Are Excuses Holding You Back?

All my life I was told I was too small, too weak to do so many things. I was picked last for everything from preschool to high school. I once dated someone who told me that his hitting me, torturing me and scaring me was his way of making me better and stronger. He was "toughening me up" because I was weak. I wasn't capable of being strong. When I decided to run my first 5k someone told me that I wasn't a runner. I wouldn't be until I had been doing it at least six months. WTF, right? I believed it all. I used them as reasons to dictate my life and keep me from trying things. It kept me scared and immobile and afraid to try anything physical or new. In the end, they were all excuses. Excuses I held on to because it felt safer that way than trying something new and possibly … [Read more...]

Are You Living a Reactionary Life?

My worst nightmare. Are you living a reactionary life or are you putting habits and practices into place that can change your life? I capital 'H' hate spiders. 🕷🕸🕷 I don't even like them in emoticon form. They cause me to react. So I guard my house against them throughout the year. Small steps but it works. Every day you have a choice to change your life with the steps we take, the words we speak, the thoughts we have. All if that is in our control too. What we think becomes how we speak. How we speak becomes how we act.👇 Do you think, "I'm a terrible mother" and then find yourself reacting that way and the being filled with regret? Do you think negatively about your spouse, home or job and then spew words of anger and discontent towards them or about … [Read more...]

What’s In Your Gym Bag?

Do you want to know what is in my gym bag?  I'll tell you what is in my gym bag. NOTHING. Nada. ZILCH. I work out from home, but I think you know that by now.  I would love to say that I carry around this very cute Adidas bag by Stella McCartney but that would be a lie.  Instead, I'll let you in on a few of my favorite, can't live without workout essentials.   In the last year, I have come to rely on these Epsom salt baths to detox from Lyme disease but also to relieve the soreness I get from my daily workouts.  They are a must and I do them a few times a week.  The blender with a cup is for the daily post-workout shakes that I LOVE.  It's the perfect pick me up after a strenuous training session and the best way I know to curb my cravings and forget about … [Read more...]

Transformation Tuesday

We coaches love Transformation Tuesday!  💪  It's like getting to watch one of those reality makeover TV shows from a decade ago in fast forward.  Who doesn't like seeing what looks like instant results?  This is why I urge people to take before and after photos. There I was plugging along in The 80 Day Obsession workouts and I didn't see the transformation in myself. I was convinced I looked the same as I did three months ago when I first started the program.  Despite all the hard work and sweat, I knew I was putting into it. Now I see the lost inches. The hard work. The muscles built. The dedication. Now I see the transformation that comes from not quitting. And I've quit so many things before. I've quit writing books I've started numerous times. I've quit blogs I created. … [Read more...]

2 Weeks To Get Healthy

A year ago I had my world unravel. I thought I was healthy. I was working out every day. I'm a runner. I was lifting weights. I ate clean- enough. I thought I was on top of my diet, exercise and even my life.  I was a size six after all and in my forties. Isn't that good enough?  I was working two careers helping my husband start a brand new business while raising three girls.  We were a picture-perfect family that looked really good on paper. In one weekend my life was turned upside down by a disease no one could find or treat. I was told it was in my head. It was a virus or 90 other things that I knew it was not.  Every doctor told me that it was THIS thing or THAT thing.  No one was right. I followed my gut and found a doctor through a blog. Ha! The irony that it is another blog that … [Read more...]

Workout Woes: How to Make an Exercise Issue Easier to Deal With

Most of us know that regular exercise is imperative to our health. But the sad truth is that less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis, and only one-third of adults fit in the recommended amount of exercise per week. When you work full-time, juggling family commitments and some semblance of a social life seems tough enough without worrying about when you can head to the gym. But if you don't make exercise a priority now, you'll likely regret it later. Plus, physical activity will help you sleep better, will allow you to be more productive, and will make you feel happier overall. Still, even knowing all that, you may have some workout hurdles to overcome. Here's how to deal with some of them. PROBLEM: You hate working out in front of other … [Read more...]

Cycle And Vacation At The Same Time By Visiting These Bike-Friendly Cities

Vacations are an opportunity to get away from your normal life and daily routine, but that doesn't mean you have to slack on your fitness routine while you're away from home. Cities across the United States are cyclist-friendly and some even offer bike-sharing programs and trails that are specially designed for bikes. In 2015, the bicycle industry in the United States earned $6.2 billion in direct sales. In this large of an industry, there are many opportunities to cycle across the country. Just make sure you stay safe and stick to the designated paths to avoid accidents, but if you happen to unfortunately get into an accident then you should make sure you find a reliable bicycle accident lawyer or personal injury lawyer to help you win your claims against the person responsible. A … [Read more...]

How I Made My Health the #1 Priority and Everything Else Fell Into Place

Girl, you better work. That phrase played in my head on a constant loop this last year. I wasn't talking about sitting at a desk or improving my career either.  It was all about working on my health and healing and treating it like a job. "In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties." Between starting with yoga, then walking, adding in light weights,  progressing to running and then moving onto HIIT workouts once I was strong enough, exercise was one of the things I have done consistently this last year to help me battle my chronic Lyme disease. Sweat. It does a body good. You know what?  I'm in the best shape of my life.  I even decided to help others to get there too. How Did I Get Here? Part of that motivation came from thinking of each day of the week as a … [Read more...]

Aging Gracefully: Slow Down, But Never Stop Moving

You're young, full of zest, and ready to live a balanced and enriched life; it can be hard to imagine that time will continue to drudge ever onward (usually too quickly), that you won't always be young and able-bodied, but it's true. Before you know it, your body will start creaking as bad as your grandparents', with aching knees informing you of coming storms and bad backs that threaten your sleep if you so much as look at something heavy. Luckily, you don't have to just sit and let it happen -- which, ironically, is the problem. If you sit on a couch for 30 years, you're not really allowed to suddenly be shocked when walking more than a mile causes pain to radiate out of your hips and lower back. Motion is lotion: the sooner you start moving, even if it's just a little, you will age … [Read more...]

Do You Want to Transform Yourself?

I have a confession to make.     🌱Transformation doesn't happen overnight. The last year of my life is pure proof of that.  There were days I thought I had beat the diseases running rampant within my body only to fall a few steps backward and have to rebuild again. Now there are more good days than bad.  Now I see a future and it looks wildly different than I ever imagined.  I'm full of more joy.  I see more wonder in the world.  I think that was all part of the plan too. One of the best things I did to heal was to KEEP MOVING no matter how unmotivated I felt there was always a walk, yoga or something gentle until I can build strength again.  Today?  My body may not be in remission but it is STRONGER than it was before I got sick. How Crazy Is That? My doctor is amazed … [Read more...]