The studio chapter

A good friend once told me one of the purposes in life was to learn lessons and evolve as a person from each one. This year was full of lessons.

No one ever tells you how hard it can be to find your passion in life. I guess I got lucky. I spent a year of my life in university trying to decided what my passion was. I quickly became aware that the gym was the only thing I was interested in there and unfortunately it was not listed on my course calender.

 I went home after a year frustrated and confused. As the summer went by the opportunity of working as a personal trainer kind of fell into my lap. I had met Tyler. Tyler who saw I could do this. Tyler who pushed me towards it.  I always say things happen for a reason and this was definitely one of those things.

It never felt like work and it was never about money, I did it because I loved it. I had remembered once feeling intimidated by the hustle and bustle of working out next to sweaty guys feeling intimidated as I reached for the light dumbbells. But I also remember the day I could do a pull up all on my own feeling strong and confident. It was this confidence I always wanted to spread to the women who needed it most.

Tyler and I decided to open a studio because we wanted to help people. The gym we worked at was only after money. Overcharging on sessions, overcharging on accounts "by accident". This was why we wanted to get out and do it our way. It was about passion.

Here I am 3 years since I started in that gym. I have learned more about myself, my dreams and my passions then all my other years combined. I have learned that in being selfless and investing your time in others that you begin to reap the greatest rewards.

I never did this job for money it was always passion. I think this is why I find it so hard to depend on it for my primary income. I would honestly do this job for free. The business side of owning a studio taints the love I have for being a trainer. I am not business minded my greatest attribute is instead compassion.

It has been a very hard decision to leave my studio behind but I know in my heart that at this point in life it is the right one.I have no regrets. The past three years were meant to happen and I am so glad they did. I met Tyler, I made friends and I helped others just as I has wanted to. I grew and evolved into a better person through all of this. I believe these years helped me find myself and who I am meant to be.
 
 Now what is next? I am going to be furthering my education to become a massage therapist. While I complete my schooling I am making programs and keeping contact with many of my clients and hope to one day train them again in person. I want training to be my secondary, my true passion but massage therapy to be my job.

Thank you to everyone who has crossed my path these last few years. I have learned more from each of you than you have from me. This chapter of my life may be closing but I hope to have you in the pages of the next one.

Why I love to compete

I have been asked a lot this year why I compete. This is why:

 


For an entire year I had been researching the sport, ripping out articles and telling close friends about my crazy idea. When I returned home from university I was introduced by a friend to "The bodybuilder at the gym" (aka my boyfriend Tyler :P) He told me in 16 weeks he could get me ready to step on stage. He was the first person to believe in me.
 
When I won my first show I remember leaving the stage with one thing on my mind- Seeing my coach's face. It was like one of those old fashioned movies when the woman leaps into her lovers arms after months apart. The whole world went still and I knew as that moment unfolded I would never forget it as long as I lived.

I'm not sure how many moments like this God allows us and have yet to experience one since but I will always have this memory and hold it close. That moment is one of the reasons I love to compete and as long as my body allows I will chase that feeling.

Life is complicated, uncertain and short. Very few people ever find the thing that truly makes them happy. I am not talking about something you merely like; something you are in love with. School girl crush, something you think about every night before you go to sleep and wake up excited about every morning. Something that can give you butterflies, something euphoric.

 For me it is competing. It challenges my body, mind and soul. I have found many things in life I like but this is the one thing I LOVE. Do you remember when you were a kid on Christmas Eve? That is what I feel like the night before a show. I can't describe to you the high I get when I am on stage but it is the best feeling in the world. Win or lose living that moment is worth the pain and struggle that comes with preparing for it.

Thank you to my coach Tyler Brennan for believing in me and sparking my passion to compete. My journey is unfinished and I can't wait to see where this crazy unbelievable dream of mine will go.

 

GIVING UP TO GIVE IN

GIVING UP TO GIVE IN

You have been on a new meal and exercise plan for two weeks now and the numbers on the scale have not budged. Your ultimate goal of losing weight AS QUICKLY as possible isn't working out. You become frustrated and throw in the towel. You begin blaming things like your slow metabolism or the fact that your parents are over weight saying they are "big boned" and you are destined to forever stay the same. WITH AN ATTITUDE LIKE THAT I GUARANTEE YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE!!

EveryBODY if unique and different. Yes some people may have slow metabolisms if they have been on a diet too low in calories for their body or they are only eating 2-3 large meals a day. BUT this is something that can easily be fixed. When you begin eating small portions of lean protein, veggies and complex carbohydrates every 2-3 hours your metabolism heats up!! It may take longer than 2 weeks for your metabolism to adjust to this change and begin its new task- BE PATIENT!

Write yourself a meal plan and stick to it word word- if you are changing things around all the time how are you supposed to figure out what works?! I guarantee the diet you need to loose weight is night and day different from what your best friend would need. Through my training in metabolic typing I have learned just how unique and different every person is and one diet certainly does not fit all. If you are doing this on your own it is your job to figure out how your metabolism works best and what foods you should and shouldn't eat.

The worst possible thing you could do when your plan does not yield results is get depressed and begin binge eating whatever you please! If you want something bad enough you NEVER EVER GIVE UP! This change you are making needs to be for life it can't be a short term goal or else you will never maintain what you worked so hard for.

Do not throw in the towel because you are frustrated and wanting to eat all the foods you have been craving- KEEP GOING! Never give up in order to give in to those desires because those 2 minutes of deliciousness seem pretty minimal next to the end result you could achieve if you had of stuck to your plan.

Stop looking for the quick fix and start doing what needs to be done. It might take weeks, months or even years but I guarantee when you get there it will all be worth it.

Workout series

No gym, no problem! Here is the start to my 12 week series of home workouts to blast fat! Let me know how it goes!

Week 1- Full body workouts

Circuit Workout
Step ups - x 15 each leg
One arm back row- x 12 each side
Push ups- x 12
Squat w/ shoulder press @ top- x 12
Tricep dips on bench- x 12
Plank- .45 seconds

Rest 1 minute
Repeat for a total of three rounds!!

SNACK ATTACK

Eating to lose- yes I am still on this topic. I am in love with fitness and all of the benefits that it has to offer but I can honestly tell you that if you don't have a perfect diet you are not going to reach your full potential. You should be eating every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism revved! This is going to help stabilize your blood sugar and in turn reduce cravings.

If you are like most people you aren't going to want to be eating chicken and fish for every meal! You can still have snack type foods but you want to make sure you are getting in 15-20 grams of protein. I have paired these proteins with carbohydrates to make perfect snack ideas! (portions will vary depending on weight)

Don't be afraid to snack between meals with VEGGIES! Get in as many leafy greens as you can and reap the nutrient rewards!! I like to snack on sugar snap peas and homemade kale chips for an extra crunch.

Snack ideas:

• Protein packed Greek yogurt w/ 1/3 cup dry oats + berries

• 2 Hard boiled eggs, sugar snap peas w/ ¼ cup hummus

• ½ cup cottage cheese, 1/3 cup blueberries

• (Post-Workout) Protein shake, medium banana or apple

• ½ cup egg white veggie omelet, 2 rice cakes w/ natural almond butter

CONFIDENCE

Confidence

Let's be honest ladies this is a trait we often times fall short of. Maybe someone teased you about something when you were a kid, maybe you have never had your ideal body, maybe you think your butt is to big or your ears are to small. Whatever it may be- DROP IT.

You are never going to achieve the results that you want if you keep bringing yourself down. The number one thing you need in order to stick to a nutrition or fitness plan is SELF BELIEF- If you don't have it you might as well give up now. You need to mentally know that you can do it.

My last show was in June, I went in feeling confident and ready to win. When things didn't go as planned I lost what felt like all of my confidence.

I planned for another show in August and couldn't seem to stick to my plan to get the results I needed. I eventually gave up. I stopped training, I stopped following my meal plan and I hit a slump.

Months went by and I couldn't seem to stick to my plan until one day I started to believe in myself. I retrained my mind to think positive, I began working out not because I wanted to win a show but because I LOVED it and it made me feel my best. I stopped obsessing over how big my thighs were or how much weight I had gained and started to believe that I could do what I needed to in order to change.

Eventually I wanted to follow my nutrition plan and I wanted to compete because I gained the confidence that I could do it and become my personal best. Daily I tell myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to! I am not going to let the results of one show define who I am but aim to be better. I truly believe you need to learn how to make your own positive situations in order to appreciate how much you are capable of!

Here are my tips for gaining confident so that you can reach your fitness goals too:

1. NEVER say I can't- How unfair is that to YOU! You never know that you can't do something unless you try. Don't give up on something before you have attempted it.

2. Every time you look at yourself in the mirror and see something you don't like immediately replace it with a feature you do like. Give yourself some love!

3. Think positive- the minute you start thinking a negative thought replace it with a positive thought. I challenge you to do this for an entire week. Watch how much your attitude changes.

4. Visualize your goals. How are you supposed to expect yourself to work towards a goal you haven't envisioned yet? The more you think of a goal the more important it becomes.

5. Have confidence in your program. If you don't believe your program is going to work you will not work hard enough for it to work. Plan what you are going to do and give it 100%.

6. Don't self sabotage. Give yourself a break sometimes- so you slip up and have a couple of cookies.. Stop tearing yourself down for it! Tell yourself that you are strong enough to get back on track tomorrow and make it a PERFECT day on your plan. Prove to yourself that one slip up will not stand in your way. Don't feel depressed or down about it you are only human.

7. Don't be afraid to say your goals out loud. This one is HUGE! If you are afraid to do this you most likely don't think they are going to come true. By telling others what you are going to accomplish you have set yourself up for success. Repeat it to yourself out loud every time you wake up. If you don't think about it daily you will loose confidence in your ability to achieve it.

8. Know that your body is physically capable of doing nearly anything. Just because you haven't ran a 10k before or lifted a weight doesn't mean you can't. Our bodies are amazing and intricate. Have confidence that you can train your body to accomplish whatever you desire.

   IF YOU CAN DREAM IT- YOU CAN DO IT!

Motivation Monday

“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going”

Finding motivation is the easy part, keeping it is where things get hard. It is easy to plan to do what needs to be done to reach your goal but having to do it day in and day out can get tedious. Don't give up!!

Experts say it takes 3 weeks to form a habit- in my opinion that is three perfect weeks! No slip up on weekends and all planned workouts complete! Don't give up on your plan after a week, everybody is different! Some people may see results in the first few days for others (like myself) it may take upwards of two weeks to see a change. The key is consistency.

Here are my types for keeping your motivation:

1. Always be prepared- Cook your meals ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer.

2. Mind over matter- If you have resisted temptation before you will most likely be able to do it again with ease.

3. Carry a cooler with you everywhere you go, keep snacks in your purse if you go to meetings often or may not have access to your cooler all day.

4. Go on a realistic meal plan- Stop looking for the next “quick fix” diet! I guarantee your motivation will not last long when you are starving yourself. Eat a mix of complex carbohydrates, veggies proteins and fats every 2-3 hours to keep your blood sugar stabilized.

5. Give yourself 1-2 rest days (If you are a beginner 2-3) Your body needs time to repair so that it can perform at it''s best! Bringing me to my next point.

6. Sleep! 6-8 hours per night! If you are not getting enough sleep you will not make good choices or make the most out of your time in the gym.

7. Have a plan. If you don't have a written plan as to what you are going to do everyday to achieve your goal it is going to be difficult to figure out why it isn't working. Give yourself something that you can alter to get your best results.

8. Share- tell your friends, family and co-workers your goals! It is always motivating when you are asked how your progress is going and you can respond with all the exciting changes you have made! You might even motivate that person!

9. Pick a milestone. Have a reward (non-food related) for when you reach your goal. For me it is competing for others it could be a race, a vacation, an after picture- anything that would make you appreciate how hard you have worked!

10. Make a mantra- This is something that you repeat to yourself daily or when you are needing that extra motivation. Seems silly but when your motivation falters this can really help “I can do this, I am strong”, “I have worked to hard to turn back now” any phrase or quote that reminds you of why you are pushing so hard.

11. Confidence. This is one I have learned the hard way, if you don't believe you can achieve your goals you never will. Be true to yourself and know you can do anything you set your mind to.

12. Motivational pictures, sayings, quotes- I have a whole bulletin board in my room dedicated to this! Every time I look at it I am motivate again.

Most of all remember- “Success is not in how many times you fall, but in how many times you fall and GET BACK UP!”

Stay tuned for my next blog on CONFIDENCE,

YOUR FRIEND IN FOOD AND FITNESS,

Sarah Rennick

Using stitches instead of band-aids

As a personal trainer I hear lots of statements like this – “I have a party this weekend and NEED to fit into my black dress” or “I have a vacation in three weeks and NEED to be down 20lbs.” Hate to break it to you but it’s not that simple. Sure I could tell you to stop eating all carbohydrates, exercise like the energizer bunny and cut calories down to nearly nothing. Would you loose weight? Sure. Would you maintain what you had lost? NO! There is only one secret I know to loosing fat and it is – CLEAN EATING.

There will be fads that come across the fitness forefront like Visalus, Isagenix, the cabbage soup diet, and many other “quick fixes”. You will hear testimonials of people loosing weight in a flash. These people took the easy way out. Loosing weight is hard and I guarantee it will be an uphill climb. ANYONE can loose weight when they are consuming 500 calories of shakes or soups a day but it is merely a band-aid. They will not be able to do this forever. Clean eating is a lifestyle change.

How do I know? I know because I have been there. When I was in high school I went through a stage in my life where I was obsessed with becoming a certain weight. I counted calories allowing myself 300-400 a day and then did cardio where I would burn off double the calories I ate. Yes, I had an eating disorder and in my opinion that is what these fad diets are setting you up for.

After I reached my “goal weight” it was nearly impossible to maintain. So I began to cut my calories even more. My disorder became worse and I went through a period of bulimia. Eventually it became apparent to close friends and family that I was getting to thin. I was unhealthy, unhappy and absolutely exhausted all the time.

I can remember the day my mother introduced the new concept of clean eating to me. I still remember being baffled at having to eat more to lose more; as I had trained myself to do the opposite.

One of the main points was to eat protein and carbohydrates every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism revved and not count all calories as equal. It wasn’t about counting calories but about the nutrition value in food and instead counting fats, proteins and carbohydrates rather than overall calories. Clean eating taught me how to be healthy.

As I began to lift weights and eat clean the number on the scale went up but my body completely transformed. I had curves, muscle tone and best of all was no longer “skinny fat” - I was healthy.

I know what it is like to lose weight. I have had to loose 20+ pounds both times I competed in order to be ready. I don’t slash down calories but I consume more greens, less carbohydrates and more protein depending on what stage of the process I am at. I give myself 15-20 weeks to do this and never expect myself to loose more than 2lbs per week.

Right now I am eating around 1200 calories a day and still loosing!! It is the type of foods you eat not the amount calories you consume. I don’t even count calories anymore I only count carbohydrates, proteins and fats. You would be surprised to see the amount of food on my meal plan.

I hear- “I have to eat more so I can loose more?” nearly every time I introduce this concept to a client and it still makes me smile

Check out “The Eat Clean Diet” By Tosca Reno.

I am a Holistic Lifestyle coach and do online meal plans if you need education and help. Teaching this concept is my favourite part of my job as it completely changed my body, mind and life. Let if change yours too.


Your Friend in Food and Fitness,

Sarah Rennick
bodyrevival@hotmail.ca

Making Your Resolutions Come True- Part 2

The holiday excitement is over. Your social schedule has slowed down and you are ready to commit to a fitness goal.

I find resolutions to be very vague- “I am going to loose weight this year” “I am going to start going to the gym”, “I am going to build more muscle this year” or “I will not eat ______ this year”.

What happens when you slip up? What happens when you have to go away for a week and don’t have access to a gym? What happens when your goal is taking so long to achieve that you loose your motivation? YOU FAIL. By setting a goal so big it is nearly unattainable you are setting yourself up for failure.

Start a goal journal! When beginning your goal journal I suggest you make three lists: 6 month goals, 1 year goals and 2 year goals. There may be big things you want to achieve that will take longer than this year- the 2 year column is where you would write these goals. I don’t like the word resolution I like the words small goals. You shouldn’t have one big resolution you should have 10-20 small realistic goals per column. Studies have proven that when a goal is written down you are more likely to achieve it.

Don’t make your goals vague and overwhelming “I’m going to loose weight” instead write something like “I’m going to loose 10lbs by March 1st” This not only gives you a deadline but it is very possible that you could achieve or surpass this goal. If this was your goal you should have small goals surrounding it as to how you will achieve it. “I will do 30 minutes of cardio every week day”, “I will do 30 minutes of weights every other day”, and “I will eat clean 90% of the time”.

Here are some examples that I have in my journal:

6 month goals:
Compete in the Cobourg Naturals- April 2012
Follow my contest diet 100%


1 year goals:
Qualify to compete at OPA provincials
Stay withine 7lbs of my contest weight post-show

2 year goals:
Complete second level of Holistic Coaching
Have a published fitness article
IFBB PRO :)

As you can see I didn’t overwhelm myself with big unrealistic goals. I set small goals and left my larger goals for 2013.

Share your goals! Show close friends and family your lists; sharing your goals holds you accountable to achieving them. Plan! Make detailed plans as to how you are going to achieve your goals. This is how you can fill the pages of your journal. Every Sunday write in detail what you are going to do the following week to get yourself closer to your goals.

Stay tuned for my video on goal setting :)

YOUR FRIEND IN FOOD AND FITNESS
Sarah Rennick