Are you the type of person who is always adventurous, outgoing, and ready to go at any minute? Or are you more like moi, in that, you are routine-oriented and settled into a lifestyle of set schedules and timed out days?

Sometimes, it is due to our career choices and other times it’s due to our personalities, but sometimes we need to reach out of our comfort zones in order to fully develop. Here’s a great example: I am completely routine-oriented, living by a schedule day by day, minute by minute.

I know exactly what time my alarm will go off tomorrow morning, the time I will get out of bed, the time I will get out of the shower, turn on my computer, and finish blow-drying my hair. Then, I will prepare breakfast, feed the cat, grab a snack, and grab the keys to walk out the door. I never leave any later than 8:00 am. Every. Day. Due to the nature of my job, I am always a month ahead, planning the next month’s activities and events. It is because of this that I am always following a schedule. Time seems to fly by faster when you’re always planning a month ahead.

I am not great at embracing change either, but this week I have completely gone out of my comfort zone! I am not a last minute planner, and I, frankly, do not like doing things differently unless it has been planned a couple of days in advance. But whoa! Look out! This week-already-I have made plans to go with a girlfriend out for dinner and margaritas (the morning of, I might add), and tomorrow I have plans to go to dinner with a couple of friends. May I remind you that I usually always go to bed at 10pm every night. I will certainly be pushing the borders of my routine this week. Therefore, I challenge you, dear readers, to step out of the box, forget about your routine, and do things out of order. Stay out late. Embrace the change! Don’t worry, your routine will be there the next day.

Be sure to comment below and let me know how you lived out of the box this week!

Always Remember–Live your life…Full Throttle!

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Why does it seem that whenever we begin a diet, we are fully intent on “finishing it,” but a week or so into the diet, results aren’t coming fast enough and we give up. The problem is that we are so used to getting instant results that we are disappointed when we don’t get what we want and get it right away. Here are a few tips on how to lose weight and not go crazy doing it:

1. Envision A Goal-Where you want to be is extremely important and knowing where you are going is the first step to any journey.

2. Pictures and Paper-Find any and all pictures of the body you are looking to have. Cut out motivating words and phrases. This is also known as a Vision Board. You’ll want to put all of your compiled pictures and words on this Vision Board. Put the board up anywhere in your house where you’ll see it every day. Constant reminders of what you want will only motivate you subconsciously to strive for your end goal.

3. Change it Up-If you have been working out at home, begin going to a gym, workout with a friend, walk/run outside, go on a hike. Do things differently. Weight loss is all dependent on you changing up your workout. Trick your muscles. Every two weeks you should be changing up your routine.

4. Challenge Yourself-If you aren’t profusely sweating during your workout, you need to put more into it. Ever hear the saying “What you put in is what you get out”? That is exactly how weight loss is, too. You’ll need to focus every minute of every workout session. Stay focused and you’ll see results. Don’t be afraid of a little soreness either. No pain, no gain.

5. Sleep-Make sure you’re getting at least 6-8 hours of meaningful sleep every night. Notice I said ‘meaningful’. You need to get in touch with your R.E.M. sleep and have at least 6-8 hours of restful uninterrupted sleep. The more you get, the more energy you will have.

6. Eat fresh-Fresh meat. Fresh veggies. Fresh fruit. All these wonderful sayings that actually are truthful-“You Are What You Eat”. Imagine that with everything you consume. You should be eating tons of green veggies, salads, proteins, and some fruits. Don’t forget that you need to always have a protein with your salads.  This means you should be having grilled chicken with salad, or some tasty salmon with green beans or peas. So Delicious!

Be prepared for each week, and make a calendar for a goal “date”. Don’t rush your lifestyle change. Embrace the changes you are making to your diet, your exercise schedule, your sleep habits. You’ll see the weight come off, but you have to stick to your goal and where you want to end up. Nothing good comes easy. So take your time and be happy with the progress you’ll be making. You’ll get to celebrate by buying smaller clothes!

You’re on your way to a skinnier Full Throttle Life!

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Sometimes we want to be the background, the quiet listener, the all too silent one. the thing is…we aren’t always meant to be quiet, and, instead, we’re pushed out of our shells and into a position of leadership. Leadership roles do not always have to mean having a title at a high-end corporation. Leadership takes form in the simple tasks in life.

For instance, while performing exceptionally at the gym yesterday, I met a group of ladies and a gentlemen, whose name I later found out to be “Snow”, and while doing chicken leg lifts, Snow announces that I will be keeping the count. Now, I much prefer a silent count in the depths of my head versus keeping everyone on track! I guess I couldn’t get out of the lead counter position and between gasps of air I somehow reached to the count of 25 on those horrible leg lifts. Let us not forget that we did three sets. Perhaps I was somehow put in that head counter position in order to push myself further and act as an example to the group of quickly fading ladies. After my buns and thighs had a few seconds of brief relaxation in-between uncontrollable muscle spasms, I had a moment to reflect on my little leadership position.  Sometimes we are meant for something bigger, not just to act as a person who leads, but because we need to push ourselves further than we would had we not been in front of a group.

When we feel that people look to us for leadership and direction, we have to push ourselves to our maximum capacity in order to motivate others to reach their full potential.  Next time you’re squatting it out at the gym and your trainer calls you to lead the count, take it as a step ahead, and a chance to reach your next level, not only in breathing while squatting, but also in the opportunity to influence others.

Think of it as one step further to living your life Full Throttle.

Share  your  little leadership experiences with me!

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