Exercise Morals
So I’ve now been witness to my first pyramid scheme.
I’ve been applying to jobs in Cali and I applied to a “Wellness Coach” position.
It sounded legitimate so I submitted my resume.
A day later I get an email about attending an informational meeting about the position. I emailed the woman right back saying that I couldn’t attend then because I wasn’t yet in Cali, but could I possibly attend one at a future date.
She then told me that I could watch the streaming video of the session.
I started watching the video and about two slides in realized what I had gotten myself into. About four slides in I saw visual evidence that what I had applied to was indeed a pyramid scheme.
At least I didn’t fall for it like Michael! I love The Office!
What got me thinking wasn’t so much the fact that I accidentally applied to a pyramid scheme, but that people actually roped people into SELLING junk like this.
When the woman who set me up with the video called after it was finished, she asked me if I had the three qualities to be successful.
I told her I did have those qualities. I then promptly told her thank you for the opportunity, but no thank you. I told her that my nutritional views are VERY different from what she is promoting.
Pyramid scheme or not, there was no way I could sell a product that I didn’t BELIEVE in!
For me health and fitness isn’t merely a job. It isn’t merely a way to make money.
It is a passion.
I want to EDUCATE. I want to EMPOWER. I want to help people GROW.
I don’t want to trick them into buying some junk just so I can make a few bucks!
Schemes like that are what dilute the health and fitness market and serve to confuse people about what is healthy.
Don’t fall for them. Don’t help promote them.
Don’t fall for the gimmicks.
Eat whole natural foods. Lift heavy weights. Sprint often.
Have you encountered gimmicks like that in your line of work? Would you sacrifice your beliefs to make money?
The good, the bad and the simply stupid
The Good
- I love the Olympics. I love the Olympic trials. They make me want to go and workout and be really really good at something!
- Ross the boss has been providing me with all sort of great inspirational photos recently. (Ross the boss is also known as Monkey Knuckles haha). She more than anyone should be proud of where she is today! Right before we went paddleboarding her father told her, “Remember you aren’t a jock like those other people.” Uhm sorry Ross the boss’ pops…BUT SHE IS! She’s a heavy lifting, paddleboarding, sprinting, rowing, rock climbing!?! JOCK! AND best of all…She’s lovin’ it!
- I LIKE IT! Active at 85!
- Great deadlift workout with some of my favorite lifting ladies! Both ladies set new lifting PRs! AMAZING!
Oh yea sweat and biceps! Beautiful! 🙂
- Also, I think I’ve mentioned this at least once before…I LOVE SUMMER! Fresh, local, delicious fruit!
The Bad
- I think is potentially my diet nightmare – “The Starch Solution.” I love how low-carb diets are called “fad diets” while this diet by Dr. McDougall’s isn’t considered a fad diet because it has helped thousands of people. Well, low carb diets have helped thousands of people too. And if you do the research, low-carb diets have been around for a lot longer AND helping people for a lot longer. So how are we defining fad diet here? Also this kind of sounds like a “fad diet” claim : “The Starch Solution is a groundbreaking program that will help you shed pounds, improve your health, save money, and change your life.” I am curious though what research studies this book is based on….I looked at the site but I didn’t find many studies. I found news articles, which seemed more promotional than informative. I also did find an article called “Posthumous Interview with Tim Russert.” Uhmmm….this is not PROOF that your diet is right!!!
The Simply Stupid
- OH MY GOSH! Did I really just see this!?! Diet tips from the Jersey Shore girls!?!
This isn’t really a good, bad or simply stupid thing. It is just an interesting article and the doctor cited in it was a member of the gym I work(ed) at. I especially like it because it isn’t against fat and it bashes the low-fat diet. Of course it isn’t flattering about low-carb diets either but I don’t think a Primal diet full of fruits, veggies and some non-gluten carbs would fall under what they define as a low-carb diet. Actually I wonder what their definition of “low-fat” and “low-carb” truly is…
Another random thought, do you ever see an infomercial for something and think, “That is super cool” and then right after think, “That can’t be healthy?” I saw a commercial for Slushy Magic and thought about just how amazing a slushy drink would taste during the warm summer months (or year around in sunny California!). I then thought, “But how can something that turns any liquid into slush in one minute be good for you?” I seriously wonder what is in those cubes that can turn any drink (or even yogurt) into slush in under a minute.
The Bosu – Overused, Overrated
So I think the bosu is a good piece of equipment for a handful of exercises, but I don’t think it should be used near as much as I see trainers all over using it. I don’t think every trainer under the sun should be using it with all of the clients especially their beginning exercisers.
The theory behind using the bosu is that it creates an unstable environment so that all of a person’s stabilizer muscles must activate while doing the exercise. It is supposed to engage and work your core more.
BLEH!
The bosu bothers me even more than seeing someone doing 1,000 crunches on the floor to get great abs…ok so maybe both bother me equally….
But still! There are so many better things you can do to work your core and stabilizer muscles than doing a bicep curl on a bosu!
Need an example? How about pull ups or chin ups…assisted or unassisted.
Pull ups and chin ups work your biceps and they work your core. PLUS they work your lats!
AND they are WAY MORE FUNCTIONAL than a dang bicep curl on a bosu.
Can I also just ask…how is a bicep curl on a bosu supposed to be more functional and better for a beginning exerciser than an assisted pull up?
Maybe it’s just me but doing most exercises on a bosu just seems more dangerous.
I mean why do a bodyweight squat on a bosu when you can work your legs harder and engage all your core stabilizer muscles by doing a front squat?
Why not do a one leg straight leg deadlift if you really want to work your balance?
Why use the bosu to create more instability?
How is that really better for a beginner exerciser? How is that really more functional?
Why do we always try to make diet and exercise more complicated than they have to be? Why can’t we just go back to basics?
Why can’t we just jump and squat and climb and lift heavy things? Why can’t we sprint and push things and play?
Stop over-complicating things! You want to gain functional strength and work your core, do movements that mimic stuff you do in everyday life.
Don’t waste your time balancing on a bosu!
Happy Fourth of July!
Sunshine, BBQ and some frozen berries and chocolate. What could be better?
Pork belly, pulled chicken, pulled pork, ribs and homemade Primal potato salad!
Oh and watermelon!!
Primal Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 oz Blue Cheese
2 Potatoes
4 slices of bacon
2 hardboiled eggs
1/2 tbsp of dill
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
Boil potatoes and cook the eggs.
Crisp bacon in pan.
Crumble bacon into bowl with extra bacon grease (yum! haha). Chop up hard-boiled eggs.
Peel the potatoes, dice and add to the eggs and bacon. Add in crumbled blue cheese, dill, cream, olive oil and mustard.
Mix well and refrigerate till chilled.
Happy 4th!
Training as Therapy
This post today comes about because I started thinking about how much I will miss my clients when I moved. I’ve seen my clients grow and become more empowered. I’ve seen them become stronger, fitter, healthier individuals.
I’ve seen my clients fall in love with lifting and believe more in themselves!
We’ve shared personal stories, hopes and fears. We’ve shared our insecurities about our bodies. We’ve overcome set backs and celebrated victories.
We’ve SHARED and GROWN together.
But anyway, the relationships I’ve had with my clients here in Boston just made me think about how much training can be therapy.
….
Working out is a chance for you to take some time out of the day and do something for yourself.
It is a chance for you to solely focus on yourself and let go of all of the stresses and responsibilities of the day.
It is a chance to be selfish! In a good way!
And women, who have the hardest time dedicating that hour to something exclusively for them, need it more than anything!
Many women DON’T take time out of the day for themselves. They work all day and then go home and cater to their families at night.
There is no “me” time.
And if you want to truly feel good, you need to take some “me” time!
For many of my clients, our hour together is about more than just exercise. It is about doing something for themselves.
And having someone there to guide them and socialize with makes that hour into even better therapy.
I don’t often recommend working with a personal trainer BUT I do think there are instances and circumstances where it can be one of the best and most rewarding investments out there.
As a personal trainer, I’m there to push you to stay committed and reach your goals. I’m there to help you become a healthier, fitter person. I’m there to help you become a happier, more empowered person.
I’m there FOR YOU and you alone.
Yes, my goal for that hour is to give you a great workout.
But more importantly, I’m there to get you to focus on you.
So please stop thinking of working out, with or without a trainer, as some frivolous luxury.
It isn’t.
Training is for your health both mental and physical.
Yes, working out is something you need to do FOR YOU.
But only when you take time out for yourself and make yourself happy can you be there to support everyone else!
So women, you may be the rock of your family, but you can’t be a rock forever if you don’t take care of yourself!
Cali here we come!?!
So on July 18th, Ryan and I will be making a cross-country move from Boston to sunny Southern California.
It’s a big risk – Â a big change.
And there have been lots of sad good-byes.
I’m a Midwest girl who came out to Boston for college and stayed. I’ve been out here for seven years and I’ve been at this gym for two of those years.
I have a solid life here. One that is hard to leave behind. One full of clients who I’ve helped become stronger, more empowered individuals and who’ve helped me grow as well.
One full of friends and comfortable places.
One really without much “risk.”
Stability.
How often do we sacrifice our dreams for stability?
Too often.
But I refuse to do that. And I think this change, this move, will force me to really take a risk and pursue my dreams.
Despite how hard it is to leave the stability, to leave all of my WONDERFUL/EXTRAORDINARY/BEAUTIFUL clients, I know this is a change that I need to help me grow as an individual – to allow me to further pursue my passion for health and fitness.
This change will be good…but I’m freaking nervous as hell. (Sorry for the curse word but well it’s true!)
I’m a planner.
And at this point…I really have no clear plan.
For probably the first time in my life, I have no clear direction. Just a passion that I’m planning to follow.
Could this turn out badly?
Yup.
But heck…at least I tried!
Have I mentioned before I love warm weather!?!
So no post today…
I was too busy working out, paddleboarding and eating delicious local seafood!
A big “Thank you” to Snay, Monkey Knuckles and Ryan for a PERFECTLY WONDERFUL day!!!
A no stress, active day in the sun with wonderful people.
Honestly, what could be better!?!
Sometimes I hate the grocery store
So Ryan and I pretty much only go to Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or The Meat House. We will soon be going to more farmer’s market, but that is tomorrow’s post.
There is, however, a Stop and Shop right by our house. We usually only go there when we want junk food for a cheat day or when we need more toilet paper, paper towels or some other non-food necessity.
But today we decided to stop there since we didn’t have any nitrite free bacon to cook our weekend potatoes in.
For one, the store only had one nitrite free bacon. AND it was WAY more expensive than the other bacon packages.
No wonder people think eating “healthy” is so expensive.
We then walked down a couple of other aisles.
Down one aisle were these “Honest Teas” which are supposed to have less sugar than the usual tea drinks out there. If 20g of sugar is “less” sugar per serving, I don’t want to know what the other tea drinks have!
Also, right next to these “healthy” tea drinks were 20 oz Red Bulls.
Let me just say, “OUR SOCIETY IS OVER CAFFEINATED!!!!”
A 20 oz Red Bull!?!
You shouldn’t even drink 1 oz of that crap!!!
Anyway, we then walked down the next aisle, which of course was overloaded with cereal advertising how healthy it is.
HA!
We of course then were more than ready to leave and didn’t even feel like looking around to see if there was anything else we needed.
On our way out, we ran into Smart Balance butter and marshmallows.
Conventional wisdom has you believing that these two foods are pretty good to consume. I mean marshmallows are fat-free and Smart Balance butter isn’t real butter and is infused with Omega-3s! Both are good things right!?!
AH! I looked at both of those products and just thought about how I couldn’t believe that I used to buy both on a regular basis!!!! I used to think they were both healthy enough!
AH!
With stores like Stop and Shop, where crap is everywhere and the good stuff is WAY more pricey than the bad stuff, no wonder people think eating well is expensive.
With aisles full of cereals that say they are healthy, no wonder people are so confused about what is good for them!
I mean shoot! People see fruit roll-ups in a commercial that tells them that fruit roll-ups are a fat-free food with vitamins and minerals. They then see that same claim on 100 billion products lining the shelves around them so of course believe it must be true!
No wonder people eat crap with stores like that!
Me after my Stop and Shop experience. Look my hair even went blonde it made me so crazy!
Defining Beauty
I’ve been watching the Olympic trials and I must admit that I’m impressed by all of the athletes’ bodies.
ESPN Magazine Body Issue
Their bodies aren’t beautiful by traditional standards necessarily.
But how can you say a body that can do such amazing athletic feats isn’t beautiful?
You can’t.
You can’t say that these bodies aren’t beautiful. All of these athletes are at the top of their sports because of their bodies. All of these athletes are healthy and can do what they LOVE because of their bodies.
A body that can accomplish things, to me, is way more beautiful than a body that is weak and frail and starved just to fit conventional wisdom’s standards!
Take Michael Phelps for example. I’m not saying he isn’t attractive but he definitely is no fitness model. BUT his body is perfectly designed to make him POSITIVELY AMAZING at swimming.
How can you say his body isn’t beautiful!?! He was at the top of his sport!
In my opinion, physical beauty isn’t defined by what percentage of body fat you have – it is defined by all of the wonderful things that your body can do!
And I’m not saying we can’t workout to “look good.”
But the thing that KEEPS us working out and eating well day in and day out, isn’t six-pack abs.
It is the knowledge that the workouts and healthy food we eat keep our bodies healthy enough to do all of the things we love!
So what really is beauty? Is it looking like the models in the magazine or having a body that allows you to do the activities you love even if your lats are too big or you don’t have six-pack abs?
Why wait?
So Ryan had this guy say to him the other day, “IÂ always suggest to my students to follow their dreams. So that is what I’m doing at age 58.”
My question is, “Why not follow your dreams now?”
Why say, “I’ll start losing weight tomorrow?”
Why say, “I’ll go to the gym to get stronger tomorrow.”
Why say, “I’ll start my own business/go on trip/do something I’ve always dreamed of doing TOMORROW.”
Why wait till tomorrow?!?!
Do it now!
There is no time like the present. Plus wouldn’t you feel worse if you never risked anything to follow your dreams?
I mean I would feel way worse never risking anything to follow my dreams than I would failing 100 times trying to achieve them.
So my question now is, “What are you waiting for!?!”
GO DO IT!
Man Bicep 