Getting ready for the holidays

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

*This is the handout for points club this week. How cute is this workout? Each round is one point!

 The holidays aren't just about junk food. I think the true meaning of Christmas to me is about giving and showing love to others. I would never celebrate Christmas if it were just about gorging your body with junk and being lazy. My focus this Christmas is on giving, love, spreading love and hopefully inspiring others with the gift of fitness.

I have been living a healthy lifestyle for a long time. Every year at this time a lot of people fall completely off their health plan. Try not to be one of them. I am going to have a few treats; moms cooked dinner-Newfie style, Aunt Suz makes the best cookies-I am totally having one. Or two. My kids and I will plan active games, I will get my workouts in. I am not missing out. I will feel good about myself.

You don't have to wait to make a New Years resolution. Just eat healthy most of the time. Striving for perfection throws SO MANY peeps under the bus! Don't take a two week holiday from the gym this Christmas. Give yourself Christmas off and then include family in healthy activities. Go sledding. Go skating. The notion that I am setting a bad example for my children because we aren't going overboard is absurd.

Every Christmas eve we get Christmas pj's and a Christmas movie from Santa, we always do kid friendly New Years parties, Rod and I will load up the kids in the car and hit Tim Horton's (coffee for us, hot chocolate for the kids) and go look at Christmas lights. Oh, and EVERY Christmas eve since I was a small child I open my gift from my Grandma and its always homemade. Now my hubby and kids look forward to their homemade goodies too!

I am curious what are your holiday traditions??! :)

Holiday Success Plan

Holiday Success Plan:

I know, I know its only November the 14th... You know why we are chatting about this now? Because we are going to stay ahead of the pitfall! Walk through any grocery store or department store now through to the new year and the amount of junk food is tenfold. No wait, more, onehundredfold!

Am I suggesting we go through Christmas without a single goodie? Absolutely not! I am suggesting we plan ahead and not get sucked into the biggest weight gaining time of the year. Ever notice that in those same department stores on January 1st all those boxes of chocolates are replaced with fitness equipment and gimmick pills! :( And the cycle continues....

This holiday season I went up ten pounds

I didn't have time to workout

What I'm proposing is that you plan ahead. Fill your plate with greens at the buffet table, be the official veggie tray gal this season-this way you KNOW there's at least one healthy option at the family potluck.

I am planning on going into the new year stronger than ever, not starting over and I want that for you too.
Lets chat a few tricks.
Fruit trays are never a miss.
Add that with a little dark chocolate dip (plenty of healthier versions out there) and its sure to please even the pickiest company!
Trade a serving of fruit for a serving of red wine this holiday season.
There are ways of having a little something somethin' without blowing it.
Keep tracking your meals over the holidays.
It is SOOOOOoooOOOO easy to miscalculate what you've already eaten if you aren't tracking.

-I am going to be making many homemade meals that are healthier versions.
-I am going to track my food.
-I am going to get my workouts in, all besides my planned days off-Christmas eve, Christmas day and boxing day and possibly New years day.
-I am going to give presents instead of junk food.
-I am focused on family, health and giving instead of junk food.
-My treat choices will be limited and I will track them.

XO,
Di

Not my monkey!

I have a dear friend of mine often says "Not my monkey, not my circus" or maybe its the other way around. Anyway its about not taking on other peoples crap. Even if they try to dump it on you. Shrug it off.

Lately I have been seeing, hearing and private messaged about how my being a Beachbody coach is a negative thing. Saying things like how it kind of goes against the healthy message I am trying to promote. I have done a great job of shrugging it off but it got me thinking.. Beachbody compliments my business and not that I am defending myself but I thought maybe I would share why I love it so much;

Almost two years ago I learned about a challenge group that was starting up. I was doing schoolwork to become a trainer, had my house on the market, the kids were busy, hubby was out of town lots and my favourite gym had closed. I signed myself up for the T25 challenge and for 10 weeks +4 gamma weeks I worked my tail off. The accountability of the group when I was so busy in my own life was huge. It is hard work. It isn't a gimmick diet, its sweat your ass off and stay away from junk and get shit done. Serious business! I also started drinking Shakeology. It is a meal replacement but more than that it is a sweets crutch for me without going overboard on crap!

I enjoyed it so much I became a coach! I've done a few challenge groups and I love coaching people online. Being a Beachbody coach doesn't make you a certified personal trainer (although I am one) it makes you an accountability leader of your group. The trainer is the instructor on the DVD. You make a percentage of sales just like any other sales job except at this gig you get to help others and hear success stories and be inspired daily!

Beachbody has connected me to people who needed motivation but couldn't come to my studio and needed another option. It is an addition to my business. Do I think Shakeology is a miracle cure for obesity? No. Are there pushy sales people? Yes there sure are, just like any other business. I am not one of them. I am not about pushing products, I love shakeo and it has purposes in my life so I share my fav things! The workouts through Beachbody are no joke and anyone who says they try to sell a quick fix hasn't tried T25 gamma speed 3.0 LOL. Hard work. Not surprisingly tho, almost everyone who's questioned me in a negative light has been a competitor.

Oh and I've also heard in a negative light that I charge too little for my services. Really? I understand that many trainers charge more hourly than I do but I am working from my home studio so my cost is lower. I don't think I am undervaluing myself. I am providing excellent service for a reasonable price. Helping others is my passion and I make a reasonable living but I am not out to get rich. I also have a max class size of 6. Ever been to a class with 25 peeps crammed in? The trainer is doing well and the classes may be fun but from a safety standpoint its a major no no for me. However, this is MY choice and they have theirs. Just thought I would clarify a few of the "whys" I have ran into lately :)

One more point, the fact that I am a trainer who has lost a bunch of weight isn't "just" what makes me qualified. I have the education but given that I have succeeded at long-term weight loss through proper nutrition and exercise and that I have never taken the short cuts to healthy living is something that IS an asset to me in regards to helping my clients. I am not sorry for my story, it has brought me to this wickedly-awesome-life!

Every single day I answer questions from people looking for help and I have never not answered and encouraged. For free. That is who I will unapologetically continue to be. "Not my monkeys, not my circus."

Blessings!
Di

A sample day

My Monday!

This seems a little silly to me posting what my day looks like but I have gotten several questions about it lately so here it is. I am sorry if someone thought it was more exciting and I am letting them down LOL...
6:30am Wake up! Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Always Shakeology except weekends I usually get bacon. Mmmm bacon!
7:00-8:00am Get kids up, pack lunches
8:00-8:40am My own weight workout
9:15-10:15am teach fitness class
10:15-11:15am pt client
11:15am-2:00pm Paperwork, gst, lunch (pork loin, broccoli, quinoa), bank run, coffee with mom.
2:00-2:30pm helped a fit peep make zucchini noodles, snack time-warmed egg veggie muffins,2!
2:30-4:00pm Check emails, bought a new workout outfit, answered messages
4:00-5:00pm Pt
5:00-5:30pm eat dinner-chicken, kale salad and get ready to run in the cold. Brrr!
5:30-6:15pm run group
6:30-7:30pm teach
evening fitness class
7:30-10:00pm hang with kids, tuck them in-hit my other office-the bath tub lol. Sleep!

No night time clients tonight, most evenings I do. I don't usually have a lot of paperwork either but it was gst time. Boring! This is my usual Mon-Thurs schedule. Friday-Saturday are mostly pt clients and more family time. Sunday is family day. No work. Ever.

Before I go to bed I always do prayer, meditation and practice gratitude.

Diana writes a novel :P

Support System

I'm going to go ahead and brag. Are you okay with that? I have to. I HAVE THE BEST HEALTHY LIVING SUPPORT SYSTEM there is going! Was it always this way? Heck no.

I was an overweight child. I ate crappy foods. I was an emotional eater. I became a young stay at home mom with a husband who worked away in the oilfield. I didn't get out much. There were a lot of lonely feelings. I ate them all away at night when the kids were tucked into bed.

To go along with that story I ever did well at gym class. I was made fun of. By the time I got to high school I would already have my lines made up for gym class before class began. "I must not forget my gym shorts"
No one ever cared. I remember watching the games and wishing I could be good like them but never really knowing the steps to get there. As a young adult I was on the go but not what you would call active.

Before I made the decision to get healthy every social event turned into an intervention. I know people cared but until someone is ready to change you are just creating more feelings to be eaten away later. I am serious. Fat people don't need to be told they are fat, NEWSFLASH- They already know!

-I did a soup diet one time, obviously lost 40lbs quickly stopped and gained the weight back.
-I took pills, failed.
-I signed up at a gym and got poor treatment and quit.
-I started walking and got heckled and quit walking.
-I started and quit MANY THINGS.

One night when I was out for a girls night I saw an obese woman in the corner of my eye on my way to a bathroom stall. OMGosh, she was HUGE! Know the wave of panic like you forgot something really important? That's the one that came over me as I realized that the obese woman I had seen was my OWN reflection in the mirror! I had known I was big and that I wasn't healthy- I never really had a healthy relationship with food or exercise but at that moment it sank in how far I had gone. I left without saying goodbye to my friends.

That was on the weekend. Monday morning I met with my Doctor and weighed in. Whoa. Surgery he said would be best. He was not positive about anything. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. How had I let myself go this far? I was not a lazy person. I did crafts, cleaned my home, my kids were my priority, I was the best mom I could be. On the ride home that day I had low moments where I thought hitting the ditch would be a simpler option. By the time I got home I felt like I could do this- but no to surgery!

I lost almost 40lbs on my own but needed help.

I signed up at LA weightloss shortly after that and lost 100lbs with them. It was just a simple food program and eventually I had learned how to be healthier then their program lol, that's not snotty its true :)

LA weightloss was my support system for food. I needed them at that time.

My support system for exercise was my friend Kathy. When I started joining Kathy and her mother in law for walks I could barely walk a few blocks. By the time we were done I would be in pain with a sore back and half sweating to death. After I finished my first race Kathy told me that they went for their 'real' walk after I went home. That is a friend! I never knew and at the time I would have been defeated by it but by the time she told me I cried because it was so sweet.

So after walking got easier I joined a gym, slowly made fitness friends and now many gyms later I have an amazing support network!

Not everyone along the way has supported me. I had a fitness trainer say that she just thought obese people were the worst. LOL. Really! At first I was so obese everyone wanted me to excel but once you start looking like your friends and still wanting to work on yourself you have to watch out for saboteurs. Here have a lil piece of this or that. I think you are overdoing it at the gym. I limit my time with those types.

Start your own walking club. Join fun classes like ahem- MINE :). Surround yourself with healthy minded peeps and don't be shy to reach out. I answer questions ALL THE TIME :)

I know you all have at least one healthy peep tho, ME!

XO,
Di

Excuses and Denial

Excuses and Denial

One of the most frustrating things about my job is dealing with people who just aren't ready for change. It is hard for me to accept that they aren't ready because I want everyone to feel as good as I do from living a healthy lifestyle. I know what it is like to live in denial with myself and I know what its like to make excuses. I also know what its like to really get real with myself and face the facts and start living with #noexcuses (this is why it is my motto-there is meaning behind it).

Last week while stretching at the end of a fitness class we got on the topic of denial. I shared with the ladies that I KNOW DENIAL. Here's a story. There are literally 100s of them. I was at Pennington's in the change room trying on clothes for a night out. Rod (hubby) was outside the room on the chair waiting patiently. I was trying on clothes and nothing was fitting (4x's). I started with the 5x and found a shirt I liked. When I came out of the room I said to hubby, "They are making their clothes a lot smaller fitting since the last time we were here." He (being the smart man he is) agreed whole heartedly (God love him), I made my purchase and it wasn't too long after that that I started on the road to health.

I had myself convinced at the time that it was the clothes that was shrinking!!! DENIAL

I love what I do and I get to work with amazing women who are making steps toward a healthier version of themselves daily. I also have had to deal with clients quitting because they aren't ready for change. This is so hard for me because I want them to feel good about themselves, I want them to be stronger and I want to help them improve their health. ARGH!

Unless you are genuinely sick or injured or its a scheduled rest day their isn't any valid excuse why not to exercise. People who say they don't have time usually manage to watch a nightly television show. People who say they cant afford a gym membership often are buying daily Starbucks, also walking/running/YouTube are free! I can easily recognize the excuses because I accepted them ALL for myself for years!

Don't wait for the perfect timing, it will never come. You have to make it happen regardless of the stresses that will always come in life. Stressful situations/times of emotional stress are extra reasons to get that workout in not an excuse to skip it. Start small, build up, never quit!

I KNOW pain. I know how it feel to think you are too far gone.
Helpless.
I know how it feels to be ridiculed/heckled when I started to walk outside. EVERY time.
I also know the pain of giving up on myself.

I made the decision to STOP the EXCUSES and my life changed! I am happy. I have energy, I can do physically demanding things I never dreamed of. Every day is a choice though. I don't wake up in the morning craving Burpees, oh no! I make myself do the work! I don't crave zucchini noodles when I am nearing my period, oh no! I make myself choose them. Not that I don't ever have something bad, I just limit it. It took me a long time to learn that that was okay. I still struggle in that area.


Every day I make a choice towards health. I have been on this path 7+ years now and it has changed my entire life. I am down almost 200lbs and I have learned many lessons along the way. I still learn new things daily. I have studied anatomy, biomechanics and I am a certified personal trainer. I am currently studying nutrition. I am passionate about my job and my lifestyle. Sometimes I may come off as over the top to some peeps but I believe living this way has SAVED MY LIFE!

Every day I answer several messages, emails, texts, I don't get paid for them- It is my passion! It is part of my new identity. Sometimes people don't take my advice. Sometimes they do. Sometimes I think they don't and then they text me after several months finally ready to make a change. You don't need to be morbidly obese to need a change to feel better. Some people think that because of my story I only deal with obese peeps but I have a variety of clients who all have one thing in common despite their different struggles- They are choosing to stop the EXCUSES and live healthier.

You have the power inside you to become the best version of YOU. Whether you think you can, or think you cant you're right.

XO,
Di

Highlights of the work week

Helping Others...

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job? I know I have! I always say it! There are many things that get me pumped at my job, I LOVE WHAT I DO!


Its only Thursday but I want to tell you about some of the warm fuzzies of my week;


1. Every single client this week has weighed or measured in the right direction! Whoop!
2. I got coffee delivery, it's never a bad idea to buy the trainer coffee-EVER!
3. I had a client shed tears about touching her toes for the first time in 10 years, 10 years peeps! Double whoop!
4. A client of mine who comes strictly for nutritional support made up her own fitness plan and brought it for me to look over. Proud moment here :)
5. I weighed in a client who was exactly my beginning weight and I got the whole goosebumps moment. Okay, after she left I totally had a meltdown of emotions. Everything felt full circle, if that makes sense.
6. My latest Beachbody challenge group is kicking serious butt!
7. Returning peeps are sore from their workouts because they took the summer off. This probably shouldn't be on the pro side of my week and it almost made the con list except they are so much entertainment for me. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch... If this makes me mean- I don't wanna be nice! LOL!


Too tired
I can't
I'm too busy
#noexcuses


Have a great evening,
Di