Here we are on day 3 of the happiness project. The past few days have me looking for things that make me happy. I guess I always thought it would be big huge things that would make me happy, but since I’ve been looking for things, I find being happy really is in how you look at things. The person on the Dr. Oz show was all about the cup being 1/2 full. Now that I’m looking for happiness I’ve discovered its all in how you look at things. My 3 happy things today.

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Today is my 2nd day of the get happy challenge.  This week, I am to find 3 things to be happy about each day. At first I thought how simple is that, well not so simple. It really forces you to really think about your day versus just letting life happen around you. As I write this, and I am thinking about my day starting when my alarm clock went out at 5:00am until I got of the bus and started walking home.

My 3 happy things:

1. I was able to do 5 pull ups PAIN FREE!!! You see, I suffered an elbow injury back in October and its been slow to heal or I’ve just be impatient. Okay I have been impatient! Until today, I haven’t been able to do any pulling exercises since October.  I’m a pretty active person and it been hard not to be able to do anything I wanted.
2. I was able to provide great advice to a colleague.  She came to me because she trusted and valued you, my opinion.

Day 1 of the challenge

This afternoon while I was on the elliptical I was watching the Dr. Oz show. Today’s show was talking about people who are “Debbie Downer’s” and how he was going to help this women get happier in just 28 days. The women talked about the relationships that she has lost and that she really believes that the glass is half full. It got me thinking, am I “Debbie Downer” AKA DD. I do know of some DDs and yes I have distanced myself from them because just didn’t want to get caught in their negativity cycle. But have people distanced themselves from me because I’m a DD.  God I hope not.

Dr. Oz said he could make you happier in just 28 days. So, I’m going to the challenge and prove to myself that I am not a DD.
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For the few weeks, I have working on getting a little focus around what I want in my life. A few years ago I created a vision board and hung it on my wall and it really helped me gain some focus and clarity. So.. I decided to do it again.  On previous vision boards I put images on it of what I would like to achieve, places I’d like to go and quotes that will help keep me moving when feeling a little low. What I found to be really interesting is that it was hard to get started. It was hard for me to sit and a really think about what I wanted.  I thought about when I was a little kid and you asked me what I wanted for Christmas a laundry list of items would come out of my mouth. Now I was stuck. Why as it so hard’ Was it because I was afraid to want things’ Or was it that I had everything I needed. I’m lucky I have a husband who loves me, a roof over my head and money in the bank. What more could I want’  So then I said, yes I am lucky, but there is more that I want out of life and more that I can contribute.  So here is a my vision board. I showed mine, now show me yours, what do your dreams look like’ Are you around to put them down because you are afraid you might achieve them’

I hear this all the time, Kim exactly what do you do’ I know you hear that as well when you go to parties or other networking events. Typically when I hear its my friends who know I have been working hard to become a certified wellness coach. I know that So when the ask, I know it comes from a place of caring about.

So.. I am a wellness coach. In November 2008 I started my journey. I have been a ACSM certified personal trainer for a while and began to notice that most of my clients came to me for a workout or to lose weight, but I soon realized that there was more things going on that was keeping them from being successful. As a wellness coach I have learned some techniques that will help me work with clients to help them better define their goals, support them through the change process and give them the confidence they need to make lasting change.

I know you are thinking, isn’t that the same thing you do as a personal trainer’ No my role is a fitness coach I TELL people what to do.  As a wellness coach the golden rule is the client has the answers, I work with them to guide them to reaching their goals.

As you can imagine its been 18 long months and I am really excited.  I know you may think that I am crazy to launch a business right now. But I believe there is a BIG wave of opportunity happening so the timing is perfect and here is why.

• Women are ready to challenge the status quo and step into a more fulfilling way of life. People are more willing than ever to invest to change their lives.
• Women are tired of the rat race, working hard to just get by when all they really want is to look great and feel fabulous.
• The time is ripe for renewal and reinvention. Women are looking for a little guidance around how to get started and stayed motivated throughout the process.  (this is where I come in)

Over the past 18 months my coach has inspired me to play BIG and get out of my comfort zone. I have to tell you I LOVE IT! The focus of my coaching practice is this.

I help busy women who want to look great and feel fabulous!

You might be thinking: most women are already overwhelmed in their quest to live a healthier lifestyle and now you want them to play bigger!

I would be grateful if you would connect me to any women you know that wants to look great and feel fabulous.

The reason why I stress connect is because I believe this is the way business is meant to be: people connecting with each other and finding ways to add value and create mutual success. So the person you refer to me might end up hiring me or we may become professional colleagues, either way, we will both benefit from the connection.

One last thought…

When we hear and read a lot of bad news, it is easy to get discouraged, apathetic or cynical. But we all know, that this does not make the situation better.  The only way to feel better is to get back into the game of life and PLAY.  As a coach, this is my primary objective
You can refer people to be in several ways: leave comments below — | email –| website –| phone–(617) 744-9056

I ran the Miami ING Half Marathon exactly 20 days ago and its taken me this long to write about. Before January 31st the furthest that I ever ran was 10 miles.  I got to tell you that it felt good! Whenever I tell the story I am still refer to it as my first half marathon because I’m still unsure if I will EVER run that far again.  I will run again, I know that is true , but a half marathon, hmmm.  Most fitness things I do after I finish I’m so PUMPED to do it again. I got to tell you not this time. I was WIPED OUT! I just wanted to sit down and  get my shit together! Let’s go back to the beginning, why did I decide to run a  half marathon’  Well..

• I use to run about 6 years ago and a half marathon was goal of my and then my sciatica got to bad so I stopped. Read My Ass Doesn’t Do What’
• I ran in Falmouth Road Race (August and November) (7 mile race) and felt really good — I thought what’s 6 more’ Hmm boy was I naive
• I needed a goal to get me through the holidays
• It was something that my husband I could do together — which was AWESOME to finally a hobby together.
• The race was in Miami in January (I live in Boston) who doesn’t like a little warm weather.

My training included running in a snow storm, running in 20 degree weather and finally we caught a break our last 2 long runs we got to run in 40 degrees. I know a virtual heat weave in New England.

The first 10 miles of the run were good. Especially mile 6 when the drag queens were out giving a show, that kept me going for a mile.  Okay maybe 2. Then mile 10 hits and the walls come crashing down! I was DYING! My ankles were hurting and I had major heartburn from the GU.  At this point I was praying to any God I could think of help me get through the next 3.1 miles. Two things got me thorough.

1. my husband and I agreed to meet at the finish line and I knew if I didn’t finish within 15-20 minutes after him he would be worried
2. there was this women in front of me that didn’t look like a runner (for the record neither do I) and she was struggling just like me, but she kept going! So, I decided there and then if she keep running so would I.

Once I crossed the finish line I thought that I would feel this runners high that would keep me going after I finished. Well…. I’m still waiting for this runner’s high. I didn’t get it.

Everyone keeps asking would I do one again. I say maybe.  But here are some changes.

1. I would do short runs at marathon pace
   • this time I only did long runs, not doing the short runs really hurt me in the endurance
2. I would not do a race in the winter
   • motivating yourself to run on a cold and/or snowy day SUCKS out loud
   • I also like running in the AM, and running in the cold and dark SUCKS too
3. I would conserve my energy early in the race
   • Don’t try to fight my way through the crowd early on, take your time and wait for the crowd to think
4. I would run 12 miles as my last long run
   • Those last 3 miles sucked, and the runner’s high and crowds energy didn’t get me through so I would definitely add 2 more miles so I know how my body will feel and react

If you’ve run a half marathon I would love to hear any tips you would like to add. If you are new to the half marathon, good luck!

So, I’ve been on the sidelines for a while. I ‘ve been training for a half marathon, studying for my wellness coach certification and just working my butt to build my business. Okay those were just excuses, if I really wanted to stay on track I could have. Okay pity party over. Here are 6 ways I am going to get back on track for my next fitness competition. I will be competing in the NPC Jay Cutler Classic in Boston on May 2nd.  Time to get my game face on.

1. Schedule, schedule and schedule it. Every Sunday I sit down and mark out in my calendar when I will workout. I get specific like (Wed 7am cardio 40 min) I put it in my calendar and it is an appt that I cannot break. I move stuff around, but my workout does get done.
2. Pre-cook my meals. I go to the grocery store on Saturday afternoon and load up on veggies, lean proteins, chicken broth and lean diary products. Then on Sunday at 6pm I start cooking. Yes exactly at 6pm. (If you can’t tell I like schedules) I cook enough protein and veggies to get me through the week.
3. Get good music. My ipod doesn’t ever leave my gym bag! At least once a month I buy new music and mix up my playlist to keep it fresh. If you have any suggestions, please leave me comments and let me know.
4. Maximize my workout time. If I need to do a cardio and a strength workout, I do a metabolic circuit (a combination of strength and cardio) or just do a crazy interval cardio blast (every 2 minutes you change machine and increase the resistance)
5. Seize the moment. There are days when my schedule don’t allow a full workout, so I’ll need to break it up. So, somedays I will do cardio in the morning and then lift later in the day. That way there are no excuses and its in my schedule.
6. Involve your family. Training for a fitness show can be really intense and takes a large amount of your time! I make sure that I include my husband. We go to the gym together and plan (yeah I know, I can’t help it I have to schedule) to have lunch each Saturday at our favorite place The Parish Cafe.

Most people think because you are a personal trainer you are super human… UMMM NO.

image fitsugar

We have those days when we don’t want to work out and sometimes even when we set a fitness goal and get in the middle of training we say to ourselves, what did I sign myself up for.

That is me right now. Literally I signed up to the Miami half marathon. (I am registered, have a non-refundable plane ticket and hotel) Just 6 short weeks ago I thought it would be a fun challenge and keep me motivated through the holidays. WELP.. not so much. Today’s 19 degrees with a wind chill of 4 and I had to do 4 miles. Go ahead and call me a wimp, but this kid wasn’t going outside. So.. instead I decided I could suck it up and run on the treadmill for 4 miles how hard go it be.  In a word FREAK’N HARD!!!

Well.. even though the Jessica Simpson E True Hollywood story was on I still felt like a Gerbil on a wheel  so…4 treadmills, yes 4 treadmills every mile I moved one, because I was BORED out of mind and thought that would help not so much. This weekend I have to do 8 miles.. I really need to check the forecast… there is NO WAY I can do it on the treadmill.

So here I am 7 weeks away and wondering seriously who do I think I am. Should I be running a half  marathon’

Last week I ran my 1st Turkey Trot, just 4 miles through a neighboring town on Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving it was a nice day here in New England. I typically run mid morning, so this was my first early run, so I was testing what to eat. I decided on having a banana and a cup of coffee. Come on. I can’t leave the house without coffee, so it a must have! I ate it 1 hour prior to the race so that I plenty of time to digest it right!

Well at mile 4 I get sharp stabbing pains in my back, but I didn’t STOP I

kept going and finished the race in 39 min. My goal to run less than 10 min/mile and I did despite the stabbing pains in my back and having to pee. Yes, at mile 2 the coffee that I had to have needed to make an exit. So.. I guess my motivation to run a fast as I could was there.

Lesson learned for the Miami 1/2 Marathon — figure out my food and pee management.

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Tis the season for family gatherings filled with tasty and tempting treats. How can one not be tempted’ Here are some tips to help you stay on track!

1. Have a Fitness Plan: Every Sunday I set down and schedule in my workouts and treat them like an appointment I can’t break. So. go ahead and grab your calendar and schedule in your workouts. Without this written commitment it’s a slippery slope to not working out until after the holidays are over. So set a plan and STICK with. Need someone to hold you accountable, give me a shoot me an email.
2. Moderation: You can have a small taste, without blowing it! Allow yourself to indulge a little here and there, but limit your portions. When you are out make smart decisions around where you will indulge and most importantly don’t feel guilty about it.
3. Do Something Active Each Day: Even if you only have 30 minutes, you can go for a walk, short run, or take a group fitness class, but make sure you move! This will help burn off some of those indulgences and help reduce some of that holiday stress. (more…)

As I train for the Miami half marathon a good friend of mine and an amazing marathon coach, John Furey has told me the secret to running an injury free marathon is cross training and intervals.

I know interval training has been around for awhile and people have been doing them, but are you really getting out of your comfort zone! Really pushing yourself to that 9-10, when you push yourself to the limit. So.. why do we do it.  Interval training helps:

• boost performance, by making the heart become more efficient at pumping blood
• helping increasing our tolerance for lactic acid burn
• we can increase our intensity in a short amount of time without risk of burning out or injury
• most importantly we BURN MORE FAT!!!!  You read correctly… We burn more fat!!!

So I have know this for years, but have I really pushed myself to the 9-10 zone!!! Honestly speaking I think I have been hanging out in the 7-8 zone. So I have been cheating myself of all of the benefits. Okay let me be honest the benefit I really want is FAT BURNING. Okay I’m training for a half marathon, I’d like to be able to be able to cross the finish line on my own 2 feet and not be dragging ass! So.. interval training will be my friend 2x/week until January 31st.
Now my interval will be a combination of cardio machines and metabolic circuits using only my bodyweight and light weights.  If you have bodyweight circuit that you would like to share tell me about it, just write below in the comments

So, my first week went well..and the second week is going well. I just need to complete my last long run 5 miles for the week.

Now you may want to know what one of my interval cycles looks like.

• 2 minute warm up
• 1 1/2 min sprint
• 30 sec rest
• 2 1/2 min sprint
• 1 1/2 min rest

Repeat 5 times (should take you 30 minutes.
This can easily be done on any piece of cardio equipment, I did this on an elliptical.

Now here’s the plan for my third week  — November 22.

Monday — intervals and strength
Tuesday — 3.5 miles
Wednesday — rest
Thursday — Turkey Trot (4miles)
Friday — rest
Saturday 6 miles