Vaughn Life Coaching is Closing Shop

It has been a good ride, but all good things must come to an end. I'm closing Vaughn Life Coaching, but when one door closes, another one opens. I want to take my whole approach to personal development in a new direction and I'm starting out this journey with a new business. The general idea is similar to what I've done with Vaughn Life Coaching, but with a focus on two things...

1. An adaptable conversational approach to meet the needs of the client.
2. A structured developmental plan to ensure that goals are set properly, tracked, and achieved.

The new business and approach is named ......

I'm in need of a reboot and I think this transition will be good for me and for my clients. My goal is to be able to sit down with people, be their friend, act as a sounding board for their ideas, offer guidance, and teach them how the principles of quality control can help them live a quality life.

So, what's the fate of this blog? I plan on leaving it and my website up until the domain expires next year. After that I'll move the blog to a free hosting site. I haven't decided if Q Sessions will have a blog like this one, but if you like Q Sessions on Facebook you'll get all the latest news.

I'm still getting everything ready for an official launch in the near future, but for now you can visit www.qsessions.com to see what it's all about. Thank you for your support over the years! Feel free to send me an email or facebook message every once in a while. I hope we can keep in touch!


Sincerely,

Kyle Vaughn

No Pain No Gain

If you can't tell, this is supposed to be a 1000X magnification of my bicep. Don't you love it after a good work out when you're sore in muscles you didn't even know you had? That's been the unintended theme of my week.

Before Picture and Goals

Yes. Here is my official “before” picture. My wife pointed out that I should have worn a “Where’s the Beef?” t-shirt instead. If you would like to send your thanks that I didn’t take a picture with my shirt off, my email is kyle@vaughnlifecoaching.com. If I put on 20 pounds of muscle; however, and if you’re lucky, I’ll wax my chest for a good “after” picture.

It’s time to set some fitness goals. I’ll be working out an average of an hour a day for the rest of the year, but that isn’t my goal. My goal is to improve my scores from the President’s Challenge Adult Fitness Test, thereby improving my overall health. Any good goal needs to fit the standard criteria, so let’s review. Every goal should be SMART.

Specific
Measurable
Appealing
Realistic
Timed

Specific – I will be able to do 50 Pushups, 70 half situps, run 2 miles in 16 minutes, and touch my toes.

Measurable – I will measure my progress quarterly.

Appealing – I want to do this to feel better about my fitness, to be able to play with my kids when I’m older and so I can, um… touch my toes whenever I want.

Realistic – When I was in better shape I was close to reaching these goals, so I believe I can get back to that point.

Timed – I have until the end of the year. If I reach my goal before then, I’ll increase the challenge.

Goals also need action steps. Action steps are the things you’ll actually be doing to achieve your goal.

1. Exercise an average of 1 hour each day
2. Research best exercises for the results I want
3. Develop exercise plan (Yoga, calisthenics, weight training, running, tennis, etc…)
4. Track fitness improvement over time

Want an easy way to track your own fitness goals? Check out http://www.livestrong.com/ or http://www.caloriecount.com/ You can track your exercise, weight loss, and calorie intake for free!

Fitness Test Results

I took my fitness test yesterday and confirmed exactly what I expected. I have plenty of room for improvement.

Here are my stats...

I'm a male (contrary to what my strength test suggests)
27 Years Old
5'10" Tall
150 Pounds

I always knew I was inflexible, but WHAT?! Fifth Percentile? I know what I need to work on now.

When I was in better shape, I could do a lot more push-ups. I think I can improve that score with a little bit of training.

Sit-Ups have never been a favorite of mine, but I'll work on those too.

I'm surprised my aerobic score was so good.

In summary, my future workouts are going to be different than I expected as a result of this fitness test. I expected to be running, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and lifting weights, but I had no idea it would consist of this...

Exercise an Average of One Hour Each Day

It's recommended that you exercise for an average of one hour every day to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off.
Don't get scared off! I will be attempting all of these recommendations as written, but you can adapt them to your own goals. If an hour of exercise a day is simply too much, set your own goal that you consider to be challenging, yet achievable. 

Happy New Year! I'm excited about 2012 and all the changes I'll be making in my life. I encourage you to follow along with me! It will NOT be easy, but if we do it together we just might make it to 2013 with some healthier habits and happier lives.

The very first recommendation of the year comes from Nick Rainey, the head personal trainer at Body4Change. Nick has been a certified personal trainer since 2008. He has a Bachelor's of Science in Exercise Science with a minor in Nutrition from Brigham Young University. He's a certified Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Posture Specialist (I'm probably a posture specialist's worst nightmare). He is also currently in school to become a Physical Therapy Doctor. He has some great advice, so I'm sure we'll be hearing more recommendations from him throughout the year.

So, here's the recommendation in Nick's words...

"The National Weight Control Registry claims that people who lose and keep a significant amount of weight off exercise an average of an hour each day. The reason exercise is so important is that it raises your metabolism. Your body burns more calories the whole day if you exercise. Nothing else can replace exercise. There are many ways to exercise. While some exercise may be more effective than others, any kind of exercise is better than no exercise. People always ask me what I think of certain exercise programs. I recommend people do exercise they'll keep doing. The best workout programs in the world are useless if they're not done. The key is to find something you like and do it!"
      --Nick Rainey

It's not just exercising for an hour, but actually enjoying it so you keep it up! I know that for me the only physical activities I can say I really enjoy are tennis and running around outside with my daughter. These aren't that easy to do in the middle of a Utah winter. I can also enjoy things like running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc..., but only if I'm seeing results.

That's why today I'm taking a fitness test to measure my current fitness level. Then, throughout the year, as I exercise an hour a day and follow future recommendations from Nick, I can measure my progress. The test I'll be using is called The President's Challenge Adult Fitness Test. It involves walking a mile, sit-ups, push-ups, a flexibility test, and calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI). Tomorrow I'll publish my results so everyone can know how weak I am :) I'll also set some goals for improvement.

So check back throughout the week to see where my starting point is and how I plan to achieve my goals. From here you should...

"Like" Vaughn Life Coaching on Facebook - This way I can keep you updated on new posts and other news.
Sign up for life coaching and start creating the life you want! - For January only, you can enter the promo code "new year" to get 20% off any coaching service.


Resources

Body4Change Website (www.body4change.com) - Sign up for Personal Training, Boot Camp, In Home Training, or even Online Training! If you want your best chance at seeing results, sign up with Body4Change today.

The President's Challenge Adult Fitness Test (www.adultfitnesstest.org) - This is where I'll be doing my fitness test. It's really simple. Just follow the instructions, submit your info, and you'll get a fitness score plus info about how to improve over time.

Nick Rainey's Website (www.sixweekworkoutprogram.com) - Here you'll find information about Nick's book, a few healthy recipes, and Nick's health and fitness blog.

The National Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.ws) - This organization tracks the progress of over 10,000 individuals who have successfully lost weight and kept it off. They have some interesting statistics that are worth looking at.

It's Recommended That...

Daily Motto

The best way to get the most out of any given day is to have some motto or theme directing that day's activities.   A motto is more than a goal, it's a summary of the motivation behind your goals, so it affects every aspect of your day and not just one particular goal.

Today I could make my motto, "Work Hard. Play Hard". Any time I'm doing something considered to be work, I'd put all my focus and energy into it. I'd be more efficient and more productive. When not working, it's time for play. The same focus and energy I put into my work would be put into having a good time. I'd play a new game, do some new activity with my family, or revisit our favorite things to do. I'd concentrate on having fun and enjoying every second of it.

My family motto is factis definiri "defined by deeds". If I chose this to be my focus for the day, I would constantly be on the lookout for people to serve. While working I'd look for some way to go above and beyond the call of duty to help someone out, and the rest of the day I would serve my family and community any way I could.

There are a ton of mottos out there. Here's a list of some used by companies and organizations. You can try to adapt some of these, look for others, or make up your own. Whatever motto you choose, remember it throughout the day. Email yourself about it, put it on your calendar, or wear a piece of string on your finger to remind you and redirect your focus.

Make this Monday live up to your expectations. Create a motto and allow it to guide your actions today.