The voice inside my head

Perspective by definition is: 1. a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance 2. the proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see it; objectivity: try to get some perspective on your troubles 3. the theory or art of suggesting three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface, in order to recreate the appearance and spatial relationships that objects or a scene in recession present to the eye


For the past few months I have struggled with my perspective, which has been challenged by the voice inside my head. The voice has been loud and negative, a tug of war between self-depracating words and the few positive affirmations I have tried to continue to repeat on a daily basis. The struggles are relative and quite normal for the state of the econonmy and the typical end of the year hesistation clients and members possess when it comes to spending $600+ for personal training, as well as trying my best to not let all of that affect my relationship.

 I train and instruct for a living, motivating clients to push through their self-imposed boundaries; and yet now I have found myself deeply immersed inside of my head only speaking words of malevolence and hostility towards myself and others who have gotten the best of me. What has become of me, I thought? Why can I not snap out of this?

Yesterday I walked into Boulder Crossfit on a mission to not only get my butt kicked but to change the voice in my head. I entered the building determined to push myself pass all self-imposed baracades and discover what I truly can do with my body. I then chuckled when I looked at the board and saw a workout that at first looks easy.....reality check 101. 10 Ring rows, 10 stick jumps, 10 med ball slams - 10 rounds. I started the workout still on a mission; however 3 rounds in the voice was the loudest it's ever been. "I'm out of shape. Why is she beating me? This sucks."

As I sat on the ground below the rings I looked up to the ceiling, my heart was practically exploding out of my chest. It was then I was hit over the head with the best perspecitive change: I was grateful that my heart was beating, reminding me that I am alive and fit and healthy. Though struggling with not knowing what is in stored for me with the next step in my career, as well as realizing the voice has been affecting my actual presence in my relationship, I suddenly was overcome with a fire I hadn't felt in a long time in the area of fitness. I finished the workout in 20:08; it only took twenty minutes to silence the voice and allow the strength of my body to influence my mind.

Today I walked by a beautiful christmas tree in our building and realized that the ornaments on the tree were wishes for little kids and seniors. I looked at the wishes and they were simple and sweet: Barbies, slippers, toys. I thought to myself that eventhough work has been so slow lately and I have been struggling to keep a positive attitude I figured that maybe granting a wish would help keep this all into perspective. So I took 2 little girl's wishes: Barbie Castle doll and a Lalaloopsy Doll. Just knowing I will grant their wish made me feel more full inside, at peace with the struggles, and so very grateful that I have a partner in life who supports and loves me immensely.

We are in control of our thoughts. We determine how we react to the obstacles that present themselves in our lives. We are the only ones who can be in charge of the fullness of a glass. Today I will take a huge gulp out of life.

Staying fit during the holidays

BEGINNING NOVEMBER 5TH: FIT FOR THE HOLIDAYS - HIGH INTENSITY METABOLIC TRAINING AND NUTRITIONAL COACHING MONDAY AND THURSDAYS, 7AM, 60 MINUTE SESSIONS, 4 WEEKS DATES OF CLASS: NOV 5TH, 12TH, 15TH, 19TH, 26TH, 29TH, DEC 4TH, 6TH $320 for 8 classes. You will receive 2 workouts to do on your own as well as Nutritional coaching to help you maximize your results in the gym.



As we approach the holiday season there are several key factors to consider in order to make it through the holiday season without gaining weight, fat, and falling off the wagon entirely.

1. Commit to be fit: Without a firm commitment to your health and fitness this holiday season you will most likely find it easier to say yes to a second plate of fatty holiday fare than a workout and a plate of clean lean protein and fiber. Your health and fitness goals have to be at the forefront of your mind every single day in order to continue living a fit lifestyle in the midst of sugar cookies, glazed ham, creamy mash potatoes, and warm apple pie. Do you have to stay completely away from these holiday treats to avoid gaining weight or fat? Absolutely not; however it is best to have a plan for the numerous office holiday parties and evening cocktail celebrations. I suggest having a firm perspective on what is worth the indulgence. A store bought cupcake dressed with fake frosting is not worth the calories in my opinion. Make ever bite count when it comes to nutrition, whether it is clean or not so clean. Commit to a workout and clean eating every single day and then enjoy a treat that is worth it here and there without guilt and complete destruction to your heath and fitness program.

2. Be consistent: Consistency will be key to making it through the holidays wtihout gaining weight and losing your forward momentum entirely. Consistent exercise and clean nutrition will not only make the holiday fare seem like a treat when you do indulge, but you will be able to enjoy the festivities without having to dive into the back of your closet looking for something that fits and looks presentable. Consistent high intensity exercise and clean nutrition will catapult you through Thanksgiving and Christmas without you having to suck it in all day and evening throught the holiday cheer. Plan your workouts and your meals. If you do have a busy work week coupled with holiday cocktail parties and office festivities then strategically plan when you will workout and what you will eat. I suggest the "if this, then that" approach. If you have a holiday party in the afternoon and you choose to have a glass of wine and a plate of good eats, then you will choose to workout in the morning and eat clean until the party.

  3. Make a choice: As discussed in tip #1 and #2, choice is what will navigate you successfully through the holiday season. First, determine your current health and fitness goals. Second, decide what you can do every single day in order to reach your goals. Third, just do it! Prep and prepare your meals. Schedule your workouts. Intelligently design your nutritional game plan through out the holiday celebrations so you are able to enjoy the fare that adorns the tables while still being able to fit into your clothes.

  Classes I am teaching this fall: Monday: Cardio Chiesel 6:00am *New class* Tuesday: Barre Conditioning 11am, Core Cardio 4:30pm Thursday: Barre Conditioning 4:30pm, Sports Training 5:30pm Friday: Body Pump 6:15am, Barre Conditioning 11:30am


Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, the biggest compliment I can receive is your referral. I would appreciate your word of mouth referral as well as your facebook and LinkedIn endorsements.

Health and fitness - A journey of self discovery

When I began consistently working out in the gym at age 24, I did not know that lifting weights and finishing a cardiovascular workout would take more internal and mental strength than the obvious physical strength required to perform athletic skills.  Not only did I find it difficult to maintain exercise and nutrition consistency, just getting to the gym and finishing a workout was the actual fundamental struggle.  I have been an athlete my entire life.  I enjoyed going to practice with my team mates or running on my own when training for season.  It seemed easy to stay in shape when training for a particular sport.  However, once I finished school and stopped playing soccer in adult leagues, with work and an active social life, staying fit and healthy became a challenging struggle.  At age 24 I was a waitress, a nanny, I worked in a medical office, and I took full advantage of the Key West lifestyle of bar hopping and relaxing with a beer on a boat.  I knew that I was not at my optimal fitness - I had a small but prominent beer gut and I was amazed at how my butt kept on getting bigger!  I was self-conscious and intimidated by the gym.  Again, I was an athlete who spent most of her time on the field or the track.  Going to a gym every day was not something I enjoyed.

When I began going to the gym, knowing I had to do something soon or I would just keep on gaining weight and getting lazier, I had absolutely no idea what to do.  I invested in several magazines and workout videos, but still felt like a wondering soul amidst hundreds of pieces of equipment and an array of group classes I knew nothing about.  My first trainer completely changed by entire life, introducing me to a new approach of health and fitness and actually teaching me how to make fitness a lifestyle.  Honestly, it was a pervasive experience, intimidating as well, vulnerable to say the least, and each workout tested my endurance and my character.  Yet it transformed my life and made me the person that I am now.

Changing my body and becoming fit and healthy from the inside out not only tested my physical strength, but with each rep and set and session on the treadmill, I began to discover the person that lied beneath each  layer of fat and unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Making fitness a lifestyle and committing to an exercise game plan challenges not only your will power and physical and mental strength, but your fundamental core values are also put to the test and are forced to be more clearly defined and self-responsibility becomes an absolute necessity.  It is a choice to be fit and healthy, and this is the most important piece of information I learned in my first two years of working out and going to the gym five days a week.

We have a choice to how we feel about ourselves and how we treat ourselves.  We have a choice to work out or remain sedentary.  We have a choice to eat to fuel our bodies or to eat to calm our emotions.  We have a choice to take responsibility for our behavior and actions.  And within this choice we discover our strengths and our weaknesses, and then it is completely up to us to how we respond to what we discover.

Do you want to spend each day wishing you were more fit and healthy, or do you want to know that each day you are making progress on your short term goals, producing forward momentum, and making choices that promote optimal longevity?

What is your choice?  What can your body do?  What does health and fitness mean to you?  How do you feel about yourself?  What are you working for?

What will be your legacy?

This past weekendI experienced both truimph and defeat at the Leadville 100 run event. I reread this blog post from 2 years ago and was quickly reminded that we are not our failures, nor successes. Who we are is determined by the actions we take to risk failure and success! I attended the University of Texas Law School graduation this weekend. The president of the graduating class during his speech asked the students "What will be your legacy?" I sat at the edge of my chair. What an important question to throw out there to each of the students and the attendees to provoke thought and analytical interpretation. Of course, this sort of question is right up my alley. When I use to coach high school girls I use to ask them "What will be the story that people tell about you?" There's nothing like a teen-age girl staring blank at you when you force them to think beyond boys, cell phones, skinny jeans and what to do on a Friday night. However, this was an important question asked of me when I was a teenager and have lived with it in the forefront of my mind ever since. I would ask the girls this question for one reason only and that was to force them to think about the caliber of their effort on the field. I had learned from the head coach of the soccer team that a team would be more successful if the players were picked according to the effort that they gave and not necessarily the skill that they possessed. And success he explained did not always mean winning the game, but more about how hard you played to attempt to win. Practice he said was more of value than the actual game for you played a game once a week and you practiced at least 5xs a week. I didn't understand this philosophy at first; it was not too long ago that I too thought of practice as a time to play a sport that I loved and to joke around with my friends. Oh, and to flirt with the boys on the sidelines! But once I began to coach, to be responsible for conditioning these girls to endure 90 minutes of play in 90% humidity, I began to fully grasp what coach was teaching. He said you could tell the caliber of a player by the way they practiced. As we would sit and talk for hours in the locker room, he coached me on what to look for when picking a team. What time does the girl show up for practice and what time does she leave? Does she give 100% effort in every drill? Does she listen to directions? Does she come ready to play? Is she a leader or is she a follower? Coach believed that a player's character was revealed in practice and that character was just as important as ball skill. I know that the biggest frustration I would have with the girls pertained to the effort that they exerted when out on the field, whether in a game or just in practice. Most of the girls did not understand the importance of follow through. When they would lose the ball to the other team in most cases the fight stopped there, rather than running after the player to win back the ball. I would yell, "give me some effort," and they would glare right back at me with daggers for eyes. A few girls did understand though and when they would lose the ball I would see them sprint down the field after their opponent until they caught them and knocked the ball right out from underneath their feet. It was that sort of play and valiant effort that would take a girl off the bench and put them in the starting line up. As I sat there at the UT Graduation and listened to the speaker talk about the importance of the legacy you leave behind, I couldn't help but reminisce about those days with the girls on the field and the impact that the head coach had on me. What will be the story that people tell of me? How much effort do I put forward every day to reach my goals, to pursue my desires, and continue to move forward in life? Do I come to practice each day ready to play? Am I a leader or a follower? Do I have follow through? I left graduation contemplating the depth of the effort that I put forth in each area of my life, whether it's in the gym, at the office, in the classroom, or at home. It's one thing to want, to hope or to wish to be successful. It's a whole other ball game to come to practice ready to play!

Running for hours

This weekend I ran my first 25 mile trail race. I was on my feet for 5 hours and 31 minutes. As they say in racing, Saturday was my day. I arrived at the 2nd aid station at mile 10 and felt fantastic. I had my legs. My stomach was cooperating. My mind was present and calm. Listening to my Ipod helped ease the mental distress I have been experiencing since I began training for the Leadville 50/50 in July. Madonna and Britney were helping me shuffle up the 4000 feet of climbing. It was all coming together and I couldn't help but notice that I was actually enjoying myself out there. What a view Fruita is! At mile 17, I began to truly understand that even though it felt like my day in the beginning, the real race has just begun. My legs and back felt incredibly achy, uncomfortable, tired, and honestly this was annoying me. I turned up the music and found some Bon Jovi songs to find peace within the chaos; however I knew something was beginning to take place within my body and the music was not going to solve this issue. Were the wheels beginning to come off? Ken has always told me that endurance running is all about how long and how much you can suffer, as well as how well you can problem solve. Immediately I went into problem solving mode: am I dehydrated and in need of fuel? I suffered for about 15 minutes until a thought popped into my head: I need salt and sugar! So I popped two salt pills, 1 Gu, a hand full of potato chips and drank water. Sure enough, 15 minutes later that alarming feeling in my legs and back disappeared. Onward and Upward! At mile 19 - at this point craving a Del's Lemonade from Rhode Island - I stood at the bottom of an unforgiven climb. "Only 6 miles left Chelsea. One foot in front of the other." Yet, my glutes were on fire and I was definitely tapping into my remaining resources as far as energy and guts. That said, I managed to rally after the climb and actually ran into the finish completing my first endurance trail race. Woo hoo!! Here's what I learned in the 5 hours and 31 minutes I was on the course: 1. Aid station food is the way to go. 1/8 of PB sandwich, 3 potato chips, 1 Gu, and 1/2 cup of coke was the formula for the day. 2. Always bring extra wipes and toilet paper! 3. Carrying Glide in my camel back is key to inner thigh comfort. 4. Running with an Ipod is true mental bliss....at least for this race. 5. Cross Fit and heavy power lifts have been the key to my muscle and anaerobic endurance. As the hours passed, I was able to keep good form due to the high intensity strength training I have added to my workouts. 6. No matter how well the race is going, there will be a few dark shadows during the race. The key is to be able to step back and immediately go into problem solving rather than emotional break down and worry. When I crossed the finish line I was overcome by this exciting feeling of accomplishment. Ken stood there with a smile and he was so proud of me. I just fell into his arms, a feeling of comfort I yearned for since mile 17. I grew up as a sprinter! Endurance running meant running 5 miles for soccer 1x a week, and I dreaded that day all of the time. As I stood there waiting for my Grilled Cheese and potato salad, I couldn't help but to smile and be so proud. I just ran 25 miles in less than 6 hours. And I was able to finish the race because I have been training for it! Whether it's endurance running or just getting to the gym daily for a workout, we all need to first commit to the training. Second, we need to do the work. Third, no matter what, we need to continue moving forward, one foot in front of the other. When you stand on the edge of discomfort, that's where the magic happens!

Eat to fuel. Fuel to move. Move to burn.

We are what we eat! Sound familiar? Yes? So why, if fat and weight loss are your goals, do you still consume inadequate foods containing an absorbanant amount of unhealthy, empty calories? Food is fuel. Fuel enables our bodies to move and perform. Activity will help and promote fat and weight loss. So tell me, are you eating to fuel your bodies to move and burn?

Fat and weight loss is a stategic process that needs a specific attention to the details that make up your exercise and nutrition game plan. When your current plan is not producing results the data needs to be analyzed and then adjusted.

1. How many calories are you consuming daily? How many calories does your body need on a daily basis?

2. How many weight workouts and cardio sessions do you perform a week?

3. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

4. How is stress affecting your nutrition, your workouts, and your sleep?

The best way to analyze the data is to track your daily nutrition for two weeks. Do not edit, nor alter exactly what you eat. Honestly report what you have had every day. If you are not truthful you are merely cheating yourself of the ability to learn what may be sidetracking your effort to lose weight.

Keeping a chart of your daily/weekly workouts is helpful when analyzing the data in order to see what is working and what is not. Consistency is key to weight loss. Every person will have a distinct and specific "weight loss" formula; daily calorie requirements are individualized as well as each body will respond diversely to exercise.

When I ask my clients about their nutrition it is not surprising that most think they eat better than they actually do. Two boilded eggs and two pieces of bacon will not help you shed those extra pounds that you are carrying around, nor will:
processed foods, toxic fats ( trans and saturated fats), sugary foods and drinks, processed meats (lunch meat), white flour, chemically laden foods, artificial sweeteners. However, if you do not eat breakfast within 60 minutes after you wake up you could be setting yourself up for blood sugar failure for the rest of the day, causing you to reach for any sort of food that will satisfy your hunger, rather than nourish your body.

Exercise frequency, duration, and intensity is also a confusing part of the fitness equation for most of my clients. Not all workouts are treated equally: each body will respond differently to a workout, and it may take a particular amount of time to figure out how much and how intense your personal exercise plan should be. Here's where it is important to track the data in order to produce the results you are striving for. Some bodies will respond to high intensity training, while others are more suited for long, slow distance paying particular attention to heart rate. I suggest checking in with your nutrition and exercise game plan every 21, 42, 63, and 84 days. Have you lost weight? Body fat? How are your clothes fitting? Do you feel more energetic? Are you sleeping more soundly? Have your food cravings subsided? Take notes at each 21 day interval and begin adjusting after 6 weeks of consistent weekly workouts if small changes are not occuring.

Though I am not training for fat and weight loss, I am still in training. My goal is to complete the Silver Rush 50/50 on July 15th and 16th. 50 miles of mountain biking and 50 miles of trail running! Woo! Hold on please, I need to take a breath.....

Analyzing the data is key to completing this race successfully and injury free. I track my daily workouts, how I feel in each workout, how my body responds to the training, and how the food that I am consuming is contributing to my performance and recovery. This past Sunday I discovered:

1. I need to increase my weekly miles to prepare for the weekend long runs.
2. I need to add a stretching and foam rolling plan to my training program.
3. I am dehydrated and need to pay attention to my H2O consumption on a daily basis.
4. Sweet potatos and eggs is not a good breakfast at all before a 20 mile long run.
5. I need to perform more brick workouts during the week. (bike to run transfer)

Your nutrition and exercise game plan is a process that will need constant adjustment. Track and analyze the data. Make small changes one at a time. Take notes on how your body responds. What works for you will not work for another person, and vise versa. Every person's process will present obstacles that will need to be confronted in order to produce the results you desire.

"You don't always get what you wish for; you get what you work for."

Skill sets

I wanted to take a moment and highlight some important skill sets that I believe will help you maximize your results in the gym.


1. Consistency: This is the most important element of an exercise/nutrition game plan. Consistent action produces consistent results, whether it's positive action or negative action. If you consistently exercise at least 4-6xs a week and consume nutrient dense food properly portioned you will see consistent and positive results. If you are consistently skipping workouts, drinking alcohol, eating fatty and sugar latent food, and do not rest and recover from the stress of every day, you will consistently continue not seeing the results you strive for, and in the end you will CONSISTENTLY feel less than optimal about yourself, your body, and the stress of the every day.



2. Prep and Prepare: Whether you are traveling or at your desk for nine hours a day, if you are not armed with high protein, low fat snacks to level out your blood sugar and cure those hunger pangs you will inevitably CHOOSE to put something in your mouth to curb hunger rather than to nourish your body. Take responsibility daily for what you CHOOSE to put into your mouth. I work 12-14 hours a day. I work out 2xs a day now with all of the training for these races. I train at least 6-8 clients daily. Each day I have prepped 6 Tupperware filled with lean meat, veggies, cut up meat, almonds, Larabars, nut butter, and sweet potatoes. Yes, it does take about 30-45 minutes in the morning or the night before to prep; however I am taking responsibility for what I put into my mouth. Here are a few suggestions for snacks to have easily assessable:

1. Larabars: http://www.larabar.com/

2. Nut mix from whole foods that contains: almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries - I portion these out in small snack bags and place 1/4 cup of the mixture in each bag.

3. 1/2 baked sweet potato, 4 oz of cubed chicken breast

4. SOMETHING TO NOSH ON: I fill a tupperware with the following - grapes, carrots, cucumbers, small bell peppers, strawberries.

5. Whole wheat wrap with turkey breast, avocado, veggies: cut in half and this can be 2 snacks.

6. Almond butter with apple. Cut the apple up in pieces and only use 1 tbsp of almond butter to spread on each slice.

7. 1 tbsp of hummus with veggies.

8. 4 turkey meatballs

* I suggest carrying a cooler around that will hold your Tupperware containers, a bottle of water, and 2 ice packs. I do this every day and it really does help with staying on track and filling my body with the goodness of whole foods.

* IF YOU DO NOT EAT BEFORE OR AFTER A WORKOUT YOU WILL NOT BE MAXIMIZING YOUR WORK IN THE GYM. IF YOU DO NOT EAT CONSISTENTLY YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT. IF YOU DO NOT EAT CLEAN, PROPERLY PORTIONED FOOD YOU WILL NOT SEE RESULTS.*




3. Do not let your weekends sabotage your effort through the week: We all need to have fun for sure on the weekends; however most of our weekends will actually make us slide back a few more steps than desired. Here's my suggestion: Choose one meal to splurge on Saturday and Sunday. Continue to snack on healthy alternatives. Exercise at least one day on the weekend. If you choose to drink both days then choose wisely. The clearer the liqour is the least impact you will produce. Also, alcohol causes a ripple effect on your nutrition. When you feel not so good after a night of cocktails you will most likely eat not so clean! Think about it! Is it worth it?

Another point to be reminded of is dining out. Restaurants are tasty but can be detrimental to our work in the gym. When you are dining out, whether it's with friends or for business, consider filling your plate half with lean meat and half with dry greens and veggies. Do not hesitate to ask the server for an ingredient list and watch out for hidden fats such as butter, oil, cheese, and salt.



4. Stress, rest, and recovery: Bottom line, not only is our poor nutrition contributing to the obesity epidemic in our society, the high amount of stress we all have and produce is also going to kill us! Stress will impact your waist line ten-fold, as well as sleep deprivation. Lack of recovery will also cause minor aches and pains to linger and progress. Without at least 7-9 hours of sleep and 1 to 2 days off from physical activity your body possibly will respond negatively. Weight gain, acute injuries, thyroid issues, heart disease, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, and infertility are just a few side effects that stress can have on our bodies.



5. PAY LESS ATTENTION TO WHAT THE SCALE SAYS AND MORE TO THE FIT OF YOUR CLOTHES, THE BEAT OF YOUR HEART, AND THE STRENGTH OF YOUR MUSCLES.

This week I have heard several clients talk about the frustration of the scale! If I could do away with the scales I would. Why? Here's why:

a. They do not specify how much of your weight is body fat and how much of it is muscle. For adequate results, body fat composition is best to use to measure results.

b. They do not specify how much water your body is holding due to: salt/sugar intake, that time of the month, a heavy weight workout, etc.

c. They do not specify how much your bones and organs weigh.

d. They do not specify how many inches you have lost, only lbs!

e. They cause emotional stress which in turns causes us physical stress = weight gain.


In my opinion it takes 6 weeks of 4-6 workouts a week and a nutrition plan that is 80% clean in order to see results from your health and fitness plan. Again, this is consistent exercise and clean nutrition for 6 weeks. Even then that's only 6 weeks, only 42 days. HOW LONG HAVE YOU NOT EXERCISED AND ATE CLEAN? Think about it..........


Yes, I know you want results right away but quite frankly this is not how it works. You first have to stop backward movement, then create forward momentum, then move forward. This takes time and it's an individual process that will need constant tweaking and changing up. I know that when you do not see results you want to quit. DO NOT! Stick with it. Learn about this process of weight loss and healthy eating. Research. Put forth the effort and time required to see body change.



Here are a few suggestions to help measure your results:

1. The fit of your clothes: Pay attention to this. Are your jeans fitting a bit loser? How about your bra? Shirts?

2. Energy levels: Are you feeling more energetic and less fatigued through out the day?

3. Circumference measurement: You may not have loss lbs but have you loss inches?

4. Lifestyle changes: Are you now more apt to exercise rather than go to happy hour? Are you getting up early most days to exercise? Are you trading in the afternoon coffee for a bottle water and a piece of fruit?

5. Cardiovascular endurance? Muscle strength? Are you seeing results in these 2 departments since the day you started?


For those who have been looking for a core/flexibility program for skiing, running, cycling, etc check out the video below. Perform the first video and only progress according to the directions. http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16625#1 I have done this video and the sequences and have seen dramatic results in my flexibility.