I am so excited and honored to be a part of the Kohl?s #MakeYourMove campaign! This movement celebrates and encourages us as we strive to improve ourselves and our lives?two topics that are so near and dear to my heart and are the foundation for everything I do. And since 2016?and those New Year?s Resolutions?are only a couple of weeks old, I?m sharing one powerful tool that has been a total life/game-changer for everyone I?ve ever worked with, myself included!

So here goes?my number one transformation tool is…drumroll please…

The Power Promise

Yep. That?s it. Sounds simple, right? Because it is! As simple as it may be, it is so, so powerful, and it is truly THE #1 transformation tool, no matter what type of transformation journey you?re on?from weight loss to weight gain, sports performance, or even transforming your confidence?it works.

The Power Promise is a single, simple, attainable commitment that you know you can keep every day. Starting off, your Power Promise activates your transformation. It is the most basic form of action toward your goal. As long as you are keeping your Power Promise, you?re in the game. The moment you quit is the moment you stop keeping your Power Promise. Here are 5 simple steps to assist you in keeping this essential Power Promise:

1. Make it so small that it is virtually unbreakable.
2. Declare it?loud and proud?to yourself and those around you. And make sure you say ?I will? instead of ?I want to.? That adds extra power to your promise!
3. As you build your confidence in keeping your Power Promise you may add more, but only make as many promises at one time as you know you can keep.
4. Prepare, prepare, prepare…and prepare. You must aggressively defend this promise to keep your transformation alive!
5. Be patient with yourself and set realistic expectations. No matter how hard you try or how solid your intentions are, you will slip up from time to time. We all do?myself included?and not only is this okay, but it means you are human after all. 😉 Learn from that slip up and begin again.

Your Power Promise can be whatever you want it to be. To get you started, I?ve listed some Power Promises to help kick start your 2016. Simply choose 1 of these 5 (make them as is, or tweak as needed), and declare it!

Power Promise #1: I will plan and prepare my meals and workouts for the next 7 days.

See #4 above? I repeated it 4 times for a reason?planning and preparing are super important for keeping any Power Promise. As Benjamin Franklin so wisely said, ?If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.? You won?t get very far on your transformation path without planning and preparing?you?ll hit major roadblocks every step of the way! And since so many Power Promises are centered around healthy eating and working out, let?s start there.

Make your grocery list for the week, plan your shopping trip, prep as many foods as you can ahead of time, pack your lunch for work the next day, schedule your workouts with yourself on your calendar and keep those important dates with yourself, set out your workout clothes the night before, and keep your gym bag packed and ready to go. In short, alleviate as many excuses as you can before hand. And don?t forget to include the kids in your planning and prepping. It will help them understand your goals and learn how to set and achieve their own Power Promises, and if they become Power Promise Preppers at an early age, they?ll be leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us! 😉

Cash’s Shirt || Cash’s Pants || Ruby’s Sweater || Ruby’s Leggings || My Sweater || My Bracelets ||? Our Busy Family Board

Power Promise #2: I will work out 5 minutes a day, 5 days this week.

You might be surprised to see that 5 small, short minutes of moving your body at some point during your day can be huge in achieving your transformation goals. Get up and move during commercial breaks. Set an alarm, stop what you?re doing, and get up and just walk around. Park at the far end of the parking lot instead of scouting out the nearest spot to the entrance. Do 5 minutes of a workout DVD. Head outside and bike, or walk, or jog for 5 minutes. It?s that easy! And I can pretty much promise you that those 5 minutes will turn into 15, or 30, or 45, or more. And if 5 minutes is all you?ve got, that?s totally okay. You?ve kept that promise to yourself.

My Workout Top || My Workout Leggings || My Gym Bag || Vibrating Foam Roller || Yoga Mat || Hand Weights

Power Promise #3: I will drink an extra quart of water every day this week.

Proper hydration is a huge key to keeping your body healthy and dropping any extra pounds. Find a favorite water bottle so drinking all that water is more fun. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink up. Add fruit to your water. Keep water bottles in your car, at your desk, on your counter?everywhere! And be sure and drink some extra water if Power Promise #2 is on your list.

Artland Oasis 2-Gallon Water Pitcher || Contigo 32 oz. Water Bottle

Power Promise #4: I will go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night.

A lack of sleep can affect all aspects of your life, including your weight loss goals, in some not-so-good ways. I know…I?m like so many of you?nighttime is the time when I can get so many things done and enjoy some down time (ahem, kid-free time). It can be so tempting to just stay up a little bit longer, scroll through those apps, and lose track of time. But I also know that when I don?t get enough sleep, my days are completely thrown off, I?m exhausted within the first 15 minutes of my workout, and my kiddos don?t get the best version of me. If 15 minutes of extra shuteye is too hard to start with, begin with 5. And if your brain is like mine and tends to jump into multi-tasking mode the minute your head hits the pillow, two things that really help me are 1) make sure my bedroom is dark and quiet and 2) keep the temp at between 60-69 degrees. Here?s a bonus: These two tips will help your kiddos sleep better too. Win-win!

My Comfy Pajamas || Cash’s Sports Pajamas || Ruby’s Adorbs Unicorn Pajamas || “I Woke Up Like This” Mug || Ruby’s To-Die-For Eyes…sorry no link for that 😉

Power Promise #5: I will journal, reflect, and record 4 days this week.

While eating healthy and working out are a huge part of achieving your transformation goals, recording and reflecting are just as important (or, dare I say, even more important?!). At the end of the day, reflect and record: What didn?t work as I had hoped it would today? Why did I want to eat that food that?s not on my plan? Why did I want to skip my workout? Why did I stay up late to watch that movie?I didn?t get up on time! And so on… Answering and owning those questions can be a huge step on your transformation journey. And be sure and record all of the ?small victories? and positive things you did?and the Power Promises you kept?to get you closer to achieving your goals. It?s so easy to dwell on what we didn?t do or where we fell short and totally forget about all the things we did do!

Motivational Decorations || Picture Holder Motivational Decor || My LOVE Sweater

And since declaring and sharing are so important, I?ll go first:

Here are MY first two Power Promises for 2016:

1. I will prep ALL of my meals for the next week.

While I do feel like I?m doing better with this than I used to, I realize I really need to dial it in even more to hit my 2016 goals. I plan MOST of my meals, but I admit that sometimes I find myself out and about and stranded with not a lot of healthy options available.

Joseph Joseph 8 pc. Nesting Storage Containers || Food Network Chef’s Knife

I must also do better at measuring everything I put in my mouth because I?ve found that ?eyeballing? is not very accurate. 😉

Meal-to-Go Container Set || Food Network Kitchen Scale

2. I will drink ALL of my water every day for the next week.

One more thing I am doing ehh…okay with, but must do better if I want to get my IFBB Pro Card next year. There?s really not a lot of wiggle room for error? especially where drinking H2O and working out are concerned.

I?m so excited to start using this idea I got from my good friend, Pearls (from Extreme Weight Loss, season 5)?it?s genius! This is Pearls? water bottle. Drinking 5 of these each day equates to one gallon, so she puts 5 hair ties around the bottle in the morning. Each time she finishes a bottle, she moves a hair tie from the bottle to her wrist. It?s a super fun way to keep track of her water consumption, and she always has a hair tie handy! And do you see those hair ties? They have motivational quotes on them! Genius?I?m telling you.

Now, it’s your turn. Time to take action! How do you plan to?#MakeYourMove toward a healthier, stronger, fitter “you”?in 2016? Choose and declare one Power Promise and share it below. And since sharing is caring, share this post on social media, using the hashtag #MakeYourMove, and tag me so I can find you! I can’t wait to be inspired by the amazing?ways you’ll #MakeYourMove this year!

Ready…set…GO promise! 🙂

Xoxo,

Heidi

Related reading:

How to Begin Your Transformation Journey Step-by-Step
Carb Cycling 101
Stressed Out?
I Cheat Every Day
Tip of the Day: Curb Those Cravings

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This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Kohl’s.