Motivation | The Sweaty Betties

Walk Out Wednesdays

March 21, 2015 By The Sweaty Betties Leave a Comment

Sooo I’ve been living in a van….. down by the river, for a good 8 months now.

Alright, so it’s an RV and it’s not really by a River, but still.

I spend a LOT of time working in a small space, and while it’s fun, I’ve been really neglecting my fitness, because I “don’t have a gym or space”

Then my trainer head was like

“WHOA NELLY!! Stop right there! You have all you need with your shoes and two legs”

However, have I mentioned, I hate running?

So, I was asked to do a product review of the new Omron Alvita Wireless Activity Tracker (HJ-327T)

Our most advanced tracker yet, the Omron Alvita Wireless Activity Tracker (HJ-327T) is petite yet powerful. It allows you to transfer your fitness data wirelessly to your smartphone with our free Omron Fitness App. Featuring Bluetooth® Smart technology, the Alvita Wireless Tracker records regular steps, aerobic steps, distance and calories burned so you can set realistic goals and check progress along the way

I was actually REALLY excited about this little gadget because I needed a little push. I wanted to see how this baby worked and I ripped it open and went straight for the instructions….

uhhh….

OK, I admit, I freak out at gadgety things… BUT this was so easy. The instructions were basically: pop in a battery. Download an app. Now WALK!!!

OMG OMG. I have never been so excited to get out since my first pedometer in 7th grade! I grabbed my two #dogjerks and told my hubby “you’re coming with me!!” and off we went!!

I had to fight the urge to keep looking at it and checking my phone to see my progress. It certainly was fun to see how it shows your activity by time of day.

I realize that between taking care of work, my pups my husband, etc. I don’t always leave much time for myself and I forget how good FRESH AIR and a quick walk feels.

The hubs and I got to chat and reconnect and it was FUN.

Omron is encouraging women like us to #walkoutwednesdays where we schedule a walk with a friend and get out there on Wednesdays!

Why is it important to walk with a friend and not alone?

Many studies have shown that working out with a partner or group of people encourages you to stay on track and motivated. Many people choose to workout with someone who lives within close proximity.

I am excited to see how I can increase my daily activity and also reconnect with a friend or my husband once a week, just getting outside.

The awesome thing about this little tracker is that it is only $40!

It syncs to your phone and you can also sign up for a free account at www.omronwelllness.com where you can:

Download and share fitness activity from their personal dashboard
Participate in fitness and other health challenges
Easily view data on a mobile device or PC
The website syncs with the Alvita and our new line of connected blood pressure monitors where you can analyze your data, set goals and track your health progress

If you want to see more, make sure to go to their website www.omronwelllness.com

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Omron. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured, Motivation, Product Reviews, Real Talk Tagged With: cheap, danny j, fitness, Fun, product review, review, sweaty betties, walking

6 Morning Habits That Will Set You Up For a Wildly Alive Day

November 22, 2014 By The Sweaty Betties 1 Comment

** guest post

Something I hear from my clients often is that around two or three every afternoon, they start to

feel exhausted. They feel worn down, and they reach for some afternoon caffeine or sugar to

perk them up. Hours later, they feel exhausted again. It’s a vicious cycle. I tell them a secret

I’m here to let you in on today –

If you’re feeling worn out every afternoon, it’s because you’re starting your morning off in fight or

flight mode! Think about it – you wake up, you check your phone, and you rush around getting

ready while you run over your mental checklist of all the things you need to get finished that day.

You feel stressed and defeated before you even walk out the door!

Here’s the thing – the first hour of your day sets the tone for how your entire day will go! You

want to feel productive? Have energy for that post-work workout? Avoid sugar cravings in the

afternoon? The key is setting yourself up for a wildly alive day within minutes of waking up.

Here’s how both my coaching clients and myself start our days off on the best possible tone –

Cuddle your loved ones

When your alarm goes off, spend a few moments snuggling with your partner, your pets, your

kids – whoever you share a bed with! Wake up slowly, soak in the love of the people you share

your home with, and be thankful.

Talk with the Universe

Spend a few moments visualizing how you’d like your day to go. Say some prayers for yourself

and others. Mentally review all of the things you have to be grateful for. In my program, my

clients make goal cards that I encourage them to review at this time, but you can do the same

thing by spending time thinking about what your long term goals are, and what small actions you

can take today to reach them. It’s all about putting good juju out for yourself and the people you

love!

Keep your phone out of reach

It only adds stress to your morning to begin checking email, Facebook and text messages as

soon as you wake up. Wait until you’ve moved through your morning routine and are feeling

nourished, reenergized and ready to face the day before looking at a screen.

Boil a pot of water

Instead of jumping right into your morning coffee drinking, boil some hot water and add a slice of

fresh lemon. Hot lemon water is a soothing, detoxifying way to get your body moving every

morning. For an added detoxifying boost, add some cayenne pepper to the mix.

Make breakfast a priority

After going without food for 8-10 hours, your body needs to be refueled! I tell my clients to focus

on eating a healthy, nourishing breakfast within ninety minutes of waking up. If you wait much

longer, your body will begin craving sugars, caffeine and other not-so-healthy foods, setting you

up for a day of poor choices and irritable behavior.

Have fun getting ready

Enjoy getting ready for your day by first taking a relaxing shower. While you’re standing under

the warm water, imagine all of the stress of the day before melting off of your body and washing

down the drain. Once you’re feeling clean and refreshed, spend some time jamming to your

favorite uplifting music. Put on makeup, choose clothes that make you feel great, and do your

hair. My clients hear from me all the time that when you feel fabulous, you make fabulous

choices in your day!

Nichole Kellerman wants to live in a world where women actually enjoy the process of losing

weight and connecting with their bodies.

When she’s not fearlessly (but lovingly) pushing her clients into the lifestyle they dream of, you’ll

find her laughing with friends, connecting with nature and loving up on her boyfriend and two

dogs.

Her business, Wildly Alive Weight Loss, is for women who want to stop dieting and re-frame

their minds so they can reshape their bodies. Her teachings are like nothing you’ve ever heard.

Discover how you can lose weight by feeling #WildlyAlive at WildlyAliveWeightLoss.com.

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured, Motivation, Real Talk Tagged With: challenges, coffee, danny j, expert personal trainer, fitness, goals, inspiration, mornings, real talk, the sweaty betties, toning, weight-loss, weightloss

Best Things in Life Workout

July 9, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties Leave a Comment

Here is a great workout sure to make you sweat– and remember– tag @SweatyBetties on Instagram or on Facebook with #SBSweatYourself and you’ll get free stickers!! yay!
Then make sure to SHARE and PIN the workouts!

Filed Under: Featured, Motivation, Training Tagged With: abs, Burpees, cardio, Crossfit, danny j, expert personal trainer, fitness, fitness expert, goals, healthy, metabolic, sweaty betties, the sweaty betties, training, WOD, workout

Better Believe Fit: Ambassador Spotlight

June 4, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties Leave a Comment

Sweaty Betties Ambassador SPOTLIGHT!! Astrid

Astrid is the spunky gal from the Facebook Page Better Believe Fit and www.betterbelievefit.com

I first fell in LOVE with Astrid when I saw her posting videos of herself doing some of the Sweaty Betties workouts and I thought “Damn! This girl is in good shape!!”
Then I found out that she has quite the story herself:

Astrid is a wife and mother to two awesome kiddo’s 2 1/2 and 7 yrs old. She founded Better Believe Fit a little over a year and a half ago simply to have a place to voice her passion for finding a happier and healthier lifestyle. Her motivational and inspirational page has grown to over 11K followers on Facebook and she decided to start a website/blog www.BetterBelieveFit.com

Astrid is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with a HUGE love of Kettlebells and Interval Training. Not only does she teach classes at a local gym but she started offering classes twice a week in her small town at the park.

Why does she do this???

” When I was overweight I was depressed and on anti-anxiety meds, I suffered panic attacks and was just miserable. I never felt like I could get control over my eating and lack of motivation. It was one excuse after another that led me further and further into a depression and struggle with eating disorders. I sat in my closet one day with my only pair of pants that I had that somewhat fit and cried…because they were now too tight! I was mad at myself and disgusted. Then I stopped making excuses to why I was this way and its like this switch got flipped…I knew that the only thing stopping me from taking control of my life was ME!!! Crazy, HUH!?!? So I started to make changes that I could live with, I started to walk and jog and the weight slowly came off. The more I have educated myself about having a healthy lifestyle the more I want to share this gift with EVERYONE I meet!!! It is possible to do it and ALL you need is a positive attitude and the willpower to keep going!!! So I got my Personal Training and Group Fitness Certs and here I am. My life has changed so much and I am a MILLION times happier. My husband and my kids get to have the best of me for much longer and that alone is worth every single drop of sweat. When someone tells me I have inspired them to not give up and just keep going THAT is what makes me know I will NEVER give up and I will ALWAYS be here to motivate and inspire anyone anytime they need it”

Astrid takes this passion and puts it to work on her websites and Facebook page with Workouts, Videos, Recipes, Healthy eating tips and lots of fun and OH YES! an occasional pic of The Rock thrown in for good measure ; ) If you are local to her in Harrisonburg, VA you can get in a great workout at one of her classes for Interval Training and Kettlebells, or even schedule a one on one training session. Either way she will be sure to whip your butt into shape in no time ; )

http://Twitter.com/BetBelieveFit

http://Instagram.com/betterbelievefit

http://YouTube.com/BetterBelieveFit

http://Facebook.com/BetterBelieveFit

Filed Under: ambassadors, Featured, Motivation

Under-Butt WONDERBUTT!!

May 30, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties 9 Comments

I asked what body parts you had a hard time finding exercises for and this was one you wanted!

The UNDERBUTT

Filed Under: Featured, Motivation, Training, Vlogs

Me Day

April 18, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties 5 Comments

“Me Day”

I’ve had discussions about this “self-made holiday” on Facebook, I’ve mentioned this in the newsletters and I recently spoke about it on a radio show, but I realized I never composed a blog about it!

See, at the end of December 2012, I started to think about “resolutions” and all of those things we tend to do at the end of the year…. memories from the past year and hopes for the New Year… and I’ll be honest, I was not happy with what was going on. I had been dealing with metabolic damage and adrenal fatigue for the better part of two years, and I had started to make some GREAT headway, and then, POW I lost it!

How did I lose it?

STRESS.

I started staying up late again, I started taking on more projects than I could handle, I started putting myself last and others first… you know the deal.

I realized that the THINGS I was doing to feel better, ie. taking care of me, getting to bed early, meditating, relaxing, eating regular meals, taking my supplements, etc.

I had completely stopped….and I was feeling terrible.

In fact, I told my husband, I just want to rent a car and go stay in a hotel ALONE for a few days. (ok maybe a week!)

He was obviously hurt… but that’s how I felt!

I felt as if I was being pulled in a million directions and I needed an escape… NOW!!

So that is where the “Me Day” idea came from.

I decided that for 2013 ONE DAY out of every month, was a day for ME.
RULES INCLUDE:

no phone
no computer
no alarm clock
I can do whatever makes ME feel good– massage, reading, napping, eating
no “shoulds” or “have tos”
no work

and so, I took out my phone and blocked out the last Sunday of every month for my year long experiment.

Well, January, something came up, the Dani Johnson First Steps to Success seminar was on “MY WEEKEND” so, I just rescheduled for the next weekend! I took my Sunday (it was Super Bowl Sunday) and got myself a massage, read a book and took a nap. I can’t say that I didn’t get on the computer or ditch the phone.. but it was a start.

So my February day came and my husband knew it was my day, but he needed me for a few things, and I have to say it was kind of ruined. He apologized and it was no biggie… who knew this would be so hard?!! I thought, “maybe this will be better on a week day!”

March came and went, I traveled to 3 states in 3 weeks and there was no time for me, again and here we are, mid April. I have a day scheduled THIS weekend. Hubby’s out of town and I’m disappearing!! For the rest of the year, I moved my “Me Day” to a Friday. Its easier when hubby is at work to BE ALONE.
The moral is: be flexible, be adaptable, but put it in the books.

I’m not perfect. I don’t have children, however, I have a very busy life because I give a lot and a lot of people depend on me. I understand how hard it is to have a day for you. BUT its still SO important. I urge EVERYONE..

I CHALLENGE YOU—-> DO IT NOW.

Schedule your “Me Days” for the REST of 2013 (there’s still 8 months left!!)

Then CLICK TO TWEET IT: I’m taking a day just for me!! #meday #becauseImworthit @SweatyBetties

even if its a “Me Half-Day” — take 4 hours for YOU. I promise you will be less bitter about the things you “have to do”.
Don’t tell me that you can’t, that you don’t have time, or can’t find a sitter…

Don’t be a b!tch.

Lets just DO THIS…. and then come back and tell me what you plan on doing. Here are some ideas:

sit at the park
read a book
have coffee with a friend
sleep in… late
watch a movie marathon in your pajamas
get a massage
get a mani/pedi
hang out at Whole Foods
Sun bathe
sit in a car alone for 4 hours (I’ve totally done this)
go on a hike (but please tell someone where you’re going)
take a bath
take a yoga class
eat a healthy meal
do an “at-home” spa day- paint your nails, do a face mask, etc.

Filed Under: Blogs, Challenges, Featured, Motivation, Real Talk Tagged With: challenges, danny j, day off, easy recipe, expert personal trainer, facial, goals, healthy, hormones, massage, me day, mother, motivation, no work, real talk, relaxation, rest, self-care, sleep in, stress, sweaty betties, the sweaty betties, time for yourself, truth, yoga

Sweat is My Make-up Upper Body Quick Blast

April 10, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties Leave a Comment

only have 20 mins at the gym? Need a quickie workout– two sets of exercises, 3 rounds of each and done. This is great for toning, fat-burning, and metabolism bursting while short on time!

You can add some extra cardio if you please, but at least you’ll feel like you got something done. I did this on Sunday and I’m actually sore!

Filed Under: Blogs, Challenges, Featured, Motivation, Training Tagged With: cardio, challenges, danny j, expert personal trainer, fat burning, fitness, fitness expert, goals, healthy, metabolic, metabolism bursting, personal trainer, sweaty betties, the sweaty betties, toning, workout

WE DID IT!! Debt Free in 68 days!!

April 10, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties 20 Comments

If you were following me back in February, you may remember that I made a statement that I was on a FINANCIAL FREEDOM PLAN and I planned to be debt free by the end of May. Well… I was wrong.

It happened YESTERDAY.

My husband and I managed to pay off $18,000 worth of debt in 68 days, because we were “faithful with the little things“
If you didn’t get a chance then to see my webinar, please take an hour and watch it, because you will really understand and realize HOW BIG of deal this really was to our little family. If I had not come across Dani and her program, I can confidently say, I would have continued to pay $200 a month on my student loan for the next 12 years. (and paying a lot more in interest in that time) and holding my credit card balances for at least another year!
I was tired of being a SLAVE and not keeping my OWN money!!

So, in my webinar, I was extremely honest about my money, what I had made last year, being on food stamps and losing our house and what we were now earning and spending. My husband and I attended Dani Johnson’s First Steps to Success Seminar on January 26-27th and we realized that weekend how much money we were WASTING. We made an immediate budget and a plan to be out of debt by May 17th (her next event)

I gulped and we kind of laughed because I thought “There is NO WAY we can actually do this”

We BLEW. OUR. OWN. DAMN. MINDS.

Not only did we pay off nearly $18k, we also saved close to $3k and GAVE AWAY over $1500!!!
I’m actually in tears writing this.
I feel nervous about posting this because I don’t want it to come off as bragging. I hope that people can realize how being faithful and following a plan can WORK.
For all the people that purchased the WAR ON DEBT program with my link, we created a small supportive Facebook group, and I’ve learned how to cut my groceries even more, we’ve supported each other on credit card pay offs and I’d LOVE to have a few more people in there

So if YOU are ready to break free of the bondage—-> Spend the $99 that will pay you back 7-fold and get in our group and lets succeed together. (purchase War on Debt and email me your receipt to [email protected])

Below are screen shots of my ACTUAL Student Loan Pay off

TOTAL DEBT as of FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Credit Card#1– $1670.67

Credit Card#2– $4274.37

Student Loan $11,810.69
TOTAL DEBT: $17,755.73

TOTAL DEBT as of April 10, 2013

Credit Card#1– $0

Credit Card#2– $0

Student Loan $0
TOTAL DEBT: $0

Filed Under: Featured, Motivation, Real Talk Tagged With: challenges, dani johnson, danny j, debt free, expert personal trainer, financial fitness, fitness, fitness expert, goals, healthy, how to get out of debt, how to live debt free, inspiration, personal trainer, real talk, sweaty betties, the sweaty betties, truth, war on debt

Rich Food Poor Food

February 20, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties Leave a Comment

I received this book in the mail last week, and honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time!

Recently, my husband and I have started to BUDGET our food. We are working on a Financial FREEDOM plan and we are realizing that we really need to get more bang for our buck where food is concerned.

At first, I thought this was just another “EAT THIS, NOT THAT” type book.
It’s not! It was written by a couple; Jayson and Mira Calton who have degrees in nutrition, but whose real quest for health came when Mira found out she had advanced osteoporosis at age 30!!
She was thin, but not healthy.
I was very intrigued from the beginning of the book because they talk about MICRO-nutrients and how deficiency in those, can cause many problems (Think: Vitamins & Minerals)
But we are too often concerned with MACRO-Nutrients (think: Carbs & Fats)

The book talks about how INGREDIENTS are often much more important than the carb or fat content.
The very first example in the book was a bag of Lay’s Potato Chips vs. a bag of BAKED! Lay’s Potato Chips.

In “Eat This Not That”, they might suggest eating the BAKED Lay’s, because they are lower in calories and fats, however, if you look at the ingredients, the chips only have THREE ingredients: potatoes, oil and salt.

The BAKED Lay’s, have eight ingredients and aren’t even a “potato”!! They have added sugar, corn and soy. (full of GMO’s)

I instantly realized why this book was different. We often don’t know or understand the “hidden” ingredients in our food or the best brands to buy. Or maybe we can’t afford “Organic”. so what is the next best thing?

This book basically breaks down what all the chemicals are, what they do and why you should avoid some and moderate others. It also tells you WHAT BRANDS to choose and which ones to stay away from! (with pictures!!)

This book was full of pictures, places to take notes, and broken down into sections of the grocery store, it even had some fun recipes!
The ONLY thing I didn’t like about the book was that I didn’t recognize many of the brands. This leads me to believe that a lot of these brands might be found at Whole Foods? However, I don’t buy a ton of packaged foods anyway and with the ingredients lists, I’m sure I can find comparable brands, if not the ones listed.

If you’re interested in grabbing this book, you can find it online at Amazon (Kindle too!)

Barnes & Noble

Walmart

Overstock.com

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured, Motivation, Nutrition, Product Reviews, Real Talk

Full Body Blaster – SB Workout #19

February 10, 2013 By The Sweaty Betties 4 Comments

This is what my husband and I always call “our” 20 minute workout.
We made this one up a few years back, and whenever we want to do a quick, intense workout, or just something different for cardio, we fall back on this routine.
We both haven’t worked out doing this kind of thing in awhile and we haven’t worked out with EACH OTHER in… well..

MONTHS. If not, over a year. So, we decided to do “our” workout, but instead of doing AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)
we decided to just do 3 rounds, however long that would take, with as many breaks as we needed.
WHOA! I don’t remember it being so hard! I guess it really has been a long time!!

I’m not sure how long it took us to complete 3 rounds, but the rests were minimal. Basically didn’t rest until the end of each time through. My buns are killing me already, my quads and calves are feeling it… well.. just about everything is.
Here’s the routine and the weights I used are listed below:

PIN THIS!!

– For Kettlebells- I used 25 lbs. Husband used 35 lbs

-Push-ups, I ended up dropping to my knees and did about 20 each time, Hubby did 20-35

-Mountain Climbers– count right & left as ONE

– Body Rows– I eeked out 15 each time on a TRX

-Step- ups I did on a 20′ Plyo Box Hubby used a 24″ box— no weight

–Push-Press I used 20 lb dumbbells and a 40 lb Barbell (a lady stole my DB’s halfway through) Hubby used 35 lb DB’s

– Jump Lunges 12 on each leg. The goal was to do all 24 in a row… never happened.. ha! two sets of 12 for me!!
Tell me how you do!

Filed Under: Blogs, Featured, Motivation, Training Tagged With: danny j, expert personal trainer, expert trainer, fitness, fitness expert, fitness routine, goals, inspiration, Kettlebells, metabolic, metabolism, motivation, sweaty betties, the sweaty betties, toning, training, WOD, workout