inspiration Archives - VFit Studio

10 Lessons Learned from the BIGGEST Challenge Ever Thrown At VFit

February 5, 2020 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

Watch the full REPLAY of Rachele’s inspo talk where she goes through the top 10 lessons learned from VFit Studio running it’s biggest challenge to date.

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

Last year, VFit Studio embarked on it’s biggest challenge we’ve ever run. We had all 8 VFit trainers lead our teammates through a 6 month LONG challenge, focused on goal setting.

The goal of this challenge was to get each member to hit a consistent class total for six straight months – from July to December.

A SIX MONTH fitness challenge that over half our studio signed up for and took part of. We had never heard of such a program, but felt it was important to find ways to work more closely with our members and help them stay consistent through the second half of the year.

As a recap, we came to find 10 top learnings from the challenge.

By sharing these lessons, we believe you can gain some added inspiration in your life and they can easily translate to all areas of life.

We have them summed up below, or you can hit play and watch the REPLAY of Rachele leading her talk.

1) The best inspiration and ideas come from when you step away from your “normal.”

True creativity comes from stepping away. Getting yourself out in nature with some fresh air and scenery. Whether its at a retreat or convention, or perhaps by water. Getting out of your norm can foster new ideas and innovation.

For us, four members of the VFit Trainer team were attending the fitness industry’s largest convention last June called IDEA WORLD and were all sitting around a fountain brainstorming about ideas to help members stay consistent with their workouts all year long. That’s when we created the #6monthsmatters challenge. Six months – from July through December – of consistent workouts, accountability, coaching and team building.

2) Embrace the power of a mastermind.

Create an environment where people are encouraged and feel empowered to share ideas and contribute. Gone are the days when one person has to have all the ideas.

The biggest ideas come from a collective. It took all 8 VFit Studio trainers working together to come up with the complete six month program.

By including all members of our trainer team with idea sharing, our ideas built off of one another and the end result was a program unlike anything any one of us singly would have dreamed up on our own.

3) RISK in going big.

Six months is a long time. This was far longer than any other wellness program we had created in our studio. Before the six month challenge, the next longest program we had spanned just one month. This was FIVE more months of teamwork, programming, consistency.

Would members get discouraged? How would we keep them motivated? What if one of our own VFit trainers fell off the wagon?

But, the risk of NOT pushing our team to do this was an even greater risk. The upside was just too incredible for us not to go for it. The fact that we could truly change some lives and habits was a risk we had to take.

4) Power of being part of a team.

People are okay with letting ourselves down at times. But put us on a team, there’s no way we would want to let an entire team down.

Having a team to compete with and where your goals and stats were public was huge reason why this program was successful for six straight months.

Members could have individual goals, but it took everyone holding up to their personal goal to advance together with the full team in tact.

5) The beauty of written goals.

Putting your goal on paper and out into the world is HUGE. Doing so, you have a tangible number to strive for and track.

We used goal setting as a major theme that held the entire of the challenge together. Each member committed to a personal class goal at the start of the challenge that they commited to hitting each of the six months of the challenge.

Miss a month? You were out of the challenge. Simple as that.

We had these goals literally ON OUR BACKS with team shirts that members wore with their class goal on the back. The goals were also on made public (to those in the challenge, that is) on a google drive that was shared by all members of the challenge. If you didn’t hit your goal, everyone on your team saw it. Talk about accountability.

6) Coaching to success.

We set each team up with a VFit trainer to serve as a coach each month. This extra bit of coaching from a VFit trainer helped the team stay connected, motivated, and loaded up with fresh inspiration.

Beyond being led by a coach, many teams had natural leaders arise in the team.

Do not underestimate the power of a coach. It’s always a good idea to have a coach to help push you and keep you accountable.

“You won’t always be motivated, but you must always be disciplined,” and good coaches help teach you the art of discipline and building healthy habits.

7) A shiny trophy at the end.

When was the last time you earned yourself a trophy? For most adults, it hasn’t been since we were children.

A fun part of this challenge was putting in some serious effort and EARNING a very real trophy at the end for all that completed the full challenge.

Who doesn’t love a fun prize or earning a trophy for hard work?

There was so much pride shared by our members once they received their trophy mugs. This was priceless. With every sip they take all year long, they will forever remember their six month commitment.

8) Building a community.

Why not have every person in the challenge (127 total members) be in one large supergroup? While we considered this, what really made this challenge special is breaking down the members into small groups.

With a smaller group of about 15 members, teams formed new bonds getting to know members and seeing themselves in some of the obstacles they had in reaching their goals. We had members bond over being new moms, rennovating homes, getting the flu. You name it, there were so many shared experiences for our members. Yet, through it all they forged through all six months and made it to the end of the chalelnge.

9) A few who didn’t meet their goal, silently faded out.

As a society, we put so much pressure to be perfect and when we don’t achieve this we feel shame. This perfection or failure black and white way to view the world is limiting.

We don’t believe this is how shit should be, but unfortunately that kind of fixed mindset is something many of us grew up with .

Sometimes, when you set high goals for yourself, you may not always reach them. Especially when a long time frame is in from of you.

But, reaching and stretching yourself is ALWAYS better than not trying at all.

Life is about improving yourself and focusing on incremental changes each and every day. We believe in working to adopt a growth mindset where you stretch and evolve and work to increase the size of your comfort zone.

We are so proud of the few members who may not have finished the challenge, but they have recommitted to VFit and their health and they believe they are ALWAYS worthy of another comeback.

If you fall down 99 times, the only number that matters is that you get up 100.

10) Heather’s Story – better late than never.

We call it “Heather’s story”, but this is a story that will resonate with all of us at one time or another in life.

Heather was 5 1/2 months into the 6 month challenge, on a team that had not lost a single teammate, she was 4 classes away from earning her trophy and crossing the finish life, when life rocked her world upside down.

She is a mom to 4 young kids, and her youngest baby was sent down 6 hours from home, to CHLA, where she ended up spending 2 weeks in the hospital with him (he is doing great now, thankfully).

During this time, her husband was travelling back and forth, as they were trying to keep a sense of normal going for the other 3 kids, and it truly became impossible for her to get her final few classes in. She did try logging in a few times from the hospital even!

So instead of skirting out quietly and ending the challenge for herself, Heather opened up to her team, asked for forgiveness and admitted that she was not going to make it – feeling she let them all down.

Her team was SO supportive of her and only cared that her baby and family were going to be ok and get through this tough experience. They were there to cheer her on and push her back up when she needed it most.

Heather didn’t get her final classes in by the deadline, but the trainers agreed to give her 2 more weeks to complete the mission and earn her trophy. That was enough to FIRE her up, so that when she got back home and into her “normal” again, she had the support to get back at it and she EARNED that mug in 4 days.

Sometimes you need to rely on our team and others to push you up and believe in you, when you don’t have it in you at the moment. We will all fall on tough times and letting others help you is so critical.

Heather may have earned that trophy 2 weeks late, but still earned it. She didn’t give up and so we didn’t give up on her.

In health,

Rachele & Maria

4 Years Celebrated with a Record Breaking Week

October 28, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

4 years of VFit celebrated with a 90 minute Fit Fest on October 26th, raising money for the Susan G Komen Foundation to raise awareness for breast cancer research

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

VFit is the ultimate start up story. We began four years ago by forging our own path in online fitness.

What makes us a start up? We started!

We had an idea for a need that was not being met out there and we crafted to the best of our ability a platform to deliver this idea to the world.

With that first week, we started something that had never been done before: an online fitness studio that maintains the personal connection of a real life gym by using a two way platform to connect trainers with members across the country.

Did we have a Business Plan? Nope!

Did we have investors and funding on hand to get up and running? Nope!

Did we have an idea and a whole lot of passion? You bet!

And that purpose and passion has been the fuel we place our feet on the ground with each morning, knowing that what we are doing is making a difference in so many lives, our own included!

When VFit opened, we started with 0 members, a free week of classes, 15 classes on the schedule and ended week 1 with 65 check in’s.

Fast forward through the journey and we now have close to 300 active members, 60+ classes a week and nearly 1,000 check in’s a week.

Our platform isn’t built on the fanciest lighting, clothes, or equipment.

We are a platform built on REAL lives. On taking every barrier away as to why you can’t make exercise consistent in your life, and delivering it to our team in a way that is fun, effective, relateable and uplifting.

Each class is a personalized workout, handwritten by our world class trainer team.

A full array of classes, many VFit exclusives, that pack functional fitness in for our members – in 30 minutes or less.

We’ve been celebrating all month long as VFit turns 4 because this is a HUGE milestone.

On Saturday, October 26th, we threw the ultimate birthday party called Fit Fest.

From owner Rachele moments after Fit Fest was over:

It’s hard to sum up what today’s party meant, but it was amazing! 86 rockstars coming together to sweat and smile and raise some money.
At the end, the kids started singing VFit happy birthday! VFit is such a big part of our kids lives.
They are often there watching (or joining) us in action as we show up to take care of ourselves. I’ve watched babies turn to toddlers, kids turn to teenagers, babies in the tummy to the real world and beyond.
I’m so proud to have a platform where we can be the real life super heroes for our kids. Where they want to take care of themselves, and be active, and exercise because they see mom or grandma or auntie loving it so much.
And the fact I’m probably MOST proud of… that in the 4 years of VFit we have never asked our team to track a calorie, a pound, an inch or a heart rate.
Sure some do this on their own, but to this day, THE only number VFit tracks is how many times you SHOW UP! Because at the end of the day, that’s the number that matters.
Rachele Jaegers, VFit owner

VFit has run 364 days a year since we opened our online doors four years ago.

In that time, VFit has made some serious IMPACT.

In just four years, nearly 5,000 VFit classes have been held online.

In just four years, 111,000 personal visits have been made to VFit’s live online classes.

That’s 111,000 times a mood was improved and a VFit member became healthier and happier! We may not be brain surgeons, but we sure are fighting for health on the front lines.

4 years ago when we created VFit, we had no idea what we were doing or where it would go. What VFit has become to so many of us is way beyond our wildest dreams.

VFit has truly become a way of live for hundreds. Simply the word ‘VFit’ means something.

VFit means taking your self care personally.

VFit means making your self care a priority.

VFit means taking on a no excuses mindset and finding a way to fit it in.

VFit is real life.

VFit means not waiting for the perfect conditions because there is NO perfect.

And VFit means, that’s okay!

VFit’s mission is “To break the barriers of time and space, making self care attainable for any person willing to commit to workout and improve their wellness.”

What better way to do that than to deliver world class workouts directly to our members? We strip away every barrier there is to fitness so that it only comes down to YOU.

Your will to step into class and take time out of your day for self care.

Last week, we broke a VFit Studio record with 909 check ins.

Imagine that … 909 times VFit delivered on our mission to improve wellness and making self care attainable for ANY person willing to commit to workout and improve their wellness.

This number far surpasses our first MONTH of check ins when we started out just 4 years ago. And we know this number is set to continue to grow as we spread our mission with the world.

Can’t stop, won’t stop. That’s a big motto around here, and we’ve only just begun.

Thank you all for being part of this MAGIC!! Here is to living your dream, reaching for the stars and surrounding yourself with the most incredible team to take the journey with!

In health,

Rachele, Maria, and the VFit Team

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

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!

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/

Fuel Well, Live Well

May 14, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

VFit’s Weekly Inspo

The VFit team is here today to share our weekly inspo with another simple, yet powerful message:

“Fuel well – Live well!”

What’s behind this week’s quote? Over at VFit, we are one week out from our quarterly wellness Reset and filling up the last handful of spots, so we are hot on the topic that your quality of life is determined by the fuel you load yourself up with.

These 14 day Resets are based around what we dubbed “The 7 pillars of wellness,” which we truly believe, once dialed in, you can reach unlimited rewards and a well balanced life. Where you never have to feel guilt or say no to a darn thing! It’s no cult like philosophy or program where you must surrender your pinky toe to join. It truly is the secret, yet attainable recipe for finding your best self – no quick fix, pill or supplement required.

It simply requires that you put your energy regarding your own health and well beings into focus around 7 important areas of your life. Food, hydration, sleep, fresh air, self-care, exercise and gratitude.

EACH PILLAR MATTERS TO YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL BEING!

Yes, we are an exercise studio at the heart of what we offer, but believe it or not, these wellness Resets started well before we ran our first VFit class!

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, everyone knows this. Usually we look to and relate to fuel as just food and water. In fact, 90% of the health/wellness industry is centered around telling you what to eat and what not to eat, and that you can take a pill/shake and it will make you healthy. End of story.

BUT there are so many other parts of your life you must FUEL as well, and each “pillar” is an area that we believe deeply in.

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:

// 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.

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

// Vitamin D – aka fresh air – We have this Pillar in every Reset because getting outside is very important 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, and your immunity. Many illnesses are linked to vitamin D deficiencies.

And even in those harsh winter months when you might not actually be getting direct Vitamin D, you are still reaping many rewards by fueling up from fresh air and stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind.

In today’s tech driven world, you can easily go days on end without spending a solid chunk of time outside. We are willing to bet it is affecting your health. You are more stressed, on edge, and more reactive in your life if you don’t take time to get in some fresh air.

Instead, take 15-30 minutes a day to set your phone down, to unplug, and go outside. There is no bad weather, there is only bad clothing. This pillar alone can easily change your life if you are lacking in it.

// Hydration – We have run these Resets for 5+ years and you want to know the #1 eye opener most of our participants learn about themselves throughout our process? They are not properly hydrated, and it is causing negative effects in their skin, stamina, sleep, recovery time, 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.

// 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 is positively affected. 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. Soon instead of being the negative nelly, you start finding areas of life to be grateful for.

// 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 and 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.

// Self-Care – 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, we believe that each of us deserves to live life well (and not harbor regrets and guilt) about taking care of our bodies, so that we are better suited to take care of the ones we love around us.

If spending two weeks to hone in on these areas sounds like a journey you’d like to take as well, we have limited space available on our next reset that begins on May 20th. Sign up here.

What VFit is all about

At VFit, we believe you need the power of a team, connection, and community to truly be successful in reaching your goals. With VFit, yes, you are watching our trainer lead the class, but before class, she’s interacting and saying hello to everyone by name as each member logs in from their home.

She sees you in your kitchen working out, with your dogs, your children, she gets to know you through having you join the live workouts and sharing your home with her.

We share wins, encouragement, and accountability. You also get to know her as life happens on her end of the screen. Her children running about, her husband walking across the screen to grab his lunch from the fridge.

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.

It’s truly a lifestyle that brings the kind of personal connection that is often missing today.
Rachele Jaegers – Owner, VFit Studio

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.

They do this by taking ACTION. By being held accountable. By not sitting at the sidelines of life, using every excuse why they CAN’T workout, but rather are jumping right in.

Even if there are bumps and bruises along the way, or a bit of a cold, they’ll still keep coming in, showing up for themselves, and do something. There’s a modification for everything! There’s no modification for sitting and wishing your way to health though.

We’d love to help you take action

If you are ready to take action, we welcome with you with open (strong) arms and our support community to help you lead your best life. One filled with all the adventures and joys of movement you deserve. And it all starts with that simple first step.

This month we even have an exclusive membership bonus gift, so give yourself not only the gift of UNLIMITED action, we’ll throw in a bonus goodie as well https://thevfitstudio.com/join-vfit-team/

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/

Don’t Be Upset with the Results You Didn’t Get, With the Work You Didn’t Do

April 15, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

You may have to sit down to read this one…

Just a bit of a warning. We mostly keep these upbeat and positive, and while the message below is fairly positive, it’s also a bit of kick in the pants too. And we all need some good ol tough love every now and again, to get up and actually make a change we need in our life.

This past week our teammates took to the web sharing their sweaty selfies, after taking a VFit class and we asked them to share their favorite inspirational quotes with the pictures of their hard work and sweat.

We do this for a few reasons. We view sweat as a badge of honor! Sweat is a beautiful thing for our bodies! It shows we challenged ourselves, got more oxygen through our body, boosted our endorphins, and detoxed our bodies.

At times, posting a sweaty selfie can really be a challenge for members to step out their comfort zones. But what we focus on, is the pride in taking that time for self care and putting a priority on your wellness. We focus on sharing the message of self care with those that we love and hold dear to us. We also push members to continually reach beyond their comfort zones and expand them. Not just in classes, but in real life!

And so when Kathy from team Eastern Sierra posted this quote and picture, we knew it HAD to be our inspo for the week. Kathy has always worked out hard, and just so happens to be very good friends with owner Rachele. Yet, as we shared in her member story a few weeks ago, it took her much time to finally say yes and check out VFit. Now you’ll see her name toward the top of the leaderboard each month!

So here we come to this weeks inspo! May it fire you up as much as it did when I read it.

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

We could probably stop the blog here. Enough said! This is powerful stuff, and so true. But we will go on and share why this quote meant so much to us and why we hope it is just the inspo you need this week to SHOW UP and work toward your goals.

You cannot wish yourself to health. You just can’t. You also can’t just go gung ho for a week or 2 and then give up time and time again because what you wanted didn’t happen fast enough.

If you are sitting here reading this email and are having issues walking up and down the stairs every day without getting winded, but do nothing anything about it, guess what? Nothing about your situation is going to change, unless you start putting in the time and increasing your level of wellness to where you are able to do it with ease, and then some!

You cannot look longingly at pictures on Facebook of your old high school bestie, who hikes through the mountains and adventures around the world doing incredible things, and wish you could get out on epic hikes, but then sit there each week doing nothing to better your stamina, strength or confidence.

This winter was dark, cold and down right brutal for so many. It was an easy excuse to throw your self care out the window. But if you know us, we don’t like taking the easy route in life and letting every excuse keep us from greatness.

Did you set big goals for yourself on January 1st, wishing for a strong and healthy body come summer, but when you peel back that cozy winter jacket, baggy sweaters, and uggs, you are facing a body you neglected and kept telling “next week, I’ll get back to it”. And here you are now, in the middle of April, with summer knocking on the door, and you are no where close to the goals you wished for in January.

See, a goal without an action plan and without action, is just a wish. And wishes don’t do anything to change and better you.

You have to be consistent. Create a plan. And take ACTION to work towards building that strength, stamina and health in your body. You need to show up consistently to train your brain that YES you can overcome excuses and still show up.

Your path to success may look very different than others, and our goals vary from person to person, but the number one characteristic of people who achieve greatness in their life, are people who take action!

What is needed to get results in any area of life is ACTION and WORK.

Yes, we make fitness fun at VFit. But it’s also work! It’s called working out for a reason. You come to work and better yourself. It’s an amazing opportunity you get to face each and every class you log into.

And to make your work stick, we’ve come up with what we believe to be the perfect formula, which has proven time and time again to be the ticket to success for our members:

// accountability – you sign up for our live group fitness classes in advance, and know your trainer is waiting for you when classes start to greet you and motivate you

// support – our trainer team is there for you live and in real time to give personal motivation and modifications when needed

// community – our thriving member only online community is the most positive place on the planet, bring more happy to your life and be a part of the magic

// functional movement with a variety of classes – our jam packed live schedule has the greatest variety of classes possible, from yin yoga to the highest intensity classes of metabolic mashup and full body blast

// adaptability – we go wherever you are as long as you can live stream classes, we are right there with you. Or if you can’t stream a live class, our on demand library is there for you 24/7 for you to take any format you wish!

If you have not found something that hits all the above marks in your life, today may finally be THE DAY where you start putting in the work, by creating your plan, and taking some ACTON, with our team.

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner and Maria, VFit Second in Command

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/

Food is Fuel

April 9, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

We have an added bonus blog post to share with you this week with this nutrition-focused one from Maria covering some great tips on food intake! Exercise all you want (we hope you are getting that in, and if you aren’t, take us up on our free week offer today!), but if you are not giving your body the food it needs to optimally function, you’ll only get SO FAR. Read on for some great tips on how to get started…

An important topic that is often overlooked is the importance and value of food as fuel for your body. So many emotions can be involved with eating, add to that marketing ploys and crazy diet trends, it can be a real challenge to find what works for you and stay consistent.

Great news! If you are confused about what to eat, you are not alone!

Today more than ever, we are in an age of information overload. Niche diets touting benefits from reverse aging, increased energy, magic chocolate cookies that will burn fat, are everywhere, along with snack-size and portable options for convenience, and it can be a real challenge to navigate the grocery store and know what to eat.

If you dial it in and get down to the real basics, you can find an easier way to view your food intake, AND better promote your wellness.

View your food as fuel, and each bit as an opportunity to nourish your body, and everything shifts!

Your body needs healthy fats (fat is NOT bad, just bad fats are bad) to fuel your brain, build muscle, and optimally function. When you turn to low fat this, and low fat that, you need to take a moment and read that label, what are they replacing the fat with? Look to increase HEALTHY fats in your diet in the form of omega-3’s and you’ll find you are full longer, eating less, and performing better. Great sources of omega-3’s are eggs, fish, avocado, and nuts, for example.

Your body needs WATER.  Nothing simpler than that. Yet, more than half our population runs dehydrated daily. Energy slumps, brain fog, fatigue, muscle soreness, headaches, slower metabolism … the list goes on and on for what can go wrong when you deprive your body and brain with the water that is essential to properly function. Shoot for 1/2 to one ounce of water per pound of body weight PLUS an additional 10 ounces for per half hour of exercise, on average. Take a moment, do the math, and check in with yourself today. Have you been hitting this range? If not, drink up buttercup!

Your body needs antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and minerals which come from eating a variety of fresh produce each and every day. Fill your plate with half veggies at each meal with a range of colors and you’ll cover this task with ease. Look to mix up the combinations to reap the most benefits. And eating your veggies doesn’t need to mean eating a salad every day! You can roast them, or keep them raw and throw them in a well balanced smoothie with Greek yogurt. Make a soup or stew. So many options.

Your body needs quality protein for muscle repair, build healthy bones, skin, and blood just to name a few functions. Not only that, protein helps your body make enzymes which are needed for every chemical reaction in your body. You want high quality protein to get this job done. Lean meat, beans, yogurt, milk, even peas are an awesome source.

How to get this all in? Work on developing the habit of a weekly meal plan. Yes, that sounds like work, but what this does is set you up week after week for SUCCESS in knowing you are hitting up all the essentials you body needs. You can overview your whole week and mix in a variety of vegetables and proteins, and have fun with the kind of food you are eating. From varied themes like Mexican or Italian, to different textures like roasted veggies and steak one night, to a hearty turkey and sweet potato chili, and a thai chicken salad.

Just a few thoughts to help you perhaps view your food as fuel and as an opportunity to give your body more of what it needs, and less of what it doesn’t.

And what it doesn’t need is preservatives, fillers, high fructose corn syrup, crazy sugar alternatives, food dyes … the list goes on and on. Give your body more of what it wants, and you’ll layer on healthy habits and start hitting up less of what it does not need.

Ok, maybe that sounds a little rough. There’s also this awesome nutrition philosophy of the 80/20 rule where you eat all the good stuff mentioned above, but then you allow yourself that other 20% where you do have that cake if you plan for it and are at a wedding, or still go for that pizza on Friday night with the family. You indulge, with no guilt, and then you move on and go right back to healthier eating options the rest of the time.

Ahhhh!!! There’s a lot here. But if this was helpful and you’d like to learn and work on some of these principles and more with a nutrition coach, I’m here for you and we still have space in my next session with kicks off on Monday. It’s a 21 day nutrition clean up group.

Wonder how it will be to work with me? Here are three testimonials from members of the first cohort that give a good sense of my philosophy as your nutrition coach:

“Maria’s nutrition coaching session is fantastic. I learned so much and finally lost the last bit of baby weight that I was stuck with over a year. Feeling the best I ever have thanks to VFit!!” – Bridget H, NH

Maria focuses on teaching the important pieces of being informed to make conscious choices of what we put in our body. She is positive, accessible and approachable; you even get one on one time for help put what you’re learning in to action. VFit trains for life- both fitness and nutritionally!” – Christine H, OH

“Maria’s nutrition coaching program is innovative, educational and DO-ABLE. She offers simple ways to help you view your food choices, kitchen, eating spaces, mealtimes with family in a different light. This, along with her creative ideas to create a healthy nutritional life that will enhance your body, mind, and spirit, are EXACTLY what is needed in today’s busy world when we often feel too busy and overwhelmed to make good food choices day to day. Maria is kind, compassionate and engaging throughout the entire process and makes sure she leaves you with tools for happiness and success!” – Steff G, NJ

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner and Maria, VFit Second in Command

Life Isn’t About Finding Yourself, Life is About Creating Yourself

April 8, 2019 by Maria Sogard 1 Comment

Life isn't about finding yourself, its about creating yourself

This Monday you are in for a treat. Not only did Maria snag this inspo pic from the least likely of locations for us (her CPAs office), you can take us up on a huge offer to put today’s inspo into action action by taking us up on an offer to test drive a free week trial with VFit, this week (click here to redeem your week)!

Now, onto the weekly goods……….an inspirational blog to fill your tank this Monday.

As you go about your days, how do you view the world? Do you even notice anymore that there is a world going on around you, or is your head down, eyes glued to your smartphone too much?

Sadly, this is the norm these days. Look up the next time you are in line at the coffee shop and we are willing to bet, that 90%+ of the people in line are glued to their phones, and not engaging with one another.

Engagement is what makes humans the most productive and special species on this planet, yet we are losing all touch with it. There is more depression than ever before, more health issues, anxiety, obesity, and on and on.

Everyone is so busy searching the big never ending web of resources out there, and we are forgetting to do the simple things each day to show up and CREATE our best selves.

At the hands of technology, we are losing a lot of what we are built to grow from, and that is human connection.

Maybe I live in a bubble, but this blew my mind the other day when I found this out. You can order a Starbucks from your phone, walk in the shop, pick it up, and never have to say a word to another human in the process.

I know, I know, if you have never done VFit, you are thinking “why are these ladies who run a ‘tech’ fitness business harping on technology?”

But VFit is NOT a tech company by any means! We utilize a few simple pieces of technology that were already out there and are using those systems to deliver that human connection to our team.

It is one of our core values to facilitate an environment where our team can show up and work hard, to create a better version of themselves each and every day!

While doing a mundane task of getting her taxes done, Maria looked around and saw this quote that fit OUR group and mindset so much, that she had to snap a pic and use it for this week’s inspo!

“Life is not about finding yourself. It’s about CREATING yourself.”

And if you’ve been faithfully reading these posts over the last few months, you likely have picked up the common theme of taking ownership over your health and personal wellness.

You find yourself by running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, telling yourself that life is going to slow down and soon you’ll get to do all the things you have planned for YOU.

You CREATE yourself by showing up in some capacity each and every day, doing something to fill YOUR tank! Whether it is exercise, meditation, gardening, reading or mixing between things your love – you do something almost daily that fills YOUR heart and soul.

Too often, women can let themselves take the back seat to life. The ultimate caregivers, where the needs of everyone else comes ahead of our own. And yet, when you do this, what do you have left to give?

Probably not much. And most likely what you are giving is only a small percentage of what you truly want to give, and with less than ideal energy or enthusiasm to give it.

Instead of enjoying all that you have going on in your busy life, each thing feels like a chore because YOU are depleted. You are letting your own gas tank run on empty day in and day out.

But that can change! Another quote we LOVE is “You only die once, but you GET to LIVE every single day.”

You have the power in your own life to create a life full of health, wellness, and abundance.

Never before have we lived in a time where many issues of society is an issue of TOO MUCH.

We have too many clothes, our kids have too many toys, too much stimulation, we have too much food in our fridge we can’t find anything. We have too many activities to do for the kids, that we are running around like maniacs.  We simply have too much.

Too much is great, but if you spread yourself too thin, then you are trying to be everywhere at the same time. Doing this really leaves you overextended and not truly giving your all to any one area and giving less than optimal effort.

You can create better choices and then fully engage in the activities and moments in your life that will bring you more joy! We love to bring most things back to exercise, because you can reap so many rewards in such a small amount of time. So, here are some easy ways to create some time for fitness in your life:

// You can create your own fitness program by picking through our jam packed schedule and log in from home, creating extra time for yourself by saving the time it takes to the gym.

// You can create more positivity in your life by surrounding yourself with an incredible, supportive, and engaging community, where you lift one another up each and every day!

// You can literally create more oxygen for your body and give yourself MORE LIFE, by boosting your fitness level and working your heart and lungs to go beyond just survival mode, but into one where they flourish and gain strength.

Taking the time to create lasting healthy habits will give you more for your life and the lives of those around you.

Once you start challenging and pushing yourself on a regular basis with exercise, your comfort zone will expand and will do MORE in your life and be less afraid. Your confidence will grow with each victory.

Our team is here to actually cheer you on – BY NAME! – with each one too! When’s the last time someone honestly cheered you on? Where they could SEE your effort, your sweat, your form?

This brings us full circle to the start of this blog, in that with our platform, you are getting that actually human connection you need! If you have tried every program under the sun and don’t know why you can’t stick to it, let us tell you – working out alone is no fun! Not many can succeed that way, so it’s not you!

When you log in to class, your VFit trainer greets you with a smile and two way interaction. Yet what really sets us apart from other ‘online fitness’ platforms, is SHE IS WATCHING EVERYONE TAKE THE CLASS! Yes, she’s watching your squats, if it looks like you need a boost to keep going, she’ll give you an uplifting personal shout out! Or if someone seems to need another option for a move, she’ll give it.

We are live. Real trainers. Honest support. And one heck of an amazing community.

Last but not least we are here to help you create your best life!

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

The Grass is Always Greener Where You Water It

March 18, 2019 by Maria Sogard Leave a Comment

Happy #nevermissamonday VFit team,

We are here with a wonderful weekly inspo post to get you mind geared up and ready for the upcoming week. It is our life mission to get you inspired to SHOW UP for your health and happiness – because you are always worth it.

So this week, we are here to share an amazing secret with you:

“The grass is always greener where you water it.”

Simple. As. That! On the most basic level, grass will only turn green when it has been watered by a source.

We could leave the blog right here, because this quote in and of itself is SO powerful and stopped us in our tracks when we read it in the “Happiness Hack” book, but we love putting out our weekly blog and want to expand more on this topic in hopes it may change the way you view your own health as a priority.

You may be thinking to yourself, wait a minute, that’s not how that saying goes, it’s supposed to go “the grass is greener on the other side.”

The simple approach in life is to keep thinking that the grass is greener on the other side, or for someone else.

That it’s just not in the cards for you right now because of XYZ, and that your neighbor’s grass (a friend, co-worker, someone you follow on FB) is greener because they are “lucky” and had all the right cards handed to them!

WRONG! I can tell you with 100% certainty that no one achieved success at ANYTHING by luck or circumstance.

And by success, we aren’t measuring that by the amount of 0’s behind your bank account balance. We measure success based on how you are currently thriving at your life. How you feel in your own skin, the energy you have to tackle your days, the excitement you have for knowing adventures are possible for you to still experience.

You achieve greatness by watering YOUR OWN grass first.

Greatness comes from taking care of your lawn, aka, your mental and physical well being, so that you have a solid foundation from which to give to everything else that matters in your world.

And much like real grass, watering your own grass will probably come with some help from the outside world.

// Help from aligning yourself up with a solid support system of like minded people. Don’t buy this one?

Try hanging out with a bunch of negative nellie’s for a few hours. Then go spend a few hours with some motivated and positive friends. Which group do you leave feeling happier and more optimistic from? You are who you are surrounded by, pick wisely who you allow to control your energy.

// Help from setting yourself up with tools and accountability measures to keep you on track with your goals.

Do you have goals, but no plan? We call that wishing, not goal planning. Every goal needs a solid plan, a backup plan, and accountability measures set in place. Because the real work always starts when the mood you set the goals in leaves and reality sets in.

// Help from having the right people around you that will help pick you up and cheer you on when you lack motivation or fall behind.

We all have off days, week, months and sometimes years! Surrounding yourself with a tribe that truly cares about your well being is crucial. Those are the best connections you can make. Being able to be vulnerable and ask for extra help (water for your grass), when you don’t have enough energy to muster it yourself.

But it all starts with the premise that self care is not selfish, that in fact self care is critical care. Without care and nurturing, your own lawn will turn brown and die off.

With an under-watered lawn, you’ll lack motivation to do things you once loved, you’ll negatively talk to yourself all day, you’ll let the enemy of comparison rob you of joy, and you’ll slowly and steadily find yourself losing more and more joy in life. You get this one life to live, so set yourself up to truly LIVE it! To enjoy it! To be present! To chase dreams and push limits!

Some great ways to water your own grass on a daily basis are: by drinking enough water each day to optimally function, fueling yourself with nourishing food, sleeping, getting fresh air, being grateful, taking time to pamper yourself, and of course getting in workouts that push, challenge, and center you.

The time you take for you each day for your self care pays you back in so many ways!

It’s ALWAYS worth it to take time out of your day – for you. You’ll never regret a workout. Even if you aren’t feeling it, just telling yourself you’ll give it 5 minutes is a start. 99% of the time even keep going after that! And that 1% when you don’t? Heck, 5 minutes is always greater than zero minutes. We’ve checked our math on that and it’s right!!

So if you catch yourself wishing the grass was greener with your health, take a moment and think about what areas you can improve on today and just START. It can be as simple as drinking an extra cup of water today, or taking that 5 minute movement challenge and working out for 5 minutes today. The important thing is to start, and to not hold back or push it off to another day.

Do yourself the favor and start right now. Wishing only gets you so far. Real change only happens when you take action and that’s where the VFit team excels the most.

Sometimes it’s a matter of not overthinking things and just putting one foot in front of the other and doing SOMETHING! Doing something is water for your grass! And soon that grass will beg for more and more water because it feels so good! And how can you deny yourself the greenest grass on the block!?

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner and Maria, VFit Second in Command

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/

And if you are looking for nutrition help, we have set up a nutritional supplement program, VFit Squad, with membership options, including nutrition coaching, that will help you dial in this important area of you health.