I love seeing people reach personal goals.  I love it so much that I often set many goals for my clients (in my own head without telling them) and get so excited when I see them reached.  I must look ridiculous when I am standing in the corner fist pumping to myself with the biggest smile because someone has achieved the goal I set for them.   Haha.

My "runners group" who train Monday's and Friday's is a group I love to set goals for.   But last weekend was all about goals they set for themselves.  Ivadelle, who just started running again after some time away due to injury, ran the Calgary Marathon 10 km run with a goal of 1.03 and she did it.  Finishing the run at 1.02.55. 
Sheila, who is currently training for a Full Marathon in a couple weeks, ran the Calgary Half Marathon as a training run and ran a personal best!!
Ghislaine ran her first ever full marathon!! I cannot even imagine what this must feel like but what a feat to accomplish.

These ladies should be very proud of what they have achieved already this year.  I cannot wait to see what they do next and I look forward to helping them along the way.

Courage and resolve; strength of character - Grit.  

Every time you think about quitting, about sleeping through your alarm, but don't, you are building character.  There are going to be day's or events in your life you don't feel like getting up: Christmas, vacation, weekends.  You have a choice.  You can use an excuse "It's the holiday's";  "I'm too tired";  "I don't have time" ; "no one else is getting up right now";  Or you can be that 5% of the population who are owning their mornings to elevate their life.  Who do you want to be?

 
"We become strong, brave and moral whilst standing resolutely in the storms of adversity, difficulty and doubt.  It is in the moment that you face your deepest weakness that you receive the chance to forge your greatest strengths.  Real power, then, comes not from a life of ease but one of intense effort, devoted discipline and demanding action.
To continue at a time when you ache to stop. To advance when you long to quit.  To persist in the instant when you feel like giving up"  this is Grit.  


The 5 am Club really is about becoming YOUR BEST SELF.    It is not about becoming the best in one day but rather working everyday to be just a little bit better.  Daily improvements and wins that stack up over time to become excellence.   So no matter what your goals are, give yourself the chance to reach them but starting each morning focusing just on you.  Before the world wakes up, before kids, significant others, animals, work; take an hour to focus on you.

It's time to leave all the excuses behind.  Time to reach your goals.  

I was hoping to continue my 5am club posts every week but with getting the new facility ready I fell behind, sorry.   Back at it this week.

In the 5am Club, Robin Sharma, breaks the first hour of the day into the 20/20/20 formula:  Move - Reflect- Grow.  The first part of the formula is MOVE.  20 minutes of Intense Exercise.   I will get into some of the benefits of why you should move first thing in the morning but I want to provide my answer to the question I am sure some of you will ask "what if I workout for longer then 20 minutes?"   You can definitely do this.   You will come  up with a morning routine that works for you but here is my typical morning:

4am - wake up - from 4:05am-4:20am I write in my journal -REFLECT
4:30am - drive to the gym.  As I am driving I listen to a podcast or audio book - GROW
4:45am - Start my workout (I often listen to a podcast or audiobook as I workout as well) - MOVE
5:30am - Meditate via the Calm app (10 minutes)
6:00am - Start work

Some people may have a workout scheduled later in the day, totally fine.  You can still get up and get your sweat on for 20 minutes at home and go to your regular workout you have planned later in the day.   You will not die from 20 extra minutes of exercise.  

 Here are some of the benefits of exercising in the morning.  

Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor - when you sweat from a hard workout your brain releases BDNF which charges your brain.   BDNF has been shown to repair brain cells damaged from stress and helps speed up neural connection along with promoting Neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells.  Stimulate that brain to set yourself up for the most productive day. 

Exercise releases Neurotransmitters - Increased levels of Dopamine which is the neurotransmitter of drive, and Seratonin, the chemical that regulates happiness.    Norepinephrine levels will rise, elevating your attention,  and regulation of your amyygdala will help calm your response to daily stimuli, stress, hard work projects or children. 

Elevates your Metabolism  - fueling your fat burning engine of the body.  Not only will it stimulate your metabolism while working but for hours post exercise.   Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body

Take home point - GET UP AND MOVE!