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

More than my BODY

This morning I shared the following video on my facebook page. I encourage you to watch the video!

https://youtu.be/o75DivztU1I

In this video Kaisa Keranen is real about body image.

She goes into explaining how she is viewed by others for her body. She was critiqued for being too muscular a few years ago, but now is glorified for her body because strong and beautiful is currently accepted. But as the video plays on, she explains there is more to her. There is more to this woman than her body. Media changes and in a few years from now, the media could go back to glorifying
women who are skinny and don't have a muscular frame. But ultimately, the take away message is,

The way YOU view your body can't ride on how the world views our bodies.

Movement isn't about being able to look a certain way in a pair of jeans.

Kaisa asks the question at the end of the video, "Why do you want to look a certain way? If you accomplish that goal, is that what will make you happy?"

Hmmmm...
Deep question right?

What is happiness?
The dictionary defines it as feelings of pleasure or contentment.
Synonyms are contentment, satisfaction, pleasure.

My question to myself is, can I look in the mirror with feelings of pleasure or contentment?
I literally see this every single day. I train women daily who REFUSE to look in the mirror. They HATE and despise the person looking back at them. This breaks my heart because I look at the individual and think, do you not see what I see? Do you not see your beauty?

All too many times, myself included, we look in the mirror and see every single one of our flaws. We see that strand of hair that won't fall right, We see our hips are too wide. We see the muffin top hanging over our pants. We see our back fat. We refuse to raise our arms to wave at someone for fear that our arm flab will wave too. C'mon ladies!

If all of these things we see were magically fixed, WOULD YOU BE TRULY HAPPY?
Real question.

Happiness is an inside job. I know I'm not THAT old, but with age comes a greater understanding of WHO I am. I tweeted last week that for the first time in my life, I can look in the mirror and love myself. Let's be real, our worth isn't based off of our jean size and all too many times if we can't fit into a size 2 jean, our worth is somehow less.

Great real! Who are you? Are you a mom, daughter, sister, aunt, granddaughter, god-mom, school teacher, accountant, personal trainer, stay at home mom, saleswoman, or whatever title you recognize with... YOU ARE MORE than the size pants you wear.

Ultimately, the question comes down to are you working on being a better version of yourself? Are you taking time to show your kids what healthy means? Are you taking time to show them how to cook? Are you taking time to go for a walk? Are you taking time to read or listen to a book? Are you teaching and instilling honorable characteristics in your children?

Honesty is WE ALL HAVE our flaws. We all have things we need to work on. But we all also have our strengths. We all have things we're good at and God has blessed us with. Don't try to be a robot and become someone or something you are not. BE YOU because ultimately, the best person you can be is you.

Strive to be better. Challenge yourself to be better. Love yourself. Love God. Love Others.
Be Blessed
Alison

1st Phorm Level 1 Protein Review

Let's be honest, when it comes to making healthier changes in our lives, giving up our favorite treats are hard. I have more than a handful of my clients tell me they just can't give up such and such.I scream, you scream, we all scream for protein.

And for the most part, I don't make them. If your eating 5 bowls of ice cream a day or eating a whole pizza for lunch, yes I'm going to suggest some changes. But for the most part, nobody wants to completely give up ice cream, pastries, cookies, pudding, and so forth. It's about finding a realistic balance for many of my clients.

And as for me, I try my best to recreate some of my favorite dishes and treats in the healthiest form. For example, I love pancakes and/or waffles and on the weekend it's nice to change things up. There are various recipes one can use. Many times I steal the easiest protein recipe offline (https://1stphorm.com/blog/1st-phorm-simple-protein-pancakes-recipe/). Then there are protein energy bites, cookies and cakes that I enjoy making and many times I will make these kind of deserts to friends and family when we get together. It gives me something to snack on as well and not completely blow my diet. (See Emily Frisella's website: www.fithomeandhealth.com for more amazing cooking/baking ideas. Her instagram is @emilyfrisella)

However, the hardest questions to answer is,
Which protein do I use?
What flavor TASTES good?
Where can I purchase a good protein at?
How do I know if a certain protein is worthy of my money?

Level-1 Meal Replacement Protein

Honestly speaking, 5 years ago when I started my fitness journey I had absolutely ZERO guidance. I just started and began reading everything I could about diet and nutrition. Couple magazines I followed were, Oxygen Magazine, Women's Health, and Clean Eating. Oxygen always had a "Shake of the Month" and I would always find myself trying to recreate them. So many articles I would read out of these magazines stressed the importance of protein. There were advertisements for days at each magazine and I would just go to Walmart and find a flavor that looked good. That was until I read a research article were protein distributors were being investigated and found that many times the content in the containers didn't match the nutrition. The tubs of protein were full of fillers and I wasn't getting out of my protein powders that I thought I had been.

This is when I started buying my protein at an actual supplement store and taking recommendations from trusted individuals. So yes, I'm picky! I want to know what is in the protein, is it real, is the brand a trusted brand, does the company hold high standards for the the product they create? So the answer is no, I don't just buy a cheap protein anymore, I do my research. And when I find a company I like and flavors I can appreciate, I buy 4 tubs in various flavors!

One product I had seen at several bodybuilding competitions is 1st Phorms Level-1 protein. I tried their Peanut Butter Cup Level-1 Protein sample when a guy handed me a small cup, but due to the fact that nobody in the area which I live actually sells the product, I didn't want to buy any. What if I ordered something I didn't like? Heck no I'm not paying for shipping! ;)

Click here to get your Level 1 Protein!

However, few months ago 1st Phorm released a flavor that caught my attention. How does Level-1 Cinnamon Cookie Batter not sound like love? I had to check it out as well as Level-1 Ice Cream Sandwich. First off I had to
try Protein Oats with the Level-1 Cinnamon Cookie Dough. This is one of my favorites because usually I'll mix cinnamon in with my oatmeal. However, when the protein got here I dove in and didn't even had to add my cinnamon. It gave me life to say the least! That night, my sweet tooth was getting the best of me. I saved enough protein macros up for protein pudding. I literally mixed the Level-1 Ice Cream Sandwich protein up with low fat Greek yogurt, some almond milk and then drizzled a little Waldon Farms Chocolate Syrup on it. HEAVEN.

This is how I stay on track from day to day which adds up to weeks, months, and years. Small tweaks of finding things that TASTE good and playing around with recipes. After all those to flavors made their way into my home, it lead me to getting a few other flavors. I'm going to have to give the flavors that I've personally tried a high rating. I've tried many proteins where it upset my stomach or made my stomach boated. I've tried other proteins that I've had to add Stevia to because there was barely any flavor. There's other proteins I've tried where the artificial sweetener left a bad after taste. I can honestly say this is one top notch company that stays in touch with it's customers. They're about creating the best high quality protein out there.

Lastly, one thing I appreciate about the company is when you visit their website, you are able to contact 1st Phorm https://1stphorm.com/contact. They have individuals on staff if you have questions about their Meal Replacement (Level-1) or Isolate (Phormula-1) proteins or if you have a nutritional based questions. I'm positive if I was just starting my fitness journey out like I did 5 years ago, I would be messaging them. There's so many myths out their surrounding nutrition and proper supplementation that I would highly recommend individuals using this tool.

Overall to summarize this product I'd have to give it a 5 star rating. I actually wish I had given the product more of a chance a while ago! Level-1 Protein is an awesome meal replacement and for a personal trainer like myself, I wish I had more time to sit down and eat my meals. But reality is, I don't. I train 10-14 clients a day and if I'm not training clients, I'm teaching Boot Camps, TRX, Spin, and Yoga/Pilates. I wake up at 4 am each day and many times the day doesn't end until 9pm. I also am working on my personal goals of stepping on stage to compete in Figure. I can't afford to skip meals and Level-1 Protein has helped me to stay fueled. I know I'm not the only one who struggles to get their meals in each day between running to work, meetings, workouts, taking classes, doing laundry and for many of you also are chasing kiddos around. I don't have any doubt in my mind that you'll love the flavors as well as be able to do a better job at staying on track with your diet!

Low down on Level 1:
It's a whey protein.

Level-1 is comprised of the Level-1 Matrix which is an ultra bio-available, sustained assimilation protein formula consisting of Cross-Flow Micro-Filtrated Whey Protein Isolate, Low Temperature Micro-Filtrated Whey Protein Concentrate, Low Temperature Processed Milk Protein Concentrate, Pure Egg Whites and Sodium Caseinate. The Level-1 Matrix is specifically formulated to deliver the highest quality, premium proteins in a sustained release which mimics the protein assimilation rates of whole food. Level-1 uses only proteins that have been low-temperature processed to take extra precaution to not denature or damage delicate protein fractions.

Click to find your flavor!Click to get free shipping on your purchase!

Make the most of YOUR life*

I haven't been doing an awesome job at posting lately! I've been using Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat more so I can make brief posts, but as I was driving to meet with a client today, I decided I needed to get back to my habit of writing. I actually love writing for my mental sanity as well as I love hearing from those who take the time to read this blog! So thank you to you!

As for me, not a lot has changed in my life besides having started new clients within the last few months. Starting new clients is always hard for me. Somehow, people trust you enough to pay for your 1-2 hour services a week, yet don't quite want to believe or trust you when you advise them on working out on their own and guide them along on nutrition. Maybe people start thinking, "I just need to workout more and I'll lose weight". However, I try to really emphasize with my clients that it's not just about the scale. Many times before someone loses weight, they start feeling better, having a positive attitude, sleeping better, gain more strength, and their level of energy improves. But not everyone focuses on that. They step on the scale after a week or two and 3 workouts and a couple salads and magically want to see the scale say 10 pounds down. Sorry, for many it doesn't work that way. That's why I start with small habit changes like encouraging people to begin logging their food consumption, drinking more water, eating breakfast, switching out less healthy snacks for better choices.

Sometimes for some individuals, these changes are BIG and very hard. Others just make it happen! And this is my day to day life with my clients. Trust me I'm not complaining. It's constantly help others see their potential and make positive and healthy changes and not letting them give up on themselves!

Now as for a new client I started working with today. He has Parkinson's Disease and I do an at home visit with him. Today was my first time visiting his home where I spoke with his amazing wife before I got to their home. They have home health there each morning to help the gentleman get ready each day. I'm going to start working with him twice a week as well as help his wife and their home health know how to help him to continue living HIS life to the fullest.

1st off, let me just the wife of this man is an angle. She meant "For better or for worse" when she took her vows. She is 100% dedicated to keeping this man moving and healthy. I honestly had to kind of hold back tears as she did her typical daily routines with him. I basically spent today observing and watching him move so I can create the best exercise plan for him to do with me and when I'm gone and they're able to work with him.

I tested out his strength after some time of talking with the gentleman and his wife. I was impressed! I was impressed to see a man who has Parkinson's Disease, as well as has had back surgery. Best way to describe this man is DETERMINED. He's determined to make each day count. The more I was there at their home, the more he began to open up. When I was getting ready to leave, He asked if he could show me how he can do what I call sit to stands. (My clients love sit to stands- sarcasm). Here was a man doing ALL HE COULD physically. I asked him to show me his lateral movement, which we will continue to work on! As I was wrapping up, I told his wife I would write up a plan of exercises and stretches for him to do daily and when I returned next week, we'd go through all of it so she felt comfortable and had a full understanding of our goals and plan of action for accomplishing those goals.

She had tears in her eyes which honestly made me want to bawl. She said they'd been praying for help like what I have to offer and I was completely humbled. Humbled to know that something that I'm passionate about is something that is going to better this gentleman's life as well as hers to see her husband moving more and getting the help he needs.

As I drove home, all I could think about is how un-thankful I can be at times. Many times I take my daily breath each day for granted all the while this man is making the best out of each day he has. Today made me take a step back and realize how blessed I am to be able to work with some of the individuals I do. I learn a lot each day from my clients and I'm thankful for each one of them.

Life is short, live it with purpose. If you're unhappy, you're in control. Get up an change the channel. Get up and change WHAT YOU HAVE control over and let God have the rest.

With Love
A

Fitness Devices/Trackers

Couple months back I had posted a picture of my Polar Heart Rate Monitor on Instagram and the caption I posted below it said,

"Anyone else use a fitness device to push themselves?!"

Several people like the picture and few people commented. One specifically slightly caught my attention with their comment. It said,

They went off self motivation and didn't like stressing about a machine. All the person needed was their music and the mirror.

That's cool. We are entitled to their own opinions. Personally speaking, as a personal trainer who has a fitness tracker, yes I just bought the FitBit Blaze, I have loved having the FitBit. I actually didn't know so many of my clients had one until I got mine.

Here's why I love the fitness trackers:

1. Just like I recommend clients to log and track their food, the same goes for exercise. So many people "THINK" they're doing more than what they actually are. For example, before I got my fitness tracker, I would do some kind of workout on the stair mill, elliptical, or treadmill and when I finished it'd say something like I burned 600-900 cals in that hour. I always walked away thinking, "Man, I killed it!" However, after I got my fitness tracker, I realized the machines aren't all that correct. Sometimes your working harder than the machine will give you credit for or machine would give you a lot more credit than the effort you where really putting out. Depends on the person and the kind of shape they're in, in conjunction with weight, age, and height.

2. Yes, I know there's 100 articles out there telling everyone how inaccurate the fitness trackers are. HOWEVER, it does give people and IDEA of where they are. It's on your wrist reminding you to get your butt to the gym. It reminds you to get up and walk more. Reminds you that maybe you don't need the first parking stall at the store and a little longer walk would do you some good.

3. Yes some people get obsessive with it, but honestly, if my clients are setting daily goals to walk more than they did yesterday, I'm ok with it.

4. I like my fitness tracker as personal accountability. Sure, anyone of us can walk into the gym and use facebook to check in and say we were there, but how many of us do our VERY best when no one is watching? I'm guilty! To me I like being able to see what I've done, see an approximate of what my heart rate is when I'm performing various exercises, see an approximate of how many cals I burned and so forth.

5. Lastly, I like it because it builds community. Up until I got this new FitBit, I didn't know of the various challenges Fitbit offers. My clients and friends started inviting me to the "Work Week Hustle" Challenge and then there's a "Weekend Warrior". These challenges get intense when you have 10 of your clients tuning in and watching every step you make trying to keep up with you (or me trying to keep up with them). Better yet, on the days I'm not training clients, my FitBit reveals I don't move as much and that's fine, I move a lot during the week. But I love the community and the challenges this small little tracker has built. I helps me personally to stay accountable. Same goes for my clients. I've had some come to train with me and say, "ya know, I should go on a walk before or after work to get moving more".

YES I love my clients, however, I don't want to create a bunch of individuals that can't workout when I'm not around. My job is to educate and guide them. I want to make sure they can do it on their own when I'm not around and I challenge them even more when I train them. However, the FitBit has been cool from my perspective because they visually see how hard they are pushing themselves on their own verses when they are with me.

So are Fitness trackers stupid and lame? For me I have to say no. They give people a better idea from day to day what they are or aren't doing. No they're not 100% accurate either. I GET THAT. BUT it gives all of us the opportunity to challenge ourselves and others to be better. And isn't that what fitness is about? Being better.

As always, continue to be a better version of you. Whether or not you need or want a device to track what you're doing, that's up to you. But I personally like mine.

Relationship w/ the Gym

I know I correlate a lot of church analogies with the gym, but this morning it was so evident to me. The pastor has been going through a sermon series called Relationship 101. We've gone through various scriptures learning about relationships with parents, children, coworkers, marriages, and today was about friendships.

The pastor read the following scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, own can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Like the pastor stated, many times this scripture is chosen for a wedding ceremony, however he opened my eyes to the importance of surrounding yourself with others who are willing to pour into you and vice versa. 

Two things have meaning,

1. A relationship with Christ

2. A relationship with Others

God has designed us to find significance in community. 

What's your community? For me, mine is the gym. 

I think back to what kept me moving forward in my fitness goals and many times it had a lot to do with relationships with people at my gym. Those with similar goals as myself I'm able to relate to and build a relationship with. Yes, I'm motivated and driven, but I need accountability. I have a Coach to give me feedback and challenge me to a higher level. I have individuals that I have made quality relationships with at the gym and they challenge me to be better. And when the devil wants to get the best of me, he allows me to get into my feelings and get down on myself. The devil does a good job of driving a wedge between those who encourage me to be better by keeping me so busy that I don't make time for those quality relationships where I can be filled up again.

Don't get me wrong, I need and love my alone time, but I need to be with people to grow. Growth happens through relationships. And that brings me to my next point, my clients. Many times I feel as if I'm more than just their personal trainer. I hear a lot of what is on their heart, from the good to the bad. But not only do I pray they are growing from my relationship with them, but I'm also growing from my relationship with them. So many times the people I train know far more than I do when it comes to all things pertaining to life. I respect them and I'm truly willing to learn from them and their experiences as well.

God designed us to face life together and designed us to come together to strengthen and support each other. And this is the bottom line of why I enjoy the gym so much. It has taught me so much more about myself. I've learned to stop giving up and giving up on myself. It has taught me to believe in me. The challenges of the gym has challenged me to become stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally. I see my clients strength and their potential even when they can't see it within themselves. I've said this time and time again, but your trainer of all people should be your number one supporter. And to all my clients, I am. I see your worth and I value you. I appreciate your friendships and I appreciate your willingness to share your life with me.

So maybe many think of the gym as just the gym, but the gym is my second home. It's my place of work, but I have the opportunity to work with some really awesome individuals. I have grown in the gym and for that, I am thankful for. And I will continue to grow physically, but also in

relationships with others.

 

Never Doubt Yourself

This weekend has been a whirlwind of events. I worked a busy week to fit everyone in before I left town to support my friend compete in her first bikini competition. I must say that every single time I go to a bodybuilding competition I leave more encouraged and excited to get back to the gym. There's something about being around individuals who desire to take their level of fitness to a whole other level and compete.

When I first met Chania one of the first conversations we had was about her desire to compete. We talked about it several times. One day I told her about a place she could check out suits and the next thing I knew, she had ordered one. She's a gal who knows what she wants and goes full force after it and she felt this was what she wanted to do to take her fitness to the next level. After having her suit for a few weeks and no Coach, she was inspired by a show she went to in Texas and decided she was doing the NPC Midway Show in Wichita. She linked up with Anthony Sullivan and began putting in the work she needed to for the stage.

It was cool to see this girl transform not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

So many times in life things get tough and we back away. We don't embrace the challenge or the struggle. We look for an easy way out instead of facing the challenge and growing from it. I saw Chania's ups and downs through her prep. I saw her doubt herself from time to time, but the girl never quit. She showed up the day of her competition and brought the best version of herself and there's something to be said about that. She looked beautiful and all her hard work definitely showed.

However, with all her glitz and glam from the weekend, here's the one thing I admire most about this girl. Her faith. As Chania was leaving for the evening show, she grabbed her bible and journal and walked out the door with all her things she needed for the evening show. I helped her with her suit when I got in the door and then during the final show before she went up on stage I got this text from her, 

"Do you ever get down on yourself and think you don't have any skills to offer? It's not true, God has given you many skills. Thinking you don't have anything skills is not humility, instead you fail to correctly see your blessings given to you by God. We even devalue our skills when we compare ourselves to others and wish we had their skills. Those thoughts are not complimenting towards God either. God has given skills to everyone and by embracing them we can truly use our skills to worship God." Referencing Exodus 31:6

I think that scripture and devotional is one so many of us can relate to. Whether it's us feeling worthy enough for a certain job or task, doubting our abilities, or bringing your best package to the stage. We can't allow fear or unworthiness hold us back. God have given each of us talents and abilities to own. I don't think that devotional was just for Chania, I truly believe it was for me and you. To know that those God given talents and abilities are His blessings to us. So if you were needing permission, go ahead and start owning them blessings your were given. Don't waste let them waste away. And if there's a dream and goal you have in mind, don't let anyone tell you it's impossible. Just start, put in the work, keep God first, and let Him bless you.

To all the competitors from this last weekend and those who will competing, continue doing your thing. Never doubt yourself. Focus on the task, put in the work, and continue to create the best version of yourself that you can. You Vs You.

About what you CAN DO

Around 6 years ago when I first moved to Salina and joined Genesis, I remember when the spring time came around Anna Simoneau and Cindy Crehan kept asking my to do this 5K thing out of town. I really had no idea what it was or really cared to find out. I declined the 1st year, but when Anna moved to Manhattan and I was on staff at Genesis, Cindy just put me in charge or gathering women together for this 5K I had no idea about.

The first year I did it, I just kept hearing it was an ALL WOMEN'S 5K. I thought, what the heck, I'll go and learn. I gathered as many of my female clients and other gym goers together to do it. I was blown away that first year. There were 1,000 plus women there and the race was honestly to celebrate women and their health. I stayed for the ceremony after the race and found out there was a woman 94 years old who walked it. I was taken back by the age groups and women from all walks of life that participated. Moms, Grandmas, Aunts, Sisters, friends, daughters, women's cross country or track teams, girl scouts, and various others! I would say nearly 60-70% walk the race AND that's completely cool! It's women coming together to celebrate women.

So after that first year under my belt, I vowed to get as MANY of my clients and gym friends to do it the following year. It always varies and we have a team of anywhere from 15-25 women from Salina go and do it. So that second year when I was rounding up women to be on the team, I nearly told one of my clients she would do this 5K. She had never done one before. And once she committed and did it, SHE LOVED it. The next year my client was diagnosed with cancer and we actually got team shirts with her name on it. Then, there was this year. This year my dearest client who has been battling this cancer and wasn't given long, has fought one crazy fight. She CONTINUES to fight like no other person I have ever met before. So even though her cancer isn't in remission, I messaged her daughter to ask if they would be interested in the walk or even allowing us to push her in a wheelchair for the walk. Well this strong client/friend of mine refused the wheelchair, she WAS determined to walk that whole 5K....

And.., She did! I ran the 5K on Saturday and waited at the finish line for her and her daughter to cross. I'm not a huge emotional person, but when she cross that FINISH LINE and fell into my arms I absolutely lost it. No words would even come out of my mouth, We hugged and cried for a while and when she walked over to her husband, I turned around to see the rest of my clients and friends standing just a few feet away in tears as well.

So here's the lesson. Here's something that goes BEYOND just the scale.

All too often we sit on our tails thinking about everything we CAN'T do.

I can't lift weights bc....

I can't do cardio bc...

I can't wake up early bc...

I can't workout after work bc...

I can't log my food bc...

I can't eat right bc...

THE EXCUSES go on and on... and reality is, many times it's not until we realize what we're fighting for do we actually start fighting.

So many times it's not until someone hits absolute rock bottom when they decide they need to make a change.

I'll use myself as an example... I was nearly 230 pounds at 21 years old and 5'4 1/2". My hair was falling out. I was pre-diabetic. I was depressed. I wanted to sleep my life away. I spent a lot of time in my bed crying... I WAS A HOT MESS.

What changed? I was tired of being pathetic. I remember just a few days ago a good friend of mine posted on Instagram, "The mirror never lies so if you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, don't make an excuse. FIX IT."

Could it be anymore real than that? Most of us have our health and we take it for granted. The more individuals I have the opportunity to work with, the more I see shitty life cards dealt to people. With health problems, diseases, and disorders... yet these individuals don't make any excuses. They ARE my hardest working clients because they KNOW WHY and WHAT they're working for.

May you see your health is greater than just the number on the scale. May you know your worth.

Alison

Why I Post on Social Media

Many of you have been following me for a while now on either Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat and I want to thank you for continuing to follow my journey.

However, I want to take a second and explain the reasons behind my posts starting with a brief story.
The other day I was on my phone logging my food when someone started talking to me. I wasn't giving the convo my full attention because I wanted to get my food logged for the day. The individual said,

"Get off your social media, I'm talking to you! You're always posting something."

Let me just say, that comment irritated me and here's why.

When Facebook began to grow and Facebook's newsfeed came about, I remember reading post after post of negative and critical content. I vowed to myself that if I post something on social media, I want it to Encourage, Inspire, and/or Empower someone.

So with that said, the reason behind my social media posts is to share my personal journey as well as share a few success stories from clients and friends who inspire or encourage me.

Making the life changes that I have has changed my life for the better. I'm not who I was 5 years ago and I've grown mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I share my personal fitness journey because I want people to see dedication and consistency pay off. I share to keep myself motivated because if we're all going to be honest, shit is hard! Some days just getting in your recommended water consumption in for the day is a success. Maybe getting to the gym when your life feels like it's falling to pieces is a success. Maybe choosing to drink your protein shake instead of eating the donuts at the office is a success. WHATEVER, your day to day successes are, it's ok to share them! EVER wonder why this Blog is called "Success in Various Forms"?!

Because EVERY SINGLE day has it's own successes! Maybe not a weightloss goal success, but if we really take a step back and reevaluate our days, we all could find one positive... one single success.

So yes, I'll take a picture of my "healthy meal prepped" food and share it on snapchat because honestly, I'd rather be eating a dang donut just as much as the other guy.

Maybe you or someone you knows struggles with depression or anxiety? Ever think maybe somebody scrolling through their social media may see a positive post that helps them face another day?

Maybe someone sees a video of an overweight clumsy woman exercising and think, "She can do this, so can I!"

Maybe someone who has considered ending their life because they don't like the person looking back at them in the mirror? Maybe they see a positive post on social media that gives them hope and a reason to face another day.

Maybe someone is at home alone fighting cancer or some other terrible disease and comes across a motivational post that inspires them to keep going....

Trust me when I say I can relate to each and every single one of my clients. I FEEL for them and know where they are coming from. Maybe I haven't had cancer, but I have fought through a lot of personal struggles to get where I am. I don't have to share every single damn struggle of mine because complaining gets me NOWHERE. However, what does get me somewhere is the people I choose to surround myself with. I choose to surround myself with people who encourage and believe in me and the same goes for my social media. I follow positive and encouraging people and their stories because that CHALLENGES me to be a better individual.

So if you're wondering why I post, it's because of the love I have for others. I may not KNOW you personally, but I can honestly say we're all fighting a battle and we all have our struggles. But it's my goal to share my successes and the successes of other to ENCOURAGE, INSPIRE, & EMPOWER others.

#Blessed
A