Perspective

Welcome back! or welcome! I haven't written here in a good year. Mainly because I have been using other platforms like Facebook and Instagram to share my thoughts. But as this year of 2020 continues to unfold, I feel like I want to write. I want this year documented and I might be a little late starting in June, but better to start than to wish I had.

With the current events going on in this world, I scroll through my social media amazed at the anger and negativity coming from so many. I understand peoples worlds have been rocked and nobody seems to know up from down. People keep speaking about finding a new norm, but nobody can really seem to find what that actually means anymore. But I feel like I have some insight worth sharing.

I titled this blog post PERSPECTIVE because I feel like so many people are coming from their own perspective, and just yelling louder so they can be heard. It's like if you or someone has ever tried to speak to someone who doesn't speak your language, you end up yelling louder and louder trying to get them to understand you. But it's not your volume, they can HEAR you, but they can't understand you. It's a language barrier, NOT a volume issue. That's how I feel like everyone in society is currently acting right now. People just keep yelling and trying to get other people to understand THEIR point of view, they HEAR you, but it's like another language to them. There's a complete disconnect.

So here we all sit, all in our own corner mad because this or that person doesn't agree with us or our beliefs. We just keep shouting thinking the louder we shout, people will join our side. That is actually false. I remember being a little girl and yelling at my mother and she would say,

"until you can bring your tone of voice down and talk to me like an adult, I'm not going to listen to you."

And my mother would continue on about what she was doing and ignore until I changed my tone of voice and attitude. Why as adults are we throwing a temper tantrum for someone not doing what we want? That is selfish of us. We wouldn't let our kids act like so many of us are currently...

As I was thinking about this walking into my home this morning, I opened up my door and this horrible smell hit me in the face. 

"OH MYYYY GOODNESS!" I thought to myself, if the trash smelled this bad, why didn't I notice it before when I was walking out?

Well the reason is because it took me stepping outside my home and coming back in to realize that

something in my trash smelled horrible and I needed to take the trash out. And as I took my trash out to the dumpster, I realized that I probably wouldn't have noticed the smell was that bad because I was use to it. It didn't just go bad instantly, it slowly got that way and I was used to it.

It hit me in that moment, that people who are so angry and mad about the protests and don't believe that racism still exists are the same people who have never had another perspective. If and when we live in our perfect little white bubble, we don't understand what others go through. Some of us shouting racism doesn't exist, are the same people who don't have multiracial friends or family. Those who are shouting racism doesn't exist, don't have a black son or daughter. Those who are shouting racism doesn't exist have never been denied a job because of the color of their skin. Those who are shouting racism doesn't exist haven't been followed in a store because of their skin color.

Honestly, I could go on and on. But for those of us with White Privilege, we cannot say something

doesn't exist. That's like saying the wind does't exist because you've never seen it... yet, have you felt it?

I'm not here to cause a great debate, but as I've read many posts, articles, and have listened to Blacks speak of injustice, I know it exists. Heck, pick up a book about racial injustice. And all I ask is for you to look at it from another perspective than your own white lenses. I still to this day will say the best thing I ever did was to work a couple summers with World Impact. I remember so many lessons learned about injustice and my heart broke. I remember being the only white person in the store, gas station, or on the block. I remember being asked by other white people if I was scared to be where I was and I always thought that was the weirdest question. I never once felt in danger and so I ask you, what is your perspective? Who do you unknowing view as a threat? Where have you stepped outside of your own white privilege to learn or grow not only from the Black culture, but other cultures in general. I will say being a personal trainer has given me the opportunity to work with so many people of different cultures. Having tough conversations and hearing about injustice others face is UNCOMFORTABLE, but if you aren't willing to LISTEN, how will you know? How will you see things from another perspective?

Just like my trash smelling and me taking it out, I wouldn't have taken it out if I hadn't stepped outside and back it. I feel like with all that going on in the world, maybe the best fix is stepping out and step back in so we can see things from another perspective. 

And no, this post is not saying police lives don't matter. Please don't miss the point of the thoughts shared above.

PS. Check out World Impact or other organizations that will give you the opportunity to serve others, learn and grow outside of your own perspective. https://worldimpact.org/

Relationships

I find so many parallelisms in my relationship with Christ and my relationship with fitness.

Couple things I've found out as I've gotten older:

1. Your faith doesn't become YOUR OWN until you OWN that RELATIONSHIP and put in the work for it. Reading the bible, praying, serving, loving others, baptism, church... not rules or regulations, but something you do to learn more about Christ and grow deeper in relationship with him.

2. Your health and wellness doesn't become YOURS until you OWN that relationship and put in the work for it. Grocery shopping, filling your cart with wholesome foods, working out, being around positive people who support your goals, and drinking your water.

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

I was raised in the church. The hard headed me fought this tooth & nail in my teenage years. My parents required my brother and I to attend church and Wed night youth group. There was no budging them on that. I went & thankful for my youth pastor and his wife at the time who made it enjoyable when I was rebellious and didn't want to go.

 

But to be HONEST, your faith doesn't become your own until you OWN it. When my cousin Alex was killed in a car accident, I was a mess. Seeing my family grieve in a variety of ways made me sick to my stomach. I'm a "fixer" and "helper" by nature. But this was something I couldn't fix. Being mad at God was an understatement, and it's taken me 10 years to actually enjoy going back home to see my family. Not because I didn't want to see them. But because of the ill feeling of the memories "going home" brought me. It was easier to be away.

In the last 3 years I've made my way back to a stronger relationship with Christ. I've healed from being angry at God. And I've returned to church. I actually go to church by myself. And no it doesn't bother me. My parents raised me in the church I make the choice to go each Sunday because I realize it's not about me. Life is about serving. Service to others. And loving others through a relationship with them.

And fitness. Sure I once was 230 lbs, but that was self inflicted to be honest. I was my worst enemy. I chose to turn to food as an outlet to deal with my anxiety and stress and pain. But you know what? I can remember my mom demonstrating healthy habits. We always had a garden thanks to my dad. My mom always served fresh fruit and vegetables at each meal. And I remember my mom always going on walks or doing fitness tapes and DVDs. In high school, I don't know how many "walks" my mom and I went on just so I could vent to her. So now that fitness is apart of my adult life, I can say thank you to my parents for encouraging me to be healthy. I went astray on my own, but I returned to the positive relationship they taught me to have with myself. My parents never once condemned me, told me I was fat or overweight. But always encouraged me to be healthy. And for that, I love myself better every single day.

Funny how things come full circle as we grow up. The things like health physically and spiritually was important to them and they are important to me now. I consider the things they taught me then are what I now consider non-negotiables.

So with that...

I've heard people say I don't go to church because hypocrites are there. Well do you skip the gym or workouts because everyone there is already perfect? No. Everyone at the gym and church are far from having it together. Both church and gym are full of broken people working on becoming better versions of themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Let this be encouragement for you parents out there. No I don't have children, but I was once the stubborn hardheaded kid. Teach them. Pray over them. And trust the process of God having a plan for them. God's plan is always better than the ones we have. Trust in that.

Greatness

Since I've been MIA on my blog, I figured I need to bring it back and do a better job at keeping this up. I originally started my blog as my outlet for my fitness journey. However, I've transitioned my hobby into my career and where does one go after they've lost their weight?

For me I find myself asking what's next? Where does one go after losing a bunch of weight? It's like you have a completely different identity. Some people don't even recognize you and you may not even recognize yourself. So this whole question of identity consumes me. 

Who is ALISON?
Trainer
Chick who lost weight
Gym Rat
Fit Chick
Obsessed Person
Person who doesn't eat carbs (that's not true) :)
Woman who lives in exercise clothes
Shoe lover (I've always loved shoes though!)
Fitness Guru
Nutrition Educator
Bad Ass

This is just a list of terms I've been called on social media or to my face. I'm sure if I put a poll out there, I would get tons of responses of how people perceive me.
But really, who AM I? Who do I want to be perceived as? 

So a few weeks ago in church I heard the Worship Leader say something along the lines of;
"How can you achieve Greatness without the GREAT ONE as #1?"
I wrote that down because it struct a cord in my heart. To be honest, with all these titles or peoples perception of me... How many times can I say I identified as a follower of Christ? I truly cannot accomplish ANYTHING without Him. Yet, so many times I try to accomplish greatness WITHOUT Him. I try to do this and that on my own power and strength, but then get frustrated when things don't workout. But I truly have to ask myself, "Am I trying to Achieve Greatness without the GREAT ONE?"

So as the pastor discussed being STRONG in different ways through different SEASONS, I have to take a step back. IT'S AUGUST... we have TWO seasons left in 2018. I have to ask myself, what have I been trying to achieve the last two seasons WITHOUT the Great One and WHAT can I achieve in these next TWO seasons WITH Him as number one?

Mentally, Relationally, Physically, Emotionally, Spiritually, Financially... Am I growing? Am I letting God be #1 in each?
Humbly, I can say no. I let Him be #1 in the things that are EASIEST for Him to be number one in, and I white knuckle the rest. However, today's blog is me coming to the understanding and realization that I haven't let God be number one in many of these areas. I seem to think my plans are better that his.

But I'm reminded...
Jeremiah 29:11 
 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Cheers to the last two SEASONS of 2018 and letting God be #1!

No Easy Button. Transformation

Back at the start of 2018 I set a goal for myself to begin incorporating more yoga. The reason behind this goal is I KNOW all the facts of how good it is for my body, but it's hard for me to just be. To relax and stretch and flow is truly hard for me. Maybe it's just me, or maybe others do this, but I'm a list maker. I wanna make a list and at the end of the day check everything off and get the most of the most done and go to sleep with a feeling of accomplishment. I find yoga hard because mentally it's tough to just be.

So I made an UNCOMFORTABLE goal. I did this because hitting the easy button means I'm ok with being comfortable. And as I was thinking in church the other day how growing spiritually can be just as uncomfortable as the physical. I've found myself reflecting back after I graduated college. My first thought being out on my own was,
1. I don't have to go to church to prove I'm a Christian
Then my thoughts transitioned to,
2. I grew up in church and I miss going. I should go.
3. Then My thoughts transitioned to being held back by fear of having to go to church by myself.
At one point I remember setting my alarm and saying to myself, "How do you expect Christ to bless you if you can't give him an hour of your time during the week?"

You see, all these thoughts were the same exact thoughts that got me into the gym. It wasn't over night that I got into fitness. It has been a process.
1. I thought, I shouldn't have to be skinny for people to accept me.
2. I thought, it's not about what people think of me... it's about being healthy.
3. Then I was held back by fear of actually going to the gym and asking for help. WHERE DOES a 230lb person start?!
4. I remember my dad saying to me, if you're not actually going to TAKE ACTION and DO something about it, gonna have to accept yourself and move on.

Soooooooo..... I STARTED. Started with portion control, more water, more veggies and lean protein and moving more... THAT WAS THE START.

The same with my spiritual health, it's been a process of overcoming being mad at God. Yes, I said it. At one time I was beyond mad at God for my life not going as "I" had planned.

And so as I was sitting there in church this past week and the pastor was talking about "Transformations" the individuals from the bible had to go through to grow and I thought, "man how I have had to embrace being uncomfortable to get where I PERSONALLY am now". I'm your stereotypical type A personality. I like to plan it all out and I'm pissed if things don't go my way. BUT I'm getting better. I learning to go with the punches and have a GOOD attitude. I'm learning that it's about you attitude through the refining process. By no means have I gone through some of the things individuals have gone through in the bible (or even my clients and friends and family), but I've had my own challenges. There has been no EASY button and looking back, I'm glad there hasn't been. I've grown through my challenges and truly have worked and continue to work on being a better individual. My scars of the past have actually allowed me to help more people.

So if you're looking for an EASY button, believe me I understand. But I'm also here to encourage you and say it's worth working through. It's worth crying out to God and telling Him how pissed off you are. He's listening and keep pushing. Know God will give you strength when you need it most. He has never left us. So be encouraged your growth in the hard times will become a blessing to you and or others.

Transformation Tuesday happens on the inside before it does on the outside.
Alison

Scale focused or HEALTH focused?

I feel like I keep having some of the same conversations over and over with people so I figure I would share just in case someone needs to hear this message.

Last week I met with a woman who began her personal fitness journey 6 weeks ago. This woman literally has been a selfless mother and wife for the last 20+ years and her health was catching up to her. But after 6 weeks of changing her lifestyle completely, she said, "But I've only lost 10 pounds".

I literally hate when people say this. Reason being is weight loss is a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle. Sure other things play a factor, but too many times people focus 100% on the scale as the determining factor whether or not they're succeeding.

My response to this woman was,
"Focus on your habits and actions. The weight will take care of itself. Your children don't care if you're 160 pounds or 300 pounds. Your children, friends and family care that your are HEALTHY!"

I think in a world full of fad diets and weight loss products, we've lost the sight of health. We are so obsessed with a number on the scale that we forget what healthy means. We're over here indulging and trying to find the foods with the least amount of calories and forgetting that when this world was first created basic things like fruits and vegetables were IMPORTANT. And guess what?! THEY STILL ARE!

I've had quite the journey myself, and to be honest and reflect on my last 7 years I have to say each had it's own challenges. Not because being healthy is hard, but because being healthy MENTALLY is a struggle. I have allowed the thief of comparison steal my joy. I've allowed thoughts of not being "skinny" enough hold me back. I've told myself I don't deserve to be happy because I'm not this certain size. And that I will never find love because I don't look a certain way. I've literally said some pretty crappy things to myself that I would NEVER say to someone else. However, this last year, I think I can say I found myself. I've found contentment in the fact that I don't have to compete in the bodybuilding world to have value. I thought as a trainer that's what I had to do to prove that I was a good trainer and Coach. I found that I can be an educator and a cheerleader for those that I work with.  I realized that because of my journey, I can educate people. I can teach people what HEALTHY really is and show them how Whole Foods can begin healing us from the inside out!

Truth is, I've struggled more than I should because of my own damn thoughts in my head. My thoughts of not being good enough or thin enough or small enough... BUT I'm calling BS.
Happiness isn't found on the scale or a certain pant size. Happiness is understanding our bodies are the only ones WE have to LIVE in for all of OUR lives. Happiness is not taking my health for granted. Happiness is a choice. Happiness is understanding you are not a victim and that you have a choice to be a better version of yourself. Nobody can or will do it for you. If you desire to be HEALTHY, realize it's progress and not perfection. If you're seeking PERFECTION on your fitness journey, you're going to find yourself deeply disappointed.

So as 2017 comes to a close, I challenge you to get plugged in. Stop believing the diet myths and crap your fed by the media. Know the WHY. Understand the REASON your bodies need fed well. BE your own advocate. Don't feel bad or let others make you feel bad for being healthy. The confusion with diet fads creates a profit of margin. Get educated and learn how to be healthy and learn to love yourself in your own skin.

YOU ARE SO UNBELIEVABLY WORTH it. You will not get it 100% correct every time. Yes, it does take work. But know you're not alone. Find and surround yourself with those who support you on your health journey.

I'm Back & Educating!

To be completely honest, this last year got away from me. My last blog was a year ago in January and I truly just stopped. I would like to say, "I was too busy to blog" but reality is, it wasn't a priority. I desire to get back to it because writing because writing has always been an outlet for me. Grammar mistakes and all, I'm going to bring in 2018 better than I did in 2017. I determined and more focus to bring my readers more food for thought as I continue to grow deeper in knowledge when it comes to exercise, nutrition, and life. I refuse to become stagnant in my growth.


So before I begin to start with the New Years this and that, I want to take a step back and look at my year in a whole. I started of January with good hopes of all these fitness related goals, but sadly enough, sickness took hold of my body.
I found myself starting January of 2017 strong with getting the flu.
Week later I got bronchitis and laryngitis.
Two weeks later I got strep throat.
Got bronchitis and laryngitis and second time.
Got a sinus infection shortly after and then each month with my monthly cycle got a 24-48 hour headache that turned into migraine.

I continued to push forward and run, I was training for two half marathons and my goal was to run my 5th half marathon by my 30th Birthday. But by the time July came around I was exhausted, low on energy, starving all the time, and not sleeping. My doctor did my blood work and my vitamin C and Iron was really low. My thyroid was low and we had to increase my medicine and I honestly was drinking 2-3 sugar free energy drinks a day.

Lets be real, I was a hot mess. I knew I needed to make a change and wasn't sure where to begin. I reached out to a Juice Plus educator, and started a Whole Food based regimen. Since the change in July, I honestly haven't felt better. I removed a lot of  "dieting" myths from my life and I guess I removed a lot of expectations that I've put onto myself.

Biggest change I've made is removing sugar from my diet and have been dabbling with fasting. I would recommend the book Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. Many take away lessons and when you know the WHY behind what you're doing, it makes the desire to follow through greater. I haven't had a migraine since I've made my nutritional changes and I'm sleeping through the night. I had previously been waking up in night sweats and barely getting any sleep. It's the worst feeling to be so tired yet not able to sleep. Feeling like crap and being into fitness, I knew I needed to make some changes. I was being a poor example of health and fitness by driving myself into the ground.

Moving forward into 2018, I plan to continue to grow in my knowledge and help others grow healthier. I partnered with Juice Plus to help educate others on the importance of Whole Foods based Nutrition. I truly believe the key to FEELING better and reducing yours and your families sick days starts with what we are putting into our bodies. Education is the key. If you desire to be plugged in and grow deeper in knowledge so you can begin feeling better and getting healthier, message me so I can get you plugged in.

Detours Happen

Imagine yourself filling your gas tank up and leaving your city to travel 1,000 plus miles. For example, me leaving Kansas and driving to California. It would be absurd of me to think I wouldn't need to stop one time or that I wouldn't hit any construction where I would have to take a detour. If you've traveled by plane, you also know that detours happen. It could be for weather or it maybe for plane maintenance, either way, we all have had to deal with a detour when it comes to traveling.

What about your journey of faith... What if one day you planned on doing my morning devotionals or attending church on Sunday morning and car wouldn't start, had a water leek, kid was sick, dog ran away, or an ice storm came through and it didn't happen that day. Does that mean that this whole walk with Christ is just over? That I have to start over next year when God forgives me or that I no longer believe in God? No! That's craziness!

So let me ask you a question, why do you think your fitness journey is going to be a cake walk? Why do you think that losing weight and getting healthy will take no work on your part and will have zero detours? Life in general is full of detours! It's about how you cope with each detour.

Few weeks ago I was talking to a couple of my clients and they were explaining to me how they were starting over "again" once the new year started. I'm not a cranky trainer by any means, but I looked at my two clients and said,

"What if you were consistent and stopped starting over every week?!"

The next day my one client messaged me asking for his workout and was going to start that day on making healthier choices instead of waiting for the new year.

Do you know how happy that made me? Not for me, but for him!

As a trainer I get frustrated with people who are constantly waiting for a good time to start exercising and working on their nutrition. Everyone has a reason why they can't start today...

Back to my analogy above. What if when you got low on gas while on your trip and had to pull off where you hadn't really anticipated? Would you just up and quit your trip? No, you'd pull over and get gas and get back to your trip right?! So why would you just quit working out and eating right if one day you slipped up and had 5 cookies when they weren't on the plan? WHO CARES! Next meal, is an opportunity to feed your body some nutrients.

I've preached this for forever, IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Best advice I can offer someone is to stop throwing your hands up in the air and paralyzing yourself. Stop quitting on yourself and focus on being consistent. Consistent may look like tracking your water, making sure your attending your scheduled gym time, or going to a class you said you would. Practice DISCIPLINE and follow through. This is one thing you can be in charge of in a world that is crazy. You're worth it, believe in yourself enough to follow through! KNOW and ACCEPT it's going to take work. However, don't do it alone. Surround yourself with others your are going to encourage you on your fitness journey. Surround yourself with people who are going to
accept your humanity and love you anyways. Far from perfect, but continuously working on being better.

BeBlessed