exercise Archives

Desire is What Gets You Started, But Habit is What Keeps You Going

March 2, 2020 by Maria Sogard 2 Comments

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

We are kicking off March, and it may be no surprise … many who had set the goal to ‘get fit’ in 2020 have fallen off course – and some never even began to course.

Up to 70% have already given up on the New Year’s resolution and are back to their unhealthy habits that they were determined to change, when the clock struck midnight Jan. 1st, 2020.

Whether you’ve been full on since January 1st with a new habit, or today is your day 1, we have put together some quick tips to help you form HABITS that can stick.

But first, let’s take a look and dive into why so many fall off so quickly with their resolution to stay fit…

It’s not a matter of desire, we’d be hard pressed to find anyone on the planet who didn’t wish for being healthy and living a happy life.

But many fail in this quest because they do not set themselves up for success in the following areas:

// accountability

// support

// goal planning with action steps

// habit formation

#1) ACCOUNTABILITY

First, with accountability. You can secretly set that desire out there into the universe about wanting to get fit, but unless you share that goal with someone, write it down, and hold yourself to it, there’s nothing stopping you from letting it slip by. No one calling you out, not even yourself.

If you set a goal for yourself, SHARE it. Just the simple act of writing it down makes you seven times more likely to achieve it.

#2) SUPPORT

Next, let’s look at support. If your goal was to get fit, but you are surrounded by people who do not share the same desires to lead a healthy lifestyle, how can you expect yourself to break the mold and go at it alone?

If you are looking to get healthier, find a tribe that shares that common goal and soak in all the positivity and support you can get from them. Don’t go it alone. You are much more likely to achieve success if you align yourself with a support system.

Find tribes to surround yourself with, where the person you know you deserve to be, is the norm behaviour of the group.

#3) GOAL PLANNING & ACTION STEPS

Goal planning and action steps can be the true breakthrough you need to achieve success. Have you set a realistic goal for yourself? Does it also stretch you a bit out of your comfort zone? What kind of action steps are you going to hold yourself accountable to each and every day, week, and month to ensure that you are on track to hit your year end goal.

A goal with no action steps is a wish that will slowly fade away.

#4) HABITS

Rounding out the list and most critical is your HABITS. Unless you are truly changing your habits and crowding out the negative ones that got you to where you are today, then you will not be able to get yourself out of your current situation.

Take a look at how you choose to spend every minute of your day. Each decision you make is a vote for the kind of life you desire to live.

If you want to take better care of yourself and yet claim not to have time, but also somehow manage to be totally up to date with the Bachelor and every Instagram post that’s ever been posted, then perhaps you need to reconsider how you are spending your time.

Building in a daily habit of self care may be a slow process, but it’s something you need to START one day at a time. It may be as slow as setting your alarm, waking up, chugging a glass of water first thing and doing some light stretching for a week or two.

Make SHOWING up your first habit to begin with. It doesn’t matter the duration or intensity of the workout – JUST SHOW UP until that habit sticks.

Showing up for 5 minutes a day, for 3 weeks in a row, FAR beats showing up for an hour per day in week one, burning out and then never returning.

After you are in the habit of showing up to exercise, then slowly start building up to adding in more and more. But you’ll never reach your goals, if you are not in the habit of “starting” each day. You have to start.

Building healthy habits into your daily routine make them second nature, so then down the road it’s a true no-brainer that you should be taking care of yourself. Working out is just what you do and what’s part of daily life, and not something you have to sit there and contemplate. Even when you “don’t feel like it”, you get over it and show up, because it’s a HABIT you simply can’t live without.

If you are reading this today and have not done something just for you, at least once a day in the form of self care or exercise, it’s time to reexamine your accountability, support, goal planning action steps, and your habits.

You can train your body and mind into creating the healthier life you deserve if you work hard to build in the habit of self care.

Your mission???

Sit down and write down 1 goal you’d like to hit by the end of March. Below the goal, write down three action steps you have to take each week to get you to the goal.

Really want to hit that goal?

SHARE your goal and action steps with one person today. Not sure who to share it with? Share it with US. We are here for you and want to help you hit your goals.

In health,

Rachele & Maria

Don’t Wish For It, Work For It

January 13, 2020 by Maria Sogard 3 Comments

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

At the VFit Studio, we like to set a studio-wide intention for the year. With so many of our members working towards becoming a better version of themselves each time they log in and focus on self care, we chose this mantra for 2020:

DON’T WISH FOR IT, WORK FOR IT

Now that’s powerful!

It’s a little bit of tough love, and a bit of a dare.

Today we are releasing the latest tool to help YOU work for reaching your fitness goals.

Are you willing to WORK for your goals?

Goals, goals, goals … everyone has them, right?

There are no shortage of goals to be set and there are no shortage of tools and resources out there to help you achieve those goals.

But how many actually hit their goals consistently? Sadly, over 50% of people give up on their goals because they forget to set the most important part – the foundation.

What is the secret to those that continue to achieve success?

We believe that people spend too much time in the “wishing” stage of setting goals, and they are forgetting the part that matters most – ACTION!

We are here today to share a very simple, yet life changing approach to making your goals a reality. A tool that will take your goals from wishes to reality.

There is study after study about how much more likely you are to achieve your goals if you WRITE them down – like 7 times more likely!

I don’t know about you, but if the simple act of writing my goal down will make me 7 times more likely to achieve it, I am going to arm myself with those odds no doubt.

Then, if you SHARE your written goals with others and build in accountability, your success rate jumps up to 95%!

It really is that simple! Of course next comes the actual work that you will need to put in to reach that goal, but setting a strong foundation for which this goal actually has a shot of becoming successful is a KEY STEP!

Want to work out more this year? Let’s start with this goal. Just thinking and saying you want to exercise more is not a goal, it is a wish.

We are now going to turn it into a goal.

How many times do you want to workout this year? 150? Perfect, that is a substantial and powerful amount of exercise.

So write that out. “I WILL workout 150 times this year”.

Then under that line, write 5 action steps you WILL take over the year that will get you to this goal.

We like to reverse engineer our goals, but you can work through in whatever direction feels comfortable to you.

150 workouts a year sounds like a lot, especially if you are starting from 50 or less, but watch just how DOABLE it is.

150 workouts a year means just 2-3 workouts a week, 12-13 workouts per month. EVERYONE has that it them and deserves to hit that goal.

Then you stick that written statement and action you wrote down and put it somewhere you will see EVERY DARN DAY and you commit to reading what you WROTE! Every. Single. Day.

But since we are human and we tend to be our own worst enemy, you need to take this a step further. YOU NEED to tell others about this goal you set.

We tend to be ok letting ourselves down, but I promise you, you aren’t the type of person who will want to let others down.

By telling your goals to your family, your fit tribe, your co-workers, kids, boss and anyone else, you are now making them part of your team.

And THEY ALL want you to succeed, and if they don’t, that is a whole nother blog on who you are surrounding yourself with.

I know that if I tell my family it is important to me that I get in 2-3 workouts a week, and to please help keep me accountable to that, they will! Same goes to my fellow VFit members, they want the best for me, now I owe it to all of us to make it happen.

Goal setting is a skill, it is something that takes time and focus and practice.

The number one reason I see many short change themselves in life, is that they aren’t setting any tangible goals and they have no action plan on how to achieve the goal.

If you know anything about VFit values, you know the number that we track and that matters most is how many times you SHOWED UP! No heart rate, calorie, or pant size number matter more than that stat.

Because we love you and we want to give you every opportunity to put what we are sharing into action, we have created a WORKPAGE Goal Sheet just for YOU!

Simply download this one page worksheet and state your Annual Workout Goal on the top. Then think through 5 action steps you can take each day/week/month to get you to this goal.

Below the action steps, we have a grid for you to fill in monthly with the number of workouts you showed up for.

Put this simple piece of paper in a place you will look at DAILY, and watch the magic start to add up.

But don’t forget, to make your chance of success shoot up to 95%, you can’t keep this to yourself.

Share with your friends, fam and the VFit team. We would love nothing more than to see what stats you are aiming for and then we vow to do our share of the job to help keep you accountable and on-track.

We believe if everyone embraces the motto of Don’t Wish for It, Work for it, then you are unstoppable. You will work to build in more healthy habits and create less space for the ones that are deterring you from reaching their goals.

We hope you enjoy this free download and really put it to use. Whether it becomes your inspiration to join us for a free week of classes, or helps towards reaching another fitness/life goal, we hope this concept is one that you work to embrace in your own lives.

Goal + Action = Success

In health,

Rachele & Maria

From Passion to Business – 10 Lessons I’ve Learned from my Journey

October 3, 2019 by Maria Sogard 1 Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

Taking my passion for wellness and building a business has been an incredible journey over the past four years. One that has transpired into something so much more than I ever expected.

I recently accepted the opportunity to speak to a local group of Lady Bosses about my experience building VFit and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. While this kind of speaking engagement is a bit out of my comfort zone, I know that when we push ourselves beyond our comfort level, that’s where all the growth happens, so I had to say YES!

You can watch the full talk (link here) and of course we will outline the key highlights below. If you do watch the video, you can print and use this PDF to print notes.

This top 10 lessons list can translate to each of you for any task or dream you are working towards. In building a business from my true passion in life, I have learned to adapt and grow, learn from my mistakes, and continue to challenge myself each and every day.

Lesson 1: When opportunity knocks, be prepared to open the door.

Action is the foundational key to all success.

We each have a deep desire to do more of what we love, so when the universe brings new opportunities to you, you have to go for it.

Listen for those knocks in life. Sometimes they are so quiet, other times they are pounding you over the head. And sometimes those knocks come when it is time to close one door and open another.

While you may not always feel you are ready, the more you can say yes to what you know you truly want to do, you’ll bring more of that into your life and get closer to living the life of your dreams.

Lesson 2: NOT KNOWING what you are getting into is sometimes better than over analyzing every detail.

The key to success is to start before you are ready.

You’ll never know all the answers! None of us do. Think about it, having a child, getting married. Prep all you want and can, each and every experience will be unique and challenge you to grow from.

I joke often that I thank my lucky stars I had NO idea what I was getting into. But there is so much truth in that. I had a 2 ½ year old and 6 month baby when I started VFit. And a few years later another baby blessing was delivered to us!

If I knew all this journey would have entailed, I probably would have gotten overwhelmed and not have taken that first step.

You will always be learning and evolving, don’t be afraid to just take ACTION. Get out of your own mind of being perfect. Perfection will hold you back from greatness.

Fear of the unknown can paralyze you and you have to just take that leap of faith and learn as you go.

Lesson 3: There is no greater power than that of a well-connected TEAM.

The dream is in the team.

If you take one tip, take this one! Do not go it alone.

Your actual professional team, your family team, your friend team, your customer team! Have as many teams in your life as you can.

Heck, I consider my housekeeper my teammate because she saves my sanity every 2 weeks by helping unload some of my house work.

There’s so much more you can do and create with a team alongside you. Finding a group that shares your mission and vision is the key to success. Each person brings their own unique skills and expertise.

You learn from each other, support each other through the tough times and as the next lesson states………..

Lesson 4: You can’t do EVERYTHING. Know where you bring the most and least value – outsource as needed.

The steps you take don’t have to be big, they just have to move you in the right direction.

Find your lane and what you know you have locked down and work to find help in areas that are weighing you down.

While you should know how to do everything in your business to some extent, you can’t do everything for the long term.

I know we can’t afford to outsource or bring on help for all tasks, but if one is seriously draining your time/energy, work hard to shift that task off your plate.

While it may be a challenge initially to lean on others and take those steps, once you leave yourself free to do what you are good at and save the rest for others who can help, you’ll have more focus and energy to move your project along in the right direction.

Lesson 5: Have open lines of COMMUNICATION with your clients/team, be willing to ask questions and make changes.

Choose change before change chooses you.

COMMUNICATE and do it often. Most misunderstandings are simply a lack of communication both in personal and professional life.

It is important to focus on communication, to listen, be proactive, and when necessary, reactive when things do not work out as planned.

Your clients and team like to be heard. Their input is valuable and you should treat it like gold.

You need to be observant, analyze the results, and be quick to adapt when needed.

Lesson 6: Have SYSTEMS in place!!

This one isn’t as fun, but it is necessary. Have systems, automate some tasks, have funnels, get some structure in your life.

By definition, a system is: ‘a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network’ and ‘a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method.

Systems are meant to make getting things done possible in an efficient, and repeatable way.

DECISION FATIGUE is a real syndrome. Having to make thousands of decisions in a day, no matter how big or small, can be overwhelming. And that often time leads to burn out and falling back on less than desirable choices or habits.

Lesson 7: Know your CORE values – live, sleep, and breathe them in everything you offer.

Fit is not a destination, it’s a way of life.

To enjoy the journey and to attract the type of people you want to be around, you can not waiver on this one! And it’s tough in the big ol world of business and opinions.

Hold true to what you believe in in everything you do with your project.

Live, breathe, and dream with your core values and you will feel good laying your head to bed each night.

Sometimes that takes making the tougher decision or taking the road less travelled.

Keep in mind that what grows from your passion will be reflected in how you do each and every step along the way. What is important to you? Walk the walk, be a living example of what you wish to achieve, and it will fall in line with your core values.

Lesson 8: You can’t be EVERYONE’S cup of tea and you don’t want to be.

Always being comfortable won’t get you to where you want to be, real change happens when you let yourself be uncomfortable.

Learn to be okay with negative feedback. You cannot please everyone, that is not your goal.

Hold true to your true focus and mission, find your target, and keep steadfast faith that if you do your best, you’ll reach those you are looking to serve with a high quality solution that you 100% stand behind.

Lesson 9: Fill YOUR tank as often as needed. Invest in yourself.

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

You cannot pour from an empty cup. Be mindful that you need to continue your own self care and remain strong as a leader in whatever you do.

Continue to take time to learn from mentors, be inspired, continue education, take breaks and vacations. Know when you are neglecting yourself and dial back in to what’s important to you.

It is not the quantity of time, but the quality of that time you put in.

Lesson 10: Be willing to work hard and not afraid to SUCCEED. There is no such thing as failure.

Don’t be upset by the result you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.

There will be challenges along the way, fall forward and lean into mistakes as you take them as opportunities to learn and grow.

Even the greatest of basketball players Michael Jordan missed half the shots he took! But you have to take the shots. The only failure in this life is not doing what you are meant to do, not taking the risk, and not serving your purpose.

You cannot succeed if you do not start!

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!

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!

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/

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 simply 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 post 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

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

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 body awareness.

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

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

VFit Studio’s 7 Pillars of Wellness: Live Well, Fuel Well

May 14, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

The VFit Studio’s Core Philosophy on Wellness

“Fuel well – Live well!”

The VFit Studio is built upon our core philosophies of wellness based on 7 pillars. These “7 pillars of wellness” are at our core philosophy on how to lead life to the fullest. Once you’re able to dial in your pillars, you can reach unlimited potential and lead a well balanced life.

Finding true balance with your wellness pillars leads to a growth mindset. We’ve based our own personal lives on these pillars and have built our virtual wellness studio and community with each in mind.

Dialing in your 7 pillars of wellness means you live with intention each day and you put your energy into your own health and well being with focus on the following: food, hydration, sleep, fresh air, self-care, exercise, and gratitude.

EACH PILLAR MATTERS TO YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL BEING!

Yes, VFit Studio is a virtual wellness studio and that is the heart of what we offer to the world, but believe it or not, our wellness program focused on these Pillars of Wellness started well before we ran our first VFit class!

Just like your car, your body needs fuel to live. On a primal level, you can’t function very long without eating. The better you eat, the better you feel. Every person knows this at a basic level.

Usually, we look to and relate to fuel as just food and water.

In fact, 90% of the health and wellness industry is centered around telling you what to eat and what not to eat. Or trying to sell you on the latest fad diet, pill, or shake that’ll magically make you healthy without putting in the work or focus necessary.

Take a moment and think through your life. There are so many other facets of your life you must FUEL as well. This is your fuel with a pillar dedicated to the keystone wellness centers of a well balanced life.

In no particular order, we break down a quick recap of why fueling EACH PILLAR below can elevate your health and wellness to infinite levels:

VFit Studio's 7 pillars of wellness: exercise

// Exercise – Your muscles need fuel by way of fresh oxygen and movement. Work hard on those muscles, boost up your heart rate, and you’ll deliver this much needed nutrient called energy, blood flow, and life all throughout your body!

If you can move, you should be exercising your body most days of the week. Exercise comes in every shape and form and we believe in a well rounded routine of cardio, strength, balance/mobility, and restorative movement. We’ve developed a FUNctional Fitness Plan that outlays the recommended ratio of these four major categories of movement and have broken down our class schedule and formats in this plan our members use to schedule and plan their workouts each week.

Exercise, or movement, is where you can get the most bang for your buck, in the least amount of time. Begin to focus on fueling yourself up with 15-30 minutes a day and watch amazing things start to happen in your mind and body.

VFit Studio's 7 pillars of wellness: outdoors

// Outdoors – getting Vitamin D by way of fresh air to get yourself outside and away from the screens. To connect with nature and others. To feel the light breeze on your face and be present. We include this pillar because getting outside each day is critical to your mental and physical well being.

Your body and mind need fuel from fresh air and vitamin D by means of spending time outdoors. Vitamin D is crucial in cell repair, stamina, boosts to your mood, along with improving your immunity. Many illnesses are linked to vitamin D deficiencies as society has led to more time indoors. Take breaks from your time inside and even break it into 5 minute chunks to get some fresh air each day.

And even in those harsh winter months when you might not actually be getting direct Vitamin D, you’re still reaping many rewards. Being outdoors and fueling up from fresh air, stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, taking some slow calm mindful breaths. This all will lead to more focus, productivity, and happiness.

Stepping outside exposes you to more negative ions will provide a host of health benefits. Just from being outside and being surrounded by these negative ions, you can help improve your sleep, experience revitalized cell metabolism, improve your immunity and detox your blood.

In today’s tech driven world, you can easily go days on end without spending a solid chunk of time outside. We’re willing to bet it’s impacting your health. Keeping yourself indoors leads to more stress, a feeling of isolation, keeps you on edge, and more reactive in your life.

We suggest instead to build in at least 15 to 30 minutes a day to set your phone down, unplug, and go outside. There’s no bad weather, there’s only bad clothing. This pillar alone can easily change your life if you are lacking in it.

VFit Studio's 7 pillars of wellness: water

// Water – We have run our wellness resets since 2014 and you want to know the #1 eye opener most of our participants learn about themselves throughout our process? They’re not properly hydrated. Living in a constant state of dehydration (be it mild, moderate, or intensive), causes negative effects on your skin, energy levels, sleep, recovery time, mental cognition, and more.

Your body needs fuel by being properly hydrated with water daily. Nearly every biological function of your body is dependent upon having those hydrogen and oxygen molecules at the ready! 8 cups a day is the minimum place to start. We have a great formula of just how much water you need that we love sharing with our team.

½ to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight

Then, add at least 10 ounces per each 30 minute exercise session. Increase your water intake depending on elevation, temperature, humidity, and other health related issues such as medical conditions or drug side effects.

VFit Studio's 7 pillars of wellness: gratitude

// Gratitude – Ding ding! Another key pillar of health we see nearly every other program leave out. How can you truly be healthy if you aren’t living a life full of gratitude and celebrations?

Your heart, the very muscle that keeps you alive, gets its fuel by living a life full of gratitude and by celebrating even the smallest of victories. Being thankful for what you have, especially those around you, will continue to help you view your life in a more positive light and send ripple effects throughout your day. Your stress hormones will lower, your blood pressure will improve. Gratitude is some powerful stuff, trust us!

We have our team write down one reflection of gratitude and one small victory they had each day during the course of our wellness resets. Once this daily habit is created, soon instead of being a negative nelly, you start finding areas of life to be grateful for.

VFit Studio's 7 pillars of wellness: sleep

// SLEEP! – “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is just about the worst quote out there. You’ll live a lot longer and at a higher quality of life if you get your proper zzz’s in!

Your body, mind, and spirit refuel when you sleep. The process of restoring and building happens overnight while you get in those blocks of rest each night. Getting a full night’s rest is important for your brain health, your mood, energy, and stress level as well. 7+ hours is the minimum that most need. While we know that during some stages of life, this Pillar may be out of your control, we still encourage you to prioritize sleep as a very important part of your life.

VFit Studio's 7 pillars of wellness: me time

// Me Time – Your mind becomes fueled when you stop, slow down, and tune into your own needs. Having a moment of calm in your day can be delivered by taking time for some quiet reflection and self care. For some, this may be reading a book, meditating, working out, gardening, sewing, you get the jist. There is no one size fits all “self-care” activity. Finding a small pocket of time in your day to take care of you isn’t selfish, it’s critical.

You cannot keep giving and giving to the world unless you fill your own up. The importance of self care cannot be overestimated and while each of the above Pillars could also be considered self care, we double down on this one to ensure each day you take time out just for you to fill your own cup.

So there you have it, our secret but oh so attainable recipe for creating your best life!

And like everything, you need to constantly be taking inventory and working on your weaker areas. As seasons change, so will your Pillars in Need of Repair. It’s the exact reason we come together quarterly to press the Reset button and make sure that no pillar is left out of whack for too long.

These are just some of the ways and areas you can choose to fuel your body better to live well. If you try and find shortcuts on any of these – or GASP! – skip some altogether – then you’ll be truly selling yourself short.

At VFit Studio, we believe that each of us deserves to live life well and not harbor regrets and guilt about taking care of our bodies. When we take care of ourselves, we are better suited to take care of the ones we love around us.

How do you check in with your pillars? Meet your Wellness Wheel

VFit Studio's Wellness Wheel Activity to dial in your 7 pillars of wellness

This Wellness Wheel is an activity you can easily do each week, or ad hoc, to ensure you’re balancing out the 7 pillars of wellness. Focus and maximize your pillars and your wellness wheel will run smoothly and your days will be fueled well.

At VFit Studio, it’s our core value that to live your best life, you need a well balanced Wellness Wheel that can rotate evenly and propel you FORWARD. This wheel requires that all 7 tanks are adequately filled. When balanced, your wheel spins forward most effectively.

Take an honest look into your own personal life in this current season, and rate each Pillar of Health from a 1 to a 5. Then color in the rings to get a perfect visual of where your wheel may need a little more air and energy given to it.

A rating of “5,” or the outermost circle, means you are at your best of where you could possibly be with this pillar and have it dialed in, with little to no room to grow or improve. This very well may be the case in some Pillars, so don’t feel bad ranking anything at a 5. If you are maxing out a few Pillars already, that’ll just create more space for another Pillar you may need to dive deeper into and flesh out some new positive habits.

The center of our Wellness Wheel is zero. If there’s no shading in a Pillar this means you currently have NO focus on it. Guess what? Seeing this plainly helps guide you on what areas to start working on.

This Wellness Wheel exercise can be done alone, or with those you live with to help improve harmony.

As you continue this exercise and dial in your Pillars, you’ll find you can map out your Wheel and check in with yourself quickly and diagnose what you need to work to improve your quality of life in the present moment.