Megan // Author

Fear is stifling. This emotion puts a halt to forward movement, specifically to change. On our fitness journeys, we know that change is required. Old ways have led to the decision to be fed up and do something about our health. But fear can stop anyone from hitting the green light and starting. We feel threated by the new environment that will surround us. Like we feel safe in our home, we feel safe in our comfort zone of habits. For me, it’s trusting God’s plan that overcomes fear for me. His plan and protection are my guidance and shield.  

Here are some of the reasons that prevent putting one foot in front of the other and doing what needs to be done:  

1. Losing your freedom – we are giving up power to the structure of healthy living; the comfort zone was free will to live life without consequences 

2. Pain – exercise is uncomfortable, there will be soreness, and there will be times your body with hurt from the hard work 

3. The Unknown – results may or may not happen and you don’t know what life without cake would be like 

4. Disappointment – not knowing precise results or setting too high of expectations 

5. Failure – not meeting your own expectations or reaching some timeline of progress you desired 

6. Loneliness – your fitness journey is unique to your and your body, so that might mean straying away from the crowd and being strong enough to turn down drinks and food 

Fear isn’t always rational. Let’s face it, being healthy is unquestionably important. We tend to work ourselves up emotionally about events that may or may not even occur. There is a loss of control with where this journey could take you. But if we live our life in fear, we may never see the pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow. Taking control and doing what is best for your BODY shouldn’t be scary. Fear the fact that you might live longer 😊 Don’t fear what has not or may not ever happen. Live today and every day with the hope and intention that your fitness journey will better YOU in so many different ways.  

Intuition is your instinct. When you use your immediate feeling versus conscious reasoning, that’s intuition. We understand or feel something immediately. We don’t need proof or evidence because we just know. It can be a great gift as a human. When we have that gut reaction, hunch, premonition, or third eye, this magical phenomenon helps us steer through life. The brain is on autopilot. It is nonconscious thinking. But the question we have to ask ourselves is if we should go with our intuition?? 

For example, when a relationship is developing, we make hunches about how that other person is feeling about us or how we feel about them. When taking a test, we might problem solve better if we just go with our first thought. Intuition is like the first impression that we make. On the other hand, making impulsive intuition decisions when it comes to financial circumstances might not be the best. There may not be a right answer, but we feel we know what the answer is anyways.  

Sometimes not having reasoning or proof and following our intuition leads us down the better path. Many people meet me and I have to trust that they will follow their intuition that I will help them. Yes, there proof in my testimonials, but how can I prove a certain number on the scale will appear?? You won’t know until you try and prove the result to yourself. I think every relationship starts and ends with intuition. However, when it ends, we sometimes have proof that the other person isn’t “the one”. We have to wait for good old intuition to finally kick in to walk away. I’ve found that listening to my gut usually turns out better. Facts are facts but sometimes, I know my mind is on my side and wouldn’t head me down the wrong path.  

When it comes to your health, intuition tells you that you don’t feel right and need to do something about it. You don’t have to have statistical data to tell you that your chronic fatigue is the result of lack of movement for several years of sitting at a desk job. Your intuition for your health is like the yellow light before you hit the read. Then when you listen to your intuition you the green light puts you into action. Even when you aren’t being measured on your fitness journey, your intuition tells you that you need this and is working and serves its purpose. Your mind and intuition are on your team, so sometimes don’t fight the good fight against yourself. You are so much better and deserve so much better than that and my intuition told me that 😊  

Almost everyone has a cell phone. in fact, 94% of Americans have a cell phone, which means 9 out of 10 people. Everyone is ready to connect and communicate at any time. Most people have them on hand at least 16 hours a day, so that includes at night because of it’s alarm clock use. We are able to contact anyone almost anywhere at anytime. The average person checks their phone at least 150 times per day, much more than they ever considered that they do. The swipe and click across the screen become almost second nature. Between calls, text, emails, and social media, the phone is entertaining and used for many purposes. Did you know that 90% of texts are read within 3 minutes of receiving them? Fast communication anywhere we are has made incredible changes to the way we interact with one another.  

Remember when all you could do was call a person’s home phone in the hopes that they are there? If not, you left a message with no expectation of when they might check it and get back to you. There weren’t private conversations like there are now. The home phone was used and shared by all in a central location. If you wanted to reach someone, you actually had to speak to them. Talking was the communication modality, whereas today, texting with emojies and shorthand has become a whole new language. There was an understanding not to call too early or too late because the phone ringing would disrupt the household. Calling before of after business hours was pointless. People are even using cell phones now while driving. Checking the cell phone can now almost be considered a hobby.  

The fact is that you could be reading this very article on your cell phone now. Scrolling can become an addictive behavior. It fills time while waiting, can be a distraction from the task at hand, and it spikes your curiosity and interest. All the apps are designed to hook you in. Social media notices what you like and look at then start to use this in the advertising and marketing that is displayed in your feed. The cluttered landscape of ads and scrolling makes you feel like you can’t concentrate anymore with information overload. People are using their phones for calendars, appointments, stop watches, alarm clocks, banking, credit card processing, Netflix, and the list goes on and on.  

So where does the disconnect begin? You set it aside for a while, decide to take a break from social media, try to not look at your text and emails so often, but in the end society has changed. There’s an expectation to be connected. There’s an expectation to be available. We could all benefit from being present int eh current moment. The idea of this seems impossible since new and improved versions of phones continue to be released. Don’t forget those who are right next to you in the same room. Don’t forget to look up from your phone every now and then.  

How do you measure your self worth?? You may not consciously think about how you measure your self worth, but it is likely that deep down, you do know. When you feel like you measure up to your expectations, you feel good about yourself. When you feel lacking or inadequate, you feel like you have fallen short and your self esteem falters. You might be very aware of how you feel at different times, but you never paused to stop and think about what you equate to meeting the level of self-worth that indicates your self-esteem. We measure our “worthiness” constantly.  

This measuring may not be the most healthy practice, but we do it all the time. Do any of the following 5 measures sound familiar to you?  

1. Appearance: How attractive you feel or how much you weigh, might be the make or break level for you. We live in a world of media that tells us that we are only as worthy as how we look. This can make us feel very insecure, especially about weight and the aging process.  

2. Who you know: Sometimes we only feel empowered by the people we associate with. Some people feel it’s all about who you know. Others find their self-worth through their significant other. In reality, you cannot control what other people think about you all the time. Yet, everyone loves recognition and a compliment.  

3. Your net worth: People sometimes define themselves by how much is in their bank account. Living beyond your means to impress others can lead to trouble. You seek the financial admiration form others.  

4. Your career: Your profession defines you. Some people introduce themselves by what they do, such as saying their name and immediately telling their job after. This can lead to an identity crisis when anything goes astray at work.  

5. What you achieve: This might be how many accolades you have acquired. Bragging is common. You avoid doing anything you might fail at.  

It is best to measure yourself by factors that you can control in life. When you know who you are, your values, and your inner core, you don’t feel controlled by external factors. You will better be able to cope with life’s ups and downs. When a person believes in themselves, truly believes, they can better cope with trauma and failure. The challenge is to know who you are and love who you are, even when you don’t feel like you can. Have your inner circle of support, and a team that loves you for who you are.  

Temptation is the desire to participate in short term enjoyment. It is an urge that threatens long term goals. Curiosity or fear of loss can cause temptation. Temptation actually has 4 stages:  

1. Desire: This word originated from the Greek word epithumeeah, which can be translated to mean lust or craving. This desire doesn’t have to be for something bad, it can even be for good things. Soon this amount of desire goes into over-drive.  

2. Enticement: This is the feeling of being lured by something. This can be onset by a trigger that gets the motor or process going. The second part is having tempting thoughts. The over-desire and the trigger meet.  

3. Conception: The desire becomes action. A person tells themselves that what they are doing is no big deal and starts to justify and rationalize the action that is to come. Then the action, the birth, takes place.  

4. Death: This describes the process of decay and misery that result from sin.  

Everyone faces temptation because it is the result of our own natural desires. We have to recognize this human tendency. Most of us face temptation daily. Think about food. We are tempted to eat what we desire, although if we always gave into these urges the obesity epidemic would be even worse. We have to be able to stand up to the temptation. We have to identify our triggers, know our struggles, and work to resist.  

Often times it is temptation that causes a person to fall off the workout or eating clean wagon. Desserts and fried food are luring everywhere. Food is celebration and socially part of meetings, occasions, and lurk at every corner. Act with your intuition and know that these choices have consequences. Find a source of accountability and seek help when needed. Making important lifestyle changes doesn’t have to be an isolated experience. You can. You will. And it is going to happen for you.  

Whether we remember it or not, we all dream. We might even dream up to 4 to 6 times per night. Sometimes we find ourselves entertained while other times we are left feeling disturbed after a bizarre dream. After all, dreams are stories, similar to movies playing in our head. They can be so vivid that we can actually wake up feeling happy, sad, mad, confused, or even scared. Dreams are most vivid during deep sleep which is called rapid eye movement (REM). During this time, the brain is very active.  

Sigmund Freud believed that dreams tell us about our subconscious. Our thoughts, motivations, and unconscious desires are revealed. What we might think society perceives as unacceptable, we think and feel during our dreams.  

Dreams are somewhat of a mysterious phenomenon, with some researchers saying they serve no purpose while others claim dreams are necessary for our mental health. They may have no connection to reality, but some experts have found that when restricted from the act of dreaming a person can wake up feeling depressed, anxious, have a hard time concentrating, experience weight gain, and overall feel a sense of tension. Dreams could just be night time stories that keep us asleep. Dreams help us sort out our life’s problems, process emotions, and incorporate our memories. A person can go to bed troubled by a problem and wake up with a solution. Re-occuring dreams might have meaning that help us discover our deepest fears and concerns. For example, a dream someone has over and over about falling off a cliff or being chased might really be about a hidden trigger or stressor. On the other hand, every dream can be unique and interpreted differently.  

Nightmares are bad dreams we don’t like. They stir up emotional problems, stress, and may be caused by illnesses or medications. The bottom line is that no matter how scary the dream is, it is not real. Lucid dreams occur when we are in between REM and being awake, so they seem extremely real. The brain is really active. Dreams don’t predict the future but can sometimes feel coincidental. Most of the time we don’t even remember our dreams. Imagine if we were able to remember all of our dreams. We might not be able to separate reality from what we dreamt. During REM it is possible that our brain shuts off the memory device so we only recall what we thought about just before we wake up. People who wake up several times in the night are more likely to remember their dreams. Sometimes just being conscious that you want to remember your dreams will help you recall them better.  

There are different theories when it comes to interpreting our dreams, but think of them more as your brain’s free play time. It is entertaining itself as we sleep until we rise again and it’s back to work. Some say dreams do come true, but the truth is that we will never really know that answer. For now, it’s nice to believe that dreams really do come true especially when we are young and imaginative.  

We see them on every corner and this brand is the face of coffee. But where and when did Starbucks come into our lives?? What is such a readily, visible part of our day, and a frequently visited stop, has dominated our communities faster than we could have imagined. With so many beverages to now choose from, especially during the holidays, this popular coffee company is hard to resist. The first Starbucks opened in 1971 just along Pike Place Market in Seattle. Three men, Gordon Bowker, Zev Siegel, and Jerry Baldwin, signed a partnership and opened their first shop. This original store transferred locations to another spot still in Pike Place, and this shop is still in operation today. In 1982, about 10 years later, Howard Schultz became the company’s marketing director. It was he who had the idea of opening multiple chains. The three partners rejected this idea. So Schultz opened his own location and then later purchased Starbucks in 1987. Within 10 years, by 1992, the company had close to 165 locations. The company first expanded to the east coast to cities like Chicago and Vancouver. Then in 1996, the company went overseas and opened its first location in Tokyo, Japan. In 1998, the company moved on to the United Kingdom and continued to expand to London, the Czech Republic, and Argentina. During this same time, Starbucks took over all of the Seattle Coffee Co. The sky was the limit.  

In 2017, the company was worth about $23 billion. Today, the company has about 28,000 locations. There are about 291K employees working for this brand. Employees are offered benefits and the company offers to help pay for higher education. They offer 100% tuition coverage at Arizona State University. There is paid time off and an opportunity to have discounted company stock.  

Starbucks claims to have close to 87,000 types of drinks. There are also many types of baked goods and pre-packaged options. Almost any combination can be made for a drink to satisfy a customer’s needs. The calories, fat, and sugar are a matter of personal choice when it comes to which menu items to select. Temptation lures when the green lady on the sign is staring on the corner at you. The logo comes from a ship from the classic Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Decisions, decisions, or don’t go at all. It all depends on what you put in your cup of Joe.  

The technical term for sneezing is “sternutation”. This involuntary action occurs when the mucus membranes (lining) becomes irritated in the nose and throat. There are a number of triggers that can cause a sneeze. The most common culprits are symptoms arising from a cold, flu, or allergies. Environmental triggers include pollen, dust, strong odors, pepper, powders, change in temperature, pet dander, mold, looking into bright lights, and dry air. The act of sneezing clears the nose of bacteria and viruses. When something foreign enters the nose, the brain signals the throat to close quickly as well as the eyes and mouth. The chest muscle quickly tightens, while the throat muscles relax. This causes air with saliva and mucus to be forced out of the mouth and nose….SNEEZE. This action releases up to 100,000 germs into the air while traveling at about 100 miles per hour. Your sneeze releases those irritants back into the air, so that is why covering your nose and mouth is important.  

There are some interesting circumstances when it comes to sneezing. For one, have you ever sneezed in your sleep?? No, because your sneezing nerves sleep when you sleep. Did you know that iguanas sneeze more than anyone?? This is due to their digestive system in which a sneeze allows them to release excess salt they are prone to having.  

There are many myths about sneezing. To begin, your heart does not stop when you sneeze. The chest constricts itself and blood flow is momentarily constricted, but the heart doesn’t stop. The rhythm might change then return to normal, but you don’t die and come back to life after a sneeze. Sneezing is not a near death experience. Although it common to say, “Bless you”, after a sneeze, the person will still live.  

Sometimes you may only sneeze once or you might sneeze two, three, or many times. You will keep sneezing until the lining of the nose is clear. How loud you sneeze is just like burping. It’s really up to you to control the volume.  

To help avoid these eruptions from your nose, learn your irritants and think about what might have caused you to sneeze two or three times. Plugging your nose or saying a funny word like “pickles” might stop a sneeze, but your body is trying to get something out of your system. It’s best to let the sneeze erupt rather than doing something like plugging your nose and bursting your ear drum. Be polite and cover your nose and mouth then wash your hands. The world is germ filled, and the only way we can help stop this spread is to keep our germs to ourselves as best we can.  

Having a mental picture of what you want to achieve is imperative for success. I’m sure you have heard of vision boards, athletes doing this before games, or business leaders seeing themselves on top. You have to illustrate to your mind what is going to happen. If you can’t see yourself where you want to be, then how is the picture even possible?? It’s part of the reflection of realizing you can do something. If you aren’t able to picture yourself where you want to be then you don’t have the confidence to be there (harsh but true).  

One of my fondest memories of my mom was when I wasn’t able to sleep the night before a basketball a game because I was envisioning tomorrow’s game. I would play the plays in my head. I wanted to play well and win so bad. She would stay up late watching Lifetime TV so I would go tell her I was frustrated and couldn’t sleep. She would tell me that it’s okay my body is still resting if I just lay there and think about how well I’m going to play in tomorrow’s game. I had to rest my eyes and close them and picture tomorrow’s game. I would go lay back down and get up the next feeling fine. I still do this as an adult the night before competitions. I also use it on nights that I don’t sleep when I reassure myself that my body is still resting even if I’m not able to fall asleep. So when people ask my why I’m not tired, it’s because mentally my mom said I’m rested and mother knows best 😊  

The trick is that you can’t casually envision something. You are setting the groundwork and foundation that tells your mind to connect to this captured picture and put you there. The idea has made its grand entrance into your mind and now it’s the commitment to move forward. 

Now that you see what you want, you have to envision the steps to get there. You want to take the most direct route, not telling yourself that eventually you will get there. The vision has a deadline. Focus and hone in. Practice and prepare. When we were kids we would envision very fun things like becoming a movie star or sports player. Now its about paving the path of what you really want to do, realistically. The scope on your lens needs to be focused on the picture and only adjusted along the way to make the goals met. Maybe the lighting or scenery needs to change. When it comes to your fitness journey where do you see yourself and your body?? Where do you see your health?? Are you slimmer, more muscular, in a certain size, being able to run around with the kids, or you tell me?? You SEE that picture and now it is your purpose for this lifestyle change. Have the confidence to makes these changes and continue to improve yourself so that the picture becomes complete.  

BLOG 346 BOTOX

Cosmetic treatments have become increasingly popular. Botox is the brand name for a type of toxin that come from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This toxin has multiple purposes depending on the type and ranges from types A to G. The injection of type A is the most popular, also called botulinum toxin type A. Type A is the most potent form and is approved by the FDA in 2002. There is one other similar form called Dysport, which is also FDA approved.

Contrary to popular belief, Botox doesn’t remove wrinkles. Rather, this toxin works to temporarily disable the facial muscles that cause wrinkles. Common areas include the frown lines and crow’s feet. Botox communicates to these nerves telling the muscles not to contract. The muscles become paralyzed. Botox is most effective on the “dynamic wrinkles” which are only visible when the muscle contracts. That is why the areas of the mouth and eyes which involve frowning, smiling, and squinting, can be treated with this toxin.

Not every area and person is treated the same with Botox. With age, comes the decrease in the elasticity of the skin. This means that sometimes, a crease can become permanent. Botox won’t be able to eliminate these deep creases, but it can reduce the visibility of them. This toxin goes into effect within 48 hours and there is a noticeable difference within 5 to 10 days. This effect will last between 3 and 5 months. Most people who use Botox go for injections again based on this timeline.

Botox might be considered the miracle wrinkle treatment for some people. It won’t be able to reverse the clock, but it can certainly increase confidence and appearance. It is not be abused. It is also important to check the validity of the professional you use and where they are getting their materials from. When done wrong, a frozen face can result. Some people even have Botox parties. The procedure is quick and doesn’t require anesthesia. A fine needle is used. There might be temporary bruising or a headache, but that is not the case for everyone. Botox is also not covered by insurance, as it is deemed a cosmetic procedure. Prices vary based on your doctor and much needs to be used.

Feeling good and looking good is important to us. It isn’t vain to want to have less wrinkles, but also go for a consultation to see if any procedure is right for you. You are never fully dressed without a smile, so do more of what makes your frown turn upside down.