Tag Archives: april ross

Self Discipline

Mar 09 april ross, beach volleyball, olympics, self-discipline, volleyball Blog, Uncategorized

“You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Pick a side.” -Jim Rohn (modified)

This topic is a passionate one for me. The first definition of self-discipline I came across said it’s an act of denying yourself. But I’ve also heard of it described as essential to freedom. Counterintuitive for sure, but I totally believe these definitions are the same. Growing and becoming better at anything, being proud of yourself, and therefore authentically confident, is only attainable through denying yourself what you know you should. If you are authentically confident in your capabilities, whether it be life, or sport, or business, I believe, in a sense, you are free. Freedom from self-criticism and self-doubt is very liberating, but it’s hard, extremely hard to earn. I’ve had varying degrees of self-discipline throughout my career, but I’m pretty sure I never even understood, truly, what self-discipline looked like or, more importantly, felt like before I began playing beach volleyball.

Playing indoor for a gazillion years (at least that’s what it felt like) DID NOT show me the need for an individual to have self-discipline. My fate was in another’s hands. I was told when to practice (even if I felt too beat up for it to be productive), what to wear (even if it wasn’t comfortable), to lift exactly the same as everyone else on my team (even if I had specific weaknesses I felt needed work), and then, weirdly enough, given total freedom to eat where ever and whatever I wanted. So, where I would have loved to have some control I was given none and in the area where I really didn’t earn or deserve my freedom I was given it overwhelmingly. My theory is that because I had all these authority figures and experts telling me what I should do, I was never really accountable for my own self-discipline. In my mind, if I was being given the freedom to eat where ever I wanted by the same people who controlled every other part of my (athletic) life, I could afford to revel in that liberty. Bring on Del Taco at 3 in the morning, Jamba Juice on top of lunch (because it’s fruit, it’s healthy!), and pints of ice cream to reward myself for studying- cut to me gaining the freshman twenty-five. And I’m not blaming anyone for this lack of self-discipline, it’s a symptom of the system, I just wish I had realized it then and seen how much better I could have been if I took it upon myself to control what I could control.

Make no mistake, I gave 150% at practice and in the weight room, I bought into the team and wanted to win, but at the same time, in the weight room there was no real drive to get as strong as I could get or do anything extra (despite my twenty-five pound weight gain), it was more like, “I’m going to do what my weight coach put on that paper and do it the best I can.” Same with practice, I went hard everyday and pushed myself and my teammates to be the best we could be, but to be honest, my motivation a lot of the time was, “let’s go hard so we can accomplish the goal of this drill and get out of here.” I never got to work on anything I felt needed work, it was always drills generalized for the team or the outside hitters as a whole. My fate just wasn’t in my hands, the only thing I could really control in the gym was my effort level, which, like I said I always kept as high as I could. Obviously this worked well, we went on to make it to three Final Fours, and win two National Championships, going undefeated during our second run, so I’m not arguing that the system should have been or should be different, just that it doesn’t foster a true sense of self-discipline. I’ve had a lot of time to think since my days of indoor and I feel a twinge of regret knowing that had I possessed more self-discipline I could have been better throughout my four years at USC and three years of playing in Puerto Rico professionally. This twinge of regret is heavily overshadowed, of course, by the success I encountered, but I still wonder…

As I mentioned, my discovery of self-discipline came after switching to beach volleyball. This was the first time in my life (athletically speaking) I was given full control of my own destiny. When I started on the beach with Keao (my former USC teammate) we were in charge of when we practiced, when, if, and how we would workout/lift, who would coach us, what tournaments we would go to, how we would get there, where we would stay, what we would eat, etc. It was an awkward time, as all growing stages are. I didn’t understand the amount of self-motivation and self-drive it took to be as self-disciplined as I needed to be in order to manufacture success. We didn’t hire a coach, our practices, therefore, were half-hearted or at best unproductive. I can’t even remember how I worked out at that point, IF I even worked out at all…. We didn’t prepare for tournaments, we just showed up, and got knocked down. Then we partied, flew home, recovered there for a day, which scrapped a practice, and tried to revamp for the next tournament where we would do it all over again. There were a few tournaments where we did okay, but I KNOW had we used more discipline in our preparation, practices, and planning we could have been MUCH more successful. To be honest, I didn’t have a lot of expectations for that initial season, I didn’t take it all that seriously, and just wanted to have fun, but at the same time I’m super competitive and was upset we didn’t do better, all in all it was a HUGE learning experience. When I decided after that season I wanted to make a real go at professional beach volleyball I looked back at all the mistakes I had made that previous year and became determined not to repeat them and THAT is where my sense of true self-discipline started.

“The secret in life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” -Paulo Coelho, from one of my favorite books, The Alchemist.

From that point of enlightenment I have been cognizant about doing everything I can to help myself succeed. That meant, unfortunately, splitting up with Keao, because we were both newbies and couldn’t help each other get better like we needed, it was painful, but the right decision. For me, it meant giving up an indoor season in the winter and the paycheck that went with it to stay in California and train full time. Sacrifice is the sister of self-discipline. In that time between my first “learning” season and my second season (when I paired up with Jen Kessy) I made some life changes- I ended a relationship, I decided to stop drinking, and went on a strict healthy eating plan. I hired a strength coach and subjected myself to double days on the beach. Taking accountability for myself caused my motivation and drive to rise accordingly. This did not happen over night. I made really tough decisions and had to have really hard conversations with people to put myself in a position to succeed. I had to have really honest discussions with myself. And even harder than all that was learning to make the tiny choices day in and day out that add up over time and make ALL the difference. I think this is a huge lesson for people to learn, not just athletes, but my point is, had I not been given the responsibility of my own destiny through beach volleyball, I don’t think I would know the importance of or have the understanding of self-discipline, motivation, and drive that I have today. It has been a wonderful, though at times, painful learning curve and I know it’s not done yet, I have A LOT of learning, growing, and improving left to do. Life IS a learning process and I’m STILL working on being more disciplined- mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” -Colin Powell.

I write this for two reasons, one, so that maybe those playing indoor in college or juniors will see that if they take the “controllables” into their own hands, they can, in some cases, drastically influence their future chances of success. And two, for any aspiring beach volleyball players, so that they know it’s not a picnic out here. You have to fight, and grovel, and outwork others to have any chance of success on the beach, but more than anything you have to be accountable for yourself. It’s all up to you, no excuses, set yourself free.
2013 Season Highlights

Nov 25 2013, april ross, AVP, beach volleyball, highlights, season Blog, Uncategorized
It’s hard to know where to start when looking back over the 2013 season, there was just so….much. There was so much I have no idea how to fit it all in- that’s partly what I get for not regularly updating my blog during season…but nonetheless, now I feel I have to condense everything I want to say so that it fits under a singular topic. Therefore, I’ve decided to share with you just my favorite parts of this past season and thankfully there are enough to fill what narrowly passes for a blog 🙂

In (mostly) chronological order:
- Being the centerfold of Dig! Thanks Sherry Wong for taking my favorite photo ever!
- I got to go to a new country! After years of going to the same (for the most part, great) locations for our World Tour stops, they added a stop in Argentina this year! I thought it was a great addition and the fans made it even better. They definitely gave Cali fans a run for their money, I felt like I was at a futbol match with how loud and enthusiastic they were. The people there, in general, were so welcoming, friendly, and warm, I really hope it becomes a mainstay on our schedule.
- The epic international Ace game we had in The Hague, Netherlands (Ace is a six on six fun sand vball game we often play after tournaments)- I ripped my jeans, people got punched in the face (by other people trying to hit the ball), we had standing jousts that lasted minutes, and more sky balls than you could count. Then I did the worm and busted my chin open, don’t worry, it didn’t stop me.
- Getting to the finals in Rome! Currently my favorite tour stop, I love playing (and just being) there. The coffee, the food, the sights, it’s amazing. The arena we play in is surrounded by marble Zeus-like statues, the weather is usually great, and we can hang out at the “club house” all day and watch other teams play. It was the first WT final we got to this year and after losing in the semis in Argentina it felt great.
- Playing with Whit in World Champs. This is a hard one because it was a final goal of mine and Jen’s to win this tournament, but she was sidelined so I had to pick up someone else to play with. I had so much fun playing with Whit, I feel like we played really well together, and it was awesome finally getting to battle with her on the same side of the net (as we’ve been friends for so long, but never played in a pro tournament together). We made it to the semis and lost, I still regret that match, I don’t feel like I was mentally prepared enough and that’s my own fault. Still, it was a good finish for a team playing together for the first time AND at World Championships. The player party was just the frosting on the cake, dance circles and pogoing all night, the Polish really know how to get down (proud to say I’m 25% Polish).
- Beating the top ranked Talita and Tiana of Brazil in the finals of the World Series of Beach Volleyball held in Long Beach with Jen. Our family and friends were finally able to watch us at an International event so it felt even better to win. It was the first annual for the event so we’ll be expected to defend the title next year, can’t wait!
- Signing a partnership deal with Mizuno! And before you think I’m obligated to write this, I’m really not. I am so stoked to be apart of their transition into beach volleyball. I love how they see the future and have invested in this side of the sport. Beach volleyball is just going to continue to grow with the adoption of Sand as a NCAA sport and the quickly exploding sand club programs. They have great beach stuff so buy Mizuno to support your sport!! If you’re interested in getting involved in sand here’s some info on clinics & tryouts in Orange County: https://www.facebook.com/pages/OC-Sand-Volleyball-Club/1421570491390722o
- Going back to Berlin. We did terrible in that event, but I love that city so much it was still so fun being there. And Smart Car hosted another epic player party that involved trust falls, sliding across the dance floor slip & slide style, and dancing with life-size cardboard cut outs of Phil.
- The reemergence of the AVP!! We had seven AVP tournaments this year and they were all run professionally, with great fans, in great locations. Jen and I won the first one in Salt Lake City, UT after falling into the contender’s bracket early and fighting our way back to and through the finals. I was extremely exhausted afterwards, but it was the best kind of exhaustion. We also won in Atlantic City, NJ and split the win in St. Pete, FL after a gnarly storm forced us to cancel the final.
- Playing with Kerri. We officially teamed up in late October for the Santa Barbara Open through the rest of the season. It has been so much fun being on the same side of the net as her, and I’ve been really surprised at how similar our attitudes and playing styles are. She definitely motivates me to go harder and get better, in the best way. I’m really looking forward to preseason, it’s going to be super tough, but I think it’ll be really good for me, and us.
- Winning back to back Grand Slam titles!! The first in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the second in Xiamen, China.
  - Sao Paulo was a super tough tournament, we managed to come out first in pool, but we went to three in almost all of our matches including the semi and final. The final was one of the hardest fought matches I’ve ever played. Germany had nine match points against us and we fought off all of them- in overtime, finally managing to win that set to force a third. We were able to hold on to the momentum and win the match. It was amazing to stand on the top of that podium, listen to the National Anthem, and watch the American flag fly the highest.
  - Xiamen was also tough, we had the added element of gnarly wind to contend with there. We played pretty terrible in our match against Italy 1, losing in two to come out second in pool. If you come out first you get a bye in the first round of playoffs, going straight to ninth, since we came out second we had to play to stay alive. We drew Argentina, and they gave us everything they had. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team serve tougher than they did, and they constantly kept us on our toes doing things that we didn’t expect, like pulling on perfect sets and setting the ball over on two. Thankfully some of our USA teammates were there supporting us and I really think that made the difference (thanks Jake & Casey!). We were able to win 16-14 in the third and from there we adjusted, played better wind ball, won the rest of our matches, and took the final against Talita and Tiana for the Gold.
- The Hilton HHonors Hawaii Beach Challenge. This second annual edition was a great cap to season, this year both China and Canada were invited, we did a round robin plus semis and finals. It was super fun getting to hang out with some of the people we compete against all year and we were in Hawaii which never sucks. I can’t tell you how it ended up because it has yet to air. Men’s matches air Dec. 2 & 3, and ours will air on Dec. 14th on NBC Sports Network, so watch to find out the results!!
- It’s been a personal career goal of mine to be voted MVP of the AVP and I feel semi-shallow admitting that, but it’s the truth. So I was really honored and excited to have been named the MVP this year. I am also really thankful that Jen and I were named Team of the Year on the AVP, it is a really great honor for what was our last season together. If you want to see the rest of the awards given out, check out the AVP’s webite: http://avp.com/news-blog/1415-avp-recognizes-top-performers-as-tour-announces-2013-year-end-award-winners-2
Hope you enjoyed reading about all the great moments because I had an amazing time living them 🙂
The Transition.

Feb 05 april ross, athlete, sports, Success, volleyball Blog, Uncategorized
A lot of people assume beach (or sand) volleyball and indoor volleyball are the same game, just that sand volley is played in the sand and with less people on a team…I can’t tell you how much that frustrates me. Attention everyone: BEACH VOLLEYBALL IS IT’S OWN SPORT!! The only thing that’s the same is some of the basic skills, such as passing and hitting, but even those have to be performed in much different ways in the beach game. Therefore, you might understand why players have a hard time converting their indoor success to success on the sand.

So just HOW do you transition your game from indoor volleyball to sand/beach volleyball? I am going to do my best to help you right now, giving you the best tips I can think of …

Number 1: GET USED TO THE SAND! No need for a partner, a coach or balls for this and it’s one of the most essential steps to a smooth transition. All you have to do is run in it, side shuffle in it, karaoke in it, skip in it, jump in it, sprint in it. After you are done training or playing do twenty minutes of everything I just mentioned, alternating between each. Run in the sand around the court for those 20+ minutes and do different exercises as you go along each end line. I PROMISE you will feel an improvement the next time you play, as long as you don’t go back and forth between indoor and sand. However, even if you do alternate between the two it will definitely help your game in both disciplines, it just won’t have as profound an effect on your sand game. This idea goes for every type of movement you might make while playing sand volley, you can do block jumps alternated with pulling moves and then do an approach back up to the net, in a kind of circuit- i.e. block jump on the left, pull line, approach jump on the left, block jump on the left, pull angle, approach on the right, block jump on the right, pull line, approach on the right…etc. I hope you get the idea and get creative with it.

Number 2: Save every dollar you can. Sand volleyball requires you to travel to tournaments. This can become expensive. Wait tables, walk dogs, babysit, do whatever you can to add money to your beach volley account. It’s never too early to start, if you’re in high school or college and don’t have to pay for travel/lodging/expenses related to volleyball yet, take advantage of it and start saving your pennies for when you DO have to pay for everything! This is probably the hardest thing for players trying to transition to the sand to deal with, and it is an unfortunate part of the transition, but if you do everything I tell you here hopefully it won’t take as long to become successful and make a profit playing on the beach. In the meantime consider it a rite of passage, we’ve all had to go through it. And on the plus side, the range of beach volleyball events is getting wider, there are a higher number of “developmental” tournaments where you can have a chance of making some prize money while not competing against the BEST in the world right off the bat.

Number 3: Be your own coach. This means so many things. Be self motivated, push yourself when you think you have no more left to give physically OR mentally, BE DISCIPLINED, ask questions, pay attention, figure out who you need to talk to to get to tournaments. It also means watching players who are better than you and trying to emulate what they do, i.e. teaching yourself. If you’re having a hard time with a certain skill have someone video you doing it on your phone and then watch and critique it yourself. It’s amazing how clear some things are when you just watch it back on tape. Set up practices, networking is huge in sand volleyball, but it’s also easy. Meet people who are like minded and set up some training sessions where you end with a match. And if all else fails, get out there by yourself, set up your lines and antennas and practice solo, people will most likely end up asking you to play.

Number 4: Learn the terminology and the importance of signs and communication. This is something I believe Jen and I are the best in the world at and it helps more than most people assume, don’t be most people, this is super important on the sand! Some of the more unique terms and concepts:
- Pulling (I didn’t know what this was til WEEKS after I started training!)- as a blocker, if the opposing team has set the ball off the net giving the hitter less chance of hitting the ball down, you move off the net into a defensive position (usually with your hands up to dig overhand). This may be the most unique difference between sand and indoor!
- Poking (you cannot open hand tip on the sand!)- this can be done in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons, it can be done on offense and defense, and occasionally to set. I think a photo best describes what a “pokie” is…if you look at my hand you can see it’s semi-closed and I’m making contact with the flat part between the knuckles on my pointer and middle fingers, you can also get the tip of your thumb in there if you think it gives you more control, also notice my arm is straight.
- Digging- you CANNOT take a “free ball” or a serve with your open hands, you have to get them together before you contact the ball. You also have to be ready to run down a line shot or a cut shot on defense.
- Hubby-wife- during serve receive it is essential you always talk about who has the middle ball! When someone serves down the middle and both players make a move to the middle and then pull apart because they each think the other is going to get it, this is called the hubby-wife. ALWAYS call who’s middle it is! Say, “my middle” or “my call” before the serve.
- Blocking signs- this is basic, but essential. Holding one finger behind your back on your right hand means you are going to block the other LEFT side hitter (who is on YOUR right) down the line. Not the shot (unless you can get it), just the hit. If you hold two fingers behind your back on your left hand it means you are going to block the other RIGHT side hitter (who is on your left) angle. You can also PULL into these areas and your defender will still know what area to fill, because you’ve told them which areas you are taking on each hitter.
- Calling- after you set your partner it is REALLY important that you immediately look at the other team’s defense (don’t watch your set!) and tell your partner where the open area of the court is. In basic terms, if the blocker is blocking line, the defender will be sitting in the angle so the setter needs to call LINE! If the blocker is blocking angle, the defender will make a later move to the line, you have to wait to see if they move and when they do you have to call ANGLE! or CUT! or CROSS! And if the other team pulls off the net as your partner is going up to hit you must call NO ONE! (refer to the photo, Jen is screaming at me to poke to the open area)
- Communication- there is NO wrong way to communicate. The only bad communication is no communication. Talk about everything. Before the play, during the play, and after the play. Tell your setter where you want your sets, high, low, inside, outside. Talk about where the other team is playing defense when your partner is hitting. Talk about where they are weakest and where your team should be serving them- deep, short, to the left, right or down the middle…. etc. Use your imagination.
Number 5: DON’T get drawn into the party culture. It’s hard to forgo Pier Ave. after the Hermosa Open, which I actually don’t suggest you do (unless you’re not 21 yet!), but you have to keep partying to a minimum. People are fun, the surroundings are beautiful, and the parties are awesome, but your goal is to be a great beach volleyball player and that is at odds with being a party person. Plus, you always have to be on the lookout for your next and better partner, if you develop a reputation for staying out late and drinking it will be hard to convince people to play with you. I didn’t say abstain altogether, you have to enjoy your journey, I just said keep it to a MINIMUM.

Number 6: Learn about healthy living!! Moving and jumping in the sand is hard enough, add a 10 pound weight belt (i.e. muffin top) and it becomes even harder! Beach volleyball is a 24/7 job that includes watching what you eat all the time, yes there are times to splurge, but never times to completely let go, you always have to be on the wagon. Getting enough rest and sleep is also part of the job, if you burn the candle at both ends your performance will suffer. You have to make time during the day to sit and rest, use that time to focus on how you’re going to get better…or just zone out in front of the TV, your brain needs time to rest too 🙂

Number 7: Make sure your lifting/exercise regiment reflects what you need for the sand game. Static Olympic lifts with heavy weight and a ton of time in between sets is not conducive to the explosive cardio based endurance the game calls for. I don’t know if that makes sense and I’m not a certified trainer, it’s just my personal opinion that your weight routine needs to include cardio or minimal time between sets, like 15 seconds, with less weight and more reps. There are only two of you out there, you have to be explosive for up to an hour with minimal rest between rallies, I don’t believe a simple Olympic lift-based weight routine will get you there. Also, when you are doing cardio make sure you’re incorporating intervals, speed up for a little, sprint for a little, recover for a little then do it again.

Ok, that’s about all the info I can think of right now that needs to be known if you’re trying to transition to the beach. I hope it helps!! If you have questions leave a comment and I will do my best to respond!
Health Matters!

Jan 18 april ross, athlete, Clinton, foundation, health, health care, health matters, obesity, volleyball Blog, Uncategorized
On this past Tuesday I attended the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matter Conference. I’ve learned a lot about health over the years from some of the best trainers, nutritionists and doctors in the business while training for volleyball, but hearing all the different ways experts are thinking about health care these days was absolutely enlightening.

It’s no secret that obesity is a problem in the USA. But one has to realize obesity causes other problems, that lead to even more problems, that cost the country and tax payers BILLIONS of dollars. Therefore, this is not just a problem, it’s a CATASTROPHE which is projected to affect the next generation so profoundly that their life expectancy will be lower than ours for the first time EVER.

I am inspired by this. I would say motivated, but as Dr. Deepak Chopra so convincingly stated at at the conference, “It’s not enough to be motivated. Nobody does anything after being motivated. The key to action is inspiration, after you’re inspired you never go back.” I am so sold on the issue of obesity being one of the most important of our time that I am truly inspired to make a difference. Even if I can only help one person improve their lifestyle, habits, and overall quality of life, then I think it’s worth it and I am determined to do it.

We don’t exactly know how health care is going to evolve in the near future, so for now we need to stop blaming the health care system. WE are our health care system. The “health care system” isn’t as broken as we as individuals and a society are broken.

We need to stop thinking that getting pills from the doctor’s office is the most effective way to reverse illness. Pills are the EASIEST way to deal with how you’re feeling, but it’s not really FIXING how you’re feeling. To modify Albert Einstein’s famous quote, “What’s easiest is not always right and what’s right is not always (or hardly ever) easiest.” Going to the doctor’s office and buying prescription drugs costs money. With the economy struggling the way it is, people should be paying much much more attention to getting in exercise, eating healthier, and using meditation. (I’m NOT telling you to stop taking your medications, just that adopting a healthier lifestyle CAN reduce the need for prescribed medication). Plus, health care and access to health care accounts for ONLY 10% of our health. There is at least 40% of our health WE can control, the government doesn’t control it, our genes don’t dictate it, and not having access to health care does not affect that 40% of our health.

It can be daunting if you think the only way to become healthier is to eat perfectly and exercise everyday, that would be impossible. Not even us professional athletes, whose job is in large part to take care of our bodies, can do that. There are so many ways to improve your quality of life that won’t take a miracle to accomplish, BUT you have to do them CONSISTENTLY!!! Discipline is like a muscle, you have to exercise it or it atrophies and disappears. Make your changes small and it will be more feasible to accomplish them on a regular basis.

Some ideas for easy ways to CUT calories:
- Stop putting sugar in your coffee (I did this half a year ago and I don’t even notice it missing!) AND THAT INCLUDES ALL THAT FAKE SUGAR STUFF!!
- After you drink your soda, keep the cup/bottle and refill it the rest of the day with water. (you save money doing this too!)
- Get your sandwich, etc. without cheese (I promise you will hardly notice!)
- Subway (No, I’m not sponsored by them) is always a great fast food option! It’s inexpensive and if you get a footlong you can split it between lunch and dinner. That Subway diet is not a joke! And if you have to get something tasty on it, choose avocado instead of cheese, and get rid of the mayo!! Mustard is so much tastier!!
- If you need dessert after dinner, try some fruit, I know it doesn’t sound as appetizing, but after your taste buds get the sugary taste they were craving and the fiber fills you up you won’t even miss the unhealthier versions of dessert.
- If you’re not there yet I think hot cocoa is a good alternative, look for Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Collection and make it with hot water or non-fat milk.
Some ideas for easy ways to BURN calories:
- WALK to the coffee shop on weekend mornings (even if it’s miles away!), walk the dog, take a walk after dinner, or park far away from wherever you’re going and walk. I think you get what I’m saying, find ways to take more steps everyday!! (And carry mace if you’re worried about walking by yourself! If you ever feel threatened make sure you let it be known you have mace and will use it, a proven technique for fending off unwanted attention)
- Sit on a swiss ball at your desk.
- Do squats, crunches, and pushups during commercial breaks, you can’t say you’re busy then.
- Simply go for a run, it really costs nothing. All you need are shoes and there are brands that sell for $30, or if you’re really in need you can hit up your local thrift shop. You will get a return on your investment!! (Fewer doctor’s visits)
- If you have time, there is no reason not to exercise! You can devise a workout (or look up one on the internet) that you can do entirely outside and for free!
- Basically, just move, even if you’re sitting down. Move.
If you’re tired before work or after work and don’t feel like it- know that, as Dr. Chopra said at the conference, “When you’re tired is the BEST time to exercise because it will GIVE you energy, and you will sleep better at night, which will give you even more energy.” Being tired is NOT a good excuse to skip a workout.

Our country became obese at an excess of 200 calories a day. With what I mentioned above you can easily eliminate those extra 200 calories a day and with a little hard work reverse the damage even more. It will go slowly, you won’t notice results right away or even over a few months, but it will be working, even if it’s not obvious on the outside you can be assured it IS working on the inside and upstairs in your brain.

As Jillian Michaels mentioned during one of the panel discussions, if you can find something that makes it worth it to you, the consistency can become even less of a struggle. Your incentive needs to be something you can draw on when you’re tired and unmotivated to make healthy choices. It can be as vain as wanting to look good in your bikini (my reason ;)), to improve your relationship with your spouse, to be around longer for your children, or to help your children have a higher quality of life as they grow up OR ALL OF THE ABOVE!

And lastly, you can’t wait for help. You have to be the help. If we as a community, as a society, and as a country are going to change it has to start with YOU. Be the catalyst in your group of friends, in your family. Be the inspiration that THEY need. Order a salad at dinner or a side of veggies instead of fries. Others will follow your lead. The impact YOU can have on your small community of friends and family, simply by making healthy decisions, can cause a chain reaction that will reach so many more people than you can even imagine.

And if you’ve gotten this far and still don’t buy into what I’m saying just take an hour here and there when you’d otherwise be on Facebook or watching meaningless TV shows and educate yourself — your future self will thank you!

Take the first step today. Literally!!

Tag Archives: april ross

Self Discipline

2013 Season Highlights

The Transition.

Health Matters!