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Jagoda Kocan

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January is over and now the true warriors will show up and fight for a better tomorrow, and a better version of themselves. It is easy to say: “I want to look fabulous, and I want to lose 10 lbs.”, but it is not easy to do it. If you have never done it, look at those 5 next steps to make your journey successful.

  • Step 1.

Identify WHY you want to “look fabulous and lose 10 lbs.”, but don’t lie to yourself and come up with some easy answers. Dig deep, and figure out why you REALLY want it. Do you want to feel accepted, maybe confident? What happened in the first place that you lost it? This answer will be crucial because it will be your strength base. Your motivation to keep going. Without it, you have no purpose, and the real goal might be forgotten, it also can lose its priority. I always know my why, and without it, I probably wouldn’t be motivated to keep going every day. Many times, I’m tired or overwhelmed and exercise is the last thing I want to do. But then this energy from my “why” comes back and I do what I am supposed to do, despite everything.

Your regeneration happens when you sleep, and nothing can replace it

  • Step 2.

Create an easy PLAN. Know what to do. When will you exercise, what will you do, and how much time do you need. Be specific and plan only achievable steps, that fit your schedule. For example, if you are not exercising at all choose 2 days where you will do something fun and enjoyable, like a group class on Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm or go for a 20-minute walk with a friend every weekend at 9 am. The goal is to get used to the movement little by little. Bi-weekly, or monthly you can change your fitness routine to fit your condition level. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a crazy schedule. Make it simple.

  • Step 3.

Tell your friend about your plan to hold you ACCOUNTABLE. We all need to be in check with someone to perform better. It could be your mom, best friend, or a coach. Whoever you will choose make sure they are invested in helping you, or they are as consistent as you try to be. Otherwise, you might not follow through with your plan. The best option would be having someone exercise with you because then you will have extra motivation to act! I personally love working out with friends, and that is what I do most days of the week. Our energy is so high that we can’t wait for our workout! It is truly the best time ever.

  • Step 4.

Get your beauty SLEEP. It is super important to get enough sleep. I know it sounds so easy and basic, but this is the best way for our body to rest. Your regeneration happens when you sleep, and nothing can replace it. As a mom, and a professional athlete, I totally understand that it is easy to say than done but I see the difference. And honestly every day I also try to sleep more. It is a habit I constantly work on. I’m a night owl, so it is difficult, but I can let myself not sleep because the next day, my family expects me to be in full mojo, my training is waiting for me, so I can’t afford to be tired.

  • Step 5.

Don’t skip your MEALS!!! After eight years of experience with fat loss clients, the first thing I see is that most clients are not eating enough. The majority, after consultation, admit that they eat only 1-2 meals a day. I will be honest I don’t believe in diets. But the best diet is the one you can stick to. I like to approach this topic gently and work my way up by adding or reducing food one by one. Everyone is different but if we would generalize it, I would say eat breakfast at 8 am, then lunch at 1 pm and lastly dinner at 6 pm. I like to use patterns and create a habit. Not skipping meals will not only give you energy for rest of the day, but also make your metabolism move, and digest everything accordingly. In another word, without energy, we won’t be able to move more, and without proper metabolism, we will store most food as fat. It is also crucial what we eat, but again if I would generalize it, I would say eat most unprocessed food, so anything that doesn’t have a label. Focus on fruits and vegetables. Add a good source of protein and very little fat, and you will be set for success.

In Summary. Make it as simple as you can. The simpler plan the better. Don’t overcomplicate it because it will only create chaos and eventually lead to quitting. Enjoy things you do or eat. That is the only way to stick to it.

Photo By: Images By Calvin

I noticed each year our new resolutions make us so excited and motivate us to do more, to be better, and to achieve something we have never done before. After a few weeks, the ignition of the fire slows down and we don’t make it happen. Every year, I met thousands of people who want to be better and then after a while, unfortunately, I see them fail. It’s very common and repetitive. That’s why this year, I decided to truly figure out what it is, that makes us not continue what we promised to ourselves. What crushes our dreams?

I came to the conclusion that planning is one of the most important things. Plan everything! Schedule your day, visualize your future, design your personal growth.

Put everything into the steps, and then create a timeframe. Without a plan, our goals are just dreams. Let’s make our visions happen! As I was writing this, many excellent examples came to my mind, that show the value of planning. One stick out the most, that someone once told me, but I didn’t put much thought into it till now. Whatever you do, you want to be the best, right? Let’s categorize it to A+. To get A+ you need to plan it, or learn it, or study it or whatever else preparation you need to do. When you do that and execute the best you can you have a high probability of succeeding and getting an A+. Even when you plan, execute and something unexpected happens you still can end up getting a B or C+. Still not bad. But when you decide to not plan, not to prepare, and not execute – you will end up with F. No doubts about it.

Champions don’t become champions by winning the event but by the journey, they’re overcoming

You see the analogy. Simple. It is like school but on a bigger scale.

Execution is the second part, that gets neglected. Sometimes our plans are so big that the steps seem to be overwhelming. That is why it is important to put a timeframe on our goal and break it down into a small step-after-step process.

I noticed that we also have a tendency to put pressure on doing things perfectly. We take extra time to prepare and after a while, we either run of a time or interest. Looking at my own example, I was losing interest in my morning runs. I tried to be perfect and also I didn’t want to fail. I put high expectations of reaching each day 5k in a certain amount of time. At the end of the day, I couldn’t meet that specific time. It was frustrating, but I knew that I can’t give up or stop. I had to readjust, not only my goal but also my mindset. I changed the goal to a 2k run and I dropped the pressure of time. I decided to “just run”, and at that moment the running became a pleasure, and I loved it again. A simple solution leads to a big success.

Being a be perfectionist stops a lot of us (including me) from achieving a goal. I struggle with this a lot because I want everything to be flawless. I put my standards high, and then the process to achieve it takes me forever. Maybe if we just do it, we would learn from the experience and get better at it each time. Well, I guess I need to learn from my own advice and give myself permission to not be perfect but still perform best.

In a conclusion, I see that we forget to plan and then our execution is weak, we want to be perfect but we are afraid to fail, so the journey stops. I think this is the key here. Those few steps will make us successful. No one wants to be unsuccessful, but also no one was born a master in their scope of practice.

Little recap:

  1. Make a plan
  2. Execute
  3. Stop being perfectionist
  4. Don’t be afraid to fail
  5. Try again and again

I read some motivation quote at some point in my life and it said that “champions don’t become champions by winning the event but by the journey, they’re overcoming”. It’s true because champions never give up. They just keep going.

My advice to you and also to myself is – let’s go out there and do what we promised to ourselves!

Photo by: Monte Montemayor

Cute outfit and water bottle! But.. is that enough?
Don’t you agree that this is an amazing feeling when you are ready to start your fitness journey? You feel all those endorphins and you have a positive mindset! Yes, let’s do it. You couldn’t be happier. You even bought a pair of new shoes or a pretty, matching outfit to motivate yourself to finally put the first step into the gym.
Let’s pause here for a second. Before you actually go to the gym I want you to think it through. If you go without proper preparation, well let’s just say that your first week might be your last. Harsh words, I know. But, if you go prepared – it might be a game-changer, possibly for life. You could think: “But I’m prepared! I have my new shoes and a cute outfit and I even remembered about my water bottle! What else is there?”. Yes, all of those are great but those external stimuli influence our motivation just for a short period of time. From my clients’ experiences, I know that enthusiasm lasts no more than a week. What will you do when one day you wake up and say: Well I’m not motivated today. Maybe I should stay home?” Not to throw anyone under the bus but that was one of my clients, literally a few days ago texting me: “(…) I haven’t left the house. (…) just not motivated today!”. I thought: “oh no my lady” and texted back right away: “Go change and do your 30 mins cardio. Just do it. (…) you don’t need the motivation to move. Go J You got this!”. I will say it again – You don’t need the motivation to move! I guess at this point the main driver was the forgotten. I personally think that motivation has an expiration date and we can NOT rely on it! What we need is dedication because it will take us to our goals and further.
What is it then, what magic trick we need to use to make us continue our fitness journey? What makes us dedicated and not give up? For the next few articles I will tell you all about it, but let’s start at the beginning.
You already have your mindset set and you are ready to go. This is your time to shine! To spike this strong feeling a little bit, I would like you to ask yourself one, probably the most important question there is: WHY? Why do you want the change? Why did you choose to start now? Why this is so important to you?
This is truly the most important question that the answer needs to come from your heart and make you feel powerful! This answer will be your best friend telling you to go work out when everything else fails. This response will lead you through daily obstacles and will lead you to success. Why? Because it will be the most powerful motivation there is! Your WHY will have the strongest drive than any other spur. Your WHY will make you determined and dedicated. When you will start feeling lazy and unmotivated this answer will make you go back on track right away.
I met clients on a daily basis. It is amazing to ask them why they decided to step their foot to the gym and it is even more remarkable to know their whys! I will be completely honest here, many times my clients’ answers brought me to tears. I can only imagine how much they really want to change and how much power they must have in their hearts. At that moment, I’m in an incredible position because they choose me to help them. There is nothing better than knowing that you can support someone’s dreams. So next time when you see me wear your cute outfit and bring a water bottle, remembering your WHY.
About Jagoda Kocan
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Everything starts with a mindset. I truly believe that mindset is everything. If you set your mind to something, you can achieve anything! The second key ingredient is believing in yourself. If those two are applied, well, don’t tell anyone but you will be unstoppable.

IF YOU SET YOUR MIND TO SOMETHING YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING!

I love fitness and I can’t imagine life without it. It’s not a chore for me, more like an addiction. The endorphins and happiness that come with it are enough for me to stick with it. Now, a lot of people will find an excuse to not be as active. You will hear that work, kids, other assignments are an obstacle. I totally understand, but for me, it only means you, your health and your happiness are not your priority. For many, it’s fine but not for me. I love my family, I love my fitness and my projects and I don’t want to give up anything. For example, when my daughter was born, I was told that it will take me a year to get back to shape and get my abs back. I thought to myself: “No way, I will make it happen faster” and before my daughter was one year old, I competed in three bikini competitions and got two PRO cards and won all three of them, getting two overalls! Do you see the pattern? I set my mind, I believed it can happen and I executed.

AS A WOMAN THAT WEARS MANY HATS AT ONCE, I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO FIND HAPPINESS IN THE THINGS WE DO. BALANCE YOUR LIFE AND DO WHAT MAKES YOU JOYFUL AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW. TRUST ME.

I have been asked many times: “How do you do it while being a mom, wife and working full time?”.I simply say: “I don’t give up on myself”. I prioritize and make time for everything. Balance is a huge ingredient here. I make sure, I make time for my family as much as for my fitness. I don’t want to lose who I’m just because I’m a mom or a wife. I’m still the same person with dreams and big aspirations. I don’t let those titles define me. I push forward because I simply do not want to stop. I know I can achieve more and I refuse to be lazy. Besides, it is so exciting to be able to show my daughter the right path, a healthy lifestyle, and plant the seed when she is still little. Leading by example is the best way to do it because we don’t make them do anything, just showing the way.

You are probably thinking, well what can I do to start? How do I set my mind on the right path? What is my path? The only person who can answer those questions is you. Close your eyes and think what do you truly want? After you set your goal, create a plan that will be easy enough at the beginning to follow. Choose a fun activity to do, whether it is a gym workout, yoga, kickboxing class, or outside run. The possibilities are endless. You are the boss, choose what makes you happy. That is the key factor. I truly believe that if you choose what you love, you will most likely continue to repeat it until it’ll become your habit and in a long run develop a lifestyle. Engage your family and kids, in that way everyone will stay active but also connected. You will bond with your kids and moreover create a healthy environment for their future.

Jagoda “Yogi” Kocan
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