The pictures you see!

Everything about fitness that you hear in the media involves weight loss and sure fire ways to get that beach body ready. Products and packaged programs designed to make it simple for you to look like the models paid to pose for the pictures!

Why do we believe as a society that 6, 8, 12 weeks is enough to transform you body into looking like someone else's? I have numerous friends who are fitness competitors and models. Each and every one of them has exercised consistently for 10, 15, 20 years now. They don't eat packaged crap, they moderate alcohol consumption, and the live and breathe a healthy lifestyle. They deserve your respect and admiration.

They are committed to helping you do the same. These men and women are inspirations and their bodies did not come from the luck of genetics. I know meso-endomorphs, such as myself who have to work a lot harder to stay lean, however it is possible.

I have short legs, disproportionately long torso, and a tendency to carry fat in my arms. My genetic lottery ticket wasn't a winner, but I learned early how to embrace what God gave me and learned how to train to make my body healthy, stopped eating my children's food, and therefore look great.

Those of you still looking for the magic bullet to look perfect in a swimsuit, I say this...

Relax, eat healthfully, manage your stress, drink lots of water, make fitness a hobby, and stop expecting to look like the models you see. (Yes, they get airbrushed for pictures too!) There is a happy life available without looking perfect, I PROMISE!

I spend my life surrounded by girlfriends who look amazing and men who make women swoon.

I am just so proud of them and the message that they carry.

Looking for the easy way out doesn't work. Lifestyle does! The health benefits long term can no longer be ignored, you are the product of your choices...what are you going to do about it?

Focus and Discipline

Anyone who knows me knows that focus and discipline are not my strong suits. I set goals, sometimes I achieve them, other times I don't.

I like food that is "bad" and sometimes I don't train when I am supposed to. I have always been kind of a laid back gal...I have never reached my potential as a result.

I have, however, learned that there is a balance. I have never needed to be the winner at anything, and so my drive to succeed has always been tempered by my overwhelming desire to enjoy life and hang out with fun people.

Lately though, I am spending a little more time developing these two admirable qualities in order to grow as a person. Here is what I have learned so far...

Focus is about keeping your eye on the prize. It's so easy to get distracted by the bottles of wine, the doughnut holes, and the happy hours. Delaying the gratification has been tough the last month, but I have managed to stick with my plan and my body is changing quickly as a result. I keep my goal swim suit hanging where I can always see it, and I schedule my workouts as non negotiable time into my day.

Discipline is about planning and positive self talk. I am making sure that I allow myself some leniency with my diet because I know that all or nothing doesn't work for me. I am reading the labels and sticking to the serving sizes. I am opting for fresh fruit and vegetables as appetizers and desserts. I am allowing myself alcohol in moderation on weekends, but I have cut it out the other 5 days. I am running and going to the gym whether I feel like it or not because I know how much better I feel when I am done. I am patting myself on the back for a job well done and I am holding myself accountable with the scale and pictures.

Is it worth it? A resounding YES! I feel comfortable in my skin again. My clothes don't pull and bind, and my fitness level is rising quickly with very little pain. It's a gradual change, a healthy change, and one that I am willing to commit to until my goal is reached.

So for those of you who think us fitness people are perfect, think again. It's hard for us too!

Focus for the ADHD poster child and discipline for the quintessential party girl...yep, it's possible!

Get moving!

On the days that you feel the least motivated to exercise are usually the days that you need it the most!

I have always said that the hardest part of any workout is getting started...

Think of it like this: A freight train moves very slowly at first, but as it begins to build momentum, it moves faster and more efficiently. If you are just getting started or restarted with exercise, you must start slow at first to avoid injury. Do not place pressure on yourself to do anything other than show up. So show up.

As you develop a consistent, healthy plan, you will begin to notice changes in every aspect of your life. You eat better, you sleep better, you manage stress better, you FEEL better. All because you got started and kept going.

Just go. Yep you are tired, so are we all. Yep, you could be doing other things and you don't have time. Join the club. An hour of your time most days of the week, however, pay dividends that increase exponentially over time.

You definitely don't have time for a heart attack or back surgery...last time I checked those things were preventable...just sayin...GET MOVING!!

Don't hate me because I am fit!

So I am standing in line at the grocery store and the lady behind me says, "Wow, you look great, whatever you are doing, it sure is working." Now first of all, it is very rare for me to receive a compliment from a complete stranger who is female, so I promptly replied "Thank you." We were waiting a bit, so the conversation continued...

She asked what I was "doing" to look this way, as though I had discovered some miracle. I smiled and said "It's not really so much what I am doing right now" (me picturing the pizza I just sucked down with the kids the night before) "It's 25 + years of consistent exercise and taking care of my health." Her face clouded over. It wasn't the answer she was looking for...

I am sorry to tell you that YOU ARE THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER DONE TO YOUR BODY!

While you were managing your stress with junk and alcohol all these years, I was managing mine with exercise. While you were eating like food was going to disappear the next day, I was educating myself and others on what your body actually needs...

Does that mean it is too late to begin to change your habits? Absolutely not! But if you expect to look like an Oxygen/Men's Fitness cover model by going on a short term fad diet, getting injections, or a cycle of P90X, I have bad news...

The formula for looking great, and more importantly feeling great (and comfortable in your own skin) is as follows:

Exercise+health care+clean diet (MULTIPLIED times TIME) = SUCCESS

Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something. So my message is this:

Next time you see someone who looks terrific, fight the urge to resent them because you don't. Instead, acknowledge their hard work by saying "Hey, you look great, I bet it's a lot of hard work to look that way." Because believe it or not, we rarely ever hear it.

DON'T WASTE ONE MORE DAY!

For information on how to get started looking and feeling better today, email me at mindyourbody@cox.net

Discomfort

I think over the last 60 years American's have become increasingly resistant to discomfort. I blame this for a lot of the problems we are now facing. We are so accustomed to having our needs met immediately, that we have no patience.

We are a SOFT NATION!! Yuck.

Once upon a time in school, I loved learning about WW II. Particularly the part about rationing and doing without. Women left their kids and went to work, made food out for the family out of very little, grew vegetables in the back yard, while their husbands sat in trenches or slept in cots with scratchy blankets with many other snoring, dirty men. We were a tough country back then and we were admired for it.

Fast forward to 2000's......we have zero tolerance for heat (crank up that A/C baby) , cold (set that thermostat to the 80's), aches (pass the tylenol please), mild sickness (it's a cold, not cancer), and small things like traffic delays and irritating coworkers can raise our blood pressure.

Our perception of what is normal human living has been altered to the point that we are physical babies incapable of sucking up a little hardship. We wonder why the rest of the world disrespects us...hmmm.

Discomfort makes us strong, adversity makes us wise, exercise makes us healthy, junk food will never fix that coworker...

Next time you catch yourself whining about something, I highly recommend a conversation with a WWII Veteran and his wife.

Reality

Well, for my first fitness blog post, the first thing you should know is that you probably won't like a lot of what you read.

I have spent the last 27 years fascinated with the human body. Fitness and performance are a science that has no end in sight. I am still learning, and growing so it cracks me up when I meet someone who thinks they are an expert. I know who the experts are. Just saw a couple of them this past weekend. (Douglas Brooks still rocks, btw.)

Anyway, you all are out there still looking for the quick fix. The easy answer. You are setting the bar to high, too low. You are inconsistent in your training and your effort. You refuse to consult people who know more than you, and I can't for the LIFE of me figure out why!!!

When I got a clog in my bathtub recently. We tried to do it ourselves and then called someone who knew more than us to fix it. (Thanks, Brent) Your health and well-being are no different.

It costs money, you say? Damn right it does! We are just as educated as any other type of profession that you spend your money on. You pay for haircuts, make up and clothing, doctors visits, massage therapists...

Where do you spend your money, now that we are on that subject?

For every dollar you invest in your health and well-being, is 10 times saved down the road. You want to cry about the health care crisis?

If you are not actively working out and eating clean, you have no business complaining about the state of health care in this country. If you feed you kids crap that was processed God knows where and how, they are the ones who will pay dearly. More on kids later....

Anyway, I have a lot to say. It's not what you want to hear, but it is what you need to know!

I am offering free advice on this blog...see? Doesn't cost a thing to educate yourself. Getting healthy is a process. A process that starts with EDUCATION...

You just have to be willing to hear what I have to say.