Gym time - remove the resistance of going and you're there!

Ok. So lots of us are trying to lose weight in January, especially actors. It’s pilot season! Tons of auditioning is going on and you need to look and stay trim in front of the camera, right!

So, why is it often so hard to get to the gym? I think we don’t go there, because we resist it.

So, how to do we get to the gym? I wondered the same thing and that’s how I decided to write this post. Ok, truth? I’ve been a personal trainer for a very long time, well over a decade. And in 2006, I had a hard time getting to the gym for myself. And I really wanted to be in my best shape, but I wasn’t. I could feel that I wasn’t at my best even if others couldn’t. And you can feel yours. If you’re not at your best, you know it. Period.

So removing resistance is much easier than forcing yourself to go to the gym. So, how do you do that? I do it by asking myself questions. Instead of telling myself I should or trying to convince myself to go, I remove my resistance. Now I say, “Ok, what will help me get to the gym? And what can do I to reward myself if I go? And what else can I do to support my effort?”

There are tons of answers. Here is a list that my clients, my friends and I created. We answered the question: What can help me get to the gym.

Go at the time of day you want to go even if it takes longer.
Go first thing in the morning so it’s done and then you can get on with your day.
Create a reward for myself before or after.
Get a protein smoothie that you enjoy before to help you through the workout.
Give yourself a treat afterwards.
Since my gym is right next to the movie theatre, I could time it to get in a work out and then go to see a movie right afterwards.
Someone else gives herself a paid massage after she goes to the gym 6 times (which is approximately every two weeks).
Buy some clothes that make you feel good working out – so many things are on sale right now.
Buy a new pair of sneakers
Buy the perfect shorts or tights that work for you
Buy t-shirts that make you feel good or make you look thin or buff or however you want to look.
Buy new socks. Seriously, someone made that suggestion. He likes to know his feet aren’t going to blister when he’s running on the treadmill.
Get a trainer or find a workout buddy (recognize these are just suggestions) – take a class at your gym if you can’t find a buddy. Some of these people are serious folks and the teachers are often very good these days.
Tell yourself you’ll take a shorter time at the gym. You don’t have to stay long. Just get in and get out.
Remind yourself and focus on how great you’re going to feel having worked out.
Remind yourself and focus on how great you’ll look having worked out regularly.

Once we get there, most of us are glad to be there. We don’t mind putting in the work. So, good luck. I tell my clients, the biggest part of your training is just showing up. So, decide you’re going to show up. Even if you’re not in show business, we all have to show up sometime! Let me know how it goes!

Sarah Jean

Caffeine - done in 2007

On November 07, 2005, I wrote a blog "Caffeine - to quit 0r not to quit." I quit on November 4th as stated in the blog and then by December 5, I'd begun drinking it again. The pressures of work, pursuing an acting career and holiday events contributed to my returning to my Grand Mocha Latte habit.

Interesting enough, Star Bucks is not all bad. I began going by the one on the way to work and ran in to one of the casting agents who cast me in a commercial last year. He gave me positive feedback as well just fun time talking. Also, I'd begun developing a relationship of sorts with an agent whom I admire. And I recently met a guy who works on CSI: Miami. It's fun chatting with all of them as well all waited for our various drinks. So though I'm giving it up, caffeine has had some great benefits for me....much of them social and work-related. And how many of us run in to friends and they say,” Let’s get together for coffee." Tons in the entertainment industry...and some outside of it, too.

So I struggled through all of 2006 with this caffeine issue. I've wanted to give it up because I'm highly sensitive to it, and I feel I actually have more energy when I'm not using it. I also know there are lots of other negative side effects over the years. So, I'm stopping now.

I realized that the social aspect of caffeine, particularly going by Starbucks in the mornings, was the single biggest factor keeping myself hooked. Once I realized it and could let it go, I decided to quit the day I returned to my day job in 2007. Lucky me, I didn't have to go back until Monday January 8th. I decided I wouldn't even try to quit over the holiday. I kept telling myself I'd cut back to a tall, but every time I went in I ordered a grande. I couldn't do it.

Over the holiday, I did lots of fun things including going to see Hans Christian King, a clairvoyant, speak at the Bohdi Tree. He said, if you want to stop doing something quit putting energy toward it. That was three days before I went back to work.

So, that's what I did. I just stopped putting energy toward it. I drove right past the Star Bucks and distracted myself so I wouldn't think about it. At work, my buddies were asking me about quitting again. I just said,"I quit. So, I'm not talking about it any more." This was really cool. They all supported me, and now we talk about other things. So, magically, I've been able to replace my coffee time with other things.

Coffee took up a minimum of 20 minutes per day for me and who knows the countless hours over the years that I spent sipping at lunches, dinners, and meetings. If you're looking for free time, consider getting some of it by giving up bad habits. I'm surprised how much time has been freed for me.

I also new coffee was a pacifier for having to go to a day job that I've outgrown but affords me the flexibility to go to auditions whenever I need. So, I'm also now faced with things that I will want to change in 2007. I'll keep you posted on my blog as I make changes.

There are tons of other things that are helping me make changes, too. Tons of the new age books I've read since I was 16 say that you have to change your mind and your life will change. It's true. And you have to spend some time thinking about it as well. It's not simple. If it were, I wouldn't still be talking about quitting caffeine over a year later. But this time, I'm really done. You can be, too, if you want to or if you give yourself the tools you need to support you while you make the change.

If there's something you want to give up or change, I recommend you change your mind. Some helpful tools I recommend are: "The Secret" which summarizes years of reading that I've done, so maybe you can watch it and get the shortcut to changing your life and make wonderful changes; any books by Wayne Dyer whose book "Your Erroneous Zones" started my new age journey when I was a teenager; Deepak Chopra or any new age author that resonates for you. Especially for artists and entrepreneurs, I recommend "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, who caused me to leave a corporate marketing career and become an actor.

And of course, I recommend hearing Hans King speak as well. I think he's the one who struck the final chord to help me kick the caffeine habit. I'm just not paying attention to it any more.

Happy New Year!

For Your Consideration

“For your consideration” is an expression that begins appearing in the industry trades in mid-October and refers to the awards shows for movies, actors, etc. Today, however, this piece is for you and your life.

Did you complete everything you wanted to do? Did you take every opportunity that came your way? Was last year perfect? Are you fulfilled in all areas of your life? Are you completely fulfilled in your acting career (or career if you're a non-actor)? If you said yes to all of these questions, then you are truly magnificent and need not read further. If you’re human like me and most of us, then you can answer no to at least some of these questions and more questions like them.

The beginning of a new year usually has us pondering the year past and the goals for the year just beginning. The questions above cover not only your career but also opportunities in your life. Personally, I’d rather not dwell much on 2006, partly because it is my nature to live in the present and occasionally in the future and partly because, this past year, I think I learned my lessons as I went. Therefore, I leave them open-ended for you to consider for your life.

2006 was not rose-colored for me, but rather, it was strewn with growthful challenges and a few sad events. Oddly enough amidst my challenges were successes. I would prefer to focus on the successes for the remainder of this blog having shared some of my lessons previously.

In 2006, I had a long running Wells Fargo commercial that is still running for which I am truly grateful. It only took 12 years of working as an actor to book it. I’ve had other commercials for which I am grateful, but this one ran longer and felt more professional for some reason. Perhaps, I’m more professional and more skilled. As I consider the last sentence, I understand I am more professional and more skilled. Are you? This is something for you to consider.

I had some exciting auditions for a number of quality episodics and several movies. I booked none of them, but had some callbacks and felt great that the casting directors were willing to bring me in the auditions. Their trust in me is on the rise. Trust is important, because their jobs on are the line every time they bring you in. So, you owe it to yourself and the casting director to be professional. Your job as an actor is primarily to act, and yet, it is equally as important for you to present yourself professionally and reflect well upon people who take a chance on you. Being a businesswoman first and an actor second, I’ve almost always behaved professionally. The area where I needed to work most was in gaining confidence in my acting, and perhaps, in myself. The aspect of behaving professionally comes more easily from years of experience in the corporate world and from owning my own businesses. I feel particularly fortunate that I just like people and prefer to treat people kindly and with respect. The work I’ve done in my acting and on myself is beginning to pay off and open opportunities for me. Do you behave professionally and treat people kindly? Is your work beginning to pay off? Should you consider it?

So, did you work in 2006? Did you work as much as you would have liked? What is it that you need in order to get more work? Are you a terrific actor, but lack professionalism? Are you a professionally well-behaved person who needs to hone your acting skills? What is it? Were you unlucky? If so, how can you create good luck for yourself in 2007? Even Judi Dench says she works very hard and goes from one project to the next without a break, because she’s “afraid the next call won’t come.” The next call will come for Judi. And it will come for you, too, if you do what you need to do. What do you need to do now? What do you need to do for yourself and your career in 2007? These questions are for your consideration.

Wishing you clarity, prosperity, happiness and excellent health in 2007!
Happy New Year!
Sincerely, Sarah Jean