Here I am talking about how inspiring fitness is

• It cares for the whole me: mind, body and spirit. I stay sane, my body stays healthy, my spirit is refreshed with the deep breaths and sense of accomplishment I get from each workout.
• It invigorates me. Without the morning workout I dedicate myself to, it is no exaggeration that I feel less alive and more sluggish as I wake my two young girls and prepare for the day.
• It’s emphasis is on the process even as goals are accomplished. The real rewards are in the journey, the actually DOING of the exercise, the feeling that it gives you to move, stretch and strengthen. The accomplishment of goals comes with consistency…but rewards are revealed in each and every step of the journey.
• It stimulates creativity. My best ideas for articles, presentations, MissFIT programs, craft projects for my girls and even decorating ideas for my home come to me as my blood pumps faster and my mind wanders during a power walk, jog or time on the cross trainer.
• It is an example. My children (and others) see how something so simple and essential to health improves quality of life.
• It reminds me to feel gratitude. Personally I believe that my Creator gave me this body to honor and appreciate and to USE. Moving it reminds me to give thanks.

Just one way I have learned that I could do more through fitness!

A fitness class is non-competitive, a personal training session awards no medals and exercise videos aren’t timing you for your personal best. But, when I teach a fitness class, one of the things that I find most gratifying is the women who come week after week proclaiming their newfound enthusiasm for what their bodies can accomplish. Whether it be in the language of laughingly noting their sore butts or their sheer concentration and determination to complete the class with proper form and success. I see clearly the women moving and accomplishing something physically that, unless they were there doing it there, they may not experience.

In a previous blog (link here), I mentioned ‘going guiltless’ as one of my tips for truly getting into ‘the zone’ that allows you to reach your personal wellness and fitness goals peacefully and once and for all. As I re-read that post, I realized there is so much more to going guiltless than what I said!

Here is what I said (with a couple slight modifications):

• Go Guiltless. You are you largely because of your history. So, instead of treading on all of the guilt of past fitness failures or fruitless attempts to lose weight, look at your past as the road that led to now. Accept who you are and make your faults and failures a part of that, an integral part. Then, boldly step into the path of doing it differently from today on forward.

Now that we have re-established that, here are some IMPORTANT questions I have for you:

• Do you truly want to reach your goals?
• Do preconceived notions about yourself or your capabilities hold you back?
• Can you truly say that you have confidence that you WILL reach a personal wellness, health or fitness goal when you set one?
• Can you envision yourself guiltlessly getting into a routine that allows you to reach your goals?
• Do you value your health and your body enough to meet your aspirations for good health and wellbeing?

Those are hard questions. And without an exception, one of those questions (or soemtimes multiple) that strikes a chord with my wellness coaching clients and, by sorting through the answers, they are able to begin experiencing more success. Their answers, if they are being honest with me and with themselves, reveal what holds them back from what they say they really want. But, facing those things leads to freedom to move forward.

And it all starts with that notion of ‘going guiltless’.

Everything that you have done in the past (successes and failures) have made you who you are today. They have led you to this place. So, it is counterproductive to let judgments from your past stop you from moving forward. It’s like holding your breath….and holding it…..and holding it….until you burst! So, exhale and accept the past and all you have done as learning and building experiences.

Think about it–so often our perceptions of ourselves BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE hold us back. I say, ‘challenge your perception of YOU so that you can more freely achieve what you really want!’

Go guiltless as you confidently approach newly set goals!

As women, as moms, as human beings we walk around shouldering a lot of ideas about who we think need to be. But who is really defining that for you? Even for me, there is a lot of pressure to be defined by those around me whether is it that group of moms who can put their children into the most prestigious of programs or the business people who work 60 hour weeks to keep the wheels turning–neither of which are ways that I want to define ‘ME’.

If you do choose a group in your personal wellness goals, choose ladies that can support you like these long time MissFIT clients!

I have my own goals and ideas about who I want to be and what I want to accomplish. And so do you!

When it comes to health and fitness, I want to encourage you to set your goals and stick with them. Avoid the pressure to do or don’t do something based on those around you. (Funny how peer pressure continues right on into adulthood, isn’t it?) Stand firm in what perspective and approach will lead you to the personal wellness vision you have for yourself.  Who cares what every other mom on the block is doing!? What they do is not making your body any better!

Go guiltlessly as you confidently define what will help you reach your goals!

Forging Guiltlessly Forward,

Katie

My job is to write about personal wellness topics that will hopefully inspire you; ideas that can nudge towards your sensibilities to treat your mind and body well. I want to tap into those aspects of your thoughts and personal characteristics that don’t just give you information but that make you realize your potential to USE the information you have.

After all, what use is all the fabulous fitness and noteworthy nutrition information that we share with you if you simply dismiss it,  convincing yourself that you will ‘get to it another day’? Hum…does that ever really happen?

I’ll be honest with you. Even for me (an expert in the industry, a woman with a master’s degree in health psychology/exercise physiology, someone who prides herself in practicing what she preaches and a single mom who strives for living in a seemingly impossibly balanced lifestyle) staying in the ‘zone’ is a challenge. I struggle with staying motivated and connecting to what inspires me to live well too!

But here is the thing. This is really about what you already know about yourself. You just have to LISTEN and tap into what you know about what works for you if you want to stay in your personal ‘zone’. You have to connect to what you ALREADY HAVE rather than striving to find a brand new trick or trend each time you go off course.
How do you do that?
• Listen. Quiet the noise around you (those magazines dictating our thoughts at the checkout lines, the neighbors who have decided to do the latest diet, the pressure to look a certain way). Listen to what you know and connect with how you see your own personal vision of a ‘well woman’.
• Slow Down. While competitive sports and fitness goals give us gumption and are often fun in the process of getting great workouts in, they do not necessarily last a lifetime or define a well-rounded healthy lifestyle. So, my advice is to view your own personal wellness journey as, just that: personal. No one else benefits from how fast or slow you fit into your summer jeans. So, settle down and get some peace with your process, it will last a lifetime. Fitness and living well is not something you stop doing. So take pleasure in it; stop and smell the roses (or the sweat!)
• Go Guiltless. You are you largely because of your history. So, instead of treading on all of the guilt of past failures or fruitless attempts to lose weight  or reach really any goal, look at your past as the road that led to now. Accept who you are and make your faults a part of that, an integral part. Then, step onto the path of doing it differently from today on forward.
• Commit to a Comfortable Challenge. When I teach a fitness class, I tell the participants to go to the point in which they are comfortably challenging themselves. You have to create a challenge in your body to make change happen. In the same way, you have to find ways to challenge your mind, your stress management practices and your nutrition practices in ways that push the limits within the scope of your own personal limits. Don’t sell yourself short; you CAN do more than you think. So push the limits of challenge yet stay comfortable and confident.

What is this ‘zone’ that I keep mentioning anyways? Your ‘zone’ is where you are effective and aware of your ability to succeed. It is where you simply ‘know’. You ‘just know’ you are in that place of self-intuitiveness, you are making progress, you are following the beat of your drummer and you are willing to move into that space with confidence, positive energy and without judgment. Your zone is where you have hit your stride.
Now I’d like to know, what is it like when you get into the ‘zone’? Maybe you can remember a time that you were  in  it…maybe  you are  in  it now.  I’d  like to know what your ZONE is like!

Tell us  about YOUR ZONE! What are you doing for  yourself  and how does it feel to hit your stride?
In the Zone,
Katie

Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty girl? Sometimes circumstances make it difficult to determine how to look at that glass, like details that mottle the waters appearance. But in general, we each have a tendency to see through the patterned details and lean towards viewing the glass as satisfyingly half full or disappointingly half empty.

Given the exact same scenario, you and I may react, feel and behave completely differently. For example, some of us experience frustration and even anger when someone neglects to return a phone call in a timely manner and rants and raves about how thoughtless or irresponsible that is. And some of us, view that same neglectful behavior more leniently and even make excuses for the offender choosing to believe that she is simply too busy to call or didn’t get the messages.

That’s certainly a simplified example but a common one. And without placing any judgment on the differing reactions, it is clear to see which reaction lends itself to more stress. Would you deal with that by dismissing the neglectful behavior or would you become irritated and let anger linger?

It’s a difference in perception. Whether you realize it or not, your perceptions are often a matter of choice. Sure, you have a natural tendency and in-born characteristics giving ease to one type of perception over the other. But, by in large, we CHOOSE our reactions, whether we linger in negativity, and how we determine to deal with each scenario we meet.

Interesting, isn’t it?

As adults, of course we have responsibilities and many legitimate reasons to experience stress and pressure on a daily basis. But there are places where our perception and our choices about how to react to things can decrease the pressure we impress upon ourselves.

‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’….someone has already used that one, right?!

Choose to, ‘see the world through rose colored classes’ (or lavender!).

I guess what I am saying is that we have opportunities every day and in our interactions with others, whether it be while driving behind a slow poke or dealing with a crabby receptionist (no offense to receptionists or slow drivers!), when we can take a deep breath and determine that those little things will simply not play a role in the pressure we let build upon our shoulders.

Make a choice to improve your perception so you can feel less pressure today!

I would love to hear how YOU make an effort not to sweat the small stuff. Please take a moment to write into the blog. Share! I know that the other readers will appreciate hearing everyone else’s suggestions.

Choosing Positive Perception,

Katie

Mother’s Day is fast approaching! Can you believe it? I always try to find something special for my mom; something that is thoughtful and hopefully inspiring. But, I tell ya! It gets harder all the time (or maybe my creativity is just waning). My favorite thing has been to give her a themed type of gift. Here are some of my past healthy ideas that you might want to  steal:

One year I gave her a fitness themed gift with a yoga mat, some fitness tools to use in home and even a video of ME teaching her some yoga so she could watch me and get fit right in her living room two hours north of my house.

Another year I gave her a smoothie themed gift including a blender with a healthy smoothie book and even some of the ingredients to go into those smoothies that I recommend like milled flax and the Juice Plus Complete protein mix.

Oh and another one that was kind of fun: the year that my mom was told by her doctor that she had high blood pressure, was a ‘Heart Health Kit’. It was no offense, truly! I mostly wanted to give her some easy tools to take care of herself so that she may not have to stay on those blood pressure meds—and it worked! Last I checked her dose is far lower than they originally prescribed. Anyways, that idea included some of the more fun heart healthy foods like popcorn (raw and organic—not in a microwave bag!), grapeseed oil to pop it in on the stovetop, a nice soothing music CD and a journal to write in (since, of course, we know based on research that heart health is so strongly linked to STRESS).

Those are just three ideas. But, I have a new and fabulous fourth idea that I have not yet given to my mom for Mother’s Day. And the reason she has not gotten it is because we just thought of it and we think that it is brilliant! Here it is:

First of all, we know that our moms want OUR TIME. The creativity, the thoughtfulness and the physical  gift is great. But, truly, our time is a wonderful offering to our moms.

So, at MissFIT we decided that we want to help you give time to your moms for Mother’s Day through a unique, inspiring and fun experience in the comfort of your home (or hers). This will make HER and YOU feel so refreshed and you will really have the opportunity to connect during this valuable time. And you can even invite another mom and daughter duo to join you. Or you can include your entire family—dads, sons, brothers, etc. You can do it how YOU want to—but, here is what we want you to consider for Mother’s Day this year (oh and by the way, you have through the END OF MAY to do it….just BUY it NOW so that you can give her the certificate in a card on Mother’s Day):

• We arrive and give you a wonderful fitness experience of your choice. Whether it is just you and your mom or you have a few others there to join you, you can choose what type of fitness session you want. We highly recommend something like Yoga or Pilates to stay with the theme of mindfulness and relaxation.
• Then, since we have brought with us some healthy MissFIT Morsels, you will snack on a few of those while we ‘Purify Your Pantry’. It’s simple really: we just take a look at some of the things in your pantry and maybe your fridge and give you some ideas of how you can more healthfully use those items or even what healthier alternatives we recommend.
• Finally, top off the experience with a MASSAGE. Yes, it is true. Our massage therapist will be there with her chair to give you BOTH 15 minute chair massages. Or, of course, you can upgrade Mom to a FULL HOUR FULL BODY massage for a real treat.

So, if you want to learn more about the MissFIT Mother Daughter Wellness Experience, just let us know. This is something that she will not forget, we PROMISE! We are good at what we do and we know that we are coming in to give your mom a special treat this Mother’s Day. Here is a link for more information:  http://missfitcomplete.com/blog/missfit-services/missfit-motherdaughter-wellness-experience/

Or just call us to set it up: 847-775-0076

Coming from a mommy herself, this is something that I would ask for!

In need of a wellness experience,

Katie