A Big YES!

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I recently overhead an advert on TV that really caught my attention. It was about pursuing our dreams and the journey to achieve them.

The key message was about making sacrifices to achieve what we really want in life.

A big YES is built on a lot of NO’s

Pursuing a dream takes an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm. So where do we get that energy? By making sacrifices. In order to stay motivated, to stay on the path of realising our dreams, we need to be willing to make little sacrifices.

Below are 5-tips to build towards that big YES:

  • Time management – use your 24hrs wisely, prioritize the important tasks, learn to say ‘no’.
  • Instability – we all like a smooth ride, but life is a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Ride it – embrace the challenges, they make you stronger.
  • Personal Life – work out ways to manage your relationships and friendships. Again, learn to say ‘no’ – you can’t please everyone and sabotage your own goals.
  • Immediate Desires – choosing the easy option is often the temptation, but we have the choice between our immediate desires and those that will propel our dreams forward. Stay true to what is most important to you.
  • Sleep – we all love a few extra hours of sleep (especially when the alarm goes off), but there’s an awesome rewarding feeling when you accomplish what you set out to do — making the lack of a ‘lie-in’ always worth it.

We make these sacrifices as we know they are a short-term and there is an end-goal in mind. We stay focused, we stay committed and we stay true to our goal. And in the end, we reap the reward of achieving our goal. All the sacrifices become worthwhile.

We achieve our dream!

Embrace all the good in your life

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I had the privilege of cheering a friend at the recent Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mooloolaba a couple of weekends ago.  The atmosphere was amazing! There were athletes from all walks of life, from countries all around the world.

As a world championship race, these age-group athletes would have had to earn a slot at a qualifying event. It’s a huge achievement just making it to the world champs! The key thing that really struck me about this event, was the variety of athletes. There were young & old athletes, small & large athletes, able-bodied & paraplegic athletes. It was truly inspiring watching all these athletes pursue their dream.

One of the biggest inspiration for me that weekend was watching a paraplegic athlete embrace his goal. This guy rolled his wheelchair to the beach, where the race officials carried him to the start and placed him in the water. When he finished his swim, the race officials carried him to his bike (see above pic), where he focused on getting on his bike and continuing with the bike course, followed by the run course in his wheelchair.

It was truly very humbling. He never complained.  He just embraced the atmosphere and all the support from those along the course. At the end of the race, a supporter walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder and said, “Well done mate, you were truly awesome!”

As able-bodied athletes, we often take our situation for granted. We complain about the mundane — “I’m injured, I can’t train… I’m overweight, I can’t run… I can’t cycle, I’m too scared… I am busy, I can’t commit.”

We are all guilty of taking things for granted — however, it just requires a little reminder from time-to-time, to appreciate what we have. Just watch the Paralympics at Rio – swimmers with no limbs, runners with no eyesight, table-tennis players with no arms. It is truly very humbling.

So my message today – pause for a moment to appreciate all the good in your life. Your health, your family, your environment, the opportunities you have, the choices you have… the support you have.

Learn to appreciate what you have… before time makes you appreciate what you had.

A huge congratulations to all those athletes who competed in Mooloolaba — the oldest being 87years old! Truly amazing!

Also a massive ‘Good Luck’ shout to all our BEXI athletes taking part in the Blackmores Running Festival this weekend.  Embrace all the good in your life and make the most of it.

 

Debbie Solms
Feeling Grateful

The first thing when starting to RUN

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We get asked all the time, “What is the best way to start running?” For most, it is a case of digging out your old trainers and heading out the door for a 5km run – which you have not attempted in years.

The obvious happens! You hate the experience, it’s uncomfortable, you are shattered, your feet/shins hurt, you knees ache and your hips cause you to limp. You then decide that running is not for you and throw your trainers to the back of the cupboard. Until next year!

Hands up if this is you? We’ve all been there – but it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be this way.

The first thing we ask people who want to start running, is what their motivation for running is. For most it is to get fit and lose weight. But more and more, we are seeing people embracing running to manage stress and balance their lifestyles. Running is absolutely fantastic for this!

Understanding your motivation for running is key. But there is a deeper level — why are you experiencing the issues that are forcing you to run?

Do you have certain fears, do you struggle with self-confidence, do you get anxious about certain things, do you have challenges with motivating yourself, do you have self-limiting beliefs – about you can and can’t achieve?

These issues are paramount and effect every single one of us, in one way or another. So going back to our original question about the first thing you need to do when starting running – the answer is ‘connecting our minds to our bodies’. For everything we think in our minds, our bodies have a reaction.

Having delivered numerous beginner running programs over the past 5-years, we have learnt that the most important element of the program is training our minds. The most important muscle in our body! Which is why we have been super-motivated to deliver a program that focuses purely on the mental side of training. We 100% believe that once we have addressed the issues that are holding us back, we can then forge ahead… in leaps and bounds.

Which is why we are beyond excited about our upcoming online program that focuses entirely on the mental side of training. If any of the above resonates with you and you are wanting to make a change to your life, then our 6-week ‘Mental Training for Athletes’ program is for you.  Starts Thurs 11 Aug, 8-9pm.

Give it a go – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

BEXI Custom Cycling Kit

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We are taking orders for our new sexy BEXI custom cycling kit range. This kit will be ready for our first BEXI cycle event will be the MS Gong Ride on 6 November 2016 – and other exciting cycling events in the spring/summer.

The CRAFT custom collection has been developed in close collaboration with professional cycling teams – including ORICA-BikeExchange (who had great success at the Tour de France this year). The fabric is Italian and all the kit is made in Europe – so top quality!

All items are available in various sizing: XS – XXXL. We have a supply of sizing samples for you to try on – it is very important to get the right fit. Contact Debbie to try on a sample.  (As a reference, I am a M in the jersey and bib, and S in the arm warmers.)

If you are interested in placing an order, please email debbie.solms@gmail.com by Wed 10 August.  Once we have agreed numbers and sizing, we will need a 50% deposit to confirm our order. 

NOTE – we will need a minimum of 10 x orders per item to process our order. If we can’t achieve the min requirement, we will not be able to place our order.

Short-sleeve Jersey – $65 (vs $90)

Jersey

 Cycling Bib – $80 (vs $109)

Bib

Arm-Warmers – $30 (vs $45) – great for running too!

Arm Warmers

To achieve or not?

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I love reading biographies of successful people. How they start with humble beginnings and then go on to achieve great success.

Take Chris Froome for example – winner of the recent Tour de France. Born in humble Kenya, spending his youth riding through townships, past wild animals, until winning his first race that his mum entered him. His book, ‘The Climb’, is an exceptional read and highly recommended!

The key point I want to make is that we all start from modest beginnings. We then discover a passion and go on to pursue our passion.

In the case of Chris Froome, he had a burning hunger to pursue his passion for cycling. He trained incredibly hard physically – but what propelled him to the next level was his mental strength.

Understanding how to stay focused, overcoming our fears, managing our anxieties, removing our self-limiting beliefs, developing our self-confidence, maintaining our self-motivation, the list goes on….

Beauty of Exercise is very passionate about supporting you in pursuing your passion and achieving your own success. Over the past 5-years we have focused purely on the physical-side of training our athletes. We have dabbled in the mental-side of training, but have not really hit the mark.

Which is why we are super-excited about teaming up with SportsSupports to deliver our ‘Mental Preparation for Athletes’ program. Grant Giles and Christie Sym have successfully coached a number of athletes over the years, many of whom have gone on to achieve great feats (& podiums).

Grant and Christie will be hosting our 6-week online webinar program, starting Thurs 11 August at 8pm.  If you’re wanting to address your fears and progress your passion to the next level, this webinar is a must!

More information and to register. 

 

On the hunt for opportunities

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A few weeks ago I penned a blog about getting older and how we should embrace every new opportunity that life offers us.

What separates the successful, happy and interesting, from the unsuccessful and unhappy is the willingness to take risks and continually strive for progression.

Our lives are continually presented with opportunities – some may seem difficult to recognise as opportunites as they appear as obstacles. But there is a reason for that. Opportunities that seem challenging are the ones that give us the chance to learn more about ourselves – which allows us to grow and develop.

This week I’d like to inspire you with 3 x new opportunities to embrace your dreams, feed your spirit and nourish your life:

  • Run a half-marathon – an amazing goal and 100% achievable for anyone who can run 5km.
  • Train your brain – overcome your fears, build your confidence, manage your anxiety – so that you can embrace opportunies.
  • Learn to run 5km – learn the ‘techniques’ so that you can become a happier person in today’s busy life.

If we focus on achieving better each day, we will.

on the hunt

 

 

 

My Happy Blog!

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Today I felt like writing a happy blog. Simply because I am filled with an immense amount of happiness based on what our BEXI team has achieved over the past few months. Also… because there’s a special something to celebrate.

Firstly, to share some of my happy-beans:

  • Our Tri-FIT team achieving their first sprint triathlon;
  • Our Race-FIT teams achieving their half-marathon and marathon goals in Canberra, Sydney & Great Ocean Road;
  • One very special team member who ‘quietly’ achieved her first half-marathon on her own;
  • Others for stepping out of their comfort zones to complete their first 5km parkrun, endurance trail run, and organised cycle ride;
  • Others for teaming up to support each other in ocean swims, bike rides and training runs.
I love how our BEXI community responds to every call that excites their spirit!

Secondly, a very important happy-bean that fills me with so much pride. Our community is made up of very special people and we want to celebrate these very special people. We have therefore introduced a special prize to recognise these people… and are pleased to announce our ‘BEXI Ambassador Award’. This award goes out to one truly exceptional member who lives and breathes our BEXI values. She|he goes beyond their call of duty to inspire, motivate and support others. Each year we will select one member, who will receive one full year’s free training with us.

We are therefore incredibly thrilled to announce of first BEXI Ambassador for 2016 (click to reveal). Huge congratulations to our very deserving BEXI member!

I’m totally honoured to have been a part of your successful achievements and look forward to sharing many more in the months ahead.

Best wishes,
Debbie x

What’s up next?

 

MS Walk & Fun Run – Sun 5 June

 

Team BEXI are committed to supporting our chosen charity, Multiple Sclerosis. We will be teaming up with our families and friends to take part in the 5km|10km walk or fun run on Sun 5 June.  We’d love you to join MS Fun Run Team – or if you can’t make it, please donate towards this very worthwhile charity.

BEXI Ambassador 2016

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Every now again a very special person comes into our lives. Someone who is kind, caring, supportive, inspirational and completely selfless. This person always makes time for others and the epitomise our BEXI values to the very core.

BEXI Values
  • Passionate with a contagious energy and enthusiasm
  • Encourages others to do their best
  • Creates a fun and inspiring environment for those around them
  • Recognises and nurtures the potential in others
  • Celebrates every victory – no matter how big or small
  • Determined and motivated to achieve their own goals
  • Makes time for others
  • Embraces every opportunity that comes their way
  • Share’s the BEXI love!
BEXI Ambassador Award

We are thrilled to announce a very special award for this person – the BEXI Ambassador Award. This award will be awarded to one special person — someone who embraces our values and lives our lifestyle.  The winner will be entitled to one year’s free training with Beauty of Exercise – including running, triathlon & swimming programs.

BEXI Ambassador 2016

The winner for of our BEXI Ambassador 2016 Award goes to the gorgeous Felicity Douglas. Felicity lives and breathes our BEXI values. She is a busy mum of four, operates a successful business with her hubby, runs a farm in the country (with horses, alpacas, quad bikes, motorbikes, etc),  and still makes time to meet for training 3-4 times per week. Conquering goals all the way – half-marathons, triathlons, bike rides and more. Felicity is an outstanding role-model to her family – they attend parkrun regularly, team up for family fun-runs, triathlons, half-marathons and cycle rides. All this on top of their school sports.

Felicity, we are incredibly honoured to have you part of our BEXI Team and are proud to award you our first BEXI Ambassador Award for 2016. Huge congratulations!

Felicity

 


 Felicity-2Felicity-1 Felicity-3

Exercise and the F-word

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On Tuesday morning I found myself engrossed in a conversation on ABC 702 between Wendy Harmer and Martha Lourey-Bird (Exercise Scientist), discussing family fitness (conversation here.)

So many families are embracing sedentary lifestyles these days – watching TV, playing computer games, glued to their iPhone’s – which is causing heaps of health and social issues.

It was great to hear Martha’s views about the importance involving kids when it comes to choosing activities and how to focus on the positives when it comes to exercise.

For kids/teenagers who are wired to their screens, a great idea is to head to the park and play some touch footie, cricket, soccer, hockey, netball, etc. Or another suggestion, which I thought was awesome, was to get them involved in training for an event with you. Make it a joint challenge – enter a charity event, fun run, parkrun. Not only will this give them a sense of purpose, but the training will stretch over a number of weeks, which will enable them to get into a routine.

Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate

The benefits of training as a family are vast – physical health, mental health and also bonding the family. If you have traditionally chosen a sedentary option over the weekend (i.e. watch sport on TV), why not make a small change and try something active – take the dog for a walk, ride your bikes around the lake, meet friends in the park for a walk. Setting positive lifestyle patterns is so important.

Our values at Beauty of Exercise is always FUN! Whatever we do, we make sure to have fun. If it’s getting up in the dark, running up hills, chasing our buddies around the lake – it’s all fun! And the key thing with having fun is to surround yourself with like-minded people to have fun with.

So, the moral of the F-word — always keep it FUN! And remember, your children become what you are… so be what you want them to be.

Debbie2
~ Beauty of Exercise

Special Partner Offer

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Alone we are smart, together we are brilliant!

I am a huge fan of working with our local community to offer a service that exceeds your demands. Which is why we have joined forces with our buddies at Active Lifestyles to offer you a special ‘Partner Offer’ package that includes a combination of run sessions (Beauty of Exercise), and strength/conditioning sessions (Active Lifestyles).

This is a great opportunity to progress your running with additional strength & conditioning training; and progress your strength training with additional running training.

Who are Active Lifestyles

Active Lifestyles are a boutique gym based in Collaroy Beach – they are committed to offering a range of fitness classes to support our Beauty of Exercise (BEXI) athletes. Marcel Soares, owner of Active Lifestyles, has an in-depth knowledge of the body and is passionate about working with athletes to build strength, recover from injuries, condition bodies, lose weight and much more.

Partner Offer Package

20 x Running Sessions with Beauty of Exercise
10 x Strength & Conditioning sessions with Active Lifestyles
Valid for 10-week Autumn Term (26 Apr – 2 July 2016)
$300 (vs $400)

Take Advantage!

This offer is available for the next 4 weeks – expires 20 May 2016. Take advantage today and benefit from the expertise of quality coaches.

Our Autumn term (Term 2) starts on Tues 26 April – register today!