“Your inner self accepts what it’s consistently fed and begins to act accordingly.” These word by my homegirl Joyce Meyer are not only ones that I believe/try to live by, but are also words that I try to instill in all my clients. I am a firm believer that the only way you can change your body (for good, not for spring break) is if you change your mind first. “The body follows the mind; so if you can change your mind, you can change your body and you can change your life.” –RADisms Happy people are healthy people, so show your mind the same love you show your biceps and experience the strengthening power of positivity in your life.

Find The Treasure In The Trial.

I truly believe that after every storm there is a rainbow. In the gym this storm can be in that last pushup or burpee. You know, that moment when you think you are done yet manage to eek out one more rep anyway. In these moments you are not only shocking your body (hello results) but you’re also giving your mental endurance a strong boost too. I strongly believe that the triumphant moments in your sweat session directly transfer into your everyday life. When you are in the midst of painful or challenging circumstances it is easy to feel like a victim or hopeless even, but the moment you change your mind in the midst of it you either find newfound strength or a realization that things aren’t really as bad as they seemed. Most of the time, you’ll find both.

Let Your Weaknesses Challenge You And Then Change You.

A couple years ago I was working with a client that was a perpetual quitter. I know this sounds harsh but this truth is what helped me help her overcome her long lasting addiction. I noticed that every time we got to the last rep of an exercise she would give up and complain about how hard it was. I found this odd considering that up until Mrs. Defeatist interrupted our workoutflow she was doing perfectly fine. So after weeks of “last rep meltdowns” I sat down and talked to her about her life outside of our 60 minute weekly session. I was surprised by her vulnerability yet grateful for the discovery: She was often told as a child that she was a failure and consequently found herself walking away from people and opportunities in her adulthood before it got too “tough” or “disappointing.” Her last rep meltdowns made sense to me now and together we worked on pushing past fear and potential defeat in our sessions. She let her weaknesses challenge her and the change was phenomenal: Both her body and life were transformed once she learned how to stare her weaknesses dead in the eye and say “I run this. Period.”

Dig Deeper.

Shallow goals reap shallow efforts, and shallow efforts reap shallow results. Whenever a new client tells me their goal is too be the hottest girl on the beach this summer I immediately start planting seeds that have deeper roots. This not only broadens their ideas around being healthy but also enhances their likelihood of longevity. With that said I feel like the same rules apply when it comes to setting and achieving other personal goals. Just like flowers need water to grow we need a positive attitude and optimistic outlook to maintain both inner happiness and peace.  Growth is such a beautiful thing, and guess what?  The journey is just as sweet too.