In my 20 plus years being in the world of the fitness lifestyle, from being a 200 & 400 meter sprinter to being a sprint coach and now a Team Beachbody Coach, one the of biggest struggles I’ve seen with people is being consistent due to that space between their ears! Especially people who struggle long term fitness/weight loss results.

Like what? They THINK about the wrong things!

The majority of people who are trying to lose weight are thought-focused on looking at the scale! Every morning checking their weight. They dwell on that number. Others in the gym just gotta see their bench press weight get bigger each and every workout. Getting upset if they don’t improve each workout. Yet there are others who struggle with overeating or eating the wrong foods. Then eat more of those sweets. Or they miss a couple of workouts in a row. Then it becomes 3 weeks.

The worst part is, they beat themselves up mercilessly about it! Their THOUGHTS destroy any momentum they’ve gained. It’s a slippery slope from there. Dwelling on everything they’ve done wrong. Over and over again. Soon sliding back into the bad eating habits and completely giving up working out altogether.

What you think makes a HUGE IMPACT on your path of life!

There are days when even I have struggled in the last 70+ days with my P90X Lean workouts. *Gasp* Shocking I know. LOL Though my situation is a little different as I’m trying to get back into shape after the car accident in January that left me inactive until the end of September due to my injuries. It is a constant battle in my head with my own thought process about what I go through on a daily basis with the quality of my workouts, the foods I eat, the sleep I don’t get, etc, etc. But I IMMEDIATELY nip that thinking in the bud the moment I catch those thoughts trying to attack me.

You know those thoughts don’t you? We all have. What we think is what we attract and become. Why do you think so many people fail at their new years resolutions? They beat themselves up with their thoughts…setting themselves up for failure. Reinforcing that vicious cycle instead of understanding that life happens and a fitness lifestyle is a journey, not a number.

A few weeks ago, I ran across a great archived blog post by P90X’s Tony Horton, that really hit home for me. Tony made some brilliant points that led me to blogging this for all of you today hoping you glean something valuable from reading it. Here it is:

Cheat, Slow Down & Take Breaks

I’ve discovered over the years that one of the main reasons why people can’t stay fit and healthy is because they put so much pressure on themselves to see constant improvement in their performance and appearance. They also become discouraged when things like strength, energy, range of motion and endurance waver from workout to workout. For some reason many of us think that with every workout we’re supposed to get stronger, leaner and better. The truth is, no one can continuously maintain or sustain an ever improving level of energy and enthusiasm for every workout. It’s impossible. There are dozens of factors that effect how we’re able to accomplish things. Sleep, stress, diet, weather, illness, injuries, biorhythms and more, all play a part in your day to day successes, disappointments, accomplishments and setbacks.

My 5th Law of Health and Fitness is Reality. If reality dictates that you’re wiped out after a long day, and at the end of that long day you have a PlyoX workout to do, then let reality play a roll in how you will do that workout. Some choose to skip the workout altogether because they feel (prior to starting) that their performance will be substandard based on past performances. Others might ‘get through it” but beat themselves up afterward because they weren’t as strong or capable as in past workouts. If this kind of mental gymnastics is happening with you, then understand that comparing your present situation with past ones will make you crazy. This kind of thinking is a leading cause for why people can’t get or stay fit and healthy.

Life is filled with ups and downs, and these ups and downs will inevitably affect the quality of our workouts. When I ask you to do your best and forget the rest, I’m asking you to see if you can show up and be okay with how you’re doing right now, not last time. The place and head space you’re in right now is all you have. Why would you want to ruin it by comparing it to  something else? If a particular workout seems daunting prior to starting it, then I say, it’s okay to “get through it” anyway you can. This includes using that pause button on your remote often if necessary. It’s also okay to skip parts of a workout. Run-in-place or stretch during Bow to Boat or Plyo Push-ups if your too tired or not in the mood. I’m here to tell you that it’s perfectly okay to cheat like hell, take breaks and skip some moves if that’s what you need to do to get through a workout. I do.

Any workout (no matter how altered it is) is always better than no workout at all. When you shift your mind set to doing something (even when you don’t want to) you’ll be less likely to completely fall off the fitness wagon. Don’t let your ego fight what’s happening to you right now. Gracefully accept the conditions that present themselves as opposed to fighting the reality of your situation. I’ve mentioned the fight or flow scenario before and it applies here as well. Go-with-the-flow based only on who you are right now, and stop fighting the truth of now because you so desperately need to keep up with your past. If you can do this and accept this, then you’ll know how to stay fit and healthy for the rest of your life.

Hopefully Tony Horton’s words connected with you as they did with me.

Thanks for reading the latest blog post! I really appreciate you being here. Find out what I am doing right now by following me on Twitter!

Hey, if you’re thinking about Christmas presents, you could give the gift of FITNESS with one of several Beachbody fitness DVD programs.

If you’re not yet a Team Beachbody Coach, you’re missing
out on a life changing experience! Change lives and Get Paid! Come join the fun!

Dream Big! Decide…Commit…Succeed!

Your partner on the fitness lifestyle,
Timothy Carter
Independent Team Beachbody Coach
http://HomeFitnessRevolution.com
http://ICommitToFitness.com

I’ve had family & friends from all walks of life asking me lately me why I choose the residual income lifestyle over working the 9-6 lifestyle for someone else and get my guaranteed 2 weeks of vacation and investing in the company 401k.

They don’t understand why I’d give up such “security”. Especially as the economy continues to show signs of falling apart. They have the same concerns about money, about debt, about retirement, about their health, their future. But they now need more money to keep up the losing battle with the economy. Then in the same breath, they ask me how I make that money working from home and if it’s possible that they earn a living from home too?

Why Tim why?

The cost of commuting…time to and from work away from family multiplied with the rising price of gasoline…making ends meet harder and harder. There is only so much money you can get out of a job…that 3-5% a year raise…that doesn’t even keep up with INFLATION! It’s a lifestyle. It’s a choice. Too many people are trapped by the housing and financial meltdowns. Trapped in their dead-end jobs.

Have you ever had that conversation with someone you are close to? How did it go? Have you had that conversation recently as the economy worsens? What’s the response been to the news on TV about financial market bailout of 700 billion dollars? The falling stock market?

In the months ahead as we’re moving into 2009, I fully expect more and more people will be actively pursuing how to make more money online, they will be asking me about how we are earning a living from home and how we’re transforming our bodies and health!

So why did I choose a career over a job? First and foremost…I had PASSION!

I have a passion for LIFE! A passion to impact people’s lives in a way that their lives are permanently transformed! To live as healthy as I can for as long as I can while leading others who want to do the same on their own terms. A passionate commitment to fitness.

I didn’t have passion for commercial property management, but I DID have passion for working with entrepreneurial minded individuals!

Are you passionate about what you do? Are you passionate about health & fitness? What IS your passion? Can you earn a living from your passion?

Do you have the time or money to start your own business? To increase your streams of income? Do you think about life without a job? Have you been thinking about joining the “work at home generation”? Are you making any plans to break free from your job while you’ve built your career from home?

I really enjoyed reading what my fitness mentor/coach, Tony Horton, of P90X fame, wrote on his blog on my birthday about Jobs vs. Careers about what it is that we do in this career choice.

People with careers are happy and fired up because they manifest their
own destinies. They can’t wait to wake up and get busy because they
know the sky is the limit. If you commit to building your own business
the rewards are endless. Like I said earlier, my job is to be the
fitness guy, not to be the Team BeachBody business promoter. But when I
see so many people go from lame, low income jobs to life altering
careers with this amazing opportunity, I can’t be silent. In Lincoln,
Dallas, Vegas, Atlanta, Boise & Beyond people are fusing Fitness
with Financial Freedom. I coined that one. Pretty good, right? The
truth is, it’s more than a phrase, it’s the truth. I’ve seen it over
and over again. Unhappy overweight, out-of-shape people with lousy
jobs, losing weight, getting into shape, building their businesses and
creating the freedom to live the lives they’ve always wanted. I
wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, and
I’ve seen it happen to thousands of people time and time again.

Most of us would be lucky just to get a few opportunities in life to make it
better. I’m asking you not to ignore this one. If you’re unhappy with
your job and find yourself struggling with your health and fitness then
it might be time to open your eyes to the Team BeachBody Revolution. If
you hate exercise, love fast food and have a hard time talking to
people then this business career opportunity isn’t for you. But if you
like the idea of being fit & healthy combined with having a life
that provides financial freedom (in these very scary economic times)
then step up to the plate and swing for the fence. Life is too short to
sit back and let everyone else have all the fun. We get to choose
whether we want to continue to struggle in this world or take control
of our own world. So what will it be for you?

While recovering from the car accident, I knew there was only one choice for our financial future. Self-employment once again. We didn’t want to get permanently locked into the consumerism lifestyle that resulted in working for someone else and plopping down on the couch to watch television each night. We wanted a way to impact people’s lives in a tangible way. Their physical bodies…then their financial situation through home business. Build a residual income stream where we could travel at will, without concern for what means we’d travel (plane, boat or RV) or the financial cost of it for as long as we wanted whether that be 9 months in Santorini or a year in Belize.

That’s the reason I love this lifestyle…is because it IS a lifestyle. Life is too short to live by someone else’s terms…to not live our dreams. A residual income lifestyle. A fitness lifestyle achieving optimal health. Improving people’s lives through exercise and nutrition then financial freedom.

I don’t have to talk people into the latest super juice or uber-vitamin from synthetic sources to take. It’s just a 21st century back-to-basics lifestyle. Cutting edge exercise and eating right combined with a supportive online community of like-minded individuals who decided to make a change…committed to making a change…working to succeed at making that change! With Team Beachbody!

They want to change how they feel, improve their physical bodies, develop habits that give them better health through how they live, act and eat daily. Then using the ultimate tool…WORD OF MOUTH marketing to earn a living from home. Whether it’s face-to-face, via Twitter, Facebook or the Million Dollar Body Club about what they’ve experienced through Team Beachbody. And after finding two people interested in being Independent Coaches, then Beachbody starts placing customers they generate from the $70 million a year in infomercial advertising, into their businesses for FREE! Continuing their influence of the Beachbody Revolution and the fitness lifestyle to hundreds, thousands of people. It’s a home fitness revolution, er, I mean, a home business revolution. Wait! It’s both!

LOL

What is your choice? What is your passion? What do you choose to do or plan to do? Let me know! I love to hear people be passionate about what they are interested in.

Thanks for reading the latest blog post! I appreciate you being here. Find out what I am doing right now by following me on Twitter! Tweet this post if you enjoyed it. If you’re not subscribed to this blog of mine, head up to the upper right side of the page and don’t miss a post!

Dream Big! Decide…Commit…Succeed!

With warm regards,
Timothy Carter
Independent Beachbody Coach

So each Sunday, I’m going to post a few of my favorite blog posts I read during the week. I’m a voracious reader, so I thought it’d be fun to share some of my favorite reads and get some feedback on some of your faves of the week.

Here we go!

John Milton Fogg drops some truth about It’s The Stupid, Economy and why the time for a network marketing business right now can be an incredible asset of residual income and immediate income.

Tony Horton, yes, the creator of Power 90, Power Half Hour and P90X has a fantastic post on his personal blog about Jobs vs. Career. People like you and me are fusing FITNESS WITH FINANCIAL FREEDOM through what we do with Team Beachbody!

Over at ProBlogger, Darren Rowse has got people talking about Timothy Ferris vs Gary Vaynerchuk - Two Approaches to Successful Blogging.

Mark Hayward asks What is your ultimate job (or life) description?, do you know what you would prefer as a career? Are you already there? Definitely makes you think, then dream then live it.

Doug Firebaugh kicks some serious knowledge in his latest post, Mastering The Master Skill. “Your paycheck is totally, absolutely, postively, no doubt about it, no argument available, it is the solid truth, incredibly determined by one thing.” WHOA! Don’t miss it!

One of my favorite “Tweeps” over on Twitter, Mari Smith shared 10 Reasons To Use Facebook For Business. Facebook is such a great place to connect with people. This post is just one of the many reason’s she’s known as the Queen of Facebook!

Okay, that’s all there is for the week gone by.

Do you have a blog post from the past week that you really enjoyed? Wanna share one?

Thanks for reading the latest blog post! I appreciate you being here. Find out what I am doing right now by following me on Twitter! If you’re not subscribed to this blog of mine, head up to the upper right side of the page and don’t miss a post!

Dream Big! Decide…Commit…Succeed!

With warm regards,
Timothy Carter
Independent Beachbody Coach