While there are endless fitness secrets out there, my 20 years of experience has narrowed it down to a poignant three. As the industry continues to flood with “fitness gurus,” “fad diets” and “quick fix fitness books,” fitness secrets seem to be a dime a dozen. Until now. Welcome to the AHA of Fitness Secrets.
‘A’wareness
‘H’onesty
‘A’llowance
It is difficult to get “fit” done with busy lives and busy schedules, but let me tell you Girl, it is possible. If we jump from one method to the next, try the latest fad diet or read the latest book, we usually end up frustrated. When I say, “been there, done that,” I am not kidding. Some say, ‘break down, break through’ is the path to enlightenment, but when this happened to me, I found myself desperate to find a solution. If you don’t believe me, I have a over decade’s worth of photos to prove my struggle to get fit, stay fit, and be fit.
After years of this frustration and feeling helpless, hopeless and depressed, I turned my attention to the science of nutrition. If you have been with me for any length of time, you know my base line starts with the idea that we are chemistry projects. As a result, our bodies are built around hunt and gathering. What they aren’t built for, is simply gathering. The human body needs to move, which is where the phrase “eating for fuel” comes from.
This is not pseudo-science or opinion, ladies. These are scientific facts about the human body, which we can work to our benefit in many ways. From Keto to Vegan, marathons to power lifting, the body is willing to do the work. So, what’s the problem you ask? Is it the mind? Is it society? Could it be the media portrayal of what is fit or what is beauty?
The answers we are looking for are within the soul.”
We have to determine what we want and how our personal chemistry actually works. This is what is known as being “in tune” or “at one” with one’s own body. Our work has to match our results. Sometimes, when we think we are doing the ‘right thing’ to get fit, we discover that we’ve been led astray by false hopes and quick fix solutions and the fast-food mentality of society. There is no short cut to running a marathon. If you want to have a great experience, you have to train for it. You have to find the discipline to train even when you don’t want to.
So, how do you get there? How do you finally see the results you have been searching for inside all those fitness secrets? Let me give you some practical tools to help you get there. Here are my AHA Fitness Secrets to consider. They are some honest, heart to heart, maybe even tough love secrets you need to learn about your unique chemistry project that is known as you and your body.
‘A’wareness
I told you, you’re a chemistry project and you are the scientist in charge of the experiment. If you want your experiment to be successful, you need to gather information by recording ‘data’ and tracking ‘observations and outcomes’ as you progress. You will do this by tracking:
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Hunger levels
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Emotions present
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Meal intake information.
The hunger levels (which is explained in detail on the free Girl, Get Your Fit Together worksheet download) are recorded before and after you eat. I want to know how much ‘hunger’ your body has throughout the day. Do you know what hunger feels like in your body? Quite often we eat because it is ‘time’ to eat, someone else is eating, it is there in front of us, or we are:
S.A.L.T.
Stressed ~ Angry ~ Lonely ~ Tired
We need to gather this information in order to discern between hunger in the body and a mental reaction to use food for other purposes. Once we become aware of why we are eating, we can manage it, change it, and even fix it. Ignoring it, pretending “this one time is okay” is not okay and something that needs to be avoided.
This is the tough love I was talking about. If you continue the habit of eating to pacify emotions, you aren’t doing yourself any favors. In fact, you are doing more harm than good. It is like teaching a baby to self-soothe (tough one!). Going through the tantrum and tears at 2AM is an itch, but the child will learn how to self-soothe. This is mandatory and necessary for growing up. It is never too late to learn some adult skills that you might have missed growing up. It is time to put on your big girl panties and grow up if you want to fit up. Your body is not a garbage can. What you feed it matters, so find the self-respect and treat your body good.
Emotions can be a big driver for anyone to eat.
By giving awareness to the emotions that we are faced with allows us to manage them head on. Stop hiding with food, because in the end, food does not fix feelings. We will do ourselves a solid by showing up for ourselves in our lives by taking responsibility. If something is driving you to feel anything less than awesome and shiny, it’s must go. It’s like tending your garden of life. Find a weed, something that is sucking the life out of the garden and pull that weed so your garden can flourish. In the free downloads, you will see a process called P.A.I.N. Refer to this free download to help get you through those moments of struggle.
Meal intake. Just the facts, Ma’am. Write down what you’re eating, what time you are eating it, how much of it are you eating, and any details on how it is prepared; grilled, fried, mashed, sautéed, raw, and so on. Extra credit anyone? Write down how your energy level feels before eating it, then 30 minutes after you ate it, and then 90 minutes after you are done. This will shed a lot of light on your chemistry, as well as identifying food intolerances in the gut.
‘H’onesty
Girl, let’s have some no holds barred straight talk about you and the food you choose to eat. Remember, you are the only one putting food in your mouth. You are the only one choosing to couch surf when you could give me 10 minutes of movement (yes, even 10 minutes moves the needle here). What needs to happen is you have to decide what you want in terms of results, what it takes to get there, and if you are willing to do ‘whatcha gotta do to make fit happen.’ Anything less is a waste of your time. Do not do that. If you have been doing that, then it’s time to stop, because look what it’s gotten you. Frustrated.
Show up for yourself here and answer these questions honestly. You don’t have to show this to anyone, but you must be honest. Period.
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- What do you want? Wellness? Fitness? What kind of fitness? Do you want to be ‘thin’ or do you want to look like you could kick someone’s ass? Is it a number on a scale? Is it a body fat percentage you are looking to obtain? Are you looking to see the definition in your abs? Genius is in the details, Girl. Define what you want. Trust me, I used to be afraid to define what I wanted because it left me ‘not responsible’ (aka victim, because I could blame someone else). Choosing not to choose is a choice too. Show up for yourself, because no one else will.
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- What does it take to get to where you want to go? Do you really know or just hypothesizing or dreaming? This is where a coach comes in. We give you a clear picture of what you need to do in order to reach your goal in the timeline you have created. More than that, we don’t let you hide. We don’t let you play small. We show up when you “think” about giving up.
If you want it fast, it’s going to be intense. If you want it slow and steady, it can be a more comfortable journey. Where you start is also a factor, so don’t expect to jump off the couch and complete a marathon when you can’t even run down the block. Be honest about what you want and what it takes to get there. If you email me a photo, details of where you are and where you want to BE and how quickly you want to get there, I will take the time to give you a precise answer that is specifically designed for you. If you show up for you, I will show up for you. That’s what a coach does. We show up when you don’t want to.
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- Are you willing? Write down what changes need to be made to get from here to there. I want you to list all of them. List everything that you can think of because there are no wrong answers. The question now, however, is are you willing to make these changes? Are you willing to make SOME of these changes? All too often, we try too much too soon and crash and burn. Girl, we have to be willing to make SOME changes, because otherwise we become the definition of insanity. Which ones are you willing to commit to now, and which ones do you have to gather the courage to accomplish? Have a heart to heart with your inner courageous lioness (you can put on your red sparkly heels for inspiration if you want).
‘A’llowance
The most important part of ‘AHA’ moments is the allowance of it all. If you want the ‘aah’ of the AHA, you need to give yourself allowance. This is the gift inside of the AHA Fitness Secrets. Allowing yourself to go through the ups and down of change is paramount. Trust me when I say this, your journey will not be perfect. There will be challenges and there will be discomfort. Lots of it. Along the way, there will be mis-takes, upsets, anger and frustration. No pain, no gain when you are changing the way you ‘used’ to be.
This is called ‘being human.’ Please remember, we are figuring it out as we go. So, girl…you need to let yourself figure out the science of your body. Most importantly, you need to allow your heart to figure it out too. There is no sense in beating yourself up. When you do that, you become bitter and bitchy. Nobody, especially your heart, wants that for you. This is why you need to become your best friend. You need to be your compassionate companion who always says, ‘it’s okay to feel, to be, or fall.
You are entitled, but now…you are going to pick yourself up and make fit happen. You are going to learn from your mistakes and allow the discomfort to arrive, see it for what it is and then KNOW you are stronger than any momentary discomfort. You are NOW going to learn a new way that is perfectly designed for you. This is the way, because it is YOUR way. Are you ready? Need some help? Send me an email because it’s time to say, Girl, Get Your Fit Together.
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