Over the past month I have experienced both highs and lows, stresses and anxiety. I watched as a wonderful, giving man was laid to rest, learned that cancer has once again taken a family member hostage , and learned of an innocent baby fighting for a chance at life. All of these events have had an impact on me and have forced me to step back and take a look at my own priorities. Life will always throw us challenges and try to knock us off our games... break our spirit so to speak and at the very least force us to put things in perspective. Please use today to reflect on all the positives in your life. Hug your kids a bit tighter, tell the people who matter in your world just what they bring to your life, make your feelings known to the people you love and celebrate how fortunate you are to have your good health. Make choices everyday that will have a positive impact on how you live your life and the people who share your world. Do not blindly accept circumstances and make excuses if you are not living the life you deserve. Don't waste another day of your life doing a single thing that doesn't inspire you, motivate you or fill your life with joy and satisfaction.
Ordinary people who have achieved the extraordinary by never giving up and never losing sight of their goals. EVERYONE has the potential to do great things so NEVER give up on your dreams and goals!
I thought I would share a letter that was submitted to me recently from a client. I think many of you will relate to her story. Enjoy!
Just four short months ago.....I had one pair of jeans that fit! It was embarrassing to have just the one pair. I did a lot of laundry! Luckily.....it was summer.....so I also had a couple of pairs of "cruise wear" type pants which fit and which didn't look out of place.
Four months later....I have just one pair of jeans that fit! The difference between then and now? My previous pair was a size 14. My current pair is a size 8! I suppose you could say I have two pairs of jeans that fit.....as my size 10's fit comfortably loose.
I owe this incredible transformation to my personal trainer....Lisa Carpenter. I have actually been a client of Lisa's for over three years now. I began my journey with Lisa in 2004. However.....like any journey.....there were forks in the road.....and sometimes I went down the wrong path. So....I had to double back to the starting point and start all over again. Luckily....my inner navigational system has a lifetime warranty!
I began with a 12 week package. I worked out with Lisa once a week....and at the end of my 12 weeks.....I had lost an amazing 20 inches! One would think that would be motivation enough to keep it off! But of course....life hands you various challenges....and so I went back to see her in the spring of 2005. In four weeks....I firmed up enough and gained enough body confidence to make a public appearance which I was nervous about. Thinking that this time I could do it on my own....I headed off down the path again....determined to find my way!
In the spring of 2007....my weight was the largest it had ever been. I was so uncomfortable and miserable! I couldn't understand what I kept doing wrong! It seemed so easy on paper. Modified calories in...excess calories out....and the weight wouldn't be a problem! I actually had no problem with the calories out. I have always enjoyed exercise and was a regular participant at a local gym. In addition....I enjoyed long walks in the spring and summer when the weather was much too nice to stay indoors. However.....I did have a tendency to overeat.
Finally fed up with how I looked and felt....and with my weight at an all time high of 186....I went back to see Lisa. I was terrified because I could see down the path that 200 pounds was waiting for me!
This time....I commited to my weight loss efforts....vowing to see her as often as I could for as long as was necessary! I remembered a quote from Joan Rivers....a well known advocate of plastic surgery. "People go out and buy a new car....why not go out and buy a new face? I'd rather see a new face stepping out of an old car than an old face stepping out of a new car!". I had never forgotten that quote....and it had always made a lot of sense to me.
She was basically saying that a large majority of people have no problem "investing" in material things...in this analogy...a new car. Yet...spending money on yourself to improve your appearance was somehow frowned upon. Remembering this old anecdote...I realized that my problem was more than just "cosmetic". This excess weight was affecting my energy level, my short and long term health and yes....my appearance. I was not happy with the image I was projecting to the world. Realizing that my health, well being and appearance was worth the money, time and effort needed to live in a body I was comfortable in....I invested in seeing Lisa 2 to 3X per week. I was literally sick and tired of wrestling with my weight....and being mistaken for a Sumo wrestler wasn't that far off either!
It was the best investment I have ever made. And I have never looked better. I now have more energy....look more youthful....and the weight continues to come off consistently. What makes me so sure I am going to keep it off this time? After four months....I have learned so much more about proper nutrition.....something I never really took the time to learn before. I realize it takes time to retrain your eating habits....and to be kind to myself when I do slip up. My body has been completely reshaped with Lisa's workouts....and exercise is something I now crave daily. I mean real exercise.....a hard 40 minute cardio session or pushing myself to the limit when I'm in the gym.....walking just doesn't cut it for me anymore.
I also realized....as "chronic" dieters....why are we so hard on ourselves? It is impossible to go from eating the wrong foods and consuming large amounts of food to making healthy choices and controlling our portion sizes within a few days. We all know that newborns go through various stages in their dietary needs. From mothers milk....to baby food.....to solids....to their first real taste of cake for their second birthday. We are so patient and understanding of this time frame.....yet we expect ourselves to make parallel changes in only three weeks.
I enjoy working with Lisa because she tackles all facets of the weight loss issues with kindness and understanding. She works with you one on one to find a nutritional program that works for you. She guides you through the challenges one is faced with when dining in social situations and family entertaining. She provides challenging workouts which are constantly varied and interesting. I never know what I will be working on any given day. It may be a killer lower body workout....but it could also just as easily be a "gentler" core and ab workout....still extremely efficient. Whenever I do have any problems with my eating habits....she is quick to steer me back on track with a friendly "pep talk". I'm in my mid-40's.....yet I have seen clients ranging from 20 to 70 years old....all looking and feeling fantastic.
In my opinion....Lisa is the only trainer worth spending your money on....not to mention your time. With Lisa....you not only get an effective and efficient personal trainer.....you also get knowledge on nutrition, a life coach......and she rewards you with the most amazing, relaxing and thorough stretch when you're through! Anticipating her stretches has gotten me through many a tough hourly workout!
I am constantly thanking Lisa for helping me shed the pounds and inches. She always protests...."Don't thank me. You're the one doing all the work". But occasionally......we all need a hand to hold on our weight loss journey. She makes the trip fun, educational and inspirational. Do yourself a favour! If you've been struggling with your weight for 5, 10, 20 years or more....pack your bags now!
Your own personal journey awaits.....and at the end....a happier, healthier you! Besides....do you "really" need that big screen tv? -AP
A drop in the bucket Each day gives us a fresh start a new outlook and a clean slate. Take a moment every morning to review your goals. If you don't have your goals written down GET ON IT! It has been said the goals are dreams with deadlines... don't kid yourself people, without clear written goals you will soon find yourself drifting along with no destination in sight. Once you have established your goal you need to review it daily and decide what action you can take to help bring it that little bit closer. So often we get overwhelmed with the enormity of tasks that we just end up doing nothing and our buckets remain empty. I remember when my goals seemed an eternity away but as my friend Cara always says "we just have to keep moving forward". I find myself in a position now that allows for reflection on what a huge impact every small action had on my own personal & professional buckets. Now I don't and will never claim to perfect but I can tell you that over the course of 12 years I have gone from a diet of slurpees, microwave popcorn and cigarettes to a balanced life of health and fitness with a true passion to inspire change in others. I am quite sure my mother-in-law was horrified with my habits when I first entered her son's life. The reason for this confession you ask? I want you to understand that all these changes didn't occur overnight and I struggled with many of the same issues that each of you are faced with today. I changed my life by staying focused on where I wanted to be, taking steps in the direction I wanted to go. I also opened myself up to new experiences, learned a little (ok a lot!) more, surrounded myself with positive energy and welcomed new personalities into my life. I worked with people who inspired me to be better, pushed me to step outside of what was comfortable and grow as an individual. Today water is my drink of choice, popcorn is no longer considered a balanced meal and smoking is a thing of the past. My bucket is overflowing, and it is all because of the many drops of progress I made every day, every hour, every workout, every meal. So now I have many buckets lined up... each of them containing another goal, another dream. Start today and do something that will put that first drop in your own bucket and you will be realizing success before you know it. -LC
"When things go wrong as they sometimes will When the road you're trudging seems all up hill. When funds are low and the debts are high. And you want to smile, but you have to sigh. When care is pressing you down a bit. Rest, if you must, but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns. As everyone of us sometimes learns. And many a failure turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don't give up though the pace seems slow - You may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside out - The silver tint of the clouds of doubt. And you never can tell how close you are. It may be near when it seems so far: So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit It's when things seem worst that you must not QUIT. * Author unknown
"You have to run at full throttle to get off the ground" - Brain Tracy
How to fly an airplane Achieving a goal is tough... I don't care if it is a fitness goal, professional goal or personal goal. Making things happen and realizing success takes WORK. On a daily basis I work with men and women who want to achieve various fitness goals but I am only part of the success equation. I am the control tower providing them with all the information and tools they need to be cleared for take off in the direction of their fitness goals. So why is it that some people, even armed with all the tools they need for success never get off the ground?? I will use the analogy given by Brian Tracy to help make this clear to you. If an airplane were to coast down the run way never picking up speed would it ever get off the ground? When pursuing a goal we MUST tackle them at full throttle, be prepared to work hard and give it EVERYTHING we've got if we want to get off the ground. If you put in the hard work and focus at the beginning you will reach a new place of comfort or cruising altitude, realize your goal and everything else will fall into place. If you try to tackle your goals without any real determination and focus you might make progress but you will never really get off the ground. New habits are not created overnight, goals are not realize in a seconds and achievement never comes easy. So the question becomes are you ready to work full throttle and fly or are you going to continue down the runway at half speed forever? -LC
The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably in thought and act."
"Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage." - Alvce P Cornyn-Selby
I admit it... I struggle with putting things off that make me feel uncomfortable and force me to change. Launching my website and preparing these blog entries have been one of those things. Today I received an email from Dax Moy (www.daxmoy-pts.co.uk) that got me thinking. What really was the problem with writing these entries?
I realized that I was not inspired by the ideas that I was putting down on paper, nor did they even sound like me... I wasn't being true to myself or to my clients. The other problem was that I was trying to make my entries perfect and have them say just the right thing. Now how crazy was that? The reality was that I just needed to sit down and write my honest feelings and let each of you see who I am and what I am about. For everyone reading this I want you to realize that circumstances will never be perfect, the time will never be just right, perfection does not exist and if you are putting off something you should be doing you, are keeping yourself from achieving the excellence you deserve. Step through the fear and the possibilities and opportunities are endless! Have a fearless day! -LC
Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favourable do nothing. William Feather
