what you focus on you create more of
Jen Sincero
8/10/2020 1 Comment broccoli riceI have to be honest with you. I am not a big fan of broccoli. I eat it because it is good for me, but I don't really like the taste. I usually steam it or roast it and use nice olive oil or grass-fed butter to make it taste better. We are usually pretty good about using up our vegetables before they go bad, but the other day I noticed that we had two big heads of broccoli. I decided I was going to experiment with one of them. I washed it, chopped it, and threw it in the food processor and made broccoli rice. It turned out great! I ate it that morning with my breakfast -- it's very much like cauliflower in that somehow it tastes better when it is cut into such small pieces. And there is magic in cutting broccoli up. It releases a cancer-fighting enzyme. Here is a quick video that explains it. Enjoy!
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What you focus on grows.
You create what you focus on. You become what you focus on. What you focus on expands. Where the attention goes the energy flows. These are all ways to say the same thing. It may sound a little "woo-woo," but it is scientific and "true-true." 😂🤣 There is a part of your brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) and it is a filter. Without it, they say we wouldn't be able to handle all of the stimuli around us at any given point in time. The RAS filters for what we find important. How does it know what we find important? Our brain knows what's important to us because of what we focus on. Have you ever been in the market for a new car and all of a sudden the kind of car you are looking for appears over and over on the road? Have you ever learned a new word and then read it or heard it the next day? These are examples of your RAS at work. The cars and words were there all along, but your brain didn't filter for them until you focused on them. It's why you can hear your name mentioned in a crowd of chatting people, or why an eye doctor notices people who are wearing glasses or squinting. Here is a quick video if you want to learn more! Take a minute to think about the beliefs you have and the inner dialogue that plays on a loop in your head. Those thoughts, whether they are are serving you or not, send signals to your brain. The brain then searches for proof that your thought or belief is true. How wild is that? If you believe you are never going to lose weight, for instance, your brain searches for proof of that, and your belief becomes stronger. But there is good news! You can change your thoughts! Once you begin to focus on what you DO want to feel and think, then your brain searches for proof, which feeds the now positive belief. Whattt?! It may sound weird, but give it a chance. Pick something positive to focus on and watch your world shift. 🌎 You're welcome. 💗 Who's got a sweet tooth? I love a little something sweet, but I have all but given up processed sugar. (Have you seen That Sugar Film?) To get my fix, I search for healthier versions of my favorites. This snack hits the spot in all the right ways. I sliced it, cut the slices in thirds, and froze them. I have been trying a technique from Jill Coleman that involves strategic snacking-- she recommends taking a bite or two of your treat and then walking away. (We all know that the first bite is the best anyway, right?) The idea is that it will there if we want more, and that eating a few bites here and there will prevent over-indulging later on. (Read more about her eating philosophy here.) So if I want something sweet, I take a third of a piece from the freezer and eat it mindfully. Sometimes I put PB on it and it is even more delicious. I may even go back and get a second piece if I feel like it. Very rarely do I go get the last third of a piece in one sitting, but I know if I still want it, it is there. I have been practicing this kind of snacking for a couple of months now. It has been so interesting! When I first started, I took advantage of my new-found food freedom. I had something sweet after every meal--including breakfast. But as I practiced, the need for the sweet taste seemed to wane a bit. Now, I don't even have a sweet snack every day. Just knowing it's there if I want it makes it somehow less appealing and/or powerful. In conjunction with mindfulness, this strategic snacking strategy is a game-changer! Let me know if you have tried it or if you want to learn more about it!
7/15/2020 0 Comments how about a little EMOM?
EMOM stands for "Every Minute on the Minute," and it is a fun way to mix your workouts up a bit.
The idea is that you begin each exercise at the top of each minute. When you finish the designated number of reps, you can rest until the next minute begins. I did a 5 minute EMOM here, but you can repeat it to make a 10, 15, or even 20 minute workout. This one requires no equipment-- just your body weight. You can add some weights if you would like to make it more challenging-- I mention it when I talk about modifications for each exercise. Don't forget to warm up before and cool down after! 7/14/2020 0 Comments crunchy chickpeasI love crunchy chickpeas as a snack. I love to make a little trail mix with some nuts and pieces of dark chocolate and pumpkin seeds. Or I will eat them by the handful by themselves. Over the years I have tried to roast my own chickpeas, but they never stayed crunchy for very long. I don't know if it was because I was using canned chickpeas, or because I didn't dry them enough, or I didn't peel them. Or maybe I was using inferior recipes. I don't really know. All I know is that it worked this time, so I thought I would share. First of all, I cooked my own chickpeas for the first time ever! I never realized how easy and how much better they taste when you cook them yourself. (Shout out to my SIL, Kel, who recently sent me an Instant Pot, which makes the whole deal so flippin' easy.) I rinsed them after I cooked them and let them drain for a long time-- like all morning. I forgot about them, to tell you the truth. That was good, though, because they were nice and dry when I decided to roast them. I used this recipe. The author recommends peeling the chickpeas, which I didn't notice until after the fact. They crisped up nicely anyway, but next time I will take a few minutes to take the skins off if I have the time. She also recommends leaving the chickpeas in the oven as it cools down. I didn't do this because it was late afternoon and I didn't want to open my oven door and heat up the house any more than it already was. Anyway, if you are a fan of cinnamon, you have to try these! Use this recipe, and don't skip the steps that I did. I bet yours will come out even better. 6/29/2020 0 Comments enough.Enough money. Enough success. Enough time, praise, and love. There is enough for me, you, and everyone else. Enough is a mindset. In fact, there is something even better-- an abundance mindset. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effect People, first coined the phrase as well as the opposite mindset, which is a scarcity mindset. An abundance mindset, which is directly related to a growth mindset, is the attitude that there is enough to go around. The success of someone else doesn't mean that you lose. It means that you are willing to share the glory and give credit where it's due. It means that you know if you give something away, it will come back to you in spades. As Covey said, "it flows out of a deeper inner sense of personal worth and security." If you are coming from a place of love, you most likely have an abundance mindset. A scarcity mindset, on the other hand, is the attitude that I lose when someone else wins. Someone with a scarcity mindset is reluctant to share the credit, power, or profit. They hold tight to their resources. This is directly related to a fixed mindset, and it comes from a place of fear and insecurity. Which way sounds like more fun to you? Here are some ways to grow and nurture an abundance mindset: Become aware of your thoughts. That's the first step to almost anything, really. What is your attitude towards money? How about success? You can even think about this in terms of food. As a personal trainer, some folks are held back by the fact that they feel like they have to eat the whole bag of chips or cookies. Sometimes, subconsciously, they may have a scarcity mindset which makes them feel like there won't be enough when they come back to it. Notice your thoughts and decide if there is a pattern. If you notice a pattern, you can address it. Your thoughts create your feelings, and your feelings drive your actions. If you notice a thought like, "I'm not smart enough," you can change it to "I am fully capable of figuring this out." OR "I don't have enough money, " replace it with "I can always make more money." It takes practice, and it might sound weird at first, but it works! I know you hear this everywhere, but that's because it works: practice gratitude. Write at least 5 things for which you are grateful each day. When you begin to notice the little things throughout your world that bring you joy, that joy becomes amplified. Your brain seeks out the simple pleasures, and gradually that becomes enough. And then, guess what happens? It starts to feel like more than enough! It begins to feel abundant! Do it. I promise it works. Open your heart and your mind to all possibilities. A lot of times, when we are so focused on one thing, we don't see all the other options that are right in front of us. If you are so focused on not being good enough, for example, you may very well miss all the resources that actually present themselves to you to help you learn and grow. Look up and look around! You will be amazed at what you find. It will feel almost like magic-- the right person or the book or website will fall into your lap. You won't notice it, though, if you aren't intentionally looking for it. Build your confidence! Scarcity comes from a place of fear and a lack of confidence. You have to figure out how to build your confidence. One of the best ways I know how to do that is to begin making small promises to yourself, and then KEEP them. Start super small, like promising yourself that you will make your bed in the morning. Or promise that you will call your mom, do a load of wash and actually put the clothes away when they are clean. When you keep a promise to yourself, you build trust in yourself and that leads to confidence. Once you begin to feel abundance in one part of your life, it becomes easier to feel it in other parts of your life. Pick a small section of your life and begin to experiment with changing your attitude. Notice how it affects other areas of your life! 6/2/2020 0 Comments one song: planks
Planks are perfect for core strength! Do them on your knees or on your toes, keep your elbows or your hands directly below your shoulders, and get it done. The second you feel your back dip, drop to your knees. Have fun!
5/27/2020 0 Comments what I ate wednesdayWhen I began learning about nutrition and wellness, I used to love to peek into the lives of others and see what they ate on a daily basis. "What I Ate Wednesday" used to be a thing, and I am going to try to bring it back in case you are curious as well. 😁 So, here are my eats from last Wednesday. I didn't take pictures of my water, but I usually aim for half my body weight in ounces. Let me know if you have any questions! |
About the AuthorKim is a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and group fitness instructor. She is a mom of two grown kiddos, and a former elementary school teacher. Most days, she can be found training clients, prepping food, thinking about food, or writing about food. She is also obsessed with mindset and habits. She is a 9w1 on the enneagram. Archives
February 2021
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