healthy and beautiful

A little bac kground. Last week (has mercury unretrograded? hope so) Carolyn and I received more than a few emails from clients saying, “my trainer told me to buy”. We dutifully checked out said product and found nasty ingredients or something super processed. Thus this post. We totally get that that there is an overlap with fitness and nutrition but…I’ll get Carolyn take it away. When in doubt we refer out to doctors, acupuncturists, yogis, and even stylists and organizationalists. We also love trainers and fitness instructors, for so many Foodtrainers’ clients they’re the other piece of the fit puzzle. But when some start dropping nutrition instructions when they should be teaching how to lift weights, I have some issues. Would you ask your therapist for workout tips? OK, ok once my old therapist “prescribed” me yoga (followed soon after by Xanax if we’re being honest) but for the most part, professionals should stick to their field, right?   lauren and I always preface our (very...

I believe in being healthy when it comes to exercise and eating “clean” for the large percentage of my week.   Why do I bring the word obsessed into this picture…well...here it is in a nutshell…just as with anything else, too much of anything or an obsessive attitude can bring about an unhealthy balance in life…regardless of how good it is.    If I was spending hours on end exercising, putting exercise above everything in my life to the point of letting it interfere or negatively impact my life, relationships, and self…NO   GOOD.   I mean really…can you imagine if a scenario went like this…I am invited for the day to relax at a spa with hubby, or attend an important function with my family and I said nope … gotta exercise, or I need to be late so that I can get my workout in…OK…now that would be OBSESSIVE. I am not saying that exercise is not important, it definitely is a lifestyle along with my nutrition, but I am talking about for example…the old habits of Da...

TAKING A BREAK I am walking away from fitness!!!  Yes…you heard me… and I am going to enjoy every moment of this week off.  Just like anything else done day in and day out, stepping back and away for a short time and taking a break from what I do daily can rejuvenate my body, mind, and provide a fresh stronger ME when I return…like going on a little vacation from your job and coming back feeling like…YES…I can tackle the world.  There are times that my body feels tired, burned out, and there are days that I, the trainer need to be pushed through a workout…thanks BABE for that!  I also listen to things like…why is my hamstring staying sore and not recovering well, my sleep not the best, and just mentally in need of a break.  YUCK…really…but you know being healthy is not only about how many days I can spend in the gym to push through that hour workout.  Life is truly a balance of the physical, mental, nutritional, and spiritual and if one is out of balance…th...

Such a fantastic word…I love feeling accomplished…can you relate?   When it comes to a workout and it is on a day where I am feeling unmotivated and I kick it into gear and do it…ACCOMPLISHED.    I can also feel this way after cleaning the bathrooms…YUCK…but it has to be done.   I can have such an overwhelming AWWWW feeling inside after I have completed something on my long “to do” list…or even my short one.   It is like falling back on the couch and saying to myself…well done Darla…I do not need to look for anyone’s approval to feel this way.   It is my inner contentment, and love for self that I long to satisfy…and make God happy with what I do of course. Believe me…I see so many people get caught up in the race of competing with others, comparing to others, wanting to be like others…that they are missing out on their own accomplishments…great or small...why oh why I say…and I further say STOP already.   I have got on my soap box a few times about t...

Celebrating 48!!!! MAN have I noticed a few things over this past year and as I near 50…front and center …I NEED MY RECOVERY TIME…and I better listen to what my body is telling me or … low energy, burn out, unmotivated…and all the things that fatigue can bring me…YUCK.   YES, I have taken care of myself and try to be the BEST me every day…does that mean over-the-top grueling workouts…OH NO…no more for this girl.   I do not need to be that intense athlete of my teens, 20-30s anymore…and I really do not want to.   It is has developed muscle for me which is YAHOO good, but also some wear and tear…not so good. I create programs that are intense but do not push beyond my limits…nope…not for this fitness girl.   I mean…Why? ...What is the purpose…the point…really…do I need to lift enormous amounts of weight to put extreme pressure on my spine, joints, tissues, and grunt until I pop a hemorrhoid …YIKES… do I need to prove something to someone…NO, NO and NO.   It is no...