Add Walking & Experience The Health Benefits What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Did you know that walking is the most popular physical activity in the world? And the health benefits of walking are many, for example – benefits the heart, can help lower blood sugar, boosts the immune system, boosts energy, improves mood and extends life to name a few. In 2017 I began the daily practice of walking and in one year I walked over 3 million steps. It was an amazing experience that I continue to this day. In fact, I just got in from my daily walk. If you want to get healthy, feel your best, boost your energy, and manage your weight, walking is one of the best forms of exercise to do all that and more. Walking is easy, free (or inexpensive), can be done just about anywhere, and provides both physical and mental health benefits. Keep reading to learn all the reasons why you should be walking for your health. Health Benefits of Walking Here are some of the top health benefits of adding walking to your regular workout routine. The Many Health Benefits of Walking Every Day No matter what your health status, weight, or goals are, there is always a good reason to add walking into your regular routine. If you can, try to walk for at least a few minutes a day, as it has so many different health benefits for you. Walking is Amazing for Your Heart To start with, one of the best health benefits of walking is that it helps to improve your heart health. When you walk, your heart starts pumping more, allowing you to flex those muscles and pump more blood to your muscles. This helps to strengthen your heart and keep it healthy. You will also notice that your cholesterol and blood pressure go down with regular walking, which can also help to improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk for both stroke and a heart attack. You Will Burn More Calories As an added bonus, walking more is going to mean burning more calories over time. The amount of calories you burn depend on a lot of factors, so don’t expect to burn 1,000 calories in a simple, 30-minute walk. First of all, your body and how in shape you are will determine calories burned. This includes your current weight, stamina, and heart rate during the workouts. Next, the speed at which you walk, the terrain, and the incline are also factors to keep in mind. Wearing a fitness tracker is the best way to know how many calories you are burning during your walks, and can help you keep track of your heart rate when your walks change. It Helps with Joint Pain If you struggle with joint pain, from bad knees to arthritis, walking can help tremendously. Walking can help to lubricate your joints, which is going to keep them from being too stiff and sore. Building the muscles in your legs around your knee joint also helps a lot with joint pain from arthritis, which is also another benefit of walking more often. Walking Encourages Other Forms of Exercise One of the more unique benefits of walking is that many people get inspired to try other workouts as well. It is very common for people to start their fitness routine just with short walks. Maybe you walk at the park with your kids, or start a morning routine of walking on a treadmill at home. Before too long, you will notice that you feel healthier and stronger, and want to do more. You try yoga or pilates, join the gym, go for jogs or runs, or start weight training. Be sure to let us know how you allow The Health Benefits of Adding Walking to Your Regular Workout Practice impact you for your best life in the comments below. Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Learn more about us and what we believe in at https://wendybottrell.com Check out our Resource page for more information on our products and coaching here Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Sign Up Here
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The Driver's Seat Of This Game Called Life We are living in challenging times and yet we don’t have to feel like life is spinning out of control. It was just a few months ago that we did feel that life wasn’t in our control and began to look at ways to make changes to put us back in the driver's seat of this game called life. Today we would like to share our Top 10 Ideas To Get Back In The Driver's Seat Of This Game Called Life, and ultimately, your success.
“Most people consider life a battle, but it is not a battle, it is a game.” ― Florence Scovel Shinn 1. Do Something You Are Afraid Of There are two definitions of FEAR that I have heard over the years. 1. False Evidence Appearing Real & 2. Face Everything And Rise. We get to decide each day which means we will attach to our fear. If we accept the first definition of Fear as a major control factor in your life, you let certain fear control you, and this will challenge you to accomplish your dreams! This is why you must face everything and rise to do the things you are afraid of, no matter what they may be. If you are afraid of meeting new people, then put yourself in a situation where you have to do so! When thinking about your health and fitness the same principle applies. Run that marathon, learn to cook at home if you are afraid to learn to do this, play a sport, learn about nutrition or any of the other important aspects of living well. 2. Have A Savings Account Finances are an important part of a healthy life. Many people are just one mishap away from financial disaster. This means that they often can’t do some of the things that they want or take any risks because their finances have control of their life. Don’t let finance control your life any longer, get a savings account and start putting money into it each and every month. This way if a challenge does hit, you will remain in control of what happens next! 3. Quit Social Media Social media is changing extremely fast these days. Social media can be a great tool for keeping in contact with friends, but it can also promote jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. If you really want to take back control of your life, then you need to stop spending time on social media. It will help you to feel better about yourself and more in control of your life. 4. Keep Yourself Organized Getting and staying organized will be vitally important when you make the commitment to live in a more disciplined way. We have found that by being in the driver's seat of our life we are in control. We do know that there is nothing like a little, or a lot of a mess, to make you feel as if your life is spinning out of control. Making every effort you can to keep your workspace and living space clean and organized is a wonderful way to feel in control. Not only will this save you time and energy in the long run, but when someone asks for something, you will know exactly where to get it from—which will put you back in control! 5. Be In Control of the People You Spend Time With Do you constantly find yourself hanging out with people that you would rather not be spending time with? This can definitely make you feel as if you’ve lost control of your life. Remember, you decide exactly how you spend your time and who you spend it with. If someone doesn’t make you feel good about yourself, then cut them out of your life! 6. Exercise It was important to share the idea of getting and staying organized before we shared the idea of exercise here. We know that for many people physical activity can be monumental when it comes to regaining control of your life. This is because what is going on inside the body often shows on the exterior of the body as well. Exercise and physical activity are so important for your overall good health and wellbeing. We believe that daily exercise is great for the mind, body, and spirit. Do physical activities that challenge you and watch how your body begins to change—you will absolutely love the way you feel when this happens! If you are at the point where exercise is a monumental challenge begin with walking each and every day. Join our FREE Walking Challenge and begin to practice moving well. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. 7. Make A Daily Success List Rather than make endless to-do lists that we have been taught to do, consider making a daily success list. What you will want to do is plan your day and then as you go through your tasks for the day no matter how big or small write them down. Whatever you want to do and then do it write it down. This daily success validation list is an idea we learned from a mentor a few months ago. What we have found is our daily inspiration and motivation have been improved. We are getting way more done in our day and yet the most important thing is we feel better about the accomplishments we make by the time we get ready for bed. The point of this idea is to validate every success. This is a way to begin to see more and more successes in your day. The more success you validate the more successes you will begin to see. 8. Learn to Say No It can be difficult in life when someone asks you to do something that you would rather not do but you aren’t exactly sure how to say no. This is why learning to say no is so important when it comes to taking control of your life. If you can say no to something you don’t want to do, this is a powerful feeling which keeps you in control of both the things you want to do and don’t want to do! And saying NO opens life up to all the YESs you are ready for. 9. Go On a Solo Trip For many years in my previous career, I travelled for business by myself. I would spend at least a week a month away on the road making sales calls. At that time I did not know that there are several people out there in the world that have a fear of doing things alone. This keeps them under the control of others as they always have to find someone to go with them when they want to do something. Put a stop to this practice. Do you have a dream trip you’ve always wanted to embark on? Go for it! There is no time like the present and no reason not to do it solo! 10. Consider Every Action In Your Life as a Choice One of the major aspects of feeling out of control is feeling like you didn’t have a say in your life when bad (or good) things happen. To remedy this, start thinking of everything in your life as a choice. This means that nothing just happens to you, rather you have a choice in every single aspect of your life. This will leave you feeling more in control and better able to combat hard times that may come your way. Life can feel challenging when you don’t feel in control of it. Use any or all of the above tips to take back control of your life, and your destiny, today. You won’t regret it, and you will love how you feel once you are back in control. Share any ideas, comments and questions below. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Learn more about us here – http://wendybottrell.com We invite you to check out our resource page here We invite you to Subscribe to our newsletter here and we will send you our Free Report What Are You Putting In Your Body - In the world of wellness cultivation, there is no greater power than realizing that the ability to inspire and encourage wellness comes down to your own levels of discipline, inspiration, and persistence - Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Making Positive Changes Simple Questions We write and share ideas on making a change here on our blog and today we continue to share ideas to help you make changes to your health and fitness this year. Maybe you are at the point where you are thinking, That's it. You've had it. You may be thinking that your health and fitness are just not going as well as you'd like. It's time for a change, a Fresh Start if you will. But how do you know where to even begin? Especially if you're still neck-deep in a life you want to escape. It’s simple. You start by asking yourself these five questions: What Are You Looking For? Too often, what we're thinking is a change in our life is nothing more than a dressed-up version of the old. To avoid falling into this trap, begin by looking for real and actual change. Start by asking the hard questions: What do you want out of life? What would you need to do to attain this? What's one positive change which would place you closer to your goal? How Many Risks Are You Willing to Take? Making a fresh start will demand a certain commitment from you, which manifests in how much of yourself you’re willing to put into the project. If you’re not willing to risk a new way of life, or much in the way of change, you’re not going to have much success. This might be a hard thing to read however it is up to you where you begin and how you move toward the fresh start or changes you desire. What is Different About the Goals You’re Proposing If you're looking for a change in your life, there has to be something 'new,' or you're not starting over at all. You are merely continuing what you've been doing all along. What is the thing you haven't done before? This is a juicy question to help you with your health and fitness goals. What haven’t you done before when it comes to improving your health? Or your fitness? Pick one of those new ideas and begin. Plan. Do that now. What Are You Giving Up? A new beginning means something else is ending. What are you leaving behind? This can be a scary thing to think about. For example, when I gave up gluten over ten years ago for my best healthy life it took some time to make this commitment because I knew once I started down this path, how I ate would be forever changed. It was a bit scary, I wasn't sure if I would succeed and what I know now it has been one of the best decisions of my life. Keep in mind the answers to the question don't necessarily imply you need to abandon every aspect of your past. Sometimes we're leaving behind only a small part of our life that hasn’t served our best interest at all. Are You Truly Ready to Let Go of the Past? This last question can be hard because you might not know the answer until you've begun. Every fresh start is doomed to failure if you're weighed down with a lot of baggage from the past. At the very least, though, it helps to have a positive attitude about letting go and are willing to do the work to make this happen. Here is what I mean. So many of us have made attempts to get in shape, lose weight, have more energy and live more vibrantly. If we haven’t successfully achieved our goal, we make it so difficult to begin with a new mindset. In the end, these questions will give you some idea of what to expect as you embark on this journey of letting go. After all, being prepared truly is half the battle. We believe that knowing your WHY is the most important action step you can take to help you make a fresh start and see the results that you desire this year. We wrote a blog post on the 5 WHY’s method and here is the link https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life This is a powerful tool that will help you answer the 5 Simple Questions to Ask When Making Positive Changes This Year. Share any ideas, comments and questions below. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Learn more about us here – http://wendybottrell.com We invite you to check out our resource page here We invite you to Subscribe to our newsletter here and we will send you our Free Report What Are You Putting In Your Body - In the world of wellness cultivation, there is no greater power than realizing that the ability to inspire and encourage wellness comes down to your own levels of discipline, inspiration, and persistence Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - https://forms.aweber.com/form/46/118824146.htm Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Simple Things Science Says About Alone Time Do you practice alone time in your day? Today we want to share 4 Simple Things Science Says About Alone Time You Might Not Know with you. I’ve heard it said before: we need Alone Time. We know it’s good for us. We enjoy the pampering, the fun, and the way we feel rested and recharged afterward. But did you know there’s some serious science to Alone Time and what we get out of it? Read on to find out some things about what science has proven about Alone Time. Some of these might even be pretty surprising. Alone Time Leads to Empathy The one thing everyone should get out of Alone Time is the ability to understand your own thoughts and feelings. This understanding translates to a difference in our interactions with the people around us. Think about it. When we understand why we act and feel as we do, we gain an understanding of why other people similarly react in ways that look like ours. Now we’re seeing the world through their eyes. Check out more on this here - https://www.verywellmind.com/the-benefits-of-being-by-yourself-4769939#:~:text=Research Alone Time Makes Us Stronger Ask anyone who dreads time alone what they hate about it, and you’ll find it more often than not. It’s the idea of being alone with their thoughts, which freaks them out. In fact, a study was done where college students were given the choice of being alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes or being given an electric shock. 67% of men and 24% of women chose the shock over what was in their heads. So, imagine how much stronger you are than the average person when you’re accustomed to your own thoughts, not to mention, comfortable with them. More on this topic here https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2017/08/05/7-science-backed-reasons-you-should-spend-more-time-alone Alone Time Shows the World Around Us How to Behave Anytime we model behaviour for others, especially children, we shouldn’t be surprised when they follow suit. The critical thing to realize here is just how important it is for children to see us embracing time alone. When we show them we focus better, can clear our thoughts, and manage our emotions better through Alone Time, they learn these things too. More on this idea here - https://www.powerofpositivity.com/being-alone-makes-you-stronger/ Alone Time Shows Us What to Do Next Studies have shown that people who are successful embrace the idea of Alone Time. Entrepreneurs who use their alone time to think about their goals and plan how to better attain those goals will have a higher chance of achieving what they set out to do. This might seem pretty simple, but you can’t argue with the results. Here is more info on this idea for you here https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/344635 So, where does this leave you? Simple. Alone Time is not only optimal, but it makes sense scientifically. If you want to get ahead, you start by pulling back to where you enjoy first the company of yourself and the joy of what you can accomplish on your own. Then get out there and take over the world. Share any ideas, comments and questions below. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Learn more about us here – http://wendybottrell.com We invite you to check out our resource page here We invite you to Subscribe to our newsletter here and we will send you our Free Report What Are You Putting In Your Body - In the world of wellness cultivation, there is no greater power than realizing that the ability to inspire and encourage wellness comes down to your own levels of discipline, inspiration, and persistence - Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Simple Journaling Ideas Are you feeling uninspired or unmotivated? Maybe it is time to look at your life and figure out what isn’t quite working for you. These feelings can come from many things, from your mental health to just being exhausted and overworked. Today we will share the idea to help you Practice These Simple Journaling Ideas for Your Best Healthy Life
When we think about our best healthy life it is more than what we eat and how we train. Our best healthy life is the total of our mind, body and spirit. Today's topic of practicing journaling is a part of our practice. It is our intention that journaling might be a practice for you to consider. If we might suggest the idea of simply to start writing in a journal to figure out why you are experiencing these emotions, and work on a life reset so you can get down to what is happening and why you feel this way. One of the best things you can do in order to find this holistic balance is by creating daily practices. This allows you to fit each component of holistic living into your life without becoming overwhelmed. I wrote a blog post Journaling Benefits For Self-Care - https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/are-there-benefits-of-writing-in-a-self-care-journal Write in a journal We began using a journal back in 2015 after my mother died. It was a sad, stressful time and I made the decision that I preferred to get my feelings down on paper than live in all the pain. It was the best thing I did at the time. Here are some benefits of using a journal for a life reset: Studies Have Shown: ✓ People who journal experience better moods. ✓ Journaling helps to reduce stress. ✓ Regular journaling is an effective tool to fight depression and anxiety. ✓ People who journal don’t get sick as often. ✓ Healing from medical procedures occurs faster in people who journal as opposed to those who don’t. Check out this article to learn more - Source Where the Magic Really Happens When Your Journal ✓ Your mood improves ✓ Your anxiety lessens ✓ You gain clarity ✓ You see things as they are ✓ You become a Problem-Solver ✓ Helps you to see the rhythm of your life ✓ Journaling becoming therapy ✓ You get to know yourself better ✓ You resolve disagreements better ✓ You discover the truth about yourself There is a Journal for Everything ✓ Gratitude ✓ Success ✓ Goal ✓ Habit ✓ Fitness ✓ Food ✓ Health ✓ Bullet Journaling Tips for Your Best Life Reset ✓ Write by hand – this has been the most powerful experience for me. Each morning I write 3 pages using pen and paper. At first, I wasn’t sure how this was going to work out and now it has been six months since I began this project. All I can say about my experience is I look forward to my writing each morning. Give it a go and you might find it is the same for you. ✓ Choose your journal to fit your needs ✓ Start simply – I use a simple notepad from the dollar store and a good Cross pen. ✓ Ignore the word count ✓ Embrace inspiration – This is the exciting aspect of this for me. The inspiration and creativity that has come from morning writing. ✓ Choose the best time of day – I have found that first thing in the morning is an excellent time because the house is quiet and peaceful. No distractions. ✓ Go into detail ✓ Focus on the emotion – powerful and healing ✓ Don’t beat yourself up ✓ Make journaling part of your morning practice and routine ✓ Forget perfectionism ✓ Try a brain dump ✓ Let therapy happen ✓ Use a writing prompt – I have used Affirmation cards, Crystal Message cards, SoulFlower cards and so many other ideas to prompt me in my writing. ✓ Get artistic Share any ideas on how you experience journaling in the comments below. Be sure to get in touch with us if we can help you. Join me on the journey for change here: Subscribe to our newsletter here and we will send you our Free Report What Are You Putting In Your Body - In the world of wellness cultivation, there is no greater power than realizing that the ability to inspire and encourage wellness comes down to your own levels of discipline, inspiration, and persistence If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Seven Small Simple Steps For Big Life Changes I'm not sure if you have noticed but the world has changed. There has never been a better time to think about using the idea to practice these seven small simple steps for big life changes that we will share with you today. Over the past two years, I have used this time to practice the idea of making tiny changes and seeing a big change in my life. What the result has been is me living a more disciplined life, reducing my weight by about 40 lbs., getting into great physical shape and feeling better overall. Over the past 25 years, I have been in the practice of improving and in the past two years I have taken more action on those tiny steps and the result has been bigger changes. You see what I learned is to change it takes practicing these seven small simple steps for big life changes every single day. And for so many, that sounds too easy and so they don't even attempt to use this idea to reach their desired goals in life. Now, these practices and habits weren’t achieved all at once. And I think this is the biggest thing that people think about when making a change. It is about small daily actions over time that allow you to realize new and better habits. Taking the first step is always the hardest part. It's not uncommon to see people never do what they have in mind just because they're too scared or overwhelmed to get started. Begin to think of change as simple tiny steps that allow you to win every day. New experiences come with a dose of fear. You must embrace the unknown and take risks. Not everyone is willing to let go and take on these challenges. Believe it or not, you can bring your ideas to life without changing everything at once. It's that first step that can move you in the right direction. Small things, such as building a new practice or habit, can go a long way toward your success in any area of your life. Why Taking the First Step Is the Hardest No matter what you're trying to achieve, taking the first step can be mind-wrecking. You might think: What if I fail? How will I make money? What will people think? What if I’m no good? What if it's not the right time to do it? Am I ready for this? The truth is that no one can guarantee that you'll succeed. However, you’ll never know how it's going to turn out unless you commit to taking action toward what you want to achieve. Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering What if? This was me 25 years ago. I was almost 100 lbs. overweight, low energy, and certainly not living my best life. Then, I was called to the hospital because my mother broke her hip and needed a full hip replacement. My mother had to lie in the emergency for 2 days until they could do the operation. It was at that time that I realized if I didn't make changes I was going to be my mother in 20 years. The very next day I started to make changes. It was a big challenge for me. A mountain that was so high I wasn’t sure if I could climb it. What mountains are you facing right now with your health and fitness? That first step is always the hardest because it requires you to embrace the unknown and face your fears. It's also the most important step - without it, nothing will change. I am now 25 years older now and in better health and I am strong physically as well as mentally. Ready for my new normal each and every day. And you can definitely achieve the same for yourself. Feeling Scared? Take a Half Step to Change Your Life Most times, it's the small things that have the biggest impact on our lives. You don't have to change everything from one day to the next. If you're scared of the unknown, do one little, minuscule thing to get started. It can be contacting real estate agents to find a flat in your dream city, putting on your sneakers and getting outside for a walk or eating one healthy real-life-affirming food meal rather than junk food. Choose one little practice and stick to it until it is a part of your day. Celebrate this first step WIN and feel proud of it. Then, take another step and then another, and so on. Stop waiting for the perfect moment to get started. Stop overanalyzing and just go for it! There is NEVER the perfect time to start. The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is NOW. Now is especially a great time to begin a new health and fitness practice. Small changes done daily over the next few months and years will have a huge impact on how you feel. What are small changes you can begin NOW? Hydrate - Drink more water Eat Real Food – cooked by you in your own kitchen – if you are not in the habit of cooking at home we recommend learning 3 new recipes and once you are happy with your skills with those 3 new recipes add 3 more new recipes to your cooking toolbox. Breathe – here is an article to help you with a powerful breathing technique called Box Breathing - https://www.livestrong.com/article/74944-box-breathing-technique/ Move your body more – walk – bike – do a home workout (Not sure how? Check out our resource page for the fitness programs we use and recommend here Sleep – the often forgotten Pillar of Wellness – poor sleep is the cause of many health issues - now is a great time to practice good sleep habits – go to bed at the same time every night, avoid bright lights before bed, sleep in a dark cool room Journal – write about your WHY – this will help you focus on what is important to you for those challenging days and journaling will help you realize your successes as well - We wrote a blog post with the idea of helpin you get clear on your WHY - check it out here - Implement The 5 Whys Method To Energize Your Best LifeMeditate – "Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions." Source - What is one tiny step you can do RIGHT NOW? Leave a comment below and get in touch with us & be sure to let us know how we can support you! Be sure to get in touch with us if you have any questions or if we can help you. Join me on the journey for change here: Subscribe to our newsletter here Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Be Inspired To Take Action On Your Health & Fitness Goals This Year Do you know what Inspires You To Keep Taking Action On Your Health & Fitness Goals? A survey once showed that the number 1 resolution that most people make on New Year’s Day is to lose weight or get fit. The survey also went on to show that this very same resolution was the one most often broken by the end of January or February. Today we would like to share with you Simple Ideas To Inspire You To Take Action On Your Health & Fitness Goals This Year? • Why do people quit on themselves so soon after getting started on their goals? • So why are people not able to keep at it? • Where did the initial excitement go? • Why have they wasted money on an expensive gym membership but stopped going? The answer is to find your inspiration. Many think that they require motivation to stay on track when in fact they must be inspired from within to achieve the health and fitness goals they say they want to achieve. Think about something you started. In the beginning, there is the initial excitement of starting something new, right? The future seems happy with a healthy, toned and energized body. However, after a few weeks it seems that the excitement dies down, and people realize that results are not coming fast, they get frustrated, they lose interest, and it all becomes mundane and even unpleasant. There is a different approach to reaching your desired goals. I have listed a few ways to help you find your inspiration to keep on keeping on. When the going gets tough, these tips will keep you going. When you don’t see the results as fast as you want, these methods will give you the patience and persistence to forge ahead. Write down WHY you want to lose weight, get fit, build muscle, get, and stay healthy etc. • Define YOUR strong WHY. • Keep asking why until you get to the real truth. • Why do you want to get fit? • Because you want to feel better and lose weight Why? • So, you look good, have more self-confidence and have more energy? • Why must you look good and have more energy? • So, your self-confidence improves because you look good, and you feel your body is vital and energized. That is the why. • To feel amazing mind, body and spirit. • To realize an improved self-confidence. • To feel energized each day. • Have the courage to keep digging till you get to the truth. We have written about finding your WHY many times here on our blog. Check out our blog post - Implement The 5 WHYS Method as your guide to gaining your inspiration in reaching your health and fitness goals this year here - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life Find a training partner so that each of you can encourage each other when one of you is down. This is how I began exercising years ago. A friend and I joined a gym together. We had a plan that we would work out together and we did that for over 2 years. It was an amazing experience for me for so many reasons, we had a lot of fun, and I was able to change my body from being 100 lbs. overweight to being in the best shape of my life at that time. Do NOT stop. Don’t Quit On Yourself No Matter What. If your schedule was very busy on a certain day and you do not have time for a one-hour workout, do not just skip it and feel guilty. Do a quick 10 minutes of push-ups and squats. Or maybe skipping for 15 minutes. A quick workout that leaves you gasping for air. It will make you feel better and more energized but more importantly you will feel inspired because you did not quit. Recognizing when you ate something that wasn’t in your plan but carrying on. Many people get sidetracked on their diets and once they do, they just give up on it and eat whatever they want. Understand that this happens to all of us once in a while but it’s not over. Tell yourself that it’s ok and be sure that you enjoyed every single bite at that moment. Just because you gave in to temptation at the moment and had a slice of pizza does not mean you should finish the whole pizza. Tomorrow is a new day, and you have the opportunity to begin again with your plan. Keep your workouts exciting. My plan includes walking, running, sprinting, mini-trampoline jumping, lifting free weights, kettlebell training and stretching. There is variety every day. Do not let your training become monotonous and predictable. This is extremely uninspiring, to say the least. Find those things that you love to do whether it is weight training, dancing, yoga, or martial arts. Do that and you will be inspired each and every time you exercise. Listen to music while training. It beats listening to your panting and gasping. Change your music often too. Music that is upbeat, catchy and with fast beats. All of us go through periods when we are feeling down or just not in the mood. It is perfectly normal. The key point to note is that if you’re not in the mood for a long workout, just do a short one. Or simply get out for a walk out in nature to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit on that day. Never stop and never give up. Read your “why” that you wrote before, whenever you just feel like quitting. Remember your “why”, and then get back on track. I had a mentor once tell me it is OK to quit for today, just be sure to wake up tomorrow and take action toward your goal keeping in mind you WHY in helping guide and inspire you to your success. What inspires you to keep going? I will share with you that it was my WHY that I created in 1999 that has kept me going all these years. I saw my mother break her hip and was in need of a full hip replacement. At that time I was about 100 lbs. overweight and I just knew if I didn’t make positive changes in my life at that time I would be my mother in twenty years. The next day I borrowed a friend's Tai Bow video and struggled to do a short exercise video. Over the next many months I was able to get through an entire video and moved on to going to the local community centre to get a gym membership. It has now been 23 years; I am in better health and fitness than I was at that time. The changes I made did not happen overnight. Yet I took it one step at a time and used my WHY as my inspiration to succeed at my goals. You can do the same. Begin with finding WHY and take action today. I have heard it said that Health is the New Wealth. Find your WHY today and begin the journey to your new wealth of health and fitness. It may be a challenging path and I know for certain each and every moment is worth it. We invite you to use these Simple Ideas To Inspire You To Take Action On Your Health & Fitness Goals This Year? Be sure to get in touch with us if you have any questions or if we can help you. Join me on the journey here: Subscribe to our newsletter here Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Become An Early Riser For Your Best Life It was just over two years ago when I began my journey into being an early riser. Before that, I disliked mornings and did all I could to avoid getting up early. I never considered that my life might be way better if I would simply get out of bed earlier. Today I want to share with you How Becoming An Early Riser Has Changed My Life For The Better. I did hear from most business mentors that getting up early would be so good for me and my life. Has someone told you that you should work to become an earlier riser and get up earlier every day? It can be annoying to hear, especially when you love sleeping in, but whoever suggested this for you is correct. Over the past two years, I have learned that there are many benefits to becoming an earlier riser. Check them out here and be sure to share any of your ideas, comments and questions below. This is what I have found when I became an early riser and how they might be the same for you. You, Will, Be More Productive Whether or not you struggle with productivity, one of the best ways to be more productive is by getting up earlier every morning. What I have found is there are fewer distractions when the rest of the world is sleeping. Not to mention it will give you more time to get things done, rather than lying in bed wishing to go back to sleep! Getting up early gives you more productive hours during the day while you are at your mental prime rather than trying to cram activities in at the end! It is awesome what I get done now before the sun even rises. And because the house is peaceful I do all this productivity with a sense of calm. You, Will, Be Healthier Surprisingly, getting up early has many health benefits. Not only will you be able to eat healthier and have ample time to exercise, but your mental health will also be better. Getting enough sleep and getting up at the same time every day helps to regulate your hormones so that you get better sleep. Combine this with healthier lifestyle choices, and you will be shocked by how much clearer your mind is and how much healthier you feel! You Can Have Time For Yourself Do you have a house full of kids? Or maybe a job that won't leave you alone starting at eight in the morning? Getting up early can help you have some quiet time to yourself before the hectic day begins. This is also a great time to engage in whatever self-care you enjoy. This will further increase your mental health and improve your outlook on the day because you will start it by taking care of the most important person in your life—you! Your Performance Will Improve Do you often struggle to perform well at work? The problem could be that you simply aren't getting enough sleep and aren't waking up early enough! When you get enough rest and start your day with a healthy self-care practice, you will be shocked by how much your performance increases. This isn't just in your professional life but your personal one as well! Overall, I have found that becoming an earlier riser may not be high on your list of things to accomplish, it might surprise or shock you just how much you can accomplish daily when you become an early riser. I get up without an alarm clock which is a much calmer way to start the day. I have found a new joy in early mornings, my morning writing, studies and all that I get accomplished before the sun shines. Will you begin the practice of getting up earlier? Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. And there is nothing better than an early morning walk to move well, get some sunshine so you sleep better and spend some time in nature before the busyness of your day begins. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Wake Up Earler For Your SuccessOver 2 years ago I started to wake up before the sun. At first, it was a weird feeling however now I know for sure it has changed my life. The 3 ideas we share here today are exactly what has become true for me and if you give it a go you might experience the same benefits. Today we want to share 3 ideas and Recommended Formula For Success - Actually Wake Up Earlier Each Morning
A few questions for you. Has someone told you that waking up earlier will help you be more successful in life? They aren't lying. Don't believe it? Keep reading to find out more about how waking up earlier can help you be more successful in life. You’ll Be More Productive Waking up earlier leads to many positive changes in your life that, in turn, lead to success. For example, when you wake up early, you will have more time to get things accomplished before the rest of the world wakes up and starts bothering you with emails and phone calls. When you are more productive, this will make it easier to accomplish your goals, which will lead to success. See how that works? Not to mention that getting up earlier will additionally help you feel motivated. Instead of struggling to get things done because you are tired after a long day of work, you will conquer your large obstacles while still having a new reserve of energy. You’ll Feel Better Look at the successful people in your life. They are probably happy and healthy. Well, both of these things are benefits that come from waking up earlier. If you still aren't sure, look at how many successful people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos claim to rise each day before the sun. When you get up at dawn, you will have time to take care of your health, as well as your self-care. You will have time to eat a healthy breakfast and exercise rather than grabbing a donut from the drive-through on your way to work. Additionally, you will have time to meditate or journal—two important habits to maintain your mental health. The combination of both of these together will keep your physical and mental well-being in check, allowing you to worry more about achieving your goals rather than having to worry about your body or mind adding stress to your life. You’ll Be More Confident Another key aspect to success is having the confidence to believe that you can do something. And this confidence comes when you are healthy, happy, and productive—and if you don't remember where these things come from, scroll up to remind yourself—as they come from getting up earlier in the morning! So whether or not you truly believe in the health benefits of getting up early in the morning, it is the key to success. Even if you aren't a morning person, you should start setting your alarm and become a morning person today. Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. A Plan and Massive Action For Your Best Life Do you have big plans for many areas of your life? Big Dreams that you want to turn into a reality? This is often easier than done, especially when you don't know how to start taking action in the first place. Today we will share ideas to help you Create A Plan and Then Take Massive Action For Your Best Life Below are some ways to help you more effectively turn your thoughts into actions, no matter how crazy they may be. Start By Making A Plan Usually, when someone has a plan in their head, it can be a bit chaotic and maybe hard to see exactly how to get there. This is why you must start by making a physical, written-down plan of what you want to do. This will give you a better view of where to go to start. This will also help you to break your goals down into more manageable steps. Don’t think that just because you write a plan that it has to happen exactly that way either, as once you start to take action, you can come back and adjust your plan as needed. We made a video for you to learn about the Behavior-Based Approach to Goal Setting and Goal Achieving https://youtu.be/ELOqFZPb-fc Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Stop Overthinking Everything One of the reasons you may find yourself unable to turn thoughts into actions is probably because you are overthinking everything. The above step of making a plan should help you to clear up your overthinking a little bit as you write things down. But if it doesn't, other mental relaxation techniques like meditation, talking something out with others, and taking a deep breath can help you stop overthinking. Remember, you aren't perfect, and that isn't what you are trying to achieve, so there is no reason to fret over your mental plan being perfect. Figure Out What Is Stopping You From Massive Taking Action If you've done the two above steps but still can't seem to turn your thoughts into action, it's time to figure out why. Are you scared of failure? Too distracted? Waiting for the perfect time? Any of these can hold you back as you work to make your thoughts become a reality. If you leave them unchecked, you will never be able to take meaningful action. So once you discover why you can't seem to take action in your life, work through why and eliminate it from your life so that it is no longer a reason. Turning your thoughts into action is often easier said than done, especially if you aren’t sure where to start and are overthinking everything. The trick is, you need to figure out what is stopping you from turning your thoughts into action, cut out the overthinking, and start following a plan that you have written down—and before you know it, your thoughts will become actions! We wrote a blog post Implement The 5 Whys Method To Energize Your Best Life here for you - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you.  3 Tips to Supercharge Your Work Success This Year Today we are sharing ideas around work success by realizing that your health is your first wealth. Think about it this way. Just how much do you want to get ahead? If you are a person with a lot of big goals and huge ambitions, then maybe it’s time to take your work life to the next level.
But levelling up in any aspect of your life is hard work, and it’s going to require one very crucial element from you: Your good health. “Good health is a crown on the head of a well person that only a sick person can see.” – Robin Sharma Without health, you get nowhere fast. Poor health means poor thought processes, low energy, an inability to concentrate, and a predisposition to get sick often, meaning a lot of lost time in sick days and time spent playing catch up rather than getting ahead. This is why, if you want to supercharge your work success this year, you’re going to first have to get healthy. To get started, try these simple tips: Manage Your Stress Your day is going to be stressful, no matter what. You don’t get ahead without taking on a fair bit of work and having a lot of complicated goals. Exercise is crucial to relieving stress. It’s exercise that wipes out cortisol in the bloodstream, which is produced by stress. Cortisol isn’t bad by itself, as it helps regulate certain things in the blood that you need. But too much cortisol all the time will work against you, eroding neural pathways and changing brain function for the worse. This is why it’s so important to keep levels under control. Regular exercise does this naturally. Keep Your Brain Online Stress isn’t the only thing to hurt your ability to think or make decisions. A lack of oxygen to the brain, which comes from sitting still too long, can also make you dull, so exercise helps out here too. Then add to this a proper real food diet to supercharge your brain function. Too much sugar or chemicals in your food can again impair your brain function. Healthy life-affirming real organic foods, especially those high in omega-3 fatty acids, do wonders for brain health and keep you thinking clearly all day long. Increase Capacity Ready to take on more? You might not be if you’re not feeling well. You can’t challenge yourself or even be prepared to take on additional work or a promotion if you can’t prioritize or manage better what you have right now. The ability to prioritize better will come from regular exercise, which helps you in goal-setting and problem-solving success. The ability to take on more work requires enough good sleep, so you’re rested and ready for the new challenges. And the ability to tackle creative tasks requires a diet high in healthy life-affirming real foods, so your brain is ready to think outside the box. In other words, you’re going to find your entire body needs to be on board with your future success. There’s no doing this halfway. “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.” – Herophilus Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - https://forms.aweber.com/form/46/118824146.htm Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/healthfitnessresources.html Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Use Your Inspiration For Your Best Fit Life A survey once showed that the number 1 resolution that most people make on New Year’s Day is to lose weight or get fit.
The survey also went on to show that this very same resolution was the one most often broken by the end of January or February. Is this a New Year's resolution you made this past New Year? How are you doing now that we are almost halfway through April? Let us know in the comments. Today we have 4 Simple Ideas to Use Your Inspiration For Your Best Fit Life So why are people not able to keep at it? Where did the initial excitement go? Why have they wasted money on an expensive gym membership but stopped going? The answer is the lack of inspiration. Many think that they require complete willpower or motivation to stay on track when in fact they must be inspired from within to achieve the health and fitness goals they say they want to achieve. In the beginning, there is the initial excitement of starting something new. The future seems happy with a healthy, toned body. However, once the excitement dies down, and people realize that results are not coming fast, they lose interest and it all becomes mundane and even unpleasant. I have listed a few ways to help you find your inspiration to keep on keeping on. When the going gets tough and you feel like quitting, these tips will open up new viewpoints for you in finding your inspiration. When you don’t see the results as fast as you want, these methods will give you the patience and persistence to forge ahead. Write down YOUR WHY. Ask yourself why it is you want to lose weight, get fit, build muscle, get, and stay healthy etc. Define YOUR TRUE WHY. Keep asking why until you get to the real truth. Why do you want to get fit? Because you want to feel better and lose weight Why? So, you look good, have more self-confidence and have more energy? Why must you look good and have more energy? So, your self-confidence improves because you look good, and you feel your body is vital and energized. That is the why. To feel amazing and self-confident. To feel energized each day. Keep digging till you get to the truth. We wrote about the 5 WHY Method and here is the link to go through the ideas for your best life. https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life Find a training partner so that each of you can encourage each other when one of you is down. This is how I began exercising years ago. A friend and I joined a gym together. We had a plan that we would work out together and we did that for over 2 years. It was an amazing experience for me for so many reasons, we had a lot of fun and I was able to change my body from being overweight to being in the best shape of my life at that time. Do NOT stop. If your schedule was very busy on a certain day and you do not have time for a one-hour workout, do not just skip it and feel guilty. Do a quick 10 minutes of push-ups and squats. Or maybe skipping for 15 minutes. A quick workout that leaves you gasping for air. It will make you feel better and more energized but more importantly, you will feel inspired because you did not quit. Keep your workouts exciting. My plan includes walking, sprinting, lifting weights, and stretching. There is variety every day. Do not let your training become monotonous and predictable. This causes you to lack inspiration and motivation. If you get here go back to FINDING YOU WHY and grab the pen/paper to write down Your WHY with the 5 WHY's method https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life. It is completely worth the effort. This is what I did over 25 years ago, when I was 100 lbs overweight, out of shape, exhausted and living an uninspired life. Today my WHY inspires me every day. Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Boost Your Brain Power TipsI our modern world of go-go-go and all that the high stress of living today causes the mind, body and spirit we want to share our ideas on the topic of Practice These 5 Habits To Help You Boost Your Brain Power. Practicing keeping your brain sharp for your entire life is the most important thing you can do.
Habits can be wonderful things. While most people think of habits initially as bad things you need to conquer, good habits are the ones keeping you on track, like reminding yourself to brush your teeth every morning or to drink water throughout the day. Did you know there are habits you can add easily to your daily routine that will boost your brain power? Let’s look at five changes you can start making today and get you on track to creating the best version of yourself. 1. Sleep This one should almost go without saying. Sleep is how you recharge and prepare yourself to face the new day. What you might not realize is sleep is what helps you to process your day. Without deep sleep and the dream state, you would never be able to deal with whatever trauma you went through during your waking hours. By getting enough sleep, you’re hitting the reset button on your brain, allowing it to work through the rough stuff so you can start the next day with a clean slate. To help you sleep we recommend - Pure Sleep by Cliff High - Clif High's PureSleep is a proprietary blend of ingredients created to promote restorative sleep. This non-habit-forming sleep aid is gentle with no hang-over effects the following day. The formula promotes digestive well-being and facilitates a smooth entry to sleep. Waking fresh and energized for the day ahead with every use, the Pure Sleep formula will not build up in the system nor affect daytime performance.- https://bit.ly/3xcWf1p 2. Get Up When the Sun Does Pay attention to Circadian rhythms. By starting the day at dawn, you’re putting your body in sync with the world around you. People who are out of sync are those who experience all manner of problems, from obesity to depression. To keep your mood stabilized, start the day early, and go to bed when it gets dark. 3. Use Fish Oil If you’re not into eating a lot of fatty fish in your diet, a fish oil supplement will give you the Omega-3s so crucial to your good health. That is what’s needed to repair your brain cells, with the added benefit of guarding you against memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s. We recommend Jigsaw Alaskan Cod Liver Oil™ from sustainably sourced, line-caught, MSC® certified codfish in Dutch Harbor, Alaska provides important Omega-3 fatty acids, Pro-Resolving Mediators (PRMs), and naturally occurring Vitamins A & D to promote immune health, brain health, eye health, and circulatory health.* https://bit.ly/3DMPPaF 4. Practice Mindfulness You might already know meditation will help you reduce stress, and give your brain a break. Were you aware meditation is also responsible for stopping loss of brain cells and even reversing the effects of aging? Meditate for at least 5 – 10 minutes every day to see a positive benefit. 5. Do Weird Stuff To grow new connections in your brain and keep your neurons firing, you need to challenge it regularly. Take up a hobby, learn a language, or try something new for a definite jumpstart to get your brain going. Even doing the same old routine in an alternative way can have a positive benefit. So, brush your teeth with the opposite hand or try going a different way to work to jump-start the process. As with any habit, the key is to do these things every day for the best benefit. Boosting your brain power is very simple. Commit to building new habits and practices starting today. After all, there’s no time like the present! We would appreciate hearing from you. Share any ideas or comments below. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Join our FREE Walking Challenge here https://forms.aweber.com/form/46/118824146.htm Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Ideas To Be More Patient
Do you ever feel that patience is a challenge in your life? I know for sure it is for me. It has me thinking about what this is all about and what I can learn from the practice of more patience in my life. Today I would like to share ideas on Why We Struggle with Patience and How To Be More Patient Today. Here is one idea about a lack of patience. The alarm fails to go off, so you oversleep. Now you are late, and you have a flat tire to make things worse. You know that if one more thing happens, you might explode with some expletives that would make a sailor blush. Especially in our modern world, it seems that every day, we fight to maintain a sense of calm as the world around us pushes our patience buttons. We may have heard that patience is a virtue, but why is it so hard to be patient? What factors play into our ability to let go of our frustrations and let things roll off our backs? 6 Reasons People Are Impatient Our fast-paced society has us frustrated over small things. Even though we feel we must learn how to be patient, we all still struggle, and here’s why: 1. Our habits are disrupted. Habits offer comfort. They give us a sense of calm in a chaotic world. We become impatient when something comes along and disrupts our typically scheduled patterns. 2. Things are important, but time is running out. You have an important meeting. While you left with plenty of time to get there, delays occurred. You may have a flat tire, or there is an accident on the highway. As the clock hands move closer to the appointment time, your patience grows thinner and thinner. 3. Other people succeed, and we don’t. The comparison trap can cause much upheaval in your life. Seeing others succeed in pursuing their goals while you are stuck in a rut has caused jealousy and some impatience on your part. 4. We feel overwhelmed. Having too much to do leaves many of us feeling overwhelmed. So, we move from task to task, working fast and efficiently until someone comes along and tips the apple cart. Now things are stalled, and patience is lost. 5. We don’t see results as fast as we think we should. Let’s say you want to lose weight. You research methods and choose to eat healthier and exercise. You start out great and drop seven pounds your first month. Then you lose two; then none for several weeks. When progress stalls, it is easy to grow impatient. What is worse for so many is that impatience causes them to quit. 6. We are tired and hungry. Anytime you are tired, you are likely to lose your patience with others fast. Being hungry has the same effect. Recognizing why we become impatient is the first step in pursuing a happier life filled with patience. Consider which of these reasons play the most significant factors for you, and then learn how to combat impatience. How to be more patient Over the past 25 years, I have been practicing improving. I have taken the time to learn about health and fitness. Taking action on the learning by eating better food, getting more active with regular exercise and movement, drinking water rather than excessive pop and coffee, eliminating toxic personal care products and household cleaning products, getting out in nature for a hike, to name a few. Now, these health and fitness practices weren’t achieved all at once. And I think this is the biggest thing that people think about when making a change. It is about small daily actions over time that allow you to realize new and better habits as well as practices. Notice how this has been over 25 years. That is patience and here is how I came to realize how vital being patient is to the overall quality of my life. Maybe it will be the same realization for you. Taking the first step is always the hardest part. It's not uncommon to see people never do what they have in mind just because they're too scared or overwhelmed to get started. New experiences come with a dose of fear. You must embrace the unknown and take risks. Not everyone is willing to let go and take on these challenges. For many, if they do begin it is a short period of time they have quit because they don’t think they see the results. Believe it or not, you can bring your ideas to life without changing everything at once. This idea was a good learning because it helps get a WIN and eliminate impatience. It's that first step that can move you in the right direction. Small things, such as building a new habit, or a new practice can go a long way toward your success while eliminating feelings of impatience. Why Taking the First Step Is the Hardest When Eliminating Impatience? No matter what you're trying to achieve, taking the first step can be mind-wrecking. You might think: • What if I fail? • How will I make money? • What will people think? • What if I’m no good? • What if it's not the right time to do it? • Am I ready for this? • How long will it take? The truth is that no one can guarantee that you'll succeed. However, you’ll never know how it's going to turn out unless you try. Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering What if? This was me 20 years ago. I was almost 100 lbs. overweight, low energy, and certainly not living my best life. Then, I was called to the hospital because my mother broke her hip and needed a full hip replacement. My mother had to lie in the emergency for 2 days until they could do the operation. It was at that time that I realized if I didn't make changes I was going to be my mother in 20 years. The very next day I started to make changes. It was a big challenge for me. A mountain that was so high I wasn’t sure if I could climb it. What mountain are you facing right now with your health and fitness? That first step is always the hardest because it requires you to embrace the unknown and face your fears. It's also the most important step - without it, nothing will change. And the change that we begin when we are changing our health and fitness is a journey. It is not going to happen in one day. There are many aspects and they take time to move through. This is important to realize and have kindness and patience for yourself in that journey. I am now 25 years older and in better health and I am strong physically as well as mentally. And you can definitely achieve the same for yourself. Feeling Scared? Take a Half Step to Change Your Life Most times, it's the small things that have the biggest impact on our lives. You don't have to change everything from one day to the next. If you're scared of the unknown, do one little, minuscule thing to get started. I call it taking the WIN for yourself each day. Every success you acknowledge helps eliminate impatience. It can be contacting real estate agents to find a flat in your dream city, putting on your sneakers and getting outside for a walk or eating one healthy real food meal rather than junk food. Choose one little practice and stick to it. Celebrate this first step and feel proud of it. Then, take another step and then another, and so on. Stop waiting for the perfect moment to get started. Stop overanalyzing and just go for it! The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is NOW. Now is especially a great time to begin a new health and fitness practice. Small changes done daily over the next few months will have a huge impact on how you feel. What are small changes you can begin NOW? What WINS can you achieve today? • Hydrate - Drink more water • Eat Real Life Affirming Food – cooked by you in your own kitchen – if you are not in the habit of cooking at home, we recommend learning 3 new recipes and once you are happy with your skills with those 3 new recipes add 3 more new recipes to your cooking toolbox. • Breathe – here is an article to help you with a powerful breathing technique called Box Breathing – check it out here • Move your body more – walk – bike – do a home workout (Not sure how? We use and recommend The Home Workout Revolution System – https://bit.ly/3r74kRtbit.ly/3r74kRt • Sleep – the often-forgotten Pillar of Wellness – poor sleep is the cause of many health issues - now is a great time to practice good sleep habits – go to bed at the same time every night, avoid bright lights before bed, sleep in a dark cool room – If you are out of practice in sleeping well we recommend Pure Sleep - https://bit.ly/3xcWf1p • Journal – write about your WHY – this will help you focus on what is important to you for those challenging days and journaling will help you realize your successes as well – We wrote a blog post to help you with your WHY and you can read it here https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life • Meditate – We have been a fan of Kelly Howell for many years and have practiced her meditations on YouTube for a long time. Check her out on YouTube if you want to practice guided meditations. We believe that patience will help you achieve anything in life. Realizing this and continuing on your desired journey, enjoying each moment, taking small steps and allowing yourself to get the WIN, while not quitting is the best feeling ever. Will you begin the practice of moving through impatience and using tiny steps as your process? Leave a comment below and be sure to let us know how we can support you! Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. 
Ideas to Wake Up Earlier For Your Best LifeTwo years ago, I started waking up earlier in the morning for the first time in my life. I was waking up at 5 AM consistently and what I found was it was quite enjoyable for me. The house was quiet, and this made it much easier to get a lot of things done without interruption. I found that waking up earlier is a great way to increase my discipline and become more productive. It might be the same for you if you are considering adding a new practice to your life. Check it out and be sure to let us know your ideas, thoughts and questions in the comments below this post. My experience has been that waking up earlier isn't always easy, however, we will share our best ideas that actually will help you to be able to wake up earlier. 1. Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day The first few days that you start to wake up earlier will be hard no matter what you do. But, if you develop a practice and wake up at the same time every day, you will find over time that it becomes easier and easier for you to wake up early. Your body thrives on a routine when it comes to sleep. It produces melatonin at a certain time that helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep when you do. If your body knows when you will go to sleep each night, this can help it to produce the right amount of melatonin and stop when it is time for you to wake up. Can Melatonin Supplements Improve Sleep? From the website: “It is well-established that melatonin produced by the body plays a fundamental role in getting quality sleep, so it’s natural to consider whether melatonin supplements can be used to address sleeping difficulties. Research to date has shown that melatonin supplements may be useful in certain situations for both adults and children.” Pretty cool, huh? 2. Put Your Alarm Clock Far From Your Bed Or Better Yet In Another Room If your alarm is your phone, it can be all too easy to reach over when the alarm goes off, shut it off, and continue to get a little more shuteye. Instead, it's time to leave your phone across the room. That way, when it does go off, you will have to get out of bed to shut it off. It would help if you also made your alarm a sound you like so that you aren't cringing and diving to shut it off the moment it goes off. 3. Plan Your Mornings Everything is more fun with a plan, and it is time to do the same with your mornings! Make a plan that you are looking forward to, so you don't dread getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. Your morning must include some good things for your health, like quiet time, meditation and exercise, for example. Think about it this way, getting out of bed for a calm smooth morning than getting out of bed to rush to work without breakfast! Be sure to write down your plan for your morning so you can see right when you wake up all the exciting things you have to look forward to! Overall, learning to wake up early isn't the easiest for so many and we feel it is a simple mindset shift. Still, if you start by getting up early every day, placing your alarm clock in another room, and planning your morning, you'll likely find that eventually these simple shifts in how you practice waking up, you will be looking forward to getting up early every day! Well, that has been my experience at least. We would appreciate hearing from you. Share any ideas or comments below. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Join our FREE Walking Challenge here Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Are You A Modern Cave Person? Get Outdoors Today It is time to get outdoors today, and we are here to share a few ideas to help you with that. We have heard it said that people are modern-day cave people. Not sure where you live but many people in my area never have to be outdoors even if they are living in suburbia and work downtown. These people never see or feel the sunshine on their faces. Not the best plan for a healthy population. Today our topic asks the question - Are You A Modern Cave Person? 4 Ideas To Help You Get Outdoors Today. The conversation today is all about going outdoors. If you spend a lot of time in your house or your office, which as we said at the top of this post, most people do today live more like a cave person in a modern world, then our ideas to help you get outdoors today may be exactly what your brain and body need. This is when it is time to soak up some vitamin D and simply enjoy nature. Benefits of Outdoor Activities Vitamin D, is one of the top benefits of spending more time outside. The sun’s UV rays give you natural vitamin D, which absorbs through your skin. This can give you more energy and a feeling of euphoria, often making you happier and less stressed out during the day. Indulge in some vitamin D by spending time outside in the sunshine as often as you can. We suggest that you spend at least 15 - 20 minutes in the morning sun without sunscreen, sunglasses, or a big, floppy hat. This allows the sun to do what it is meant to do. Get outside in the sun to allow it to absorb into your body and get stored for your best healthy life. We do practice what we write here and get outside every morning for an hour walk before ten, no sunscreen, no sunglasses, no big, floppy hat for our best healthy life. Here is an article that will help you understand how important it is to get outside for your best life. https://draxe.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-benefits/ Another benefit of outdoor activities is that you get to enjoy nature. This is something you can be grateful for each day. Find fun and relaxing activities where you can escape the worries and stresses of everyday life, even for just a few minutes a day. Most outdoor activities are also free, which is a bonus for you. Ideas for What to do Outside Not sure how you can go outside to practice living your best life? Here are a few ideas to get you started: Take your dog for a long walk – This was mentioned in a previous post, and it is worth repeating. If you have a dog you need to take out, don’t just let him out in the backyard. Take him on a long walk every day, and you not only give the pup a nice adventure but give yourself more YOU time. Go on a hike – This is a great idea because you are getting exercise, which everyone needs for optimal health, and will release some happy endorphins as well. You can enjoy all nature has to offer on a short hike. Spend the day at the beach – Have a day off soon? Why not head to the beach. You can either go alone and bring a book or go with family or friends and still get self-care benefits. Walk around the building during work breaks – If you have a busy schedule, just take one break during work to walk outside around the building. This is a simple way to soak up a little more vitamin D and get away from the office for a few minutes to allow you to come back energized and ready to get back to work. If you can find a few minutes to yourself today to practice getting outside, you will immediately notice what an impact it makes! At least this has been our experience over the past five years getting outdoors most mornings of the week for a daily walk. You are your best advocate; if you are not taking care of yourself, it is easy to get burned out by all of life's demands. Taking even just 15 minutes a day for yourself to regroup and relax can have a profound impact on your well-being. Self-care begins and ends with you! We would appreciate hearing from you. Share any ideas or comments below. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you.  Implement Good Practices For Your Best Fit Life Some may think about habits as we share our ideas today in our blog post 3 Types of Practices You Must Implement for Your Fit Life. We actually like to think about the idea of what we do in our day as our practices. Habits are something that can be done with our eyes closed and we feel that our life must be lived on purpose. This is why we practice every day, noticing what works and what isn't so we don't get ourselves into a rut that doesn't serve us in the long run. You see, we believe that our daily practices are what ultimately determine your quality of life. When you are consistently making healthy decisions, you are creating practices that lead to your best-fit life. When you are letting your mind succumb to unhealthy habits that allow you to forget about your stress, you are creating negative practices that lead to a lack of productivity and poor health and fitness. Implementing good daily practices can be powerful and determine the destination that we will take our lives to. Three different types of practices are crucial for a healthy and fit life and they include physical, mental, and productive practices and habits. Physical Practices Staying consistent with your daily physical practices that positively impact you will improve your health, your fitness, and your lifestyle overall. Making time to exercise and move well either by going to the gym regularly and/or workout out at home, going for walks in nature on the weekends, or going to yoga during your lunch break are all examples of ways to form essential physical practices for your best life. Physical activity is crucial to having energy, motivation, and strength to accomplish your goals and ultimately feel well and successful. If you neglect exercise, you will feel sluggish and lazy throughout the rest of the day and will likely not have the motivation you need to lead you to success in fitness and health. Exercise also allows your mind to focus on your body and take time away from the stress of your surroundings. Mental Practices Controlling your mind is the single best way to lead yourself in the direction you desire to live your best life. Your inspiration and motivation to exercise, make healthy choices, build strong relationships, and feel confident all are direct results of your mind. Meditation is a great mental practice that clears your mind and allows you to observe your thoughts. Starting with even five to ten minutes a day will allow you to be calmer throughout the duration of the day and more prepared for what life throws at you. When you develop a strong mindset through meditation and mitigating negative self-talk, you will feel more prepared to take on any challenges that come about. This means that you can wake up earlier, block out negativity, and be present in the moment. Mental practices are important to lead you to success and productivity in all areas of your life. Productive Practices To truly be productive, you must develop good daily practices with the intention that become positive in your day for you to reach your goals without hesitation. One of the most important practices that are common among successful people is waking up at a very early hour. This means going to sleep earlier to get an adequate amount of sleep. We have written many times about the importance of sleeping well for your health and fitness. By waking up earlier, you have more time to prepare for the day in the morning and can accomplish more than you ever thought was possible. Another good practice that leads to productivity and success is to set goals and write them down. It is easy to say out loud something that you would like to achieve, but by writing it down you can be specific and make it tangible. Lastly, being dedicated to self-improvement and fulfillment is a common practice among successful people. Reading and focusing on continual education is important to practice if you wish to attain success. Achieving Desired Success By understanding the three most important types of daily practices, you can create a life that fits your schedule and goals in each category. To achieve success in any aspect of your life, you must create a good practice that is attainable and bring them into your daily routine. By having a positive mental focus, you will be more inspired and motivated to create physical practices. Both mental and physical practices improve your health/fitness and reduce your risk of illness. Your daily physical practices will help you have more energy to be productive and efficient. Productivity is what ultimately leads to success and can only be achieved when all these different types of practices work alongside one another. By focusing on one change in your daily health and fitness practice from each category, you will gradually learn how to develop and implement the practices that lead to success in your life. Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. We believe walking is one of the best intentional ways to move your body well, spend time in nature, calm the mind and connect with the body. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. 7 Ideas To Turn Worry Into Excitement Today we are sharing ideas that at first glance you may think are not related to health and fitness. We believe worry is related to our health and fitness because in our modern world worry has become a badge of honour for so many of us. It is time to take control of our worried thoughts for a more focused and stress-free lifestyle. Our topic today is Our Best Ideas To Help You Turn Worry into Excitement about Getting Things Done Everybody worries sometimes. Right now, you’ve probably even got a few worries on your mind. You might be thinking about a relationship or a situation at work, causing you trouble. Maybe you’re worried about your health or whether or not you’re going to have enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month. Whatever the case, worry happens whether we intend for it to or not. This becomes a problem, though, when worry starts to take over your life. So, what is the goal? Is stopping worrying enough to put you on an even keel, or are you hoping for something…more? What if, instead of worrying, you could become excited, then use this excitement to get more done? Let’s look at seven ways to achieve this: Be Here Now Worry has a way of trapping you anywhere but here. Either you’re worried about something which happened long ago, or you’re caught up in fretting about something still to come. Neither is going to get you anywhere. To stop worrying, you need to focus on the present. What interests you right now? Realize This Gets You Nowhere Fast Worrying stops you cold. In fact, most procrastination is caused by worrying. With this in mind, why are you wasting your time and energy worrying? Sometimes just recognizing what a waste worry is, will be enough to derail it altogether. Especially when you have better places to be. Throw Yourself into Something Interesting Worry needs your attention to survive. Get busy doing something engaging to your mind, and you’ll find you forget all about worrying. Rewrite the Script If you’re seeing everything blow up around you, maybe you should try focusing on the perceived disaster. Ask yourself how you could do things to handle the situation were it to happen. Once you have it, practice the scenario in your mind. Picture yourself handling matters. Practice Worried about something you need to do later? Having a dress rehearsal in your head will make things go smoother and keep worry at bay entirely. Ask Challenge your worry. Dig in and get to the roots until you understand your worry intimately. Ask yourself where the negativity came from. Peel back the layers until you get down into the heart of the matter. Try a New Path In the end, worry can become very attached to the familiar. Challenge yourself. Find a different way to do things. Explore where this path takes you. The main point in all of these is to enjoy the journey. This is where you find the excitement and enthusiasm, which leads to getting things done. The rest is all momentum and a whole lot of brand-new accomplishments just waiting to happen. Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Healthy and Fit People Develop These 10 Best Practices Over the years we have changed our ideas from developing habits to developing good practices. Here is why. What we have learned about habits is this, the habits you think are good might just be things you have done for a long time, and they aren’t in your best interest. For example, you may think that a good habit is eating breakfast every morning however it might be in your best interest to begin the practice of Intermittent Fasting. Or another example is maybe you think that long-distance running is a good habit however it might be so very hard on your body and sprinting might be the best practice for your best life. Today we want to share 10 ideas on the best practices of fit and healthy people. It is our belief that developing good practices goes a long way to creating a fit and healthy life. Check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Practice #1: To Exercise or Not? Answer - It Is Not an Option - Healthy people get exercise on a regular basis. Now, whether that is going to the gym, working out at home, gardening on a regular basis or some other kind of good movement practice. Their WHY keeps them inspired each and every day. They practice good movement each and every day, some because they love it, and for some, it is simply necessary for good health, a great body, good mental health, disease prevention and overall well-being. Practice #2: Moderation - Healthy people understand moderation. They don’t eat whole bags of chips, and they do not regularly eat junk food. They have accepted that these foods are not conducive to their health and they are simply not a regular choice in what they consume. Healthy people enjoy an occasional indulgence, however, instead of eating a whole slice of cake, they eat one or two bites. Some may occasionally order French fries, but it is only on a rare occasion. They pay attention to portion sizes and avoid mindless eating that can lead to weight gain and other health problems. Their typical eating practice is filled with life-affirming real organic foods that support their health, improve their energy levels and prevent chronic disease. Practice #3: Setting Priorities - Health-conscious people know how to set priorities. They don’t look for excuses to skip a workout, instead, they make those workouts a priority. Exercise takes priority on their daily schedules. In fact, their workouts are scheduled just like any other important event in their lives. Practice#4: Goal Setting - Healthy people set goals that they wish to achieve. Whether it is to maintain a certain weight, to lift a certain weight, or to improve some aspect of their fitness and health level, they set goals and plan what needs to be done to achieve them. Practice #5: Set Time for Relaxation - Healthy people set aside time for relaxation and plan activities that help them to de-stress. They understand that self-care is not only about the things you do, but also about things you don’t do. Too much work, the hustle and bustle of life and everyday tension that results from a busy lifestyle must be counteracted with enough relaxation so that stress does not become an impact on good health. Healthy people understand that relaxation is a reset button, and they take the time to push that button regularly. Practice #6: Stay In Touch With Their Bodies - Healthy people are in touch with their bodies. They pay attention to what their body and their mind need as they strive for optimal health and wellness. Practice #7: Social Relationships – We believe that this is more important than ever and over the past few years it has become a must on our list. Healthy people strive for healthy social interactions and interpersonal relationships. They know that their emotional state and overall fulfillment play a key role in their health. Practice #8: Sleep - A big part of self-care is getting enough sleep every single night. Health-conscious people strive to do so because it helps them to be healthier and function at their very best throughout the day. In fact, we have heard it said that if more people began to focus on sleeping well many of our modern-day illnesses would simply disappear. This is how vital a good sleep practice is for your best health and fitness Practice #9: Hydration - Drink water - drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. Aside from flushing out harmful toxins from your body, it can also get rid of excess heat. In addition, enough amounts of water can also help you maintain your weight, prevent constipation, even help you think better. “You’re not sick; you’re thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medication.” Dr. F. Batmanghelidj Practice #10: Breathing - Feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or tired? Need to add a little calm and relaxation into your day? Well... lucky for us there’s a way to bring calm to our bodies - and it’s all about how you breathe. In fact, you can energize or relax your body just by changing the way you breathe. Breathing well helps correct poor breathing patterns that can help pull your body out of “fight-or-flight” mode. It helps you to relax and feel more balanced. Lay down with your back on the floor (you don’t have to lay down, but it helps). Keep your knees bent, your feet hip-width apart, and feet on the ground. With your mouth slightly open and your tongue just behind your teeth, inhale slowly, feeling your chin raise ever-so-slightly toward the ceiling. Breathe in for 6 to 8 counts, nice and slowly. Next, exhale through your nose for 3 to 4 counts (half as long as you inhaled), slowly returning your head to its starting position. In just a few breaths, you will notice your thoughts start to slow down and your body begin to relax. This form of breathing helps relieve anxiety, anger and agitation, and even sleep disturbances. How About You? Start where you are. Meaning pick one practice idea and develop it until it becomes a part of your healthy day. Then pick another practice idea and practice it until it becomes a part of your health and fitness lifestyle and so on down the list. Over the course of the next year improving your health and fitness practice, you will begin to see a new you. Share your thoughts in the comments below Get in touch with us if you have questions or if we can help you. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Mini-Trampoline Workout Fun & Stress-Free We have been using a Mini Trampoline in our training for a long time and find it to be a fun and stress-free workout. Today we will share ideas to help you Bounce Your Way To A Fun And Stress-Free Workout With A Mini Trampoline. Be sure to let us know your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comments at the end of this post. Using a trampoline can be a great way to get fit with an added touch of fun you might not find in more traditional exercise pursuits. Activities like jogging and participating in sports might be ideal for those who love to participate in those activities, or for those with that competitive edge, however, for those who like to break a sweat while they break out in giggles, trampolining might just be a good path to fitness. A few weeks ago we wrote about Mini Trampolines: The Super Fun Way To Exercise And Play - Here is the link to check it out - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/mini-trampolines-the-super-fun-way-to-exercise-and-play You might think trampolines are best left in the school gym, but these fitness tools are ideally situated in your home or garden. Available in a variety of sizes, from the mini trampolines that can be used indoors, to the larger variety more suitable for outdoor use, a short search should find you the right trampoline to meet your needs. And whether you are a fitness guru or just taking those first, tentative steps upon a healthier path, a trampoline can provide you with a great workout that will leave you energized and ready for anything. Trampolines will provide a rhythmic movement that is ideal for even beginning fitness practices. Not only does the bouncing motion offered by the trampoline allow either a tantalizing jump to new heights or a slower, more relaxing movement, but the exertion required to either hold yourself to rights or recover from all kinds of bouncy impacts utilizes a wide range of muscles, providing a workout that is easily as effective as it is fun. There are many health and fitness benefits with the practice of mini-trampoline use. We found this article from the Cleveland Clinic that you might find helpful - https://health.clevelandclinic.org/trampoline-workout-benefits/ Trampolines are as good for the mind as they are for the body. The new perspective offered by the trampoline and the fun and excitement it can provide is fantastic stress busters, rekindling in even the most overworked and overburdened nine to fiver a sense of fun and frolic that hasn’t been experienced in years! As experts recommend exercise for these stress-releasing effects as much as for the physical fitness it affords, it’s clear that thirty minutes spent on the trampoline is as good as it gets! Trampolining is a wonderful way to reach your healthy lifestyle goals. Combining exercise with good, clean fun, trampolining can help you bounce your way to a healthier you. So what are you waiting for? Jump to it! Share any thoughts, ideas or comments below. We absolutely enjoy getting on the mini-trampoline a few times per week and we also get outdoors most mornings of the week for at least a 5 K walk in the neighbourhood for our best healthy life. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Stop Procrastinating I’m not sure if everyone procrastinates, however, if you find that procrastination is an issue for you, it might be time to make a few changes in your life. We have written many times about taking tiny steps to make big changes and you can read our ideas here - How To Make Big Changes By Tiny Steps - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/how-to-make-big-changes-by-tiny-steps We have been using the idea of taking tiny steps to make big changes and it has been an important strategy we have been using for quite some time. Below are 4 strategies you can use to help yourself move out of the habit of procrastination and into the practice of taking the action of tiny steps to realize your health and fitness goals. Divide Up The Task This is one of my favourite ideas to take action in my fitness strategy. Think about when you procrastinate, you may feel you are facing a massive task that you don’t believe you will be able to finish. Begin to practice by putting a stop to this thinking by breaking up the task into more manageable pieces. For example, if you were supposed to clean your basement, resolve to clean one of the four corners each day instead of trying to tackle it all at once. If you want to exercise daily you might get out for a walk in the morning for twenty minutes and do some resistance exercise in the afternoon. This tactic can help make any task more manageable and feel less overwhelming or at least that has been my experience. Make A Deadline Now is not the time to tell yourself you will do something “later.” Instead, set a strict timeline for yourself, with sections of your goal having deadlines. This way, you know when you will be completing something. It may also help to have a small reward for yourself along the way. An example of this would be a student needing to write a four-page paper. And for each page the student completes, they would reward themselves with fifteen minutes of phone time. Stop Your Common Distractions Usually, when someone procrastinates, it’s for the same reasons each time. Like when you were going to clean the kitchen, but then you just had to watch a new TV show instead. Put a stop to this by eliminating common distractions or procrastination tactics for yourself. If the TV is a distraction for you, maybe it’s time to work in another room. Spend Time With Motivated People There is nothing quite like hanging out with someone motivated to boost your motivation. Find a friend or colleague whose motivation you admire, and resolve to spend more time with them. Or get a buddy in on your plans and decide to help keep each other motivated regularly. Either way, it’s much easier to stop procrastinating when you’ve got others around you accomplishing remarkable things! This is the exact strategy I used many years ago when I began going to the gym. I got a friend to sign up for a gym membership at the same time I did, and we went to the gym on the exact same schedule to workout. We had so much fun, met tons of people and I was able to successfully reduce my weight by almost 100 lbs. and get in the best shape of my life at that time. Overall, discontinuing your procrastination habit can be extremely difficult, but it can be done just by changing some minor things in your life. Start by dividing up the task, making deadlines, and getting rid of your most common distractions. Then surround yourself with other positive people, and you will soon find you procrastinate tasks less than ever before! Share any thoughts, ideas or comments below. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. 3 Simple Steps To Achieve Goals We have written a number of blog posts about reaching your dreams and goals quite a bit. There are simple ideas to help you reach your goals and today our idea to share with you is Actually Reach Your Goals Easily By Practicing These 3 Steps.
What we know for sure is many people create goals to get fit, lose weight, feel healthy, run a marathon for example and yet never reach their desired outcome. Mostly, because they quit too early. A question that we have for you today is: “Do you often struggle to finish the projects you start, even when you have every intention of finishing them?” Believe it or not, this is a common problem that most people face. Luckily, you can follow a few steps to ensure that you can become the type of person who finishes a project once you start it. 1. Make A Plan The first step to finishing a task is making sure you have a plan at the beginning. It needs to be a plan which you write down. A mental note isn't worth the piece of paper it is written on. You may want to jump in and start something in your excitement, but you might not realize all the work and challenges you will face. When you take the time to make a plan, this will better prepare you for the task at hand, and you'll be able to spot problems much more easily. We wrote about a simple and easy strategy here - Implement The 5 Whys Method To Energize Your Best Life that you can implement immediately to achieve your goals and dreams today. https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life 2. Take A Break The next idea might sound counterintuitive however you may want to consider it for your best results. If you find yourself getting overly frustrated or beginning to loathe the project because you've been working on it for so long, it's okay to take a short break. This break will help reset your mind and focus. You might even be able to solve some of the problems you are facing while you take this little breather. Just make sure that when you set an endpoint to your break, this way you can hold yourself to it and not just abandon the project. I was fortunate to have had a mentor teach me that it is OK to quit today as long as you begin again in the morning and I promise you this tidbit has served me well over the years. And it definitely helped me learn not to quit on myself. It just might do the same for you if you add this idea to your practices. 3. Make Small Goals and Rewards For Yourself As you plan how you will conquer your task or project, break your goal into smaller mini-goals. Then, cross them off and reward yourself as you complete them. It will help keep you on task, and you'll be able to feel as if you are making progress, even if it's small. This progress will do wonders to keep your spirits high while working on the project. The little rewards you are giving yourself will probably help too. We wrote a blog post called - How To Make Big Changes By Tiny Steps and you can learn about it here - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/how-to-make-big-changes-by-tiny-steps So next time you get excited about a new project or goal in your life, slow down a bit and make a plan, complete with smaller goals and rewards for yourself. Then, as you pursue the project, don't be afraid to take small breaks if you need to recuperate. Chances are, thanks to these three steps, you will be much more likely to finish your new goal than leave it abandoned. Share any thoughts, ideas or comments below. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. Benefits of Working Out At Home We share many ideas about working out, walking and basically getting healthy through moving well. About 15 years ago we decided to work out at home rather than invest in a gym membership. Partly because we began training clients in their homes and felt it was important for us to walk the practices we were teaching clients every day. We weren’t really sure how this was going to feel for us and now all these years later realize that this was the best decision for our best health and fitness life. Today we want to share our ideas on the benefits of workout out at home for you to consider for your best life. Here’s the deal, we all know that moving well and exercising must be a regular part of our daily lives. This practice alone provides an enormous amount of benefits to virtually every facet of not only our bodies but also our quality of life in general. Hopefully, by now we can all agree that this is a fact. Another fact that probably won’t be considered controversial is that most of us are so busy that the idea of cramming literally anything else into our daily schedules seems out of the question. Today we are going to propose a solution that serves as a middle ground between these two facts: working out in your own home. As we stated at the start of this post, we have been working out at home for years now and we have helped many others learn how much they can accomplish by working out at home. Fitting in an exercise program in the comfort of your home comes with many benefits. Here are some of our best examples of how beginning a practice of exercise at home can finally provide you with a way to manage the craziness of day-to-day life, while also keeping your body healthy and fit. Time Efficiency In our experience when it comes to going to the gym, there can be a lot of time required in the process besides the actual workout. For many people, the commute to and from the local gym can often take longer than the actual workout! This is especially true if you are in the habit of working out right after work, 5 o’clock traffic is a real drag in most big cities. This fact alone keeps many individuals from even attempting to establish a fitness routine. Time, especially in our world today, is a precious commodity. The last thing most of us can afford is to dedicate several hours of our day to work out for, at most, an hour. Working out at home is the solution to this issue. There is no extra time involved (you’re going home anyway, and zero time spent waiting for a piece of equipment or rushing to make it to a group exercise class on time. When your home is your gym, everything you need is already right there waiting for you any time you are ready! Cost Benefits While having access to the large array of equipment included in most commercial gyms is neat, it is certainly not a necessity required to get an effective workout in. Even without buying a single piece of equipment, you can easily get the job done. Your body alone is capable of a ton of things. One of these things is serving as your own personal set of weights. You are probably already aware of the usual bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, squats and burpees. These fundamental movements alone can whip you into shape. However, there are many more creative exercises you can literally perform in your living room using alone your body. Even if you decide some equipment is required, the price you will pay for a few items such as resistance bands, a jump rope or even a couple of kettlebells will still cost you less than a single years membership at many gyms. We recommend Visual Impact Kettlebells (Home Workout Program) Kettlebells training is a safe no-impact way to target fast-twitch muscle fibres… maintaining these as your age allows you to move like a younger person. Rusty Moore and Chris Lopez have created a Kettlebell Home Workout course that requires just one-single kettlebell. This is a 3-month program aimed specifically at torching body fat and sculpting the body without bulking up the thighs. This was just released in the Fall of 2020. Visual Impact Kettlebells If you are training from home, this course gets my highest recommendation. Get the complete program here Whether you decide to build a fitness routine around bodyweight exercises alone or pick up a few extra pieces of equipment, working out at home certainly saves money in the long run! We use and have in at-home fitness toolbox The Home Workout Revolution System and highly recommend it to anyone looking to get the most out of their home training program (affiliate link) Free Of Distractions And Insecurity Two common factors that keep a lot of people out of the gym are the annoying patrons that hog the equipment while they incessantly check themselves out in the mirror or their social media and the feeling that other people in the building are judging them. We’ve written previously how long it took to initially go into the gym to get a membership because of the insecurity of being young and overweight. Needless to say, making your home the gym solves both of these annoyances automatically. In the home environment, you are able to enjoy a focused workout that challenges your body and improves your physical fitness. Let us know if you are working out at home and get in touch with us for how we can help you make the most of your training. Would be great to hear your ideas for lifestyle transformation in the comments area below. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here Beliefs That Keep You From Realizing Your GoalsHere at http://wendybottrell.com, we coach on mindset, improving self-discipline, creating good practices & habits for your best health and fitness life. Goals help you achieve all that you desire. Everyone has dreams, but not everyone makes their dreams into goals. You may have a few of these too. What are the reasons you tell yourself late at night to put the shutdown on making them a reality? These reasons are beliefs that you have, but that doesn’t mean they are valid reasons. Check out our blog post Implement The 5 Whys Method To Energize Your Best Life at to help you clarify your WHY https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life Today we talk about beliefs and why they aren't your friend when it comes to realizing your health & fitness goals Be sure to let us know how we can help you Join our FREE Walking Challenge HERE Tips For Healthy Change Personal change and growth can happen in many, many ways and in my recent blog post I wrote 76 Tips For Healthy Change One Step At A Time! https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/76-tips-for-healthy-change-one-step-at-a-time . In this post, I simply listed the 76 ideas to help you consider making changes in your life. These are the healthy habits and practices I have created in my life during my health quest so far! Today we will dig deeper and help you with 5 Detailed Tips For Healthy Change For Your Best Life What I have found to date is that improving how I feel daily definitely translates into how I go into the world. If I feel lousy then my interactions with my world are lousy and if I feel great my view of the world is great. Have you found that to be true for yourself? Over the last couple of months and years, I have been fortunate to spend much of my time listening and learning to many experts in the health, medical, natural and fitness fields share their ideas for a better lifestyle through positive, practical change. It is empowering to listen and realize that making small daily changes doesn’t have to be difficult or challenging and everyone can do it if they set their mind to it. Today, I will share a few of the ideas with more information that might be a helpful place for you to start if you are interested. 1. Hydrate Well - “Did you know that You are not just what you eat; you are what you drink. This is why water is so important to your health. Water is the basis of all life and that includes your body. Your muscles that move your body are 75% water; your blood that transport nutrients are 82% water; your lungs that provide your oxygen are 90% water; your brain that is the control center of your body is 76% water; even your bones are 25% water. If you are committed to a healthy lifestyle, make drinking enough natural water a habit in your life. It won’t take long for you to feel the benefit. It is a free investment for your long-term health. How much water to drink daily for normal hydration: determine your body weight and divide by 2 and drink that many ounces daily.” – Dr. F.Batmanghelidj 2. Eat Real Life-Affirming Food – Food definitely plays a role in our health both Good & Bad depending on what you eat. Eating Real Food, Organic is best. These foods are alive and nutrient-dense. Creating a positive relationship with Real Food for your better health. Take the time to learn how to cook, become an expert in feeding you and your family. Learn 3 new recipes until you are an expert then learn 3 more. Do this until you have a full repertoire of recipes for your meals. By learning how to create wonderful home-cooked real-life-affirming food meals you will eliminate the nutrient-void, highly processed foods. “Food is a key component to feel good.” – Adam Hart 3. Move Well & Move daily – you have heard that sitting is the new heart disease, right? Well now is the time to move well and move daily. In fact, the human body is designed to move. Walking is a great place to begin, and this is something you can do for at least 20 minutes a day. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. You will also want to do strength training a few times a week. Resistance training either with free weights or bodyweight. Resistance training is vital to longevity and lifestyle independence. It is also important for weight loss because muscle burns more fat than long boring cardio and is better for your overall health. “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body but also the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity” – John F. Kennedy 4. Sleep Well – sleep is seen as a throwaway commodity, lack of sleep causes many health problems. I heard Robb Wolfe say – “if people just went to sleep earlier most illness would just go away.” The goal for sleep is 7-9 hours per night, the best time to go to bed is 10:30 pm. Begin to prepare to Sleep Well first thing in the morning and get outdoors for a morning walk, eliminate caffeine intake after 12 noon each day, eat well for dinner and practice eating at least 3 hours before going to be and get in the habit of at least an hour before you are going to be to begin dimming the lights, closing electronic equipment. Sleep is important for weight control, reducing stress & emotional eating. 5. Learn to play more - Stress, stress and more stress does not make for a happy life! We must learn how to get out and play more. Play brings joy. And it’s vital for problem solving, creativity and relationships. I have read somewhere and am not sure who wrote it however it is worth sharing here with you: “play can lead us to these sacred spaces and touch people in powerful ways.” Now, this is a reason to play don’t you think? I can share with you today that I am a different person, feeling, thinking and being at a different level because of small changes I have committed to practice over the last 20 years. Now I only share these ideas today for lifestyle transformation to let you know that anything possible for you if you clearly want it. One step at a time, one idea at a time. If you are looking for a change, here is what I will offer you in the way of an action step: take one of these healthy ideas and commit to making the change permanent in your life no matter how long it takes. Then take another idea and repeat. It really is that simple for you! Would be great to hear your ideas for lifestyle transformation in the comments area below. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge - Join our Free Walking Challenge here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Be sure to sign up here for the FREE Walking Challenge Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. If you want to know who we are and what we believe in check us out here http://wendybottrell.com Our Holistic Coaching and health and fitness products are here |
Wendy BottrellWe have outsourced our lifestyle for way too long! 
 
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