Three Things To Boost Positive Thinking and the Impact It Will Have!

How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skill SetP

The benefits of positive emotions don’t stop after a few minutes or once the good feeling subsides. The largest benefit positive emotions have is to enhance our ability to build skills and develop resources to use later in life.P

For Example: A child who runs and plays outside outside, climbing trees and playing with friends, develops physical skills, such as being able move athletically. As well as the skills to play and socialize with others, a.k.a social skills which will allow he/she to communicate with others or with a team. In addition he/she will also develop creative skills, by exploring and examining the world around them. Thus, the positive emotions of play and joy allow the child to build skills that are useful and valuable in everyday life.P

The skills that are created last longer than the emotions that initiated them. Years later, the foundation of skills created may lead to scholarships or may turn into a job offer. The happiness that lead the exploration and creation of new skills has long since ended, but the skills themselves live on. This is referred to as the “broaden and build” theory because "positive emotions broaden your sense of possibilities and open your mind, which in turn allows you tobuild new skills and resources that can provide value in other areas of your life." Barbara Fredrickson (positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina).

How to Increase Positive Thinking in Your LifeP

Here are a couple things that you can do to increase positive emotions and take advantage of the “broaden and build” theory in your life! Well, anything that sparks feelings of joy, contentment, and love will work. For the most party you already know what works well for you. It could be playing an instrument, doing yoga, speeding time with a certain person, or maybe knitting. However, adding these three things can help make sure that you are creating positive thoughts and really help you focus on you and your needs.  

1. Meditation: Recent research revealed that people who meditate daily display more positive emotions then those who do not. As expected, people who meditated also built valuable long–term skills. 

People who meditate daily display  an increase in mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, and decreased illness symptoms.P

If you are not sure were to start try this Video out it helped me;  just close your eyes, breathe, and follow along.P

2. Writing: A study published in the Journal of Research in Personality, examined a group of 90 undergraduate students who were split into two groups. The first group wrote about an intensely positive experience each day for three consecutive days. The second group wrote about a control topic. Three months later, the students who wrote about positive experiences had better mood levels, fewer visits to the health center, and experienced fewer illnesses. 

3. Play: Schedule time to play into your life! You make time for meetings, conference calls, weekly events, and other responsibilities into our daily calendars. Why not schedule time to play? No one on there death bed ever said "I wish I would have spent more time at the office." 

Block out an hour on your calendar just to explore and experiment. When was the last time you intentionally carved out time to have fun? We all know that your meeting is not more important then your happiness. We are rarely given the time to live, so do yourself a favor and block that time out. Give yourself permission to smile and enjoy the benefits of positive emotion. Schedule time for play and adventure so that you can experience contentment and joy, in the end it will only help you explore and build new skills! 

I hope that you enjoyed this and start to use these positive thought skills! It will only help you! I want you to be the happiest and healthiest you! Try one or all three of these tips out and see what positive thinking does for your life! 

Until next time,

Pistols...OUT! 

xo 

10 Awesome Workout Tips and Exercises to Help you Stay on Track!

Hey my fitness fanatics, 

Hope you are all doing well and keeping up with getting those workouts in. Here are some secrets to getting a toned, trim body! Here are some ultimate moves and motivation tricks to kick a fitness routine into high gear. Put a few of these tips into action each week and you're guaranteed to see faster results!

1. Tone Up on the TreadmillSave time at the gym with this 10-minute cardio/sculpt session: Hop on a treadmill holding a three- to five-pound dumbbell in each hand, and set the speed to a brisk walk. Do a one-minute set each of shoulder presses, bicep curls, triceps extensions, side laterals, front laterals and standing triceps kickbacks one after another as you walk. I's an amazing upper-body challenge that also gets your heart pumping. Do this series two or three times each week. As you improve, work up to doing four-minute sets.
   
2. Power Up Your RunsAdding wall sits to the end of every run. It will strengthen your quads, hamstrings and glutes, improving your speed and endurance. Lean against a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat until your knees are bent at 45 degrees. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, work up to doing 10 sets. Add a challenge by including heel raises- Lift your left heel, then the right, then lift both together twice.
   
3. Chart Your ProgressStay motivated using a fitness report card. Write down these subjects- Cardio, Muscle Conditioning, Flexibility and Attitude. Next, set goals for example, doing 10 regular push-ups and grade yourself A through F at least four times a year. When you see how much you improve, you'll want to stay in great shape.
   
4. Try This All-in-One TonerA side-step squat with wood chop works your arms, torso, abs, back, legs, inner thighs and butt. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a three- to four-pound medicine ball in your hands. Bend your arms up so that the ball is at eye level over your right shoulder. As you bring the ball toward your left knee, step out with your left leg and bend it no further than 90 degrees, keeping your right leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 10 to 15 reps and repeat on the other leg.
   
5. Break Out the ShovelWhy pay someone to clear snow from your driveway? Besides burning nearly 400 calories per hour, shoveling snow develops muscular endurance and power. But be safe- Minimize the amount of snow on each shovelful, and bend from your knees and hips, not your back.
   
6. Work Out During Your WorkdaySit on a stability ball to strengthen your core, and keep dumbbells or exercise tubing at your desk. Squeeze in 12 to 15 reps of exercises like dumbbell curls, overhead presses and ab crunches; aim for two or three sets of each. This gives you more free time to fit in fun workouts like biking or tennis.
   
7. Take This Jump-Rope ChallengeThe best cardio workout is the jump-rope double-turn maneuver. It's intense: You'll burn about 26 calories per minute! Do a basic jump for five minutes, then jump twice as high and turn the rope twice as fast so it passes under your feet twice before you land. This takes timing, patience and power. But you'll get in great shape just by working at it.
   
8. Give Yourself a BreakYou don't have to be a fitness saint to get results. Follow the 80/20 plan- Eighty percent of the year, you'll exercise regularly and eat well. Know that you'll slip 20 percent of the time due to holidays and work deadlines. When you accept that fitness isn't an all-or-nothing proposition, you're more likely to stick with it for life.
   
9. Get a Jump on Weight LossAdd plyometric box jumps to your workout to improve your cardiovascular stamina and leg strength. You'll really sculpt your hamstrings, quads and glutes. Find a sturdy box that's at least one foot high. Starting from a standing position, explosively jump to the middle of the box, then jump back down. Repeat 20 times.
   
10. Don't Skimp on CarbsYour body needs them to fuel a workout, so reach for fruit or high-fiber crackers an hour beforehand. If you'e exercising for 90 minutes or longer, include some protein so that the carbs break down more slowly, giving you longer-lasting energy. Your best bets- low-fat cheese and crackers, trail mix or half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Hope you guys enjoyed and will start implementing these tips and workouts into your routines!! Stay happy and healthy! 

Until next time, 

Pistols...Out! 

xo

Weekend Warrior Workout

Hey my fitness fanatics!

Hope you had a great Halloween! I'm sure all of your costumes were spooktastic! I wanted to give you guys a fun weekend warrior workout! Many of us tend to let loose on the weekends and seem to put the gym on the back burner. Remember a 1 hour workout is 5% of your day!! That's nothing! Set some time aside this weekend, grab a buddy and get your sweat on. You will feel better and you are one step closer to reaching your goal!! Eye on the prize, right?! RIGHT! Ok let's get started.

Equipment:

• A chair, bench, or a sturdy ledge 
• Matt if you would like 

Instructions: There are 7 exercises with times or reps, try to get through the exercises as quickly as you can. Take breaks when needed however, and make sure you stay hydrated. There is a rest time between each round of 1:30, if you need to take a longer break that is fine.

1:00 Squats

1:00 Crunches

30 second Jump Squats 

1:00 Supermans

45 Second Mountain climbers 

30 Seconds Push-ups 

45 Second Tricep dips 

Take a 1:30 second break or as long as you need to recover. 

Then repeat the circuit 2-4 more times! 

Enjoy your weekend!!

Pistols...Out! 

xo