Dont leave the things you hate till last! – When your enthusiasm is high (at the beginning), remember to leave some of the fun stuff for when you aren’t so enthusiastic. For example, If you like to create but you struggle with organization and planning, don’t jump directly into creation without taking the time to organize a plan, You’ll lose momentum later when the need for planning becomes apparent. Do the difficult things first when your enthusiasm is high.

1.Dont make a mountain out of a molehill - If you set big goals, they can feel overwhelming. I find it easier to break down big goals into smaller goals that you can achieve much quicker. Let’s say you set a goal to be able to do a full split in 6 months month. You need to break it down into smaller steps. What actions do you need to take to achieve a full split? Write those steps down and create a detailed plan.

2.Make a public declaration - State your goals to friends and family or publish them on your CMA blog. You don’t want to fail publicly. No one does. Your subconscious ego will push you toward success to protect itself from public embarrassment. This isn’t a good choice for all people, but for most people stating your goal publicly, will dramatically increase your odds of success.

3.Record and Measure Your Results – Measuring your results will keep you pushing for improvement. Without metrics you don’t know where you stand. Without measurements, you are more likely to lose focus and interest.

4.Share Your Results Publicly – Making a public proclamation of your goals, your efforts, and your results creates social pressure to perform. Who wants to tell the world that they’ve set goals and made no progress? You will make progress because you need something to report.

5.Don’t spread yourself too thinly- When you set multiple major goals, you are less likely to achieve any of them. Do not try to conquer all problems at once. You’ll fail. If you have multiple major items you’d like to change in your life, write them down, prioritize them, and knock them off one at a time.

6.Write about your journey- Write a journal documenting your efforts. Write on your good days and your bad days. Write about your successes and your failures. Document how you feel. Make special note of recurring patterns. When you lose motivation, go back and read about a day when your motivation was strong. If you’re in a dip, read about a time in the past when you overcame a dip.

7.Stand on the shoulders of giants – This cannot be stressed enough. If you want to lose weight and get in shape there are people who have done it before you. If you want to become a Black Belt one day read about and visit those who have achieved this goal.  LISTEN TO THEM! They have a formula for success.  Don’t go it alone. Follow and improvise on those who have come before you. You don’t need to figure it out yourself. Cheat.

8.Get Help From Like-Minded Friends - Your odds of staying motivated increase 100x when you associate with people who share similar goals.

9.Commit To Working On Your Goal Every Day - Have one major goal. Every day, review what actions you have taken to achieve that goal. Make it habit by forcing yourself to review your progress every day for 21 days in a row.

11.Pat yourself on the back – When you work toward a long-term goal, it is difficult to see the benefits years down the road. Some goals take years to achieve, so to maintain progress, it is important to reward yourself along the way. Give yourself a reward for your continuous effort toward your goal, not just for succes sful results, but for simply making an honest effort.

10.K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid!)- You may have trouble staying motivated because quitting has become a habit. To break that habit you need to take baby steps at first. Failing at a large overwhelming goal will only deepen your bad habits. Start by setting a simple achievable goal. If you’ve set a goal to run 2 miles every day and failed. try lowering the bar a little until you build up strength and persistence. Instead, try running 1 mile, 2 days a week. Find what works for you and build from there. If You Still Struggle With Reaching Goals, Set Mini Goals at First – It’s important to create the habit of persistence. Setting little mini goals are a great way to reprogram your subconscious mind.  If your goal is to properly execute a jump spin kick, start with breaking down the elements to success.  Little by little, step by step, you’ll achieve your goal.

12.Make it fun! – A surefire way to fail is to make working on goals drudgery. It has to be fun or you’re likely to quit. One way to do this is to make your progress a game. Find a partner to join you in your quest.

Be happy,

Mr.M

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2. 5 steps to a positive attitude!
3. 4 charity runs to get you motivated

Getting and staying in shape doesnt have to be a boring chore, follow my top seven tips to staying motivated with your fitness regime.

Have you ever started a fitness program and then quit? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Many people start fitness programs but stop when they get bored or results come too slowly — but it doesn’t need to be that way. Here are seven tips to help you stay motivated.

1. Always Set goals

Start with simple goals and then progress to longer range goals. Remember to make your goals realistic and achievable. It’s easy to get frustrated and give up if your goals are too ambitious. For example, if you haven’t exercised in a while, a short-term goal might be to walk five minutes once or twice a day. An intermediate goal might be to walk 20 minutes three or four times a week. A long-term goal might be to complete a 5K walk.

2. Make it fun (something that makes you smile)

Find sports or activities that you enjoy, then vary the routine to keep you on your toes. If you’re not enjoying your workouts, try something different. Join a volleyball or softball league. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a health club or martial arts center. Discover your hidden athletic talent. Remember, exercise doesn’t have to be drudgery — and you’re more likely to stick with a fitness program if you’re having fun.

3. Make physical activity part of your daily routine

If it’s hard to find time for exercise, don’t fall back on excuses. Schedule workouts as you would any other important activity. You can also slip in physical activity throughout the day. Be creative! Take a walk during your child’s music lesson. Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Pedal a stationary bike or do strength training exercises with resistance tubing while you watch TV at night.

4. Put it on paper

Are you hoping to lose weight? Boost your energy? Sleep better? Manage a chronic condition? Write it down! Seeing the benefits of regular exercise on paper may help you stay motivated. It may also help to keep an exercise diary. Record what you did during each exercise session, how long you exercised and how you felt afterward. Recording your efforts can help you work toward your goals — and remind you that you’re making progress.

5. Join forces with friends, neighbors or others

You’re not in this alone. Invite friends or co-workers to join you when you exercise. Work out with your partner or other loved ones. Play soccer with your kids. Organize a group of neighbors to take fitness classes at a local health club.

6. Reward yourself

After each exercise session, take a few minutes to savor the good feelings that exercise gives you. This type of internal reward can help you make a long-term commitment to regular exercise. External rewards can help, too. When you reach a longer range goal, treat yourself to a new pair of walking shoes or new tunes to enjoy while you exercise.

7. Be flexible

If you’re too busy to work out or simply don’t feel up to it, take a day or two off. Be gentle with yourself if you need a break. The important thing is to get back on track as soon as you can.

Now that you’re enthusiastic again, get moving! Set your goals, make it fun and pat yourself on the back from time to time. Remember, physical activity is for life. Review these tips whenever you feel your motivation sliding.

-adapted from mayo clinic

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‘why is it some people always seem to be lucky and get all the success?’

We seem to think that these types of people are just ‘born happy’ when really, it’s their positive mental attitude that enables them to glide through life effortlessly.

Having the right mental attitude can do more then anything towards getting you what you want out of life. Below are my simple 5 steps to a having a positive attitude:

1. Smile - a simple smile radiates warmth and can certainly make you feel better. It will also make you seem more approachable, perfect for attracting opportunities into your life! Now I know there are times when you simple don’t feel like smiling, but I promise you, if you can find a way to smile, even forcing it you will instantly feel better. Why? the physical act of smiling and having a good launch (even if forced at first) has been scientifically shown to release mood altering chemicals that make you truly feel great!

2. Always keep your sense of humor - Try and see the humor in life’s little trials. Learn to laugh and you will be more positive, especially if you can learn to laugh at yourself . Don’t take yourself, or life, too seriously. Life is much too short to waste it moping around in self pity.

3. Act instead of reacting - Every day events and people will test you, they will try and rob you of your happiness by infecting it with their own misery, don’t sit back and let these bad things happen. Get proactive, solve problems before they have a chance to manifest. You are responsible for everything good or bad that happens to you, so own each moment and don’t wait for ‘bad luck’ to come knocking.

4. Believe in yourself – no one can take away your dreams except for you. As long as you still have life in you, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Life is not something that happens to you, life is what you make of it. So believe in yourself and strive to achieve you heart’s deepest desires.

5. Seize opportunity with both hands! -  there’s a reason the old maxim that ‘opportunity never knocks twice’ still resonates with us today.. It’s true! I’m not suggesting to try every get rich quick scheme, or try and take shortcuts to success, but i am telling you to not be afraid of taking opportunities that feel right. I can promise you this: you’ll never regret seizing an opportunity, but you will always regret letting one pass you by.

So there you have it, 5 steps to a more positive attitude, i urge you to do one of them today and things will seem just that little bit brighter

Be happy,
Mr.M

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In today’s fast-pasted society in which we push ourselves harder then ever before , there are a few things you can do to ensure that you do not end up looking older then you actually are. So here are some simple and easy things you can do to keep your youthful glow!

Step 1
Don’t smoke. Period. It increases free radicals, which lead to cell death, it wrecks your lungs so you can’t exercise and it affects your social life.

Step 2

Eat your essential fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends you eat fish twice a week to get enough omega-3, omega-6 and DHA into the body. It helps cells be flexible and permeable and has been shown to be an important part of the cells of the nervous system, blood vessels and skin. That means they help with the wrinkles and the brains, isn’t that perfect? Oily fish is the best, but not because it’s deep fried with chips.

Step 3

Maintain a healthy weight. Overweight is hard on the joints and it’s hard on the heart that has to work overtime to carry the extra weight. Not only that, but fat can sit in nasty places like artery walls where it stops blood from getting where it needs to go. Heart attacks are not very youthful. Underweight isn’t much better. Bones and muscles get robbed of building material to give the rest of the body energy. It wrecks your kidneys and can lead to early menopause and osteoporosis.

Step 4

Include lots of colorful vegetables in your diet, especially orange and yellow ones, which are a high source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant which means it can fight free radicals in the body. It helps the body’s cells stay on a normal healthy path rather than wander off and die or become cancerous. Beta carotene also is converted into vitamin A, which helps keep your skin young and your eyes working.

Step 5

Work your heart. Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise is a workout that makes your heart muscle pump a little harder for a period of time. By keeping the heart muscle in shape, it is less likely to deteriorate. By keeping the heart muscle strong and pumping, blood pressure is lowered and blood flows to more places in the body. Blood flow to the skin, the brain and the digestive system, are healthy, youthful body attributes.

Step 6

Stay strong. Do weight training at least twice a week. Strong muscles lead to strong bones, which don’t break as easily. Broken hips make you feel old. Strong muscles give you independence to do simple things like open jars and chop wood.

Step 7

Balance. Balance deteriorates with age, but it can be trained and maintained. Practicing balance by doing yoga or dancing or even standing on one leg in the kitchen is great neuromuscular exercise. In other words it keeps the body and brain in touch. If you have balance you reduce your chances of falling and testing your bones for strength.

Step 8

Think. Use your brain to learn, do crossword puzzles, math problems or simply read stimulating material. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Research has consistently shown that older adults who are regularly stimulating their brains are less prone to mental deterioration.

Step 9

Be young. Laugh, dance, visit, and explore new things. Attitude is everything.

thanks

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Follow your gut. In one study, two groups of people were asked to pick out a poster to take home. One group was asked to analyze their decision carefully, weighing the pros and cons, and the other group was told to listen to their gut. Two weeks later, the group that followed their gut was happier with their posters than the group that analyzed their decisions.[2] Now, some of our decisions are more crucial than picking out posters, but by the time you’re poring over your choice, the options you’re weighing are probably very similar, and the difference will only temporarily affect your happiness. So next time you have a decision to make, and you’re down to two or three options, just pick the one that feels right, and go with it.

Make enough money to meet your basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. In the US, that magic number is $40,000 a year. Any money you make beyond that will have negligible effects on your happiness. Remember the lottery winners mentioned earlier? Oodles of money didn’t make them any happier, and it won’t make you any happier. Once you make enough money to support your basic needs, your happiness is not significantly affected by how much money you make, but by your level of optimism.

Stay close to friends and family. Or move to where other members are- so you can see them more. We live in a mobile society, where people follow jobs around the country and sometimes around the world. We do this because we think increases in salary will make us happier, but the fact is that our relationships with our friends and family have a far greater impact on our happiness than our jobs do. So next time you think about relocating, consider that you’d need a salary increase of over $100,000 USD to compensate for the loss of happiness you’d have from moving away from your friends and family. But if your relationships with your family and friends are unhealthy or nonexistent, and you are bent on moving, choose a location where you’ll be making about the same amount of money as everyone else; according to research, people feel more financially secure (and happier) when they’re on similar financial footing as the people around them, regardless of what that footing is.

Find happiness in the job you have now. Many people expect the right job or the right career to dramatically change their level of happiness, but happiness research makes it clear that your level of optimism and the quality of your relationships eclipse the satisfaction you gain from your job. If you have a positive outlook, you will make the best of any job, and if you have good relationships with people, you won’t depend on your job to give your life a greater sense of meaning. You’ll find it in your interactions with the people you care about. Now that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aspire towards a job that will make you happier; it means you should understand that the capacity of your job to make you happy is quite small in comparison to your outlook on life and your relationships with people.

Smile. Science suggests that when you smile, whether you feel happy or not, your mood will be elevated. So smile all the time! Also, you have to be more positive and compliment others.

Don’t try to hold grudges against anyone and rather just the feelings go.

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Happy

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I’m working with Marie Curie to raise awareness for cancer. It will surely be an action packed and exciting adventure which will not only raise funds, but also awareness for this great cause.

Click on this link to find out more!

http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/events/cycling/jamaica/

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Hey gang,

There are lots of ways to fit exercise into your daily activities if you haven’t got time to dedicate an hour to getting fit.

Here are 5 ways to fit exercise into your daily routine:

Image courtesy of Bart Hiddink

Image courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt

So why not try one of these tomorrow? It’s the first step to getting fit and healthy.

Be happy,

Mr. M.

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Hey gang,

Children need motivating just like the rest of us. If it’s hard for us to get motivated to lose weight or get fit or lose weight, it’s even harder for our kids.

Here are a few tips on motivating your children to get healthy:

Make an activity chart

Just like in school, use stickers and ticks for positive reinforcement. Why not create a chart that has columns for exercise and healthy eating. Whenever your child does half an hour of exercise or eats their 5 a day, they can get a gold star or sticker. Maybe after a set amount of stickers, they can get a special treat like a trip to the cinema or a new toy.

Make it fun

If your child hates the water, they will hate to go swimming every day. Ask your child what they enjoy, or try out lots of different activities with them until they find something they enjoy. Children are more likely to get moving if it’s doing something they love.

Image courtesy of Tommy Wong

Make things interesting

If you’ve been going to the local park after school every day during the week, how about on Friday you mix it up and go to an indoor climbing wall?

Get their friends involved

There are lots of group activities like a cycle ride, football, or just playing tag in the park. Make it a “day with their friends in the park”, not “exercise”. You could even get your children and their friends to join a local lesson together, like dance class or a martial art.

Image courtesy of Andrew

Make it routine

Doing something physical every day will mean that it becomes habit. Children need structure, and if they’re used to exercising young, they will continue to do so when they are older. Check out this earlier article on easy ideas for doing something physical with them everyday.

Lead by example

If your child sees you lounging on the sofa all day, but nagging them to go for a jog, they will resist. Join in with physical activities – throw a ball around, take them to the local pool, or go for a walk with them. Getting fit together is good for both of you.

Image courtesy of Sean Dreilinger

It may be difficult at first, but motivating our kids to exercise is worth it.

Be happy,

Mr. M

Thumbnail image courtesy of SylviaJadePhotography. Post images courtesy of Tommy Wong, Andrew & Sean Dreilinger.

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Hey gang,

Live in the city? Think the only way to get a full workout is to head to the gym? Think again.

Urban Gym sessions are currently held in London, Bristol, Nottingham and Edinburgh. Taking place in the heart of the city, sessions use the urban landscape as your gym.

Image courtesy of KProlingheuer

Instructors coach you through the sessions, which see participants running through hidden city streets and using rails, benches, and any other number of city objects as opportunities for strength and interval training.

If you are bored with the regular gym experience, the Urban Gym may be just the thing to inject a bit of spice into your exercise routine.

The hour-long classes start at 6pm in the evenings so are great to join after work. You buy classes in blocks, but can try your first for a fiver.

Check out the website for more information.

Be happy,

Mr. M

Thumbnail image courtesy of Jim Trodel. Post image courtesy of KProlingheuer.

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Hey gang,

When you first start exercising or eating healthily, rewards can be a great way to motivate yourself. Positive reinforcement can work wonders when turning healthy living into a habit.

Similar to giving children gold stars at school when they’ve done a great piece of work, sometimes we need more than the knowledge that we’re doing well.

The one thing to keep in mind when giving yourself a reward is to:

1. 1. Keep it relative – Don’t book a holiday after a day of exercise!
2. 2. Don’t negate your good work – food or drink binges after an hour of exercise will make your hard work seem useless. Skipping too many days is also bad at the beginning – it’ll make it harder to keep it a habit.

Here are 15 examples of cheap guilt-free rewards that you can give yourself after every little step of good behaviour:

Image courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt

1. 1. A luxury bubble bath – complete with candles, music and a good book!
2. 2. An episode of your favourite TV show
3. 3. A facial – Some home face packs only cost a couple of pounds
4. 4. A massage – get a friend or partner to give you a quick one if you can’t get a professional.
5. 5. Trip to the cinema – minus the snacking binge!
6. 6. A youtube splurge – sometimes its nice to actually put aside half an hour to be completely distracted by mindless videos!
7. 7. Play some video games
8. 8. Buy something new – it can be as small as a nice pen!
9. 9. Curl up on your sofa with a good novel
10. 10. A new bit of exercise kit – Resistance bands? Skipping rope?
11. 11. Lie down and relax to your favourite chill-out music
12. 12. Get some friends together for some karaoke









Image courtesy of Morgan







13. 13. Get some new workout music – download some tracks from iTunes or buy a new CD.
14. 14. Go to a comedy club or watch a stand-up DVD- laughter is great for your wellbeing.
15. 15. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure – it’s the little things that can make you feel good. And its not just for the ladies, men can have them too!

Now to why not get on the road to fitness and start treating yourself to a bit of pampering.

Be happy.

Mr. M

Thumbnail image courtesy of Cyron Ray Macey. Post images courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt & Morgan.

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