Attitude…It makes a world of difference to the success in all areas of your life. Did you know that the word pessimist is from the Latin word: Pessimus meaning WORST? Pessimists believe that the world is bad and getting worse and that evil will triumph over good. They resign to defeat and expect the least favorable result in everything they do. They expect a bad day, failure, bad service, illness, and even bad hair days! Stay clear of them for they could drag you down with their negativity and energy draining mindset.

If there is one thing I could imprint into your mind today, it’s…consistency is key to success! As much as I appreciate the television show, The Biggest Loser, and how inspiring and motivational it is, it tends to leave the average audience member a bit jaded about reality. Actually, it has even left a few of The Biggest Loser participants jaded after they returned home and entered back into their daily lives. You see, the average person doesn’t have the entire day to workout and doesn’t have someone looking over their shoulder to see if they’ve been eating properly. 

Reality is…the average person is going in many different directions within the course of the day to find that they’re literally falling into bed at night with exhaustion. No wonder people are looking for speedy results; they don’t make enough time in their day for themselves and yet still desire to reach their wellness goals. 

A recent study at the University of Michigan concluded that female athletes are eight times more likely to have knee injuries compared to men. When I first read this I was a bit shocked, but then it made sense because most women that I train have stronger quadriceps than hamstrings. The quadriceps muscle helps you straighten and extend your leg, and the hamstring helps you to bend your knee. If there is a muscular imbalance then it can cause stress to the knees which can cause injury.

The knee joint is made up of bone, ligaments, cartilage and fluids. Muscles and tendons help the knee joint move. A common injury is to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). ACL and other knee injuries are common sports injuries that typically occur due to stress, overuse, or overcompensation. Quick twisting movements can trigger this injury as well as weak hamstrings.

I'm a little nuts when in comes to eating the right kind of nuts. All too often my clients will write down in their Visibly Fit™ nutritional journal that they ate nuts during the day. I soon find out that their idea of healthy nuts consisted of macadamia nuts (which aren't bad, just higher in calories and fat) or worse, honey-roasted almonds, peanuts or pecans. Nuts can be very beneficial in your daily diet if you eat the right ones and if they are raw. When they are coated in honey, sugar, and salt then they become less healthy. For instance, honey-roasted almonds have 100 additional calories per ounce than without. Most raw nuts range from 150-210 calories per ounce. Studies show that people who are frequent tree nut eaters usually weigh less than people who aren't, in spite of the high calories of nuts.

Here's a nutritional breakdown of some of the most popular nuts available. I hope when you choose to go nutty, then you'll go nuts with the right one!

1. ALMONDS: My all-time favorite nut! I eat 12-15 of them daily, usually as part of my mid-day snack. Just one small ounce of these nuts offer 12 percent of your daily allowance of protein, 35 percent of your vitamin E allowance, the same amount of calcium that's in 1/4 cup of milk, and they are loaded with minerals and healthy fiber. To top it off, almonds offer a "filling" mechanism in them to keep you feeling full and satisfied and they are considered less fatty (although it's monounsaturated fat - ie. good fat and has no cholesterol) of all the nuts! I always keep some in the car as a grab and go snack when I'm on the road.

2. PEANUTS: Probably one of the most popular nuts as they are used often in cooking and they seem to be the nut of choice when watching many sports. Guess it's a bit of a sport nut! Yes, pun intended! The peanut is also a nut that many people are allergic to, so much so, that schools have a "peanut-free" table in the cafeteria for the kids to sit that have this allergy. This nut is technically a legume...a little trivia for you! Even though this nut is a great energy source, has an excellent source of resveratrol (antioxidant that's great for fighting cancer and heart disease), vitamin E, B-complex groups of vitamins and many minerals, it's susceptible to mold due to the way it grows. This is toxic to the body and roasting the nuts only reduces the toxins, but doesn't eliminate. 

3. CASHEWS: Like other nuts, cashews are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Cashews are said to offer the best source (of all the nuts) of minerals such as Selenium, Copper, and Zinc. These particular minerals are all co-factors for vital enzymes for the body. Native to South America, cashews are actually seeds that are found growing on the end of a cashew apple. They are high in monounsaturated fats, but no higher than almonds. In fact, cashews may be a tad less. BUT...they don't fill you up the way almonds do. Yes, I'm promoting my favorite nut. I'm allowed - It's my article!

 

It's finally here and has already begun!! The Motivation Marathon! HURRY and register for this incredible nine day extravaganza with over 46 experts on social media, relationships, health and wellness, nutrition, exercise, PR, leadership, spirituality/faith, success and interviews with actresses/actors. It started two days ago, but you still have seven days to attend this experience. Sign up NOW for the MOTIVATION MARATHON! I believe everyone could use motivation, inspiration, tips, and tools to make their life even better. 

Join me as I speak on Thursday, January 19th at 6pm EST (5pm CST, 3pm PST) on specific ways to become Visibly Fit in 2012! This is your year to gain your life back! REGISTER NOW FOR FREE!

This FREE EVENT is chalked full of amazing experts! REGISTER NOW! Oh, don't worry if you can't hear each teleseminar live. You will be contacted via email and receive a special offer of a 50% discount on the recorded interviews and you'll have up to five days after the event has ended on Jan.22 to take advantage of the special. I know I'm ordering one - then I can listen anytime!

A few experts that are sharing their wisdom and knowledge in this event:

Gary Kobat - Performance Coach (Works with many of the A-listers such as Will Ferrell and Jim Carey)

Bergen Williams, Brianna Brown, Dr. Wendy Walsh - Actresses and TV Host

Forbes Riley - Exercise, SpinGym, Award-winning TV host

Keith Keller - Twitter Expert

Fred Cuellar - Success Expert

Sue Ingebreston - Nutrition Health (focuses on those with Fibromyalgia)

Susan Harrow - PR secrets

James Rick - Goals and Full Potential

Shea Vaughn - Sheanetics

Sallie Felton - Organization

Marnie Swedberg - Faith

AND MANY MANY MORE! SIGN UP HERE!!!!

It’s getting closer to the end of the year so I’m sure you know what that means. No, I don’t mean Santa Claus although I sure hope he comes to your town. Independent “clauses” full of positive direction for 2012 are being thought of right now in anticipation of being announced, proclaimed and followed through starting January 1^st! You might recognize “clauses” as resolutions.

I like the idea of a resolution; the process of resolving something such as a problem or dispute, but I don’t like that many people don’t understand the real meaning of the word. Resolution = Re-solve! Every year I witness friends, family, and clients making the same resolution that didn’t work for them the prior year. They go about the resolution in the same fashion even though it wasn’t successful. Instead of getting creative and resolving the problem in a new way that works best for them,  they do

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Tamilee Webb of the Buns of Steel video series. The series includes close to 20 different videos for different body parts. She's in her mid-50's now, but I still remember popping in my VHS tapes and sweatin' it out with her in the 80's. She's sold over 14 million copies of her workout tapes and is probably best known for the "Buns" video. I even took a fitness class from her over the weekend and she's still got the goods! It's proof that health and fitness is a lifestyle and is to be maintained and challenged on a daily basis for better tomorrows. It doesn't matter what type of program you do....do something!!!! The mentality for most people is that they want to hurry and get in shape and then stop doing the things that got them there. Just because you cross the finish line of your goal doesn't mean that the race is over. The "hard" part of the race is complete. It now becomes a race of pace for life. Crossing the finish line only means that a new goal and finish line awaits. There are more rewards ahead. There is always room for improvement whether you are just starting a fitness program or you're a professional athlete. Sometimes you just need a challenge! Take one!

It's time to stop chasing wealth. Whether you realize it or not, your wealth is wrapped up in your health. It's simple...if you aren't healthy (to your fullest) then you won't have the energy to be fully effective in your home, your career, or community. What does it matter if you have wealth, as in money, if you aren't healthy to enjoy it? What if you used your wealth and health together - to better the lives of others? That would be ideal.

Did you know that in 1986, the people of the U.S. spent over $458 billion on health care. That was over 20 years ago and that number is now at an alarming $2 TRILLION a year on health care. This blows me away and is very heartbreaking. There is more education on health and wellness than any other time in history and yet there's a rebellion style of living. I ask you...are you going to allow another day to slip by without taking complete care of your yourself - mind, body and spirit? 

Determined to find autumn color, we drove out to Amish country several days ago in southern Minnesota. We went to Harmony (doesn't that sound like a lovely place) and then to Lanesboro, which are both south of Rochester. We didn't find much fall color, but we did find incredible rolling hills, Amish farms, nice people and simple living. Horse drawn carriages on the main highway kept cars whizzing by and I wondered how the Amish felt in their simple bubble of life. From an onlooker's point of view, their life looks peaceful. Is it? They live off the land and do not get consumed by the cares of this world...maybe that's why it seems peaceful. BUT...I wondered if they ever felt held back because of their lack of modern transportation and technology and if the peace is only perception. I do have great respect for how they live and their importance of family, espeially since I'm not sure if I could live that way after living in the speed and comfort of the modern world. I mean, how would I get on Facebook and Twitter? Just kidding, of course. But, I do wonder how they reach others to share truth and wisdom if only staying within their immediate community. Is that selfish? OR...is it the way we are called to live? In simple community minding our own business. I tend to think otherwise. Hmmmm....food for thought - I suppose.

While at the grocery store the other day, I was fortunate enough to come across these little beauties! Organic KIWI BERRIES - also known as Passion Poppers and Kandy Kiwi! I couldn't wait to get home to try them. My mouth watered at the thought, as I'm such a "foodie." They were so cute...like grapes, but the insides were like a kiwi. They even tasted like kiwi. My eleven year old wasn't a big fan, but he's a texture freak. He didn't like that they were a bit "slimy and squishy" like kiwis can sometimes be. I enjoyed them immensely as a morning snack and also in my protein shake. If you decide to give these berries a try - keep in mind that they are very high in sugar. Natural sugar, but it's sugar none-the-less. Here's the good news that outweighs the high sugar content...they are extremely packed with nutrition. In fact...they have 5 times the Vitamin C of an orange, twice the Vitamin E of an avocado with 60% fewer calories, an equal about of Vitamin B6 as in a serving of spinach, rich in folic acid, high in fibre, and the list goes on. If you find these at your local market - grab them up quick. They don't stay around long. Or order from a breeder direct.

Check out more on this funky fruit and one of the funky fruit breeders, David Jackson. http://www.kiwiberry.com/index.html