One more thing about Vision Boards

My last post on vision boards has been nagging me; I don't feel like I've really explained what to do with your vision board once it's done. So now I'll wrap it up!


The whole purpose of a vision is to clarify your goals and plans, and make them something that you can visualize so distinctly that you can hardly see the line between possible and impossible.  Your vision becomes so absolutely certain that it is ludicrous to imagine it not happening, and your vision board just becomes a tool to use in remembering that vision.


But of course, you need to do more than remember it to make it happen. Visions require action, and vision boards serve as a daily affirmation of where you are focusing your actions.  And that all comes down to the power of positive.


Think about it this way: positive outcomes come from positive energy, right?  Where does positive energy come from? Positive interactions, reflections, and most importantly, expectations. When we surround ourselves with positive people, positive thoughts, and positive expectations, guess what happens?  We have a greater awareness of and appreciation for the positive things going on around us. All of that positive energy leads to....the top of this paragraph. Positive outcomes.


Did I just lose you? :)  Think about it in the sense of the opposite: when you have to spend the whole day with a really grumpy person, do you start finding yourself being grumpy too?  Well, the reverse is true as well.  Surround yourself with positive, and you will find yourself being positive.


Positive community, self-talk, and expectations are three of the best things you can do to bring about positive change in your health, fitness, and wellness. High-powered executives know it, professional athletes know it, and now you know it.

So. I'm not sure if that cleared anything up, but that's the point of it: creating a tool that helps transport you from simple "I wish," thinking to, "I'm on my way," thinking. I hope you're working on your board and that soon, I am part of your positive community. Have fun!


And as always, get out there and get healthy!

Vision Boards: Get out your glue!

Time to break out the scissors and glue!

Vision: it's what separates the wannabes from the "holy cow, look what I dids" in the world. I like being in the second category so I vision a lot.  I've shared with you the five attributes of a vision, and hope they've gotten you on the way to creating one of your own. Now it's time for a little arts and crafts: making your own vision board.


Don't roll your eyes!  Vision boards are seriously effective! Think about it - from the time we're children until way past when we should have started acting like adults, we doodle on paper about what we would rather be doing.  When I was a kid, I would doodle myself into nirvana,  where I was in total flow and living a life beyond my wildest expectations.  Now that I'm a bona-fide grown-up, that kind of behavior is actually helpful to my life, rather than back then when it mostly just landed me in my teacher's disapproving gaze.  Visioning was not part of the Louisiana public education system in 1986.


I truly 150% believe that we attract everything in our lives to us, either through positive or negative energy. It's true and I will fight you in the parking lot over it. But I'll admit, I was skeptical about how much of a difference going through the actual process of making a vision board would make until I did it and felt the power radiating from it.  Once you experience it, you'll never go back to just thinking about things again.


You can Google "make a vision board," and get all kinds of examples and instructions, and I encourage you to do that. But, making a vision board is really just transporting yourself back to the 5th grade and making a collage. It's really a very simple concept can can be incredibly relaxing, especially since by the end you're so pumped up about your life that you have energy for days.  


Here's what you'll need: a poster board, some glue sticks, scissors, a bunch of magazines, a bottle of water, and some alone time.  The water is just for drinking. Hydration is super important in this heat, yo.


1. First, center your mind, take some deep breaths, and relax.  Then, get to flipping. Depending on where you are with your vision, the process of looking for pictures that inspire you can take a few different paths.  Some people make a list of what they're looking for, and others just browse until something jumps out at them.  I'm a combination. I know what I'm looking for, but I'm not opposed to being surprised by what I'm attracted to.  KInd of like finding a husband.


2. Tear out every picture that you like, and then start organizing and prioritizing. This is crucial - you don't want to cast your net too wide. Remember, this will end up being a tool for focusing you energy later on, so be picky to avoid wasting your energy on something you aren't passionate about. The images, words, and symbols that you end up with should feel robust, but also be as specific as possible. If you have a goal of jumping over a hurdle, as I once did, look for a picture of someone clearing a hurdle that is as close to what your visualized experience will be. Organize however you'd like; this is your vision board, not your mother's. Forget about anyone else's dreams for you and get all self-centered about it!


3. Then, start pasting. This is the anxiety-ridden part for me because I am a perfectionist and don't want to regret where I glued something after it's there. Maybe I need to find a picture of some "get over it" and add that to my board. Anyway, vision boards don't have to be glued on a poster. They can be tacked to bulletin boards, taped to white boards, or stuck on with magnets. But I like the symbolism of glue; it feels more permanent and meaningful.


4. Once you're done, sit back and soak it in.  Let the emotion and magnitude of your vision wash over you. Seriously, I've shed a few tears over my vision board when I was actually able to feel the power of what I was going to set out to do. Place it somewhere prominent, where you will have an opportunity to meditate on it every day. 


The most important thing to remember is that making a vision board is a personal process so don't worry too much about following the rules. Just ensure that it is about you, it's specific to your dreams, and that it represents the vision you created for your life.


Spend some time this weekend flipping through magazines and seeing what attracts your attention. If you need help, let me know; I'm glad to do it! 


Have a wonderful day! Get out there and get healthy!

Wake Up and Start Dreaming!

 www.freedigitalphotos.net

Do you consider yourself to be a visionary person?  If you've ever spent time in the carpool pick-up line, daydreaming about a vacation or just time to walk around Target alone for an hour, you've taken the first step!  Dreaming, visualizing, and planning are all parts of reaching a fitness goal, but there are some distinct things you can do to make that daydreaming time count towards your future happiness.

I spend a lot of time visioning. In fact, I spend so much time looking ahead to the future that I often miss what is going on around me in the present. But, goal-setting and achievement is such a rush to me that often it's the chase that is more intriguing than the capture. And, it works for me. I achieve about 90% of what I set out to do, and convince myself that the other 10% wasn't that important after all. :) So, while I've been pregnant and pining for my extreme workouts of yore, I've been visioning: dreaming and scheming for where I want to be five or six months down the road.  Here's how to take those dreams and turn them into your reality.

A vision is more than just a daydream.  To count as a true vision, it needs to have a few important attributes. It needs to be:

1. Grounded - a vision should be built on a foundation of your strengths. Combine realistic expectations with a healthy dose of "hell yeah I can!" and you are on your way to a compelling vision.

2. Bold - a vision should be challening! While the foundation is based on your current strengths, what you build should be an expansion of that. Ask yourself, what else could I do?  How could I leverage this into something more?

3. Desired - let's be honest, when it comes to a lot of our fitness goals, you gotta want it. You have to really want it.  Especially when you're having a face-to-face showdown with a plate of (insert your trigger food here) at the office party. Put on your queen-for-a-day crown and decide what you want, what you really really want.

4. Palpable - the word "palpable" always equates to taste for me. You have to want it so bad, be able to see it happening so richly, and be so engrossed in that moment that you can taste, smell, hear, and feel your vision coming to life. As your wellness coach, btw, I can help you get there.

5. Participatory - community and accountability are huge factors for goal achievement, and involving multiple parties in your goal can make the difference. Tell everyone! Involve support networks!  And most of all, be proud of your vision.  Not everyone has one.

I'm a visual learner; tell me and I will listen, but show me and I will learn and, if so compelled, master. So, I reinforce my vision with a vision board.  Here are the components for creating and using one. I hope you find it is useful and rewarding as I do.

Like I said, not everyone has a truly functional vision for their lives and their health. Sure, we all daydream and think about someday.  But how many of us actually take the time to create a true vision? A truly life-changing vision?  If you'd like help creating yours, let me know. I am allll over it.

And in the meantime, I'll be acting on part of my personal wellness vision: getting out there and getting healthy!

Till next time....stay dreamy.

Pregnancy Fitness: It's happening here!

I'm baaaaack! The little smiley face stickers are lining up on my calendar because I am back in the swing of things at the gym and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm really looking forward to post-baby fitness, and instead of longing for the workouts I can't have right now, I'm appreciating the good health I have and anticipating the fun I will have later when I can seriously hit the weights again.

It feels good to be back.

Last week, after an upper body strength workout, I was caught off-guard by soreness in my pectorals. But you couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I realized it was from my workout. I'm back, baby!

What's really hit me this week is that I'm doing it. For weeks I have feared that the healthy pregnancy I had so much wanted was slipping away from me. But, as I see my healthy and strong self in the mirror I am realizing that I was completely wrong about that. I am almost giddy over it. I am doing it. I am having that healthy, fit pregnancy I always dreamed of!  And, that means that I will also bounce back higher than ever.  

So, yeah, there was a little twinge of yearning when my gym buddy was curling 25 lbs and I was with my little 15 pounders. But, it's good to have something to look forward to.

I have roughly eight weeks left, and I'm glad to be back in the gym. But, while I am relishing the workouts and embracing every day, I'm also looking to the future. This week, I'll be focusing on something really fun that I hope you can also get into: creating a vision board for the months following my baby's birth. We'll go over how to vision, we'll create some good goals, and best of all, we get to daydream. 

I hope you're having a healthy day, and if you haven't already, get out there and get healthy!