LOVIN' OUR BODIES Hump Day

Hello, ladies! Wednesday is kind of a magic day if you're struggling to stay on the wagon. If you got off to a rough start at the beginning of the week, you can begin today and still end with a successful week. If you've managed to meet your goals so far this week, you can pat yourself on the back and keep cruising toward the finish line. See, it's magic!

Monday, Ann said it's been easier for her to stick to the plan she laid out for a successful career than it has been for her to dedicate the discipline required to exercise the way she wants to. She said it much more eloquently than that, but I believe that was the gist of what she said. I think that's true for a lot of us. We're pulled in so many different directions, the easiest things to let slide are the things we're doing for ourselves. But think about it, when we're happy with ourselves we're easier to be around and we have more to give to the ones we care about. Being healthy and happy isn't selfish, but sometimes we have to be a little selfish to protect the time we set aside to do that for ourselves.

Here are a couple of quotes I found, that I thought you might like:

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." - Joan Baez


Are you feeling good about your progress this week? Do you need us to give you a little boost?

LOVIN' OUR BODIES Motivations

Hello, Ladies! Happy Monday! This week's motivational quote comes from Mr. Romance 2009 1st Runner Up, Stefan Pinto.

Stefan passes this along to you all:

"Successful people turn dreams into goals. They stop dreaming about what they would like to do, and start on how to get it done. And this takes determination, discipline, patience and perseverance."

I'm posting that on my bulletin board.

Stefan writes fitness articles for the Miami Fitness Examiner, and he sent this link to one he thought you might enjoy. http://bit.ly/4ytiRT

I recommend signing up for his newsletter too. It's packed full of great, informative stuff. And whip over to his website, www.pintofactory.com when you get a minute, the man obviously knows what he's talking about when it comes to fitness. But believe it or not, he wasn't always built better than Adonis. You can read about his personal fitness journey here: http://www.stefanpinto.com/hello/?p=1271


So how is everyone doing? Any successes or not-so-successful moments anyone wants to talk about?

For anyone just joining us, we can also keep in touch on Twitter via trending topic #lovin'ourbodies

Group Motivation Starts Now!

Welcome to Lovin' Our Bodies! Most of you already know this group was inspired by some of my author friends who have recently decided to increase their fitness level and/or lose weight. Lovin' Our Bodies is a motivational group to offer encouragement and support as we all work individually to keep ourselves healthy. Anyone with similar goals is welcome to participate.

To keep us organized, I'll post an update here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can feel free to check-in any time on any day. Share what's working for you. What isn't. Anything at all about your journey. This is your group. We're in this together - GROUP is the keyword.

Here's our new post schedule:

Monday - Lovin' Our Bodies Motivations. I will share some motivations I've found, and from time to time I will invite some fitness experts to offer advice and encouragement for all of us. All of you are always invited and encouraged to leave comments for one another.

Wednesday - Lovin' Our Bodies Hump Day. This is the day we help one another keep up the momentum. The better half of the week is behind us and we're on the downward slide for a really successful week.

Friday - Lovin' Our Bodies Fun Friday. This is a day we make an effort to do something fun that will also get our hearts pumping. Dancing, playing, taking the dogs to the park, whatever you want to do for however long you want to do it. This will remind us to enjoy ourselves and our bodies and put a smile on our faces. And it will be great to share our antics with each other, don't you think?

This group is a work in progress. I'm sure we'll find things that don't work and new things that do, and we'll go with the flow. We'll discover our way together. Suggestions are always welcome and encouraged.

I am not a fitness expert and I don't pretend to be. So the focus of this group will be on encouragement and support. Any advice that I post here will be from expert sources. I may share personal experiences with you, but always listen to your own body and of course, follow your doctor's advice.

Are you ready??? Introduce yourself if you want and feel free to say what you're hoping to gain from this or where you need the most encouragement. Anonymity is ok, but I think you'll get more out of the group if you comment, even anonymously.

On Twitter, we're #Lovin'OurBodies and I'm twitter.com/wendidarlin