In order for you to move past the same blocks that always seem to pop up against, you have to focus on what’s working and what’s not. And when it is not, you need to figure out where there is a kink in the process’ many of you don’t even have a process. You resort to the process of just CUTTING out everything you love and then you are going to go hard as hell and fast as hell!

BUT here is the thing.

You can go hard, and you can go fast, but you can’t go hard and fast for long!

I see this as a coach all the dang time. You are literally sprinting towards a brick wall. And I don’t want you to hit that wall, I want to stop you. But sometimes you just have to crash into the wall and know that I am here to help you pick up the pieces. Many of you overlook how important mindset is when it comes to weight loss because you can’t just transform your body if you don’t have your head in the right space. Hard does not get you where you want to go, so stop making it so dang difficult.

So, what are the 5 things that get in our way when it comes to weight loss and reaching goals’

1. You don’t have goals.
2. There is no plan.
3. You aren’t excited.
4. Breaking up old habits and installing new ones.
5. Looking at your obstacles.

So, you don’t have any goals” GOALS for me are like punching in an address into a GPS and finding out how I am going to get to where I want to go. YOU HAVE TO punch that goal into your GPS.A lot of people don’t set goals because they are afraid, and they don’t want to fail.

It’s our goals that drive our behaviors.

It’s our goals that give us that to-do list.

It’s our goals that are our blueprint of where the hell we are driving this bus.

The clearer you are about what is going to happen, the more likely you are going to achieve your goals, and the more you will be able to connect with them. And don’t get caught up in negative self-talk. If something bad happens or an obstacle pops up, are you likely to see it as sign and decide it’s the end of the road. We are programmed to look for the negative, we aren’t programmed to look for the positive. The diet industry programs us to go for hard instead of easy. Why”

Get out of your head and stop taking things away, stop setting goals that make you give up everything. Instead, make a habit of adding things. Like adding more water to your diet and adding vegetables and adding protein. How about focusing on ADDING as much of that as you can to help you fight cravings and fight hunger.

Alright, how are you going to plan” What makes you feel good and what can you plan into our life’ First, you want to look at your week. Most of you are at home working with the kids doing virtual school at least some part of the week. For the most part you know what is going to happen in your week and there is not too much spontaneity in our lives anymore. You can make a plan for your food.

Meal prep. I am not one of those people that will say you need to cook on Sunday all dang day. What I do is plan 24 hours in advance and I am not caught without food or not getting my workouts in, because I have a plan. This is where habits come in, think about what you are good at’ What is it that makes you great at it’ Is there something that you want to be great at that we can start to slide into that already established behavior’

Grab a meal prep guide here

I like people to start with exercise. It makes you feel good and when you feel good you start to think of things in a better, more positive way. So how do we build upon that’ Take the same traits you are good at and put them into what you are trying to master.

Are you excited about what you are doing’ If you’re not excited, you are not going to do it If you sign up for a class and you hate it, you are not going to do it! You are not going to jump out of bed in the morning to do it So, you have to be excited about what you are doing so that you don’t drop off the wagon a few weeks in!! Listen, if you hate kickboxing, don’t take a kickboxing class because they  you will lose 30 pounds. DON’T DO IT!!! Be truly excited about what you are doing and how it will affect your health because we want it to be exciting and we want it to be healthy.

Set realistic expectations magic makers. Who do you surround yourself with’ This plays a huge role in this. I am not saying don’t go out… Just when you are there can we make subtle shifts in what we buy’ I am never going to say don’t go. I am never going to say just have water when your friends have ice cream. BUT how do we have fun with a little more restraint” Inside of going for the belly buster, have a scoop of ice cream.

Let’s set goals and break down those goals. If you want to lose 50 pounds, scale it down and start with 10 pounds, and then repeat it 5 times. Focus on 10 to start. By doing this, you will have something to celebrate sooner when you hit those 10 pounds.? Instead of waiting for 50 pounds go with 10 at a time.? You may think you need to lose 50, but as you see your body transform, you may be happy at 25.?

Magic makers, stop sitting on the sidelines waiting to find the perfect diet, the perfect time the perfect program, the perfect coach. Your gut knows what it is. All you have to do is just get started! Something is better than nothing so even if you do 15 minutes of walking a day that is better than not doing any at all.

As the great Dr. Dre would say, check yourself before you wreck yourself!!!

When I do this, it helps me to just realized that all the noise inside my head is keeping me where I don’t want to be. You have to push past them and not listen to the negative. Not think about what the worst thing is to happen.

Ladies it’s the small efforts done repeatedly over time that get you the greatest results! Think of a snowstorm, it doesn’t snow 30 feet in an hour. It is repeatable and it’s a gradual change An inch an hour is more realistic. But this is the same thing with change. It’s a slow process but it works overtime as long as you stick with it.

Get your mind right, head in the game and if someone needs to hear this, tag them!

This mindset thing is never going away. It is going to continue to be the boogeyman that keeps you from where you want to be in life if you don’t get it right!

LINKS

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FabFitSquad

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website: https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

The post How Your Mindset Improves Your Body appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

How often do you exercise’

I know you’ve read or seen some social media influencer tell you that you need to workout everyday and you must be SORE! That seems a little overwhelming when you have so many other things on your plate.

For my clients I recommend that you lift 3-5 days. Put those days in your calendar and treat it light an appointment that you can miss.

Now let’s look at how many meals you eat every day.

The average person eats either 2 or 3 major meals each day. Many people enjoy a snack or two daily as well. The human body craves hydration more than it does food, so throughout the day make sure that you are drinking water. . Did you know that the human body can go more than 30 days without food, but only about 3 days without water’ Make sure you are hydrating frequently.

How many meals should you eat’

Focus on eating when you are hungry. I was of the school that you had to have 5-6 meals/day or you wouldn’t build any muscle. When you start to feel hungry ask yourself are you even hungry give yourself 30 minutes and if you are eat, if you aren’t ride it out a bit longer.

What should you eat’

Why yes you need a caloric deficit to lose weight. HOWEVER you need to figure YOUR caloric deficit vs blinding following someone else “plan”. Yes, this takes a bit of fine tuning but once you do it! Man, you will be very happy you did. No more struggling or suffering!

On your plate focus on having 30 grams of protein and at least 400 grams of fruit and veggies.

Nutrition alone accounts for as much as 60% to 70% of your fitness level.

I am not saying exercise is bad, but as the late great Jack Lalane said, nutrition is queen and fitness is king. We all know if the queen is not happy, then no one is happy.

Have you fully considered that losing weight is a 2 prong approach’ I’m a big fan of the show CSI. When you watch CSI they enter a crime scene and do an analysis. The same can be said for your nutrition. Take a look at your results up till now. If you haven’t reached the weight loss and fitness goals you desire so far, but you exercise all the time, you may not be giving nutrition the best opportunity to help you get where you want to be.

Would you like a lifestyle assessment to see where you can fine tune your current program’ Schedule right here 

Together we will take a look at your current routines so that we can see where refinements can be made. I will walk you through my 4 pillars of wellness so that you can determine where is the best place to start. Then we’ll walk you through my REPS formula so that you are guaranteed to not fail.

The post Why Ignoring Diet and Focusing on Exercise is a Mistake for Weight Loss appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

BUTT… for some us when we try to get into action our fear keeps are feet glued to the fucking floor and we don’t have the courage to make it happen. But YOU CAN BE COURAGEOUS, and you can become unstuck.

One of the things I loved so much about Ashley is that she founded The Courage Campaign, which is a nonprofit organization that provides public schools and communities with high-caliber physical fitness instruction combined with personal development and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).  Her background and upbringing have taught her to successfully navigate failure, fear, and discrimination, and use adversity to redefine her own success.  She now aims to share what she’s learned and help others to unlock passion, invoke courage, and reinvent achievement. And she is starting with the younger generation to help “create strong minds and bodies today that will help build a positive tomorrow.”

We have to transform our fears in order to accomplish things that we set out to do.  It’s human nature to be afraid and we are always going to be afraid of something… that will never go away, but it’s about knowing what is an excited fear and what is the “run for your freaking life” fears.  And we have to learn how to get over those fears that are stopping us from reaching our true potential… ACTION breeds confidence and courage, so if you want to get over those fears, you have to get up and do something about it. 

There is this amazing book that Ashley and I were talking about in this podcast and that is The Gift Of Fear By

Gavin de Becker.  “True Fear is a gift. Unwarranted fear is a curse. Learn how to tell the…
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This book is amazing because it really dives into fears, how to differentiate between the 2 types of fears like the ones that give us those gut feeling cues that are innate to us as human beings and we know is a bad situation and fears that are just holding us back from accomplishing something.  I bring this up because we have to learn how to phase through those fears that are not bad but just holding us back, in order to reach these goals that we are striving for.

A huge hurdle to overcome, is not being in our own bodies.  Not fully understanding ourselves and our bodies.  We don’t know what it feels like to feel good, we don’t know if we are scared to grab enough that we have to run and grab our handbag, and we don’t know if we are just too scared or charged up to try something.  So, it is so important to just slow down, reevaluate things and find ourselves.  Really stop and get within your body to understand who you are, what you want and find out what is stopping you and getting in the way of you accomplishing those goals and building up the courage to reach out and grab what it is that you truly want.

I think this pandemic with COVID has really taught us to build up that courage to venture back out again as things reopen, to go to the grocery store, or just go to places.  Yes we have learned to slow down and slow our busy lives, but this was a scary time for many people, the fear of the unknown, the fear of our economy or the state of their families and it has taken a great deal of courage for so many people to get over that fear and begin their lives again.  We were held up inside for so long, and yes it worked for many.  Their lives slowed down, they learned things, they grew as individuals, but there are sooo many others on the other side of this that were affected dramatically by this in negative ways that now need to dig out of where they are to re-emerge again post COVID and it is taking them all the courage they can get to rebuild their lives again.

For Ashley, the Courage Campaign was built out of a period of grief and fear after her father passed away.  Growing up, Ashley saw in her household 2 parents who were  perfect examples of discipline, hard work, courage, and more because her parents were both hard-working and held that very valuable. Her dad being a professional boxer and Postman and her mother working and going to college at the same time she emulated those images of resilience that she saw throughout her life.

Her parents allowed for her to fail and discover our own courage and own resilience, right wrong or indifferent. “My upbringing was such that, sort of black culture in general, black parents don’t coddle their children. I think it is born out of generational trauma and knowing what we are going to face when we get older, so there isn’t a lot of being overprotective or putting us in a bubble.  When your skin is brown, you have to prepare to be a human in a different way than if it was not brown.”  -Ashley Mitchell Why You Really Need Courage Podcast 

After her parents got divorced, she learned that you don’t sit in sorrow or in grief, you have to pick yourself up and keep going.  You cannot hold on to it and you have to learn from it, grow and continue your life.   And she knew this to hold true after her father passed away and knew that she could not sit in grief forever.  Her athletic background is what actually “healed” her and got her through that time in her life.  She used that to become a fitness instructor and utilized her creative artist side to write a lot more.  Until one day Ashley and her partner, who is also the co-founder of the company realized that they could take her resilience and what she has learned throughout her life and teach it to other people to help them to become more resilient. 

For years we have had to learn to PIVOT.. Shit is always going to happen in our lives, and you could either lay down or figure it out.  And of course, it’s okay to lay down for a minute or 2, but don’t sit in that shit for too long.  Get up and keep on moving forward and don’t dwell on the negative things for too long.

Do you have the courage to stop being so reliant upon other people and asking for permission all the time’

Do you have the courage to know your intuition to tell you what is right and what is wrong’

Do you have the courage to stop relying on other people to walk you through the changes in your life and actually take on the responsibility and accountability for yourself’

Do you have the courage to stop looking for the fastest and easiest way out and actually have patience in trying to change your body or reach a specific fitness goal’

Do you have the courage to step away from that Amazon Prime way of thinking and know that you are not going to change your entire life and your body in a matter of 2 days’

Do you have the courage to try new things, fail and keep on moving forward to see what will work to get you closer to your goals’

Do you have the courage to STEP BACK and say what it is that I want for my life”’

Right now, I want you to get the courage to stop comparing yourself to people you see on INSTAGRAM!! We never know what someone is going through to look the way they look, in a good way or a bad way.  You don’t know who has eating disorders or who is super healthy, or if they have an underlying health problem that causes them to not gain weight.  We just have no idea what is happening behind that image, we only see a picture, a 6 pack or flat stomach and big tits, and we say that person has something that I don’t have, and I want that!  And you spiral down the rabbit whole of comparison.

YOU have the courage to step back and say I DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT!
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Our mission is to GIVE YOU THE COURAGE  to realize that you can be healthy without that big box of CRAZY all the time!  Ashley and I want so badly for people to believe that they are enough, just the way they are but there is nothing wrong with self-improvement.  This doesn’t mean to let all of your shit go, but there are ways to enjoy your body and work hard for it but  also enjoy your personal relationships and not always be thinking about,  “I can’t eat this bun on my burger.”  Or saying I am not eating french fries, I am eating a salad!! NOOO eat fucking fries.  It is about BLENDING NOT BANNING! 

There are 2 things that I absolutely adore and that is BELIEF and COURAGE.  I believe in courage.  In order to have courage you have to have a belief that whatever it is you are trying to achieve, that you can do it!!  To do that, sometimes you can just trust and believe that something is going to come. Have the belief that there is a higher power helping to guide you.  And that higher power doesn’t remove difficulty from your life but meets you where you are and helps to get you where you need to go.

There will be a lesson in what you learn and in the difficulties you face.  But these lessons will be what teaches you to not go down that road again when you see the same thing happening.  You have to be in that relationship with your mind and body so you can recognize what is happening.  You have to have these experiences so that you can have courage to face adversities and difficult times and overcome them with confidence and the knowledge that you need to do so.  With this you will build COURAGE and you will become stronger and get unstuck from where you are in life right now!

I encourage you to look into my girl, Ashley.  She is truly amazing; she is so inspiring and really one of a kind!

What makes you feel magical’

“What makes me feel magical is a time like this.  I want to say time makes me feel magical but that’s just not deep enough.  Time to continue to get to know me, Ashley, makes me feel magical. That is where I feel I find my power and direction when there is no noise and it is me, being me, deciding how I want to continue being me. I want all of those selves to always be integrated. I never want someone to look at my IG and talk to me and say that is a different person.  I value that. I value being truly me at all times.”

LINKS:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FabFitSquad

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website: https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

The Gift of Fear Gavin De Becker https://amzn.to/3ghfnjK

socials

@ashleymitchfit

@the.courage.campaign

www.thecouragecampaign.com

Conversations in Courage, The Podcast:

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2CLFjVsZoy6R52fhfITISi’si=co_QmHKrR3q6z6S_LGlASg

Itunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-in-courage/id1522983874

The post Why Your Really Need Courage appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Some routines are so elusive that we feel like we are chasing shadows most of the time and routines today are quickly looked upon as “boring”. Our society is conditioned to want instant gratification. Right now, RIGHT AWAY!  And this same thing goes for workouts. We are conditioned to change things every single day, and if you do change then you are doing something right. But it is in those routines that we do every day over and over again that is what is really going to lead to success.

How are you defining success”

This is the first thing I ask every single client that I work with. I ask this because years ago when I started working with a business coach, she asked me this question. That question made me take a giant pause because I don’t think many people take the time to define what success looks like for them. You may hear about success for other people and think that you want it, but seriously what do YOU want!! Why are you working so hard’ If you aren’t working towards your goal, what will motivate you to take consistent action.

I ask the question because I want to understand if you have created realistic goals. And then I follow up with Are you excited about that goal’ Can that goal be planned into your life’ Is that goal sustainable’And that my friends is what I call my REPS formula!! As you are building your routine you want to make sure that the end goal is realistic. It’s sustainable and can map it INTO YOUR LIFE!

Many will say routines are boring, but I will say routines are the gateway to success. They help us to establish priorities, help us to stop procrastinating and help us to track our goals. Plus, it helps us to get stuff done!

So, here is an example of that.

I have defined my goal and in the next 12 weeks, I want to drop a dress size or 6 pounds. I start by putting together a plan and look at my routine to see what I am doing on a day in and day out basis to lead you to my result.  While writing this plan, it is easy for us to procrastinate.have to find the right diet, trainer, coach, gym schedule, blah blah blah! It is not about doing 50 different things to drop that dress size, it is me getting my mindset shifted so that I am going to do this and be so crystal clear about what it is we are trying to achieve.

First, we are going to DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS. I already mentioned this above a little bit, and I don’t want this to make you feel stressed out. So, keep it simple and grab out that piece of paper. I want you to go old school and write some things down throughout this blog to help you a little bit better!

Now, let’s LOOK AT OUR ROUTINES. Do these goals you have set for yourself make you feel good or stressed out’? You should have a little pressure, but not a TON! What are your current routines day in a day out to lose those 6 pounds’? Am I tracking my food’ Am I sleeping’ Am I stressed’? It all adds up, it all counts. Write down your routine today on that same sheet of paper and sleep on it. Take out that paper and write what is working and what is not working and go through that routine.? Look at those routines and be very honest with yourself and if you can’t, that is when you hire a coach or get a friend that is not afraid to tell you. This list will be pretty telling because our routines are our guidepost. It’s something that tells you, “Hey Girl You Are off course!

Success needs to feel like something you are marching towards. It should feel effortless. As you write this list, I want you to think about this.  What do you look forward to doing and are you excited about it’ And if you are not excited, what can you do now to tweak this, so you feel more excited about it’  With the list, review your daily activities. Are these things getting you closer to your 6-pound weight loss’ And if it’s not, start reviewing those daily activities. Weight loss doesn’t have to be a struggle, it doesn’t have to be a grind. You can choose differently.

Give yourself 2-week sprints to see where you and how you are doing. So, the next 2 weeks, what am I going to commit to’ Tracking food’ Going to the gym 3 days a week’ Water’ Small micro-commitments it what is necessary so that you can see that progress. And don’t focus on THE SCALE. Come up with non-scale victories. Things that you can feel and see you are doing to say you are on the right path.

Now that you see what is working and not working, you can work on a DAILY SCHEDULE. This isn’t what you think it is either!  Trust me, I don’t like being strictly confined to a schedule All it means is that you want to give yourself some guidance, but I do not want your day to live by the clock.  Just start by giving yourself 3 things to do every single day. (3 tasks to complete in the day). Start small instead of trying to make a list of 500 things because when you only finish 5 out of the 400, you feel like crap and will be hard on yourself, so start small.

Let’s also be sure to take into consideration flexible accountability. You are just playing and seeing what is working and not working as you go along. What do you have to change’ How do you have to change it’ And reduce the scope of how much activity you really have to do! If you can’t fit in 3 hours at the gym, that is okay, fit in 30 minutes of a workout at home. As long as you are moving your body than you got this! (And the same goes for food. Create a menu, meal prep, and be prepared.)

At the end of the day, routines help us become the people we want to be. Start thinking about your current routine, how does it work and how does it guide you to your success. But you CANNOT miss STEP 1, DEFINE WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE SO YOU CAN BUILD A ROUTINE!!

If you are lost and need a little more guidance, grab my 50 Routines to Start. And omg, YOU DON’T have to do all 50, this list is just a great brainstorming tool to help get you started today magic makers!!

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FabFitSquad

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website: https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

The post The Power of A Daily Routine appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

1. UNPLUG-–  It’s not about the hustle. Tune out the exercise more voices in your head. Schedule time in your calendar, maybe every Sunday morning or an hour before bed each night. It doesn’t have to be a huge block of time – just enough to give your brain some rest from always being plugged into everything that’s going on in our world.
2. ONLY HAVE ONE GOAL — I get it you want to be “back” where you were pre Coronavirus. Ladies pump the break. You WILL get back there, but rushing won’t be the way. STOP putting so much pressure on yourself for it to happen overnight. One of the top ways to get motivated and stay that way is to focus on one goal at a time. Give it your total focus and appreciate each little step, letting the small victories add up.
3. GET A  COACH — One of the best ways to get motivated is to hold yourself accountable to someone else. This is one of the reasons why you get a coach. It’s nice to have someone who looks over your shoulder and give you feedback that you are either moving in the right direction toward your goals or you need to course correct. Want to have a conversation to see how coaching would benefit you, hop on my calendar right here. for a FREE consultation. 
4. GET ENOUGH SLEEP — Sleep is like fuel – our bodies need it to maintain health and well-being. When you are dragging ass the last thing you want to do workout and damn sure you don’t want to eat right! I just did a podcast on this, so if sleeping is a challenge for you, have a listen right here.
5. KNOW YOUR WHY — When you are clear about what it is you want. You have all the motivation that you need. It’s my why that gets me out of bed on those cold dark mornings. Keep in mind the reason you when wanted to get healthier in the first place and you’ve found your motivation! 
6. TAKE A WALK — Walking is my jam! I was first told to walk to help me balance my hormones and to lower my stress levels. You ladies over 40 may want to take note. Besides, walking gets your blood flowing to your brain and extremities, and if you’ve been sitting at a desk or workstation for a long period, a brisk walk can help to get you re-energized and refocused on the task that needs to be conquered. 
7. SET A TIMER — Not feeling a workout’ I set a timer for 15 minutes and do whatever I can in 15 minutes. Then decide if you feel like more go for it, if you feel you’ve done all you can move in. Sometimes my workout is a foam roll and a good stretch and other times it turns into a full workout. 
8. SHARE YOUR GOAL — I have a Facebook Group, where you can share your goal and have other in the group cheer you on to victory. Who knows you may inspire someone to take action
9. STAY HYDRATED — Our bodies are made up of up to 65% water. To get the party started keep a bottle of water in my bathroom and start drinking it as soon as I get up in the morning. Another way to get in your water is to get a cup that you only fill with water and keep it with you all day long. Set a goal for yourself (start small, remember) and then when you reach that goal for the day, reward yourself with a different type of beverage.
10. LET GO OF THE OUTCOME —  We all put so much pressure on ourselves to accomplish, that we push ourselves into exhaustion. Don’t worry how it’s going to turn out or if it will be done within the time frame you’ve allotted. Just let go and see how freeing it is. Be clear about what is that you want and how will you feel when you finally achieve it. 

Of these tips what feels good right now. Leave me a comment below.

If meal prep is that will motivate you to eat healthy — grab my free guide right here. 

The post How Get And Stay Motivated appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

To create a strong habit it comes down to having a strong enough desire to lose weight and get healthy.

It is very easy to view weight loss as a temporary state. How many times have you said to yourself that you can manage to eat this way for a couple of weeks’ You may have even lasted a few weeks longer. But has this led to long term success’ Probably not, as it wasn’t sustainable.  

First you need to really dig down deep and discover what your reasons are for losing weight. Has your doctor told you to drop some pounds for health reasons’ Are you totally sick of not fitting into your clothes’ Want to look good in pics on your next vacation’ Take the time to find your reasons and then write them down.  

Your next step will be to figure out how you can make these changes into your life. What time do you have for exercising and cooking healthy meals’ If your time is limited, then look at cooking in batches and freezing portions.

The same applies to workouts, what workouts do you like and when can you fit this in’ Do early morning’s work, lunch time, after work’

Now you are ready to start forming your new habits. Remember that you don’t have to change things overnight. Start out by cutting down on one or two items. Eating more veggies, adding in more good fats or having few treats. Then when you feel you have this under control, change another aspect.

Combining eating healthier with exercising can really help speed up your results. Make a commitment to leisure walk for 20 minutes three times a week. Do this for three weeks and your walking habit will be ingrained in you. Then you can either add in another day or walk for longer each time.

To get your exercise in early in the day try getting up 30 minutes earlier. Or if you take public transport, take an earlier bus and get off one or two stops earlier.

Forming a new habit doesn’t have to mean completely changing your lifestyle, it means just adding one or two new steps into your routine for the better.

Want to know your fitness personality’ Click here

The post Are You Ready to Form Solid Weight Loss and Exercise Habits appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

I get it things come up that just make it hard for us to keep going, and keep us motivated. You will get back to it this month, then it’s the next month, and by the time you’ve skipped through the months, you are back to November and holidays, and you’ve lost an entire year. If you think about it there are only like 3 good months in a year that are “good months” to stay on track, right’ 🤷🏽‍♀️ If this is you, I got you! 😉

You don’t need to make it hard to lose weight, and I am telling you, the old way of dieting DOESN’T WORK anymore! If you are DONE chasing skinny, and you are ready to get the results that last and help make this a lifestyle change, then you are in the right place! I am going to give you 4 Alternatives to Dieting that you CAN do! And I am not asking you to diet, I am just asking you to not eat like a jackass!!

I am also not going to sit here and give you a list of the DO’s and DON’Ts, no sugar, no flour, no fun, etc.. I WANT YOU to be able to have a piece of cake guilt free, a glass a wine without sneaking it, have ice cream with your kids or stop dieting because you are going on vacation and want to enjoy it or wanna enjoy date nights. Ladies, dieting should not be a chore and it should not be a burden! It has to become a part of your daily and weekly routines and it will become as simple as breathing!

So… are you ready to hear what the 4 Alternative to Dieting are!’ They’re so simple I am telling you!
1. Mindset
2. Movement
3. Food
4. Exercise

I know!! That is, it! Yup!! And once you start implementing these into your daily routine and making these minor shifts, you will see a difference.

Alright, so Mindset, what do I mean by Mindset’ You have to change the mindset that tells you “I am not broken; I am ready and I am willing to do this.”. You need to get clear with exactly what it is that you want. Be clear with what you want and what you don’t want, but DON’T let the focus be on what you don’t want. Then you need to make yourself and your body the priority, and you have to STOP putting your body up on a shelf every single time life gets “too busy”.

How are you defining your success’ What does it actually look like’ Is success for you standing on a scale, is success fitting into a certain size, is success you sleeping better, is success just YOU feeling better!’ And this will all come from your mindset!

“My perception is my reality”.

Next, step 2 is Movement.. Now don’t confuse this with working out, that is something totally different. I am talking about getting up and moving! This is called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, performing yard work, undertaking agricultural tasks and fidgeting. Movement for many people has a far more lasting effect on your weight then on the lasting bout of exercise. So how much are you actually moving during the day’

Find a way that you can keep track of your steps you put in in any given day, that way you can get moving more if you need to. Clean the entire house, go grocery shopping, get a walking desk, whatever you need to get you moving throughout the day do!

Step 3 is Food and what are you eating!’ The best way to keep track of things is a food log! I love a food log because you can go back and see what foods it for you did, what foods satisfied you long enough that you didn’t overeat. I want my clients to be hungry 3-4 hours after each meal, and to really be hungry, not just eat because it is time to eat. I want them to eat when their brain, and stomach, says they are actually hungry. And these meals have to have staying power! They need to satisfy the brain and they need to keep you going and stay with you for a long period of time.

So when you sit down to make a meal, think about these things. Is it satisfying through the eyes, does it give you fullness in the belly, does it have the MINIMUM number of calories and does it have the MAXIMUM amount of nutrition!’

Lastly, step 4, is Exercise. So, like I said before, this is not movement, this is getting in 3-4 days a week for half an hour or more of an actual workout. Whatever you choose to do, whether it’s riding a bike or grabbing a workout on YouTube, you want to be breathing heavy, sweating and have your muscles burning! That is how you know you got in a good workout! Then, I want your cardio to be HITT (High Intensity Interval Training). And that is really it! Just make the time to do this!
Those are the 4 steps, and I KNOW that you can totally do that! These steps right here are the building block for great habits! Great habits build great routine, routines build consistency, and consistency is what gets you your results. That is literally the ultimate Fit Girl Magic Formula!!!

If you want all of this at your fingertips, grab the Free Guide Here!

The post Four Alternatives To Dieting appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Think about it like this how much thought does it take for you to drive home from your office; you don’t need a map you just do it. You’ve committed the route to memory through repetition. If you are like me, most days you are thinking about something completely different and all the sudden you are pulling up to your house.

But How Long Does It Really Take to Form a Habit’

Just like me, you’ve probably heard that it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. Wanna know how that started’ It’s pretty interesting.  A plastic surgeon, was trying to figure out how long it took patients to get use to the changes he made to their faces, aka nose jobs.

According to his research, he established that it took  “at least 21 days.” So, in three weeks a new habit could form.

Other self-help gurus will tell you it takes about four weeks to find a newfound respect and desire to continue a workout regimen.

A 2009 study by researchers at University College London determined that it takes a bit longer to develop habits.  

The participants in their 12-week study reported it took anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a new habit to stick. The average person took about two months.

So, what’s the right answer’

You probably want to go with the shorter timeframes because you want start making changes like NOW!  It’s probably more realistic to use the UCL study as a baseline. Why’ Because we are all different with unique core values and motivations.

As you start to think of the habits you want to develop or break, I want you to think about “why” you want to do it. This will be very strong motivation.

How Long to Break a Habit’

First, I challenge you to stop placing time constraints on breaking your habits. Leave deadlines out of the equation. I find that if you don’t meet your goal you may feel like a failure. Those feelings are counterproductive.

For some of you, it’s possible to quit a habit cold-turkey, but it’s usually associated with intense motivation and versus sheer will-power.

By going cold turkey, it can feel like diving into the deep end with a rock attached to your ankle.  

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is your motivation for eliminating this habit’
• How long has this habit existed’
• What happens if you don’t break this habit’

Make One to Break One

Psychologists suggest the easiest way to break a habit is by replacing it with a new one. Reassign the habit “loop” (reminder, routine and reward) with a more desirable behavior or action to replace the old, undesired routine. 

I haven’t been drinking much water lately, so I make sure I get in my water. I’ve tied to to my morning coffee. I love my coffee so before I have my first cup, I have a glass of water – that 16 oz glass of water goes down like a freaking shot!  Then I have a cup of my belolved coffee and then another class of water.

To make this water habit stick I had to tie to something I was already doing automatically.

Patience is Key

There is no sprinting to the finish line. You can’t rush the making or the breaking of a habit. Let nature take its course. Let the brain fully commit this routine to memory so it becomes an inherent process rather than a forced behavior or action.

When you force habits you will eventually hate and and rebel!

Temptation is going to strike so please give yourself grace. If you stumble get back up and keep moving forward with your goal. I talked about this earlier and its worth repeating. Nail down your “why” and everything will work itself out. Tackling the bad habits and replacing them with good ones is a keystone in living your best life possible.

You are worth the time and effort! Don’t give up, you can do it!

Ready to start creating some great habits’ Join my 5 Days To Creating A Better Me Challenge Join Right here

The post How Long Does It Take to Form A Habit and Break One’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Here are some beliefs that you can start using today to help transform your thinking.

1. I have unlimited potential. Whatever I put my mind to I achieve.

2. I count my blessings no matter how small. Remember to include the smaller items, like warm socks or great tasting food.

3. I learn from mistakes. I treat them as lessons for what is NOT working.

4. Challenges provide me with greater wisdom. Look back at the obstacles you’ve already overcome, and reassure yourself that you can handle anything that comes your way.

5. I focus on the present moment. This helps to keep you grounded and looking for the poop on the carpet.

6. I dream big. I don’t let limiting beliefs keep me from going for what I really want.

7. I regularly forgive myself. I give myself grace for not being able to do it all.

8. I take 100% responsibility. You are in charge of your life. Hold yourself accountable for the outcomes you create. Celebrate the fact that you have the power to determine your own future.

9. I do the work. Define what success looks like for you, so you know what is working. Give yourself credit when you’re making progress rather than comparing yourself to others.

10. I listen to feedback. I know that I go do it on my own, or I can speed up my results but asking for feedback. Feedback helps you grow faster when you gather solid input and take action on it.

11. I connect with others. While you may feel like you are the only person going through this you are not. Surround yourself with a loving and encouraging tribe.

12. I try new things. Be open to experimentation. If the why you are currently doing things are not getting you what you want then, it’s time to trying something new.

An upbeat attitude increases your happiness and productivity. As we head into 2019 I challenge you to question your old assumptions so you can replace them with a new sense of certainty about yourself and your future. Adopt empowering beliefs that build up your confidence and prepare you for greater success. Start today. You’ll be glad you did!

PS> you looking to focus more on having fun this holiday than counting calories’ Give me 12 days and I’ll help you cruise through the holidays.

The post Empowering Beliefs to Live By Today appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

When you think of the beach do you shutter thinking I’m  not ready!

Each morning when you get out of the shower and glance at yourself in the mirror and think is this the year I dust off my bikini’

Is this the year that I don’t need to wear a t-shirt and shorts over my bathing suit.

Maybe if I close my eyes and click my heels together 3 times, I’ll look like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.

Sorry, ladies, I’ve tried this and it doesn’t work, when you finally open your eyes, you’re still you.  Here are some tips that will help get and keep a bikini body.

Instead of rushing out and buying your dream bathing suit, tape a picture of it on your bathroom mirror and/or refrigerator to help keep you motivated to eat healthier and to get moving.

Face it, bathing suit 👙 shopping is stressful and can be de-motivating, wait until you feel good about yourself and your hard work before you hit the stores. Who knows maybe by then it will be on sale!

Achieving your new summer body isn’t about starvation.  It’s about making healthy choices.  I love and live by the 80/20 rule.  If 80% of ALL your meals are compiled of healthy choices, you are eating every few hours, and exercising then you can have a few pleasures to keep you from going off the dead end.

💦 Drink your water.  It helps cleanse your body of harmful toxins and by not taking in enough water, it can make losing weight hard and cause cellulite to appear more dimply.  Water is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle and keeps your body working in proper order.

I know it doesn’t make sense but when you eat frequently you will increase your metabolism.  When deciding what to add to your new eating plan, consider adding more fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish and dairy.

You’ll also want to avoid highly processed foods because they remove many of the nutrients your body needs just leaving you with empty calories and fat.

🚫 Don’t believe the hype! The information on the front of the food packages may be misleading, make sure that you read the back of the box, and read the ingredients.

If it has more than 5 ingredients or you need a PhD in biology to understand what’s inside, leave it on the shelf.

🍫 Limit the sweets/junkfood.  These foods contain empty calories and will only add on the pounds, sabotaging your efforts to lose weight and get bathing suit ready.  If you must have something sweet, try having some fruit. Craving salt’ Try reaching for a pickle.

Want to lose belly fat’  Get some sleep. 💤 The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep, how much are you getting’  Without proper rest, the body can’t repair itself and when your body lacks sleep you more likely to reach for junk food to give you a quick rush of energy.

Keep your stress levels in check.  Increased stress levels can lead to increased levels of cortisol in your system.  This hormone is your enemy if you want to lose belly fat and increase muscle.  When we have too much of this hormone in our blood stream it causes or body to store fat around belly, decrease muscle building and reduce our immune system.

Remember there are no quick fixes to weight loss.  Cher once said, “If the perfect body came in a bottle everyone would have one.”  To get bikini ready, start by choosing a healthy lifestyle that includes good food choices, exercise and a good night sleep.

these are the types of things I will be talking about in my up coming summer school program. If you are interested in learning more click here. 

The post Summer School: Get Swim Suit Body By Eating Healthy appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.