The ShapeUp Blog

So, how’s the boxing going? Have we achieved any results yet?
Yes, a little. But it should also be said that we might have cheated a few times, maybe we haven’t exactly been training two times a week …
But we have managed to do a few workout sessions, and we already feel a little firmer, stronger and healthier.

But oh my, it was tough in the beginning!
Here’s our first week:
Session 1:
Everything feels fine. We are going to get so fit! Motivation is on top.

Session 2:
Still going strong. Feeling good, motivation has waned somewhat. But what the heck, if you want to look fit you just have to keep on going.

Session 3:
The thought of eating a pound of worms seems more pleasant than actually dealing with today’s workout.

Now there’s only one thing left that can get us to continue, persistence!

We decide to be more stubborn than our sofa lying alter egos.
Plus, the times you get through the workout program, even though it’s the last thing on earth you want to do, it feels a thousand times better afterwards! Adrenaline is pumping in your body, and you feel like Superman himself.

So even though I have been stuck in long discussions with myself, thinking about action plans that could be applied if today’s training session would be canceled. I devised detailed persuasion plans for Martin on the reasons why we should not work out today, but we still did it.
And I promise, just do a couple of workouts and after a while you’ll be totally hooked on how good you feel and you will actually like to work out even more. I know, sounds totally weird, but it’s like that. The more you do it the more fun it becomes. Tough truth, which probably a lot of us known since we were kids, I  just didn’t want to believe in it…

Ok, stop with the blathering!
Lets go do some workout, watch out superman, here we come!

Well, let’s face it. Is the end of May now, the bikini season is probably already here for some of you.
Perhaps your goal was to be super fit for beach 2010, and now that’s just an impossible task.

What to do now? Giving up may seem like the only sane option.

No! Don’t give up!
So what, maybe you didn’t do all those runs and gym-visits you planned to do, and maybe you did treat yourself with one or two (…or three or four) pieces of candy a few days a week (…or like every day, every week).
Yep, I know how it is. I’m in just that situation right now. Summer is approaching me in a dangerously speed, and I’m stuck in my office staring out the window in fear of when the sun is really gonna hit Sweden and force me in to the very much too small bikini!
(Yes, I bought it with the intension “No worries, it will fit and make me look awesome when summer is here.” Don’t do that, never works! And yet this is not the first time I buy clothes which are a bit too tight hoping it will fit soon.)

But I know it feels tough now, and you don’t see the point of even thinking of trying anymore.

Don’t stop, because this is when you start feeling even more bad about yourself!

Ok, maybe you won’t be able to hit that dream weight in time, but I promise you, just starting to eat a bit healthier and perhaps doing some exercise is half way to your goal!
The decision and feeling that you are trying, and that your body is benefiting from it will make you feel so much better about yourself. And that’s all it take for you to look and feel beautiful! =)

I guess this may sound silly and pretentious, but I think the most beautiful people around me isn’t the ones with tini tiny bodies or super pumped up muscles. No way!

The people who look the best are those who feel good about themselves and those who are happy with what they got.

Ok, I know, that’s really hard to achieve, and some days you just feel like hiding under your cover. Right?

But I found that what helps me to feel better those days is to say to myself that life is too short to walk around and feeling bad about myself and my body (when most of it is probably in my head anyway!).

So any advice?
Yes =) Of course.
Try a bit more and be proud that you haven’t given up yet!
So come on, let’s do this now! Let the journey be the goal, and be happy that you made that goal!

Now let’s Shape ourselves Up! =)

(Just one more thing, I think we need a better motivational part of ShapeUp Club, somewhere to turn when everything just sucks! Its lucky we’re going to build this soon! =) And of course, if you have any ideas or wishes for what you would like to see here, let us know. You can contact us here: http://www.shapeupclub.com/Contact.aspx )

Yours in rain, snow, sun or any kind of weather you wanna shapeup in =)
Tove

All right everybody! Time to initiate the closure of one more week. Its finally Friday!

I hope you are satisfied with the days that passed and that you came a bit closer to your goal. Or perhaps at least decided that it is now time to start working on your health (I mean seriously the decision is almost half the job!). =)

Quite a lot has happened this week at Sillens, we have for example released an update to the iPhone application where you can sign up for an online account directly on your mobile (plus a few bug fixes), so be sure to update your ShapeUp Club app!
We have also started on new and exciting project for ShapeUp Club (you will soon become aware of what it is).

I have also prepared myself for a lecture, which today also brought this week to an end.

This lecture took place at a school in my hometown, Örebro.

It should be noted that I am extremely new to the whole lecturing thing, and this was the third time I have been asked to talk about our company.

But I do believe that it all went well, even though I at one point accidently mixed my notes up, but what the heck, I’m hoping that nobody noticed that :S

I mean, the lecture took place on a Friday afternoon and my audience had not had a coffee break in a long time since the coffee cart lost its way somewhere in the school corridors.

I was going to ask someone to take a picture of me while speaking, but forgot all about it due to nervousness. But here’s another picture of another lecture I held, where I spoke about pretty much the same things.

Picture borrowed from www.ungforetagsamhet.se

Today it was however also focused on trying to get this school to introduce a concept called Young Entrepreneurs (freely translated from Swedish…). It’s simply a project where the students can test how it can be to run their own business.

Hopefully it went well, got a bit of good response after the lecture, nice!

Well, moving on, to what happens next week;

I figured that Christmas is now long gone, and it is again about time for me to start living what I preach. So, I therefore joined a good, suitable gym for my needs (read: they have a jacuzzi).

Otherwise, we will keep you up to date with the latest news about ShapeUp Club here via the blog!

Have a nice weekend my friends!

/ / Tove

I heard on a radio program, a few of days ago, that we succeeded to endure the worst day of the whole year!
Some researchers, which I think was from England, had investigated the matter and concluded that the 18th of January, due to weather, lack of money and distance to holidays, was the absolutely most awful day of the year to be alive on.

Yep! Encouraging, huh! But still, congratulations!
Now, this year’s most annoying day has passed, and everything can only get better from now! Don’t give up! Yes, perhaps you have to struggle harder to reach your goals right now, but it’s worth it, and will get better! It will soon be spring and everything is going to feel a lot easier.

Well, yes, it’s obviously still heavy to manage in the backwater of the year’s most ghastly day.
What can we do about it?

When I’m a bit down and think that everything is just plain boring I quite easy think that a piece of candy would probably lighten my world (no, not literally…)!
And do you know what? It think that’s ok sometimes! Just keep track on how many encouraging candy pieces you’ve eaten and you shall be fine.  A smart thing can be to eat one or two squares of dark chocolate, it is a bit harder to indulge yourself in. (Note: Harder, but not impossible, I have manage to still succeed in such a task. At several occasions…)

Other things that tend to ease my mind can be to play video games.
(A Nintendo Wii tennis game could perhaps be a good way to combine both exercise and video games).

Or put together a nice meal with some good friends.

Scrap a recipe book together with your favorite healthy food and sinful pleasures!

Oh, well, ok! Now it’s actually time for me to go to bed. Do not forget to sleep! It is important for the metabolism!

I find it very difficult to motivate myself to exercise this time of year. I much rather hide in big and cozy sweatshirts in front of a nice movie.

But I have an idea. Take a walk!

Oh no, you might think now. What a hassle to go out in this dreary, grey weather (although this may only apply to us in the north, Im sure the rest of the world is drenched in sunshine…)
No, not a good idea at all Tove … No walking!

But to take a walk is a great way to burn some extra calories and also a very nice way to clear your mind.

It could be a way for you to figure out how to do to achieve your New Year’s resolutions or perhaps get a moment alone and daydream for a while.
(Actually, did you know that people who daydream more frequently fulfill their dreams than those who don’t!)

You could also take the walk together with a friend or your partner.
An excellent way to get some exercise and in the same time catch up with each other. Fantasize together about warm and sandy beaches or maybe icy ski slopes? Well, I do not know what you prefer, or what your dreams are swirling about right now. But I am sure that there are many great dreams, hopes and goals here at ShapeUp Club! So take a walk and pretend for a moment that you reached them. See yourself succeed! The likelihood that you will achive your goal gets so much higher if you fantasize about it!

Well, maybe not such a stupid idea to take a walk after all..?

Sweden is really cold right now, but quite beautiful as well, just have a look at these trees!

..no, don’t get me wrong, I still fantasize about warm beaches and blue oceans!