Commitment leads to Results!

Avenue of the Giants Marathon

May 12, 2008

Hello and Happy Monday!

As most of you already know, a week ago I ran the absolute worst race of my life. Maybe not the worst, but definitely, without a doubt, the most painful. Despite the pain and agony, I finished, much slower than I had anticipated, but I finished. I wanted to share this experience with you, so you can step inside what it felt like to be me for 26.2 miles. :o)

But also, I wanted to share it with you because there will be times when you, too, will want to quit and give up or give in on your quest for a more healthful life or beautiful body. The mind is a powerful tool, and the body is also a miraculous machine. I’m not suggesting going through what I went through, but remember, you can do whatever it is that you put your mind to. Most definitely!

Alcohol and weight loss

May 11, 2008

Hello everyone!

I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without discussing one of my favorite topics-alcohol consumption and weight loss. If you love your wine and spirits, you may not like me after reading this article, but I am here to tell you the truth, not to blow smoke up your…well, you know.

After a certain age, very few people can get away with eating anything they’d like. It is a way of life, and one that we have to accept. As the metabolism slows down ever so slightly, we must decrease our caloric consumption in order to remain the same weight. If we do not do this, the pounds will slowly but surely creep on.

When I take on a new client, one of the first questions I ask them is what they are eating and if they drink alcohol. Over a period of time, the calories from alcohol do add up. A drink or two a night may not seem like a lot, but over a span of time (let me say it again), those calories DO ADD UP. And if you are not cutting back elsewhere on calories, you will definitely see those calories in the form of extra pounds on your body.

Exercise Enthusiast Award

April 27, 2008

Every few months, I have decided to write about someone who I think has shown superior effort and/or dedication and commitment. I enjoy training each and every one of you, so this is my way of saying “GREAT JOB”, but in more detail.

I have been training a particular enthusiast for about three years now, and this woman still continues to amaze me by what she is capable of. She is not the heaviest lifter, and yes, she has her days when she doesn’t want to do it. However, the mental strength of Debbie Wells is amazing.

McDonald’s has done it again…as well as Pepsi

April 14, 2008

Another marketing ploy by McDonald’s. Claiming their food is made of “quality” ingredients. See the website for yourself:

http://www.mcdonalds.com/qualityfood

I don’t know how this corporation can make such a heinous claim. One example-look at the ingredients of an ice cream sundae:

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream: Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate. CONTAINS: MILK. Strawberry Topping: Strawberries, sugar, water, high fructose corn syrup, natural strawberry flavor with other natural flavors (fruit source), citric acid, pectin, sodium benzoate (preservative), locust bean gum, red 40, calcium chloride.

I don’t know if the creators of this marketing scheme realize that corn syrups solids are not quality ingredients, as well as red 40, high fructose corn syrup, as well as milk solids (short list). Also, “natural strawberry flavor” can mean just about anything. What that means is CHEMICALS. Bleh, this is one big joke.

Weight loss-one woman’s story

March 29, 2008

Hello all!

I saw this article on yahoo health, and I thought it was very informative. I copied and now it is yours to read. I chose this article because it is coming from someone who had lost 50 pounds, and now she is telling her story and how she is keeping it off.

As you will see, it isn’t easy, but it definitely is doable! Please pay attention to what she does everyday to maintain this weight loss. Like I’ve said before, it takes commitment and daily practice of good, healthful habits.

As I sit here, I am full of fear and anxiety about what my life and the future has in store for me. I am currently pulling myself through one of the most difficult times in my adult life. Not only is this one of the most difficult times emotionally, it’s the first time that I am pulling myself through a bit of a personal crisis since losing 50 pounds (give or take).