Get Healthy

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The "Fountain Of Youth" is REAL!

As a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach, I'm often asked questions about both exercise and diet.  I answer most questions with three answers:  (1) Weight loss (especially shrinking your abs) is 80% determined in the kitchen, (2) Exercise is the "Fountain of Youth", and (3) You MUST lift to lose.

Allow me to expand on these answers:


Weight Loss is 80% determined in the kitchen

Your diet will determine if you lose or gain weight.  Pretty simple.  Yes, there are other nominal, outside factors, but for the most part, you are what you eat.  ...AND, I would go a step further and say that the VAST majority of modern diseases can be avoided or cured based upon what you are feeding your body.

  • I am a firm believer in purchasing organics, especially for the "Dirty Dozen".  
  • I'm a firm believer in limiting animal products (especially those that are full of hormones and have been contaminated with GMO's).  
  • I'm a firm believer in the health benefits of juicing.  
  • I'm a firm believer in "clean eating".  
  • I'm a firm believer in avoiding unhealthy things like:  artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, preservatives, trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, sodas (including diet), alcohol (in moderation), products containing GMO's, and high amounts of sugar.
The bottom line is:  If you clean up your diet...you WILL lose weight!  This one change alone, will cause your body to change in ways that you never thought possible...even if you NEVER exercise!


Exercise Is The "Fountain of Youth"

Now, I know that I just told you that you can lose weight without exercising...yes, this is true.  ...BUT, you MUST exercise to keep your body young as you age.  Motion is lotion!  Your joints need to move...think of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz...if you don't move your joints, it's like not oiling them...they WILL eventually stiffen up and become painful and difficult to move.  How often have we seen an elderly person with limited, or no mobility?  Aging is inevitable (and beats the alternative), but if we move our bodies throughout our lives,  they will continue to move...even as we get older.

Being a Certified Personal Trainer, I highly recommend that if you've been sedentary for a prolonged period of time, or if you're not seeing the results that you want in the gym, please find a qualified, certified, licensed, insured Personal Trainer for at least 8 - 10 sessions.  I know first hand the benefits of a Personal Trainer.  Years ago, when I was 80 pounds heavier, I spent the money for a gym, I worked out on my own, but didn't see the results that I wanted...at least, not until I hired a Personal Trainer.  I was wasting my time and money.  Why?  Because I didn't know how to properly exercise, and I also didn't know what the correct exercises were that my body needed in order to get the results that I wanted.  It's amazing to me that so many people will invest the time and money...FOR YEARS...and NEVER get the results they want!  Stop wasting your time and money!  You wouldn't go to court without a good attorney...you wouldn't try to treat cancer on your own...you wouldn't try to build a bridge without an architect, then WHY on earth would you try to change and improve your body without the help of a professional...someone trained to help you get the results that you want...in the shortest amount of time possible.


You MUST Lift to Lose

I've preached this one on several occasions.  Lifting weight can help to slow the aging process...AND the FAT gaining process.  See, as we age, we lose muscle.  As we lose lean, compact muscle, it's replaced with fluffy FAT! I hope you have a visual of what that means to your body composition...think size 8 jeans vs. size 12 jeans...   CLICK HERE for an in depth explanation of what happens to your muscles as you age.  

I tell people again, and again, again why they MUST lift in order to lose...sometimes I feel like no one is listening!  When I talk about "lifting", I don't mean 100's of pounds...I don't mean using those "scary" machines at the gym...and I certainly don't mean bulking up like a body builder...I mean, simply using your own body weight, and a set of 5 - 15 pound hand weights.  You got this!  

It is scientifically proven that lifting weight produces greater fat loss than cardio!  ...AND you only need to lift 3 days per week to see results.  So what are you weighting on?  You aren't sure what exactly to do?  That's ok, a Personal Trainer can teach you...there's nothing to be afraid of, and you have NOTHING to lose...but fat...and weight!  





Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Ms. Fit and the Good Witch

YAY!!!!  I recently just passed my exam to become an ACE certified Personal Trainer.  So many of you have shared this journey with me, and I just want to thank you for your encouraging words, and thank you for following me along my journey!

I often get asked, by those who don't know me from my "previous life", why I would leave corporate America, and why I would choose to pursue fitness as a career.  The answer is simple:  I am PASSIONATE about helping people (especially women) to feel good about themselves, to regain their "swagger", to add years to their life and life to their years, and to begin writing a new chapter in their life story!  See, I've been where so many of you are (or have been)...I was once unhealthy, unfit, overweight, depressed, and miserable.  Here's how my story goes:

Once upon a time, there was a vibrant, fun, smart, curious, funny, pretty girl named Ms. Fit, but the monster called "Life" had placed a cruel curse on her...she was trapped in a body that was 80 pounds overweight, she had no energy, she was depressed, she had terrible self-esteem, and she was ashamed of what she had become, and what she was teaching her beautiful daughter to become.  One day Ms. Fit, heard the kids at her daughter's school making fun of her and calling her a "whale".  She was so embarrassed that her little girl had to hear those cruel things that the kids were saying about her mother, and at that moment, she realized that she must find a "good witch" to help her break the curse!  Ms. Fit found a good witch, although she called herself a personal trainer because it sounded much more socially acceptable than "good witch", and with the help of this good witch, Ms. Fit began a journey that would change not only her life story, but her daughter's as well.
That's me then on the far right!

The good witch, was a hard task-master...she was demanding, and nosey, and sometimes pushy.  She would have Ms. Fit meet her, sometimes at 5:00 in the morning, and she would work her 3 days a week until Ms. Fit was weak, and tired, and sweaty!  The good witch wanted to know what Ms. Fit was eating, so she had to keep a food journal for the good witch to look at every week.  Whenever Ms. Fit would make an unhealthy food choice, or skip a workout, the good witch would be all up in her business and would work Ms. Fit even harder on the next visit. The good witch took measurements and assessments, and then she took them again a couple of months later, and then again...and again...  The good witch told Ms. Fit that if she would just listen to her, and stick to the plan that she designed for her, that the the curse would be broken.  Ms. Fit had many days of doubt...many days of DOMS...and many days that she really didn't want to say "no" to that cupcake...or the pastry...or the french fries.

BUT...ever so slowly Ms. Fit began to notice some changes.  At first the changes were subtle...her workout clothes were a little looser...she had more energy to spend with her family...her skin was clearing up.  Then, other people started to see the changes in Ms. Fit...they started to notice that she was looking toned and trim...that she had an extra bounce to her step...that she was...regaining her "swagger"...her attitude about life and her body was changing.  Ms. Fit had been like a gross, chubby caterpillar, then she began to go through a slow metamorphosis...she was becoming the beautiful butterfly that she'd always dreamed of being!  The curse was breaking!!!  Ms. Fit was eventually 80 pounds lighter!  She went from wearing a size 18 to wearing a size 8, and most importantly, her beautiful daughter (who was also overweight) was learning healthy behaviors, and getting to her healthy weight!  This broken curse not only saved Ms. Fit's life, but it saved her daughter's life as well!
This is me now...on the far right!  My beautiful daughter on the left.

So, this silly little story is obviously about me.  I wanted to tell it in a way that was light, and fun...in a way that is non-threatening...but would make you think about your own life.  Where are you today?  Are you where you want to be...where you dream of being?  Do you have the energy and vitality to go through life fully enjoying and embracing it?  Do you have a healthy self-esteem?  Are you making healthy food choices that nourish your body and add life to your years?

If you are where you want to be...feeling the way you want to feel, then I applaud you!  Keep up the good work!  BUT, if you are like Ms. Fit, and life has placed a curse on you, then I challenge you to find a good witch who can help you to break the curse!  You deserve to live a life of health and well-being, in the body that you WANT!  Your family deserves a YOU, that is the best YOU that you can be!  Remember, as a wife and mother, the choices you make, not only affect you, but they affect your entire family too!  If I can do this, so can YOU!!!  Be blessed!  Be well!  Be fit!!!