Change

The alarm goes off.  You reach over and quickly hit the snooze.

Your bed is warm and comfortable.  Your pillows and blankets seem to be in THE most perfect positions as if they are pleading with you to stay.

They are saying: "Don't leave.  It is warm, safe, and comfortable here."

"You don't need to go now, " they say "whatever it is you are going to do will be there waiting for you later."

"Ahh, I don't want to get up" you say as if continuing the conversation your bed has started with you.

But you do.

You drag yourself out of bed, maybe grab a cup of coffee and head out the door.

Once you are out the door the calm and peace of the world surrounds you.  The crisp air dances on your skin. The dark sky slowly begins to change colors- from deep, dark, blue to lighter blue with hints of pink, orange, and red coming through.  The birds begin to chirp.

You can feel it coming.  The beauty, the splendor, the magnificence .....The dark sky has given way to the most gorgeous sunrise.

There it is before you.  As if it had always been there.  The bright, warm glow of the sun surrounds you.

You stop for a moment to reflect on what it is you would have missed if you had stayed in the warm comfort of your bed.

Often it takes moving from a warm, comfortable, safe place to witness the beauty of what the world has in store for us.

So it is with change.  Whatever that change may be you will find yourself moving from a warm, comfortable, safe place out into the quiet darkness.  That quiet, dark place may surround you for a while before you start to hear the friendly chirping of the birds and begin to see the colors of the sky change.

Hold on.  Don't turn back.

Yes, I know that safe place is still calling you to return.  It is there waiting for you; taunting you.

You can hear it: "I am a warm, safe, comfortable place.  Come back, you are always welcome here."

Before you turn and go back stop for a moment and count the number of sunrises you've seen on days  you didn't get out of bed.  How many have you seen in that warm, comfortable, safe place?

Food ruled my life

I have a confession to make.

I have a cupcake in my freezer.

Well, ok there are ACTUALLY two in there.

Why they are there and how they manage to stay there is really a long story so I will do my best to give you the cliff notes version.

Food ruled my life.

There was a time in my life when all I can remember thinking about was food.  Thoughts about what I had eaten.. what I actually WANTED to eat but didn't...what I was planning to eat later...what I might eat tomorrow...

That was all I really thought about.  Food had so much power over me.  It controlled whether I was happy or sad-- which really meant if I felt horrible because I ate something "bad" that I "shouldn't have eaten" or if I felt good because I was able to will myself away from something delicious.

I couldn't understand how people could go through their day not concerned at all about food.  Didn't everyone feel like this?

What was wrong with me?

Somewhere along the way, early in my life, I developed an unhealthy relationship with food.

I would either eat way too much or nothing at all.

I couldn't be around something sweet without eating it, or dream of eating it ...until I gave in and took a few bites and then stood over the trash can trying to decide if I should just inhale the rest or throw it in the trash...and if it went in the trash it had better touch all of the nasty stuff in there or there was a good chance I might take it back out!

Food had power over me.

I can now say that I realize that I GAVE it power over me, but hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it??

So how did I go from there to having 2 cupcakes in my freezer?

I'm not going to lie, it took quite some time to get here, but it all started with education.

Not the kind you get from sitting in a classroom - at least no classroom I had ever been in.

It took educating myself about food, nutrients, and what happens when we eat.

It took learning about what happened in my body when I ate certain foods, and when I ate them at specific times- like before, during, or after my training sessions- or what happened if I ate them when I had not trained.

Slowly I learned how to put food to work FOR me.  I was no longer AT THE MERCY of my food.
I finally had the upper hand!

That is such a wonderful feeling because I love to eat, and for so many years I walked around thinking that I couldn't eat; that I had to avoid food especially the foods that I liked to eat if I wanted to look and feel a certain way.

Truth is the really delicious foods that I loved to eat included steak, veggies, potatoes, chicken, and fish.  Not just sweet things. You name it, I loved to eat it...well, ok just don't say "liver" I never liked that :(

I just didn't realize that I COULD eat all of those wonderful things.. and my cupcake.. if I fed my body according to the plan.

The plan?

Yes, the plan.

The plan to build muscle and not store fat!

Where did I get that plan? I got that from learning what happens when I eat certain things at certain times... really nutrient timing.  Just big words for put the right stuff in at the right time.  Just like you put the right kind of gas in your car when it needs it.  Same thing.

Sure this took some work in the beginning, but now it is just my normal way of eating and I don't really have to give it much thought....which is why I can have 2 cupcakes sitting in my freezer.

So if YOU are feeling like I was.. I am here to tell you that you don't have to go on that way.  Food doesn't have to rule your life and you don't have to run from food either.

It is time to start a new, healthy relationship with food.  One that puts food to work FOR you!

If I did it, you can too!!

How to reach your health, fitness, and fat loss goals

It is tax season!

...as if you weren't already aware of that...

Like anything in life, you could do your taxes by yourself in an effort to save money by not paying someone to help you. BUT did you ever consider that the small act of hiring someone to help you might result in your saving even MORE money???

It is true. And I'm sure you have heard many stories of people who didn't realize all of the deductions that they had missed until they had a professional look things over.

The same thing happens in the gym.

Many people opt for the "save money" training version by not hiring a trained professional or worse yet opting for the cheapest "diet plan" they can find.

While both of these seem as if they are saving you money-- AT THE MOMENT--but they are likely COSTING YOU MONEY in the long run.

How many times have you tried to lose that 10 or 20 pounds? How many times have you succeeded? I mean succeeded in terms of NOT having it find its way back to you...

How long have you been following that training plan only to realize that you have seen little to no results from doing so?

As Albert Einstein said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".

What if hiring an educated professional would help you reach your goal in half the time with one tenth of the headache?

What if hiring the right person meant that you would be educated you so that NO MATTER WHAT happened in your life you would ALWAYS know how to eat and train to achieve your health and fitness goals??

I can't help it when I am at the gym- I look around and wonder how long this woman or than man have spent doing that exercise THAT way.  If they could just tweak their form slightly to actually activate the muscles that they are trying to use... WOW the results that they would see from their training would be so different!!

Are YOU one of those people??? The ones who don't want to invest a little bit to get the MOST from your training, your nutrition, your life?????

Did you realize that when you DO invest in this you are investing in YOURSELF.  It is like putting money in the bank.

I can't help it, I want to help everyone! It frustrates me to no end to see people spinning their wheels day in and day out; following this crazy diet or thinking that that shake will help them achieve the body they want.  IT WON'T!

Because this drives me so crazy I am opening my schedule to work with a select few.  My time is precious - you all know how my travel schedule is- so I am NOT going to work with just anyone.

You must be 100% committed to yourself and to the plan. You must know WHY it is that you want to work with me, to achieve great results.

My website will be up and going before long and I anticipate to be booked long before that happens.  If YOU are ready to take the next step, to REALLY learn how to achieve your health and fitness goals and you are 100% committed submit your email address to me and I will forward you an application.

Who do you surround yourself with?

When we lose focus sometimes it just helps to get away and clear your head.  Is it the getting away that does it? Or is it where you end up and who you end up there with that does it?

It seemed like lately I just couldn't get my brain to focus on the tasks at hand.  Didn't matter what I tried I was just caught up in circles in my mind and accomplishing very little in the way of working.

I knew I had an upcoming trip to Australia and COULD. NOT. WAIT. to go.

I'm not really sure what it is about being on an airplane that helps me to clear my mind.  Maybe it is literally just looking at the world from a different perspective.  Maybe it is that I am forced to just sit and not busy my mind with everything else around me.  Who knows, but what I do know is that I do feel different when I am on a plane.

When that plane lands in Australia and I am instantly surrounded by 45 high-energy, health-minded, focused, creative, business owners who want nothing more than to help people transform their bodies and lives I can't help but to get energized and focused myself!

The brick walls I had created were falling away and I was able to again see the vision I had created once upon a time. A vision for reaching people, educating them and helping them to help themselves.  Really transforming lives.

The trick is carrying that drive and focus with me as I fly half way around the world and arrive home.

Whether it is drive and focus relating to a business plan, a nutrition plan, a training plan we have to set ourselves up for success.  How do we do that?

One key is to surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do.

Truth is, we become like the company we keep.

Who are the 5 people that you spend most of your time with? Do those people fuel you or drain you? Do they share the same goals and visions that you do? If they don't, do they support you in your efforts to achieve your dreams?

The first step in creating what we desire is to surround ourselves with people who support us.

Maybe now is a good time to take a look around.

Running a marathon and living life are one in the same...

Its true no matter how much you may want to deny it. Life, and getting things done in life really mirrors marathon running.

Look at it like this. Just as race day is starting, so too is your journey.  You and everyone else embarking on the same journey are gathered together in one place, excitedly making last minute preparations before you make your way to the staging area- the last place you will wait.

The gun goes off and you jockey to find a comfortable place and stride.  People on the sidewalks are cheering for you encouraging you as you begin the journey you have prepared for over that last few months.

One by one the miles pass.  Your smile and stride are as strong as they were when you began.  You rejoice in the beauty of the rising sun, the birds chirping, the smell of freshly cut grass.  Drinking in all that surrounds you.

Sure there are still people cheering, although fewer than at the start. 

The sun starts to rise and so does the temperature.  You douse yourself with water in an attempt to stay cool.  On your journey things start to get a bit more challenging, there are fewer people cheering for you and you begin to feel as if you are on your own on this journey.

Miles are still going by, but instead of seeing the beauty around you you are wishing and hoping for some cool breeze, someone to cheer for you, a friendly face to help you along….something, anything.

You are more than halfway there and your pace slows as it sometimes does.  You feel as if you are walking.  You do your best to assure yourself that no matter what you are still moving forward, toward your goal.  It doesn’t matter if no one is there to see it, it is still happening.

Slower, and slower the miles seem to pass.  At this point you are using the walk run method.. at times progress seems good, and then all of a sudden it comes to a sloooooow walk.  You are starting to get frustrated “how come I can’t just keep running?” you aren’t really sure why but you can’t.  You do your best to reassure yourself that any forward progress will eventually bring you to your goal- the finish line.

You put your head down and focus, one step then the next then the next…

Before you know it you see the crowd building- you must be nearing the finish line.  Louder and louder they cheer.  You ignore your pain and press on as fast as you can.  You cross the finish line and immediately fall into the arms of your awaiting friends.

Yep that’s how it works.  In the beginning of our journey we are excited, raring to go, met with all kids of support and fanfare even from people we hardly know. 

It seems as if you are just flying along well on your way and suddenly you find yourself with sweat in your eyes.  Having gone from noticing all that is beautiful around you to wishing you were anywhere but where you were yet you still must press on.  There is no stopping in the middle.  You started the journey and there is no escape from the path until you reach the end….the finish line…..your goal.

It gets quiet and at times it seems as if you are barely making progress.  Every once in a while you hear someone cheering for you, but it is pretty much just you.. pressing onward as you keep the finish line in your mind. 

No doubt as you get closer to completing your task the crowd starts to cheer louder- they can see how close you are.  They want you to finish too.

You cross the finish line celebrating with your closest friends. 

You spend a few minutes, hours or even days replaying the events that brought you to where you are.  “Would have’, ‘could have’, ‘should have’, and ‘did’ are all things that you rehash. 

Then before you know it you are planning your next adventure knowing that no matter what, this is how it will play out:

Excitement and fanfare in the beginning gives way to solitude; gutting it out and praying that one foot lands in front of the other over and over and over until the finish line is in sight.  Only then does the excitement and relief return.