Fall seems to be in full swing...

It seems as though fall is in full swing. School is underway and we are settling back into routine.  What is your routine? Does it include better habits?

Seems as though stepping back into routine can sometimes be an eye opener or rude awakening.  There are some aspects in life that we let slip from time to time and before long we find ourselves realizing just how far we have slipped.  This can be very discouraging.  You look back at how far you have come and how hard you worked to get there and in a matter of weeks it seems like you closed your eyes and BAM you are back to square one.  How does this happen? And why does it happen to me over and over, don’t I ever learn? Truth is you always learn, you learn from your triumphs and from your mistakes.  One of the hardest things for me to learn or accept on this journey is the fact that it is never going to be easy and I am never going to finish.  Sounds pretty dismal doesn’t it? I guess you could look at it another way…I eventually will finish when my time in this body is over.  I have two choices I can take care of my body with some hard effort and enjoy my trip to the finish or I can take the easy way, abuse my body and feel miserable on the trip to the finish.  Ever notice how that miserable feeling tends to accompany the realization that we have slipped and reverted back to our less healthy habits?  It takes just as much time and effort to beat yourself up and feel sorry for yourself as it does to make the decision and take action to build yourself up to a better you.  Think about it…how much time in a day would you say you spend down grading yourself? Oh I could have done better at that…That was stupid why did I do that…Look at yourself you look so fat in those jeans.  Who hasn’t said at least one of those things to themselves? Think about how much different you would feel if you said or did something positive for yourself every time you would typically say or do something negative. 

I want to share something that Cindy Paul shared with me last fall…

“I liked my old body, you know the one that didn’t complain or rebel when asked to do something. So the first of July I started on my journey to better health.  It was getting to the point of almost not having enough strength to lift my own body weight.  Getting the groceries up 4 steps and into the house was getting hard to do.  My love of gardening was becoming a chore. I was overweight and miserable.”

Cindy had two choices here, she could either beat herself up for getting to this point or she could take action and do something about it.  Here is what she chose.

“I set a goal of losing 20 pounds by February. I have lost 15 by the end of November. I started out on the treadmill with no incline and hanging on for dear life. The weight machines were scary. I started with the least amount of weight to lift. I dreaded them. Now I look forward to pushing my body to pick up the next level of weights and giggling to myself when I can.

Happiness is actually fitting comfortably into my clothes again. I still have a ways to go to reach my goal but it is within reach now.”

                                                                                                30 Nov 2011 – Cindy Paul

Cindy ended with thanking Your Life Fitness.  Truth is I should be thanking her because it is with great pleasure that I can be here to witness and share with people their amazing triumphs.  We often think that success is measured with money and material things.  In fact when starting Your Life Fitness I was in search of financial freedom and to be my own boss, both aspects are great but the pleasure I have encountered assisting others make changes and being successful on their journey (yes both ups and downs) is worth more than anything I can take to the bank.

What is your choice this week are you going to dwell on your mistakes and misfortune or are you going to take action and get your life back? Only you can decide…

Plus Size Only Gym - Yeah or Neah?

The first I heard of this was in an article I recently read and as it turns out they are pretty wide spread.  I can see both sides of this but I strongly lean to the neah.  The qualification to be a member of a plus size gym is that you must have 50 pounds or more to lose. I have been on both sides of this fence.  I may be an oddball but my feelings of self-conscious lead me to group classes.  Being from Lenox the option of belonging to a gym meant 5^th hour gym vs. study hall.  Exposure to the gym atmosphere was not high.  Of course we could always use the weight room at school but talk about self-conscious! High school – when you think that how you compare your peers is the most important thing in life.  My experience started when I graduated college and moved to Des Moines, a co-worker and I joined the YMCA, for something to do. Yes I do laugh at the irony now, imagine someone from a town of 1400 moving to the city and didn’t have anything to do.  Anyway I did not shop around, at that point in my life I am not so sure I would have known what I was looking for and the YMCA was pretty close to where I worked.  I would say that this was my first experience of the “gym” atmosphere of weight machines and treadmills.  I think a lot of my discomfort came from inexperience and not knowing what to do more than what people thought of my body even though I was not comfortable in my own skin.  I was more worried about looking like an idiot because I didn’t know how to work a machine.  What did I do? I hid in group classes.  I know to most that doesn’t make sense but all I had to do was follow what everyone else was doing.  Although I am sure many of my moves were quite different I felt I “fit in” more because I didn’t have to try to figure out what to do.  This is the part of the plus size gym that I understand, the part of fitting in with people.  But there are so many things, important things that you would miss from being in a gym with diversity.  I am going to touch briefly on three points, motivation, acceptance and encouragement.

Motivation – There are people at every level in a gym.  When you are at starting level you can look to someone who has been there for a couple months for motivation to stick with it and look where you can be.  When you get to the next level you become the motivator but you still have the drive to keep pace with your newfound support group.

Acceptance – I think a huge step in your journey is to accept that you are you and you don’t have to be just like everyone else. Think about it if you remember your turning point or even watching shows like The Biggest Loser so many of the turning points start with acceptance.  Putting words to my point of acceptance… you have to be able to say “to hell with you and what you might think of me I am doing this for ME” After all so many times we get to this point by covering up what it really is that bothers us. Our “setbacks” could be a lot less drastic if we would just accept what it really is and deal with it.  What you think others see in you is often what you see in yourself turn that around and accept this is where you are but then make the changes you see fit.

Encouragement – Once you get started in a gym and you see the great changes you are making it is motivating to me to encourage others. And I also get encouragement from others to keep going.  It really does become a support system and this is going to sound funny but even if you see the same people but never actually talk to them it is still encouraging.  When I moved to Des Moines I didn’t know anyone or know how to get around.  The gym to me became my friendly place and I didn’t even take away friendships from there but just the thought of familiar at that point is exactly what I needed and the people became familiar. I suppose any of these arguments could go the other way also but isn’t the stereotyping what makes us uncomfortable in the first place?

So I guess plus size, skinny, muscle bound or string bean I think the atmosphere at the gym is the most important thing and you will find where you feel comfortable.  You have to do what is best for you because after all, this journey is about you.

New book to read!

I saw a book on the Good Morning America show that I cannot wait to read.  It is called Fit2 Fat 2Fit by Drew Manning.  Drew is a natural fitness junkie and personal trainer who had never been overweight in his life.  He felt that in order to really help his clients meet their goals he needed to be able to understand what it was like for them.  So for 6 months he “let himself go” he stopped exercising and ate the typical American diet of fast and processed foods.  He gained 75 pounds in the 6 months!  The interesting part is that he documented his journey.  On the GMA show I enjoyed hearing him and his wife talk about the unexpected emotional changes they both experienced and I look forward to reading about them in his book.  In my opinion, one thing that is most often missed on the weight loss journey is the emotional changes.  So many times you don’t even realize your own emotional state let alone someone else’s battle.  Just like Drew, he had never experienced the battle of weight loss and had no idea what his clients were trying to overcome.

The emotions are something you can talk and talk about but until you really experience the journey it is hard to truly believe the difference you feel when you make positive changes.  You may also think “then why is it so easy to slip backwards?”  My thoughts on that are we so often stand in our own way.  Subconsciously we don’t believe we are worth it, we have spent so much time feeling fat and lazy that we have to rebuild that self-esteem to know that we deserve to feel this way.  I remember when I first started Weight Watchers I had attended 2 meeting at two different times trying to decide if it was for me and if it was worth the money.  The second meeting I was sitting there after class waiting to talk to the presenter and someone came up to me and I started talking about trying to make my decision when she just looked at me and said “Aren’t YOU worth it?” I had never really thought about it that way, that night I decided I was in deed worth it and I joined WW to lose 30 pounds!  Sometimes the best advice is so small and you just have to read between the lines.  A few of the little pieces of advice that have hit home for me are “Aren’t you worth it?” “Quit sabotaging yourself!” and “Accept it and move on.”  The last one came at an inappropriate yet perfect time.  There are so many things in life that we dwell on when in fact we cannot move on until we just accept it.  That may be the first step in your journey, accepting what and where you are in life and accepting that you are ready to change or move on.  This can take us all the way back to the first article of my journey “No Excuses” If you are still making excuses you have not accepted your reality.

 I can’t wait to read this and share some of Drew’s lessons.

On a side note!  I have added a new line of products at Your Life Fitness. It Works! Has a line of supplements, skin care, and body wraps to tighten, tone and firm in just minutes!  Some people have already had great results, stop in and try some! You can also check out the product line on my website at https://cordell.myitworks.com/

It is all a matter of perspective…

In every journey there are set backs or obstacles. But are they really setbacks?  I have had some changes in my life lately that I have been dwelling on as a set back in my journey.  I keep telling myself that everything happens for a reason but can’t seem to really wrap my head around it.  This week some quotes seem to be lingering in my head: “It’s all a matter of perspective” and “Change your thoughts, Change your world.”   We will be expanding our family this fall, while I am not a well organized and planned out person I do like to plan the big things in life and this surprise has thrown me for a loop!  It is all a matter of perspective. I have been stuck on all the ways that my days are going to get more demanding and I have forgot to see the blessing this brings.  I don’t know what I would do without my kids and I am sure that it won’t be long before I cannot imagine myself without the three of them.  I have been so stuck that someone walked by me on the street the other day and said congratulations and honestly for a minute I seriously wondered what she was talking about.  It is time to change my perspective. 

Whether the change in your journey is a pregnancy, an injury, a career change or whatever it may be it is only a negative change if we allow it to be.  After all, our entire journey is all about change, right?  Thoughts and perspective are not something that can change overnight, however sometimes we do have that one moment that it is like a light bulb comes on over your head and you can see through the fog.  We have to realize that we create that fog and maybe with practice the fog will get less and less.  Every so called obstacle that comes our way is an opportunity we just have to stay clear minded to be able to see what that opportunity may be.

There is an app on Facebook called God Wants You to Know, it sends you messages and sometimes it happens to really fit your day.  Today happens to be one of those days, I just took a break from writing this and looked at my message, this is what it said:

“On this day of your life, we believe God wants you to know ... that when events happen which seem catastrophic, it is not only possible, but very important for you to allow yourself to come to a place of calmness.

Panicking serves no one - not yourself, not the people who are suffering, and not the planet. Allow yourself to trust that there is a larger purpose and that it may not be necessary for you to know that purpose at this time. Allow yourself to have faith that ultimately, all will be well.”

 I thought it fit this article well and wanted to share.  So whatever it is that you feel is standing in your way it is time to change your perspective and welcome the opportunity.  It only remains as an obstacle as long as you let it.  You may feel that an injury takes away your ability to stick with your exercise routine when it may just be an opportunity to find your ability to do something different.

Healing from inside out…

My journey tends to focus a lot on weight loss but also a lot on fixing myself mentally.   Although I have changed a lot mentally I still tend to forget that there are people on this journey that are facing the same struggles from different angles.  Imagine if you will that you are 5’10” and weigh 99 pounds…many of you like me look at this scenario and think “wouldn’t that be great”.  Most of us are well aware that this ratio is just as unhealthy as being 5’10” and weighing 299 pounds.  However imagine you were the 99 pounds again and you still felt that you were fat, whenever you look in the mirror you see the 299 pounds.  It is very hard to imagine how this would feel when it is more typical to struggle the other way.  When really this feeling is probably about the same, it is about being unhappy with your body image no matter what the size difference.  What I find different about this is the support system is hard to find. Everyone is trying to lose weight its just what we do.  When you could stand to lose a few you hear the snickering in the background about the fat girl/guy, have you ever stopped to imagine this from the “skinny person”?  You see the 99-pound person with a strenuous exercise routine and shopping the diet and health food and you think seriously? You have got to be kidding me why on earth would this person be here?  Do you stop to think that this person is just as unhappy with their body as you or maybe even more so? I typically don’t I am to busy thinking about myself and how great I think it would be to need to gain weight and that I am jealous and disgusted that this person can’t be happy with themselves.  But isn’t that really where we all are? A while back I wrote an article “Stop trying to be Skinny”, this is a prime example of when in our mind skinny just keeps getting smaller the closer we get.  So who is to blame? You know we always want to blame someone, society maybe?  Sure it is plastered everywhere…TV, magazines, the Internet etc.  Truth is it doesn’t matter whose fault it is that we think this way, we are the only ones who can change it.  This has to be changed from the inside out and just like I have said before with your health, when you get your vitals in line the weight will follow, when you start believing in yourself and feeling good about yourself the rest will follow.  I feel like I have made huge strides in this area.  I am not exactly sure what did it for me or when I started feeling good about my body.  If I think about it the part that makes me proud is that I have some muscle definition and I have never thought of myself with muscle definition.  No I am not talking like body builder type, I am talking if I flex my bicep it actually changes shape.  Does this mean that is what will work for everyone? NO. A lifting routine is a good idea for everyone just because the fact is that as we age our bodies lose muscle mass naturally.  Positive thinking could be a huge step for you…each morning instead of looking at your body and pointing out what you feel is flawed, tell yourself at least three things you like about your body.  Eventually this will come easier and maybe even happen with out thought.

Next time you see the “fat” or “skinny” person that may be struggling with image offer some encouragement and not judgment, you could be just what they need to get started on a road to confidence and happiness.  Even if that person is looking at you from the mirror.

Working out sucks, sometimes…

I get the motivation for this topic from a couple of things I read today.  One was an article titled “Working Out Sucks, Sometimes” and the other was a quote “I don’t workout because I hate my body, I workout because I love it!”  The article “Working out Sucks, Sometimes” caught my eye because it was in a Club Solutions magazine.  Now I don’t know about you but when I saw this I thought now how in the world is that going to help my business?  So of course I had to find out!  This article made me feel like we relate a little more, kind of like I hope my blog helps you feel not so alone on this journey.  The guys from the Club Solutions office workout 4-7 days a week in gyms to research content for their magazine, still I am a little curious where this is going.  I also workout 4 days a week and I just want everyone to love exercise.  Then it started sinking in, even the most avid athletes and exercisers hate to workout sometimes…so what keeps them going?  For me I have made it my job with the fitness classes, even when I don’t feel like it I have others expecting me, I don’t have a choice so to speak.  That contradicts a belief of mine that no matter what you always have a choice, the options may not be great but you ALWAYS have a choice.  But with this maybe I should say my choice is obvious.  But when I don’t have a class 4 days a week, where does the motivation come from to not opt for a cold beverage and a lounge chair when the weather is fantastic? Or a blanket and a book when it is not so fantastic?  I believe I found the answer to this question before I even had the question.  It’s the little things!  We were talking as we were stretching after a workout class and the topic came up about changes you notice after you have been in the routine of working out.  On Monday the common feeling is “Man why did I do that this weekend” but by Tuesday it turns to the changes.  I can now sit on the floor with my feet together out in front of me and reach my toes, this may be easy to some but it is something I have not been able to do and even though there is still margin for improvement I can do it!  A couple of other things that came up include, being able to bend over and tie your shoes without propping your foot up on a chair, or being able to curl up on the couch into a ball and still be able to breathe, and feeling strength that you thought was gone because of age.  This is what keeps you going back it is not the constant lecture that you need to exercise it’s the little everyday things like walking up the steps without getting winded or keeping up with the kids or grandkids.  So how do you get to the point where the second quote comes true, “I don’t workout because I hate my body I workout because I love it” This could possibly be the biggest obstacle and one of the most important to overcome.  Honestly I started my “diets” for this reason, no not because I loved it but because I hated my body.  When I started my journey I started to realize that it’s not about being skinny or the perfect body shape and that I really do enjoy being active.  Another difference is when I would start a “diet” I could always see the end and it didn’t result in the perfect body…I was not a believer, I hoped but didn’t believe.  On my journey there isn’t an end except for the inevitable and I believe that is a long road ahead and I am going to enjoy it!  This isn’t a point you are going to reach after a couple of visits to the gym or a couple walks around town…it takes time but you have to push past the negative and look for the positive.  The best tip I can give is that you have to find something you enjoy and you will eventually find so many more things you enjoy because you have discovered that you CAN! 

Here are a few reasons that I enjoy the gym:

·        The equipment – most common at home you have one piece of equipment and I get bored easy so it is easier for it to become a clothes rack.

·        I am going – we live in a society on the go, for me it is easier if I have to go somewhere, at home there are always other things that need done or a couch calling my name.

·        The people – this is probably the biggest for me I love the people and knowing I am not alone.  Sometimes I like to put my headphones on with just me in my bubble but I still know they are there and other times I like to chitchat it makes the time go by faster.  I don’t get out much this is my social hour. J Also, if I have a down day lacking motivation there is a good chance someone else is not and I borrow some motivation.

·        Its like family – the members have become like family it’s the sense of belonging.

You can learn a lot from a 4 year old…

If you ever want to check yourself a bit on what you are eating go hang out with a preschooler.  Cade has been learning about healthy eating and what is good and bad in our diets.  They call them healthy food and sometimes food.  Well let’s just say it seemed at the time that we were eating a lot of sometimes food.  I felt like every time he asked if this is sometimes food or healthy food I was answering with sometimes food. 

We often look at a Healthy Cookbook and think that sounds great but my family won’t eat that.  While that is sometimes true I think a lot of times it is in our head more than the family.  Take Cade and I for instance, we were in the grocery store one day and Cade asked if he could get a snack, my thoughts went right to something like cookies, when I said I suppose he responded with, “could you help me find a healfy snack like yogurt or something?”  At that point I was almost ashamed and very glad that I did not mention what was on my mind.  How often do we change their thoughts with our habits?  When I think about this I go straight to thinking about childhood obesity, so many of us think there is nothing we can do but we are supplying their food.  If we don’t buy it they can’t eat it and if we just take time to listen to them before speaking our thoughts they might just make the better choice.

All of this also makes me think of what I am eating and choices I make.  I was all set to share a cookie that day and thanks to Cade we had yogurt instead.  And every time I have the answer of “sometimes food” it makes me stop and think.  While even healthy foods need to be portion controlled there are many things that aren’t terrible but I would still consider them sometimes food.  There are also ways to make the sometimes food a little better and sometimes it is the little changes that make a big difference.  I have a Healthy Cooking Class this Thursday at 6pm that is going to discuss just that.  As I was talking about the Healthy Cookbooks earlier, it is often the case that the ingredients are something you haven’t heard of or it is almost impossible to find in our area.  This class is going to focus on making over your favorites.  This class is open to the public the cost is $10 for non-members and $5 for members.

So while I think I have been doing a pretty good job at watching what I eat Cade is definitely keeping me on my toes.  Maybe we need to just stop and think like a 4 year old.  Also hats off to Precious People Staff for teaching some great lessons!