Oh Hell Yeah… let’s get this party started!!

From my observations, perhaps the number one reason why women do not achieve their goals is they feel GUILTY even wanting something more for themselves.  They don’t want to even say out loud that they want to be more or do more.   There is this sense of guilt at wanting something for themselves.  Then there is this other thing.

They are shit scared of failing.  Actually they are not as worried about failing as they are about what people will think of them if they FAIL. Even more they are afraid of what their friends and family will think of them even WANTING to go after something more.  This is A LOT of guilt.

This fear of failure in addition to that GUILT can make the idea of wanting more an emotional and sometimes futile pursuit.

And there’s one more thing.  Women just don’t know how to do it.

Set a goal, I mean.  Most of us aren’t taught about goal setting and those that are, are only taught it from a very masculine, myoptic, ‘just add more stuff to my to do list’ kinda way.

This results in us setting goals that are too far out of reach, take too much work and include endless entries on an already stacked To Do List, require more more effort than they were willing to give and became so daunting that the easiest thing is to just give up.  We just look for the out at the beginning and tell ourselves we didn’t want it anyway.

Listen, I’m as much of a go-getter as it gets, and it pained me to write that opening but I am here to tell you that you can achieve anything your heart desires with GUILT or GRIND…. would you like to learn how?

First, let’s unpack why most women fail at setting goals.

It saddens me to write about women setting goals and not achieving them, but that’s how it is.

It seems, somewhere along the way we got lost in a fantasy world of instant gratification and forgot about all the little steps along the way that lead to desired outcomes.

We’ve lost patience in a fast-paced world and we’re trying to go from point A to point E by cleverly bypassing points B, C, and D, without having to put in the hard work, but it doesn’t always work that way.

When we disrespect the formulas, systems, and action steps on the road to achievement, we disrespect ourselves by not giving ourselves a real chance at success. We also disrespect others who follow the natural rules of nature, who have succeeded the old-fashioned way by putting in the time, doing what it takes to elicit change and create results.

We keep things fuzzy, we stay in this state of ‘I don’t understand’ or ‘you do it for me’ or asking endless questions that just show you haven’t even done the work of reading the instructions.

I’ve seen it time and again, often smart women stay dumb when it comes to achieving their goals.

[related video: Smart Women Stay Dumb when it comes to Weightloss Goals]

Step #1  How to set goals you will achieve

Goddess Got Goals!

As part of our VIP Membership to our Wheel of the Year programme and our 90 Day Challenge, we have created a whole system to teach you Female Focused Goal Setting.

Are you a VIP? Then nip over here to our Digital Studio Library and access that now including your own Goddess Got Goals Journal.

Start with the end in mind….

Goals are a very important part of staying motivated and ensuring you’re on track during your journey. If you don’t know where you want to go, how will you know when you have reached your destination? I have always used a very simple approach, which I recommend to you do too.

And this is simply writing it down and then visualising the results.

How to create an attainable goal

Open up your journal and answer the following questions to get started:

1. What goal do you want to achieve? Be as detailed as possible in your answer and find a deep meaning behind it.

2. Why does it matter to you? You can’t just say something like, “to look better.” You have to address the root cause underlying your desires to “look better.” So, why does it really matter to you? What is your WHY? Perhaps it is to do with your kids, your family, your health, your partner.

3. What timeline are you setting for your goal? How did you determine this timeline? How does your reasoning match up with reality, science, and your actual daily schedule?  Notice here we said TIMELINE not DEADLINE, goals do not need to have a deadline (this adds undue pressure) but a timeline simply gives you something to work towards and a bit of accountability.

4. What three actions will you take each day to get you closer to achieving your goal? Be specific and select actions that are truly related to helping you get closer to your dream. This is you working on your daily Routine & Rituals.

5. How are you going to measure your accountability? This is where sharing it on our Tribe or Challenge group adds that all essential accountability.

6. How will your life change as a result of attaining your goal? This is sooo important, be specific here.

Now turn this into a simple statement outlining what you want to achieve in the next 90 days and why.

Now add visualisation:

I often use visualisation to find an extra level of motivation. The Law of Attraction states that you attract into your life the things that you think about the most.  This is the same with your body.  There are a couple of ways you can do this. You can either find a picture of a person whose body is similar or yours you can use as motivation or an outfit you would like to fit into or the body that you are working towards.

Getting Started

Introduction to Exercise: Mind-Body-Purpose

No what matter your reason, in the end we all want the same thing: a workout routine that will enable us to find the very best of our bodies and ourselves. We want to train smart and have fun while training. We want to leave the training floor feeling more energized, clear headed, and happy then when we got on it. But we also want to leave the dinner table happy and satisfied, not starving and feeling deprived.

Although you might be working towards a specific health or weight goal, I hope this journey far surpasses those first few goals and becomes an integral part of your life pursuit for health and wellness. You may find some of the concepts, facts, and programs here simple, while others may seem challenging. I ask that you rid yourself of any doubt here and now and keep an open mind. You have already taken the most difficult step: picking up a program—that step is far more valuable then any single move or random workout. This program will help you restructure your understanding of wellness, build a real foundation of health, and achieve incredible, measurable results.

However, before we begin, I would like to identify two crucial questions. These are essential and I actually believe that without understanding and addressing both you cannot attain, or maintain, a healthy and balanced body and mind.

Question #1 What limits you?

Question two is a fact that must be understood before you move forward with training:

Question #2 What is exercise?

Let’s identify both.

Having worked in the health, fitness fields for over a decade, I can honestly say that one of the biggest hurdles holding people back from lasting success is a limiting belief system.

Join me in a little exercise:

Let’s begin at the end.

How do you see yourself in 7 days from now? In 4 weeks? How about six months from now? Take a moment and visualize it.

Here’s what I think you see:

a stronger, more mobile, slimmer and healthier you. You have tighter muscles, a flatter stomach, a glow of energy, and a feeling of empowerment.

You’re less stressed, more in control, and perhaps even more focused. You’re more confident in your fitness routine and nutrition choices. You trust yourself and your body. And, you are right about all of it.

You will look, feel, and live more confidently.

Your goals will evolve, as will your dreams for yourself and your body. Exercise

and healthy, sustainable living cause infectious positivity and self-assurance—traits that will seep into other par ts of your life!

Now, picture your programme:

Three key factors compose your complete program. We will discuss each separately

and then link them together to create a lifestyle.

The three components are:

• Habits

• Fitness

• Nutrition

Your habits are the components of your day and your personal values. I don’t mean work or family—I’m referring to the individual qualities per training to your mind, body and spirit. Not anyone else’s. We call these your Morning & Evening Star Rituals. Your guiding light.

Your nutrition is not to be confused with a “diet.” Nor is it to be confused with an occasional indulgence, like birthday cake or a takeaway. Your nutrition includes what you put into your body as well as the healthy daily routines that allow you to enjoy your food and feel satisfied.

What is exercise?

Now that we have identified your goals and mentally worked past any and all limits it is

important that we work through the next question: What is exercise?

I understand that this may seem elementary but you will be shocked at how many people get this question wrong.

More importantly, you yourself might not truly understand the real definition of exercise. But in order to get the body you want this must be the very first thing you understand.

This might actually shock you, but exercise is not sport. That’s right, marathon running, swimming, playing tennis, basketball, even surfing and martial arts like kickboxing or boxing are sports—they are not a strength training and conditioning exercise routine. What do I mean?

Let’s start at the beginning:

There is sport and there is exercise—the two are very different. We often mistake one for the other between many people have taken up recreational sport activities as a way to stay active and fit—using a sport as a form of “exercise.” However, sports are not your exercise or training routine.

Recreational sports like swimming, running, playing tennis or basketball are activities or, sometimes, hobbies. Your exercise routine is the strength and conditioning regiment used to get you in shape for your sport and to help you fortify your body and avoid injury from your sport, as well as in your life.

The only exception is bodybuilding and, to a point, power lifting—however power lifters still have a strength and conditioning routine to help fortify them for their sport specific lifts.

So why are we confused?

To be honest, the word “activity” is bland, while “exercise” merits huge amounts of recognition and respect amongst our friends and peers. When I say I exercise, it implies training,  it means I have discipline, it means I am strong and healthy and I care about myself. Activity on the other hand feels like a random act of anything.

You might still be confused—I know I was. I thought that people who play basketball with their friends or run marathons or box are exercising—but no, they are being active, perhaps they are recreational athletes or even professional athletes. But if you notice, marathon runners, swimmers, football players, as well as all other athletes, have a strength-and-conditioning training routine that is separate to their sport.

Your exercise training program is made for two reasons:

1. Performance enhancement:a solid exercise program is meant to improve your ability in a specific sport. This is why triathletes, basketball players, tennis players, swimmers, and every other professional athlete particpates in a regular, regimented, and prescribed strength and conditioning routine.

2. Injury Prevention: as you train, workout, or exercise (all interchangeable terms) you are fortifying and balancing your body. Correct exercise should never ever lead to injury. While it is okay to get injured in your sport (like falling in a hockey or tennis game) it is absolutely NOT okay to get hurt lifting a weight, a kettlebell, or doing a push-up. Those exercises are made to fortify your body and aid injury prevention.

The by-product of exercise is a healthy and fit looking body.

Yes, I called it the by-product!

While many of us start exercising to lose weight and look better, in the true definition of the term, improved body composition and increased cardio-respiratory functioning is a simple by-product of fitness and exercise. And while you can also find yourself losing weight and feelingbetter when you become active—and, perhaps, begin to play or take part in sports—exercise/fitness training is directly related to balancing the body and providing the best overall resultsin health and wellness, as well as in all of your recreational activities and your daily life.

Need an example?

Consider two sports I really like: tennis and boxing.

In tennis, you are constantly using one arm; in boxing, you have one lead so you are overworking one area of the body in a specific range of motion. You would need to hit an equal number of backhands or jab with your other hand to avoid creating an overuse or muscle imbalance in your body. The job of your exercise routine is to balance the body and make sure the length-tension relations are equal and that your right and left are not unilateral. So you see, there is exercise like strength and conditioning and there is sport and activity like marathon running, horseback riding, volleyball, and soccer (to name just a few).

Fit Fact

And this is a fact: exercise should never cause injury. Properly conducted, exercise will make the joints and connective tissue more mobile, as well as increase your ability to exert more force.

Proper exercise will improve performance and longevity in any activity or sport you do, and do the same in your life.

Don’t Abuse Exercise

True and smart exercise can help you become stronger, more muscularly enduring, and less susceptible to injury. Engaging in regular exercise can improve body composition and increase cardiorespiratory functioning. However, people constantly abuse and break down their bodies because they don’t understand the correct definition of exercise.

This does not mean that you cannot use running,

Why is this so vital for you to understand?

I believe that if we are training together, we should be transparent. You should not simply follow my every move or word, you should know why you are doing the exercise and what benefits you will gain from proper training. Another reason is I will need your trust. Just as I asked you to trust yourself, I will ask you to trust the program.

I believe that the people who get and keep the best results are those who have a clear understanding of what fitness is. In this guide, I will be laying out a plan for you. Many of the exercises will be unique and fun and they will challenge you both physically and mentally. But, I want you to understand that as diverse and unique as I try to make your experience, the basis of the workouts will always involve the fundamentals of fitness

These exercises are independent of your sports and will link together to balance your body in muscle strength-and-length, as well as challenge and enhance your body’s stability, agility, coordination, and cardio-respiratory function playing basketball, or biking as a form of recreationalactivity or a cardio-respiratory activity, but, pleasenote that the strength and conditioning and cardiorespiratoryprovided in this book are a structuredprogram. One that will make you look, feel, andfunction better in every aspect in your life. Followthe program, don’t abuse exercise, have fun,and see results.

Finally, no excuses!

Fitness is for EVERYONE. Young, old, pregnant (with a doctor’s consent), men, women, celebrities, your neighbours, your friends, your family, and even athletes—truly anyone and everyone.

Find time to work out. You can use this book anywhere: the gym, the beach, in a park, in your hotel room, or—to save time—train at home. Many people prefer to train at home. It saves time, and if the routine is done correctly, it can be as effective and efficient as the gym. Your workout should be free from stress. It should aim to build your relationship with yourself. Your workout time should be your sacred time. We provided 15- and 30-minute workouts in this book because no excuses means fitting it in and taking time out for yourself. Don’t worry, 15 or 30 minute workouts can be just as effective and efficient as your longer training sessions.

History: In the 1900’s people worldwide were active between 6 and 10 hours a day. Today, most of us make our livings with our minds instead of our bodies. We drive to work, to run errands, to do our grocery shopping, and often to our weekend outings. We have technology to help us clean our floors, wash our dishes, or mow the lawn. We sit all day at work and we commonly entertain ourselves by sitting. It seems natural, but it’s not—our bodies are designed to move. In truth, the more we stay static the more we are hurting ourselves, becoming unbalanced, inactive, sedentary, weak, out of shape, uncoordinated, fat individuals.

Our bodies are made and designed to move. To push, pull, crawl, walk, jump, squat, hinge, throw, turn, twist, stretch, kick, run, hop, roll … we are made for these movements—but when was the last time you did any of those things? Be honest.

According to a poll of nearly 6,300 people by the Institute for Medicine and Public Health, it’s likely that you spend an approximate 56 hours a week sitting in a chair, staring at your computer screen, working the steering wheel, or collapsed on the couch in front of a TV or computer, book, or tablet.

Worst fact?

Women are often more sedentary than men. We tend to play fewer sports as children and even less, as we get older. Women also tend to hold less active jobs. To succeed, you need an approach that’s built around the modern lifestyle, but you also need a result-proven approach; one that works with time constraints and your individual needs. In today’s world, we not only have to activate the body with motion, strength, and cardio-respiratory training, but we also have to have a balanced routine that corrects muscle imbalances by activating weak and tight muscles with strength and flexibility.

The moral of the story here is simple…

… for all of the reasons listed above, and for all of your own personal goals, you have no right not to train your body. You have no right not to move your body and explore all of its amazing potential. Your body, if you let it, is truly limitless.

Set it free!

But what about….?

“I am uncoordinated. I have never done anything like this and I’m afraid that I’ll make a fool out of myself.”

Always remember that everyone had to begin somewhere. Even the most coordinated individual was a beginner at one time with the same fears and apprehensions! I have been training and developing programs for all levels and abilities over the last twelve years. Trust Warrior Goddess Kettlebell Training and let us help you discover and tap into your potential.

Remember to have fun! Be patient with yourself and don’t get frustrated. Don’t expect to be perfect! Your body has to learn how to move the way your brain tells it to.

It only takes a few weeks from when you start training your body to see the results and progress. We will guide and help you develop and achieve your goals.

“I just don’t have the money or the time.”

Ask any girl who has trained and achieved her fitness goals how much money she would accept to sell that accomplishment. What is the value of a product that will provide you with the benefits you want and have been looking for? What exactly is it worth for YOU to empower yourself with the physical abilities and body you have always dreamed of? The feeling of reaching your goals and feeling pure and real success? Warrior Goddess Kettlebell Training will have an impact on your life!

“I never stick to anything.”

Life is about evolution; the changes are yours to make. If you decide to do something—Do It! If you have always pictured yourself looking a specific way, feeling a specific way, having a unique ability —You Can! YOU must walk the path.

Warrior Goddess Kettlebell Training is very unique. It will build you without getting boring or monotonous. Now is the perfect time to break bad habits and try something that can change the course of other things in your life. No matter your age or current physical ability—you can succeed and enjoy the process… just give it a fair chance.

“I don’t want to make a commitment.”

 Every successful person has committed himself or herself to achieving that success. Most people commit to things that they are passionate about or things that will benefit them. Joining the Warrior Goddess Kettlebell lifestyle starts here.

But it doesn’t just mean committing yourself to the programs provided in this book—MAKE A COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF—one that allows you to see and reach your highest personal potential and purpose.

Let us help see you through that commitment and allow yourself to experience the rewards.

Time waits for no one, what are you waiting for?

Why Training?

I hope that this guides’s information and the results you gain from training will trickle down into every part of your life: family, work, health, activity, mood, energy, and yes, even your jeans.

Enjoy your new self and body, but do not forget to enjoy and embrace the journey, the process, and the self-discovery that comes with a good training program. So go on, make time for yourself, just like you make time for everything else in your life. Prioritize!

Why? Because the benefits of exercise and health are vast:

1. You’ll be more efficient.
2. You’ll be less stressed.
3. You’ll be more creative.
4. Self-Discovery
5. Health
6. Self-Discipline
7. Perspective
8. Evolution
9. Mobility
10. You are a much better version of yourself when you follow a healthy lifestyle.
11. If you respect yourself, others will respect you more.
12. Your kids and your family look to you as an example: Be a great one!
13. Studies show that for every £1 you spend on health (exercise and proper nutrition), you save £8 on healthcare.

Learn more about Goal Setting, Motivation & Mindset on the Goddess Got Goals Podcast >>