One of my personal goals for 2012 was to enlist the help of a daily to-do list. I ended the year having started doing that and I’ve been getting so much more done! First I tried to use a regular notebook and ended up with that notebook having to-do lists in it, blog post ideas, goals, kid scribbles – a mess of everything really, and that’s not going to help me stay organized. So over the weekend I found a cute planner that I liked which would make it easy to map out my daily to-dos without it getting bogged down with a bunch of other “stuff”.

During my shopping trip I also meant to pick up a piece of tagboard for my vision board but I completely forgot. Crap. So what I ultimately decided to do was use my planner to create my vision board! I actually love this idea and am thankful to have forgotten the tagboard in the first place. See? Everything happens for a reason.

Why I’m a Huge Fan of Vision Boards

Vision boards are HUGE because they allow you to visualize what you hope to accomplish and help you set your eyes on the prize. One of the most important aspects of having a vision board is seeing it every day to be reminded of your goals, wants, dreams, etc. (You have written down some goals for yourself right?) Having a planner with my daily to-do list also able to function as my vision board will ensure that I see my vision board often. Not sure why I hadn’t thought of this sooner!

(In case you didn’t know, I also have 2 larger vision boards in my basement gym for motivation during workouts!)

If you don’t have a vision board – make one as soon as you can. I promise it’ll help you stay focused on your goals – whatever they may be.  Whether it’s to better your fitness, buy a home in the near future, eat healthier, etc., you can apply a vision board to any aspect of your life.

Mindi’s 2012 Vision Board

I only have the front cover finished so far, but I intend to fill the back cover and both inside covers with all kinds of different things!

Wanna make your own? Grab a surface you’re happy to stick things to, some magazines, scissors, glue and tape and go after it!

You just finished reading 2012 Vision Board with a Twist. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

Who doesn’t like new workout song ideas?

Click below to see what my current favorites are, along with those of several other really great fitness bloggers!

–> Bloggers Reveal: What’s On My Playlist (Shape.com)

Thank you Tiffany!

You just finished reading Bloggers Reveal: What’s On My Playlist – via SHAPE.com. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

You just finished reading Failure Will Never Overtake Me If…. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

Now that the holidays are over though, it’s time to motivated so that we can create a plan of where we’d like to be – and deserve to be – a year from now!

Know your “WHY” and refer to it often.

Before I allow anyone into my fitness challenges, I immediately ask them to tell me their “WHY”. If you don’t know the REASON you’re doing something, doesn’t that make it easier to give up? If you know WHY you want to live healthier, eat cleaner or workout harder, it’s a huge motivator that can help push you through the tough times.

Figure out what motivates you.

Each one of us are motivated by different things. For me? It’s my husband, my kids, my blog readers (!!!), being healthy and living a longer, more enjoyable life; as well as athletes, fitness models, celebrity trainers and looking and feeling good. For you it might be entirely different! Your job is to find out what motivates you and to realize that what motivates you now, may not motivate you later. Roll with the punches! Always look for people, phrases or photos that motivate you and keep them in your sights. You could set your desktop background to a list of your 2012 goals or maybe a photo of your favorite athlete.

Whatever it is that will light a fire under your butt…find it and refer to it often.

Create a vision board.

Vision boards are fun to make, easy to do and provide GREAT motivation.   I have two right now which are hanging up in my basement gym (you can see them here and here) and I will be making a third VERY SOON (and will post a pic when I’m done!). Just be sure you hang it up or put it in a place where you’ll see it DAILY where you will refer to it often. See how there’s kind of a pattern here?

Oh, and here’s a link to Oprah’s O Dream Board – where you can create a vision board online and save it right to your desktop! Better yet? Take a pic with your phone and set it as your background so you see it multiple times per day.

Find your “soulmate” workout.

Ahhhhh soulmates. Such a beautiful term isn’t it? Or maybe it makes you wanna vomit? I dunno. But what I DO know is that when you’ve found your soulmate workout (as Chalene Johnson refers to in her new book, PUSH), you’re going to find it easier to stay motivated and working towards that six pack or leaner thighs; whatever you may be working towards. There are SO many different activities that you can be doing and what’s fun for somebody else may be boring to you. FIND WHAT ISN’T BORING TO YOU. Also, REALIZE that your soulmate workout will likely change throughout the year. Again, roll with the punches!

This realization just came to me during Phase 2 of LiveFit Trainer. It’s a GREAT program but it’s just not for me right now. I need something different. For the most part, I’ve been doing just lifting workouts since I started this blog in 2008. While strength training is important to me, I am starting two new programs on Monday that still incorporate weights, but in a much different way than I’m used to!

If you’re having a hard time figuring out what you like, the only thing you can really do is try a bunch of different activities. It can be ANYTHING. Running, jogging, dancing, soccer, volleyball, etc. Here’s a list of over 80 ideas that don’t even require a gym. Interested in Beachbody workouts? (I’m doing Les Mills PUMP + ChaLEAN Extreme beginning January 9th!) You can view them all by going HERE and then clicking “Shop”. You can bet I’ll be posting my experience with those workouts HERE (AND on YouTube!)

Realize that your “soulmate” workout may change throughout the year.

Getting bored with a workout? Change it up! To be honest, I was feeling guilty about not finishing up the LiveFit Trainer program because I’ve been blogging the workouts here. But then I thought about it and was like, “Well, what would people rather read about? My boredom or an exciting new workout that I tried?” Problem solved for me! Don’t worry about not finishing something if it’s not for you. Workouts don’t have to be boring, in fact, you shouldn’t feel bored at all. If you’re bored, you just haven’t found your soulmate workout yet.

Don’t crash and burn.

If you haven’t been working out or eating very well but are looking to improve, start out slowly. There’s no rush. Please do not rush out buying a bunch of new workout clothes, new bright white tennis shoes, workout equipment and gym memberships IF you haven’t even thought about your “why” or your interests yet. Otherwise you could just end up wasting a WHOLE lot of money.

Living healthy & fit is about making lifestyle changes.

Don’t just set a goal to lose weight, get stronger or eat better. Resolve to make small changes that you can follow for the rest of your life.  A good way to start? Eliminate soda and drink more water. Making lifestyle changes that you can follow for the long term is what being fit is all about. THERE. IS. NO. QUICK. FIX.

Follow fitness on Facebook.

Do you, by chance, happen to have a Facebook account? USE Facebook to help you stay motivated! There are quite a few really great fitness pages on Facebook. The benefit of “liking” these pages is that you’ll see health and fitness tips, recipes and more in your daily feed.

Here are just a few to get you started:

• Mindi Friedland Fitness (seriously, I’m helpful. lol!)
• Jamie Eason (fitness model/freelance writer)
• Bry Jensen (fitness model/freelance writer)
• Sarah Hagelin – Everyday Health & Fitness
• Fit Bottomed Girls
• SHAPE Magazine
• Bodybuilding.com
• Recipes for Gals in Figure & Bodybuilding

Are you ready to have your healthiest, fittest year yet? 2012 is ready for ya.

—> You have to keep referring to your “why”, finding motivation and switching up your workouts. <— 

I swear to you these are the “secrets” to staying on track. Nobody has it easier than anybody else. At the end of the day we all have to find our own “why’s”, our own motivation and our own soulmate workout. It just so happens that all of those things will work together for you and make it MUCH easier to stay motivated throughout the year and not just the first month of it.

Need help finding your soulmate workout? Email me and I’ll help you figure that out!

You just finished reading The Secrets to Staying Motivated from New Year’s to Christmas. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

2011 was actually a pretty great year – one of the best for me. We bought a house, I learned how tough the NCSF CPT exam is (but I did attempt it!), I ran in two 5K races (my firsts!) AND this blog was nominated twice for a best blogger award – including a nomination from SHAPE.com! But with only 2 days left in 2011, it’s time to start planning for 2012 and thinking about what I want to accomplish. (there’s a LOT)

Many people set New Year’s resolutions or goals to “lose weight”, “get in shape” or to “stop smoking”. Many of those people also fail because they fail to plan. There’s more to accomplishing goals than just setting them; you also have to create a plan of action to lay out how you’re going to accomplish any goal.

Here’s my list:

Become an NCSF certified personal trainer. This is the goal I’m tackling in January and I want it SO bad! I’m studying my butt off because I will pass dammit! Since I’ve completed all of my study materials for this, my plan is to keep studying what needs studying. I’m working with a deadline so that’s helping me to push for it!

Try new and different workouts. Since the summer of 2008 when I started this blog I’ve been doing strictly strength training workouts. Sure I’ve added a bit of other things here and there (like Turbo Jam, P90X), but for the most part it’s been weights, weights, weights. I love lifting but after following the LiveFit program for two phases, I can tell I need something more. I need something to get me more excited about working out again. First up? Chalean Extreme + Les Mills PUMP! Why? Each of these workouts incorporates weights – which I love – but also cardio, yoga, stretching, etc.

Work on personal development. In recent weeks I’ve realized how important personal development really is. Each of us are always a work in progress; there really isn’t a “finish line”…until we die. I want to accomplish a whole lot before then and I want to work to be the best me I can be. I struggled with depression for over 10 years and I feel like it was wasted time so I have some catching up to do! My specific goal is to read at least 10 pages a day of a personal development book. I have an entire list saved to my desktop filled with some really great authors and titles and I’ve already dug in.

Start my YouTube channel. This will be a HUGE step for me and I’m not sure why it’s taken so long? Better late than never I guess! This goal is based on my personal development goal above. Videos will help me step out of my comfort zone and you can’t really grow if you’re staying in the same spot right? I plan on bringing my knowledge, experience, tips, tricks and workouts to YouTube! I’ve created the channel at http://www.youtube.com/mindifriedland but I don’t have videos up yet so I don’t think it’ll show up for the public. SOON enough! My goal is to create at least 25 videos throughout 2012.

Become a diamond Beachbody coach. The rank of diamond in Beachbody simply means that I’ve helped a few people start their own fitness business as well as helped others with their personal health and fitness goals. I am an entreprenuer at heart and have been working from home since my 8-year-old was 1. I’m having a really great time with this and I hope to help others do the same.

Sculpt those abs! I have a 4-pack…I’ve had one for a while and I can kinda sorta see a 6-pack in the morning. (lol!) My goal is to get leaner so all of my abs are poppin through. To do this, I need to be a bit more disciplined when it comes to eating. My lunches aren’t really that bad at all, but they are usually my “worst” meal of the day so I’m working on a plan and finding some good lunch recipes.

Create daily to-do lists. I feel like I spend way too much time on the computer and most of it is due to my internet ADD. I will go online to check email and end up on Facebook to check messages, then I’ll click a link to a great sale from Frugal Girls or something and end up on my bank’s website, when in reality I went online to log my workout in Team Beachbody or MyFitnessPal. To cut back on that, I’m going to force myself to focus by creating to-do lists each day. I’ve been getting into it the past week or so and it really helps. But once I skip that to-do list, I’m frazzled and don’t accomplish as much! Good motivation to keep up on that to-do list AND be able to spend more time with my family.

Pay off my car loan. This is a very aggressive goal but I want the payments to be done with more than I want to continue paying them each month. I’ll save thousands on interest too. This just means I have to WORK. Not harder though, just smarter!

That’s not all…

These are the goals that are most important to me right now but I will be adding more throughout the year. I’m thinking about adding a link to this goal list in the sidebar —> so that I can refer to it often, cross off goals I complete and jot down new ones. It’ll help hold me accountable too since my goals will be there for everyone to see!

Accomplishing goals doesn’t mean you’re finished, it simply means you need to create new goals! That’s what keeps us growing and learning.

You just finished reading Mindi’s 2012 Personal & Fitness Goals!. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

First Let’s Look at My Goals for 2011

(View my 2011 goal post).

To help you save time, I’ll do a quick recap of the goals I set in January 2011:

Yay!

Looking at this list of goals I can say that I’ve successfully accomplished THREE things. I have followed several challenging workout routines for at least 4 weeks, I have set up a writing schedule (though I need to tweak some things) and we managed to buy a house two months ago. YAY!

Meh.

What didn’t go so well? Becoming certified as a personal trainer. I FAILED. I missed passing by about 5 questions. I went into that exam KNOWING it was hard and I STILL managed to underestimate the difficulty of that test. THE most technical test I have ever taken in my LIFE.

On the bright side..

I’m proud of myself for attempting it though and doing as “well” as I did. Taking the test and receiving my score sheet back was a disappointment but it told me exactly what I need to work harder on for the next time around. I’m hopeful and confident that I WILL pass next time! The NCSF exam has around a 60% first-time pass rate so I’m not the only one who failed the first time around. Good to know.

Overall 2011 was a really great year for me and I hope it was for you as well. Here’s to hoping that 2012 will be even better!

P.S. 2012 goals will be posted soon and there are quite a few!

-Mindi

You just finished reading Quick Reflection on 2011 Goals. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

I know some of you (or maybe many of you…) will be like “what the ..???” when you see the songs I chose. Haha! It’s a pretty wide selection but it worked for me and that’s all that matters! So go ahead…laugh all you want. THEN…feel free to share the song you’re most embarrassed to have on your playlist.

All of the awesome ladies I ran with! (Me - far right. No coats needed on a late November morning in Minnesota is pretty rare!

Turkey Day 5K Playlist

1. Footloose – Kenny Loggins
2. Girlfriend – Avril Lavigne
3. Demon Speeding – Rob Zombie
4. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) – Journey
5. Sick – Adelitas Way
6. Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO
7. Goofy Goober Rock – Spongebob’s Greatest Hits (see sidenote below!)
8. This is Gonna Hurt – Sixx: A.M.
9. Don’t Let Me Get Me – Pink
10. ‘Till I Collapse – Eminem
11. American Witch – Rob Zombie

*Sidenote: I set up the initial order (above) for a reason and I should’ve left it that way. I accidentally hit shuffle when I started and figured “oh well, let’s just go with it!” Not a good idea.  I included Goofy Goober in the middle of the playlist because I knew it’d make me laugh (and I could use that in the middle of a race!) but I did NOT expect it to come on at the end of the race when I was trudging uphill. That’s what ‘Till I Collapse’ was for.  Needless to say there were a few nasty words running through my head at that time!

My New Favorite Workout Song (I love it for running AND lifting!)

You just finished reading Turkey Day 5K Playlist (No laughing!) + New Fave Workout Song. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

“We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality.” – Ayn Rand

Makes sense right? Just because you skip something today doesn’t mean you won’t have to deal with the consequences tomorrow. Well that’s a bit redundant, but here’s the thing: I think we all evade something at one time or another, or perhaps you’re like me and there’s something that always gets looked over, skipped or put on the back burner?

For me, my main struggle is still cardio. My treadmill is lonely I’m sure of it. I’ve talked about this many times on MFB and I was actually doing really well for a few weeks and then it crumbled. The stress of my NCSF CPT test, coupled with the failure of said test and the homebuying/closing experience kind of crippled me. Excuses, excuses.

How I Plan to Fix Myself

The first step in fixing something is to deal with it head on. So then, how do I plan on getting back on the cardio train? Sign up for a race of course! I successfully finished my first 5K last month and I plan on doing my 2^nd 5K on Thanksgiving. (Turkey Day 5K – Run, run, run and then eat, eat, eat!)

My first official race time was around 35 minutes. The race was so laid back that it wasn’t officially timed. Fine by me for my very first race. Now my goal is to beat that time. I have plenty of time to prepare, I just need to DO IT. Being that we’re getting settled into our new home now (and our home gym is set up), I really have no excuse.

Tips for Getting Back on Track

No matter what it is that you struggle with, there are a few basic tips that can be helpful in any situation. What it comes down to is how bad you really want something.

• Get motivated. My motivation is the Turkey Day 5K I have coming up in November. I know when the race is and I know I want to be able to beat my previous 5K time. That requires training.
• Make small goals. Smaller goals are attained more quickly and that can really help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. It’s easier to stay focused on smaller goals than the larger, end goal. Meeting small goals gives you a sense of accomplishment that keeps you chugging along to the main goal.
• Figure out the WHY. When you know why you want something, your journey becomes a little easier. Why do I want to run more? Because I have a 5K I want to do well on and because I also want to improve my cardiovascular fitness. So now when I’m having a stinky sweat fest running on my treadmill while staring out the window, I can remember why I’m doing it in the first place. (And you can bet I’ll be sharing my Turkey Day 5K race results right here on MFB!) Thinking of “the whys” will help to push me through the cardio workout.

If you want to read more posts about what other kinds of things active people struggle with or what their fitness programs are lacking and the advice they have for you, be sure to visit Fitness Blog World.

You just finished reading Damn You, Cardio. [Getting Back On Track]. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

1. Jamie Eason. Jamie Eason is an incredible woman in my eyes because of the way she handled her experience with breast cancer. Her diagnosis is what made her change her life for the better and I admire the fact that she’s not only a breast cancer survivor, but that she’s also thriving. I follow her on Facebook because she’s always posting fun facts, helpful advice, personal workouts and nutrition informationand personal stories. She just appears to be very down to earth, very kind and very appreciative of her “fans”.
2. Zuzana (AKA BodyRock Creator). If you haven’t checked out BodyRock.Tv you have been missing out on the latest home workout movement. Zuzana and her husband Freddy are the creators of the site and they post detailed workout videos and photos on a daily basis. The workouts are short yet intense and are designed to give great results. Take one look at her body and you’ll see why I’m hooked on BodyRock!
3. Sarah. Sarah and I have been friends for almost 8 years. She actually started working out regularly about a year or two before I did. She remains committed to working out and I admire her most because she’s so consistent in her workouts and because she’s a runner. She runs a couple of 5Ks each year which gave me the push to try and run my own 5K. I haven’t yet participated in a race yet, but I plan to! I struggle with running and knowing that she runs on a regular basis (we use MyFitnessPal) has helped me stay committed to running. If it weren’t for her, I don’t think I’d be running as much as I do – which still isn’t “a lot”, but I’ve come a long way! Even though we live ~ 35 miles apart, we usually try to run together twice a month. To me, that’s enormously helpful because it helps me stay committed to running on the weeks we don’t run together so I can keep up with her the next time!

Is there anybody who inspires you to keep living the fit life?

You just finished reading I Admire These 3 “Fitness Ladies” and Here’s Why. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.

Goal #1: Get Back to My Pre, Pre-Pregnancy Weight (aka, baby #1)

Initially, my weight loss goal was to make it back to my pre-pregnancy weight, which was 130 pounds. Losing those last 10 to 15 pounds took FOREVER! That was about 2 years ago. For the past year I had been stuck at about 133 pounds and really wasn’t budging either way. Perfect if my goal was to stay at 133, but it wasn’t. I set a new goal to get back to the weight I was before I had my first child which was 125. I did it – I lost almost 8 pounds in about 4 weeks!

I had my first child at the age of 20 and weighed 125 pounds, but it was a skinny 125 – not much muscle to speak of, other than my “soccer legs”, but still, not much shape. Now at 125, I have more definition than I’ve ever had! Right now my goal isn’t necessarily to stay at 125, but I did wanna lean out some before I started to really focus on building muscle again. Ultimately I’m not real concerned about weight, but more about how I look in the mirror and how my clothes fit. But still…I can say that I met my goal weight!

Goal #2: Deadlift My Body Weight

The second fitness goal that I’m pretty proud of happened recently as well and that is deadlifting my body weight. I’ve never done that, ever. During my very first CrossFit workout, I deadlifted 125 pounds for a total of 3 reps – and that was after doing 4 other sets! Now, if only I could squat my body weight…someday I WILL. Maybe that’ll be my next goal – after my summer challenge of course.

Goal #3: Run a 5K

I’ve always wanted to run a 5K race and although I haven’t participated in an actual race, I can now say that I’ve run a 5K! This is all thanks to the 21-day running challenge I gave myself. One of my goals this summer is to run one 5K per week. Next up, a real 5K race! I’m thinking maybe in the fall.

Since I’m participating in the Beat the Heat Summer Challenge, I recently set 5 new goals that I hope to accomplish during the next 10 weeks. I have a 4-day camping trip coming up so I’m hoping that won’t derail my efforts! At least I’ll have another 8 weeks or so to work at it.

What’s the biggest fitness goal you’ve achieved so far? Or what is it that you’re working towards right now?

You just finished reading The Biggest Fitness Goals I’ve Achieved So Far. Consider leaving a comment! Content in this feed is copyright Melinda F and may not be republished without written permission. This means you're welcome to forward the e-mail to a friend or colleague but it's not okay to add the RSS feed automatically as content on another blog or website.