Live Your Personal Best – Workout Motivation and Routine Building For Current and Former Athletes

Are you having difficulty squeezing some creative juices in your day-to-day life? Perhaps, this is why you’re having trouble having the motivation and being optimistic in the things you do. Creativity leads us to passion and purpose in the work that you do and it’s directly related to happiness and how fulfilled you are in everything you tackle.

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I speak with Maria Brito, the Award-winning, New York-based contemporary art advisor, author, and curator. She’s the author of How Creativity Rules the World: The Art and Business of Turning Your Ideas into Gold.

Listen to this podcast to learn about the tips and tricks on how to be more creative in your life, why that’s important and how creativity, motivation, and optimism are so interrelated.

Episode Timeline

[3:28] Maria explains why it’s important to talk about creativity

[16:42] Maria shares her tips on how people can start to be more creative.

[25:17] Maria talks about the connection between creativity and motivation.

[29:17] Maria leaves her last pieces of advice to the listeners.

Key Takeaways

• It’s important for humans to rely on their “superpowers” to invent the future at will.
• Creativity is the most crucial thing to have in any profession or career.
• Creativity is all about giving value and being relevant.
• When you experience failure, it would be helpful if you separate yourself from it. When failure happens, this could help you think that it’s just your idea that failed, not you.
• Silence helps you flourish your creativity.
• If possible, incorporate a time for yourself in your day-to-day life to develop your creativity.
• Your brain loves surprises, and this helps you with your creativity.
• To surprise your brain as part of your creativity enhancement habits:
• Take a different route on your way to school or work every day.
• Write with your dominant hand.
• Try to look for other ways to use everyday objects.
• When you have time to spare, don’t use your GPS when you travel to a place.
• Aspire not to be stagnant in your life.
• The most essential things in today’s society are ideas.
• In this day and age, technology drowns creativity.
• Give yourself a chance to be lost in your life.
• Optimism, motivation, and creativity are intertwined.
• Creativity fosters motivation because you do things that you love and believe in.
• Bring ideas to receptive people if you aim to make a difference.
• Trust your gut. If it’s telling you something, pay attention to what it is.
• Have some guidance that doesn’t come from experience and comes from unknowing.

Quotes

• Creativity isn’t just about art. Creativity is in everyone’s day-to-day life. – Maria [0:38]
• Without ideas, there is no progress. – Maria [3:32]
• When we actually have the power to believe and trust our guts, to go with those ideas, and to open up our imagination, miracles can happen.- Maria [4:07]

Connect with Maria Brito

Website: https://www.mariabrito.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariabrito_ny 

Follow Live Your Personal Best on IG: https://www.instagram.com/liveyourpb/

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If you feel stuck in your fitness plan have you considered switching from exercising to training? Ever thought about what the difference is?

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I share how a certain life event has impacted the way I see training and working out and how this could help me become better everyday and elite athlete.

Listen to this podcast to learn more about the difference between training and working out and how these can greatly impact the way you perceive fitness.

Want to read Elite to Everyday Athlete? Get it here: https://amzn.to/3ysSbqW  

Episode Timeline

[0:46] Emily shares some updates regarding her Everest Base Camp journey

[2:45] Emily talks about what her workouts should look like now

[8:19] Emily explains why it’s important to realize that exercise and training are two different things

Key Takeaways

• Focusing on training and not just on exercising could potentially give you purpose and excitement.
• If you’re struggling to be motivated on your workout routines now, maybe it’s time to take a step back and reminisce about what made you excited when you trained before.
• If you’re planning to transform your workout routine into something that makes you feel enjoyable, have a plan around that you feel confident with.
• There’s nothing wrong if you choose to be in your experimental phase.

Quotes

• “Don’t be afraid to change it [your workout routine] up. Don’t be afraid of saying ‘yes, this one way for me has worked for me for so long, but maybe it’s time for something new.’” – Emily [8:50]

“There’s no right or wrong way of being an athlete, of being a former athlete, or someone who just enjoys exercise in general.” – Emily [10:26]

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Tired of listening to various gurus and coaches online on what you should do to improve your well-being? Do you feel frustrated because no matter how hard you try following all their advice and tips, you keep on struggling because they don’t fit your personality or lifestyle? Perhaps, you should find your sense of self through empowered wellness.

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I speak with Allison Pelot, a dynamic fitness trainer, and energy coach specializing in rapid permanent change through corrective exercise, metabolic nutrition, and energetic alignment. Allison is also the author of Finally Thriving: Your Guide to Empowered Wellness.

Listen to this episode to be aware of what works for your well-being, instead of constantly looking outside yourself for answers, and what you should do if you’re lost in the process.

Episode Timeline

[2:10] Allison shares what’s in her book Finally Thriving: Your Guide to Empowered Wellness.

[4:46] Allison explains what empowered wellness is.

[5:48] Allison talks about how you can start practicing empowered wellness.

[10:48] Allison reveals her background.

[20:39] Allison explains why humans are all designed to thrive.

[24:15] Allison leaves her one last piece of advice.

Key Takeaways

• Empowered Wellness means you own your experience. Connecting with yourself can help you choose what works for you, especially when you’re being presented with opinions and ideas.
• If you heavily really on someone else’s opinion for your self-care, at some point, you’ll feel lost and disconnected.
• If you’re looking to practice empowered wellness, give yourself space. Take out the things you don’t need, like distractions of your life. 
• Prioritize your life every day so you can put yourself first. 
• Take all the noise to have that extra space to bring in new opportunities and changes.
• Don’t put too many restrictions on yourself. Don’t overcomplicate yourself.
• Connect with your inner child so that you can connect with the powerful parts of yourself.
• You already have everything that we need. You need to remove all the blocks that prevent you from acquiring all of them.

Quotes

• “It’s okay not to do anything sometimes.” – Allison [8:34]
• “Give yourself space for grace.” – Allison [10:39]
• “The energetic intertwines with the energetic more than we realize.” – Allison [17:07]
• “You definitely deserve to be happy. It is possible.” – Allison [23:06]
• “Look within yourself to reflect the experience of yourself and the world.” – Allison [24:21]

Connect with Allison: 

• Website: https://www.pureenergypdx.com/
• Instagram: @pureenergypdx

Join the Live Your Personal Best Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/personalbesties

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Wouldn’t it be nice if all your excuses disappeared? If the ONE thing keeping you from taking the next step towards your goal was gone?

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I share how fearing the unknown has prevented me from doing the things that I love and how changing my perspective on things can significantly affect the success that I experience in my life.

Want to read Elite to Everyday Athlete? Get it here: https://amzn.to/3ysSbqW  

Listen to this podcast to learn more about how you can change your mindset so you’ll have more confidence in achieving your goals and making the things that are impossible possible.

Episode Timeline

[0:42] Emily shares that she’s a planner and how this affects her day-to-day routine.

[3:48] Emily realizes that some things won’t sense if you do it, but it’s not impossible.

[6:30] Emily reveals her commitments to the future.

Key Takeaways

• You can do things you think are impossible by telling yourself that you’re stronger than your hesitations.
• If you believe that you can make things happen, you’ll have the power of keeping these things from happening to yourself.
• There’s a vast difference between thinking about doing it and doing it.
• If you’re working towards any goal, there will never be a day where you’ll feel ready to step out of your comfort zone and break the cycle. It happens when your goals feel impossible to achieve.
• Force yourself to do something impossible, and you’ll realize that it’s not that challenging to do.

Quotes

• “Maybe these things that make you seem impossible are just excuses that are getting in my way. It’s just me self-sabotaging.” – Emily [4:18]
• “If you’re giving yourself an excuse that you think is so fool-proof [and] so logical from the outside looking in, no one’s gonna try to argue with you on it.” – Emily [5:13]

“Sometimes, that first step is easier or more enjoyable, and that’s how you build-up for working towards something.” – Emily [9:24]

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Sick of doing cardio? Come join the resistance training revolution! When asked about resistance training, many people, unfortunately, believe many misconceptions about it. Resistance training is not just about the resistance bands! It’s any form of exercise that improves your strength and endurance, like weight lifting or strength training.

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I speak with Sal Di Stefano, a personal fitness trainer and co-host of Mind Pump, a podcast that is dedicated to providing truthful fitness and health information. He’s also the author of Resistance Training Revolution: The No-Cardio Way to Burn Fat and Age-Proof Your Body—in Only 60 Minutes a Week.

Listen to this episode as we break down what resistance training is, all the science behind it, and how to start incorporating it in your life, especially if it’s not something you usually do.

Episode Timeline

[2:47] Sal explains why he chose to focus his book on resistance training rather than general fitness.

[5:48] Sal describes how he pictures the resistance training revolution in exercise.

[9:10] Sal reveals what women’s only gyms are and what they imply.

[13:47] Sal discusses why he focuses on muscle and metabolism instead of calories when talking about resistance training.

[19:10] Sal shares how the perception of resistance training has changed because of science-backed research backing it.

[26:19] Sal discusses how you can incorporate resistance training in your life.

[38:28] Sal leaves his last advice to the audience.

Key Takeaways

• According to Sal, resistance training is the most effective form of exercise.
• One of the biggest misconceptions about resistance training is that it’ll just make you bigger, but it’s also an excellent exercise for longevity, fat loss, and heart health.
• If you take the time to diet and do cardiovascular exercises, you’ll see weight loss and muscle loss. This could lead to a slower metabolism.
• Many people have experienced muscle gain instead of muscle loss and a faster metabolism with resistance training.
• When you do resistance training, you’re telling your body to burn more calories on its own.
• Resistance training helps in balancing the hormones for both men and women.
• Resistance training could be beneficial for your bones.
• Resistance training is individualizable, customizable, and you don’t need to do it frequently.
• When you do resistance training, focus on these exercises: squatting, pressing, rowing, overhead pressing, and lunging.
• Treat your workouts as skills practice. Practice with the proper form so you’ll get better results and a lower risk of injuries.
• If you’re sore for two to three days after your workout, you’re probably doing it wrong.
• Do three to five exercises that target most of your body.
• When you do resistance training, you signal your body to build muscle.
• Shame is a terrible long-form motivator for exercise.

Quotes

• “You should finish your workout and feel more energized than you felt when you entered.” – Sal [33:48]
• “Think of exercise, all forms of exercise, as self-care.” – Sal [38:23]

Connect with Sal 

• Website: https://mindpumppodcast.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindpumpsal/

Join the Live Your Personal Best Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/personalbesties

https://www.instagram.com/liveyourpb/

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Do you ever feel like you never have the time for things that matter to you? Like you don’t have time for things you enjoy and are just crossing off one to-do list after another. Perhaps, your power and control over the things that matter to you have started to fade away.

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I reveal my routine on how I deal with my weekly tasks and share how I almost lost control and power over my life and the things that I value the most. I also left some tips on taking over and controlling your life and having a meaningful fitness journey.

Listen to this podcast to learn more about how to gain the power you need to create the ripples of change in your life.

Episode Timeline

[0:26] Emily tells the rationale of today’s episode.

[1:24] Emily shares her usual routine in handling her business and podcast every week.

[2:20] Emily talks about the importance of consistency in achieving one’s goals and her struggles in reaching them sometimes.

[3:25] Emily expresses what season she is in her life.

[4:48] Emily revealed that she transformed how she tells stories to herself.

[6:28] Emily challenges her listeners to take their power back.

Key Takeaways

• Be careful when you stick to routines and plans because it might lead to the loss of your power.
• Take control of your schedule and take charge of the things you should finish.
• If you observe that the outcome came to be because you no longer have control over the circumstances around you, it’s time to realize that you have slowly given away your power.

Quotes

• “Control what you’re in control of. Don’t slowly give away your power under the disguise [that it’s the right thing to do]. – Emily [5:26]
• “I can have an individual approach [on things] and still be just successful.” – Emily [7:51]

Exclusive podcast episodes on how to meet your new year’s resolutions: https://www.weekonereset.com/goals 

Join the Live Your Personal Best Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/personalbesties

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Ever struggle with making fitness a priority in your life? It always makes it on your “to-do” list but doesn’t get crossed off nearly enough? Chad can help!

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I spoke to Chad Austin, the owner of Priority Fitness in Overland Park, Kansas. Chad is also the best-selling author of the popular book series Make Fitness a Priority: A Six-Week Course to Get Out of Your Own Way. He’s also been a fitness trainer for more than 20 years.

Listen to this episode on creating the ideal schedule and ideal routine and feeling effortless with your fitness as you make it a priority in your life.

Episode Timeline

[1:56] Chad explains why he’s usually called to discuss making fitness a priority and why he chose the said topic to be the focus of his book.

[3:27] Chad shares his approach on how he’s handling new year’s resolutions.

[6:31] Chad reveals why people struggle to prioritize fitness in their lives.

[11:32] Chad tells you what you should do to make fitness a priority in your life.

[15:51] Chad discloses the most significant reason people fail to prioritize fitness in their lives.

[19:56] Chad leaves his last advice to the listeners.

Key Takeaways

• Instant gratification is an integral part of why people see a personal trainer, but this could have temporaryto temporary results. This is also why many people can’t be consistent with their fitness goals and why you keep on restarting repeatedly.
• Many personal trainers hate New Year’s resolutions because of New Year’s negative reputation.
• Focus on keeping back on track instead of restarting your journey when you struggle, and it helps you get a better mindset on fitness.
• Even when you’re an athlete, it’s crucial to relearn some lessons on framing your mindset on failing.
• People should realize how fitness looks different as you go through time.
• When you say that you’re too busy, it means that you’re too busy to work out like you’re used to.
• You need to realize that doing fewer workouts than you’re used to doesn’t mean that you’re doing something wrong. It just means that it fits differently in your life now than it did before.
• Fitness makes you better across the board. If you don’t try to fit it better in your life, it’ll hurt the other aspects of your life.
• Getting started on your fitness journey is the first step in making it a priority in your life.
• It’s important to ask yourself how you can fit fitness in your life and how much accountability you need right now as you go through your fitness journey.
• Check your schedule and see how you can fit fitness in it. Start where you are and scale-up.
• Get a trainer that will help you be motivated with your fitness journey if you have the means.
• If you go to the gym out of desperation, it’s time to change your motivation.
• Change the routine that leads you to failure and find one that works with you.

Quotes

• “The fitness journey doesn’t end when you fail. Failing is part of it.” – Chad [5:20]
• “The biggest excuse that’s easy for us to make all the time is ‘I’m too busy.’ I realized over time that it has a different meaning for us.” – Chad [6:51]

Connect with Chad 

• Website: https://beatyourexcuses.com/

Join the Live Your Personal Best Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/personalbesties

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In the era of instant gratification, it’s easier to cling to things that bring you fleeting motivation instead of looking at the big picture.

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I share my thoughts on why people face challenges finding their lasting motivation to achieve their goals. I also reveal some ways that you can find them based on my experience as a Division I Athlete.

In this episode Listen to learn more about my journey in finding lasting motivation and how you can stay motivated in your life

Episode Timeline

[1:26] Emily shares how she wants her second book to have a different focus and for it to revolve around motivation.

[1:55] Emily thinks back on what motivated her when she was still competing as an athlete.

[2:45] Emily reflects on why she is not as motivated as before.

[5:05] Emily gives some tips on how you can find lasting motivation.

[7:23] Emily expresses her thoughts on why some people have issues relating to lasting motivation.

Key Takeaways

• Find motivation in your day-to-day life.
• If you struggle to have lasting motivation, change your mindset from thinking you can’t do something to believing in yourself that you can succeed at anything you aim to accomplish.
• Lasting motivation starts from being clueless about everything to having a plan for anything.
• When you plan your next steps, you’ll be motivated to finish your goals.
• You may also get motivation by getting inspired by other people’s transformation.

Quotes

• “Motivation now for me comes from mindset changes.” – Emily [5:19]
• “Motivation isn’t gonna change and last unless something within you changes.” – Emily [5:29]

Exclusive podcast episodes on how to meet your new year’s resolutions: https://www.weekonereset.com/goals 

Join the Live Your Personal Best Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/personalbesties

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The first month of 2022 is almost up, and many people have committed to participate in Dry January, where they commit to starting being sober. As many people have experienced, going through their sobriety journey can be rough and challenging. Many people choose to return to their old ways and disregard their progress. 

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I spoke to Gill Tietz, MS, the host of Sober Powered Podcast. Gill has a master’s degree in Biology and has dedicated herself to learning about alcohol’s influence on the brain and its cause of addiction. She uses her platform to educate and empower others to assess their relationship with alcohol. Right now, she also works as a biochemist in the Boston area.

Listen to learn more about Gill’s different approaches to encourage you to try a 30-day sober challenge and start your sobriety journey. 

Episode Timeline

[3:33] Gill shares her opinion on different sobriety challenges and if they are helpful.

[5:33] Gill mentions the importance of having support when going through Dry January.

[8:13] Gill brings up how long it takes to see the effects of not drinking.

[10:41] Gill tells the effects of sobriety challenges after it’s done.

[13:18] Gill shares how she’s coping with people surrounding her that are still drinking.

[18:16] Gill recounts how she started her sobriety journey.

[23:08] Gill reveals the mission of Sober Powered.

[25:07] Gill leaves her one last piece of advice to the listeners.

Key Takeaways

• Sobriety challenges are an excellent opportunity for those super curious to take a break from alcohol.
• These challenges eliminate a huge barrier, especially for those hesitant participants.
• Millions of people are now participating in Dry January, which started in the UK in 2013.
• If you’re getting more than enough support when you participate in these sobriety challenges, there’s a higher chance that you’ll finish them successfully.
• Aside from attending AA meetings, you can also get support virtually from joining The Luckiest Club virtual meetings or NamaStay Sober’s yoga sessions.
• The effects of sobriety can be seen immediately or longer, depending on your relationship with alcohol. It can be seen starting from two weeks to four weeks of sobriety for some people.
• The learnings you acquire after each sobriety challenge are valuable even though you chose not to continue being sober for quite a while.
• If you plan to stay sober, drinking mocktails and non-alcoholic beer could help if you’re looking for ways to socialize with people during events.
• Realizing that nobody really cares if you’re drinking or not could encourage you to proceed with your sobriety journey. They might ask because it seems odd at first, but it’s not essential to them, so there’s nothing to be worried about.
• You can miss alcohol and accept reality at the same time.

Quotes

• “One of the scariest things about taking a break [from alcohol] is people are gonna ask why you’re not drinking.” – Gill [3:46]
• “Part of the challenge is learning how to navigate real-life without drinking, so it’s not just you hide out in your room, and you don’t drink for 30 days, and then you resume life. You’re doing life this whole time.” – Gill [10:51]
• “Addiction is giving up everything for one thing, and recovery is giving up one thing for everything.” – Gill [21:34]
• “Now that I’m sober, I have a whole life.” – Gill [21:54]
• “Addiction isn’t searching through society to find the losers among us. It can get anybody. It doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, how much money you have, what your race is, where you live, anything. It can get anybody at any time.” – Gill [24:32]

Connect with Gill 

• Email: gill@soberpowered.com
• Website: www.soberpowered.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sober.powered
• Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/soberpowered

Join the Live Your Personal Best Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/personalbesties

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As a former athlete, you may have a hard time finding a healthy relationship between your body and exercise. Many former athletes find that creating habits and routines after a long rest from working out feels like starting from scratch. With this, I believe that changing your mindset could be beneficial, especially when you’re at the lowest point of your sports career or just in the transition of prioritizing other opportunities in your life.

In this episode of the Live Your Personal Best podcast, I read the first chapter of my book Elite to Everyday Athlete: 9 Steps to Getting Off the Sidelines of Life titled The Never-Ending Off-Season. This chapter could help you find the workout routine that is perfect for you now that you’re inactive in the sports arena and fit a healthy lifestyle with the other aspects of your life. 

Listen to learn more about how you can make working out sustainable when you’re no longer an athlete.

Ready to read the full book?? https://amzn.to/3ysSbqW  

Episode Timeline

[2:15] Emily shares her struggle with her corporate job.

[3:52] Emily brings up her problems when she stops her training and struggles to get back on track.

[4:56] Emily stresses the value of rest in reaching one’s goal.

[6:35] Emily talks about finding a healthy balance between rest and exercise.

[7:21] Emily introduces the dangers of too much rest.

[8:20] Emily provides insights into the struggle of picking up a workout routine and balancing other opportunities after retirement.

[10:41] Emily reveals the struggles of athletes when they realize that they have freedom of choice and how exercise is beneficial, especially during this phase of an athlete’s life.

[12:01] Emily cites the importance of slowing down to find the balance of rest and exercise.

Key Takeaways

• Athletic retirement is an off-season without a return date.
• Rest is vital for elite athletes.
• Research shows no significant difference in exercise patterns between former athletes and non-athletes. Both are equally likely to become couch potatoes.
• Priorities change, and former athletes focus on finding a job, starting a family, or pursuing new opportunities.
• Former athletes should not ignore the value of exercise in their day-to-day life.
• Don’t force yourself to a routine just because you think it’s what it needs to happen.
• Balance prevents burnout.
• Exercise and rest are needed for different reasons. Exercise is known to improve your health, self-esteem, and support healthy sleep in addition to many other benefits. Rest aids in muscle recovery, reduces the risk of injury, and prevents fatigue. Both are equally important and will complement each other in giving you enough energy and strength to show up confidently in your daily activities.

Quotes

• “When the things that motivate an athlete to train, medals, records, adrenaline, and competition aren’t there in the real world. When an athlete trains at the top standard they have set for themselves, anything less feels just like that, less.” – Emily [5:37]
• “An athlete needs rest, but they also need a healthy relationship with exercise. This will help prevent them from burnout, or on the other side of the spectrum, inactivity.” – Emily [7:15]
• “Just because they are a star athlete and disciplined to wake up at 6 AM on Saturdays for four years doesn’t mean this will translate into life afterward.” – Emily [8:11]

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