Finding Your Motivation

As the second month of 2010 comes to a close, where do you stand with your resolutions? Have you made progress or did your motivation sizzle out?

Most people wait around for motivation to strike them like a lightning bolt. Well, I’ve got news: motivation isn’t something that happens to you – it’s something that you create for yourself.

If you don’t feel motivated to achieve your goals, it is likely due to mental roadblocks that hold you hostage. Read the following 21 Mindset Tips and prepare your mind for success.
1) Success comes first in the mind, so visualize yourself accomplishing your goals.
2) Remember, you are the only person who can hold you back.
3) Forgive yourself and love yourself despite past failures.
4) Decide what is important in your life, and focus on that.
5) Conquer each negative thought the moment it enters your mind, when it is weakest.
6) Give up the idea that things won’t go right unless you worry about them.
7) If you bring the body of your dreams to the point of resolve, then you’ll soon be living in it.
8 ) Look towards your future, if you believe the best is yet to come then it will be.
9) You become what you think about most.
10) The margin between success and failure is very small and easily bridged by determination.
11) Start your day by accomplishing your hardest task first.
12) Set small attainable goals, rather than one monumental goal.
13) Convince yourself that exercise is fun, and it will be.
14) Know your big reason why.
15) Create a motivating play list of songs to use as the sound track to your workout sessions.
16) Every decision you make leads you either closer toward achieving your goal, or farther from it.
17) If you think you’re a fat person, then you’ll stay fat. If you think you’re fit, then you soon will be.
18) Once you’ve set your goal, your attitude either pushes you toward accomplishment or failure.
19) If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, you will likely end up someplace else.
20) You can have the body of your dreams, but first you must give up the belief that you can’t.
21) You can only have two things in life: excuses or results.
If you’re sick and tired of making excuses, then contact me today to get started on a results-driven fitness program. www.thebodyfirmaz.com

NEW Chicken and Veggie Recipe

This recipe serves up a refreshing new twist on chicken. Delicious veggies and chunks of tender chicken are coated in a savory sauce, and served over wild rice. It works great as a weekday meal, since it only takes about 20 minutes to make.
Servings: 6

Here’s what you need…

• 2 cups wild rice, cooked
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 sweet potato, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon ginger root, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons mirin (rice cooking wine)
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 cups green beans, chopped
• 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1. In a large saucepan place the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the sweet potato, onion, mushroom, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl combine the mirin, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch and red pepper. Set aside.
3. Add the green beans and chicken into the pan and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Pour the soy sauce mixture in and mix until fully incorporated. Cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Serve over wild rice.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 299 calories, 8g fat, 23g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 33g protein.

For All You Walkers…

If you are interested in participating in The Pat Tillman Run in April check out this workout. While some of us will be running the 4.2 miles, some of us will be walking that same distance.

Walking still requires some training prior to your race, especially if you are not used to keeping up a certain pace for that length of time.

Below is a simple routine that will get you started, courtesy of www.shape.com

Week 1
Day 1: 15 min. easy walk
Day 2: 15 min. moderately easy walk
Day 3: 20 min. easy walk
Day 4: OFF
Day 5: OFF

Week 2
Day 1: 20 min. easy walk
Day 2: 15 min. moderately easy walk
Day 3: 20 min. easy walk
Day 4: 20 min. moderately easy walk
Day 5: OFF

Week 3
Day 1: 25 min. easy walk
Day 2: OFF
Day 3: 20 min. easy walk
Day 4: Moderately easy walk 4 min., speed walk 1 min.; repeat for 15 min. total
Day 5: OFF

Week 4
Day 1: 30 min. easy walk
Day 2: 25 min. moderately easy walk
Day 3: 25 min. easy walk
Day 4: Moderately easy walk 4 min., speed walk 1 min.; repeat for 20 min. total
Day 5: 25 min. moderately easy walk

Week 5
Day 1: 30 min. easy walk
Day 2: Moderately easy walk 3 min., speed walk 2 min.; repeat for 25 min. total
Day 3: 30 min. easy walk
Day 4: Moderately easy walk 3 min., speed walk 2 min.; repeat for 20 min. total
Day 5: 30 min. moderately easy walk

Week 6
Day 1: 35 min. easy walk
Day 2: Moderately easy walk 3 min., speed walk 2 min.; repeat for 25 min. total
Day 3: 30 min. easy walk
Day 4: Moderately easy walk 2 min., speed walk 3 min.; repeat for 25 min. total
Day 5: 30 min. moderately easy walk

For more training tips, visit www.thebodyfirmaz.com

To sign up for Pat’s Run, visit www.pattillmanfoundation.org

Happy trails.

Will Tiger Get Back into the Swing of Things?

So have you forgiven Tiger yet? Yeah, we aren’t sure that we have either, or if we ever will. In our opinion, his latest statement wasn’t very sincere or convincing.

Regardless of his personal troubles, what we are wondering is, WHEN is he coming back to the sport of golf. Let’s face it, Tiger is one major reason people continue to watch the PGA tournaments.

It will be interesting to see how fans react to his comeback, and how that could possibly affect his game. Now The Phoenix Open might not be the only tournament where fans express their feelings via throwing things at Tiger.

In some regards we are secretly hoping the he can regain his image and continue playing. After all, he is talented.

While you aren’t in the same position as Tiger (and thank God for that), you might be trying to get back into golf too. We can help you there! Stop by The Body Firm to check out our new Titleist golf program. It is unbelievable how much you can improve from this high-tech workout.

Visit us at www.thebodyfirmaz.com

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-21

• Check out today's blog: http://www.thebodyfirmaz.com/blog/ #

Easy At Home Gym

1. Stability Ball: These inflatable balls come in different sizes in order to accommodate your skill level. They are great for building core muscle strength while also developing a better sense of balance. If traditional crunches are easy for you, lay with the stability ball in the small of your back. With your knees bent at 90 degrees, crunch upwards. The ball forces you to engage your core and focus on the correct technique.

2. Cardiovascular Workout: While there might not be a treadmill  in your home, there might just be a dog. Take Fido for a brisk walk or slow jog to get your heart rate up. Other easy at-home cardio workouts include riding your bike to the grocery store, or running the stadium stairs at the local high school.

3. Exercise/Yoga Mat: A good exercise mat can serve so many purposes. Aside from toting it to your regular yoga lessons, keep it in your home for a quick abdominal workout. Lay it in front of the television so that you can stretch while you watch your favorite program.

4.Resistance Band: These bands might not look like much, but they will help develop your muscles without bulky weight machines. Stand on top of the band, with legs shoulder-width apart. Hold the handles in your hands at shoulder level. Squat down, and as you return to a standing position, push your hands up above your head. Repeat for 2 sets of 12 repetitions.

5. Dumbbells: Dumbbells are an investment since you usually have to buy more than one weight size. With these stackable weights, you can add weight increments as needed. They not only save space, but money too. As you become stronger, you can adjust your weights accordingly, without having to purchase another pair of dumbbells.

For more exercise information, visit www.thebodyfirmaz.com

Pat’s Run Training Program

Pat’s Run Training Program

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: These are rest days. Rest is critical to your recovery and injury prevention, so don’t ignore rest days. Your muscles actually build and repair themselves during your rest days. So if you run every day without taking days off, you won’t see much improvement.

Tuesdays and Saturdays: After warm-up, run at a comfortable pace for the designated mileage. Make sure you cool-down and stretch after your run. .

Thursdays: These runs should be done at your 5k race pace. If you’re not sure what your 5K pace is, run at a speed that you could sustain for 3.1 miles. Make sure you do a warm-up before your run and cool-down after.

Sundays: This is an active recovery day. Your run should be at an easy (EZ), comfortable pace, which helps loosen up your muscles. Or, you can do a run/walk combination.

• Be sure to do the running portion slow enough at the beginning of every run (especially the long run) so that you’ll feel tired but strong at the end.
• Stay conversational on all of your exercise sessions. This means that you should be exerting yourself at a low enough level that you could talk.
• As the runs get longer, be sure to keep your blood sugar boosted by eating an energy bar (or equivalent) about an hour before exercise. Drink water continuously before and during exercise and with all food.

For more training information, visit www.thebodyfirmaz.com