Resolutioners....Ya know, we all started somewhere

The attitude about New Year Resolutioners in the gym, is typically negative. I hear it all the time. 'They' take our parking spaces, benches, and favorite "spot" in class! 'They' move in the wrong direction in kick box,  take all the weights in lifting class, and crowd the gyms.

What if, instead of glaring at them this year, we welcome them? What if, our smile, encouragement and offering of comradery, gave just one more person the desire and strength to cross over as a regular in the month of May instead of dropping out by March? What if?

Food for thought: Nothing is more intimidating then walking into gym for the first time without a clue....except when everyone who has a clue glares at you like you're in the way. 

Let's see how many we can bite with the fitness bug!    

Happy New Beginnings! 

Sugar and spice and everything nice must GO!! Bye bye holiday food, Hello clean!!

Me at about one, beginning my love affair with sugar...

Confession time... I can't have sweets in my house! I will (and have) eat them...ALL!! When we have an event or holiday that includes dessert or baked goods, If they are left in the house I will literally OD on them. Sugar addiction actually runs in my family. True story. Just look at the picture above; my eyes are glazed over!!

Today is purging day in the Norton house! Time to give away the rest of the cookies, dump the egg nog, and  toss the pies. 

I'm not so much worried about weight gain. That is inevitable with all my holiday indulgences. Once the pounds creep up on my waist line it will take about 3 weeks or so of my regular healthy habits to see them disappear. What gets me more than anything is the way I feel! I remember this feeling. Sluggish, no energy, struggling in the gym as I trudge through quick sand wanting to give up. Craving a mid-day nap. That is how I use to feel all the time when I had a poor diet. I hate that feeling! When I get that all to familiar feeling, I know I'm in trouble. 

So today I get rid of all the crap! And I look forward to getting back to normalcy  and clean eating!
I could lie and tell you that I've always eaten healthy. That is just comes natural for me, but if I'm keeping it real, I'd have to say, I NEVER thought I'd love clean eating so much. And I do. Slipping back into old habits during the holidays reminds me of why I eat clean and how good my body can feel and operate with good clean food. I am so grateful I have come this far. 

Merry Christmas Star center Members!

MERRY CHRISTMAS STAR PEEPS! Here is your Christmas Workout! I challenge you to choose 'at least' 2 days to this workout, write down your reps the 1st time you do this, then try to beat your score the 2nd time! **WATCH THE FIRST ROUND BEFORE YOU BEGIN!** This will familiarize yourself with the moves and different levels so you waste no time watching the different levels during the workout...MAXIMIZE your intensity by know your levels ahead of time!

10 exercises for 3 Rounds 5o sec. max effort, 10 sec. transition
1. 3 lateral leaps - 4 switch kicks
2. Right Single leg tap out-drop squat
3. High Knees
4. 2 knee Spiderman push-up
5. Burpee w/ 2 witch lunges
6. Left Single leg tap out- drop squat
7. 8 mnt. clmrs/8 low jacks
8. trench crawl + 4 pendulums
9. CRAZY APES!
10. Squat crescent


*Injury disclaimer:
Not all exercises are suitable for everyone and this or any other exercise program may result in injury, To reduce this risk of injury, please consult your doctor before beginning this, or any other, physical fitness program. Any user of this program assumes the full risk of injury resulting from performing the routines presented within this video.

Gift Idea #4 ( for good health and fitness)

The Ultimate Body Press set!!!
Again guys, NO GYM NEEDED!! I love my set!! Endless workout possibilities! Pairs beautifully with the The Gymboss Interval Timer .

I have a very small house, so my home gym is filled with toys like these to switch it up and get a great workout at home without a big treadmill or elliptical cluttering my room.! I haven't stepped on a treadmill many many years!! 

Click on the link above to shop their site!! 

Holiday Gift Idea #3 (for healthy living and finess)

Yoga Studio Membership 

(or 1-2 months on you) 

No better way to unwind after  the crazy holiday season! In addition to relaxation, this is a great way to stretch the muscles, reduce stress, and strengthen muscles. Yoga has been known to aid in joint mobility, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, injuries, arthritis, and a whole gamut of other aliments. 

If you are local  (Tacoma WA) I encourage you to try

 Expand Yoga  This is a hot yoga studio which gives an awesome hot vinyasa class!! 

And they have a great view!!!

 

 

Holiday Gift Idea #2 (for fitness and healthy living)

2. Gymboss Interval timer
If I was stranded on an island and could only have one piece of workout equipment, this would be it!!

No gym needed here folks!! This is my favorite way to get my cardio!! 

HIIT!!! (High Intensity Interval Training) 

Set this baby up for several rounds of 45 seconds max effort and 15 seconds rest. You can mix and match lots of different exercises (jacks, burpees, push-ups, ect.) and challenge yourself by keeping track of your reps, and seeing if you can beat your own score.

This is great for body weight workouts or using a variety of equipment. You can even take it out side for a run or cycle and add intervals to your workout!!

Order these online for $19.95 at  GYMBOSS.COM


   

Holiday Gift Idea #1 (for fitness and healthy living)

 

1. The Eat Clean Diet book by: Tosca Reno

(((( My Hero!!)))

This is number one for a reason!! It all begins and ends here folks....This is the number one reason I am now healthy and have a healthy relationship now with myself and food. Doesn't matter what you do in the gym if you are not feeding your body right... And let's understand, that doesn't mean low fat, low carb, diet food. REAL FOOD and LOTS of it!!  This book taught me how to eat for health....weight loss was a bi-product of that. 

INSTRUCTOR'S LOG:Give the class you hate another chance....YOU MIGHT FIND YOU LOVE IT!

Do you love group fitness? Have you ever taken a class you just hated?! Did you go back?

 I love step!!! Really!! LOVE STEP!! LOVE Choreography!! LOVE lots of combos strung together!! I will never teach it, but I love to take it.

Step seems to be dying in my area. It's really hard to find evening classes to go to.  Last Fall I tried a new step class. I HATED IT!! The instructor called everything by different names, break downs were frustrating and not nearly long enough for me to get. As an instructor myself, I HATED standing next to my step looking like a lost pup in the woods!! I swore I'd NEVER go back!! (Note all the caps here. I was passionate about hating this class)

I have only taken a handful of step classes since (from other instructors). I still LOVE step, but as an instructor with a full time day job and family, plus classes of my own to teach, I rarely have time to take a class.

Tonight was Hot yoga night. I love hot yoga, but tonight I was hyper and needed to play! STEP!!! I searched for a class at all the clubs! I would have paid at a club I don't belong to just to take a step class. The only class on any surrounding area schedule was.....you guessed it... The one I swore I'd NEVER go back to. Crap!!! What to do?? I swallowed my pride and went....knowing I'd HATE it and would probably stand there again  trying to figure the moves.....

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking back, I'm pretty sure I hated the class because I was having an off night. Yes, it is a tough class. But this time it clicked..I got it, and had a blast.

As an instructor, I urge you to go back to those classes you hated.  Sometimes the ones you hate the most, turn out too be the most challenging and most rewarding.

Now I know not every class is for every person. I'm not a personal fan of Zumba, or Cycle, but I have been several times just to be sure. You just never know the fun you might be missing out in if you don't give it more than one chance. =]  

THE GIRL WHO LOVES FAT!!

I’m a girl who LOVES fat! Let me tell you why….

First who doesn’t love breaking the rules?!?! If you tell me I can’t have it, chances are I will find a way! It’s been my mission since adolescence!! And fat is the diet industry's #1 no no!!  

Here are some of my faves!

  Eggs: I eat them religiously every morning!! Even the yolk! I have an egg scramble with 1 whole and 3 whites. My scramble gives me 17.1 grams of protein, 8 essential amino acids, 5 grams healthy fats!! So why do I eat just one whole with 3 whites, you ask…..

Avocado: My favorite fat!! I eat ¼ avocado in my egg scramble every morning!! Avocados have 18 essential amino acids, necessary for the body to form a complete protein. Unlike the protein in steak (love steak!), which is difficult for most people to digest, avocado protein is readily absorbed by the body because avocados also contain fiber. At 7.25 grams of good fats (per ¼ avocado) they help boost HDL (good cholesterol), protect against heart disease, and provide and excellent source of energy as well as keep you fuller, longer!

Many people now take supplements (and ya’ll know how I feel about supplements) in order to consume more omega-3 fatty acids to lower their risk of heart disease. Avocados are rich in omega-3, delivering 160 milligrams per cup of alpha-linolenic acid.

 Ah Nuts!! Raw pecans go in every bowl of my daily oatmeal I consume! Raw almonds, walnuts, or almond butter, get paired with my fruit, and sunflower or pumpkin seeds top my salads! I’m nuts about nuts!! I am always amazed at how 10-12 little raw almonds can keep me satisfied till my next meal!! Nuts in general have many health benefits and properties making it a known super food!! They provide good fats that have the ability to lower your LDL cholesterol levels and lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases or stroke. Moreover, many nuts provide a great source of vitamin E, each ounce providing about 7.4 mg or the equivalent 50 percent of the daily value.

 Fish: Salmon is my favorite!! I try to eat it at least once to twice a week! Great for your hair and skin, as well as a brilliant source of easy to digest proteins, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamins E and D. Salmon is also known to improve moods, cognitive function, and memory. 

 Oils: Olive, avocado, coconut, or nut and seed oils all contain a wide variety of health benefits! According to Tosca Reno (my hero), not only do clean oils protect against high cholesterol and heart disease, but they also help reduce inflammation and infection, plus they slow aging process! Who doesn’t like that?!

This is just to list a few; there are many more foods I use to avoid due to fat content.

Fats were the missing pieces to my weight loss puzzle. I truly believe that adding good fats into my daily diet is what not only helped with weight loss, but also helped me keep it off all of these years! Back in the 90’s when I tried to maintain 20 grams of fat, I was always hungry, causing me to binge and develop a love hate relationship with food and myself.  With healthy fats, I’m not hungry, I don’t obsess with numbers, I don’t resent my body because of what I can’t have…. I eat fat.
For more details on my struggle and journey with fat, check out my first post on fat:  "But They Told Me Fat Was Bad!" 

BUT ‘THEY’ TOLD ME FAT WAS BAD!!

Each decade has its own diet fad that leaves it’s footprint on our beliefs and relationships with food.  Low fat, low carbs, low calories, all fruit, no fruit, no sugar, Atkins, South Beach, and now the sacred Paleo.....

I remember back in the mid 90’s watching Oprah and being introduced to Bob Green! Watching Oprah’s transformation was inspiring and I was ready to jump on board!! She had a Spring Challenge show that inspired me to begin my journey. I knew very little about weight loss. I knew I needed to exercise, and watch my calories, but what were the rules to being successful? I was on board and ready to be educated…..or so I though.

As with any eager dieter, I was ready to hear, what I was ready to hear! Hard facts…. The formula…. Give me the cheat sheet please! And they did…at least that’s what I heard .

The magic formula was in the numbers! 1200 calories and 20 grams of fat! WaLa!! There it was! I could do this. Just count!

Fat!!

Fat was the dirty little secret that kept us all fat in the 90’s!

Eat fat = Get fat!

Eat non-fat or fat free = get skinny

Cool! Simple, concise rules to follow!

 Even though the 90’s have long passed, “Fat is bad!” still echoes in our rule books. Even in the 90’s I questioned this authoritative rule (even though I followed it religiously).  Really? Fat is bad? I can see the fat in ice cream, cookies, or mac-n-cheese, but even nuts, avocado, salmon, and healthy oils?? Yup!! Eat very sparingly, they told me….. Logic told me that was quacky advice since these foods were put here by nature to sustain us. But, what did I know? They  were the experts! 

Oh the trust we put in others while ignoring our own common sense and wisdom!..... 

Grocery Item of the Week: Flax Seed Meal

Anytime I can add nutrients to a meal I jump at the chance! Flax has many great benefits! 

According to Livestrong, although flax seed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids: "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flax seed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.                                                          
• Lignans: which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flax seed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
• Fiber: Flax seed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

Flax seed is known to, lower risk of heart disease, prevent some cancers, help manage diabetes, and assist with,  arthritis, psoriasis and lupus, as well as add fiber to your diet, allowing you to feel fuller longer.

Flax seed meal can be added to almost anything, including bread, muffins, meat loaves, pasta dish, salad, yogurt, breakfast cereals, oatmeal, and smoothies. It is best to buy the meal or grind your seeds for optimal absorption of all the nutrients. Store ground meal in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent spoilage and odors. 

Flax seed meal can be found in your grocery store, in the health food, baking, or cereal isle. 

Image vs. Happiness

Have you seen the new show Chicago Fire?  Even coming out of a fire covered in soot, these people are beyond McDreamy gorgeous, right?!  Perfect bodies, great hair, beautiful smiles,  type A personalities, with that "it" factor that just draws you in. Images.... Are they real? Well in this case, of course not! 

But what about in the real world? Your friends, co-workers, or other people you know?  Do you ever find yourself comparing their lives to yours? Do you find them to be, better looking, smarter, having a better job or more money? Maybe they have more friends, do super cool things every weekend, or just seem to have it all together.

The number one thing that makes us feel unhappy or inadequate is the image we hold of others.  Even with people we know, we tend to glamorize their lives, never really looking at the whole picture. Social media has perpetuated these images, making life all around us seem better than our own.

What does this have to do with being fit or healthy? Everything!! 

If we can't appreciate and value where we are in our own lives, we can't appreciate the learning process and journey our lives have to offer. After all, the reason we buy into all the "diet industry" has to offer is because we cannot accept where we are in our own lives now. We crave the instant gratification of having that dream body . We look at others who have that body and wish we were more like them. 

True happiness doesn't work that way though.  Even if  the Good Witch of the North herself came with her  magic wand and granted us the body or life we wanted, the same dysfunctions of our old life would still be standing in our way of true happiness.  It is looking with-in and learning to accept and love ourselves that will create that inner peace of not needing to be like anyone else but you. And when we can truly be grateful for our own life without longing for someone elses, true health and happiness will come our way.

So when you look in the mirror and you see all of you own imperfections, look with love. Whether you see them in others or not, we all have them. We are all imperfect creatures.  Our imperfections make us human, and give us common ground. While our imperfections or dysfunctions may be different, they give us our wisdom, humbleness, and uniqueness, and set the stage for all we are to learn and pass on in life. 

"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same." 

~Marianne Williamson

Grocery Item of the Week for the relentless sweet tooth!

CARAMEL NATURE DATE COCONUT ROLL WITH ALMOND

These are great to have on hand when you are really craving something sweet! 100% natural, the only ingredients are: dates, coconut, and almond slivers. They taste sinfully like candy and satisfy hunger!! Only 120 calories (if you count) per serving, and a great potassium source, these babies are awesome for a mid-day treat when your co-workers are passing around the donuts!!

I find these at my local grocery store (Safeway) in the produce section, near dates, and chocolate covered almonds. 

                                   

Grocery Item of the Week :Fresh Ground Almond butter

You can find these in health food stores, Food co-ops, and in some grocery stores in the health food or peanut butter section. (Locally, Fred Myer).  The only ingredient is raw almonds! 
You just grab a container, flip a switch, and WaLa! Almond butter!!

If you've never had almond butter, it has a great, somewhat gritty (in a good way) texture. Awesome with apple slices, bananas, toast, rice cakes, or in smoothies!  All natural, healthy, way to get your "good" fats, fiber, and protein in one power snack punch!!

                                                         

What does it mean to be a student?

The most fulfilling thing is to walk into a fitness class (in my case yoga) , as a fitness instructor, and allow myself to be a humble student.  When we can let go of our ego and trust that there is always more to learn, we can grow beyond belief. 

I learn something every time I walk into another person's class. Sometimes I learn technique, alignment, form, or just another way to get to a posture. I always learn something new about myself. Acceptance. Being in the moment. Observing my mind; am I impatient, frustrated, distracted, or at peace with the moment. 

What ever the lesson, I take it with me. I own it. I accept my imperfections as I strive to learn more. 

Next time you take a class, be it fitness, or other wise, allow yourself to be present, humble, and vulnerable. 
There is so much to discover.

Work Week Lunch Box - Rosemary Chicken Beet Salad

Chicken
Marinate chicken in a bag with:
1 large chicken breast
2 sprigs chopped rosemary
1/8 c evoo
1/2 squeezed lemon juice

Cook in George Foreman and cube

Salad: 

Toss:
1 box organic baby spring mixed greens
1 box organic baby kale
1 box fresh mint (chopped)
1 box fresh basil (chopped)
1/2 bag organic shredded carrots
1/2 bag organic shredded broccoli slaw
sugar snap peas
1 large beet - shredded (and squeezed dry)
1 bunch radishes (sliced)

Toppings: 
1/2 box strawberries (sliced)
sun flower seeds
pumpkin seeds
dressing of choice (I like Litehouse Blue Cheese or *in this pic* Bragg Organic Braggberry dressing *Fred Myer's health food section*)

I store the salad, chicken, strawberries, and toppings in different 'glass' containers for longest freshness in the fridge and it lasts from Monday to Friday! :) 

This is one of my favorite salads! I love getting in my beets without having to taste the overly "earthiness" of them. Shredding them in a salad is perfect!!! 

Vlog #2 Balancing my workouts

People will always have an opinion....Keep doin' YOU!!

 When you see me on the weight floor, I'm pretty focused. If you try to get my attention, I usually smile, tip my hat and continue on with my lifting.

Not today. Today I came in to sub a class and figured while I was there, I'd hit some chest and back. Just as I was making my way the pull up bar, I ran into an old lifting comrade of mine from a year or so ago, that always motivated me to push harder. I had  to stop and say hi!! I'm glad I did! We chatted it up for about 40 minutes! What a great conversation!! 

Isn't it funny how we remember things that were said to, or about us for a life time?  Most of us, by nature want to please. We want to be accepted, liked, respected, valued, and validated.

 I'll never forget....my son was 5 years old (he is now 19) and it was close to Christmas. We had just finished Christmas shopping and decided to go to Baskin Robins (in the mall) for a scoop of our favorite holiday flavor, peppermint candy!! We took our packages and ice cream to a mall table just outside the shop and enjoyed our treat, while talking about how much the people would love the gifts we had picked out. A man walking toward us stopped and interrupted this innocent mommy/son moment to inform me, that  I wouldn't be nearly this heavy if I didn't eat crap like ice cream. JERK!! I wanted to cry. Was that what people saw when they looked at me? A fat cow eating ice cream and getting fatter? He didn't see a mom having a holiday treat with her kid, he saw a fat cow eating ice cream.

" We don't see things as they are. 

We see them as we are."

~Anais Nin

It wasn't until years  later that I would understand what Anais meant.

Later in life, when I made the choice to get healthy (By the way,I still eat ice cream!)  I began lifting weights and body building. I love it!! I love the way I look! The way my chest ripples, the way my triceps cut into my delts!! I love the way I feel! So healthy and willing to feed my body the nutrients it needs to give me what it's giving me! I love feeling strong! My husband calls me Pops (short for Popeye), and I work hard to keep that title. Well, last year our best friends (husband and wife team) came to our house to play cards. The husband pulled my husband aside and told him I was starting to look a bit masculine. Kind of like Jillian Michaels. When my husband told me this, I didn't cry.... I grinned from ear to ear! Not because I want to look masculine, and I don't think I do. But, because what our friend perceived as masculine, I perceived as having reached a goal I had worked so hard to reach......and it was noticed.

Back at the gym this morning, my friend had told me she had given up body building because of how she felt other's were perceiving her. Her husband had expressed concern about her arms getting too big. I told her my hubbs had said that about my arms as well, and laughed. Then she told me, after dressing up and putting on some pretty high heals to go out, she overheard someone say, "yeah, Billy will probably get about as tall as that woman" and pointed in her direction. The guy next to him then replied, "That might be a guy (dressed as woman)."  From that point on my friend decided to just exercise lightly, and stop body building. That decision wasn't based soley on the those comments, life kind of got busy as well, but it had an effect on how she saw herself.

 She is now back in the gym, and misses how she felt and looked.

 Now, I can tell you first  hand that my friend got WAAAAAY more positive attention from her bodybuilding than negative! She is incredibly good looking and does not, at all resemble a guy. And most people in the gym marveled at her beauty and physique. But, what does she remember? What made her want to quit? The same thing that sticks in most of our heads.... the negative.

 I'll never forget the man in the mall. Most of us will hold onto moments like that for a life time, but the guy in the mall, probably doesn't at all remember meeting me that day. 

Why focus on what others think? What difference will it make? Everyone will always have an opinion, no matter what we do. But if we understand that their opinion ( good or bad ) is a reflection of them, and not us, we will be free to live and not worry about the judgement that others are trying to place on us. 

The second moral to this story?.... Choose your words carefully  when speaking to or about others. We are all swimming up stream with our own life struggles. Why make it harder on someone by degrading what they do, or why they  do it. 

My body is grateful for another day of rest and my soul was thankful for a moment with an ol' gym friend and thought provoking conversation. 

Thanks friend!!

My August Chalenge to you. Prioritize for health and happiness

"I want to be in shape, but I just don't have the time to workout." Eating healthy is too time consuming; who has time to cook?" "It's too expensive to have a gym membership." Fresh, whole foods cost too much. Plus, they go bad!"  I would love to eat healthy, but my family won't eat that kind of food."

I hear it all, and have said a few myself!

We set our lives up to be what they are. We make decisions every day that dictate our priorities and cause us to say these things when talking about our own health, happiness, and well being. 

We have made the decisions that having that nice car (payment) is more important than a gym membership, or buying those (cigarettes, beer, cookies, soda) is more important than using that money for whole foods, or over scheduling  little Billy with 4 different sports  in one season is more important than Mom's sanity and maybe a yoga class, or (in my case) taking on 5 classes a week in addition to my full time job, is more important than family time and time for myself. We all fall victim to our own choices and then hide behind them using excuses as our cover. 

But, how often do we step back and re-evaluate our priorities? 

How often do we lose our site of our priorities as we get sucked into the vortex of being too busy to remember what they were?  

Every so often, We need a mental day. A day to step back from our life and look at the big picture. Am I spending enough time with my family? Am I happy with where my health is? How is my stress level these days? What am I neglecting?  What can I give up or delegate to free up time or money for what is more important? 

My August challenge for you is to pick a day this month to take for yourself.   Use this day with no kids, no spouse, no work (you have the whole month to set this up, so plan for sitters, a day off from work, or what ever conflicts may come your way.) Take this day to re-evaluate your priorities. What do you want from life that you are not getting? What is standing in your way? What can you do without, get rid of, or delegate to free up the time or money needed for this?  

I do this on the regular! At least 2-3 times a year, I find I've lost sight of my priorities and I take a day to strategize. I usually find it's time to reduce my teaching schedule, or stop going out to dinner so many times in a week to free up money for a vacation with my hubbs, or spend less time on Facebook to free up more time to be in the kitchen prepping healthy foods. 

Sure! Giving up some responsibilities or making changes may disappoint others, but really? Is it all worth it if you're not healthy? If you're not happy? If you're not feeling fulfilled? What's the point? And honestly, the healthier and happier you are, the happier the people around you are. You know what they say... "If Mama ain't happy............."  

Make the time to get your life the way you want it to be. Life is too short to feel unhealthy, unhappy, or over stressed. Take the time to reconnect with what's really important to you.

Surround yourself with like-minded people for success!

The fastest way to reach your goals is to surround yourself with like-minded people. People who are successful at what you are trying to achieve. 

This is my soon to be Sister-in-law, Rachel. Gorgeous, yes? 

We recently took a road trip to Cali to help her and my brother-in-law with a convention they were putting on. Prior to this road trip, I allowed stress to get the best of me and my healthy eating became less consistent than I would have liked. As a result, I put on a few pounds and was feeling a bit sluggish. 

Road trips are goal busters for me!! Try as I might, inevitably I end up munching on all the wrong stuff and lots of it, just to stay awake on the road.  I knew I couldn't afford to do that this trip. 

This road trip was a success. All good food choices and knowing I needed little calories to sit in a car all day, I did great with raw fruit, vegies, and nuts!

Next challenge? Eating out!! 

We were so busy working on this convention, there was little time to cook. This is where Rachel taught me a lot.  Rachel has many food restrictions due to food sensitivities and her quest for better health. Watching her order, it dawned on me that now-a-days, most restaurants will modify and allow you to special order to fit your needs.

Going out to breakfast, the diner's menu options looked terrifying to my health and waist line. Following Rachel's lead, we ordered oatmeal, poached eggs, and a side of avocado, with lemon water. PERFECT!! So simple, yet special ordering for some reason didn't dawn on me before. I would have always picked the least offensive thing on the menu, knowing it was still unhealthy. 

Through out my entire stay, I watched the choices Rachel would make and allowed it to inspire me to make healthy choices, even when away from home. Funny right? It's simple common sense, but sometimes it takes watching someone else doing it for the connection to be made. In addition, Rachel's house is full of organic, whole foods. My house is pretty healthy, but I'm pretty sure her's well outdoes mine.

In addition to healthy eating, Being around Rachel is very calming. 

By nature, I am a high stress person. This trip was as high stress as it could be. So much to do with a tight deadline. To top it off Rachel was sick, and I was consumed with phone calls to the hospital my Mom was placed in due to serious illness. Through out all of the pressure to get so much done, I never saw Rachel get frazzled. I'm not saying she didn't feel stress, but she vented about the annoyances, and moved on, never losing her cool.

The last thing I want to do is paint a perfect picture here. Far from it! 

The thing that inspired me the most is all she has been through to get to this point. Rachel hasn't always been this healthy. In fact, it was her severe depression, endless health issues, and a wide variety of medications, that finally made her decide to change her life. Through cutting processed foods, as well as spending a lot of time finding which foods were affecting her health through food sensitivities, and taking up Bikram Yoga, Rachel has done a complete overhaul of her mental and physical health and has decreased the amount of medication she has to be on.

It is this perseverance that makes her one of the most inspirational people I am fortunate to know. Whenever we visit, I always find some inspiration to take home and apply to my own life. 

When you surround yourself with like-minded people who go above and beyond what you do in your own life to meet their goals, you learn more and are inspired to do more yourself.

I'm only just now really getting to know my sister-in-law, but I am so grateful to have her in our family!

It's the people who are willing to push through, no matter how hard, that inspire me the most. Those are the ones I seek to spend my time with. 

Who inspires you?

What will become of Shred?

The last two months have been a bit of a roller coaster. My main health club got bought out and is now a large franchise. It is going to be an amazing club. The owners have  great vision and a lot of heart. I want to stay and be a part of it all, but that would mean sacrifice, yet much opportunity for Shred. The owners of my new gym have offered to pay for my PT (personal training) certification and support Shred to becoming more than just a class, but maybe a well known format with-in their gym and possibly beyond. (Look out Chalene Johnson, here I come!) This offer came in a meeting yesterday with one of the owners. The owner put me on a pedestal so high, I couldn't see the ground. It took a lot after that meeting to grab my ego off of cloud nine and think about the offers presented. What an amazing offer!! What an amazing meeting!!! 

There were only two conflicts.

Both surrounding what Shred has always stood for, "Diversity and being accessible to everyone"

 1. I would have to charge extra for my class with-in this club.

   2. This class would likely have to be exclusive to this club.

Later that evening I received a call from our new community center I started teaching for in May. It was the head of the adaptive Recreation department telling me how some of  his members were excited about the equipment I was dragging outside for Shred and they  wanted to come check it out. He asked if it was possible to make this class adaptable for those with special needs. Wow! That poses some challenges. I'm not adequately trained for this, am I?......  I'll learn!...... I got this!!

There is one guy with Spina Bifida who is always working out on the weights and had a big gleam in his eye when he saw my tire...He has "that look" almost every time I see him. If you know me, you know what I'm talking about. That glimmer in his eyes when met with a challenge. The glimmer that say's, "Oh Hell yeah, I got this!" 

This is the heart of Shred. This is why I teach. I would not be happy simply teaching a class to those who can afford to pay extra to take it. The heart of Shred is the diversity of my community. Accessible to the masses, not the few. I know I'd be successful charging people extra in a large gym, but my heart is just not in that space. 

Right now Shred is small and on the brink of starting over. My hope is that Shred will grow with-in our community. That people will come check it out and get involved with the community of supporting each other in our healthy living and fitness goals. 

Of course lingering in the back of my mind are the questions, "Am I making the right choice? Am I walking away from an amazing opportunity?"

My only hope is that there is no wrong decision when you lead with your heart. (Cheesy, I know!)

One decision that I did make however, is to get my PT cert. Given the the conversations I have had over the last 2 months, it has become abundantly clear that this is the road I need to take for my own personal growth as well as the growth of Shred. It will be hard financially, and I know it will take a lot of studying, but I'm doing it!

Thoughts are welcome! This is just me, clearing my head, and putting things into perspective.

SHRED FIT CLASS!! Summer 2012

My members make me proud to be an instructor!!

It Works!! No really! This one is different, I promise!...

Back in my day it was Slim Fast and Metabolife. These things are still out there out on the shelves. I live just down the street from a Metabolife distributor. Along with many "diets", these were the two weight loss products I clung to.  

Slim Fast offered a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a sensible dinner. I was starving my body, and when I could take it no more, I'd binge, gaining any loss back, plus more!

Metabolife was my next desperate attempt to lose weight. With the promise of "all natural vitamins and herbs" to raise my metabolism and help me lose weight. I didn't lose anything but my self respect, money, and my belief that I would ever be able to  be healthy or "normal". On top of that, they made me moody, jittery, and at times confused and turned around. They completely wigged me out!

What was my turning point? I'd have to say a big one was when Dr. Phil began selling diet pills. He had  a pill for "pear shaped" ladies, and a pill for "apple shapes". Wait!!! What???! Those 2 boxes with Dr. Phil's name on it jumped off the shelf and hit me over the head with an IDIOT stick!! Were we really that stupid!??  Um, Yes!! Talk about an epiphany!! That was the day I stopped watching Dr. Phil and stopped giving my money to the diet industry.

I changed my focus from weight loss to getting healthy . No products! No pills! No shakes! No meal replacement bars! No diet foods! No short cuts! No decisions made out of desperation! Instead, it had to be conducive to good health. Real nutrition, from real foods. Water. Adequate sleep. Activity. Exercise, Flexibility. Strength. Yoga. Taking care of myself for the first time ever. And, are you ready for this??....It's a new, unheard of concept that the diet industry doesn't make you commit to.....TIME! Yes! You read that right. Time. Time to change habits and behaviors. Time to learn what healthy really is. Time to incorporate these new healthy concepts into sustainable, everyday life. Time to fail and learn so you can succeed. Time to see real results, from real efforts. Time.

But, now we have our beloved and trusted, 'tell it like it is', Jillian Michaels (today's Dr. Phil of weight loss) out there selling a whole line of pills, cleansers, and diet products. We buy them, because we love and trust Jillian! And why not? She came into our homes every week for years, inspiring and showing us that we too can lose hundreds of pounds in just a matter of months.

We also have the brilliant money making scam of , 'It Works' diet pills, All natural shakes, and magic wraps, you can use and sell at parties like Tupperware in your own home. LOSE INCHES FAST! And, I hear it works.....while you are using it. But who can afford to give away their money and health for a life time? I mean, really, when you stop using them, the inches come back. Some would (and do) argue that 'this' product is different. This one feeds you healthy shakes and preaches healthy living. Well, of course it does! Any good distributor is going to create a strong belief system for their product. It's called great marketing!! After all, what weight loss product is going to tell you they just want your money.

 It's no secret I have a BIG beef with the diet and weight loss industry. They prey on the desperation and emotions of over weight and unhealthy consumers. The biggest goal here is to keep us sick, over weight, unhealthy, and unhappy with ourselves so they can continue to rape our pocket books with the next, bright promise of tomorrow. And there will be a "next" to fall back on when the one you are currently using fails you. And it will have even bigger promises of health and weight loss. 

At some point, we have to ask ourselves, who is driving this bus? Am I in control of my health, or am I leaving that job to the experts scam artists? 

Food for thought......