While most 21 year old girls are busy with school, guys and parties, Sophie van der Stap was forced to think about the unthinkable:   her diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of cancer.  In one day, Sophie transitioned from being a typical university student to a young woman faced with months of chemo and extended stays in the hospital.

Shortly after her chemo began, Sophie lost all of her hair.  She could have chosen to feel sorry for herself or lose her will to fight.  She chose neither.  She decided to create a “refuge” from the cancer—a place that made her feel good.  Sophie chose 9 different wigs that allowed her to forget about her cancer for a while.  These “cancer holidays” made her feel like a woman again.  They made her stronger, mentally and physically.

Her message is about finding ways to forget something bad—if only for a while.  It’s NOT about running away from the things we don’t like in our lives.   It’s about finding ways to turn something bad into something good.  It’s about discovering what makes you feel happy and strong. It’s about empowering yourself during difficult times instead of losing hope.

Please take a moment to watch Sophie’s moving story.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Empower Yourself,

Molly

Most of us need a good reason to try something new.  Whether it’s ordering a type of fish you’ve never had before (because you hear it’s supposed to be good for you) or trying a Yoga class for the first time.  We all need a push to go out of our comfort zones.

Today I want to push you out of your comfort zone to try something new.  I want you to lift weights.  I want you to commit yourself to being fit and strong.  Not just for a few weeks, but for the rest of your life.  Let me give you the reasons why you should get strong and hopefully you will come to the same conclusion.

10 Reasons You Can’t Ignore

1. You strengthen your bones (along with your tendons and ligaments) which reduces your risk of fractures and osteoporosis
2. You become more resistant to injury (imagine a professional football player who didn’t lift weights getting tackled–Ouch!)
3. Strength training increases muscle mass and improves your overall body composition
4. Therefore you burn more calories (even while you’re sleeping) because 1 pound of muscle burns 3 times more calories than a pound of fat  
5. Therefore you can eat more food (so many of my friends sit down to a great meal saying “I work out so I can eat!”)
6. Strength training improves your posture (which makes you look thinner)
7. Getting stronger has been shown to improve psychological health by improving your self-esteem and self confidence
8. Strength training improves your muscular endurance (you’ll be thankful the next time you go on a “fitness” vacation with your friends)
9. Cutting back on calories without lifting weights results in losing muscle mass too.  This is a bad idea.

10.  You’ll win the fight against Mother Nature.  She intends for you to lose a quarter of your strength by the time you’re 65.  But guess what?  If you lift weights, you can be just as strong at 65 as you were at 35.

Good News & Tips

The good news is that you can get all the benefits I listed above in as little as 40 minutes per week!  Yes—you heard me.  Twenty minute sessions, two times per week will work.  Many gyms have a line of equipment set up so you can do one machine right after the other.  When you get to the end of the line, you’ve done a full body workout.  It’s as easy as that.

All I ask you is that you concentrate on each exercise (do NOT rush through it) and perform each machine one time.  Try to get 8-12 repetitions and the last rep should feel like you just can’t do another one.  We call this “pushing to failure” which is a term I don’t like to use.  I prefer thinking “I’m REALLY glad this is my last rep”.

With more than ten thousand minutes in a week, it’s not that hard to find 40 minutes to dedicate yourself to getting stronger.  Why wait?  Today is the day to get started.

Think strong and be strong!

Molly

Originally published in GO, GlobalFit’s online healthy living newsletter.”  http://www.globalfit.com/gonewsletter/default.asp

If you think you know someone who’s perfect, think again.  Let’s face it—no one is perfect.  And people who think they’re perfect are the most boring people in the world.

My friend Sally Miller hosts a fabulous blog radio show called “Soul Sister Circle” along with two other awesome women, Jackie Williams and Desiree Cipolloni.  When you listen to their show, you feel like you’re hanging out with a bunch of girlfriends chatting over a cup of coffee.  They discuss all kinds of ways you can improve your life—such as embracing simplicity, revving up your sex life and discovering your entrepreneurial skills.

During one episode, they were talking about people who pretend that everything in their lives is perfect.  Sally chimed in “Well, perfect people are boring anyway” and I laughed so hard I spit out some of my coffee.  And while it’s funny, it’s a sad but true statement.

Think about the people you know who try to live up to the standard of being “perfect”.    Sadly, they are only setting themselves up for disappointment and failure because their goal of perfection is impossible.  And as we get older, we become less and less “perfect”.  Our bodies change, our skin becomes less resilient.  Ankles, hips and knees, that used to work flawlessly, start hurting and sometimes break down.  Our vision gets worse and we can’t hear as well.  We fight off cancer and other diseases even if it means cutting huge chunks out of our bodies or taking dangerous medications to ward off the bad stuff.

We’re far from perfect.  So why do some people strive for perfection?

People who want to be perfect are afraid.  They’re afraid to dance because they might look stupid.  They’re afraid to walk in the rain because their hair might get messed up.  They’re afraid to try something new because they might fail.  They’re just afraid.

How do you learn to abandon those fears and just be YOU?

First of all, you need to learn to like yourself.  You may think you’re not special…but you’re wrong.  Embrace all of your wonderful qualities—whether it’s your love for animals or the kindness you show to strangers.  Praise yourself often and embrace the real you.

Secondly, give yourself a break and quit being so hard on yourself.  It’s time to stop bashing your body and your mind.  Every time you do this, it’s like injecting poison into your bloodstream.

And lastly, quit judging others.  The more you judge other people, the more you judge yourself.  It’s not only unhealthy, it’s really bad karma.

So the next time it starts raining, get outside and go for a walk.  Let your hair get wet and your mascara run down your face.  It may be the best you’ve felt about yourself in a very long time.

Be Yourself and Smile,

Molly