For nine years I was a fitness competitor. This meant everything I put in my mouth, was weighed and measured. I worked out like it was my job.

The picture to the right is me, just before I stopped competing. Now some of you are like I’d do anything for the physique a like that.  That physique took hard work and dedication. I wasn’t having much fun. I used to look in the mirror and scrutinized everything. No matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t working hard enough, I always felt someone else was working hard than me. Here’s my secret if you talked to me during that time period, I would have sounded so sane, but my mindset was a hot mess!!

When I stopped competing it was a tough road for me as I wasn’t sure anymore how to workout without a physique goal. People go to the gym all the time what where their goals’ How do they motivate themselves to hit the gym and hit with conviction’

I’ve been athletic my entire life and that left me with a number of injuries, now that I didn’t have a show  to get ready for, I had the time to work on my injuries and rehab the correct way. This also gave me something to work towards other than my physique. This was also the first time in my life I started to incorporate an actual rest day. A day that I didn’t workout. What a concept!!

I didn’t realize how that decision would dramatically change my mindset. For the first time it was NOT about my physique it was about what my body could do. Fast forward to, today, my goals have changed dramatically. Now when I workout, it’s not to make sure you see every muscle I have, it’s about how can I be fit for the rest of my life and how can I maximize my time in the gym. I workout anywhere from 30-45 minutes 4-5 times/week. My workouts are all about making me stronger. (Pic below is of me today) I’m not as lean as I used to be but I enjoy my workouts now and do like what I see in the mirror. My mirror image fuels and inspires me to continue to work hard.  I say wow, my  legs just PR’d a dead lift! Those crazy, bigger, faster, stronger conversations don’t happen any more. I look at my body as STRONG!

When you look in the mirror, what’s your conversation’

The post When You Look In The Mirror What Do You See’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

1. Acknowledge and own the habits.  there’s no sense denying them; they exist, your friends and family know they exist, so own them.  Say aloud, “I need to stop!”  Once you’ve acknowledged it, it begins to lose its power.  It’s certainly much better than ignoring your unhealthy habits or hiding them.
2. Let go of shame.  Don’t be ashamed of your unhealthy habits.  No one is perfect and we’re all striving to improve ourselves.  Everyone has something they need to work on.  Once you stop feeling ashamed of it, you can move forward and take control of your habits.
3. Understand where the habits came from.  One of the great tools to kicking a habit is to first understand where it came from.  For example, if you have a tendency to eat a lot in the evenings it could stem from your breakfast habits.  Once you know the reason behind your habits, they’re easier to change.  In the example of the late night eating, a simple solution may be to develop a resolution to have a good breakfast every morning, rather than trying to stop eating at night.
4. Understand why you want to get rid of your unhealthy habit.  Do you want to feel better’  Have more energy’  Look better’  Extend your life’  When you understand why you want to get rid of your unhealthy habits, it is easier to find the right motivation to help you achieve your goals.  For example, if you’re motivated to look better, maybe an old picture of yourself when you liked how you looked would work as appropriate motivation. 
5. Set reasonable goals.  Lofty goals don’t serve anyone.  If you want to get rid of unhealthy habits, establish goals you are fairly certain you can attain.  That doesn’t mean they have to be easy goals, but it is important that they are attainable.
6. Replace bad habits with good ones.  One of the best and easiest ways to get rid of unhealthy habits is to replace them with new habits.  For example, earlier we mentioned late night eating.  Rather than struggle with cravings while you’re sitting on the couch each night, brew a cup of green tea and change your habit to a good one, one that is healthy and beneficial for you.
7. Seek support.  Sometimes we just need a little help.  We need an extra hand, a little encouragement, or someone to listen to us when we’re having a tough time.  Support groups, friends and family can all be a great resource when trying to kick old habits.
8. Stay positive.  A good attitude is extremely helpful to kicking unhealthy habits.  It helps to be able to focus on more positive thoughts when you’re trying to get rid of habits that are detrimental to your health.  Before you set about accomplishing your goal, it helps to come up with a few methods for staying positive.  Find what makes you happy and make note of it.  When you’re having a negative thought or a tough moment, pull out your happy thought or your happy trigger and use it.
9. Reward yourself.  Reward yourself for accomplishing the small steps along the way and for making it through the tough times.  For example, if you’re trying to cut out after dinner snacks and one particular evening you’re really craving something other than the tea you’ve been drinking, and you manage to avoid the bag of chips on the counter or the ice cream in the fridge, then you could reward yourself by getting your favorite coffee at the neighborhood coffee shop in the morning.
10. Plan your success.  Rather than trying to wing it, it is helpful to plan how you’re going to attain your goal.  If you want to eliminate your habit of getting fast food for lunch each day, or you want to stop drinking coffee in the morning, how are you going to do it’  Break your goal down into smaller, more manageable steps for easier success.  For example you could stop going through the drive-thru four days out of the week but still go with your co-workers on Fridays.  After a week or two of success, you may even find that you’re ordering a salad rather than a burger.

Small successes give us confidence for larger ones. You create a pattern of success and strength.

The post Tips for Kicking Unhealthy Habits appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

How are you going to reward yourself’  

Sometimes when all else fails, tangible things can motivate us to reach our goals, even when the reason we’re striving for those goals has nothing to do with tangible rewards and everything to do with getting healthier and living a better life.

Rewards are important to keeping the motivation alive.  However, they can also derail you from your goal if the rewards are inappropriate.  For example, if you’re on a strict no sugar plan and you reward yourself for a week with no sugar by eating a piece of cake,  you could just set yourself back.

However, if you reward yourself with a massage, a night out at the movies or a treat that you would enjoy that isn’t full of sugar, then that is an appropriate reward you can look forward to and feel good about.  Make the rewards fit the accomplishment.  If your large goal is to run three times a week and you’re starting with an initial goal of running once a week, reward yourself for running once a week with something smaller like a new song for your iPod.  And when you reach running three times a week, you could reward yourself with new running clothes or a new pair of jeans.

So what kinds of rewards will motivate you’  Make a list of some items that you can use to reward yourself.  It might be:

• New shoes
• A vacation
• Music for your ipod
• A massage
• Makeover
• Haircut
• New wardrobe
• Dinner out at that restaurant you’ve been dying to go

Make a list of the things you might be motivated by and see how they fit into your goals.  Make certain to not choose rewards that will sabotage you reaching your goal.  For example, if your goal is to lose weight, then a food reward may not be the best solution.  However, a goal that makes you feel good about yourself, like a new pair of jeans to fit your new body, might be an excellent motivational tool. Need some help setting goals — contact me to set up a 15 min goal setting session.  Need a jump start to get going — give the Savage 7 program and shot.

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