Focus what you CAN...

So many people I know get very overwhelmed with the things that they believe they CAN'T do. For example, "I can't find time", "I am too tired to move", "I don't like working out", "There is no program that fits my needs", etc. I have actually been one of those people at times! Focusing on our excuses or even legitimate reasons why we are struggling with proper eating or consistency on a workout routine, can cause us to feel bogged down, upset or even disappointed in ourselves. My advice is to SWITCH YOUR FOCUS!

Instead of focusing in on and magnifying our "cannot's" choose to focus in on and magnify your "can's." It's amazing how this small change can take you from possibly beating yourself up to celebrating your successes! Yesterday, I was having a tough day at work. I teach middle school PE full time, and while most of the time my students are wonderful, yesterday a few of them truly challenged my patience. I won't go into detail, but I will tell you by the end of the school day I was more than ready to go. From there I drove an hour to go pick up my kids from the sitter and then after that drove another hour to get home. I could have very easily focused on a number of "cannot's" like "I can't workout, I'm exhausted", "My students are driving me crazy, so I don't want a salad, I want ice cream", "I have spent over 3 hours in the car today so I can't possibly drive again to get to the gym"...but I chose instead to focus on my "can's." I kept thinking about how I am going to get 30 minutes in at the gym and have that time for me. I thought about how blessed I am to be able to move and exercise because not everyone has that ability. I told myself that even though ice cream sounded good, I know that I'm going to feel great eating the healthy options that I prepared earlier for myself. Magnifying the positive things changed my night. I didn't get to the gym until about 9:15pm, but when I left at 10pm, I felt amazing. I shared a genuine (although tired) smile with everyone that passed by. I felt like a winner.

Now it's your turn. Choose at least one "can" to focus on and magnify today. Watch your day and your health routine change for the better.

Stay encouraged.