Are You Having a Bad Day?

My mother e-mailed me this today and it just stuck with me for some reason. I’m having one of those less than optimal days and feel very overwhelmed, non-productive and scattered. This e-mail reminded me that we all experience this at some point or another, but it is how we react and recover that’s important. It applies to everything in life: work, family, friends, leisure activities and workouts (those less than optimal training weeks sound familiar to any of you?) I was inspired, felt better and had to share these words of wisdom. Read on an be enlightened by this daily OM and Make it a GREAT Day!

Make it a Great Day!

“We all have days from time to time when it feels like the world is against us or that the chaos we are experiencing will never end. One negative circumstance seems to lead to another. You may wonder, on a bad day, whether anything in your life will ever go right again. But a bad day, like any other day, can be a gift. Having a bad day can show you that it is time to slow down, change course, or lighten up. A bad day can help you glean wisdom you might otherwise have overlooked or discounted. Bad days can certainly cause you to experience uncomfortable feelings you would prefer to avoid, yet a bad day may also give you a potent means to learn about yourself.”

“You may consider a bad day to be one where you’ve missing an important meeting because your car stalled, the dryer broke, and you received a piece of very bad news earlier in the morning. Multiple misfortunes that take place one after the other can leave us feeling vulnerable and intensely cognizant of our fragility. But bad days can only have a long-term negative effect on us if we let them. It is better to ask yourself what you can learn from these kinds of days. The state of your bad day may be an indicator that you need to stay in and hibernate or let go of your growing negativity. Bad days contribute to the people we become.”

“Though we may feel discouraged and distressed on our bad days, a bad day can teach us patience and perseverance. It is important to remember that your attitude drives your destiny and that one negative experience does not have to be the beginning of an ongoing stroke of bad luck. A bad day is memorable because it is one day among many good days – otherwise, we wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge it as a bad day. Know too, that everybody has bad days, you are not alone, the world is not against you. Tomorrow is guaranteed to be a brighter day.”

4 Things You Must Have in Every Exercise Program

Listen up past, present and future exercisers. There are some very important details that often get overlooked when individuals train and workout. As a matter of fact, these details are often the reasons people see lack of results, hit a plateau or just plain give up on their workout plans.

There is nothing more personally frustrating for me than watching an individual stop exercising because of lack of results. Exercise works for everybody no matter who you are, what you do or what you are willing to do. It works even better when you include the following details:

1. Variety- include different exercises, set/rep/rest period protocols, cross train and be sure to change your workout plan at least every 4-6 weeks to keep seeing progress. Hire a trainer to keep you fresh, advance your skill level and support you to your fitness goals.

2. Challenge Yourself- exercise needs to make you feel like you are doing something above your normal level of activity or current level of fitness. If you still do the same workout- time/duration, intensity level, frequency and never challenge yourself you will stay in one big PLATEAU. Hey, if that’s your goal then keep doing it, but if you want change you must CHALLENGE that body of yours (see #1)

3. Include Hell-Bent Workouts- 1-2 vigorous workouts per week are recommended and a must if you want quick results. At least once per week push yourself beyond your highest level of effort. Examples might include: adding 1 minute sprints to your 30 minute run, plyometric training, speed and agility drills, increasing resistance on your strength exercises. The goal is to push beyond your comfort zone to improve performance and torch more calories not only during your workouts, but also post workout. Trust me on this one…it works phenomenally. Just ask anyone who’s taken an 8 week Boot Camp.

4. Consistency- this is the most important variable. One workout will not yield results if you’ve been inactive for years or haven’t seen the weight room since college. You “don’t use it, you lose it!” Consistency is key to achieving good results. It will take the average person at least 4-6 weeks to see some of their hard work pay off. Even then, results will vary based off of individual efforts, genetics, physical abilities and motivation levels. Don’t give up because you’ve worked out 3 times and see no results..if I did I wouldn’t be here blogging about what a great thing exercise is!

Take into account we are all different beings with different levels of strength, flexibility, power and core strength. Using a program that is put together just for you and progresses properly will yield amazing results and leave you feeling incredible. Include the “musts” and watch those great results transpire!

Walking the Talk- Amy

The Personal Trainer Common Denominator

I have to mention that this blog post was inspired by a conversation that was started at the firehouse this morning when I went to drop of my husband’s shaving kit, which by the way he didn’t need because he borrowed supplies from a fellow firefighter (BAD fireman!). So, I decided to pull up to the table, enjoy a cup of coffee with the boys and indulge in some good conversation.

Of course it turned into a discussion on fitness, rather I became the punching bag (all in good fun) for everyone to take a swing at. I enjoyed it, as I love to banter and share my opinions with anybody who will listen. We eventually went full circle but the subject of me being the “common denominator” in my client’s failures/successes really struck a cord with me. I won’t go into detail about how we got there, but I just felt the need to dissect the subject matter a bit more, resonate with it and bring it to my blog.

Here it goes:

Consistent challenging effort = great results!

“I care deeply about all my client’s goals, health conditions, successes, failures and exercise programming. I take into account every little detail when I build a personal program, camp, class or other endeavor. BUT, big but here, I can’t be with them every single moment of every single day. At most, I see people 3 times per week for camps, and usually less for individual sessions. That being said, what each client does outside of my guidance is truly up to them. I give them the tools, train them with all my power, listen to their concerns, modify and adjust as needed and kick them hard in the butt if they are the type of person who can handle it. Some people comply, many don’t. Because of this results vary greatly. I have come to the conclusion that exercise and taking care of one’s health ranks very differently on people’s priority lists. That, I’m sorry to say, is something I can’t control!”

What each of us needs to do to get “into shape,” “lose that extra belly fat,” “drop a dress size,” “find their six-pack” or whatever requires different things depending on who they are and what they can do, but most importantly it depends on what the individual is WILLING to do. That big brain inside of your head can be your friend or foe when it comes to exercise goals or any goal for that matter. You get what you give!

If you give excuses, use set-backs as an opportunity to express failure, have unrealistic expectations or prioritize your health at a low level it will be a challenge, I’m not going to lie about it. You will more than likely see little to no change in your body. On the flip side if you’re willing to follow professional advice, apply said advice both inside and outside your workouts, stay consistent but continue to challenge yourself and make health a priority you WILL see excellent results. NO BS here.

Yes, I am the common denominator in many individual’s fitness equations. Problem is some people aren’t as good at math as they think they are. I offer the correct solution so let’s try to figure out where your math is going wrong.

Enjoy life, conquer things that challenge you and never give up!

Your faithful, and honest trainer- Amy

10 Things You Should Know About This Fitness Professional

I’ve been inspired, motivated, humbled and downright blown away by many fellow, fitness professionals. On the flip side, I’ve also been disappointed, puzzled, pissed off and amazed at the things some fit pros are involved with. I think there are two types of fitness pros: the ones that educate, motivate and do everything possible to bring what they can to the table (ethical), and those who are there to get their egos stroked, make money selling products that are ineffective and use their teaching time as personal workout time (not-so-ethical).

As a professional fitness educator and continuing education provider I impress the importance of strong ethics, proper protocols for your classes/clients and engaging your participants with good communication strategies. I am proud of my work and my position in this industry and I’d like everyone to know my passions, opinions and personal ethics:

Amazing how accurate this can be!

1. I do not use my teaching time/training time for my own personal workouts

2. I am very technical with my work and pay close attention to all the details when I work with others

3. I am creative and love to implement these ideas into my work at all times

4. Dedication and loyalty to my clients/participants is one of my key traits

5. I can switch things up in an instant if things don’t seem to be working well..I’m very flexible

6. Education and learning new things is very important to me; I learn new things constantly

7. I always share what I know with others, family, friends, clients or whoever will listen to my yammering

8. Music will always be a part of your fitness experience with me; it brings everything together!

9. You will never see me selling a product I haven’t used myself, nor that I don’t believe in

10. I love a challenge- whether it’s an exercise, dance move or client I can’t seem to figure out

I admire fitness pros and people who can “walk their talk” and don’t sell-out to make a buck. We have to believe in what we do, love our jobs and appreciate the diversity it brings. I will always be a little feisty, opinionated (OK a lot), adventurous and different. It’s who I am as an individual and a fitness professional.

Rock on- Amy

PS- in regards to #2 can you find the grammar error(s) in the image? I can and it kills me!!!