Inspiring Minds Want to Know!

Wow!  Have I slacked or what???

It has been way too long so I decided to give you a quick post as to what your trainer has been doing...

I've been pretty busy (hence, why no blogging... well ok, laziness played a teeny weeny part in that too).

We have a new puppy.  I'll share a pic.  Most of you already know Abbie Lynne.

But just in case... there she is...

Trish and I have been busy getting ready for our new business to open on 1/1/11 <--- how fricking cool is THAT date??  Inspire Fitness will be up and running the 1st of the year. 

I hope to be telling everyone really soon that the new business will also have a new pad.  We are very actively looking for a commercial location for our studio to accommodate our growth and facilitate more growth in the coming years.  We have big visions and lots of things to acccomplish. 

So, these are the things that have been getting in between me and my blog.  I will do better.

I just want to say (and hopefully some of you are the target of this statement)... I am so amazed by the enthusiasm and dedication of our clients and friends (that's kind of redundant as far as I am concerned).  Trish and I just want you to know that YOU INSPIRE US!  You are why we do what we do.  You are why we can call our JOB the best job in the world.  Really...truly...from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Until Later (hopefully sooner)

Trace

Ahhhh... The Joys of Life

Hello my fellow blog-followers!  So much has happened since we returned from Utah.

As far as I know, the Lucky Seven are all doing very well since we returned.  I believe that all of us have dropped more weight (I am down another 4 pounds as of last week) and we are adopting concepts and information that we have learned as a part of our daily lives.  One word... granola cereal!!

I believe that there are several reasons that I am continuing to lose weight without really giving it much effort.  I'll bullet point them below in a few minutes.

Before I get to that great info that will hopefully help each of you in your journey toward better health, I just want to take a few paragraphs to share some happenings in my life since I returned.

First, on a very sad note, my friend, Lynne, passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer and lung disease (from the chemo).  Lynne will continue to be an inspiration in my life.  She was a vibrant, driven, motivated, courageous and amazing woman.  I met her many years ago around the same time I met my bestest friend, Trish O'Neill. 

Lynne and Trish taught classes at American Fitness when I joined the gym at the 'height of my fat-assness' as I call it.  They were both a vital motivating force in my journey toward better health and fitness. 

Lynne was a crazy fitness guru and I adored her.  She challenged me to be better.  Over the course of the years of taking Trish and Lynne's classes, I got my ass in shape and decided to pursue fitness as a career.  And as Trish and I look toward the future of partnering in and growing a business in the fitness industry, our Lynne is gone. 

It reminds me that life is precious, that life is fragile, and even though we can do all the right things... it can be taken away without warning.  Awake to each day with a joy in your heart that no one can take away from you.  Celebrate breath.  Have Gratitude for all things that are a part of your life, however small or big.  And, even if you never knew Lynne, you know a small part of her now.  Let her amazing zest for life live on through each and every one of us. 

Some great news.  We are adding to our four-legged family!  Next month we will pick up our new German Shepard puppy.  We haven't entirely decided on her name yet, but Maggie will be getting a new little sister soon.  We thought long and hard about whether she should be an only child.  There were pros and cons in both directions, however, we have so much love to give.  I know Mags will make a great big sister!  I still think about how amazing it is that she is ours!  She went home with another family at 8 weeks old.  They returned her for reasons that had nothing to do with her, and we are so thankful that she basically fell into our laps!  She is the greatest dog ever.  We love her so much!

And, last but certainly not least, I am so grateful for my husband.  Frank and I have built a life over the past 12 years that is nothing less than a fairy tale set in reality.  We set our sights on a goal and we achieve it together.  Our relationship is rich with love, affection and mutual respect.  There is nothing more that I could ever ask for in my life.  There is not a material possesion that could possibly quantify the gratitude that I hold for having him in my life.  I thank God every day for this gift.

Off with the mushy stuff and on with those bullet points I promised y'all.

So, why am I not a freak about what goes in my stomach anymore?  Well, there are a few gimme's I took away from Utah.

• I am eating more carbs!  Holy crap, never in my life would I ever think that I would ever make that statement!  I started 'losing' weight back in the Atkins era of the late 90's.  Carbs were not my friend, and before going to Utah I was eating a clean diet with a percentage of about 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat.  When we got to Utah and I realized how many 'whole grain' carbs we were eating  (55-60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat) I was hesitant that I would actually lose weight in the week.  It only took a day and a half to realize that it was happening.  I can't remember the last time I consistently (or at all) ate cereal for breakfast.  It was always protein protein protein.  The fact of the matter is, and this is what I want you to take away from this bullet... our bodies prefer to burn clean, whole grain carbs as it's primary fuel!  I eat granola cereal every morning now!!!  I will post the recipe from Fitness Ridge soon, however,  I have made my own easy fix from 1 cup of whole grain kamut puffs and 1 cup of kashi go lean and 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk - sometimes I'll add a banana.  My breakfast is a 'whopping' 210 to 305 calories and I am full until lunch.
• Second, I eat WAY less!  My snacks used to be 200-300 calories.  Now I am happy with just an apple or peach or pear.  I also have cut out late night snack.
• Third (and most importantly for me), I have stopped obsessing about every calorie I consume.  Our dietician at Fitness Ridge reminded us that our bodies innately know what they need.  I have just been paying attention to hunger signs and fullness signs and for the most part I don't eat more than I need.  This particular eating method is known as 'intuitive eating'.
• And last, I made the conscious decision to stop beating myself up about my body.  It turns out that I think I am actually pretty darn good looking and in pretty darn good shape.  I did that!  All my hard work has gotten me from there to here.  Time to celebrate it, girlfriends! 

So, in closing, I hope you can take just one thing from this posting and make your life better.   Whether it is just celebrating the fact that you are alive and healthy or celebrating the continuing journey that you are on no matter where along that path you are.  Remember that we are all works in progress, and without change there is NO progress.  Embrace the human ability to adapt.  Love yourself a little more in this moment than you did the last.. in that, there is a lot to be learned.

Until later,
Trace

A Little Tongan Motivation, Fruit Hoarding, Movie Night "Fitness Ridge" Style & Graduation

Hi All!  This will be my last blog until I get home and can add some pics and give a little summarization of the entire trip.

Thursday we hiked  the 'Saddle', and it is very appropriately named as we climbed between two mountains in a place that resembled a horse saddle.  Giddy up, Cowgirls!

It was definately the best hike in terrain difficulty.  Pics are posted on FB, please be sure to check them out!  The hiking has been one of the most memorable parts of this trip.  Utah has beautiful mountain ranges and lots of sandstone.  I decided that I actually like hiking and am going to try and talk my wonderful hubby into a hiking trip next year with Trishy and Lisa!  I won't tell him that I am also going to invite their husbands... haha!

Today's hike was a flat trail that was 8.5 miles round trip.  6 of us ended up going.  Jenny and Joanna were on the waiting list, but they didn't tell us until 6:20 am that they actually booked another van for the wait list.  Joanna was staying at the Ridge to take a 2 1/2 hour Cardio Blast class.  Jenny had already taken off on her own hike.  Fortunately, we passed her and picked her up on the way! 

Lisa, Trish and I set the goal to do the whole thing in the 2 hour hike period.  We succeeded!  Our butts and legs were hurting but it was worth it.  The surroundings were gorgeous and we were actually able to take it all in because we didn't have to constantly look where our next footstep was going.

We are rounding out our trip here and ready to head back to Vegas tomorrow for one more night.  We are very excited for that and that we are going to be going home soon too.  All of us are starting to really miss our families and familiar surroundings.  It is amazing that some people here are here for 4-6 weeks at a time.  Amazing!

So, BLOG TOPIC today!  Thursday before we started our afternoon classes we were all pretty darn beat. We had circuit training as our first of 3 ass-kickings of the afternoon.  Joanna left the room a little early and moments later came pounding on the door... Felipe and Sione from 2 seasons ago Biggest Loser were here.  You remember those crazy Tonga guys that were really loud and crazy?  I was never a big fan because they were Jillian-haters.  However, we worked out right next to them and got a group picture taken!  They were actually very kind (and BIG, not fat, jusy BIG).  It was very motivating!  I think Fitness Ridge must have known we needed a little pick me up :)

Sometime yesterday in our room, Tina had a confession.  She told me that there must be something wrong with her because everytime she leaves the dining room, she wants to take a piece of fruit.  Not to eat, but just to stick (hoard) in the closet in case.  In case of what?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps Chef Cam might go on strike?  LOL.  Sorry Tina, I know I am picking on you but you are just so darn hysterical.  For those of you who don't know Tina, she has a very 'off the cuff' sense of humor and she makes us laugh so much.  Laughing, is after all, the best medicine.  Especially to get through this week.

Last night we decided we were going to stay up a little bit later so Tina went and rented, P.S. I Love You.  She went down to the desk to get the dvd and the girl said there was no charge for it.  So, because Tina is so thoughtful, she decided to bring the 3 of us a 'movie night treat' back... Yeeeeeeeeesss!  In the door she walks with.... (drum roll, please)... 3 bottles of Propel water in 3 different flavors!  Yippee!! No, seriously, we were so darn EXCITED!

It really has been a great adventure.  Besides our Test-out tomorrow (to see what we accomplished with weight loss, body fat and measurements), our journey here has ended.  It has been a successful, memorable and amazing week here for all of us.  We are sad to go, but ready to take on the next adventure in each of our lives, although, most parts are not together.  I am happy to say that I think I have grown closer to each and every one of "The Lucky Seven", and I look forward to continuing to build our friendships and our training relationships.  These women are very special.  Just a few special comments I would like to say to each of them. 

Lisa, you are still one of the biggest Rock Stars I have met, and I can't wait to train you a littler harder than I already do because I know you will let me and I know you will like it (I was just kidding about the spinning bike :) )

Joanna, I am glad that you had your 'Epiphany' moment today.  I hope that it fuels your fire and desire to continue this journey long after we leave here.  You know that I am here to kick your ass and motivate you whenever you need it.  Your challenges ahead ain't got NOTHING on you.  You can do it and you are WORTH it!

Jenny (Mama), you probably did more than any pregnant-with-twins person ever could do while you were here.  I know it was the journey you 'expected' but you made it a journey to be 'respected'.  You are an amazing person and a friend for life.  I would like to say I would baby-sit the twins, but you know that won't happen.  However, when they are like 10, I would gladly kick their butts in boot camp or if they are girls, when they are 5 (I start them young) I will take them on weekend shopping trips! 

Tina, Tina, Tina... not only are you intelligent and freakin' hilarious at the same time, you also are a hard worker.  I saw you push your limits this trip, and I'm happy to say that I can't wait until your achilles feels better so I can really start kicking your ass in small group sessions and boot camp!  And, as Life-Coach-Jen says, when you are really having a bad day resisting all that garbage out there, just eat 3 pieces of fruit instead of just one!  I know that you will continue your closet stash at home :)  Just remember though that fruit in the dark may ripen faster than out on your kitchen counter.  So, maybe it's time for the fruit to come out of the closet...

Shawn, you IMPRESS me, girlfriend!  You KICKED ASS here!!!  I'll never forget our Stop-Sign hike.  Every second of the way, I knew you would be able to do it, and at some point along the way, you had that breakthrough moment and realized that YOU could do it.  So So So proud and honored to have shared in this journey with you.  I hope that you will consider letting me kick your butt a little more than I already do in the near future, because I will be soooooo happy to help you get stronger and stronger.

Trishy,  I love you soooo much, Sister.  I know we didn't room together this trip and I missed you that way, but always seeing your smiling face made so much of this easier.  The first time we did Mountain (on Monday) and we were on that 12th level increase, I didn't think I could finish because I had bumped up my running speed WAAAYYYYY to soon.... Miley Cyrus' The Climb (remixed of course) came on the ipod play list and it gave me the inspiration and motivation I needed to make it through those last 3 minutes.  I was thinking of you and what you mean to my life during those 3 minutes.  After all you have been through in the past year and a half, there was absolutely nothing in that 3 minutes that was too big for me at that moment.  I thought I was gonna puke and poop my pants, I did neither and I think I finished at 8.5 or 9.0 mph sprint over the last 30 seconds.  So, thank you for that.  Everybody else, sorry about that puke/poop comment, but it had to be said.  LOL.

Anyway, I have a massage in 5 minutes.  I will make this short (Haha), well the rest of it anyway.

The Lucky Seven...signing off...
We did:
Give Everything We Had!!!

Love you guys!
Trace

"I'm Just Trying to Live!" ~ Tina Fernandez

Today was a great day!  Yes, we are beat AND sore, but we had a fantastic day with lots of exercise and nutrition education.

Be sure to check out our hike pictures from this morning's trek up Camelback.  This one was a lot different than the previous hikes.  On the way up we practically scaled sandstone rocks like Spiderman.  It was pretty amazing.  We had to first traverse a "craggy" trail of rocks and sand that led to the base of Camelback Mountain.  It was actually pretty dangerous in retrospect.  One of our guides, Kendall, took a spill.  He was very lucky not to bust a knee.  This hike was a heart rate monitor freak's (that would be me) dream!  So we start scaling this sandstone rock that is basically at a 65-80 degree angle in most places.  The coolest thing about it is that it is 'sand'stone and our shoes basically adhered to its' surface.  So, we were all spider-women scaling the sandstone wall.  When we were at the bottom looking up, I turned to Zach, our other awesome guide, and said, "so how the heck are we climbing it, where's the trail" and he said, "we are going up this way".  I thought he lost his marbles, but soon I was rock climbing.  It was awesome!

So, not too far into the 'scaling' of the mountain, (by the way, we are the first group in 6 months they would take up this way because of its' level of difficulty), we were talking about how much the climbing was increasing our heart rate, and Zach said, "I am trying to get a good workout", and without a mis-step, our Tina says, "I'm just trying to live!"  It was hysterical.  One of many moments that have got us laughing like crazy on this trip. 

The rest of the way up was just as hard.  I have a slight fear of heights (when the edge is close), so there were a few points that I just didn't know if I could turn around.  The scariest part for me is when we climbed up onto the highest point on the rock that is in the FB pic.  There was not so much surface area for the 6 or 7 of us up there, but I did it anyway!  It was so amazing and once again, empowering.

Standing at the bottom of the mountain, looking up, my thought was, 'well isn't that interesting, he thinks we are going to climb up THAT?"  For a second thinking to myself, he must have overestimated our fitness level, but each one of us made it all the way to the top.  Once again... SO Proud!  Love these girls!

So we did our treading class at 4:30 today.  It was freakin' AWESOME.  Oh, yeah, and it was freakin' AWESOME!!!.  You can choose a treadmill, elliptical or bike to do this class.  I originally picked the treadmill so I could kill it again, but then, our buddy, Kevin, and his wife, Candace start pulling in SPIN BIKES from the aerobics room.  I yell, "I am soooo IN!!".  So, me, Trish, Kevin, Lisa and Tina hopped on the spinning bikes for this experience that we had 'somewhat' of an idea of what it was, but NOT REALLY.

Treading goes like this-
You go ALL OUT (and I am not kidding, these trainers expect and follow through, with all-the-freakin-out) for the following intervals:

5 minutes all-out/5 minute recovery
4 min all-out/4 min recovery
3 min all-out/3min recovery
2 min all-out/2 min recovery
1 min all-out/1 min recovery
...
oh... and then our lovely trainer, Sharon (me and Tina want to take her home with us), gave us a surprise bonus at the end...
1 more all out for 1:45.

We rocked those spinning bikes!  So, my indoor cycling crazies???.... look for a treading class addition to the schedule, real soon...

Last but not least, I wanted to mention another breakthrough today... Joanna ROCKED the elliptical during Treading!!  She was literally sweating her butt off and giving 100% like I've never seen before.  Sharon even stopped at our table at dinner and told her how proud of her she was.  Really cool stuff.

Only 1 and 1/2 days left of workouts (however, I will probably do my own LAST CHANCE workout Saturday afternoon before dinner), and I have ENERGIZER BUNNY energy.  They said Thursday was a day of high energy and they didn't lie. 

We are all having a great time and enjoying this experience.  I am taking a lot away from this, not only for myself but also for my business.  I love what I do, and I love my clients.  I thank you for your confidence and loyalty.  I look forward to paying it forward.

Have a great night...
Trace

Day 3 Completed! It was a tough one!

All I can say is WOW!  Today was a strenuous day!  We all made it however.  I posted some pics from our hike this morning on FB.  Hopefully everyone can see it there.  Please friend me if you haven't already. 

We started out our day again at 6:30 am.  Our hike today was called 'Stop Sign'. It was an 8.6 mile hike that was 4.3 miles uphill to a stop sign at the top.  We climbed over 1000 ft!  Shawn and I buddied up and she was a Rock Star!  She pushed it into high gear with the last 100 yds to go, and wow did we feel amazing when we made it!  Tina was the other Rock Star, I made her run the last 100 yds.. haha... sorry Tina!  But, wasn't it WORTH IT!!  Trish and Lisa, oh yes, they were Rock Stars too!  We accomplished quite the feat today.  Joanna and Jenny did self-guided hikes in the vicinity of Fitness Ridge to accommodate their physical challenges.  Both said they had great hikes!  Go Ladies!!

I tell ya, we are strong.  We are determined.  And, we are pushing forward...

After our 8.6 mile hike, we had breakfast and a lecture.  After lecture there was Circuit Training or Deep End Suspension.  The majority of us headed to circuit and Joanna headed to the pool for the awful DES class!  That was my least favorite so far, primarily, because I just sink... haha!  I think I am the 'entertainment' for the other guests during pool activities :)

After our morning workout we had lunch and another lecture.  (By the way, the lectures are all on nutrition and emotions/behavior having to do with food.  They are very beneficial and make a ton of sense.  For me it has solidified my confidence in what I already do for a healthy eating lifestyle, however, I am feeling like I may want to use a cookbook from here to make things a little more interesting.)... Anyway, after that lecture we had our 3 afternoon ass-kickings: Kickboxing, Mountain (Again!), and H20 Circuit.  After the first two I would have to say, I was happy to end in the pool today. 

Here I am again, it is 7:30pm.  I am literally whooped.  I will have to fight to stay up until 9 pm so I don't wake up at 2 am tomorrow.  Hopefully a little reading and relaxing.

Most of us are really sore.  No surprise really, given that we are exercising about 7 - 7 1/2 hours a day.  For me it feels great.  I know others are feeling this kind of pain for the first time in their lives, but they are being troopers.  I am so proud of them as their friend and trainer to see them pushing their limits and learning how to live a healthier lifestyle or to learn something new to add to the one they already lead. 

We all look forward to tomorrow.   We are over the hump, only 2 1/2 days to go (Saturday workouts are over at noon).  I personally am very excited about tomorrow's Treading Class.  I will tell you what it was and how it went tomorrow night.  So,be sure to check back!!

We are all learning about balance here with our eating lifestyle too.  I have already noticed a change in how we are collectively thinking about food. On Sunday when we got here, we ate our first dinner, which was really good but we were starving because we missed lunch, and we were already discussing where we were going to go to dinner in Vegas on our last night to indulge after being 'deprived' on 1200 calories a day, no alcohol and no caffeine.

But as the week has progressed, on multiple occasions, we have reconsidered all the hard work we are putting in, what we are learning, how awesome and satisfying this food really is!  Subsequently, I don't think any of us want to go out and over-indulge in Sin City.  Another empowering collective feeling that I am proud to be a part of.

Before I go, I have to say I am starting to miss home.  I talked to Frank tonight on speaker phone and he said Maggie was looking for me when she heard my voice.  I miss my family.  But, I also know that I came here to accomplish goals.  I KNOW that I CAN.  And, I am WORTH it!

Until Later...
Trace

YOU are the Only One Who Can Stand In Your Way.

Hello there my fellow blog-followers!  It is 8:30 pm Utah time on our 3rd day(technically 2nd day of ass-kickings) day.  Our structured day ended at 7pm after our evening lecture.  I just finished with an 80 minute massage, which feels amazing right now, however, I am wondering what the effects will be on top of my already-sorer-than-sore state. 

I wanted to take a few moments to share some of my experiences with you up to date.  I have kind of recovered from the shock of not being able to post pictures/videos.  Thank goodness because you guys know what a freak I can be if things don't go according to plan.  As my good friend, Tony, always says, "don't &%*# with the program".

Anyway, during my most amazing massage EVER, I was thinking about what has happened to all of us up until this point.  I can't speak for each of the 7 of us, but I can speak for myself.  Each of us is here for a different and valid reason.  My reason for being here is to see what I am made of.  How much can I do?  How far can I push into that uncomfortable place.  A couple of us have been near tears during certain parts of our workouts, and a couple of us have hit a challenge or two.  I still believe that we are all very glad that we made the decision to come here.

There was a slight disappointment I felt when I realized that the 'pushing' we experience, is really up to us. 

The trainers and staff will give you exactly what you ask for and the way you 'ask' is to work your butt off.  I don't see them getting on anyone who is not giving 100%.  But, I do notice if you are giving 100%, then they are more than happy to get in your face and push you to your limits.  This has already happened to me 2 times in the past 2 days, all on that damn treadmill.  Today, in Cardio Intervals, I maxed out at 11.7 mph for my last 17 seconds of a 1 minute sprint.  I say 17 seconds because I couldn't last that last 3 seconds, seriously, could NOT last.  I have never run that fast before in my life.  I didn't know I was actually capable.  But, here I have chosen to give at least 100% and let them inspire me to push to that place I have never gone before.  It empowered me.  I also believe it empowered Trish and Lisa!  After completing my first of 2 sets of sprints at a max of 11 mph, I talked them into trying the 1 minute sprint going from 8 mph in first 30 sec to 10 mph for the last 30 sec.  As we were all catching our breaths, I believe I heard surprise and delight from both of them that they could run that fast!  AND, I know that tomorrow they will go faster!  Yay! Go Ladies!

Another class yesterday, appropriately called Mountain, I had a similar experience but over a longer period of time.  Basically you add a level/speed/incline every 3 minutes for 30 minutes.  By the time I was at our 5th change of 10 I was already close to the top of my Zone 3 (very challenging,uncomfortable,race pace).  The next place you can go from Z3 is Z4 which goes into your anaerobic zone.  The last 6 minutes of that class was hell for me and Tina, but we accomplished something that we never thought we could.  I think Tina may have been a little bit inspired to push herself as she watched my heart rate climb over 170 for those last 6 minutes.  She was running her butt off!  Great job, Tina! 

To thread in the blog topic, what I really want to stress is that we can do so much more than we think we can. 

Yes it is painful.  I have never been more sore in my entire life.  But, I KNOW I can do it, and I KNOW I am worth it.  All the trainers here have this way of convincing you, if you are open to it, to push beyond your limits.  Yesterday, during Mountain, Tiffany (you think I am tough, Ha!, wish you could meet Tiffany), says to our group, "Don't be the ONE thing that stands in your OWN way!"  There are a lot of life situations that we can crossover with that one. 

We are all amazing in our own right.  We have to believe in ourselves... ONE - that we CAN do it!... and TWO - that we are WORTH the effort.

Until Later,
Trace

The First Test...

Ok.  So, I am being tested right now.  I don't believe I will be able to load any more pics onto my computer because, once again, my charger is not charging my laptop.  I think it is a problem with where the charger connects into the computer.  Whichever it is, my computer is going to go dead soon. :(

I will post pics on Facebook, so if you are not a facebook friend with me, look me up (Traci Meier) and friend me to get the pics and status updates. 

I will try and do the blog each day from the business center at Fitness Ridge.

I am very bummed because this is so easy and convenient for pics and videos but I will live.

Talk to you soon!
Traci