I Quit!

Do you really know the difference between these two words? I mean, really know the difference? Because I didn't until roughly 3 months ago. Let me start by telling you that I have a business coach who helps me focus and achieve the goals that I set for myself and my business. Some people think that they don't need or wouldn't benefit from a coach but I for one know whole heartedly that she has helped me immensely. Besides, doesn't every great athlete have a coach? So why shouldn't every business owner or every person who sets goals have a coach? It just makes sense to have someone help you clarify and really figure out how to achieve your goals. Anyway, enough of that and on to the big message here.


Commitment Versus Trying
My coach and I touched on the subject of commitment versus trying a while back and in January the perfect opportunity was presented to test out my own ability to commit versus just try. I mentioned to her that I had toyed with the idea of abstaining from alcohol for a period of time. Now I most certainly don't have a problem with the substance, but I began to feel that even the occasional drink was not allowing me to perform to the best of my ability. It just wasn't getting me any closer to my goals. I told my coach that I had been thinking about not drinking for a while and she immediately challenged me to commit to that statement. So being the kind of person to not back down from a challenge, I did and haven't indulged in well over 2 months.


However, my story here is to illustrate that in order to really achieve your goals, whether they are weight loss related or abstaining from alcohol, you need to commit to them 100%. Instead of using a word like try, or saying I'll give it a shot, say I will and leave it at that. Changing the way you word something, if even in your own head, can make a world of difference. So, when you come into the studio over the next few days, tell me what your commitments are and we will work on them together.

Is It Nice or A Necessity?

When it comes to dropping weight or reaching any goal, how necessary is it to have one person or a group of people who support your efforts? If you ask me or anyone who has achieved success in reaching his or her goals, I'm certain that you will be told that it's absolutely crucial to have support!

There are certainly times when I don't feel as upbeat or optimistic as I should and those are the times when my support system comes into play. A support system is comprised of the people who pick you up when you're not on the top of your game. So think of who your support system is and be sure and utilize them as they generally hold the key to reaching your next goal. When you voice your goals, you give them life and make them real.


My Top 5 Supporters
1) Parents
2) Business Partner
3) Clients
4) Siblings
5) Nash (My Dog) He's always happy to see me and greets me with a wagging tail.

Who are your top 5?

Healthy Or Sneaky?

When it comes to the grocery store and what you need to be putting in your cart, it can become quite confusing. There are a ton of food products out there that make you think they are healthy when, in fact, they aren't at all. One marketing device in particular comes to mind when I think of the sneaky packaging - 100 Calorie Packs - that makes us think unhealthy foods are healthy. Cookies and crackers are still junk food that are full of processed carbs that assault the body. But people think since it's only 100 calories, it must be healthy. Now if you've moved from inhaling a whole bag of Cheetos in one sitting to a 100 calorie pack, you're going in the right direction. Just be sure you're not fooled into thinking that the food inside these expertly marketed packages is healthy. My suggestion would be to make your own 100 calorie packs of healthy foods like nuts or fruits/veggies by apportioning them into ziploc bags at the beginning of the week so they travel easy.

Quick Grocery Tip:

Now when it comes to traversing the grocery store aisles, I know a lot of you have probably already heard this from me, but be sure and shop the perimeter. The perimeter holds all the healthiest foods and best selections you need to eat right. Between fresh produce, lean cuts of protein, and dairy, you cannot go wrong. The deeper you delve into the middle of the store, the more processed, unhealthy foods you encounter. Now there are certainly exceptions to that rule, but for the most part, sticking to the perimeter works.

Dedicated Or Obsessed?

The athletes that participate in the Olympics are absolutely incredible. They literally train for 6-8 hours a day. That is what it takes to be the best in the world. Now what do an Olympic athlete and someone looking to drop bodyfat or someone looking to get fit have in common? Dedication.

Plain and simple, you have to be dedicated to your goal. In fitness I see too many people who start out with guns blazing only to fizzle out after 2 weeks. Now if J.R. Celski, the speed skater I mentioned earlier, would have given up after his wreck 5 months ago, he never would have had the opportunity to stand on that Olympic platform. He may have been momentarily beaten, but it obviously didn't last long and his dedication paid off.


Whatever your fitness goals might be, realize that in the grand scheme of things 1 month or even 6 months is a pretty small period of time. So why do people expect to drop the 50 pounds they put on in the last 10 years in a much shorter period of time? Now I'm not saying it should take 10 years to drop 50 pounds, but everyone needs to realize that you've probably developed some pretty nasty habits in that time and it takes a while to change those habits.

So if your ultimate goal is 50 pounds, break that down into smaller, more manageable goals. Or simply set your goal to be one of staying with one exercise program for 6 months or one year and see where that takes you. I'm certain Celski didn't start rehab with the goal in mind to win the Bronze Medal. He probably just wanted to see if he could get himself healthy enough to compete again.

Believe In Yourself

I am most definitely a big fan of the power of positive thinking. Not only is it essential for reaching your goals, but it is just as important in helping to reach your weight loss/fitness goals. It is sad how many people limit themselves or allow themselves to fail before they ever start something.

I see it all the time with weight loss clients. They have a negative and self defeating mindset: "There is no way I'll ever lose weight" or "There is no way I'll be able to get back to my pre baby weight". I can tell you from firsthand experience that when you say those words, you have already failed. Somewhere between child and adulthood we lose the ability to be able to dream and start putting self imposed limits on ourselves. Those limits tend to stick with you for quite sometime and can severely hamper your ability to reach your goals.

The people who succeed, and I mean really succeed at weight loss or any goal, truly believe they will succeed. So whatever your current goal is, I want you to take 10 seconds right after you finish reading this and visualize, I mean actually see in your mind you reaching that goal.

Here's to setting and reaching your goals in 2010!

"I am convinced life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." Charles R Swindoll

Roller Derby Performance Workout

This is a video I put together for my roller derby teammates. However, it is workout that anyone can perform with very little equipment. For each of the exercises involved perform around 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. Also for anyone interested in the St Louis Gatekeepers check out www.stlgatekeepers.com We can always use extra bodies!

Losing Weight Is Easy!

I've admitted my addiction of watching incredibly bad fitness infomercials to a few of you. Seriously, every time a fitness infomercial comes on I watch for just a few minutes and sometimes get sucked into the whole thing. Why, you ask? Simply because they are that good at convincing people to buy those products(most of which are junk). The people selling these are masters of marketing and advertising and have no interest in what it takes to get healthy.

Most of these infomercials simply tell you what you want to hear - that it's easy to lose weight and get fit. Or that you can spend 4 minutes every other day doing the hottest new aerobics workout and look like the HIRED MODEL teaching the class. Now wouldn't you think, that if it was that simple and all you had to do was buy that product or DVD, then we'd have a nation of beautiful bodies instead of fighting an epidemic of obesity.

In order to get realistic, sustainable results you have to work out a minimum of 3 times a week (more is better). For best results, you need to combine some sort of resistance or weight training with cardio. Now that you've got that part down, don't let that be a license to eat freely. You have to complement what you are doing in the gym with a good, healthy diet full of lean protein sources, healthy fats, and minimal processed carbohydrates.

So the take home here is you have to work hard in the gym and eat healthy in order to lose weight or get fit. You've more than likely heard the adage that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That is more true in fitness than anything else. So don't let the fly-by-night claims influence you.