“To The Moon”

348. That is the number of workouts in a row I have done since starting the Lexi J Wellness program in June of 2021. I say that not to make anyone feel bad about not having worked out recently (or ever) or to brag. I tell you this number because I had no idea that an at home workout routine could be something that I stick with or that it could light a fire and be the encouragement I needed to take the plunge to self-publish my children’s books and essentially change my life. Lexi Johnson started LJW during covid when gyms had closed. She started filming workouts in her basement for women to be encouraged to move their bodies. She has started a “positive domino” that reaches far beyond her basement gym, and not only does she help you reach workout goals in just 28 minutes a day, but she also encourages you to be the best version of yourself in all aspects of life. There are high school students, college students, stay at home moms and grandmas that all follow this program! She always says that it is a you vs. you race. What started as a way to lose my baby weight from having Ella in April of 2021 turned into a vision board that she inspired everyone to make in January of last year. This led to an award-winning children’s book, a blog and much more to come. She is a woman who empowers other women and I wanted to take a second to thank her and her program in this post. I tell you that number because I want to tell you that you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to and to help spread Lexi’s positive domino as far and wide as I can because I believe in myself, and I believe in you!

During the 28-minute workouts, Lexi not only shares positivity to help you get through it, but she will recommend books that she has read that have inspired her. Obviously, I’m a sucker for any type of book recommendations and when I started the program there were two books that she talked about that I immediately wanted to read. I have mentioned their impact on me before, but I will mention them again because I think they are so important. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and Atomic Habits by James Clear. I read The Slight Edge first and I don’t know if any of your high school English teachers taught you “active reading,” but I was highlighting and taking notes while marking pages like I was about to take a quiz and write a paper over everything! I got so much out of it, so much so that I have passed it on to a family member (notes and all) so they can get the same benefits from it that I did. I have also recommended it to every one of my friends! I can’t wait to read it again and see what else I get from it!

We recently had a Friendsgiving and decided that we would do a little book exchange with books that have positively impacted our lives. First, how cool is that?! Secondly, I brought Atomic Habits, and I will list the books I got in return in the bottom of this post. I want to share as much positivity and inspiration in these blog posts as I can and expanding what we read can do that! In short, The Slight Edge explains that if you just get 1% better each day that it will build. That consistency and making slight edge decisions every day, little course corrections if you will, can help you in every aspect of your life. There was a section in Atomic Habits where the author mentioned he never skips more than two days working out in a row because that is setting himself up to continue the habit of skipping instead of his habit of good health. If you implement this into all different types of habits and decisions in your daily life, not just working out, the sky is the limit for you--I truly believe that.

So, I created my vision board. On this vision board I put publish my first book in the T-Rex and Tuck Explore series, run a 5k, go on more dates with my husband, make a new recipe for dinner once a week, read 10 pages of a book a day and so on. I was adamant that I could achieve these goals, maybe not in one year, but someday if I kept working towards them. Little by little I started checking things off the board…I ran a 5k with my friend—the first step, signing up! You see, I had been sitting on these stories for almost 2 years thinking that they would never be anything more than stories in a notebook inspired by my little boy. But in one of the workouts early on in my LJW journey, Lexi said something that has continued to stick with me… “Why not you?” What was I so afraid of? Being rejected? Being judged? The stories not being good enough? All those negative thoughts that we think to ourselves that we would never think about or say to anyone else. I decided I wasn’t going to listen to any of my internal negative dialog about what could go wrong. In fact, I wanted to make that negative dialog shut up entirely (insert my sticky notes of positive affirmations on my mirror)! I was going to work each day to become 1% better. If I could take a little step in the right direction each day, then why not me? So, here I am almost one year after creating that vision board and a year and a half into joining LJW. I am working on my second book, having read my first book to 100+ children, feeling the healthiest I have in my whole life and in such a wonderful place mentally that I can’t wait to make my vision board for 2023! As I sit here writing this, reflecting on the past year and all I have accomplished, I am so proud of myself! We are so hard on ourselves sometimes that we forget to be grateful for where we started and how far we have come. I have so many more goals I hope to reach, but it is important to take an inventory of where you are and be happy with that before continuing.

I will be honest, I started the LJW program thinking that I wanted to lose the weight from being pregnant. I did not think it would be something I would stick with long term because I have never been a person who works out. I didn’t think it would affect me in all aspects of my life like it has. I initially began the program thinking I want to lose weight…I can now confidently say that I don’t ever get on the scale (Lexi calls them non-scale wins). It isn’t about a number on the scale. It is about overall health. Are you eating healthy meals? Are you reading a few pages from a book every day? Are you getting some movement in? It doesn’t have to be Lexi’s 28-minute workout—it can be a walk! One of the things that has really stuck with me that Lexi has said, and that I say to myself now when I don’t feel like doing something is, “Would you skip an appointment with a doctor or a friend? Then why would you so easily skip an appointment for yourself?” You are important enough to take care of! Let me repeat that; YOU ARE IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF! You must fill your cup to fill others’ cups. As much as I would love for you to join Lexi J Wellness (because I could talk until blue in the face about how wonderful and life changing it is) I really hope what you get from this post is that you are amazing, and you deserve a life full of healthy habits and goals to reach! Dream big and believe in yourself enough to take care of yourself. Go after the things you want, no matter what age you are or your current fitness level! As we get closer to the new year, maybe take a few minutes to create your own vision board, mine is pictured below. If you get a chance, read the two books mentioned above. If nothing else, get yourself outside and take a walk. A few minutes of movement and a little bit of gratitude can change the course of your entire day!

Thank you, Lexi Johnson, you truly are one of a kind!

TO THE MOON!

www.lexijwellness.com

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