Right now some of my clients and I are doing a No-Sugar-Lots-of-Vegetables Challenge and here is what we’ve learned as a group.

Eating foods that are NOT particularly healthy can be mindless. We don’t even realize it when we pop an M&M or Hershey Kiss or small cookie in our mouth.

It has become so natural to just take a nibble here and there that only when we are diligent do we pay attention.

Not only is eating mindless, we have noticed how MUCH of the unhealthy stuff we eat..even if it’s a small quantity, it’s still getting in and contributing to weight gain/maintenance, mood, foggy brain, headaches and bloating! Oh, how I hate to feel bloated so these past four days have been really good for me!

It takes preparation and thoughtfulness to eat healthy. Our challenge is no added sugar, no grains, 4 cups leafy greens per day plus an additional 5 cups of vegetables of any kind. It’s no joke and it’s more prep than you probably do now.

This is much, much easier to do when other women are doing it with you and have the same level of commitment.

The “challenge” gets easier with practice. This is the second time we’ve done it in a few months time and this time is definitely easier. It’s practice and repetition. That’s how I view it.

We are most definitely going to do this again!

I don’t know about you, but I want to show my daughter what to do, how to act and what I believe to be important.

Having Audrey and knowing that I am setting an example pushes me to do things I might not do for myself.

I don’t text while driving.

I go to church and read the bible.

I exercise when  I don’t feel like it.

I eat vegetables when I don’t feel like it.

I make sure to put money in the can for a good cause.

I don’t (most of the time) curse.

I’m trying really, really hard to not use my phone for unnecessary things when she is present.

It’s because I want to set an example, not simply tell her what to do. I know showing her has a bigger impact.

At Her Fitness we have a “Win of The Week” board and last week I saw one of the best wins!

This made me so proud!

My client, Jess, has a lot of demands on her time and she has been working really, really hard to make changes to her diet.

Not only is Jess eating more vegetables to become healthy, fit and strong…she is setting, yet another, example on how to take care of yourself.

Moms, we have a huge responsibility to our children. One of them is to take care of ourselves.

If we don’t take care of our own health and fitness, your child won’t grow up taking care of hers and his.

Way to go, Jess, for demonstrating to your children how to eat healthy!

What will you change so you are demonstrating healthy behavior and self-care?

Here’s the first half

Here’s the whole interview from the show:

We went camping with some friends and even though the campground offered “Free Wi-Fi”, it was a complete dead zone.

No checking email, no newsletter writing, no scrolling Facebook and Instagram, no looking something up on the web,  not even text messages were going through reliably.

Oh, yeah, no TV and the radio in the camper was barely coming in. We could have gotten news from the car radio I suppose or going to the campground office, but we didn’t need to.

At first, I was nervous about being “disconnected”, and because of habit, we all were checking our phones regularly, but then we stopped because there was nothing to see.

It really made me notice how often I (and almost everyone else) am on my phone and how often I check it for…..NOTHING!  Nothing pressing, anyway.

Part of being healthy is having engaging relationships with other people we enjoy and I think technology has robbed us of some connection.

This weekend I was forced into “tech-free”and it was eye-opening.

I was more present and got stuff done more quickly (yes, even on “vacation” you need to get stuff done!).

If you haven’t gone “tech-free”, I suggest that you pick a date that suits your family and everyone go without their phones, iPads, laptops, TV or whatever else is keeping you or your family present in the moment.

If I were to do another tech-free day by choice, I would plan better because I have to admit, as I am writing this newsletter, I’m feeling a bit distress over it not being done sooner!

If this month has you sayin,g “Once the holidays are over, I’m going to start….”

But how? How do you do it? How do you get healthy, fit, and strong?

You do it by starting NOW and starting small.

Your first step doesn’t have to be drastic. Don’t wait for the perfect time or the perfect meal plan or the perfect exercise.

You DON’T have to start a 5x/week workout program.

You DON’T have to start eating nine servings of vegetables today.

You DON’T have to begin a meditation ritual right way.

But you DO have to start somewhere (the hardest step of all!!).

If all you do today is buy a pair of workout pants with your new gift certificate…that’s okay.

If all you do today is drink two cups of water more than you did yesterday…that’s okay.

If all you do today is go for a walk….that’s okay.

If all you do today is plan tomorrow’s lunch…that’s okay.

It is okay to take a small step forward as long as you are moving.

You don’t climb Mt. Everest in one step, and you don’t get healthy, fit, and strong in one day/week/month.

Start small, but start TODAY.

Remember when you were starting to think about having kids, and you thought, “Is this the right time?”

Do we have enough money?

Do we have enough time?

Is the house big enough?

And then someone you trusted said to you, “It will never be the right time. The timing will never be perfect. You just have to do it. Do your best, and have faith. It will all work out. You’ll be great parents.”

So, you went and had a couple of kids, and somehow you’ve made it.

It’s the same with getting healthy. Starting a healthy eating plan, exercising, working on your mindset, changing lifestyle habits – there is never a perfect time!

One reason Nike’s slogan, “Just Do It,” is so powerful is because action NOW is more important than all the planning in the world without action.

You need motivation? Take action NOW.

You need to get out of your own way? Take action NOW.

You need to get out of a funk? Take action NOW.

You want to feel better? Take action NOW.

You want to fit into your shorts come summer? Take action NOW.

You will always have more work to do.

Your kids will have after school activities for years to come.

You won’t become less tired by NOT changing.

There will be another birthday party, another special anniversary, a vacation, or a wedding.

Start TODAY. Take action NOW. Do your BEST.

Short and sweet, and here it is:

Working out in spite of feeling out of control with life being crazy!

Why unusual? Because many people only think of “success” as weight loss or dropping a dress size. Yes, those are magnificent success stories!

But, they aren’t the only type of success that matters.

Jenn recently moved, and she works full-time. It was Christmas, and she shopped and decorated, and she has two active teens. AND she got her workouts IN!

To me and to her, this was a big accomplishment, and I encouraged her to write it on the Her Fitness Win Of The Week board!

I’m so proud of Jenn for putting her health on the ever expanding list of things to do!

What does success mean to you?

It doesn’t have to be weight loss, although it could. Don’t let friends, family, social media, news, or magazines tell you what YOUR fitness success looks like!

Congratulations, Jenn!

Boy, I was tired yesterday.

I had fitful sleep the night before.

But I worked out last night.

It wasn’t my best workout, but it was good for how I felt.

That’s how I showed up.

My client, Chris, “showed up” when she didn’t feel like it, too.

She just didn’t feel 100% and “didn’t feel like it” – but she came, and she did the workout.

The women who show up regularly, even when they don’t feel like it, find the most success.

So, do you show up? Even when you don’t feel like it?

The difference between women who reach their goals and those who don’t is that they show up even when they don’t want to – they do the work anyway.

Those workouts make a difference.

You still did something.

You still burned some calories.

You still worked your heart and lungs.

You still worked your muscles.

You still impacted your hormone balance.

You still kept the habit.

You improved on your perseverance and your mental toughness.

By the way, please don’t take this as, “Do your workout at all costs!” I’ve been preaching sleep and self-care lately, and I stand by that, but sometimes we make excuses…

~~~~~

If you missed my post about never-ending to-do lists, check it out here:

  Is your To-Do List never-ending?

Why do you always hear people talk about their weight loss “journey?”

I looked up the word journey, and to no surprise, the definition of journey is, “the act of traveling from one place to another.”

As I continued to read, Webster said, “journey usually means traveling a long distance and often in dangerous or difficult circumstances.”

There we go…that’s why it’s a journey! Weight loss and keeping it off for life can be long and difficult!

Mostly, I think it’s hard emotionally.

The actual act of of your body losing weight, and specifically fat, is easy when you follow certain rules.

What makes it long and difficult is our own mindset and self-talk!

Have you ever stepped on the scale and hated yourself for eating a junk food the day before?

Have you feared that exercising will be painful, hard, and that you won’t be able to do what you “have” to do in order to see change?

Did you ever feel worthless, not enough, or stupid because of the way you looked or for what you ate?

Getting over that stuff is the hard work, the journey!

You know eating an apple instead of a donut is best. That’s easy to know!

It’s your emotions that make your weight loss journey long and difficult.

Please know that we ALL have feelings of fear, being less than, or giving less self-love than we ought to during our journey.

While each of us has an individual life-time journey, we all have those ups and downs.

We all have periods of feeling really powerful and strong one minute and doubtful and spent the next.

I believe this is especially true for women. Women are more in tune to their emotions, and it’s harder for us to just plow through stuff (not that we can’t – I just don’t believe it’s our general nature).

I think that if you can keep going through those moments (even when those moments are a few months long) of self-doubt, knowing that all you have to do is put a few steps into practice, the journey is a bit easier.

In other words…don’t stop. The journey is a life-long adventure and opportunity for learning!

I know some of you reading this today have had exceptionally challenging journeys. Keep going. It’s your journey. No one else’s. Do what you need to do!

If you want to START your weight loss journey, I’m here to help. We have an encouraging community of women who are compassionate and kind…and fun! You won’t regret that first step, even if it is a bit scary. 

You want to want to exercise, but you still don’t do it, and the most common excuse is, “I don’t have enough time.”

Can I tell you? I’ve said the same thing.

Sometimes we get it in our head that something has to be perfect or absolutely done the right way, or it’s not worth doing at all.

Luckily, exercise isn’t that way!

Some exercise really is better than none.

Let me remind you of what happens…

Self dialog:

• “I should exercise.”
• “I’ll start tomorrow.”

Tomorrow comes.

Every single task, chore, responsibility that you had yesterday remains today. So you do those things again and then….

Tomorrow goes.

You say to yourself, “I don’t have time. I don’t have an hour to figure out what to do, how to do it, and then actually do it.”

The next day comes and goes, and you still haven’t done any exercise.

Battle the “No Time” excuse with this:

• One small action.
• A 5- to 10-minute routine of strengthening your body.

This will get you over the perfectionism hump or all-or-nothing mentality and actually get yourself moving!

In my experience (and I’ve been coaching women for 25+ years), the women who have found some time have had greater success in getting exercise to be a part of their daily life than those who wait for the perfect time.

It’s also been my experience that the women who exercise for 10-15 minutes have better results…whatever the results they are looking for: fat loss, better mobility, feeling stronger, improved posture.

Don’t wait for the perfect time…it will never come.

Start small, start with a short “mini-workout,” and be happy with your accomplishment!

First off, this is NOT to bash anyone or anything, it’s just an article to help you understand where you might be wasting time, energy and effort when you are getting back into shape.

AND, these mistakes are NOT your fault…you’ve been fed these ideas from social media, magazines, friends, doing what you did when you were 25 years old and maybe, even from what your doctor has told you.

So here are a few mistakes you might be making as you try to feel like your self again:

1. Hoping they will find time.

-Instead of sitting down and really planning when and where (and what OTHER THINGS will have to be deleted, shifted or given to someone else), they think they will simply ADD ONE MORE ITEM on their TO-DO list…..and ultimately, it never becomes a priority and the exercise never happens.

2. Inappropriate exercise plan.

-Having no plan at all, long cardio sessions only (usually walking on the treadmill or elliptical machine), going to a non-judgemental gym and randomly using the equipment, doing sit-ups and crunches, doing stuff that hurts, doing risky high weight/high volume exercises without building up.

3. Following fad diets.

Cabbage soup, Master Cleanse (spicy water), no carb, super low-cal, baby food diet, grapefruit diet, HCG.

4.Take diet pills or other meds or supplements that are ineffective. Dangerous and usually ineffective.

If you want to get back into shape again, you’ll have to be patient and put in the work. I know no one wants to hear that, but it’s the truth.

Be consistent with your workouts that include lifting weights, eat enough of the the right foods and don’t rely on quick fixes.

You really can take care of yourself and feel fantastic again!

My friends and I do this with our kids, and the kids actually like it.

We walk and pick up trash.

This weekend, invite a few friends to join you on an early morning walk.

The early morning is still cool, and not a lot drivers are out.

Grab a garbage bag, your yard work gloves, and maybe even a grabber tool.

Start walking and picking up trash.

It feels really good to walk, spend time with friends and know you’ve done something helpful for your community (or local park).

You will be amazed at how much trash lines our streets and roadways!

Take pictures and post them on social media to encourage other people to do the same!

Have you ever lost a bunch of weight and then gained it all back? (insert any goal you achieved and then went back to your starting point.)

You were really focused on achieving that specific result and you made it happen.

Somehow, you had the willpower to forgo the ice cream, cheese and wine or chips.

You exercised five days per week.

You did it! You achieved your goal…and then…..everyday life got in the way again.

Dang it! You thought you beat this “thing”.

Before beating yourself up for gaining that weight back, give yourself credit for having done in the first place.

You have proof that you are capable!

Now, let’s focus on what might have gone wrong and how to fix it so you get permanent satisfaction from your efforts.

Instead of only focusing on the end result, start paying closer attention to, and giving effort to, your RITUALS.

In other words, put the emphasis on building habits that will last you a lifetime.

Rituals and habits are what will ultimately  carry you through those times when “life happens”.

Once you’ve adopted a different way of eating, moving and living through changes in rituals

• You will feel good 
• You will be stronger
• You will be healthier
• You will be at your ideal weight and body composition 
• You will move better
• You will age more gracefully
• You will be happier 
• It will take less effort because the daily action steps have become part of your daily ritual

Results are obviously important to remember, but it’s the daily habits, the action steps you take day after day that will get you those permanent results.

Maybe you had a few more treats than tricks yesterday and you are feeling a bit guilty about it.

You might be thinking “I’ve got to work extra hard with my workout today because of all of the candy I ate yesterday” or “I better do extra cardio because of what I ate yesterday.”

Fitness is a long game, not a short game.

A few treats on Halloween won’t kill you.

A few treats every night before Halloween that lasts until the day after New Year – now that’s gonna’ hurt.

I believe that guilt isn’t necessarily a bad emotion – it tells us when we’ve done something bad/wrong, but I like to reserve it for morality, not food.

If you at too much candy and now you feel like cr*p, learn from it and move on.

Going an extra 20 minutes on the elliptical isn’t going to change the shape of your body, just like one session (or even one day) of over-eating isn’t going to change the shape of your body.

You really need to assess your long game. What are you doing day in and day out that is causing you to buy bigger and bigger clothing?

So, if you ate a bunch of candy yesterday, don’t have candy guilt today…just eat well today and tomorrow and the next day…..

p.s. This isn’t an endorsement to go hog wild. I’m just writing to remind you that guilt won’t help you get thinner or stronger…it’ll just eat you up;)

That is something you’ve built up in your head.

Maybe you tried to leave the house one day and got some push-back and that was all it took for you to have the “mom guilt”, but I can assure you, after working with hundreds and hundreds of women directly, that HOME LIFE is ALWAYS BETTER when the woman of the house exercises regularly (and does it right so that she doesn’t burn out).

Happy wife, happy life…there’s something to it

Seriously, though, when you exercise regularly to include lifting weights you are taking care of yourself and that means you are taking care of your family.

No one in your family wants you feeling resentful, unenergetic and insecure/not confident.

You’re family wants you to set a good example of self care that includes being active and fit and the only way to do that is for you to spend some time on yourself.

If you get your nails done, your hair cut and/or colored, shop for new clothes then do something for your insides, too.

You’re family will be happier and you will be happier.

Sometimes when you look at your fitness goals or weight loss goals you might get so overwhelmed at the thought of it all and you don’t know where to start or you start and soon give up because you think it’s too hard or it won’t happen for you.

Instead of getting completely overwhelmed (and instead of expecting instant results) why not try Tiny Actions to get Big Results.

For example, my colleague, Janelle Yule wants to perform 10 perfect form push-ups.

Instead of trying 10 push-ups every day (and using poor form because she is not yet strong enough) she started using BJ Fogg’s, author of Tiny Habits, idea of doing something so small you don’t think it matters and pairing it with a habit you already do.

Janelle has been doing 1 push-up every day right after she brushes her teeth. Next month she’s going to do 2 push-ups every day after brushing her teeth.

Don’t have the patience?

Ask yourself “Will taking 10 months to perform 10 perfect push-ups be worth it it if the rest of my life I can do 10 perfect push-ups whenever I want to?”

We have become accustomed to instant delivery of results, but personal growth and achievement aren’t boxed deliverables…you have to earn them by putting in the time and effort.

Think about one thing you’d like to work towards and start really, really small….and next time, we’ll talk about your mindset;) around reaching your goals.

Years ago I had a client (for a short time) who took meticulous care of yourself in the way of:

• The clothing she wore
• Beautifully done hair
• Nails always manicured
• Whitened teeth
• Make-up done..always

​

Interestingly, her insides didn’t match her outsides.​

She was overweight, foggy brain, had low energy, not confident about her looks – her insides didn’t match her polished outside and sadly, she wasn’t willing to commit to consistently work on the inside.

When you work on your “inside”, your “outside” will change.

What can you do to help your insides match your outside? 

• Eat well – whole foods, avoiding sugars and additives, limited/no alcohol
• Exercising regularly– a minimum of three times per week, hopefully moving/walking daily
• Managing stress – prayer, meditation, filling your mind with positivity/growth mindset information
• Taking necessary supplements – for example, vitamin D, a B complex, magnesium
• Laughing/having quality relationships – I know it’s tough now, but people need people to be healthy
• Getting outside into the sun – we are like plants, give us water and sun and we can grow:)
• Getting enough sleep – sleep fixes 99% of your issues- seriously, any type of issue (fat loss, anxiety, digestion, – you need to sleep!)

Had my client put as much energy into working on the list above as she did on her polished exterior, she would be glowing from from good health and wouldn’t need all that other stuff.

Do your insides match your outside?

Need exercise bands?

I used resistance bands in all of my training with clients and at home and when I travel.

These high quality bands should be a part of everyone’s workout toolbox!

Sleep is a pretty big topic.

Without enough quality sleep our bodies just don’t recover, we risk injury, heart disease, decreased mental acuity, lack of enthusiasm, have cravings for quick acting carbs, our patience is tested to the max, the quality of our workouts suffer and so much more.

So what can you do if you have trouble falling asleep?

What do you do when you hit the sack and you just lay there wishing you could fall asleep, frustrated that you are in bed and “ready to do this!,” yet your body won’t cooperate?

Here are some things you can try:

1. Have a regular bed and wake time. Wake and go to bed at nearly the same time every day. If you are really troubled, make sure you do this on the weekends, too. Yeah, I know that is a challenge, but life is a challenge when you don’t get enough sleep.

2. Keep your room temperature cool. The National Sleep Foundation recommends your room temperature be between 60-67 degrees. Maybe you need a mattress cooling pad. One recommended by author and radio host of The Healthy Rebellion , Robb Wolf, is ChiliPAD.

3. Get off ALL devices 1-2 hours prior to bed. Our bodies are highly sensitive to light (we even have receptors in our ears!), some people are more sensitive than others. Unfortunately, your husband might easily fall asleep after having watched a movie until midnight, but the light from the TV keeps you awake.

4. Have your last meal of the day at least two hours prior to going to bed. Don’t eat anything else. You might experiment with meals that have more protein and less fat or more starch and less protein or fruit and protein. It might take some time, but if you log food and sleep, you are likely to see some patterns.

5. Essential Oil spray – Some people have very good luck with a diffusor or spritz of lavender, vanilla, rose, geranium and jasmine.

6. Brain Dump – Many women have trouble falling asleep because their mind is racing. One of my coaches tells me “The brain is meant for creating ideas, not storing them.” Get a piece of paper and set a timer and WRITE everything, and I mean everything. If it pops in your head, you write it down. This is not a list of things to do. This is getting all of your thoughts out of your head for 2-5 minutes or longer if you have. No judgement, no order. I remember writing “I don’t have any thoughts.”

7. Journal – gratitude – Back to gratitude. It always comes back to gratitude to change your state. Especially with our current situation, our minds might be spinning, we can still have gratitude. Either write or recite.

8. Say a mantra – Anything that is repeated. My pastor once mentioned “My soul glorifies the Lord” and I use that sometimes. Find words that you like.

9. Breathing – Focus on the count. Inhale for 7, exhale for 10. Where is your breath coming from? You midsection or your neck. Inhale down low and into your back.

10. Muscle tensing – Start at your toes and work your way up to your head. Tighten the muscles and then relax them…work your way to every area of the body.

11. Make sure your room is completely dark. Cover every light on your clocks, TV, devices. I use black electrical tape to cover a tiny blinking light on a fire detector and have room darkening shades.

12. Use visualization – Imagine an image like a tree or a bird. Think of all the details or lack of details. Is it crispy clear or blurry, far away or near, colors, shapes, what is in the background. Anything at all you – what do you see?

13. Avoid alcohol and caffeine – No caffeine after Noon, if you are very sensitive don’t have any at all and that includes chocolate. Skip the alcohol..period. Sugar might be bothersome to you as well, steer clear.

14. Write down your goals and your schedule for the next day. It’s helpful not to have to worry that you’ll forget something important. Planning the day frees your mind.

15. Remember that you require and deserve to sleep. Sleep is for everyone. You are not weak if you desire sleep. You are human. Even King David rested well. I say to myself “this is the time for sleep” or “I am meant to sleep at this time and do nothing else.” These phrases remind me to rest my brain.

I hope these tips help you!

We all know that exercise can make you look better, help you fit into your clothes better and get you stronger, but one of the most important and underrated benefits of exercise is its effect on your mental health.

…and after the past year we’ve all endured, mental health is more important than ever before.

Of course, physical health is important, too.

Exercise improves strength, bone density, cardiovascular health, hormone balance, blood sugar management, and more. It can also improve how you look in the mirror… and who doesn’t enjoy that?

However, check out what else exercise can do for you!

Studies show that as little as 15 minutes of exercise each day can reduce depression, anxiety and stress.

Have you ever felt so stressed out that you were kind of jittery? That’s when you know it’s time to go outside for a walk or run (instead of to the kitchen for chocolate.)

I bet you’ve noticed, too, that when you were in the dumps and you got up and moved, that you felt better.

After a year + of shutdowns, isolation and limited social interaction, we know that depression, anxiety and stress are at an all-time high.

Exercise can also improve your memory and self-esteem, boost your energy and help you sleep better.

The best part is that you don’t need to spend three hours at the gym to get all these benefits of exercise!

If you’ve been inactive for a while, start slow. With the weather getting warmer and the sun shining longer, you can start with something simple like a walk or bike ride.

If you have a park nearby, you can mix in some push-ups or stepping up to a bench (step-ups), or stop every hundred steps and do 10 squats.

The other great aspect of the emotional benefits of exercise is that you’ll get almost immediate gratification … whereas the improvements in your physical appearance take some time to show.

Finally, exercise is something you can do with a friend or significant other … so not only will you both benefit from the exercise itself, but you can’t beat the social interaction we’ve all been craving.

Hopefully, one of the positives to come out of the pandemic is that it made us recognize that exercise benefits both our bodies and our minds.

This is a great acronym to help you make informed decisions about eating.

Whenever you’re about to pop something in your mouth or you wonder into the kitchen and aimlessly open the refrigerator ask yourself “Am I…..”

H = Hungry

A = Angry

L= Lazy

T = Tire

S = Stressed

S = Social

By making a habit of using this acronym you will begin to become mindful of your eating habits and better able to make conscious choices that will empower you!