You SHOULD read the label

I'm a big believer that knowledge is power.  I understand that ignorance is bliss.  Let's be real.  How many of us have looked in the mirror and been unhappy with the image staring back at us? I've been there.  When you've been unhappy, how many times have you thought, "I eat healthy but nothing works!"? I've been there too.  Here's the thing: are you really eating healthy? If you think you are, are you reading food labels?  Most people aren't.  Do you know what a serving size is? If not, do you know where to find it? What if it doesn't have a food label?  I know, I know.  Ignorance is bliss.  But, knowledge is power.  If you don't know that two double stuffed Oreos are a serving size and that it is 140 calories, then you can eat a whole row and not feel guilty, right?  Sadly, no.  Somewhere, you will feel guilty because you do know better.  But, now you know that a serving size is two cookies.  Now you can decide if eating four is worth it.  Maybe it is.  Maybe you thought twice and decided you'd stick with two.  Now you're empowered.  You made an informed decision.

This is what I'm talking about.  You're trying to decide if you should eat a banana with your lunch or strawberries.  How do you decide?  You only want to eat about 50 calories.  Strawberries.  About a cup of sliced strawberries is a serving and it's about 40-50 calories.  How did I know that?  I remember things like that but I also know where to find that information.  We live in the age of information.  A simple Google search will turn up a serving size and it's nutritional content.  Maybe you are trying to increase your vitamin C consumption.  Google it.  What fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin C?  Oranges, apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.  It is super tedious in the beginning and it can seem overwhelming but it is so worth it. And, with time, it gets easier.  You get so you know the things you eat regularly.

Now that you know how to find the information, it's time to implement it.  So a serving of Cheerios is one cup.  Do you just pour it into your cereal bowl and just eyeball it?  You can after some time but initially, I'd pull out your trusting measuring cup.  Don't guess.  It's too easy to over estimate and then you've eaten more than you thought you did.  Again, over time, you get better at it and you may not need to measure every time. I still measure my cereal though.  And I've taught my kids to too.

Reading nutrition labels can be tedious.  When you're in a hurry to get the kids out the door to school or whatever your crazy life looks like, it can be frustrating to stop and read the label and then pull a measuring cup out but the reward may be that as you look in the mirror, you may start to like what you see.  Now when you say that you eat healthy, you know that you really are.

As a side note, please don't let yourself get caught up in the trap that a number on a scale can be.  You are so much more than just a number.  You are a mind and a heart and a soul and a mother and a sister and a friend and you have so much to give.

Thanks for checking in with me.  I hope you're moving forward with your goals and dreams.  Let me know is you have questions or comments and check back again soon!

Is there a ghost in your closet?

About a year ago I read an article put out in Spinning's instructor magazine.  It was about a Spinning instructor that had created a ride he called the "Ghost Ride".  I loved the article so much I have taught my own Ghost Ride several times now.  What is a Ghost Ride?  A Ghost Ride is when you ride hard.  You push yourself right to your limit.  There is a good reason to riding to your limit.  It is to find your Ghost.  We all have them. It's the "thing" that holds you back.  It's different for everyone but it takes pushing yourself right to the edge to find it.  It's that thing that makes you stop, that holds you back from creating a new limit, a new boundary. Why would you want to do this? Great question.  I believe knowledge is power.  If you know what your Ghost is, you can overcome it.  You may not be able to overcome it right away.  It may take time, but it is possible.  Don't worry.  When you overcome that Ghost, another usually takes its place.

The beautiful thing about overcoming a Ghost is that you create a new limit.  You become stronger.  We never get stronger when we're comfortable.  Strength happens when we are uncomfortable.  When we feel like we cannot go any further and yet we go just a little more.  It might break us just a bit, but when we re-build, we are stronger.

Now, this is great for Spinning, right? But what if you don't like Spinning?  Here is where it gets great, this Ghost Ride idea has application to EVERYTHING!!  It works in Spinning.  I've had plenty of people tell me they've found their Ghosts and stared them down.  A Ghost "Ride" also works on a run.  Push yourself hard. Run a little faster.  Run a little farther.  Run a stronger hill.  Find your Ghost.  Know what it is that holds you back. If you can't overcome it on that run, think about it afterwards.  Make a plan and attack the next time you're out.  A Ghost "Ride" works on strength training.  You've hit a plateau.  You haven't been able to overcome a certain weight.  Next time, go just one more rep.  Or maybe two.  Or maybe just hold it a second or two longer. You'll overcome and become stronger.

Here's an unintentional consequence: you get to know you better.  Here again, knowledge is power. Knowing yourself better means you can become stronger.  It means you can change.  It means you can become the person you want to be.  You no longer have to be someone you don't want to be.  This Ghost Ride concept has application to most things in your life.  If you're scared of doing something but you've always wanted to do it, try.  Trying is the first step to doing.  Doing is on the road to becoming.

Okay you guys, thanks for checking back with me.  Fill me in on what's going on in your lives, your goals, your dreams, and your near misses.  Let me know if you have questions or comments.  Good luck in whatever you are working on right now.  Check back with me again soon.  Thanks again!    

Balance...is is possible?

Okay, so I've been teaching fitness classes now for about two and a half years. In that time I've discovered that this particular profession draws a certain personality. I'll illustrate with a story. My older son was in about third grade and his class was going on a field trip. I remember reading the permission slip and at the end it asked for parent volunteers. My knee-jerk response was to say no.  Now the reason why I wanted to say no is my point. It interfered with my gym time.  The kids were to leave for their field trip right after they got to school. I always dropped my kids off at school and went right to the gym afterward. It simply wouldn't work for me to go. And then I caught myself. Was a seriously going to pass up a chance to spend time with my son and make memories with him so I could go to the gym?!  That moment, that decision was pivotal for me. I decided I could get up earlier than normal (crazy, right?) and go to the gym. Then I could do both.  Countless times I have looked back on that moment and I am SO grateful I made the choice I did. I chose my son and time with him. I still got my "me time" but I sacrificed something else. It was a good day.  

Now, this brings me to my point. I'm this type of personality. It's easy, automatic even, to go overboard. To do too much and then think, "Look at me! I did it! I'm strong!" Maybe. Too many times I've looked at my co-workers and seen the "too much" and worried that they've missed the necessity of rest and recovery. Sometimes less really is more. I don't want to make it seem like I have this down. I haven't always done the right thing and sometimes I too get caught up in the "too much". I've had weeks where I've taught 12-14 classes during the week and still gone out for a long run on the weekend. But I'm not balanced when I do this and I can tell. 

So now you may be asking, "Can I do it all?" I answer with a qualified yes. You may have to adjust things. You may have to back things off. Compromise. Let's go back to my example. I got my gym time, something that had become very important to me. It was my me-time, the time I gave to me so I had more to give at home. I also got my time with my son, something that I recognized (thank heavens!) was important. I had to compromise. That time the thing I sacrificed was sleep. I got up a little earlier than normal. Please note, I'm not advocating sacrificing sleep all the time. Rest is NECESSARY as a part of a training program, and life in general. You may have to adjust the amount of time you can do something. You may have to give something up for a short time to make other things work. The important thing here is to look at everything, the big picture. Prioritize. Things will fall into place. You will begin to see where you can make adjustments. 

On a side note, let me offer a suggestion. Take yoga. It has opened my mind to things. My body is able now to communicate with me and I can listen. I know what it needs and yoga has offered a peace and calm I didn't know I craved and needed. Yoga could fix many of the problems that exist in our world today. It can help you too. 

I hope this offers some insight into how you can achieve balance in your life. It's so easy to get pulled in so many different directions and to overextend yourself. Hang in there. Breathe deep. Thanks for checking in with me. I hope you are moving toward your goals. Let me know if you have any questions. Check back again soon!