We are in the last few days of January! How did you do on keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? Or even better, sticking to working towards your 2012 goals? It’s a great time to check in, make sure you are on track and re-focus as need.

If one of your goals was to lose weight and eat healthy, here are a few tips to help you stay on track for the next 30 days (or 29, since Feb only has 29 days!):

1. Keep your heart healthy this month – it’s National Heart Health Month. Simple things you can do include – 30-60 minutes of exercise a day, quit smoking and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
2. What does a healthy, balanced diet looks like? Think of a dinner plate – half of it should be vegetables (salad, stir fry, raw veggies for example), 1/4 protein (size of the palm of your hand) and 1/4 whole grains (barley, quinoa, brown rice).
3. Drink water. Lots of water. Juice has no place in a healthy diet, especially for kids. There is no fibre in juice and it’s high glycemic so it tends to spike blood sugar levels.
4. Enjoy your 1-2 cups of java a day though! Coffee has many anti-oxidants and even Dr. Oz recommends it. Just remember to balance out your coffee intake with a good quality calcium supplement!  I choose USANA Health Sciences pharmaceutical grade products for myself and my family.
5. Give lots of hugs and kisses! This helps you stay in a happier mood, and it’s easy to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle when you’re happy. In fact, it’s recommended that you give at least 12 hugs a day. The bonus is that you’ll receive 12 hugs in return.

What do you do on a daily basis to stay on track for your health? Is there anything in particular that you do to keep your heart healthy?

Last week I had a great opportunity to spend some time with a number of amazing leaders, including the President of USANA Health Sciences, Kevin Guest. I spent much of the weekend reflecting on this amazing week and all of the people I connected with. It got me thinking about some of the qualities that these leaders all shared and I wanted to share them with you.

Passion – Not only are leaders passionate about what they do for a living,  they are passionate about life! They are also committed to helping others find their passion as well.

Faith – There are many ways faith can be defined. It can be faith in God, the Universe, Allah, Buddah – or even just a very strong faith in yourself. All leaders have faith in themselves, their teams, their goals and their dreams. And this unwavering faith is a key to their success.

Humility – The greatest leaders are the ones who rarely toot their own horn. In fact, they are the ones that will be rewarding and thanking everyone else – they are the first in line to offer congratulations and the first ones to send flowers.

Perseverance – Amazing leaders realize that there is no such thing as overnight success. To be successful at anything takes years of dedication and practice. They have been through challenges and made mistakes, but they stick to their plan and continue to work towards their dreams.

Ability to Inspire – A true leader does not motivate people, rather they inspire people to take action, to make a difference, to follow their dreams, to set goals and to live the life they have always dreamed of. The lead with their actions, and these actions are what inspire others.

Lifelong learning – They are never satisfied with what they already know. They are always reading, listening. learning and watching. They understand that the world around them is every changing, so they must continue to learn and adapt to stay ahead.

And finally, a true leader is not afraid to love. To love what they do, to love the people they work with, to love every situation they end up in – even the most difficult ones.

I would to hear from you about any qualities I may have missed!

In my last newsletter, I talked about preparing a few things on a Sunday to help you stay on track during the week. Here are few suggestions to help you keep a healthy diet all week long:

• Slice raw veggies, such as colourful peppers, broccoli, mushrooms (or buy them pre-sliced), celery and carrots (or buy baby carrots) and store in clear plastic or glass containers. They will be handy for a snack (dip in hummus!) or a stir fry
• Bake or poach 3-4 chicken breasts (above what you need for dinner), let them cool and store in a container in the fridge
• Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and one cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 min. Let cool and either store as is, or make it into a salad with feta cheese, cilantro and grape tomatoes. Add a bit of balsamic vinaigrette when serving.
• Hard-boil 4-6 eggs, great to add to salads, wraps or just as a great snack with some raw veggies.
• Wash, cut and prep fruit such as cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries and grapes. Mix in small containers for ready-made fruit salad to be added to yogurt.
• Prepare a bean salad for a great side dish with lunch or dinner. My favorite is adapted from the Low GI Diet Cookbook – I’ll share it at the end.

Now when you look at your fridge on a Monday morning, there will be lots of options for healthy lunches and dinners to start your week.  Usually by Wednesday evening I am doing some of the set-up again to get through the week, as we have often already eaten all that was prepared.

Here is my adaptation of the Mixed Bean Salsa from the Low GI Diet Cookbook.

• 1 can mixed beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), chopped
• 1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
• a few dashes of hot pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and lightly toss. Refrigerate unused portions. Makes approx. 6 side servings.

Happy Healthy Eating this week!

2012 is already gaining momentum, but before we get too, I wanted to take a quick look at what I learned in 2011 from my first full year as a mom.

• Being a full-time mom is a very challenging career. And even though I thought it was the career I wanted, turns out that’s not the case. It took me almost the full year to come to a balance that works for us, 3 days at Day Care, 2 days with mom and the weekend with mom and dad.
• Kids can be stubborn. And frustrating. Especially when they are still not able to properly communicate what they want most of the time.
• Kids can also be hilarious and laugh at the silliest things, like a good game of pee-a-boo.
• The house is never going to be as clean as I would like it to be. And that’s ok.
• Have a child is stressful on the relationship with your partner. It takes more work than before to keep that part of my life in check. Date night has to be NON-NEGOTIABLE!
• It’s ok to let my husband be a dad and to step back and let him take care of things.
• That patience is essential for sanity and taking a step back once in a while, taking a deep breath and counting to 10, can be very helpful.
• It’s easy to smile when your child gives you a hug and a kiss.
• Being a mom finally helped me to understand many of the challenges my mom friends had in their lives.
• And finally, that there aren’t enough words in any language to describe how much I love my daughter and how much it grows every day.

I would love to hear from you about some of the things you’ve learned this year as a mom or dad. Check in on the comments below.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2012 with open arms! I am very excited for this year. There is a definite energy shift that seems to happen between the end of Dec and the beginning of January. Have you had a chance to write out your goals for 2012 and beyond? Did you update your vision board recently? What do you have in store for 2012?

A great way to get your plan into action for this year is to start with a review of 2011 by asking yourself a few questions:

• What did I accomplish in 2011? Take a look at all aspects of your life, including health, family, business or career and finances.
• What key learnings did I have in 2011? Did you go through a particularly challenging experience? Or perhaps learned a new skill?
• Is there anything I would do differently this year?
• Who did I spend my time with in 2011? Who would I like to spend my time with in 2012?
• What habits or behaviours did I choose to do in 2011, that might not serve me in 2012? For example, checking email before getting out of bed in the morning.

This activity should take about 45-60 min to complete. At that point it will be easier to start building a plan for 2012. I promise that if you take the time to create a vision and plan your goals for this year (and the next 5 years), that when you look back at the end of 2012, you’ll have accomplished most, if not all of the goals you set out.  If you’re still not sure how to do all of this, that’s ok! Send me a quick email at julie@inspiredbyjuliecaroline.com and we’ll set up a coaching session.

My top goals for 2012 include:

1. Buying a home
2. Doubling my income over 2011
3. Competing in triathlons again this summer

Share your top 3 goals for this year in the comments below! Making your goals public is a great step to success.

Ever watch a movie or tv show that made you cry? How about one that scared you or even gave you nightmares? Or even more fun, one that gave you an idea or sparked a dream? Did you know that our minds think in pictures? Our brain doesn’t know the difference between what is real (happening in our REAL lives) and what is not (happening on television or in a movie).  If you stop to think about it for a second – why do we cry when a FICTIONAL character is sick, injured or dies in a book, tv show or a movie? Sure, part of it is that the background music is often heart-wrenching but beyond that, we have created a REAL connection between the characters and ourselves.

What does this have to do with this time of year? Soon, Christmas and Boxing Day will have passed and it’s time for everyone to create New Year’s Resolutions. This year, I suggest create a few “NYR” that are visual and create pictures in your mind. This is one of the tricks to helping your NYR stick! Here are a few suggestions:

• Create a Vision Board
• Write a movie script of your own life, what you would like it to be in 5 or 10 years
• Make a video with your family, talking about Christmas 2012 and how your lives are different (speak in the present tense)
• Find images on the web that inspire you and make a screen saver or background for your computer
• Create a photo album (yes, print photos) of your NYR goals – so if you want to lose weight, put a photo of yourself at your ideal weight (if you don’t have one, find someone who looks like you!). Or if you want to exercise more, put photos of people hiking, playing sports and exercising. Look at it every night before bed.
• Take a HUGE Post-it note and write down (in the present tense) all of the NYR you have and post it on your wall. Use words that inspire you – “I feel amazing now that I have quit smoking”, “I am inspired by my daily walks in nature”
• Or anything else that inspires you to be creative with your NYR!!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!! See you in 2012!

Do you make the same tired resolutions every January and by January 15th, you’ve already given up? Would you like to learn how to create goals that are achievable and how to stay focused beyond the middle of January? What if you could create a vision and design your life for the next 5 years and beyond? Let’s face it – the next 5 years are going to pass us by and it’s what you do TODAY that determines what that future will look like.

From now until Friday, I’m offering a very special coaching and mentoring opportunity for a few select individuals who would love to really change the course of their lives over the next 5 years. We’ll work together on creating your vision and translating that into 1, 3 and 5 year goals. I’ll provide you will the keys to making them stick over the long term.  And I know from experience how powerful and effective these strategies can be.

As a bonus, you will also receive a bonus gift to kick-start your Wellness Program in 2012. All of this for only $199! Register by the end of the day on Friday and book your session during the week of Jan 2-5th.

If you’re tired of waking up to the same results every day, frustrated because you’re not making as much money as you’d like, disappointed that you still haven’t reached your wellness goals and just plain fed up with being average, email me today – julie@inspiredbyjuliecaroline.com

To your ultimate success in 2012!!

This is a very special blog post dedicated to my dad, Jérôme Boyer. There are so many things that he has done throughout my life to help me be successful, but there are two very key things that I wanted to share with you today.

When I first started my business back in 2006, my parents were my first associates. They have always been amazing at supporting me. My dad never really got involved, he did use the products for a while but the habit didn’t stick.  He did give me one referral though. A good friend of his, Peter, has a daughter, who is my age. At that time, she had just opened a personal training studio. Jérôme suggested to Peter that she and I should connect about this Usana thing I was doing. It was a great referral, because through that connection, I met Brian, another trainer. Over 3 years later, Brian is now working at One Health Clubs, and when they mentioned they were looking at bringing supplements on board, Brian thought of me and Usana. Long story short, we are now partnered with One Health Clubs and it’s the start of an amazing journey together.

The second thing is a card he gave me back on June 26th, 2007.  I believe I had just level advanced in my business. It’s one of those Blue Mountain Arts cards. I have had it on my bulletin board for over 4 years because the poem has inspired me daily.

“Success is what happens when you don’t give up. Your dreams are just around the corner – waiting to come true … I believe in you, and I know your hard work, persistence, and dedication will pay off. And when they do… they will be extra sweet because you will know you have earned your rewards. I’m proud of you, and I hope you will achieve all that you wish for – and more.”

This post is for you Jérôme, I love you and thank-you for your amazing support!

This past month, I achieved one of my life goals. I became a Gold Director in Usana Health Sciences.  For those outside of Usana and networking marketing, this is the first step in our Leadership levels. Simply put, it’s a matter of achieving a certain sales goals (with my team) every Friday, for 4 weeks straight. Every Saturday, we started again at 0. It’s a kind of business marathon. This is a goal I have had ever since I started my business almost 6 years ago.

I wanted to share with you some of the amazing things I learned and saw during these 4 weeks. One of the most challenging things I have come across over the past 6 years, is learning to have patience.  I have been confronted with many challenges to try my patience and often, I would not be able to deal with it. It has been said that the only way to build patience is to be giving trials again and again, until we finally develop it. That is what happened over the month of November. There were so many moments where I had to be patient, waiting for a call back, someone to enter an order, a credit card number, a follow-up call, a scheduled appointment – and what I found is that I was finally able to deal with the waiting, by remaining calm and centered, and having FAITH.

Faith is something else that I have really struggled with for many years. This past year, I started attending my local French church. And even though it has only been a year, I have noticed that it is easier for me to have faith. Going to church isn’t required to build faith, because you can have faith in any number of people or deities – it’s really up to you.  Having faith in God or the Universe or whatever it may be, that is what is most important. And for me, it took going to church and developing my faith in God in order to have faith in all of the aspects of my life.

Most importantly, what I saw was an incredible amount of personal growth and leadership from my team. This is the first time where a team is ESSENTIAL for success, in fact, it’s not recommended to even attempt this challenge without a solid team. I saw my leaders step up into their greatness, many of them creating orders out of thin air (or so it seemed). They took on the role of leadership within their teams as well, and inspired a collective moment to succeed together. Many of them also achieved new levels and other recognition. And those who were really by my side the whole time, well, they are now ready to achieve some of their major life goals as well.

This is only the beginning of something truly amazing. I love what I do and the people that I do it with. I am excited to get up in the morning to work with my team. It energizes me to work with like-minded people who are working towards new goals every single week. We are caught up in an amazing momentum right now, and it’s really fantastic. I am so grateful and so honoured to be a part of this. And I am inspired by my team and all of their successes.

When was the last time you achieved a life goal? How did it feel for you? Please share with us in the comments below.

Some of you may have noticed that I have been a little bit MIA on my blog this month. I promise to reveal all after tomorrow!! I will share this – I have learned more about myself and my teammates this month then I ever thought possible. I have been blessed with a few little miracles here and there, and my faith has been tested. And I have never felt more gratitude in my life then I have over the past month.

It all culminates tomorrow – and many of you who are reading this know exactly what I’m talking about and have a been a huge part of my success.

I’m looking forward to sharing it will all of you over the weekend!!