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....