Over the past 3 years I have shared a nutrition, workout and motivational tips, but this past week I was speaking with some of the readers of my blog and they asked for me to share more about me.

So.. here it is. I’m not perfect I too struggle with this time of the year! Last week I attended a conference that was serving lunch. I started out the day with my oatmeal, egg whites and berries for breakfast I packed 2 snacks (AM and PM). They were serving lunch so I didn’t bring my lunch. Well.. let’s say that was a mistake while it was an EXCELLENT chopped salad, it lacked PROTEIN! 20 minutes after I ate I was STARVING!!!! We were in a part of the convention center where they didn’t have store to purchase water and my 1/2 gallon water bottle only made it to lunch.  Let’s say by the time I got home that night I was ready to eat my leg off!!! Because I didn’t eat enough all day I came home and started GRAZING until I finished preparing dinner. Lesson learned — bring more protein and carry more water. The next day I went back to the event and was much more prepared and didn’t come home to eat 1/2 of my kitchen cupboards.

As for workouts — the past few weeks I have been flat out finishing up some projects before the end of the year. Typically I like to workout 4-5 days/week. Let’s just say it’s been difficult! Just this past Monday I had a plan to hit the gym at 5:30am — I like to workout in the AM because I less likely to get interrupted or have the day get away from me. Unfortunately my body had a different plan. I woke up at [1:30] AM and didn’t fall back to sleep until 4am, let’s say when the alarm went off at 5:15am I wasn’t feeling it. I gave myself the out. That doesn’t make the whole week is ruined it means I missed ONE workout and I need to brainstorm to see if there were other ways to make it up. Before I got out of bed I went through my mental calendar and decided that I could make up this workout on Thursday because that is typically my rest day.

How do I stay motivated’ I started competing in 2004 because I needed a goal! I lost 30 pounds and I was like now what! Competing gives me a goal to strive for. When I first started competing I did about 5 shows/year now I do 1. That’s really hard for me to stay on track and last year I went 14 months without competing! I packed on the weight for me. I had put on 12 pounds during that time. Why do you ask, because I didn’t have a motivating goal and for the most part sleepwalked through my workouts. NOT THIS YEAR!!! I vowed that would not happen taking off those 12 pounds SUCKED OUT LOUD. My next show is May 2012 and will stay within 5-7 pounds of my show weight.

What’s a good goal’ I’m always asked what is a good goal. My response is typically what will motivate you  to get out of bed on a 3 degree snowy morning. That’s a motivating goal. Goals are very personal. Your goal could be something really simple such as fitting into your pants or training for a marathon. Finding your motivation is truly personal and if you want to do some brainstorming, shoot me an email.

I hope this gives you a little insight to me. I will be offering 15 min goal setting appointments the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Please send me an email with some days and times that will work for me.

Why is that during the holidays we make all sorts of excuses not to follow our diets and keep up with our workouts. I say — Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today!!!  Did you know that it takes 3500 extra calories to add one 1 pound’ So.. during the holidays the average person gains 3-5 pounds because they are eating an extra calories and not moving enough.  How do you stop it’ Here are 10 ways to stop the holiday bulge.

1. Watch your portion size. During this time of year it seems as though there is always food and drink around. We all seem to use this time of year as an excuse to eat and drink what we want! But all those little treats add up especially you aren’t exercising. Fill your plate with 50% veggies and lean cuts of protein. Before you attend a party have something to eat, don’t go on an empty stomach. (more…)

It’s that time of year, when we are asked to make our holiday list or perhaps you’re scratching your head trying to decide what to get for all of your fitness-minded friends.  Here are a few suggestions.

• Ty-she Gym towel  –This towel wraps around your waist covering your butt and has convenient pockets for your IPod, keys and ID.
• Words to Sweat by — Need some motivation while you are working out’ These handy little personal sweat towels having truly inspiring words to really funny mantra that keep you plugging through your workout.
• The Body Shield towel — Want to create a true barrier between YOU and the machines at your gym’  Check out The Body Shield, its antimicrobial, odor free, and come with an elastic band that lets you attach the towel to equipment without it slipping off.
• The Blender Ball shake mixer — Most shaker bottles contain a plastic mesh cap that is “supposed” to help blend the powdered protein shake with the liquid.  This doesn’t always give you a clump free shake, enter the Blender Ball shaker. It has a wire whisk ball that makes your shake taste like it was but through a blender – okay almost =)
• Sandbells/Waterbell — Dumbbells, Medicine balls and kettlebells aren’t portable, hurt when you drop them on your feet or hands and can be expensive to have all of them in your home gym arsenal.  Sandbells combine all 3 and then some! You fill these stretchy neoprene bags with sand or water.  You can use these bags at home or bring them with you to add strength to any outdoor workout.
• Valslides or Gliding Discs — Works your lower body as well as your upper body with these little devices.  They may be small but they will leave you feeling the burn!  Both of these little pieces are portable so you can bring them with you to the gym or throw them in your suitcase and create an ultimate travel workout.
• Monster bands — Are you someone who travels or know someone who travels a bit.  Do they go to the hotel gym, see pink dumbbells, and think how am I going to get a good workout’  Maybe you’re a new mom who has a challenge getting to the gym.  The typical bands you find at your local Target or sporting goods store may not provide enough resistance.  You can purchase these monster bands – you can use them in a variety of ways.  They are lightweight, portable and can add versatility to most exercises. http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-monster-bands.php
• Vitamix — This is a blender on steroids.  You can blend partially anything with this blender.  It takes a lickn’ and keeps on blending.  I’ve had mine for over 15 years and it’s still going!
• Magic Bullet — Not quite ready to step up to the Vitamix’  Check out the Magic Bullet.  It’s perfect for travel and it’s a little friendlier on your wallet.
• Sweaty Bands — This is a cute way to keep the sweat out of your eyes and it won’t slip.
• Mini Exercise Ball — Use this ball to upgrade your ab workouts.  This little ball will have you feeling every muscle in your abs.  Just put it under the small of your back extends your arms and try lifting your feet.

If you don’t like any of these ideas, you can always send them to Lululemon to get you a cute outfit or a bag.  Have any other suggestions, leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear them.

Some of you sitting there reading this and thinking I am doing the same exact thing I was doing last year! You haven’t lost the weight, put on any muscle or taken any steps to achieve your fitness goals. If I’m wrong just leave me a comment below.

I ask you to look in the mirror and say NO MATTER WHAT I’M WILLING TO_________ to reach my  goals this year! I’m done making excuses!

How can you take action now to make 2012 better than 2011′ Sit down right now and write yourself a letter as though its your future self. I know it sounds corny, but writing down your goals clearly will help you achieve them. Don’t believe me’ In 1979 3% of all Harvard MBAs had clearly written goals, fast forward 10 years that 3% who had written goals were earning 10xs more than the 97% of their classmates that didn’t have clearly written goals. Makes you wonder don’t it!

When you write down your goals don’t think at all about the HOW. The how will reveal itself, but its the WHAT that you need to put out there.  Don’t be afraid to DREAM BIG!! Need some help dreaming’ I’m offer FREE 15 min goal setting appointments.  Just shoot me an email to schedule.

Day 1 of my 30 day cleanse — was great! I’m feeling a little tired, but didn’t get much sleep last night.

Day 1 did include a workout 30 min cardio and strength training.
Looking forward to Day 2.

The average American will consume up to 3,000 calories during the Thanksgiving weekend. You don’t need to be a statistic. Here are a few weeks to beat the Thanksgiving weight gain. Here are few tips to help you stay on track.

• Instead of using the ladle to put gravy on your plate, using a soup spoon instead
• Hold the stuffing and you’ll save over 200 calories.
• Watch your sugar intake this means baked goods,  both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• If someone asks you to bring something how about you bring some nice healthy veggies — sauteed green beans
• Slow down and eat! Eating too fast doesn’t give your brain a chance to register that you are eating.
• Fulling full’ Take dessert to go or have it late night — give yourself time to digest.

Don’t let this or any holiday be your “exception”. I’m not saying don’t enjoy yourself, but make sure you keeping your eye on your long term goal weight loss.  Having a big meal can easily derail your hard fought progress.

Need some more tips — check out my posts from the last few years.

You heard right we are clearing out the 2011 weight, we need to make room for the 2012 healthy life. We need to make room for the healthy person that is inside of us that we have been waiting to meet!

The time is now we only have a few weeks to make it happen. If this was the year you were going to loose weight, fit into those skinny jeans or look hot for the holidays in the little black dress. Your time is NOW. Join me in my year-end fat clearance. My client Kjerstan did this and loss 7 pounds in the first week!!!

I am doing a 30 day cleanse.  I’d love for you to join me. My goals for this cleanse are really simple jump start my 2012 fitness goals.

This isn’t your traditional starve yourself or drink a crazy combination of maple syrup and cayenne pepper. We aren’t going to dance around our backyards with a chicken and rabbit’s foot during a full moon. We are going to infuse our bodies with quality nutrients that ensure optimum health leading to safe weight loss.  During this cleanse we are going to get our bodies back into balance while releasing toxins and impurities that have accumulated in each of our bodies over time.

Why you should join me on this year end clearance’ You’ll:

• jump start your 2012 resolutions and actually meet them
• increase your energy levels
• experience reduced cravings
• accelerate healthy weight loss
• improved digestion
• sleep better

I will be with you every step of the way going through the cleanse with you. When you join me on the year end fat clearance you will receive:

• step by step instructions
• daily motivational emails
• a grocery list
• unlimited support via email

Let’s get our weight loss goals off to a fast start. Join me for the year-end fat clearance. To join me on this challenge just shoot me an email and I’ll give you all the details.

The path to success is to take massive, determined action — Tony Robbins

So many people say the WANT to _______, you fill in the blank. Lose weight, build muscle, fit into their skinny jeans or the little black dress. And then you hit the wall of LACK! You know what I’m talking about, you can’t hit your goals, because you lack this, that and any other excuse you can drum. Below you will find 5 Lacks that you can turn around to make your weight loss/fitness goals a reality.

1. Motivation — you have a goal, but it doesn’t inspire you. It doesn’t cause you to take action.  Turn it around. What will inspire you to take action — is it telling someone’ Is posting your goals all around the house’ Is it taking your jeans up on your wall so you can see them each and every day’ Whatever it is, needs to motivate you to take ACTION!!!
2. Accountability — you’ve set the goal, but you haven’t told anybody what it is, so if you don’t do it guess what it doesn’t matter because no one knows. Turn it around — TELL SOMEONE! You have no one to tell. Tell me — shoot me an email and I’ll hold you accountable. This accountability person is the person who holds your feet to fire and encourages when you get down or gives you the swift kick in the tush when you need it as well.
3. “Life” (you get busy) — these days are all “busy” running a million miles away, here is how you turn it around! Planning, planning and more planning.   Here’s how it works. Every week sit down and decide what you are going to do this week and put it in your calendar. I mean EVERYTHING — when will you prep your meals for the week, when will you workout.
4. Support — everyone around isn’t living a healthy lifestyle or will test your willpower. You can have just one can’t you’ Well don’t let those crabs get you down. Turn it around by spending time with like minded folk. I know its hard to pull away from people, but its all about toward something versus remaining stagnant. To be successful at living a healthy life you need the support.
5. Results — you’ve gone down this path before and your results didn’t come as quickly as you would have hoped for. So.. you gave up, it wasn’t going to work any way, right. Wrong — most people give up right before they reach the tipping point the point at which change is about reach its boiling point.  I also want you to remember that change takes MASSIVE ACTION for MASSIVE RESULTS to be achieved. Are you ready to turn it around and take that MASSIVE ACTION.

I know that this is a total mind shift. You need to get your head moving from a place of what you lack into a place of what you don’t lack and how you can use those tools to push you toward your goals. One of the biggest ways I’ve been able to reach my goal is through the support of people, both online and offline. If you would like to brainstorm ways to turn aournd your fitness goals, shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

PS — please join me for a pre-thanksgiving fast. I will be starting my 30 day cleanse on Tuesday, November 15 and breaking my fast on Thursday, November 24th Thanksgiving day. If you’d like to join me, please shoot me an email. My goal is to release 5 pounds from my body.

This past weekend I competed in my third Women’s Tri Fitness. This was a long term goal of mine and when I did it for the first time I got hooked! This weekend I went to Tampa and competed with my husband. It was so my fun to complete a goal with him, plus he is all fired up to do it again! I really get excited when I turn people on to fitness and they achieve their goals.

I tell you this, not to brag, but inspire you to take action. It’s been about 1 year since I had something that I had a goal that I was really jazzed about. When my husband asked if we could do it together, it was just the kick in the pants I needed.

Back in August I put on my game face and signed up.  For me one of the most challenging parts is the bench press. You need to bench press 60% of your bodyweight for 50 reps. So.. you must decide what you want to lift and how much weight you can reasonably lose.  I wanted to weigh 15 pounds lighter.

Before — July 2011

So.. I had 8 weeks to drop 15 pounds! I had to work cut out for me and LITERALLY had to work my butt off!  No matter what happened at the show if I dropped those 15 pounds I WON! Guess what — on October 20th it happened I stepped on the scale and saw that I dropped 15 pounds I was so PSYCHED!! Plus I only had to lift 75 pounds!

I’m telling you my story because I want you know that I practice what I preach! I typically give myself 5-7 pounds over my goal weight, but this year I got a little off track and used this goal to bring me back.

If you are ready to serious about your weight loss, let me know!

I have 2 programs that I will be running to help you to Hold The Stuffing through the holidays.

•  Hold The Stuffing Fat Blaster
  • 6 weeks
  • 2 strength training programs
  • 6 weekly emails
  • (3) 15 min private phone calls
  • 30 day Athlete’s pack
  • Meal plan
  • Grocery List
• For more information, shoot me an email.  This program is for the committed! If you are ready to end 2011 with a little less weight the time is now!

One of things I love most about fall is pumpkin.  I love anything with pumpkin, just the mention of pumpkin on a menu and I’m ordering it if there is a pumpkin product on the grocery shelf I’m buying it.

Pumpkin not only tastes great, but it’s a superfood.  It’s low in calories and contains fiber, magnesium and carotenoids.  Studies of carotenoids show that it can reduce the risk of heart disease, macular degeneration and certain cancers.  What pushes pumpkin to the top of the super food list is the alpha- carotene content.  Studies have shown that it can slow the signs of aging.  Yes, you read that correctly.

I hear all the time, that folks would like to add pumpkin to their diets but don’t know how.  Below find three ways you can add in some pumpkin.  There recipes can also be interchanged with acorn or butternut squash.

Here are three ways you can get a little more pumpkin into your diet.

Pumpkin Smoothie

• ¼ c pumpkin
• ¾ c All Whites egg whites
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 chopped small apple
• ½-1c water (to taste)
• 1 t agave

Put all ingredients in blender.  Add a few ice cubes, the more ice cubes you add the thicker your shake. To thin out your shake add some more water to desired consistency.

Pumpkin Protein Pancake

• ¼ c Oatmeal
• ¼ c pumpkin
• ½ c cottage cheese
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 t vanilla extract (you could also use almond extract)
• 2 t nutmeg (you could also use cinnamon, cloves or pumpkin pie spice)

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.  Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat.  Pour batter into pan and cook about 2 min a side.  You should get about 3 medium sized pancakes

Pumpkin Soup

• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 can chicken soup stock (can you veggie)
• 1 t sea salt (may add more for taste)
• 1 t chili powder (may add more for taste)
• 1 t garlic (may add more for taste)
• 1 T cilantro
• 1c soft tofu

Place all ingredients in a stock pot.  Simmer until hot.  Place ingredients in a blender or food processor.  You could also use an immersion blender.

To increase your protein content to this soup, you can add in some chicken or turkey.

October is breast cancer awareness month and everywhere you turn you are seeing Pink ribbons. Just this past Sunday every NFL team was wearing something pink to support the cause.  Yet with all the awareness breast cancer receives it is still one of the top killers of women ages 20-59. It been 20 years since the first pink ribbon appeared and in that time the number of women who have died of breast cancer has not been significantly reduced.

When we see the pink ribbon or hear about a program to support breast cancer us ladies are more likely to give. We give because breast cancer is not something we’d like to have or we know someone who has affected by breast cancer. Today there are hundreds of breast cancer charities in America today, but before you give please check them out. Sadly there are some scammers out there who just take your money and/or give a small percentage to support breast cancer or inexperienced do gooders who end up spending more money promoting the event than donating.  Before you give, check out your charity. A good source is Charity Navigator.  Also be careful with the pink ribbon merchandise.  Just because it has a ribbon on it doesn’t mean any of the money is going to breast cancer.

I’d love to hear your opinion on breast cancer marketing. Are you someone who is more likely to give when you see the pink ribbon’

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to my grandmother’s 90th birthday. When asked how it felt to be 90. She said she felt like James Brown. She felt good.  How about you do you feel’ Do feel tired or achy ALL THE TIME.

Stop your behavior today and listen to some of my 90 year old grandmother’s 7 tips for exercise and diet.

1. Exercise daily — she walks 1 mile each day
2. Get fresh air — she lives on a farm and make sure she sits outside for at least 1 hour
3. Stay Active — when we went to pick her up for her party she was mopping the floor (she’s 90 and still cleaning her own house)
4. Eat oatmeal daily — maybe that’s where I get it =)
5. Eat fresh fruit, veggies and sweet potatoes — she grows most of her own food
6. Drink plenty of water
7. Eat healthy meals

A pretty simple way to live, huh. She’s one of the healthiest people I know. Just this week she’s got her 1st hearing aid — ps. I think its hearing issue is selective.

What steps can you make today to reach 90′