FAMILY MEMORIES!

SPECIAL MEMORIES!

Everyone that knows me knows that I'm always taking pictures. Photography is one of my hobbies and loves in life. This has to be one of my favorite moments that I captured this past week when my daughter, Canada VanderVelde and grandson was here. I was just downloading all my pictures and came across this one and the tears just started to roll down my face. It was such a special, fun filled week and hard to see them go yesterday.

I can't believe how much Henry has grown and changed since the last time I saw him. He is talking so much and the things he says just makes me laugh all the time. When we were out and about he would say "Hi" to everyone and wave. I loved how he put smiles on everyones face and stopped them in their tracks. Just seeing this little guy light up peoples life was so special. And to see how my daughter cares for him and interacts with him. I was so improessed with her. I couldn't be a more proud mother and grandmother.

It's hard to be away from them as much as I am, but I'm so happy to have these special memories. I look forward to being home this summer and more memories. In the mean time, I will have these photos to look back on and some face time.

These moments make you realize how speical and how prescious family time can be. I hope you all make the most of every moment today and enjoy your family!

MEDITATE FOR HAPPINESS

Rewrite your brain for happiness by MEDITATIING.

Meditation clears the mind and calms you.

It is often cited as the single most effective way to live a happier life.

The more regularly and the more deeply you miditate, the sooner you will find yourself acting always from a center of inner peace.

Take one conscious breath in and out.

Meditation is not just for relaxation. It's primary purpose is to develope the capacity to respond skillfully and gracefully to life's difficulties as well as its joys.

The thing about meditation is that you become more and more you!

Take a moment to meditate this morning and have an amazing weekend!

Strive for 1% Everyday!

Do you ever have a workout where you feel like all your body wants to do is resist? It always amazing me how a couple days without working out can make such a difference in your body's performance!

That was last night. Kind of ironic the name of this workout is Resisance 3. It is a challenging workout and I really had to push through. I had to take a rest day and just walk one day earlier this week and my body doesn't want to get back moving again!!

I'm running a few days behind in this workout schedule due to some dental surgery I had the last couple weeks and wasn't up to it every day so this is the first time I did this workout. I had to do the modifier tonight on a lot of the sets without weights. So now my goal is to build up to beable to use weights in all the different sets within this program.

Remeber you don't always have to be a rock star. You grow with the program and continue to get healthy and fit everyday. Just set a goal to improve 1% each time. It's a process not a race!!

And when you fall behind don't give up and say well I'm behind schedule I mights as well quit or think you failed. I just pick up the next day on whatever the next workout is and keep checking them off day by day. This is a 8-week program. It may take me 9 or 10-weeks because I do have some things going on that could prevent me from being able to do this workout everday, but that doesn't mean I have to quit. I just keep checking off the workouts each day as I complete them.

I hope you all have an amazing Sunday!! Make it a great day!!

#teamfreedomfit
#22minuteshardcorps

Two Years Ago in Kuwait I Started My Own Personal Boot Camp!

On this day two years ago in Kuwait I completed my first half marathon! It was something I never would have dreamed of doing. About 10.5 miles in I just wanted to quit, but I had Soldiers that motivated me and kept me going.

It was a few months prior to this that I really started my health and fitness journey. I started working twice a day and really focusing on my health and nutrition. This was one of the goals that I set for myself in my training.

Prior to this I wasn't eating as healthy as I should be, I had gained weight and I was feeling miserable. I had a life changing moment when I was leading my company in a division run and I almost fell out. But one of my fellow Captains motivated me to not let myself fall back. I was a commander and I had to lead my troops from the front and set the example. I had to do something...

I also decided to call bullshit on taking any medications. I was taking four ibuprofin and two tylenol every morning and night to get through all the aches and pains I was having. What I discovered in time was that it was more from not moving my body enough. Because once I started eating healthy and working out daily the aches and pains were nearly gone. Now the only aches and pains I feel are the good ones form a few sore muscles when I really push myself. Before it hurt just to get out of bed in the morning and stand on my feet.

I'm proud to say that I'm 49-years-old and extremely healthy now. I don't take any meds. In turn I eat healthy, I get my daily dose of vitamins through a health shake and I work out daily and sprinkle in some great reading to keep my mind positive and to keep me motivated.

During this 1/2 Marathon two years ago I proved to myself that I was way more physically capable then I ever gave myself credit for. I'm so thankful I worked through my fear and my insecurities and proved to myself that I am strong and able to conquer things that I never dreamed of doing.

I guess now you could say I'm leading my own boot camp and helping others who want to follow and make changes in their life as well. Are you struggling with any of these things? Are you taking over the counter drugs and carrying around unwanted weight that you are hiding behind. This doesn't have to control your life. You can be healthy, happy and fit! If so join me and I can help you get your health and fitness right. We can fight this fight together!

WHAT YOU DO MATTERS

I'm currently reading this book called the Slight Edge. It is so powerful and has such deep meaning if we would only grasp and run with it. The impacts it could have on our lives is endless.

The book refers back many times to a story about a penny and how it can compound. Not only financially, but in so many different ways in your life.

The key is that if you do a little bit, just a little bit each day, you can make great progress. It can be something simple like improving your health by cutting out soda or going for a walk each day. Reading personal development each day can have a big impact on your thoughts and positive well being.

Great success starts from a tiny beginning, but there has to be a beginning. You have to start. You have to do something. Just by adding 1% a day of any positive act to your life will have more than tripled in a year. But you have to start!

The problem is that people don't see progress fast enough and they quit. How many of you started a gym membership at the beginning of the year and have already stopped? How many of you started clean, healthy eating, but have already gotten away from it because you found it too hard or used the excuse that it's too expensive to buy fresh fruits and veggies? How many of you started saving, but already stopped because it started dipping into your fun money?

What you do today matters! Sometimes even the most important things feel futile or pointless at the time, long before you can really see or feel the ultimate impact. Little thing, things that might seem like they ahve no power at all, can make a huge difference in time!

You just have to put in the effort and the commitment, 1% every day, and give it time!

DON'T LET IMPERFECTION LIMIT YOUR SUCCESS!

DON'T LET IMPERFECTION PREVENT YOU FROM REACHING YOUR GOALS OR DOING THE WORKOUT! CHALLENGE YOURSELF!!

Are the workouts that I do challenging? YES! What you have to understand is that I challenge myself. You can go as slow or as hard as you want during a workout. It's all about what you put into it.

Can I always do all the REPS or the specific move at the time? NO! This video is a great example. This is a burpee with a shoulder press. I can't keep up with the pace they are doing and I can't always jump back into the burpee so sometimes I have to step back instead. This segment was 20 REPS. I actually did about 15. The key is that I didn't stop moving or trying during the whole segment of this specific workout and I continued to push myself.

A lot of the videos I have posted show the REPS that I'm really proud of and the results of hard work. But all too often in my workouts and videos that you don't see I'm off balance, trying to figure out my left from my right and not keeping up with the program. Is that ok? Of course it's ok! I'm still pushing play and working out even though it isn't perfect. I will improve in time. I'm a work in progress!!

There is modifier for every workout. In time you will get so that you don't have to use the modifiers. I USE MODIFERS ALL THE TIME!! When I first started doing burpees I couldn't jump back at all. Now I'm able to jump back on more and more every time I do this exercise. I have to remind myself that I'm a work in progress and it's not going to be perfect everytime.

I all to often hear from people that I'm not at your level or I can't do that. You have to have the mindset that you can do anything that you set your mind too!! Don't let negativity get into your mind and tell you that you can't do something. There was a point in my life that physically I coudn't do this, but I decided I am going to get stronger and I am going to get more physically fit. It's a daily lifestyle that I have committed to.

WHAT CHALLENGE ARE YOU GOING TO ATTACK TODAY AND NOT LET SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS TAKE OVER? NO EXCUSES!! GET IT DONE!! MAKE IT A GREAT DAY YOU ARE PROUD OF!!!

LINK UP WITH OTHERS

LINK UP WITH OTHERS

Some people aren't very outgoing and simply don't think in terms of team building and team participation. I've always been one to partake in teams and I like to surround myself with others.

If you do everything alone and never partner with other people, you create huge barriers and limit your own potential. People who work together as a team most often achieve more as a result of woking with others rather than against themselves.

Even the most introverted person in the world can learn to enjoy the benefits of being on a team. It's often because of a team that they overcome their fears, shyness and other things that are holding them back. They then blossom and come out of their shell and find confidence they never new they had or that could be possible!

The game is really over the person who trys to go it alone. If you want to do something big, you must link up with others. One is too small a number to achieve greatness!

Are you part of a team? Have you found someone to link up with to help face your challenges?

Coach Jo
#teamfreedomfit