Crazy Things Happen

20 years ago, if you had offered me a million dollar bet that I would wind up living down the Jersey shore, working as a Personal Trainer, and owning a dog, I would have taken it. I would have told you that you were crazy. I would have bet against any one of those things.

And, I would have wound up owing you a lot of money.

I had a vision of what I would be and what I wouldn't be. That vision, like a goal, helped me focus on what I wanted to achieve, but also closed me off to a lot of things.

Goals and focus are important—they are necessary to reach the highest levels of success. But, it's also  important to realize that your goals may change. And, that's ok. It doesn't necessarily mean you failed because you didn't achieve the original goal. It means your priorities changed.

Keeping yourself open to possibilities allows you to experience more things. It also allows you to achieve more things.

I see this with training a lot - people are closed to possibilities of what they can do. Someone watches a video on YouTube or see someone at the gym doing something she thinks is really impressive and she'll never be able to do. I either tell her she already does a version of it, she can do it, or she will be able to do it. She replies, "No way", or tells me I'm crazy.

This is what I LOVE: I have her do it, or a modified version of it. And, I tell her to be impressed with herself.

Keep yourself open to all the possibilities out there, even if they seem crazy. Crazy things happen. And, they can be awesome :)

#possibilitiesareendless #youneverknow #neversaynever

Measuring Progress

Sometimes, even when you've been diligent about adhering to a workout program and healthy diet, the number on the scale doesn't move. It's very frustrating, especially when you feel like you've lost weight.

Ever happen to you? You probably lost fat and gained muscle, which is exactly what you want to do! Don't be discouraged! 

Fat takes up more space than muscle, so while the scale may not reflect your progress, you will be slimmer if you replace fat with muscle.

Put your scale in a closet. Or, in your attic. Or, in the garbage! 

Use the following ways to measure your progress instead of your scale:

1.         Your clothes. How do your jeans fit? How about that snug sweater? If they're looser than they were when you started working out, you've made progress! Your clothes are a great way to measure your progress.

2.         Body measurements. Have someone measure around your shoulders, chest, waist, hips, thigh, calf, biceps when you start your exercise program. Have that same person take the measurements again in a month. 

3.         Energy levels. How do you feel? Hopefully, you have more energy than when you started working out. Daily activities will become easier and you should have energy to do new things. (*If you feel exhausted, you may be over-training—make sure you give yourself recovery time.)

4.          Emotions. Looking and feeling better should make you feel happier and more confident :)

Forget about the numbers. Stick with clean eating and your exercise program. Concentrate on how you 
feel. Celebrate and enjoy your progress!

Fat Loss vs Weight Loss

When I ask people what their fitness goals are, their response almost always includes losing a number of pounds.

When we talk about wanting to lose weight, what we want to focus on is losing fat. And, we actually want to gain muscle. Muscle is what creates that "toned" or "ripped" look.  And, muscle burns calories—even when you're not working out! One pound of lean muscle burns approximately 50 calories a day.

If you just restrict your calories and don't exercise, the number on the scale may go down, but you'll wind up losing muscle, which will slow your metabolism. This will most likely cause you to not only put the weight you lost back on, but to gain even more.

Combining a regular and efficient exercise program with a healthy diet that provides the food and nutrients your body needs to fuel your muscles will initiate fat loss and increase your metabolism.