The top things my most successful clients have in common;

1. They are real with me and themselves.

Heard time and time again; "I just don't know why I am not getting where I need to be?" 

My reply,"Are you tracking your food? Keeping your treats to the limit we set? Are you following my advice?" 

Answers; "No but, some of the time or its too hard", Those are all responses my most successful clients rarely if ever say!

*In order to be staying overweight you are taking in enough calories to keep you there. Whether you are eating once a day and drinking the rest of the calories in coffee cream and sugar. In my experience (and of course assuming there is no medical conditions), when people track their food for the first time it is enlightening to see how exactly the calories do add up. This was certainly the case for me when I started making healthy choices. 

**When fat loss is slow people always think the answer is cardio. I assure you my most successful clients do a mix of cardio and resistance but the answer to the problem is usually in the PANTRY!

2. They show up on the bad days.

Anybody can do it on a good day. I have clients who show up on the awful days; pms, layoffs, relationship issues, a crappy day at parenting, dealt with a customer who is part satan, ... You get the idea.

I have had clients who are injured training other body parts, I have consulted with doctors when clients are post surgery, clients who are almost in tears walking in but feel better by the end of hour. They are called ENDORPHINS people! :) 

3. They set goals.

This is why I host challenge groups. Its like goal setting but with accountability. Writing out our goals and telling others can be a very motivating tool. With a challenge group it is like a built in cheer team. They are all rooting for you. 

Others create a vision board, write it out in their journal or post their workouts/meals online. I kind of alternate between all of these. I also have a before picture that makes its way to the front of my fridge from time to time when I need to tighten the nutritional reigns. 

Visualize, meditate... Whatever works for you. If there's one biggest lesson I have learned in my short coaching career it is that no two people are alike and we all function differently and are motivated differently.

4. They keep progressing and pushing harder. 

Okay, this is a big one! How long have you been planking from your knees? Try from your toes. Same with push ups. How about weights? Been using 15 lbs and they are getting lighter? Up your game. Grab the heavy weights. Challenge yourself. You should not be stopping unless you NEED to.Push yourself. Not past the point where you're going to pass out or create injury but do NOT get COMFY either!!! Ladies, the notion you are going to turn into the hulk is bogus.

When I started exercise, I could not plank or push up from my feet OR my knees, I had to do it from a wall. I worked up from my knees and now I am working on getting those push ups lower from my toes ( I had them mastered before a surgery, but anywho). You feel me? The next time you think you can push harder, heavier, faster or whatever the case may be you need to progress -do it. 

5. They rarely if ever use excuses.

Showing up on the bad days, being consistent, not allowing the excuse voice in your brain to win. Each time you keep promises to yourself you're building your willpower- motivation. Think of it like a muscle, the more you feed it with excuses the weaker it is, adversely, the more you exercise it the stronger it gets. 

Time and money are the two biggest excuses I hear about why people do not eat healthy and exercise. We are for certain a scheduled society so write your fitness into your schedule and make it happen! it is an excuse. There are people busier than you, working harder than me and they still get it in. Time away from kids is not valid- take the kids with you or consider it self care. I honestly save money eating healthy because I eat out less. You can buy in season produce or frozen to save money. Where there is a will there is a way. I quit smoking on my health journey and that alone provided me with extra money to invest into my health instead of against it! I have also cleaned the gym in exchange for personal training and membership. Yup, scrubbed dirty filthy toilets the kids used in exchange for torture lol. 

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!"

5 major lessons I learned on a journey to over 200lbs of weight loss!

5 major lessons I learned on a journey of over 200lbs of weight loss!

*Not necessarily in order.

1. Attitude is EVERYTHING! Whether you think you can or think you can not, you are right. I couldn't find the author for that quote but I bet he or she is very smart ;). 

I remember feeling very overwhelmed in the beginning, I had so far to go. It felt nearly impossible. Even the doctors were skeptical and suggested surgery.

I would tell myself that I could do it and I pretty much faked it till I believed I could. It took me losing over 100lbs before I really actually saw I could for sure get myself to a healthy place. 

2. EVERYONE is a critic!

Before I began my weight loss journey, every function became a intervention. Guess what? Pointing out an emotional over-eaters weight causes more overeating. True story. You can not want it for someone else. I know how this feels, I have people in my life that I would love to help but they are not at a place to accept my help. 

Along my journey there were people commenting how my weight loss was too fast, others commented it was too slow. 

Now, I am on the high end of average, my goals are mostly to increase lean mass. I have friends and family who comment I should be skinny by now, or I deserve to be, like they assume that is my goal. I will tell you skinny is not even on my radar. The weight I am more focused on are my dumbbells. I am confident in my strengths these days so comments bother me far less. I am long past the day where I did a workout contest outside of a business because a random dude thought my fitness class would be a joke. For the record, I kicked his arse but it doesn't matter to me anymore. I only have to prove myself to myself, and guess what? You only have to prove yourself to you!

3. Find fitness that you like. Fitness is NOT punishment for the fat, it is for everyone!

I will tell you how out of wack my before thinking was, I remember thinking, why are all these thin people at the gym? Aren't they finished? HA. For real. Fitness is for health and everyone should attain it. 

If you HATE biking, do not bike. Find something that is more enjoyable and do it. This is part of the reason I own my own fitness studio. I remember the day I took my first small group fitness class, I fell in love! It was motivating, rewarding and fun. Not every exercise was fun, but doing it in a group was really motivating. This is actually where I learned for the first time in my life that I could be competitive. 

Disclaimer; When I started running I hated it but grew to love it, so make sure you give new things a solid effort! 

4. Healthy eating doesn't have to taste like shit! (or rabbit food)

This is where I struggled the most. Learning how to cook healthily and still having it taste yummy. Now, I actually prefer the taste of my own healthy cooking! I learned to cook healthy when I was a stay at home mom. When I became a working mother with a hubby working out of town I had to become a meal prepper and this was my saving grace. It still is. I literally have my meals within seconds because I took a couple of hours on Sunday to prepare. Play with spices, find your favorite go to's. 

When I started I was making salad with iceberg lettuce and heating frozen veggies. How unsatisfying! Yuck. It takes trial and error but this is so worth while. I mean, I actually love my food. How long do you think I would stick to it if I didn't like it? Remember I have kept extreme weight loss for over 8 years!

5. Do not fall for crash diets, wraps, pills, magic shakes or anything else that promises a quick fix!

I have done many of them before my actual health journey started. The weight always came back. I have had people come to my business just to meet me, I thought they were interested in my program but no, they thought that I must have some magic secret to share. I do not. Healthy eating, exercise and hard work. Those are the tough sells in the health industry. You will never see the hard work book fly off the shelf. 10 top exercises to lose the muffin top will though. FYI, you cannot exercise away fat. You eat healthy foods on a calorie deficit diet to reduce fat. Those exercises will help strengthen those muscles but you will never see them unless you eat right. 

Lies sell. They seem appealing. In the past 8 years I have lost count of the number of people I know who have tried the gimmicks only to regain. It is hard to sell fitness classes when your neighbor down the road is selling cleanse packets which are basically just shit bombs. 

Once you commit to leading a healthy lifestyle for life you are enlightened to the fact that healthy food can taste yummy, fitness takes effort but is rewarding and sometimes it is okay to eat the cake too!

Crazy week in review

Week in review;

This week was CRAZY! I had a few lows but mostly highs.

So as everyone knows I have dealt with a few injuries this year. A pinched nerve issue in my hip and Achilles tendon issues in my left heel. Those were things I trained around. I did a lot of biking instead of running on sore days. Due to injuries,  I erased my goal of sub 2:30 half marathon. The entire month of May however my issues disappeared making me start to think maybe I can do it after all. 

By Thursday, I had myself in a big uptight panic. I read a friends article about one of her races, where she had let herself get into her own head. It was like a light bulb moment for me. I was totally ruining the fun of my race week. I was SOOOOO stressed out. I was sending myself to the bathroom that is how crazy nervous I was. For two whole days I stressed. 

A few things were adding to my stress; my husband and biggest race day supporter wasn't going to make it home. I felt a little sorry for myself about that lol. I did have an awesome support team who I had trained with and also ran into a bunch of peeps at the race. A few clients came to cheer me on also, which of course made my day. I saw grandparents standing in the rain to cheer their family on and it made me tear up! 

The rainy race; as I drank my coffee in the comfort of my car, the rain pelted. I thought geez this really sucks. I was early (because I am an on time or early for everything person) so I went to the porta-potty and then inside to seek shelter. While I was zip locking my phone I started bumping into run peeps. My nerves started to ease and I started to have fun. 

At the start line up, I tried to keep my nerves at bay. I reminded myself I was there to have fun. I did the training and I needed to trust it. The rain ended up not being as bad as I thought. I was literally soaked from one end to the other but it kept me cool. My soaked shoes were annoying but I tried to not focus on it. Something I did do different though was turn off my 10 and 1 timer at 15kms. I just kept going. I knew I had slowed my pace so to make up for it I skipped my walk breaks. When I made the turn to the finish line I knew I was going to meet my goal and I sprinted through to the finish. I couldn't believe that I did what I set out to do. Yay! 2:28!!!

Thank you volunteers for standing in the rain even though you were not getting a medal! Thank you to my support system of training friends, friends and clients who surprised me. You really made my day! I cried in my car, happy tears. I have never been emotional like that. A few minutes after I was finished my run, I grabbed a Starbucks coffee and a cookie and went to cheer friends who were doing the full. I REALLY wished I remembered a change of clothes. Standing in my wet clothes holding a sign was a lot worse than running wet.

I had a lot of phone calls and texts from peeps wishing me well and congratulating me. Thank you!

I read a few things that were annoying lol. People posting times and saying things like "I didn't even train and got a PR" (That were faster than mine).  I really had to remind myself that I had trained and did my best and that is what counts for me. Nothing has come naturally for me lol. I earned it. I trained in the snow, wind, rain. My PR, no matter how slow compared to someone else, was earned. 

This race went in my books as my personal victory!

In other news, two different companies tried to get me to either use or sell their shakes this week. Huh? No thank you. 

This week I also had the opportunity to meet with trainers from another gym. We met on other business but we ended up talking about obesity. As often happens, I was the only fitness professional in the room who had experiences first hand. I am often surprised by the lack of empathy some "professionals" have. I have been thanked on many occasions for shedding light on the topic in a way they can relate to. I also understand how some professionals do not make it in the business. Bottom line; You may have a masters degree in bio-mechanics but if you are a complete asshole towards the people you are supposed to be committed to helping you are not qualified! 

Di

Be ready to change your plan.

I have a coach;

People are still surprised when I say that. I am a coach. My coach has a coach. It is having someone in my health corner to check in with and someone who sees me from the outside in. 

I have been to the doctors, chiro and massage now trying to deal with first a hip aggravation and now Achilles tendon issues. I have been training for a half marathon that I wanted to beat my old time in. In chatting with my coach before I left for NL we discussed how silly it is to expect a personal best when injured. I have never quit a race and I have never signed up for anything I didn't follow through on. My new plan to simply finish slower and try my best to let go of any time goals and just try to have fun and not further injure myself. I may end up with a new slowest time and I need to be okay with just completing safely. 

If you have noticed, I have been biking a lot. I love it. I always have and when running injuries keep me from running I love that I have a back up cardio plan. Having a back up is key for me. So many times in the past year I have struggled through an injury and relied on the plan b. Do you have one? You really should! Otherwise, when plan a fails what happens? You give up? No way!

My plan after my slow half is to take a month off of running and focus on healing my Achilles. I will focus on biking and weight lifting. I also plan to ditch extra lbs which also helps every joint with my running. 

I have had 10,000,000 plans so far on my health journey and I am sure that number will continue to climb as I keep going. Never be afraid of change, never give up and always always be real with yourself. Denial got me to push 400, I aim to always be real!

#noexcuses

Nutrition

Nutrition;

When I started on my health journey I had already tried and failed many diet plans. Slim fast, weight watchers, atkins, cabbage soup, ETC. I am only stopping because I am forgetful, there were many more. They didn't work for me a) because I wasn't fully committed at the time,b) because they weren't really teaching me anything except restriction, c) I can only last so long feeling restricted and d) I didn't learn how to make it work for my entire family.

Eight years ago, I started LA Weight loss and I had success. My mind was made up and I was beyond ready to start feeling good again. What I liked about their program is it didn't tell me what food to eat it told me which food groups to choose from. This was the first time I did a program that I had to do the work. I learned painfully lol through yucky meals how to cook healthy foods. I also got myself measuring cups and started measuring. I still use my half cup for starches, my scale for protein and my tbsp. for peanut butter.

This is not a L.A Weight loss endorsement. I learned the basics with them. I lost my first 120lbs using their weigh in support and food guide.

For a while I tried coaching with Beachbody. I liked it. I don't like using supplementation so it became a conflict of the heart to sell it even though I do love their workout programs. FYI, those little containers from 21 day fix is pretty much EXACTLY the same system I used at LA. My program is similar with my own tweaking specific to each client. I use what I have learned to work with many of my own modifications. After studying anatomy I later studied nutrition and learned even more about our body and nutrition.

You may find a program that gives you fast results but buyer beware; If you're losing more than 2 lbs a week studies show you aren't just losing fat, you are losing muscle too. That is
NOT what we are going for with health goals. Health is more than a number on a scale. If you are losing weight rapidly without eating properly it will likely catch up. If your diet program suggests that carrots are too high sugar, find a new program!

If you are drinking plenty of water, eating lean protein, lots of vegetables and some complex carbs, throughout the day, you are set. What I offer is support to go with your plan and that is where I feel I differ from most. My clients contact me for extra support all the time. It is the accountability that many peeps need. Nothing makes me more excited than helping others learn to cook healthy and having them text me healthy recipes!

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Hippocrates

workout break and holiday cheer!

6 week hardcore workout break;

I really wrestled with deciding to write this blog post. On one hand, I have always been an open book with my healthy peeps. On the other hand, I have also dealt with hardcore judgement. After having a few healthy peeps checking in to see if I want to run this week I have decided to go full disclosure lol. 

If you are easily offended stop reading now...

Two weeks ago I traveled to San Diego and had a breast lift with augmentation. 200+ of weight loss doesn't do much for the appearance of breasts FYI. It is the one area most negatively effected by weight loss and given that the breast tissue is all fat they generally sacrifice themselves in weight loss. 

You know when you inflate a balloon and a week later let the air out. It has already been stretched out and despite you letting the air out it still doesn't go back into shape. I am sure you recognize my breasts are the balloons in this analogy. I am 34 years old and as much as I am all about self acceptance and working hard to be the best version of me there was no improving this one part on my own. I did a lot of research and found the best for me surgeon. 

Monday will be two weeks post op so I can get outside walking, I will then gradually increase speed and distance. I have one month until I can run and then I only have six weeks to train for a half marathon. I will cross the finish line but not with a pr. Nevertheless, I am excited to get back into it! 

I am healing well and my new boobs are looking great if I do say so myself LOL! I just wanted you guys to know I am still in the game if you miss my run posts or workout videos. Whatever I lack in workout posts I assure you I will make up for in healthy food posts!!! :) 

Christmas Spirit; 

Every year I up my giving game for the holidays... Last year I did random acts of kindness every day and posted them. What does this have to do with health? well, lets call it well-being or soul health if you will. Anyway, someone had sent me a nasty message about how I was looking for attention for giving and how wrong that is. I stopped posting. I let that one negative message overpower the many kind messages I had received. I am a sharer. I don't sugarcoat a bad day, I am not a perfect parent (or wife, or friend, or trainer, or...), I get road rage (too often), I struggle with motivation occasionally too. We are all in this short life together for such a small amount of time. Why not be authentic? Why not give when you can? Share ideas, tips, motivation and truth. That is who I aim to be.

On that note; Some of my random acts lately are; Paying for the order before me, donating to a school in Africa, collecting items for a sick mom, filling stockings for underprivileged children, crossing the boarder into Mexico and shopping for sick kids staying at an underfunded hospital (both the most awesome and most awful experience I have ever had), buying a meal for a poor family, treating all my nurses to gifts of appreciation, giving items to a needy family rather than selling them. I share because when my friends share their great ideas with me it inspires me to do better and in the end that's what I believe life is all about.

XO,

Di

This week has had many high and lows;

I LOVE my job. Even on the days when I am sick and tired I look forward to going to work. As with any job and life I have really high points and some times a low one. 

Highs;

This week started with my healthy trip to Costco where a long time Healthy Club peeps introduced herself to me and told me she finds my page inspiring. What a honor! 

At the gas station a guy told me he recognized me from running and told me to keep up the great work. He said that he could never do that so then i took 20 minutes telling him he sure could. lol. He likely regretted his compliment.

I won a free T-shirt #butchgunner this week and I am contemplating a spartan race. Maybe 3, trifecta is cool. Just concerned about the jumping but thinking I may be able to pull it off with my knee. 

My clients have all been doing fantastic work and my tire is inside for the winter. All positives...

Lows;

Not being able to hammer home the message clearly that nutrition is 80% of the magic equation for weight loss. You want to add exercise AND proper nutrition to achieve optimal results. If you are KILLING it with exercise, seeing crazy strength gains but no scale movement (assuming you have a larger amount of fat to lose) then it is time to look at your nutrition and get down to brass tacks. Not even mentioning of course the health benefits for all of proper nutrition.

I know the struggle is real I live the life too. Own your choices. Do your best. Be strong!

XO,

Di

Keep going!

Keep going!

People always ask me how I stay so dedicated. The truth is I actually am kinda addicted to the feeling after a workout. When it comes to exercise it doesn't take me long to talk myself up to the task.

My real struggle is food.

I love food. All types. The great, the good, the bad and the ugly.

How have I been able to keep gradually losing and maintaining over 200lbs of weight loss? By mostly making the right choices. I do go to the movies and eat fatty popcorn sometimes, I had two milkshakes over this summer and in one week in Mexico this summer I lost count of frosty bevies. I am human. I have had binge eating moments. It happens approximately once every three months, sometimes I go much longer. I used to eat like that two or three times weekly before learning better behaviour. I try to plan ahead to have a treat to stay in control.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I know how it feels to feel out of control and I know how it feels to be in control {almost always} and I want that for everyone. You don't have to be in this downward spiral forever, you can climb out.

Eating healthy isn't a bad thing. Its not only good for your body but your mind and soul also. I am a better human being when I eat the way that makes me feel healthy and strong. Don't start a new "diet" just eat a diet of whole healthy foods. Lean meats, veggies and fruit. Some whole grains and starches. Once a week have a treat. Think about your risk of virtually every disease being lowered. A longer life. A fit life. One where you aren't hiding yourself and waiting for Monday to start a new plan.

I hear people say every single day that they want to change but you have to want it bad enough to choose the apple more than the chocolate. You have to want it more than anything else. You have to exercise when you want to skip. Go after your health! Stop waiting for a wrap or shake to let you down again. You have all the tools you need deep inside of you. If you are already on your path to health, don't stop! You can do this. There will be hiccups but nothing you cant overcome. Don't let the excuses win. #noexcuses

YOU CAN DO IT!

XO,
Di

Get outside comfortable

Taking it to the next level

Good. Better. Best.

Nobody starts out a pro. We start from where we are, learn and improve. I started living healthier at a very unhealthy end of the spectrum. I had to start slow. Walking was a hard core workout for me. My back ached. My shins hurt. My breathing sucked (I was pushing 400lbs and I was a smoker). When walking got easy I power walked. Then I added in a gym membership at snap fitness (I love love loved it there). I had no idea what to be doing so I hired a personal trainer to teach me a few routines. I was a stay at home mom with a limited budget so I cut out Starbucks and stuck to my shopping list getting only needs to make it happen. My body felt like it had been ran over those first few weeks of workouts lol. You know where you almost cry walking stairs and you feel bad for the railing that has to work so hard haha. When those routines got easy I signed myself up for Bosu ball classes 3x a week. Later I took TRX classes..Then kettlebells..Then kickboxing and a then a boot camp. I kept learning and pushing my body somewhere new. Eventually I found a great gym with fitness classes and I stayed there until it closed down and then I started my own fitness studio.

When I started exercise I could not plank from my knees! I had to plank and push up from a wall for a few months until I gained strength. Then I started doing them from my knees and finally I now do them from my toes. I started with walking, then powerwalking and now I am running long distances.

This is NOT a blog just about me, its about you and your journey. Are you pushing yourself hard enough to your next level? Have you been doing push ups from your knees for a long time? Try one from your toes! In order to keep continuously improving we have to keep pushing past our comfort zone.

If you have not been getting optimal results its probably a combination of needing to kick it up a notch and getting right with your food. Are you eating packaged foods? Those are laden with chemicals, additives, sodium, fat, sugar..crap! Again, Good. Better. Best. Start by eliminating all processed and prepackaged foods. Basically junk food. If you have been eating a diet with processed food just taking those out is a great first step and will likely get you on a good start towards your goal. When you have been eating generally healthy now but hit a plateau, you will want to look into your portions. Are you eating too many grains and not enough protein? Are you measuring? Getting real with eating mostly vegetables, a moderate amount of protein, healthy fats and smaller portions of carbs and fruit. The veggie to fruit ratio for fat loss is 5:1.

And let me tell you I have learned from experience, YOU CANNOT OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!!!

It is estimated that weight loss is approximately 80% diet and 20% exercise. So you can lose weight by just eating healthy but you wont get optimal results and its almost impossible to eat crappy and just rely on exercise. Unless you are excessive with exercise but you still wouldn't achieve optimal health.

Believe you are worth the effort and step up your game!

Di

Beautiful is not a size

Beauty;

I am overwhelmed lately with the amount of negativity towards thin, fat, old, young, tall, short. Geez, I understand well how it feels to stand out for being larger than everyone else...

My "Before"

One of my best lessons through my health journey has been meeting fit peeps from all different backgrounds. One thing we ALL have in common is we all struggle with something.

I stuck out because I was xxxxl! I knew I was fat, nobody was helping me by telling me. Nobody needed to scream it from their window when I was walking and trying to better myself either...

I have quite a few friends who are thin. I was shocked one night when we went out that someone made the comment to one friend "go eat a hamburger".... Like how did that person think that was a nice thing or acceptable thing to say??? The person saying it did struggle on the opposite end of the spectrum... Why must we pin fat against thin? That is a STUPID thing to do!

A girlfriend of mine is trying to gain lean mass and is working very hard at it. She has been told she is getting too manly by "friends". Geepers its pissing me off that we cant all just support one another. Can we not just see the people for who they are? She is working very hard, is the healthiest I have seen her, why do we need to be mean?

real women have meat on her bones
you need to lose weight
you need to gain weight
you need to stop exercising so much
you are obsessed

STOP THE INSANITY, THIS IS MADNESS!

I know its easier to relate to what we know. Don't judge people on their looks alone... Can we not see one another for our genuine character? 

Gals race weekend

My weekend away;

As many of you know this weekend I was at the Rocky Mountain Soap 10k race in Canmore. (the race was in Canmore, we stayed in Banff)
I have a massive fear of bears which makes me apprehensive to sign up for anything near the mountains. Mandie was doing it and the race was sold out but one of her peeps was selling a bib. "ITS A SIGN", I said. And just like that a weekend in Banff was arranged!

Ready for a weekend filled with F>U>N!

I found a really cool pepper spray that's small enough to carry in my hands. I know, I know, I am crazy! I also wore a whistle. I hooked Mandie up with spray and a whistle too. Cause, you know, you can never be too careful ;) Whatever makes you feel more secure right? FYI- it was so busy on the course that my bear fear was immediately eased. Any seasoned bear phobia chick knows there has never been a case of a bear attack in a group of 4 or more.

We left Friday after work and arrived in Banff late. Our room was cozy and clean and when I woke the next morning I had a gorgeous view while drinking my coffee. I really doubt you could find a room in Banff with a ugly view. I love it there! 

The run was GORGEOUS! It was a lot warmer then I am used to running as the warm season is just getting here and it was 26 degrees Celsius. It was a beautiful day with beautiful people in a beautiful place. The hills were wicked for a fun challenge!

run selfies of course. Mandie, Jacki and I :)

A perk to this run is at the end you get a swag bag with product from the Rocky Mountain Soap Co, If you know me at all you know I am all about the bath products!!! 

After the run we went back to the hotel and freshened up for shopping and dinner. We went to Saltlic. I think that's how it is spelled. It was very pricey but I highly recommend the steak cobb salad. It was to die for. I also had sweet potato fries because I was told they were amazing. They were. They were definitely not done in an actifry tho. Oops lol. 
This morning we went for brunch at the hotel and then went back to Canmore to shop at Tin Box. It was a really cute store. I found a journal for my teen with positive quotes written throughout. From there we took the scenic route home. A few hours later and real life kicked back in haha. I mopped and tidied and grocery shopped for the upcoming week. I went to my dads to get the kiddos and have a family dinner. Now I am home with the kiddos tucked in bed chatting with you :) I don't usually go many places for girls weekends etc but I had so much fun that I know I will want to sign up again next year! :) I love being a mom and a wife but just being Di is fun every now and again too!

Side notes;
Thank you Mandie and Jacki for being such great roomies.
Thank you to my aunt Karen and my dad for keeping the kids entertained while I was away.
Thank you to the bears for staying far from me.

You will get there!

You can do it!

That seems a lil bit cliché, I know! Its the truth though.

I was talking with a client about starting to walk earlier today. I cannot believe where I have come from. I remember thinking, "Oh my God, am I in over my head here? Maybe I have just let myself go too far and this is my destiny. Is this even possible?"

Maybe that's where you are today. Wondering if its even a possibility for you to be fit and healthy. I will tell you it absolutely is. It isn't going to be fast or easy (there are shortcuts but you don't want to take those because they are traps that usually lead to you being further away from healthy) but you can totally do this.

When I started walking I was already down about 35lbs or so. I tried walking alone but I got heckled on a fairly regular basis (every damn time- pardon the passion). My friend Kathy walked regularly and invited me to go with her. When we started my lower back and calf muscles were BRUTAL> we probably walked maybe 30 mins and I would go home completely exhausted. I kept walking and even though it hurt at first persistence paid. It always does. We eventually stopped walking together because I joined a gym. I started jogging. It was brutal at first but I also quit smoking around this time so that helped me too. When I say I was unhealthy I totally mean unhealthy.

Jogging was a huge feat. I pretty much had to fight to do it. My breathing sucked. My calves hurt. I got shin splints. Nothing felt easy.

I have worked through injuries too, that slow process of two steps forward one step back. I kept at it!

Fast forward two years...

I am running my first half marathon. 21.1km. I did it. Didn't set any records but I did it and I felt good about myself. After my run that day my old walking partner and I were gabbing and it turned to tears when we talked about where I started from. At the beginning of my walking days I would go home completely exhausted but Kathy would then go for her regular hard-core walk. We laughed and then we cried. I was blessed to have her at that fragile first stage. She never told me I was her warm up friend haha, and to be honest I am not sure I was strong enough to know it at the time.

 That was a few years ago now, I have ran many runs, I am still running. I am a runner. I am not a competitive runner whatsoever but I love it. I love that my body is able to run. I also lift weights, flip tires, ride bike, seek stairs instead of avoiding them like the plague, etc etc etc. If I can do it, so can you. Just don't expect it to be easy. Peeps are always disappointed by my reality check lol. You can do anything but you will have to work for it!

If you feel alone in your fitness journey, don't! I assure you that you already have at least one fit peep, ME!

XO,
Di

Dear Diary

Journaling or keeping a Diary

Do you journal? This is a link to 100 reasons its healthy to journal.
http://www.appleseeds.org/100_journaling.htm

Emotional eating is definitely a problem for me. Not past tense. It is. Some people think that because I have lost weight I am cured of whatever problem got me morbidly obese in the first place. I am not cured. I have learned tricks to work around my weaknesses. One huge trick has been journaling. I don't only track food but also moods and exercise and whatever else is on my mind. One of my diaries is my healthy club. In a way. I share a lot of personal information and every time I am hesitant to post something that I may think is TOO personal, I immediately get my inbox full of comments from people who relate or was glad I shared because they were wondering the same info for their own situations.

Growing up we were pretty poor. Well for Canadians. In my recent trip to Cuba I learned I have never really been poor. But lets just say I didn't have the brand name clothes, shoes, $, or a nice school lunch. I used food for comfort. That habit isn't healthy. Its a comfort that I started using at a early age.

My biological father was a deadbeat. It was probably for the best as he has serious drug and alcohol issues. I met him on my 14th birthday for the first time and he was a real let down. He promised me the world but never followed through on anything. ANYTHING. I heard from him very sporadically. The last time I talked with him I was playing with toddler aged Amber (my daughter who is now a teen) and I was pregnant with my son, Josh, who will be 11 next month. He told me he would call me tomorrow. He never did.

Of my struggles this is the one that has taken the most effort from myself to get over. I used to wonder what is wrong with me? I know now that I am awesome. I actually feel really bad for him. He missed out on an AWESOME daughter and beautiful grandchildren.

My point is everyone has something they are going through. I used to handle stress by eating. copious amounts. I have learned that the answers to life's problems are never at the bottom of an Oreos bag. Ever.

I started journaling when I was at the beginning of my health journey. It has helped me immensely. I am able to reread my starting point and see how I have grown. I can likewise read recent pages and see areas I am still working on. Ex. I can still be pretty obsessive compulsive with my parenting. Meaning I give myself a daily review in which I am usually falling short in some area. I have a fear of messing with my kids emotionally, the way my father did with me. Even though that's irrational because I am a very present mother. Those are still thoughts and feelings that journaling helps with. Its a win when you can use a diary instead of food (or drugs or alcohol if that's your struggle).

Part of my job is reading others journals. A lot of people are keeping strictly food journals but a lot keep track of their emotions also. It helps, especially for the emotional eater. The pen and paper take a beating instead of the stomach. You would be very comforted to know that your crazy emotions are pretty darn normal. We all have our crap. Its okay. Put down the bag of chips and pick up a pen and paper!

xo,
Di

Quick fixes

There are no quick fixes to long term health!

 

So as many of you know, I am not new on the healthy lifestyle train. I have been here for awhile. Over seven years actually. I am getting stronger every day. I am down officially 200lbs now. I am a different person, I see things differently, I feel things differently and the lessons I have learned are a huge resource to me. I am thankful for my slow healthy loss because I have really learned a lot about health along the way. If I fast-tracked-to-success-on-the-magic-train I would not have learned those lessons. And I would not be set up for the long term.

I am going to share with you a few stories about the people I have met who have achieved long term success and some of those who haven't and hopefully there will be a lesson in there and also serve as a reminder to myself ;)

About four years ago, a friend of mine came to me and wanted to learn what I was doing to achieve weight loss. I showed her what I eat and invited her to my gym at the time. She came and for the first time in my life I saw someone show up to the gym and not try. I have seen people not try and stay home but never someone come to exercise and every second exercise I showed that person they decided they couldn't do it. Even though I had a modified version. Not. Even. Try. Fast forward and that overweight person went from overweight to morbidly obese and still trying the quick way out.

Hard work is a tough sell when so many companies out there are selling the dream of a easy way to weight loss. You may temporarily lose weight but it will only be the number on the scale and not permanent healthy lifestyle changes. If you are restricting those calories to the extremes, you are totally messing with you entire body. Your metabolic system specifically is compromised.

Another story that's sad but relatable is a few years ago, (some of my workout peeps will remember this because it really messed with my brain) a friend of mine went on a very restrictive diet and lost a bunch of weight very quickly. Now, although I know that's not healthy and most often not sustainable, I really hit a messed up mental space. I was caught by my trainer doubling up on my workouts, and cutting down on my calories AND stepping on the scale every other day. I had forgotten to focus on my own journey of becoming the best me and got caught up on someone else's path. Fast forward a few years and I am finally at average fat percentage but unfortunately that friend whose picture on the beach nearly completely messed with my brain has regained a bulk of that initial weight loss. I was happy for her-please don't think I wasn't, it wasn't about her, it was about me seeing a quicker way and wanting to fast forward. I now see my healthy lifestyle without an end date. This is it, I want to continuously improve and always live in a healthy way.

My two fav health peeps have both lost weight slow and steadily also and they have taken on the healthy lifestyle. Its not about perfection its about gradual improvements in a sustainable way. They encourage me and I them. If you ever feel alone on your journey reach out to me. I know the struggles. I have felt what you're feeling! Stay strong!XO

 

 

 

Every time you eat you are either fighting disease or feeding it!

At a ______ I attended regularly they all knew my story. Knew my struggles. Every time there was a volunteer luncheon the food was junk food. Like pizza or other fried foods. That was the thank you for volunteering. I would just leave without eating. Every weekly meeting (in the morning) there were muffins, cookies, crap. Several ladies told me I was obsessed with exercise. I am not. I do not like burpees. I do them because they make me stronger and I want to treat my body as a temple. There is temptation everywhere. I am not saying that a treat isn't acceptable. I am saying there should be an option B and every single function shouldn't be an excuse to break out the junkfood. Even the spaces that seem like they should be the safest sometimes aren't.

Sometimes loved ones unknowingly or perhaps subconsciously are saboteurs in our daily lives. Offering this or that "innocently", I don't blame them.

Know this, when you start a new health plan, just because you made changes in your life doesn't mean others will follow. You may be a reminder of what they aren't doing. They may want you to fail or at least trip you up.

This all seems negative. Here's the positive. You'll feel better eating healthy foods and fueling your body with the right nutrients it requires to run optimally. I just don't want you to be discouraged when peeps you thought would support you don't. You'll have a new fitness and health support system. If you think you don't really have one that's not true- you have me.

#StayStrong #noexcuses

 

Feelings.

I am pretty sure peeps can relate to having a constant inner dialogue. Mostly mine is happy, positive and upbeat. Sometimes though, like today, I am consumed with the need of the world. Ever feel like no matter how much good you do its still not enough?

I try to give of myself at least weekly. Whether financially or just giving my time. I hear of a good cause and I want to help.



The economy with the price of oil right now is a little scary. My husband is definitely our main income (and also the reason why I am able to help as much) and right now things are really unsure. I am a very positive person and have a lot of faith. When one door closes one door opens.

I know a lot of peeps who don't have that positivity right now. Its hard for them to be positive when they are jobless. I just want to fix everything. I cannot. At what point do we let other peoples struggles go? Say a prayer and not obsess. This is where I struggle.

I will say that it is hard for me to take a family vacation when there are children going without food. Why should I go to _____ for week and lay on the beach if that money could be spent on feeding someone who is hungry. I wonder if this is a disorder?
I see a need and cant let it go.

I had a panic attack when buying a new home. There are people who are homeless and here I am worrying about getting a bigger home. It hardly seems fair. I seriously had to justify it to myself by telling myself that I would have a business that could help people too. When I bought a new car it was only because I was getting stuck in my old one. I have very little value on material things. Some of my richest friends have hardly any money. I don't care whether you are a doctor or a garbage truck driver. I care if you have a good heart! 

I used to always donate privately. I once shared with my friends and family that I knew of a family in need and saw that it could be more helpful to share. I was a little shocked to hear that someone I had called a friend said I was "bragging" about helping others. I hope no one ever thinks that. I will continue to do whatever I can whether privately or publically. If I think it could help to share a story I will.

Those are my inner ramblings for today. Are you ever consumed with others needs? How do you handle it?

From the Heart of,
Di
xx

"Whether you think you can or think you can't you're right!"

 

Sunday funday here! A mixture of getting ready for the week ahead, coffee, family time and also I was doing a little reflecting on my week...

This week had many high points;

-My husband is totally on board with exercise and healthy living- I have been dreaming of this for over 7 since I made the switch-HECK-TO-THE-YEAH-BABY!!!

-I am back on beast, ahhh endorphins! This is my life now. Cannot. Live. Without. Weights.

-I had a client reach a huge milestone :)

-I had the pleasure of guiding many motivated ladies through some crazy workouts, I love my job and it truly is an honour to work with such great ladies (and 3 great men lol).

-I sometimes have a hard time balancing work, home and kiddos. I often talk myself out of social events because I feel like that could be family time. I am really grateful I had a lovely group of ladies over to shop, chat and have fun on Friday because that's important too. I must do that more. Laughter is great for the soul :)

-My husband was home all weekend and I got to hang out with him a lot, he truly is my BBF!

-When I logged online this morning I saw a post on the buy and sell made by a client who had went through her pantry and was giving a bunch of stuff not on our healthy eating list. How freaking awesome is that?!

 

I am off to finish up setting up my gym space for this week :) It's gonna be a great week here! I also have a beast workout to do before this week is complete.

 

If you are wanting to make changes in your life you have to start. You cannot grumble about yourself and then do nothing. It is in your hands. You only get one short life. Do you really want to spend it wishing you were someone else all the while hating on yourself. You have to decide that YOU are worth the effort. Work on being the best version of YOU. If you are unsure of where to start, I can help you.

 

Have a great rest of your Sunday peeps!

 

XO,

DIANA

 



A Saturday chat :)

Hey healthy peeps :)

Tell me I am not the only person having a terrific week. I have had 8 new clients this week, 8!!! That's 8 peeps who I get to work with, get to know, get to teach and in turn learn myself. I feel like every time I work with a new client it is a learning experience. We all work different ways, respond to different things and have been on different walks. I love meeting new peeps! something you may know about me though is I am painfully terrible with names. I am working on it.

With all the new members and clients there are a few things I will mention;
1. We are a supportive place. Negative past experiences at a gym led me to want to open a fitness studio where it has total acceptance of others- No matter where you are on your health journey! Absolutely no negative comments will be tolerated either in studio or on this page. All love peeps <3
2. There will be no posting by others trying to sell on this page. This is MY business page but sometimes my status gets hacked with someone trying to promote their products. I will delete your comments. If it continues, I delete you. Or tackier still, if someone asks me a question and before I answer someone else will PM them with their product. These pushy tactics aren't what this page is about.
3. I keep getting asked how early you need to come to class or PT. I am running a home based business and many times I have clients booked back to back. 3-5 minutes prior to your workout is plenty of time to get in, get your shoes on and be ready to go. If I am still with a client when you get here, there are chairs in my office for you to wait :) I literally have a few minutes set aside for dinnertime some days so 20 minutes prior to class I am likely eating- ain't nodody wanna see dat LOL!

Now that business is attended to lets chat about the fun stuff. Running- I am a huge lover of outdoor running but lets face it when it is cold and icy out it sucks. I don't like the treadmill... Orrr dooo I? Earlier this week my daughter and I went to orientation at our local fitness facility (family fitness has been a struggle lately with the cold and my oldest child is old enough to come to the gym and track with me but requires orientation for safety reasons first). Anyways, we are there and I am like I don't like cardio equipment, I prefer to run outside in -20. Then she starts signing Amber up and I am like whoa hold up. I am signing up too! They have a virtual system on their tv screens that stimulates different trails. Like Stanley park. Crystal it is AWESOME! Like real life! Anyway when you go up a hill so does the treadmill. It is just what my brain needed to not be bored on a dreadmill. Er I mean treadmill. Now don't get me wrong I still love being outside but on cold days I will take a trail run in Ireland instead ;) How cool is technology?! It is a game changer for me!

Another game changer this week was attending my first freezer meal workshop last night. So one of the snobbiest foodies I know (That's a compliment. Meaning she is picky on ingredients and eating clean. I think she will like that title lol) was hosting it with her fabulous pampered chef rep so I knew it would be great. Like any recipe, you can modify it to suit your individual needs. The meals I made were very healthy. I added extra veggies to everything. Some of the recipes suggest to serve with pasta and I will likely serve with veggie noodles. You tailor it to you. I will for sure host some of my own and attend more! I have been doing meal prep for years and have been a little bored lately with the non "freshness" of reheated food. This is gonna be epic! Set your crock pot and voila dinner is served ;)

This week as I mentioned has been about family fitness. Getting busier in my business usually means less family time, so I got creative. I put family time and workouts all in one :) This momma managed 5 weight workouts + 2 runs with Mandie + family fitness every day. That's not a shabby week!

Switching it up is definitely the #1 piece of advice I give when peeps ask how I kept a massive amount of weight off for so long. When I get bored or something feels off I switch it up. There is no way I would continue eating healthy if I were feeling deprived on a super restrictive diet. That's why extreme dieting doesn't work. It is set up for short term results. Eating a balanced healthy diet and exercising regularly isn't a huge sacrifice because I am eating yummy foods, I am at the point that even if I don't love the workout I do it because I love the way I feel afterwards.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend healthy peeps!

Di

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