THRIVE Alive

In this blog I want to share some examples of how I’ve used play in different aspects of my life:  Play in my relationship I was struggling with being snappy, and short with my boyfriend. In addition to praying for patience and to be slow to anger, I decided to make this a game. Every time I acted this way he could say “Angelica”. For those of you who didn’t grow up in the 90s with me, she is a cartoon character who appears in Nickelodeon's show Rugrats. She is the spoiled brat and serves as the main antagonist of the series. This way he could point out to me in a funny way how I was acting and then it could lighten the mood and we could joke about it. https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/angelica-pickles-best-lines-on-rugrats?utm_term=.eeY5dw8Q6#.txQ2lnKEX Play at work My coworkers and I constantly make funny comments and pick on each other in a loving way. Not a day goes by that we don’t laugh at each other for something. It makes us all in a better m

Think of people in 3 rings. In the middle is you, your partner, parents, siblings, & people you talk to daily. The outside is our social media network and anyone you’ve ever known. The middle ring (yellow in diagram below) is where we struggle. Its people you might see once/week. The people you build authentic connections with. Who are those people for you? Can you name a handful? Who do you surround yourself with? The 5 people you talk to the most? Name the 5 people you spend the most time with.  It might be coworkers, family, friends etc. Name them, right now. Got it, ok now look at that list and picture those people 50 years from now. That is you. When it comes to relationships we are greatly influenced, whether we like it or not, by those closest to us. We pick up  on their habits and behaviors (it’s a fact of science). It will affect the way we think, our self-esteem and our decisions.   You are the result of the 5 closest people you hang out with. Take a l

7 Ways to Be Happy If you struggle to find happiness in life you aren’t alone. We all go through periods where we may struggle to be happy. Happiness is in us all the time but we lose track of it. We are distracted by constantly trying to do stuff and climb the corporate ladder. The definition of happy is “feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc.” Here’s what I’ve found to be my happy recipe: Remember your core values and beliefs- Are you living in accordance with those? Have you ever thought deeply about those mean to you? Write them down. If you are doing things that don’t line up then make adjustments. Do you have a chemical imbalance?- Our bodies are complex and designed to get a well balanced amount of nutrients in order to operate at its best ability. Having low vitamin B, D, magnesium and other vitamins are shown to be linked with depression. Talk to your doctor and have blood work done to see if you have any nutrient deficiencies and

As millennials we really value work life balance. But do we actually balance them? Do we even know how? What does work life balance even mean? I will answer all these questions in this blog series. Part 1- What does work life balance mean? Many of my clients tell me stories about their partners working 20 hour days, and I’m sorry I can’t think of any job I would do that controlled my life like that. It’s one thing to know there is a period of time that you have to buckle down and balance may be near impossible, and it’s another thing to have work completely run your life forever. #1- PURPOSE If you aren’t doing what you love are you fully living? We spend most of our day, week, and life working. Why waste so much of your life? There’s the common saying “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. Well that’s not necessarily true because sometimes you can love your job and it can still feel like work. The saying I prefer is “A job is what your paid for,

Here is a FUN workout variation called Pyramid Do 2 exercises and keep alternating as you increase the work to rest ratio.  The timer increases and then decreases just like a pyramid.  Entire set takes about 5 minutes.  I created this timer with built in intervals in an app called Seconds Pro: http://www.intervaltimer.com/timers/7934246-pyramid Sample of exercises: A- 4 lunges (2 each side) + 2 burpees *When timer stops, continue the sequence where you left off. For example- if you only did 4 lunges and 1 burpee, when the time starts again continue with the second burpee then back to lunges.* B- 4 plank hip drops (rocking hips side to side, 2 each way) + 4 seated twists (2 each way) C- 4 jumping jacks + cone run (about 5 yards- set a distance) and back Grab a buddy and have FUN! ☺ AUTHOR: Amanda Fontaine is considered the Chief FUN Officer of Personal Training and Health/Fitness. She's a Personal Trainer at Empower and Founder of Thrive Alive. She s