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Revitalize Your Routine: Wellness Hacks for the Modern Career Woman

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Image: Freepik

This fantastic post, written by Camille Johnson of Bereaver.com, highlights the most important steps which career women should take in order to maintain balance and optimal well-being.

In the hustle and bustle of professional life, working women often find themselves caught in a relentless grind, juggling multiple responsibilities while striving for success. However, prioritizing well-being amid this chaos is essential for sustainable growth and fulfillment. Here, Dr. Stacey Naito delves into empowering strategies tailored to help women transcend the grind and elevate their overall well-being.

Harness the Power of Reflection

Take time to introspect and evaluate your priorities, goals, and values. Reflection allows you to gain clarity on what truly matters to you, enabling you to make informed decisions aligned with your aspirations. Embracing moments of solitude provides an opportunity for self-discovery and introspection, fostering a deeper understanding of your emotions and motivations. Regularly assessing your progress empowers you to course-correct when necessary, ensuring that your actions remain congruent with your long-term objectives.

Pursue a Degree Online

Earning a degree online is a great option if you’re looking to change your job and advance in your career. For instance, pursuing a degree in psychology can provide insights into cognitive and affective processes, equipping you to better support those in need. Online degree programs offer the flexibility to study while working full-time, streamlining, well, everything, from managing your schedule to accessing course materials. This approach allows you to gain new skills and knowledge without disrupting your current responsibilities.

Build Power with Resistance Training

Resistance training offers numerous benefits, including increased muscle strength, improved bone density, and enhanced metabolic rate, which collectively contribute to better overall health and fitness. Additionally, it can aid in weight management and improve posture, reducing the risk of chronic conditions. To maximize these benefits, consider a monthly customized exercise plan from Dr. Stacey Naito. Her tailored approach ensures that each workout aligns with your personal fitness goals and abilities, providing expert guidance for optimal results.

Set Achievable Milestones

Define clear and attainable objectives that inspire progress and keep you focused. Setting specific and measurable goals provides a roadmap for success, guiding your actions and decisions along the way. Breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable tasks prevents overwhelm and enhances productivity. Celebrating milestones, no matter how small, reinforces your sense of accomplishment and motivates you to continue making strides toward your ultimate vision.

Nurture Positive Self-Talk

Cultivate a nurturing inner dialogue that uplifts and empowers you. Positive self-talk involves consciously replacing negative thoughts with affirmations of your capabilities and worthiness. By practicing self-compassion and kindness toward yourself, you cultivate a resilient mindset that enables you to bounce back from setbacks with grace and determination. Embracing optimism as a guiding principle empowers you to see challenges as opportunities for growth and development, fostering a sense of hope and possibility.

Embrace Forgiveness

Release yourself from the burden of resentment by embracing forgiveness. Forgiveness is not about condoning the actions of others but about freeing yourself from the emotional weight of past grievances. By extending compassion to yourself and others, you create space for healing and transformation to occur. Letting go of resentment opens the door to inner peace and liberation, allowing you to move forward with clarity and purpose. 

In the pursuit of professional success, prioritizing well-being is not a luxury but a necessity. By incorporating these empowering strategies into your daily life, you can transcend the grind and cultivate a sense of balance, purpose, and fulfillment. Remember, empowerment begins with a conscious choice to prioritize your well-being and invest in your growth. Embrace the journey, and watch yourself soar to new heights of success and happiness.

For customized nutrition and training plans, as well as contest prep coaching, contact Dr. Stacey Naito today!

Uncompromised

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Breaking stereotypes!

Breaking stereotypes!

I am always being challenged to pick one career that defines me, and it drives me nuts. When people find out that I am a medical doctor, they struggle with the stereotype of what they expect doctors to be like, in other words, very conservative in dress and demeanor, and without any flavor or personality. Well, I’ve got news for you. I will NEVER be a typical doctor. And please don’t doubt my credentials or schooling. I am NOT a nurse (not that there is anything wrong with this highly respected profession), I am a fully licensed and board certified physician.

A huge project came my way recently, and I was selected for it, only to have the decision-maker flip out over my fitness and modeling images and reverse the decision. I was stunned and dejected, but after reflecting on the whole incident, I began to get angry. Part of the problem was that the decision-maker was a complete hypocrite, pretending to be squeaky clean, but who openly praised one of the dirtiest human beings to ever alight on the entertainment scene. To coin an analogy, at the root of this was a case of the bride being upstaged by another lady wearing white. Mind you, I never intentionally wore white, but hey, my doctor’s coat is white.

I am every bit as much about fitness as I am about medicine, and I shouldn’t have to choose one over the other. I am damned proud of what I have accomplished in fitness, especially because I took things to the next level in my forties, not when I was a young whipper-snapper. If people are confused by the sampler plate philosophy by which I live, too bad. Yes, I am a board certified physician AND a degreed fitness professional, IFBB Pro, certified nutrition coach, writer, sponsored athlete and contest prep coach. I know it’s unusual, but why is that so hard for people to grasp? I mean, here I am, doing all of that, sending a message to the world that no one should have to be one-dimensional and boring.
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I don’t hide from myself. I am honest. I have sass, and I speak my mind. I am proud of what I have achieved in my life, and I will NOT hide parts of myself which some overly judgmental people may have a problem with. I am NOT going to apologize for having a sense of humor, for using cuss words here and there (though I don’t use them while seeing patients). I am not going to paint a false picture of who I am. If you don’t like what I am doing, no worries. Move on.

If you find that you are compromising your own vision, dreams, or goals, perhaps you need to re-examine why you are allowing that to occur. If you subscribe to the no limits philosophy, then you would never even consider pulling the reins back. I will always encourage driven people to go for whatever they want, and if it doesn’t fit in with the conventions of one of their chosen careers or hobbies, even better. Break stereotypes and show people what you are made of! Don’t hide all the facets which make you who you are!

Set A Contest Date And Stick To It!

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Shut up and do it

I am writing this blog post in honor of those of you who have a tendency to constantly change your proposed competition date. I am not talking about situations in which your coach advises you to select a different contest as a means to give you sufficient time to be in proper condition. Instead, I am talking about competitors (new or seasoned) who keep changing proposed contest dates for a multitude of reasons, and end up frustrating coaches, friends and family as a result. Sometimes the reason for pushing back plans to compete may be solely financial, which is understandable since competition expenses can be quite high, especially for national level amateur NPC events and international IFBB Pro events. However, some people fall into a dangerous and self-sabotaging habit of pushing contest dates back because they are anxious and afraid of stepping onstage. This fear of competing is often accompanied by self-sabotaging behavior which includes eating too many mini-cheat and full cheat meals, skipping cardio, and skipping parts of workouts or entire workouts. In my experience as a coach and trainer, I can smell this behavior from a mile away, and always get confirmation when I see progress pictures. Sometimes the competitor is so ashamed of his or her deviation from the prep program that progress pics aren’t taken and sent over to me.

I honestly wish I could completely ignite that flame of INTENTION and DRIVE which is essential for success in competing in every single one of the clients I have worked with, but unfortunately, one or two have slipped through the cracks as a result of their defeatist thoughts and behaviors. Complete focus is critical for success as a competitor. Every dip, blip, obstacle, bad day and negative thought needs to be pushed aside. Watch any competitor who has an eye on the prize at all times, and you will see someone who never gives up, who doesn’t switch from one contest to another as a goal date, and who almost moves like a machine, determined to get things done. The phrase “I CAN’T” doesn’t exist for the successful competitor.

Make a decision to stick to the plan. Don’t deviate. Quit overthinking and analyzing. Get into a groove and stick with it. Be a beast. Be a machine.

FOCUS!