Getting back on track after set backs

Have you ever experienced a time when things didn’t go as you wanted them to, or you got distracted and it was ages before you got back on track?

How did you react? 

Did you get frustrated or even angry with yourself? Did you just want to give up and just forget all about trying to achieve your goals?

When things do not go to plan we can all become irritated and frustrated. You may have some internal dialogue going on, a little voice in your head saying negative things and putting you down. This can cause your confidence to dip and you may even lose motivation to keep going.

The key is to accept whatever has happened. Acknowledge that setbacks are part of life and they can sometimes happen. Life happens!

Don’t take a negative approach and dwell on what happened, take a more positive approach and say, ‘Ok, what’s my next step to move forward again.’ Or, ‘What can I do to make the most of the situation?’ 

This means you can revise your goal and adjust your expectations. What is important is that you are taking action. 

Think ACE. Action Cures Everything!



The simple answer to helping yourself bounce back is to let it go. Accept that there is nothing you can do to change the past. Otherwise it will be like trying to run forwards dragging a sled of heavy weights behind you. It will weigh you down so off load and focus on moving ahead and what you need to do next.

You could also examine what happened in an attempt to identify the factors that contributed towards you getting off course. What was within your control and what could you do in the future to minimise it occurring again? 

Could you get more support from your family and friends? Could you delegate tasks to give you more time to plan and get organised?

We all experience setbacks in our lives so recognising them when they happen, accepting them and learning to bounce back will help you develop the strength to be more effective in how you deal with things in the future.

Yes you CAN change!

Are you or do you know people that seem ‘set in their ways’ and believe that’s that, they will always be like that? 

Do you believe that you can’t change anything about yourself or things that you have ‘always’ done?

Well you weren’t born with the behaviours and beliefs you have now. They have all been learned as you grew up and got older. This means that any behaviour can be changed or new one ‘learned’. 

It’s not too late!



Many psychologists believe that it takes 21 consecutive days of doing something different for it to become a habit. When we do something over and over again, a neural pathway is formed in our brain until it becomes hardwired. 

Once the behaviour is ingrained, our brain starts to see this as the clearest and easiest route to take. The more times we do something, the more we re-programme our brain so it becomes second nature. 

So the more we practice doing things differently, then the more chance we have of changing our behaviour.

So, what would you like to change? Grab some paper and a pen and take a moment to do this following exercise:

1. If someone could wave a magic wand and change you into the you that you want to be, what would you look like? How would you feel? Is there anything you would like to do but feel you can’t? Why is that? Write it down.

2. Now imagine you have achieved these goals. Try and visualise it. How would it make you feel? Why do you think it would make you feel that way? Write it down.

3. So where are you right now? How do you feel about yourself right now? Write it down.

4. What do you think and feel you need to do now in order to achieve what you would like? What barriers are holding you back and what can you do about them? Write it down.

Ok, now that you’ve done this, write a list of the steps you need to take in order to start making the changes that you want. 

Then break those steps down even more, into monthly and daily tasks. Focusing on smaller goals or tasks makes the end goal more achievable.

So keep focused and stay determined!

Good luck!


If you would like some help and support shedding excess pounds and gaining more energy, check out our 777 Challenge which kicks off next Monday 9th Feb.

It's just £7 until 6pm on the 5th Feb, then the price increases to £27. Registration will close on Friday 6th at 6pm so you can start getting organised over the weekend ready to start on Monday.

Go on...go take a look...

We will refund you your money if it's not for you or you are not completely satisfied with the results!

www.777Challenge.co.uk

 

25 things you may not know about me

Wow I had quite a few replies following my email about the menopause last month. It seems many of you are in that place right now too! I promise to come back to you with any nuggets of information as and when I learn it :) One person thanked me for sending it and said it was quite a personal thing to share. It got me thinking about a list that I'd written a couple of months ago. I'd been challenged to make a list of 25 things people may not know about me. It was quite challenging, but now I'm going to share it with you. But before I add my list in, I want to challenge you to do the same. Make a list of 25 things people may not know about you, you don't have to share it, but you can if you want, on Facebook, send it to your friends, maybe even just write it down for a friend. If you want you can email it to me.    You will be amazed at it's power. Anyway, here's mine... 1) I was born a month early on the 22nd December 1970 and named Emma Louise Boffo. I spent my first day of life in an incubator. I'm 43 now. 2) My Italian father Luigi, who was from Naples, was tragically killed in a car accident when I was a year old. 3) My mum met my step father Ken when I was 6 and had my brother when I was 12 and sister when I was 15. 4) My Italian grandfather was a very talented glass blower who came over to the UK to work at Whitefriars Glass. The year before I was born he relocated to Malta to work as head designer for the then newly started Mdina Glass. Some of his work is quite collectible now. Just google Boffo Penguin! 5) My Italian Aunt, who also relocated to Malta, met her beau and settled there. I visit them, my cousins and their children every summer. 6) My other cousins on the Italian side of my family are half Italian half German and live in Romford, Essex...shuuut uuuuup! ;) 7) I briefly had guitar lessons at middle school using my dad's classical guitar. Unfortunately when I went to high school there were no tutors so I never continued. 8) I somehow managed to end up in the top maths group at school and took my O'level a year early. I'm actually glad I didn't quite pass as the next exam was pure and applied maths which was insanely hard. Despite being in the top group I still need a calculator to do basic sums :D 9) I went to Saturday morning music school for a few years. I played 3 different size recorders and the flute. I had private lessons and played in band and orchestra. 10) I stayed on at school into the 6th form and took A level art and graphical communication (technical drawing). I then went to art college for 4 years and did a B-TEC Diploma in General Art & Design, and a HND in Graphic Design and Advertising. 11) Fitness is my second career. After leaving college I worked in graphic design in Central London for 15 years, first at a small company in Soho for 3 years, then for Hays, the recruitment company, in their marketing department for 12 years. 12) In 2001 I went travelling for five and a half months. I went to Singapore, Malaysia, Bali, Australia and Thailand. It's easily the best thing I have ever done! 13) I didn't learn to drive until I was 22. I've only ever had 2 cars. The first an old Fiesta and the Peugeot 206 I am still driving now. 14) I have a fear of heights and hate the feeling of falling, hence I would never go on a sky high roller coaster or jump out of a plane, for no amount of money! 15) I love dance music of all kinds of genres and used to go raving in the early 1990's. Top haunts were Trax at Camden Palace, Crazy Club at the Astoria, Rage at Heaven, the Slough Centre, Raindance, Dungeons in Hackney and Clink Street London Bridge. Definitely a major contributor to my noisy crunchy knees! 16) I started ballet when I was 5 years old and then tap and modern dance up till I was 18. Another contributor to my knees! 17) My love of dance music still continues and although I don't go clubbing anymore I still go dancing when I can...street dancing. I have gained many like-minded friends over the last 5 years or so and fitness presenter friends who teach various styles of dance as a class. I try and get to as many events as I can, and have even been to fitness weeks away in Fueteventura, Turkey and Germany. The styles I love doing are hip hop, street jazz, house, lyrical jazz and ragga. 18) I love stand up comedy and have been to see Billy Connolly twice, Lee Evans 5 times, Eddie Izzard, Michael McIntyre, Peter Kay and John Bishop. I'm off to see Billy Bailey later this year. They all appeal to my daft and sarcastic sense of humour. 19) I was single for many years until the start of last year when I met Patrick, a 6 foot 5 plasterer from East London ;) 20) I adore animals, especially dogs, and would be in my element with a pile of puppies! There are 4 dogs in our family, 2 lab/labradoodles, a jack russell and now a new staffy pup. 21) I used to be a volunteer at the Dog's Trust in Harefield where I'd spend a morning cleaning kennels and walking the dogs (or they'd often walk me!). Every time I'd mentally adopt about 5 and want to bring them home. I also go and help out at a sanctuary in Malta where I take them money that I've raised throughout the year. 22) I have a serious life-threatening nut allergy and have to carry epi-pens. I had my first anaphylactic shock in 1995 at my first work black tie Christmas party after eating walnut bread and spent most of the night at Royal London A&E. I've had a few more visits to casualty since then but with milder reactions. 23) I've never been stick thin and was quite chubby as a child. I put that down to developing an early sweet tooth, something which I still struggle with today even though I know all about its negative effects. I honestly believe in its addictive properties which is why it's so hard to resist sometimes. 24) I'm a bit OCD and love having things organised and tidy...the complete opposite to my family, boyfriend and work colleague! ;) 25) I love the beauty and serenity of nature. I love not meeting anyone when I walk the dog. It's a great way to be calm (except when she's diving through puddles and rolling in something hideous) and find some head clearing space. Just me, doggy and nature :)

Emma 'no secrets' Boffo emma@emmabfitness.com 07956 315851 Join our new Facebook group for tips on getting healthy, being happy and getting yourself looking hot! If you are interested in coming for a taster week to try out our fitness sessions, please reply to this email for more information.

Damn my menopausal hormones!

You may have been here... You did a new diet or healthy eating regime, put loads of effort into it but when you jumped on the scales at the end, it only showed you'd lost a pound or two. I bet you thought, 'What was the point?" and then you feel totally deflated and go and eat something stodgy or sugary. I had a small bout of this at the start of last week. The previous week was our 777 Challenge, our non faddy, real food, get healthy quick plan. We had quite a big uptake after the break with everyone looking to shed their extra Christmas pounds, myself included. Now I've done these weeks before and I typically lose 3-5lbs in the 7 days, fairly easily. (Yes I can eat a little too much of the wrong stuff too and lose my way now and then. I'm still human!) But...this time, when I jumped onto the scales I'd only lost about 2lbs! A huge wave of disappointment came over me even though I know that the number is only a reflection of my body weight against gravity. I know that scales don't tell you all the positive changes that happen internally when you eat real food.  I know that scales don't tell you that your energy levels improve.  I know that scales don't tell you how much better your skin looks. I KNOW! But I still felt really down and disappointed. Why hadn't I been as successful this time? I then thought about each element of the week in turn... Food  I'd stuck to 3 meals a day of real and fresh food and not had any wobbles - but with a sore throat I'd had turned to throat sweets which contained sugar Exercise  I'd completed about 85% of the workouts and been walking Water  I'd only reached about two thirds of my water target - key for flushing out stored water and toxins from fat cells Sleep  I had been in bed by 10.30pm on 6 of the 7 nights, but several of the nights had very poor quality sleep due to barking foxes and an unwell dog. This would have really hindered my results.   But then I realised, I now have an additional hindrance, my changed hormones! I'm now 44 and I have been going through an early menopause. My hormones and mindset have been knocked a little sideways in the last few years. Sleep is key to help hormones re balance, plus give us the repair and regeneration we need. Physical repair generally takes place between 10pm and 2am, and psychological repair for the mind takes place between 2am and 6am. Not getting to bed early enough and not getting enough good sleep regularly enough affects this and our ability to lose weight. So, with all the changes my body has been going through, I now won't find it quite so easy to shed extra pounds, in fact, my body will be trying hard to prevent it happening! Why? Well, in the menopause our ovaries stop producing estrogen. We have estrogen in our fat cells but not as much, so our bodies become very reluctant to give them up, hence making it harder to lose weight. Other hormones like cortisol and adreneline are also much higher (and part of the cause of hot flushes). These stress hormones also hinder weight loss, which is why we need to find time to slow down and relax each week. Now I don't have all the answers yet (I am looking into doing a course all about it so I can help myself then help others), but here are my top tips for now if you are going through a similar experience. Don't do just a little bit of healthy eating, drinking water or exercise, give it your all in order to get better results.   Don't jump straight onto the HRT band wagon. There are no one size fits all drugs and not everyone needs them in the same quantities. Our bodies were designed to cope with all hormonal processes for life, including menopause. Most menopausal symptoms can be managed through diet and exercise alone. Look into alternative and natural supplements first. I've just started taking soy isoflavones supplements (good brands are Solgar and Higher Nature). Other supplements to consider are evening primrose and magnesium citrate (or any ending in 'ate')   Most importantly accept yourself as you are NOW and accept that change WILL happen. And never give up trying. For more information on peri and menopause, two 'guru's' to check out are Dr Christiane Northrup and Dr Sara Gottfried. Re-balance your hormones, re-balance your health... If you would like a hand re-balancing your hormones starting with nutrition and lifestyle, our Project Recharge has just kicked off and will be going on until 19th April. It will have 4 phases, and you can join at any time. Phase 1 = Reboot: reset your body Phase 2 = Plug in: boost your energy and motivation Phase 3 = Turn it up: ramp up your metabolism Phase 4 = Retain: maintain your momentum If you would like more information, or to come and try our training sessions and all we have to offer by coming to a taster week, then please reply to this email.

Emma 'never giving up' Boffo emma@emmabfitness.com 07956 315851 Join our new Facebook group for tips on getting healthy, being happy and getting yourself looking hot!