You might have noticed that I haven’t been working out as much as I used to in the last few weeks. Lately, I haven’t been as motivated and excited about exercising what so ever. After a few months of teaching up to 2 high intensity workouts classes a day, my energy levels, degree of motivation and drive have taken a fall. I’ve been struggling with this lack of energy & motivation ever since I stopped teaching a couple months back, I kept torturing myself for being so “lazy” and wondered when in the world would I get back in the game and get fueled by my desire to become a “fit beast” again! Unfortunately, every time I’d decide to take a challenge and get back into working out as frequently and intensely as I used to, I’d fall down before I’d get back up on the wagon… this cycle got me even more drained & down. Yesterday, while browsing through other fitness blogs, I’ve realized that it’s not uncommon, especially for fitness instructors, to get into a fitness funk over the weeks, months, years of teaching and working out non-stop! Perhaps I overtrained, perhaps I pushed myself and my body a little too far?

Have you been pushing yourself harder and harder without being able to get back into the game, without getting stronger, fitter, more energized and without reaching your goals and seeing results?

Sometimes, we need to slow down and take the time to recover, mentally as well as physically. We are not energizer bunnies, even top athletes  take the time to fully recover before getting back to their strenuous training programs. More isn’t always better; more can be detrimental and only get you further away from your goals on the long run!

Not feeling motivated & feeling lazy & tired from time to time isn’t necessary a sign that you are overtraining, but if this state persists and is accompanied by other symptoms, such as:

- Frequent fatigue
- Decrease in performance levels
- Longer recovery time after working out
- Lost of interest for exercising
- Feeling down, low, blue, maybe ever angry, irritable and depressed
- Elevated resting heart rate
- Trouble sleeping
- Increase or decrease in appetite
- Lowered function of the immune system

This might indicate that you are physically and/or emotionally burnt out because you have pushed yourself too hard.

Don’t panic, it happens to the best of us and there is a solution to this problem:

RELAX, RECOVER, TAKE A FREAKIN’ BREAK & LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, LOVE IT, NURTURE IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT!

If you’ve been working out hard-core for some time now, take a week off or take it easy, maybe enjoy some leisure time outdoors engaging in lower intensity physical activity. NO, you won’t lose all of those hard-earned muscles; NO you won’t gain 10 pounds of fat if you don’t workout obsessively… on the contrary, you might be surprised with the outcomes of a good rest and recovery period! Being in “BEAST MODE” 360 is not only stupid, it’s harmful and won’t get you the results you’re looking for, it’s crucial to know when enough is enough in order to reach your fitness goals and remain sane.

If you don’t want to put your training completely on the side, you can try reducing the number of workouts you do on a weekly basis or decrease your intensity. Another option is to try something different, something new… whatever you do, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! You don’t want your workouts to feel like a nagging chore, something else you have to do but really just want to avoid all together. Taking a few days or even a few weeks off may be just what you need to get that Mojo back!

Sometimes, it really is necessary to cut back on something great to realize how much we miss it, in this case, how much we miss feeling strong, fit, energized & healthy!

Have any of you ever felt like you’ve lost your fitness funk? What did you do to get back in the game and get your groove back on?

MFS Suggests…

The Betty Rocker Body Fuel System

A 30-day Eating Guide to Your Best Body Ever!

Discover the best-kept secret in the food marketing industry and uncover the strategies that will effortlessly shed pounds off your body. The Body Fuel System comes with a 30-day customized weekly eating plan, a weekly shopping guide, a weekly food-prep guide, healthy fitness recipes, Betty Rocker’s top 5 ab-shredding moves, additional tips & tricks to keep you lean and much more. Click HERE for more details.

1) Healthy Breakfast Ideas: What Fitness Experts Eat In The Morning: click HERE to read on…

2) The Emotional Truth of Changing Your Diet: click HERE to read on…

3) What’s Beautiful: A competition to redefine the female athlete: click HERE to read on…

4) Kandee’s “Feel Good Look Good” Smoothie Recipe: click HERE to read on…

5) Pamper your body with a workout!: click HERE to read on…

Xo- Isabella

MFS Suggests…

The Lift Like A Girl Guide: The Sane & Simple way to build a Better Body by Nia Shanks

Lift Like a Girl is a Complete Video Series That Will Show You How to Design Your Own Workout Programs & Follow Eating Patterns Based on Your Experience Level, Lifestyle, and Preferences. Click HERE for more details on this program.

Well this is a major component to living a balanced and harmonious lifestyle.  It is a piece of the puzzle.

Through fitness, healthy nutritional habits and a spiritual practice comes peace, health and happiness.

To maintain this balance you must dedicate your life to all of it – every single day.  It’s not like, “Oh, I worked out extra hard today, so I’m good for 2 weeks!”  No!  Yes, it’s great you worked out but you have to maintain your body and mind on a daily basis.

How To Maintain A Balanced and Harmonious Lifestyle Using “The Three”:

Fitness – Fitness has it’s own subcategory.  Within fitness, we must balance our workouts.  Yoga, hikes, dance, bike rides, pilates…Pick two or three and mix them up each week.  It’s about balance!

Nutrition – Same goes for eating.  Balance.  Let’s say you have a late night with your friends and you slip and have a few slices of pizza.  Okay, no big deal – Just eat healthier the next day.  Load up on those greens to balance out those carbs.

Spiritual Practice – Okay, the word “spiritual” gets a bad rap but it’s not what you think!  All this means is connecting to yourself.  Now, how is that bad in any way?  Just sitting quietly for 5-10 minutes a day can make a huge difference in your overall life.  It instantly calms us and allows us to calm the mind, when we are used to thinking non-stop.  We often forget that we have control over our minds and bodies.  All we have to do is connect.  We are known to have “monkey minds” – swinging from thought to thought/activity to activity, not giving our minds and bodies a second to just sit and be still.  When we are still, we receive answers or at the very least, allow our nervous systems to relax and function properly.

These 3 techniques are so simple, but make a huge impact on our overall wellness and happiness.  With my Yoga clients, I see a huge difference once they understand my concept of The Three and start living their life this way.  Once you start living it, balancing becomes easy and happiness is the result!

Your happiness is up to you, you choose it.  However, like most things, it takes consistent work. By balancing the three I guarantee you will find a lot more peace, health and happiness in your life.

“Today I Am Choosing Happiness”

Namaste,

Danielle Cuccio, RYT in Los Angeles, CA

Danielle Cuccio, RYT is an LA-based Registered Private Yoga Teacher, Certified Yoga Booty Ballet Instructor, Ayurveda Practitioner, Aesthetician and Owner of Cuccio Somatology.  Danielle is dedicated to making her clients feel and look more beautiful, inside and out, through yoga, nutrition advice and overall well being.

www.TheBeautyBlender.Tumblr.com / www.CuccioSomatology.com www.facebook.com/cucciosomatology

MFS Suggests…

The Lift Like A Girl Guide: The Sane & Simple way to build a Better Body by Nia Shanks

Lift Like a Girl is a Complete Video Series That Will Show You How to Design Your Own Workout Programs & Follow Eating Patterns Based on Your Experience Level, Lifestyle, and Preferences. Click HERE for more details on this program.

(ps. it’s still not too late to join the battle, hurry hurry)!!

Today we’ve got a new meaning for the infamous PMS abbreviation: Public Motivation Statement!

Whenever ”that” time of the month hits-in full blast, get strong, inspired and empowered with these fitspirational images brought to you by Gymdoll!

Shop Gymdoll…

Shop Gymdoll: Women’s Active Fitness Apparel

Find you perfect workout top by browsing through the Gymdoll’s high-quality, fashionable workout apparel that motivate and inspire you to achieve your fitness goals! Don’t forget to use MFS’s PROMO CODE: myfit15 at checkout to get a 15% discount on any top!

Click HERE to visit the Gymdoll Shop!

]]> http://myfitstation.com/2013/04/02/5-things-tuesday-pms-stands-for-public-motivational-statement/feed/ 0 http://myfitstation.com/2013/04/01/how-to-become-a-badass-warrior-babe-stay-committed-to-your-fitness-goals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-become-a-badass-warrior-babe-stay-committed-to-your-fitness-goals http://myfitstation.com/2013/04/01/how-to-become-a-badass-warrior-babe-stay-committed-to-your-fitness-goals/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:35:47 +0000 Isabella http://myfitstation.com/?p=6597 The “April MFS Battle: Beast Mode for Spring 30-day Challenge” is ON folks!

Welcome to Day 1 of our 30-day Fitness Challenge!

It’s not too late to join the challenge, click HERE to sign up via WeighTraining.com & HERE to join the Battle!

(If you want some extra tips on how to get ready for the challenge, click HERE).

No matter where you are today in your fitness journey, you can make significant progress within 30 days. What I want to focus on during this challenge, is how to create balance and a pleasurable experience, because after all, that is the only way to develop STRONG HABITS that STICK! I don’t encourage you to go on some crash diet or to workout excessively, this would only create a sense of deprivation and frustration. Setting unrealistic weight-loss goals is usually the major culprit and will only get you further away from reaching your goal. Instead, I want you all to learn how to become strong warriors, inside out, and this takes daily practice, commitment and dedication but it’s surely worth your while!

Read on to find out the 6 Secrets on How To Become a Badass Warrior Babe & Reach Your Fitness Goals!!

Rule no.1) A Badass Warrior Babe Loves Herself

It’s important to always listen and cherish your body. Loving yourself means that you respect yourself, you know when your body needs rest and recovery, you do not starve yourself and treat your body poorly, instead you honor it and give it the full treatment. Also, you should be able to enjoy the occasional treat without having to feel guilty. If you feel tempted to binge or to stuff yourself, take the time to acknowledge what it is you really need, I’m pretty sure that it’s not a box of cookies. Instead, go put on some nice music, open up your journal or grab a blank paper & pen and draw, write, meditate, read an empowering article, take a long walk or enjoy a warm soothing bath, etc. A Badass Warrior Babe knows her limits but also knows how to forgive herself and move one when things get a little out of hand!

Rule no.2) A Badass Warrior Babe takes it One Day at the Time

Create daily ritual, connect with yourself, live for the moment. Yes it’s great to set yourself some long-term goals to know where you are heading but what really counts is that you are present in your journey, day after day. What can you do today to make tomorrow even better? Pre & post workout rituals can be a great option! You can start off by listening to music and getting in the zone, once you have finishes your workout, you can take a moment to appreciate the effort your body and mind has put into it, write down your achievement and reward yourself with a delicious and nutritious meal or a mini home spa treatment for example.

Rule no.3) A Badass Warrior Babe Always Does her Best, nothing more, nothing less

By no means does this mean that you need to be perfect 24/7. Some days, doing your best will be nearly as good as another, but if you respect yourself and give it all you got for each and every given day, you will reach your fullest potential and feel rewarded and grateful on a daily basis.

Rule no.4) A Badass Warrior Babe Does It for Herself

Not for some guy or for anybody else’s approval, because you already know how much you are worth.  You choose to get in shape to feel empowered, strong and yes, sexy! You do so because you want to feel your very best in your own skin, because you want to feel energized, proud and confident and because you deserve nothing less!

Rule no.5) A Badass Warrior Babe gets Out of her Comfort Zone & Grows Daily

Again, this does not mean starving yourself or repeatedly working out when you feel tired and exhausted. However, you need to work those mind muscles and learn how to do thing even if it’s not exactly what you feel like doing at this very moment.  When you lose motivation and don’t feel like being the Badass Warrior Babe that you truly are, the very first step to take is to reset your thought pattern by trying to ignite that feeling you once had when you decided to start this challenge or lifestyle. Secondly, if that does not work out for you, you should learn how to do things even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. For example, it’s Monday and you have schedules a pretty intense workout for yourself but you are just not feeling it. First off, you try to get your mojo back on by browsing through some YouTube workout videos, reading through your goals or finding some inspiration online (over here, on the battle page etc.). If that doesn’t seem to evoke a new desire to workout within , tell yourself that you will commit to doing only one or two sets of your workout and go for a nice walk afterward. Most of the time, what happens is that you get right back into the Badass Warrior Babe mode once you get started.  Getting out of your comfort zone is a very powerful daily practice, it continuously expands your horizons and offers you opportunities that you would otherwise miss out on in life! Learn to get out of your comfort zone, one step at the time and welcome the magical experiences into your life!

Rule no.6) A Badass Warrior Babe knows that today’s labor will make up a better tomorrow!

Always remind yourself that by doing what you know is good for you and pushing through today, you will feel even more empowered and motivated tomorrow. You will feel inspired by your own progress and every single day will become more rewarding, more exciting, more fun!

MFS Suggests…

The Lift Like A Girl Guide: The Sane & Simple way to build a Better Body by Nia Shanks

Lift Like a Girl is a Complete Video Series That Will Show You How to Design Your Own Workout Programs & Follow Eating Patterns Based on Your Experience Level, Lifestyle, and Preferences. Click HERE for more details on this program.

]]> http://myfitstation.com/2013/04/01/how-to-become-a-badass-warrior-babe-stay-committed-to-your-fitness-goals/feed/ 0 http://myfitstation.com/2013/03/29/21-ways-to-get-ready-for-the-april-mfs-battle-beast-mode-for-spring-30-day-challenge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=21-ways-to-get-ready-for-the-april-mfs-battle-beast-mode-for-spring-30-day-challenge http://myfitstation.com/2013/03/29/21-ways-to-get-ready-for-the-april-mfs-battle-beast-mode-for-spring-30-day-challenge/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:10:32 +0000 Isabella http://myfitstation.com/?p=6562

So what’s this 30-day challenge all about?

It’s all about getting in tip-top shape this spring, and what better way to do so than to get all together for a new challenging battle! Our goal is to workout 5-6 times a week during the whole month of April, all participants who succeed in doing so will enter our draw for a chance to win a special prize . As you know, training hard can only get you so far, if you’re goal is to lose some weight, you will need to have your diet in check! Read on to find out how you can get ready & reach your fitness goals this April!

If you haven’t already, create your account at WeightTraining.com & join the battle: don’t forget to log in your workouts to accumulate points in the battle (click HERE to get more details about the Challenge).

1. Subscribe to our newsletter (below this post) to get our Free Printable Fitness Logs and daily tips & tools to keep you going strong during this challenge
2. Start your own tumblr blog and share your journey online to stay committed and motivated
3. Check out Chaud’s post on pre and post-workout recipe shots or get some matcha source powder to get you fueled up & energized for a blasting workout session!
4. Create a vision board to keep you motivated and focused
5. Make a exercise commitment contract with yourself
6. Create a kick-ass music playlist for your workouts; check out MFS’s Banging Workout Playlist to get some ideas
7. Write down your grocery list & prepare your meal plan: Check out Tosca Reno’s “Eat-Clean Diet grocery list” and some of the meal plans here on MFS: 7-day Shredding Meal Plan/Clean & Lean Sample Meal Plan
8. Find a special gift that you will reward yourself with for completing your 30-day challenge. A new outfit, a mini-getaway with the girls…
9. Clean up your kitchen and get rid of all the processed food, junk and stuff you won’t need for the next 30-days
10. Prepare your daily, weekly and monthly workout program. You can find some great workouts while browsing through our workout section. You can also get a complete workout program like “Beautiful Badass” that is already all set up for you and adjustable for your own needs.
11. If you want to create your own workout program but need some extra guidance and some solid advice, check out Nia’s “Lift Like a Girl” Guide to get you all set up and ready to go!
12. Create a daily ritual to keep you centered and prepared for the day ahead
13. Figure out how you will deal with triggers that will come along, what’s your action plan? You might like to read “Getting Through the Rough Patches: The Secret to Reaching your Goals“!
14. Get inspired while browsing through our “Motivation & Inspiration” tag
15. Drop by MFS official Facebook Page to let us know how your day went & get some extra support
16. Set up & write down you daily, weekly, and monthly fitness goals, make sure that they are realistic and doable
17. Browse through our “Mind Fitness” section to get mentally prepared for your 30-day challenge
18. Schedule your workouts in advance, if you can get them done first thing in the morning; make it a top priority!
19. Learn to enjoy the journey and take it one day at the time!
20. Invite your friend to join the battle via WeightTraining.com
21. If you want to get serious results and are looking for an excellent diet plan to follow during your challenge, I highly recommend getting “Betty Rocker’s Body Fuel System: The 30-day Eating Guide to Your Best Body EVER” !!

MFS Suggests…

The Betty Rocker Body Fuel System: A 30-day Eating Guide to Your Best Body Ever!

Discover the best-kept secret in the food marketing industry and uncover the strategies that will effortlessly shed pounds off your body. The Body Fuel System comes with a 30-day customized weekly eating plan, a weekly shopping guide, a weekly food-prep guide, healthy fitness recipes, Betty Rocker’s top 5 ab-shredding moves, additional tips & tricks to keep you lean and much more. Click HERE for more details.

Did you ever wonder why some people stick to their plan while others seems to get on and off the wagon continuously? It’s no secret, if you want to stick to anything really, it needs to become somewhat pleasurable and worth your while. Yes, we have heard it over and over again, in order to stay committed and reach our goals, fitness needs to become a lifestyle and a fun one, while we’re at it!

If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done!

Yes, change can be uncomfortable, maybe even scary but it would only be silly to repeatedly do the same thing and expect a different outcome.
If you want your fitness habits to stick, make your journey an exciting one!
We are all different so don’t get disappointed if one trajectory doesn’t work out for you, instead, try a new one! If you are a warrior at heart and seek adventure, perhaps a regular weight training program at the gym is simply not your thing but maybe sword fighting is….

Make your journey an exciting one!

If looking good in your skinny jeans is no longer stimulating enough to keep you going, find something that is. Perhaps you have a long time dream of becoming a skillful gymnast, or maybe a spunky cabaret dancer or a karate ninja kid. Go for it, change things up, get excited again! I find that as “adults” we tend to become so serious and “responsible”… in my opinion it is our responsibility to insure that our lives remain exhilarating and bold!

There are a gazillion new workout programs and diet plans out there but if you really want to see change, what you need is not another lame diet, instead, you need to find something that FITS with YOU, with your lifestyle! People that are committed and persistent in their fitness endeavours, are the ones that make it work for them, not the ones that go on crash diets or start exercising compulsively only to get burned out and give up. So if you no longer feel motivated, take a step back and learn to listen to yourself, learn to love yourself, as cheesy as it might sound, this is the only way that you will stay fit and happy on the long run!

Personally, I get driven to workout and train like a badass when I make my journey a meaningful one. I even use super hero visualizations to get my groove on at times…. if Cat Woman doesn’t do it for you use your imagination, there are no limits here, unlock your full potential with the powerful tools of your mind!

Step back and learn to listen to yourself, learn to love yourself…

Remember this folks; being physically active, moving our bodies, hitting up a sweat shouldn’t be perfunctory, rather,  it’s  a form of self-expression and should feel empowering! Instead of making it another nagging task, it’s up to you to make it something you actually look forward to.
There is certainly something out there that is made just for you, if not, create it, invent it, use your creativity….

You are the creator of your journey, you are the director, the actor and the editor of your movie. This week, take some time to think about what kind of movie you want to produce to make you both happy and fit!

Have fun folks!

MFS Suggests “The Animal Flow Workout DVD’s” !

(click PLAY on the video below to view the demo)

Don’t forget to join the community on our Official Facebook Page!

]]> http://myfitstation.com/2013/03/25/are-you-fit-happy-if-not-read-on-3/feed/ 0 http://myfitstation.com/2013/03/09/exercise-makes-me-feel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=exercise-makes-me-feel http://myfitstation.com/2013/03/09/exercise-makes-me-feel/#comments Sat, 09 Mar 2013 11:39:33 +0000 Isabella http://myfitstation.com/?p=5893

How does exercise make you feel?

Don’t forget to join the community on our Official Facebook Page!

Pop some good music on and scroll through these fitspirational boards to get your groove back on! This week’s 5TT is a double!

Enjoy

DO YOU HAVE A BIG JUICY DREAM???
What are you waiting for? Take action today, now! Surely there is something you can do right now to get you that much closer to your dream! Don’t wait until you’re ready, because life will pass you by…
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY MY LOVELIES XoXo

- Isabella