Fitness Monday – The Power of Motivation

barefootcyclingThis week was about finding inspiration when totally not expecting it. I’ve been back on the bike steadily and enjoying the return in the saddle. Either alone or with the fantastic club members of our Bayou Country Cyclists, it’s great to be back.

Motivation came when I met 2 team members for a quick 20+. One of the ladies forgot her cycling shoes. Her friend offered to forgo the ride and head home. The shoeless rider refused to pack up. Despite needing clip-ins, she took off bare footed on the pegs.

After reaching a straight away, I picked up my pace and rode ahead. Reaching the turn-around I headed back and who did I see? Both cyclists and her still barefoot. She was at the +10 mile point for the out and back.

I was so proud to see her commitment that I must have smiled the whole way back. Great going!

My other motivation was seeing the… same guy who inspired me to begin a diet regimen in the first place. Chad, a fire chief, single dad, full-time haz-mat responder, and elected official had committed months back and at about the 40 pound loss mark looks great.

Motivation pops up at the least expected places from the least assuming people. Lets be that inspiration for others!

Week 18

Here’s to holding each other accountable when the couch looks inviting and the snacks endless.

Weight

– Don’t know. Still not worrying about these numbers.

Exercise

– 4 days of morning weightlifting and evening cycling or jogging. I actually hit a 3-a-day with weights for

breakfast, yoga for lunch and a hammering cycling session for supper.

– The yoga and recovery is SO critical.

– The swimming pool options are still available, but I’ve yet to dive back in. Literally.

Eating

– Roller coaster week. First half was disciplined, second half – Not so much.

UNO Ring & BP

– BP is getting cozy in the normal range, and I can tell a major difference.

– The UNO ring slips on and off without hanging up on swollen knuckles or fat fingers.

Monday – Sunday Goals:

– 4 days of cycling.
– 2 yoga sessions.
– 4 morning weight sessions
– bring lunches to work or prepared meal at home.
– Increase hydration.

How are your efforts going? Don’t just read this and dismiss it. Make a commitment today. You have peer support, CopsAlive.com expertise, and a champion fitness advisor all ready to help.

Our CopsAlive Fitness recommendation is that you learn to harness the power of motivation to capitalize on your commitment to stay fit. But motivation is a funny thing. Everyone talks about it but it can be very elusive. Where does motivation come from? Can we create our own motivation?

As you learned from Scott this week, he found his motivation when two other people did the unexpected and surprised him. Scott said “Motivation pops up at the least expected places from the least assuming people”.

Where are you going to find the motivation you need to reach your fitness as well as your life goals?

The most important question we have to answer today is how do you create motivation when you need it?

Where does motivation come from? It comes from YOUR HEAD. Either you think of something that you find motivational or you see something that motivates you but one way or the other it all starts in YOUR head.

CopsAlive.com suggests you manifest your motivation in three steps:
1. Create it
2. Re-enforce it
3. Expand it

1. Create Your Motivation
You can look for outside sources for inspiration like Scott did or you can dig down into your soul and visualize the strength you need to catapult you to success.

  • Seek out sources of inspiration from people, books, magazines, the news etc.
  • Write down your ideas and refine them with a dose of reality.
  • Set an action plan for yourself to realistically accomplish specific goals.

2. Re-enforce Your Motivation

  • Use daily reminders like notes on the bathroom mirror or in your pockets.
  • Ask your friends and colleagues to encourage, not harass, your success.
  • Find a picture of what success looks like in a magazine and post it.

3. Expand Your Motivation

  • Keep a log of all your hard work and increase your goals as you go.
  • Reward yourself often and set new goals with new rewards.
  • Write challenge statements and post them with your goals to see daily.

To learn more and manifest your own motivation CLICK HERE to download our CopsAlive.com “Manifest Your Motivation” worksheet

Tell us how else we can help you and leave us your comments in the boxes below.

As we have mentioned, in addition to Scott and Kim, we are also following Rae Timme and the CNN Fit Nation promotion. Rae is a 57 year-old mother of three and a 25 year corrections officer who now serves as the warden of a medium custody men’s prison for the Colorado Department of Corrections. Every year CNN selects iReporters to race in a triathlon with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the Fit Nation team. This year we’re giving six lucky readers a road bike (with all the necessary accessories), a wet suit and a gym membership to help them prepare for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 8.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/fit.nation/

Rae said on the CNN site that she has read all the scary statistics about the mortality rates of people who work in corrections and found that they have the second highest mortality rate of any job; on average, a corrections officer’s 58th birthday will be their last. That motivated her to apply for the CNN Fit Nation team.

If you are following Rae’s twitter feed at twitter.com/TriHardRae you will see that she is also doing a lot of cycling in preparation for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 8 which she points out is only two months away. She has also ReTweeted some motivational quotes so it looks like everyone is seeking or manifesting their own motivation.

Keep up the good work Rae we are rooting for you!

Photo Credits:
Photo Courtesy of Scott Silverii

EDITORS NOTE: Our Fitness Monday articles are an ongoing feature as CopsAlive.com follows Police Chief Scott Silverii, Ph.D. on his quest to lose weight and get into better shape, and Lt. Kim Lane as she prepares for the NPC Masters Nationals in Pittsburgh, PA. We are also keeping track of Warden Rae Timme with the Colorado Department of Corrections, a member of the CNN Fit Nation Team, as she prepares for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 8. We all know that fitness is critical in law enforcement, but we don’t always do what we know is right. Over the next couple of months you can follow Scott, a Police Chief; Kim a Patrol Shift Commander; and Rae a Department of Corrections Warden, as they open up their lives to you. We invite you to also participate in any way that you choose to improve, your fitness and, your ability to survive a career in law enforcement. We also encourage you to support Scott and Rae with your comments, emails, Tweets and Facebook entries.

Follow Rae on Twitter at: ‏@TriHardRae

Follow Scott on Twitter at: @ThibodauxChief

Please encourage them and let us know about your efforts at improving your fitness in the comment boxes below

CopsAlive is written to prompt discussions within our profession about the issues of law enforcement career survival. We invite you to share your opinions, ask questions and suggest topics for us in the Comment Box that is at the bottom of this article.

At The Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) we train law enforcement officers to cope with stress and manage all the toxic effects and hidden dangers of a career in law enforcement.

Our “Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement” on-site training program is an eight hour, hands-on, “How to” seminar that helps police officers and other law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to survive their careers in police work. To learn more CLICK HERE

The concept of “True Blue Valor™” is where one law enforcement officer has to muster the courage to confront a peer who is slipping both professionally and personally and endangering themselves, their peers and the public. It takes a system of organizational support and professional leadership to support and foster the concept of courage and intervention. We will train your trainers to deliver this program to your agency.
To learn more CLICK HERE

Our “Armor Your Agency™: How to Create a Healthy and Supportive Law Enforcement Agency” Program includes critical strategies that you will need to build a system of support and encouragement for a healthy and productive agency. To learn more CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to read more about The Law Enforcement Survival Institute.

CLICK HERE if you would like to contact us to learn more about training for your organization.

I’m John Marx, Founder of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute and the Editor of CopsAlive.com. Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CopsAlive.com was founded to provide information and strategies to help police officers successfully survive their careers. We help law enforcement officers and their agencies prepare for the risks that threaten their existence. Thank you for reading!

About Scott Silverii

Scott Silverii, PhD is a native of south Louisiana’s Cajun Country and serving as the Chief of Police for the City of Thibodaux, Louisiana. Spending twenty-one previous years with a CALEA accredited Sheriff’s Office allowed opportunities for serving various capacities including 12 years undercover narcotics, 16 years SWAT and Criminal Division Commands. Chief Silverii earned a Master of Public Administration and a Doctorate in Urban Studies from the University of New Orleans. Areas of specialization include culture and organizational socialization. A member of IACP’s prestigious Research Advisory Committee, Chief Silverii is also the author of “A Darker Shade of Blue: From Public Servant to Professional Deviant.”
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