If Nothing Changes, then Nothing Changes: Tools for Success

We can't do it alone.

Everyone who has ever succeeded at anything has found and used the tools necessary to accomplish their goal. These tools can come in many forms; mentors, education, training, supplies, etc. This support system will help keep us focused when we struggle.

Here are some of my 'tools.'

1. My gym. My home-away-from-home. Granted, I can always work out at home, I just choose not to. I like leaving my house at least once a day. =) And there is so much to do here! There's even a rock-climbing wall. That is definitely on my to-do list.

2. Small group training. Perfect for people on a budget that still want a trainer. 3 workouts per week. Hard workouts too. And friends! We work hard, we have fun, we keep each other motivated. "Iron sharpens iron." (Sometimes I feel bad for our trainer, working with all these mouthy women heeheehee)

3. Fitness Trackers. I used to use MyFitnessPal, which is a free app and its great for tracking calorie intake and exercise. I switched to Dotfit recently, which is our fitness tracker available through my gym. Now my trainer can also see what I'm eating and how much I'm moving. Talk about living in a glass house!!

4. Supplements. Not everyone can eat a balanced diet every single day. And with the way food is grown today, it does not have the same nutrient content it did at one time. I don't use supplements to replace healthy foods, just to fill in the small gaps of nutrients missing from my everyday diet. I use Nutrilite's Women's Pack, which comes with 4 vitamins that I take everyday (a daily multivitamin, a calcium supplement, a fish oil, and a hair / skin supplement). I also use Rhodiola before my intense workouts. I cannot stress how much I love rhodiola. It's an adaptogenic herb, so it helps with either physical or mental stress. Love it! I also recently added some Raspberry Twist Tubes; water additives with glucosamine in them to help with my joints. Just add one to 16 ounces of water. Tasty! (I've heard that you should only take glucosamine at night before bed because it could be converted to glucose and burned off as sugar if you day it during active times of the day.)