On Friday, October 11th, I stopped by Great Day Live! again to preach on about progress versus perfection, and how to live your best life in 90 days or less.
Click HERE to watch the segment.
Great Day Live! host, Angie Fenton, and other members of the GDL crew have finished up the second week of their #GDL90 Challenge and they are ON IT.
I’m so proud — I love it when people get focused, intentional and realize their power.
So what’s the benefit of a 90-day challenge versus mapping out an entire year of goals as many people will do in January 2020?
I love the 90-day approach because it’s a compact amount of time where you can excite and motivate about what you’re going to do. It’s easier to envision and move towards success a few months ahead versus an entire year. It’s more … realizable.
As of today, we actually have less than 75 days left in this decade.
Who do you want to be — not just next year — but in the 2020s?
I get crazy-in-the-eyes serious about L-I-V-I-N-G — not just existing.
You get to decide what that means for you — don’t give anyone else that power.
Do it. Be who you want to be on purpose.
It can start with the smallest decision.
And just one thought.
HERE ARE SOME STRATEGIES I SHARED LAST WEEK ON THE SHOW:
** WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE: Changing one word in your mind can mean the difference between taking action or abandoning your intent.
“I WANT to…” versus “I HAVE to…”
** ENGAGE IN AND ENJOY THE PROCESS. Keeping your eye on the prize is important, but if you’re grinding through the parts in between, it’s time to change something up, whether it’s thinking about it or doing it differently.
**, PICK A THEME SONG OR QUOTE. All I’m going to say about this is “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers. : ) Watch the clip.
Decide to change and grow.
Choose your actions.
Do them again and again and again until that becomes who you are.
Last weekend, I found myself feeling slightly out-of-sorts and restless. It wasn’t awful, but it was a noticeable speed bump of frustration.
I couldn’t figure out what was going on.
I have a beautiful family.
I love my work.
I love how I love what happens in everyday life. I don’t have a life where I’m always wishing I could take a vacation.
I have my challenges, though, and last weekend I was feeling it.
Was it a “success hangover”? Was it because I’d just started my cycle (that always figures into the equation a little bit)?
So I did what I always do when I get hung up in my emotions: research.
That was simply the act of opening my Google calendar and seeing what I’d been doing the week before.
Those were the facts: where I’d been, who I met, exercise, errands, how many hours I’d worked.
It all looked pretty familiar, except in one area.
I like to exercise five days a week. That’s my self-prescribed prescription for feeling mentally and physically amazing.
I adjust and pivot where necessary.
I take time off when I need rest.
I have work and family obligations that shift things around.
I go on vacation.
But for most of my life, that’s how I do it.
When I looked at my calendar and saw what had happened each day, I realized it had been five days since I moved my body on purpose.
What does it mean to “move on purpose?”
Moving on purpose is an appointment I make with myself to intentionally exercise.
There is nothing else happening in that 45 – 60-minute time frame except movement.
No phone. No TV. No interruptions. No multitasking.
Because I had a lot of disruptions in my schedule that week — a lot of happy ones, actually — I worked out one day, which was unusual for me.
I taught exercise classes, but that was for other people. Instruction is not my time; I am teaching and being of service to others when I am doing that.
I was working at my gym, Baptist Milestone Wellness Center, for 10 hours that week. When I am doing that, I am continuously “working the floor” (walking, stacking weights, cleaning, climbing over and around equipment) in a 70,000 square foot fitness facility. It’s expending a lot of physical energy and I am tired at the end of the day.
That’s also not my time, though. It’s work. I am there to be present, tend to tasks and serve other people.
I got to appear on a morning TV show last week, too, so I canceled a class I was going to take. That was a happy reason.
So there it was.
I didn’t get to keep my exercise appointments with myself. This was no big deal — I knew I’d get back into it the following week.
BUT — here’s what I loved realizing:
I have become so consistent and so committed to how I take care of myself, that my mind and body know something is amiss when I get extra busy and it falls away.
It’s not a mistake or something “bad” I did — it’s just life; yet, I have changed my brain and my body to be hardwired for that time — for moving on purpose.
When I leave it alone for too long, I get signals that something is off.
I don’t let myself ignore myself.
Over the past nine years, I have restructured my mind and made new neural pathways that nurture my health.
That’s a miracle that is available to every single one of us. I am not special because I did that.
I decided to change and grow.
I chose my actions.
I do them again and again and again because that is who I am.
I am evidence that the work I do to help women … works.
Change your mind. Get physical with it. Change your life.
NO excuses.
NO beating yourself up.
NO one-size-fits-all plan.
NO “cheat days” (hate that term).
NO food jail (the restriction / elimination / “dangerous” food mentality).
NO to being a “good” or “bad” person as defined by what you put into your mouth.
NO “I hate” …. “don’t have time for” … “can’t do”… “am too tired for” … “it’s boring” exercise lies.
NO putting yourself and your health so far on the back burner of life that you ain’t even on the stove — you’re still in the dark cupboard with the other pots and pans.
And what if, in 30 days, you would be able to say:
YES to your plan for your life.
YES to small steps resulting in big changes.
YES to now versus someday.
YES to trusting yourself.
YES to consistency and commitment.
YES to progress versus perfection.
YES to resilience — because life happens, and there’s a distraction, disruption, drama, and disappointment. You will train your brain to remember your “why” and keep going.
YES to an appreciation for your body — love for your body — and what it gives you every day versus it not being enough or taking too much space.
YES to discovering that maybe — just maybe — you might be an athlete. I became one in my 40s when, up until then, I never even considered it to be a possibility.
YES to having someone champion you, guide you, encourage you, teach you and motivate you (that’s me! I’m all yours!).
If you want it … it’s time to Level Up.
In my practice, I offer a 15-minute free phone consultation for prospective clients.
Almost every single conversation is a rundown of challenges and pain points where women need my help:
They are seeking overall happiness and fulfillment.
We’ll talk about their careers, partners, children, grief, money or loneliness.
And quite often, in those last five or six minutes of our conversation, she will say something like this:
“And also …”
- “I hate my body.”
- “I’ve never felt or looked worse in my whole life.”
- “I overeat to make myself feel better. Then I feel angry and ashamed. Then I do it again.”
- “I hate exercising. I start with the dedication and then I let it go.
- “I’m eating (or sometimes drinking) more than I really want or need to. I don’t like how that feels.”
- “Exercise is for people who have more time than I do. I am so smothered by my career and family obligations that there is no way I can make time for it. Everything will fall apart.”
- “I did the ____________diet, and all I did was obsess over counting points/carb cycling / the number of almonds I could eat / macros / the number of pounds I gained back after I “finished” the program.”
Don’t get me wrong, the other issues people bring to me are important, but what I have learned by working with clients for thousands of hours is this:
If we only address those other issues and I’m not asking you if you have a plan for taking care of your health and how you put that into action, then everything else is really just a house of cards.
My experience has shown me that the reverse doesn’t work — or at least doesn’t hold up long.
The job, the baby, the money, the kids being raised or the perfect partner aren’t always going to make you take excellent care of yourself.
It’s not about perfection or being happy all of the time; life is full of ebbs and flows and ups-and-downs.
Let’s talk about the exercise you love, food as your friend, time for self-reflection and fun as the foundation of your growth and happiness.
THIS … THIS is what women are really calling me for most of the time:
“Please help me learn how to take better care of my body.”
“Please help me figure out how exercise doesn’t have to suck.”
“Please help me get off the diet train and do something sane and sustainable when it comes to food.”
“Please help me figure out how to stay motivated.”
“Please help me be able to like my body. Is it even possible to love my body?”
So I’m coming to you with something that’s all about that — coaching, challenges, support, accountability, love, and toughness around how to live in your best body.
Level Up with courage with tenacity.
Level Up with love and patience.
It’s a laser-focused coaching program that focuses on putting your health on the top shelf.
This is what I do. This is my best work.
Yes, I can help you with stress, depression, grief, anxiety or divorce, among other things.
What I know for sure, though, is that if you take care of your body and your mind supports that, you empower yourself to work through anything that is thrown at you in life.
This is the first order of business with every single client I serve.
My personal experience has also taught me that taking exceptional care of myself has saved my ass. I know I can handle the rough waters if I stay physically and mentally strong.
I offer you my tools, guidance, and knowledge through social media and blog posts; thank you for the comments, messages, and emails where you let me know how they inspired you or helped you create change in your life.
However, there is nothing like having me all to yourself in your life. Scrolling and reading cannot compare to having an accountability partner who knows your history, your goals, where you need the most encouragement and what your lifestyle is like.
The depths of personal growth happens best when we connect with someone to be our champion, coach, counselor, teacher, and guide.
That’s what I did nine years ago when I got tired of going it alone with diets, self-help books and my stops-and-starts with exercise.
I hired a coach, decided who I wanted to be, and how I wanted my life to reflect that.
That 1:1 work inspired me to stop making promises to myself and become deeply committed. A promise is different from making a commitment.
When you get married, you make promises to one another to create a life together no matter the circumstances.
The commitment is deeper than the promise, and that comes with the day-to-day living.
When we’re committed to something, we find gratitude and appreciation for everyday life.
Being consistent and committed is about loving what goes on in the in-between, not just the end result.
That’s what I want to teach you on this journey to take your health and fitness level to greater heights.
I want you to enjoy the process.
I want you to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and embrace the feeling of pushing yourself.
That’s when you become the woman you want to be and make self-care a priority. It can become as normal as brushing your teeth.
Level Up is a 1:1 coaching program that includes:
- pre-work from me (lots of questions for you to answer) so I know where you’re at and what you want before we dive into the first session.
- Three 1 hour sessions that are ideally scheduled no more than 10 days apart within the 30 days of the program. You can see me in person or we’ll have phone sessions.
- Those three sessions are scheduled right away so you have a solid commitment set up right away. That way, you can’t drift into weeks or months beyond the program. It’s an intensive, so the continuity of the time we meet is important.
- Plans, challenges, and homework designed specifically for your goals. Whether we’re focusing on your relationship with food or fitness (or both), I’ve got an arsenal of the best tools I’ve created and used with my clients for the past seven years. These are my “greatest hits” and some new things, too.
- Every Level Up participant can expect to work on the importance of their mindset and how this is the foundation of transforming anything in your life.
- In between those hour-long sessions, you can message me, text me or email me to share the progress of what we’ve designed for you in each session. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll come lookin’ — but it is your job — your commitment — to connect with me in this process. I am here to serve you; don’t take that for granted.
- We’ll talk about your relationship with food. I look at the data of your days: how you spend your time, when you eat, what you eat, what plans you make for fueling your body (or don’t), what you believe about that. Where do those beliefs come from? Do you want to change anything? We’ll make a plan that is unique to you and only you in terms of your relationship with food. I do not, repeat, do not believe in diets or prescriptive eating. The world loves giving women rules. A lot of these rules are bullshit and cost you a lot of time, money, energy and belief in yourself. In Level Up, you are choosing your philosophy and practices. I can help you.
- You will be required to move your body during this process. Exercise. I will work with you to find a way to move your body that you look forward to — I want you to love it. You will go on a fitness scavenger hunt to find those treasures, whether it’s daily walks, working with a trainer, yoga, Zumba, aqua classes, Pilates — I’m loaded with knowledge about what’s out there, the results you can expect to get, and how to integrate movement into your life on a regular basis so it becomes who you are — not inconsistent or non-existent. It’s a non-negotiable, If you don’t think you have time, you’re just lying to yourself. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
All of my skill, devotion, knowledge, care, guidance, inspiration and motivation in Level Up is available to you for $599
Once I see your registration come through, I will send you your Level Up pre-work and we will set up your 1:1 appointments.
First come, first served — between my private practice, my work as a fitness coach at my gym, having a family, and taking care of myself (practicing what I preach), my calendar is filling up.
I challenge you to find a licensed therapist … who’s also a life coach … who’s also a group exercise instructor … who’s also a personal trainer — an ideal professional combination to help you get to the heart of this and get things done.
I challenge you to find a woman who has all of those professional qualifications and has also:
- lost over 35 pounds eight years ago and changed her relationship with her body forever
- who trusts herself (not a plan designed by a company whose goal is to profit from me gaining and losing the same weight over and over again) to eat for energy and take pleasure in food (both can co-exist)
- who loves to move her body and has tried and embraced many forms of exercise — it should be an adventure to find out what you and your body love — not a burden
- whose 48 year old body is stronger and healthier than the woman she was in her 30s with a 70 lb. postpartum weight gain and the battle scars — physically and emotionally — of four miscarriages in less than two years
When you’re done looking, and you realize that I’m the one — let’s get going.
Want to connect with me and share where you’re at and how I can help you before you sign up? Connect with me via email at laura@laura-wagner.com or schedule a free phone consultation with me here.
“The only thing in this life that you absolutely, completely own is the body you live in.
It arrived with your first breath when you were born, and it will be there for your last.
You don’t own your children or your spouse.
You don’t even own your material things — those come and go.
But this body belongs to you and only you.
How are you going to love her and take care of her?”
-Me
