The Early Bird...

For the last 3 1/2 years (since Kate was born), I have struggled to find a time to get into the gym on a regular schedule. No excuses, I have just had a lot of factors that make getting into a workout routine difficult. Last winter, I spent a good amount of time running outside and it was great because I could take the girls with me and hit the road. The problem was that I had to stop when it got too hot to have the kiddos in the stroller for an hour or so and I didn't get into another program. I am active in my everyday life, but I lacked a regular exercise routine. It was time. My body was asking for it, my mind needed, and I knew that I had to figure something out. I wanted to be able to make a regular commitment that was consistent from week to week and that didn't interfere with my many other commitments....so after looking at our schedules, I quickly realized that the only time that really worked was 6am. Yikes!

I am a morning person and on most all days, I am already awake by six, however, being awake, and being at the gym ready to workout are two different things! Like I said, I was ready to make this commitment, so I did the hardest part. I started. That was two weeks ago and I feel fantastic. I go to HYBRID every MWF and absolutely love walking through those doors. To see my fellow early bird HYBRID and training pals (Andrea, Nick, Linda, Amy, Jenny, Alaina, Brian, Darlene, Jaci, Shane, Patsy and others) ready to work so early in the morning is truly inspiring. We sweat, swear, laugh, and give Ryan and Kevin a run for their money every chance we get. But, mostly we succeed. We accomplish. We conquer. And then we leave. We start our hectic days of meeting expectations, deadlines, and demands from other people. But no matter what happens during the day, all of us have all ready achieved something for ourselves. This is what I love the most.

I walk through the door at home shortly after seven and Brad is ready to head out to start his day. My girls are just waking up and are super excited to see me. And then it begins. Breakfast, clean, shower, dressed, childcare, work, work, work, karate, ballet, dinner, clean, play, books, bed, clean, wine, talk to Brad, sleep. No matter what happens in my crazy life, my HYBRID workouts give me time for me. I am so thankful for that. I am thankful for the support of my awesome workout team and trainer. I am thankful for the laughs, for the motivation, and for the butt-kicking. I am thankful for the dark, quiet, and still early morning drive watching the sun rise in my rear view mirror. I am thankful for the music in the gym, for the sweat on my face, and for the burn in my body. Most of all, I am thankful that I started.

The Exercise Gimmick

Part of what makes working in the fitness industry so exciting is that most everyone is interested in something that deals with working out, losing weight, or getting fit. Not that everyone wants to do it, but people typically have a lot of questions and more specifically want a lot of answers. Whenever I speak, I am always asked my opinion on some technique, program, or fad. This always makes me smile. The fitness industry makes billions of dollars each year selling quick fixes and short lived fads. I hear all the time about so and so's neighbor who lost 15 lbs. following this program, or using that video, or going to this facility. As I said before, this makes me smile. Why? Well, the best part of exercise is that it is not rocket science. Being healthy and fit and losing weight all require movement. That is it. It doesn't matter (for the most part) what you do or where or how you do it. Just move. If your neighbor lost weight using a new exercise video then the reason it worked is because she did it! There is no trick, no gimmic, or no quick fix. The only thing you need to do to change the way you look and feel is to find what you will do. That's it. If it is a home based program that you will stick to, then do it. If it is an outdoor bootcamp, then enroll. If it is a big gym, then go. The only trick to changing your body is movement. Consistent, moderate-high intensity movement. The first step is making the choice to make a change. Once you are committed, finding an environment or program that makes you feel good and keeps you motivated is the only gimmick you need. As soon as we stop looking everywhere else for answers on how to be healthy and start looking within and holding ourselves accountable for the choices we make, change will happen. Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed and conquer and then....MOVE that BODY!!!