Saturday, July 16, 2005

Friends and Laughter

Laura S. is one incredible woman. I guess I should say ANOTHER incredible woman, since I've had the good fortune to have met several incredible women.

Laura is one of my Equilibrium students at the Liberty Community Center. And in my other posts you've read about "Equilibrium: Balanced Fitness for Women" and how darn proud I am of my clients in this class.

Well, Laura started in January and she told me today that she has lost 110 pounds. 110 pounds! Incredible. But the amazing thing...this woman has eight children (little children!) and a job. She drives 15 miles to take my class. And she is one of those students who stays after --- like for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I do promise my students they can lose weight in the Equilibrium class. And I willl continue to do so with even more confidence. But ALL the credit goes to Laura. She is unbelieveable. She makes me want to go run 10 miles or sit down at my desk on Saturday and do something productive for my business or just accomplish something -- because she is proof to us all that it can be done! Anything you want to do for yourself can be done!

This morning she came to our Phit Chicks walking club (www.PhitChicks.com) and the girl led the pack (with the ever-so hilarious duo of Ann and Stephanie at her side). I was thinking to myself what it would have been like for her if she was trying to walk that five miles with an extra 110 pounds on her.

I know Laura was laughing for most of that walk, because she was walking with Ann and Stephanie. Which brings to mind thoughts of laughter as a motivator. And friendship. I'm convinced that these are two very powerful forces. I read the other day that daily laughter will result in a yearly weight loss of four pounds! Cool.

And I've told you how proud I am of Laura, but I've also go to tell you how proud I am of Beth. Beth is on her sixth day of no white flour, no white sugar (a mantra of Equilibrium that we sometimes live by better than others). And you have to understand Beth is a midwestern girl, stay-at-home suburban mom, "I love to bake" woman. This is a stretch for her and she is taking the bull by the horns, making the tough choices and staying on track. Kudos Beth. "You Rock!" as my stepsons say.
Beth is getting a bonus lesson in sociology as folks respond to her with their various forms of "What? You're not having any dessert?" -- as though she's involved in an underground production of weapons of mass destruction.
Dee Dee (another Eq gal, a great mix of intelligence and common sense, making her quite uncommon) pointed out that those comments directed at Beth come from envy -- envy of seeing someone have the guts to do something they ("they" being the weapons accusers) would secretly like to do themselves. I agree with Dee Dee. They don't have the guts to say they'd like to, much less give it a try. (BTW, Dee Dee used much nicer words than I just did here.)

So choose your friends wisely. You certainly can't alienate the "you're not having dessert??" folks, but you can certainly tune them out from time to time.

Another cool thing about Equilibrium....that Beth and Laura and Dee Dee get to spend a little time together. Away from the weapons accusers anxious to share their long list of excuses they have for not taking care of themselves.
It's takes a much more real friend to say "stay on track, do what's best for you" than "go ahead, you deserve it" when you're eyeballing that dessert tray.

Btw, I still enjoy desserts. But NEVER because someone else thinks I should and NEVER anything of less than highest quality. I love being a dessert diva. The calories MUST be worth it.

enjoy your friends, laughter and desserts.

go do something good for yourself! and then for a friend!
Angela

Sunday, July 10, 2005

rejuvenated in Las Vegas

I just returned from Las Vegas. Spent a couple days at IDEA's Annual World Fitness Convention. This is the BIG one -- where the marquis instructors present (they're practically celebrities), where the latest and greatest theories are shared. My favorite this year was Cheryl Soleway, who is a favorite of everyone who hears her speak. She had wonderful theories and opinions about posture, and about understanding the difference between a short, tight muscle and a weak muscle. She says she does alot of yoga and pilates, which impressed me, as some athletic trainers don't (she trains hockey players).
Can't wait to share new exercises with my clients and students. Feels good to be motivated and I'm excited to pass it on...
I'm starting a new session of one of my favorite classes tomorrow: "Equilibrium: Balanced Fitness for Women." As we all know, there are too many things that you have to do to maintain a healthy body. In this class, we do strength training (with free weights, machines, tubes, you name it), Pilates, yoga, outdoor walks and runs, circuits, outdoor boot camp-style workouts, etc. We talk about nutrition and weight loss and most importantly, build a camraderie that is so inspiring it gives me chills....these gals in my class have accomplished unbelievable things. Can't wait to get started tomorrow morning!
Make it a great week!
Angela

Thursday, July 07, 2005

the great divide about breathing

Here's a nice article comparing yoga and Pilates...

http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2259&dept_id=457355&newsid=14707031&PAG=461&rfi=9

Some folks will get into quite the rant-and-rave session with me over which is better. Or, more likely, why their chosen discipline is the ONLY way anybody should EVER exercise.
Dedicated yogis will struggle with the breathing differences and really not care for the Pilates methods of breathing.
And some folks understand the benefits of both and want to do both. Pilates experts have one school of thought and yoga instructors another.
Personally, I like to live in REALITY which is why my signature classes include a blend of both (or "fusion," the more popular term). If you can exercise four-five hours a week instead of eight, then you have a half-day to yourself! Time is time and there's only so much of it, so I say get the absolute most from every single exercise session.
Angela

Friday, July 01, 2005

why do I advertise weight loss?

Seth Godin is a marketer and author that I truly admire. His blog gets all kinds of "best" awards. His recent post on shark attach was interesting to me for several reasons. You should check it out.

Here's my favorite excerpt...
"An innocent 14 year old girl lost her life just off the Florida panhandle the other day. That’s tragic news—it always is when something like this happens.
But why the panic? Why the front page headlines in New York (no sharks here)? Why the emergency orders and the closed beaches?
Last year there were 30 shark attacks in Florida. This is fewer than the number of people killed by deer accidents (not deer attacks) in the United States. Fewer than the number of people killed in just a few hours of Labor Day traffic. Yet you don't see people paying money to see movies about killer deer, or fretting about driving to see Aunt Sue.
Shark attack is like cancer. The phrase alone gets you to sit up and take notice, to have a sharp intake of breath, to hope that everything is okay.
Cancer kills about as many Americans as heart disease, but we react completely differently to news about a friend or a colleague with one disease or the other. We ostracize smokers but few people are serious enough about heart disease to become vegetarians… very different reactions to similar disease-causing lifestyle choices.
"

His marketing lesson:
" You may have the greatest thing ever, but if it doesn’t match a prevailing worldview in the market where you hope to tell your story, you’re invisible."

If you've ever read a description of my signature classes (Yoga Happy Hour or Equibrium), you'll definately see claims to weight loss, a more toned body. You also see claims of "more energy," "better sleep," "improved overall lifestyle and mood." But as Seth so brilliantly points out, when marketing something you have to match a prevailing worldview. The worldview of women in the midwest is that exercise is a price you pay for a smaller leaner body that looks better in clothes.
And let's face it, there's nothing quite as satisfying
as pulling on a size smaller jeans
and seeing yourself in the dressing room mirror
looking absolutely fabulous!
I hope you have these "I'm fabulous" moments as often as possible.
I'd also challenge you to take a moment and think about all the WONDERFUL things in you have because you take care of your body.
And if you're looking to lose weight, sign up for my class: "Equilibrium: Balanced Fitness for Women" at the community center in Liberty. I am very fortunate that I have some clients with incredible accomplishments. Simply incredible.
Jennifer used to tell me she'd never be thin because she'd had two children, etc, etc. Then she dropped he r bodyfat from 35% to 23%. She's now training for a bodybuilding show and her enthusiasm borders on overzealous. Love it.
Laura M didn't let cancer or trips to MDAnderson for nasty "check-ups" deter her from dropping over 40 pounds. Amazing thing is Laura has always shown up with one of the best attitudes - focused and ready to work and smiling.
And Laura S. holds the record with a weight loss of 95 pounds. And this woman has a job and seven children under the age of 14!
So what was your excuse????
As proud as I am of these accomplishments, what you'll always hear me talk about first is the smiles and energy I see come from women who put themselves first for one hour a day. Lorraine's arms look unbelieveable. And Lorraine had a darling figure on day one. Another client jokingly told me I shouldn't let her in Equilibrium, she'd throw off our amazing "pounds lost" averages. :)
And there's Trish, Miss Consistency. Trish gets up EARLY and does a long drive on dark country roads and get her exercise in before she starts her day as a busy attorney. Last summer she hiked out of the Grand Canyon and she hasn't slowed down since.
It's not like these gals go home to eat bonbons and watch the morning talk shows. But they show up. They get stronger, they get healthier, and they offer unbelievable support to each other.
Oh wait - reality. NO ONE registers for a class because they'll have a great time getting healthier and making friends in a positive way doing positive things for themself. They sign up for a class because they hope to lose a dress size. That's the worldview. And Seth is right - I need to market my program to match the prevailing worldview.
(And you can bet I'll do a future post on his points about
ostracizing smokers then eating crap.
Thanks for the inspiration, Seth.)
For now, you get signed up for Equlibrium and tell your friends to too. You can lose alot of weight.
Better yet, blow off the worldview and do something good for yourself. Either way I hope to see you on Monday the 11th.
Have a great weekend and a happy fourth.
Angela