A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Market.....

I have to share a great humorous story with all of you.  I was in a local Sprouts today picking up a few things when I saw one of my step class regulars.  I was so excited to see her because I LOVE it when I see students outside of class and we get to say HI.  We were all chatter boxing all about a new step class and circuit class I am going to begin teaching at a brand new location that starts TONIGHT!!!!!  Woooo hooooo!  Anyways we were joking around and talking about classes for about 10 minutes before we noticed that there was a mystery lady there that kept walking by us.  Apparently our enthusiasm for class was oozing out our pores and we lost track of our inside voices.  Well, on about her third pass she decided to stop and this is what she said……

 ”Wow! This sounds like the most fun and exciting part of the store!  Can I join in on the club here?”

To which I emphatically replied, “ABSOLUTELY!” 

This came out even louder than I was talking, because now there were a few people looking at us.   That is one thing about being a group fitness instructor;  you really don’t have a problem with projecting your voice, sometimes I even feel like the microphone I use during class maybe unnecessary….teeeee heeeeee!

Well, my friend and I said our good-byes and I was off to grab my ground chicken breast.  I headed up to get in line and check out.  I saw that the two of them were on the opposite side of the lines chit chatting back and forth, but I didn’t think anything of it.  As I finished checking out, I walked towards the door and the mystery lady was passing me by.  I thought there was going to be just a friendly exchange of smiles and we would be on our way to enjoy the rest of our days.  However, there was and exchange of words that went with the smiles and it went something like this…..
I should also mention she apparently now knew my name which I did not give to her……

Mystery Lady:  “Hey Tabitha!?!?!?!”

Me:  “Yeah!?!?!?”, as I looked up from my receipt and smiled

Mystery Lady:  “I’m going to go head out and get FIT!!!!!”

Me:  “RIGHT ON!!!  YOU GO GIRL!”

Every time I think about it I can’t help but chuckle and be happy.   As a fitness instructor, I thrive on others being inspired through enthusiasm.  To that mystery lady I say “Thank you”!  Your enthusiasm now has me now inspired and supercharged up to teach my brand new double header of classes tonight, STEP AND CIRCUIT TRAINING!    Who's in?!?!?!?!

Homework:  Let me know what or who has inspired you to fitness today?????

Trust and Respect

I want to take some time in this post to reflect on our clients that are entering into the last trimester of the program.  If you have not seen their progress lately, please check it out.  These ladies are and contiue to be amazing.  They are working so hard to sweat, lift, eat, sleep and dream their way to their goals.  And, they are doing it with life still moving forward around them! 

http://www.recipeforfitness.com/transformation.html

This is what it is about people!  Living a healthy lifestyle is not just about making a decision and telling yourself that you can do this, no matter what is going on, no matter what obstacles arise, no matter how much you want to doubt your journey.   It is also about proving it to yourself that you CAN do it and getting it done!

From the beginning we asked all these ladies to put away their scales for two weeks at a time, put away the tape measures for four weeks at a time.  We encouraged them to shift their trust from a stupid little machine that is notorious for lying to them and place that trust and respect in Recipe for Fitness and the process we wanted to teach them.   This was and is not an easy feat for a person to blindly do, but it being a necessary component for them to get the results that they want, that is what they did and continue to do.

Well, the past couple of weeks have been difficult mentally for the ladies.   It is no surprise though because they have been working at this 24x7 for eight weeks (and through the HOLIDAYS!!!!).  With their level of physical commitment comes 100% mental commitment.  When you are trying to stay this focused, it is easy to let doubt creep in where motivation and drive should be.  Some turned to food they were not supposed to have while others didn’t push themselves as hard in their workouts.  Because they saw themselves EVERY day, they thought their mirrors were lying to them.  As you might have read or will read in their journals, a few got out their scales and tape measures before it was time.   What they discovered was that their doubt was unfounded.  Even though that STUPID SCALE was not moving as quickly as they wanted and they thought they were not seeing a difference in the mirror, changes were and are still happening!

Now, when I first heard and read all of this from them I have to admit, I was furious and hurt.   I couldn’t figure out after all this, after all they had learned, after all they had accomplished, why they would disrespect and distrust Chelle and me this much so as to ignore our requests.  How could they!?!?!?!  Had we steered them the wrong way yet?  Even once?  No!  Then why would they do these things? 

And then it hit me….distrust and disrespect!  For us????  NO!!!! 

For themselves!  Part of the learning process for anyone going through a similar transformation during all of this and making permanent healthy lifestyle changes is developing trust and respect for oneself.  Self respect and trust is what helps you to make the conscious decision to eat clean, workout hard, workout when you need to, and push yourself past your limits.  They help you to be confident in knowing within every fiber of your being, what you are doing in your plan is exactly what you have to do to look and be the healthiest version of you possible.   The more you refine them and appreciate their power, the more confident you will be in yourself and your ability to get to your goal.   Without self respect and trust in your body and mind you will battle doubt and lose every time.  You will quit, fall back into old habits (stupid scales!), gain weight, lose progress, and the cycle will start all over again.  Don’t let this happen to you! 

To both the ladies in the Case Study and Everyone that has ever doubted their own journey….
Say it with me….. I AM WORTH IT!  I CAN, I AM AND I WILL DO IT!  I challenge you to continue to look inside your selves and realize, acknowledge, and refine the respect and trust you have in yourself.  It is in each and every one of you.  It is what motivates you to want to change.  It is what enables you to start.  It is what pushes you to keep going.  It is the foundation of your successes and your long term maintenance!  Once you do this, the changes you will begin to finally see will be limitless. 

TRUST ME ;)

Did Someone Order a Workout With Their BLT???

.....A “BLT(Buns, Legs, and Thighs)  Workout” That Is

A few weeks ago I wrote up a post titled “No Pain, No Gain: Abs of Steel Workout”.   I received quite a bit of positive feedback on that post as many wanted to see more posts like it.  Well, I have listened and it is time for another installment.  However, I always say…..careful what you wish for ;)   This time we are going to pick on the lower body!!! 

When tailored to the right intensity for your fitness level, the circuit below is sure to leave your legs, buns, and thighs burning.  Remember, this workout should take about 15 minutes to complete.  Move rapidly from one exercise to the next so as to maximize the burn, firm legs and the tightest, roundest, butt in all the land!!!

Feel free to add this circuit to your current lower body routine or do it all on its onsies.  As always, make sure that you warm up before you do it, your form stays good and that you stretch after.  Stretching is going to be so important after this one….you have to trust me on this one!  Enjoy!  Mwahahahahahah......And keep me posted on how it goes!

NOTE:  SB – Stability Ball

1. Dumbell Squats w/ 3second pause at the bottom – 15-20 Reps

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dumbbell-squat

Options:

a)      No Dumbbells?  Then do body weight squats

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/bodyweight-squat

2. SB Hamstring Roll-ins – 8-12 Reps

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/bridge_and_leg_curl_on_stability_ball.aspx

Options:

a)       No Ball? Put feet on floor.  You can then either work a simple bridge or add intensity by walking them in and out, keeping the butt off the floor as you do it

Bridge on SB: http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/bridge_on_stability_ball.aspx

Bridge on Floor:  http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/isometric_bridge.aspx

3. SB Hip Extensions w/ 3 second pause at the top – 8-12 Reps

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/hip_extension_on_stability_ball.aspx

Options:  

a)       No Ball? Can be done on the end of a bench or table also

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/hip_extension_on_table_edge_.aspx

4. Squat Jumps – 20-30 Reps

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video/squat_jump.aspx

Options:

a)      Take out the jump and do quick squat pulses and add intensity to the pulses by using dumbbells

5. 60-90 Seconds Rest (Repeat Circuit 3x)

Have a Great Weekend and A KILLER Workout!

WARNING:  Please consult your physician or other healthcare professional before beginning or changing any fitness program to make sure that it is appropriate for your needs; especially if you have a history of any of the following:
High blood pressure (you or your family), Heart disease (you or your family), Chest pain when exercising, Chest pain in the past month when not engaged in physical activity, Smoking, Have high cholesterol, Obesity, Currently pregnant, Bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity.

Is This You???

HAPPY
NEW YEAR EVRYONE!!!!!
2012!

I received an e-mail today that I wanted to share with all of you.  Of course, the names have been changed to protect the innocent ;)  I know that many of you may have asked yourselves these same questions.  I have asked them myself in the past.  So, for my first post of 2012, I wanted to share my response.  This is for everyone that has in the past or maybe is currently in the present doubting the path of their journey towards a healthier, better person.  Have you ever asked yourself whether it is all worth it, and how to keep going when the road gets bumpy?  If so then, please, read-on... 

E-mail the we received today.....

Dear Tabitha and Chelle,

I don’t want to be a bother however you have both probably been here and conquered this so I just wonder how you made it through the rough spots.  The diet and workouts are going fine, it’s the mindset.

I honestly have never made it as far as I have and now I can see why, I get so particular and hard on myself for not seeing better results and start to question:  "Am I working hard enough and am I being careful with my diet?"  This time I know I am because I have the journals to prove it to myself."

I know all the right things to tell myself “It took years to put it on.  Give it a few weeks to take it off”, but, I hate this beating yourself up feeling.  Then the comparisons start, with other success stories, really? Why do we do this to ourselves?  Just suck it up, get over it and move on? Will it go away on its own?

I really had to laugh yesterday when I went to a decorating website and the quote about the towel was front and centre.

“You going to throw in the towel, or use it to wipe the sweat off your face?”
– a decorating website!

LOL, made me laugh.  Definitely using the towel however how have you made it over those times?

Any advice is appreciated.

My Response:

Welcome to the mind game that is getting healthy.  First, let me tell you that what you are feeling is completely normal.  Everyone that has a health goal that would take a long time to get to goes through the same thing that you are going through right now.  How you respond to these feelings, however, is what is going to separate you from the rest. 

The way that I see it is that you can look at it in two ways.   First, you can say “well…..it seems that what I am doing is no good, I may as well give up, this is not going to work, what’s the point”.  This is what you seem to have done in the past.   I have one question for you though…..Has this gotten you to your goal yet?......NO!  So why walk that same road?  Why not say this to yourself…..

“I am seeing a little bit of progress.  Even through the holidays, when I have tended to gain more weight in the past, I was able to maintain.  Wait??  Does that mean that I am learning to change my lifestyle to something that is more maintainable?  YES!  Hey, this is progress!  Ok, now what do I need to do to get the rest of my goals?”

Let me answer this last question for you….YOU KEEP GOING!

Weight loss and the science behind weight loss is a specific equation for each and every person.  Don’t get me wrong, the basic principles are the same, but the combination of them is going to vary between people because every “body” is different.   Your body is fighting change, therefore you have to stand strong and dictate to your body what is going to happen.  You are the boss not your body, not the other way around.  It may be time to kick it up a gear and push yourself  even more outside your comfort zone…..heavier weights, more intensity with the cardio, following your food plan to a “T”.  Have the courage to challenge yourself beyond your limits.  Do not underestimate your physical strength and stamina.   The one word that you HAVE to focus on now is CONSISTENCY.  Consistency in conjunction with the TOTAL PACKAGE (food, fitness, and positive thinking) is the ONLY way to get you past this rough spot.  It is not always fun and it is a challenge (otherwise everyone would be doing it), but it is what HAS TO HAPPEN.  Remember, going in the other direction has not gotten you to where you wanted to go in the past, so why take the same road?

You are correct, getting to where you are now did not happen overnight.  Getting to where you want to be will also not happen overnight.  No one said it was easy……neither physically OR mentally.  How do we get past the rough patches?

Well, I will tell you…..FOCUS ON SUCCESS.  This is why Chelle and I make a big deal about focusing on and acknowledging the successes, not matter how small they may be.  Focus on learning new exercises, eating new clean foods that are tasty, your clothes fitting better, cardio getting easier, not gaining weight over the holidays, working out consistently for as long as you have so far, and most importantly.....all the INCHES LOST!  These are ALL successes!  These are all successes that a stupid scale is not going to show you or acknowledge on its teensie, tiny, screen. 

Let them motivate you to WANT more, BE more, ACHIEVE more.  Then you take it one day at a time, one hour at a time if necessary.  If you find that you are consciously making the same decision over and over to eat right, workout, and stay consistent YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT!  You will be making that decision over and over for a long time......most likely forever!  The more often you make it, the easier it will get.  Pretty soon BAM!!!!!  You are going to visually notice amazing changes.  It takes a long time for the “visual” changes to be seen, but that does not mean that things are not changing.  There is A LOT going on inside that you cannot see.   Don’t give up on those changes before you have the chance to see them on the outside.  Your new mantra for 2012 is this……..

Consistency = Success

(C = S)

Every time you start comparing or doubting yourself repeat that mantra…….and then do one more rep, take one more clean bite, or walk one more step on the treadmill.  ;)

....And anytime you need a reminder of any of this or how far you have come, let me know.  I am happy to virtually slap you upside the head and bring you back to your reality.  The reality is that you are doing it, you are making changes, and you are succeeding!

Keep up the good work!

Tabitha