Hope the message of this holiday season

Well I heard a very powerful message this past weekend that impacted me to my inner core.  Now I am not talking about my muscle core but my soul core.  Hope is one of the gifts of this season.  Wow, I never really thought of hope being a gift.

The definition of hope is "A confident expectation and desire for something good in the future."

I can honestly embrace the true definition of hope today, yet my faith in hope was truly tested this past year.
This time last year my family and I were contemplating our hope in my brother's future. My brother had become it seemed hopeless, he was no longer the man we remembered him to be and everything about what we knew of him was different.  My parents, my three sisters and I witnessed my brother crash through a coffee table by simply trying to put on his shoes.  We all asked, was he drunk, was he on drugs, what could be the problem?  Maybe the past year of getting a divorce had a huge toll on him, maybe that is why he failed to take a shower, or couldn't remember to bring all of his children's clothes, why he always had a headache and was often dizzy.

See my brother is a man of great accomplishments (at least to me) my brother is my only brother. So when he graduated from West Point, got his Industrial Engineering Degree while still in the Army, then after he retired from the military he earned his law degree, I marveled at his intellect and perserverance. I aspired to be half of the person he had become.

At the age of 36 he married and proceeded to have 4 wonderful children. Although he and his wife divorced he seemed ready to take on the task of being a single parent. He wanted to be a father to his children whether he was married to their mother or not. Yet he seemed to be making mistakes that didn't seem like him.  He didn't show alot of emotion (what man really does) and looked very disheveled. So my brother was never one to be perfect however his military training taught him to be presentable.  So we knew when he fell through the table it had to be something more...

After a few Dr's appts and Psychologist evaluation, it was determined he was depressed and he was put on anti-depressants.  Things didn't seem to be get any better and he in the meantime lost custody of his children, to only get a few supervised visits.  This was definitely not the man we knew or loved, he would never do anything to lose the custody of his children, there had to be something more...

My sisters with the help of their husbands took my brother to the hospital where they committed him to a Psychiatric ward.  My brother's situation had become so dire that he was living in his own filth and no longer going to work.  No one could get in touch with him because his phone was shut off.  We knew something was wrong yet we didn't think he was going crazy, he was going through a hard time and needed help, that is what we thought.

After 2 weeks in the Psychiatric ward, they released him, yet he still was off balance and he was now vomiting at the drop of a hat.  We had all hoped that he would get better however we failed to really see the true signs of what was really happening.  My parents finally after much probing and prodding of the Dr's asked for my brother to get a CAT scan and low and behold there it was, he had a tumor taking up a large portion of his frontal lobe in his brain.

Within a few days my brother was taken to a Neurologist and it was determined the type of tumor he had was most likely a meningioma, which is usually non cancerous but can be just a dangerous depending on the size.  Surgery was then scheduled for less than a week and now our faith and hope in the Dr's came into play. 

I have found this time of year a time to reflect on the year's that have past and the year's to come.  How can I change myself for the better?  The only thing that can help me make those changes is my hope in my future. 
So any changes I have to make need to be backed by my confident expectation and desires for good in the future.  When one loses hope that is when you find you have lost your confidence in a good future.  You fail to see your desires in a positive way, you lack patience in the process. Often times the hopeless find themselves contemplating their existence and if there is any good in the future.

Just recently I found out a young man of only 31 committed suicide, just 1 week after Thanksgiving.  You would think he had all the hope in the world with a new wife and two beautiful children.  Yet he found no hope in his future and left his family to grieve his loss.  Is there still hope for those left behind?  What can those little girls learn from this horrific event?
How many times have you found yourself deciding to make a change for the better.  You will embark upon a new health and wellness regime to only lose hope that you will ever change.  What most of us forget on our journey is that it takes time and patience to see your desired results.  How many times have you lost focus and hope in your desire to be healthy?

This holiday busy season and your fitness goals....

If anyone knows, owning and running your own business can take many hours of many days and your holidays tend to be working days.  Believe me, I wouldn't trade my business for the world. However, I have found I can totally relate to my clients when they say, "I just can't find any time in the day to exercise".  Yes, I said it, sometimes I do not think I have time to exercise. Yes, I am a dedicated professional that is encouraging all my clients to find the time to exercise while thinking in the back of my mind, "When am I going to get my workout in today?" So, I compromise and I park a little further from the door, I take the stairs and I take the few minutes I may steal to add any exercise into my day.
Maybe I have more opportunities than most to include exercise, however, your workout with me is your workout not mine.  Does that mean I am perfect and I am able to do everything on my list while also getting in my exercise.  No, I am not perfect, I am human and find that I have to prioritize and balance my life just like everyone else. So, my message to you today is to take time this holiday season to slow down and prioritize your life, find balance, don't forget about your own personal needs and take care of your health.  Be sure to include some sort of exercise into your day.  If you just don't want to think how to get started or what to do to incorporate exercise into your life, call a professional a Personal Trainer, or join my next Boot Camp.   
Make the commitment to yourself today! Put balance back into your life and rely on a trained professional to help you meet your goals.

Did you know the "average American can gain 9lbs during the holidays and never lose it?

Have you ever sat down to a meal whether you are home or out and stressed over what you were going to eat?  The whole time you were eating you focus on what foods are "good" and "bad" and forget to taste your food? You mentally check out of eating and compartmentalize your foods into the "forbidden" and "allowable" foods?  Did you ever eat, then forget what you just ate and suddenly become hungry again?
The holidays have the ability to bring your relationship with food to the forefront.
Let's take a leap on the wild side and say that eating what you want during this time of year is not a bad thing.  If your holiday pleasure comes from eating those family favorites then take this time to embrace that pleasure you get from those foods.  Those foods do not make you gain weight, it is the amount of time you take to eat and the quantity of those "forbidden" foods, that assist in your weight gain. 
If you are setting yourself up to stress about the consumption of these foods, your stress level can affect your appetite and your metabolism.  If you are thinking about what you are eating in a negative way rather than experiencing the actual intake of the food, your body will not realize it has consumed those wonderful foods and still crave those foods.  In other words, you need to pay attention to what you are eating.
Mindlessly doing anything can be bad, especially driving, however eating mindlessly can also be detrimental to your wasteline.  So, try not to text while you drive or eat while you drive.  Don't be part of the American population that runs from experience to experience looking for a solution, gratification or results in less than 10 seconds.  Help yourself this holiday season and balance your life. Relish those wonderful treats you crave all year long, take the time to taste every bite and fill your soul with the wonderful memories you should experience with your friends and family.

Sharing your visions with others....can sometimes make you fat, broke and depressed...

Have you ever had a vision of the life you want and shared it with those around you?  Does their reaction to your vision curb your momentum or does it help you foster and propel your vision? 

Some people in your life may not have the same vision for growth, abundance or prosperity.  The negative messages you hear can sometimes come from the very people you think should be in your corner supporting and cheering you on.  When you are on a life journey of change not everyone will understand your motivation to change.  Putting your vision out there, voicing what you feel, proclaiming what you plan to accomplish on your quest to become the person your true self, can be quite scary. Others in your life may react from their own fear of change and discount your visions and journey.  These people have been called "dream stealers" and how you react to these dream stealers can make or break your journey in life. 

My dream stealers have always been the ones closest to me. I have spent my life trying to prove to them that I am a visionary and I can change... that I am acceptable in their eyes.  This life mission of proving myself to those who love to steal my dreams has only left me broke, fat and depressed.  So I manifest their negative opinion by failing myself, losing my health and wellness for their approval.

Why am I seeking the approval of those who will never approve?  If I look at their lives, are they happy and living a life of abundance and prosperity? 

Have you ever met a person who was truly happy with themselves and their lives and still trying to tear you apart? 

So, today I surround myself with people who will help me foster my vision and ignore those who want to steal my vision.  The more support I seek from those with the visionary mindset, the less I listen to those who want to steal my vision..

Well you may be thinking how can this story help me. The lesson here is to surround yourself with the people who will foster your growth, prosperity and abundance.  In return your life will be healthy, prosperious and abundant...Ironically, after your success becomes apparent to those who choose not to support you now, may in the future, end up seeking your guidance on their journey to find their own lost visions....

Embrace your visions, discover your passions, and find your inner Compass....

Sunday Mornings...

What a beautiful day this Sunday morning brings us.  I was thinking to myself how I used to feel about Sunday's when I knew I had to go to my "JOB" the next day.  Especially after a holiday weekend of spending great times with friends and family.  The day would progressively get worse, my mood would alter with every hour. 

The wonderful times and beautiful days would disappear with the looming prospect of the dreaded Monday morning alarm. I would remind myself that "this is what life is all about getting up and being a responsible adult doing your duty to be apart of the daily workforce!?" Yet I couldn't resign myself to that knawing in my gut of being unfulfilled.. shouldn't I be thankful that someone wanted to employ me and that I was getting a paycheck?

Many years later, now that I am working for myself, sometimes I remember that feeling of dread for that Monday morning alarm.  Now, I have a new passion for Monday mornings that I never thought would happen.  I have been given the gift of sharing my passion with others through health and wellness.  My days are now dedicated to making life better for myself and those around me.  With the help of some great minds I get my guidance from Wayne Dyer, Barbara DeAngelis, Debbie Allen, Loral Langemeier. 

I believe that all of us have a purpose in life and we don't have to dread the life we are living.  Take the time today to reflect on your passions and your purpose.  It may not be obvious today but with some help of others you may find that you just might like Sunday nights and Monday mornings like I do...

You can find links to some of great inspirational products at htttp://www.greatvalleybootcamp.com/affiliates.

Mental or Physical Health are they one in the same?

So let's talk about our mental health some more...

About 5 years ago, I embarked on a journey to transform my body to become an amateur Body Builder.  At the time I wasn't overweight per se, however, I knew my physique could be better.  So, I challenged myself to set a goal of becoming a Body Builder.  My journey was not embarked upon alone, I sought the advise of a trainer who also achieved her goal of becoming a Body Builder.  She became my guide in my journey to my goal of becoming a Body Builder. 

I don't know about you, but I have always been the perverbial pink sheep in my family.  What do I mean about pink sheep, I was just always different, my goals were not the norm however they were never bad just different... So being the different one in the family, I could say that the support for my decision was lacking, I believe the comment was " it takes years for Body Builders to build the muscle they need to compete, what do you think you could do in 4 months?"  If I had internalized this comment it would have stopped me in my tracks, yet I took this comment and shrugged it off, because I said "Why Can't I", "Why am I any different than any other Body Builder?? I am not out to win I want to embark upon the journey, challenge my body and yes my mind to go beyond what I know to be true."   At that point I wasn't worried about the results I was just focused on what I needed to do each day.  Everyday I connected with my body by using my mental strength to continue.

My intense training started in January with food restrictions and workouts lasting 1.5 to 2 hours everyday for 6 days then I would get a day of rest from training but not nutrition.  Oh yes, and I had a full time job at the same time.  Four long months of not taking one day off, sticking to the strick diet, eating, sleeping and drinking my goal to make it to my first competition.

It became obvious to those around me that I had a goal and that their influence good or bad was not going to deter me... My mind was made up and was going to make it to the end, I was going to get up on that stage and be the best I could be...

As the days progressed I became stronger, my persistance and determination pushed me along.  My mental strength was what kept me going to reach my goal.  I knew I could do it, I knew I was capable of achieving my goal.  All my old messages of being mentally weak, fat, never finish, didn't come into play because I knew everyday was a new day in the journey to my final destiny.

I made it to my first competition and I was petrified, I stood up on the stage with my knees shaking and my stomach doing somersaults, but I stood up there and showed the world what I worked so hard to achieve.  What they saw were my external results of all the internal growth I had accomplished in those four short months.  This journey proved to myself that internal negative messages were no longer going to influence how I feel about myself physically.  I found out that with each physical weight lifted, I removed an emotional and mental weight that had been carried most of my life.  To be standing on a stage with just a tiny little bikini to show off your physique not only exposes you physically but mentally.  There I was exposed to the world showing how proud and honored I felt to be there with the other competitors.  Everyone had a different journey to that stage yet we all were able to achieve the best we could for that day. 

So, it is now 5 years since my first Body Building Competition, which I won by the way, I became Ms. Natural Philadelphia 2004.  I am proud of that accomplishment, yet that was just one part of my journey on the path to better mental health and passing my message onto others.  Each day I wake up with my goal to be better, mentally, physically and emotionally.  I am still standing up on that stage of life with others along side me. Whether you realize it or not, what you do for yourself reflects on the outside and could affect others either positively or negatively.  So, if you like to look good on the outside, you need to take the time to work on the inside. So, do your best to be the best everyday of your life.  Your journey is never ending and those around you will either benefit or suffer from the direction you take...

In my process of growth I take my time to study and learn from many inspirational speakers through their stories of success and failures. A really great movie and book that has helped me is The Compass. The Compass takes you on one mans journey to re-direct his inner compass while at the sametime teaching you how to re-direct your own Compass. Make sure you take a look at the website by clicking on the link above.

Where do you Find Your Motivation?

Motivation: Forces that organize and give direction to unsatisfied needs.


“No Mommy don’t make me do it!” How many times have you heard a child bellow this phrase? I know myself I remember saying it plenty. Is this an example of external motivation or internal motivation? If you picked external, you are correct. Throughout this chapter you will be challenged to explore your internal motivating forces while at the same time develop an understanding of how external motivating forces have a tendency to cause you to lose focus on the desired end result.

Self- Motivation

Through examination of your internal motivating forces you may find the following drivers: Anger, Fear, Love, and Happiness. These forces are all internal and are known to drive people. What makes some individuals have success and others fail is how each person deals with these forces. Motivation from within implies self-motivation. When a person is self-motivated they are capable of finding the drive, directions and intentions to complete a task or goal without external factors.

So, do you have to always be self motivated to achieve your goals? Well let’s examine this, if you are self-motivated are you better than the person who needs a little push or kick in the butt? Not at all, yet when you need a kick in the pants to get started, do you continue that drive on your own or do you lose enthusiasm, direction and drive to complete the task without the support of another? Have you ever started a workout program with the help of a friend or a trainer and found when you lost the support of the friend or trainer you lost all drive, direction or motivation? Or can you continue on your program knowing that you have the drive and direction to stay focused. That is the difference between self-motivated and being externally motivated. No matter how much help you receive until you are capable of finding the motivation from within you will continue to ride the roller coaster of health and wellness.

Being a professional in the health and wellness industry, those individuals who seek my help are on the right track. Yet the one thing I have found that if they choose to listen to only the things they want to hear and maintain the rest of the beliefs and habits; they truly never become self-motivated. They may have successes with my help but their success is fleeting when they no longer have my help. In some sense I have failed you in not helping you find your own self motivation. Yes, it would seem counter intuitive for my business to have you grow up and not need me for motivation, yet it is not. I don’t know about you but if you are self-motivated you are an inspiration to others and everyone wants to know your secrets.

Find Your Inner Motivators.

So how do you get that self motivation for something you know you need to do but don’t like doing it??? How do you find the strength from within to overcome your self destructive behavior?

Motivation from within can also be referred to as “intrinsic motivation”. Intrinsic motivation as defined by Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci, “is the inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one’s capacities, to explore and to learn.” In other words, we are born with motivation from within, we don’t need external factors to motivate us as infants yet as we grow our own motivation is either fostered or hindered by external factors. We as humans are inclined to action and integration yet we are vulnerable to inactivity and complacency.

So what does that mean??

If a person is given the autonomy to complete a task without help of an external factor such as a reward or even a threat, their intrinsic motivation can grow and foster.

However, intrinsic motivation is not the only determining factor in a self motivated individual. Sometimes you are motivated to perform a task that you find boring or mundane, or you just are not interested in doing a particular task yet you know that if you perform this task it will help you achieve your overall human goal of action and integration.

How do you find the motivation to do this task?

Usually it is by relevant positive external factors that help you put these tasks in line with your internal human goals. Why is it that some of the contestants of the “Biggest Loser” fall off the proverbial wagon when they get home? Could it be that the motivational forces that kept them losing the weight while on the program were all external in nature and never become relevant to their internal self goals? In other words, you’re losing the weight and eating right because they are telling you too and you want to win the money, but you still feel like that fat person who wants a hamburger with fries and a milkshake.

Have you ever heard of the saying of “let things roll off your back”?

But, is that always the way you should handle negative feedback or motivations? Have you ever internalized those motivations and made them apart of who you are or limit who you are? According to renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow, it is our basic needs that drive our motivation as human beings. Maslow wrote “The Theory of Motivation” and stated that all human motivation is based on the “Hierarchy of Needs” If our basic needs are not met that is the basis for all of our motivations. Our basic needs are physiological, such as food, water, and sleep; and psychological, such as affection, security, and self-esteem. These basic needs are also called deficiency needs because if they are not met by an individual, then that person will strive to make up the deficiency. Does this mean that our motivations can be defined as instinctual? Have you ever heard of thinking from your gut? Maybe that can be interpreted as instinctual or intrinsic motivation.

So now what?

Ok you think you were brought up in the wrong environment to foster your motivation. Is there hope to overcome your lack of motivation? Can you still achieve your goals and find your motivation? This is where your positive external motivators can come into play. If you create an environment that is conducive for self growth, that environment can be very motivating. However, if you feel that you are being coerced into a behavior you will lack the motivation needed to complete a goal. Which situation above would be more internally satisfying?

How many of us find that external motivators take over when you feel your needs are unfulfilled. Do you ever find yourself seeking material goods, external wealth, or notoriety? And when you get it, you still are not satisfied? Have you ever had a bad day and rewarded yourself with a piece of chocolate cake or maybe you had a good day and rewarded yourself with a new pair of shoes? Rewarding yourself with these items is not wrong however, sometimes it is the motivation behind why you reward yourself and if it is in alignment with your true self.

Yes, you can reprogram your internal motivators however it takes time and energy to realign your motivators. It takes changing your environment and external motivators to align them with your intrinsic human motivation.

Have you ever seen a sea turtle lay their eggs, then the eggs hatch? How the mother turtle has to dig a massive hole, lay her eggs then bury the eggs so predators don’t get to them. Then when the baby turtles hatch they have to survive going across the beach to get into the ocean and then risk dying in the current. The sea turtles are motivated by instinct. All barriers aside they have a goal of living and are driven by the very nature of survival. As human beings, we are different because our motivational instincts can be overridden by our environmental influences. Whether we grew up in an unloving abusive home or a loving home it may be a determinant on how motivated we are in life.

So now let us relate all this motivational mumbo jumbo to your health and well being. Have you ever heard someone say to you they are just destined to be sick, overweight and unhappy? “Well that is just my life” That is the way it goes… Are you complacent to stay as you are because you have tried all the diets and new fancy exercise programs and they never work? Then you meet someone that has tried the same “diet” or “exercise” program and it worked for them? Why did it work for them and not for you? Could it be that you never truly embraced the internal motivating factors relative to the changes you needed to make in order to succeed. Did you let your internal self inhibitors talk you out of continuing or were you looking for immediate external results instead of looking within yourself for the true internal forces that you needed to change your life. In life there are many factors that influence the way we look at our goals and accomplishments relative to our health and well being. Instead of feeling regret and remorse for quitting and lacking the motivation to complete your goals, dig deep and remove all outside negative influences. This practice will definitely shift your thought processes about your health.

More often than not when an individual makes the decision to start changing the way they look and feel the person is looking for justification outside of one’s self. Are you the type of person who is more concerned with the people around you than yourself? If so, you may be doing more harm than good. Not only to yourself but others around you. Let’s change our mind set and internalize all factors that relate to your health and wellness. The wrong response would be, “ I am doing it to set a good example for friends and family who need a role model”. A better answer would be, “ I am doing it because my physical and mental condition is unacceptable to myself and changes are necessary to focus on my life goals”. The later answer has a more significant impact in your life and others than the first answer. You will feel much better and have a stronger commitment to you. Don’t worry about the external gratification, your friends and family will notice and want to make the same changes you are making in your life and end up wanting the same success. It all comes down finding the internal motivation. Start by digging deep, stop making excuses for your current situation and admit to yourself that change is necessary. Remember this famous quote from George Washington Carver “99% of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses”. Now lets move past the excuses and start your self fulfilling journey because do the external challenges really matter in the bigger picture of your life goals? You only have yourself to thank once the decision is made and you begin your journey to find your intrinsic motivation.
To be continued….
Jen Brango, Great Valley Adventure Boot Camp

Taking yourself on vacation...

Well we just got back from an awesome beautiful vacation in Scottsdale Arizona. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm with just a few clouds everyday. We were able to sleep in and set our own schedule; Do we go for a walk or run outside or do we go for a drive to the nearest town... Our time is our own, we were definitely on vacation...
Now we are back and it has all changed... my time is no longer my own, I have to remember I have a schedule that I have to follow. Where did my freedom go?? Why can't I have the same schedule at home as we did in Scottsdale??

Did I really take myself on vacation or did I leave my other self at home? Do you ever feel like you are a completely different person when you are away from your daily life.  Things are so much easier, so much less stuff going on in your life...
To be completely honest I didn't want to go, I was stressed and tired and thinking I didn't need to go, not right now.... A part of the reason why we went to Arizona was to attend the Millionaire Entrepreneur's Summit. Oh yeah I thought, here we go again another conference, How to get rich quick, probably another infomercial....Boy did I get a new perspective ..
It was only 3 days and it was an eye opening experience into the world of these changing times and how we as Entrepreneur's need to change our mental outlook on the changing economy.
The biggest lesson that I learned is that it takes a strong mental foundation in order to move forward successfully in my professional and personal life.  Most Millionaire's have a mindset of visualizing their goals and putting them into action...
While in Scottsdale we were able to put ourselves in a place that was welcoming to some mental clarity, time was ours to decipher the messages of growth we received at the conference. It all makes so much sense, a strong foundation is one of emotional, mental, physical and financial... Our goals became so clear during our time of rest... We were able to reconnect and decipher between our roles of business partners and life partners.
Now we are back and the clarity is slipping. Why is everything still the same and I feel different? Could it be that my own resistance to change is starting to creep back in and the confusion I feel is being influenced by my own resistance to change my preconceived foundations?? Did I rediscover the person I left home while I was away???
Was it the warm air and the freedom that gave me the ability to find some clarity and is it the cold air and lack of freedom that causes the confusion??
Let me explain something, I come from the school of thought that if you work your body (workout) you will find more clarity in all parts of your life. Sure a good workout can clear your head, however if you haven't done the mental work to clear your thoughts the after glow from your intense workout can die pretty quickly.  Now I have realized that working your body physically is only one piece of the puzzle...

So now I am "working out" my mental confusion.... I am reading Barbara DeAngelis's newest book "How Did I Get Here?"... Barbara discusses confusion and how sometimes we can rely on confusion to a life of inaction. In order for me to progress, whether I am in AZ, or PA, I need to "workout" my mental confusion. In other words I need to take action in order to move forward in establishing my foundation for success.
Yes, I did take myself on vacation however my familiar enviroment of home and schedule can either sabotage my new found journey or it can help solidfy this journey...

What is my message... just take the time to evaluate your foundation and see if you maybe need to find some clarity in these changing times....Take yourself on a mental vacation and become the person you are destined to be....