Friday, March 31, 2017
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
Sunday, March 26, 2017
BLOG 105 VOICES
BLOG 105 VOICES
Our own voice, the one no one else but ourselves hears in
our head, is the most powerful dictator in our lives. That chatter box is the
greatest influence. And on our fitness journey, those voices are strong
indicators of the choices we make. So let’s talk about “The Voice”.
I believe there are 3 voices in our head:
11.
Negative/Demon: the ruler of our addictions,
poor self-worth, and self-destruction
22..
Down to earth: rational, neutral, logical
33.
Change/Forward Thinking: vision, dreamer, what
needs to happen in order for future
A recent book I read, Suddenly
Skinny Day by Day (2012), by Freya Taylor, was a comedic weight loss memoir
about Freya’s weight loss journey while on the Medifast diet. Her story was
relatable, funny, and completely honest. Freya refers to her voices as:
1.
Addict: “It wants more more more. It thinks it
needs food for comfort, or to quit anger, or to alleviate boredom”.
2.
Practical: “I have to live my life side of
ourselves”.
3.
New, emerging, wisdom: “The voice that can
listen to the other inputs and weed out the garbage from the healthy”.
We are tested every minute on our fitness journeys when it
comes to eating and healthy habit making. In a world that equates food with
celebration, communication with technology, and a want for instant
gratification, the voice in our head opts for the most convenient, desirable,
choice regardless of consequences. The mind and body can be at odds. There are
influences all around including the media, relationships, peers, and the
medical industry. Deep down, that gut feeling is the voice I turn to and the
honesty of knowing what is the right choice, all emotions aside, tells me what
to do when in doubt.
I’m sure you can all relate to these voices. You have told
yourselves to have that cookie, “Oh just one won’t hurt anything”
(Negative/Addict). When out with your friends at happy hour and asked if you
want another…. “Well I still want to have a social life” (Down to
earth/Practical). When the alarm goes off in the morning to wake up, “I can’t
hit snooze I have to go workout” (Change/New).
These voices truly indicate that we can be our own worst
enemies on our fitness journeys. Don’t talk yourself out of change and know
that you are worthy of becoming the best version of yourself. The old addict
will put up a good fight. The practical will tell you to just take your time.
And the change will be me on your shoulder leading the way to great healthy and
wellness. So tell yourself to make today ridiculously amazing!!!!
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Friday, March 24, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
BLOG 104 THERESA LARSON
BLOG 104 THERESA LARSON
A wonderful client recommended a great read to me. The book
is called, Warrior, written by,
Theresa Larson. Her story of sheer strength, struggle, and leadership, was
empowering and relatable. So let me share Theresa’s life/fitness journey with
you.
Theresa Larson grew up in a male dominant household after
losing her mother to cancer at age 10. She was a daddy’s girl growing up in
Seattle with her two brothers. They were an active and healthy family, and
together they followed a fitness program called Fit Forever. Solid nutrition
and exercise were the foundation of this program, with one day to “cheat” or
have whatever you wanted. Theresa fell in love with softball and she became an
all-star pitcher. She received a softball scholarship to play at Villanova,
where she also became a member of their ROTC program. Following in the
footsteps of her brothers, who were also military members, Theresa entered the
Service.
She had an incredible level of fitness and her work ethic
set the bar for her teammates and fellow ROTC members. She could outperform
anyone on the physical fitness tasks. All the while, she stuck to the strict
restrictions of Fit Forever. But at this point the program wasn’t exactly in
line with her lifestyle. Barely eating and exercising for endless hours every
day while keeping a perfectionist attitude in all she did, made school a challenge
to stay awake during classes. She was wearing herself out. Part of the reason I
enjoyed this book was because Theresa was stationed at Camp Pendleton here in
Oceanside. She even entered a fitness competition. This didn’t turn out to be
an ongoing activity, but she did get up on stage and prepare for the event all
while being in the military and following Fit Forever.
Theresa became a Lieutenant in the Marines and she was known
for her harsh fitness training with her squad. They were the most in shape group
by far. She was deployed to Fallujah and took on an interesting role of being
the middle “woman” with negotiations in a country that did not accept women.
Yet, internally, the pressure Theresa was placing on herself
was taking its toll. Few people knew that she was struggling with bulimia.
Being in a desert country, exercising excessively, and eating very little,
added up to a recipe for self-destruction. When she finally went to her
Commander, her medical concerns were not met well. In the end, she asked to be
sent home and the discharge process was not ideal. She had a real problem, yet,
the military wasn’t quite understanding to a condition of this nature. She was
given a desk job upon her return to the states and the psychologist in the
military she was assigned to knew themselves that this area was out their scope
of practice.
Theresa is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy. She especially
likes to help wounded veterans. Today, “She is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy
and the founder of Movement Rx, a
physical therapy and wellness company that offers support to wounded warriors
and individuals with health and movement issues. She travels all over the world
as a speaker for MobilityWOD
and the CrossFit Movement & Mobility Trainer Course. She is
a lululemon ambassador, and works with nonprofits including Team Red White & Blue, LinderKids.org, Resiliency Project, CrossRoads Adaptive Athlete Alliance, and the National Eating
Disorder Association.”
(http://www.drtheresalarson.com/about/).
Sharing her story meant sharing her secrets. This was a great read and Theresa
is certainly STRONG both inside and out.
Larson, Theresa. Warrior.
HarperOne, 2016.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Friday, March 17, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Sunday, March 12, 2017
BLOG 103 LARGE CULTURE
BLOG 103 LARGE CULTURE
After watching a recent Amazon movie called “Loving Large”,
I became intrigued with this counter-culture movement of embracing being big. Certain
social conventions say that skinny means healthy; skinny means attractive;
skinny means “good”. But after watching this documentary, there is another
perspective I wanted to share.
We have learned from the media that size matters. Let’s
start with fashion. Models are presumed to be very thin. Yet the average woman
wears a size 14. I have come to think that clothing sizes are totally
distorted. 2010 brought a whole new industry of run-way models. Brands like
Queen Grace and Torrid celebrate larger women. The term “plus size” has been
replaced by “flattering”. I did find it interesting that these clothes were
still tight and form fitting. To me, that’s just uncomfortable no matter what
your size and obviously I’m not one at the studio to wear super tight clothes.
Fashion is fashion no matter what size and the trends remain the same. Many
larger women feel that people use a backhanded compliment telling them they
have a pretty face, when they want to embrace their body and be complimented
for a cute outfit every now and then.
The world of love is also now trending with some people
being attracted to larger individuals. Men might like “fuller” women. Men might
be referred to as “chasers” who like a certain weight. One person might become
is called a “feeder” in the relationship. Food equates to love. We are
attracted to what we are attracted to but sometimes the reason we are with someone
can become troublesome. Liking a larger person is fine, but enjoying seeing
them become larger despite health risks, is a little disturbing and almost
controlling.
I truly wish that we could all see people for people, not
size or appearance. The trouble is that in this large culture there are health
risks. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) predicts that by 2030, 42% of the
population will be obese. Some feel that the standards to be small or in the
healthy zones are unrealistic so why try. Questions concerning personal value
arise. For example, is Jennifer Hudson a better singer because she lost
weight?? Georgia has public service announcements that claim 75% of parents are
in denial that their children are obese. 4 year olds are being diagnosed with
high cholesterol.
I absolutely hate the stereotypes that revolve around being
larger. When did we become so judgmental?? Maybe I’m sensitive to the topic
because of my profession. Every BODY deserves to be the best versions of
themselves. Body shaming is terrible on
every level. We must lift each other up and hey, whether your friend is skinny
or large, a true friend speaks from the heart always. I celebrate diversity at
the studio as we all continue to learn to grow both personally and physically
on our fitness journeys.
Loving Large,
Directed by Christopher Hines (2016)
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