What is Your "Why"?

There has been a lot of talk lately about discovering your Why.. Thanks to Simon Sinek and his book "Start With Why."

I actually spend a lot of time training the trainers I work with on how to discover their Why.

What is Your Why?

We start with their core values and beliefs.  We talk about how they view money, and since many of them are women, we also look at what limiting beliefs they have regarding money.  Your limiting beliefs can come from society and your family.  Some common ones are that money is evil, men make the money and women run the home or the man should make more.  Or the bake sale mentality that you should be happy with what you get. Women tend to not value their skills and abilities and will be the first ones to give things way for free.

Women who do value their skills are often called unflattering names and put down.  Some of you may be thinking that doesn't happen anymore or that's such an old way of thinking, but I can tell you I see it everyday.

The process of finding your Why can take many sessions.   If you are working with a group it can be one big group session that just builds. It's amazing to see the light bulbs go off and the team work begin!

So up to now I've been talking about how this works in a business setting.  But those of you that know me know that I'm always looking at things from different angles.

So let's look at this in terms of getting fit!

The first step is to look at your core beliefs and values. What does being fit mean to you? What are your   big and little goals?  In a previous Blog post I talked about Action Steps. Your core values guide your Action Steps.  Your core values decide how dedicated you are to your success and they help you set your priorities. When I talk to my clients about their Action Steps I know we are on the right track when I touch on the emotion.  Sometimes it's crying, sometimes it's getting mad. Sometimes it's just that tilt of the head and the determination in their eyes.

Until you know your values you will be distracted.  Your core values become your priorities. You need to keep these visible... On your wall or mirror... Or your pantry!

Do your day-to-day choices follow your intent and agree with your values?

Battle Between Why and Why Not 

Once you define your core values...  Once you understand your Why.  Once you define your Action Steps... you still might not succeed.  You have to understand the battle between your Why and your Why Not.

I have found it's the Why Nots that really need to be addressed. These are the limiting beliefs and they can be very strong.  They are sabotage!

Have you heard these:
"Women shouldn't lift weights, they will look like a guy."
"It's selfish to spend so much time in the gym, away from kids or family."
"Looking good is being vain or will attract the wrong kind of attention."
"Spending money on personal training or nutrition is wasteful or selfish."

Limiting beliefs can also be our internal dialog.

"I'm just big boned."
"It's too hard."
"Everyone will look at me (and laugh)."
"I don't have the time."
"I always fail so why try."

Until you address these limiting beliefs.. You probably will fail! No matter how strong your Why.

The good news is that your Stumbling Blocks, your Why Nots, are your Stepping Stones

Read that again... your Stumbling Blocks are your Stepping Stones.

Once you realize your limiting beliefs you can use them to grow stronger. To overcome. Once you have identified them they can no longer limit you.

I love taking women out on the weight room floor at 6 pm.


 They are surrounded by guys and at first are uncomfortable. Usually by the end of that very first session they are smiling. Because I know several things; first most guys are so busy looking at themselves in the mirror they really don't care who else is there, second if they do notice you they are going to be impressed that you are out there lifting weights, especially with a trainer, and third you are going to be lifting more weights than you thought you could.  As your trainer I know you are stronger, on the inside, long before you do!

Working with a group, like in one of my Group PT, 21 Day Belly Buster, or my up coming 12 Week Total Body Transformation, is also extremely effective at battling limiting beliefs!  You find that you are not alone in your struggles and the support of the group will carry you when you can't carry yourself!  And it's always more fun to suffer through one of my workouts with a friend -virtually or in person!

So are you ready to discover your Whys ... And your Why Nots? Are you ready to finally stop making excuses and get in the best shape of your life? Contact me right now here or visit my website at www.shandravfit.com.  And please follow me on Facebook at ShandraV!

It's not too late to join the 21 Day Belly Buster and the next 12 Week Total Body Transformation starts September 2nd!  

21 Day Belly Buster starting August 4th!

It’s not what you say, it’s what you do; Action… why is it so hard?

Don't be Upset by the Results You Didn't Get from the Work You Didn't Do!

We look in the mirror everyday and say. “Ugh I don’t like my belly!” Or, “My arms.” Or, “Back fat.” Or we try to avoid the mirror all together.

 Every January 1 we say.. ”This is the year! This is the year I am going to lose those 25 pounds. I am going to start running and eating right!”

 Words. Words without action mean nothing. So what are you really afraid of? Are you afraid you will fail? 

Are you afraid it is going to be too hard? Or are you blaming other outside forces? “I’m just big boned”… “My job is so stressful.”

 What is it going to take for you to finally take action? A heart attack? A comment from your child? At some point your pain will become greater than your fear.

 What if I told you that it doesn’t have to be hard? What if I told you there were simple, easy things you can do to start feeling better today? In some way you are already failing so what do you have to lose? If you are overweight, many of your everyday tasks can be hard… Even just keeping up with your kids!

 Setting goals is great… but what really works is setting action steps. Picture them as stepping stones that take you where you want to go.

First of course you need to figure out your destination. Then we need to figure out how you are going to get there! When do you want to go? When do you want to arrive? Are we flying, driving, or hitch hiking? And the most important of all… what will it feel like when you get there?! What will you do? How will your life be different?

 Once you can picture all of that, then with the help of a travel agent (your Trainer!) you put together the perfect plan. If your plan is to arrive in 6 months, then let’s just break it down month by month, then week by week. And I am not talking about goals… I am talking about actions!!

Deciding how many times per week you going to work out is the best place to start. Make it reasonable. If you haven’t worked out in 5 years, saying you are going to come 6 days a week isn't realistic. Let’s set you up for success, not failure.

My second important action is simple.  I'm just going to ask you how many ounces of water per day do you drink? Water is the biggest factor in feeling better and in weight loss. It improves circulation, brain function, and makes you look younger too! Recently some super models were asked what single beauty secret could they not live without.  They ALL said WATER!!

 How much water should you be drinking? The standard is to take your body weight in pounds, divide it by 2 and that is the minimum water intake per day. So if you weigh 150 pounds you should be drinking 75 ounces of water.. at a minimum. That's a little under 5 of the handy commercial bottles. So how easy is that? Your very first action item is to drink more water! Every day. Forever.

 If you are looking for more direction and some basic action steps, join us for our 21 Day Belly Buster starting August 4th! The first week is a bonus week to get you started, then you’ll get 21 days of workouts, sample menus, shopping lists and more! Use the Contact Form at the top of the right column to get started!

 For even more information, visit my website at www.ShandraVFitness.com.

Excited! I was just invited to be a guest Trainer for a Hot and Healthy group Cleanse. It starts on Nov 1 and will be a blast.. and you can actually lose weight instead of gain over the holidays.. amazing! Contact me for more details.. don't wait!