Client Testimonial: Thank you for teaching me balance

This week’s Fit Girl Magic podcast guest I speak with Kristi Bernstein, my very first ONLINE client!!  She was my client for over a decade, and she became a client because she is in the military, and she is required to weigh in two times a year.  To get ready for these weigh ins Kristi was doing it in an insane way. She was looking  to do this in a sane way. Kristi also happened to be the first person I worked with that didn’t have a competition goal. So, it was something new!  We had to work together to figure out how I could make this a lifestyle for her, a 360 from what she was used to.

What were the crazy things you did to hit your weigh-in before we started working together?
4-hour cardio sessions every day. I ate less than 800 calories a day. Not eating food groups and cutting them out for months at a time. Found this thing in Texas where you could do these full-body wraps and sweat! I did this a few times to take an extra inch or 2 off. I did saunas and wore sweatshirts and sweatpants to work out. Hot yoga and hot cardio before it was even a thing LOL! My husband called them the crazy years, and I just remember my energy levels and mood were NOT GREAT and it was just such an exhausting time in my life to sit and think about it!

Kristi came to me and said every April she had to get on a scale and get measured then it happened 6 months later, and this was a constant twice-a-year thing in her life. I asked her would she want to make this a lifestyle? Together we figured out how to take the crazy out of her weigh ins.

This meant we had to start by unlocking her diet behavior, so we weren’t always sprinting to the finish line every time. I treated her like a competitor. We started 3 months out.  We had to look at what was going on with her body and health at that time.  Sleep rhythms off because of the hours worked and being on call, etc.  PCOS, adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance, and other health things going on with her body as well during this time.

“I was not taking care of myself and it all added up to a perfect storm.”

I see this all the time!  Women with more than a 40-hour work week job. They may have kids. May have family members. May have moving parts in life. Sleep is decadent and they have a laundry list of reasons why they can’t sleep.  (A little reminder…. Sleep is so important. Sleep and mange stress!) So how do we just even Kristi out with all she was going through and putting her body through? This is what we worked on especially.

What were some of the results you think you had while working with me?
First of all,… I am so grateful for you… You are the reason I am still in the Coast Guard today!  The first thing I learned from working with you was Balance…. That is, I think what I saw the most.  Less is more when it came to workouts.  And more food can sometimes lead to doing less… imagine that!  You completely flipped the equation on me.

Consistency would be the second one. I still struggle with it  today, but balance and consistency would be how I would characterize all of your lessons weekly. Even when you were checking in with me, you would say “I KNOW I haven’t been consistent, but this is how I am going to get back!”  You taught me how to self-correct myself and this was huge!

If I had to mention the 3rd thing, it would be that you were ALWAYS straightforward.
I appreciated the radical candor. The last thing I think I needed was someone to draw it out, delay, and I appreciated your candor with what was going on and what you were seeing!  The purpose of this is to get better, know better and then do better.  I appreciated that!  I need people around me who are going to challenge my thinking and challenge the way of doing business and you provided that for me!

Besides Kristi being a great leader in the Coast Guard… she now does needlepoint! Her and her sister have started this Etsy business and she also started a YouTube channel too! Salty Stitcher Designs.  This has been a wonderful experience for her and a really amazing way to relieve stress in her life.  It’s more of a meditative craft that the military even uses to help with PTSD.  So be sure to check her out at the Salty Stitcher designs through the links below and connect with Kristi!

Kristi Bernstein is a member of the Coast Guard for 24 years. Currently working in Los Angeles at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles Long Beach as the Deputy Sector Commander. Creative small business owner and cross stitch designer: Salty Stitcher Designs.

LINKS

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/kimbarnesjeffersoncoach

Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website:
https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

Stress-Free Summer:
https://www.fitgirlmagic.com/stressfreesummer22_eb/

Kristi Bernstein Youtube:
https://youtube.com/c/SaltyStitcherDesigns

Kristi Bernstein LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-bernstein-9633b68

Salty Stitcher Designs Etsy:
https://etsy.me/2UozCDF

Kristi Bernstein Website:
www.saltystitcherdesigns.com