Gabbie is full of play and loves to talk, thus her name.  I love watching her and the fascination she has with what I would consider, relatively ordinary things (shoelaces, paper bags, birds chirping, toes’ under a blanket.)  Can you say AWESOME!  Being a personal trainer as well as someone that tries to be conscious of nutrition, she is also incredibly interesting to watch and an excellent teacher as far as her eating habits.  There are days when she is literally at the cat food bag and throwing herself at the food we put in her bowl.  However, there are days when it would appear she could care less that we put a gourmet meal of cat kibble with a little chicken on top.  Gabbie has provided me a great lesson about listening to my body at what it may need as opposed to listening to an unhealthy part of my mind that can be very misleading.

My eating habits were conditioned in the environment I grew up in as well as traumatic events.   For me, it was the emphasis on finishing what’s on my plate along with being made fun of for being overweight.  Even today, it’s such a challenge to leave food on my plate, even if I’m stuffed.  But also, when I look in the mirror and perceive my body not being up to snuff, it can be so tempting to do some drastic diet.  For too long, this was the vicious circle I lived and weight fluctuation was a norm.  There was a huge disconnect for me as far as really being in tune with this body and really listening to how much food it needed.  It was the unhealthy part of my mind that would all too often dictate my food choices and how much I would eat.

Fortunately, now, I enjoy healthy eating. (It wasn’t always that way, but that’s a blog for another day)  I love fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.  But, my issue today is still…  quantity. Ugghh.  I love to eat but I still have trouble discerning how much my body actually needs, because of my very loud “mind”.

Thank goodness I’ve had some tools in my life to use as re’body’ers as opposed as re’mind’ers.  I learned how many calories my body needs each day based on my size and activity level.  Reading labels, measuring my food, and writing things down have been so helpful and eye-opening as well.  I also  used program such as Weight Watchers that use point systems to make it easy to see how much I need to eat each day.

I’m proud of myself that I use these tools or what I like to call re’body’ers.  I hope that someday, I can be like Gabbie and be intuitively in touch with my body and listen to how much food it really needs.  Until then, I’m taking it one day at a time and one bite at a time.  I’ve got 22 more points to eat today and I can’t wait to savior each and every one of them.

To get in touch with your healthiest self, please call or e-mail for a free fitness assessment and one-hour personal training session.  It would be an honor to accompany you on your journey.

How often do we eat unconsciously?  My guess is more often than not.  I recall all the times in the past I’ve come home from a long day of work; tired, stressed, and possibly angry and it was food that would offer relief (though temporarily).  I would eat and eat, full but without satisfaction.  Thank goodness I learned healthier ways to relieve these stresses as opposed to continue with this binge eating behavior.  I realize as I write this that that change occurred when I got curious to why I was eating.  As soon as I asked the question the answer would reveal itself.  My challenge is to continue to ask the question on why I’m opening the fridge or pantry door.  Is it because I’m hungry or is it because I’m hurting?  I challenge you to ask yourself the same question and be curious to hear your response.

It makes sense to me.  I know how much I’ve appreciated those words of encouragement in my life, especially the words of somebody saying they believe in me and have gratitude and appreciation for who I am. I’ll be honest, I sometimes forget to believe in and have gratitude and appreciation for myself.  It’s then when I notice old mind tapes of fear and inferiority take over my thoughts.

As we take this journey to our healthiest selves, a place where we really like ourselves, it’s important to surround ourselves with those that can remind us just how wonderful we are.  Don’t get me wrong when I say this, I don’t mean surround ourselves with people who enable us, but those that truly care and genuinely want the best for us.

As you take your steps on this journey, please be sure to have your team of support in place.  A spouse, a parent, a teacher, a colleague, an author, a mentor, a child, a friend, a neighbor, whoever it might be that you can go to remind you just how wonderful you are.  Especially when you may forget and your head starts to droop, your pace and vitality for life slows down and you become disinterested in your surroundings.  Take those reminders, remember who you are and grab your leash; just like Ben.

My perspective changed quite a bit after that trip.  Living a balanced and healthy life, which includes exercise, is a means to experience the possibilities that life has to offer.  Whether it be: hiking the Grand Canyon, playing soccer at the park with your children, swimming with your grandchildren, bounding the steps at work, or taking a walk and experiencing a beautiful sunset, exercise is a means to experience life at its fullest.

So for those of us that equate the word exercise to a burden that we have to do, maybe we are missing out on something here.  Maybe exercise can be a bridge to help us further create or enhance our life and the experiences we have.  Rather than being a burden, it is an invitation to help us have more fullness in our life.  As I look back at my time in the Grand Canyon, I know that exercising allowed me to further live my life.

BF Challenge:  How would you answer the question: “Live to Exercise or Exercise to Live?” Please post your comments and the most insightful response will receive a FREE 30 minute workout with Bridge Fitness!!

Also, check out these 10 steps for balanced living by Dr. Roland Phillips from Desert Dove Health and Wellness Center in Chandler, Arizona.

A number of years ago I was introduced to the term “Kaizen”. Originally a business theory used in Japan after World War II, now can be used in our day to day lives to bring lasting improvements. The idea is to make small steps or changes to continual improvement. It’s a tremendously powerful philosophy that can be used to really bring some lasting changes to our lives. There is a tendency for most of us to get desired outcome quickly. “Lose 10 lbs in one week!” “Trim 3 inches from your waistline in 10 days!”  We’ve seen the commercials, we want the results, and then we end up doing some pretty drastic things to get there. Then after all that trouble, the 10 lbs and 3 inches come back, if not more!Why? Well, yes we do the drastic task to get the quick change, but after that we go back to the same lifestyle that gave us the 10 pounds and 3 inches to begin with.  Instead of a quick-fix, use kaizen to bring about some lasting, positive change in your life. Try this: Take a particular habit that may not be your healthiest habit and make a small, reasonable change to it.  My Achilles heel for the longest time was my night time snack of a bowl of ice cream.  I decided I was going to make a change (but something small that I could live with at the time) and instead of a full bowl, I had ¾ of a bowl of ice cream along with some frozen fruit. YES!! I made a healthy choice. Over time, that full bowl turned to ½ ice cream and 1/2 fruit, then 1/4 ice cream and 3/4 fruit, and within a few months the bowl was completely full of frozen blueberries and raspberries and get this, I enjoyed it.  So what kaizen can serve to remind all of us is that although incremental changes may be a bit slower, they actually stick and keep inspiring us to move forward on our journey to our healthiest selves!

BF Challenge:  What’s one habit you can begin to “kaizen”? Remember, one small and attainable change you can begin to make.

90% is pretty darn good! Heck I would have taken that grade throughout my educational career. I’d be considered smart, intelligent and many more opportunities would have presented themselves. The same goes in the daily decisions we make. We are human and will make mistakes, but what would our lives look like if 90% of the decisions we make came from our “healthiest self”.  So suppose you take the elevator at work every day, so maybe you pick one morning to use the elevator (like on a Friday) and those other days you put your stair climbing shoes on to get into your office. Or maybe you pack your lunch every day for your work week, but over two weeks one of those lunches is a big ole’ piece of Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. Remember, “90% IS PRETTY DARN GOOD!” Sometimes there is a tendency if we can’t get it perfect, then why bother. Have you ever set yourself with a goal to eat healthy for a week, then because you had the urge for chocolate cake and gave in, you completely shut down and discontinued with the original goal? Have you told yourself every day I’m going to work-out for at least 30 minutes? Well, on the third day something unexpected came up and you couldn’t do it. Before you know it, this missed workout turns into more missed workouts because of that one disappointment. We’re not designed to be perfect, so let’s give ourselves a break when we aren’t.

BF Challenge:  Try using the reminder “90% is pretty darn good!” the next time you’re not perfect.  See what new possibilities open up for you.

Being healthy and fit seems like such a simple concept, but oh what a challenge it can be. Being fit is something I’ve strove for as a young adult, but had the toughest time achieving because of a variety of obstacles. I really tried to be fit, I mean I would go out for a jog, but inevitably when I would get home I would go  to the corner convenience store and pick up a half a gallon of ice cream to celebrate my running achievement. I would go to the gym, really not knowing what do, watch what some of the “fit” people working out with the weights, and for quite awhile not even mustering the courage to get off the treadmill or elliptical in fear of embarrassing myself  on the “free weight” deck.  Gradually over time, my own health became a passion for me. I read numerous books on nutrition which really informed me of the importance of the food we put in our body. I started taking yoga and fitness classes at the park district. I learned a little bit more about effective exercise in the gym and started to apply it. And over the course of a few years, my lifestyle was changing and I was really becoming healthier.

All this while, I worked as a middle school math teacher, which I really loved. You may be shocked, but it wasn’t doing math all day that made teaching a wonderful career. It was the relationships with the kids that were developed as I tried to make math come alive. It was the excitement when a student got a concept, I mean really got it or when they would say, “I used to do really poorly in math before but I’m doing so well because you make it understandable and fun!” After thirteen years of teaching math, I decided to take a chance and pursue my two passions: being healthy along with teaching/inspiring.

I went back to school and pursued a degree of certification from a program nationally known for personal training.  I also volunteered my time for one of the best and most respected personal trainers in the nation who owned and operated her own studio locally in Illinois. I wanted to learn from the best and I loved every moment. As I started my new career in personal training, it turned out to be the best experience. The opportunity to work with others who want to be healthy and fit, but like me, a few years ago, weren’t sure the most effective way to go about it. There is no better feeling for me than helping others achieve goals that may have once been thought of as impossible. I know from my own experience, the obstacles that can get in the way, but most importantly, ways to overcome them. From this Bridge Fitness was born, as well as our motto – connecting you to your healthiest self.

BF Challenge:  What’s the new chapter you want to write in your life story?

Water  is essential for joint lubrication, nutrient flow to the tissues, lymphatic flow (keeping your body clean on the inside) – basically all of your bodily functions. If you’re low on water, you’re low on everything – so keep hydrated, keep cool, and keep healthy!

(Hint: If you can’t urinate right now, you’re likely dehydrated.  So drink some water!)