It Takes A Village

I looked down while running a boot camp a few weeks ago & noticed these two:

I immediately snapped a picture of Tracey and a fellow boot camper's baby. 

This picture manifests everything I am about, everything my business stands for and ultimately why I love my job as much as I do. 

You see, life is hard. Everyone can agree. Relationships, careers, kids &  money. I got a little overwhelmed just typing it. And then I think about this picture.

The little baby girl in the picture is Karley. Her teeny tiny mother, Belinda, (not pictured) is a beast in my mid-morning boot camp. Her mom does not need to lose weight. Her diet is spot on and she knows how to exercise on her own. Karley is a little over a year old and suffers 8-10 seizures a day. After multiple brain surgeries, they are not sure if they can fix it. Why does Belinda work out? Well, she workouts to get away and to de-stress, but I do not think she realized she would uncover this "village" of support from her workout group. From babysitters & playdates to gifts for no reason, they have taken Karley on as their own. 

Karley started to fuss in the picture while her mom was running. Tracey stepped right in to make her smile, even during a side plank! (well done Tracey!) 

I love the unwavering amount of support in all of my classes. These individuals do an amazing job not only motivating one another, but man, they motivate me as well. I want the best for them...the best workouts, the best information, & the best support in the world.The only way to get better is to surround yourself with people who believe in you.

Working out = Not Easy

Life = Not Easy

Sometimes it takes a village of people to survive...and this is my village. 

The Most Important Exercise

The most important daily exercise? Practicing gratitude. Believe it or not, this was my favorite Christmas gift from this past year:

I didn't realize it at the time, but here I am 49 days into 2016 and incredibly thankful (get it, thankful?) for this small book. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to simply keep this on my nightstand and write in it at least 4 nights per week before I go to bed. I've missed just 3 nights. And this small book? Well it has made a world of a difference. 

We have all heard it. Give thanks...blah, blah, blah. I always considered myself a thankful individual. Heck, I am a trainer, a motivator, and even ran a life coaching program called Break Through Challenge. I believe in giving thanks and have kept a journal from time to time, but never this long. Believe it or not, my thoughts during the day can bring me down. No one is safe from these thoughts, but every night I try to think of every single thing I am thankful for on that day. I started with writing 1 or 2 things, but recently listened to an amazing, motivational speaker, Lisa Nichols, who writes SEVEN things down every morning. She suggested writing down things money cannot buy. 

It didn't occur to me right away, but those pesky negative thoughts that usually would send me into a full panic attack every night before bed...do not have the same effect on me. 

The first few weeks, I will admit, writing in it felt like a chore. Now its a habit.

The Huffington Post posted the benefits of keeping a journal:

Benefits of a Gratitude Journal

1. Lower stress levels.

2. Feel calm at night.

3. Gain a new perspective of what is important to you and what you truly appreciate in your life.

4. By noting what you are grateful for, you will gain clarity on what you want to have more of in your life, and what you can cut from you life.

5. Helps you focus on what really matters.

6. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you learn more about yourself and become more self-aware.

7. Your gratitude journal is a safe zone for your eyes only, so you can write anything you feel without judgment.

8. On days when you feel blue, read back through your gratitude journal to readjust your attitude and remember that you have great people and things in your life.

All I can say is yes to every single item on this list. I know many of my clients say they can't fall asleep at night. My first suggestion is always a gratitude journal. We all have too much on our mind and its a great exercise to clear your your head and focus on the good! 

New York Times Best Seller, Michael Hyatt wrote how he practices gratitude on a daily basis and challenged his readers to list 20 things right now in this present moment. Here are my 20:

1. My faith

2. Health of my family (so cliche but oh so true)

3. My family

4. A happy toddler who learns something new each day

5. Her preschool & teachers

6. Our church & pastor

7. The boot campers/clients I get to work with each day

8. Going to work everyday, doing something I am passionate about

9. Laughter

10. My assistant rocks my world

11. A growing business

12. A partner who challenges me every day

13. Those friends who love me for who I am, check in on me, believe in me

14. A great workout

15. Reading to my daughter each night

16. The Whole 30 

17. Lewis Howes Podcast

18. Dark Chocolate

19. Glass of wine I plan on having tonight! 

20. View from my backyard

What are your 20? How do you feel after writing that list?

So I took my life back...

Way back in 2012, I wrote down my New Year's Resolutions to be in "fitness model shape". That goal stayed in the back of my mind for the past 3 years. All of my campers have heard over and over again.

...Write your goals down
....Make sure they are measurable
....Step outside your comfort zone 

I decided this year to do all of the above. I wrote this goal down again for 2015. I would measure this so called  "fitness model shape" with a bikini competition. However, I needed to make a lot of changes.

As a trainer,  6 months ago, I found my fitness shape embarrassing. We received awful news in our family in both November and then again in December. It seemed like the hits kept coming and I was drowning. I turned to food. 

6 Months Ago:

I was:

Stressed
Exhausted
Questioning my job & my profession
Questioning my relationship

Where do I even start?

I changed my way of thinking. 

I constantly heard those voices in the back of my head of:

You don't need to be in that good of shape
What's the point 
There is no way you can eat that way with a 2 year old
You have too much going on in your life
Your knee won't hold up with that kind of training 
No one wants to hear your brag about your competition 
Waking up at 4am to run on my only days to sleep in is just silly

They were all excuses. I always say, there is no such thing as a good excuse or a bad excuse, its just an excuse. And I wasn't living up to my own words. 

The next 6 months I went all in, no excuses, just one step in front of the other.

And guess what? I reached my goal. 

It was difficult at times, but my friends and clients kept me going. They knew my goal and continued to check up on me. That was all the motivation I needed. I didn't want to let them down. I found an amazing coach, Team Haines Training, experts in the field. As a "teacher" for the past 5 years, it was kind of nice to be a student again. I soaked up all the information I could.

I not only told myself I could do it, but I finally believed I could...no excuses allowed. 

Let's face it, life does get in the way. We fall off the wagon and make excuses. The above story proves it happens, even to the best of us. Fight like hell to make sure its temporary and then make the decision to take your life back. 

"OMG Courtney, you were fat!"

...well not really. But of course my boot campers did not believe me when I told them I use to struggle with eating right & exercising. And they NEVER believe me when I tell them to stay off the scale.

I showed them these pictures:

I then heard..."Oh my god Courtney, you were fat!"

Again, not really. There is just a measly two pound difference in my before/after picture.

My before picture:

Nutrition-
Sugary Cereal (maybe a few cookies) -Breakfast
Diet Dr Pepper- Snack
Bagel + Cream Cheese - Lunch
M&Ms/Candy Bar- Snack
Homemade Dinner/To Go Food- Dinner

Exercise-
20 Minute Elliptical
15 Minutes of "Strength" Training meaning grabbing 5lb dumbbells and doing a few curls, etc.

My after picture:

I eat WAY more! Feel fuller and feel better

Nutrition
Eggs/Oatmeal/Fruit- Breakfast
Peanut Butter/Fruit-Snack
Protein/Vegetable/Complex Carb- Lunch
Protein Shake- Snack
Protein/Vegetable- Dinner

I avoid eating out.
I avoid sodas.
I avoid processed foods.
I do not eat white rice/breads.
I plan my cheat meals.

I still get my vices in, don't you worry of chocolate + wine, but I enjoy them more when I earn them after a great week of eating right & exercising.

Exercise-
Believe it or not, I still exercise around 35-40 minutes. I move quickly through circuits, resting very little and keep track of my weights/exercises I have planned before walking into the gym.

A personal trainer or group fitness instructor truly can be a life saver! They plan the workouts for you!


I never weigh myself. The scale to me really is just a number, I go by the way my pants fit and how I feel overall.

Even though the picture shows just 2lbs lost, it feels like 20+ to me.

Goal Setting At It's Finest...

If you were to ask me, what makes Grit Fit & Wellness/Boot Camp Challenge different from other programs, I would say lots of things! 

Pre/Post Assessments

Nutritional Guidance

Invested Trainers

Lots of laughs

Never a repeated workout

Great workout family

Goal Setting

However, setting goals...BIG, realistic, life changing goals. That is what makes us great. 

I asked one of my campers if I could share not only her goal, but how she plans on reaching it.

Together, we hit every aspect of achieving a goal. 

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time Based

THIS IS HOW YOU SET GOALS!

This year I want to find a healthier alternative to dealing with my emotions rather then eating. 

1. Writing in my food journal how I am feeling along with what I am eating so I can physically see what I eat when I feel bad vs. Good.

2. Bringing workout clothes to work and going on my lunch or right after work to do at least 20 minutes of jump roping to get my endorphins up and not want to turn to food.

3. Leaning on my friends and fellow goal seekers on bootcamp for support. 

Goal number 2 .

I want to be a size 5 jeans by summer.

1. Food journal 5 or 7 days

2. Stick to my first goal and use the support I have

3. Work out 5 to 6 days a week.

And my fitness goal is to do 100 double unders by summer.

Continue to follow goals 1 and 2 and jump rope at least 20 minutes a day.

And I can say with a great deal of certainty, she will hit her goal. 

2015 Pre-Goal Setting

Exactly 4 weeks ago, many of us set New Year's Resolutions. How are they going? Are we keeping up with them?

Only 48 more weeks to go, right? 

Resolutions are a tricky thing. Every trainer wants their clients or campers to want to achieve some kind or resolution! With our program, Grit Fit & Wellness/Boot Camp Challenge, I always encourage those to really contemplate their GOALS, not resolutions the entire month of January.

Try it out for a week, is it achievable?

Does it work with this point in your life? 

Last week we sat down and took a blank page and I told them to just write whatever came to mind as I talked.

Here is what I said:

• Reflect back on 2014. What are you most proud of having accomplished? What moments of achievement stick out in your mind?

• Imagine that through an explainable miracle, you have been transformed into the smartest, most ambitious, and creative human being on this planet. Knowing that with absolute certainty that you can achieve anything that you set your mind towards, what near-term goals would you choose to pursue to help improve the overall quality of your life?

Write the first thing that come to mind for improving your

• Energy- What enhancements will grow my level of energy and focus to improve my productivity?

• Exercise- What gradual changes will enable me to improve my exercise routines?

• Health Improvement- What shall I stop or continue doing to improve my health? What steps can I take in the next 48 hours?

• Healthy Environment- What improvements in my living environment will promote a better health?

• Nutrition- What can I do to improve my nutrition and hydration?

I also found this article helpful as well in terms of goal setting for 2015 from bodybuilding.com:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/50-fat-torching-tricks-fire-up-your-fat-loss.html?mcid=SM_twit03011115

Next step...setting of the actual goals! 

Temptation is Everywhere

The song sings..."It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

As a trainer, it's the scariest time of year, starting with Halloween and ending around New Year's when individuals ask themselves as they step on the scale, "What just happened?!". 

I know what happened. 

Temptation, temptation and more temptation. 

This week I had my clients and boot campers go away from actually logging what they ate, but logging what they did NOT eat. 

What temptations do you come across in a week? 

Here are just a few:

Temptation Journal #1
 
Fri Candy coated pretzels at target. Put them back. Begrudgingly
Fri night-turned down adult drinks and seconds at terry and brads. Settled for slices of caramel apple....
Saturday-kept driving instead of going to sonic for a blast
Sat-vendor food at event. Seriously?? Philly cheese steak. Sigh. Had a sushi roll instead.
Sunday-Halloween candy, movie popcorn and coke, more candy. and pecan pie. My favorite. Pretty sure I'm being set up by the boyfriend......
Mon-regular coke and lunch with some of the staff. It's easier to eat right if I just don't go.
Wed-Chinese takeout. Cause it would be so much easier than cooking. Made a Boarshead Everoast chicken sandwich on flat bread with avocado instead. Best. Sandwich. Ever!!
Fri-resisted punching the girl coming around to all the offices with doughnuts in the face. I REALLY wanted a doughnut.
Halloween night-gave out snickers, twix, Reese's. Didn't even THINK about eating them after the mornings workout.

Temptation Journal #2

Oreos
Oreos
Oreos
Pizza
Coke
Coke
Make a cake
Candy corn
Chips
Candy

And then there were pictures:

I'm exhausted just looking through these pictures and journals. 

What can we do?

Practice Willpower

Willpower is like a bicep, the more reps with a dumbbell, the bigger the bicep gets. The more you practice saying, "no", the easier it is to say and the more those around you will realize you are serious about your health. 

Preparation

Proper planning is key. We typically fall victim to temptation due to not being full on good food. Think about it. You are hungry and in a hurry...why not have some Halloween Candy. If we plan meals/snacks, our full stomachs help combat temptation. 


Accountability

Someone holding you accountable such a trainer, friend or significant other who supports you and your goals during the holiday seasons will help you hold strong in face of your biggest temptation. 



We survived Halloween. Now bring on Thanksgiving & Holiday Parties!