The Day I Lost My Mother

A friend of mine once said, “If there was a day to have a return ticket from Heaven, Mother’s Day would be that day.”

I think about this offering every single Mother’s Day.  I lost my Mother in 2017 almost unexpectedly.  After lung cancer went to her brain and spinal cord, I received the call, “the family needs to come here quickly.”

We spoke openly about death as it was nothing to be afraid of because we both believe in guardian angels.  I knew this day was coming, I just didn’t know when and how it would happen.  

It was after her death that my world came crashing down.  My dad was still alive and in shock.  My Mother’s business was still running and we all found ourselves in the business of her business.  

Personally, I was a mess.  The nightmares started, I began walking in my sleep.  I fell into a depressed state, although I was still functioning.  

Then I started to mentally beat myself up with statements such as “My Mother didn’t raise me to act like this.”  This was beyond a void, this felt like part of my soul had been ripped from me.

It wasn’t until I found meditation as a practice that I fully resolved my inner thoughts.  Meditation allowed my brain to be quiet and guided me to accept that my Mother and I did not fear this process.  I only feared what it meant.

I could no longer verbally and physically be with her, but spiritually, she is always available.  I had to be open to this. I had to accept that our relationship would change from physical to spiritual.  We always talked about this, it was a matter of being open to it.

Her and I have incredible intuition, but I never conceptualized the day where this would be the ONLY way to feel her again.  And that’s what I wanted.  I didn’t need a conversation, I just needed to feel her.  

This is when meditation started to make sense.  In my daily life, I am running a thousand different thoughts at one time.  Mediation helped to slow the process, to feel inward and connect with my only communication channel to her.  My soul.

As I took that step back, I came closer to my Mother.

Need more protein?

Getting enough protein is essential when building muscle and staying full longer. The best combination for any snack or meal would be mainly protein, whole grain or vegetable sources of carbs, with a fat that provides clean energy.

You will stay fuller longer if you add protein into the mix, but many times, we often grab snacks that are only carb and fat based.

While I don’t believe you should use protein shakes to get in a post workout meal (that can be done through an actual snack or meal) what protein shakes can be good for is to consume when your other options are sub par.

Many will consume them in replacement for breakfast because the alternative would be to skip that meal.

If you are ever needing to get in some extra protein, you can use shakes as a replacement. You can also use them when the alternative would be skipping a meal or reaching for something out of a vending machine.

I highly recommend Vega brand. They have several different options, but a lower calorie, high protein option would be this one:

Life as a personal trainer

When I was 18 years old, my mom developed type 2 diabetes. I made it my mission to help her. I became a personal trainer and nutritionist, and while this has never been a full time career for me, it gave me the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to help others.

Personal trainers, like any teacher, will have a passion for helping others. It’s not a glamourous job, so don’t believe what you see on Instagram. BUT…

It’s position that offers rewards. You are rewarded with smiles, laughter even, and if you are a good enough trainer, you will hear stories about how your clients prevented a fall because of your exercises featuring balance work. Maybe they prepped for a wedding and felt confident in that dress, maybe they improved their golf game, or even needed some help coming back from an injury.

I smile when my clients do, and I am at my happiest when I can help them achieve a goal, no matter how big or small. Giving them confidence and educating them is my reward.

My travel gym

When I don’t have access to my free weights and treadmill, I will always use resistance bands because they compact well and aide in resistance training. I like to do a mix of cardio and resistance, and this routine is my top recommended method for my clients.

We can always find areas to walk. I count steps per day over minutes per workout. I will spread my steps/walks throughout the day in order to remain as active as possible.

I also have to consider my resistance training. Push ups and planks are fantastic body weight workouts to do when equipment is limited. But resistance bands can add intensity to lower body workouts when body weight doesn’t feel enough for your typical workout.

Add a band to your bridge raise, squat walks, and donkey kicks for a quick and effective resistance level workout. Here is what I have and recommend to clients to have with them if they don’t have access to their gym or home equipment.

To make sure you don’t end up in the drive through…

One of my clients’ mistakes is when they don’t have options available to them that support their goals. Many will end up in the drive through, skip a meal (only to over eat later), or start endless snacking.

The best way to combat this problem is to make sure you are prepared and meal prepping will help.

Here are some tips:

  1. Have a basic outline of your daily/weekly schedule (when will you be home/not at home).
  2. Plan your meal prep around that schedule to make sure you have something available to bring with you/keep at home.
  3. Buy a scale and pre-measure your portions.
  4. Have containers available to you to grab and go.

Using a scale will make sure your portions remain within your calorie needs for the days. Measure your snacks (you are consuming more than you think) and meal portions out, and then use a food journal tracker to see how many calories you are consuming. This will also help you learn what a true portion is so that when without the scale, you can eyeball your correct portion size.

Food prep containers are also important. When you prep for your day, make sure you keep your containers in the fridge for easy grab and go. You can also store pre-portioned snacks in these containers to ensure you are not eating from the bag or box, which leads to over eating.

Planning, prepping, and having meals and snacks available are keys to sticking with your goals. With practice, meal prepping will not only save time, it will also keep you prepared so you don’t end up making mistakes with attaining your goals.

The Best Workout Pant

As a fitness professional, I have tried many different products that offer convenience for those who need help building a workout routine that works for them.

I believe in keeping things simple with everything, and when you are building your health routine, the less complicated, the better. It means you will be more committed to the process if it works for your lifestyle.

Baleaf has been my go-to brand because of comfort, durability with multiple washings and consistency through the brand items. These leggings with pockets have been the best and most recommended with my clients.

Visceral fat

This picture shows a 250 pound woman on the left, and a 120 pound woman on the right. You can see weight gain on the outside, but you can’t see what the inside of the body looks like.

If you look closely at the image on the left, you can see fat encasing the organs. Do you notice the fat around the heart and brain? The compression around the stomach and internal organs?

Visceral fat is a type of body fat that’s stored within the abdominal cavity. It’s located near several vital organs, including the liver, stomach, intestines and heart. It can also build up in the arteries.

Losing weight isn’t about having a “bikini body.” Even a small reduction in weight can mean big health benefits.

No longer hungry

Imagine if I said to lose weight, all you would need to focus on is to eat less at each meal.

It could be that simple.

It’s easy to over complicate things like nutrition and exercise. Sometimes the science behind it all is complicated.

Sometimes finding the motivation to stay on track is the most complicated part.

But what about just finding a simplistic way to start. An easier way than ripping the bandaid off.

What if I said I can handle all the complicated stuff and give you a simplified way of doing it?

What if I said, “eat each meal/snack until you are not longer hungry…instead of until you get full?”

Simple things like that, can make a huge difference.

Mindset

When you think about health and fitness, most time the following comes to mind:

🔔 I have to workout

🔔 I have to eat less/better

🔔 I have to create time to do this

🔔 I have to find a program

Those are the mechanics of losing weight.

I focus on the mindset of losing weight, so these factors come to mind:

🔔 WHY I want to be healthier

🔔 WHY I’m not right now

🔔 WHY health and fitness is important

🔔 WHY and HOW to make a lifestyle change

In order to make health and fitness a lifestyle and not just a program or diet you are on, you must develop the mindset associated with focusing on you.

YOU are important. But you must also develop the mindset and mechanical habits for a lifelong, healthy lifestyle.

It’s not a program…it’s a mindset.

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