This morning I enjoyed a delicious breakfast of homemade french toast with my son, Chase.

He’s 2 years old and loves this special treat for breakfast.

We sat in the kitchen around 9am, listened to Bob Marley, and enjoyed a wonderful meal together.

It was certainly special, cherished time… and was out of the ordinary for what breakfast usually looks like for me.

My more normal routine would be to eat my 1st meal of the day around 10am, after following a 12-14 hour fast overnight.

I typically choose a fat & protein focused breakfast like eggs and ½ avocado, or some almond butter.

(this breakfast is also one that I share with Chase most mornings)

Why am I telling you this?

Because I think this is a perfect illustration of the “80/20 Rule” that we teach at Lucky13Fitness.

80% of the time eat wholesome, healthy foods… and 20% of the time enjoy treats that fall outside of that description.

This approach takes away any feelings of deprivation or shame around “cheat” meals.

It’s simply a built-in, balanced way to enjoy treat foods/drink while still living a healthy and fit life.

For me, it also allows me to say YES to my son when he asks for french toast for breakfast at 9am.

I didn’t have an ounce of guilt that my breakfast was a more carb-heavy, less fat/protein based meal that happened an hour before I typically eat.

I didn’t have to immediately think about how to “undo” the “cheat” crime that I committed.

I would never want to associate any of those negative feelings with a meal shared with my son.

Instead, it was a treat that falls right into my overall plan.. And I was able to enjoy it 100%.
And afterward I got right back on track with a healthy lunch.

What special treats or experiences do you want to incorporate into your life?

Consider using the “80/20 Rule” as a healthy & balanced way to enjoy them while still working toward looking and feeling your best!
​

Your Bank Statement & Your Schedule
 The inspiration for today's message comes from the daily blog I get from Seth Godin.

If you aren't familiar with Seth Godin, he is the Godfather of marketing (in my opinion), and a really smart & evolved guy.

He writes a daily blog and I recently subscribed to it as part of my own self-development and mindset training.

Today Seth wrote about priorities.

Often when people say "I don't have the time" or "I can't afford it" what they usually mean is "this is not a priority."

When we really, truly care about something we prioritize it above most other things.

When it comes to weight loss, fitness, and transforming one's body and life, I tend to look in 2 places to get a deeper understanding of a person's priorities.

Those places are: their bank statement & their schedule.

A person's priorities will show just by virtue of what shows up in both of those places.

Someone who prioritizes their health and fitness will have time blocked out in their schedule for training, yoga, massage, relaxation, meal prep, and other similar things.

They will also likely have charges on their bank statement for places like Whole Foods Market, a personal training studio, a yoga centre, Athleta, Lululemon, Nike, or Thrive Market.

Clearly this person spends most of their time and money on things that help their health and wellness.

If you're someone who is trying to make a shift toward prioritizing your health and fitness, you'll need to make room in both your bank account and your schedule.

Start assessing what you spend your time & money on:

• Meals out?
• Alcohol?
• Beauty products?
• Clothes?
• Shoes?
• Personal accessories (purses, phone, jewelry, etc)?

These things can EASILY add up to hundreds of dollars a month.

And, when it comes time to make an investment in your health and fitness, say for about $399/month, you can make the decision on what gets bumped down on the priority list.

Perhaps a new pair of shoes each month for $150 isn't necessary.

Maybe going out to dinner 3 times per week can be reduced to save about $150/week.

It's very easy to "come up with" the money for investing in your body & life transformation.... you just need to make it a priority.

 How many times have you intended to start exercising, eating better, or making some other move toward feeling & looking better.... buuuuuuut, it just wasn't the right time?!

• You're about to go on vacation
• Work is so busy you can't possibly focus on anything else
• Your elderly relative needs your extra help
• Your kids are busy with activities

These are just a few of the reasons we give ourselves to justify that it's "just not the best time right now" to take the 1st steps toward living a happier and healthier life.

I call bull$#it.

Look, it's NEVER going to be the "perfect" time to start.

Life is always throwing things at us.... it's part of life!

Instead of waiting for that perfect moment in time that will never come, I strongly recommend taking the first step RIGHT NOW.

And then just figure things out as you go.

Or, in the words of my mentor: "build the plane as you fly it"

Even if there were some miraculous period of time where NOTHING was holding you back from starting your fitness journey, that wouldn't last forever.

You'd eventually have to learn how to juggle life's obstacles AND also progress down the path toward success.

So why not just start out that way and learn that skill immediately?

You'll learn how to incorporate exercise, meal prep, and self care into your routine.

You'll figure out how to put limits on how many hours you spend in the office so that you can keep your scheduled gym time.

You'll manage getting your kids to all of their activities while still doing what it takes to look and feel better in your own skin.

You'll do it all.... you'll figure it out one step at a time.

And, guess what??  You'll have hiccups here and there.  YOU'RE HUMAN!

And you'll figure out how to get past those, too.

But you can ONLY do all of the above if you actually take that first step forward.

Don't be paralyzed by lack of a "perfect" opportunity.

Seize the moment and get started.... embrace the philosophy of building the plane as you fly it!

Getting Back On Track After You've Fallen Off
 The past week has been quite a whirlwind for me.  

In short, I pretty much fell off track of my daily habits around exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, etc.

The longer version, though, I want to share with you today because I think it offers a valuable lesson.

(at least I learned a valuable lesson from the experience!)

Last Friday, our family was up and out of the house very early to head to NY for a funeral.

My best friend lost her father - a sweet and wonderful man whom I had the pleasure of knowing for nearly a decade - to a long battle with cancer.

After the funeral services, my wife, Jen, and I brought our son, Chase, back to the hotel for a nap (it had been a long day for him).

We noticed he had a fever.  103 to be exact.

He’s usually a VERY active child, and for the next 48 hours he just wanted to be held by Mama or Mommy, and didn’t want to eat much.

48 hours after he got sick, I would start to show the same symptoms and was down & out until yesterday (Thursday).   I’m still not 100% better.

And, just to hold true to the “bad things happen in 3’s”, my laptop also died and I had to drag my sick butt to Apple and buy a new laptop.


Quite a lot to happen all in less than a week, right?!

The point of me telling you this is that the above events caused me to completely get out of my normal routine.

I haven’t worked out in over a week.

I haven’t had much of an appetite to eat anything.

I missed a few days of writing my daily gratitudes in the morning.

I missed a few days of working due to being laptop-less.

All of the usual things that create a sense of stability and routine for me were totally out of place…. Some of them still are.

But, one week in, I’m now starting to slowly get things back on track as I can, and as I feel able.

I know one thing for sure: I don’t want to go any longer with my routine so askew that it gives me a “boo boo belly.”

I want to share 5 tips that I use when trying to get back on track after I’ve fallen off…. Such as the past week, a vacation, a difficult stretch at work, or any other time frame that has pulled me away from my “norm.”

1. List the parts that have gone askew: you need to know exactly what you’re trying to put back in place.  Jotting these down, in order of importance, is helpful.
2. Pick 1 to start with: select something that will be easier to put back in place.  For me, this week, it was getting back into my office for 5 minutes each morning to write my gratitudes.
3. Write notes and reminders…. And put them everywhere: getting out of a routine can suck you right down the rabbit hole of old behaviors.  Don’t let it happen. Visual reminders of things that are important will help you execute
4. Enlist a friend or coach: tell someone else that you’ve fallen off track & you’re trying to get back on.  Ask for their help. If you know that someone else is holding you accountable, you’re more likely to get things done.
5. Give it time: if you’ve been derailed for a week (such as I have), don’t expect to get fully back on track in 1 day.  Give yourself about ½ the time you were derailed to get your $#it back together. For example, I should be back on track fully in the next 3.5 days.

NOBODY is immune from getting derailed or falling off track.

In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons people give up on their weight loss or other fitness goals.  

Don’t give up on your goals, hopes, and dreams just because you’re human and you fell off track.

Use the above tips to help guide you right back on track, full steam ahead toward a better body and life than ever before!

I believe there are 3 Key Pillars when it comes to creating a positive transformation of your body and life.

1) Exercise / Training the Body

2) Nutrition

3) Mindset / Training the Brain
 

Today I'll address the first- Exercise / Training the Body.

Exercise is a MUST if you want to make a transformation.

Weight loss, fat loss, muscle gain, lowering body fat percentage, fitting into a dress from 5 years ago.... they all  require exercise.

There are 3 types of fitness facilities that you can choose from, each of them very different from one another.

First, there is the big box gym.

Planet Fitness, the local "Y", Lifetime Fitness, Equinox, etc.

When you take on a membership at a big box gym, you are paying for access to their equipment.

You are paying to be allowed to walk in the door of their facility.

It's kind of like paying rent.

Sometimes, it also includes access to classes like yoga, spin, or kickboxing.

How often you actually set foot in the gym... if at all... is entirely up to you.

And, once you get there, how much time you spend there & what you do with that time is also 100% your choice (and responsibility).

In order to be successful with this type of membership, you must be proficient in 2 areas:  programming and motivation.

You must know how to program your workouts in accordance with your goals.

And you must be self-motivated enough to get in the door regularly.
 
The 2nd type of fitness facility is one that hosts large group workouts.

This could be a Bootcamp, Orange Theory Fitness, Boxing Club, or any other similar facility.

When you take on a membership at this type of facility, you pay for a workout plan.

In large group workouts, 99% of the time its 1 workout for the entire group.  

(GOOD facilities will make modifications or have another system to classify different fitness levels, and the proper exercises for each)

Whether you are a newbie who has never worked out before, a seasoned marathoner, or a mother of 4 who hasn't exercised in 30 years and has an old shoulder injury, you're all doing the same workout.

How hard you push yourself in any given class is on you.

Your specific progress must be self-recognized and gauged when deciding when to try something harder or push for more reps.

The 3rd type of fitness facility is a personal training studio.

It could be 1:1 personal training or semi-private personal training.... it could even be in-home personal training that doesn't even require a studio space.

When you take on a personal training membership, you are paying for an exercise program that is written for you and only you.

You are paying for someone to take note of your goals, your health history, your injury history, your current fitness level, and your preferences, and use all of that information to create something that is customized to meet every bit of who YOU are.

Whether you are brand new to exercise, a seasoned marathoner, or a mother of 4 who hasn't exercised in 30 years and has an old shoulder injury, your programming will reflect that accordingly.
 
Each of the 3 are very different from one another. 

They are not interchangeable and even though they are all categorized as "fitness facilities" they offer drastically different experiences. 

The first step in figuring out which is the best fit for you is to ask yourself a few key questions.

What do you need?

Where do you struggle?

What's most important to you?  --> price? location? time?

The answers to these questions will help you start to navigate the best path for you to make your body & life transformation.

Most people who meet me these days think that I’ve always been a perfect picture of health.
(I’m far from any definition of perfect, but that’s another email for another day😉!)
 But, that’s actually not true.
 I’ve battled with high cholesterol for many years.
 There’s a family history of high cholesterol on both sides of my family.
 My paternal grandfather suffered a massive stroke when I was just 7 years old, and most of my memories of him are with him being in a wheelchair with paralysis on his right side.
 Most of the adults in my family (both mom’s and dad’s side) have high cholesterol, and are on statin drugs to control it.
 I still remember the day my parents threw out basically all the food in our house and replaced it with the Fat Free, Low-Fat, or Sugar Free version. I think I was about 6 or 7 when this happened. We started drinking skim milk, ate fat free ice cream, drank diet soda, and slapped “heart healthy” margarine on our toast.
 My parents were doing the best they could with the information they’d been given: they had high cholesterol, and fat was to blame.
 Fast forward to when I was 21 years old & got my cholesterol tested for the first time.... it was 267

(To give that number some context, the American Heart Association says anything under 200.)
 This was WAY high for a young person who’s never been overweight, never smoked, and didn’t drink (much!).
 My doc put me on a statin drug to lower it, claiming that he couldn’t let me leave his office without addressing the issue.
 On the statin, my cholesterol dropped to 225.
 Fast forward again to 2010 & 3 PCP’s later.  My new doc took me off the drug, saying there was zero need for it.
 I panicked… what if my cholesterol went back up to 267? Or worse!?
 At that time, I started following the Paleo diet… for the first time in ages, I ate real eggs (instead of egg beaters), I ate red meat every week, I snacked on nuts and avocados, coconut oil was a staple in my diet.  I filled my plate with as many organic fresh foods and vegetables as possible. And I learned that the source of my food, and the quality of my food was critically important.
 Needless to say- I was taking in a LOT more fat than I had in the past few decades.
 My cholesterol went down to 202.
 I was shocked.
 Fast forward, once again, to the present…. I hadn’t tested my cholesterol since about 2013, and wanted to be sure it hadn’t crept back up.
192.  
There’s not much more I need to say than this: I’m a girl who grew up eating what doctors said was supposed to help heart health and cholesterol.  It did nothing to help. Kicking medicine to the curb and adopting a lifestyle of eating foods most close to their natural source… wholesome, real foods grown in/on our Earth…. Brought me down to 192.
If that doesn’t make the case for “just eat real food” than I don’t know what does.

Here's the $1,000,000 Question:
If I told you that you could have $1,000,000 for every single day that you woke up 5 minutes earlier than you do now, would you do it?

For one day?

For a week?

For every single day for the rest of your life?

Would you do it if it meant you had to get up 10 minutes earlier?

30 minutes?

An hour?

For 99.9% of people the answer would be a HELL YES to every single one of these questions!

Now, what if I told you that you could have the body and life you’ve been dreaming of if you woke up 5 minutes earlier than you do now, would you do it?

For one day?

For a week?

For every single day for the rest of your life?

Would you do it if it meant you had to get up 10 minutes earlier?

30 minutes?

An hour?

My guess is that the percentage of people who answer a HELL YES to this set of questions is going to be a lot less.

If you’re a HELL YES to both sets of questions, that’s amazing!!!!

You are currently ready to commit to a transformative journey that will bring you life-changing results!  (shoot me back a reply if you’d like to talk about training!)

And, if you’re a HELL YES to the first set of questions, and your answer(s) to the 2nd set are anything but….  READ ON!


Why??

I’m asking YOU:  Why??

Why would you practically bend over backward & make huge changes to your life for money, but not for what you SAY you want to achieve?

What makes the  $1,000,000 more worthy of your sacrifice, dedication, consistency, etc???

Isn’t your fitness / weight loss / life improvement goal important enough?

Aren’t YOU important enough?

Do you believe that all you dream of can be delivered with a big sum of money?

Or, do you have any faith that happiness can be created from the inside out?

Spend some time thinking about your goals…. Are they really what you want??

The goals you set out to achieve in life should muster up as much drive and dedication as the $1MM, if not more.