Amazing New Weight Loss Breakthrough!

I would love it if marketers were required to tell the cold, hard truth about their products.  Unfortunately, they don’t.  The truth doesn’t sell millions of weight loss pills, shakes, gadgets and programs.  Fiction (them) + Desperation (the unwitting public) = $$$

Just for fun I have come up with what I think a few popular weight loss products should actually tell you in their marketing:

Magical Medical Weight Loss Program

“Endorsed by physicians who have had one semester of nutrition education but are happy to give you diet advice.”

Lose a pound a day with this three-letter diet miracle!  No need to exercise!

“Anyone can lose weight by starving themselves on 500 calories per day.  You won’t be able to exercise without passing out so sit still and let your body break down those muscles for fuel.  Within a month or so you will look gaunt and gray and your hair will be breaking off.  Lose weight fast and plan on being fat again this time next year.  ”

 Yay, it’s a cookie, this is fun!

“Eat a cookie, a cake or some candy for every meal.  Spike your blood sugar levels but eat low calories.  Net effect:  Lose muscle and have a harder time losing weight next time, sucker!”

Losing weight is not easy but it is achievable.  Keep in mind that you didn’t gain a pound per day for a month and now you are 30 pounds heavier.  It took time and lots of over eating to get there.  It will take time to take it off.

Your body needs to be fed and it needs to move.  Eat foods that are supportive to your health and goal.  (Hint:  refined carbohydrates, sugar, fast foods…are not supportive but they are addictive!)

By the way:  Do you want to see this blog on video? (This would be an epic video rant!) My new site DancerBodyFit.tv will have video blogs, workouts, nutrition and motivation as well as being a social site where you can connect with fitness friends!  Be on the lookout for the launch…coming soon!

You Gotta “Do” You

Me 'n the girls

One year, seven competitions and eleven trophies.  Not a bad haul for my first year of competing in figure.

But it’s not about the trophies….

I chose to start competing for two reasons:

1. To set a goal for myself just like I ask my clients to do.
2. To represent my brand, Dancer Body Fitness

I dance.

I run.

…and I do functional and body weight exercises.

Stepping on stage with a dancer’s body instead of a bodybuilder’s body earned me a second place finish in my very first competition.  I didn’t even know at the time that it qualified me to compete in a national level competition.

How does a dancer’s body fare at a top national contest?  I placed fourteenth in my class.  It’s not a great placing but not terrible.

When I returned from USA’s a friend and fellow figure competitor gave me some unsolicited advice.  She said that I should stop dancing and stop running and start training like a bodybuilder so that I could put on more muscle and better my placing.

My reaction to her advice was visceral and I am surprised that it wasn’t visible.  A voice inside me was screaming, “NO! NO! NO!”  I’m sure she had good intentions but I was faced with a choice.  Who am I and what do I want to represent?  It became very clear that no matter what my placing, it was never about the trophies and so giving up what I love to do was never going to be the right path for me.

Are you true to your goal for yourself or do you let others: your spouse, your friends, your trainer decide what you should do?

Do workouts that you enjoy and your fit and healthy body and mind will be the happy side effect!  Your fitness will be a lifestyle not just a means to an end.  Your health is much more valuable than any trophy or placing.

Go out and don’t “Just Do It”;  “Do You”.

Attitude: Ready, WILLING and Able

This is an email that I recently sent out to all of my Attitude:  Dancer Body Fitness program clients.  It was inspired by Larry Winget and his book:  Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life:

Everyone comes to Attitude with a goal in mind.  That goal might be a weight loss goal, a “toning up” goal, a consistency goal, a health goal…etc.  No matter what the goal is it is something that is not currently happening that will require a shift in habit and attitude to achieve.

You (that is a Universal “you”) are all:

1. Ready:  You signed up

2.  Able:  You are in a state of health that will allow you to achieve this goal

BUT…Are you WILLING??????  This is where some achieve their goals and others fall short.

We all SAY (write down, tell our friends…etc.) what we want to achieve but we are not all willing to do what is necessary to get there.  What is the difference between someone like Tiffany who loses 37 lbs. and realizes her goal to be in the best shape of her life by the time she turned 40 and someone who signs up for Attitude and doesn’t get their desired outcome?

WILLING.

1.  Willing…. to follow the diet

2.  Willing…. to forgo alcohol

3.  Willing…to make it to every class (or make up when it is impossible to get there)

4.  Willing…to do the extra cardio. (Attitude is an addition to cardio. not a replacement for it)

5.  Willing…to prepare the food that supports your goal instead of being reliant on the unhealthy, refined carb.-laden options that are part of our society…*

6.  Willing…to push past “comfortable” in every Attitude studio class in order to make your body adapt to a new volume of work (thus creating lean, defined muscles)

*Keep in mind that the food choices that are convenient/ easy are generally high in refined sugars (and addictive).

Take a look around.  The majority of the population is over weight.  Chaos is easy….

Let me say that again:  CHAOS ISEASY!  Choosing prepackaged snacks, sitting on a comfy sofa having a few cocktails and watching TV…. EASY!

Being fit takes effort…. period.

Here’s the truth:

I will provide for you all of the tools you need to achieve your goals through the Attitude program.  I will answer any questions; spend extra time with you to teach you what I know about fitness and nutrition.  I will follow up with you by email or text at any time of the day or night.  I will give you the SCIENCE behind the program.  I will provide you with all of the elements that you need:  strength training, cardio. training, stretching, nutrition…(btw: you can’t just do one or two of these. You HAVE to do ALL of them).

Here is what I DON’T provide for you:

1.  A magic pill:  Yes.  You can take the supplements that I recommend.  They are SUPPLEMENTS!  That means they are supplemental to the diet and exercise program.  They work as a combination not a substitute. (This is true of any supplement…hence the term “supplement”)

2.  An effortless workout:  It is HARD work!  If you aren’t challenged by the work–sore muscles, at some point you should be thinking, “I don’t know if I can do one more rep!”–You are not working hard enough to achieve results.

3.  A quick fix:  Quick fixes don’t work in the long run.  Sure, I can put you on a 500 cal/ per day diet and tell you not to work out.  You will lose weight–a good majority of which will be muscle.  It will seem that you are having great success…. up until you gain all of the weight back in fat pounds which will make it much harder for you to lose it again.

Fitness is my career…my passion….”my ministry”.  I know that I can help you to achieve your goals and I invest every part of myself into my program for YOU.  However, when you are successful, that success is YOURS!  Why?

Because:  YOU were WILLING to use the tools that I provided and do the work to achieve your goals.

You deserve the credit for your success.  If you haven’t yet achieved what you have set as your goal, please ask yourself if you were willing to do what was necessary to get there.  And, if not, take responsibility for your lack of success.  If you weren’t truly willing to do your part, all I ask is that you own up to it.  Perhaps it isn’t the best time for you to make this change that you say you want.  If you aren’t ready to change, willing won’t happen.  If you aren’t ready to change perhaps you should wait until you are and then join Attitude…not before.

Be WILLING to do the work, follow the plan…be WILLING to allow yourself to succeed and you will

It is Still Effing Fruity Pebbles!

Ok…you know by the title that a rant is coming…

Truth 1:  Just because something is marketed with a healthy buzz word doesn’t make it good for you:

“Whole grain” cereals with cartoon characters on the front of the box and marshmallows in them aren’t healthy.

Cuisine that is “Lean” and packaged to be shelf-stable:  High in sodium and refined carbohydrates won’t make you fit.

“Light” salad dressing that is filled with sugar, as a replacement for the fat won’t make you lighter.

Marketers take a fragment of truth and present it as compelling evidence that their product is your first step to a healthy, fit and toned body.  You are presented with this information in big, bold letters, catchy jingles and clever packaging.  How is that working for you?

Obesity is on the Rise:

http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/we-are-getting-fatter-obesity-rates-remain- high-new-state-ranking-data-from-the-cdc/health-care/

Truth 2:  A little bit of knowledge in a wide-open context leads to inaccurate conclusions by self-appointed “experts”.  That is as diplomatic and kind a response to the following story as I can muster

TRUE STORY:

 One of my fabulous Attitude Chick clients shared this story with me today.

(Paraphrased)

The Setting:  The lunchroom at her office.

The Characters:  Two Attitude Chicks, Mr. Plus Pounds and Ms. Plus Pounds

{The Attitude Chicks are preparing their lunches that include: A large spinach salad with grilled chicken, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers some avocado and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. (Protein, fiber, plant fats and phytonutrients galore! Yum!)}

Mr. Plus Pounds:  “A nutritionist told my wife that sugar in your diet is what causes weight gain.  As long as you eat a sugar-free diet you can eat anything you want…even pork rinds.”  “You don’t have to eat stuff like that salad.”

Attitude Chicks:  (no comment)

Ms. Plus Pounds:  “I know you worked out the same muscles two days in a row.”  “You shouldn’t do that.”  “It’s bad for you.”

Attitude Chick: “ Well, I think all I have to do is look at my trainer to know whose advice I should follow, hers or yours.”

{Silence}

Where do you get your expert advice?

TV?  Are you buying what a big advertising firm that is getting paid to make their client’s product extra appealing is selling you?  How about your office buddy that has tried (and failed) at every nutrition and exercise program he or she has ever attempted?

What about those trainers at the gym who work out but have no nutrition or exercise physiology education?  They are more than happy to tell you what to eat and how to work out to be as lean and fit as they are.  But…is their information based on the science of nutrition and kinesiology?

Nutrition and fitness information is abundant.  There are plenty of self-appointed experts in the industry.  It is your health.  Choose your sources wisely.  It’s important.

~Teri Simmons-Crenshaw CSCS (NSCA), BS Nutrition/ Exercise Physiology

I’m Not Cocky…I Just Luuuuv Myself!

Vanity

…is the name of the song by Christina Aguilera that I used for my model walk in the OCB Figure competition last weekend.  This week I taught the women in my Dancer Body program my routine.   We had “runway walking” lessons.

As far as I know, there are no supermodels in my classes.  However, every woman in there could walk with her head held high, shoulders back and hot stepping a la Victoria’s Secret runway.

Vanity:  “Excessive pride or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements”

I like to call it confidence.

You earn the right to be confident about your appearance and achievements!  If the shoe fits, ladies, wear it!   By exhibiting confidence you give other women permission to do the same.  It is much better than the alternative…

Backstabbing, belittling and gossiping.

WTF, women?!!! (wtf = what the French toast).  Why is it that so many women, instead of celebrating each other, turn to these methods to make themselves feel better?  Does it work?!  I think it just makes the gossiper look petty and jealous.  That’s not so pretty.  It’s definitely not inspiring.

I have had the privilege of playing sports and being on teams.  In that community it doesn’t matter if your teammate isn’t your best friend or if you like her at all as a person, if she is closer to the basket and can shoot the ball; pass it to her!  Everyone on the team benefits by supporting one another.  Belittle, ignore and snub your teammate and, guess what?  You lose, too!

In the community of women wouldn’t it benefit everyone to act as if we are on the same side?  Why not applaud each other’s achievements?  Be supportive.  Celebrate!

Have you earned the right to be proud of your achievements?  Model walk through the grocery store if you like!  You might just inspire another woman to achieve her goals, too.

Strong is the New Strong

Attitude-ism:  “When your brain tells you that you can’t possibly do one more repetition, ignore it and do at least 5 more.  Your brain doesn’t know what you are actually capable of.”

“Strong is the new Skinny” Have you seen this slogan?  I get it.  But I don’t completely agree.  Here is what I think it should read. ”Strong is the new strong”…. skinny doesn’t mean shit.

Skinny means you have caved and conformed.  It means your self-loathing has reached epic proportions and you believe that only eating 500 calories per day is reasonable.  It means you have given up on yourself.  Ignore the hype.  Be fit, be lean, be strong.

Fitness begins with Attitude…and so does everything else.

I did an impromptu poll on Facebook last week.  I asked respondents to choose their “fitness Attitude”.  Many of my clients; I call them “Attitude Chicks” answered the poll and even added some of their own choices.  Here are the words they used to describe their fitness Attitude:

Confident

Attitude Chicks

Powerful

Positive

Committed

Fun

Strong

Sassy

Determined

I looked at the list and realized that these are all attitudes that have crossed over into the lives of these women.

Here are some examples:

~Confident:  An Attitude chick who is confident enough to move across the country for a job opportunity.  She had never lived anywhere but AZ.

~Powerful:  An Attitude Chick who has fought back and beaten an abuser.

~Positive:   An Attitude Chick who was a victim of a violent crime and afraid to sleep at night who has rebuilt her life and redefined her relationships.

~Committed: An Attitude Chick who understands that the changes she is making in her life are an inspiration to her daughter and despite criticism and negativity, continues to set the bar higher for herself.

~Fun:  How about a spur of the moment photo shoot?  You bet!

~Strong:  Upon being diagnosed with cancer, she weeps and stares at the walls for a day…and then says, “wait a minute, I like this life and I’m not ready to go anywhere.  I refuse to let this be my identifier.  I’m so much more than that fitness chick who had cancer.”

~Sassy:  Attitude chicks who do what they love every day.  Say what they feel.  Wear what they like.

~Determined:  Beating breast cancer once and planning to do it again.

*I am dedicating this blog post to my friend, Robin who is fighting stage four-breast cancer.  She has beaten it once and is determined to do it again.  Strong is the new strong, Attitude Chick.  Kick its ass, Robin!

Women, Weight and Worth

Attitude-ism:  When you get compliments on your body the only acceptable responses are:  “Thank you” or “I know, right?”

This is a scene that I see played out often:

Girl 1:  ”Wow!  You look great.  I can really tell that you have been working out.”

Girl 2:  ”Thanks…. BUT, I still have a long way to go.” (or, BUT my thighs are still too big…or,  BUT I wish my arms were smaller…etc.)

I believe that growing up girls are judged, compared, rewarded based on what they look like; boys on how they perform in sports and school.  As adults this makes for a very emotional tie for women to weight loss.  For men it is a different story.

In my 15 + years of personal training experience, I have found that men are easy to train.  They base their success and their self-worth on their improvement and mastery of an exercise.  The happy side effect of that performance based outlook and a naturally higher level of testosterone and muscle is weight loss.  Men approach the work as an appointment, task or competition.  They listen and do not care who is watching or think about what others think of them.

…. but not women.

Women see overweight as a reflection of them as a person.  If a woman is overweight she often believes this makes her a “bad” person.  “I was bad today and cheated on my diet.”  An upward shift in weight on the scale can determine a woman’s outlook for the entire day.  It is a sign that she is a failure instead of a tool for analyzing and adjusting current habits to reach future goals.

Women often see exercise as a well-deserved torture.  They shouldn’t enjoy it.  They were “bad” so they should be punished.  Diet is the same.  If they don’t feel deprived and in a constant state of hunger then they must not be “on” a diet.

Here are the keys for women in the process of losing weight and getting fit:

1. No judgments, only observations.  Observe your weight on the scale, and observe your eating habits.  Do not use the words “good” or “bad”.
2. Exercise should be fun.  If you aren’t having a good time choose a different form of exercise.  If you get bored with what you are doing, try something else.
3. Focus on the process.  What did you do today to move you toward your goal?  How was your form on that exercise?  Did you push yourself to a new personal best?
4. Realize that getting fit is a science not magic.  You fall under the same rules as everyone else.  Your success or failure is based on these rules not on whether or not you are a “good” person.

And for goodness sake, when someone notices that you are making progress toward your goal and recognizes that you are becoming more fit, say “thank you”.  There is no qualifier required here.   There is no need for a story.  Accept the compliment with grace and appreciation.

Diva Las Vegas!

NPC March 2011 tall class prejudging

3….2….1….Freak Out!

In the midst of my pre-competition melt down last night I was reminded of my friend Anne’s words of wisdom prior to my very first competition:  “Your body is your art.  You have no control over who else shows up or what the judges are looking for that day.  You can only present your art.”

I am competing the NPC USA Figure show this weekend in Las Vegas.  It is my first national show and one of the biggest in the US.  I will be subjectively compared to at least 20 other women in my height class in criteria officially described below:

• “…the athleticism of the physique.”
• “…a small degree of muscularity with separation is desired…”
• “…with no visible striations.”
• “The muscle tone should appear firm and round with a small amount of body fat over the muscle…”
• …and no excessive leanness.”
• Hair, make-up and stage presence are also considered

The NPC does it’s best to compare body types that are similar in that it separates the women in the competition into height classes.  There are 6 classes: A-F.  I am in the tallest class F 5’7” and above.

I’m on target for the described criteria above.  So what was the catalyst for my “freak out” last night?

A fellow competitor and friend told me that the head judge for the USAs “leans toward muscularity over leanness”…

In that case…I’m toast.

I often refer to myself as the “skinny blond girl on stage”.  My body type and fitness activities support a long, lean look.  On the competitive figure stage many of the women in my height class out-weigh me in muscle by 10 to 20 pounds!

After taking a breath and reflecting on Anne’s words I was also reminded that the incredible women from my program, 12 of which are making the trip to Vegas to support me; are inspired to have a long, lean dancer’s body.  Would I be true to my brand or myself if I were focused only on what the judges for this particular competition want to see?

I have a “dancer’s body” by design.  I’ve won many trophies competing in figure over the past year.  I have done very well and am grateful for my success. However, the prize I am awarded every day is to know that I am being true to my body as my art and am inspiring other women to know that they deserve to be true to their artistic vision of themselves as well.

Use Your Super Power

Attitude-ism:  “You have the power to lose weight and can change your body whenever you choose.”

If your weight isn’t what you want it to be, that was your choice.

If your body doesn’t look the way you think it should, guess what?

That’s on you, too.

Take responsibility for the state of your health, your physical well-being and your appearance.  YOU are the only one who can make a change.

I have heard the following “reasons” for being unfit (true story)

“I told the kids not to leave the cookies on the counter top…”

(It’s the kids’ fault that you ate the box of cookies?)

“I just don’t have any will-power”.

(Will-power = choice.  You do have a choice)

“I can’t give up my McDonalds diet coke.”

(Yes you can.  You won’t change until you do.)

“I don’t have time to workout regularly.”

(…but you have time to watch tv?)

“I’ve had children and I’m not in my 20’s…”

(…me too….me neither…)

“Don’t tell me I have to give up all the yummy foods…”

(You need to re-define yummy)

“I’ve tried everything but nothing seems to work for me.  I think it’s my thyroid.”

(This is VERY RARELY the case.)

Seeing yourself as a victim makes it very easy to make excuses.  You are not a victim.   You have the power to change—It’s ALWAYS been there.  Use it!

Last time I checked we all only get one life.  Why not spend it making changes instead of excuses?

Chaos is Easy

Attitude-ism:  “Chaos is easy…order takes effort”

Think about it.

Chaos in your body:  What does it look/ feel like?

• Fat
• Sluggish
• Tired
• Depressed
• Slow

And it’s easy to achieve.  Take advantage of every convenience:  order out, choose a movie with your remote control, cuddle up on your big, comfy couch and don’t move a muscle.

Have you seen the movie, Wall-E?  I can’t help but think this is our future.  I’m talking about all of the people moving around in their little pods in a fully-automated environment.  They are so obese and sedentary that they look like a bunch of babies wearing onesies moving around in their futuristic motorized carts.  Do you remember the scene where the ominous billboard suggests an update in the inhabitants’ fashion choice?  …“Try red, it’s the new blue”.  The chubby baby-person sits on his duff while his clothing magically changes color.

 

What’s the alternative?

Fitness. a.k.a. order.

Order in your body:  What does it look/ feel like?

• Lean
• Strong
• Energetic
• Enthusiastic
• Quick in movement and thought

And it takes effort.  Every.  Single. Day.

 

Chaos is easy.  Follow the status quo.  Don’t think, just run that remote.  Don’t plan. Pick up fast food instead.  Open a bag of pre-packaged snacks and sit in front of the T.V.

 

Order takes effort.  Are you willing to be a part of the obsessed outsiders?  Disciplined, informed and conscientious about your health; purchasing and preparing healthy, nutritious food, moving your body and working up a sweat every day?

 

Chaos is easy.

…Until you can’t get out of your chair without the help of a robot.