Jump!

...don't you love that word? it has so much lift and potential when you say it.....

Jump UP!
Jump IN!
Jump on board....

The word just makes me happy...
and if there was one word that described me, it would be jump (or jumper, if you'd prefer)

I have a tendency to be an impulsive girl.... I listen to my heart and I trust my gut.
I sense when things are right and I instinctively know when someone is being truthful to me....
Good, bad or otherwise, I have been known to JUMP!

Several years ago I jumped into a fitness program, sort of out of the blue. I felt fat, dumpy and completely out of control of my life. I'm not (and never will be) a runner and fitness videos just provided nice back drop music while I was folding clothes or baking something for dinner.
I knew I wasn't ever climbing out of my rut alone, so I joined a group fitness challenge.

It was an impulsive decision.... I had quit smoking 6 months earlier and had finally reached normal breathing capacity again... I had fresh tears streaming down my face as I drove out of the mall parking lot and I heard an ad on the radio..... I jumped.

Move forward 2 years... I was feeling good about myself, coaching and teaching and living the life as a stay at home mom. I had been bitten by the "need to do more" bug. I had climbed as high as I could climb at the gym I was working at and decided I wanted to do things my way..... flash forward a couple of months and several conversations and ....I jumped.

As a new business owner- the first franchisee of Goals in Motion Fitness Studio, I was on top of the world. I was convinced (and still am) I have the best job ever. People, who dislike themselves,  come in to see me, sign up and make amazing transformations in a short period of time. All we have to do is share good nutrition, hard sweaty workouts, a little love and  a crack of the whip once in a while and our challengers do the rest. CrAzY things can happen in 9 weeks when you're focused!!

Move along steadily for a couple of years....build amazing friendships, help people cure their own bodies with good nutrition and exercise, change locations and I jumped! right into a new phase.......

where did I land this time??? smack dab in the middle of a crazy exciting time in the history of nutrition.....
I am about to begin coaching a dozen people in the midst of a 3000+ people run with Venice Nutrition, to prove to the world that blood sugar stabilization and movement is really all it takes to live your best life.
I've jumped on the band wagon and drank the Kool-Aid, because I believe in what we do....
There's no need to give up food groups... no need to exercise 3 hours a day.... no need to be hungry.

Eat in 3's, every 3-4 hours, move some every day, drink some water and get a little sleep....
It's that simple friends....

you should jump too.

Give me a boost .....

... then I'll give you a hand.
working together- that's what we do at Goals.

I'm feeling the way I always feel at the end of a 9 week session.......
I can't really tell you what "that feeling " is.
I'm happy. and excited. and so damn proud.
proud sounds like a mom word..... so maybe it's not the right word- but it's the one that keeps popping into my chest and making it hard to breath, as the emotion creeps up into my throat, making it hard to swallow until the tears finally push up, hard enough to escape.....
So, maybe proud IS the word....

A large percentage of this challenge group has remained engaged, in spite of being "resolution challengers"...they haven't let their enthusiasm fade or their discipline waiver..... some are still journaling to their coaches~ 9 weeks after they began! Others have "gotten it" enough to trust themselves..... most are hitting classes with energy and determination.
I hope that they have found their place...I hope they stay with me. Not because of obvious business reasons, but because they've become a part of me.....

No job in the world is better than mine....
what is it you do? some may ask...
Most people think I run a Boot camp.... a place for people to come sweat and talk and lift and hit things, and talk a bit about food.
But really,  I run a "BOOST" camp......I run a gym that cares....
You see people come in from all kinds of different backgrounds and experiences....some are athletes and others are active, but honestly, most of the people who come play with us haven't worked out in years. They don't like to look in my eyes when we meet and they are uncomfortable with the pictures.....
and then we push and pull and critique, but most importantly, we understand.
........... because we've all been there.

My coach/instructor team is amazing! They are a group of passionate people who were bitten by the "feel good" bug when they challenged and wanted to share!!
.......so after we push and pull and critique....we love and care and share our own stories. We lift people up... give them a hand.....
It makes things real and it makes things happen.....

Congratulations to the latest group of 9 week challengers.... you did a great job!
xoxo

grace....

I've lived a pretty awesome life...
I've encountered joy far more than than sorrow.
I was nurtured by my parents and grandparents.
I had teachers who were truly called to their profession.
I've connected with friends who have been able to read my thoughts.
I've felt ultimate and instant eternal love with each sons' first cry.
I've experienced passion with those who could reach my heart.
I've met some pretty amazing people....

Recently I've started in an online guided workshop focusing on the psychology of change. I thought it would be helpful as I work with our members, especially those who seem to yo-yo or give up on their goals too quickly. I thought it would be as easy as learning some tips and tricks to help identify why we do what we do and why can't we change those things in our life that keep us from our goals.
The information provided has been basic and well researched and the assignments have been simple. What I didn't realize is how much I would learn about myself and how I would learn to identify the impact that others have on my life.

In a recent assignment, I was asked to identify 3-5 heroes in my life. Now, if I'd been in a big room full of people in a seminar setting, I would have hurriedly listed the obvious...mom, dad, grandpa, etc....
Surprisingly, as I sat back in the comfort of my home and really thought about it, I realized I am indebted to all of those people beyond measure and I will love them til the day I die, but others rose to the top of my list as heroes.
A hero is defined as:
1. a person of courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities
2. A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal
After I compiled my list, I had the names of a couple of family members and close friends written down~ no super stars or politicians made my list!
Next, I was asked to write words that came to mind as I thought of each person.
Similar words came to mind for each of them....caring, loving, laughing, strong, accepting, engaged.
The next part of the assignment involved identifying how I would like to be remembered~what words would I like to hear if I could listen to others talk about me after I had passed.... caring, inspire...mom.
As I compiled my list of words, I was to find one "all-encompassing" word that would be mine.... something to hold on to when things got tough. A word that would represent all that is good in myself and my heroes. A word that would bring my world back into focus.
I thought about the men and woman on my list. I thought of who I would like to be, even on my worst day.....
  loving
    laughing
      strong
        caring
          mom
            inspired
              accepting
                friend.......... grace
Grace.... my word. It encompasses those who made my list and it is who I want to be....
so, what did I do??
I googled it!! and I found this:

"Elegance is a glowing inner peace.

Grace is the ability to give as well as receive and be thankful"

~C.Joybell C.                                    

AND......

 

"The grace of God means something like:

Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because

the party wouldn't have been complete without you"

                                                                ~Frederick Buechner

 

What will I do with this? Who knows....  I love working with people. I love watching them to learn to love themselves again. I'd like to take the work I currently do and expand it to families and kids.

I like the fact that I've been invited to the party and I'd like to make a difference before I leave.

 

I like my word~ all that it is and all that it will come to be....

 

                                                                                       

 

 

Jump....

The New Year always seems to bring new plans, new ideas and new promises....
Here we are, in week 4 and I wonder how many resolutions are still intact.
How many people have walked away from promises they made to themselves or to other accountability partners? How many are still rockin it??
Living an active life with exercise and clean eating takes some serious planning, even if you were raised that way. It's really quite unrealistic to think "Tomorrow is a new day. I'll give up ________ for the rest of my life". And yet MILLIONS of people try to do it every year. Why is January 1 so special??
Wouldn't it be nice if once a month (or once a week) we had "jump day"? A day where publicly we had a chance to say "I'm finally ready to make a change...cheer for me, support me and hold me accountable!"
A problem I see frequently, in my job, is that people feel they've failed when their
resolution changes or when they detour off the planned route. Often they "jump" before they really think about the potential outcomes of their new way of life and the impact it will have on those around them. They try to completely renovate their way of life, without fully thinking through the process.
It takes a great deal of knowledge gathering and planning to make life-altering changes and to be successful at doing it long term. Frankly, you have to be ready if you want it to stick long term.
You also have to surround yourself with a support system and be willing to walk away from people or places that pull you back in to old habits.
In an interview this morning, I was asked why group fitness seems to work well for so many people.
I explained that we offer a great exercise program with an emphasis on clean eating, but that it's the people who make a difference at Goals. It's the coaches and instructors.... the maintenance members and challengers who make it a great place to be.
Someone is watching for you...... someone who cares.
Someone's waiting.....
Pick YOUR day~ all you have to do is jump.
Spring or stumble, we'll be there.....

having the best....

...job in the world is pretty awesome.

Public views of personal trainers and coaches is very glamorous. It must be amazing to work a job that makes people feel better about themselves! But it's not all about pretty people and six-pack abs. And it's certainly not all about the scale.
Most of the people who come in to Goals in Motion want to lose weight or tone. But what I've witnessed over the last few years is that as the pounds drop off and the muscle starts to appear they gain so much more....
Just this week, when I was teaching class, I noticed a couple of people who are suddenly so much more fit  and strong~ they stood out amongst a sea of hardworking bodies the other day in class...

C, V and A have broken down the barriers of negativity and self-doubt. They've lost enough weight and toned enough to be able to look in a mirror and feel beautiful again. As a coach, it's easy to see the moment they cross over... they walk in wearing fitted work clothes and they trade in baggy t-shirts for athletic wear. They pick up heavier weights and they have a focused look as they watch themselves execute lifts properly in the mirror. Off the floor, they smile freely and share ideas and encouragement with the other ladies around them.

P, M and W are men who have "caught the bug". They have a determined look as sweat flows freely down their faces and puddles beneath them as they plank. They are men who have not only changed the shape of their bodies but their way of thinking. They are active outside of Goals and as fathers they work hard to set a healthy example for their kiddos every day. Each one of them has a sparkle in their eyes that I don't remember being their on day 1.

But after we help them push back the ghosts of shame and self-loathing, many of my clients are still faced with the demons of age and disease. Many of them have to lose weight for reasons that are so much more critical than a new dress or a smaller belt....

My friends J joined Goals with his wife. I still remember the day they walked in to ask about the program. He quizzed me about supplements and powders. He didn't want to be pushed to buy anything extra. His wife was quiet and let him do the talking. It was apparent to me that he needed to convince himself he could get through the 9 weeks but it was equally apparent that he was ready to change. What I didn't know at our initial meeting was that he was a Type II diabetic. J and his wife joined the 9 week challenge and both work hard. They responded to their coaches and focused on food as much as exercise.
Below is a snippet of a couple of emails he's sent over the last 6 months...
In July.....

"My results on 3/26/12 my average daily glucose was 252 and my A1C score was 9.3. The standard A1C is 4.8-6.0

 My results on 7/16/12 my average daily glucose was 114 and my A1C score was 5.6. This is lower than it has ever been."

and just this week....

 "Hey Team - Just met with my doctor. My last med is a combo drug with 2 different active ingredients - so we are dropping one of the meds and meeting again in March. Only one left to get rid of and I will be med free."

 

Or there is D. She joined way back in 2010. I thought it was to just lose some of those young mom pounds (you know the ones, the "I don't have time for anything but my family and my job pounds")!! 

The following is a part of an email I received from her at the end of her challenge....

"I also found out some great news at the dr on Tues and had to share it with you. I've been a patient... for about 15 years now -- I had inappropriate tachycardia which meant that my heart often started racing without any real physical exertion or reason. I was diagnosed when I was just out of college and at the time I started medication my resting (RESTING) heart rate was 125. Its a condition that people typically outgrow by 30, but for some reason I never did. I was able to workout throughout those 15 years but always had to do so on the medication. I got better over the years and got my resting heart rate down to 105 but never much lower than that (without meds).

Well, I went for my checkup on Tuesday. She had allowed me to take the challenge without medication and see how it went. If it got to be a problem I would just start taking it again -- no big deal. (Working out on medication that suppresses your heartrate was always difficult for me and often left me light headed- and I hated it) The first week or so was hard, but I made it -- without meds. When I had my EKG on Tues, my resting heartrate was 80 without medication!! She was AMAZED and even shouted in the hallway....."

 

Pretty awesome stuff, huh??
These people are just a small representation of who I get to work with every day....
Are you jealous??
Lol!! You should be!! There's nothing better in the world than being reminded that what we do everyday makes a difference.

Thanks to everyone who helps me by coaching or instructing or supporting Goals. There's not any part of it I could do myself and I love you all.....

I'm very thankful that I'm able to have the best job in the world!

dreams......

...change over time don't they? Both the daydreams we create in our minds and also the ones that creep into our subconscious as we drift off to sleep. It seems the outside world has more to do with them than we might think.

When I was younger and an athlete, all I could dream about was being the best. It's all I worked for and all I thought about. I surrounded myself with people who could make it happen and every night competition seemed to seep into my sleep.

I don't recall having many sleeping dreams as a teenager.... I worked too much and played too hard- once my head hit the pillow, my brain must have needed to shut down and take a break from me!!
I did however have daydreams about my future and how certain people would play a part in my life.

Once I became a young mother, all of my dreams, sleeping and otherwise, were focused on the health and well being of the boys. I remember watching them play and wondering who they would become.
I remember waking up in the middle of the night, from vivid dreams of the boys, in panic....why haven't they woken up?  why are they awake?  why didn't I hear them come home?

Eventually, I reached the dangerous "all about me stage of my life". I'm sure many of you can relate...
it's that time when you decide, I'm tired of being fat and tired and responsible for everyone and everything in my life. My daydreams turned to making myself healthy and beautiful (and sometimes to finding someone to kidnap me and take me to a magic kingdom where I wouldn't have to work or think if I didn't want to!!). My night dreams disappeared again, because I was running at 100 mph and trying to get in all the life I had missed for so many years.

So that brings me to now... I've been worried over the last few months about Goals. Don't misunderstand, everything is fine at the studio, but I always worry about being enough in an saturated industry. I've met with some of my coaches and instructors to brainstorm ways to be even better than we already are.... my daydreams are filled with possibilities and my sleep is filled with "what ifs"

Yesterday, however,  was a great day. I woke up early and felt well rested. I taught a kickboxing class the night before, in my dreams (scary huh?) and one of the sets stuck in my head- it worked like a charm. My 4:55am class was awesome. The room was full and they stepped up and worked out hard like they always do! I came home after class to eat and get some work done. When I was on Facebook posting some pictures from our Holiday 5K a friend, who is a Goals member, popped into my chat with a link about a young girl who had lost an incredible amount of weight. The story was amazing and reinforced my belief that we need more programs for kids and families who struggle with exercise and healthy eating. Suddenly my brain darted off in a different direction. My day was filled with ideas and planning. I got to workout with a new member- a fit teenager, who ROCKED the bag!! As I showed her each new punch, I thought about how awesome it would be to have more teens and families with smaller kiddos at Goals. Dinner prep involved dreams of GIM family potlucks and my sleep involved an indoor game of Hoover Ball in the kickboxing studio.

Today will be incredibly busy. I have several meetings to attend. I get to tour the new high school with my fellow school board members and the builders and I get to teach a couple of classes. I'll wrap up the night meeting with State Legislators about educational priorities before they go into session.
If you see me today and I look distracted, don't worry... in the midst of my busy day,  it's just the dream wheels turning

Today.....

I'm a facebook fan.
I love "watching" the activity in my friends lives and I love the opportunity to
connect with like minded people through different business and blog pages.
There is a page I like a lot because the people writing and researching the posts think
like I do.... They are matter-of-fact, scientifically based, no BS kinds of people. The page is Metabolic Effect and a recent post caught my eye and I "clicked to read more".....

"If you don't get results following a "program" whose fault do you think that is? Is it the fault of the program or is it your issue? The answer to this question tells you almost everything you need to know about yourself and the chances of success at body change....." ~ME

Initially, it irritated me. Why would someone say that to a client? Why would you encourage them to move on???
I spend hours every week helping people change not only their bodies but also the way they live. I know that anyone can  lose weight, become more physically fit and improve their overall health if they are willing to exercise and eat healthy. I also spend hours wondering how many people will stay committed to the Goals program and how many will sign up for the next 9 week Challenge. I meet with Mardi and Sandy and some of my coaches to talk about ways we can be "more".
But as I re-read the ME post a few things became clearer to me...
I know...

~ It's simply not possible to begin an exercise/eat clean program and not lose weight
~ It is possible for ANYONE to participate in the programs we offer at GIM
~ It has to "fit" in your life
~ You have to be ready to change

I also know....

that includes me.

I jumped on the Challenge bandwagon with the rest of the group 4 weeks ago. While I was away on a mini vacation this weekend, my fellow challengers went through mid-point testing. They "checked in" with the scale and body comp machine and they timed their push-ups and sit-ups. Several had some great results! Some had decent results and some are kind of where they started.

Where am I?? In the middle group. I'm down 10 pounds from my start, but I know it could be more.
I know better than to blame the program, but like so many others I continue to fall into an "all-or-nothing" rut. Week one, I worked out 7 times and walked- and hurt my back. So, week 2, I took it easy and week 3 easier and week 4 went on vacation........
I've eaten as I always do (clean) but, without the discipline of workouts and a "wine free social calendar", I haven't had the results I'd like.

So.... do I change my goals? Do I make a stupid and drastic move & cut nutrient groups out of my diet? Do I go crazy on a treadmill?

NO!!!

Back to the basics for me. Today is my Monday. All day long.... and so is tomorrow and the day after that....

"Not getting results? Then change. Confused? Then figure it out. Don't blame the program, blame yourself. If you are blindly following a program without adjusting to your needs along the way, then it's not the program's fault, it's your own. Go ahead and follow another program if you wish, but chances are until you learn this lesson it too will fail you." ~ME

I've written my grocery list, planned meals in my head and my workouts on my calendar.
So, how is this different than it was before? How do I know it will work this time??
I put a backup plan in place in case I decide to sleep in or a meeting runs longer than it should.....
I have two workouts scheduled- EVERY DAY
I want this, I need this.....

Today is my Monday, how about you?