My Favorite Books I've Read Recently

I love love love reading non-fiction books. For those of you who are in to non-fiction here are my absolute favorites that I've read recently. Check them out!

Lean In:
This book changed the way I look at the world, specifically, myself and women in the workplace. Sheryl Sandberg is not only an amazing leader, COO of Facebook, but a mother and an entrepreneur. She shines light on a lot of controversial conversations and really encourages women to find their voice. I bought a few copies and forced friends and family to read this one

#GIRLBOSS:
I have shopped at NastyGal for quite a while, and have followed Sophia Amoruso on socail media for years. She is not your average fashion entrepreneur and her quirkyness has always attracted me to her business. Her book GIRLBOSS was so inspiring, because Sophia didn't come from money. She didn't have mom and dad write a check and make things happen for her. Her book is about her journey, and it's one that after reading I felt like I could make all my wildest dreams come true.

You Are A Badass:
This book was one I snagged at the airport heading out on vacation. A friend recommended it to me, because her and I have very similar interests. We are no B.S., we want to be happy & healthy, be inspired, centered, surrounded by great energy & great people. She was right, this book was right up my alley. I have a feeling this one will be one I go back to over and over.

Modern Romance:
I am a 27 year old woman who is single, lives in a big city & is dating. This book is not only hilarious, it is informative and extremely relevant to my life. Aziz brings a ton of humor to the writing of this book on how it is to date now-a-days, but since he partners up with a Harvard Researcher this stuff is actually legit. Check it out!

The Woman I Wanted To Be:
Diane Von Furstenberg is a fashion icon, and has been one for years. Her book not only shares a lot about her personal life, but showed how it all tied in to her business and her becoming who she is today. I wouldn't say this book is too relatable for me, but it really opened my eyes up to her world. The fur, penthouse living, Paris Fashion Week and all!!

Strong Looks Better Naked
Ok, I will admit it.. I love me some Khloe K. Especially after reading this book. This opened my eyes to what her life was like with Lamar and how her outlet became fitness. She is wise beyond her years and has some really awesome advice in this book. It was a fun read and I really enjoyed hearing her turn really negatives in to a huge positive.

Links I Love

1. I love peeking on Oxygen's website to see the workouts the post, it gives me ideas on how to incorporate new moves in to my training.

2. I joined this group BOSSBABE a while back and love listening to their new podcasts and signing up for their podcasts.

3. I check out 7x7 pretty often and since San Francisco opens and closes new stores so frequently, this site keeps me in "the know". I always know what festivals are happening, restaurants that are opening, and shops to stop by. They also cover some other towns in The Bay, so check it out!

4. If you're in to this kind of stuff, I am always checking my Horoscope online. 

5. Refinery29 has some really fun content on their site. If I want to read up on the latest gossip, learn what new makeup has been released, or even read up on feminism.. I can stop here!

6. I love fashion, and love that Revolve features new brands and looks weekly. It gives me ideas on how to style what's in my closet.

What Do I Want To Do In Life & How Do I Get It?

We are in our THIRD post on How To Transform Your Hustle. I am super pumped to be sharing my thoughts with you on this topic. Last week, we talked about what hustle is and how you can find that inner hustle. This week we are going right in to figuring out how to apply that hustle, by evaluating exactly what it is you want to do!

Is there something that keeps you up at night? Like seriously, are you the person who gets an idea and either needs to write it down or tell someone immediately. If you have this, you know exactly what I mean. MOST people have this. Some may be super excited about a business idea, others about a recipe book, some may even be super excited about song lyrics they need to write it down so they don't forget to. Whatever THAT is, whatever keeps you up, makes you want to research and learn more... is exactly what you need to be doing if you want to transform your hustle.

You see, I've had so many clients and friends who have an absolutely amazing idea they share with me. I always ask what they are going to do with the idea, and nine times out of ten they just say "nothing". At some point in our lives we were taught to not follow our dreams. At some point we were either put down, failed badly at something, or lost our motivation for whatever reason. It's an unfortunate truth most of us have to accept, but the thing is it doesn't have to stay this way for you. We all have the power to change, so why not start now? If you want to have an amazing business and side hustle, you will have to turn down the volume on those voices in your head telling you it's too hard or you can't.

The most successful people in the world have fallen and failed just like you and I. The difference between them and your average Joe is they believed in that burning feeling that kept them up at night and decided that the possibility of making their dream a reality was way better than sitting back and keeping that just an idea in their head.

Now what should this all mean to you? It means that what you want in life is not something I can teach you or a friend can tell you. It is something so deep within you that only you will know it when it hits you.

Here are some of my tips to realize what it is that will motivate you and once you find this you will be able to plan it out and start working towards it:

1. Don't watch any TV for a week. Spend that time journaling, online, reading, etc. and see what you come up with. When your mind is a bit more quiet you will find some trends in your writing, reading, searches, etc. The things your mind wander in these moments can be something BIG.
2. At the end of the day write down 3 daily affirmations (ie. I am strong), 3 things you're grateful for, 1 thing that could've made your day better. Those things may give you a bit of motivation or insight to what really makes you happy.
3. Think about your ideal day. What does it look like? If it doesn't look like your current routine, then this means you may need to make a change. Being inspired by that change can be a great thing to keep you pushing for more.
4. Who do you look up to? Talk to them! Seriously, if someone you know is a BADASS talk to them about how they do what they do. It won't hurt to chat!

Try this, and tell me if it makes you feel like you're on to something!

Stay tuned for next post: How to start your side hustle

What is Hustle? How do you know if you have it? Here's my story!

Hustle is known to most of us as working your butt off to earn a dollar. For me hustle is working my butt off to create a better future and career for myself. Like me, I'm sure you feel the same way. How do you create a life you are proud of and how do you make money doing that? Well, my answer isn't short but I promise it's meaningful.

Hustle for different people comes in different forms. Did you know for most of my life I've had multiple jobs?

Read my story: SORRY IT'S LONG...

Let me share a little about how I got my hustle. Since I was really young, I've always had expensive taste. I can walk in to any store and usually the first thing I pick up is one of the most expensive items in the store. Growing up, I would constantly ask my parents for things. They never gave much allowance ($10 a week if you finished my chores) nor did they give us lunch money (we had plenty of food at home to bring and they didn't care if that wasn't cool). Little did they know, by being this way- although it did annoy me- they drove me to be extra motivated to work for the things I wanted (thanks mom and dad). 
At 15, I got a job (under the table) serving pizza at lunch time at Dominos. I made $5, got free lunch and also saved money by not having to buy lunch. Right when I turned 16 I wanted a job. My parents weren't so fond of the idea, as I played 3 competitive high school sports along with competitive travel soccer. I convinced them that I could balance it all and got a job. I now had money to go to the movies, buy clothes, etc. The summer before college I got my first 40 hour a week job to save for school. 
The first year of college I didn't work, because I was a Division 1 athlete and my parents wanted me to focus on school and track. I absolutely hated it. I wanted my own money to spend and it felt suffocating to not have that freedom. I think this time in my life was HUGE in showing me if I want something bad enough I can make it happen. After that year, I decided track & field wasn't for me. I stayed full time at my college, but decided to go back to a sport I love (soccer) for fun. In order to play soccer, I had to also be full-time at the junior college I was playing at. This is where my hustle really took off. I went to 2 colleges full time, played soccer and worked at a restaurant. I was making money, in school learning and getting fit. All the things I love. This for one, showed me I could do anything I put my mind to and also taught me I can have fun doing it. I did this for 2 years and loved it.

After that, school was in full force working on my B.S. in Kinesiology, interning 3 days a week and I worked at a nice restaurant bringing in a good amount of cash, HOLLA! I worked on this blog in my free time and was also pretty much a fitness freak. I figured, if I kept doing things I love I will be all set!

Soon after I graduated college, I got a full-time job working at a physical therapy clinic 40 hours a week. The pay was absolute sh*!. I literally was making $12 an hour and most of my money was going to rent. I decided, why not keep your waitressing job? I loved it and it brought in extra money, score! I did this for about a year, and decided it was wearing on me. Between 2 jobs, working out a ton and feeling like I wasn't learning anything.. it was time for a change.

I decided to apply for corporate wellness jobs online. Fitness, health and people are what make me feel alive. Helping people reach their goals is so fun for me. I got my dream job at one of the biggest tech companies in the world running their fitness and wellness programs. This was an absolute dream. I moved to San Francisco for this job and was SHOCKED by not only the cost of living, but just the cost of everything in the city. My job took up most of my time, so I didn't really want a whole other job. However, about 6 months in to working there a life-changing opportunity came up for me.

I got asked to be a personal stylist. Oddly enough, I have always loved and adored fashion and with my 2 year stint being full-time at 2 colleges I even took a full years worth of fashion classes. This opportunity to be a personal stylist allowed me to be creative, do something I love and help this person feel great when they get dressed everyday. I felt like I was on to something and over the last few years this client turned in to 4 clients and 2 outside personal training clients. Making the time (on nights and weekends) for this seems to some as too much work, or not manageable. I beg to differ. When you're doing something you love it doesn't feel like work, and it opens so many other doors for you. I've learned the more apply myself, the more people I tell, the more opportunities arise.

Now how does my story let you know if you have this hustle?

My life experiences have pushed me to hustle at a young age, but you don't need to have the same experiences as me to find this. What it takes is goal setting and resilience.  You have to believe in yourself so much that failure is not an option. Of course little failures will happen, but you have to pick yourself back up. You have to take setbacks with poise and keep pushing for what you want even when you feel it may be nearly impossible. 

Figure out those goals, write them down, make a plan, go get them & don't give up!

Next post: What do I want to do in life and how do I get it? This post will be about narrowing down on what goals you want to focus on. 

Transform Your Hustle

I am about to start a series on how to Transform Your Hustle. I wanted to create a string of posts so you can either chime in to the specific conversations your interested in within the series OR progress along with me as I dive deeper from post to post.

The reason I am so inspired to share this with you all, is because we all oftentimes get a little stagnant in our lives and yearn for something exciting to happen and make everything better. Well, I do believe that by having faith in yourself that you can truly accomplish a lot. However, you can't accomplish anything without a plan.

Each and every person I chat about work, travel and their goals with have completely different approaches to getting what they want. To attain a dream job, take the trip of a lifetime or train for a marathon- there is not a one size fits all approach. That's where this series comes in. I have dedicated a lot of my time and really observed what it takes. For me, for my clients, and for you!

Stay tuned and follow my favorite approaches to making your hustle meaningful and fulfilling.

- What is hustle? How do I know if I have what it takes to pursue it?
- What do I want to do in life and how do I get it?
- How to start your side hustle
- If I know what I want and it's not working out, how do I move forward?

A List Of People You Need To Follow On Social Media

This quote holds very true to me. Surrounding yourself with positivity can truly change your outlook or mood and there are studies to prove it. I have to be real and super honest with you; we can't control that all the time nowadays. Think about it. We spend many hours each week in the car, tons of hours at work(sometimes stressful), and have a ton of time throughout our days where we are not surrounded by positivity & are actually immersed in stressful, negative atmospheres of which we can't control. However, I have a tip to combat all the negativity... since it seems to me we ALWAYS have access to or are on social media!

Think about it. We check our facebook, email, twitter, snapchat, instagram, and every other form of social media constantly throughout the day. The people we follow give us little reminders through their posts of our interests and take up space in our minds. Who are you filling that space with? We choose who we follow! I for one can admit there are some superficial people I follow because I am inspired by their fashion, but I also have unfollowed tons of people if I feel like what they stand for doesn't align with what I stand for. Excitingly enough, I have found some super amazingly inspiring people I follow and think you should too. It's always nice to see a post here and there of pure positivity.

Frank Sommerville
This man has such a kind heart and his Facebook page proves it. He inspires people to be kind, give back, and stay positive. Check him out and follow!

Prince Ea
This guy posts the most motivating and inspiring content through sharing awesome posts, but also creating spoken words. You have to follow his facebook page!

Healthy Is The New Skinny
Katie H. Willcox is a plus sized model who decided to create a company to support women of ALL shapes and sizes. No this isn't only for plus sized women, it is for all women. She digs in to healthy eating and exercise, looking at how effed up the media is on portraying women, and speaks to crowds on how to have a healthy mindset and life. Check them out here and here.

The Good Quote
The good quote is an instagram page I follow for little bits of inspiration throughout my day as I scroll. I love them, simple and awesome!

Ellen Degenerous
I mean who doesn't like Ellen. She is funny, kind, and will always brighten your day. I follow her on Facebook and she always posts funny videos and acts of kindness that I just can't help but watch.

Boss Babe
I love following hard working, driven, and supportive women. Boss Babe is a community of women working towards similar goals, to run their own business one day. It is an educational place, an inspiring place, and I love seeing their "create your own destiny" kind of posts.

Amber Dodzweit
I love her posts. I usually don't love following too many fitness people. The reason being is most don't eat enough, are obsessed with themselves, and don't have balanced lives. NOT Amber. She is as real as they come and I just love that. Her posts inspire, educate, and encourage. Check her out.

Girl Talk: Time Management

Last week I spoke to you all about learning what your "musties" are & how to make time for them. This week, I want to chat with you about managing your time to create the schedule you love.

Your Success Isn't Built Off All Your Achievements, but How You Handle Your Failures

Over the last few months, I have been reading a ton of books & articles written by successful women. Women who have grown smarter, stronger and more successful over the years. One commonality in all of these books is something quite hidden. Everyone mentions their trials and tribulations, but no one talks about those trials as often as they talk about all their successes. Who would want to read a book about someone who is always failing anyways?

Even the most glamorous women struggle with insecurities. The richest woman probably had money issues at some point. A happily married woman probably dealt with a bad breakup.  The most successful professional woman probably had a job that she hated.  The difference in women who achieve success and women who don't, is their ability to pick themselves up after they fall. The more independent someone is, or is able to become, the more likely they will succeed. The less you rely on others for your drive, happiness, & worth, the better off you are.

Take some time today to reflect, journal, or meditate. Try to remember your lowest of lows. Remember how you thought you wouldn't possibly be able to get out of that place?  Maybe you are in the middle of one of those slumps right now! Turn these situations in to your past, and try to dissect them. Grow from them, and learn from them. They make you a stronger person, and lead you towards success.  

MLK Jr. Day

I wanted to take the time to pay some respect to MLK Jr. It's always exciting to get a free paid day off work, but the real reason we have it off is to acknowledge a man who truly started a big change for our nation. I took today as a day for reflection, a lot of "me time", and gave myself a bit of a history lesson. What an amazing human. 

MLK Jr.

A man who never let negativity put a dark cloud over his positive light. 

A man whose voice spoke for millions who couldn't find theirs. 

A man who somehow found a way to always take the high road. 

A man who gave us hope & helped us believe in change.

A man whose words moved a nation & whose words will continue to.

A man who helped us get to where we are, and whose teachings inspire us to get to where we need to be.

His dream is our dream. His dream is our future. 

Being Highly Motivated: Why It's A Blessing & A Curse

"I wish I were as motivated as you".

People look to me and tell me this pretty frequently. I am so flattered when people smile and tell me this. However, it took me years and a lot of self-reflection to realize that "motivation" doesn't lead to happiness. Living a meaningful life leads to happiness. Let me explain...

When I am extremely motivated nothing gets in the way of me and my goal. My goals come first, and life pretty much comes second. When I am super set on a goal I am selfish and my lfe has very little balance. People notice my intense work ethic, because it's hard to miss (I make it my life to execute). 

Let me use fitness as an example. When I have a big fitness goal I will wake up at 5am to do cardio, work all day, workout again at night, cook all my meals, pack them for work, never have anything that isn't weighed out/portioned, and I will turn down any event that gets in the way of my routine.  I never give 80% of my efforts to a goal, I always give 100% without any excuses. This means that I become quite unbalanced with everything else in life. My fitness goals in the past got in the way of ever traveling, going to birthdays, drinking with friends, or doing anything away from my routine.
Another example is my drive to succeed with work. I worked so much after college to show how "motivated & dedicated" I was. I worked nights, weekends, and even when I was on vacation. When I wasn't working I was usually blogging, reading about work stuff, or reaching out to businesses to try to connect. I always thought that the harder I worked the better I was.
WRONG!
Being motivated or more motivated than the person next to you doesn't make you better than them. I remember thinking to myself "you're more motivated & you are willing to do more, so you will go further in life". Again... SO WRONG. Finding balance is way more challenging than finding motivation. Having a life with a successful work, personal, gym, and social life is way more important for happiness. I have learned through my extreme efforts to succeed that it is ok to not drain all of my energy focused on one thing. It's ok to not burn myself out. It's ok to have fun, live life, and do things that may not get me closer to each goal I set. I know myself well. I am able to say that being motivated isn't something I struggle with. However, being balanced is something we all struggle with. I hope you can find your happy balance.

Is Stress Ruining Your Life?

"I am super stressed" is a term you are probably familiar with. If you aren't the one stressed, you probably know someone who is. Stress is a word we use quite freely. There are many different levels of stress, and everybody deals with stress much differently. 

Since starting to work at a company I've noticed some of the highest stress levels I could ever imagine. Some clients have fainted, others have broken out in hives, many stress eat, some simply can't sleep at night, most of them see therapists. Since I work in health and wellness I feel like it's about time I write about it. 

First, let me list symptoms:

• Unable to concentrate
•  Negativity 
• Anxiety
• Moodiness and irrability

• Agitation, inability to relax
• Constantly feeling overwhelmed
• Sense of loneliness and isolation
• Depression or general unhappiness

• Aches and pains
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea, dizziness
• Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
• Loss of sex drive
• Frequent colds

• Eating more or less
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
• Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Next, I want you to know what you can do:

• Workout
• Prioritize sleep
• Eat consciously
• Take vacation (without your phone)
• Spend time with the people you love 
• Manage your calendar (don't overbook yourself) 
• Don't work more than you need to
• Find something you enjoy that isn't on your computer (cooking,painting, walking, reading)
• Check in with yourself weekly (set goals) 

Act on it, now! It's time to assess your biggest struggles and try to tackle them one at a time. When I write all the things down that I stress about I am able to realize how busy I can get, and how I sometimes allow my hectic schedule to stress me out. Don't wait until you are stressed to jot down and understand what stresses you out. Take the time now and fix it yourself. 

Start Living Your Wildest Dreams

I was chatting with some friends last night over dinner about travel. Not just vacationing, but exploration. Travel is all about taking yourself away from everything you know, to swap it with the unknown. It's about putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, so that you give yourself a chance to learn and grow. I've found that the more I travel, the more I know ... and I then realize there is so much more that I don't know!  It gives me a sense of curiosity when I see what I'm missing out on around the world. It can be so easy to get caught up in our own routine - with  the typical day to day routine, that we forget to live. It's easy to lose sight of what's outside our "bubble".  Take some time to write down what you want to explore. What are some of your biggest dreams, goals, and aspirations? Now, make a plan to remove yourself from your "norm" and set a date to get away and do something new. This doesn't have to be something that is going to cost you an arm and a leg. It could be something like camping out of the back of your car, hiking at a new spot, or touring around a new city you've never been to. But  it could also be something like planning your dream vacation!  Start living your wildest dreams, or they will stay a dream forever.

The Power Of Positivity

 

Positivity is crazy powerful. When you surround yourself with positive and happy people, they can't help but change your mood. It rubs off on you. In the same sense, negativity also that same effect on your frame of mind.  If you surround yourself with negative people, negativity will also rub off on you.   

This past weekend, I realized something super silly. I was being approached by a lot more people than usual when I was out. As my friends saw this, they said that both guys and girls both were sort of drawn to me. Girls were coming up and complimenting me about my clothes, hair, nails and athleticism. A few even asked if we could be friends!  Guys were hitting on me left and right ;) Not in a sleazy way, but to open up and tell me about their lives. 

I have always had people feel comfortable in approaching me, and open up to me.  I'm always happy and willing to talk with and meeting new people.  But this weekend, I came to a realization that there's a reason I have this effect on people.

I was so happy this weekend and surrounded myself with only positive people and ideas.  That energy rubbed off on people.  I was stress free, had plenty of sleep, tons of exercise, and no worries in the world. Everything I did this weekend was enjoyable for ME (not to please anyone else). 

My message to you this week! Choose your mindset. Get your attitude in check ... because you never know who will soak it up.

Girls Are SIX Times More Likely To Drop Out Of Sports Than Boys

I read this statistic and was shocked. Then I realized, no, it isn't a shocking statistic. It's an unfortunate statistic.

Why are girls dropping out? Studies show 

1. Lack of access

2. Transportation 

3. Social stigma 

4. Quality experience 

5. Cost 

6. Lack of positive role models 

It's such a bummer for me to read a statistic like this. Sports have help shaped my life. Playing sports has taught be to be confident, work in a team, stick to my commitments, push harder than I thought I could, it taught me communication, sticking to a schedule, how to be social, how to be a leader, along with many other life skills.

I encourage all you women to pick up sports, or some sort exercise. The benefits go far beyond looking good! More women need to experience the empowerment of fitness and sports. 

New Week New Mindset

Prepping for your week doesn't just mean updating your calendar, planning your meals, and having your clothes ready. Being prepared to means to me, getting mentally prepared. Easy to say, but sometimes hard to do.

Here are some tips I use to getting mentally prepared for my week:

1. Sunday alone time: 

I am someone who is extremely social. I often book my calendar morning until night without much time between. What keeps me in check and mentally prepped for my week is taking some time for myself on Sunday. I often wake up a little later (without an alarm if I can help it) then walk to get coffee and head towards the bridge. This allows me to think, relax, calm my mind, and enjoy my beautiful city.

2. Forget what bothered you last week at work:

Did your coworker annoy you? Even worse; your boss? Write it down, and move on. Seriously. We won't always agree with everyone, understand everyone, and you need to realize that your reaction may be debilitating your progress at work. If you can change the way you react then you might be able to diffuse any issues.

3. Didn't catch up on enough sleep?

Is Monday and you didn't get enough R&R over the weekend. Do not allow that to slow down your week! Make it a priority on Monday to get in a power nap. You need to manage your schedule!

4. Goals

What do you want to acheive this week? Besides chores & work you should be making a list of things you want to do and out them in your calendar. Sometimes we forget that is better to work to live than living to work. Make sure you prioritize doing something fun! 

5. Clean space 

I am working on this right now, but I've read a ton about having a happy clean space to come home to. This means decorating, dishes, and laundry. It's important to leave a stressful job space and come home to a relaxing spot. It's sometimes a chore, but will be worth it to kick off your shoes and relax after your place is tidy. 

6. Exercise 

You knew this was coming, didn't you? When I am stressed I usually call my dad. He will listen to me blabber, and if I am a little stressed he usually asks me one thing, "did you workout today?". My answer when I am stressed it usually, "no, not yet". He replies, "go workout, and call me after." Seriously?! That's not the answer I look for, but when I workout I usually figure out my own answers. 

I hope these tips help you find a positive mindset to start your week! Happy Monday. 

Doubting Yourself Is Setting Yourself Up For Failure

We've all heard of a self fulfilling prophecy. You believe something to be true and it sooner or later happens. It recently happened to my friend. She mentioned to me how tired she was, and how badly she didn't want to go to work the next day. She woke up that next morning and told me she was sick.

I believe by putting negative energy out there, she created her own destiny. 

People ask me how I stay motivated, and positive. My answer to them is 1. I am not always motivated and positive & 2. When I feel unmotivated or negative, I do what I need to do to turn my attitude around ASAP.

Some of my tricks are stopping what I'm doing and going for a 10 minute walk with some calming music. Sometimes that doesn't work, so I head home to write down my thoughts. If I'm still bummed out, I take a short nap (20 mins) to turn my attitude around. If that doesn't work, knowing myself, I most likely need to just vent. I'll call a friend and just talk it out. Once I do all those things I stop feeling sorry for myself. I've done all I can do and I move on to things that are more important or topics that are bigger than myself. 

It's ok to be down and feel sorry for yourself, but the trick is to be aware and moving right along. Your mind has the power to create you or wreck you. It's in your power to choose happiness or self deprecation! Start today with a beautiful mindset. 

Juggling & Balancing Your Life

The more women I meet, the more I notice how crazy each of our lives are. We're all just trying to run the world ... working long hours, making time for relationships, social events, reading, having "me time."  And all the while, trying to have a nice butt & flat stomach. Being a woman is not easy. My answer, speaking as a "real girl" is that you cannot always balance your life!  You can't control every part of every day. Sometimes, you have to loosen up and go with the flow. Some nights, you might not get enough sleep.  Other days, you might have less time to workout.  It's all OK.

My favorite part about finding balance is understanding that there is no such thing. It's not something you find and keep forever. Parts of your life will feel more balanced than others; life is dynamic and always changing.  My tip: Find and stick with a routine that works for you, but also allow yourself to deviate from time to time (it's inevitable).

Personally, I have gone through so many "extremes" in my life. I'm finally in a place where I feel quite balanced (meaning perfectly imbalanced). I went from obsessing over food, workouts, and trying to be stick thin that I put my social life, friends, and mental health on the back burner. I reached my aesthetic goals, but forgot about all the other things I value in life. Now - I continue to workout like a maniac and eat healthy, but allow myself to deviate from my plan. I value travel now, make time for dates, go to fun events with friends, and make sure to enjoy some delish fro-yo from time to time. 

Find what works for you, ladies. Once you do, your whole life will change. 

You're The Most Important Person In This World

This title might have thrown you off. To be honest the first time I heard this statement was this year. People don't often tell you that you are the most important person in the world other than your parents. My parents didn't even tell me that growing up, because that would suggest I was more important than my siblings.

I recently took a CPR/AED class very different than most CPR classes I've taken, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Brent, our instructor, has been a firefighter & paramedic for decades. In the middle of the class he asked us who the most important person was in an emergency situation. Most people said the injured person... Wrong!

You see if you don't put your health first and foremost, you could seriously be putting your life in danger. If you put your life in danger what sort of help can you be to someone sick or hurt? A perfect example Brent gave us was a firefighter who was on his honeymoon. He saw an accident on the freeway and decided to help. He jumped out of his car to run across the street, and because he put the accident before his own life he ran across the street without looking. He unfortunately passed away, and later his new wife found out that there wasn't even an accident across the road. There was just a man changing his flat tire.

What I took away from Brent's story is that no matter how small or big an instance is, always put your life first. You can't be a good friend, coach, coworker, teacher, or partner without taking care of yourself. 

I have seen this a lot lately. Put yourself first. Manage your time, sleep, workouts, nutrition, and schedule. Prioritizing your time is more important than getting together with friends everyday for drinks. Contrary to what other people believe, I don't think work should always come first. Work isn't more important than your sleep, workouts, happiness, or time with your wife. Find out the things that make you happy and balanced. Once you have all your "musties" then you can go help others and do amazing things.

Make sure you don't spread yourself too thin. I've learned the hard way.

Be Free

This 4th of July was different than previous. I wasn't in the country to celebrate. I am so used to extravagant over the top celebrations for the 4th. I didn't expect it to be a big day since I was in Turks & Caicos, but I was shocked to see how big the holiday was actually celebrated around the world! 

There were so many people dressed from head to toe in red white and blue. It wasn't only the Americans who were decked out. The reason? They love to be free. I asked a server at our restaurant and he said "we all rely on  America whether we like it or not". When I travel I really get to experience other cultures, but I also see how much our culture directly effects others. I am so proud to be American, we are so lucky to be free. 

Free to be whatever we want. Doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers, accountants, farmers, and anything else you can wrap your head around. We are a team. We are free to make decisions and although there are laws and rules we are so lucky to decide for ourselves what type of life we want to live.

After this holiday of fireworks, booze, and bikinis take a second to reflect on what you want to make of your freedom. Do you want to travel, own a business, or move? You have the freedom to, so don't hold yourself back from it! 

Shut Up & Sweat

Do you have fitness goals? 

If you don't, you better figure them out. It's hard to achieve greatness when you don't have a goal. Today, we will talk about achieving personal fitness goals and why you have to get serious, get sweaty, and buckle down to make progress.

Working out isn't easy for everyone. It isn't supposed to be. Sometimes it hurts, burns, is exhausting, or makes you want to quit. I believe whenever you are put in uncomfortable situations and you see them through, you learn how to preserve and gain the tools to achieve greatness in life. With fitness there is no difference. When it comes to fitness there will be numerous hurdles (pun intended) & you need to be prepared for whatever is thrown your way.

Are you a person who does the same sort of workout everyday?

Don't be one of those people! You need to change. That isn't an effective workout, and is most likely a waste of time. Once your body adapts to your program you need to make changes to it. You need to change the weight, the reps, the rest time, or the exercises to make it more challenging.

If you aren't willing to sweat your ass off, then you truly don't want to reach your goals bad enough. When you push yourself harder than you have before your mind will tell you to quit, that's it's "too hard", and it "hurts". The crazy thing is that if you change your mental processing of those negative thoughts, your body can keep going. That's where you increase your fitness.

Now stop being a weak person who does what's comfortable. Grab a friend, a trainer, or sign up for a class that makes you uncomfortable.

When it comes to a great workout you have to just Shut Up & Sweat.