Make 2014 Your Best Year Yet!

Be the fittest, healthiest & happiest you have ever been !

One of the most common New Years Resolutions made each and every year is to get fit, healthy and lose weight. Sound familiar..? I want you to ask yourself, how many times in your life has a health related goal been your New Years Resolution? Chances are, at least once and more than likely you have again revisited that same goal  later on in the year as well. How important was this goal to you at the time? Most people when asked this question will answer saying that its extremely important and that they are willing to do anything to achieve it. They are well aware of the damage that their current lifestyle is doing to their health and have made the conscious decision to finally do something about it. If you are like many, and I mean many, you did not achieve these goals which were so important to you at one point. 

Now I want you to ask yourself, what stopped you in the past from achieving this goal? Honestly though, what happened? What could have possibly came up that got in the way of you achieving something that was so important to you. Lack of motivation? Money? Time? All of these 'excuses' seem to be justified in our heads at the time but looking back now, did you really try everything possible to make your goal happen or did you simply give up because it was too hard? Well let me tell you now that in order to change, you must challenge yourself.  Success is what happens when you get out of your comfort zone. Don't make this year the same as every other year, its time to make your goal a reality! Stop making the same old excuses that you make every year because you know what.. your going to get the same result.

I know that sometimes it's hard to find the initial motivation to go to the gym and for most, this can the hardest step and a major challenge. As human beings we are creatures of habit and love the routine that we put have in place for ourselves(even if its bad for a health). We love to feel comfortable and rarely want to break away from our comfort zone. This is why we just keep on doing what we are doing but unfortunately this is why you will keep on getting the same results you have always gotten. Stepping out of your comfort zone and breaking the habits that are stopping you achieving your goals takes will power and determination. You need to want to make it happen, once you decide that your health is important to you, time shouldn't be an issue . We always find time for what is important to us!

Stop saying to yourself that you should get healthy and start telling yourself that you will get healthy! Small changes in your mind-set like this will give you that extra determination and motivation that will help you put your plans into action.  Once you decide that is important to you, you can and will make it happen! Just like a smoker trying to give up should tell themselves that they that are a non-smoker, not that are are a smoker trying to give up smoking. Picture the result that you want in your mind and create it. 

Strength, weight loss and good health doesn't magically over night (as much as we all wish!)  You need to live a healthy lifestyle that will in return give you more energy, clearer skin, better mood, reduced body fat, increased strength, a faster metabolism, that tight toned summer body plus many more health benefits.  Learn to love your body by moving daily and nourishing it with the food that will allow it to be best that it possibly can be. It won't be easy but it will definitely be worth it! Believe in yourself and know that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to! You can do anything you put your mind to!

If you have made the decision to make 2014 your healthiest and happiest year yet, I would absolutely love to hear from you! I love being able to share my passion for health and fitness with those around me and would love nothing more then to hear from you to! Email me at jess@jessicastevens.com.au and share with me your 2014 resolutions, goals ans aspirations so we can inspire eachother to be the best that we can be!

Think Positive. Be happy!

I truly believe that positive thinking can truly change your life. You can be healthier and happier then you have ever been just by changing your outlook on life and shifting your mindset.  Below I have included some quick tips to stay motivated along with some of my favorite affirmations.

1.    Don’t focus on what you are ‘missing out’ on like chocolate, ice cream, soft drinks, burgers etc. Instead, focus on what you are gaining by eating healthy and nutritious food. Not only does healthy food taste incredible but you are also nourishing your body with the fuel it needs. In return, you will have more energy, clearer skin, better health and an overall better quality of life! 

2.    Recognize your progress. Every little bit of progress is still progress should be proud of! You may not realise and acknowledge it but once you start living a healthy & active lifestyle, each day that passes you are fitter then the day before and enhancing the quality of your future! Consistency is key when it comes to reaching your fitness goals.

3.    You have a choice each and every day, you can choose to push negative thoughts  away. Just because something ‘bad’ happens in the morning, it doesn't mean that the whole day is bad. Accept it and move on. Every day can and should be amazing! Make it amazing... 

4 Visualize yourself accomplishing your goals: Research shows that when you believe you can do something, you are more likely to do it! Write it down, tell your friends, post it on Facebook  write a letter to a friend telling them about your goals and aspirations. Make a vision board and put pictures of your goals on it. All of these tools will help you stay accountable and assist in you reaching your goals.

6.    Aim to be  the best version of yourself! When you love, nourish and support yourself properly,  you allow yourself to blossom and be the person that you are meant to be.

7.    Create a vision board: Write your goals down, print inspiring quotes and pictures and stick them on your Vision Board. This way, every day you will see your goals in front of you and there will be nothing stopping you from reaching them. This is something that I have done recently and I LOVE that I can see my goals every day when I am at home. Even right now, my board is next to my computer reminding and inspiring me what I want to achieve. 

8.    Surround yourself with positive people. A positive support network is so important when you're trying to reach your goals. You need to surround yourself with people who support you and lift you up on a daily basis. Surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you! Research has shown that  “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.'” . If you want to be active,  healthy, and happy it's very hard to do so if you surround yourself with others who are always negative, unhappy and unhealthy. Essentially, these people will bring you down and stop you achieving your goals. On the other hand , if you are be around people who inspire you and believe in you then you will reach your goals and be the person that you want to be.

9.    Spend 15 minutes every day in prayer, meditation or silence. Why? To mitigate the stress hormone Cortisol , which is a hormone that stores stomach fat. Spend this time deep breathing and really focus on relaxing your body and in return reducing your cortisol and stress levels.

10. Positive people have been proven to be healthier, happier and more successful! Having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. 

11. How you think is everything! You change your world by how you perceive it. If you focus on all the things that are not working and negative, then that is how your overall perception of the world will be. If you focus on what is going right , what you love, what makes you happy your quality and perception of life is guaranteed to be positive!

12. Find what you love and do it daily. What you love to do, is a sign of what you are meant to do. You can only express the very best parts of yourself when you are living in accordance with what you really want to be doing.

13. Believe in yourself! In order to become the best version of your, you have to believe that you can and will be.  “Dream, Believe, Achieve!” is one of my favorite quotes(Love it so much I have I white board on my fridge with it written on it reminding me every day that if i put my mind to something I can and will achieve it.)

14. Wake up in the morning with the thought that something wonderful is about to happen. If you wake up every morning and think a positive thought, research has shown that you are guaranteed to be happier throughout the whole entire day! Have an Attitude of Gratitude.. !!

15. If you don't like the situation you're in, change it. You are in control of your own life, thoughts, feelings and emotions. Sometimes this is something that we need to be reminded of. Asses your situation and remember that you are in control of what you do.

16. Do more of what makes you happy and less of what makes you un-happy.