Importance of Personl Trainers!

Weights, Weights, Weights!

 

Success in Various Forms is the title of my blog, but I need to reiterate why.  I've said it numerous times, but there are so many aspects to being fit and healthy.  I actually had a conversation just this week with a new friend I had met where we discussed all of these.  Flexibility, agility, strength, cardio, balance, and diet all play a huge role in the circle of being fit.  Some of us have the workout part down, some have the balance, some have flexibility, and some understand diet.  But there is something that we all struggle with when it comes to leading a life of being fit and that is why I feel it is so important to have a personal trainer.  Granted being a trainer is my career choice, I truly believe in having one because good trainers HAVE a trainer too!

 

GREEN TEA and WATER every day!

BUT WHY I SOUGHT TO GET A TRAINER in the beginning was to be educated and to be held accountable.  This is where so many of us fail.  We lack the knowledge and accountability.  We would rather not workout and take a pill the doctor had prescribed to us rather than get down to the real issue of needing to change our lifestyles.  How did I lose my 90 pounds?  I stopped making excuses and ASKED for help!  You wouldn't go to the doctor and have him screen you and then tell him your not going to take his advice.  Same with a trainer.  We truly assess your goals and put a plan of action together to get you there.  However, along the way we might find that before we can get to goal A, we have to work on something like balance.  Or you want to lose weight, you can't out work poor eating habits.  It's a process... 

One of my favorite Eat Clean meals: Steamed Broccoli and baked chicken with some Mrs. Dashes seasoning!

 

So back to the point of my entire blog... The reason it's Success in Various forms is because everyday is a success.  Everyday I'm making the choice to better myself.  I had a good friend and personal trainer who I speak with often offered some challenging advice: to lay off all the cardio.  Preston Allen informed me that I was doing too much and my body was going to start using my muscle for fuel.  That's when I committed to laying off and lifting more.  I hated it in the beginning because I'm QUEEN OF CARDIO, but after a month of it, I'm loving the look of my muscles.  THIS, is why you need a trainer.  They will be honest with you.  They will tell you to lift more, do more cardio, change how you eat... Whatever... It comes down to is LISTENING and taking advice.  Accept you don't know everything and that someone might know a little bit more than you.

Typical Eat Clean Meal!

 

And LASTLY, a trainer WILL change your life.  So if your not wanting a change, if your not wanting to feel and look better... DON'T get a trainer!  Our job is to believe and love you when you have stopped believing and loving yourself.  If anyone should have more faith in you, that is your trainer.  And that is what I do.  I love my clients even when it brings them to tears because I have to be honest with them.  I hate doing it, but sometimes we all need a wake up call or a slap on the hand to not eat that last cookie!

 

Success, it is different for everyone, but for me lately- Success has been found in lifting weights. 

Your challenge, what changes do you need to make to find success and keep progressing toward your fitness goals?  Fitness is not a destination, it's a journey of learning and revamping your mind to truly find your inner self.  It's a humbling experience and I encourage you to jump on board.

 

Be Blessed



Go visit your local Complete Nutrition, my picture is in their stores!
Tell them Alison sent you!



 

I'm going to be 25?!

There are always certain times in a year when individuals pay special attention to evaluating their life.  One is the New Year, and secondly… your birthday.  You bet, my birthday is this coming week and I’ve spent the last 2 weeks doing a lot of pondering. 

The big 25!  Ok, so it’s not really that big… but for me it seems big because I know how fast life as flown by since I graduated.  It all seems like a big blur.  With turning 25, the first question that comes to mind is have I gotten anywhere?  Have I made any progression?

I graduated in 2010 with a degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Special Education.  I started working at a school with students who were physically and mentally challenged after spending the summer volunteering in inner city St. Louis, MO.  My dream after college was to be the leading change for inner city schools, but the plan didn't work out.  I moved back to Kansas and substitute taught for a year.  But after not landing a full time job for the following year with the school district I moved on to retail and was quite distraught!  For 5 years I had the dream of working with students and teaching individuals and began to question why God allowed me to do all that work and not get anywhere?  I moved on to a job in retail where I was supposed to be on the fast track to a manager’s position, but that really didn’t work out either!  I was making crappy money, but picked up teaching a couple spin classes so I could use that money to pay for gas and my gym membership.  A whole year of retail and many tears, I was offered a full time job as a personal trainer at the gym I was teaching classes at.  I was speechless, and snatched up the job.

Today, I couldn’t be more than happy with what I’m doing!  But what I want to point out is the path the brought me to this point.  The last 24 years have been all prep.  All those “fat years” of being the “fat girl”… All those years of struggling with a undiagnosed thyroid disorder…  All those education classes… the patience I had to put into practice with each student I worked with.  All those experiences have helped better me.  Not easy, but they have made me who I am today.

Yes, I make mistakes!  And no, I don’t have it all together.  I'm not the perfect trainer or have all the diet answers.  No I’m not making a fortune at my job.  But I’m enjoying what I do, and that’s important to me.  Back in college I committed to being a life long learner, and so it continues.  I continue to grow in my knowledge so I can better guide, inspire, and encourage others.  People ask me how I find the energy to get up at 4 am.  And the answer:  I love what I do and love the people I work with.  I’m able to truly see God in each individual I train.  They all have unique character and bring a smile to my face.  They all have been through some form of an experience that I’m able to learn from.  They each are wise in their own way and I know God has placed them in my life for some reason.

Moving into my 25^th year of life, the answer is YES I have made progress.  But I don’t want to stop there.  I have short and long term goals and the only thing I will let interfere with them is if God has another plan in mind.  I’m choosing to remain humble and let God lead the way.

Stay blessed FitCREW!

A



Importance of a FITNESS Journal

I've talked over and over about fitness as being a process rather than a destination. And it continues to be true for me as my body changes. I think back to the first time I started working out, I would run at night or early morning so no one would see the "FAT GIRL" running. But then I became more comfortable with allowing people to see me working out.

 

Then the first time I went to a Zumba class, I felt sick walking into the class because I didn't know if people were going to all look like the dancers from a MTV music video. I learned the steps as I continued to attend and fall in love with the music and the instructor. Then weights, oh how I hate lifting! I did it when I was in high school, but that was different. High school was all power lifting and doing clean after clean. I remember once hurting my lower back and I never wanted to lift again! Later, I went about lifting with help of several trainers. They taught me correct form, sets, rest time, plyos, and more... They were all things I didn't know much about when I first started to lift. With all the cardio I was doing, I found that to keep my fat from turning into baggy/saggy skin, I needed to lift. There are people that say to me there is no way you were once 226lbs, you have no baggy skin. I have some places, but I continue to work those areas as well as my total body.

 

So it seems as if I have it all together right?? I'm a trainer and I know what to do! WRONG! It's a process... Even for myself when it comes to workouts and eating. My process started out as "I would be happy if I could just lose 25lbs" but I reached and surpassed that goal. And since then, I've continued to set new goals for myself starting with loving myself. My happiness isn't based on what I do or don't do, but that I'm a child of God and my success come from only Him. I have to constantly remind myself of this daily. And along with daily disciplines, I make sure to log my eating and exercise. Just like a daily prayer journal helps me to stay on track, logging food and exercise holds one accountable. Through logging, I'm able to identify my weak points and ask for ideas on how to get better results. One thing I learned this last week, I need to lift upper body more and often. It's easy to lift legs because I can SEE the results, but upper body doesn't develop as quickly. I need to take time and break down my upper body and be effective when I do it instead of trying to just "get it done". The other thing my food journal revealed to me is that I love fats like nuts and avocados. Yes, they're healthy, but for my "goal" I need to lay off. I love protein bars because I get a sweet craving and think I need one. I don't need them and so I've decided leading up until my birthday in October, I'm going to refrain from these three food items that I would consider myself "addicted" to. I don't like feeling like I can't go a day without something. And that's how I feel about these foods. I can go without them and so this next month, I will.

 

I mention all this to prove that even someone who seems like she has it together, doesn't! I have my friend and trainer Preston Allen that I turn my food and exercise logs into to hold me "accountable" and ask if you have someone? What have you been afraid to let gom of? Or are you still afraid to get started? Either way, fitness is a process. You'll never perfect it, but you can make some better choices than where you are now. There is always something that you can tweak, change, do differently and I encourage you to get started. What will you choose to do to become a fitter you?

 

BeBlessed

A

 

CHANGE, WHY IS IT DIFFICULT?

CHANGE

Why is it so difficult?

As I work more with clients consistently, I find that I hear a lot of people tell me their goals, wants, and desires. As we create a plan for them to reach it they become excited to start on the journey of getting their life back by walking better, breathing better, lessening their medication dosage, losing weight, eating right, and all that goes along with being healthy. However, when the newness wears off and it becomes work, I find they forget WHY they started.

I never got to this point till I hit a plateau.  I had put work in and when I was down 40lbs, I couldn't lose any more weight.  I had been doing the same thing over and over and not getting results.  I knew I needed help.  The bottom line, weight loss can't be done on ones own.  You need to have a program, a plan, goals, accountability, and a way of getting there.  The change in workout routines will create muscle confusion and help you to achieve your goals.  This is where I fell fault to when I was trying to do everything on my own.  I honestly thought that I could keep doing the same amount of weight and eating the same as when I first started to lose weight.  It wasn't till my trainer described to me that the less I have to lose, the less drastic my weight loss will become.  However, the workouts had to be taken up a notch and the belt on my eating habits had to be tightened as well.  TRUTHFULLY, I HATED IT.  I didn't mind the change in the workout, it was nice.  However, when my diet had to change (MY COMFORT ZONE) and I had to start watching sugar, sodium, carb, and protein intake it frustrated me.  It wasn't my usual routine or my usual eating patterns.  I believe I even told the trainer, I couldn't do it.  He reassured me I could, and then told me to SUCK IT UP.  UGHHH!

So many times we view change as a bad thing, when in reality, it’s a good thing. Change means your stepping outside of your comfort zone. Change means you’re doing something that you don’t usually do. I get asked over and over “HOW DID YOU LOSE YOUR WEIGHT?” My response, I MADE A CHANGE! Clearly, what you’ve been doing isn’t working if you’ve been doing the same thing and not progressing.  I see people doing the same workout from a year ago and then they complain and want to quit because there are no results. You need to change things up!  IT'LL require EFFORT AND WORK.

So I ask you, WHY did you start? What are your goals? Are you even setting a goal for yourself? Give yourself more credit and put the work in. If you’re not willing to put the work in, then you don’t want your goals bad enough.  As always, my words come from my own personal experiences.  The picture below shows my enthusiasm toward making it in Oxygen Magazine for the 2nd time.  My ultimate goal in life is to bring Glory and Honor to God and I do so through encouraging others.  May you know you are loved.  Know that if you can dream it, willing to put the work in, you WILL achieve it.  Through the FIRE, comes CHARACTER.

be Blessed
A

Excuses vs. Success

I keep coming across individuals that have the mindset that I USED to have.  It’s the attitude of EXCUSES.  I used to be so good at making excuses of my circumstances as well as blaming everyone else.  I know I won’t ever escape meeting these individuals, but I will however, challenge you.

I came across this picture and had to repost!

It says:

Reason I tell people I gained weight:

I got divorced

I’m in love

My medication makes me hungry

I’m stressed

I’m anxious

I’m celebrating

I’ bored

My thyroid is broken

I hate my job

Food is delicious

I bought a house

It’s summer

It’s a holiday

Someone brought donuts to the office

My blood sugar is low

I don’t have time to cook

I can’t afford it

I’m fighting with my significant other

Reason I REALLY gained weight:

I OVEREAT CONSTANTLY and I put more effort into making excuses than I do into making myself healthy.



Sorry if I ruffled any feathers, but if you follow this blog, my instagram or twitter account, you’ll quickly realize I’m not going to feed your sad story.  I used to be the person to make myself a victim and say “poor me”.  Sorry, but I’m not going to say “Poor YOU!”  There are so many people who have had the discipline and determination to over come so many of these above excuses.  I myself have overcome a thyroid disorder as well as an eating disorder (eating too much)!  And not to say I never struggle, but I practice discipline!  I used to eat, eat, eat, eat and wonder why I was 90lbs over weight.  Not anymore.  There are things I had to face within myself that looking back now I realize that I grew to be a better person from it.  When you stop making excuses and reasons why you can’t, you’ll find success. 



Let me ask you a question, are you making excuses because you’re afraid to succeed and you know you’re going to be held to a higher standard?  Whatever it may be, I pray that God can give you the strength to push forward.  Know you are loved, know your worth, and know that you deserve it.  I love you all and appreciate you.  Challenge yourself to Be Great, Be Epic, and Live your purpose LOUD.

BeBlessed



A







2 1/2 years ago!



Progression as of today! 7/22/2012





My MINDSET at 226lbs!

Personal Training has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve done to this day.  I learn so much about myself as well as my clients every single time we meet.

Just the other day I was taking one of my clients through a session when she told me about a conversation she had in the locker room.  One of the ladies who she was talking with was new to the gym and gathering her things to shower.  When she went to open her towel she said, “Who is this towel supposed to cover?!”  They both laughed and made light of the matter when another lady chimed in and said, “The gym gives complimentary towels that are small to remind us that we need to keep working out so we can fit into the towels!”  Another lady said, “Doesn’t the gym realize that fat people need bigger towels?”

Now if you knew my client, you would have been rolling with laughter.  Her sarcasm had me rolling with laughter and I had to contain myself as a professional!  But I think the real reason this story was so funny to me is because I could relate!  The old Alison at 226 lbs hated going to hotels, gyms, and pools and having to take my own towel.  I hated that I couldn’t even wrap an average size towel around myself.  Now you might think, that’s ridiculous, BUT it’s true!  These are the kind of struggles over weight people go through.  Clothing not fitting, towels not being big enough, not fitting into a chair or desk, not fitting into a booth…  I don’t say this because we need to start making things bigger for over weight people, but I say it because I can relate.  I used to be that person to make fun of myself and joke about it, when deep inside I hated myself.

My job as a trainer, yes, to help people get in shape.  But even more so, LOVE the people who have stopped loving themselves.  It breaks my heart to hear people at the gym say horrible things about themselves when working out that they wouldn’t even THINK to say to someone else.  It breaks my heart to see individuals who won’t look at their form in the mirror because they can’t stand to look at themselves.  They stopped caring for themselves for whatever reason and can’t believe how far they went in the wrong direction.

I’m here to make a statement.  STOP GIVING UP ON YOURSELF!  Take control of your life and stop making excuses of why and be driven to get healthy.  There is no easy out besides cleaning up your diet and working out.  You need to find someone to hold you accountable.  You need to start loving yourself enough to practice discipline.  You’re not going to die doing it.  You’re going to die if you don’t make the choice to DO something.  Humble yourself enough to ask for help, get help, and FOLLOW THROUGH!

BeBlessed

A

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU???

What’s your inspiration?  What gets you moving?  What drives and motivates you?

Last January when I was apart of the Nike Women “Make Yourself” campaign that's exactly what they were asking!  What are you doing and what inspires you?  I chose to make myself DYNAMIC by refusing to make excuses and I was featured as one of their women spotlights.  And as this lifestyle of fitness has continued to unfold for me, I’m finding more and more inspirations. 

My old inspiration used to be: not be fat so I can get married.  SHALLOW, yep!  But that is the whole reason I decided I wanted to get ride of my fat.  I didn’t want to spend my life lonely and married and have 100 cats!  

However, as the weight began to come off, I realized my inspiration was to “NEVER GO BACK TO BEING THE OLD ALISON”.  I was pathetic.  My family still jokes about how I used eat, eat, eat, and then watch T.V. and eat some more.  Occasionally, I would find time to complain about how I was doing so much- when I really was doing nothing.  The PAST ALISON drove me to better myself.  I knew where I HAD BEEN, and refused to go back.

But what keeps me going?  Other individuals!  Every single time I walk into the gym I see someone working with a trainer who was told “They COULD’T” or “Will NOT be able to”.  I’m inspired by women and men who come morning and evening to classes to put in EXTRA work to achieve their goal.  I have even met one individual that shouldn’t be walking!  THESE are the people who keep me going.  Yes, I lost 90lbs with a thyroid disorder working against me.  But there are far greater people doing amazing things with their bodies for their own health because they refused to accept failure and defeat.

This week’s success is realizing that we are our own worst enemies.  We tell ourselves we can’t before we even try.  The bottom line is your excuses are only holding YOU back.  The pity party has to stop.  Begin by loving yourself enough to practice discipline in your life.  Why hold off a more enjoyable life?  Don’t wait for a NEW YEAR resolution.  Start now by getting a trainer to hold you accountable and PUSH you!  Start now by putting down the soda and grabbing water.  Start now by putting down the chips and salsa or ice cream.  Start now by EDUCATING yourself on how to eat clean.    Don’t cheat yourself!  Your body is a walking journal (analogy from #TeamWilson), so if you aren’t feeding it and exercising it… it’s NO secret… YOU SEE IT, and so does EVERYONE ELSE!  Let’s get it together and make the choice to do something for our bodies.  COMMIT!