Top 7 Tips for Weight Loss

I've maintained a 75 lb. weight loss for nearly four years.  These are my top 7 tips for weight loss.

1. Eat every 3-4 hours
While the science isn't exact, this works because it keeps blood sugar stable.  Not only does it keep the body fueled for activity, it also prevents simple carbohydrate binges, which happen when you go too long without eating and your body craves the simplest form of sugar it can get. 

2. Eat food in its whole form.
You've probably heard about shopping the perimeter of the grocery store.  In addition to that, beans, nuts, whole grains and essential oils (olive and coconut) are key components of a balanced nutrition plan. Fruit, vegetables and lean protein are the basis of any healthy diet.

3. Do exercise you enjoy.
Forget the latest exercise craze.  Do what you love!  As you start to do physical activity on a regular basis, you can explore a more well-rounded exercise plan.  So, if you love to walk, get moving! 

4. Drink water.
Simple enough, right?  Did you know that most people need half of their entire body weight in ounces of water per day?  Depending on your activity level and how much you sweat, a good place to start is to take your body weight and divide it in half.  That's how many ounces of water you should drink a day. 

5. Find what works for you.
There are a lot of great nutrition programs out there.  Find one that speaks to you, that supports your goals and lifestyle, and start there.  A little bit of structure goes a long way. Educating yourself about nutrition is the best way to ensure success in the long run. 

6.  When in doubt, hire a pro.
Don't wait until you've tried everything.  If you're serious about weight loss and improving your health, seek the services of a certified nutritionist and certified personal trainer.  Your physician is a great place to start for help with a nutritionist.  Look for a CPT with a national certification: NASM, ACE, ACSM or NSCA. Ask questions before you hire and make a financial commitment.  A professional should have no problem answering questions about their qualifications or experience.  

7. Take the focus off of weight loss.
Wait, did she just say that?  Yes.  Focus on healthy habit changes.  Weight loss is a byproduct of healthy and balanced living.  Fix your habits.  The weight loss will follow.

HOPE Part IV: Trust Me

Have you ever prayed so hard for something and get it, only to realize that it was just a resting point on your journey?  Life is a continuum. Each day flows into the next. Every decision we make, even the smallest ones, make a path for us through life. Sometimes the road is winding, straight, or circles. Sometimes we fall in a hole or valley before reaching the mountain top.

I know this is a fitness blog, and you probably landed here looking for motivation, fitness tips or advice.  I promise I will continue those topics, but my story, my testimony, needs to be told.  I had a mentor once tell me to never spend time with people who don't value you. Don't waste your energy trying to convince someone to 'get you.' They either will or they won't.  The people who get you want to hear what you have to say.  So, my goal is that my story will help you 'get' me and that you might be inspired or motivated to keep going on whatever journey you're on; to have HOPE.

Please read on for the next installment in my blog series HOPE Part IV: Trust Me

Hebrews 13:21 tells us that God will equip us to do his will.  Being equipped comes in a lot of forms. Sometimes it's an academic education, and sometimes it's life.  A close friend recently told me that the most powerful testimonies come from a person who lived through pain and came out on the other side, giving God all the glory and praise.

I thought that when I left my corporate job to go into business co-ownership that I would stay in that business forever.  I could see myself running and growing that business for many years.  I never imagined God would use that business to prepare and equip me for my true calling: to serve women through fitness and help them find freedom in Jesus.  If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, your whole mission in the Kingdom is to share the gospel.  It's really simple when you break it down. The Bible tells us that everything we do is to bring people to a relationship with Jesus.  While I knew that, I didn't know how that applied to my life.  I mean, you have to work to earn a living.

Every day is an opportunity to serve others.  Through kindness, through good works and through words. And sometimes, when you've served first not seeking to be served, opportunities to witness happen.  More and more, day by day, I was getting to pray for people and to hear their stories and struggles.

For three years, I threw myself into fitness.  I learned all I could about the business from an amazing mentor and friend.  She taught me everything she knew, which was a lot! I never imagined that me, someone who had struggled with her weight and self-worth her whole life, could be a fitness professional, but it was happening! I became a certified trainer and quickly started serving clients who wanted what I had to teach them.

I thrived on the busyness, on the grind of the fitness business, until I burned out.  It hit me like a ton of bricks one day.  I had been listening to God, as he pushed me to lead a fitness small group through my church.  I had been resisting leading a group, letting the enemy tell me I wasn't good enough.  I finally gave in and after our first group meeting, I felt God tugging on my heart.  During my personal devotional time with God, he was speaking to me to leave my business.  I asked how and why.  He simply said, "Trust me."

Now, I used to be one of those people who didn't understand when others said the Lord was speaking to them.  But as I grew closer in my walk with God, I learned to be still and listen, and I was craving his voice.  I kept praying over how and when to leave my business and God told me it would be ok and that he needed me to serve women in a much deeper way.  I had no idea what that meant, but I trusted God.

The best thing about listening to the Holy Spirit is that IT'S NEVER WRONG! God's voice is always true.  So, here I was, about to leave the business that I had invested everything in, money and time, with no clear direction about what the future would hold, except the words, "trust me."  And I did, and have never looked back.

Please join me next time for the next part of my HOPE series.

What does healthy mean?

To many of you, this may not mean much.  But these numbers have helped me redefine my own meaning to the question, "what does healthy mean?"

Flashback to July 2012: I was 28 years old and weighed the most I ever had in my entire life, 270 lbs. Aside from the weight, my blood pressure was 140/90.  My fasting blood glucose level was 120.  The number above represents nearly 4 years of hard work including exercise, a complete overhaul of my eating habits, and most importantly, a mental shift in the way I think about health and fitness.

I, like most people, always determined how healthy I was based on two numbers: my weight on the scale and my BMI.  I'm not saying you shouldn't pay attention to those numbers, but I want to challenge you to add a few more into your health profile.

Do you know...

• your resting heart rate?
• your fasting blood glucose level?
• your blood pressure?
• your body fat percentage?
• your heart rate recovery time?

If you answered 'no' to any or all of the above questions, I challenge you to seek out your health care provider and a certified personal trainer to help assess what your numbers are.  Getting a total picture of your overall health includes all your numbers.  

When you are armed with information and knowledge, you can start to form a plan as to how you want to improve your health. Your number one goal shouldn't always be to lose weight.  Fat loss is a bonus by-product of living healthier.  When you know your numbers, you can begin to define, "what does healthy mean" for yourself.

Yours in health,

Coach Steph

Why the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is important

I'm a certified personal trainer. My job is not to make people shrink.  My job is to educate my clients and help them reach the goals they set for themselves. Not everyone's goals are the same.  My goals are not your goals and vice versa.  So why am I bringing up the SI swimsuit issue?  I could write at length about this topic, but I'm going to just share a few things.

Why the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is important:

1. As a woman who has battled disordered eating, bullying (now we call it fat shaming), yo-yo dieting and poor self worth for most of my life, the three very different women on this cover represent a societal shift.  It represents that the perceived standard of beauty and sexiness is starting to change.  Sidenote: the editors and marketing team realized this would create buzz.  Let's get down to it: it's all about money. If these covers entice people to buy magazines, then the gamble paid off.

2.  Health is a lifestyle, not a size.  I don't know a lot about Hailey Clauson.  I have followed Ashley Graham's career for about a year.  I've been a Ronda Rousey fan for 6+ years.  I have watched and read about Rousey's lifestyle and nutrition.  She is healthy, athletic and beautiful.  Ashley Graham exercises on a regular basis, enjoys a diet of balance and moderation and is beautiful.  Though I don't know a lot about her, Clauson is also a beautiful woman.  All three of these women make a living off their appearance.  To say that Rousey and Graham are not healthy because they don't look like Clauson is an ignorant statement. What does their blood work, blood pressure or resting heart rate look like?  Those are really the biggest measures of our health, not how we look in a bathing suit.

3.  Making a decision to lead a healthier lifestyle is major.  Losing weight, gaining muscle, training for an endurance race or simply improving your eating habits are all challenging in their own way depending on the person.   I can tell you that for a lot of my weight loss clients, the biggest battle I help them face is what's going on between their ears.  Overcoming what we see in the mirror and think about our bodies are two of the biggest obstacles in reaching health goals.  Don't minimize the effect of what seeing a woman who "looks like you" on the cover of a magazine might do for a woman's self esteem.  (anyone remember wanting to look like Cindy Crawford, Kathy Ireland or Hannah Davis and realizing that may never happen?)

4. No one has the right to tell you what your body should look like.  It's your choice.  The kind of lifestyle you want to lead will have an impact on what your body looks like.  Hailey Clauson's body works for her career.  Ashley Graham's body works for her lifestyle and career.  Ronda Rousey has made her living on having muscle, strength and stamina.  Who are we to say 'your body isn't good enough?'

I could go on forever about this topic.  If you want to discuss further, leave a comment.  I welcome the dialogue, but no body bashing.

What I learned from a new runner

I consider myself an experienced runner.  I've been running since I was a kid.  My dad bought me my first pair of Brooks when I was 10 years old, and we would go on short runs together.  Now as an adult, it's a passion we share together.  We sign up for 5ks, 10ks and 15ks.  We run for fun. We run for beer. We run to de-stress.  We run to hang out. 

My dad is a seasoned runner. He started running cross country in ninth grade.  He's built for it.  His running form is effortless.  I'm training one day to pass him in a race. 

 

I'm a certified personal trainer, wellness and lifestyle coach. I made a career change three years ago and dedicated myself to learning everything I could get my hands on about programming, weight loss, proper lifting form, powerlifting and conditioning (learn more about my background here).  I have a lengthy client roster and am developing a niche helping women find their worth and love themselves through fitness.  

It took a friend who is new to running to teach me about fitness, life and the sport I have loved for years.  So, I want to share with you what I learned from a new runner.

1. The basics are everything, and you're never to old, experienced, knowledgeable, etc. to learn or relearn them.

No matter how long you've been doing something, you can always learn something new.  I realized I needed to work on my stride after my first long run with my friend, and that's ok.

2. Taking a step backward is sometimes necessary to move forward.

Sometimes going 'back' can teach you a lot.  Don't be afraid to reassess where you are and where you want to go.  Goal-setting is imperative.  Make a goal worth reaching.

3.  Celebrate all the victories.

While on a run this past week, I was doing a lot of talking about form, time and training goals.  It winded me, and I just couldn't catch my breath. I was frustrated because I fell behind the group I was running with.  When I checked my running app at the end, I realized I had shaved a whole minute off my average mile pace.  That's huge! So I congratulated myself.  My friend shaved 1.5 minutes off her time.  We hugged about that, too!  If you wait until the 'end' of the journey to celebrate, you'll miss some pretty amazing things along the way.

4.  Remember why you started running, exercising, living healthier, etc.

Getting excited about having new friends to run my favorite 15k with, I started scrolling through old photos on Facebook (because no one prints and makes photo albums anymore LOL).  I saw a photo from my first 5k 3.5 years ago.  I remembered I had to walk most of the way because I was so de-conditioned.  My dad was right there with me, encouraging me. I ran my second 5k five months later. I ran the whole way, not stopping.  It was a great reminder that I started all of this to just get healthier.

I dedicate this blog post to my new friend, Loretta.  Thank you for allowing me to coach you.  Your friendship is so special to me.  See you on the running route.

xoxo, 
Coach Steph 

So what's the big deal with HIIT?

Whether you're new to fitness or not, you've probably heard the word HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) thrown around a lot lately.

So what's the big deal with HIIT?

As a personal trainer, I use it to effectively and efficiently help clients shed body fat, build lean muscle and increase cardiovascular and muscle endurance.  My clients love it because it cuts down on the amount of time they have to work in the gym.

So, what is HIIT?

HIIT is essentially short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of short or active rest that help clients burn fat and build lean muscle in less time than traditional strength or cardio programs.   When performed effectively, it creates an afterburn effect that can help burn fat for up to 24 hours post-workout. The key is EFFECTIVELY.  You must do the exercise with as much intensity as possible to have the best outcomes.

Three reasons why I love HIIT:

1.  Revs your metabolism - EPOC (exercise oxygen consumption) which can help your body burn fat when you're done exercising for a 24-48 hour metabolism boost

2. Fast and efficient - my fitness center is in the middle of a busy office park.  My biggest group personal training class is my 30-minute Express Group Circuit class because I leverage HIIT to give people the best workout in the shortest amount of time.  My clients leave sweaty, exhausted and get results.

3.  No equipment needed - HIIT can be done with or without weights or bands.  Your bodyweight is all you need for push-ups, squats, lunges, high knees, jumping jacks, sprints and a variety of other exercises that can be repeated for efficiency and time.

Ready to try HIIT?  Here's a beginner workout:

Need more advanced workouts or just don't know where to start?  I offer private coaching.  Please reach out to me here or through social media.  I'd love to connect!

Yours in health,

Coach Steph

Shift Your Thinking

I talk a lot in my blog and on my Facebook page about embracing a new mindset.  The old days of only being concerned about weight loss are gone.  It's time to shift your thinking.

I believe that all women are beautiful.  I believe that God created us to be so much more than attractive beings for men or others to ogle.  In my opinion, true beauty comes from a) knowing who you are b) embracing your flaws and c) living your purpose.

When we focus solely on the number on the scale, the size of our jeans and the space we take up, we are truly limiting our possibilities.  Frankly, it's exhausting worrying about things like, "am I thin enough? Am I pretty enough?  Will people judge me if I don't look a certain way?"

My pastor at church said something really profound a couple of weeks ago in a sermon.  "Who told you that?  Who told you that you weren't good enough?"

It's so simple, yet so true.  Who set these unreachable standards?  Who gets to decide what's "in or out?" All throughout history, the standard of beauty for women has changed.  But the truest standard of beauty that will never go out of style is one that is ordained by God.  He created you: perfect, beautiful, amazing YOU!

The truth is, when you are secure in who you are and the God who created you to live His purpose for your life, you don't give a flip about what others have to say.  That's the enemy talking.  Don't let him into your thoughts.  Shift your thinking.  

I know all of this is easier said than done. I'm a work in progress when it comes to my thoughts and how they influence my thinking and actions.  

So, as I stated above, when you know WHO you are (I'm fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14) and you are LIVING your purpose, it becomes easier to EMBRACE your flaws, which is the biggest step in accepting your body and starting to shift your thinking.

Surround yourself with positive people who lift you up and encourage you. Maybe it's time to do a friend-detox.  

Speak kindly about yourself. People laugh when I tell them to speak aloud positive affirmations about their body in the mirror.  But, thoughts become things and the more you outwardly speak positively about your body, the more your mind will follow suit. 

Exercise and eat well because it makes you feel good.  The weight loss and aesthetic improvements will come.  Look, there's nothing wrong with wanting to lose a few pounds or feel better in your clothes.  But I'm telling you, when you focus on improving the health of your body rather than punishing it, making better choices becomes easier and the weight loss will happen.

Love your body the way it is right now.  Don't wait for it to be thinner, leaner or more muscled.  Find things you love about your body and embrace your flaws.  Speaking from experience, no matter how "lean" you get, you will always find things about your appearance that you wish you could change.  Focus on the positive.

If you need some accountability or don't know where to start your journey, I'd love to help.

xoxo, 
Coach Steph

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for motivation, tips and humor.  Reach out to me privately if you're ready to shift your thinking.  

Where do I start?

Congratulations! You've decided to start a fitness/eating/healthier living program.  But you're probably asking yourself, "Where do I start?"

"Where do I start" is the number one question I get as a personal trainer and coach.  Here's a few tips to get you started.

1. What are your goals?
Why are you doing this?  What do you hope to accomplish?  Having a clear vision of your goals is important.

2. What will happen when you reach your goal?
You have a clear goal - great!  What will happen when you get there?  The number one reason people gain weight back after reaching a goal is because they didn't think about the 'after.' What would happen when you met the goal?  Remember, this is the rest of your life.  Don't be shortsighted.

3.  Start small.
Small, consistent habit changes that you can adhere to are the keys to longterm success.  Focus on one habit at a time.  If you don't eat breakfast, work on eating breakfast everyday until that becomes normal for you.  Some habits will take less time to achieve than other.

4.  Celebrate the small victories.
You passed on seconds at dinner because you were satisfied and didn't need anymore food.  Pat yourself on the back!
You did 10 push-ups in a row. Last week you could only do 8.  Celebrate!
You packed your lunch every day for work and felt good about it.  Great job!
Whatever it is that makes you proud for continuing on this journey, celebrate it.  Remember, consistently doing the right things add up to big results.

5.  Create a support network.
Tell people you love and trust what you are doing.  Tell them you need their support when you want to quit.  Tell them to remind you of your goals.  Having the right support will make all the difference.

6.  Keep the negative nellies at an arm's length.
Change is hard.  Sometimes it's even harder for the people in our lives than it is for us. When you decide to make a change in your lifestyle, some people in your life may become negative or downright mean.  Your desire to change is highlighting their decision not to.  That's ok.  Just protect yourself.  Your support network will help you.

7.  Create a mindset of success.
You can do this.  You are worth it.  You are enough. You're doing this for you.  Repeat these things every day in the mirror.  Say them until you believe them.

8.  Get professional help.
There are a lot of trainers and health professionals who are in the business of helping people get healthier.  Do your research.   Ask for referrals.  Interview them.  They are a part of your team and you need to be comfortable opening up and being honest with them so they can help you.  All trainers, nutritionists, dietitians, physicians and health coaches are not created equal.  A true professional will have no problem complying with your need to gather information before you make a decision.

9.  Make a decision.
Your gut is usually right.  If your gut tells you that your trainer, coach, nutritionist, etc is a good fit for you, then go with that.  Do your research, but trust your intuition.

10.  Love yourself.
Self worth and self esteem start at the core with loving who you are, right now, whatever you look or feel like.  If you think losing weight or getting more fit will make someone else like you or love you more, you're wrong.  Loving you, flaws (we all have them) and all is the key to happiness.  When you love you, everything else falls into place.  Love yourself enough to take care of your temple.  It's the only place you have to live.

Reach out if you need more help.

xoxo,
Coach Steph

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Teddy Roosevelt was a pretty smart guy.  "Comparison is the thief of joy." I feel like this applies to so many areas of our lives.  Specifically, I'm going to speak to fitness and weight loss.

I coached a personal training client yesterday on this topic.  She was finishing her post-workout cardio and cooling down on the treadmill when she asked me, "so how much progress should I be seeing right now?"

This is such a loaded question and I HATE IT!

Do you know why I hate it?  Because no two people are the same.  Because no two bodies metabolize food the same way.  Because no two bodies respond to exercise and weights the same way.  Get the idea?

Comparison is dangerous.  It can take you down a scary path where you start to look at your life and someone else's and decide that their life is better or easier.

When you compare your fitness progress to someone else's, you can take yourself out of the game or delay your success.

I know it's tough not to compare; when you see those amazing 'before and after' ads for weight loss. My company even has a weight loss challenge and we use testimonials to show people what's possible.  That's the key, though.  Be inspired by other people's success.  Don't compare.

Honestly, shows like 'The Biggest Loser' or 'Extreme Weight Loss' don't help either.  Those people are in completely controlled environments with expert help 24/7.  That's just not reality.  Most of those people go home and gain the weight back because they didn't gradually learn how to adopt a new lifestyle.

How can you overcome the desire to compare?  Track your progress! Not just your weight and measurements.

• Take photos - Progress photos, wearing the same clothes, in the same pose at the same time every week.  Put the photos side-by-side.  You'll start to see changes.
• Celebrate the NSVs - Non-scale victories.  How do your clothes fit?  Can you do something you couldn't do when you first started?  Has your health improved? I always recommend clients do a physical inventory when they first start.  What hurts?  What is physically hard to do? What are you unable to do because of your physical condition?  Revisit that list every 4-6 weeks and track your progress that way.
• Track your vital signs - Record your resting heart rate and blood pressure when you first start.  Check them every 4 weeks.  When they improve, that means you are getting healthier.  Yay for you!

These are just a few ways to show yourself that your exercise and healthy eating plan are working.  Be kind to yourself.  Change takes time.  How long had you been eating unhealthy food?  How long did it take you to gain the weight?  It's going to take a while for your body to reset and return to its home state, its homeostasis.  Do you know what homeostasis means?  When internal conditions remain relatively stable and constant. That's balance. When your body is balanced, you will be able to lose or maintain your weight.  

Need some help?  More accountability?  Someone to just listen? I'm here.  Reach out.  I'd love to chat.

Check out YouTube for my video summary on this topic.

xoxo,

Coach Steph

Energy: The Chicken and The Egg of Fitness

I hear it all the time as a personal trainer from prospective clients, "I just don't have the energy to workout." My response every time is, "exercise gives you more energy." Client replies, "But how am I supposed to get the energy to workout and get started?"

What came first: the chicken or the egg?  

You need energy to workout, but how do you workout with no energy?

Most of know we need to exercise on a regular basis, not just for weight loss, but for improved health and to strengthen our cardiovascular system.  Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S, and the American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate cardiovascular activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination of both.  That's only 25 minutes a day, 6 days a week of moderate exercise: bike riding, walk/jogging, circuit training, HIIT training, etc.

First, let's understand how exercise gives you energy.

According to the Mayo Clinic, "exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores."  Makes sense, right?

But, what if it's a struggle for you to find any more energy to start a fitness program?  You know you need to exercise, but between work, school, the kids, volunteer activities, your spouse, etc, you are wiped.

Here's a few tips to help get you started:

1. Start small - don't go into fitness 'all or nothing.' Pick something you can do for 10-15 minutes a day.  A walk, a bike ride, etc.  This doesn't have to happen in a gym.  I live in Florida where it's almost impossible to exercise outside in the summer unless you get up really early.  But, if you can make it work, do it.  

2.  Make a date with yourself - I put my workouts in my calendar. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are circuit training days.  Tuesday and Thursday are straight cardio. Saturday is a run or a boot camp.  Sunday is rest (or maybe shopping LOL).  Walking around Target does not feel like exercise to me!  Making an appointment signifies that fitness is an important part of your day. You schedule doctor appointments, activities for your kids and many other things.  Make fitness a priority, no matter how little time you have.

3.  Pick a schedule you look forward to - remember earlier I said to start small?  Start out with two days a week of an activity that a) gets your heart rate up and b)that you enjoy.  A good rule of thumb is that if you can hold a conversation without pausing for breath, you need to work a little harder.  Slowly build up to 6 days a week of moderate activity for 25 minutes.  It might take you 3 months.  Keep going.  You're improving your health and heart function.

4. Let go of comparison - President Teddy Roosevelt famously said, "comparison is the thief of joy." Teddy was a smart guy.  Do the best you can do, right where you are at this moment, with what you have today.  Someone will always be "better" than you: thinner, more fit, prettier, better at time management, etc.  Just do you.  You are awesome.

5. Any exercise is better than none at all - if you planned to do 30 minutes on the elliptical at the gym, but your boss held you at the end of the day for a project and now you only have 10 minutes before having to pick up your kids at daycare, than do your best work in 10 minutes.  Always have a back up plan.  Here's a quick, 10 minute total body workout that will rev your heart rate and boost your body's fat burning abilities:

30 seconds of jumping jacks
10 bodyweight squats
30 seconds of high knees
5 push-ups (modified or regular)
30 seconds of squat jumps
15 crunches
30 seconds of simulated jump rope
5 walking lunges 
30 seconds running in place
-Repeat as many times as you can in 10 minutes

6.  You are worth it - I know it's tough.  You have a lot of responsibilities. But trust me, you will be a better caretaker and provider for all the important people in your life when you carve out 30 minutes for yourself.  

One more thing...if you still find yourself needing a boost, please message me.  We can talk privately.  I offer free phone consultations to help you get started on your journey.

I was NEVER a supplement person, other than the occasional protein powder after a heavy strength workout. Then, I found SPX Nutri-Thin.  It helped me lose an additional 18 lbs and kick my coffee habit (even though I get up at 4 a.m.)  It gives me energy all day without the jitters. It's all-natural, organic and full of B vitamins.  I take it every day, as does my husband and many of my personal training clients.  If you'd like to hear more about it, please visit getspx.com.  

Hope this info helps you.  Now, get moving!

xoxo,
Coach Stephanie

Why You Have to Set Mini Goals

I just finished my weekly Skype call with one of my SPX clients (we'll call her Amy). Amy told me she had good news and bad news to report. I asked for the good news first. She said that she went to the gym 2x this week. (Amy HATES the gym and has anxiety about working out in public due to her insecurities with her body.) I was so proud! Then she said, "but I didn't really do much..." 

I stopped her right there. Anytime you make time for exercise, CELEBRATE! Going from a sedentary lifestyle to a regular exercise routine takes time. It will not happen overnight.

Make a list of all the things you want to do to live a healthier lifestyle. As you accomplish each one (an accomplishment is doing it on a regular basis, most of the time), cross it off your list. So if you make it to the gym 2x/week for 3 weeks, cross it off your list. You are now a regular exerciser!

You have to set mini goals or else your end goal will seem to big to reach. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you fully transform your lifestyle, one mini-goal at a time.

Be well! What do you want to celebrate?

Yours in Health,

Coach Steph

My Name is Stephanie, and I Overeat...

Even coaches and trainers have "off" days.  I have maintained a 60 lb weight loss for almost two years.  I'm a runner and currently training for my second 15k.  I love to bench press, squat and dead lift. I am a certified personal trainer and gym owner with a long roster of happy clients.  And I'm an overeater.


Yep, you read that right.  For reasons that have nothing to do with hunger or properly fueling my body, I sometimes overeat.  Because the food tastes good.  Because overeating is familiar and comforting to me.

I'm not sure I'll ever "outgrow" this, but I am conscious of it.  I don't beat myself up, but I do acknowledge when it happens.  And then do you know what I do?

I move on.

Tomorrow is a new day with new food choices, new chances to work out and new experiences.  My overeating does not define me, but it does play a part in my journey. Without acknowledging when it happens, I'm doomed to fall back into overeating cycles.

Awareness is very powerful.  Being aware of your patterns and habits is the only way to break them (if necessary) and form healthy ones.  The key to a life of balance is awareness and self-love.  Don't beat yourself up over a meal or a whole day of food choices that are not congruent with your goals.  Recognize when it happens, AND MOVE ON.

xoxo,
Coach Steph