Wednesday, December 29, 2010

TIght Guy Yoga Warm Up

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Shame on ME!

I am a serial blogger- like in that- random not so often - kind of way. One day I am blogging all over the place, next day vanished.. No sign, no trace... Not even worthy of a CSI episode I blog when I remember it's good for business and for anyone willing to read it. Then I spot something shiny and I am off again new things. I want to be a finisher and for many things I am, blogging not so much. I hope to make this a better year for blogging but for now, please forgive me.

So far this year has been awesome. I have a new team with four great team members. Real fitness for life, my corporate consulting company is growing and the Telephone Fitness Trainer is sailing on it's own, new life. I have had a few set backs but all very important for learning and doing a better job.

My son has a seizure and that put things into perspective. He had never had one before and it scared me to death. Never prayed God would trade my life for his, close my eyes and hope he took me, that day I did. Sounds dramatic but it felt very real. After and EEG and a few weeks of normal I think I have a new perspective on the well known fact that life is fleeting. I consider that the best gift of the year, a chance to be reminded in a not so permanent way that life is short.


I hope this is how I find you doing- taking in the things that matter and throwing away the things that keep you from being free. I don't mean in a "no responsibility" kind of way, I mean in that "really does it matter if you hold the pillow under your chin when you put on a pillow case kind of way or shove the pillow in one end." I know seems silly but it can get to us.

Today I worked legs and I am tired. I am not training for a competition in the near future but I feel like why not act like I am and not give up on dreams even if they have to be put on hold.  I love life and I feel blessed. I hope this random post to say, shame on me, helps you.
Enjoy

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Win from Within

Some think winning isn't everything it's the only thing. I also know many people who won't do anything if they can win. I watch my children struggle with the truth in life that winning doesn't happen all the time and there is disappointment.
I am a little different when it come to winning. Don't be confused I love to win and I have been guilty of thoughts and actions that are less than becoming. But if winning a prize was my only goal I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today.
I spent a number of years as a child in Germany learning to love soccer.When I moved back to the U.S. in Anniston, Alabama ,1985 they didn't have girls soccer teams. They had soccer teams. I wanted to play and I knew it would mean playing on a boys team. I figured why not? try out. I did and I think half of them felt bad for me (being a girl and not a boy) and the other thought I might actually cut it. So I became the only female player on the Saks High School soccer team. I played my heart out and I tried to be the best I could be. I wasn't great but I was diligent. I loved the game and I loved (although I played very little) the lesson I began to learn about winning from within. Being the only girl on all guys teams makes being great- tough, not because I couldn't do the work but I was in a league with only two other girls and one was a goalie (need I say more?) I was targeted when put in games, when metal cleats were still allowed I suffered lots of cleat marks on the top of my feet as other players would step on top of my feet, wind around digging the cleats into the top of my foot. I suffered because my coach was afraid to put me in worried I would be injured. I watched in frustration many games thinking I should be in the game and learning later in life that just being on the team was a bold statement.
I am not afraid of losing a particular game or contest - No, my fear is much greater and that is - the will to try. I win within- I look at my experience and find what helps make me a better me and find victory there. I don't worry about the possible outcome and won't let fear keep me.
I compete this Saturday in a national competition. Many of the women I will compete against will surely have worked hard and done many of the things I have done. However, many have been competing for years and expect to win. Some have even gone past the normal limits in order to secure a win, a pro card with potential sponsorship deals and many will question their efforts. I however will take my two great friends head to KY with a itty bitty teeny winy bikini - a smile, a peace in my heart and the will to win from within.

I hope you will learn to win from within. Look at victory as something you hand yourself. Have the will to win but not be hindered by who calls you winner. I know I am winner and I define that differently every day. Teach your children that the only real losers are the ones who fail to try. ( but don't call them losers it's not good the self esteem :)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

My LSAT score

No, I didn't take the LSAT but a very good friend of mine did and I was so impressed when she told me her story about applying to law school. She really wanted to go to law school and the LSAT is one thing that can decide if you get into law school. She also didn't want to just go to any law school she wanted to go to Columbia University in New York. She explained to me the process for applying was arduous and difficult. The LSAT, the entrance exam to law school, scores are a big determiner for getting into law school, so I asked Karen what her score on the LSAT was and would it be good enough to get into her school of choice? She said something next that I found so interesting "I don't know" was her response. She had no idea what her score was and applied to law school without ever opening her score. She sent the score still sealed in an envelope to Columbia confident she was among the best candidates for admission. She went on to tell me that her dream about going to law school would not be dashed by her score. She believed in her success so much so that she knew she would be accepted. She wrote in her essay to the admission board that she knew that her well rounded life experiences and GPA from college would leave a good impression and the test score good or bad would not hinder her dreams.
I am in the last month before my competition and my weight is heavier than I like it to be. In an effort to put on muscle I will in fact weigh more and I understand that but I liked weighing less. I know the facts and I know it's all good but it still can affect me so just like I tell you I have to focus on what's important. I decided to take the Karen approach to this competition and I am not weighing myself anymore. I know the work I am putting in and sticking to my diet is what it takes. I don't care what the scale will tell me -I feel good and I trust the process. It has been really liberating and I feel less stress. I know have to be honest about my effort and let that be my guide.
Although the TFT program requires you to weigh in weekly and send pictures I challenge you to think like Karen did- trust that your efforts will pay off. Trust the process and stick with the program. Realize your dream of losing weight and reaching your goal no matter what is in that sealed envelope. Don't let the test scores keep you from living your dreams and reaching your goals.
You can get to where you are going and hard work does pay off.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Gold Medal Moments


Continuing the Training vs. Trying conversation - I ask you to think about the Olympics. This past week watching all the events has been so exciting. I think of all the hard work they do to have one or two minutes of hopeful glory. I watch each coach hope that all their direction and hard work will help their athlete win. I know the feeling of watching someone you coach and the desire to see them win. I want you to win. I need you to win. The two reasons winning is important to me is- 1) I want you to have a gold medal moments. Many coaches become coaches because they started out as competitiors. They have been there, made mistakes, taken falls and even stared failure in the face. I think for many coaches it's also another way to keep the love and desire for success of the process alive. Knowing something that can help someone succeed is truly powerful and sharing it devine. I have had gold medal moments- the feeling inside that all the work I did paid off. The strong desire to cry or scream because I did something I never thought I could do. Those moments where people say things to you that make you feel like you can walk on air. Do you want to have Gold Medal moments?
The second reason winning is important to me is it changes what level you compete at and makes success more challenging. Challenging is what moves us to better and greater things. Many of the athletes won in their state and then nationally and now they compete in the Olympics. I doubt any of them said I think I will try and make it to the Olympics without the local or national competition. I think they all committed to the work and used each success as permission to dream bigger.

The most important thing to me about the success is having someone you trust coach you. I hope each of those athletes have chosen trainers and coaches they trust. The people who help them go to the next level. Hopefully in all our years of life (no matter how young) we have learned you get no where with out the help of others. I love what I do I say that over and over again each day not because I need to believe it but because I do, I really do. I hope many of you work with me because you know that but more important because you trust me. I wonder how many athletes train and wonder if the coach knows what they are doing? Do they just hire someone because they seem nice? Do you work hard for some one you don't trust? And if you haven't hired me then why not?

Because I want you to have gold medal moments I need you to trust the trainer, commit the training program and trust the process. Be an athlete who hired the best in hopes for the best! Follow the training plan and don't let the competition make you second guess. Second guessing is something we all do it's natural but what makes the difference is the people who stick to the training plan and see the results and the ones who use second guessing to give up. Have some gold medal moments.


*this blog was written by a trainer who loves what she does. Being a better writer would not best serve her skills which is training. Please read this blog with consideration for the writer who is a trainer and not a writer. (practice makes perfect) Forgive errors and read content for substance. Thank you.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Difference between training and trying!

This is important and I think it's important enough to spend a few blogs talking about the difference between training and trying and how, I hope, it can help you.
We all want to be successful and hope when we set a goal we will achieve it. However, often times we are simply "trying". For example, " I am going to try this new diet or this new workout plan." But when we "try" or say we are going to try we often don't have a plan and don't really have any expectation. 'Try" is defined as a test or an attempt and when it comes to changing your life and losing weight but who wants a take a test they have failed before? When you test yourself did you do your homework or study the facts prior to taking this test? We hear a lot about popular diets but a little like reading your horoscope will this really be good for everyone? Do you know what you need? What types of diets haven't worked? What are the success rates on this diet you choose? Would training be a better approach to success and if so training has a different approach. The winter Olympics are coming and many of those athletes have been training for many years. They have training plans and programs they follow to insure a higher level of success. Training requires looking at strengths and weaknesses and identifying which ones have a greater impact and training to overcome the weakness to be stronger and more successful.
Let's start there! Do you know your strengths and weaknesses as it applies to weight loss and living healthy?As a trainer I know people often dismiss their weight issues as simply not eating right and not exercising - I agree these are mitigating factors but have you tried to look at what it is that has kept you from succeeding? Have you tried to identify and map what happens between the beginning and the end? Over the next few weeks we will look at the steps to training and succeeding. This first one is to look at what hasn't worked and take those off the training plan. Don't just "try" and commit to changing your life begin training! Start by working on what hasn't worked and what has. Think about the cycle you have been in and change the training plan.
So take time to write about your strengths and weaknesses. Look at what works and make that training plan for yourself. Of course if you need help hire the Telephone fitness trainer and get there! Either way without a map you won't know when you get to where you are going.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

What would you do if you knew?


I couldn't believe it, I stood in front of the counter with my mouth wide open in shock and wonder about what I was looking at in front of me. I think I know a lot about calories because of being a trainer and a body builder. I asses menus and give advice on food choices when eating out but I must admit until you see it you wouldn't believe it. King County, Washington is the county which hosts Seattle, WA. and a popular city for visitors from all over the world. This year they voted and passed a law that all fast food restaurants have to post the number of calories on menus. They list everything from individual items to value meals. I was standing in front of the McDonald's menu when I discovered this new program of "in your face,now make a healthy choice." I have included the picture and you can see it for yourself.

As I said earlier I know a lot about calories but I must admit I don't keep those numbers in my head I just know what I choose when I go to a certain restaurants. I was stunned and found that making a choice when faced with facts was much harder. I found this situation supports my feeling and belief that if you knew what kind of calories you were consuming you might make different choices. I went from one counter to the next finding very little to choose from and being fully awake with the idea that it was even more important than ever to be informed.

I made a wise choice for myself and my family but it wasn't easy. I am curious what would you do? How do you feel about this program and should it be something all fast food places should have to do? I am curious ... what would you do if you knew?