An Interview with a Storied Legend

AN INTERVIEW WITH A STORIED LEGEND

The Man Behind the Shell

A legendary story of speed and flakiness versus endurance and commitment stole the hearts of oracles for decades.  A sure bet was made in service of what some considered to be an obvious favorite, creating the brilliant underdog story for years to come.  In the midst of all of this lesson learning and storytelling was two lives, individual, but absolute critical partners in what would become an example for all descendants of greatness.

Today we got the chance to sit down and talk to the Tortoise from the legendary account of an unprecedented race from a near lifetime ago (The Tortoise and the Hare).

PLYOGA: Tell us what it was like to be part of a competition where you would most assuredly lose, but won, and in doing so, changed the course of history?

Tortoise: Thank you for doing this.  The truth is that you just never know what you are capable of until you try.  When starting the race that day, I thought it was just a formality for me, something for people to talk about, but I never imagined the impact it would have on the world forever.

P:  What has changed in your life after creating what is possibly the most famous underdog story of all time?

T: Clearly you do not watch baseball.  If either the Indians or the Cubs win, it’s an underdog story.  That’s real magic.  Realistically though, I have been given a life full of meeting awesome people as a life coach.  I also sort of gave my whole species a progressive advantage because everyone thinks we are naturally slow.

P: Everyone thinks you are slow?  Can you explain?  You say that as if you are not?

T: Sure.  The premise behind the entire story of the Hare and I was that there some predetermined outcome that I was slow and incapable of doing something I was challenged to do.  Most people have no clue that in a heightened or alarmed state, Tortoises can travel up to 23 Miles per hour.  Most tortoises do not even know what they are capable of.

P: WOW! This is something new to me as well.  We are learning something new every day.  We should call the Hare and ask him if he knew the deck was not so strongly in his favor when the race started.  Are you guys still friends?  Do you keep in touch?

T: I visit his final resting place from time to time.  As you may know, Hares only live about 7 years, but he was very spontaneous.  You know from the story that he stopped to rest and eat everything and ANYTHING during the race, which is why he lost.  He was skinny fat.  He was very distracted.  A year after our race, on his 4^th birthday, he stopped to eat vegetation growing in the crack of street pavement and was taken out by a Ford Model T.

P: A Ford Model T?  That was last made in 1927. WHEN WAS THIS!?

T: 1926.  I’m sure if you did not know that Tortoises are capable of running 23 MPH, you likely also did not know that we can live up to 110 years? 

P: That is a long time!

T: Again, The Cubs have not won a world series in 108 years, and there is some woman named Vivian in Kankakee who was a baby when they won.  She is now like 900 years old.  Truthfully though, many tortoises do not live that long.

P: Whats your secret?

T: Beside the fact that my sponsors gave me a Teflon coated shell, I eat really clean.  I live on leafy greens, small amounts of hard vegetables, and moist fruits.  I also move every day, and despite my age of 90, I am faster, sharper, and stronger than ever.

P:  This has been a lot of fun.  I am sure you have offered advice to countless people everywhere.  What would be one critical thing you would like to share with the people who follow PLYOGA?

T: If you go hard and fast all of the time, you will be agile and quick for a little while.  If you want to be strong, healthy, and smarter for the long haul; eat well, exercise smart, recover effectively, and never underestimate yourself. 

P:  Thanks for that.  Would you be so kind as to accept our Motto for your shell?  We feel it embodies what you are all about.

T:  Terrific!  YOUR BODY IS POWER!  I love it.

YOUR BODY IS POWER

Do you want to be stronger, healthier, faster, and smarter when you get old?

DO PLYOGA!

Save 20% with Promo Code: POWER

ORDER HERE

WHATEVER YOU SEE, YOU ARE RIGHT!

WHATEVER YOU SEE, YOU ARE RIGHT!

Don't you LOVE these pictures?!!  Is it a chalice or two people moving in for a kiss?  The truth is, it is whatever YOU SAY IT IS!  

YOU ARE RIGHT EITHER WAY!

WOW!  Isn't that amazing? 

Wait a minute.. this is a perfect illustration of REALITY!

Did you know that 4 people can all witness the same event and have different accounts of how it happened based upon how they see the world and the people involved?  WHY IS THIS RELEVANT ON A FITNESS BLOG?!!

Well, I just had a day that was inconvenient.  A bunch of NONSENSE by all standards!  You know what I cannot wait to do though, at 9pm!!!?  I need to relax, unwind, kickback, and LET LOOSE.  

I AM GOING TO THE GYM!

That is how I define the gym.  Letting loose, unwinding, relaxing!  I assure you that if you look at the gym as your personal place to refocus, you will want to go! 

If it is a hateful place for you in your definition, then it is a hateful place.  Whatever it is you say, YOU ARE RIGHT FOR YOU!  That also goes for your GOALS!  If they are too good for you in your mind, they will always be out of reach!  

So, some advice!  

• See fitness as a retreat
• See endings in life as a chance to start something new
• See challenges as a starting point rather than an end
• See yourself as powerful, and not part of anyone else's grand plan

We know "YOUR BODY IS POWER"

If you are struggling to understand that, let us help you.   Bring us to your home.  20% off of our At Home Workout Series with code: POWER

Order Here

Contributed by: Thomas Ascough

IMAGINATION - WHAT CAN YOU THINK UP?

IMAGINATION

                 WHAT CAN YOU THINK UP?

You know how when you buy a car or a shirt, you suddenly see that model car everywhere or notice that shirt on someone else.  That car has always been on the road, but it did not have your attention because it was not part of your life.  That shirt has been mass produced and is on thousands of others, but you only noticed it because you own it.  

Let me build a little bridge to my point!

When you tell yourself that you cannot do something, you look for people around you who believe in such a way that will support your limiting belief: Underachievers!

When you tell yourself that you can never have the body that person has because she is just a genetic outlier, you look for other people who have resigned to similar unhealthy eating habit and sedentary lifestyle to comfort your malignant attitude: Lazy People!

When you tell yourself you are too old at 40 or 50 to get into the best shape of your life, you look for others (sometimes older and 50 year olds in worse shape) to solidify your thesis:  Quitters! 

When you tell yourself that people who maintain a healthy perspective and great physique are boring and pompous and arrogant, you look for people who agree with you to motivate your conversation: Haters!

When you say you cannot have a successful career and that everyone who does must have eaten from the silver spoon or had some sort of advantage over you, you turn to sources and people who find that credible to believe: Losers!

Don't buy the mental vehicle of the losers, the haters, the quitters, the lazy, and the underachievers.  

Believe in yourself, believe in your power, believe in your resources, believe in your capability, believe in your capacity for success, and NEVER STOP!

Whatever you tell yourself you are, whoever you surround yourself with, and whatever you believe, you become!

Written by Thomas Ascough

Do you need motivation to be active? We are here for you!

PLYOGA Workout Series: 20% off Promo Code: POWER

BUY NOW

PLYOGA BREAKTHROUGH: MUSIC & YOUR FITNESS LEVEL

YOUR FITNESS IS TIED TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF MUSICAL PREFERENCE

Every PLYOGA class is unique in a few ways.  They are always changing, they are catering to the demographic within a class, and the class is NOT cued by music, making the track choices open to the instructor.  I have literally taken PLYOGA classes where I was not inspired to give myself the best workout possible because I could not deal with the music being played.  

Music is at the heart of many independent group exercise formats.  19 out of 20 people on a gym floor also have some sort of musical device in play for their workout.  Most runners hit the trail with their IPods.  When you see athletes entering their locker rooms upon arrival to their stadiums, it has become a staple to be wearing their inspiration to greatness in their ear in the form of BEATS or whatever else.  

MUSIC

This has lead us to add something to the ever growing list of fitness advice.  We believe this advice should land as #1 or #2 on the list.  Do you want to get started on an efficient journey to a better and healthier you?  GET MUSIC THAT MOTIVATES YOU!  

FOLLOW THESE 3 TIPS!

• Figure out what music motivates you:  This may be music that you do not typically listen to while driving in the car.  If it's in your ear, or out of your control in a studio, no one will know what you have on!  BE UNIQUE.  
• If working out alone, invest in a musical device or download music that you love (and that will motivate you) onto your phone.
• Working out in group exercise: Stay motivated by giving yourself FUN FITNESS!  Look into the style of the instructors who are going to be your first impression in fitness.  Go to classes that share the style that resonates with you.  Fitness is not boring or out of touch.  The classes you are picking are.  

DO YOU WANT TO JUST WORKOUT AT HOME, OR ON YOUR DECK, OR A PARK, OR IN A BOX WITH A FOX AND PLAY YOUR OWN MUSIC REAL LOUD?  

BUY OUR WORKOUT SERIES. (5 WORKOUTS FOR $50) 

save 20% with Promo Code: POWER

Follow Those Who Have Achieved What You Want

FOLLOW THOSE WHO HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT YOU WANT

There is a very powerful testament to be made in the way that you define success for yourself. Every person who has defined what success means for them and achieved that goal will admit to studying those who have come before.  If something does not work, the goal seeker creates a new road.  If just minor tweaks need to be made to a terrific system, the person will follow the trailblazer until the path ends and a new path (contribution) must be created.  The most successful goal seekers credit their level of achievement to finding a way to create the most value for the world.  

If you follow us, you likely do so because you like fitness and wellness and have goals to be strong and healthy.

If you look at these pictures of PLYOGA Founder Stephanie Lauren (top left), Chief PLYOGA Master Trainer Christine Conti (top right), and 3 other profound fitness leaders (from left to right - Lori Harder, Rita Catolino, Angelike Norrie) and say, 

"WOW! These girls all are killing it and I want to do THAT!," 

LET US KNOW!

ALL 5 OF THESE WOMEN USE THE BEST FORMULATED ORGANIC, NON-GMO, GLUTEN FREE, NUTRITIONAL AIDS ON THE PLANET TO FUEL AND RECOVER THEIR BODIES. 

CONTACT US AND WE CAN PUT STEPHANIE OR CHRISTINE IN TOUCH WITH YOU!

www.PLYOGAFitness.com 

Stephanie@PLYOGAFitness.com

Try the PLYOGA WORKOUT SERIES - No Equipment

REPLACING YOUR "CRUNCHY" SNACK

REPLACING YOUR CRUNCHY SNACK

Changing Your Life

We all have a craving to crunch from time to time.  You likely have a "go to" snack for this craving.  Replacing your snack with Almonds will change the game for you!  We are talking all of the following BENEFITS:

Lower LDLs

High in Healthy Fats for Heart Health

Potassium, Magnesium, Antioxidants, Manganese, Copper, Riboflavin, B12, Fiber, Biotin, Protein.  They are even slightly alkaline! 

Do you want the science and specifics?  Click here

When you get all of this awesome energy from changing small things every week with food,

START WORKING OUT WITH US! 

CLICK HERE FOR 5 HOURS OF PERSONAL FITNESS

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE! The Confusion in Calorie Counting

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE

The Confusion in Calorie Counting

People who calorie count will traditionally miss out on the most terrific of superfoods that are going to actually satisfy your hunger faster and reduce the amount of food you WANT to eat to begin with!
(because they are high in calories due to having substance)

  It's a crazy circle of failure!  

Here's a tip:  Eat only all natural foods and watch your energy and health grow!  THEN... you will have the mental and physical endurance to take life by the horns.

1 cup of avocado might never be on the radar for a calorie counter because it has 234 calories in it. 

Here is what you are missing

Example:  AVOCADO

Calories: 234 WHAT!!!!!?

FAT: 21 grams of Smart Fats that prevent Heart Disease

DIETARY FIBER: 40% OF THE DAY'S DOSE

PROTEIN: 3 GRAMS

VITAMIN C: 24% OF THE DAY'S DOSE

VITAMIN B6: 20% OF THE DAY'S DOSE

MAGNESIUM: 10% OF THE DAY'S DOSE

POTASSIUM - IRON - FOLIC ACID

We eat them daily and no one on our team has weight issues.

Here is something else we do. EXERCISE SMART!

Promo Code POWER reduces price to $39.99

Buy Now

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE! This week's QUICK FIX

Health Journeys Start Here

One QUICK Fix That Changes The Game 

 
                                                     

Substitute as much as 100% of Flour with Wheat Germ and Flax Seed in Baking and Cooking 

Nutrition Facts for Flax Seed: Serving Size = 2 tbsp ; 4.5g fat, 4g of carbohydrate, 4g of fiber, 3g protein, 4% DV for iron, 2% DV for Calcium, 4% DV Vitamin E, 13% DV folic acid

Nutrition Facts for Wheat Germ: Serving Size = 2 tbsp ; 1g fat, 6g of carbohydrate, 2g of fiber, 4g protein, 4% DV for iron, 15% DV for Thiamin, 20% DV Vitamin E, 20% DV folic acid

In the same serving size, White Flour has about the equivalent protein and iron, but has 4x's more carbohydrates and no additional benefits like omega 3s (flax seed) and Vitamin E.

Small changes add up over time!

Pair up smarter nutrition with smarter fitness.  

Interval training, loading your muscles eccentrically with plyometric movement, and practicing yoga as an active recovery are proven to be amongst the smartest fitness styles available.

20% off with Promo Code POWER

GET OUR WORKOUT SERIES

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE! Part 3: A Healthy Alternative!

Health Journeys Start Here

Part 3: A Healthy Alternative

Most people love pasta and pizza and bread!  It is tough to abandon these kind of carbohydrates.  We don't.  We use them in moderation as a treat and make simple changes when possible.  One change you can make in order to have PASTA EVERY DAY is to get vegetable based pastas that are rich in organic vegetable proteins!  They really do taste the same if you cook them correctly!

This pasta is 60%
chickpea.  People may
not like that it has brown
rice flour or tapioca starch
for their own reasons but
both are organic and both
are better than just eating
wheat flour for dinner.
To top it off, this product
has 176 grams of protein
in a 2lb box.  You do not
even need any meat with
this! 
(we got this at Costco)

Pair your health journey with fitness that requires no equipment and can be done anywhere!  Use Code: POWER to save 20% ($39.99)

  Buy the PLYOGA Workout Series

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE: One More Simple Step

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE!

ONE MORE SIMPLE STEP

Eat More Alkaline Foods, Eat Less Acidic Foods

We nabbed this beautiful "beginner" chart off of Rawforbeauty.com.  We are not suggesting to completely overhaul and switch your entire regular everyday diet overnight.  Our goal for you would be to remove one thing on the right every month, and add one thing on the left.  After a year, you will be well on the way to fantastic-ness. 

QUICK TIPS #1: Did you know that things you consider acidic may not react with your body chemistry as an acid?  Lemons and Limes are Alkaline rich foods, despite being highly acidic.  Don't make assumptions

QUICK TIP #2:  The medical world knows, but does not advertise, that cancer struggles to survive in an alkaline rich, oxygenated environment.  If you eat the foods on the left way more than the foods on the right, you are being awesome and preventative! 

  

Want to partner your knowledge with exercise? Get the PLYOGA Fitness Workout Series  

5 workouts for $39.99 with Promo Code: POWER

Click Here

HEALTH JOURNEYS START HERE: 2 Suggestions That Will Work For You Easily And Immediately

Do You Want To Lose Weight And Never Put It Back On?

2 Solutions For You That Will Work Indefinitely 

There are infinite ways and detailed solutions to conquer the weight loss goals you may have.  You look at others who have done what you want to do and you blame it on your genetics.  Most of the time, it has nothing to do with genetics.  Most of the time, it has 90% to do with what you eat.  

We want to give you 2 starting moves that are not overwhelming, easily replaceable, and create an achievability factor that gives you momentum to tackle the next big things.

 

1. CUT SUGARY DRINKS that impact your body negatively in various negative ways.  

Excessive sugar is not good for you!  Drink Water.  Don't drink anything that has excessive sugar in it.  Your body should only run on around 40 grams per day or less of sugar by medical recommendation.

2. STOP EATING/ORDERING FRIED FOODS (even if they come with a salad)

Fried foods are loaded with bad cholesterols, unhealthy fats, and more.  Baking your food at a high temperature will give you that same crunchy charm.

Conquer these easy goals and then contact us if you would like to learn more about other great options from Nutrition Experts on our team!

www.PLYOGAFitness.com

Start Exercising With Us!

5 Workouts with Fitness Pro Stephanie Lauren for $8 each!

Get It Here!  Use Promo Code POWER to save 20%.  

Healthy Pancakes! Not Gluten Free, Not Dairy Free, Just a better alternative!

Most pancake recipes are loaded with over 100 grams of sugar and crappy flours.  Here is a recipe for the average person to enjoy that does rids you of all of the junk, but gives you all of the taste!  Remember.. if you use syrup, make sure it is all natural Maple Sugar or something similar (and use it in moderation)

• 1 cup of Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup of Wheat Germ
• 1/2 cup of Flax Seed
• 2 teaspoons of Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons of Cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil (or healthy oil of choice)
• 5 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup of Egg Whites
• 1/2 Cup of Low or No Sugar Greek Yogurt
• Choice of Fruit (2 bananas or 1.5 cups of blueberries or strawberries)

Stir it up, grease your pan with a little more coconut oil, and go to town!  

Recipe makes 12-14 pancakes.

Are you feeling all around smarter now and you want to also exercise smarter?  Get our at home workout series and use only your body to get a great workout.  Use Promo Code: POWER and save 20%

Click Here

Want more Recipes for healthy ways to change your diet, contact: Stephanie@PLYOGAFitness.com

5 Steps to a Less Sedentary Lifestyle (EASY SOLUTIONS)

5 Ways To A Less Sedentary Lifestyle

"Physical fitness" is often an intimidating phrase for the best of people.  They often define age or their current state as reasons why they cannot make a fitness journey.  Here are 5 things that we have heard, seen, or thought of to get you ready for the next step.  

1. Make a mind shift for yourself when you are looking for a parking spot at a mall, restaurant, sporting event etc.  The furthest spot is now the best spot.  Give yourself a little more of a walk.  While you walk, walk intentionally.  Focus on longer strides, move your arms, stand up straight.

2. If you still watch your tv shows live, make a list of simple exercises to do during the entire commercial break.  This eliminates the notion that the tv is for lazy people.  Think planks, push-ups, squats, high knees, lunges. 

3. Dr. Len Kravitz spoke at SCW MANIA in LA and came up with an idea to sit twice every time.  People might think you are a weirdo, but if you sit, stand, and then sit for a second time, his studies found that you will do 10,000 extra squats per year.  Women with nice butts say they get them from doing squats.

4. Business people tend to be busier than most and have less time, although 90% of top level executives stay physically fit and wake up early enough each day to get a workout in.  If this is not you, here is a way to start getting to that point.  Have meetings with colleagues "walking" rather than "sitting."  What's the difference in most cases if you are walking in a park or sitting at a coffee shop or table?  Just movement. 

5. People are addicted to their phones.  Let your phone be the reason you do something with exercise.  Start something simple, where every time you look at your phone, you do 2 high knees, or you take 20 steps, or you sit in an L sit at your desk.  

We can connect you with nutritional solutions to aid your journey.  Take our short survey:  http://www.plyogafitness.com/#!life/c16q8 

"The gym" can often be intimidating at first.  We have a way to use your body at home to get awesome results without equipment, for the price of a 1/2 hour with a personal trainer.  Get our PLYOGA 5 workout series 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

PLYOGA is Growing Yoga's Footprint

Yoga is a 5,000 year old practice.  For many, yoga is a central form of fitness that unites the mind and body.  Yoga is perennial and eternal and sacred in the minds of many.  The yoga journey is often spiritual for those who become deeply immersed in what they may consider more of an art than a fitness class.  At PLYOGA, we appreciate and agree with that yoga journey 100%.  That's why we started PLYOGA in 2013.

5,000 years ago, there were no modern amenities or conveniences.  If someone was doing something, they were doing it manually.  The lifestyle was fitness and free of being sedentary.  If you could not move functionally, you did not survive.  Yoga was the only "fitness", although its use was much more layered in its beginnings in Northern India.  The value in this amazing fitness culture is boundless but often disregarded by so many.

As an athlete, PLYOGA founder Stephanie Lauren looked to constantly go fast and powerful when it came to training.  Staying in top shape was layered in sprints, gymnastics conditioning, interval training, kickboxing, and bootcamp formats.  It was not until after her NCAA Division 1 career was finished that she realized the value in muscle fluidity, balance, flexibility, and overall control.  It was then that she fell in love with Yoga as a means of longevity.  After making yoga part of her educational rapport in fitness, Stephanie realized that the premise behind yoga was absolutely necessary for top competitors in all sports and genres.  Yoga would play a role in reducing injury and creating more well rounded athletes, but the same problem still existed. 

Athletes are not often keen to slow down and dedicate significant time to fortifying and protecting these strong bodies with the healing powers of yoga.  The task was to fool them into getting these benefits on their terms.  PLYOGA began to take shape. 

PLYOGA is a 4 part system with a dynamic/ballistic warm-up, a transitional segment featuring plyometric and core intervals with yoga as an active recovery, a short plyometric dedicated segment, and a thorough yoga cool down.  So often, interval training classes depend on the students to continue their stretch and cool down after the class.  Stephanie knew too well that these students rarely did so.  

PLYOGA invigorates its participants with a subtle and focused yoga segment to bring them back down to earth.  The question remains.  How does PLYOGA compliment and grow Yoga's footprint?  

We hear from isolated yoga gurus that yoga infused workouts bastardize yoga and defeat the very heart of the yoga premise.  The truth is most people don't know that they need yoga in their lives until they just know.  When people are not mentally ready to tackle yoga or yoga seems intimidating,  who's going to get them there?  Not yoga gurus. 

More athletes and bootcamp style people take PLYOGA than yoga people (although we love yoga people because it expands their horizons in the aerobic sector too).  Why is this important?  Every HIIT advocate that starts using PLYOGA to fill their desire for intense fitness learns fundamental and accelerated yoga movements.  In the interim, these people, in majority, become more flexible, balanced, and in tune with their bodies through the yoga component.  People always do what they get good at, so they become more curious.  

A vast majority of intense PLYOGA students wind up venturing into specialized studios or classes that focus specifically on yoga to elevate the journey and evolve as athletes.  We encourage them to.  We introduce the benefits of yoga to them through interval training and they fall in love.  PLYOGA has been in front of over 100,000 fitness students.  If only 10% of them have developed a deeper curiosity toward yoga after realizing the distinct benefits that they learned in their PLYOGA class, then we have created at least 10,000 new yoga fans (and we are happy about it). 

Fitness is diverse, evolving, and inclusive.  We are excited to be part of it!

YOUR BODY IS POWER

Get our At Home Workout Series!

5 workouts for the cost of a 1/2 hour with a personal trainer

Become Certified to Teach PLYOGA IN USA & CANADA

CEUS: AFAA, ACE, CANFITPRO, NASM, SCW

REGISTER HERE

    

          

WHY BEING GRATEFUL CREATES SUCCESS

WHY BEING GRATEFUL CREATES SUCCESS

You cannot get past the first chapter in motivational literature or a list of inspiring social media quotes without seeing suggestions to “be grateful” and “live in the moment.”  These two ingredients in the recipe to success are so mundane at this point that they slip through our consciousness like a Geico commercial featuring that lizard.  Does anyone really know that it is about car insurance anymore?  Same tenant here, but these two roadmaps to your goals have a deeper underlying truth that it so much more than what is on the surface.  “Being Grateful” and “Living in the Moment” are like glaciers.  You only see the tip of them but they extend so deep.

Building a healthy body, growing a successful business, nurturing a great relationship, or mastering anything worth learning takes time.  These long journeys are a series of small steps and micro-gestures that all add up to something prodigious, IF you can keep focus on that which paved the way.

LIVING IN THE MOMENT

The present is the ONLY thing you own in life.  Think about it.  You cannot undo the past in any way.  You can only take on a series of new events in your present that will allow you to change your future.  What stands in the way of you grabbing the present and making it amazing?  Fear and faith are the opposite of one another.  Fear is what holds most people back because they are not sure whether their actions in their present can paint that vision that they have for their future.  They need faith.

Faith is easy for some people.  There are people who put everything in their God’s hands.  They say “I am going to do it, and if it is the will of God, I will succeed.”  This faith allows them to see road bumps and failures along the way as a test from God from which they must overcome to get better.  They may never get discouraged because they feel like they are on a heavenly journey, but they also run the risk of never elevating because they often wait for the bigger picture to come to them rather than going out and finding those outliers who illuminate the path.

 

The challenge is for people who do not think in terms of God to have faith in their journey.  The world can be a lonely place when you do not have a higher power charting your course in your mind, but the compass for you and others is being grateful. 

BEING GRATEFUL

Here is why being grateful is like a glacier where the heart of it extends very deep.  It is incredibly important for you to be grateful forever in order to have continued faith in your goals and an ability to live in the moment.  They go hand in hand.  Why? 

So many people on every kind of journey are looking for the end result, while foregoing the minor details that created the stepping stones to the top.  People are so enchanted with excitement at the very moment that something amazing happens (major business accomplishment, big weight loss week, an introduction to someone who can change your life, a visit to a place where you learned valuable lessons).  That amazing thing propels you and gives you the motive to go to the next level, but while you are venturing on the next level, you forget that monumental factor that elevated you unless you are eternally grateful.  If you do not see how far you have come and show gratitude for the process, you lose the motivation to take it all the way. 

PEOPLE

-Someone gave you advice that saved you thousands of dollars and kept you off of a trail of mistakes.

-Someone showed you their favorite fitness routine that has helped you lose half of the weight.

-Someone believed in you enough to tell you to go for it when you were full of doubt.

-Someone introduced you to another individual who brought you to the next level in your journey

It is so important to remember the elevating tenure that every individual has had on your journey.  Never forget someone’s contribution to your ultimate goals.  

PLACES

You are not better than somewhere.  It is all of the places that you have been that take you to another place.  Learn and be grateful for the lessons.    No store, system, gym, job, or environment is beneath you.  They have been places that have taught you lessons until it was time to move on.

You could not have gone bigger or better without learning how to compete or conquer on that lower level. 

THINGS

This could be anything.  So many people forget how they once had an obstacle that was long ago conquered by something they found.  After time passes and this obstacle becomes so foreign, they tend to pay less merit to the product or materials that got them out of the rut.  They will often undermine this product or idea or fitness supplementation program because they forget what it is like to be ineffective, incongruent, or lethargic.    

Gratefulness and understanding toward what helped you on the journey makes the road ahead easier to process and plan for.

There are so many layers to “Living in the Moment” and “Being Grateful” but one major factor escapes so many people because it is too difficult to grasp.  This major factor is the true reason to practice these principles but it is not as transparent and often too daunting for someone to process when beginning a journey.  When you cherish every experience and you are thankful for everything that plays a role around you, it makes it easier to process that “the world does not revolve around you.”  It seems so obvious and altruistic, but while most people think they embrace this, it takes a lot of practice for it to click.  When it does click, individuals realize that they are the product of everything in their environment, rather than the center of the universe.

This is when true success manifests, because the process is so cyclical.  Everything that made you what you are has brought you to this point.  The only thing you own is the present.  You are grateful for every step along the way.  Now that you fully understand that your life is a product of everything in your environment, you have more control.  Why?  You now understand that it is YOUR CHOICE to surround yourself with positivity or negativity, and that will ultimately dictate how far you go in your journey to be better than yesterday.  Positive places, things, and people will empower your mission. 

-written by Thomas Ascough

#YOURBODYISPOWER

Want to empower your fitness journey? Get our At-Home Workout Series. No equipment. 

5 Workouts for the cost of a 1/2 hour with a personal trainer.

Purchase here for $49.99

  

GET ON THIS ROAD TO OVERALL SUCCESS NOW! (10 WAYS)

10 COLLECTIVE WAYS TO SUCCEED IN ANYTHING 

10. Declutter In Every Way

The easiest way to start this step is the physical element.  Once you let go of things from your house, (old belongings, clothes, old shoes, pictures in closets, old paperwork and more) you start to feel more mentally and financially free and ready to tackle goals.  You cannot set goals that you cannot envision.  Declutter! 

9. Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission

Waiting for other people's approval in order for you to move forward in life is wasteful.  Live within the law, but understand that no one person or place in life cares as urgently about your goals as you do.  Your passion can only be amplified if it is seen.  Don't wait for people to empower you.  

8. Speak Less, Listen More

Most people think they need to be very vocal and instrumental until they hit that point in their journey where they actually realize they have so much to learn (and that applying your solution requires understanding how it is needed by others).  That epiphany is the point when you will really start to feel successful (whether it's weight loss, business, relationships, or more).  You become a sponge of knowledge around you.  When you don't "know it all," life is so much easier.

7. Study Those Who Came Before

There are always people who have done something similar to which you are embarking.  Have you ever heard the expression, "Work Smarter, Not Harder?"  This is a simple concept.  Implement the amazing things your Goal Ancestors have laid out, and add your mark by doing those few things that you know can be done better.  Often the smallest improvements can make all of the difference.

6. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

... or letting others judge you.  Most people on one journey or another believe that everyone else who came before them had it easier.  We tend to be creatures of self pity.  This is the real reason not to compare yourself to others, because you almost always do it to feel bad for yourself.  Being successful at something is tough.  If it wasn't, everyone would do it!

5. Set Realistic Goals

Whether it's pounds per week or units sold or dollars per year, set realistic expectations but shoot for the stars.  Gracious achieving is a far better platform than falling short and being greedy.  Achievability and excitement also make a better launch pad for your next level of improvements.

4. Start Before You Are Ready

There is never enough time and you are never going to be ready.  If you are looking at a competitor and think you cannot pull the trigger until you can be as good or as big (or whatever) as them, you'll never pull the trigger.  Everything is a work in progress and chances are you didn't hear about those you aspire to achieve like until they were years in with hundreds of mistakes made and many lessons learned.

3. Live Post Tragedy

There is one thing that most humans don't realize.  You have 1 life to live.  People who have beat a terminal cancer or have lost a family member too early usually have a unique quality of urgency in their life and an appreciation for every opportunity.  Why is it going to take something directly tragic to you to make you see that what you have to offer the world is worth it? Live like tomorrow may never come.

2.  Always Find An Evolution In Every Obstacle

Most successful people make it look so easy.  It's NOT EASY!  It's the way you look at it.  People often say that in order to be successful, you have to fail over and over again.  I say that is sort of a half truth.  Successful people don't really fail.  They do things the wrong way, and then they find the proper lessons, learn the means of evolving, and take a new path.  Stay Positive and Open Minded!

1. FOCUS

Success takes time (in every way).  Most entrepreneurs try to do too much at once and they try to change too much too fast because they actually lack the discipline to stay true to their model until the world finally takes notice (or people trying to lose weight think it should happen in one month, or they go too hard too fast and get injured and think their body is just no longer capable of being fit and healthy).  Stay Focused.

Written by Thomas Ascough

Physical Fitness Helps Mental Clarity! Try PLYOGA!

Workout at Home with PLYOGA