Tag Archives: fitness goal setting

Have your resolutions given way to your excuses?

Posted on March 13, 2013 | 6 Comments

It’s now mid March….3 months into a the New Year and where are you?

Did you start the year all gung-ho and saying that this was the year you were going to kick that body fat to the curb??

Where are you now?? Have you given up or are you staying strong??

Have you been using one of these 3 excuses? The three excuses get me absolutely fired up. These are literally about the worst excuses anyone can come up with!

My ____(insert body part) is not good. When it’s better I’ll start
I don’t have the time
I just can’t put the money together

ALL 3 excuses are bull. Here’s how I see it.

*My ___hurts: everyone has something that hurts. We can always work with you and your hurt and you’ll still have the benefit of exercising, safely. Your heart will hurt if you keep carrying any extra weight.

Yeah, your excuse is so invalid!

*I don’t have the time: TOTAL LIE. There are people who are busier than you that manage to “fit” in fitness. You have enough time to make excuses, so how about you redirect that time and get your butt moving!! I can guarantee that watching TV is going to do nothing for your health.

*I don’t have the money. Fair enough, but if you break it down and look at what you spend money on (Starbucks, eating out, movies, entertainment, etc) I think you could probably find a way. If it’s worth it to you, you’ll find a way, otherwise you will find an excuse. Is it worth it to you to be healthy?

Trust me, I have heard just about every excuse.

Here is one of my favourite kick your excuses to the curb videos. If you “think” you can’t …YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged carrie burrows, Exercise, fitness goal setting, fitness goals, healthy choices, healthy lifestyle, inspiration, new years fitness resolutions, weight loss

Your 2013 Predictions

Posted on December 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

I PREDICT that if you reach into your pocket on any day in 2013 and pull out a card or piece of paper with all your realistic body and fitness goals written on it in precise detail, the odds are in your favor of you’ll achieve every one of those goals before the end of the year.

I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on your goals and how you are going to achieve them, all day long, you will reach your goals so fast in 2013, it will make your head spin. #truth

I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on health woes and body fat problems and if you think about what you don’t want, all day long, your problems will get worse than ever this year.

I PREDICT that if you can tell me all the reasons why achieving your health and fitness goals are important to you, you will be motivated from within to stick with them when the going gets tough.

I PREDICT that at times, the going is going to get tough. But you need to tough it out.

I PREDICT that the way you see yourself in your mind’s eye today will be an exact reflection of what you see in the mirror at the end of the year.

I PREDICT that if you have a setback that seems to get in the way of you reaching your health and fitness goals and you tell yourself “this is temporary; this too shall pass”, then it won’t set you back and it will pass. Don’t be a victim to excuses.

I PREDICT that if you believe the way your body looks today is out of your control and you feel helpless or powerless to change, you won’t even make much of an effort this year.

I PREDICT that if you accept complete responsibility for the way your body looks today and you believe that you have the power to change, that you will take action and keep taking action, even through the tough times.

I PREDICT that if you’re unhappy with your physical condition and you say, “it’s not my fault” or you blame it on genetics, hormones or age, then your body will look pretty much the same at the end of 2013 as it did on New Year’s day.

I PREDICT that the more you seek “miracle pills” or “quick fixes,” the more likely you are to be a failure a year from now. That’s the cold hard truth.

I PREDICT that you will be tempted by many quick fixes in 2012. You’re smarter than that–don’t fall for it.

I PREDICT that if you hang out with losers (not weight) and negative people (food pushers) this year, you will become just like them.

I PREDICT that if you hang out with winners (boot campers) and positive people this year, you will become just like them.

I PREDICT that you will run into more negative people and losers this year than positive people and winners. Choose wisely who you want to be like. There is a reason there are more negative people…it’s easy.

I PREDICT that if you recruit just one friend or support partner that stands behind you and the lifestyle changes you want to make in 2012, you will double your chances for success. If you surround yourself with numerous support buddies, you will become unstoppable.

So how does your future look this year? It’s totally up to you!! Just know that I am here to help.

The past is the past and you can’t change it, but by changing your thoughts, attitudes and ACTION in the present moment, the future is yours to create.

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Posted in Exercise, Fitness, General, Nutrition

Tagged fitness goal setting, fitness goals, happy new year, new year fitness predictions

#Veggieweek is over…or is it?

Posted on November 6, 2012 | 3 Comments

So, I made it…

I made it through veggie week. I knew I could do it….anyone can do anything they put their mind to when they set their goals, make a plan and stick with it!!

Can’t have enough of them!

These were my take away points for me during this week. You see, to me it wasn’t just going vegetarian for a week. It was about understanding the mind-set of change. Knowing how to take on obstacles and challenges. Being ready for all of it!

being prepared was key – planning my meals in advance so I wasn’t scrambling looking for food was by far the best move
I felt energetic and because I was eating great food, I wasn’t always thinking about the food I wasn’t eating.
complete veggie meals are filling
I really liked not feeling bloated like I often do with my carnivore lifestyle
I needed to get creative and not rely on my usual meals…that was good for me.
I thought I would go meat crazy Saturday and I didn’t.

One of the best results of the week was that I had some great discussions with my kids about veggie week. We talked about farming, meat production, meat processing plants and their cleanliness. This experience also opened them up to options. We all tried new things and lived to talk about it!

Was it tough…at times it was. The struggle was being creative with food. By Thursday, I had thoughts of visiting a farm and finding a nice cow to take home and since I am an animal lover, I had the name Lunch or Dinner all ready!

Being new to the veggie world, I found that I was making things either bland or over the top with too much flavour. I was a little heavy-handed with the ginger in my carrot ginger soup…but I still ate it. I am taking a break from beans this week…yeah…totally over them for now By the end of the week, I had a good handle on the seasonings and combinations.

So why did I do it?

To be healthier. As you can guess, I eat really healthy, and I love food but I love my health so much more. I want to live a long and mobile life. I am seeing too many people being struck down early in life and losing their independence. I would NEVER want that and I hope you don’t either.

So many people take their health for granted and roll the dice each and everyday until that one day, when they lose it.

Our meat has crossed over into a scary controversial area. If we can all do a couple of things to make better choices, then it stands to reason that we’ll feel better and look better.

Adding in more vegetables and taking out a few servings of meat was no big deal and I felt better for it.

Why don’t you give it a try? Cut out meat one or two nights a week…let me know how it goes. I honestly don’t think you’ll miss it and you might even find yourself enjoying it!

I’ll pass for a bit

Photo credits: sailorr and Wittaya Phonsawat at freedigitalphotos.net

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Posted in General, Inspiration, Nutrition

Tagged fitness goal setting, fruits and veggies, healthy choices, vegetarian eating

Happy Motivation Monday!!

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is a simple question….do you have goals? I mean real, legit goals…no wishy washy ones. Definable achievements that you are going to attain with a date or time associated to them that are realistic and worthy of your focus?

When did you make these goals?

Write it down

Monday is a great time to re-set. Re-set your long-term and short-term goals. How did you do on the previous week? Did you commit to your goals or did you ignore what you really want by giving into short-term pleasures and distractions.

Did real life issues get in the way that kept you from going after your goals> I know that happens to all of us. That doesn’t mean you failed in your goal achievement UNLESS you don’t return to focusing on your goals…then you fail.

Plan and prepare for your week ahead.

If you have lost your focus, fallen off the wagon, or given up…..this is the time to restart.

Today is the day you write down what you want to achieve this week.

For example…this is what I want for all of you:

-start your day with a healthy breakfast

-pack your lunches

-plan your dinners so you aren’t scrambling

-show up to boot camp at least 3x this week

-drink 3L of water daily

-go to bed early

Goal setting is a “to-do” list and you can check things off day by day….that is a sense of accomplishment.

If your goal is to lose 40lbs well that won’t happen this week, but you can set small goals to get you through this week and then re-set those goals on Sunday so you can tackle the following week.

Start your week off strong.

Have a plan. Stop using wishy-washy words. Commit to change and experience how awesome if feels to be prepared and see the results of your work.

Fail to plan….plan to fail.

Set your goals…get your fitness/health “to do” list started right now and start checking things off.

PS: 63 days until Christmas…are you going to go into 2013 the same or ahead of the game. Small changes can change your life-I promise!

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged carrie burrows, fitness goal setting, fitness goals, Georgetown Fitness Boot Camp, motivation

The rules of fat loss

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

There are rules.

There are rules in life. There are rules in every aspect in life.

It is just understood that you *should* follow the rules. Rules help ensure that everyone plays on a level field and everyone ahs the same opportunity for success. This becomes especially important if you want a particular outcome.

There are rules for a reason.

Just like there are rules for life, there are rules to fat loss and the rules are universal. If you have to lose 5lbs or 50lbs there are rules to follow and following those rules guarantees your success.

If you decide that you are only going to occasionally follow the rules you won’t get the results you are looking for.

Doing half of the work will get you less than half of the results. The rules of fat loss work to your benefit. The better you follow them, the results become exponential.

One healthy meal or one good choice throughout your day will not help you move forward. They will help you maintain, or slow the negative results of your poor choices, but moving forward will not be part of your overall success.

The rules are simple. The choices are yours.

Yes vs no
Good vs bad
Right vs wrong

When you dive into a meal that you know that is not healthy and decide to wash it all down with alcohol; you have to ask yourself, “Did I break the rules?” Your answer will be either yes or no comment.

You’ll make excuses for your behavior or you’ll make excuses for breaking the rules.

You can’t get to your weight loss goals by half-assin’ the plan.

When a meal or drink wins out over your common sense then YOUR EXCUSES ARE STRONGER THAN YOUR REASON

THIS:

If you want fat loss results: Follow the rules!

Here are the rules (simplified)

MOVE: exercise is essential FYI: lolly-gagging on a treadmill is not real exercise
EAT: real food only-non processed food (green face)
DRINK: you need to drink water NOT ALCOHOL

Don’t give in to your excuses or you will never see the results that you want.

Life happens. There are rules in life.

Follow the rules and experience the life that you actually want.

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Posted in Inspiration, Nutrition

Tagged carrie burrows, fat loss rules, fitness goal setting, fitness goals, Georgetown Fitness Boot Camp, healthy choices, Nutrition, weight loss rules

It will be worth it

Posted on January 30, 2012 | 2 Comments

I know there are times that I rant about things or get on my soap box and preach to you all about what not to do. I do this for a couple of reasons. One being, that I want / need you guys to be informed. Second reason is because, I have been where you are. When I ask you to listen (ok, sometimes I beg you / tell you) it is because I actually do know what I am talking about.

Some of my blog posts are meant to get you fired up. They are meant to motivate you. Some are to get you thinking or re-thinking about your fitness and food.

If you take nothing away from what I say this is what I want you to know.

If you get fit and healthy, I mean finally take control of your weight you will:

not feel uncomfortable and insecure all the time
be able to wear anything
be able to walk around and “not feel fat”
be able to wear a bathing suit without a cover up
be able to prove to yourself and everyone else that you are strong enough to do anything

If you don’t lose those extra pounds and keep putting weight on, this is what will happen or continue to happen:

you won’t fit into your jeans or any cute pants
you will never feel comfortable in a bathing suit
you will have a stomach that droops over your pants
you will feel self-conscious
you will continue to beat yourself up
you will not have the energy or the strength to live a long and energetic life
you will cut your life short. That’s a big one!

This is what I know…it’s not theory.

Those lists could’ve been much longer. This is what I know, because that is where I was. I’m not just giving you what I think. I’ve been there.

Here is something else that you need to read to get your head in the game (yes, High School Musical reference). It will be tough at times to eat right and show up to boot camp. It will require dedication and willpower. It will require total effort. It will call for you to suck it up and stay strong

BUT, I promise that when you reach your goal…IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged carrie burrows, Exercise, fitness goal setting, fitness goals, Georgetown Fitness Boot Camp, healthy choices, motivation

How are your resolutions going?

Posted on January 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

Well , we are one week from the end of January. The first month of 2012 is almost gone and what have you got to show for it?

How are you doing on your goals for this year so far? Did you set your goals for the year? It doesn’t matter if we are talking about finances, family of fitness…you need to set goals. It’s no just enough to say I want to lose 30 pounds or I want to be a size 6.

When do you want to lose 30 pounds? After you gain 20? If you’re a size 12 you might just be a little discouraged right now if you wanted to be in the size 6-slinky dress for Valentines Day.

Just like it’s not enough to say (wish) what you want, you need to be realistic about the time line and you need to put a date on your goals. Here’s what I mean.

Goal

I will lose 30 pounds by December 31^st, 2012.

(I’m going to use that as an example for the rest of this post…feel free to put your own number in there)

That’s a great goal and its got a realistic date for achievement. Now that you’ve got the goal and the date and you’ve written it down, committed to it and even shared it with someone to be accountable to, you have to take action.

Big surprise! All the wishing, wanting, writing and dreaming will NEVER get you where you want to be. You HAVE to take action, and that action needs to also be set in stone.

How are you going to lose 30 pounds? Are you going to wait until November 1^st to go into panic mode and try to take some drastic measure?

Bench Mark Goals

You need to set mini-goals on your way to the ultimate goal. 30 pounds by December 31^st = 2.75 pounds per month. So every month for the next 11 months you need to drop 2.75 pounds. That works out to be .68 pounds per week.

I will tell you right now…that is very attainable. BUT, you have to do it right. Last week I praised Mayor Ford for making the decision to tackle his weight. One week later, 10 pounds gone! He has a very aggressive goal of 50 pounds in 6 months and after only one week, 10 pounds! Time for celebration?

NO!!!

It is not time for celebration and that is where so many people go off the rails in their plans. “This is easy!” “I deserve a treat.” “I don’t have to work so hard” I’ll take tonight off of boot camp. I guarantee thinking like this is the key to so many people’s failures.

You have not reached your goal. 30 pounds by December 31^st is your goal. Don’t make the mistake of easing off or destroying your good efforts.

Objectives

To reach your bench-mark goal (.68 pounds per week to attain 2.75 pounds per month) you need to set the objectives to meet and measure your plan.

I will lose .68 pounds this month by:
Eating 4 to 6 times per day
Each meal I eat will include a lean protein, a vegetable, a fibrous carb.
Each meal will not go beyond an intelligent portion
In between meals snacks will be small and intelligent
I will exercise a minimum of 30 minutes per day
I will sleep at least seven hours per night
I will not eat after 8 pm.I will drink 3 litres of water per day (divide that as well: 1 cup (250 ml) every hour.
I will NOT drink alcohol

Measurement

At the end of the week, before you get on the scale, look back at your daily journal. What? You’re not keeping a food journal? You’re not checking off your accomplishments? OK, you need to journal what you are doing. On the top of each page of your journal you need to write down your objectives (To Do List) and as you accomplish them, check them off. You also need to write down what you eat…EVERYTHING!

I guarantee that if you look back at your week and your journal is not something you are proud of you will not be happy with your results. In fact, if your journal isn’t good, don’t even get on the scale.

In fact, just stay away from the scale. Look at yourself in the mirror and see if you have improved at all. Think of how your clothes feel. Yes, you will be able to tell after one simple week.

Reward

Meet your objectives? Reward yourself. Meet your goals? Then reward yourself. Rewards don’t mean bingeing on crap. Don’t destroy your great accomplishments with bad rewards. A facial, new book, a healthy dinner at a restaurant. Mani / Pedi. Find your hot button and use that as your reward.

Here is a great tip. Include your family in your objectives and goal settings. Make the journey for them as well. Lets say your children know that if you hit your goals, there will be a family outing or movie night. They’ll help remind you when you are about to do something that goes against your objective’s.

What happens when you find yourself ahead of schedule? Celebrate by changing your time line. Move it from December 31st, 2012 to October 31st, 2012. Don’t slow down your schedule or results by backing off. That will lead to compromise and delay. Let that happen long enough and complacency will set in and before you know it…you are right off track.

Goal
Benchmarks
Objectives
Measurement
Reward

Stick to that, be honest to yourself and committed to your goal and you will win!

Then we can move onto to maintaining the new you forever!

Who loves ‘ya?

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged carrie burrows, Exercise, fitness goal setting, fitness goals, Georgetown Fitness Boot Camp, healthy choices, healthy lifestyle, Nutrition, protein choices, water, weight loss

Cut the Waist

Posted on January 19, 2012 | 2 Comments

I remember watching an interview with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford when he was running for office and thinking to myself, “He’s going to explode!”

His face was flushed, he was sweating and he was breathing very heavy. For those of you who don’t know him, he had called himself 300 pounds of fun. I thought to myself the first time I heard that, 350 maybe.

On Monday, Mayor Ford and his brother Doug kicked off a weight loss program and a very special challenge. “Cut The Waist Toronto”. This cut has nothing to do with the budget, over spending or the gravy train. It has to do with challenging themselves, the Ford Brothers and Toronto, to lose weight and promote a healthier lifestyle.

The Mayor weighed in at 330 pounds and his Councillor brother tipped the Toledo at 275 pounds. Between them, they account for more than a quarter tonne of fun! Not to mention several thousands of dollars of future medical expenses.

What was even better about the announcement was that the Mayor during the press conference issued a challenge to all of Canada by throwing down the gauntlet and saying Toronto would lose more weight than anywhere else!

Congratulations to Mayor and Councilor Ford for your commitment.

Besides the fact they have committed to losing weight, I applaud them for how they are intending to do it:

They set their goals
They put a date on that goals
They have a support buddy
They announced their plans public
They have established accountability to their goals

All Carrie approved.

Both men have indicated that healthy eating and increased physical activity are in their plans. Did you hear that?

Healthy eating

Physical Activity

No fad diets. No gimmicky programs. No diet centres. No surgery, potions pills or lotions.

They are right in issuing the challenge to get Toronto healthy and to encourage everyone, everywhere else to do the same. Obesity is an epidemic. It is costing this country millions of dollars in related medical expenses. It is shortening the lives of people in an age when we can live longer, healthier and more vibrant than ever before!

Diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, chronic pain and many other problems are preventable and treatable through proper diet and exercise.

But here is my caution…remember losing the weight is one challenge. Keeping it off is a completely different challenge. You need to educate yourself through the process to learn how to keep weight off. You need to understand how and why you gained the weight in the first place.

I can’t wait to find out who will be the biggest loser. (No pun intended).

I wonder if we can get them to come out to Georgetown to get their butts kicked by Boot Camp?

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Posted in Exercise, Nutrition

Tagged carrie burrows, cut the waist, Exercise, fitness goal setting, fitness goals, Georgetown Fitness Boot Camp, healthy choices, Nutrition

My 2012 Predictions

Posted on January 10, 2012 | 3 Comments

I PREDICT that if you reach into your pocket on any day in 2012 and pull out a card or piece of paper with all your realistic body and fitness goals written on it in precise detail, the odds are in your favor of you’ll achieve every one of those goals before the end of the year.

I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on your goals and how you are going to achieve them, all day long, you will reach your goals so fast in 2012, it will make your head spin. #truth