You have been dieting, then why you aren't seeing results?

Have you been dieting and not seeing the results anymore?  Are you killing yourself because you are starving all the time?  Are you eating like a bird and just can't delete one more thing from the menu?  Dieting is not good for you, so stop it and find the joy in eating sensibly.  When you diet, you go into restrictive mode, you think I can't have this, I can't have that, I can't, I just can't.  You think about dieting all day long.  Doesn't it just make you salivate about all those things you can't have?  Everything you come across throughout your day is about what you can't have.

You see pictures of food in magazines and on television and the first words out of your mouth are I can't eat that.  It isn't on my diet.  You hear your friends talk about going out to dinner and you would really like to go but you may not be able to control yourself and what would you eat because it isn't covered in your diet plan, so you don't go and enjoy the good company of your friends.

Do you really want to live your life in the negative all the time?  Dieting is harder on your body than eating healthier, smaller portions throughout your day.  Have you noticed each time you diet, you lose 10 pounds only to gain back 15?

If you need help figuring out what is healthy, contact me or check out Taking the d i e out diet, sensible easy to cook, tasty, affordable meals delivered to your door for less than a lunch out a day.

Do you have enough spring in your step?

Spring is here and we have to come out of hibernation.  Did you make the decision to curl up on the couch, veg out with your blanket and the fireplace roaring in the background for the winter?  Did you think that when spring arrived you would wake up from your funk and have more energy?  Surprise you probably have less energy now.

How you wake up in the morning is a big indicator on how your day is going to pan out.  Do you wake up grumpy?  Do you look at the clock and hit snooze 3 times?  Do you roll over groaning that it is another day at a job you just can't stand?  You are doomed to have a bad day when you look at life this way.

Would it be safe to say that I am an energetic person?  

This is how our household wakes up every morning;

I don't wake up to a regular alarm, that loud buzz just doesn't work for me.  I don't wake up to a radio because I would just sing in my sleep instead.  I wake up with a Zen clock and when the sun starts coming up earlier (515ish earlier), I won't even need the clock.  My zen clock dings one time and I am awake.  Mel our 12 year old sheltie pops up and is very excited about being awake.  Our 3 year old puppies then wake up and come to visit me.  I roll over kiss my spouse, say good morning sunshine and I love you.  Mel plops on her back and wiggles around until my feet hit the floor then its time to play.  I get down on the floor and stretch with the puppies and then up to take them outside and get my cup of coffee.

Isn't that a much better way to wake up?  If you are fatigued and need to get some spring back in your step, contact me.  Incorporating exercise into your day can change the way you wake up.

Writing prompt: "As he sat in his tent holding a flashlight, he read How to Survive a Bear Attack while his hands were trembling"

A little over 2 years ago, I moved from Illinois to this beautiful place with aspen groves and mountains so striking and stunning, I just stand in awe while taking in the scenery.  Beauty of this type I have only been able to see in paintings.  I love to hike and hiking in Colorado has a whole different meaning than Illinois.  The mountains I have hiked before can’t compare to the grand majestic mountains here. 

 I have been told to be careful while hiking, because there are bears, real live bears in the mountains.  Since I have been here, I have ridden a bicycle down Pikes Peak, I’ve hiked a 12,000 foot summit, I even hiked the incline last year and many other trails and have yet to come muzzle to muzzle with a bear.  It has become a joke amongst my friends.

I know the bears visit my neighborhood. I’ve seen the pictures on Facebook.  I’ve even had friends text me pictures of those cute little black bears hanging in the trees, walking across their lawns and bathing in their pools.  Maybe they were photo shop pictures because I still haven’t seen any bears anywhere in Colorado.  Do they really exist or are they a figment of someone else’s imagination? 

Last fall my neighbor’s son Liam pitched a tent in his backyard to practice setting it up for boy scouts.  It was the weekend and his mom and dad decided it would be ok for him to sleep out in the tent for one night by himself.  Liam was lying in the tent imagining what it would be like to camp in the wilderness.  He closed his eyes and started to fall asleep to sound of the wind moving in the trees. All of a sudden he heard a loud crash outside of his tent.  The sound was so loud it startled him.  He unzipped the door to the tent and peeked out.  He couldn’t see anything because it was so dark, but he heard them.  He slowly zipped the door to the tent back up, hoping they didn’t hear him.  He couldn’t scream or they would know he was out there.  Then he remembered one of his friends had given him a book to keep him company if he couldn’t sleep and as he sat in his tent holding a flashlight, he read How to Survive a Bear Attack while his hands were trembling and the sleeping bag was pulled up over his head. 

I’ve always wanted to go camping in the wilderness and can’t imagine what I would do if I really saw a bear.  I must admit I would probably have to gather myself, swallow the lump in my throat and then off to change my pants.  Maybe they really do exist in Colorado.

Are you not exercising because you hurt so much?

If you suffer from pain so intense you just want to crawl into bed and not move, please read on.  You probably  know that exercise is important for overall health, but did you know it is even more important for those who suffer from disease.  Exercise helps those with osteoarthritis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and so many other diseases and syndromes.  I don't teach the "no pain, no gain" method of exercise.  I consult with you, determine what your individual goals and health considerations are such as; any type of disease, syndrome or health limitations you may have and create a program specific to those needs.

I do believe that if you are suffering from pain and have a doctor's release, you will help relieve some of your pain by exercising regularly.  A professional, certified personal trainer can create an exercise program with the correct intensity and progressions depending on your fitness level, and medical issues.  When you first start an exercise regimen, you will probably reach your pain threshold very quickly.  Do not stop the program, do not give up.

Communication is key to success in your wellness journey.  You have to be very up front and honest about how you feel during the workout, and within the next few days.  Your trainer can adjust any of the exercises if needed.  There is a fine line between the amount of pain you experience and actually work through to start feeling the benefits of exercise.  Your relationship with your trainer is just as important as the one you have with your doctor.  It's hard to think that by continuing your program when you hurt so much, your body will start adjusting and adapting you will start to feel relief.

Choosing the right exercises will help a person with limitations without increasing the pain and risk of injury.  Working with a professional will help you focus on the exercises according to your medical issues.  Weight bearing exercises, strength training to build muscle, flexibility and mobility exercises to prevent falls are all a part of a well balanced program.

Years ago, doctors treated arthritis with rest.  "There's a huge body of literature demonstrating that keeping the hips and knees moving, and the muscles around the joints strong, contributes greatly to protecting the joints and staving off additional damage caused by arthritis," says Linda Arslanian, DPT, MS, director of rehabilitation services at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.