Sharing

I spent this past weekend with 42 strong, talented and accomplished women. It was very interesting to say the least. We all met in Asheville, NC for a fitness retreat to learn more about health and fitness and to have fun while doing it. We did some Olympic Lifting, Metabolic Resistance workout, Yoga, hiking and capped it off with a Rest Based Metabolic workout. We also listened to speakers talk about bouncing back, phase training based on your monthly cycle, intuitive training and mindset. It was a great time and I greatly enjoyed the people and the lessons they all brought to the table.

Things I learned that are worth sharing;

1. Add don't subtract - Forget about deprivation, because that just makes you want more of what you can't have. Instead add in a few healthy things like veggies or good protein or maybe extra water. Work on adding a few things every week or two and before you know it you'll have crowded out some of the bad.

2. Health and fitness is a journey not a destination. Slow down. Don't put limitations on yourself like losing  20 pounds by next months. Because when you are unable to meet those goals, what do you usually do? Beat yourself up so that you feel like a failure? Instead work everyday to be better in some way.

3. Don't rely on the scale for your progress. How do you feel? How do your clothes fit?

Scales are stupid (that's my quote.)

4. Keep your HEC in check. That stands for Hunger, Energy and Cravings. If any of these three are out of whack, you need to look at your diet and adjust.

5. You have to do what works for you. What works for me, may not work for you. And then again it may. But you will never know what works if you don't become the detective in your health journey. Try things for a month or two and if they don't work, throw them out. Keep the things that work and get rid of the rest. It is not an easy process. Success does not follow a straight line.

( Jen Sinkler of Thrive, and yes we were a sweaty mess)

6. Don't short yourself on good whole food. A repetitive diet that limits food and ups cardio is not sustainable. The body adapts very well by God's design and you will find yourself plateauing until you further cut your calories and/or up your cardio. Vicious circle.

7.  Weight training is your BFF! Muscles burn more calories and fat. The more muscle you have the more efficient you are at maintaining your weight. This year my body shape changed drastically but the scale didn't change much. Why? Because I gained muscle weight and lost body fat. I traded one for the other. Good news is that muscle is so much more compact than fat resulting in a smaller size. And muscle burns more calories so even at rest I burn more than my previous fluffier self.

8. Stop the negative self talk. It does nothing but sabotage your progress. You are fearfully and wonderfully made so your negative self talk is a huge insult to your Maker. It is not true and it is a behavior that will keep you stuck in a pattern of guilt, shame and insecurity. Would you speak to your daughter the way you speak to yourself? Then stop it. Every time you catch yourself starting down that road, stop yourself and tell yourself that you are a child of THE KING or that you TOTALLY ROCK or whatever pumps you up! Look for those things you are good at and dwell on them. Listen closely, YOUR SELF WORTH IS NOT TIED TO YOUR WEIGHT. It takes work to push the negative self talk out but the sooner you embrace it the better off you'll be.

9. If you are having cravings try a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder in a mug and fill it with hot water. It tends to curb your cravings.

 (Neghar Fonooni of Eat, Lift and Be Happy)

10. Step outside of your comfort zone. We so often tell ourselves that we can't do this or that. But the truth often is, we are just a little scared to try something new. If you want to try something, then do. If you fail, so what. Thomas Edison said “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”  If you are curious about something, then ask a friend for help or go to someone that may be able to direct you to a resource to help you out. Your life can be an adventure! Embrace it! So instead of telling yourself you can't, set out to figure out how you can.

There is more but I'll stop now since 10 is such a nice round number! Maybe a part two will appear at some point. Thanks to Jen Sinkler, Neghar Fonooni, Jill Coleman and the other 39 women for expanding my knowledge and world.

The take away from this list. Keep Calm, Keep Positive and Move Along.