healthy and beautiful

Last night, on Instagram, I read a blogger’s caption for her photo. It read “New year, same food.   My eating doesn't change just because it's January first.” I say, good for her. She’s probably one of those people who says “I’m thankful every day” on Thanksgiving. Call me a cliché’ (I’ve been called worse) but I love a clean slate; I'm not shy about my glee when goal setting.   I’m not suggesting “whole new you” type aspirations.   I like the majority of myself; however, I am perpetually tweaking. If you’re feeling resolutiony, here’s how I’d channel your newfound motivation. Be a creature of freshness I can’t find the right, uplifting word that’s the opposite of habit. Habits and routines are great but monotony is not. Especially in the wellness realm, mixing it up is vital. Kale all day and night would make me find a new profession. What do you want to try in 2017? You can experiment anywhere. Maybe it’s a new form of self-care. I believe I’ve written about my adoratio...

Have you struggled with starting a fitness program , illness or even setbacks? It's during these times our bodies will dictate our abilities and limitations.  Personally, when illness hits me hard, I have to take a break and put my favorite HIIT routines on hold. This is all part of realistic expectations. I may want something right now, but it's just not going to happen.  Similarly, there is no such thing as here today and gone tomorrow. Patience is very important on our journey to health and fitness . It may feel frustrating and I will even validate this emotion. The key is not letting negative thinking consume us to the point of giving up. We must remain realistic.  Realistic workouts start with what you can do right where you are. Allow yourself to be a beginner. If returning to fitness from injury or illness, take it slow. The work is always about progress and not perfection . It's so important to pay attention to what the body is saying. Being in tune allows ...

Fitness needs to stop being a dream we think about and become an action we put into practice. There are so many factors getting in our way. Negative thoughts and self-defeat are high on the list. Using "too busy" as an excuse is another fitness barrier. Frustration with the lack of results can cause us to think it will never happen. Fitness requires us to live beyond our dreams. We all have the potential to achieve success. Remaining positive in a negative world will be first on the agenda. No more downing yourself before even trying. "Busy" is a word used for people who really don't want it bad enough. Lastly, there is no such thing as instant results. Daily progress should become the focus. The action needed to get fit is a daily choice. Start by making a plan and sticking to it. It will be important to schedule your workouts and spend time meal prepping. Avoid processed convenience foods and replace those with healthy nutrient dense foods. Start hanging aro...

I was reading an article in More Magazine and came across a small piece on what motivates us to exercise. The reason I bring up the article is I happen to agree with the content. According to More , the top reasons women over 40 exercise are to lose weight and protect their health. Research indicated these women were more disenchanted with their fitness programs. Regular exercise was explained as a duty, not fun and more like taking a mouthful of bitter medicine. So, it appears gals over 40 feel exercise is more of a have to duty than having a fun time. The lesser percentage of women surveyed stated they exercised to improve mood and reduce stress. Now, that sounds fabulous. Studies show women who exercise for stress reduction and to feel good remained true to their programs. In fact, they exercised 30% more than those seeking to lose weight and protect their health. Now, you may think losing weight should be motivational, but let's say you're not seeing results. This creates...

What works for me may not work for you. That's awesome! Why? Because we're all different people with differing strengths and weaknesses. Each of us should focus on the things we can do, and do our best not holding anything back. Acceptance of who we are and celebrating our strengths is essential for health and fitness. I eliminate push-ups from my workout for example because they will aggravate my neck injury. Instead, I work hard on my chest press and it works for me. It could be easy to sulk back into a corner and cry over my loss of certain athletic abilities, but what would that do for me?  Nothing. Life has given me a great purpose and a strong will to fight for my fitness. I have good and bad days just like you. Over several years of training, I have come to really enjoy what I can do through exercise modification and creative program development. I do what works for me and it's fabulous. It's important to never give up hope and know you can achieve great things....

Life is not always easy. I'm no different than many of you: woman, wife, mother, daughter, a friend. I do walk the walk of fitness with my occupation as a personal trainer and writer.  This doesn't change the fact I sometimes have up and  down days emotionally and physically. I also experience burnout with my workouts. One of my favorite life quotes is “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it”.   I came across this quote from a school project my son made in junior high and it has really stuck with me. My son is almost 30 now.   I have realized through my journey of life and fitness we are limited in what we can control. The only thing we can control is how we think, feel, and respond to life’s circumstances. We simply need to learn to let go of the rest. This can be a hard task but a necessary one. Also, we are definitely in control of the choices we make for ourselves to become healthy, fit people. Getting fit and healthy involves both our ...

Change is necessary, can be a challenge, and inevitable. Sometimes we have no control over change as with the aging process or certain illness. What we can control are changes making us healthier people. That means taking an honest look at our lifestyle. What are we eating and are we exercising?  How do we implement all this change?   Change is a big part of this journey of life. None of us are exempt from the constant changes needed to make our situation better. Did you know our bodies change at every level each day without our knowledge?   Personally, I have undergone a lot of change in this life as an athlete. My healthy lifestyle enabled me to face many physical challenges. One of the toughest physical changes was rehabilitation from injury. It required perseverance not to give up, and acceptance of not being able to perform athletically as before.  The inevitable change often difficult for me presently are the changes occurring with the aging process. No amoun...

Why do we worry about what is happening on the other side of the fence? The grass isn't greener over there like we might think.  What we really need is a change in how we are viewing the scenery. Our attention requires an about face and eyeful of what's going on in our own yard and life. Our neighbor (anyone we compare our life) isn't any better than me or you physically or even materially. True health and happiness begin when we start greening up our own grass. If our focus is always on others, how can we love who we are and make the best of what we have? Did you know comparison is the thief of joy? We will always be at different levels of health, looks, and financial status and that's just how the world works. The important thing is to make the best out of what we have, celebrate who we are at this moment, and work on becoming a better self than we were yesterday. I refuse to waste my time worrying about someone else’s grass and let the weeds infest mine. I don't ...

The last ten pounds can be a struggle. The scale stops budging and frustration has taken over. The stress of it all is putting the adrenal glands on overdrive. A cortisol rush is the last thing our body needs when trying to lose the last ten pounds. Studies show chronic stress and cortisol release hinders our ability to lose weight. Plateaus are normal for all of us living a healthy lifestyle . Many don't realize food intake and exercise programming require constant review and change. If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal.  Remain positive and progressive with your fitness regardless of what the scale says. Many factors are at play when the body stops showing results. Usually, a simple review and program change are all that's required to gets things moving again.  Things to consider:  Are you eating enough? The body knows when it's not getting enough fuel. If we restrict too many calories, our body will refuse to give up any fat stores. The body ...

Getting fit and healthy is not just for the twenty-somethings. It's never too late, circumstances never too bad, and we're never too old to become our best healthy self. Our minds can play negative tricks on us. We often believe our goals are unattainable. That simply isn't the truth. We need to change the thoughts about our life and body to begin the process of kicking out the mental clutter. Beginning each day with a positive focus is essential. It will be a daily choice not to continue unhealthy patterns, believe past doubts and fears, or give in to self sabotage . This will be a time of inner strength development and purging all the crap that held you down for so long. It will be an emptying of the old self into the trash and an awakening of the new stronger you ready to make things happen. Each day is a new opportunity to change. We possess the awesome ability to make decisions bringing us closer to our fitness goals. It's important to remain realistic and I reco...