This has been a very interesting week. Gary and I are on a path of self awareness and looking inward in order to work on building a team of success.
I had to take a serious look at how I treat others and come up with a way to be 'better". To continue to improve. To look at my purpose, and evaluate how I lead with that purpose.
So, I asked a close friend, to examine what she knows and tell me, brutally honest, how or what I can do better.
What she told me did not shock or surprise me, but it did force me to realize that my passion sometimes comes across as a Preacher.
I know it's hard to tell someone that they could improve on something, but as a true friend, it's necessary. So, I told her thank you and I would work on it.
She, at the same time understands where I am coming from, and she knows me to be passionate about what I do. So, she also knows what I mean. However not everyone does.
Not everyone knows, that my mission in life is help people live better, healthier, and more active lives, through health and fitness.
Yep, that's my mission.
I have said it before, a large part of the population tries to be healthy, but so many don't know how.
Here is an example. Olive garden serves over 4 million people on a weekly basis. Italian comfort food, with so many unlimited dishes...the never-ending pasta bowl...so, for a mere $15 you can easily ingest thousands of calories, high in Carbohydrates, which raises blood glucose levels, which go unused and get stored as fat.
I love Olive garden, their food is great, but half of any entree with the salad and bread should be more than enough.
Even the light dishes, have 500-600 calories, add the salad and breadsticks, and you vould potentially exceed your calories for the day. If you are going to eat that much pasta, you really need to come burn some off...Let met think, that's at LEAST 2 hours of turbo or combat or attack!
So, we think we are doing right, but we are still overeating, not thinking about it. That's what I am doing, I am educating, I am "preaching", so that you know, it's an educated choice.
You can choose to do what you do, and if you are informed, then I am good!!
So, in conclusion, my goal in life is to help. If I come off to you as preachy,i apologize, I know that you don't need a speech, you just need support. So, do me a favor, please, if I sound like that, tell me!!
It really will help me out!
But one more thing, I will practice what I preach....hugs to all....
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The new Normal
Define normal. In society, it means to conform to the expected or average. Do we all want to be normal? Or do we want to stand out? Tough question for many.
Most people are happy to be "normal". But that means average.
What we see every day, our brains process of the normal of society. Prices, cars, food, advertisements. Have you ever talked about an item to someone, and then say, yes, that sounds about average or right? me too....
Let's talk food, the "normal" size of a bagel, is 3 times the size it was 15 yrs ago. The average meal at a restaurant used to be 4-500 calories. Today, that meal is well over 1000. Our restaurants are determined to give you value for your money, and our value is set by the amount, when we should really think about the quality. Just about every food company has mass quantified the normal. If you go to Mcdonalds, there is the hamburger, then there is the Double Quarter pounder. The Hamburger that was the normal when McD's started, is now the kids meal today.
Another normal, is processed food. Who do you know that makes all their food from scratch? From ingredients around the kitchen. Flour, butter, milk etc. Grocers and marketers know how busy the American lifestyle is, and they cater to it. They show quick meals, and easy to prepare, right out of a box. It tastes good, and its' fast, but it is healthy? Not really, it's been in a plant, being processed and a lot of the nutrients have been processed away. And of course, it's usually pretty calorie dense and fattening.
Which brings me to the next normal. Our size. The average american is about 10-20 lbs overweight, per the 'charts". The CDC estimates that our children are more overweight and obese, greater than 20% in most states and some higher. For adults, more than 1/3 are considered obese. These numbers are not counting 'overweight".
So if the average person is overweight, is that the new "normal"?
Someone I work with told me, I needed to stop losing weight, because I was too skinny.nd I need to eat more.
Now, personally, Ido not feel like I am skinny at all, I have good muscle tone, and I have 21% body fat, which is "athletic". Below 18% would be considered too skinny.
I eat plenty, and like most people, I can overeat at times. But generally, I eat a clean 1800-2100 calories per day.
Now someone else, who advised me that I look lean and healthy, said something to me, she said, people just don't know what healthy looks like anymore because overweight is the norm.
I am beginning to think that this is a true statement.
People come in all shapes and sizes, however, really size does matter.
Being overweight, or slightly larger than average has a price, and our bodies are designed a certain way. We were created one way, however society and the normal, has changed it.
So, we need to change the current normal and get back to the old way. Eating real food, non processed, things that can rot. If your food can go bad, it's good for you.
Why choose to be normal, or ordinary, when you can be extraordinary and look, feel and perform better??
Put good things in your body and you will get good out! Eat crap and you will feel like it!!
Thanks for reading and make it a great day! Go out and be ABNORMAL!!!
Most people are happy to be "normal". But that means average.
What we see every day, our brains process of the normal of society. Prices, cars, food, advertisements. Have you ever talked about an item to someone, and then say, yes, that sounds about average or right? me too....
Let's talk food, the "normal" size of a bagel, is 3 times the size it was 15 yrs ago. The average meal at a restaurant used to be 4-500 calories. Today, that meal is well over 1000. Our restaurants are determined to give you value for your money, and our value is set by the amount, when we should really think about the quality. Just about every food company has mass quantified the normal. If you go to Mcdonalds, there is the hamburger, then there is the Double Quarter pounder. The Hamburger that was the normal when McD's started, is now the kids meal today.
Another normal, is processed food. Who do you know that makes all their food from scratch? From ingredients around the kitchen. Flour, butter, milk etc. Grocers and marketers know how busy the American lifestyle is, and they cater to it. They show quick meals, and easy to prepare, right out of a box. It tastes good, and its' fast, but it is healthy? Not really, it's been in a plant, being processed and a lot of the nutrients have been processed away. And of course, it's usually pretty calorie dense and fattening.
Which brings me to the next normal. Our size. The average american is about 10-20 lbs overweight, per the 'charts". The CDC estimates that our children are more overweight and obese, greater than 20% in most states and some higher. For adults, more than 1/3 are considered obese. These numbers are not counting 'overweight".
So if the average person is overweight, is that the new "normal"?
Someone I work with told me, I needed to stop losing weight, because I was too skinny.nd I need to eat more.
Now, personally, Ido not feel like I am skinny at all, I have good muscle tone, and I have 21% body fat, which is "athletic". Below 18% would be considered too skinny.
I eat plenty, and like most people, I can overeat at times. But generally, I eat a clean 1800-2100 calories per day.
Now someone else, who advised me that I look lean and healthy, said something to me, she said, people just don't know what healthy looks like anymore because overweight is the norm.
I am beginning to think that this is a true statement.
People come in all shapes and sizes, however, really size does matter.
Being overweight, or slightly larger than average has a price, and our bodies are designed a certain way. We were created one way, however society and the normal, has changed it.
So, we need to change the current normal and get back to the old way. Eating real food, non processed, things that can rot. If your food can go bad, it's good for you.
Why choose to be normal, or ordinary, when you can be extraordinary and look, feel and perform better??
Put good things in your body and you will get good out! Eat crap and you will feel like it!!
Thanks for reading and make it a great day! Go out and be ABNORMAL!!!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Are you interested? Or committed?
So, I sit here this am, thinking about all my past, my life as a whole, and what is it, that I want to achieve. And all I can think of is the commitment.
We commit to things every day. We commit to our spouse, our children, our careers, our religion, and our family, not necessarily in that order. And that commitment carries out in everything we do on a daily basis.
My thought leads me to, when do we commit to ourselves? There is a big difference between interest and commitment. If you are interested in doing something, you do it when it is convenient, but when you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.
So, our marriage, we commit to better or worse, and we work at it, daily. Only when we make excuses, does the marriage fail. I am living testimony to that one. I have a failed marriage. But now, I am committed to Gary, and we will make no excuses, we will only accept results.
So, our children, we commit to them from the day they are conceived. Our entire life changes as a result. We eat, breathe, sleep the commitment we have made, and nothing gets in the way. As they grow, we live with their choices and we commit them, putting aside all other things. An example, they are interested in sports, and we, as parents make the commitment to get them there and support them, and if they try to quit, we discuss with them, how they are a part of something bigger, and we get them to commit. No excuses. Only results. As a soccer and football mom, the commitment I make for practices and games, to get them there, and cheer them on, is a huge priority.
We commit to our jobs, and doing the best we can, every day. We commit to our faith and we make no excuses.
That brings me to the commitment of a healthy, fit lifestyle. Is it interest? Or is it commitment? Only about 2% of people make a true commitment. They take care of their bodies, they put healthy food in, they make sure they get the nutrients they need and they exercise regularly.
There is a large portion of the population who are interested, and they do it, when its convenient. It's because they have other "commitments".
The best thing about being committed, is that you always have a choice. You can exercise anywhere. If you go out to eat, you have a choice from the menu, and you can choose the healthy stuff or not. If you are at the kids games, you can stand instead of sit, you can walk around between quarters/inning/periods. You can take 20 min out of your day and go for a walk, and if you really try, you can raise that heart rate up. Even at work, you can commit, you can take 5 and do a stretch or two. Bring your lunch, so your choices are yours.
I hope that as you read this, you can see, that a healthy lifestyle can be convenient. You are not held to a gym to stay healthy.
There are few people, in the grand scheme, who commit to that lifestyle. I know not everyone thinks like me, or does what I do.
So, as I go on with my day, I will choose my commitment, to live with purpose and passion.
Choose your path, and choose it so that you are proud of the decision you made.
We commit to things every day. We commit to our spouse, our children, our careers, our religion, and our family, not necessarily in that order. And that commitment carries out in everything we do on a daily basis.
My thought leads me to, when do we commit to ourselves? There is a big difference between interest and commitment. If you are interested in doing something, you do it when it is convenient, but when you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.
So, our marriage, we commit to better or worse, and we work at it, daily. Only when we make excuses, does the marriage fail. I am living testimony to that one. I have a failed marriage. But now, I am committed to Gary, and we will make no excuses, we will only accept results.
So, our children, we commit to them from the day they are conceived. Our entire life changes as a result. We eat, breathe, sleep the commitment we have made, and nothing gets in the way. As they grow, we live with their choices and we commit them, putting aside all other things. An example, they are interested in sports, and we, as parents make the commitment to get them there and support them, and if they try to quit, we discuss with them, how they are a part of something bigger, and we get them to commit. No excuses. Only results. As a soccer and football mom, the commitment I make for practices and games, to get them there, and cheer them on, is a huge priority.
We commit to our jobs, and doing the best we can, every day. We commit to our faith and we make no excuses.
That brings me to the commitment of a healthy, fit lifestyle. Is it interest? Or is it commitment? Only about 2% of people make a true commitment. They take care of their bodies, they put healthy food in, they make sure they get the nutrients they need and they exercise regularly.
There is a large portion of the population who are interested, and they do it, when its convenient. It's because they have other "commitments".
The best thing about being committed, is that you always have a choice. You can exercise anywhere. If you go out to eat, you have a choice from the menu, and you can choose the healthy stuff or not. If you are at the kids games, you can stand instead of sit, you can walk around between quarters/inning/periods. You can take 20 min out of your day and go for a walk, and if you really try, you can raise that heart rate up. Even at work, you can commit, you can take 5 and do a stretch or two. Bring your lunch, so your choices are yours.
I hope that as you read this, you can see, that a healthy lifestyle can be convenient. You are not held to a gym to stay healthy.
There are few people, in the grand scheme, who commit to that lifestyle. I know not everyone thinks like me, or does what I do.
So, as I go on with my day, I will choose my commitment, to live with purpose and passion.
Choose your path, and choose it so that you are proud of the decision you made.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
It's been awhile....
It's been awhile since I have written anything and what can I say, life was busy. It got in the way. But there is more to it than that. I didn't know how to write my thoughts down as to not offend, because truly, there are some things that I just don't understand.
While I was out of town on business, I had plenty of time to think about my actions. After all, I was named in a lawsuit and had to testify and defend my actions that I performed. While the attorneys made me out to be pushy and aggressive, the way I saw it, and always have, was being proactive. Taking the steps before I needed to. Doing things before they spiraled out of control. Whichever way you look at it, I was just that.
I live my life that way too. I act and do things before I need to, before they are out of control.
Let's take the health. Yep, I workout, more than most, because I consider the act proactive. I think that most people will agree that being fit and staying fit is easier than being very out of shape and taking the first step.
There are people that hate seeing my FB posts, hate seeing that I am much stronger and leaner than I was even a year ago. But it's not because I have sat around and waited for it. I worked at it.
And what I don't understand, is those who don't do it. But as my mom says, live and let live.
I have said it before and I say it again, my entire being is about health. I chose nursing as a profession, because I like to help people get healthy, stay healthy. I chose to teach fitness and be a trainer, because I like to help people change their outlook on fitness.
There are lots of people who don't want help. That's fine, it's their choice. And I know that I can't change it. I can only lead my example.
Here is what I don't understand. I don't understand the ones that think I am crazy for doing what I do. they will fully admit that they are not happy with their weight/health/etc... but they aren't willing to do anything.
I believe that there is such as entitlement society that people think that they deserve something. Well, since I was 8, I was a worker, delivering catalogues for Sears. I worked for what I wanted. Both financially and physically. Is there something wrong with that?
Since when is it a bad thing to work for what you want? I would say the opposite, it's bad to expect someone to do it for you.
People who truly understand me, know that I only want their best. And really no less. As a trainer, I will push them harder than they will push themselves, because in the end, they will be successful. And we all want to be successful, right?
Let's go back to the medical and health, why on earth would any person, who is intelligent and can understand the data, just sit back and wait for a silent disease to hit? It will happen, it's just a matter of when. And of course, these people also know that its not to late to turn it around. But they won't.
Yes, I don't understand. It's easier to wait to get a disease and take a pill, than be proactive and work at the healthier option.
Yep, that sounds easier. But as nurse, I promise you, it won't be. because there is an entire syndrome linked to obesity. 8 diseases, that are preventable.
So, don't hate me because I am passionate, proactive and a little obsessed, just know that I am being proactive. I don't want some medical event to push me to start, I dont want a wake up call. I would rather be proactive and just set the alarm.
While I was out of town on business, I had plenty of time to think about my actions. After all, I was named in a lawsuit and had to testify and defend my actions that I performed. While the attorneys made me out to be pushy and aggressive, the way I saw it, and always have, was being proactive. Taking the steps before I needed to. Doing things before they spiraled out of control. Whichever way you look at it, I was just that.
I live my life that way too. I act and do things before I need to, before they are out of control.
Let's take the health. Yep, I workout, more than most, because I consider the act proactive. I think that most people will agree that being fit and staying fit is easier than being very out of shape and taking the first step.
There are people that hate seeing my FB posts, hate seeing that I am much stronger and leaner than I was even a year ago. But it's not because I have sat around and waited for it. I worked at it.
And what I don't understand, is those who don't do it. But as my mom says, live and let live.
I have said it before and I say it again, my entire being is about health. I chose nursing as a profession, because I like to help people get healthy, stay healthy. I chose to teach fitness and be a trainer, because I like to help people change their outlook on fitness.
There are lots of people who don't want help. That's fine, it's their choice. And I know that I can't change it. I can only lead my example.
Here is what I don't understand. I don't understand the ones that think I am crazy for doing what I do. they will fully admit that they are not happy with their weight/health/etc... but they aren't willing to do anything.
Since when is it a bad thing to work for what you want? I would say the opposite, it's bad to expect someone to do it for you.
People who truly understand me, know that I only want their best. And really no less. As a trainer, I will push them harder than they will push themselves, because in the end, they will be successful. And we all want to be successful, right?
Let's go back to the medical and health, why on earth would any person, who is intelligent and can understand the data, just sit back and wait for a silent disease to hit? It will happen, it's just a matter of when. And of course, these people also know that its not to late to turn it around. But they won't.
Yes, I don't understand. It's easier to wait to get a disease and take a pill, than be proactive and work at the healthier option.
Yep, that sounds easier. But as nurse, I promise you, it won't be. because there is an entire syndrome linked to obesity. 8 diseases, that are preventable.
So, don't hate me because I am passionate, proactive and a little obsessed, just know that I am being proactive. I don't want some medical event to push me to start, I dont want a wake up call. I would rather be proactive and just set the alarm.
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