My Morning Personal-Development

🌞🌞🌞MY MORNING🌞🌞🌞

"The Beautiful Thing About Learning is no One Can Take it Away From You!"

You may all be tired of hearing me talk about personal-development, but it has become such a big part of my life. By starting my morning with a life's lesson it brings so much positive energy to my day.

One of my biggest struggles is keeping from becoming depressed. Most peole wouldn't know this about me, but it's one of those hidden things I don't often share. Why do I suffer from depression sometimes? Being away from my family. My children and grandson are a day's drive away and I only get to see them a couple times a year. This is very hard knowing how much that I'm missing. I talk to them as often as I can on the phone and  we video chat sometimes, but it still isn't the same.

So I could be depressed, sit around on my coach and choose a miserable life. But that isn't me. So I lift myself up and find ways to stay poitive and think about all of the good things in my life.

Yes I'm away from my family, but I'm also helping to provide a better life for them. This was one of my deciding factors when I joined the Army was a way to provide for my family. It has added so much to our lives I'm very thankful for that. They have become very strong and independent individuals and I'm so proud of them. Life hasn't been easy.

Another postive that I have brought into my life is becoming a Beachbody Health and Fitness Coach. Honestly, this is what has brought personal-development so deeply seeded and back into my life. I'm so thankful for the tribe of women I work with and the friendships I'm building as well as the coaches I have brought into Beachbody and my customers. I don't know if you realize how much you bring to my life everyday!!☄ Thank you 👏👍 and keep brining on those positive vibes!! 😉❤

Have an Amazing Sunday! Coach Jo

Attitude is Always a "Player" on Your Team!

Good attitudes among players do not guarantee a team's success, but bad attitudes guarantee its failure! If you want outstanding results, you need good people with great talent and awesome attitudes. When attitudes go up, so does the potential of the team. When attitudes go down, the potential of the team goes with it. Attitude is really about how a person is. That overflows into how he/she acts!
~ John C. Maxwell Attitude 101

LEADING IN WHAT CAN SOMETIMES BE AN OVERWHELMING WORLD!!

LEADING IN WHAT CAN SOMETIMES BE AN OVERWHELMING WORLD!!

I have been at Ft. Hood, TX this past week with an amazing group of leaders. It was a week of learning, sharing, planning and team building. However, it wasn't all without challegne and some frustration!

When we were out in the field this week we are busy checking routes, discussing the upcoming mission and planning. However, there is also a lot of time for some deep thought. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I am as a leader, a team player and what I need to be focusing on in the future professionally and personally. Am I building up my team or am I tearing them down?

The last couple weeks have also been challenging, stressful, rewarding and I have gained some great knowledge as a leader and as a Soldier. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you because this doesn't apply to just Army Leaders or Soldiers. In life we are all in some form or fashion a leader, a coach, a mentor or a team player. You may work in an office, be an at home mom or dad, a health and fintess coach as I also am or play one of several other rolls in life.

Do you ever sit back and think about the decisions you have made and if that was the best decision you could have made? Or could you have made a better decision? Or was you in too much of a hurry to complete the task at hand and meet a deadline that maybe you didn't perform as you should have? Or as a leader how are you doing with your team? Are you coaching, guiding and mentoring them as you chould or should be? Are you setting the best example that you can? Are you gathering and absorbing all the information that you need in order to set your plan in place or to be able to plan for the upcoming mission? What other knowledge do you need? Are you conducting personal development to better yourself?

These were all some of the things on my mind this week:

Professionally it is a bit overwhelming I will admit as an Army Leader. So many people depend on us and have very high expectations. I have a battalion of troops that I have to bring back all the information that I gathered and what I learned and beable to break it down and share it with them so we are successful in our upcoming mission this summer. At the same time, I still had operations I was responsible for at Camp Shelby with troops working there. It is a lot to juggle sometimes, but I have some great Soldiers that help to make things happen. Sometimes in the heat of it all we loose sight of the endstate and get frustrated with each other, but at the end of the day we are a team and we will take the good with the bad and we will make it happen and we will continue to support each other.

Professionally and personally, I'm also a health and fitness coach with Beachbody. I spend a lot of time thinking about the coaches under me and how I can help and direct them and all the other customers that I have that are my team members that I'm coaching and helping to reach their health and fitness goals. In so many ways this is the same as the Army, but just on a different playing field. I'm a leader of my team and also as a coach and mentor. We are one big team and we all suport each other and encourage each other to reach our goals. These goals are also important to me as I continue my health and fitness journey. We are accountable to each other. This is another part of my life that is important and I have made a commitment to my team and I want to do my best to guide and mentor them.

A large piece of all of this is my children and grandson because I want to contine as a mother and grandmother to set a good example for them and coach and mentor them to a happy healthy life as well. Am I doing the best for them that I can? Quite often my challenge and my regret is I don't feel I give them enough time being away in the Army. When I am with them, I try to focus 100% on them becasue that time is so precious.

Food For Thought: As I mentioned, I had some challenges and stresses this week. There were moments I wanted to jump up and down and yell and scream. But, I know that isn't the professional thing to do and not the answer to the problem either. So instead, I took a deep breath and a few moments to calm down. Now I have had time to reflect and look back at the positive outcomes and how to better handle the issues next time.

My Challenge to You: Take some time to think about how you are handling issues as a leader. Are you turning the negative into a positive? What kind of example are you setting for your team? Are you coaching, mentoring and giving positive feedback and not always negativity? Reward and compliment those you work with. There is a time to correct and there is a time to build up. We often tear others down and leave with such a negative outcome that it tears the team down rather than motivates them and the morale becomes so low that it is then diffcult to work together. So what are you doing today to motivate your team and build them up when they need it?

Life isn't always easy, but life is what you make of it and the outcome of your choices! Make it a great day!!
CPT Nederhoed
aka Coach Jo 😉

Healthy Eating On The Go

🍎🍏EATING HEALTHY ON THE ROAD🍎🍏

I've had several people ask me what I take for healthy snacks when I'm traveling. Here are a few tips!!

On our health and nutrition journey one of the times that people struggle the most is when they are traveling! The key is finding healthy snacks that work for you on the road.

I do a lot of traveling. I'm in the Army and sometimes I'm out in the field for days at a time. So I've had to find a way to do my job as a Soldier and at the same time fuel my body with healthy snacks. We have very long days sometimes. As a leader and Army Officer I always have to be setting the example and at the top of my gain.

These are some of the ways I fuel my body when I'm traveling. These snacks fit easy in a pocket, in your back pack or purse and something that you will love.

PROTEIN: I'm one of those people that my body craves lots of protein. My energy really drops if I don't get it. So I try to eat half my body weight in ounces of protein every day. How can I do this when I travel? Two easy things to take are peanutbutter and tuna. When I'm on the road for the day I will also take lean chicken meat and put a little hummus on it and roll it up to snack on.

SHAKEOLOGY: For me Shakeology has become a way of life. I can tell such a difference in how my body performs if I don't get my daily dose of dense nutrition. These sample packs are great ways to take it on the go with a shaker cup and I don't miss all my daily vitamin intake this way.

FRUITS & VEGGIES: I love to pack fresh fruits and veggies. They are a great healthy snack to take along. However, that isn't always something that travels well. I do a lot of food dehydration. Here you see dried sweet potato chips, squash, apples, watermelon (so sweet like candy if you have a sweet tooth) and I also have strawberries, kiwi, and bananas not pictured here.

SNACK BARS: These are two of my snack bar favorites...Kind (high in protein) and Goodness Knows Snack squares. With Bars such as this just watch the sugar and sodium content. There are also a lot of great recipes out there for homemade snack bars. The Fixate Cookbook has awesome snack ideas for traveling.

OTHER IDEAS: A couple other easy take alongs that I like are nuts, yogurt and cheese sticks. I also bring water bottles and Crystal Light packets so I'm not drinking Soday. If you need a pick me up Beachbody Energize is also one of my favorite take alongs!

So what are all the benefits to taking your own snacks:
1. Healthy
2. You save money rather than buying at exensive gas stations
3. You avoid the easy fast food stop and waiting in line at the restaurant
4. You feel satisfied and you don't have sugar spikes that you would have otherwise from candy bars and junk food.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Don't waist all your hard work and efforts because you fail to plan. You will be much happier when you get to your destination!!

CELEBRATING EMERALD RANK!!

💚💚💚Today I Celebrated becoming an Emerald Beachbody Coach. Basically that means my business is growing and I'm building my team!! So tonight I celebrated with a new "Team Freedom Fit" tank top while working out to Chisel Power!! Thank you to my team of amazing men and women. You motivate me every day and I love being your coach and being there for you. To great Health and Fitness!! "FIGHT FOR YOUR BODY'S FREEDOM!!" 🏋💪

Discovering my Level of Endurance - Kuwait 2015

This was the start of my health and fitness journey in 2015 in Kuwait. I lost 32 pounds while I was there. I did a half marathon and a duathlon. I was the oldest female in the event and the only one in my 40 and over age group. I also did many 5ks and a 24 hour run, walk, ruck over New Years completing 38 miles. I was averaging 27,000 steps a day!!

This is when I built up so much confidence in myself. I discoverd that I had way more strength and endurance then I ever believed I could have. I maxed out my physical fitness test with a 318 (300 be being the highest) so I was on the extended scale. I felt amazing after all these achievements. I am 48 (turning 49 in a few weeks) and I don't let my age be an excuse anymore. That held me back for so long and I was so afraid of injury. But now that I'm so much stronger I feel like Wonder Woman!! LOL

I have fallen in love with health and fitness. What is your story?

My Life. My Goals. One Day at a Time!

🏋 There are days that I really have to push myself to get through a workout. Today I kept hitting the snooze button. But as I was laying there in bed I started to feel guilty. I should be up reading. I set this goal at the beginning of the year to get up at 5 a.m. Do at least 30 minutes of personal delopment in and then do my workout.

So as I was laying there I reminded myself of this. Then I thought about how good and energized I always feel after a workout. On the days I don't get up and get my workout in I always wish I had because I don't have near the energy as I do on days I work out. Also I just feel so accomplished and good about myself when I get a good workout in. I can go to work and share with others what I did that morning and it brings a smile to my face just knowing that I pushed myself to another level.

I have to remind myself this is all about "ME". Goals I set for myself. I'm seeing so much progress and I want to continue that.

🎯FOOD FOR THOUGHT: On those days that you are struggling really think about why you are doing this. Think about how you feel on the days you don't do what you promised yourself you would. Isn't it a much better feeling to know you have given it your all and and you have no regrets!!

Going After my Goals!!

My Sunday ! I'm studying for the Army Master Fitness Trainer Course. Bed head and all! Keeping pumped up with a little Shakeology. What are your goals? Are you doing anything today to reach them?
 

This is a goal that I have actually had on my bucket list for years! I didn't join the Army until I was 40-years-old. I have always done my best physically to keep up with the younger officers.

At one point I was hurt with a knee injury after my first deployment and I took a big step back in my physical fitness. I slowly recovered. Then I started to get back to the level that I wanted, but I always aspired to be more physically fit.
 

Then life happened. A life changing event took place in my unit as I was preparing to take command. I went through some depressing and put on 30 pounds and we deployed. My first five months in Afghanistan was one of the biggest challenges I have faced in my life. Then we re-missioned to Kuwait.
 

It was in Kuwait that I realized I had to focus on me physically and get myself right. I pushed myself hard like I had never done before. I lost 32 pounds, I ran a half marathon (which I had never done before), I did a duathlon (5k run 5k bike 5k run) and I averaged 23,000 steps a day on my fitbit. I was feeling amazing. I scored a 300 (actually 318 on the extended scale) and at that point knew that fitness was going to become a focal point for the rest of my life.
 

Since then I have become more and more physically fit. I'm feeling Amazing and Alive. I have started health and nutrition coaching and just want to be there to help people and share my story.
 

Food For Thought: When I decided to join the Army at age 40 I couldn't do one push-up!! Now I can do 40 or more and still keep proper form. It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it!!

Do You Know What's on Your Food Labels?

Happy Saturday Monring!! I hope you have a fun weekend planned.

Are you starting to feel a change? Have you been meal prepping and getting your workouts in or are you still feeling the slug from the holiday's? If so it's time to clean out your refrigerator this weekend and get out shopping and

prepare for this next weeks meal plan.

When you go to the grocery story all of your fresh, whole foods are generally along the outside walls. Shop within this are as much as possible. However, when you do shop the isles be aware of food labels. Some of the things to watch for and compare are sodium count, sugar, protein (the more the better). There can often be a huge difference in brands for sugar and sodium count. You really want to cut that down as much as possbile for weight loss.

I have attached a chart that will help to answer a lot of your questions. Check it out!

Remember Even though it's the weekend, it doesn't mean your goals are put on hold! This isn't just a M-F plan. It has to include the weekend if you eant to see resutls. Make it a cheat meal not a cheat day!

Food For Thought: Don't let set-backs set you back!

Go out and make it a GREAT DAY!! It's your choice.

Coach Jo

TGIF!! Do You Have a Weekend Plan?

💪🏋 Good morning! TGIF!! That acronmyn has so many meanings. I'm thinking Thank Goodness It's Friday!! I had a really long week at work and I'm ready for a long weekend!! Another is #flexfriday The Grind Includes Friday! How about sharing those flex photos after your workout today. I'm continuing on with The Master's Chisel This morning and then also getting together with a new person I'm coaching tonight and doing a round of 21 Day Fix.

Looking forward to the weekend, what is your plan? Weekends, and especially long weekends like this...I have a four-day weekend 😊 Can be a real challenge for me. Remember that a cheat meal doesn't mean a cheat day. I often over eat on my days off. I want to go to the refrigerator and snack or it's a lot easier not to stick to my plan when I don't have a packed lunch to eat. So just think about your nutrtion as you go forward with the weekend and take the needed steps to not over eat.

🎯The big thing is being aware and commited to this health and fitness journey that you are on!!

Make it a Great Friday!!

BALANCE & GOALS

BALANCE & GOALS

These are two key things that I'm working on in 2017!!

🎯 One of my goals for a long time has been to attend the Army Master Fitness Trainer Course. I'm finally there!! I'm doing it!! However, this requires some Balance with everything else that I have going on in my life.

I have to prioritize my time and block it out. This morning I worked on my coaching business. Now it's time for a workout and then on to studying for the afternoon. Nothing comes easy in life. You have to discover what is your "Why" and your goals that will help you to achieve that Why. Some times it takes sacrafice. This is a four day weekend for me and instead of out riding my mortorcycle or jeeping I have a laser focus on thie things I want to accomplish. I have some "me time" planned for tomorrow afterrnoon because we all do need some time to unwind and relax, but then on Sunday I will be getting back after my goals.

What is your "Why"?
What are you doing to get there?
What are you sacraficing?

Sacrafice isn't a bad thing, but in the end when you achieve your goals you will feel amazing and it will all be worth it!! All I can tell you is the past couple months since I have become focused on my "Why" and what it is that I want in life I feel so ALIVE!! I know where I'm at and where I'm going. Yes there have been some hurdles along the way. But now they seem more like little speed bumps instead of a big hurdle, because I know that I have so much positive going on in my life and it is going to take a lot more than that to bring me down.

Take a few minutes today and think about your life. Do you feel ALIVE? Do you feel like you can achieve anything? I hope so!! If not what do you need to change in your life. It may be just a couple little things you need to focus on. Think about it!!

Comment and share your WHY and how you are getting there and how it is changing your life!!

Make it a great day!! It's your choice.
~Coach Jo

Welcome to my Blog on this Sunny and Cold Saturday!!

Sunny Saturday!!

I'm sitting here today thinking what direction do I want to take this blog? What is it that I feel I need to put on paper and share with the world? What is it that burns most in my heart and mind?

This is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time and I finally decided that now was the time to make it happen. I have a journalism degree and I love writing. One of the things on my bucket list is to write a book. Today marks the time I have decided to share my life story.

I plan to post at least once a week. Probably on the weekend, but possibly more depending on time and where my thoughts take me. I have several people that have been telling me I need to put my life experiences on paper and share. Some of the things I will be writing about are life experiences, my struggles  as a single mom as well as some amazing memories for when my two children were growing up, life after joining the Army at age 40 and my new found love of health and fitness and my new journey as a coach.  One of the greatest things I look forward to sharing is life as a Grandma. I am a motivational writer and I look at life with my cup half full. I always try to find a positive or a learning lesson in most everything I do.

Since I have become a coach I have discovered so much about myself. This has also carried over into my life as a Solider and Army Officer. I have such a desire to be a great leader and set a great example for my Soldiers in the best way that I can.  I have been diving into self-development and just reading whatever I can get my hands on. I've been getting up earlier and earlier and earlier every day because there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for what I want to accomplish in a day. I have never felt so ALIVE!! I hope to share a lot of that with you.

I have also become part of an amazing group of men and women with my new coaching business and I learn so much from them. They inspire me so much in ways it's even hard to put on paper. One of the things we recently discussed during one of our video conferences was knowing your Roles as a person. I hadn't really thought about all the roles that I play. For example: Mother, aunt, community leader, grandma, army officer, coach, fitness leader, financial provider, biker chick, etc. This really made me start thinking about what all it is that I do. I'm sure if you sat down and started making a list you would also come up with more roles than you had imagined. So now that I have discovered all these roles what do I do....I'm trying to determine what is most important in my life and where I should be spending most of my energy and my time.

So I hope you will want to follow my blog as I begin to share my life story. Possibly you will be able to relate, or something you touch our heart or help you in a time of need. I hope it will also provide you some laughter, inspiration and maybe even inspire you to do something special with your day or the rest of your life.

So until my next blog, enjoy and make it a great day!!

Coach Jo