Yea. I Got This.

What's UP kittens?? How is your week going? Mine is pretty much KICKING SOME SERIOUS BUTT. For real, I want to give myself a double fist pump. Today has been a completely swamped day at work, not that there are many "non-swamped" days anymore but seriously, lately- wow. A lot going on and it is almost 6pm and I haven't even cleaned up my LUNCH DISHES in my kitchen. 

Tonight I am NOT working out- why? Because I have kicked butt up until today, and because I know, based on my schedule, that tomorrow and Saturday are going to be great workouts, so I can take today off. I looked at my Tracking Calendar before deciding for sure and I saw three solid workouts- including last night a killer lower body circuit blast (that I made up, mind you, after I plopped in the DVD of Tony Horton "One on One Leg" thinking it was a lower body workout, only to discover it was an upper body workout and my arms were fried from Tuesday's workout, yeaaa...I knew I had to do lower body, so I IMPROVISED!)'

When I'm doing an impromptu Circuit for my lower body it will always include the following:

 
 Walking Lunges. I will usually incorporate this as the FINAL thing, where I do 100 walking lunges. Feel the burn? Um, yes. 

Squats. Go Heavy.

Calf Raises. I have very developed calves (I love them) so I have tended to avoid working them out, but my trainer Jay was like "What's wrong with you girl? Work those calves!!!" So..I do. 

Plyo Squats-- in fact, when I'm doing a "weight workout" session, I'll insert plyo jumps of some sort in between my sets to keep my heart rate up and the sweat factor flowing. 

Now, if I was at the gym and wanted to spice up my lower body workout or my time on the 'dreadmill', TAKE A PEEK AT THIS, my BFF Steve Pfiester (remember his wife Bonnie, was on a recent Wednesday WOOT! Factor post: CLICK HERE TO READ. He has created these amazing workouts for upper AND lower body for the treadmill. For real, you have no idea how cool these are...more on their YouTube channel. 

Totally cool. Would you say that BOREDOM in your workouts can be an impediment? If so, focus on mixing it up this year. Try new things- kids I have so many new pieces of workout equipment and new workout DVDs at home, I could seriously do a different workout every single day. I might just have to start a little challenge there....."No Two Workouts Alike"?? Hmmm

By the way, we have more workouts like this on the Sears FitStudio page on Facebook: CLICK HERE or on FitStudio.com. People are ADDICTED to the Boot Camps that Bonnie and Steve are creating!!

Hey- who is going to FITBLOGGIN??

Fabulous event! I'm speaking and also hanging with the Sears FitStudio peeps and would love to see you there!! 

This weekend, I'm planning to preview all my new workouts so I can start incorporating them into my weekly endeavors. So stay tuned on Insanity Asylum, UGI, Brazil Butt Lift, Kettlebells and more!! 

I gotta tell you kids, I'm SO ready for VACATION. It's been a WHILE, a long while since my last true vacation, and I'm gonna need to work really hard for many months here, and then I'm thinking of AFTER our first FitFluential Event in Chicago this summer, I will THEN take my MAJOR VACATION. Like serious- far away for a long time getaway. I may need to escape to Miami prior to that. I miss my Miami. And it's so thrilling to me to know that the next time I'm in Miami and on my next vacation I will OWNING IT in my bikini instead of hoping I can find the most hidden beach spot where no one can see me LOL.

Amen. Amen. Tomorrow I'm doing a mini-vacation to my local spa, which should make me feel SO much better. I love me some spa time. In a big way.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your favorite way to relax? I also love to just sit on my deck with my morning coffee or my weekend wine and just LISTEN to the birds (hopefully not my neighbors who usually keep all THEIR obnoxious noise INSIDE their condo where it most bothers me) and the breeze...it's awesome. 

 So- here is actually yesterday's vlog that I forgot to post DUH. Forgives! Forgives!

How To Change Your Attitude For Better Results.

I get a LOT of comments and emails asking about Motivation, how to get it and how to keep it. I always say, there is NO magic pill or solution for Motivation. I believe we have to create and sustain our OWN motivation. And, just as each of us have unique DNA, bone structure, and life circumstances, each of us will have different motivations- different things we want to conquer, different things we want to achieve. I have learned a LOT - especially the past two years of my life- going through some seemingly unending medical issues, dealing with hormonal changes in my body that were anything but welcome, and realizing my "metabolism" had been forever altered. 

Big Deal. 

You want motivation?? CREATE IT. 

If you are overweight or out-of-shape in ANY way, and you aren't currently working out or watching your "diet", no one is going to deliver some MOTIVATION to you. You aren't going to wake up one day and be motivated to make a change. You need to decide what you WANT and what you DON'T WANT.

Look in the mirror, preferably when you are butt NAKED. Do you like what you see? Or do you want to put some comfy sweats on, grab a Doritos bag and watch football all day so you don't think about it? 

If you DON'T like what you see, understand that YOU CAN CHANGE IT. This is not an "if" or, "I wonder.....". You CAN. You CAN change your body and your level of "fitness". It is simply a matter of adjusting your diet and committing to and IMPLEMENTING a solid and consistent training program. That's it. Sure, you may have to tweak it along the way, but it WILL change your body. 

Now, if you don't like what you see, and you WANT to change your body, think next about what YOUR personal best looks like to you. Don't let someone else decide that. I did that for a year or so, once I had started reading a lot of blogs where women were competing in figure competitions. I allowed myself to join in and say, "Yea, I'll compete too!", not really having thought it out and also, not having evaluated what the training entailed and how potentially dangerous that can be. (Please note: this post is NOT in any way meant to discourage anyone from figure competitions. I admire anyone that does that, as it requires unbelievable dedication. I find the results stunning and will always watch the competitions. My point is simply that competing isn't a good fit for ME.)

Some of you may just want to lose some weight, to fit in smaller jeans. Some of you might want to compete. Some of you might want to get bigger, add mass. Some of you might want to run, some might want to go the Yoga path. There are endless opportunities and YOUR personal best definition can only be created by YOU.

Figure out what that looks like, and then figure out what it will take to get there. Don't start a workout program just because your best friend or your brother or sister is doing it. Don't go to the gym and copy what someone else is doing. If you see some incredibly fit person on the treadmill every morning at 6am, sweating their butt off for an hour, don't copy them and assume that if you do that, you will achieve the same results. 

Do some reading. Ask some questions. There is a wealth of information out there to teach you how to start down the path that you want to. But make sure you MAP OUT YOUR COURSE. Don't wander through this fitness journey without a map. How will you know you've gotten "there" if you don't have a start point and an end point? Sure, you'll have a LOT of "maps" over the years and it makes sense to start a plan that will cover reaching your first goal. Maybe your first goal is running a 5K. Maybe your first goal is losing 10lbs. Maybe your first goal is quitting drinking during the week. Who knows?? 

Figure out WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE. Figure out what YOUR OWN PERSONAL BEST looks like. Figure out and identify what YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOUR STATE OF HEALTH RIGHT NOW. Remember that- because I believe that sometimes we have to pull out that memory, that "negative reinforcement" to push us to keep going.

Some days when it's tough, and it WILL get tough, you need to look inside yourself for your own OOOMPH, that one thing that will make you push through that sweatfest workout and keep going. Some days for me, it's remembering how pissed I am about not wearing my favorite Size 6 jeans all summer. SCREW THAT!!! (Yea, you won't ever read on MY blog, "Oh I wish I could get back into my size -.5 jeans!! Sigh!! My waist is up to 20 inches now!!" Yes, my name is Kelly Olexa and I am bigger than a cracker.)

Some days when it's tough, that vision you have created of YOUR personal best might be what pushes you through. That personal best vision will look different for each of us, because we are all motivated by unique factors. I might be motivated when I think of my favorite pair of jeans fitting me perfectly and maybe being a bit too big again. For a guy, maybe he thinks of being at the beach in a few months showing off some amazing muscle conditioning and a gain of 20 pounds (muscle not fat). Someone else may be motivated by the vision of themselves crossing the finish line on their first 5K. For someone else it might be not shopping in the Plus Size section anymore. These are all GREAT goals. But pick the one GREAT FOR YOU.

Run your own course. The course that YOU CREATED.

And if you worry about MOTIVATION, understand that it is all INSIDE OF YOU. When you feel unmotivated, CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE.

I heard someone at the gym, on their cell phone on the way in saying, "Yea, I HAVE TO go workout. SIGH....I hate cardio....". 

How about changing your attitude?? How about catching yourself when you say something like that and changing it from "I HAVE TO....." to "I GET TO...."?

It's Monday, and I get to wake up. I have enough money to pay for a gym membership to a great health club that's open 24 hours. I get to drive there in a car that is reliable and I have money to put gas in that car. I get to use equipment that clean and a huge help to me in reaching my fitness goals. I get to kick butt this morning and use this body that God gave me to workout. I get to walk, run, lift, stretch- when some people are laying in a hospital bed wishing they could just walk to the restroom. I get to sit in a hot sauna or steam room after my workout and think about how much I just challenged this body and how I am ONE STEP CLOSER to where I want to be, instead of one more day BEHIND where I want to be.  

• I get to become faster every day.
• I get to feed my body healthy food that tastes good and fuels my workouts.
• I get to feel proud of myself for kicking butt while others SLEEP IN.
• I get to KNOW I'm going to look BETTER at 42 than I did at 22.
• I get to be an example to others that WANT to make fit changes but haven't.
• I get to watch my body change before my eyes.
• I get to feel better every day.
• I get to choose my attitude.
• I get to wake up every day and enjoy another day of LIFE.
• I GET TO LIVE.

Here is what I say.

BE THANKFUL FOR WHEREVER YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. BE GRATEFUL THAT WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY- YOU ALONE- TO CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER. YOU DON'T NEED ANYTHING BUT YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND. 

UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN DO IT. WHATEVER THAT IS. YOU CAN DO IT. 

STOP WHINING. STOP WISHING. START WINNING. EVERY DAY. 

This post is just as much for ME as it is for YOU. I GET TO USE THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF THIS YEAR TO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. That's an incredible opportunity that I am NOT going to take for granted and waste. I am thankful and excited and ready. I know that the ONLY WAY TO FAIL IS TO QUIT. And you won't see THIS BROAD quit. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Have you figured out your personal best? Have you mapped out your route to get there???