Last week I attended Hedley in concert, here at the Lethbridge Enmax Centre.  I know what you are thinking, but a.) I love Hedley and b.) I haven’t missed a concert of theirs since they played in a High School gym about 8 years ago for 50 people.  Here is the thing, I keep getting older and the girls that generally populate these concerts get younger and younger.  This concert sparked some interesting thought for me and naturally it has turned into my blog topic for this week. TA-DA!!!

The girls at the concert were predominately 8-15 years old, I would say.  The age these girls dressed and attempted to act was a whole other ball game.  My friend and I sat literally stunned by most of the girls that sat in and around our area.  They all seemed very concerned about being “hot” enough for lead singer, Jacob Hoggard.  Their topics of conversation were a lot about the way that other girls at school looked or dressed and boys.  I really had to jog my memory to try and remember what I was like around that age.  I am sure I had my fair share of less then attractive personality traits, but I seriously do not remember being worried about the size of my waist, hips or breasts.  I don’t remember wearing low cut shirts and miniskirts in public, and if I did I know one thing is for sure, I would never have been allowed to pass through my parents on the way out.   

I started wondering when this sort of body image insecurities hit kids.   Being a parent, I also want to arm myself with as much information as possible so that if when I am faced with situations like this I will know how to best handle them.  I don’t have a daughter, but I know that self image issues don’t just affect girls, boys have them too.  In fact, I have already experienced a bit of this with my four year old.  He plays soccer and while he is not the best kid on the team, he is definitely not the slowest or the worst either.  We play soccer because it is good exercise, he meets lots of new friends, and he likes it.  The other day after soccer, after giving Owen lots of high fives for his awesome effort, he seemed really sad so I asked him what was a matter and he says to me that he isn’t fast like the other boys...:( Whilst this isn’t directly related to his body image, it is a direct correlation to how he views himself when pinned against other kids and it does have to do with the way he feels about himself.  I just remember thinking that he was WAY too young to be so hard on himself and that I so badly just wanted soccer to be a fun activity not one that played on what he feels are his weaknesses.  Never-the-less I realize that these issues are real for both boys and girls, and they start YOUNG!

When dealing with self image situations it is important to think about where they stem from. As adults, and even more so our kids, are exposed to a lot of different media outlets in excessive amounts.  As adults we know that there is a great deal of motivation and high level marketing that goes into everything we see on TV, movies, magazines etc.  Kids may not be able to recognize this as easily.   Even as adults we fall for the things we see in the media, we want bodies like the girls on magazine covers, or legs like Victoria Secret models.  Imagine how kids feel when they see this everywhere they go!!

Helping your children to realize that who they are is more important than what they are.  Give your children compliments about their personality; how smart they are, how hard they tried at something, or how well behaved they are instead of compliments that focus on how they look on the outside. Focus your praise and how you judge their worthiness based on inner characteristics opposed to physical.  Share this video with them (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gD80jv5ZQ); teach them that not everything we see is what we think it is.  

Teach them about moderation, healthy eating and exercise instead of dieting.  Help to instil healthy habits in them right from the start.  Instil these habits so their bodies can grow to be strong and healthy, not sexy and skinny.   Help them choose activities that are fun for them so that it doesn’t feel like a chore to exercise.  Help them to choose healthy foods and teach them to cook them so that they enjoy them.

Focus on activities that make your children feel good about themselves, and work with them in areas where they feel inadequate.  Teach them about confidence and being comfortable in your own skin.  This love for themselves transpires into love for others too.

Teach your children about diversity and respect.  Realizing that no two bodies are the same can go a long way.  Although we can control some aspects of our body type, some we cannot.  We need to be able to love our differences and work with what we were given.

Model respect for diversity by showing appreciation of your own body type, don’t let your kids overhear you complain about your thighs or groaning about how much you overate.  Be an example, realizing that kids pick up on everything you say and do!

No matter how perfect we are at this with our kids, there are always going to be some feelings of inadequacy, and I believe that to be normal.  It is just important that we work to minimize it as much as possible and that our children are aware of as much as possible.  The more we teach them about the differences we all have the more likely they are to love themselves.

That New Years resolution and motivation is starting to wear thin.  I can feel it in a lot of my client check in’s and even with simple observation at the gyms.  In early January you couldn’t find a piece of cardio equipment of a bench to save your life…now it is looking pretty scarce around these places.

I must say for the first time in a long time I have ample motivation, maybe it is that little white dress I need to fit into in a mere 3.5 months or my excitement with the gym after being away for so long recovering. Either way my motivation is working for me and since I received the OK from my doctor to get back in the gym I have been hard at work.  

For the rest of us, what do we do when our motivation starts to wear thin and our weight loss seems to be slowing? Generally those who wish to continue start cutting even more calories and adding even more cardio time to their already impossible fitness routines.  I am not convinced that this approach will work; is it really fixing the root of the problem? When you can barely stick to a meal and workout routine as it is how is making it even more strict going to gain you any success? Likely, it won’t!

So what do you do, is it a guessing game or can we actually find some solutions to the underlying problems?

Start by asking some real questions and supplying yourself with real answers. Find solutions to your problems that are meaningful, accurate and worthwhile.   Wrap your mind around solution focused weight loss instead of PROBLEM focused weight loss.  

Once you have some experience with dieting you learn pretty quickly the types of things that work really well for you and those that do not.  So when you are stuck, try to jog your memory about times when weight loss was happening easier for you.  Were you making better food choices because you were in a better mood and were happier? If so, what was happening in your life that made you happier? Or was it because you had more time to prep meals? Were you less stressed? If so, what has changed? Try to bring yourself back to places that allowed you to be successful at reaching your goals, or something very similar to this.  

Try to think ahead about your day and predict potential obstacles that will throw you for loops.  For example, this week we had an office birthday. We always celebrate birthdays with some type of calorie laden treat.   I was able to anticipate this; for this occasion I packed a sugar free Jell-o cup and planned it so that I had my meal 3 right before the birthday celebrations.  I wasn’t the least bit hungry when everyone else was over indulging in junk food and I enjoyed my jell-o and big glass of water.  There is no way I would have been able to resist that temptation had I not planned for it.  I am very simply setting myself up for success instead of failure.  Ten minutes after the celebrations ended I completely forgot about the temptation and later that evening I actually felt a huge wave of accomplishment for being able to successful overcome a scenario that could easily have thrown me off.   So, every morning before I get out of bed I try to think about my day and try to plan accordingly.  It provides some challenge and I look forward to overcoming it each day.   I also find that when I do I am provided with an extra ounce of motivation for the next day too!!

Finally, try to identify with every temptation and what your intention is.  Why do we indulge in things we shouldn’t? Comfort? Temporary satisfaction? Guilt? For each of us it is different.  If we can identify the emotion behind why we eat, it can be much easier to deflect.  I wrote an entire blog last year on emotional eating and why we do what we do.  Most of us don’t like the consequence of our good intention (weight gain) so instead of beating yourself up after every time you slip up, try to be real with yourself about why you do it in the first place and look to replace that particular emotion with something else.  Shopping, reading, bubble baths, bike rides, good company, movies – these are all good replacements for bad emotional cover-ups.

You can gauge your success with this by a few simple guidelines:
-    If you are focused on the positive more than the negative you are on the right track
-    If you look to predict potential obstacles so that you can successful avoid them, you are on the right track
-    If you are finding alternatives to emotions that trigger you to want to eat, you are on the right track

It isn’t easy; we aren’t programmed to be like this by nature.  Certainly we will have slip ups, we all do.  We are human.  Just keep pushing yourself in a direction that is positive and be looking for ways to always be better.  Don’t rely on excuses to carry you through.  Be strong and active in making decisions for yourself.  It is so rewarding!!

It feels like months since I have done a SpotLight...oh wait, it has been.  I decided to SpotLight Impact client Brittany Warner this week.  Brittany's transformation has been available for everyone to see for a couple months now on the Impact Facebook group and website.  Her transformation has gathered a lot of attention. In part I I think that, especially for me, it is because it is relatable.  She is about the same age as me, and started in much the same place I started.  She rearranged her life to meet some goals and really succeeded at it.  She has made it her top priority and has her eyes set on gold.   She works a full time job like many of us and many time puts in close to 10 hours, yet still found time to make it to the gym everyday!  She competed in IDFA last fall and came out a winner with a 2nd place finish in her category, and a couple weeks later took a top 10 spot in another competition of 31 girls!!

Don't be confused by this though, her competition wins are only a by-product of the real reason she is on here.  She was 100% dedicated, did what Justin told her and made an honest commitment to herself to CHANGE! That right there is something we can all do.  The only limitation is yourself and you have to push yourself to be where you want be.  I am not suggesting everyone has to push to be a fitness or figure competitor because if there is anyone who knows it isn't for everyone it's me. 

I wanted to SpotLight the story behind the pictures because I think that sometimes people get caught up in the, "I could never look like that" mentality when the truth is, anyone can look however they want.  You have to put your mind to it and you have to be available to yourself 100% of the time.

So here we go - a bit more information on the beautiful girl behind the pictures.  She is awesome, and although I don't know her super well, her dedication and perseverance is infectious and I look forward to following her journey and spending more time with her in the future !!

Client Name: Brittany Warner

Date started with Impact: I signed up with Impact in May 2011 - but didn't get fully started/committed  until last week of June.

How’d you hear or get involved with Impact? Through Dan Carlson, I have known Dan for years and seen his awesome transformation that he did with Justin, and knew that if I was going to get into shape, that Impact was going to be my ticket

Reason for start: I finally decided to put myself first and live the life I've always wanted, instead of getting stuck in the mere acceptance of what my life currently was.

Initial goals with Impact: To just do it once and for all, to get into the best shape I had ever been in, and be happy with the way I looked. The decision to do the fitness competition was initially, extra motivation, and turned out to be one of my best life experiences and I'm now hooked :)

Online or in person client or both? Both

Physical progress made since start: Overall I think I lost close to 20lbs and a total of 16 inches. I've increased either my reps or weight every week with each exercise that is on my program. - I remember telling Justin back in July-ish that I was only using the 12.5 lbs dumbbells for my bicep curls, he told me to just keep pushing every week and the gains would happen. I am now using the 50lb Barbell for bicep curls :)

Biggest challenges since start? Right in the beginning it was making the lifestyle change, to re-arrange my priorities so I could reach my goals - instead of sabotaging my efforts and getting nowhere.

How have you overcome these? I told Justin that he needed to be very blunt with me and tell me just how much damage I was doing..needless to say, his words sunk in and stuck. That, and self determination - to prove it to myself.

Biggest lifestyle change you’ve made since starting with Impact? Oh my goodness, I'm pretty sure I've done a complete lifestyle overhaul - Almost every aspect of my life has changed for the better. It would be a shorter list to tell you what has stayed the same... I still love my morning coffee and sleeping in on Sundays - lol ;)

Favorite aspects of Impact: To just do what I'm told and know results will follow. That, as well as, the Team atmosphere, a) its nice to have that extra support/motivation and b) just to be able to talk to people who are striving for the same things you are, saves your sanity sometimes :)

Have you experienced any unexpected outcomes (ie: increased energy, better mood, sleeping better): I'm just generally a way happier person. In the beginning, things that were chores( ie. working out) have now become things I really love doing, and would be lost without them.

Where are you at now? Have you reached goals? Have goals changed? I don't think I will ever not have new goals to reach, that is one of the great things about this sport is that you can always make improvements and become better and better. I am very happy with what I have done and where I am at - but, at the same time, am very committed to making improvements every week and to step on stage looking/feeling better than last time

How do you find time and balance between working/family etc and working out? Another reason why I wanted to do this now, because I could make it #1 priority - There were plenty of times where I literally only had time to work and go to the gym, I commend the people who have to juggle family commitments etc. Everyone has to make sacrifices and scheduling changes to some capacity - if you want it bad enough, you'll make those changes and it will be more then worth it in the end.

Your must have work out gear (favorite brands or items):  Not picky at all.. whatever I feel comfortable and confident in :)

Favorite cheat meal: lol ohh, caramel popcorn and jelly belly jellybeans every cheat day without fail - recently though, nothing beats a big bowl of cereal or oatmeal with raisins, banana's & apples :)

How do you entertain yourself during cardio (ie: TV, video games, magazines, iPod): Usually just the TV

What’s on your iPod right now? I think I may be the only person in the world who doesn't own an iPod... lol

Who is your biggest inspiration? I don't have one specific person, all the bikini pro's & fitness models serve as tremendous motivation and something to work towards; hopefully, one day I will have the opportunity to be right beside them :)

How have your family and friends supported you? - My family and friends have been incredibly supportive - even when they wouldn't see me for weeks because of my schedule. They knew what my goals were and how passionate I had become about them and everyone encouraged me 100% to see them out.

Favorite extracurricular activity? Hanging out with friends, enjoying the quiet/down time

Favorite protein flavor? chocolate or raspberry yogurt :)  

What ways do you reward yourself for your hard work and dedication? More hard work and dedication?? lol I think your results are your rewards - that and cheat meals of course ;)

At the end of the day, you just have to do it, no excuses - everyone has their "non - option" point, mine was the competitions - knowing that I was going to be onstage in a bikini in front of however many people, damn rights I was following the program to the letter to ensure I was going to look the best that I could. For others its health reasons, or an event - doesn't matter what it is, you just have to find it and take the option of not doing it out of the equation entirely.  In the grand scheme of things, 3 months or a year is not a large portion of your life at all... you don't want to look back with regrets, and you won't know how good it feels until you have done it. There is no better success story then your own.

PSSST - can you believe she did this without an iPod? Ha! I can barely stand when I forget music for one workout, never mind all of the time :)

I wasn’t planning my blog on this topic this week but after the scenario that gave me the topic I couldn’t wait another week.

So some background for this week’s post came from a Facebook status I seen earlier this week from Impact client of ours (who has graciously given permission to share her story) posted a photo (below) with the caption, “Adam came home today fed up with his lunches. This was the list he put on fridge. What has our society taught our children if they learn pizza pops, kd, ichi ban or cheese whiz is the norm in kids lunches. He said, “When can I ever have white bread and be a normal kid. My heart broke!”  And this was my comment to her, “Things like this may be less about actually wanting those food and more about just wanting to "fit in". As adults we know that this is crazy but there are stages in kids lives (I'm sure you can remember) where just being the same makes you feel cool or accepted. Crazy but just a thought. Good job for helping to teach yours kids about being healthy you’re an inspiration. ”

I know that our client is not the first to experience this type of ‘rebellion’ from her children or family.  What do you think? As adults we know the importance of eating healthy and taking care of ourselves.  In fact most people would rate being in good health as their top priority.  Kids, maybe not so much.  They don’t even know what this really means.  I think that in grade school being like the other kids and fitting in is really, really important.  I struggled with that a lot as a kid/teenager, constantly trying to keep up with all the newest fads and trends, just hoping to blend in.  As parents we are trying our darndest to raise healthy, well-rounded children that will someday be adults.

This is such an interesting subject for me, because although I have a son, he is so young still that he hasn’t been forced to deal with a lot of the adversity that goes along with being in school etc.  What is interesting though is that I have thought about this a lot.  Owen will be starting school next year and as of late I have thought a lot about what this new chapter for him is going to mean for us.  The changes that it is going to bring and the challenges we will face.

So then I begin to wonder about things.  Owen has never had white bread, he LOVES fish and his favorite veggies are green beans and broccoli.  But, that is what we eat in our house and it is what is given to him at day home.  Does he eat it because he doesn’t know any better? Probably.   Here is the thing though, we DO have treats in our house and he loves these just as much as all the healthy stuff I feed him.  We have a rule that he gets to have one treat after dinner if he eats a good supper.  It can be whatever he chooses, as I choose his supper for him and he rarely complains.  I grew up like this.  We had ‘treat of the day’ in our house.  We always got to have one treat a day, usually a cookie or a fruit snack.  Something along those lines, my mom never ‘deprived’ us from treats but they weren’t freely available to us either.  Still to this day, dessert ALWAYS follows a meal when we are at home.  It has always been that way. But even as a kid I would always fill up on supper before turning to dessert, I have never been a real dessert fan.    I was taught early the importance of moderation.  My mom cooked homemade dinners every single night, we were fed healthy so a treat here or there never caused problems; neither my brother or I have ever had big struggles with our weight as a result.  I was never made to feel guilty about the occasional indulgence either.  I credit my mom a lot for this.  To this day if you put a tray of cookies in front of me I wouldn’t go crazy with them.  If I grew up never having treats do you think that the novelty of them when I was older would be so great that I couldn’t control myself? It is entirely possible. 

I have always kind of felt like if I give Owen opportunity to try out these types of things that they wouldn’t be ‘must haves’ when he was older and more like old news.  Kind of like when someone tells you 'no' for so long it just makes you want to try it even more? (or is that just rebellious me? Hmmm) Special treats are enjoyed in moderation so they never really lose their edge, he is always really grateful and excited about for these but also rarely asks for more.  For example once a month we try and do a “pizza party” together where we make pizzas and I let him have iced tea or lemonade or something out of the ordinary.   These exceptions to our normal routine have become really meaningful to both him and I.  And they are special because we don’t eat like that on a day-to-day basis.  Kind of like our cheat meals, they are in moderation.  I thoroughly enjoy them because they aren’t an everyday occasion.  And just because I coach you on nutrition doesn’t mean I don’t slip up, or indulge now and again.  I don’t beat myself up about these things, and I don’t want my children to either.

There are more than just a bunch of kids who like to eat junk food here, the real issues stems from us as parents.  It is our decision to feed our kids the way we do.  I read this week that some parents opt for these types of convenience foods because of cost...then I read an article that did a comparison of a lunch filled with easy to go foods and on filled with everything fresh, fruits and veggies. Guess what they found? Healthy snacks cost approx $1.90, compared to unhealthy ones at approx $3.23.  Good news!!  

This brings me to my next point.  The convenience of pizza pop lunches...Straight up - this is a total cop out as far as I am concerned.  Sure, there are/have been times when I have resorted to a quick meal like this for myself or even my son but it is rare I know that preparing healthy meals DOES NOT take any longer.  It takes a bit of prep and some organization but for the cost of good health I choose that any day.  Our kids have enough battles to fight they don’t need to be fighting healthy issues and obesity at a young age.  The odds are already against them as 26% of Canadian children aged 2-17 are overweight or obese, and approximately 1/3 of NORMAL weight 20 year olds will be overweight within 8 years!! They have had to change the weight restrictions on infant car seats to match the new average weight of children!! THIS IS CRAZY! And as parents we should be doing everything we can to change it. I am not a perfect mom, I will say that over and over but to not even try to give your children a healthy start is shameful. We need to work at teaching our children about moderation and balance; we need to set example and boundaries. By doing this we help prevent our children from having to try to lose weight before they are even teenagers, we teach them self love and proper self image.  

So what do we do? The internet is an unbelievable resource for this.  There are so many Facebook pages, websites and blogs dedicated to kids and healthy eating!! These sites generally offer lots of fun recipes, advice and support for parents trying to raise healthy kids.  Your doctor can be a great resource too.  ME or a friend who has seemed to mastered the idea.  I will offer advice and suggestions however I can, I am not a trained professional in getting kids to eat healthy but I have a kid who does it willingly and I have a few tricks.  

So here are a few of my favorite online resources:

Super Healthy Kids - http://www.superhealthykids.com/ and also on Facebook
Raise Healthy Kids - http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/ and also on Facebook
How to Raise Healthy Kids – on Facebook
http://www.ellynsatter.com/
Kids Eat Right – on Facebook

Variety is the spice of life; give your children variety and some freedom when it comes to meals.  Let them pick between an assortments of healthy options, this way they still feel like they are choosing. Have healthy food available and accessible to them (have veggies cut up and ready in the fridge or cut up fruit on your table instead of cookies).  It is kind of a learning curve, it takes some time and you may have to try a few different approaches to get your kids on track with you.  But be open minded to meeting them half way (your dieting, not them) and guide them to make choices you can both agree on.  Just don’t give up.  Find a system that works for your home and go with it.  It is one of the best gifts you can give them!

Jenna

I don’t think it is any secret that a lot of our will power regarding exercise and eating right is mental.  I recently read an article with some research backing the idea that we can actually train ourselves to be better at these things.
So-called brain training is proven effective in helping people make smarter food choices, work out more often, and even cut out unhealthy habits like excessive drinking. Lumosity, a company that develops games and programs for brain training, explains how we can apply breakthroughs in neuroscience to improve cognitive abilities and make healthier lifestyle choices.

The first suggestion in increasing our mind matters comes in the form of memory games.  I must say I am addicted to these lately.  Smart phones are great for this because brain games are so easily accessible.  They are a great way to pass time waiting in a doctor’s office, on the bus, on a long car ride etc.  These types of games are proving to be more then memory boosters; they are being shown to strengthen will power and increase overall health as well.
 
Positive thinking seems like a given right? But do we properly positive think? Saying something like, “I will NOT miss the gym” or “I will NOT eat badly” isn’t really positive at all.  Instead, try telling yourself things like, “I WILL only eat meals I cook at home” or “WHEN I go to the gym I am going to do ...” These types of statements change our thinking and promote positive thoughts.  It is proven that positive thinking helps us to overcome major dieting hurdles.  It is important to write out your goals as well.  Thinking them doesn’t work at keeping us accountable.  Write them out and glance at them frequently.

Portion control is another great hurdle that can be overcome by strengthening our brain power.  “Studies have shown that people with incredible willpower have different brain activity than those with no control, and that "training" the part of the brain that controls willpower can ramp up brain activity. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for the brain processes involved in planning, impulse control, willpower, and abstract thinking. Lumosity reports that brain imaging results of its users have shown increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, which can also contribute to selfr-control to self when making healthy diet choices.  If you want to train your brain to choose healthy foods over fattening ones, be specific. "Scientific research shows us that there are two kinds of intentions: ‘goal' intentions which are broad (‘I need to eat better') and ‘implementation' intentions that are more specific," Dr. Pillay says. "When you are too general, the brain is less likely to change its behaviour, however, when you are more specific, it has to do less work on its own to help you achieve your goal. This is especially true of weight-loss strategies," he adds.

Finally, physical fitness and how it ties into brain fitness.  Studies have found that exercise can lead to neurogenesis—the creation of new brain cells—and exercising your brain can lead to increased willpower. So, exercising both your body and your brain together can help you to push yourself even harder. "You don't have to train your brain for dieting and weight loss with thinking alone," Dr. Pillar says. "When you exercise regularly and for a duration of at least six months, this actually changes your brain to respond to food cues less often."

Different physical exercises rely on different cognitive aspects, such as attention, speed of processing, and even memory. For instance, if you're taking a new dance class at the gym that requires you to remember all the moves, exercising your attention and memory may make those classes easier to follow and more fun. Gives new meaning to mind and body workout!

It is actually really fascinating how all these different aspects play into our overall health.  Health is so much more than being physically fit and has a lot to do with our mental state as well.  To be honest I think it is our mental capacity that holds us back the most. Physically we can be pushed to our limits but mentally we prevent ourselves from reaching our full potential.  Practice exercising your mind this week.  I have internal conflict with myself on a daily basis, as I am sure you all do as well.  It is one of the greatest feelings when you overcome your negative self talk.  The only thing stopping you is YOU!!

Have a great week,

Jenna

(Source: Shape Magazine)

Luckily living in Lethbridge we don’t have to experience rush hour traffic very often but we all know what it’s like to want to get somewhere and instead you are constantly stopped along the way.  Being stuck in rush hour just seems to make everything worse.  It can change your mood and you feel yourself becoming increasingly frustrated with everything and wish so bad you could detour around the traffic or just give up all together.

Dieting can be like this too.  So often we get off on a great start full of motivation with a clear direction of where we want to end up and how to get there.  But then we get stuck.  We get into a pattern of starting and stopping; highs and lows.  We lose track of our destination, we rush to get there by looking for quicker alternatives or we ‘cheat’ our way there.   It takes a long time to get where we want to be, we lose motivation without gaining results.  Then we just stop.  Then, after a while we see our path to our goals once again and off we go – only to fall victim to the same pattern of starting and stopping over and over.  See where I am going with this? Resembles a car ride home in rush hour traffic doesn’t it?

There is a lot we can learn from this comparison so keep these tips in mind when you see yourself becoming frustrated with your weight loss journey.

· Keep focused on your end goals.

· Map out your route to getting there.  Then when you doubt yourself refer to this map.

· Realize that doing things safely and correctly sometimes takes time.

· Getting worked up about slow progress only causes a domino effect.  Stay come and carry on.

· There are always periods of ups and downs/ starts and stops with weight loss or anytime of healthy lifestyle.  It is challenging but stay focused.

· Shortcuts never work out

· Expect or anticipate the unexpected.  Go with the flow – not everything in life goes according to plan, neither does dieting.

· Enjoy the ride.  Crank your tunes, wear work out gear that makes you happy, it is what it is, so you might as well enjoy it.

· Being stuck in traffic can be much more fun if you’re with someone; grab a gym buddy.  Having one can make going to the gym a lot of fun and force you to be more accountable too!

You have nothing stopping you from reaching your end goal except yourself.  There are roadblocks and frustrations along the way but it is all a part of the journey. Accepting this from the start makes things a lot easier, and may even help you reach your goals sooner. 

Keep your perspectives in check and keep focused always.

Jenna

I seem to be getting into big fights lately... No, not with my son, or my fiance.  With myself.  It goes something like this: 

Welcome back Team Impact!! I hope each of you had a blessed Christmas. I spent the first bit of my holidays in the hospital but surgery seems to be a success and although I probably have about 6 weeks to go before I am totally healed I am feeling a bit better each day. I also have a heavy left hand as Tristan asked me to marry him. We have not set a date yet but we are looking at June and we are very excited about our lifetime ahead together!!

I am curious, are you a resolution maker? I have never really been one to make a resolution. I tend to reflect a lot about life and the year ahead come December or January and always wish to better myself in one area or another. Why do you think we never really follow through on our January resolutions?  I think this high rate of failure is the reason I have never made one, I feel like what’s the point?

Justin maybe touched on this with a Facebook status but I think a New Year is a great opportunity to search out some life solutions, forget the resolution.   I really don't understand why commitment to being healthy is a short term resolution, I mean really? What do you have if you don't have your health? I also got to thinking, how cool would it be to have a New Year’s solution that didn't involve your weight? What if we got off the hamster wheel and just made permanent commitment to change our life, a vow to health per say. Gym and healthy foods were just life, there wasn't another way?  We got healthy and we stayed healthy...how cool would that be? If next year at this time you just carried on being healthy and were able to take some solace in knowing you made a permanent solution to being unhealthy.  This is where Impact can change your life.  We have taught so many people about making a healthy lifestyle change.  We don’t require you to live off a shake twice a day for the rest of your life.  We want you to get healthy and to stay healthy. We gave lenience through this past week or so but everyone stayed really focused, which is so great. I mean if you can make it through Christmas you can make it through anything. It is one of the hardest times of the year to stay on track. It is the difference thought between those that get it off and keep it off and those who do not. I am so proud of our clients because this shows us that they are also LEARNING about what it takes to be healthy. This isn't a quick fix method, this is a lifelong lifestyle. What a wonderful investment in yourself.

Join me this year in making a lifestyle change forever. Let’s get serious about health. It is really exciting actually. There are so many cool products out there for health fanatics and it makes the obsession over your health a really fun one. For me, I have a second chance at this life, my kidney caused me to be in pain so often that I was never really able to enjoy life, not to mention it pretty much forced me out of the gym. I am so looking forward to getting back at it this year. I have a wedding to look forward to, what better timing is that? I hope to blog a lot through my journey back to the gym and leading up to the wedding. Although the wedding is a good date for some goals I don't want to stop there. Tristan is amped up too. He is back in the gym working really hard, again with the wedding as a good motivator but not the only reason for getting back in shape. Most of my clients did phenomenal over Christmas. I have been so pleasantly surprised. We are thinking up some unique way to track this.  I want to be able to give you some perspectives on things from a man’s point of you also.  I want to learn more about what my clients see as motivating too.  I want to engage readers so they can be active here too.  This should be a forum for lots of discussion, questions, support and information and not just a place where I gab once a week.  I need your help though.  I need involvement in posts, suggestions of things you would like to see, questions you name it, I want it!! This is such a great place to be able to explore a pleura of ideas so lets use it!

I look forward to the multitude of thins 2012 has in store for me, for Impact for my clients.  There is something so refreshing about starting a new year.  The new found motivation and focus we tend to have in January can really carry us a long ways.  Lets ride the wave and make this the best year yet!!

Jenna

I am derailing a bit this week to take care of a couple random house keeping type items.

Firstly, I will be on a blog hiatus for at least a week due to surgery next Tuesday.  This has been a long time coming as my issues with my kidney have been lifelong ones.   I am very hopeful that this surgery will prove successful and that I will be out in time for Christmas and that I can resume normal everyday activity, pain free very soon.  Having said that I am grateful God has placed very capable doctors in my life, ones that fought for answers and searched for solutions to fix my ‘ol kidney.  I get a new ureter for Christmas...what about you? Ha! Never-the-less I am looking forward to my journey back to the gym following surgery and I will be sure to blog about the progress as it comes.  Prayers during this time are welcomed, I am hopeful and anxious to have this over with, alas still quite nervous about the whole thing.

Secondly – Christmas! Any Impact clients out there will have instruction by either Justin or I on the rules & guidelines for the days surrounding Christmas.  I am happy to say that both Justin and I agree with a pretty distinct but controlled level of lenience during the holiday season. We can both appreciate the value of family time and the birth of Jesus and realize that some celebration during this time generally comes in the form of good eats.  So hang tight for your instructions for the season.  

The important thing to remember during the season is to be reasonable.  Freedom doesn’t mean you can sit down at eat 16 bags of Oreo’s.  For most of us we should aim to eat reasonable for 4 out of 5 meals a day but to enjoy a chocolate Santa and a good dinner should the opportunity arise.  At the end of the holiday season we don’t want anyone starting back at square one.  We still hope to maintain our relative weight while expecting that we may put on a couple.  It is also important to get back on track just as quickly as possible following the holidays as you have worked hard to establish routine and the weight loss that you have earned already.   This is a challenging time to diet, no doubt about it.  But those of us that keep ourselves in check are the ones who set ourselves apart from others and I know each one of you has it in you!!!

Finally I just want to say that it has been a great year with Impact.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We have a family here.  We are blessed with great staff (all 3 of us) and wonderful clients.  We have built a team that is truly unbreakable and we are looking forward to 2012.  Thank you to all of you who continue to be a part of Team Impact, for reading blogs and hanging with us on Facebook, coming to the gym and checking in online.  You are all a part of what makes Impact so incredible and we are humbled by every one of you!!

From all of us at Impact we with you and your families a very Merry Christmas and happy, healthy, FIT New Year!!

I will be back in the New Year with lots of new blogs.  Stay safe friends.

Jenna

... I know everyone has days when they feel like this could very well be the case; however, the scary truth is the reality behind this for some of us. I read an article this week in The Globe and Mail titled, “Is Your Office Chair Killing You?”
While research in the area of sedentary behavior is still in the early stages there has been some startling conclusions between its link to our health.   We have known for a long time the relationship between physical activity and our long term well-being but research is just beginning to balloon in the area of sedentary behavior, namely with lifestyle choices we make such as with our jobs.

What they have determined so far is that, “the average person now spends 9.3 hours a day sitting.  People who sit for six or more hours per day are 40 percent more likely to die within 15 years as compared to someone who sits less than three hours a day, EVEN if they exercise. ”   For me, this is startling information.  I mean my entire job requires me to be glued to a computer, for at least 8 hours a day sometimes as many as 10.  My livelihood depends on this, as I am sure many of yours does too.  But it is interesting to think about.  I mean how often in a day does a nurse or a doctor or a firefighter or a construction worker actually sit? It would be much less than I do, that is for sure.  It isn’t crazy hard to believe that they may be healthier in some aspects because of the ‘forced’ cardiovascular activity they get just from their jobs every day.  I will be honest; I have often wished I had a job that was a little more active and a little less stationary. I mean it can be hard to sit in front of a computer all day every day.  And as fun as surfing the net can be it surely isn’t very stimulating.

It is stated in the article that , “Studies of this behavior suggest that sitting for an extended period of time increase a person’s chances of developing a wide range of illnesses and diseases including several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes. ”  I suppose that information isn’t earth shattering, but when I think of being sedentary I think of spending all day everyday lying on the couch in front of the TV, not getting up and going to my job every day!   But here is the real kicker with this study, they also determined that, “People who jog for half an hour in the morning and then sit at a desk all day may be no better off than those who don’t go running, even if they are technically meeting the requirements of Canada’s physical activity guideline!!”  So, you ask yourself, what is an appropriate amount of exercise for someone who sits at a desk every day? The unfortunate part about this is that they don’t really know the answer to that question yet.  They are working towards determining the adequate amount and the times that exercise is required to ‘cancel out’ or sedentary behavior and the effects it may have on our health.

I have always felt that the recommended 2.5 hours a week of physical activity was a little on the low side.  I mean we do have 168 hours in a week...seems like we should be able to find a bit more than 30 minutes, 5 times a week to exercise.  It is our health after all and if we don’t have our health what do we have? We need that to be functional with all the other things we replace our exercise time with.  

It is important to keep in mind that this study is in the very early stages of research, but I don’t feel like it is a bad thing to be open minded to the endless possibilities of being healthier.  If it means adding an extra ½ hour of cardio to your day for long term health benefits then it is probably worth it.  The more we can do to be healthy they better we are.  Aim to remain open-minded and to not be ignorant of the fact that while you may be healthy now, it may not always be that way and we cannot take it for granted.  It is up to you to take the best care of yourself that you can.  No one else is going to do it for you.  If there was ever a time to stop making excuses for the wellbeing of yourself and your family the time is now.

Don’t wait until January to get control of your life, your fitness, your health.  The time is now!!

Have a great week.

J

You are well aware by now that every year around this time the days start getting shorter and much, much colder.  Nothing is more depressing than waking up, going to work when it is dark and leaving when it is dark. If you are anything like me this time of year really affects you.  For me, I feel tired all the time and it takes a lot for me to be really excited about anything.  I tend to adjust a little further into the season but I notice that the first month or so is a real drag.  Everyone has different ways of dealing with the changing seasons but here are a few things that I have found helped me.

1.)    Exercise.  Okay, I am sure you were going to guess that I was going to put this on my list, and fancy that it is even number one.  But it is true and I have really started paying attention to the way that exercise changes me.  I’ll admit that not one day this week I actually felt like working out, but also there was not one day when I didn’t feel like a million bucks after I was finished.  I also sleep better and I work better.  It really is a win win.

2.)    Eat Clean.  Again, you’re probably thinking this is a no brainer.  But what happens in the winter? We hide under big clothes and we are comforted by big bowls of mac and cheese. I’m kidding but winter does tend to make us think of comfort foods and of being at home in front of the TV instead of at the gym.  Plus, it is easier to hid that extra pudge this time of year so we don’t seem to worry as much about ‘letting it go.’  Don’t fall victim.  Eating clean will help you feel less sluggish and all around better about yourself.

3.)    Make a date.  Take some time during these colder months to catch up with some friends and family that you maybe missed over the busy summer months.  An evening of laughter or a great coffee date can be really uplifting and inspiring.  Use the cold as a good excuse to be inside catching up with people that support you, make you laugh and are just a joy to be around.

4.)    Ahem...embrace the snow and cold?!.  Okay, I will say I fail terribly at this.  But I am trying to make more of an effort this year. Honest.  I really enjoy skiing but I avoid it cuz I hate being cold, I also love making snowmen with Owen but never suggest it because the thought of taking 20 minutes to bundle up just to be cold and wet always turns me off. Well, not this year.  I am going to look for only the fun in the snow and enjoy a lot of time outside this year.  I will find ways to stay warm and I intend to have too much fun to be worried about being cold.  So there.

5.)    Catch some rays... I know this seems hard.  But even in the winter the sun shines.  So take advantage of some much needed vitamin D when you can.  Take a walk over lunch, sit by a window during class, and open your blinds during the day at home.  Lack of sunlight makes many people feel depressed (there is even such a thing as seasonal depression), but much like exercise Vitamin D helps release neurotransmitters in the brain that affect mood.  So soak it up while you can!

6.)    Set some goals.  Winter is a great time to set some goals and a great time to attain them.  Reaching goals can really be motivating and a positive influence on your mood.  So set some early resolutions and ACTUALLY work to reach them.

7.)    Avoid binge drinking.  ‘Tis the season, I know.  There are parties nearly every weekend but try to avoid over doing it.  Alcohol is a depressant and will only worsen those winter blues not help them.

8.)    Relax!!! Along with the snow and cold comes a very busy season; work, finals, Christmas, parties, friends.  Don’t be afraid to say no to some extra activities in order to relax and enjoy the season too.  I really, really enjoy being busy but I find it to be overwhelming sometimes, especially with slippery roads and the extra hassle of having to bundle up to go anywhere.  So slow down and enjoy this wonderful season!!

9.)    Volunteer or give back – there is something about this season that really makes me think about these sorts of things.  Recognizing how very fortunate we are to have what we have and to be able to give what we give really encourages me to give back however I can.  This year Tristan and I are volunteering for Operation Red Nose and hoping to lend ourselves on Christmas morning to volunteering at the Mustard Seed in Calgary.  Operations Christmas Child and Toys for Tots are great organizations that make giving back or sharing with the less fortunate really easy.  There is nothing like the feeling of helping someone else, and if that doesn’t make you feel good I don’t know what will.

10.)     Get plenty of sleep! It is natural to want to sleep a little more during these chilly months, but it also tends to be the first thing that goes when we get busy.  Aim for 7-8 hours of solid sleep each night but avoid those 12 hour “naps” as they can actually make you feel more tired.  A solid 10-30 minute nap can also be a great pick me up if you missed a few hours during the night.

Happy holiday season!! I hope that each of you can find some ways to really enjoy this wonderful time of the year. We are lucky, snow and all to live in this country and to be so fortunate.  Staying on track this time of year can be a real test but the rewards of looking and feeling great into the New Year is well worth the sacrifice!

Have a wonderful and safe week!!

Jenna

I am SO excited about this weeks SpotLight because I realized it was the first one I have done on one of my own clients. WOO!  Mindy has been my client since early June, and can I just say WOW! She is a true all star.  Mindy has really taken this experience by the horns and not only been overly successful but she has also learned so much along the way.  The thing about this is that it gives me great confidence that she will be able to maintain her weight for a lifetime and continue to be a positive influence on those around her.  It is never to late to make a change, Mindy has set new goals along the way and has now reached a weight that she hasn't seen for years.  The other really inspiring thing about Mindy is that she doesn't make excuses for herself.  This woman works 12 hour shifts at a Hospital and has a family to care for when she gets home and yet she rarely misses a workout, a cardio session or deviates from her meal plan.  Mindy has been a real inspiration to me and her continued motivation is infectious! I cannot wait to see where she goes from here.  Read on to learn more about Mindy's journey with Impact.

Client Name: Mindy Weir

Date started with Impact: June 17, 2011

How’d you hear or get involved with Impact? I went into Popeye’s one day for some products and starting talking with Rob Tran about weight loss programs. He mentioned Impact Nutrition so I checked out the website and contacted Justin that day.  

Reason for start: After losing 30 pounds a few years ago, I had gained back 20. I was feeling so unhappy in general, and decided that it was time to make a move. I knew that I had to change my life and lose this weight for good in order to feel more positive about life in general.

Initial goals with Impact: To lose 25 pounds and reach a normal BMI

Online or in person client or both?  Online

Physical progress made since start: Since I started with Impact Nutrition when summer was about to start, I stayed active outdoors with walking and bike riding. In the fall I began regular gym workouts on the elliptical, although resisted Jenna’s HIIT program for as long as I possibly could. Once I gained the confidence to actually try it, I found that I do enjoy the high intensity workouts and they are much easier to do then just jogging because your mind is so preoccupied on timing and switching speeds, that you forget about being tired.

Biggest challenges since start?  The weight just starting dropping off with week one, and that is so motivating in itself. I work shift-work, which really made meal planning difficult in the beginning, but it soon becomes second nature.  

How have you overcome these? When I was complaining to Jenna that my family ate all my eggs so I couldn’t have any for breakfast that day,  she said that ‘the key to success is to be prepared’ – this means making sure a day in advance that you have food in the fridge for the next day. I have never let that become a problem again, because if you have right in front of you what you need to eat, there is no reason or temptation to snack on anything else.  

Biggest lifestyle change you’ve made since starting with Impact? Definitely for me it has been no more snacking. Especially for beginners, keep a diary of exactly what you are eating, when, and why. This made it clear to me that I was doing mindless snacking, especially while preparing meals for other family members.

Favourite aspects of Impact:  The online aspect is so convenient  
Have you experienced any unexpected outcomes (ie: increased energy, better mood, sleeping better):  I expected that I would feel better, but I didn’t expect to also feel younger.  Its like for every couples of pounds that fell away, so did a mental and physical year.

Where are you at now? Have you reached goals? Have goals changed? I have passed my goal and am now at 30 pounds under my starting weight and a healthy BMI. I would really like to lose another 5 pounds to bring me to an ideal BMI for my height. A few months ago I was thrilled to reach a weight that I hadn’t been at since before marriage and children. Now, I am looking at college graduation weight numbers!   

How do you find time and balance between working/family etc and working out? My kids are getting older, so I usually make them supper first, and then enjoy going to work out in the late evenings when the gym is quiet. I work 12 hour shifts, and have used break times to walk around rather than sit & relax.
Your must have work out gear (favourite brands or items): Ipod and headphones definitely.

Favourite cheat meal: Ice cream

How do you entertain yourself during cardio (ie: TV, video games, magazines, iPod): Ipod

What’s on your iPod right now? April Wine, Meatloaf, Tom Cochrane, Theory of a Deadman

Who is your biggest inspiration? My good friend Nancy B., who is a little firecracker of energy and inspires me every day to get active and enjoy life

Favourite extracurricular activity? I love walking outside. We are very lucky to live in a place like Lethbridge with the natural beauty of the surrounding prairie and coulees – free, uncrowded and easily accessible for everyone

Favourite protein flavour? Chocolate – and Popeye’s supplies the best protein bars ever made

What ways do you reward yourself for your hard work and dedication? I don’t beat myself up for giving into a craving. Bad weeks will occasionally happen & a pound or two might reappear, but I don’t use it as an excuse to give up. I took pictures of myself every month or so since I started the program, and just seeing my expression change as I started to feel better about myself is amazing. My reward to myself is to look at those pictures, and remember how I have changed both inside and out, starting at day one.

This is Mindy when she started in June and Mindy now! I am so proud of her and her accomplishments, she looks fabulous!!

Keep up the good work Mindy, it is such a pleasure to have you as a client of mine!!

Jenna

Recently I came across a number of articles regarding health and fitness and relationships.  The different things men and women do when around their significant counterparts.  Not to mention the different ways that relationships can help or hinder progress in these areas.

The first article came across was from askmen.com, and while I am not a man I found this to extremely interesting.  Although I can’t vouch for the information in here as I have never sat in the ‘man’ spot in a relationship but I am curious about the validity of it from their point of view.  The article stated that, “Men averaged 1,162 calories worth of food when in the company of women, but then averaged just 952 when it was just the guys.”  Alternatively they say that, “On average, women took in 833 calories when eating only with other women, but then ordered up only 721 as soon as a man was around.”  Interesting, right?  Why do we have such different perceptions of what food means.  Men eat more food to appear manlier, while women cut back for fear of looking too manly or even... *gasp,* fat.  I have to say, for me, this is really not the case.  I have never thought about eating less when I was around a guy.  Personally, if I ever felt like that I needed to do that; I probably wouldn’t have been seeing much more of him.  I have heard men say that it can actually be a turn on when a girl likes to eat...has anyone ever told you that? I dig that :).

So maybe those statistics apply more to the early dating stages of a relationship.  But, what about later on down the road in a relationship, how does health and fitness play into your relationship?  I read an article on sparkpeople.com that said in a recent poll, “34 percent of respondents said that their spouse, partner or significant other sabotages their weight-loss efforts more than anyone else in their lives and 43 percent said they their significant other negatively influences their eating habits. On the flip side, 24 percent say that they would be bothered if their partner gained weight, and 55 percent said they might be bothered, depending on how much weight he or she gained. ”   Easy to see that weight and weight loss plays a heavy roll in most relationships.

I know from my experience in my relationship that we either really help each other or really hinder each other’s progress.  When we are ‘on’ we are on, we are on the same page and we eat clean and exercise together.  We are then able to offer support and encouragement.  We work together like a well oiled machine and what is craziest is that we see results, weird, I know!!  However, we have also been guilty of enabling each other in the other direction.  When one wants to splurge on extra calories or skip the gym it has happened that the other submits just as easily, when really we should be using that as an opportunity to encourage each other and help each other to be motivated.  I am sure we are not the only relationship that is like this.   We go in phases too, and we are very aware of our doings and always work harder to be more supportive in helping each other be successful.   At the end of the day I am very, very blessed to have a man who has similar goals and strives to be healthy alongside me.  It is my job, after all and it is important to me that my family is healthy also.

Not everyone has this though, lots of my clients have spouses that don’t have the same drive or desire to be healthy, and that’s fine.   The problem becomes when your spouse’s emotions towards your changes begin to negatively affect you.  The first step to understand where your spouse is coming from and why they are feeling the way they are towards your changes and then learning some positive ways to make the transition to your new lifestyle easier for the both of you.  I found some information regarding these types of issues (sparkpeople.com), I find some these to be slightly outlandish in the fact that if your partner is making you feel ALL of these things there are probably a lot of deeper issues that need to be worked through, I am no relationship expert but just saying.  However, I am sure that all of us can relate to at least one point in this list or know someone who can and understanding these emotions is the first step in fixing them.  So here we go:

5 Signs Weight Loss is Hurting Your Relationship (and What to Do about It

1. Your partner makes negative statements about you changing.

The emotional why: Fear is generally behind this type of behaviour.  Sometimes our partners are afraid of losing the current life you share, especially if they are happy with everything as is. While you may be ready to change, they may be afraid and reluctant to take the first step, and may be insecure, so they comments negatively about the changes in hopes that things will go back to the way they once were.

What to do: Create new rituals together so that your loved one is involved with your new lifestyle. You don't have to give up Friday date night. Try dinner at a restaurant with healthier options, or when you go to the movies, order a smaller size of popcorn (no butter) and a diet soda. See if he or she will walk around the block with you (take the kids if you have them) to catch up after dinner. Be sure to include your partner in as many ways as you can, and reassure them that you love them for who they are. If the behaviour becomes overwhelmingly negative, do not be afraid to talk to your partner about how those comments make you feel. After all, a relationship is a two-way street and open communication helps prevent a head-on collision.

2. Your partner makes you feel guilty.
Does your partner make you feel guilty about the success you've had with weight loss? Does he or she complain that you're not around as much or give you the guilt trip when you skip cuddle time or dessert to hit the gym? Whether your partner makes you feel guilty on purpose, or you just feel guilty for taking time for yourself, it's not a good feeling to have, and it can be detrimental to a relationship if it goes on too long.

The emotional why: Nostalgia. Your partner loves you and wants to spend time with you. He or she may miss what used to be rituals in your household and relationship. These comments may also reflect some of the fear of change mentioned above.

What to do: Compromise.  BUT, remember that you deserve to be healthy and happy. If your loved one is putting a guilt trip on you, encourage him or her to join you. Couples workouts allow you to spend time together and exercise at the same time. And if it's just you feeling bad, then remind yourself that being fit is what you worked for and you deserve to feel good about your accomplishments.

3. Your partner tries to sabotage you.
Sabotaging behaviour can run the gamut, from your partner picking up your "favourite" fast-food burger on the way home (even though she knows you're trying to cut back) to begging you to sleep in when you have a date with that Spinning bike at 6 a.m. One very common example is having a partner who brings junk food into the house and then eats it in front of you, especially if the junk food is your favourite and one you have trouble avoiding.

The emotional why: Jealousy and fear. Although it may not seem like it, your partner may actually be very jealous of your progress and is sabotaging your efforts to keep you exactly as you are. He or she may be afraid that if you lose weight, you'll get more attention from the opposite sex and possibly leave the relationship for someone else.

What to do: Reaffirm your partner that you're still the same loving person you were before and that your relationship is not changing for the worse because of this.

4. Your partner starts gaining weight as you're losing weight.
If you've noticed that your partner has gained a few pounds during the time you've lost weight, this could be cause for concern. Your partner may be upset with your weight-loss success and may be rebelling against you—consciously or not-- by eating more, higher-calorie food. If this is the case, tread lightly. This will probably be a very touchy subject for your partner. He or she may also be eating emotionally for comfort as a way to deal with the deep-rooted emotions (fear, anger, jealousy) about your positive changes.

The emotional why: Resistance and guilt. Your partner is probably feeling resistant to change and guilty about his or her own body and unhealthful habits. They may even be worried that as you get healthier, you won't love him or her as much anymore.

What to do: Talk to your partner openly and regularly. Your partner may be very, very sensitive about this issue, so you may not want to bring the weight gain up directly, but rather ask how he or she is feeling during this time of change. Reassure your partner that you're still the same person and still love them. And invite them to join in some of your small changes and if it's more serious than that or your attempts are ignored, consider getting a relationship counsellor involved.

5. You look down at your partner.
If you're a few pounds into your weight-loss journey and overhauled your lifelong habits, yet can't understand why your partner hasn't done the same, then honestly ask yourself: Do you look down on your partner? Do you feel like the changes you've made are going to create lasting friction between the two of you? Whether you indicate these feelings to your partner (directly or indirectly) or keep them to yourself, he or she can probably sense how you're feeling. Everyone wants their partner to be proud to be with them. When you stop being proud of your other half, it can really hurt your relationship.

The emotional why: Pride and fear. Right now, you may be very proud of yourself for your changes—and you should be! But it's important to respect everyone's journey and realize that you can't force someone else to change. You may also find yourself being harsher on your loved one because he or she may remind you of where you started (a place where you don't want to return).

What to do: You may not agree with all of the choices your partner makes, but try to be as understanding as possible. Remember how hard it was for you to change in the beginning? Remember how you had to decide to do it for yourself, not for someone else? Revisit that time in your past and treat your partner how you would have liked to be treated then. Recognize the reasons for your emotions. You don't have to encourage unhealthy habits, but try to be as understanding and encouraging as possible.

It is important to recognize the areas of strength and weakness in your relationship.  Together you and your partner really can be a powerhouse, sometimes not always for the best.  So learning to find some balance with your goals as individuals and as a couple can be really important.  Understanding that your entire relationship doesn’t have to revolve around your new lifestyle is important and that sometimes it just takes a little bit of work to find some balance.  Some couples have health and exercise in common and that is great, but others need a little more work in this area.  Realizing that if having both is important to you, it is entirely possible is what is most important.  

Jenna

Source: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1187

I had intentions of writing on a totally different topic this week, but a few nights ago I turned on the TV before bed (I never do this, but was waiting for a phone call and needed something to keep me awake).  Anyways, I turned on Intervention, expecting to find something about drug or alcohol abuse, as this seems to be the trending topic on this program.  Instead I found something totally different.  I found an episode featuring a young woman addicted to working out.  Can I just say, my first thought was “Boy, do I wish I had that problem!” Okay, I am only kidding, but for real.  Most of us struggle WITH working out, to even find 30 minutes a day to spend working out and here is a woman who spends 7-9 hours a DAY working out.  That is more hours than most of us can conjure up in an entire week!!

I initially questioned the validity of the terms “addiction” and “working out” in the same sentence, however even the woman admitted that she must have an addiction because it was something she couldn’t not do.    One thing to note is, generally, an addiction to exercise comes with some side diseases like bulimia and anorexia.   Although this woman did not have an eating disorder, she did suffer from alcoholism as well.  Also, important to note, that like most addictions, they stem from somewhere much deeper.  In this case this woman had lost her mother at a young age and there were issues stemming from that, which she had never really dealt with.

I wanted to write about this because it comes with the territory of this industry.  It is likely that at some point we would come across someone who is or has suffered from problems associated with over exercising and/or eating disorders.  It is also likely that some of you have experienced these first hand -either personally or with someone close to you.  I know I have.  

The thing about these types of disorders is that they ‘appear’, key word APPEAR, more socially acceptable than say drug or alcohol abuse, mainly because they are easier to hide or easier to defend.

There are several similarities between exercise addiction and drug addiction; including effects on mood, tolerance and withdrawal.  Like other addictive substances and behaviors, exercise is associated with pleasure, and social, cultural or sub-cultural desirability.

The topic of exercise addiction is so controversial.  It is a known fact that exercise is healthy and has health benefits that extend well beyond our physical bodies, such as emotional and psychological benefits.  So we beg the question how much is too much? That is a hard question to answer.  Truthfully there is not an exact line at the number of hours where it turns from healthy to addiction.  Over exercising is also associated with a guilty feeling when ONE single day at the gym is missed.  I know that lots of my clients also hate missing a scheduled day at the gym.  At Impact, we encourage one full day of rest each week, and it isn’t supposed to come with a day of guilt.  We also do not encourage excessive training every single day, instead we generally suggest three days of resistance training with days of rest in between.   So again, it is a hard line to draw between being committed to something you know and love and being addicted to it.
Here are a few characteristics that distinguish healthy regular exercise from exercise addiction that I found from about.com.

Firstly, exercise addiction is maladaptive, so instead of improving the person’s life, it is causes more problems. Exercise addiction can threaten health, causing injuries, physical damage due to inadequate rest, and in some instances (particularly when co-occurring with an eating disorder), malnutrition and other problems.

Secondly, it is persistent, so an exercise addict exercises too much and for too long without giving the body a chance to recover. We all overexert ourselves on occasion, and usually rest afterwards. But exercise addicts exercise for hours every day, regardless of fatigue or illness. As the individual’s principle way of coping with stress, they experience anxiety if they are unable to do so.

The good news is that according to about.com only 8% of gym users meet the criteria for exercise addiction. In the classic pattern of addiction, exercise addicts increase their amount of exercise to re-experience feelings of escapism or the natural high they had previously experienced with shorter periods of exercise. They report withdrawal symptoms when they are unable to exercise, and tend to go back to high levels of exercise after a period of abstinence or control. Three percent of gym users feel they cannot stop exercising.

While many reasons for exercising are shared among exercisers addicted or not -- health, fitness, weight management, body image and stress relief -- exercisers who are not addicted cite other reasons that exercise addicts do not share, such as social enjoyment, relaxation, and time alone.

People at risk for exercise addiction have difficulties in other areas in their lives that drive them to exercise at dangerous levels. They feel strongly that exercise is the most important thing in their life, and they use exercise as a way to express emotions including anger, anxiety, grief, and to deal with work and relationship stress. Some know that their excessive exercising has caused conflicts with their family members more often though they are in denial of these effects.

A central function of exercise addiction (like most addictions) is the sense of control -– over mood, the body, the environment -- that exercise provides. It also provides a sense of structure. Ironically, as with other addictions, the attempt to exert control eventually leads to a loss of control over the ability to balance the activity with other priorities in life.

Exercise is a great way to manage stress and to address negative feelings. If you or someone you knows need for exercise is greater than your ability to manage your relationships and feelings, you many need more help, both to overcome your addiction and to find healthier ways of coping. Speak with your doctor about the best way to treat your addiction.

- Jenna

Source : http://addictions.about.com/od/lesserknownaddictions/a/exerciseadd.htm
 

I know a lot of people have a hard time staying on track with their meal plans when they are around friends or family.  I also know that a lot of the time it is because they simply do not know how or do not want to have to explain to people what they are making all these changes.

I thought it would be cool to write about some things that might make it easier to inform friends and family about the positive changes you are making in your life.  Having them in the know makes special occasions or family outings a lot easier and eliminating as many possible reasons to deviate from your plan is important and sets you up for even greater success!

Here are a couple things to remember:

Don’t get discouraged by people’s reactions.  Sometimes people need time to process information and sometimes people react on emotions that they don’t necessarily mean to.  A lifestyle change can be worrisome to close friends and family too, they may worry that your relationship is going to change along with your lifestyle, and it may, but reassure them it will be a positive change.

Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed to share news about a new plan you are following.  As long as it is healthy and safe family should be happy for you.  Making a change to be a healthier you is exciting and praise worthy.  It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, be proud of yourself for taking these steps.

Be open and willing to answer any questions they may have about your new plan.  The more you let people in the easier it will be for them to support you.

Be mindful of the example you are setting for those around you.  It is important to be a healthy role model for your children, especially.  If you are constantly announcing you are following some new fad diet you are showing your children that this is a healthy and acceptable way to be.  Instead, choosing a healthy lifestyle (like that of Impact Nutrition) shows them that being healthy isn’t about starving yourself or obsessing over every little body part.  It simply becomes a healthier way of living.

Show you family the plan you are following.  When they see that it is developed by professionals they will be more likely to take you seriously, but they can then help in keeping you accountable.

If having a sit down conversation is hard for you try writing a letter or a blog about it. I have a friend who is blogging about her weight loss journey.  It is a great idea because it allows friends and family to follow her on her journey as much or as little as they wish.  Plus, it is honest and open and a really cool outlet to write about what you are going through.

I found a cool example of a letter you could use to help introduce your changes to family or friends, rewrite it in your own words or add other items you wish to share.  It is only an example but one that may be useful if you are looking for a good place to start. :)

Sample Letter to Family and Friends


Dear (Kids/Hubby/Wife/Partner/Friend),

I have committed to making some big changes. I'm trying to eat nutritious foods, exercise regularly, and live a healthy life. It hasn't been easy, but I'm taking these commitments seriously, and I would appreciate any help you can offer.

Be honest with me. I am overweight, and I want to lose weight safely and slowly. Listen to me and offer me advice, but please don't minimize the problem.

Stop lecturing me. Talk to me like you care about me, but please don't yell at me, nag me, or criticize me for wanting to change for the better.

Let me be in control. It's my choice. No one besides me can decide how much weight I'll lose, how I'll do it, or whether I want to lose it in the first place.

Don't monitor my food. Don't tell me I don't need a second helping or such a large portion. It only makes me feel bad about myself, which sometimes leads me to overeat.

Be there for me. Support me, encourage me, and compliment me. I want your help finding affordable ways to exercise and I'd like more healthful foods in the house. Better yet, start eating better and exercising alongside me! I want us all to live long, healthy, happy lives.

Don't exclude me. Don't make me the black sheep because I'm eating differently. Instead of focusing on me, try to get the entire family to take small steps to eat better. Don't make fun of me because I'm overweight or trying to lose weight.

Love me. Tell me that you love me regardless of what the scale says. Tell me I'm smart, beautiful/handsome, successful, loveable and talented at any weight. I need to hear it.

Be patient with me. Losing weight doesn't happen overnight. I want to commit to good habits and that takes time, patience, and sometimes more than one try.

Be realistic. I might never be as skinny as you or others might want me to be. But I will be a happier, healthier—and yes, lighter—me.

Thanks for listening, and please take this advice to heart.

Love,

Your name
(This comes from the SparkPeople experts and the book "Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose Weight and Keep It Off--and What They Wish Their Parents Knew" by Anne M. Fletcher.

It is important to remember is that the people closest to you can’t be supportive if they don’t know what is going on.  The truth is that they NEED to know what is going on, and I bet you will be surprised to find out that more often than not they are excited for you and will want to learn new ways to help support, encourage or maybe even join you!

Talking about health and fitness, or worse yet, weight loss with loved ones can be really challenging.  It isn’t always easy to get those around you on the same wave length. It can be hard to see ones we love struggling in this area’s and not be able to help them.

Having family and friends that you support and that support you can really make the whole journey much more enjoyable, not to mention doable.  Plus, at the end of the day we all want to be healthy and to raise healthy families.  We want to teach our kids how to be healthy so that it is a lifestyle and never a ‘diet’ for them.
I thought it would be cool to list a few things I found that we can to do help encourage others in our lives a little more subtly in terms of the benefits of being healthy, so that it doesn’t feel imposing or threatening.

It is nice to have other things to talk about sometimes too.  I think that sometimes people feel those of us that are geared towards health and fitness only want to talk about it.  It can become overbearing at times.  So having a few ways to imply what we would otherwise say can be a nice break the daily grind of things.

·    Keep a variety of healthy foods and snacks in the kitchen.
·    Make sure you talk to them about other things besides weight loss and fitness.
·    Stock kitchen with healthy cookbooks, leaving them where people can find them.
·    Get the junk food out of the house.
·    Plan an active activity after dinner.
·    Make it a habit to play outdoor games together.
·    Plan a cooking date.
·    Cook at least three times a week for the household.
·    If you already cook, cook healthier foods for the family.
·    Maintain an upbeat attitude.
·    Invite them to take part in a fundraiser that supports something important to all of you.
·    Get a physical and urge them to do the same.
·    Give “active” gifts, like personal training packages, a bicycle, roller blades, etc.
·    Make a bet.
·    Use positive language all the time.
·    Be straight up and let them know you’re concerned about their health.
·    Start a garden that you can work on together to produce healthy fruits and vegetables.
·    Plan a “surprise” weekend that involves physical activity like a bike ride or a hike.
·    Suggest walking more often than driving.
·    Make their exercise a priority. Wash their gym clothes without being asked, do a chore for them so they have time. Make it easy for them.
·    Sneak healthy snacks and a friendly note (maybe even a love note) into their lunch, briefcase, jacket pocket or purse.
·    Prepare their favourite dish in a healthier/clean way.  There are lots of resources out there on how to ‘clean’ up favourite meals.
·    Opt for activities as an excuse to spend time together.
·    Ask them to help you stay on track.
·    Turn off the TV and hide the remote.
·    Give big, positive attention to changes that are made.
·    If it’s your turn to pick, choose a healthy restaurant or one that’s within walking distance.  (sparkpeople.com)

These are just a few examples of things we can do to help and encourage those around us.  I am sure this list got you to thinking of some of things you might already do, or better yet things you would like to do.

Give it a shot this week, try to inspire someone around you to be just a little healthier...better yet try to do it ever so subtly that they actually think it is fun J
Have a great rest of your week!!

Jenna

Being a mom has taught me countless things in this world, being a single mom has taught me things I’ve never imagined.   I don’t pity myself for going at this alone, but instead I have learned the ways in which I can accomplish things I need to do and things I want to do, and to be happy doing it all.  

1.    Balance.  Balance with being healthy and happy.  I am a train wreck when my life is out of balance.  I am not engineered properly to deal with imbalance in my life.  It causes me great stress.  Luckily, I have been blessed with the ability to be pretty balanced, to know when I need more or less of something in my life and how adjust it.
Finding balance really applies to my outlook on healthy eating and fitness, too.   It is a work in progress, something that someone else can’t lay out for you; it takes time to find a balance between what works for you and what doesn’t.   I value time with my son and myself too much to be completely consumed with fitting into a mold of what I should be.  I can diet, but I also need rewards and I need to feel balanced.  I didn’t ever want to feel guilty for enjoying an ice cream with son in the summer or cake on his birthday, while at the same time maintaining a weight and body image that I was happy with.  This is part of balance and happiness for me in my life.

2.    Gym time is “me” time.  It has to be.  It is so hard to set aside time for yourself at the best of times.  In order to get the most out of my time at the gym I have to know that a little me time (usually my 1 hour lunch break) makes me a better  mom, girlfriend, friend, worker, co-worker, really a better everything.

3.    Meal times.  Eating meals together holds extreme value to me. Healthy eating is important to me because I am teaching these very things to my son.  It is just him and I most of the time, and he is at an age where he picks up on everything.  It is important that we enjoy healthy home cooked meals together each night that we can.  This is special time, and I learn so much about his day during these precious few minutes each evening.

4.    Multi tasking is key.   I don’t share the responsibility of taking care of household chores, or meals, or bath times or bed times or extracurricular activities with anyone else, so this is a skill I’ve really had to master.   Sometimes I have to get my cardio in by running alongside my son as he bike rides, or do a set of sit ups in between stirring supper on the stove.   Is it always ideal, no? Does it make me happy to spend time with Owen or taking care of household responsibilities and accomplish something for myself simultaneously? Yes. 

5.    Being busy keeps me sane. I am undoubtedly very very busy (but who isn’t?), and I like it this way.  I function well under pressure and always being on the go.  It also helps me to enjoy my down time (rare, but still happens now and again) even more.  I need to make the most of each hour of each day in order to accomplish all the things that are important to me.

6.    I am useless without sleep.  Sometimes, I have to go to bed without everything being done.  It is hard for me, but something I have learned over the years about myself.  If I don’t get enough sleep everything else falls by the wayside because I have zero energy by noon.  I am also extremely irritable and grouchy.  Since I know this about myself, I make it a complete 100% priority to get at least 7-8 hours a sleep at night.  It is not negotiable in my life.  

7.    I need water.  Many of times I have thought I was hungry and was only really thirsty.  I pack water for my son everywhere we go – I do the same for myself.  It has become a habit.  I also have kidneys that NEED lots and lots of water.  It is a silly point, but I am more effective as a human when I have water with me at all times.

8.    Laughter.  Surrounding myself with good people who support me, who lift you me up, who make me laugh and who just plain make me happy.  A good laugh can turn any day around.   

9.    God time.   Making time for devotion each day is important to me. It centers my attention and direction for the day ahead.  It is a necessary part of each day to spend a few minutes alone with God.  I feel fulfilled and ready to take on the next set of tasks waiting for me.  It’s also a large part of my relationship with T and it keeps us healthy together.

10.    Alone time.  This is just plain good for everyone.  Whether it is 10 minutes before bed with a good book, or a bath, or while driving or a while doing laundry.  A few minutes of uninterrupted alone time is just good for your soul.  I don’t always find alone time each day, but when it happens I just love it.

Missing a work out makes me feel like yuck, missing out on time with Owen makes me feel empty.  So I needed to find ways to accomplish all of these things in order to feel well rounded and happy.  I know the things that make me tick and the things that set me up for disappointment.   The ways in which I have found balance in my role as a mom and my responsibility to myself  to be healthy are just a few, and they are specific to me, but  I have noticed that once I was able to identify these I was able to balance them a lot more effectively.  When one of these seems to be missing other areas in my life suffer too.

So, I didn’t compile this to be a list of things that I think you should be doing, rather I took time to list something’s I have noticed in my life that are important, items that have allowed me the pleasure of true and honest self love.  

Sometimes with the fast paced life that we live we forget about the things that really make us happy.  We get lazy, sad, distracted or off track.  Sometimes we need to take a time out to refocus.  When everything in your life seems a bit fuzzy or things that used to be important to you suddenly aren’t, it may be because other items in your life have taken away from those that matter the most.  

Take some time this week to really think about the things in your life that you need and question whether you are setting aside enough time for them. If not, work at making them a priority in your life again and everything else kind of just falls into place around those.

Have a wonderful week!

J
 

I realize that Food, Inc is not a new documentary but I had never seen it and this weekend I was asked by Justin to check it out.  Initially, I was expecting something along the lines of Super Size Me.  I’ll be honest, Super Size Me didn’t leave me feeling enlightened by any sense of the imagination.  I mean, I don’t think it is a mind blowing discovery that if you eat McDonalds (or any take out of this degree) for an entire month straight that you may cause yourself some serious health problems.  Having said that, I found Food, Inc to be MUCH more relevant and hit home a lot harder than I had expected.

It was cool because Tristan watched it with me, so we were able to have a lot of really intelligent conversation about the topic afterwards.  In saying that, watching this actually bothered me, it upset me and it messed with my head a little.  I am glad to have seen it and it sparked a lot of emotion and thought, the signs of a good documentary, I suppose.

There was SO much information and so many different views and  topics covered in the 2 hours we watched Food, Inc that I certainly cannot do it justice in a short blog piece.  I do want to share some of the areas that I found most thought provoking and I encourage you to spend a couple hours watching this, and formulating your own views on the food we feed our children and fuel our own bodies with.

Firstly, I don’t think it comes as any surprise that most of the foods you find in the grocery store are mass produced, and there is logic behind this, undoubtly.   The high demand on suppliers to adequately supply all of their consumers isn’t surprising, but perhaps what is surprising is the methods farmers are forced to use in order to meet demands of contracts laid before them by suppliers.  They are forced to cut corners and to produce the highest quantities of food at the lowest costs.  Sadly, the by-product of this is that many times, quality and humanity are sacrificed.    “Approximately 10 billion animals (chickens, cattle, hogs, ducks, turkeys, lambs and sheep) are raised and killed in the US annually. Nearly all of them are raised on factory farms under inhumane conditions. These industrial farms are also dangerous for their workers, pollute surrounding communities, are unsafe to our food system and contribute significantly to global warming,” (http://www.foodincmovie.com).   So much so, that watching footage from these types of farms is actually very, very difficult to watch.

Every noticed that the size of the frozen chicken breasts we purchase are outrageous? I question this every time I open a box of chicken from Costco or Wal-Mart.  It is crazy and not rocket science to know that ‘normal’ chickens don’t grow to this size naturally very often, or at leasty quickly enough to meet demands of consumers.  More and more our foods are being genetically modified.   In partial, this is the suppliers response to consumer demands.  Believing that we want and will only purchase food that looks ‘perfect’ or meat that looks plump and juicy; and, although we aren’t entirely to blame for this, we know this to be true to a certain degree.   Not true in the fact that we want our food to be altered but that we want and expect it to look a certain way.

The segment that hit home the hardest was definitely one on foodborne illness, relating to the matters of E.coli, and  Mad Cow disease.  In the documentary we met a woman whose two year old boy was inflicted with e-coli after eating a burger, and died a few short days later.   To think that this is a real life possibility for you or your children is a devastating thought.  What’s scarier than that is those who have a responsibility to maintain safety within food production and sale are failing us.   In response to this tragic ending for this family they have been working diligently on pushing Kevin’s Law in the USA; which was formerly known as the Meat and Poultry Pathogen Reduction and Enforcement Act of 2003. This proposed legislation would give the U.S. Department of Agriculture the power to close down plants that produce contaminated meat.  “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Although Kevin's law is not in Congress right now, there is other important national food safety legislation pending for you to support,” (http://www.foodincmovie.com).  

The documentary touches on many other key issues that we as consumers HAVE to start paying attention to key topics that include food labelling, the use of pesticides, cloning, the origins of our meat/produce, and the environmental impacts of the choices we make.  Keeping in mind this documentary and these laws and information are US- based, there are still a lot we can do to ensure sustainable farming methods and healthy foods continue to appear in our local groceries stores.

Organic options are being much more widely available, farmers who believe in organic practises exist and although they are not as common, I have no doubt that their market share will continue to grow.  We as consumers have to continue to support local farmers and farmers who believe in organic and humane practices.

I understand that eating organic is not always possible.  It does cost more and it does require more ‘hunting’ to find items that are organic.  On the issue of cost though, I must point out that as a society we have no issues with splurging on a $6 Starbucks every morning, but tend to complain that free range, organic eggs cost $3.25, or double that of the regular ones available to us.  Try to keep in mind where we place value in our lives and our longevity as healthy individuals and families.

Here are a few other things that have been suggest that we can do to make some positive eating habits:

Stop or reduce the amount you drink sodas and other sweetened beverages.
You can lose 25 lbs in a year by replacing one 20 oz soda a day with a no calorie beverage (preferably water).

Eat at home instead of eating out.
Children consume almost twice (1.8 times) as many calories when eating food prepared outside the home.  Use this time to spend as a family, eat together.  It is one of the simplest gifts you can give your children. Time.
 

Bring food labelling into the 21st Century.
Half of the leading chain restaurants provide no nutritional information to their customers.

Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks.
Over the last two decades, rates of obesity have tripled in children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years.

Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides.
According to the EPA, over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the U.S.

Protect family farms; visit your local farmer's market.
Farmer's markets allow farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer.

Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS.
The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to your dinner plate.
Tell Parliament that food safety is important to you.
Each year, contaminated food causes millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the U.S.

Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections.

If you say grace in your house, pray that we continue to have access to healthy food, food that will continue to nourish our bodies and keep us healthy.

This week I encourage you to watch Food, Inc (available on Shaw On Demand) or at least check out their website (http://www.foodincmovie.com).  Inform and educate yourself to the best of your ability so that you and your family can continue to make smart choices about your health and the food you fill your bodies with.  

I am also curious, do you buy organic when it is possible? What items do you place value on buying organic? Do you purchase your meat and poultry from a local farmer? Do the issues of sustainability and food safety play a factor in where you buy your meat and produce? What are you and your family doing to help preserve healthy food options for years to come?

The other day my boyfriend and I were discussing areas of our life that require self-discipline.  Mainly, for us, in the area of our Christian values and devotion to making this a priority not only in our own lives but also in our relationship. I must say over the past number of months we have greatly improved in this area, mostly by making a real effort to make it a routine part of our day. After a few months of being truly disciplined in this area it has become an easy part of both of our days; something we are both excited and proud of.  

We also noticed that some of this focus and dedication started spilling into other areas of our lives, after a ‘free- for –all’ sort of summer I started to notice that we started to, once again, become much more focused on all the important areas of our lives that had sort of fell to the way side over our very busy summer.  So it got me wondering if all of this was just coincidence or if this was some truth beyond the pattern we were seeing.   I started digging around for some information on the topic and I stumbled upon a couple articles that spoke to this very theory.

One article I found was actually about self-discipline in the area of health and fitness. Fancy that!! By definition self discipline explains the act of disciplining or the power to discipline one's own feelings, desires, etc., especially with the intention of improving oneself.  I don’t think it is any secret that dieting and following a strict fitness plan requires some true and honest self-discipline.  I also believe that it one of the biggest reasons so many of us struggle to be successful at weight-loss/healthier lifestyles.  

What was interesting about this article though, was that it talked about how if you become disciplined in one area of your life it starts to become easier to do in all other areas.  So, it is almost like a domino effect, the first thing you tackle might be the toughest, as you lay ground work and you gain some confidence and momentum, but once you’ve ‘mastered’ it, you will likely notice that you become more disciplined with all things that follow.

“Self-control is like a muscle: the more regularly you use it, the stronger it gets — in every area of life. In one study, psychologists Megan Oaten and Ken Cheng had participants start and stick to a regular exercise plan. Two months later, the exercising participants were performing better on other self-control tests in the lab. More impressive still, they experienced higher levels of self-control outside the lab, reporting success toward quitting smoking and limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, better maintenance of household chores, and improved spending and study habits. Participants also reported less emotional distress and less perceived stress after practicing self-control. The Australian research team noted that exercising self-control in one area “produced significant improvements in a wide range of regulatory behaviors Experience Life Magazine.

When stopping to think about this, I can think of examples of this in my life.  Doesn’t it ever seem like when someone is really good at one thing that they kind of a niche with a lot of things?  I think this plays to the whole self discipline idea.  I think that when one is well at focusing themselves to accomplish one goal, they seem capable of achieving lots of goals.

So I challenge you this week, to focus on disciplining yourself in ONE area of your life.  Just one.  If you want to be more self disciplined in the area of weight loss or exercise, I suggest practicing it in a different, totally unrelated area of your life.  Then watch.  Watch to see if other areas that are normally harder for you start to become a little easier, work to apply yourself where you need it the most.  Self control isn’t a mechanism we are born with; it is something that takes some effort.  The rewards can be well worth it though, and it is these very things that tend to set us apart from everyone around us.
 

Earlier this year I ran Impacts first FitCamp, and I had the opportunity to get to know Michelle as she was one of the participants.  She is an amazing inspiration not only in the gym but also as a great wife and mom.  She has mastered balance between personal time with health and fitness as well as her home life, something so many of us struggle with.   She has continued to push herself and is now training for a fitness competition in October, she looks fantastic and has one of the greatest personality's I know to match. I cannot wait to see her on stage. 

Client Name: Michelle Kruk              

Date started with Impact:  February 2011

How’d you hear or get involved with Impact?  I was refereed by another friend to Impact Nutrition.

Reason for start: Wanted to get into great shape and learn how to eat healthy and train properly for a marathon.

Initial goals with Impact: To get into great shape to run a marathon

Online or in person client or both: Both

Physical progress made since start: I have made amazing progression. I have made a successful transformation. Not only did I get into great shape within 3 months, I ran my best time ever for my marathon in San Diego.  It feels so good to see results, it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself.

Biggest challenges since start? I have 2 young children and of course I cook all kinds of different foods for my family. At times it was very challenging to make the right choices not to eat those things. I stayed focused and grounded and it has paid off.

How have you overcome these? With will, determination and dedication. I am a very determined person and set my mind to reach certain goals. I started to see results physically and mentally and knew that the sacrifices I was making were well worth it and I was on the right track.

Biggest lifestyle change you’ve made since starting with Impact? My life has changed significantly since starting with Impact. I consciously make healthy choices for me and my family. I cook and eat very clean. Of course I indulge once in a while, we all enjoy sweets or salty treats. I think one of the biggest changes for me, is that I never looked at myself as a mentor. But since I have changed my life for the better, I have inspired and helped so many people make clean healthy choices. I have come out a better person for this. I have been so pleased with starting with Impact that I feel 100% confident referring my friends and family to Impact Nutrition.

Favorite aspects of Impact:  I am not the easiest client to please.  Lets just  say I can be difficult. I ask a lot of questions, I tend to question things and need to understand everything that I am eating and why. Justin always answered my questions, and educated me and made me understand. Anyone can follow a diet plan, or join a weight loss group and be successful. The key is understanding how to keep the weight off. I feel that Impact has done just that for me.

Have you experienced any unexpected outcomes (ie: increased energy, better mood, sleeping better): Of course I have way more energy. I have a more positive outlook on life.

Where are you at now? Have you reached goals? Have goals changed?  I am now training for a fitness competition in October.  This would not have been possible without a little encouragement from Impact, thinking that I was capable of doing a fitness competition. I am a runner; shows had never crossed my mind. However,  I’ve gotten into the best shape of my life and now so many different doors have opened up for me. It’s exciting!

How do you find time and balance between working/family etc and working out?  I have an unbelievable support system. My husband is my rock! I get up at 5am every morning to workout. Yes there are times when I am tired, but I know in my heart that exercise and good health equals happy marriage, happy family, happy life.  I am most happy when I can take care of my family the best that I know how.

Your must have work out gear (favorite brands or items):  LuLu Lemon   

Favorite cheat meal: Anything with peanut butter. I love Ezekial bread toasted with peanut butter and banana.  I also love sushi.

How do you entertain yourself during cardio (ie: TV, video games, magazines, iPod):  iPod

What’s on your iPod right now?  I listen to satellite radio station.

Who is your biggest inspiration? Mirah Jade Scott, a fitness pro athlete. Anyone who can change their life for the better, want to help others is an inspiration to me.

How have your family and friends supported you? They support me 100%  You can’t do this without your friends and families support.  Competing in a fitness show takes up a lot of time and energy. Its hard training, and without my family support, I could not do this.

Favorite extracurricular activity? Anything active, I like relaxing in the hot tub with the kids. Reading health magazines, Oxygen is my favorite. I highly recommend this magazine to any women trying to get into shape and eat clean. It has fantastic articles that really relate to the everyday mom, or working women.

Favorite protein flavor?  Iso Flex chocolate peanut butter, or Iso Sensation Cafe Brazil. I can make yummy ice caps with the Cafe Brazil.

What ways do you reward yourself for your hard work and dedication? Sometimes I have a cheat meal at the end of the week.

When it comes to the number of times you eat in a day, it is a true story!!

Most of us know that skipping or avoiding meals is not a healthy way to restrict how many daily calories we consume.  Research has shown us that 5-6 smaller meals a day can aid in helping you achieve your weight loss goals much more effectively, as opposed to the traditional thinking that 3 complete meals a day is best, and if you are an Impact Client you know this and you practice this when abiding by your meal plans. What some clients don't realize is that skipping meals is no better than those who cheat on their plan.  

More and more people are victims of fad diets that seem to put you on some gnarly rollercoaster that includes extreme calorie restriction.  Diet plans that wildly restrict your calories decrease your body's metabolism, and as a result your body experiences starvation. When this occurs, your body uses the calories you are taking in very efficiently in an attempt to protect your fat stores.  In order for your body to protect its fat stores it begins using lean tissue or muscle to provide it with some of the calories it needs to keep functioning. Naturally, this leads to muscle loss, which in turn lowers metabolic rate so that the body needs fewer calories to function and then weight loss is slowed. Although a calorie deficit is necessary to lose weight, extreme diet restriction is not the answer.

Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day increases your body's metabolic rate. As metabolism increases, so does the number of calories that you burn in a day.  Eating a source of lean protein with each of these meals further increases your metabolism.  Your level of hunger will diminish while your energy level rises with smaller, more frequent meals each day. You will also be able to maintain balanced blood sugar levels, which helps prevent hunger.

By eating regularly, you can help your body maintain insulin levels which in return produces amino acids into your muscle's cells and helps promote muscle growth.  Increased muscle growth also means that you are able to burn more calories, all of these aspects working together allow your body to act as one finely tuned machine!  As a result of eating healthy foods regularly you will notice your weight loss goals are easier to accomplish.

The trick is to make sure you have a constant eating schedule. It might be difficult at first, but planning your meals will be well worth it.  Eating a diet that includes healthy fats, vegetables, lean protein and the right types of carbs in the right amount and the right times is the best way to go. Eating a healthy diet with 5-6 meals each day can aid in accelerated muscle growth, increased energy, and an increased metabolism!

Combine your diet with strength training and regular cardio exercise (and Impact Nutrition :)) and you will be on the fast track to reaching your fitness goals.

Jenna

Well...not necessarily, but there is a correlation between the amount of sleep you get and your weight.  When you think about it, it all kind of makes sense, and it isn’t just about how much sleep but also about the quality of sleep you are getting each night.

It makes sense if you think about.  You wake up feeling sleepy and tired you instantly look for some quick fix energy sources.  Extra caffeine and sweet snacks or breakfast, this trend tends to run throughout the day also, afternoon slump hits and you look for another jolt of quick energy, usually in the form of something sugary or caffeine laden.   Then supper comes around and you are too tired to make supper so you skip your gym workout and stop for take out on the way home.  Then it is bed time and you can’t sleep yet again because you have filled your body with sugar and caffeine.   It then becomes this vicious cycle that can ultimately lead to weight gain.  When you are sleep deprived your metabolism doesn’t function at its highest ability, either.

On average, we need about 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night, he says. “If you are getting this already, another half hour will not help you lose 10 pounds, but if you are a five-hour sleeper and start to sleep for seven hours a night, you will start dropping weight. ”

Exactly how lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight has a lot to do with our nightly hormones, explains explains Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleep and the clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health in Glendale, Ariz..

The two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. “Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin,” Breus says. “Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.”
 More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain.

“You are eating more, plus your metabolism is slower when you are sleep-deprived,” Breus says.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of things we can control that will affect our sleep.  Avoiding caffeine after lunch is a good start if you have problems falling asleep at night, or if you have problems staying asleep.  Caffeine keeps us in the lighter phase of sleep and doesn’t allow us to fall into the deep sleep that is necessary to feel rested in the morning.

 Exercise is kind of a double wammy.  Exercise throughout the day is really important and is beneficial to our bodies and weight loss and for many it helps aid in a  good night’s sleep, alternatively vigorous exercise before bed may keep you awake at night.  Try do finish your workouts a couple hours before you turn in for the night to gain maximum sleeping benefits from exercise.
Avoid eating any large, rich meals right before bed.  Doing so can increases your chances for indigestion, heartburn and a number of other factors that can make sleeping uncomfortable.

Avoiding TV and other high stimulus activities before bed and instead trading them in for other things such as a warm bath or a good book may help also.
I challenge you this week to put some of these tips into practice and aim to get at least 7.5 hours of solid sleep and see what it does for your not only physically but also mentally.  It is one of the simplest things we can do for our bodies, and we owe it to them after a full day’s work.

I know many clients have been looking forward to September as it brings back some much needed routine to their lives, so to all of you, I hope you have found that this week and are feeling back on track after a wonderful summer!

Have a wonderful week,

Jenna  
 

If you are human you have probably noticed that balancing your personal life with your ‘healthy life’ is a real challenge.   The summer tends to be the hardest time for most people.  I know for me it seems like there is just always something on the go in the summer.  Some BBQ, some party, some camping trip, kids activity etc, etc, and when it comes down to it some days just simply DO NOT have enough hours in them.

Although I do not have a school aged child yet I also know that for a lot of moms the summer really throws them for a loop because the kids are home and routine really gets off track.  The little time you normally have to work out seems to always be filled with some activity with the children when they are home all day.  (I will admit that if there was ever an excuse for not having time to work out, kids are the best of them :D) A lot of us really thrive on routine, we need it for balance and structure in our lives, for many, is the only way we find time to devote to ourselves each day.

How about your computer or cell phone?  Ever stopped to think about how much time you waste on these each day? It is interesting to think about how we have time to post about being so busy, or not making it to the gym etc but we have the time to sit down and type that for everyone and their dog to read.   Just something to be conscious of as we find our days to be so busy, thinking about where we waste most of time can help us to have more it for more productive things!

Fitting in friends and family amongst all the other things can be really tough but I think that it is really important that we find time each day to unplug, even if it is only for half an hour.  Disconnecting ourselves from everything to fit in sometime for ourselves and our workouts really has its benefits.  
Try some of these tips:

·    Pick a set time each day where your phone is out of sight, where you do not tend to it.  Voicemail is your friend.
·    Listen to music on a device that is separate from your phone so you are not distracted by these things during your workout.
·    Limit your personal time on your computer, set an alarm so that you do not go over this time.
·    Have a no cell phone rule during family activities
·    Set a time at night where you stop taking calls and stop replying to messages until the next day (lots of new phones even have a feature that will allow you to only receive email notifications between the hours that you set).

If you have a busy day ahead plan to get your exercise in first thing in the morning, before the rest of the world needs you.  Devise a plan to make time for you where you are not at anyone else’s beck and call.  At first this may seem difficult, but after a little bit of practice you will probably be wishing you can do it more often.  The solitary you receive from time without distractions almost acts as a reset button and allows you to return to the people who need you refreshed and recharged (no pun intended).

So I am curious, what ways do you ‘disconnect’ yourself to make time for working out?

I wrote a blog post earlier this year that spoke to emotional eating.  Lately I have been paying more attention to the many other reasons we eat when we aren’t actually hungry.  I find myself doing this now and again, especially during these summer months.  I found a cool article on sparkpeople.com that spoke to this topic nicely.  It isn’t really rocket science but it is interesting to really think about where your cravings come from.  

I am willing to bet that you can relate to at least one of the reason’s listed below for your mindless eating.  I know I can.

One thing is for certain we have all done it a time or two, bigger then that though is realizing that you do it, why you do it and finding other ways to satisfy yourself.

Emotions

I touched on this one earlier – there are many emotions that trigger eating.  For some of us, we KNOW we are emotional eaters.  We eat to celebrate, we eat to comfort, we eat to heal, we eat out of anger.  It can be a vicious cycle, namely because afterwards we usually don’t feel any better about ourselves, in fact sometimes we feel worse than we did before.  If you know this is a problem for you, it will be important to recognize other outlets that allow you to express emotion more positively. Check out my earlier post for more tips on this!!

Other People Are Eating

When you're out enjoying a dinner with family or friends, it can be easy to eat when you're past the point of fullness—especially if you are mindless eating while deep in conversation.  Food is a huge part of socializing for many of us.  But you can still enjoy nights out with your friends without over indulging.  Have a plan for your meal before you leave and don’t go outside of it.  At the end of the night you will feel proud of yourself and will still have been able to enjoy the evening surrounded by good company.  It can be very difficult if you live in a house where you are the only one making a conscious effort to eat clean, do your best to get your family on board.  It is healthier and often times clean food tastes even better than the other stuff anyways.

Special Occasions

“If you work in a big office or have a big family, it can seem like every day is someone's birthday, anniversary, or shower. And if those celebrations often involve cake or alcohol, it might seem that every party is a calorie-laden minefield. If you don't want to have a piece of cake every day, don't automatically get in the cake line when it's your bosses' birthday—you can always show your face at the celebration without taking part in the punch bowl. Remember: Celebrations are about the people, not the food. If you do best without temptation, skip the gathering altogether or bring your own low-cal treat. Here's another tactic: New research shows that just imagining yourself eating a treat can decrease your desire to eat the real thing. Passing up cake or celebratory food on occasion just got easier!,”  Erin Whitehead, Health and Fitness Writer, sparkpeople.com

Boredom

I think this is the most common one.  Many of us eat when we can’t think of anything better to do.  If this is you the trick then seems relatively easy but I understand it is easier said than done.  It is best to have a toolbox of ideas ready to fill an afternoon so that you aren’t filling it with food.  Catch up with an old friend, write a letter or a blog, exercise, go for a swim, scrapbook.  There are lots of different things you can do to keep yourself busy; the trick is having the ideas handy when you need them.  Work to keep your hands busy too, have a bottle of water handy or in your hand at all times.

Food is There

This is an interesting one because it can work in a variety of ways.  For me, I notice that if I am at a BBQ or a party, it doesn’t matter how full I am, if there are snacks on the table I pick at them.  To the point of being uncomfortably full even.  Same goes for food in the house, out of sight out of mind type deal.  If I have cookies in the house I will eat them, if they are out of sight or not in the house I don’t even think to touch them. Alternatively, if I am snackey and I have fresh veggies cut up ready in the fridge I will always pick them over anything else.  It is the convenience thing though; if I am hungry and I have the choice between prepping and not prepping I always choose the later of the two, which coincidentally is usually also the least healthy. So have healthy snacks ready all of the time, have them accessible and don’t tempt yourself with the alternatives.

You’re Tired

If you are searching for a pick me up.  Make it a healthy one.  The good news is with Impact you are eating every 2-3 hours anyways.  So if you are feeling the lull’s of a boring afternoon, know that by fueling your body with your next meal you should feel a surge of energy.  Drink some water, drink some green tea, get up and go for a little walk or stretch. Find alternatives to beat those afternoon lulls.

It’s Time to Eat

...Or is it?  Are your programmed to eat at certain times? Do you pull out your lunch right at 12 noon everyday because the clock says so? I happen to never eat at noon, because of the way that my meals are spaced each day.  In fact I am never hungry at noon, so why would I eat at noon? Pay attention to your hunger levels and assess them before pulling out your next meal according to the clock.

Free Food

I have been guilty of this a time or to.  Eating food just because it was available and it was free.  How lame is that? The reality is that people do it though.  It’s programmed in us that free or cheap is a GOOD DEAL, one that we must'nt pass up.  When it comes to food though, I don’t know that this holds true.  Be careful to not fall into this trap.  It isn’t worth it for a free hotdog or store sample, I promise.

Peer Pressure

This can be a hard one to say no to.  When you are around a bunch of people who simply don’t understand your goals it can be really hard to withstand the peer pressure.  I think this is also something we can all relate too, “c’mon just have some,” or “one bite isn’t going to kill ya.”  You know how it goes, and generally for the sake of not having to explain everything or to stand out in a group of people we give in. It is tough, but it is something you will only get better at the more you practice.  Alas, maybe you need to evaluate the friends in your life, if they can’t support you being healthier what else can’t they support?  Not saying all friends are bad, but just keep in mind your goals and how you would support them if they were in your situation.

Eat Up

You may have grown up in a house where you were expected to eat everything on your plate before leaving the table, it may be ingrained in.  Instead, let your tummy be the deciding factor. Slow down when you’re eating and chew your food really well, allow time for your brain and stomach to catch up.  You should never eat until it hurts.  If this means leaving some food on your plate then great, take smaller portion sizes in the future.

Realizing that there are many, many different reasons why we put food in our mouth even when we aren’t hungry is important.  The more self aware we come the less likely we are to be stuck with these types of unhealthy habits. 

Next time you are eating think about why you are eating.  If it is a scheduled meal time according to your plan then great!! Otherwise, take the time to think closely about whether or not you want to undo some of the hard work you have already done. 

It is these little things that really add up in the end, and the difference between someone who successfully gets and stays in shape versus someone who doesn’t. 

I am interested... what are your tips and tricks for avoiding these common reasons for over eating? 

If you are anything like me you are always looking for  ways to attend all of those summer BBQ’s, camp outs and parties while still staying on track with your diet.  I recently found a few ways to make smarter choices with these types of things in an article on active.com  and although I knew most of what they talked about, I thought that it might be a good idea to share because I know that this is especially challenging for many of us in the summer. 

It has come to my attention that many of you enjoy spending the summer camping.  I guess I am slightly ignorant to this due to the fact that I didn’t grow up camping.  In fact I only recently experienced my very first camping trip; I am nearly 25 years old.  I learned a few things during this camping trip.  Firstly, I learned that I could definitely see why people enjoy it so much.  There were lots of things about it thoroughly enjoyed and I am secretly looking forward to doing it again.  Secondly, camping is actually a lot of work.  I would never consider camping a “holiday,” to me a holiday is sitting on a beach, not having to cook or do dishes. Thirdly, you really have to be prepared.  I mean really. Maybe I felt like this seeing as it was our first trip nothing was overly organized, but I felt very unprepared for a lot of it.  I think any succeeding trips will be much less work to get ready for as we have everything fairly organized now.  Finally, it can be really challenging to eat healthy while camping.  I mean smores and hotdogs over the campfire are to die for, am I right?  The realization though that of us many spend every weekend of the summer camping means that there has to be a way to stay on track, even when you are cooking over a fire and miles away from any sort of gym facility.

I have researched some of the best tips and tricks for maintaining a meal and exercise plan while camping.  I wish I could draw on more personal experience for this, but honestly I just don’t have it. So I have tried to make the information I found as relevant to our clients as possible, hopefully some of it is helpful!

1. Plan ahead. Before you leave for your camping trip, figure out what you will be eating according to your meal plans for the days you are away. Plan on how many days you’ll be cooking meals and come up with a menu for each meal of the day, including snacks. Prepare a shopping list and purchase the items before you leave on your camping trip. If some items need to be refrigerated, you may need to purchase them closer to your campsite. Be sure to bring a cooler filled with ice. If you are packing perishable items, replenish the ice often – we don’t need you getting sick.
2. Prepare snacks and veggies for your meals ahead of time. Before you leave for your camping trip, cut up some celery, carrots, oranges, apples, and other fruits or vegetables you will need for your meal plan. Keep them on ice so they stay nice and fresh.
3. Pack a meal to eat when traveling to your destination. Part of what leads to unhealthy eating habits while traveling is not having food with you. You get hungry so you decide to pull over to a fast-food restaurant where the food is already prepared or a gas station for a bag of chips and a chocolate bar. If you pack ahead of time, you’ll eat healthier and you won’t have to spend the money on junk food.
4. Bring cooking utensils. Bring a grill and propane if you need it. Cook up chicken, shrimp or steak according to your plan as you need it. Bring a cutting board, chef’s knife, and pot or pan to use on your grill. You can make eggs and oatmeal easily for breakfast and wraps for lunch etc.
5. Drink your water. You don’t want to get dehydrated on your camping trip, so be sure to drink your water. Bring a water bottle with you and refill it often to make sure you are getting enough water. Also, bring some gallons of drinking water in case there isn’t fresh water available where you will be camping - we ran into this problem when we were camping and we had to make a special trip into town for bottled water. 

As for exercising, be sure to pack your runners.  You can take your cardio outside or even go hiking.  Tree’s can be used to modify a lot of exercises like chin ups and push ups.  Even pack a set of dumbbells if you want to get serious about keeping up on your work outs.  There are tons and tons of ways to modify your work outs without needing gym equipment.  You Tube can be useful for looking these up – but I warn you not every video online displays accurate examples of proper and safe workouts so please use caution.  If you ever need some guidance in this area Justin and I are always available to provide advice and examples of what you could do or watch.

The truth is that lots of these tips are things you should be practising every day.  I mean it is really important no matter where you are to me prepared and to plan ahead in order to always stay on track with meals and exercise. 

I know that dieting is hard enough, throw summer in there with all the fun things we get up to and the food and drinks and it becomes even harder.  You don’t want to throw all of your hard work out over the summer – so you need to find a way that works for you to remain on track. Once you find your groove it will become easier too.

Keep it tight this summer and use your cheat meals to splurge a little – the payoffs are well worth it!

Happy campin’!!

J

(As a side note: for the summer I will be keeping a blog only every second week, but never fear, I will be back full force in September J) 

It has been sometime since I posted a SpotLight, but this week we are featuring Malvina Dudas.  She has been an Impact client for almost a year and you would not believe the changes she has made in this time.  Malvina works two jobs and is also a busy mom.  She set out on her journey in hopes of making it to the stage back in May 2011, and boy did she ever!! She looked phenomenal and her changes came with a lot of hard work and dedication, and not without challenges, but it has totally paid off.  I admire this women and I can relate to her in so many ways.  She is a true inspiration for working mama's everywhere - IT IS POSSIBLE!! 

 

Here is her journey: 

 

Client Name: MALVINA DUDAS

 

Date started with Impact: AUGUST 2010

 

How’d you hear or get involved with Impact? JUSTIN WAS A NEIGHBOR OF A FRIEND OF MINE AND SHE GAVE ME HIS INFORMATION

 

Reason for start: I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO DO A COMPETITION

 

Initial goals with Impact: TO LOOK THE BEST I COULD ON STAGE

 

Online or in person client or both? BOTH

 

Physical progress made since start: LOSING 40LBS, MORE STAMINA

 

Biggest challenges since start? STICKING TO THE MEAL PLAN, HAVING TO BE DISCIPLINED DOING 2 HOURS OF CARDIO A DAY AND WEIGHT TRAINING WHILE HAVING A 3 YEAR OLD SON AND 2 JOBS.

**Editor's note: Her cardio level was not always this high, yet reached these levels at some point during her contest preparation. General clients looking to lose some weight/get in better shape don't normally do this much cardio. Newcomers don't be intimidated by this :) 

 

How have you overcome these? DISCIPLINE

 

Biggest lifestyle change you’ve made since starting with Impact? HEALTHY EATING AND REGULAR EXERCISE.

 

Favorite aspects of Impact: HAVING JUSTIN PUSH ME INTO BEING IN THE BEST PHYSICAL CONDITION POSSIBLE.

 

Have you experienced any unexpected outcomes (ie: increased energy, better mood, sleeping

better): NOTHING UNEXPECTED I DID HAVE MORE ENERGY AND TRAINING PUT ME IN A WAY BETTER MOOD.

 

Where are you at now? Have you reached goals? Have goals changed? I HAVE REACHED MY GOALS AND AM NOW MAINTAINING IT. MY GOALS HAVE CHANGED ONLY IN A WAY WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO GAIN SOME MORE MUSCLE NOW AND STAY LEAN.  **Editor's note: more muscle = faster metabolism AND you look better when you get leaner, giving the "toned" appearance women strive for. 

 

How do you find time and balance between working/family etc and working out? IF IT MEANT GETTING UP AT 5 A.M. TO DO CARDIO OR GO TO THE GYM ON MY LUNCH BREAK THAT WAS WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. I AM VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A SUPPORTIVE FAMILY THAT WAS UNDERSTANDING WHEN I WENT TO THE GYM IN THE EVENINGS THEY WEREN'T BOTHERED BY IT.

 

Your must have work out gear (favorite brands or items): LULULEMON AND ONE TOOTH

 

Favorite cheat meal: WHOPPERS, POUTINE, PIZZA AND PASTA LOL ANYTHING I WASN'T ALLOWED TO HAVE

 

How do you entertain yourself during cardio (ie: TV, video games, magazines, iPod): HAD TO HAVE MY MUSIC THAT'S WHAT GOT ME THRU CARDIO

 

What’s on your iPod right now? EVERYTHING FROM BLACK EYED PEAS TO METALLICA TO RISE AGAINST TO BRITTNEY SPEARS. I HAVE IT ALL

 

Who is your biggest inspiration? TERESA NEIL, BRIENNE MAY WHILE TRAINING FOR MY SHOW THEY WERE DEFIANTLY THERE FOR SUPPORT.

 

How have your family and friends supported you? THEY WERE ALWAYS THERE WHEN I NEEDED SOMEONE TO TALK TO OR VENT TO OR EVEN TO HAVE SOMEONE TELL ME NOT TO EAT SOMETHING BECAUSE OF THE GOAL I WAS WORKING SO HARD FOR. I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

 

Favorite extracurricular activity? LOVE SNOWBOARDING, CAMPING AND QUADING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE OUTDOORS

 

Favorite protein flavor? KIWI STRAWBERRY

 

What ways do you reward yourself for your hard work and dedication? I WOULD BUY MYSELF NEW CLOTHES. LOVED GOING SHOPPING AFTER SHEDDING ALL THE POUNDS.

 

This is truly motivating! Great work Mal!

Find your motivation and use it, the realization of your goals is within reach.

Have a wonderful week!

 

Jenna 

 

J

Have a blessed week! 

JNahn

“I don’t have time to exercise” or a variation of this statement is one of the biggest excuses I hear from people who “want” to get in shape but just can’t seem to get motivated to do so or loose motivation really quickly.   I use the word excuse with full intent, because that is exactly what it is.  I am a single mom who works full time and I find time every single day for myself.   Making the time isn’t always easy and the lack of it does sometimes seem like a legit excuse to skip the gym every once in awhile, but the truth is it’s not. I tell Justin most every day we train “I sure wish I could have an extra 8 hours in each day.”   And, it is true, even though I find the time, I could always use more.  

Moms aren’t the only ones who find it tough to make time for extra things like exercise.  Lots of men work long hours or away from home and also have a lot of day-to-day responsibilities pertaining to their families.  Alternatively,  many of us ladies are balancing full time jobs, a family, meals, laundry, cleaning, children and all of their activities the list of items we juggles really goes on and on.  Our lives are busy. Trust me, I get it.  What I also know though is that making time for you allows you to give back to these very important responsibilities exponentially.   Setting aside time for you to exercise allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence we many times can’t find other places.  For me, exercise provides me with the energy and motivation to be a better mom, a better friend, a better employee etc. 

I have compiled a few tips that may assist you in finding ways to set aside this ‘ME’ time.  I apologize as these are geared a little more towards the females, but it is where I am drawing on some of my own experience...

1. For the mom’s, pick a gym that has a daycare.  These are really great.  Although it can be hard to have your child in a daycare/home all day only to take them to another daycare afterwards or on weekends these are still a really great resource.  They are inexpensive and my son has a lot of fun playing with the children and ‘new’ toys.  For stay at home mom’s this is a great chance for your child to interact with other children and provides a great break for the both of you.
2. Discuss with another friend who has children about the option of watching her kids while she works out and have her watch yours while you get your sweat on.  It’s a great way to help each other out and avoid the cost of childcare!
3. Pick a gym that’s hour’s best suit your availability.  If working out first thing in the morning is the only time you can slip away from your kids while hubby is still home make sure you pick a gym that opens early enough for you to get a full work out in.
4. Prepare, prepare, prepare.  Prep your meals ahead of time.  I cook all the chicken I am going to need for the entire week on the weekend.  Then each night before I go to bed I get all of my meals ready and packed so that in the morning there are no excuses to not eating according to my plan.  Invest in a cooler bag and some Tupperware.  Organize and be prepared to take it with you to work or on a busy day of errand running.  You will be less tempted to cheat on your meals if you have them ready to go.   Alas, get your gym bag packed the night before with everything you will need for your work out. 
5. Make an investment.  For me sneaking away in the morning to get my cardio in isn’t always an option.  So I made an investment in a treadmill (Air Miles can be great for this).  This allows me to still get my cardio in without having to leave the house. Pick a piece of cardio equipment and make saving for it a priority.  If this is going to allow you to get it done its worth the investment.  It is your health after all.
6. Use the time you do have wisely.  Many a times I use my lunch hours to get my cardio in.  It is the perfect amount of time to zip to the gym and get it done! 
7. A gym buddy helps you to be accountable.  You don’t have to work out side- by- side with this person but if you have a commitment to meet them at the gym at 6 you are more likely to go!
8. Set goals.  Goals help you to stay on track.  If you know by the end of this week you want to lose 2 lbs getting to the gym, NOT making excuses is what will get you there.
9. Be consistent.  I train with Justin every MWF; I know that I am not available to anyone else or anything else on these days from 5-6PM.  It makes it easy to never make plans during these times and I never have excuses for missing training this way.  My child’s other parent is also aware of my schedule so he knows that he will always be responsible for Owen during these times.  Laying it out so others around you can support you will help you stay on track.  
10. Pick a gym that makes you feel comfortable.  I absolutely love my gym.  Everything about it makes me WANT to be there. 
11.  Treat yourself to a gym outfit that makes you feel good, invest in shoes that make working out fun not painful, load your iPod full of upbeat energizing songs, find a pretty water bottle, do what it takes to make going to the gym as pleasurable as possible.  Don’t you find that you are always so glad once you are there?? We all just need a little motivation sometimes.

To be clear, I believe that making time for you is the least selfish thing you can do, think of it as a responsibility you have to YOU.  It really is completely necessary in order to give 100% of yourself to the million other things that demand your attention.  Find a way that works for you, a system, a routine, a friend and MAKE IT HAPPEN.  No more excuses.  Make this your year.  You deserve it, after all.

GET FOCUSED AND MAKE TIME TO TRAIN.

J