’t take it.
But I would not be a victim, even of that.
In my determination, I recruited physiotherapy help to get me through the program. I modified, I pushed, and damn-well made it through to the other side. The result?
I got my power back baby!
I got my power back, baby.
I got fitter and leaner and now have some awesome before-and-after photos for starters. The whole experienced Changed. My. Life. I dove in headlong and became a coach as another way to advocate for people.
But there was so much more to it than even that.
It wasn’t just my physical strength and mobility that improved. Not only did weight come off and energy increase. I found a new strength – the power of advocating for myself – the power of refusing to be a victim, even of myself. And that’s the key to thriving, no matter where we come from.
“Easy” won’t get you to the next level…you gotta work for it! This is what my trainer reminded me of this morning as she was kicking my ass with a 40 min weighted cardio workout.
You cannot beat having your own trainer at home early in the morning!! No baby sitter needed, no inconvenience of having to get to and from a gym, get pushed to work much harder, no interruptions, no worry about being self-conscious like at a public gym. All around, I have had the absolute best results using home-based professionally designed programs and have taken my fitness to the next level far more than I ever did in the gym setting. ?. All of these benefits, plus I am constantly making amazing new friends in our online accountability group!!
The beauty of this type of program is that it also doubles as a cross training program to make you stronger, faster, and better endurance for other sports that you participate in! It works for me for running! ?
if this type of fitness lifestyle appeals to you, feel free to contact me as I now have openings for new clients for my coaching program.
