I've had a lot of people recently asking about training with me and so I wanted to take the time to explain exactly what that entails.
First of all, I have two different options to choose from. For you in the valley, I train clients out of Big Jon Fitness in Nampa. I have been personal training there coming up on two years now! I can train one on one, or I also have several spouses that come together. If you are interested in training with me at Big Jon's, email me today or schedule a consult with Big Jon at www.bigjonb.com, and let him know you want to train with Teri!
The typical client comes in one or two times a week. We have an hour long session each time they come to see me. With their training, which is only paid month to month--we do not have long term contracts or anything--they get a workout plan assigned and customized for them, to do on their own time. They also receive a customized meal plan and the adjustments that come with that as your body changes. Typically my clients' meal plans change every 2-3 weeks. My clients weigh in at home, and send me a text every Friday--between that and their pictures and measurements that are taken monthly, that is how I determine how their meal plan needs adjusted. I text with most of my clients several times a week. The one thing you will lean, quickly, with working with me--is that I am just as invested in YOU reaching your goals, as you are. I love being a part of the transformation journey.
The second option, for those of you across the country is my online training. I run everything the exact same as I do in the gym training, unfortunately--I just don't get to meet with you. I email and text back and forth with clients throughout the week, they check in with me with their weight, measurements, pictures etc. It is a pleasure to be trusted from across the country, when personal training is a well stocked industry. There are trainers every where and it means the world to me that people put their trust in me to help guide them through their journey. I charge 150$ for 2 months of training. After the initial 2 months, clients are then able to commit monthly for $75 but I make people commit to the initial 2 months so they give us both enough time to really get addicted to watching their body change, their health improve, and their confidence soar.
The biggest thing I can recommend to you when looking for a trainer is to look for someone who has been there, done that. For someone who CARES whether you succeed or not, and who is willing to design a program for you. Cookie cutter plans can and do work--but if said plan, doesn't work for YOU-- it isn't the right plan...and you will only find success on it for so long. If you can't keep it up, is it really the right program for you? Find someone who is as dedicated to your goals, as you are going to be. That's a perfect match. If I can help you, or someone you know--email me today, or sign up for a free consultation at Big Jon Fitness and let Jon know you are ready to get in the best shape of your life! Can't wait to work with you.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Holiday Cheer--How the Fit Chick Mom does Holidays NOW!
Hey friends,
I have been the worst blogger and honestly, its because there isn't a lot new to say that I haven't covered in the past four years on this blog. But it dawned on me--that it doesn't really matter. I can't remember all my old posts and neither can you! Plus, a lot of new people come my way and as an advocate for health, fitness, and happiness I should be doing better by bringing you more blog posts. I miss posting too so I am going to do my best to hop back on my wagon. Plus, I have a book forming in my mind. It's been there for a year or so now but I am really seeing the possibilities more brightly--and as a great friend once told me, if you are going to write--you have to start writing. So operation write that book is starting, like, next week.
So there's that tid bit.
I am recovering very well from surgery. Extremely pleased with my results, and feel so blessed to be young enough to really enjoy the results for a long time. I have a post, a deep, insightful post that goes into the why I did this--and goes into what I recommend for others to do, my answer may surprise you to be honest. I look forward to sharing this very personal, very important( to me) journey with you and what I have discovered in the 2.5 weeks since surgery.
It is the holiday season! I love October, November and December! Love Love Love them. I love fall and the changing colors, the weather cooling off, wearing sweat shirts and peeling them off half way through the day. I love the first snow fall, the beauty and serenity of it. I love the magic of Christmas. I love to remember our Savior and the sacrifice that he made for each and everyone of us. I love a nativity scene. I love sweet Christmas music. I love celebrating with my kiddos and with our loved ones. Buying presents, receiving presents, Christmas cards, and Christmas wishes. It all makes my heart very happy.
It isn't a secret that there was a time in my life I DREADED these months for other reasons though--the FOOD reasons. I used to let it stress the crap out of me, if I am being honest. I would constantly think about how I could "make it through" without gaining weight. What I needed to do extra in the gym to balance things out. I always always always would feel fat no matter what I ate. I can't remember those young years with my kids so clearly, if I am being honest. It breaks my heart I was so wrapped up in body image issues and food issues that I couldn't even relax enough to be in the moment with my family.
Do you realize how ridiculous this is? How ridiculous it is that I couldn't even enjoy a treat my sweet friend brought me, because it might make me fat. Couldn't enjoy making treats with my babies (cuz they were then), because I couldn't control myself without eating so much I was sick? Well, if you don't realize how ridiculous and sad--very sad--it is, stick with me friends. I can show you another way.
Life is meant to be enjoyed and sometimes, for me the enjoyments come and are more rich with a treat. I want to let you in on a little secret--you CAN eat just one. And just one, or two will not make you gain weight. Ok?! Breathe. I promise I am not lying.
I am in a fit, healthy body and mind over the past year and I can tell you what works.
MoDeRaTiOn!
It's so fun. I can eat a cookie if I want it. I can have a piece of what the neighbor brings and tell them I love it, for real--because I know I love it. I can say it without lying (I can't tell you the number of things I have thrown away and not eaten. ridiculous--that being said, I don't eat things I don't love. Pumpkin pie--no thank you. Chocolate chip cookie, YEA BOY! I'll have two.
Here is what I do that works!
I eat a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and eggs every day. Everyday. I add blueberries and nuts a lot of times--but if and when I know I have something special planned for the day, I just eat the plain stuff. I save my exciting extras for later when I know I will want that roll, or that cookie, or whatever it is.
I eat every 3 hoursish. On days where I know I will be splurging I try to cut out a carb from a meal (Example:I have a salad instead of chicken and a yam for lunch).
I eat only what I like. But I try a lot of things, without guilt. I rarely overeat anymore in the past year to be honest. I typically eat so clean and healthy that things that aren't--don't appeal to me as much. I promise they grow on you. Your taste buds change and you start to notice just how differently (badly) you feel on junky food--and how good and energized you feel on healthy food.
I don't freak out about anything, food related. Omgosh if I read one more post of someone and their guilt over cookie dough, candy, or anything else I might just whig out. Seriously!! There are real problems in the world!! Real things going on and freaking out over eating too many reeses pieces really tells a lot about you. It says you have some issues you need to work through (I am not judging, I HAVE BEEN THERE. And I am proof you can come through on the other side and be happy in your own skin. That you can eat 2 reeces without having to eat 50 because you wont plan to eat them again for a long time.)
I do try and time most of my carb intake around my workouts (can't wait to get back to the gym...booyah!!!) I find that my body is a little bit carbohydrate stubborn (Which is ok as long as you learn how to work with it!) so as I time them around my training I see good gains in the gym and I feel like they do my body good. I have been known to eat a piece of cake that is leftover from the night before because I don't like to have carbs at night...(well, I don't like to have anything other than complex carbs at night) right after a workout and LOVE on that cake like you wouldn't believe. Followed my a fast absorbing protein shake and then on with my day. Those simple carbs help your body absorb the protein better so HEAR THIS: If you want a treat, and are so caught up in the rules and stress of food--eat your treat right after a workout. Best time of the day to have it, promise.
I drink a gallon of water every single day. I chug that son of a gun if I notice it is 6 pm and I am not done with my water. For some reason, weekends are harder for me to remember. Weekdays, not a problem.
I don't set up rigid rules. I don't have foods I can not eat. I don't think about food constantly. I don't workout extra to make up for something naughty.
I just go through the motions of life, enjoying most days to the fullest--but still having momentary relapses. The biggest thing is that I keep going. Living a fit, healthy, and happy life doesn't get chucked out the window because I ate a little somethin somethin extra, it is part of life that makes it all happy and enjoyable. We can be fit and still have a treat from time to time and I think a lot of people need to hear that. You aren't unhealthy because you enjoy food or enjoy a holiday party or enjoy your kids birthday party. You are just living in moderation. Life can end so quickly and really, when it's put into that perspective I hope people can take an honest look inside and realize how much their is to being the fit, healthy, happy person you want to be.
Tell me: Do you have rigid rules that help you through the holidays? Or do you try moderation in all things?
I have been the worst blogger and honestly, its because there isn't a lot new to say that I haven't covered in the past four years on this blog. But it dawned on me--that it doesn't really matter. I can't remember all my old posts and neither can you! Plus, a lot of new people come my way and as an advocate for health, fitness, and happiness I should be doing better by bringing you more blog posts. I miss posting too so I am going to do my best to hop back on my wagon. Plus, I have a book forming in my mind. It's been there for a year or so now but I am really seeing the possibilities more brightly--and as a great friend once told me, if you are going to write--you have to start writing. So operation write that book is starting, like, next week.
So there's that tid bit.
I am recovering very well from surgery. Extremely pleased with my results, and feel so blessed to be young enough to really enjoy the results for a long time. I have a post, a deep, insightful post that goes into the why I did this--and goes into what I recommend for others to do, my answer may surprise you to be honest. I look forward to sharing this very personal, very important( to me) journey with you and what I have discovered in the 2.5 weeks since surgery.
It is the holiday season! I love October, November and December! Love Love Love them. I love fall and the changing colors, the weather cooling off, wearing sweat shirts and peeling them off half way through the day. I love the first snow fall, the beauty and serenity of it. I love the magic of Christmas. I love to remember our Savior and the sacrifice that he made for each and everyone of us. I love a nativity scene. I love sweet Christmas music. I love celebrating with my kiddos and with our loved ones. Buying presents, receiving presents, Christmas cards, and Christmas wishes. It all makes my heart very happy.
It isn't a secret that there was a time in my life I DREADED these months for other reasons though--the FOOD reasons. I used to let it stress the crap out of me, if I am being honest. I would constantly think about how I could "make it through" without gaining weight. What I needed to do extra in the gym to balance things out. I always always always would feel fat no matter what I ate. I can't remember those young years with my kids so clearly, if I am being honest. It breaks my heart I was so wrapped up in body image issues and food issues that I couldn't even relax enough to be in the moment with my family.
Do you realize how ridiculous this is? How ridiculous it is that I couldn't even enjoy a treat my sweet friend brought me, because it might make me fat. Couldn't enjoy making treats with my babies (cuz they were then), because I couldn't control myself without eating so much I was sick? Well, if you don't realize how ridiculous and sad--very sad--it is, stick with me friends. I can show you another way.
Life is meant to be enjoyed and sometimes, for me the enjoyments come and are more rich with a treat. I want to let you in on a little secret--you CAN eat just one. And just one, or two will not make you gain weight. Ok?! Breathe. I promise I am not lying.
I am in a fit, healthy body and mind over the past year and I can tell you what works.
MoDeRaTiOn!
It's so fun. I can eat a cookie if I want it. I can have a piece of what the neighbor brings and tell them I love it, for real--because I know I love it. I can say it without lying (I can't tell you the number of things I have thrown away and not eaten. ridiculous--that being said, I don't eat things I don't love. Pumpkin pie--no thank you. Chocolate chip cookie, YEA BOY! I'll have two.
Here is what I do that works!
I eat a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and eggs every day. Everyday. I add blueberries and nuts a lot of times--but if and when I know I have something special planned for the day, I just eat the plain stuff. I save my exciting extras for later when I know I will want that roll, or that cookie, or whatever it is.
I eat every 3 hoursish. On days where I know I will be splurging I try to cut out a carb from a meal (Example:I have a salad instead of chicken and a yam for lunch).
I eat only what I like. But I try a lot of things, without guilt. I rarely overeat anymore in the past year to be honest. I typically eat so clean and healthy that things that aren't--don't appeal to me as much. I promise they grow on you. Your taste buds change and you start to notice just how differently (badly) you feel on junky food--and how good and energized you feel on healthy food.
I don't freak out about anything, food related. Omgosh if I read one more post of someone and their guilt over cookie dough, candy, or anything else I might just whig out. Seriously!! There are real problems in the world!! Real things going on and freaking out over eating too many reeses pieces really tells a lot about you. It says you have some issues you need to work through (I am not judging, I HAVE BEEN THERE. And I am proof you can come through on the other side and be happy in your own skin. That you can eat 2 reeces without having to eat 50 because you wont plan to eat them again for a long time.)
I do try and time most of my carb intake around my workouts (can't wait to get back to the gym...booyah!!!) I find that my body is a little bit carbohydrate stubborn (Which is ok as long as you learn how to work with it!) so as I time them around my training I see good gains in the gym and I feel like they do my body good. I have been known to eat a piece of cake that is leftover from the night before because I don't like to have carbs at night...(well, I don't like to have anything other than complex carbs at night) right after a workout and LOVE on that cake like you wouldn't believe. Followed my a fast absorbing protein shake and then on with my day. Those simple carbs help your body absorb the protein better so HEAR THIS: If you want a treat, and are so caught up in the rules and stress of food--eat your treat right after a workout. Best time of the day to have it, promise.
I drink a gallon of water every single day. I chug that son of a gun if I notice it is 6 pm and I am not done with my water. For some reason, weekends are harder for me to remember. Weekdays, not a problem.
I don't set up rigid rules. I don't have foods I can not eat. I don't think about food constantly. I don't workout extra to make up for something naughty.
I just go through the motions of life, enjoying most days to the fullest--but still having momentary relapses. The biggest thing is that I keep going. Living a fit, healthy, and happy life doesn't get chucked out the window because I ate a little somethin somethin extra, it is part of life that makes it all happy and enjoyable. We can be fit and still have a treat from time to time and I think a lot of people need to hear that. You aren't unhealthy because you enjoy food or enjoy a holiday party or enjoy your kids birthday party. You are just living in moderation. Life can end so quickly and really, when it's put into that perspective I hope people can take an honest look inside and realize how much their is to being the fit, healthy, happy person you want to be.
Tell me: Do you have rigid rules that help you through the holidays? Or do you try moderation in all things?
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
alive
Just wanted to check in.
One week post surgery and I'm alive and well! Even put some makeup on today to pretend I haven't looked like death the past week....cuz I have. :)
This has been a hard week not gonna lie. Very thankful surgery is over and healing is beginning. ...
Thanks for thinking of me everyone xoxo
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Thursday, November 21, 2013
Home sweet home
I Made it.home.from ogden about 5 pm last night. Surgery went very well And Dr said he knows I will be extremely happy with my results.
I got a peak.at the incision and it looks nice and low! Which Pleases me greatly.
I'm resting well, staying on top of my pain meds and honestly feel 75% better than I anticipated.
Will update more when i can focus more!
My girdle and drains
Left side nice low incision
The most amazing nurse evee!!!
My girlfriends ready to break.me out of my recovery center :)
Ready to.rock and roll and get home!!
My puppy babysitting me while kids.are at school.and.hubby rums erramds.
I got a peak.at the incision and it looks nice and low! Which Pleases me greatly.
I'm resting well, staying on top of my pain meds and honestly feel 75% better than I anticipated.
Will update more when i can focus more!
My puppy babysitting me while kids.are at school.and.hubby rums erramds.Friday, October 4, 2013
tummy tuck 1 month 15 days before
These pictures make my heart so sad. I hate hating my stomach. I HATE that I try to teach women everyday to love themselves and realize how worthy of love and respect they are, when I can't do it. I can't get on board with it. I just have such hate and discontent for my stomach and there is absolutely nothing I can do to change it, except have surgery.
I hate my stomach and I want it gone. Today.
I can't wait. I am sick of the sadness every time I look in the mirror. I am sick of freaking out if my shirt creeps up. I am sick of wearing pants and looking like I have a muffin top because I DON'T. I am sick of this crap.
November can't come soon enough. I can't wait. Seems insane when I say it, type it, but I literally feel like I will look back in 365 days and say it was the best thing I have ever done. I am not scared for surgery. I am not scared of recovery. I can't freaking wait.
( For my records I really want to remember these pictures and how they make me feel)
Monday, August 19, 2013
3 months
just letting yall know, I am exactly 3 months from surgery!!!
Yay!!!!!!!!
Starting to tighten up my nutrition a little bit to prepare my body for my break. I'd like to cut 7 lbs before surgery. I guess some people might be interested in how I plan to accomplish this so I thought I'd share.
As you remember I bought the Nia Shanks muscle sculpting program. I am into week 3 and having a lot of fun. My workouts are hard and heavy and sweaty and fun. I look forward to them! So I am going to continue on with that. I have noticed some unusual upper back pain but I think that I have the reason figured out-- pull ups as my warm up each workout with out warming up for them first! Ha! That's sorta funny. My husband worked out some knots for me so I am back in business and warming up first. I really still want to get those 16 overhand pullups in before surgery but they just don't seem to be getting easier. Time will tell. Hard work is effective and I wont stop trying!
My diet has been cleaned up. Eliminating those blt's that become so easy to take without though. (Bites licks and tastes!). I started a meal plan and I will go as long as I can while still dropping weight without adding cardio in--except my fun hikes or bike rides with the kids.
Hubby is on a plan too, and surprisingly enough has actually been FOLLOWING what I wrote. WOW that is so exciting. So we are keeping eachother accountable and are anxious to see our cuts come into effect.
That's basically it. That's my game plan.
Yay!!!!!!!!
Starting to tighten up my nutrition a little bit to prepare my body for my break. I'd like to cut 7 lbs before surgery. I guess some people might be interested in how I plan to accomplish this so I thought I'd share.
As you remember I bought the Nia Shanks muscle sculpting program. I am into week 3 and having a lot of fun. My workouts are hard and heavy and sweaty and fun. I look forward to them! So I am going to continue on with that. I have noticed some unusual upper back pain but I think that I have the reason figured out-- pull ups as my warm up each workout with out warming up for them first! Ha! That's sorta funny. My husband worked out some knots for me so I am back in business and warming up first. I really still want to get those 16 overhand pullups in before surgery but they just don't seem to be getting easier. Time will tell. Hard work is effective and I wont stop trying!
My diet has been cleaned up. Eliminating those blt's that become so easy to take without though. (Bites licks and tastes!). I started a meal plan and I will go as long as I can while still dropping weight without adding cardio in--except my fun hikes or bike rides with the kids.
Hubby is on a plan too, and surprisingly enough has actually been FOLLOWING what I wrote. WOW that is so exciting. So we are keeping eachother accountable and are anxious to see our cuts come into effect.
That's basically it. That's my game plan.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Randomness
Today was my 3rd rest day. I feel so odd only working out 4 days in a week, but to be honest I am a lot more energized and my workouts DO feel much more productive. I had pushups to do yesterday and was able to do them without wrist pain, which was exciting. And I did them adding 15 lbs to my back for 5 sets of 6. That felt really good. It feels good to be strong! I love love love it. I don't notice feeling thicker, or thinner but I do feel stronger and that makes me feel like I look better for some reason--so that is fun, I enjoy feeling like I could kick the crap out of a zombie if I needed to :).
I don't check my weight again until Sunday. I am neither excited or unexcited to check it. I feel like at 145 lbs I just weigh more than I ever thought I would, yet I feel small enough while feeling big enough...muscle wise? I don't know if that makes sense. Anyway. That's my story.
I took my babies to the water park tonight after we napped from being up so early this morning for my work. It was super fun! Saw a goodie, oldie friend and it is so nice to sit and chat with people as if no time has passed, I feel truly blessed.
I kept looking around at Roaring Springs, like I always do. Of course I would notice peoples physiques and of course from time to time I feel self conscious of my own. But today there, and at work I just kept looking around wondering what my stomach will look like in 6 months. 3 months it aint going to be pretty. Itll be a swollen bloody yucky mess. But in 6 months I imagine it is going to look amazing. I just can't wait to see my stomach in a t shirt. Like when I actually BUY a t-shirt that fits my body so it wont be loose on my stomach. CAN not wait. So excited!!!
I can't believe how patient I am being. I paid my 200$ to reserve my surgery date in November. I booked my hotel room. I can't stop thinking about it and being excited. I just want it to be, like tomorrow--not in 3 months. But anything worth having is worth waiting for. School will be started and my kiddos will be adjusted, husband will be done hunting for the year, and all our birthdays will be over-- and it will just be a great time to relax and take time off from my workouts for the holidays--so I can be busy with JUST work, my family and enjoying every minute of this time while my kiddos are still small.
I also read an article today about kids feeling rushed all the time and how as adults we need to slow the heck down and let them discover, learn, and enjoy without telling them "to hurry up, or...." (so that's not how they wrote it, they wrote it very inspirationally and made me want to be a better mom and I have been since I read it!) So, I am trying to SLOW my shiz down and allow my kids to too, which in turn--makes us all happier.
And, I am trying to decide exactly what I will tell my kids when I go for my surgery. They know I am going for a girls weekend soon. They have heard me say tummy tuck a million times, and they both think it is freaking hilarious to rub my belly super fast and see it jiggle!!!!!! (THAT SO ANNOYS ME THEY ARE LUCKY I DON'T BELIVE IN BEATING CHILDREN FOR REAL!) so that'll be fun when they can't do it anymore. I just don't know if I will say--I am cutting off this skin and I am so excited. Or if I say, mommy has an owie. Or if I just go on girls weekend and explain why they can't jump on me for a couple of months. Any suggestions?
I don't check my weight again until Sunday. I am neither excited or unexcited to check it. I feel like at 145 lbs I just weigh more than I ever thought I would, yet I feel small enough while feeling big enough...muscle wise? I don't know if that makes sense. Anyway. That's my story.
I took my babies to the water park tonight after we napped from being up so early this morning for my work. It was super fun! Saw a goodie, oldie friend and it is so nice to sit and chat with people as if no time has passed, I feel truly blessed.
I kept looking around at Roaring Springs, like I always do. Of course I would notice peoples physiques and of course from time to time I feel self conscious of my own. But today there, and at work I just kept looking around wondering what my stomach will look like in 6 months. 3 months it aint going to be pretty. Itll be a swollen bloody yucky mess. But in 6 months I imagine it is going to look amazing. I just can't wait to see my stomach in a t shirt. Like when I actually BUY a t-shirt that fits my body so it wont be loose on my stomach. CAN not wait. So excited!!!
I can't believe how patient I am being. I paid my 200$ to reserve my surgery date in November. I booked my hotel room. I can't stop thinking about it and being excited. I just want it to be, like tomorrow--not in 3 months. But anything worth having is worth waiting for. School will be started and my kiddos will be adjusted, husband will be done hunting for the year, and all our birthdays will be over-- and it will just be a great time to relax and take time off from my workouts for the holidays--so I can be busy with JUST work, my family and enjoying every minute of this time while my kiddos are still small.
I also read an article today about kids feeling rushed all the time and how as adults we need to slow the heck down and let them discover, learn, and enjoy without telling them "to hurry up, or...." (so that's not how they wrote it, they wrote it very inspirationally and made me want to be a better mom and I have been since I read it!) So, I am trying to SLOW my shiz down and allow my kids to too, which in turn--makes us all happier.
And, I am trying to decide exactly what I will tell my kids when I go for my surgery. They know I am going for a girls weekend soon. They have heard me say tummy tuck a million times, and they both think it is freaking hilarious to rub my belly super fast and see it jiggle!!!!!! (THAT SO ANNOYS ME THEY ARE LUCKY I DON'T BELIVE IN BEATING CHILDREN FOR REAL!) so that'll be fun when they can't do it anymore. I just don't know if I will say--I am cutting off this skin and I am so excited. Or if I say, mommy has an owie. Or if I just go on girls weekend and explain why they can't jump on me for a couple of months. Any suggestions?
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Boredom
I have been having an issue lately. I keep second guessing my plan. Once I decided to do my photoshoot, I made a plan--I stuck to the plan and I had purpose in my training.
Then that was over. And everyone is starting to train for shows in our gym, and I just feel a little lost. Going through the motions, lifting pretty heavy, running fast, hill walking whatever. No plan, just aimlessly wandering. So, I have researched some new fitness avenues, I am my most happy when I have a plan to follow and quite frankly, I am so busy at work that the thought of thinking for myself and my clients is just more than I can do right now. I need someone to boss me around, someone besides Jon because he always bosses me around and I sometimes want to punch him in the throat (heheh just kidding!!! Don't tell him that girls!!! lol)
I looked into crossfit, even got Big Jon's blessing. It's expensive and I have mixed feelings about it. I looked into kickboxing. OEMGOSH I want to go so so bad. It's expensive. I looked into training for a race...like a 10k...and then I got tired just thinking about it.
I found Nia Shanks online a long time ago and have been following her stuff. I really like her philosophy of training like an athlete, simple nutrition guidelines and body acceptance. Her vibe is good! So I emailed her and got a personal response back right away with a recommendation of an ebook she thought I would like.
She asked my goals and to be honest I can't exactly say what my goals are other than I want to stay at my level of leanness. I am always interested in a bit leaner, if it is something I can achieve while living in moderation and not being overly obsessive, which equals crazy town for me. Call it vanity, keeping up with the Jones's or whatever, I am extremely proud that I have gone from 30% to 12ish% for my show and now maintain year around between 15-17%. That is my number. That is my comfy zone and I am so proud of it. Some goals, might take me to a higher percentage for an amount of time--for instance adding significant muscle to my frame, I'd need to eat above maintenance calorically, which inevitably would cause some fat gain as well as muscle gain. No bueno. I'd rather keep these guns forever than trade em for newer ones at the expense of adding even a couple pounds of fat.
I really want to get to those 16 pull ups for the year, and quite honestly, as I type this I just realized I am still only at 8 consecutive--and beings that I will be taking November and December off of the gym, I only have 3 months to accomplish this goal. (oh freak, I hope it wont take me too long to get back to those pull ups after surgery.)
So this ebook I purchased is a 15 week muscle sculpting program. The first month I am doing two lower body work outs and two upper body workouts. This is giving me THREE days off each week. OMGosh I haven't taken this time off from the gym since I started in 2010. But, the plan works. the process can work for me if I stick with it, just like anything else. So I have committed for the 15 weeks and I am going full force. On two of the three off days I will do some active type recovery though, like today a brisk hour long hike at the lake and on Thursday a friend and I will do a bit (20 minutes tops!) of running together. Next week, I may just take the dog for a walk around the block. Nothing is set in stone and my goal is to not do anything to strenuous as I want my nutrition going to my "Sculpting" and not being used to fuel some crazy cardio sessions.
My first workout was fun! I did barbell shoulder presses, (75 pounds) sets of 6 pull ups (although I only did two sets unassisted), dumb bell chest press (30# each), bicep curls (20#) tricep extension (15# they are so hard for me!), lateral raises (25# I am the boss there mama!!!) I think that was it. I cooled down for 5 minutes on the treadmill and was out of the gym in exactly 55 minutes.
I am anxious about this because although working out has always been my happy spot, I am excited to have a plan, that I don't have to think about. I just go in, sweat it out doing what I am told and then I get to have a little more time to think about client programming, my hubby, children, school for them that is starting soon, and less stress while juggling all the things that we as moms juggle.
My nutrition will remain the same, because like Nia--I keep things simple. I like 5 or 6 meals a day--so I will continue with that keeping it clean and fresh as much as I can, while still making room for those small indulgences that make life fun and enjoyable with friends and family.... ex...Mexican lunch with my family today where I had chips and salsa and then a steak taco salad. Not on my plan by any means, but I enjoyed it and then went on with my life :)
Anyway, I am always interested in what other people in fitness are doing so I thought I'd share what I am up to. I expect some pretty serious strength gains over the next 15 weeks as I prepare my body to undergo a very extensive, YET SO SO exciting surgery!
TELL ME!! Do you like to have a plan, or do you like to just go into the gym and pick something to do for the day?
Then that was over. And everyone is starting to train for shows in our gym, and I just feel a little lost. Going through the motions, lifting pretty heavy, running fast, hill walking whatever. No plan, just aimlessly wandering. So, I have researched some new fitness avenues, I am my most happy when I have a plan to follow and quite frankly, I am so busy at work that the thought of thinking for myself and my clients is just more than I can do right now. I need someone to boss me around, someone besides Jon because he always bosses me around and I sometimes want to punch him in the throat (heheh just kidding!!! Don't tell him that girls!!! lol)
I looked into crossfit, even got Big Jon's blessing. It's expensive and I have mixed feelings about it. I looked into kickboxing. OEMGOSH I want to go so so bad. It's expensive. I looked into training for a race...like a 10k...and then I got tired just thinking about it.
I found Nia Shanks online a long time ago and have been following her stuff. I really like her philosophy of training like an athlete, simple nutrition guidelines and body acceptance. Her vibe is good! So I emailed her and got a personal response back right away with a recommendation of an ebook she thought I would like.
She asked my goals and to be honest I can't exactly say what my goals are other than I want to stay at my level of leanness. I am always interested in a bit leaner, if it is something I can achieve while living in moderation and not being overly obsessive, which equals crazy town for me. Call it vanity, keeping up with the Jones's or whatever, I am extremely proud that I have gone from 30% to 12ish% for my show and now maintain year around between 15-17%. That is my number. That is my comfy zone and I am so proud of it. Some goals, might take me to a higher percentage for an amount of time--for instance adding significant muscle to my frame, I'd need to eat above maintenance calorically, which inevitably would cause some fat gain as well as muscle gain. No bueno. I'd rather keep these guns forever than trade em for newer ones at the expense of adding even a couple pounds of fat.
I really want to get to those 16 pull ups for the year, and quite honestly, as I type this I just realized I am still only at 8 consecutive--and beings that I will be taking November and December off of the gym, I only have 3 months to accomplish this goal. (oh freak, I hope it wont take me too long to get back to those pull ups after surgery.)
So this ebook I purchased is a 15 week muscle sculpting program. The first month I am doing two lower body work outs and two upper body workouts. This is giving me THREE days off each week. OMGosh I haven't taken this time off from the gym since I started in 2010. But, the plan works. the process can work for me if I stick with it, just like anything else. So I have committed for the 15 weeks and I am going full force. On two of the three off days I will do some active type recovery though, like today a brisk hour long hike at the lake and on Thursday a friend and I will do a bit (20 minutes tops!) of running together. Next week, I may just take the dog for a walk around the block. Nothing is set in stone and my goal is to not do anything to strenuous as I want my nutrition going to my "Sculpting" and not being used to fuel some crazy cardio sessions.
My first workout was fun! I did barbell shoulder presses, (75 pounds) sets of 6 pull ups (although I only did two sets unassisted), dumb bell chest press (30# each), bicep curls (20#) tricep extension (15# they are so hard for me!), lateral raises (25# I am the boss there mama!!!) I think that was it. I cooled down for 5 minutes on the treadmill and was out of the gym in exactly 55 minutes.
I am anxious about this because although working out has always been my happy spot, I am excited to have a plan, that I don't have to think about. I just go in, sweat it out doing what I am told and then I get to have a little more time to think about client programming, my hubby, children, school for them that is starting soon, and less stress while juggling all the things that we as moms juggle.
My nutrition will remain the same, because like Nia--I keep things simple. I like 5 or 6 meals a day--so I will continue with that keeping it clean and fresh as much as I can, while still making room for those small indulgences that make life fun and enjoyable with friends and family.... ex...Mexican lunch with my family today where I had chips and salsa and then a steak taco salad. Not on my plan by any means, but I enjoyed it and then went on with my life :)
Anyway, I am always interested in what other people in fitness are doing so I thought I'd share what I am up to. I expect some pretty serious strength gains over the next 15 weeks as I prepare my body to undergo a very extensive, YET SO SO exciting surgery!
TELL ME!! Do you like to have a plan, or do you like to just go into the gym and pick something to do for the day?
Monday, August 5, 2013
Tummy Tuck Prep-A-Ration
OEMGOSH. I am freaking out excited right now!!!!!!!!!!!! Those of you who have been following me for a while know what a bat shiznit crazy woman I am over that lower stomach of mine and the skin that sagggggs for days from carrying my beautiful little monkeys.
I am being really brave again, (like how I always remind you of that?!) and sharing my personal struggle here with you, knowing that there are other people out there just like me who struggle in this way as well.
We have talked before about how hard I work. How healthy I try to be, both nutritionally, fitness wise, mentally and spiritually. I have ran a half marathon, done a figure show, mastered 8 pull ups in a row, bust out push ups like no body's business and I have a really nice figure. The thing is, no matter how hard I work--how lean I get, I still have that stomach pooch at my lower stomach that causes me some serious anxiety. While I know some people look at these pictures and think I am cray cray--this is a real struggle that has been hard for me to accept in life.
I have been consulting with several different offices in Utah and in Idaho for a surgeon to do this surgery for me. After some research, some consulting over the phone and online, some recommendations, and going with my gut feeling--I have decided to book my appointment for surgery. The space is secure. It is mine! I am so excited to have this procedure.
When I first sent my pictures in, they were like..."uh, you are going to have to send different pictures," (because they couldn't tell the skin issue from what I sent), so I retook these as directed and they understood better :).
I have talked at length in my blog series on body image issues and insecurities and I practice and preach accepting your body for what it is. I look at these pictures of me, and surprisingly all I see is that I just want that skin off. I think my body looks good. It is fit, I am grateful for it--but I want that skin gone so that I can stop pulling/tugging/imagining it gone every single time I walk by a mirror.
A lot of thought and prayer has gone into this decision. This is something that I really want and I am truly grateful that my husband is supportive of me wanting to look and feel my best and is ok with me spending this money and having this surgery.
As I did research online I could find HARDLY any stories (like blog stories) of people like me. Who are fit--16% ish body fat and want their skin gone. I don't want liposuction, I don't want to weigh less. I want nothing different than what I have right here in this moment than that saggy skin gone. A lot of people go into surgery assuming they will look and feel completely different afterwards. I am prepared to look just like me-- with a tight stomach that doesn't sit on top of every single pair of shorts or pants I own.
I do not advocate people to have surgery. I advocate people to be their most fit, healthiest self. I want people to love themselves for who they are and what they are capable of doing and to not take advantage of their blessings. I am honoring that. I want you all to know that I think for some, like myself, surgery is necessary to make themselves look and feel better. I work my butt off everyday and strive to be healthy and fit, but the fact that I can't physically take care of this skin by doing my reasonable amount of crunches, by eating clean, by doing a normal amount of cardio-- PISSES ME OFF! Oh it makes me so mad I could scream from the roof tops that this is bull shiz.
And I am having surgery to cut it off and I CAN NOT WAIT.
I will continue to keep you updated, as surgery is not for 3 months. I plan to eat clean and in moderation like I always do. I have cut my training back to 4 days a week oppose to 5, in fact I started a new strength training guide that I will blog about soon too. I just plan on getting strong as shiznit until Novemeber to help my body be ready for the surgery and the recovery that comes with it. I will be out of the gym at least 6 weeks post surgery-could be longer and for the first time in my life, I am not scared or nervous. Just excited. Just happy. Just can't wait to wear my surgery cap and gown and get this thang goin!!!
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Monday, July 8, 2013
Photo Shoot!!!
Oh my gosh I am so excited/nervous to write this blog!! I see these pictures and I get excited all over again, it really is so fun to feel like a famous model--and it's easy to feel that way when your photographer is one of the top dudes for bodybuilding.com. I should be pinching myself because I even know him!!
My purpose for this photo shoot was actually sorta on a whim. About two months ago I was really feeling good about myself. I was focusing on eating clean and training hard-- just like always, but someone made a comment about us girls who compete not looking like out competition photos. I speak for myself only in this blog. Not for a single soul else, I have only prepped for two shows and competed in one. I am in no way shape or form and expert in this area I am only recording my personal thoughts. But they are right, I do not look like my competition photos everyday, because I am not depleted. I eat sea salt, and i drink water--two things I didn't do leading up to my show. I was as bare bones lean and dry as I could get myself and not many people can maintain that look year round. It isn't healthy for most people to maintain that look for long periods of time, myself as prime example.
When I competed in the NGA Boise figure show in April of 2012, I looked so amazing. I placed last of all 5 of us girls on stage. That sucked, I wrote a blog about it--but regardless of my placing, I brought my best physique to that stage. I had never been more lean, shredded and ghetto momma fabulous than I was as I prepped for that show. I had a photo shoot then, (See the side pictures--I was 125 lbs in those picrtures at about 12% body fat I'd guesstimate).
This is me at 15% body fat and 143 lbs, and I have maintained between 15-17% for the past two years. Where do I carry the majority of that fat? Right in my stomach so of course I didn't do many shirtless photo shots. I covered up my worst areas and tried to accentuate my best areas. What I have learned over the past year is that we all have our "hard" spots, and we all have our "easy/good spots," so instead of wishing away my saggy stomach skin, I try to love it--and I push the crap out of my triceps and legs because they are my natural strong areas. (I think athletic body fat range is 16-18% for a female and 18-22% is healthy for a female)
I of course picked these pictures, because I feel like I look good in all of them. I like them, and I feel confident in them. However there were about 90 others that I felt less confident when I saw. They are an unflattering angle on my face, (double chin...yo?!!). Some have an odd expression. Some are of my bare stomach that is MINE. It is soft and it has stretch marks on it. Some of them just aren't a really good fitness shot and so I didn't love them. But it's important for people to realize that every picture you see on tv, in the ads, or in magazine articles are that models PERFECT shot. And after the publishers find the models PERFECT shot, they air brush it. They take off stretch marks, they add some shadows here tighten the hamstrings, they are capable of making it look HOWEVER they want. I purposely on my shoot last year at 125 lbs didn't have Levi correct my stretch marks even though I am self conscious of them because they are THERE. There is nothing I hate more than when people say they love their body and you should too--and then have their stretch marks photoshopped out of their stupid pics. (NO LIE! I read that in an Oxygen magazine cover story about the model saying how normal she was cuz she even has stretch marks from her kids all over her stomach...weird??? You couldn't see them in the pictures!! FALSE advertising dangit!!! wow, rant over there)! I purposely am not having him photoshop anything out of these pictures either. He will fix lighting, I guess (Even though I don't really think they need it, I liked all his work--I just wanted his model to have a 6 pack in some of the pictures hahaha).
We all have things we want to change about ourselves. We all have days where we feel like a million bucks and other days where we want to hide under a rock because we don't feel good about how we look or who we are. That's part of being human. I am trying so hard everyday, to accept my flaws and celebrate my perfections. And at the end of the day- that is my mission as the fit chick mom--to help you realize that you can be your best self, and that is PERFECT in every way. I want us to compare to ourselves only, to stop living in regret. To learn to love to be healthy and fit, and to enjoy life while being a part of real life, not locked away in diet land.
Here is me being super brave. I am just going to upload pictures from the shoot. None have been airbrushed, but I am going to pick several at random and show you how different they are from the ones I love, above, to the ones below--that aren't my favorite. No screening will be done, just random clicks and then I will talk a little about each, or I wont. Depends on how I feel when I see what uploads I guess. (And don't forget to scroll down to the next two posts, where there are pictures before and after make up and hair too...)
Remember. WE GOT THIS. Gotta keep going. Keep doing. Keep being our best self and helping those around us be their best self too.
Not the best expression for a push up picture? I don't know. I am obviously not an experienced model. Levi really was amazing though and helped cue me so much. I can't believe all the behind the scenes work that goes into these photoshoots. He really is amazing!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Photo Shoot Prep
About two months ago I got this super brave idea that I wanted to do a photo shoot that was a portrayal of my "everyday look." We see all these amazing pictures of women with hard, flat, muscled bodies and they look absolutely incredible--and they are absolutely a piece of art. They take time, consistency, and dedication to achieve the look they present to the camera and stage and I love that look. Love it.
The one thing that I have come to realize though, is that my body--my genetics do not allow me to be that hard and incredibly chiseled looking -- like I was in my show pictures or my photo shoot from last year--every day of the year. If I dedicated a good 15 weeks to be in show prep mode I would be freaking chiseled as hell and I would look damn good. My strength would be a bit down and I might be a "Tad" grumpy from the rigorous intense diet and training that comes with it.
So I wanted to show what I personally look like in the off-season of show prep. I am a mom, wife, I work, and I do normal mommy wife duties. I also make my training a priority--I train in the gym on average 5 days a week, sometimes getting up before 4 am to fit in my sweat sessions. I eat extremely clean year round. I don't follow a strict meal plan(although I have done that plenty in my time!!) at this point in my journey but I am very mindful to get adequate protein, carbs and fats in to my diet to keep my body balanced and functional. I train to be an athlete. I do a bit of cardio (not typically ever over half an hour 4 days a week--although the past two weeks I did do 30 minutes 5 days a week). I love to lift heavy and hard and be sloppy sweaty when I am done.
I have issues with my body just like everyone else does. I am insecure as all heck about my stomach--the area right below my belly button and right above my "Chotch" its wrinkly and saggy from those two little monkeys I carried in my belly for 15 months time. I want a tummy tuck super bad, and I'll be honest--this time next year I hope to have one.
In my journey to be my best self I have learned to read my body more clearly than ever before. Finding out that it responds physically and I mentally, best to a higher fat diet (think nuts, oils etc) and lower carbs where I time them around my training. This is quite honestly the best my stomach has looked outside of prep, ever and I am extremely happy with the progress. I am even more happy with the mental health that is in all these pictures behind the 4 abs at the top and behind that amazing tricep poking out the back of my arm. I am truly at a happy place with my body and appreciate it for what it does and can continue to do for me as I treat it right.
My husband is my best guy. We love to workout together and eat healthy yummy food. Food is a part of our lives and we try to keep it healthy, but interesting to instill a love for health in our young children.
In order to 'prep' for this shoot I ate as much healthy clean real food as possible. I drank a protein shake a day and when I was in a pinch I ate a protein bar! I had a treat meal once a week or so and the last month I alternated my food doing lower carb days followed by a higher carb day and it was a really good experiment for my body. I enjoyed eating this way and I never once felt overwhelmed or freaked out about not having anything, because if I wanted something, like those two truffles at a wedding last weekend, I ate them-- without guilt or worry or stress and you know what? Those truffles look good on my body! Lol. I decided to run last week for the first time a distance(rather than the sprints I always do and love), just to see if I could do it. I kicked that runs butt-- 3 miles in 30 minutes--which isn't fast for some, but I was very pleased that I could run for 30 minutes without stopping. I bench pressed 95 lbs for 2 reps, I increased my leg press for 12 reps and I can still do my 7 pullups. For those of you who have prepped, you know that as you get further and further in--your energy plummets and you no longer are able to train for personal bests--so I was proud of these. I road bikes with my kids and raced my dog a few times, whenever they wanted to.
My boss Shawna spray tanned me Friday and so now I am a beautiful bronzed muscle babe getting ready for my shoot in a few hours. I want to remind everyone, that as you see these pictures these are MY body. They are going to look much different that what your body would look like at my same 15% body fat because all of us hold on to that fat we do have, in different places. I just want you to realize that this is an attainable body. I don't spend 3 hours in the gym, but rather an 1-1 and 1/2 hours 5 days a week. I eat clean, but I don't deprive myself and I don't skip out on family dinners or parties because I can't eat what everyone else is eating. I do my best 90% of the time, and 9 times out of 10--when I am faced with an option to eat something unclean, if I want it, because I LOVE it (cookies or Mexican food) I eat it, but if I don't love it (fried foods, brownies) I skip them--because food doesn't rule my world. I do. and I am a dang good ruler.
These are my outfits I picked for my shoot. I shopped an entire day at the Nike outlet store, Dicks, Sports Authority and the mall finding NOTHING I loved. I was willing to spend whatever (you know that crap is spendy!!!) because it is for this special photoshoot and I wanted to look and feel good--and I ended up with my old nike shorts, my old Old Navy pants and a few new tank tops from good ol Wal-Mart. The tank tops actually make me laugh, because in all honesty, they are what I wear most days to the gym. My $6.00 tank tops in 4 different colors lol.
It's go time. I am going to go get showered and get ready for my pictures and I will keep yall posted on how it goes!
s,
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Thursday, June 6, 2013
Turning My Cheek
I want to preface this post with a couple of things, first of all being that I feel a great sense of pride that of all the 400 posts that have been published on this blog or my facebook account over the past 3.5 years, this is the first with a negative vibe. I am an extremely optimistic person and I dwell on the positive. I feel like after such a long journey of contention with this place of business, it is my duty to tell my truth--my side to the story. I want people to know WHY a year and a half ago, I stopped teaching my bootcamp class twice a week without a word of what happened, and I want everyone else--my loyal followers to know what has been said and to clear my name. This is the only post that will be dedicated to this subject matter as I am moving on. I do not deal well emotionally, spritually, or even physcially with contention. This is an open blog, free for anyone to see and I urge you to leave comments if you feel like you can do respectfully and tastefully. I will leave any and all up that are kept respectful no matter what they say--as long as they are true.Sometimes the only person in this world that will stand up for you--IS YOU.* Thank you, my friends and family for helping to continue pushing me to be my best self, and a better coach and cheer leader for you. xoxxx
Sooo it has been a crazy past week for this girl. Not going to lie!! I wrote this post New Adventures last March, and because I felt like at the time I should be professional and not discuss details, I never told the story of exactly what happened and why. I hate drama. I hate contention. I am a stay at home mother of two/health advocate and I literally work outside of my home 15 hours a week at the maximum.
Well, I still feel like I should be responsible and professional but I also feel like I did myself a large diservice by not explaining my side to the story--and not proving that what had been said about me was not only untrue, but unjustified and unfair. My heart is heavy. I feel like I have been singled out and bullied and discriminated against. I feel like I am the fat girl in 7th grade who everyone is talking about. This really sucks.
Last March I had just wrapped up yet another of my weight loss competitions on THIS blog. I have ran multiple competitions and it so happened that in March, I was targeted by a couple of personal trainers at the Idaho Athleltic Club in Caldwell. Apparently they had decided to not only read and discuss my personal weight loss blog, but to go to the manager, Travis and tell him that I was stealing from the club. I was working at the club. I was teaching bootcamp twice a week and spending countless time before and after class speaking with people from my class about how to improve their weight loss journeys. Never, never NEVER once did I try to personal train (I was only a boot camp instructor I had NEVER personal trained a client, didn't even know HOW!)a person, nor did I ever recommend them go elsewhere or anything of that nature. A lot of people in the class were not even aware that I had a weight loss blog. Travis called me into his office, with my supervisor Sabra and told me that because I was stealing out of his pocket by making $15 per person in my weight loss competition (remember, this is the first competition I had run where I started making ANY profit on it--AND there were maybe 7 people doing the competition, none who were members of the class at this point (there were some that were doing my previous challenges, where I had made NO profit). These were family, friends, and people that I go to church with that were weighing in weekly. Sabra had asked when Travis said I'd be fired, if we could wait and talk to the owners and he said "yes sure, but I know what Cheryl will say--she will be done. She stole" I told Sabra and Him I was not going to work somewhere I wasn't wanted. All I wanted to do was help people achieve their health and fitness goals--I did not sign up for this contention and it certainly was not worth the 10$ hour I was making--so around $80 per month from IAC. I had previously asked Travis in the months prior if he were interested in hiring me as a personal trainer--he said that he wasn't and I needed to be certified before he would even think of it. When I told Travis during this meeting that I was just trying to help people and I had promoted IAC on facebook as well as my blog in many many posts, -I asked Travis if he had read those? Yes he did, he told me and He'd love to have a trainer doing what I am doing (running a blog and being an advocate for health for so many) but because I made 15$ per person that month I took money out of his pocket.
I was hurt and angry and I so so wanted to explain myself. However I chose to keep quiet. Countless people texted, emailed and came up to me personally and asked exactly why just my next Tuesday I wasn't there to teach, and I simply smiled and said I had chosen to explore new avenues in the health and fitness industry. I never spoke ill of the establishment, even having my membership paid in full by my part time place of employment where they deduct my membership dues from my paycheck biweekly. It was at this point I paid for daycare for one month unlimited that was around 35$. I love the daycare. Mary and the girls who work in there are nothing short of amazing. They love my kids and all the others. They take care of them and make them feel like it is real daycare-- My children have learned and flourished and I feel safe having them there. So I continued to work out there. When I went to pay for my second month daycare, the front desk people told me I had paid for unlimited for a year when I paid last months daycare . I assured them I had only paid one month and that I needed to pay. They wouldn't take my money. I called my dad, I called my husband, I called Sabra (who was devastated I wasn't working for her anymore) none of them had paid. I went straight to Travis, asked what I needed to do and that I hadn't paid. He went through the system and copied off the receipt that said I had paid in full for daycare for 1 year. What the crap? I do not understand. That was that. So after month of using the daycare under unlimited, with the receipt they gave me, a year later, Travis had been fired, a new great nice friendly manager hired (Shaun who has since moved to managing the Nampa club), now there is some new guy named Lee. All of a sudden they are telling me my daycare was not paid for and he is checking in with Mary like I am a thief. She stood up for me and said that my husband and I had tried to take care of this multiple times, I even had the printed receipt from Travis that he gave me. I tried to tell them.
So, at this point I am just beyond frustrated Working out is as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth and reading scriptures. I just want to work out in peace. My husband went in, talked with Lee, and got the daycare monthly fee to start coming out of our account monthly. This was fixed. However, each time I went in, Kathy the front desk person would complain of how she has to sign Jared in every time I bring my kids because he is the main person on the account. So after several days of this, she tells me to scan Jared's card it will be easier to sign the kids in. So I do that--not thinking or realizing that the my husbands employer reimburses us for part of our membership if Jared works out 8 times in a month. The next thing I know Kathy is telling me that she has to do something different because I am signing Jared in and its messing with the Caldwell system. "OK WTF!?!?!?" Is this lady friggin bipolar? Jared was called in to speak with his office people and exactly what it looked like was we were trying to yet again, steal.
I am sorry. But I am the most honest person out there. Ask anyone, I am too honest. I ask permission on the smallest of things because I have worked my a$$ off all my life to keep my reputation worthy of the respect that it holds. This is just about to send me over the edge and of course my husband was extremely upset because this could have gotten him fired on the spot. Interesting enough, Kathy knew from the very beginning this would happen, she knew that his work reimbursed this, she knew full well as the secretary exactly what the scenario was and I believe she did this to try and cause yet more problems for me. The next time I went in I to check in with the front desk and get my daycare receipt, I told Lee what was going on and how irritating it is to have to always deal with something. He said it would be easy to change me to the main person so this wouldn't be such an ordeal. That was fixed according to him, but again the next time Kathy checked me in, low and behold she didn't see that Lee had fixed anything.
So now full circle comes around. I have been friendly and kind to everyone in the IAC, one of the trainers--John has even asked me twice over the past 6 months to apply for a training position there because I would be such a great fit. Sabra text me two months ago and asked if I'd be interested in subbing there now that Travis was gone, she was going to see if she could get special permission that even though I work for at a different gym part time-- if it would be ok for me to just sub there. I called my boss, right away and he said he didn't care if I wanted to do it-- but after praying about it I called Sabra and told her that I didn't feel like it would be right. I do promote my business on facebook and on this blog, I post uplifting, motivational stuff and I also post progress pictures of my amazing clients journeys. I specifically said that I would feel like I needed to stop doing that if I subbed for her so I thanked her for the offer but it wouldn't work.
Fast forward again. Two months ago the county began the well known Canyon County Fitness challenge--which I volunteered to work as a private trainer out of my gym that I work at-- my hours of work to work the booth and multiple bootcamps with absolutely no reimbursement. I ran these bootcamps and did it just to give people a feel for what a weight training session would look like. IAC also had a booth there. I spoke there friendly with John, who was working the booth. We talked and joked no big deal. I think Jon is a good trainer. And when I was approached later in IAC by one of their clients from the weight loss challenge and I QUOTE "Pat told me to do like an hour or so of cardio a day, and to avoid weight training until I lose more weight, do you agree cuz that doesn't sound right to me." I responded and I QUOTE "I think Pat is a great trainer, but I disagree with that. I told her she could look at my blog and look for free tips or even come check out my facility if she wanted, but if I were her, I'd request to switch trainers and that John is a great one there and he could help her reach her goals."
End of story. I have 8 clients. Currently ONE of my active clients works out at Idaho Athletic Club, not a single other client does. However, I did pick up a guest pass for one of my clients who is interested in joining the club, as well as my cousin and her family signed up for IAC on Tuesday of this past week. Months ago two of my clients had told me Pat was asking them to stop training with me and get a real trainer, like him. This irritated me, but I said nothing. I unfriended him on facebook and instead of talking and joking with him like I always have done, I chose to smile and say hi but no more, because HE was trying to steal my clients. I did not express any anger or irritation towards Pat with those clients, I just said "hmm,. that's interesting." I want my relationships with clients to be professional, and trash talking another trainer or anyone for that matter is not my idea of professionalism, however--this was an example of me turning the other cheek because I wanted to pounce on him and every negative thing I have ever seen him do at the IAC training clients).
Yesterday on my way into train my three afternoon clients I returned a missed call from Kathy at IAC, I thought I must have forgotten something in the locker room. There had been no contention, no happening no nothing that made me think otherwise. She informed me, very matter of factly that my membership was being revoked--my husband and kids were still welcome there but I was not. When I asked why she told me that several clients had told them I was trying to recruit them. I of course was shocked because I have NEVER done this. I have never approached a single person and asked them to train with me, mentioned I was a trainer NOTHING. I am professional and caring and super concience about what people think of me and my integrity. I told her that my husband and I would be in to talk to the manager or corporate or whatever because this had not happened and it wasn't true. She told me she didn't know if corporate knew yet, but it was happening. And she didn't say "I was successful at recruiting clients, but that I was trying and several members had told them that."
I called my husband frantic. Not only have I been fired a year and a half ago. Which, did I mention I have literally never been in trouble before. I am humiliated. What kind of a 28 year old wife and mother gets fired and or kicked out of a gym?! This is insane. I have been bullied. They decided they didn't like me and they did anything they could think of to make my life hell. My whole life! This is ridiculous My husband called Kathy and asked to speak to Lee the manager, she said he wasn't there and didn't know about the situation so to call Skye at the corporate office.
Come again? The front desk secretary revokes memberships now? Interesting, that seems like something a manager would take care of doesn't it?
After Jared spoke to Skye, Skye knew nothing of the matter. He agreed that it sounded like these people were discriminating me, why did they even look at my blog? Why do they care what I am doing? Skye specifically said Kathy had no authority to do this and he assured Jared he would get to the bottom of this and if he hadn't heard back by 2 pm today (Wednesday), to call him. When Jared did that Skye told him that Shaun had in fact revoked my membership and Jared should leave him a voicemail and he'd get back to him.
A friend from IAC texts me and says and I QUOTE "Hey, so I heard what happened at the gym and I want you to know that I am ticked and I can't believe they did this to you. I will really miss seeing you......I know you are an awesome person." I messaged back that I still had no clue what happened and I was really sad she said "Kathy told someone, who told her that PAT (freaking LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) overheard me trying to recruit a member to come train with me at your work." I am curious as to any evidence of this, especially since like I said, I have avoided Pat like the plague since he started talking trash about me to my clients, and I also have never spoken to a soul about coming to train with me. Any and all clients that I have trained or am currently training are people that I have met through facebook/or have had consultations with my boss and he has then given me the client to train in his facility.
I have since spoken with Pat and he has reassured me that this is untrue and he never told Kathy any of that. This is the guy who asked my friend last week if everything was ok with me because I don't talk to him anymore. The guy who said to me last week in joking "don't kid yourself Teri, John (who had asked me to go through a free workout with him) wont work legs with you (meaning do my leg workout) because he never works legs lol. This is the guy who smiles gives high fives and says hi to me every day. I can't believe this has happened. I can't believe this long line of drama. I know to some people they say wipe your hands of it and move on. I would love to. But my reputation is on the line as a member of society, as a trainer, as a mother and as a wife. My life revolves around the gym and I LOVE the daycare, my kids are young and I need a daycare for them for me to be able to be the best trainer I can be--training myself has got to be my utmost priority, and it is. I have one other choice of a facility with a daycare in my town, and it happens to be a place where my husband and I feel is an unsafe environment for our family to be at leisure at.
I am devastated I can't believe that I have worked so hard, going from an overweight unhappy mom to now a super fit advocate of healthy body and mind. I have given countless hours of my time and energy to people because I LOVE it. I love watching people find their sweet spot and start killing their goals one by one. It is a natural high for me and the implications and things that have been said about me are so hurtful, regardless of the fact that they are lies with no truth to stand on.
Jared had his final conversation with Shaun on the phone Monday, where Shaun wished him well, apologized for the incident with Jared's work and said we would receive a full refund of what was remaining on our contract, which I deposited as soon as we received it and will pay in full for our new membership at our new gym.
Again, this is the truth as it has been done and said to me. I have no control over whether in fact Kathy lied and made up that Pat had told her this. I really want to believe that he wouldn't have done this to me--but here I am, without a gym membership and with my name being trashed in the valley that I have worked hard to make a name for myself in. Bad things happen to good people, and I can't control anything but my own actions and reactions--but that doesn't mean this doesn't suck so so bad going through it.
Sooo it has been a crazy past week for this girl. Not going to lie!! I wrote this post New Adventures last March, and because I felt like at the time I should be professional and not discuss details, I never told the story of exactly what happened and why. I hate drama. I hate contention. I am a stay at home mother of two/health advocate and I literally work outside of my home 15 hours a week at the maximum.
Well, I still feel like I should be responsible and professional but I also feel like I did myself a large diservice by not explaining my side to the story--and not proving that what had been said about me was not only untrue, but unjustified and unfair. My heart is heavy. I feel like I have been singled out and bullied and discriminated against. I feel like I am the fat girl in 7th grade who everyone is talking about. This really sucks.
Last March I had just wrapped up yet another of my weight loss competitions on THIS blog. I have ran multiple competitions and it so happened that in March, I was targeted by a couple of personal trainers at the Idaho Athleltic Club in Caldwell. Apparently they had decided to not only read and discuss my personal weight loss blog, but to go to the manager, Travis and tell him that I was stealing from the club. I was working at the club. I was teaching bootcamp twice a week and spending countless time before and after class speaking with people from my class about how to improve their weight loss journeys. Never, never NEVER once did I try to personal train (I was only a boot camp instructor I had NEVER personal trained a client, didn't even know HOW!)a person, nor did I ever recommend them go elsewhere or anything of that nature. A lot of people in the class were not even aware that I had a weight loss blog. Travis called me into his office, with my supervisor Sabra and told me that because I was stealing out of his pocket by making $15 per person in my weight loss competition (remember, this is the first competition I had run where I started making ANY profit on it--AND there were maybe 7 people doing the competition, none who were members of the class at this point (there were some that were doing my previous challenges, where I had made NO profit). These were family, friends, and people that I go to church with that were weighing in weekly. Sabra had asked when Travis said I'd be fired, if we could wait and talk to the owners and he said "yes sure, but I know what Cheryl will say--she will be done. She stole" I told Sabra and Him I was not going to work somewhere I wasn't wanted. All I wanted to do was help people achieve their health and fitness goals--I did not sign up for this contention and it certainly was not worth the 10$ hour I was making--so around $80 per month from IAC. I had previously asked Travis in the months prior if he were interested in hiring me as a personal trainer--he said that he wasn't and I needed to be certified before he would even think of it. When I told Travis during this meeting that I was just trying to help people and I had promoted IAC on facebook as well as my blog in many many posts, -I asked Travis if he had read those? Yes he did, he told me and He'd love to have a trainer doing what I am doing (running a blog and being an advocate for health for so many) but because I made 15$ per person that month I took money out of his pocket.
I was hurt and angry and I so so wanted to explain myself. However I chose to keep quiet. Countless people texted, emailed and came up to me personally and asked exactly why just my next Tuesday I wasn't there to teach, and I simply smiled and said I had chosen to explore new avenues in the health and fitness industry. I never spoke ill of the establishment, even having my membership paid in full by my part time place of employment where they deduct my membership dues from my paycheck biweekly. It was at this point I paid for daycare for one month unlimited that was around 35$. I love the daycare. Mary and the girls who work in there are nothing short of amazing. They love my kids and all the others. They take care of them and make them feel like it is real daycare-- My children have learned and flourished and I feel safe having them there. So I continued to work out there. When I went to pay for my second month daycare, the front desk people told me I had paid for unlimited for a year when I paid last months daycare . I assured them I had only paid one month and that I needed to pay. They wouldn't take my money. I called my dad, I called my husband, I called Sabra (who was devastated I wasn't working for her anymore) none of them had paid. I went straight to Travis, asked what I needed to do and that I hadn't paid. He went through the system and copied off the receipt that said I had paid in full for daycare for 1 year. What the crap? I do not understand. That was that. So after month of using the daycare under unlimited, with the receipt they gave me, a year later, Travis had been fired, a new great nice friendly manager hired (Shaun who has since moved to managing the Nampa club), now there is some new guy named Lee. All of a sudden they are telling me my daycare was not paid for and he is checking in with Mary like I am a thief. She stood up for me and said that my husband and I had tried to take care of this multiple times, I even had the printed receipt from Travis that he gave me. I tried to tell them.
So, at this point I am just beyond frustrated Working out is as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth and reading scriptures. I just want to work out in peace. My husband went in, talked with Lee, and got the daycare monthly fee to start coming out of our account monthly. This was fixed. However, each time I went in, Kathy the front desk person would complain of how she has to sign Jared in every time I bring my kids because he is the main person on the account. So after several days of this, she tells me to scan Jared's card it will be easier to sign the kids in. So I do that--not thinking or realizing that the my husbands employer reimburses us for part of our membership if Jared works out 8 times in a month. The next thing I know Kathy is telling me that she has to do something different because I am signing Jared in and its messing with the Caldwell system. "OK WTF!?!?!?" Is this lady friggin bipolar? Jared was called in to speak with his office people and exactly what it looked like was we were trying to yet again, steal.
I am sorry. But I am the most honest person out there. Ask anyone, I am too honest. I ask permission on the smallest of things because I have worked my a$$ off all my life to keep my reputation worthy of the respect that it holds. This is just about to send me over the edge and of course my husband was extremely upset because this could have gotten him fired on the spot. Interesting enough, Kathy knew from the very beginning this would happen, she knew that his work reimbursed this, she knew full well as the secretary exactly what the scenario was and I believe she did this to try and cause yet more problems for me. The next time I went in I to check in with the front desk and get my daycare receipt, I told Lee what was going on and how irritating it is to have to always deal with something. He said it would be easy to change me to the main person so this wouldn't be such an ordeal. That was fixed according to him, but again the next time Kathy checked me in, low and behold she didn't see that Lee had fixed anything.
So now full circle comes around. I have been friendly and kind to everyone in the IAC, one of the trainers--John has even asked me twice over the past 6 months to apply for a training position there because I would be such a great fit. Sabra text me two months ago and asked if I'd be interested in subbing there now that Travis was gone, she was going to see if she could get special permission that even though I work for at a different gym part time-- if it would be ok for me to just sub there. I called my boss, right away and he said he didn't care if I wanted to do it-- but after praying about it I called Sabra and told her that I didn't feel like it would be right. I do promote my business on facebook and on this blog, I post uplifting, motivational stuff and I also post progress pictures of my amazing clients journeys. I specifically said that I would feel like I needed to stop doing that if I subbed for her so I thanked her for the offer but it wouldn't work.
Fast forward again. Two months ago the county began the well known Canyon County Fitness challenge--which I volunteered to work as a private trainer out of my gym that I work at-- my hours of work to work the booth and multiple bootcamps with absolutely no reimbursement. I ran these bootcamps and did it just to give people a feel for what a weight training session would look like. IAC also had a booth there. I spoke there friendly with John, who was working the booth. We talked and joked no big deal. I think Jon is a good trainer. And when I was approached later in IAC by one of their clients from the weight loss challenge and I QUOTE "Pat told me to do like an hour or so of cardio a day, and to avoid weight training until I lose more weight, do you agree cuz that doesn't sound right to me." I responded and I QUOTE "I think Pat is a great trainer, but I disagree with that. I told her she could look at my blog and look for free tips or even come check out my facility if she wanted, but if I were her, I'd request to switch trainers and that John is a great one there and he could help her reach her goals."
End of story. I have 8 clients. Currently ONE of my active clients works out at Idaho Athletic Club, not a single other client does. However, I did pick up a guest pass for one of my clients who is interested in joining the club, as well as my cousin and her family signed up for IAC on Tuesday of this past week. Months ago two of my clients had told me Pat was asking them to stop training with me and get a real trainer, like him. This irritated me, but I said nothing. I unfriended him on facebook and instead of talking and joking with him like I always have done, I chose to smile and say hi but no more, because HE was trying to steal my clients. I did not express any anger or irritation towards Pat with those clients, I just said "hmm,. that's interesting." I want my relationships with clients to be professional, and trash talking another trainer or anyone for that matter is not my idea of professionalism, however--this was an example of me turning the other cheek because I wanted to pounce on him and every negative thing I have ever seen him do at the IAC training clients).
Yesterday on my way into train my three afternoon clients I returned a missed call from Kathy at IAC, I thought I must have forgotten something in the locker room. There had been no contention, no happening no nothing that made me think otherwise. She informed me, very matter of factly that my membership was being revoked--my husband and kids were still welcome there but I was not. When I asked why she told me that several clients had told them I was trying to recruit them. I of course was shocked because I have NEVER done this. I have never approached a single person and asked them to train with me, mentioned I was a trainer NOTHING. I am professional and caring and super concience about what people think of me and my integrity. I told her that my husband and I would be in to talk to the manager or corporate or whatever because this had not happened and it wasn't true. She told me she didn't know if corporate knew yet, but it was happening. And she didn't say "I was successful at recruiting clients, but that I was trying and several members had told them that."
I called my husband frantic. Not only have I been fired a year and a half ago. Which, did I mention I have literally never been in trouble before. I am humiliated. What kind of a 28 year old wife and mother gets fired and or kicked out of a gym?! This is insane. I have been bullied. They decided they didn't like me and they did anything they could think of to make my life hell. My whole life! This is ridiculous My husband called Kathy and asked to speak to Lee the manager, she said he wasn't there and didn't know about the situation so to call Skye at the corporate office.
Come again? The front desk secretary revokes memberships now? Interesting, that seems like something a manager would take care of doesn't it?
After Jared spoke to Skye, Skye knew nothing of the matter. He agreed that it sounded like these people were discriminating me, why did they even look at my blog? Why do they care what I am doing? Skye specifically said Kathy had no authority to do this and he assured Jared he would get to the bottom of this and if he hadn't heard back by 2 pm today (Wednesday), to call him. When Jared did that Skye told him that Shaun had in fact revoked my membership and Jared should leave him a voicemail and he'd get back to him.
A friend from IAC texts me and says and I QUOTE "Hey, so I heard what happened at the gym and I want you to know that I am ticked and I can't believe they did this to you. I will really miss seeing you......I know you are an awesome person." I messaged back that I still had no clue what happened and I was really sad she said "Kathy told someone, who told her that PAT (freaking LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) overheard me trying to recruit a member to come train with me at your work." I am curious as to any evidence of this, especially since like I said, I have avoided Pat like the plague since he started talking trash about me to my clients, and I also have never spoken to a soul about coming to train with me. Any and all clients that I have trained or am currently training are people that I have met through facebook/or have had consultations with my boss and he has then given me the client to train in his facility.
I have since spoken with Pat and he has reassured me that this is untrue and he never told Kathy any of that. This is the guy who asked my friend last week if everything was ok with me because I don't talk to him anymore. The guy who said to me last week in joking "don't kid yourself Teri, John (who had asked me to go through a free workout with him) wont work legs with you (meaning do my leg workout) because he never works legs lol. This is the guy who smiles gives high fives and says hi to me every day. I can't believe this has happened. I can't believe this long line of drama. I know to some people they say wipe your hands of it and move on. I would love to. But my reputation is on the line as a member of society, as a trainer, as a mother and as a wife. My life revolves around the gym and I LOVE the daycare, my kids are young and I need a daycare for them for me to be able to be the best trainer I can be--training myself has got to be my utmost priority, and it is. I have one other choice of a facility with a daycare in my town, and it happens to be a place where my husband and I feel is an unsafe environment for our family to be at leisure at.
I am devastated I can't believe that I have worked so hard, going from an overweight unhappy mom to now a super fit advocate of healthy body and mind. I have given countless hours of my time and energy to people because I LOVE it. I love watching people find their sweet spot and start killing their goals one by one. It is a natural high for me and the implications and things that have been said about me are so hurtful, regardless of the fact that they are lies with no truth to stand on.
Jared had his final conversation with Shaun on the phone Monday, where Shaun wished him well, apologized for the incident with Jared's work and said we would receive a full refund of what was remaining on our contract, which I deposited as soon as we received it and will pay in full for our new membership at our new gym.
Again, this is the truth as it has been done and said to me. I have no control over whether in fact Kathy lied and made up that Pat had told her this. I really want to believe that he wouldn't have done this to me--but here I am, without a gym membership and with my name being trashed in the valley that I have worked hard to make a name for myself in. Bad things happen to good people, and I can't control anything but my own actions and reactions--but that doesn't mean this doesn't suck so so bad going through it.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Summer Bootcamp
Is anyone interested in doing a summer bootcamp with me? It'll be $% a person again and held at a local park....let me know if you want to give-er-ago!!!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Pi$$ed
Ok ok here it comes. A few of you expect it and a few of you wonder what the heck is wrong with me but I gotta tell you I am fired up right now.
I am so so so sick of all this distorted body image crap that is rampant. I do not understand why this stupid crap is going on in the age of technology in 2013. We are not stupid, we are not naive, we absolutely know how the pictures, how the ads, how the tv works. They take a body (a male or female body) and they freaking change it. They freaking change it ok?!!?
The models do NOT look like that. I am in a gym where they train fitness competitors year round, I have trained for a fitness competition I KNOW personally what 13% body fat looks like on me and I know what 8-10% looks like on other women. These girls look freaking ripped out hot and better than any model in a magazine. You know what? If their trouble area is their butt, they still have cellulite. If their stomach is their trouble area, it is not all the way tight. When was the last time you saw a magazine with a model in it, at an extremely low body fat level still showing a bit of her cellulite, or her stomach sag, or her back arm looking less than completely perfect?
You haven't because the magazines fix that crap!
The women in those pictures do not really look like those pictures. Sure they're close. Sure they work their butts off and feed their families by scoring those photo shoots-- and YOU! and ME! Are trying to look like them 365 days a year and we will try this and we will try that, and when this and that and the other thing doesn't work and make us look like that--
We talk mad crap to ourselves. We beat the heck out ourselves. We aren't thin enough. We have cellulite. We never eat that. We always do this and we never do that. Why can't we just look like them? We do what they say they do in their little biography page thingy. Gosh dangit stop doing that! We are all striving to look like a fitness and or model, who doesn't look like the ads she is standing in, who earns her living making her body look, the way it is.
What do you do for a living? Oh, your a teacher? That's so great. Thanks for spending so much time, unpaid making our future generations think. Thank you for striving to teach them things they aren't learning at home. Thank you for sacrificing a pay check so you can better the future of our country. Thank you. Now tell me again, what's that "you still have cellulite" Who the eff cares? Everyone has cellulite. Even guys have cellulite. Do you eat healthy? Do you exercise regularly? Do you get enough rest? Do you drink alcohol in moderation?
If the answers to those questions are yes, why are you telling yourself you should look like a model? You gotta modeling gig on the side? No, you don't. You have a husband/wife who wants to jump your bones all the time, you have children that think you are the most beautiful creation in the world, you have people around you looking to you to TEACH them something. They aren't looking to see if you have cellulite for hell's sake.
I am not just talking to YOU, or YOU. I am talking to myself as much as anything. I saw a video of myself today, that my husband took in the gym of my 7 pull ups. I look at the video and I think to myself that that girl looks freaking amazing. Freaking strong. Freaking unstoppable. And then I realize it is me and I can not for the life of me, understand why I don't see that when I look in the mirror. All that I look at is my saggy skin stomach. When I look down that's what I see as well. It's so dang dumb.
Another girl, that I am friends with from a close circle of fitness minded women across the country I KNOW thinks she is ginormous. She has lost a butt ton of weight and she is still trying to figure out how to lose more weight and today she posts a collage of pics of her cute clothes on a budget and I am literally in AWE of how beautiful and fit this girl looks. She looks amazing. Yet, I know, she thinks she looks fat. Damnit she isn't fat. She isn't even close to fat. She is sexy sizzling hot. And she has worked so so hard to get where she is and instead of flaunting her tight a$$ around, she is trying to figure out what to do next to keep losing. She doesn't need to lose. She needs to focus on the freaking journey she has been on, be grateful and proud, and realize that the reflection she sees in the mirror is a dang liar--and she is so much different appearing than she thinks she is. It makes me mad, and makes me sad.
Why can I see the beauty in all of you so clearly? Why can I look at you and tell you 10 things off the top of my head that are beautiful and healthy about you, but when I ask YOU about yourself, you can barely think of one. In fact, the first thing that comes to your mind is the number that stupid scale told you you weighed.
You know what:? I haven't weighed myself in two weeks. You know why? Cuz it stresses me out. I eat clean, I eat to fuel my body every day and enjoy a treat from time to time. I train 5-6 days a week. I make goals and accomplish them. I work. I take care of a beautiful family that for some reason I got lucky and they chose me, and I get focused on what a number says. Its like in the beginning, I needed to weigh all the time, because I would see how much I could get "by with" a little snack here or a little snack there and then if the scale didn't go up it was ok. But now, now health is just my goal. And kicking a$$ in the gym is my goal. So my lifestyle is as balanced approach as I can get while loving that part of my lifestyle and loving to have a normal life where my kids and I cook a normal dinner together at night and we all eat together. I'm no longer half committed I am fully committed and so when I think about getting on the scale I really articulate if I am going to be unbiased when I get on there and take it as a number, or if I am going to let it effect me--what I am training, how I am training, what I am eating, how I am spending my time with my family. And if the answer isn't "no it wont affect me", I simply don't get on.\
Now that's me. And I am 3.5 years into my journey. A lot of you are just starting out, trying to establish good habits. Most of my clients, you need to weigh in weekly, you need to follow a plan until we get you where you want to be. And then we maintain. Maintenance can be the easiest thing in the world, or it can be the hardest thing in the world. Depending on how you get where you are going. If you are willing to take the high road, work hard, eat right and follow the plan--when you get there the transition is simple. But if you are doing what you are doing, hating every second of it, and so excited to get to goal so you can go back to your old life--it wont work. It'll just be another check off the list. Another time you feel defeated like nothing works for you. It has to be a lifestyle.
And when you're ready to make it that lifestyle, everything becomes more simple. You don't fret over details, you will come to love who you are and where you have come from because it will have shaped the new you. You will learn to stop judging yourself for what you aren't and start appreciating yourself for what you are. You will realize how strong you are mentally and physically and you will understand that you are so much more than just what the scale tells you your number is. You will realize you are beautiful, because of how you look on the outside, for who you are on the inside, and for what you are capable of accomplishing at the end of the day.
The possibilities are endless. You can teach yourself to be/do anything you want to. You just have to settle in and get your mind right. Realize its gonna be work and if you look at it like that--you are going to be a sexy beast "doin work" and you better be dang proud of yourself because YOU DESERVE to be your own biggest chearleader. You deserve to be happy and healthy and you are worth the time it takes to achieve that. Not perfection. Aim for your best-- and that my friends, will be YOUR PERFECTION.
You got this. Keep going.
I am so so so sick of all this distorted body image crap that is rampant. I do not understand why this stupid crap is going on in the age of technology in 2013. We are not stupid, we are not naive, we absolutely know how the pictures, how the ads, how the tv works. They take a body (a male or female body) and they freaking change it. They freaking change it ok?!!?
The models do NOT look like that. I am in a gym where they train fitness competitors year round, I have trained for a fitness competition I KNOW personally what 13% body fat looks like on me and I know what 8-10% looks like on other women. These girls look freaking ripped out hot and better than any model in a magazine. You know what? If their trouble area is their butt, they still have cellulite. If their stomach is their trouble area, it is not all the way tight. When was the last time you saw a magazine with a model in it, at an extremely low body fat level still showing a bit of her cellulite, or her stomach sag, or her back arm looking less than completely perfect?
You haven't because the magazines fix that crap!
The women in those pictures do not really look like those pictures. Sure they're close. Sure they work their butts off and feed their families by scoring those photo shoots-- and YOU! and ME! Are trying to look like them 365 days a year and we will try this and we will try that, and when this and that and the other thing doesn't work and make us look like that--
We talk mad crap to ourselves. We beat the heck out ourselves. We aren't thin enough. We have cellulite. We never eat that. We always do this and we never do that. Why can't we just look like them? We do what they say they do in their little biography page thingy. Gosh dangit stop doing that! We are all striving to look like a fitness and or model, who doesn't look like the ads she is standing in, who earns her living making her body look, the way it is.
What do you do for a living? Oh, your a teacher? That's so great. Thanks for spending so much time, unpaid making our future generations think. Thank you for striving to teach them things they aren't learning at home. Thank you for sacrificing a pay check so you can better the future of our country. Thank you. Now tell me again, what's that "you still have cellulite" Who the eff cares? Everyone has cellulite. Even guys have cellulite. Do you eat healthy? Do you exercise regularly? Do you get enough rest? Do you drink alcohol in moderation?
If the answers to those questions are yes, why are you telling yourself you should look like a model? You gotta modeling gig on the side? No, you don't. You have a husband/wife who wants to jump your bones all the time, you have children that think you are the most beautiful creation in the world, you have people around you looking to you to TEACH them something. They aren't looking to see if you have cellulite for hell's sake.
I am not just talking to YOU, or YOU. I am talking to myself as much as anything. I saw a video of myself today, that my husband took in the gym of my 7 pull ups. I look at the video and I think to myself that that girl looks freaking amazing. Freaking strong. Freaking unstoppable. And then I realize it is me and I can not for the life of me, understand why I don't see that when I look in the mirror. All that I look at is my saggy skin stomach. When I look down that's what I see as well. It's so dang dumb.
Another girl, that I am friends with from a close circle of fitness minded women across the country I KNOW thinks she is ginormous. She has lost a butt ton of weight and she is still trying to figure out how to lose more weight and today she posts a collage of pics of her cute clothes on a budget and I am literally in AWE of how beautiful and fit this girl looks. She looks amazing. Yet, I know, she thinks she looks fat. Damnit she isn't fat. She isn't even close to fat. She is sexy sizzling hot. And she has worked so so hard to get where she is and instead of flaunting her tight a$$ around, she is trying to figure out what to do next to keep losing. She doesn't need to lose. She needs to focus on the freaking journey she has been on, be grateful and proud, and realize that the reflection she sees in the mirror is a dang liar--and she is so much different appearing than she thinks she is. It makes me mad, and makes me sad.
Why can I see the beauty in all of you so clearly? Why can I look at you and tell you 10 things off the top of my head that are beautiful and healthy about you, but when I ask YOU about yourself, you can barely think of one. In fact, the first thing that comes to your mind is the number that stupid scale told you you weighed.
You know what:? I haven't weighed myself in two weeks. You know why? Cuz it stresses me out. I eat clean, I eat to fuel my body every day and enjoy a treat from time to time. I train 5-6 days a week. I make goals and accomplish them. I work. I take care of a beautiful family that for some reason I got lucky and they chose me, and I get focused on what a number says. Its like in the beginning, I needed to weigh all the time, because I would see how much I could get "by with" a little snack here or a little snack there and then if the scale didn't go up it was ok. But now, now health is just my goal. And kicking a$$ in the gym is my goal. So my lifestyle is as balanced approach as I can get while loving that part of my lifestyle and loving to have a normal life where my kids and I cook a normal dinner together at night and we all eat together. I'm no longer half committed I am fully committed and so when I think about getting on the scale I really articulate if I am going to be unbiased when I get on there and take it as a number, or if I am going to let it effect me--what I am training, how I am training, what I am eating, how I am spending my time with my family. And if the answer isn't "no it wont affect me", I simply don't get on.\
Now that's me. And I am 3.5 years into my journey. A lot of you are just starting out, trying to establish good habits. Most of my clients, you need to weigh in weekly, you need to follow a plan until we get you where you want to be. And then we maintain. Maintenance can be the easiest thing in the world, or it can be the hardest thing in the world. Depending on how you get where you are going. If you are willing to take the high road, work hard, eat right and follow the plan--when you get there the transition is simple. But if you are doing what you are doing, hating every second of it, and so excited to get to goal so you can go back to your old life--it wont work. It'll just be another check off the list. Another time you feel defeated like nothing works for you. It has to be a lifestyle.
And when you're ready to make it that lifestyle, everything becomes more simple. You don't fret over details, you will come to love who you are and where you have come from because it will have shaped the new you. You will learn to stop judging yourself for what you aren't and start appreciating yourself for what you are. You will realize how strong you are mentally and physically and you will understand that you are so much more than just what the scale tells you your number is. You will realize you are beautiful, because of how you look on the outside, for who you are on the inside, and for what you are capable of accomplishing at the end of the day.
The possibilities are endless. You can teach yourself to be/do anything you want to. You just have to settle in and get your mind right. Realize its gonna be work and if you look at it like that--you are going to be a sexy beast "doin work" and you better be dang proud of yourself because YOU DESERVE to be your own biggest chearleader. You deserve to be happy and healthy and you are worth the time it takes to achieve that. Not perfection. Aim for your best-- and that my friends, will be YOUR PERFECTION.
You got this. Keep going.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Why Should YOU lift weights?
But why else?
I'll be 100% honest here, so there are like a zillion articles written on the world wide web that are all technical and scientific about the reasons why YOU should lift instead of just doing the boring ol dreadmill or the beast of a stair climber for exercise--BUTT I hate reading that crap. It's like, I don't even want to read an article that is all that glycogen, basic metabolic rate, BMI, energy stores, macronutrients yada yada crap-- and I certainly don't want to write it either. So this is the world according to the fit chick mom, and of course I have to add my sass to it or it wouldn't be a true rant from yours truly.
First of all while you are sleeping you burn calories. Did you know that? Why you are sitting on your booty doing nothing you are burning calories, this is called that basic metabolic rate or BMR. The more of your frame that is made up of muscle, the more calories your body naturally burns--get that--while doing nothing. So you are 140 lbs of fat or you are 140 lbs with more muscle and whichever you choose determines how many calories a day you get to burn while watching your favorite tv show.
Why burn calories? Well to get hott, obviously.
And to lose weight. Calories equal pounds but it isn't just as simple as calories in vs calories out like all those other stupid weight loss programs try to trick you into believing. TRUST ME. 1500 calories of food is completely different than 1500 calories of meal replacement foods. mmmk?!?! Also, we don't want to just burn calories-- we want to burn FAT right? You want to have less fat on your body? Stop doing all that cardio, it makes your body VERY VERY nervous, so it holds onto that fat you have to make sure you aren't going to starve it. It literally makes it harder to lose weight when you do so much cardio--not to mention, you can't build lean muscle when you are doing all that, it just uses your muscle and BURNS your most prized possession off your poor little body. Don't be that girl. Just don't.
(Side rant, I know you are nervous at the gym at first, and you think that you look less conspicuous at the gym on the elliptical for 2 hours, but you don't. You just look nervous. Just venture over to the weight area, ask a trainer, or ask the most fit person who looks like they know what they are doing (preferably one that looks like they wont kill you though, there are some of THOSE in the gym). Remember, everyone in the gym started somewhere--and only 5% of the people in there look fit all the time, most of them have to work really hard to look the way they look).
So we don't want to cardio our bodies to death, unless of course we are training for a marathon or a triathalon. Then we should cardio to death as well as strength train so we can have stronger muscles to push our bodies through the distance more efficiently and quickly.
What does weight training do for our bodies besides help us get hott, burn more calories, and push us through our daily activities?
It makes you stand up taller. Seriously. Like, when you have muscle on your body you can hold your body up better. Have a back ache? Could be because your body is too heavy for you to carry around all day. Weight training also builds muscle around your bones--ya know, those fragile little things that break from time to time when you fall down on your hip, or when you fall off your bike? The more muscle you have on your body, the more protection you have for your pretty little bones. Think of it as body armour!! That sounds so beastly huh? BODY ARMOUR!! (Ladies over 50, I know I KNOW! You think you are too old to lift weights, you don't know what you are doing, lifting is for boys yadayada NO!! Stop it! You need to lift weights so you can be CERTAIN you aren't going to have to deal with osteoporosis!!! FO-REAL! 50 is the new 30 so walk that sexy body up into the gym and make it sexier!!) Next, we want a tight body right? How many of you get out of the shower and think to yourself "I wish that didn't HANG like that?" We all do it. Well the more muscle you have on your body frame the tighter your body looks. Seriously. It is all high and tight and nice! With cardio and calorie restriction you can make your body a smaller version of exactly what it looks like right this minute, but with weight lifting you can reshape your body and change it.
Body reshaping that works? SIGN YOU UP!! No wrap necessary!
Want a booty? BUILD IT! With squats and lunges!
Want a quad to poke out? BUILD IT!
Want calve that poke out the back of your legs? BUILD EM!
(GUYS!) Want a chest that sticks out in your tshirts? BUILD IT!
(LADIES) Want perkier boobs? BUILD EM!
ANDDD!! You are so tired from just going and going and going in the same spot, something that jams the crap out of your joints INSTEAD you can do some bursts of expenditure by lifting weights, not freaking feel like you are going to bust a knee cap and also not feel like you are so exhausted and tired you want to curl up in a ball and eat bon bon's on the couch to rest because you are just so dang tired. That's what lots of cardio does, it makes you sleepy. Oh, and lifting heavy a$$ shiz off the floor and putting it back down makes you feel like a beast. It makes you feel like you could go all taekwando on somebody's butt in a dark alley if you needed to. Today for instance, one of my clients after 3 months has gone from shoulder pressing 10# in each hand to 20# in each hand. And she felt like a beast. That's strong folks. The first time I lifted my own 145 lbs up and over that pull up bar, or the first time I side raised 30# dumb bells I literally felt like I could not only kick HIS butt if I needed to, but HIS, HIS, and HIS butt. I mean--that's a boat load of weight.
I think I forgot to mention that as long as you are eating clean and lifting heavy weights you get to eat more! I literally eat about 2000 calories of clean food a day. This helps me fuel my workouts, allows me to continue building muscle and of course, get HOTT. (Oh, and fyi that age old LIE that says you are going to look all manly and grow facial hair is just that a LIE. Women just do not have enough testosterone in their bodies to build muscle like a man. PERIOD. End of story. Women who look like men, are not only spending their days dedicated to their jobs-- of working out and eating 5-6000 calories a day, but they are also getting a shot in the butt with a little muscle booster mmmmkkkk?!!)
I saw this little postcard thingy on facebook that said "it would be a shame for a woman to grow old without finding out what her body is truly capable of."
Seriously. I dare you. Give up the cardio for 3 months, or decrease it by 75% and lift weights for 45 minutes 3 days a week. Take a picture. Take a selfie in the bathroom, then do it again every month. I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE you will like what you see, and if you don't-- you can just go back to that cardio equipment for 2 hours a day and burn off any and all muscle you have built. Just don't sue me when you all a sudden want to jump your husbands bones 5 times a week and dont sue me when your man can't keep his hands off your boot-AY!
(ps. I always say training is the smaller piece to the puzzle, the way you look is in direct correlation to how you eat. So you run a ton, and eat crap--you're going to look like that. You eat clean and run a lot, your body is going to look better. You lift weights, eat crap. You will look fat. You eat clean and lift weights and well, ya know
Ya get Hott, of course!)
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