The reason given was they would not fund an organization under investigation.  Unfortunately they didn't apply that 'rule' to every organization they fund.  One senator decided to investigate Planned Parenthoodto see IF government funds were being used inappropriately.  To date nothing has been found to substantiate the accusation of misuse of government funds.  However Komen Foundation funding to Penn State University will continue.  This school covered up the known rape of children for YEARS and is the reason new legislation is being created to prevent something like that from ever happening again.

I must be missing something.

Conservative Senators have stated that well over 90% of what Planned Parenthood does is perform abortions.  The fact is that abortions are maybe 3% of what Planned Parenthood does, the other 97% is to provide affordable health care for Women in need.  Yep that's pretty bad and sinful.  Bad, Naughty Planned Parenthood.

In order for our world to heal we need to start focusing on doing what's RIGHT.  That includes honoring the fact that we all are entitled to our opinions, our beliefs, our political views and our right to choose what is right for us without being demonized by those with an agenda.  If we start focusing on our similarities and stop focusing on our differences we CAN change the world. 

I respect those of you who feel strongly about Pro Life and I would like to ask that you respect the fact that I feel strongly about Pro Choice.  Whether or not I choose to have an abortion is no one's business but my own.  When I stand before God it will be me and not you who will have to answer for my sins and it will be God who judges me.  God gave us free will for a reason, HE gave it to me and no one else, especially a human, has the power or the right to take it away.

Here's to you in Fitness, Wellness and Health!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Follow Wuhoo Fitness on Facebook and Twitter

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

It's funny, I've come a long, long way in only a weeks time.  Last week I was hoping to be able to jog a mile and ended up doing 3.  Well on my 4th training run I was able to go 4.7 miles in about the same amount of time I did 3.7 in.  Of course I was so wiped out from pushing that hard I didn't do my next training run.  I need to remind myself that it's okay to push but not to push so hard that I end up missing training runs.  I have a plan and all I have to do is stick to the plan and I'll finish the Half Marathon with legs to spare.

It's interesting how I do the exact thing in different areas of my life not just my fitness goals.  I get excited and push harder and farther than what I had planned on then run out of steam before reaching my goal.  When I just take small consistent steps towards my goals I complete them.  Hmmm - funny how that works!

Anything is possible even a Half Marathon but it's important to be smart so that I don't injure myself which could potentially prevent me from achieving my goal.  A long time ago I learned  about something called Kaizen.  In a nutshell it means that it's better to change 10% ten times than 100% all at once.  If you think about it - if we change by even 10% ten times, that number ends up being much greater than changing 100% all at once.  I'm a HUGE advocate for small changes over time because I KNOW that those small changes yield HUGE results!

Are ready to stop pushing too hard too fast and start making small changes that yield HUGE results?AWESOME!!!  What small changes will you commit to doing today?

Here's to you in Fitness, Wellness and Health!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Follow Wuhoo Fitness on Facebook and Twitter

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

I went out for my first training run to see where I was starting from - I had guessed a mile but was pleasantly surprised that my starting point was 3 miles.  That's a BIG difference and has a serious impact on my training program.  As I was out jogging, and I do use the term 'jog' in the broadest possible manner, the biggest challenge I came up against was in my head.  I call it the Committee.  You might not know my Committee but I'm fairly certain that you may have one of your own. 

The Committee is made up of all those voices in my head that tell me why I can't or shouldn't do something.  They were powerful my first day out!  It started with "It's cold", followed quickly with "My legs are tired", not to be outdone one of the voices piped up with "who do you think you're kidding you'll never be able to jog a mile let alone 13!"  The committee kept repeating the litany of reasons why this whole Half Marathon thing wasn't going to work and was certain I'd come to the realization on my own soon enough.

As powerful as the Committee can be I know how to beat it at it's own game.  I fight those voices with the voices of the members of my Dream Team, well them and great music.  I also play games with myself like picking out a tree and telling myself that as soon as I get to that tree I can slow down.  Since I am just beginning my training I don't care how fast I jog, I can jog as slowly as I need to I just can't stop.  I'm pretty sure that I walk faster than I jog right now but as I said I don't mind because I know I'll get faster with each training run.

Giving myself permission to go as slow as I need to as long as I don't walk is a powerful training tool.  Knowing how to speed up and slow down gives me a ton of options during my training runs and allows me to go farther than I thought possible which really shuts the committee up.  I may not set any speed records and I'm okay with that, after all in April I'll be celebrating my 48th birthday and being able to complete a Half Marathon at the age of 48 is something to be very proud of.  When was the last time you challenged yourself and your committee to setting and achieving a personal best goal?  Why not make today the day to challenge yourself?  I believe in You and soon enough you'll believe in you too.

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Follow Wuhoo Fitness on Facebook and Twitter

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

If getting and staying motivated is a challenge then find a friend, family member, neighbor or co-worker to be your workout/accountability partner.  It's harder to bail on a workout if someone else will be doing it with you.  Even though I'm a fitness professional sometimes I don't want to do my workout and with all the different hats I where it's easy to find reasons why I can put off my workout. When I experience the 'I really don't want to do my workout syndrome' I rely on what I call my 'Dream Team'. 

My Dream Team are the people in my life that I rely on to help me stay focused and motivated.  These are the people I can call, email or text that will help hold me accountable.  I can reach out to these people when I REALLY don't feel like doing my scheduled workout, they encourage me when I'm down and they celebrate with me when I achieve a personal best.  The reality is that even though I LOVE fitness I don't always feel like working out and the reason I'm sharing this is to help encourage you to stay on track.

Back to low to no cost workout options.  Pretty much every city has some sort of discount program such as Groupon, Living Social, Amazon or Bloomspot that offer huge discounts on a variety of things including services.  I see discounts on yoga, personal training, dancing, rock climbing, gym memberships to name just a few different types of activities.  These specials are a great way to try a variety of different types of activities for very little money.

There are also some great fitness web sites that offer free exercise libraries.   One site I really like is the IDEA Health and Fitness exercise library which includes videos of the different exercises.  Another site I like is the American Counsel on Exercise (ACE) exercise library. I don't always agree with the difficulty rating that they give the exercises but I do like the exercises themselves.

I hope that this gives you some ideas for low to no cost workouts and for staying motivated.  As always please feel free to email me with any questions or comments you may have.

Here's to you in Fitness, Wellness and Health!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Follow Wuhoo Fitness on Facebook and Twitter @wuhoofitness

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

I love the format that this information is presented in, I love the simple high impact science behind the information and I just plain LOVE the information!  It's a short, fun, easy to watch video about the one simple most important high impact thing you can do everyday for your health.  Please watch the video, share the video and most importantly DO what the video suggets.

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

Over the 4 days I watched people who obviously wanted to learn to be better really struggle.  They wanted to learn but only to the point that they were comfortable letting go of their fears.  The thing with horses is that they are a direct reflection of whatever energy you send out into the world.  Their actions and temperament are the outward manifestation of what is going on internally for whoever’s working with them.  Ricky said repeatedly in order to go someplace that you've never been you have to go places you've never gone, as well as, in order to get things you've never gotten you have to do things that you've never done.  I want to go one step further and add that you have to become willing to do both of those statements as well as add one of my own.....  Nothing changes until something changes.

I know that going into the 4 days I was filled with ALL sorts of conflicting emotions.  Part of me wanted to show Ricky how far Teddy and I had come since last year, part of me wanted to be the ‘star’ student but mostly I really, really wanted to just show up and learn how to be better.  The first day both my horse and I were pretty distracted.  Teddy was picking up on what was going on inside of me and bless his heart, was displaying it beautifully.  On day 2 Ricky took both of us to task, in different ways of course but it was essentially the same conversation.  After that we both were on our best behavior, really focused and working as a team. 

I wasn't hurt or offended by what Ricky said to me because he was telling me the truth.  In that moment I could have chosen to listen and take what he said to heart or I could have gotten offended and thought 'What a jerk!'.  How often has a friend tried to tell us something that we didn't want to hear?  How did we react? How often have we NOT told a friend the truth because we had a pretty good idea how they would react?  When someone gives us the gift of telling us the truth and delivers it in an honest, non judgmental way, do you accept that gift?

Last week I wrote about fear, resentment, insecurity and judgment, I’m writing about it again this week because it’s such an important topic.  It’s funny to me that these are key things in my life that I have the opportunity to look at on a regular basis.  When I look around and watch others, it seems to me that they struggle with these things as well.  When we learn how to be more comfortable in our own skins we will be able to take a broader view and not take things so personally.  When I work with my coaching clients I teach them how to be observers in their own lives in order to help them identify the area’s that no longer serve them.  I do this by asking them to be aware of when they engage in certain behaviors and then mentally say to themselves, “Hmm.. isn’t that interesting.”, with no judgments, just pure observation.  I then ask them what emotions come up as the observer and what the exercise was like for them.  Without exception they are amazed at the things they learn about themselves and the coolest part is that they can let go of old behavior patterns that no longer serve them. 

Last week I ended the post with “My wish for you this week is to take a step back and look at whatever situation you find yourself in, in which you are struggling, so that you can see what part is yours to own and change.  If I don’t like a situation then it is up to ME to change how I am showing up so that I may change the situation.  Remember that nothing changes until something changes and I invite YOU to be the change in your own life.”

This week I would like to ask that you step back and say to yourself: “Hmm, isn’t that interesting.” And see what comes up for you.  I’d love it if you’d be willing to share your experience of what this exercise was like for you.  I’m so very grateful for all the Ricky Quinn’s in the world because without them it would be much harder to grow into the people we can become.

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!  

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

Here's a list of a few of the things I've been up to:

• Moving my mother out of her home of 30+ years into a retirement home.  She did NOT want to move.
• Spent a week in Montana at a guest ranch riding 60+ hour during that week and felt like I was drinking riding and horsemanship education out of a fire hose!
• Received advice from well meaning people about my horse.

These things may all seem unrelated but they have much in common. Each contained fear, judgment, insecurity and resentment.  Some of which was mine and some of which belonged to others. In challenging and stressful situations it is extremely easy to feel insecure and judge the situation, yourself and the people involved.

When I took a step back both emotionally and mentally, I was able to see each situation more clearly.  I was able to see the part I played in each of the unfolding ‘drama’s’ as well as which parts belonged to me and which parts didn’t.  Being able to see my part in each situation enabled me to decide what I wanted to do and determine how I wanted to ‘show up’.

The situation with my mother was supercharged with years of emotional baggage, judgments and resentment on MY part.  When I was able to step back and see how afraid she was and how scared she was I was able to bring desperately needed compassion into the situation. Was I able to hold onto that compassion the entire time? No but the compassion I did bring helped tremendously.

When I went to Montana I went someplace that I’d never been, to be among people I’d never met all by myself.  I admit I was a little scared and in my insecurity I could have gone become defensive in an effort to ‘protect’ myself.  I did my best to remain open and trainable because I was there specifically to learn how to be a better rider and get better at my horsemanship skills. I was only one of two guests at the ranch that week which was amazing.  The woman I shared the week with said something to me that I took to heart and have pondered on ever since.  I was talking about sharing my experience over the week and she said that it was okay to keep it all to myself as a gift to myself. WOW what a concept!  I also had the epiphany that at any time I can be whomever I choose to be.  I can be anyone and share any story I want at any time.  I don’t have to be the story I’ve been telling myself my entire life, I can be the story of my dreams!

I’ve ridden with the same people a few times and sometimes when I ride with them my horse is very well behaved and sometimes he isn’t.  I’ve been told that I should get rid of or retire my horse and get a different one because he is unsafe.  These people absolutely have my best interest at heart however they are basing their assessment on a few random samples which creates a relatively small snapshot view of the entire whole. In a way it’s like looking at granite samples.  A small sample of granite may look completely different than the entire sheet and in fact usually does!  It’s easy for all of us to make a judgment about a situation based on what we think we see, sometimes we’re right and sometimes we’re not.  When we do this we are basing our judgment on our own ability, our own fears, the knowledge that we posses and applying it to someone else.  None of us ever really knows what someone else is capable of because we aren’t them.

In the weeks to come I will write more about each of these experiences in greater depth and the gifts that I received from each.  My wish for you this week is to take a step back and look at whatever situation you find yourself in that you are struggling with so you can see what part may be yours to own and then change.  If I don’t like a situation then it is up to ME to change how I am showing up so that I may change the situation.  Remember that nothing changes until something changes and I invite YOU to be the change in your own life.

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!  

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

As I was laying there with my tunes flowing in my ears I replayed the conversation we'd had.  I began to realize how extraordinary my life has been.  Sure I've had a lot of pain and sorrow but when I really stopped to look at all of the adventures I've had I became deeply grateful.  I also felt overwhelming love and gratitude towards my husband of 21 years, for my Sons, for my entire life and all the experiences that I've had.

I recently attended a networking luncheon that had two amazing and powerful women as the speakers.  Melody Biringer the creator of the wildly successful CRAVE books was talking about being a serial entrepreneur.  She shared that when she was trying to decide the best direction to take her CRAVE business in she flew to Amsterdam to spend time working on her plan.  She chose Amsterdam because of the cookies.  When I first heard her say that she'd been to Amsterdam not once but twice I instantly envied her and wanted to be able to go there too.  As quickly as the thought came it also left.

The next speaker was Sandra Yancey the founder of eWomen Network who spoke of how we create the life that we are currently living. If we want to live a different life it is up to us to create it. It's easy to see successful people talking about creating the life of their dreams then dismiss what they say with a "Yes but you don't understand that it's harder for me because..." Sandra shared how she was on the brink of bankruptcy with the utility companies leaving shut off notices on her door. Yet she persevered towards her dream of building eWomen Network and now enjoys great success as the owner of a multi-million dollar international company.

I've found that it's easier to live in "the yes buts" than to dare to follow my dream.  However when I live in the "yes but's" I am miserable because I know in my heart of hearts that the life of my dreams is within my power to create. It's funny how hard it can be to let go of the familiar life that causes us pain to start walking towards the life we dream of because we don't know what lies in store forus along the way.

I've made the decision many, MANY times to step out of my comfort zone, through the fear of the unknown to let go of the painful life I'm comfortable with in order to create the life I really want with all my heart.  My willingness to let go of my fear of the unknown has resulted in:

• Letting go of a marriage full of pain in order to gain a marriage that is filled with love, support and happiness.  (Same man completely different marriage) 
• Being able to share my gifts with others in a meaningful, empowering and impactful way.
• Travel to amazing places filled with exciting experiences like taking a zipline tour in Puerto Vallarta with my family. Swimming with dolphins in Cabo San Lucas. Experiencing the challenge courses at Miraval spa in Arizona. Snowshoeing in the cascades and the Methow Valley.  Downhill skiing in Washington, Idaho and Canada.  The list goes on and on.
• Completing numerous sprint distance triathlons, numerous 1, 1.5 and 2 mile open water swims, numerous 5K's, completing half of the MS 150 bike ride as well as 5K obstacle courses.
• Creating the sanctuary of my dreams which happens to be my current home.  I kept looking elsewhere for the longest time until I realized that I could turn my current home into my dream home.  When I shifted from looking outside to looking inward it became clear that I already had everything I needed and wanted to create my sanctuary home.  
• Realizing that my life can be ANYTHING that I want it to be.  All I have to do is: Know what I want and ASK for it. Be unapologetically ME. Define what success is for ME.
• Gratitude for all aspects of my life.  I couldn't be the person I am today without having had the experiences that I've had - both good and bad.

It's easy to look at the outside of someone's life and feel envious, of wanting what they have, of feeling as if we've gotten the short end of the stick but at the end of the day our life is our responsibility.  We are the ones that create the life we live.  We are the ones who decide how we look at our lives whether it's through the eyes of envy or the eyes of gratitude. By taking responsibility for our life and our actions we step into the greatest gift we can give ourselves - the gift of creation.

What will YOU create?

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

Listen to my weekly radio show Let's Talk every Thursday from 9-10 AM PST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-malocha

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

I finally got sick and tired of fighting as hard as I could just to keep my head above the mental water line of drowning.  I saw a doctor I trust completely who I knew would walk with me through the decision of what medication if any that I needed to take.  This was one of the most challenging decisions I've ever had to make.  You see I had a lot of judgements about better living through pharmacology that I had to overcome.  I'm so glad I did though because I was able to find a medication that over the past month has made a world of difference in my life which in turn has made a huge difference in the lives of those I love the most and the lives of those around me.

I was able to venture out into a large gathering last night because of the balancing effect of the medication.  I went mainly to push myself out of the protective cocoon I've been living in and into a situation that made me feel uncomfortable and boy am I glad I went!

I had numerous people come up to me and tell me what a positive impact I've had on them.  The things they shared with me surprised me and touched me deeply because I had no idea what impact I had had in their lives. It was both a humbling and empowering experience for me.  The experience reminded me that when we are locked in our own heads we rarely see the world around us clearly and we certainly don't see how we impact others or the gifts that we bring into the world just by being ourselves.

I make mistakes all the time, I can be self absorbed and judgmental, petty and small minded which leads me to be extremely harsh with how I see myself.  I try not to be but I'm only human - we all are.  It's funny how easy it is to see how AMAZING other people are, how talented, inspiring and kind they are, how brightly their 'Little Light of Mine' their Christ light shines through.  What if we saw ourselves as others saw us?  What would our lives look like?  Starting today rather than focusing on our limitations and shortcomings let's do our best to focus on the Glory that is made manifest in each and every one of us and look at ourselves through the eyes of others.  Who knows what might happen!

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

Listen to my weekly radio show Let's Talk every Thursday from 9-10 AM PST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-malocha

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page

A couple of months ago I started to teach water fitness classes at the local YMCA, the average age of the people in my class is 70.  There are people in their 30's as well as people in their 80's.  Many have had some type of surgery: back, hip and/or knee replacement or shoulder surgery but not all.  The thing that they ALL do have in common is their ability to move. 

In fact I recently came across a study on how exercise affects Alzheimer's.  It was FASCINATING!  The study had two groups.  One group engaged in walking the other in gentle stretching.  The walking group had to walk a minimum of 10 minutes a day but could walk more and the gentle stretching group only stretched for a minimum of 10 minutes.  Each group showed a reduction in the the part of the brain that is directly related to Alzheimer's reducing the impact and slowing the progression of the disease and in some cases arresting the progression.  What would YOU be willing to do today to help prevent Alzheimer's tomorrow?  Would you be willing to walk at least 10 minutes everyday?

Walking is one of the best medicines today for treatment AND prevention of things like: Type II diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Metabolic Syndrome just to name a few.  When it comes to things like Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalia movement is the BEST thing a person can do.  It is also the most challenging.  It hurts to move however if you don'tmove it hurts even more.  Light weights with a lot of repetitions help arrest the progression of Fibromyalgia which allows greater pain free movement which in turn creates an opportunity for a higher quality of life.  That's a win-win!

People are living much longer and enjoying better health than 20 years ago in large part due to advances in both science and medicine as well as better nutrition choices.  Even with all of these advances the quality of our senior years still boils down to our activity levels when we're younger.  Sir Isaac Newton discovered basic Laws the most important to me for a longer, healthier, more active and happier life is:  A body at rest stays at rest and a body in motion stays in motion.

Let's all of us STAY in motion for the rest of our lives shall we?  Even if it's only for 10 minutes a day.  When you really stop to think about it it 10 minutes is a pretty small investment for a lifetime of enjoyment isn't it?

Here's to you in Health, Wellness and Fitness!

Jennifer Malocha CEO of Fun at Wuhoo Fitness

jennifer@wuhoofitness.com

www.wuhoofitness.com

Click here to purchase YOUR signed copy of Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

Listen to my weekly radio show Let's Talk every Thursday from 9-10 AM PST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-malocha

PS Check out the new videos posted on the Wuhoo Fitness podcast/vidcast page