Maria Sogard, Author at VFit Studio

No One is Above You, We Are All Just on Different Places on the Same Track

September 16, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

Happy #nevermissamonday team!

There are times when you hear or see something, and it just really STRIKES you. It totally alters the way you’ve viewed or felt about something, forever.

We are here today to share an inspirational quote that we hope lifts YOU up like it did for us the first time we heard it:

“No one is above you, we are all just on different places on the same track”

We first heard this quote at the IDEA WORLD fitness convention in Anaheim, California this past June. The presenter, Trina Gray, was giving an inspirational talk about pushing outside of your comfort zone and had this as one of her slides.

Here was this person who WE personally put on a pedestal, talking to us about how no, there’s no such thing as a pedestal. NO ONE wants to be put on a pedestal.

We are all moving along on the same ol’ track, just some of us have done a few more rounds because they have already found their passion, direction, and committed to their life purpose.

Woa!!!

We admit, just last year we were at the very same conference, and we were TERRIFIED to talk to some of the fitness professionals we admired. We maybe went up to them for a quick thank you and to snap a pic, but we didn’t dare engage in conversation with them by asking them questions or sharing our story with them.

Once we heard this quote above … that all shifted. We embraced this idea of the same track, and we sought out the industry icons and had THE most transformative experience of our lives.

It changed us from putting others “above” us and brought us up to a much higher and more fulfilling level, where we were not just worshipping and admiring our industry icons, but suddenly we were believing in ourselves and knowing we are right along there with them, just a bit behind on the very same track.

They say you should surround yourself with people you want to be in this life. If you want to be an author, find a way to surround yourself with others who already write! Looking to get into a fitness career? Find a way to get yourself in a position to be surrounded by other fitness professionals. Looking to switch careers, or stop being a stay at home parent and go back to the workforce? Find a way to surround yourself with those that are already rocking it at the kind of positions you wish you had.

By no longer looking UP to those you admire, but looking at them on the same course as you, you’ll find yourself less afraid to reach out to them and learn from them. You’d be surprised! Even the most successful people in your dream profession, may be surprisingly responsive to help guide you.

Every good “pro” has coaches and trainers of their own for different areas of life.

Likely there’s plenty of ways to sync up with those you wish to be more like. Today more than ever, you can easily seek out ways to learn more about what is sparking a fire within you by doing a bit of the following:

// follow your icons on social media and engage with them! Don’t just read and follow, be actively involved and part of their community. They are sharing because they care and when you respond, believe me, they are inviting you into the tribe.

// research and subscribe to podcasts related to your field of interest

// look into books and magazines that cover the topic

// sign up for a new course, conference or training. Some of THE best motivation and inspiration will come from getting face to face with those you look up to.

Everything you need to do what you want out of your life is within you. You have to have to believe in yourself and take one step at a time.

You can ADD IN more of the good, more of what you want out of this life, and guess what? You’ll soon find more of this goodness crowding out the less desirable stuff that may be holding you back.

You’ll soon find you stop numbingly trolling the internet and social feeds and instead, focus your time and efforts to learn more about what it is you actually want to do! And you get involved! There is nothing more powerful than being PART of a team.

Each minute you spend on your passion, you are getting yourself around the track of life and getting yourself closer to your goal.

Do you have someone you perhaps put on a pedestal? We challenge you THIS WEEK to do an action item mentioned above to help you connect with them, or the industry/profession they represent, and do a hot lap around the track of success!

Think about that for a moment. Think of something in your life that you admire, whether you know them personally, or they are an author or speaker you value. Do you hold them up on a pedestal? We used to too, until there was this quote, and it hasn’t left our side since…

It’s easy to look up to successful people and think IT comes easy to them. That they just magically got to where they are and that you’ll never make it there yourself. But that’s simply not the way to look at it.

That successful speaker you admire, whose podcasts you have memorized, and whose Facebook page you have as a favorite? They are on the SAME TRACK as you. They may have gone around it a few more times since they found their passion, focused, and put all their effort into becoming an expert in their field and living their life mission, but they really are on the same track as you.

What separates you from those on the track ahead of you?

Commitment. Focus. Determination. Confidence. Passion. Resilience.

These are the six character traits that shoots you around the track more times. Whether it is completing a major life transition like leaving a job to explore new opportunities, moving, or starting a new exercise program, you need to have the strength of character – and support – to get yourself around the track.

At VFit, we believe that honing into strong core values, and surrounding yourself with a community who holds these values and standards themselves as well, will elevate your wellness. Together we all find ourselves doing more and more laps around the track of life together.

As you go around the track, sometimes, you may stumble. It happens, but it’s all about what you do after you stumble that determines what’s next on your path. If you just stop, then you stop short of getting around the track and reaching your goals.

You fall down, but if you continue to get up, dust yourself off, and lean into mistakes and stumbles, you can take each as a learning and growth opportunity and continue towards the kind of life you deserve to live. One FULL of energy and adventures and that has you so excited to get out bed in the morning to start all over again!

So today, stop looking UP at people and start looking ahead!

In health,

Rachele, Maria, and the VFit Team

Run the Day or the Day Will Run You

August 19, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

At VFit, we believe there’s two ways to live your life.

One is being REACTIVE.

We have all been reactive at times, it happens to us ALL! But if you find that more of your time is spent being reactive, it’s time to change the script in your mind.

Letting situations outside of you control, run your emotions, mood and actions. Being reactive leads to high levels of stress, regret and takes A LOT of energy to live in that state. It is exhausting to constantly be reacting to people and situations when life doesn’t go as planned……. Which if you are living in the same world we are, happens EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Spending time around reactive people is quite exhausting as well, and can leave you in that state of being.

Being reactive takes so much time and energy, that most living this way become stuck and can never quite move forward toward their true life potential. Being reactive runs your tank down to empty and leaves very little energy left to chase dreams.

But good news if you are currently finding yourself stuck in this “world” – YOU CAN CHANGE! Like anything, having the will, commitment and discipline to better yourself, can change your relationship with your own thoughts and actions.

At VFit, we work really dang hard to spread the tools to the world, so that we can all live a PROACTIVE life!

We have a big saying at the end of our classes that we tell ourselves and our members, “By taking this time to exercise and take care of yourself for 15-30 short minutes, you now RUN the day, the day doesn’t need to run you!”.

Self-care is not a luxury only reserved for those with excess time, money and means. It is critical care that each and every person deserves and needs!

By taking the 15-60 minutes a day to care for YOU, you give yourself the power and control to run your days, not have your days run you!

For us, exercise and slowing down are the 2 best ways to set ourselves us to be PROACTIVE.

They may be on the yin and yang side of the spectrum, but both forms of self-care are incredibly powerful.

You know that feeling after a great workout? The one where endorphins are rushing through your entire body and you feel on top of the world? Like you can go out and accomplish anything you set your mind to? Because you can!

Through the act of showing up, working hard, and filling your body with fresh blood/oxygen, you empowered your entire day! YOU are unstoppable.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, reacting at my kids, getting nothing productive done, stressing out over my to-do list and then I stop, log into my workout and BAM – I turn into a patient, productivity machine!

That time I just spent on ME, actually created more productivity, happiness and life in my days!

My workout didn’t “take up” my precious time, it got me in alignment to enjoy and be more present in my day.

Another surefire way to turn from REACTIVE to PROACTIVE, is to actually slow down and tune in! To journal, to stretch, to meditate or take some conscious rest.

In this high tech and fast world, many wear being “busy” as a badge of honor. But it really isn’t about the quantity of things you have on your plate, but the quality of how you fill those minutes in life.

If meditating and slowing down are foreign concepts to you. Guess what? That right there is where you need to start if you are going to lead a more proactive life and be led by your dreams.

Even taking just 5 to 10 minutes to slow down each day can have a significant impact on your mind, body, and spirit. From our VFit Take 10 blog by Trainer Shari, to our 15 minute Stretch it Out EXPRESS series, to our nightly Unwind classes and various yoga formats we offer – these are all tools that will help you slow down, tune in, and settle with your own thoughts.

These days with media coming at you from every direction, from your phone, computer and car radio, it’s so easy to get distracted and zone out.

We challenge you this week to take at the minimum five minutes and instead of zone out, zone IN. To see just how powerful a 5 minute break in your day can be for you to listen to your heart and find what may lead you to a more proactive life.

In health,

PS If the sound of adding more mindfulness is appealing, or even the opposite, if it’s TERRIFYING to you, we encourage you to sign up for our September program called Mindful Moments brought to you by VFit trainers Steff and Shari. This program will run the full month and help you each day to create more space for you.

You Aren’t a Tree, if Something Isn’t Working, Change Your Conditions

July 22, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

Being outside and connecting with nature is such a huge part of wellness that is often overlooked these days. The fanciest, most high tech studios are coming out on every corner. Many having the feel more like a nightclub, than a fitness studio. And why that is all good by us, we love reaching beyond the norm of a traditional gym, there is a big piece of health that we feel MANY are missing out on these days………

Getting outside!

And we aren’t talking purely for the benefits you get with Vitamin D coming from the sun. We believe when you get outside and soak in different sites, sounds and levels of energy, you are doing a huge benefit to your physical and mental well being.

At a time when most of us have jobs that keep us indoors, a long commute, then head home to make dinner, eat indoors, then go to bed, where’s the outdoor time? You can literally navigate 90%+ of your life these days without having to step foot outside. Drive-thru’s, grocery delivery, Amazon (guilty as charged here!), food delivery, etc.

But as humans, it is crucial that we get fresh air and time to unplug every single day if possible. This is an area that even a few minutes of effort on can reap a huge return on your time investment.

At VFit, we live by 7 Pillars of health and getting outside is one of them. That means, our core values on what makes a well rounded and healthy person, getting outside ranks as important to us as exercise and food! GASP, we said it and we mean it.

Even a few minutes outside can bring you a huge host of benefits such as: increased mental clarity, boosted immunity, a greater sense of being, grounding to your true self and a moment to UNPLUG.

In this tech driven world, even taking a few minutes to step outside and listen to the birds chirping, or to take a walk all alone, can do more to your health and well being than a 30 minute workout. Or you can even multi-task and do a workout outside!

We can get so stuck in a routine and stuck in our box, that we can forget the joys of being outside.

We chose this image and yoga pose (“tree pose” for those who are not familiar) to bring a strong visual to this week’s inspirational message:

“You are not a tree. If things are not working for you, change your conditions.”

We invite everyone to find 10 minutes this week to head outside and take a couple moments with each sense with our VFIT 10 Minutes with the Senses Outside:

Sight – Look up at the sky and colors and shades above you, whether blue, or shades of grey with clouds. Check out the landscape around you, the shades of green, brown, maybe the flora around you is in bloom.

Touch – Now walk around and focus on the feeling of your foot as you step onto the earth. Gravity’s pull bringing you to the ground. If you can, even take off your shoes and practice the art of ‘grounding’ – walking barefoot in a mindful state. At a chemical level, the ions between you and the ground are shared when you do this. How does the air feel around you? Is it humid? Run your hands through the grass, along some tree bark, along the warm stones in your driveaway.

Hearing – Get yourself into a safe area to do so, and then close your eyes. Settle in a comfortable position, then use a few moments to listen. Quiet your mind and focus on the sounds around you. The blue jays, buzzing bees, passing cars, waves crashing, distant sounds of lawn mowers or construction down the road.

Smell – This one is likely the easiest, as our olfactory sense never turn off. Even when we run around busy as can be, you’ll ALWAYS be able to smell the spray of a skunk or the blooming of your peonies in the yard. Take a moment while outside and see what else you can smell. The smell of the ocean or a salt marsh? Perhaps you smell your garden mulch, or lavender from your garden.

Taste – Finally we come to taste. While we do not advocate too much on this one outdoors unless you KNOW it’s something safe to eat such as a fresh strawberry from your strawberry patch, another way to do this one outdoors is to practice mindful eating. Grab something to eat, take it outside, and before you put in your mouth, truly focus on it then take a bite and chew at least 20 times before you swallow. As you focus on chewing and the enzymes in your saliva break down the food, notice the subtle differences in taste. Mindfulness while eating helps promote healthier digestion.

Now that was just 10 minutes of not doing anything in particular, but just being outside. How did that feel for you?

Imagine now, letting in more mindfulness of the senses while you are outside AND then adding in more outdoor activity on top of that.

A big complaint that many have about keeping up with their exercise routines is that they are bored. They feel stuck. That they lack the motivation to want to go to the gym anymore. And to be honest, we can’t blame them! Going to the same exact space each time, with the same equipment, stale indoor air, maybe even the same playlist of music. There’s NOTHING fresh there. There’s no heightening of the senses, no variation.

We encourage our members to take their workouts outside whenever possible. Whether its logging in with their device anywhere they can find service – and we’ve seen it all, from ponds, beaches, backyards, to playgrounds! – or simply hiking or a jog, we know that there’s just so much good that comes from spending more time outdoors.

Getting yourself outside more will bring your more happiness, boost your energy, increase the ever popular Vitamin D level, build mental abilities by helping you think more clearly, and again, boost that immunity and shake things up.

We challenge each of you to work to add in more outdoor time this week and see how you feel by week’s end. Start with the VFIT 10 Minutes with the Senses Outside and see where that takes you!

Rachele, Maria and the VFit dream team!

Take 10 – Find Your Beach

July 16, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

There may never be ‘that perfect time’ for you take for yourself. You have to find those moments, steal them from the day, and give yourself clarity in thoughts and mind. In just 10 minutes with this guided meditation with Trainer Shari, you’ll be refreshed, rejuvenated, and at peace with a focus on taking you away to your own beach paradise.

From Shari:

“Even when on vacation with our favorite people on Earth, we may need to take 10. If you have never felt the need for a little alone time on vacation, my guess is that you are not traveling with teenagers. Kidding—not kidding!

Directions:

1. Find a comfortable place.

2. Press play.

3. Close your eyes.

4. Transport to your own beach paradise.

5. Let yourself let go and breathe for 10 minutes.”

Where will you take 10?

About Shari

Shari is VFit’s resident miracle worker from Texas! She leads an “Unwind” class, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. But don’t let her zen like ways fool you. She can deliver just as Yang of a high intensity class and leave your muscles “good” sore for days to come.

“Born and raised in Texas, I was a competitive gymnast in grade school and went on to be a competitive twirler in High School.

I attended college at The University of Texas in Austin, majoring in English and Kinesiology.

Having always had a love for physical fitness, I taught group fitness throughout college, and upon graduating was hired to teach public school.With the demands of a new job and a new husband, exercise became my time to unwind.

With my 3 children now in school, I returned to my first career as a group exercise instructor.

Yoga is one of my favorite styles to teach because it has something for everyone. It is healing and strengthening all in one. It truly is the complete package.

When not in the gym teaching, I enjoying spending time outdoors hiking and exploring with my husband and 3 children.

We are avid travelers who enjoy each new adventure that we encounter. All three of my children are very active in competitive sports.”

Favorite Fitness Quote: “Fitness is a journey not a destination”

Credentials:

RYT 500 Yoga Therapist
ACSM CPT
Senior Fit Specialist

Mobility Specialist

Yin Yoga Specialist

Opportunity Will Knock, Prepare to Let it In

July 15, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

We are so amped up after our full house classes all morning long and are ready for some serious straight talk with you all today. The VFit studio was SO BUSY this morning, we actually had to double check our calendar that is was JULY and not January. But that is just yet another testament to this amazing team and platform. Being fit and healthy is possible ALL year long.

So now on to some straight talk, because to be honest, there are plenty of you reading this right now that truly need to soak this lesson in and than to take ACTION on what we are so passionate about, and that is…..

Each and every day, opportunity comes to you.

Today’s theme: “Opportunity will knock, prepare to let it in.”

There’s many many ways to live your life. There’s the route of comfort, doing the same thing – whether it’s working or not

– OR –

There’s the less traveled path with more unknowns, but with a huge upside! Living your life, spending time outside of your comfort zone.

Living in the growth mindset of wanting to do better for yourself, your family, this world. Rising up to things that scare you or make your arm hair stand up. Being able to make big changes in your life, when you know they are necessary. Knowing when it is time for a change!

Are you going on today, much like you did yesterday and the day before? Going through the motions of life, but living in the safe place where your pendulum is always in the middle? Never quite challenging yourself or changing yourself?

Feeling totally stuck at a job, in a relationship, with your own health? Lacking results? Wishing there was more to your day, but you just are not making any changes ?

So many of us stick with the above because of the fear of unknown. Yes, we may not be quite happy with where we are at, but we are comfortable with it, because we’ve been living in it for so long.

But what if, what if you started going about your days prepared to do one thing that scares you EVERY SINGLE DAY? Prepared to let opportunity in when it comes knocking to you. When we talk about something that scares you, we don’t mean you need to go sky diving or bungee jumping every day.

But what we do mean is that to thrive in this life, to enjoy the ride and to continue to grow as a person, you must get outside your comfort zone and let opportunity in when it is knocking! Sometime the knock is so whisper quiet, but it’s still there.

Maybe it is sitting down and having that talk you need with your boss, maybe it is asking your spouse for more help in an area, maybe it is saying NO to another event for your kids, maybe it is not doing the dishes before bed, maybe it is trying a new workout you are intimidated by, maybe it is actually scheduling YOUR SELF CARE………

Doing something every day that is out of your comfort zone truly is POWERFUL! Don’t believe us? Try it each day for a week and see how empowered you feel.

Life is going to be hard sometimes, it can be downright brutal in fact. But when you take the time during your everyday life, to train for the unknown, to continue to grow as a person, to get uncomfortable, to let opportunities in – you realize that most of the magic in this world comes from the journey and not the destination we all think we should be striving for.

What if you let go of waiting for ‘the perfect time’ to make changes or start a new exercise routine?

If you really think about it, every single day opportunity is coming to you. Your friend is asking you to meet up after work for a walk. Your husband is asking if you’d like to take time off from kid duty and have some me time. Your neighbor is telling you all about her new exercise routine that’s pushing her limits and making her feel so good and youthful again!

Are you listening to things like the above thinking about how it’s just not the right time for YOU to do it?

Guess what?! There’s never going to be a perfect time. You’ll always run into bumps along the way. There will be weeks when your workouts will be spot on and then you’ll get a stomach bug that may floor you for 5 days. It happens! But you know what, you continue on.. You don’t just stop working on yourself when you fall down. You get back, up. Even it’s not pretty, or the same it was when you were in your 20s. You do the best you can do today – for you.

Opportunities to take care of yourself come to you all the time, you can only change your life if you let them in. You are in control of your life, right here and right now.

Any excuse you plug into for why you aren’t taking care of yourself is just that. It’s an excuse. You have every right “not” to take care of yourself, but that is exactly what it is, your right, no one else’s. Life isn’t too busy that your own well being doesn’t matter – ever. We have a member going through her second round of CHEMOTHERAPY and she still shows up to 2-3 classes a week and does what she can. I can’t think of many stories more inspiring than that.

If you are ready to stop making excuses and take your own health into your own hands, you have to let opportunity in. You have to just COMMIT and go all in. You can’t half “arse” your health, you just can’t. You need to be consistent, dedicated, and give yourself a realistic amount of time to reap the rewards that come along with self-care.

If you let your health slide for the past 5-10 years, do you really think in a month or 2 you are going to be in peak shape? No! But you will be 2 months further in your journey, rather than 2 more months behind if you keep putting it off.

If there’s no time in the day, you set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier and get it done while the rest of the world is sleeping and hit the sack a few minutes earlier. Yes, it may sting to get up earlier, but NOTHING beats that top of the world feeling you get once that workout is done first thing in the morning!

Even breaking up workouts into smaller chunks, as small as 5 minutes, ADDS up. Every single time we checked, 5 is greater than 0. Every time. Start carving it out and let it build up. You’ll start feeling better moving that body and seek out more time.

Believe in yourself. Know that you are worthy of the time you take each day for self care. Say yes to your own success. Find your team that will support you.

Rachele, Maria and the VFit dream team!

Success Lies on the Other Side of Yes

July 8, 2019 by Maria Sogard 1 Comment

Fitness icon Billy Blanks and Maria at IDEA World

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

What if Billy Blanks listened to the execs who told him that his exercise vision would not work because he was black, in the early 90s?

Personal success and growth comes from within. It does not come from what anyone else thinks of your hopes and dreams. In fact, when people put fear and doubt in your head, it usually stems from their own fear of failure and actually has nothing to do with you! All the dreams, wants, and desires in the world remain dormant if you do not take action and execute on them.

Most of us are givers in this world, but one thing we learn over and over is that YOU MUST MAKE TIME TO ALSO RECEIVE!

We as trainers need to continue to step back, fill our own cups, work with our mentors, and stay fresh to bring our best selves to you.

Last week, our inspo blog was about the dream being in the team, and that message of community strength is one we fully support and have built our platform around. But what about those times when doubt sets in or others tell you you can’t do something you have set in your mind to do?

It wasn’t until attending IDEA last month that we realized we had been limiting ourselves in many ways. VFit is a life changer for SO MANY! It is the most amazing team we have ever been a part of and it is SO much more than just showing up to workout. We are so fired up to share this message with the world and to host a community that shows up day in and day out, to better ourselves, and in turn the world. If you don’t believe that exercise is a super power to help YOU shine a bit brighter in the world, you are holding yourself back from being a brighter light in this world. And in case you haven’t looked around lately, the world can use as much bright light as possible from all of us.

If you listen to those who tell you you can’t (yourself included) – you are limiting yourself. Your body hears everything your mind says! Heck, that’s even one of our personal favorite inspo blogs and images we have created through the years.

Your personal success, whether it is with your health, career, or relationships, lies on the other side of YES.

You need to tell yourself you CAN DO what’s in your heart. You can lead the healthy life of your dreams. You can eat well and thrive. You can enjoy the most out of each and every day. You can.

You can do all this, and much more, but you have to first believe it yourself. Do you believe in yourself yet? If not, you may need some support and to find a team to help get you there.

Did you know that tae bo is in the dictionary?

Billy Blanks himself shares in the video below his personal story to how he got to where he was. And trust us, shot from Maria’s iPhone, this is 11 minutes you need to invest in and listen to his powerful message.

Click play to listen in on Billy Blanks sharing his secret to personal success and growth

TAE BO stands for:

Take
Action
Execute
Believe
Overcome obstacles

If Billy didn’t believe in himself and his gift to share his passion for fitness, then he would have given up right there and then when the execs held him back. But, as we all know, he didn’t. He forged ahead and believed in himself and his impact on the health industry continues today.

As Billy describes, your personal success is dependent on how you navigate through three streets: Doubt Street, Fear Street, and Faith Street. When you travel along Doubt and Fear Street, Faith Street has no power. Your faith will go away.

If you start doubting you can accomplish your health goals, you’ll build in fear of the unknown and will simply not accomplish them. You need faith to get to where you want. You need to believe and KNOW you can do it, and put action into place to make it happen. You really can have anything you want, but you need to have faith you can get it.

Execute your mind and will. Tell yourself you can’t, and you can’t. Your body hears everything your mind says.

This video was captured by Maria after several of the trainers attending Billy’s BoomBoxing session (Billy’s newest workout he released this year after 20 years!) on the last day of the IDEA World convention in Anaheim last month, alongside Rachele, Steff, and Christine.

The Tae Bo workout VHS – yes, it goes back this far for us! – was a staple at Maria’s dorm room in the late 90s where she would workout with her roommates and friends, even jumping around and aggravating the people downstairs for a full school year. His electric blue spandex. His spot on cuing of moves. His motivation and drive. She had every word memorized, but was so drawn to the feeling of this workout, and the joy it brought her and her friends at the time, that they kept at it and laughed and punched their way to solid in-dorm workouts all sophomore year.

Our image we were able to use for this post is of Maria meeting with Billy after his session, with happy tears in her eyes for getting to experience the magic of BoomBoxing and Billy’s moving talk afterwards. Not only that, while in line to talk with him, she struck up a conversation with a woman who was also moved by his talk, shared this same video with her, and learned she had lost 149 pounds!

Believe in yourself. Take Action. Say yes to your own success. Find your team that will support you.

Rachele, Maria and the VFit dream team!

The Dream is in the Team

July 2, 2019 by Maria Sogard 1 Comment

VFit Trainers Steff, Rachele, Maria, and Christine from left to right, with Todd Durkin center at IDEA World 2019, Anaheim California

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

Wow, just wow! We can’t even begin to wrap our brains and hearts around the image we are able to share with you this morning. What may just seem like a cute group shot means the absolute world to us. The world.

Is there someone you truly admire in this life that fires you up? We like to call them ‘spirit animals.’

This pic right here above is of us with our spirit animal – Todd Durkin! And if you aren’t familiar with ‘TD’ as he’s lovingly referred to, do yourself a favor and head over here to get a dose of inspo from someone that truly fires us up!!

Today’s inspo is all about the people and support you surround yourself around:

“The dream is in the team”

We ALL have dreams in this world. Whether spoken out loud, or quietly living in your heart, each person on this planet has a dream, wish, or desire to do more! To do things that excite you! Change you! Lift you up!

The NEXT part about having a dream, is the real meat of most of our inspo’s, it’s about how to make your dreams a true reality. And to do that, you need to set an action plan and surround yourself with a team.

No one can go along alone in this life. Show me one successful person that is truly happy, that did it all on their own. It isn’t possible! We are all connected, whether you feel it now, or not. Each action we take impacts and affects others. The energy you create spreads, and the energy of those around you makes changes in you as well.

If you are working towards a dream and do not have an action plan in place. Make one. And when should you do that? The answer to that question is YESTERDAY. So second best time to do it is today. Seriously. If you have a goal, wish, or desire, whatever you you want to call it, you need to make your plan TODAY and start taking action today.

Otherwise quite frankly, it’s never going to happen.

And with your action plan, the next biggest thing and focus today is on that team. You need the support and community around you to help guide you, support you, laugh with you, push you out of your comfort zone. Lift you up. Fall down with you. Open your heart to. Be vulnerable with. Explore with. Push limits. Engage with.

Fill in the blank, it all boils down to the importance of human connection to make your dreams come true.

If you are surrounding yourself around a community, team, and/or tribe that shares the same core values as you, you’ll feel the positive energy of the group and catapult yourself into a new sphere of possibilities.

No one can do the real WORK of your mission but you, but to get to your end goal, to create the changes and life you wish to lead, you’ll always be connected to others to make it happen. The sooner you find a team that moves you in the right direction, the better you’ll be feeling and more able to make some of the leaps and changes you need to to reach your goals.

And to this end, we do need to touch upon the less pretty piece of this puzzle …

If you carry around with you negative energy, or mindless allow time sucks like serial show watching in your life, it is time to really ask yourself: is this worth what it is taking away from in terms of my focus focus and happiness?

We took away a TON from IDEA World this past week, but one of the simplest ones was this:

“Hard choices, easy life”
Todd Durkin, IDEA World 2019

If you are able to make some of these hard choices, stop the excuses, and start taking actions today (because you cannot change yesterday when you really should have done it!), then you’ll be well on your way to make your dreams come true as you build up YOUR OWN personal dream team.

In health,

Rachele, Maria and the VFit dream team!

PS. If you are looking to be surrounded by a positive and inspirational group of teammates and trainers that will change the way you approach life, the VFit team has a spot for you! Don’t go at your health and fitness alone.

Fitness is a superpower that transfers into every other area of life.

Our passionate team is here to cheer you on, make you proud and show you that fitness is not a punishment. In fact, let us be the best part of your day!

Join the team for less than $2/day at https://thevfitstudio.com/join-vfit-team/

If You Focus on Results, You Will Never Change

June 11, 2019 by Maria Sogard 1 Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

One of the most rewarding parts of our platform is sharing inspo each week with the world. It is our sincere hopes that the more people who read these, that small changes are taking place in your lives, and you take these words to heart. Filling your life with positive people and words does have the power to improve your life and that of those around you.

Today’s inspo is all about focusing on making the changes you deserve, and not just the results you think you need to hit.

We’ve been at it for three and a half years with VFit! That’s pretty darn impressive to go from something that was just one big wish and idea from our owner’s heart, to the thriving online wellness platform we are today. We are inching up on 300 active members, we have 8 amazing trainers across the country, and we have close to 65 LIVE classes a week on the schedule.

A long way to come from when the platform launched with ZERO members, 3 trainers and about 15 classes a week, many which were cancelled because we had no sign up’s YET.

And yet, as we built up this amazing tribe, we never once were focused on an end result or goal! We are often asked, “just how big do you want to make VFit?” and it is a question we can never answer.

We show up and live our passion delivering to our members and hoping to change ONE life at a time! We have never been driven by an end result in business and here is why we think this is also an approach you may be needing to take with your own health journey.

“If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will change.”

This was one of our first images we used on social media and this message rings true today, It is a mantra that is repeated again and again by our trainer team. So many fail at their attempts to get fit/healthy, since they tie down some random date or goal weight with their notion of success.

We’ve been training clients and working in fitness A LONG TIME and let me tell you something I have never seen happen……

Unicorns do not start flying around when you hit a goal weight, and your life does not suddenly turn perfect when you can fit into your skinny jeans.
Rachele Jaegers, VFit Owner

There is SO much more to health and fitness than an end goal – the journey is truly where the magic is at. Little changes and habits that you put in the work for and show up consistently for, are the things that will change you for the better – once and for all.

Our members are from every walk of life and every different fitness ability, but we share one very important event that we are all training for and that is – LIFE! To enjoy the heck out of life, to take the trip, the adventure, to be able to get through some of the most challenging of days or weeks!

Will losing 5 pounds by July 1st truly bring you joy?

That’s both a random number and a random date. Even if it’s your wedding date, in the grand scheme of things, it’s still arbitrary. And oftentimes, to hit this kind of goal, you are doing non-sustainable eating and exercise patterns to get there.

Going all out for 2 months, burning out and then not moving for 2 months, does way more harm to your health, than simply fitting 2-3 workouts a week, ALL year long! That adds up to 100-150 and will change your level of fit.

At VFit, we focus on changing your behaviors and making a healthy lifestyle a priority, not a chore.

We consider ourselves successful when our members WANT to workout because it makes them feel good!

You will never find us doing weigh ins, counting calories, or pinching fat. Those number mean nothing to us. The number that matters is how often you SHOW up and value just how dang important your healthy body is. And that body should never be neglected, ignored, talked down to, or simply not taken care of.

What matters at the heart of VFit is that we are finding a way to change our members habits for the LONG term. And that is actually a lot harder than focusing on results, but we never shy against taking the road less traveled.

One of the highest forms of flattery comes when VFitters take us on vacation, or invite a friend to join them for a class, or suddenly have a change in their day and WANT to add in a workout last minute.

If you focus on making lasting changes that work in your REAL life, suddenly your health becomes one of the best habits you have, and not one of self loathing and guilt.

This past month, we developed and delivered to our team, a special VFit FUNctional Fitness Plan (click here to download your FREE copy) This is a simple to follow “cheat sheet” that empowers our team to create weekly plans for themselves, that incorporate balance into their workouts across FOUR key areas (VFit and non-VFit workouts). It is a strategy that has nothing to do with an end result, but rather it is a way to focus on little changes each week, that will keep you showing up all 52 weeks of the year!

If what you have done in the past did not work, it’s time to change your approach. Stop beating yourself up, stop quitting and start taking some accountability to change your approach.

At VFit, we believe you need the power of a team, connection, and community to truly be successful in reaching your goals.

It’s REAL life – no special effects, lightening or makeup. It’s real women, working and training together from their own homes, hotel rooms, or wherever life has them at that moment.

VFit is so much more than just a workout, we have built a way of life.

It’s truly a lifestyle that brings the kind of personal connection that is often missing today. We have gathered like minded trainers and members and built a platform that works and each week we have members hitting personal goals and milestones they never thought was possible.

The VFit trainer team is here 364 days a year to help support and cheer you on, as you work towards your best self in 2019, inside and out! We can’t get your dressed and logged in, but we will keep doing everything else in our power to keep you motivated, enjoying your fitness and honoring this amazing body you have that deserves to move and be challenged!

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner and Maria, VFit Second in Command

Our passionate team is here to cheer you on, make you proud and show you that fitness is not a punishment. In fact, let us be the best part of your day!

Join the team for less than $2/day at https://thevfitstudio.com/join-vfit-team/

Make Yourself a Priority

June 5, 2019 by Maria Sogard 1 Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

We are here today to share our weekly inspo with another simple, yet powerful message:

“Make yourself a priority. At the end of the day, YOU are your longest commitment. “

Life is FULL of commitments. That’s why we are all so ‘busy’ isn’t it? Kids have soccer. Husband has to work late. PTA has a meeting. Library has story time. Church has a fair this weekend. We are all just … so … committed…

BUT hey, what a minute!

What about the ultimate commitment????!!!

YOU are the ultimate commitment. You and this one body you have, and this one heart, one brain you have, is where it’s really at. Without all of that, you are simple fighting the upstream battle to keep up with life and aren’t enjoying the ride.

You have ten toes, two legs, two arms, you name the body part….. and it’s truly up to YOU on how you honor your commitment to your own life, which will in turn translate into how high a quality of life you will lead.

No one wants to simply SURVIVE, we want to THRIVE! We aren’t saying that some weeks are going to be in pure survival mode, but if you find your life controlling you more than you can enjoy and control IT, it’s time to make some serious changes. It can be done, we promise!

It’s ok to say NO more often!

It’s ok to schedule time for YOU!

It’s ok to tell your family that YOU need a few minutes of time and to hold tight!

It’s ok to spend a little bit of money on YOU! It’s the best investment you can make. When VFit is used the way it is designed to, it is simply one of the greatest investments you can make, which will positively transfer into every other area of life, because we are all about filling up YOUR tank, in just 1-2% of your time. You have that, believe us!

YOU are worth it as well, and if you think it should be all about your family and nothing left for YOU, you are wrong!

I guarantee if we ask your family what they want the most from YOU, it isn’t your money or energy running them around from event to event. They want a healthy and happy YOU! We are willing to put money on that hands down.

So many times we hear from potential members, ‘oh wow, VFit sounds great and I really wanna workout, but I just don’t have the time.’

Heck we even have some members that “donate” to VFit each month and although we bend over backwards to give you ever tool, every form of motivation, every opportunity to just DO SOMETHING, some still aren’t quite ready to commit those 30 minutes a day to themselves. (and if that is you reading this, maybe this very email will strike a cord to get you to show back up! We are here with open arms for your return!)

We hear you, but those words really just boil down to you not honoring your commitment to yourself to take care of your own health.

We hear you, but those words really mean you aren’t ready yet to take ownership of your own health.

We are spread across the country, but our bond is STRONG and built around our common core philosophy that your commitment to your own personal wellness is a worthy goal for each and every woman out there.

How are you honoring your commitment to yourself today?

At VFit, we believe you need the power of a team, connection, and community to truly be successful in reaching your goals.

It’s REAL life – no special effects, lightening or makeup. It’s real women, working and training together from their own homes, hotel rooms, or wherever life has them at that moment.

VFit is so much more than just a workout, we have built a way of life.

It’s truly a lifestyle that brings the kind of personal connection that is often missing today. We have gathered like minded trainers and members and built a platform that works and each week we have members hitting personal goals and milestones they never thought was possible.

The VFit trainer team is here 364 days a year to help support and cheer you on, as you work towards your best self in 2019, inside and out! We can’t get your dressed and logged in, but we will keep doing everything else in our power to keep you motivated, enjoying your fitness and honoring this amazing body you have that deserves to move and be challenged!

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner and Maria, VFit Second in Command

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner and Maria, VFit Second in Command

Our passionate team is here to cheer you on, make you proud and show you that fitness is not a punishment. In fact, let us be the best part of your day!

Join the team for less than $2/day at https://thevfitstudio.com/join-vfit-team/

Take 10 – Body Awareness

June 4, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

From Shari:

“Don’t forget to take time for yourself each day. You have to put your oxygen mask on first.

In today’s take 10, I take you outside with me, and guide you through a body awareness mindfulness activity.

Don’t underestimate the power of just sitting outside and taking 10.”

Where will you take 10?

About Shari

“Born and raised in Texas, I was a competitive gymnast in grade school and went on to be a competitive twirler in High School.

I attended college at The University of Texas in Austin, majoring in English and Kinesiology.

With my 3 children now in school, I returned to my first career as a group exercise instructor.

Yoga is one of my favorite styles to teach because it has something for everyone. It is healing and strengthening all in one. It truly is the complete package.

When not in the gym teaching, I enjoying spending time outdoors hiking and exploring with my husband and 3 children.

We are avid travelers who enjoy each new adventure that we encounter. All three of my children are very active in competitive sports.”

Favorite Fitness Quote: “Fitness is a journey not a destination”

Credentials:

RYT 500 Yoga Therapist
ACSM CPT
Senior Fit Specialist

Mobility Specialist

Yin Yoga Specialist