'The 12 Pounds of Christmas'

Merry Christmas Eve to all! 

I thought before my day went into full swing that I would sit down and blog for 10 minutes.  

Around this time of year I reminisce the past 12 months and contemplate the next.  The new year is upon us and that makes me very excited!  I am a person who loves newness (if that is not a word, it is now).  I love new calendars, new appointment books, new puppies! (although I doubt I will get another one next year..haha), new clients, new classes, new building for our studio, new, new, new!  I am not sure what it is about the 'new' but I have always found excitement and inspiration in new experience, fresh ideas and certain kinds of change.

I truly believe that one of the reasons my clients like coming to train with me is because there is always something new going on, whether it is a new class, a new exercise or a new program, I love keeping things interesting by constantly changing it up.

There also must be 'something' about the 'new' numbers I have been seeing on the scale this holiday season.  I won't say that I have been very excited about that particular 'new', but somehow I find that once again at the end of a year I have managed to find 10 pounds!  Isn't that wonderful? ... NOT.

I realize the title of my blog is not the '10 pounds of Christmas' but I figured '12' is way more in line with the parallel to the '12 days of Christmas' and I also figured that by Jan 1 that darn scale will most likely read '12' ahead of my sleek, toned, amazing post-Utah bod.  There will be cookies and wine and dinners and chocolate and more wine over the next 8 days... I am sure of it.  

So, at the end of the festivities, I will make my best attempt to put a smile on my face as I step off of that darn thing, write down the 'new' composition of myself, and move forward with the best intention into the new year of 2011, which I know has many wonderful things waiting for me to achieve and experience!

Have a fantastic holiday season, and the MORAL to this story is... in the ups and downs of life and weight we must be kind to ourselves and others, embrace our changes, revel in them, learn from them, and use them to make a better tomorrow for ourselves and the people who mean the most to us.  We've only got this one life...let's make it the best life!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Traci

Sending it out to the universe......................

my tip of the day (that I just have to get off of my chest :) )....


Be kind and be generous with your heart. Jealousy and a bitter and vindictive mind will only come back and bite you in the ass. It's called KARMA. Life is not worth wasting valuable energy on such feelings of ill intent. Ask yourself how you would feel if the object of these hurtful thoughts and actions were to fall upon tragic times. We are all good people by nature. Let it shine through and LET IT GO. It's never as bad as it seems only as bad as you make it so.

If you don't understand that, don't worry. If you do, hope some good positive energy from the universe finds its way back to you.

Until later....
Trace

Exciting News!

One of the reasons I have been SUCH a blogger-slacker lately is because of the energy I have been expending on my big news....

My business, Live Fit Training, will be merging with my bestest friend, Trish O'Neill to form INSPIRE FITNESS on 1/1/11.

If that is not exciting enough, we will have a new location in a commercial studio on Washington Ave in Endicott, NY!

We are so stoked! 

Also in the works is a brand new website, which I promise will be kept up to date on a regular basis.  A monthly newsletter.  A client of the month feature.  Many new and innovative classes Monday - Sunday.  And, we will work hard to give back not only to the immediate vicinity of our new stomping grounds but to Broome County in general through our communtiy efforts to help those in need.  It will become a very big part of our mission to spread our love of fitness and better health all around!

What can you do?  Spread the word!  Link up my blog and also become a fan of Inspire Fitness on Facebook.  I will be posted more information on our progress as it happens.

Looking forward to the New Year and a lot more blogging! 

Until then,
Traci

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