Resolution Run Makes 12 of 12 Races!

Boy it feels good to have this goal checked off the list! A big huge thank you to the master-mind behind the Resolution Run, Johnna. She made the race so much fun by having 5 different challenges along the race course. Below you can see Johnna, Sharon and I doing our challenges. It wasn't as cold as it looks in the picture. I definitely over-dressed for the occasion-it got super warm under my layers and winter coat mid-way through the race!


Anyway, I'm so proud to say that Sharon completed 12 races in 12 months with me. Johnna joined our goal in February so we'll be celebrating her victory next month as she's so close to the 12 in 12 goal!

In retrospect, the year of races has been a lot of fun. It's surprisingly going to be difficult for me to give up this monthly race goal as a month won't seem complete without partaking in a race. Especially since most races are for a good cause! It's definitely time to move on though, as monthly races is a way of life now. I think that's the beauty of setting a year long goal. By the end of the year, it's a lifestyle and isn't too much work anymore. That makes room for a new goal next year. I hope at the end of 2009 I can say the same about sweets as I did for races in 2008!

Come Alive People!

In the last two months I've come across two different instances where I've been in amazed by something.

1. The first was on television. I was watching an interesting documentary on the blue zones . Dan Buettner, the founder of Blue Zones, talked about the research he'd done in five or six regions of the earth that he found people lived the longest. I thought this was very interesting. In one situation he found a 92 year-old heart surgeon that still practiced! When interviewed he was asked why he still performed heart surgery. He said he loved it, it was his purpose. He doesn't believe in retiring and thinks everyone needs to always do what they love.

2. The second situation was in person. I have many clients that I meet with on a "periodic" basis, meaning I see them every couple months. This particular client I met with is a 67 year old woman. She's in impeccable shape! Her BMI is a very healthy zone, she's only got 25% body fat, she still takes up water skiing every summer and she's always made eating right and exercise a priority. She's 67 and wants to do her first 5K and half marathon in 2009. Proof that it doesn't matter what age you are in order to do something new! That night I just couldn't get over how great of shape she's in. So I asked her, "how have you always stayed in this good of shape?" and her answer was simple, "I have a purpose for living, I love life."

I thought it was no accident that these two occurrences happened so close together in my journey through life. It was so interesting to see how others lived and how even later in their years they had an amazing quality of life; doing whatever it was they wanted to do. They truly love living. Then last night I stumbled upon this quote and haven't quite been able to get it out of my head. I love love love this!

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

So figure out what it is you love to do....AND DO IT! Life is too short to do things that you don't like to do. Plus I firmly believe that if a person does what they love, typically they are really good at it.

Come Alive People! Do I have to shout this?

Client of the Month: Jenn

One client that's really stood out to me this month is Jenn. I've only been working with Jenn for a couple of months but she's really come a long ways in such a short period of time. Here's the wonderful things I've noticed that she does.

1. She does her assignments. (YAY-Happy Trainer!)
2. She eats right but is also honest with me about when she doesn't.
3. Jenn researches herself. I love this about her! It's so important for people to find out things on their own.
4. She's lost over 15 pounds in the couple months we've been working out together!
5. She accepts my help but yet doesn't use me as a crutch. She does it all on her own and I know she'll go all the way because she has this concept.
6. She's just like all of us, she balances work, being a wife and working as a mother of a toddler.
7. She never makes excuses.
8. I don't ever have to tell her to do something twice.
9. She's got a great attitude and outlook on life.
10. She knows what she wants and she's going for it!

Way to go Jenn, you've done an amazing job...keep up the great work!

Resolution Run Tomorrow!

Since there was a horrible thunderstorm this morning, the Resolution Run or Walk has been rescheduled to tomorrow morning at 8am at the community center. I hope you can make it even though we had to change the day!

Week 6 In Review: 100 Push Up Program

I've been horrible at finishing up the sixth and final week of the 100 push up program. Week 6 ended up being two weeks long in total. So the verdict? Can I do 100 push ups after completing the program? Is the program worth it? Does it measure up to all the hype? The answers are mixed. Here's the summary:

1. I can't do 100 push ups. I got 60. I'm pretty happy with that considering 6 or 7 weeks ago I could only do 12. Pretty pathetic for a trainer, I know, but at least I've come along. That's a 500% improvement...not bad!
2. Yes this program is totally worth doing. My upper body strength has really improved not to mention my biceps have more shape!

(well they might still be kinda scrawny but I can tell a difference---yes this is my bicep!)

I haven't given up on the 100 push ups. The program suggests to repeat weeks 3-6 if 100 push ups haven't been achieved at the end of the program. I'll probably start week 3 again next week. I won't do weekly updates but I'll be sure to post when I get to 100!

My Happening

The other day I decided to scoop the driveway for my husband. Typically he does this every time it snows so it was kinda new to me. As I grabbed the shovel off the hook I thought to myself how much easier this would be if I had a snow blower, not to mention how much more convenient it would be for me. I wouldn't have to work as hard and it would get done so much faster. I wouldn't have to put forth much effort or energy.

As I was rearranging the snow I couldn't help but think how snow blowers relate to most of our overweight problems as Americans. Most everything in life needs to be convenient, easy, and quick. After all that's what sells. We won't buy it unless it offers us an easier way of life.

Why are we so conditional to something we all so desperately want? No, I'm not talking about the snow blower! We all want to be at our ideal body weight and we want to look at feel great, yet we don't want to:
1. Give up or reduce our soda intake.
2. Make exercise a priority.
3. Hire a trainer or join a class because it's too expensive.
4. Reduce other activities so exercise will fit into our schedule.
5. Give up all the short-term satisfactions in conjunction with food.
6. Stay away from fast food.
7. Stop complaining about being overweight and doing nothing about it.
8. Give up the friends that tell us we can't.
9. Stop talking and begin doing.
10. Make a commitment to ourselves knowing we'll really keep it this time....even if it kills us.
11. Stop saying we'll do one thing and then do another.
12. Realize weight loss takes 110% dedication.
13. Face our real issues that lie within and know that they hold us back.
14. Take time for ourselves.
15. Understand we are worth the fight!!

I can't help but let out my frustration with all the conditions we put on ourselves. Why do we never have rules for ourselves except when it is linked with success? Weight loss is HARD WORK! Remember that when you're watching all the "quick and easy" workout systems on infomercial this holiday season. They know we all want something for nothing so they'll use it by telling you what you want to hear.

Dig deep and know you're worth all the sweat, tears, and hardship success will bring.
You have the fight within you, find it, keep it and start using it!

Notice

I'm going to try and be very faithful in putting up an inspirational/motivational "quote of the week" as well as a health/weight loss "tip of the week" each week! You can find them to the right. Check back often to see what's new as those won't get emailed out. Maybe you'll see one that you love or that really hits home. As for the tip of the week, if one speaks to you...try it. Who knows, it might just be the thing that will work for you!

Week 5 In Review: 100 Push Up Program

Think I should be sick of push ups yet? Are you doing to program with me and sick of them? Only one more week left! That's good news, an end in sight.

This week was a little off. I got a horrible cold where most days felt like my body was ran over by a train. I know, it's totally an excuse (see I do it too!) but that's my reason for only getting two days out of three in for push ups. I'm up to 50 on my fifth set--which is the max set.

Timeless Solutions....

I recently gave into peer pressure and joined facebook. I know, I'm one of those! Anyway, I stumbled upon a group and I thought the description of the group was exactly what I've been thinking about and trying to spell out to my clients or anyone who wants to attain a goal. Here's what it says:

Self confidence is the difference between feeling unstoppable and feeling scared out of your wits. Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality — the more self confidence you have, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.

If you want to make things happen the ability to motivate yourself and others is a crucial skill. At work, home, and everywhere in between, people use motivation to get results. Motivation requires a delicate balance of communication, structure, and incentives.

People at the top of every profession share one quality — they get things done. This ability supercedes intelligence, talent, and connections in determining the size of your salary and the speed of your advancement.
Despite the simplicity of this concept there is a perpetual shortage of people who excel at getting results.

Shyness is rooted in fear — an irrational fear of speaking up and being humiliated or ignored. Why are some people so afraid of speaking out? The main causes may be oversensitivity and insecurity. When you associate speaking out with pain and embarrassment, you’ll do almost anything to avoid it. Unfortunately, shyness is an enormous detriment to success. For people who share this problem, it’s important to understand the causes and work towards overcoming it.

This group will share ideas to enhance the quality of life ... promote health, wellness, healing and improve self-esteem.
Discuss everyday issues and suggest solutions.

It's that good? If there's a sentace that really speaks to you, I'd encourage you to cut and paste it into a document, print it out and tape it to your bathroom mirror or refridgerator. I think too often we forget what words we've heard before that inspire us to change.

The Switch

It's interesting to think about the last few weeks. They have been completely different than any two weeks in my entire life. It's been a snowball effect since I declared my goal of giving up sweets but once per week or once per month. The middle of December is almost here and I've only had one sweet this month. However, I've decided to let myself have a sweet each week in order to be more realistic in attaining my goal.

I mentioned interesting above but surprising might be a better word. I'm in the midst of what I call, "Mandy experiments" where I put myself through some sort of test in order to see what ramifications take place. Here's what I've learned this far:

1. I had many moments over the last few weeks where I questioned myself as to why I would ever want to give up sweets. Many instances where I was so mad at myself for publicly saying I would do this.
2. There seems to be a detox period. Last week was HELL. It was so hard to limit my sweets to practically nothing when I was used to eating them every single day.
3. The Key: We have absolutely no sweets in our house. My husband brought home a giant cookie for our son and it about killed me. I wanted so badly to gobble it up in one bite. However he reminded me that if I ate it, I would be taking from our son...nice Aaron!
4. It's all a mental game. I am stubborn enough that I will do this all of next year. Too many people have told me I can't do it (which just pushes me more to prove them wrong). I have mental checks through most every day-keeping my brain on the right track.
5. Sweets has been great for weight loss. I've been trying to get past a certain weight, you know where you're just stuck. Well giving up sweets 99% of the time helps with weight loss. Go figure! For my last 3 weigh-ins I've hit the same number, the number I haven't been able to hit when even training for a marathon.
6. There are easy weeks. This week hasn't been too bad and my theory is because my brain knows sweets aren't even an option. It's much easier when there aren't as many options.
7. There is this thing called a switch. It's when you're sick of being sick-and-tired. I think that's the point I've hit. I'm sick of giving my body crap just for my temporary pleasure. I want more....more out of life and more out of my body. I know if I feed it well it will give me more of what I want, energy and feel good. Treating my body right is a must as it does so much for me. I understand it's easy to take for granted....until it stops doing what you want it to do.

Email to my Clients

This morning I felt compelled to email my ladies. I think it's something we can all relate to so I'm adding to the blog!

Hi Ladies,

I hope this finds you to a pleasant Friday morning. Yesterday afternoon I met with a trainer friend; we’re working on a project together but, of course, we talked shop as well. He definitely has a different training style than I---more like a Jillian instead of a Bob if you watch the Biggest Loser and know their personality types. You all know I’m more of a Bob, however, after yesterday’s chat I’m thinking about working towards a Jillian style approach. I know none of you will like this change, so this is my “warn” (or threat as Ginger calls it). Here goes!

I know we’re in the midst of the busy holiday season and things seem like their going a mile a minute. But you know, I think that’s just an excuse. Life isn’t easy, weight loss isn’t easy and definitely meeting a goal isn’t easy. I know the media likes to promote easy and fast results….a weight loss method that doesn’t take much effort. I hate to burst a bubble but that approach doesn’t exist. Unfortunately easy and fast sells and the truth doesn’t. There’s gobs of sweat and tears that will go into each and every inch and pound lost.

All that being said, how much are you investing on a daily or even hourly basis to reach your goals? Are you taking the easy way out like the rest of the nation telling yourself you’ll start in January, that the holidays are just too hard to eat right and make exercise a priority? Are you all in? Or are you just hanging out, hoping and praying that the 1-2 exercise classes per week will do the trick? How are you living your life every minute of every day?

These are all things that you, yourself will have to answer. You don’t owe me any explanation and I’m not judging any of you….I don’t roll that way. Each and every one of you DESERVE to look and feel great. I believe with all my heart that each of you has the strength to meet your goals and I so badly want that for you. Believe in yourself, you have the strength to do anything you want to do. Anytime you doubt that just think about all the exercises I make you do in our time together. They are typically very difficult exercises designed to challenge you. You all complete them….that’s strength (in more ways than one)! Get focused on the accomplishments you have made for yourself because I know each of you have gobs of them.

Week 4 In Review: 100 Push Up Program

Still plugging along with the program. Only 2 more weeks left! Up to 40 this week.

Advice: If we're at week 4 and our push ups are getting sloppy, go to your knees if on toes or switch columns. It's better to have quality over quantity...even though this program seems like quantity is better. Quantity will come if quality is present.

Sweet Dreams

This week has been the first few days of my "sweet eat" 2009 goal where I work at limiting my sweets to either once per week or once per month. My goal is once per month but I'm trying it out this month to see if that's realistic for me to be successful each month of 2009.

I have to say this week has been rough. I've probably gotten at least 4 servings of fruit a day. Tuesday the only thing that got me through was my Bare Naked granola and organic vanilla yogurt. I understand these first few weeks are going to be the most trying, after all I'm basically on detox from all the sweet crap I used to feed my body daily. I think it's a good thing though. The best thing about it is I'm not alone. My amazingly wonderful clients have stepped up to push through 2009 (and start practicing in December) with me. They are being very smart and realistic about it, one sweet per week. Johnna, Ginger, and Pam have definitely told me they are in. I'm still working on a few....which I think I'll have broken soon:)

So the point of this post? Last night I can actually say it's the first time I recall dreaming of sweets. I was dreaming about doughnuts. Then I remember drinking a smoothie, you know the really unhealthy ones from an ice cream parlor. It's humorous that I'd get sweets into my life somehow, even if they are only in my dreams.

Week 3 In Review: 100 Push Up Program

Push ups are actually getting easier. I'm up to 35 consecutive toe push ups and that's after doing four sets that equal 92 reps. Getting there.....

2009 Goal Ideas and Challenge

(Winners must have two things: definite goals and a burning desire to achieve them.)


The ChallengeI'd really like for as many you as possible to think/pray/meditate over the month of December for one single area in your life to improve. Remember whatever you decide to work on, give yourself a reward, surround yourself with positive people (I can help here), write it down and visualize your success. Remember to only pick ONE goal!!

Ideas
1. Complete one race per month.
2. Limit pop, sweets, fast food, alcohol to once per week, twice per month or once per month.
3. Complete a marathon a month. That is, complete 26.2 miles of cardio in one month.
4. Commit to taking a class (and going to it) for a whole year.
5. Hire a trainer, stick with them, and do exactly what they say for a year.
6. Exercise for a day a month. That is, comeplete 24 hours of exercise in a month. That's an average of 6 hours per week of exercise. Not much considering there's 168 hours in a week.

That's all I've got for now. I know I have some pretty creative and talented readers so if you have any other ideas please email them to me or comment to this post.

If you decide to take the challenge and work towards a goal for the year please let me know so we can be a support system to each other. It's so much more fun to do something together. This way if you don't feel like you have a lot of positive support around you, we can be there for each other. Lastly, If you decide to reward yourself by setting funds aside for a spa day, I'd love some company! How fun would that be, a group spa day at the end of 2009!

Also, thank you Johnna and Jodi for stepping up to the plate with me. It feels good to have others working towards a similar goal.

Resolution Stats and Tips

While many of us think it's silly to make resolutions for the New Year, there's research that shows it does make a difference.

Stats
1. 40 to 45% of American adult make one or more resolutions each year.
2. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions.
3. Resolvers reported higher rates of success than nonresolvers; at six months, 46% of the resolvers were continuously successful compared to 4% of the nonresolvers.

I think sometimes we can get carried away with all the things we want to resolve in a given year. Here's some of the tips I've found to be most useful in my journey of resolve.

Tips
1. Make only one goal. Changing only one behavior is less overwhelming than two or three or four. By the end of the year it might just be mastered. Then the following year move onto something else while keeping pace with the previous years' behavior change.
2. Ignore pessimists. Exclude contact (as much as possible) with people that tend to tear down the possibility of success.
3. Be surrounded by support. Replace pessimists with supporters. Maybe someone at the gym, a co-worker with similar health interests or just someone that isn't threatened by success.
4. Write it down. I best like the form Johnna found from a Hallmark magazine.
5. Designate Rewards.Each month that I'm successful with my "sweet eat" goal I'm going to put $25 aside. At the end of the year if I'm successful that will go towards a six hour spa day for Mandy. I'm really looking foward to this!
6. Visualize Success. I'm already picturing myself without the crutch of sweets in my daily life. I like the way it looks. I'm picturing more energy, feeling better about myself and having a grip on food versus the other way around.

If you've decided to work towards something for 2009, I'd like to hear about it. Comment or email me (froehlich.mandy@gmail.com) and tell me about it!

Client of the Month: ALL OF THEM!!

I am so thankful to have the most wonderful clients ever! I just wanted to take this opportunity to brag about what wonderful people I have the privilege to work with. I am so thankful, and this seems to be the most appropriate season to express that. I would not love my job without these people. They work so hard for themselves and I'm honored that they allow me to work their tails off each and every week!

Thank you! May you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday.


-Mandy

Jingle Bell 5K: 11 of 12

Last Sunday was the 11th race of 2008. Boy am I glad these are coming to an end! It will be nice to have something new and different to work towards. Speaking of which, stay tuned as we're working on a "Resolution Walk" for December 27th as our last race of the year. This will be something you'll want to make sure and attend as we all shift our focus to the great purpose 2009 holds for us.

New Year Resolution Possibilities

Now I'm not sure but is a New Year's Resolution something you always keep or does it just last for 1 year? My guess is that it's something you resolve to change from there on out. Well last year my goal was to do a race every month in 2008. I'm very close to meeting that goal which feels great. However, I'm all raced out. As many close workout buddies, clients and friends understand about me, I have what I've self-diagnosed as exercise ADD. Time for me to move onto a new adventure, because afterall, it has to be exciting and fun otherwise it's just not worth doing.

Exercise has never been a problem for me. I decided a long time ago I'd do whatever exercise I needed to do in order to eat what I want and maintain a certain weight range. Last weekend I reflected on my eating habits, or rather, what I wanted to change about it for 2009 and beyond. Here's some of the possibilites and I'll warn you, they are bold.

1. Give up Swiss Cake Rolls FOREVER. I think I'm ready for this. I've gone 4 months before without a single sinful bite of those addicting deserts. So far it's been about a month and I'm holding firm.

2. Only eat 12 or 56 sweets in 2009. I can't decide about this one. My intitial thought was only one sweet a month as this is my biggest hurdle when it comes to eating (well and carbs too, but one this at a time). However, I also thought if that was too radical maybe just one sweet per week. So, I can't decide, monthly or weekly?

So that's it! I think it's best not to get too crazy with resolutions and goals so I'm going to KISS (keep it simple stupid). I'm sure you all knew what that meant, I just have to state the obvious most all of the time-wow I am a nerd! Anyway, I'm going to do a test run for my 2009 goals to try and figure out what will be most realistic for me to stick with throughout the year. In December I am going to try and only eat 1 sweet. I figure if I can make it through December with all the holidays and parties, I can make it through 2009. If I fail, and you all will know if I do, then I will know it's more realistic for me to meet my goal and eat one sweet per week. Let the games begin...

Week 2 In Review: 100 Push Up Program

Yup, still very much dislike push ups. Maybe by the end of this program, I'll have a better feeling about them. It's so nice to be able to do the push up workout with my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, because when the weekend comes I find it much more difficult to be motivated. Possibly, it could be the fact that my dear husband acts as my trainer. I really dislike this! Although a motivating man, he mostly smirks during each and every one of my 120 second breaks, loving the fact that he doesn't have to do them. That's okay, in 4 more weeks I'll be able to do more push ups than him....how embarrassing that will be for him! HA! (As you might have guessed, my husband doesn't read my blog:)

I have to report, I'm 1/4 of the way there! I did 25 toe push ups tonight.

Note: It's much easier to do lots of push ups when exahaling on the up and pulling the belly button in.

The Year's End

This is probably the most difficult time of the year as a trainer. I find myself always searching for ways to keep my clients motivated through the holidays. This morning my good old ACE newsletter popped into my email inbox. The subject line for a particular article that caught my attention, "How to keep your clients on track this holiday season." Immediately I opened it and began studying it's every word. I wanted to share part of it because it's exactly what I've been thinking about this whole week.

The New Year

Finally, with many clients splurging in the next few weeks with the good intentions of making it their New Year’s resolution to start eating and living healthier, a little early intervention is often warranted, Durkin said.

“Often clients get frustrated and say they will start exercising after the first of the year,” he found. “That’s too bad, because if they could just chip away between Thanksgiving and the New Year, they wouldn’t have to fight so hard to lose the extra weight.”

A little introspection may also serve trainers well in the coming year, according to Geiser. “If trainers take a step back and identify their ‘ideal’ client by looking into themselves and writing it down on paper, they find out what makes them unique and draw the people they really want to work with and want to work with them.”

So… how will you keep your clients motivated?

My initial reaction to this article was simple, I already have a plan, Holiday Meltdown, a program that runs from December 2nd-the end of January.

However I think it might take more than just that program to get people past the thought of "oh I'll just start in January." For some reason we all think that changing how we live needs to be done on a Monday, at the beginning of the year or on some other significant date. Although, every person I know that actually change their life, lose the weight and make a huge positive change for themselves will say they made the change on a random day. A day when they just felt like it needed to be done. See if we start doing rather saying we'll actually get to the place we want to be. Anyone can say they are going to lose weight but actually doing it is another thing. And anyway, why can't losing weight, eating better and exercising start today? What better way to change your life than to have a different Thanksgiving than last years by not eating yourself miserable?

My challenge: Set eating right and exercising regularly (maybe even join a class or hire a trainer) your first priority this holiday season.

Turkey Buster

Survival Tips for a Healthier Thanksgiving Dinner
• Skipping breakfast and lunch is a sure recipe for overeating at the Thanksgiving table.
• Our bodies aren’t meant to handle 2,000-3,000 calories all at once and will store excess calories as fat.
• Better to eat smaller amounts and drink lots of water throughout the day and really enjoy a healthful dinner.
• Control your portion sizes: Draw a 12-inch dinner plate in your mind and divide it into three-inch-sized circles with each one representing one food group: proteins, vegetables and starches. The key is to stay within your circle for each food group: If you like turkey and ham, fit a little of both in one circle.
• If you’re worried about the food choices, bring your own low-calorie dish or veggie tray to family gatherings.
• Be active: Go for a bike ride, a long brisk walk, a run or spend at least one hour at your local gym to burn calories before the big Thanksgiving meal.
• Plan a family event that involves physical activity—a pick-up game of basketball, a snowball fight, a long brisk walk outdoors or a family bike ride—before, during or after the big meal.
• Be mindful of your alcohol intake: Mixed drinks tend to have high amount of concentrated sugar and quickly add empty calories. One glass of wine may be reasonable, but remember alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram, which makes it nearly twice as fattening as carbohydrates or protein.

If you follow all these rules (or even if you don't) and still need something to counter-balance the big eat day come to Turkey Buster. It's on Friday from 8-9:30am. This year I'll be hosting the sweat session!!

I Like These Exercises

Somehow I stumbled across the webpage the other day. I really like the three exercises it gives and how to do them with the varied timing. Ladies, we'll probably be doing some of them this week!

Press Pause Exercises

They have listed 3 exercises:
1. Lunge (hold at the bottom then switch)
2. Push up (like the hover in yoga)
3. Dumbbell back row (great for the upper back)

NOTE: Since this comes from a men's magazine it's got "increase your muscle size" all over the page. Ladies you can't grow muscles like men as you don't have the testosterone. Rather it will help increase strength and be a fun addition to your current exercise plan.

Week 1 In Review:100 push up workout

I thought I'd write my thoughts each week with the 100 push up workout. Hopefully some of you out there are joining in with me... besides all my clients and students that haven't a choice! That's right every client and student of mine gets to go through this process with me. Hey we've even impressed some of the regular gym guys with our goal of 100 push ups in 6 weeks.

I have to be honest, push ups stink! On Tuesday I did the day 1 workout with my am group training for women class. Halfway through our 5 sets of push ups I verbalized to the whole group how much I dislike push ups. Somehow we managed to make it through both Tuesday and Thursday's push ups together. Hopefully this weekend everyone did the workout on their own.

As weak as my upper body is I improved from 12 measly toe push ups on Tuesday to 18 toe push ups on Saturday. Gradually getting there and I have to admit its nice to see an improvement already!

Sunday and Monday will be a great break from push ups but Tuesday we'll be back at it!

Note: if you aren't a client of mine working out with me doing these push ups on your own make sure you are doing a couple of things.

1. Make sure when you are performing your push ups to keep your belly button pulled into your spine and try not to let your hips sway down towards the floor. Keep your body parallel to the ground at all times.

2. Try to work your antagonist muscles by performing back rows.

Join our Team!

This is a race near and dear to my heart. My friend and client, Sharon, suffers from Rhuematoid Arthritis and benifits from the Arthritis Foundation's services. She lives daily with all that comes from having this disease. She's a fighter and a wonderful example of living life everyday to it's fullest.

I hope you will join the Cardio Crusaders team at the Nov. 23rd Jingle Bell Run in Zona Rosa. This year there are new race options, a 1 mile, 5K and 10K option. If you can't make it please think about donating your entry fee to the team anyway. See the link below to click and join the team. Look at the top right above the thermometer picture and click on Register Now and Join this Team. The Team name is Cardio Crusaders and we are Team # 5.

If you have any questions you can contact Sharon at 816-304-3373 or email at kcracebabe@gmail.com. Please join us for this fun event. For those of you who don't want to miss church the race is early enough so you could still make it to church after you run or walk.

Click HERE to register for our team or make a donation.

Up for a Challenge?

I think this is the perfect time to offer up a challenge. Over the next 6 weeks I want to ask you to participate in the
100 push up challenge with me. Trust me, I really (to put it lightly) dislike push ups just as much as the next female. As women, our upper body is weaker than most men. That's okay though, male or female go this route with me for a bit.

All you need is about 30 minutes a week and no equipment is required! That's what's so beautiful about this challenge, you can do it anywhere-no excuses.

Check out the website for all the details.
The 100 Push Up Challenge.

Make sure to get a doctor's clearance before you begin this program if you aren't currently participating in an exercise program.

So the first step is to complete as many push ups as you can, either on your knees or on your toes. Time is no issue just do as many as you can. IMPORTANT: Do them correctly, don't do more than you can otherwise your training program will be too difficult. This means you need to CORRECTLY do as many push ups as possible. Bend your elbows and make your nose ALMOST touch the floor. Good form is VERY important.

You'll need to pick 3 days a week that you can do your push ups. I will be doing my push ups on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. My suggestion is to avoid picking consecutive days. Maybe Monday, Wednesday, Friday is best for you.

Lastly, look over the website for the 100 push ups challenge and familiarize yourself with the program. I just paraphrased much of the information but you need to thouroughly understand it before you begin-do some homework!

Comment on this blog to let me know if you are going to join me!

S is for Sacrifice

Every avenue in life requires sacrifice.

I sacrifice time and money to go to school in order to get an education.
I sacrifice time with my family to go to work everyday.
I sacrifice money in order to buy new clothes.


There always has to be sacrifice in the equation in order to get what we want. I've never gotten anything in life that I wanted any other way.

The same principle applies to losing weight. I wish I could say it wasn't a sacrifice because I really don't believe it 100% is, however at first it may seem that way. Do you feel yourself drawn in two different directions?

I want my diet coke but I want to lose 20 pounds.
I want to eat the foods I've always eaten but I really want to lose 20 pounds.
I don't want to put much time into exercising because I don't like it but I do want to lose 20 pounds.

Do any of those comments sound familiar? I'm not trying to be cruel, rather just pointing out a mentality that could be occuring within your brain.

Realize and embrace that weight loss doesn't happen without some sort of sacrifice. Eating better and creating time for regular, consistent exercise requires sacrifice of time and energy.

Just think about it. What can you sacrifice in order to get where you want to be? Is sacrificing the diet coke worth 20 pounds?

Change doesn't just happen, you have to make it happen!

Think Before You Bite!

That's all I've got to say as far as Halloween advice goes. Well except for just don't eat it and throw the candy out once the day is over. Remember, full-time job? Don't take a vacation day today. Stay on task!

Beyond Dreams

Weight loss for many is a dream. We all want to look and feel better and dream of the day that will happen. I think dreaming is wonderful, something everyone should do. However, from a dream can be two different routes:

1. The dream can turn into a wish. "Please let me lose the weight."

2. The dream can turn into a plan. "I'm going to make my dream a reality by executing this plan I have for myself."

Take action! Start evaluating what you spend your time doing. Create a detailed plan of how to reach your goal. Trust me, if you are able to do everything in your power in order to make your weight-loss dreams a reality, things will start to fall into place and work in your favor.

I don't believe anyone that has been successful with weight loss accidentally got there. It needs to be more like a full-time job. Start spending lots of time at the gym. Begin to be very aware of each and every bite of food that enters your body. Work hard, don't make excuses and don't give up.

I know we are all busy Americans and all of us have some sort of full-time job. However, there are 168 hours in one week. How we choose to spend that time is our decision. Think about how you spend your time. Evaluate your daily schedule and make time for your new job. I think we can all find extra time for something so important. I never said this weight-loss thing would be easy so maybe it has to be a job for a little bit. A career path that you can't quit.

Start now. Begin today by creating a plan to make weight-loss your new career venture.

Clients of the Month: SF and KC Marathon Teams

I am so thrilled that so many ladies completed either the Nike Women's Marathon or KC Marathon last weekend. It's been a long road for these ladies but I think they can all agree they are happy they did it! Most all of the ladies decided back in March to commit to this race; what an accomplishment to see it out to the end.
Way to go ladies, I am so incredibly proud of you all!

Congratulations Johnna, Sharon, Mary, Cathy, Sara, Vicki, Brenda, Megan, and Sondra!

Nike Women's Marathon

What a great weekend! Nike put on a great event, here are all the details!!
Friday we picked up our race packets. Along with that there were complimentary manicures and massages. They had speakers and free picture taking booths along with coupons and other free goodies.


Along the wall of NikeTown was everyone's names that entered the race. I found mine....not sure if that makes it official?!

Friday was fun, along with riding the cable cars and doing touristy things like seeing Alcatrez and the Crooked Street, it was a good day.

Saturday nothing exciting happened except the pre-race dinner. All I will say is it was yummy, guilt-free carbs!

Sunday was the race. Here's a summary of how my race went:
Mile 1-10: Felt GREAT! I stopped to take pictures and enjoyed the scenery.
Mile 8: Met some new friends. They are from Canada, I ran the rest of the race with them.
Mile 12: Feet began to hurt slightly.
Mile 16 or 17: I hit a wall. I actually thought to myself, this isn't really that fun. I could quit now and be just fine with that. However, the thought of regret entered my mind. No, I could not quit (but I wanted to).
Mile 22: My thought, "having a baby is easier than this."

I finished and boy and I'm glad I did. Now I don't have to do that ever again! Don't get me wrong, it was fun to train for it and work towards it but I just don't think I am cut out to be a marathon runner.

Monday Aaron and I went to Napa Valley!

Results=Work

I'm just getting back from being gone for 5 days so I'm trying to catch up on some blog entries.

I had a client email me today and I thought it was good. She came to the realization that she wants the results so bad but yet doesn't want to work for it. This really hit home to me because I think we can all relate. It's easy to want something but do we want it so badly that we'll do anything to get it?

The seasons have changed; the sun isn't out as much, right now it's raining, it's cold and dreary outside. Fall/Winter weather really doesn't make me want to go out and do much of anything but stay in where it's warm. Luckily....there are fitness centers that have indoor exercising! I want to challenge you to fight the urge to hibrinate this fall and winter. Get off the couch in your warm blanket and head to the gym! Set some small goals for the coming season. Do the work so you can get the results! It doesn't happen any other way!

Amazing Human Body

I think it's absolutely fascinating what the human body can do when put to the test. When progressively training thus forcing the body to adapt. Take David Blaine for example, he never ceases to amaze me as just earlier this year David held his breath in a water-filled tank for 17 minutes, 4 seconds. What was so interesting is that they showed how he trained for the big event and the progression that took place. David said he just started to hold his breath a little bit longer each time, gradually increasing in time. Interestingly enough he had a very vigorous exercise regimen to keep his body in top shape also forcing his body to adapt. Although an extreme example, the point is I don't think we give our individual body enough credit for what it can do.

The same is true for the seven other women that are traveling to San Francisco with me to complete the Nike Women's Marathon this weekend. We all decided back in March to train for this race and force our bodies to adapt to long mileage. I am so incredibly proud of these women for sticking it out and pushing their body to the limit!

The idea of this post isn't to brag on others but to inspire a challenge. You too can create a challenge for yourself. Think of something that sounds fun and go for it! Start small, maybe something within reach and go for it. Also, be good to your body...after all it does so much for you!

(Note: Your challenge should not be holding your breath for an extended amount of time...too dangerous)

Good Idea!

Beginning in 2011, the state of California will require all franchise chains with more than 15 restaurants post calories on the menu. Of course this is only California now but I'm optimistic that it will catch on!

Read this article for more information, including what to eat and what not to eat at the chain restaurants and the book Eat This, Not That book by David Zinczenko.

Calories on the Menu

Reciprocal Inhibition

I like to sprinkle this blog with tidbits of information here and there. The idea is that you've never heard of this before and you can add it to your memory bank with the possibility to dazzle your friends and family. Hey, the holidays are coming up and what wouldn't be more exciting to talk about the reciprocal inhibition around the table?

Ah, where to begin...Reciprocal Inhibition is an an exercise science term which means that muscle on one side of a joint contracts while the antagonistic (or opposite) muscle relaxes. So when the quadriceps are contracting your brain sends relaxation signals to the hamstrings. This is actually one of my favorite concepts! I like it because while our body typically does this on it's own it's important to realize what's going. If for some reason, both muscles along either side of a joint contract at the same time a tear can occur resulting in injury. Not always can this happen but if the movement is vigorous enough the muscles strain and actually work against each other simultaneously causing pain.

Here's how it works:
1. Take a book and hold it in your palm face up with your arm extended.
2. Feel your biceps (the part of the arm midway between the elbow and shoulder joint facing up). Feel how it's contracting, it's tight because it's contracted.
3. Next feel your tricep (the part of the arm midway between the elbow and shoulder joints on the underneath side facing down). Feel how flax and loose it feels. It's relaxed.

I think this is important in lots of areas of exercise because to effectively work a certain muscle the opposing muscle needs to be completely relaxed. Think about that the next time you exercise with me!

In a Funk

I don't know if it's been the cooler weather but this week has definitely been off. Why does it have to get cold?! I think this week has been a funk and maybe you can relate and then I would know it's not just me...it's the weather! Or maybe it is just me:) Whatever the case, I realize the funk exists. I've discovered one of the worst things in life is denial. I'm over that! So with the funk in mind, here's some ways to take action if you find yourself feeling similar to me!

1. Go on a walk. My husband, son and I did so this week and boy did it work. Yes the weather is cooler but the temperature is perfect for walking.

2. Rent a movie. I also tried this out! Last night I persuaded my husband watch the romantic comedy, Made of Honor, and I lost myself for a bit. It was good, both the movie and the break from reality.

3. Go on or plan for a vacation. I'm getting to this! Only 11 more days until we leave for San Franciso!

4. Do something nice for someone else. Although I haven't done this its a great way to get the focus off self and onto someone else. The feeling will leave you both very happy.

5. Go to the Spa. This might be my escape for everything. No, I haven't gone to the spa lately but everytime I do I feel so much better. The relaxing atmosphere mixed with the pampering is a cure-all!


Now off to getting used to the cooler weather....

Great Idea for Halloween

If you have kids this is a wonderful idea on how to moderate candy intake.

Halloween Candy

Client Couple of the Month: Karen and Mark

This month, "Client of the Month" is a little different. I'm honoring Karen and Mark, a married couple I've been training for over two years. Well, technically I've been training Karen for over two years. Mark came along a handful of months later. It's an ideal situation-I love that both Karen and Mark are on the same page with exercise and being healthy all-around. There's so many reasons this great couple is worthy of this award.

1. They are always willing to try a new exercise...as weird and awkward as it might seem.
2. The both complete their exercise assignments on their own. They are of the few people that exercise on their own regularly.
3. They are active together. When they aren't completing my "assignments" they rollerblade together when the weather is nice. How awesome is that!?
4. They are always working to improve. I think they are both in wonderful shape, however they both work hard at it and continue to challenge themselves.
5. Nope, they never complain!
6. They ask questions. I love this about them as they always want to learn more. Many times they stump me and I have to get back to them on whatever it is they are inquiring about. They are truly interested in this for the long haul.
7. They both have amazingly positive attitudes.
8. They are great listeners. When we meet I tweak little things here and there. They listen to the changes and work hard to implement them into the exercises they are doing.
9. They work hard and play hard. I love the fact that they vacation together and get away from "reality" on a regular basis. I think this balance is what it's all about.
10. They are about the nicest people ever! Along with a great work ethic, both Karen and Mark are genuinely nice. I am so lucky to get to work with such kind people.

The Take Over

Last week I was watching Dr. Oz and somehow this very basic concept clicked for me. Only YOU can change your life. You are the one in control of everything. Thus the name of his best selling books...ah-ha!

Say you join a gym, hire a trainer (a good one at that), buy a new healthy cook book, and begin to plan your weekly workouts. Implementation is the key here, nothing changes unless YOU do it. The great trainer, the healthy cook book and the plans don't go far without follow through.

It's very easy to put the blame on someone or something else (why make excuses post). We all do it-why?

When I was pregnant and gained 50 pounds, no one shoved the late night snacks into my mouth. I wasn't tied up and forced to intake more calories throughout the day than my doctor suggested. I ate all the extra food and gained the weight all by myself:)

After I had my precious baby Jax, no one was to blame except me for the extra baby weight hanging around. It was all Mandy, and it was the consequence of my choices from the previous months. I just had way too many "eating parties." I would hold the paties most everyday for myself. (note to self: eating parties should be a post in the near future)

So the point here is we are all in control of our lives. Take over YOURS! Stop blaming everyone but you. However, at the same time realize what's going on and make the necessary changes. Be mindful.

I work (and will always) at brainstorming ways to get people motivated to stick with exercise and accomplish their goals of living healthy. To be honest, I probably take it to heart more than my client if I see them give up. It's really silly but I think almost each and every day I'm with my clients I see something in them that they might not see. Most every week I prove someone wrong...and I take great pleasure in that! It goes like this:

Me: "Now I want you to do this" (I show them the exercise.)

Client: "Uh, what? You want me to do that? I don't think so."

Me: "Yes, you're going to do it but I think it's cute you think you're going to get out of this exercise. Now try it."

Client: (Client tries the exercise)....and Succeeds!!!

Me: "See, I knew you could do it...told you so!!!"

Cheesy example, I know, but this literally happens on a bi-weekly basis. Why does this happen? I think it starts with FEAR (false reality appearing real). The false reality being the ability for my client to do a certain exercise. It appears real because when I demonstrate the exercise it might look tricky. Then my client might possibly begin negative self talk. However even if they try and get close but fall short....it's okay to fail! We've all failed at one time or another in life and that failing will bring us one step closer to victory. Failing at something always teaches us something (if we are willing to listen). Failing lets us know that way doesn't work so try another or keep at it because with continued practice you'll get it! I think we have to be willing to try even if failing is an option.

Wow that was hard for me...as is human nature-I HATE failing. I'll always have to work at this concept.

Trotting Along

I'll start from the beginning. February 2nd, 2007 my baby boy, Jax was born. Oh I love Jax with all my heart, he's all I think about every single day. However, along with Jax, came 50 unwanted pounds. For some reason I was super duper hungry throughout the entire pregnancy:). I would eat a meal and 15 minutes later be ready for another. Since I didn't deliver a 50 pound baby the weight lingered and Jax was in my arms. I needed to lose quite a bit of weight and deifinitely felt overwelmed. Being the planner that I am, we scheduled a family trip to the Bahamas in early May, only 3 months after Jax was born-yikes!

Exercising my booty off and eating well was the only way I knew would get me the results I wanted. So that's what I did. I exercised VIGOROUSLY 6 days/week. I did this along with watching what I ate and skipping late-night snacks (something I became very good at the previous 9 months). Most of my exercise regimen came from running. I worked up to run around 4 miles 3-4 times per week in combination with strength training 3-4 times per week. I lost almost 40 of the 50 pounds in 3 months, just in time for our trip.

Of course that was a big victory but I had the last measly 10 pounds to go. That was tough. I actually didn't get my act together until March or April of this year and it all came off. A pound or two just wouldn't go. Although, I wasn't as concerned with the last 10 as I was with the first 40.

Since I was running as a means to lose weight, I accidentally fell in love with it. I loved the freedom it gave me to clear my head and think as well as time away to keep my life "balanced." So I decided last year that I would sign up for a couple of 5K races; the Kansas City marathon 5K in October and the Arthritis Jingle Bell 5K in November.

Then I got a crazy idea to complete an organized race every month in 2008 in order to stay accountable to myself. So far I'm on track to complete that goal-yay! As if 12 organized races in 2008 wasn't enough, I thought it would be nice to complete a half marathon and marathon as well.

Back at the beginning of 2008, I'm not sure if it was February or March when I decided I would work to complete the Nike Women's marathon in San Fransisco. The date for the marathon is just 4 short weeks away from yesterday; October 19th. When I decided to do the marathon, like every other decision in my life, I thought about it for quite some time. It wasn't a decision I made overnight. The first thought of the word, "marathon" entered the picture late 2007, probably around November. I went back and forth, back and forth. Should I or shouldn't I go for the marathon? The decision really weighed on me for quite some time. Alas, I decided to go for it.

So here I am 4 weeks away from my goal of completing a marathon. Right now has been the toughest part of all. I see the finish line but there's still so much to go. Gosh the 20 miles I need to complete this Saturday is just draining. You see, I have what's called exercise ADD. I love exercise but I've always had to mix it up. Even in my classes, I get super bored if we do the same thing over and over. I guess it's a good thing but right now the last thing I want to do is put on my running shoes. I'd rather go for a good bike ride or head to a pilates class. Just something to change up my routine. But the SWEET feeling of sticking with and accomplishing a goal I set for myself is what's getting me through....plus knowing that I'll get my fix of every other fitness-related activity when I'm done training for this race.

So there wasn't a ton of meaning to this post other than I have struggles too, even as a "trainer."

I LOVE HIIT!!!

HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is just about the best way to lose weight, increase metabolism and burn fat. My Group Training Classes for Women get weekly HIIT workouts as assignments to speed up their progress....so they understand my passion for this all too well. There's so many different flavors and varieties of HIIT as I have my favorites but the best way to always get results is to change up your routine frequently. Never do the same thing over and over as your body will build up a tolerance for the workout thus giving you nothing but a "plateau effect."

Here's a small sample of HIIT programs:

Beginner HIIT program A

Warm Up 5 minutes
30 seconds of a sprint
90 seconds of a recovery
Repeat sprint and recovery 6-8 times


Beginner HIIT program B
Warm Up 5 minutes
60 seconds of a sprint
120 seconds of a recovery
Repeat sprint and recovery 6-8 times


These workouts can be done by:
* Walking/Jogging/Running outside or on a treadmill
* Biking Outside
* On an Elliptical
* On a Recumbant or Upright Bike
* On a step machine

Why Make Excuses?

I really dislike excuses, however, that doesn't mean I don't make them. Just the other day I made up a whole list of excuses as to why I needed to shorten my run mileage. I went home last weekend to visit my parents and got up Saturday morning to participate in a 5K at my Alma mater.

So the original plan was to complete the 3 miles of the race and then run 10 more on my own. I completed the 5K and started on the 10. About mile 3 is when the enormous list of excuses began to flood my mind. "Mandy you did a solid 6 straight weeks of climbing, 7 miles, 10 miles, 12 miles, 14 miles, 16 miles, 18 miles...you need a break. 8 Miles is good enough for today. Next week you'll do more." By mile 4 I already turned back, I had my mind made up and the excuses won me over.


"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." (Benjamin Franklin)

Why does this happen? Why can we buy into the white lies our minds feed us? Why can't we always just stick to the original plan? Here's a short list of ways we can win against excuses:

1. Understand rationalization. Rationalization is the process of constructing a logical justification for a belief, decision, action or lack thereof that was originally arrived at through a different mental process. It is a defense mechanism in which unacceptable behaviors or feelings are explained in a rational or logical manner; this avoids the true explanation of the behavior or feeling in question. (Wikipedia) I think rationalization can be very dangerous as we might not realize we are doing it.

2. Examine your progress. Look at where you are at from where you have been and where you want to be.

3. When you make a mistake take time to learn from it. Don't repeat it but accept responsibility from the mistake. (although I don't ever believe mistakes are really mistakes, rather stepping stones to get us where we want to go by process of elimination)

4. Come to the realization that your successes or failures depend on you. The choices and attitude you have play a huge role in winning and losing.

Now I understand that from time to time excuses will happen. It's just the way life works out. This post doesn't apply to the random here and there excuse, rather the chronic excuses that stop us from getting what we want.


"Sometimes what we don't want to see is exactly what we need to see."(Mandy Froehlich)

Weight Loss Musts

Try implementing these little things into your daily routine. I know they will make a big difference.

1. Avoid frequent use of soda. Read this interesting article about the facts that drinking even diet soda can increase your chance of getting or staying overweight.

2. Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Our body's hormones, Ghrelin (tell us we are hungry) and Leptin (tell us when to stop eating) change when we don't get adequate amounts of sleep. Ghrelin levels go up (causing more hunger) and Leptin levels go down (causing less signals of feeling full).

Interesting Fact: 65% of Americans are overweight and 63% of Americans don't get 8 hours of sleep at night.

3. Eat Breakfast. This is a no-brainer...just do it to get your metabolism going for the day-even if you aren't hungry.

4. Skip Late Night Snacking. Oh my goodness, if we can all stay disciplined about this one it would make all the difference!

5. Make a long term plan, divided into small plans. I do this by making a yearly spreadsheet with my weekly micro goals listed and record of my weight. I weigh myself every Thursday morning and record it. Then I also check off each week to make sure I did the things I wanted to do during the week. I do that for a year at a time, barely changing my micro goals throughout the year. It's kind of interesting to see the progress through the year as well as the patterns I can pick out when I get into "crazy cycles." I think it's so important to plan like this because it will help out with sticking to something long-term. Even if there's not much progress for the first 3-6 months, later you might be happily surprised with a positive change because of your focused endurance.

Long term planning is also so important because we have to give our body reaction time. They don't automatically change overnight or even in one week. It's such a delayed reaction because of all the chemical changes that occur within our complex body. Give yourself time to catch up with what you are doing to it. Set realistic goals and stick with them!

When I want to slip up on something I always think to myself, "if I keep doing what I've been doing, I'll get what I've been getting" which is normally no results.

So start or continue to do different things to your body in order for it to react differently!

I HATE High Fructose Corn Syrup

Why, you may ask do I hate this chemical? Leptin, plus ghrelin, two of the key hormones responsible for reducing your hunger and increasing the feeling of fullness, also are the main hormones that control your overall fondness for food.
People with a dysfunctional Leptin output, are constantly hungry and even go after bland food, anything edible.

This natural regulating substance, Leptin, is your primary appetite and food desire controlling hormone, is abated by several synthetic substances, best known, (but just one of several) HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.

High Fructose Corn Syrup In Everything
You eat 88 pounds a year as an average American. Happens only in US because of corn subsidy to farmers ($2 a bushel) makes corn so cheap they chemically process (ferment it etc) and make this man made substance that is sweeter then sugar.

This is just a summary of the badness of HFCS. Here's a great link to explain everything you need to know about this horrible ingredient that's taking over grocery store shelves if you want to learn more.

http://cleanerplateclub.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/take-the-high-fructose-corn-syrup-challenge/

I would encourage you to take the challenge-give it up and feel the difference. Start looking at food labels. Put the item back if it lists HFCS as an ingredient. Such a small change will make all the difference.

Personally, it's one of the reasons I blame on my addiction to swiss cake rolls:)

Inspire

As much as I try to motivate and encourage my clients, most of the time they are the ones that inspire me! Here's an email I got from one of my clients the other day. I couldn't resist sharing, and with her permission I am!

I have realized a big difference in my mind frame lately. Over the years, I have lost a significant amount of weight about 3 times, after different babies. When I was going through that, I would always think "just 3 more months of this lifestyle, then I'll be done, and I can eat what I want and maybe only exercise once or twice a week", which is mainly why I haven't ever kept it off for long, even though I got pregnant more times. The difference now is that I am seeing this getting healthy not just for weight loss, and not just short term, but so I can accomplish even more things, like a 5K or 10K or a bike race or bike trip or whatever other things I may want to do. I'm excited for the possibilities, and I am realizing how important this is for me to think this way, instead of how I previously had viewed weight loss.

I can't believe how different this is now, and I really think so much of it is your class. I am not only losing weight, but I am gaining so much strength and toning my body in a way that I never have before (for example, the push ups. Even when I weighed about 30 pounds less than right now, I could not do a "boy push-up"). So I feel like I have new possibilities that I didn't believe I had before (isn't that the "b" of your ABC's?).

ABC's of Winning

A is for Attitude = A positive attitude is key to winning at weight loss. We all know this but sometimes it's just hard to execute. Have "attitude awareness." Try the glass half-full approach and see if it doesn't make a difference.
B is for Believing = I honestly think that if we believe in ourselves, we can do anything we want. If we don't believe that the seemingly impossible is possible then how can we reach our goals?
C is for Consistency = This one's the kicker. Sticking with something! One workout is not going to change our life. Actually one month of exercising isn't going to change our life. Think about it, we don't gain weight with one bad meal or even one month of bad meals. Get what I'm saying? So if we're thinking of throwing in the towel just because things aren't moving as quickly as we'd like, why would quitting get us there any faster?

Be the Tortoise

You know the story, the tortoise wins the race. Being the Hare doesn't typically pay off. I saw this theory hold true during the last two weeks of the Olympic games. Many would start out strong and take the lead during the majority of the race but in the end the people trailing would often keep their steady pace and have enough gas in the end to pull through for a medal.

I think the same can be said for the race of life, losing weight and working to live healthy. While the Hare is flashy and fast at first, later he normally loses gas. This can be paralleled to the energy and enthusiasm that starting a new exercise routine and/or new diet. After the new has worn off it typically becomes more "work" to live healthy and suddenly gets very easy to be defeated. Keeping things steady and constant will aid in staying the course.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the entire race, not just the finish line. It's way too easy to look ahead and plan for the future but what about right now? Sometimes it seems, good intentions aren't enough. For some silly reason the, "what I'm going to do" and what actually happens tends to be two different stories. I'm not trying to be cynical here it's just what I've found to be true from my experience.

So what's the secret ingredient? How can we all become tortoises? Why do some succeed and others give up? Here's a list of ways to help get us there:

1. Believe.
2. Don't be afraid to go after something you really want to do even if there is a chance you could fail.
3. Perservere through hard times and try to learn from them.
4. Control what you can control.
5. Make no excuses. Figure out a way to finish through with something no matter how hard it is-get and stay determined.
6. Be realistic in what changes you are making. Don't go crazy all in one week trying to lose 5 pounds but rather tackle what you can in a timely manner.
7. Create accountability. Find someone that will hold you accountable for your life (this has worked extremely well for me as I have a group of 3 friends that hold me accountable each week).

Tips from a Client

This is from a wonderful client, she sent it to me today wanting my thoughts. Well, I love everything about these tips and decided to share-enjoy!

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

Check this out as well.

Client of the Month: Jodi

The August "Client of the Month," is Jodi. Jodi is just wonderful. I began working with Jodi about a year an a half ago. It's been so much fun getting to know her and watching her journey of health and fitness develop. Here's some reasons Jodi is so deserving of this award:

1. She has SIX kids and still makes time for exercise!
2. Never has she used her kids as an excuse for not exercising-I LOVE that about her! As she could very well give me that reason.
3. She's lost 39 pounds-halfway to her goal!
4. Jodi's a very kind person as she always has such a positive attitude.
5. She loves it when I bring new exercises her way-she truly loves working out and finding new muscles.
6. I think it's so wonderful that she wants to be healthy for her kids as she's already told me many instances where she has participated in activities that she used to forgo. She lives a very active lifestyle with her family.
7. She really makes a conscious effort to exercise and eat right on her own-the key to her weight loss success.
8. She sets goals. Jodi's always making goals for herself and really goes for them.
9. She's flexible. She sets goals and makes plans to obtain them but sometimes life intervenes and changes need to be made. I love that she's always looking for ways to make them work for her.
10. Jodi is a great display of what a woman can be these days; a healthy mom, wife and friend to many. Keep up the great work Jodi!

August Race: Race for the Cure

This month I participated (along with 22,000 other people) in the race for the cure. What an amazing event! I could not believe how many people walked or ran in this event. It was such a rush to be around that many people. Only 4 more races left....2008 is just flying by!

Today's Random Thoughts

I think I've mentioned before I get most of my random thoughts when exercising or more specifically running. I really enjoy this time because it gives me a chance to clear my head and sort out thoughts and ideas. Here's the latest of my thoughts during this afternoon's run:

1. Boy it feels great to run-I truly love exercise and the feeling it gives me when I'm all done.

2. Work for it-get crazy passionate about your goals. I so want to get this point across (as if I haven't already), that if you want something (like weight loss) you have to really immerse yourself in it. It's something you've got to dive into, strive through and finish strong. It's not easy but what good challenge is? If it's not hard the success of finishing isn't nearly as sweet.

3. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Why do we sometimes get into crazy cycles like these? We want to lose weight but hang onto the things that keep us from ultimately losing, why? Are we afraid of what might happen if we change course? As change is a huge stressor for many.

4. Insanity then leads me to my biggest frustration-the almighty, ever insistence excuse. We all have them. AHHHH! I even have them and I get so mad at myself when I have them. I can't do this because of this. I hate that! If I really want to do something I'll make it happen. Make it happen-just make it happen....no excuses. That should be my new mantra...has a good ring to it!

5. I feel good about this one. As these points are in no particular order, I've felt a need to share my weekly exercise routine as I've really been enjoying myself with this balanced yet realistic-to-my-world routine. Yikes, self disclosure! So...here goes!

a. Get it done: Monday and/or Tuesday
1. Short run but high intensity
2. Strength Training
3. Yoga Class
b. Get it done: Wednesday and/or Thursday
1. Strength Training
c. Get it done: Saturday
1. Long run medium intensity
d. Get it done: Sunday
1. Short run

So in all my plan is for:
*2 strength training sessions
*2 short runs = 3-4 miles a piece
*1 long run = 10+ miles
*1 yoga class

Organic?

I try to buy organic whenever possible, however, since prices of practically everything are going up these days its nice to feel okay when not buying organic.

Here's 12 food items that had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown.

Broccoli
Eggplant
Cabbage
Banana
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onion

Source: DrWeil.com July 30, 2008
FoodNews.org Printable Shopper’s Guide

16 Reasons to Quit

I just can't seem to understand why so many people drink pop. In trying to better understand my clients, friends and family members with this habit, I came across some interesting information. The article states 8 reasons why we drink pop but I decided to leave that out as all the reasons were very lame. There is a link at the bottom of the page if you wish to read it in it's entirety. Note: After reading the article, I decided I'm more confused as to why anyone could rationalize putting this "crap" in their body.

16 Reasons to Kick the Habit
1. Soda Is Useless.

There are no nutritionally beneficial components in soft drinks. Yet the average American drinks about 57 gallons of soft drinks each year.

2. Weight Gain & Obesity

Many people either forget or don't realize how many extra calories they consume in what they drink. Drinking a single 330 ml can a day of sugary drinks translates to more than 1lb of weight gain every month. Several scientific studies have provided experimental evidence that soft drinks are directly related to weight gain.

3. Diabetes

This is a consequence of #2. Anything that promotes weight gain increases the risk of diabetes. Drinking soda not only contributes to making people fat, but it also stresses the body's ability to process sugar5. Some scientists now suspect that the sweet stuff may help explain why the number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has tripled from 6.6 million in 1980 to 20.8 million today.

4. Weakened Bones And Risk Of Osteoporosis

Frequent consumption of soft drinks may also increase the risk of osteoporosis.. High soda consumption (particularly cola) in children poses a significant risk factor for impaired calcification of growing bones. In the 1950s, children drank 3 cups of milk for every 1 cup of sugary drinks. Today that ratio is reversed: 3 cups of sugary drinks for every cup of milk. Tellingly, osteoporosis is a major health threat for 44 million Americans.

5. Dental Caries And Erosion

Soda eats up and dissolves the tooth ename. Researches say that soft drinks are responsible for doubling or tripling the incidence of tooth decay.


6. Kidney Damage

People who down sugary drinks don't feel as full as those who consume the same amount of calories in solid food.
This theory was born out by researchers at Purdue University who, in 2000, gave 15 volunteers 450 calories a day of either soda or jelly beans for a month and then switched them for the next month, while monitoring their total calories. The candy eaters compensated for the extra calories by eating less food and maintained their weight; during the soda phase, the volunteers ate more and gained (MSN Health)
There is good evidence that cola beverages can increase the risk of kidney problems, more so than non-cola sodas. Researches clearly demonstrated that large quantities of cola result in enhanced kidney stone formation. If you're wondering exactly how soft drinks cause kidney stones, it's because of their acidity and radical mineral imbalances. Your body must buffer the acidity of soft drinks with calcium from your own bones. As this calcium is eliminated through your urine, it slowly forms kidney stones.


7. Increased Blood Pressure

Experts have reasons to believe that overconsumption of fructose, particularly in the form of soft drinks, leads to an increase in blood pressure.

8. Likely To Cause Heartburn


9. Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factor

Soft drink consumption is a significant risk factor for developing of metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of the symptoms such as high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

10. Harmful Effects On Liver

There is evidence that consumption of too many soft drinks puts you under increased risk for liver cirrhosis similar to what chronic alcoholics have.

11. Impaired Digestive System

Soda, no matter who makes it, is the most acidic beverage you can buy, with a pH of about 2.51, about the same as vinegar, but the sugar content disguises the acidity. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH level of 7.

Interesting fact: A pH below 4 or above 10 will kill most fish and very few animals can tolerate waters with a pH below 3 or above 11.
Why does that matter? Throughout the digestive system, that starts from the mouth and ends up at the anus only the stomach can resist an acidic environment up to pH 2.0. But before the acidity of soft drink reaches the stomach it passes through all the other organs involved in the digestive system thus causing an abnormal acidic environment. The linings of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus are highly sensitive to acids.

12. Dehydration

Another problem with sodas is that they act as dehydrating diuretics. Both caffeine and sugar cause dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic and causes an increase in urine volume. High concentration of sugar is drawing off water because your kidneys try to expel the excess sugar out of the blood. When you drink a caffeinated soda to quench your thirst, you will actually become thirstier.

13. High Caffeine Content

High doses of caffeine can cause irritability, restlessness, tension, insomnia, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal disturbance, excessive urination, irregular heartbeat and other side effects.

14. Toxins - Aspartame

If you think diet soda is better think again. The poison in diet soda is an artificial sweetener aspartame. Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. It is used because it's about 200 times sweeter than table sugar.

Despite US FDA approval as a "safe" food additive, aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances added to foods. After you drink an aspartame-sweetened product, aspartame breaks down into its starting components: phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol (that further converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.). There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption.

15. Possible Cell Damage Ability

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks recently amid evidence that they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative E211, known as sodium benzoate, found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.


16. There Are So Many Healthy Alternatives!

Soda replaces healthier drinks. By drinking soda, you cut the intake of fresh juices, milk, and even water and deprive yourself from essential vitamins and minerals.


Source: http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/soft-drinks.shtml