Having a Relationship with Myself

Just ME

If I did not have a GREAT relationship with myself, I would be a complete mess.  This is just not a physical existence for me, but a very deep spiritual bond with God, and being truly content with me and my life.  The healthy lifestyle that I maintain comes from how I treat myself, how I allow others to treat me, how that is perceived, how I grow from my journey, continually being enlightened by both positive and negative experiences, setting healthy boundaries, and wrapping all that up into how I respond to life’s circumstances. 

 

As I have journeyed through this life, I have suffered physically and emotionally and would not be honest if I did not say that I have felt the sting of both from time to time even now.  The difference in the now is my past experiences have been a life education on how to love myself enough to see things and handle things in a healthy way, and navigate through boundaries that I now have to take

care of me.  A great example would be a person that has hurt me emotionally through an insensitive act or words.  I have realized that this has nothing to do with me or who I am as a person, but all about the offender not knowing how to be sensitive or compassionate in that moment.  Would it hurt…well of course but the important thing is realizing the behavior is not my fault, and even more important is responding to it in the healthiest way possible.  The best part about life is learning through the experiences, being enlightened by what is acceptable and not acceptable, not reliving the unacceptable, and “the knowing” of what is wanted and not wanted.  Looking at all things this way has created a healthy perspective of circumstances and a clear understanding  that God wants me to learn something from the situation and possibly create a circumstance that I will be able to help others going through a similar experience in the future.   Emotional growth has not been an overnight learning method of how to handle things, but a cultivation of experiences, over time that has developed my emotional self and created a bit of thicker skin as well in a positive way. 

Having a relationship with me also includes my physical day to day actions.  Believe me, there are days where I need to be In Your Face MOTIVATED to get my bootie moving to workout.  I feel very comfortable eating healthy a very high percentage of the time, but as I get older, I find that the workouts are my more difficult area and because of that, I have become wiser with my workouts.  This has become an enlightenment experience for me as well as some days I will be gang busters and full of pep in my step, and other days…OH MY…throw a towel over my ARC trainer monitor and beep when it is over.  I have also fine tuned my fitness training using what works for my body to reduce/avoid the chance of aggravation.  Nothing is worse than aggravating an injury during a workout and spending days rehabilitating something that could have been prevented.  My relationship with my physical health is all about HEALTH and feeling great, not so much on how great I will look on the outside.  Although, I do appreciate that my outward appearance is a reflection of living a healthy life.  I also want to add that I do not feel looking healthy to be a “vain or ego” thing and that it is OK to enjoy the “physical look” of living a healthy lifestyle.  Many people get so caught up in “acceptance”, and I think that is healthy to a point…but not to be taken to an unhealthy one.  No one should accept being in an unhealthy state of life in my opinion...how can that be a happy place or something to accept? 

Both the emotional and physical parts of my “self” relationship have taken years

to fine tune and develop, and still nothing in life is great all the time.  Life is not perfect or even easy, and in fact it is all the challenges, bumps in the road, hard work, and experiences that sand down the roughness of our inner and outer shells into smooth, beautiful gems.   Through it all, I have learned to not give up, be patient, and above all to know that I am worthy of great things, and I have definitely learned not to settle for anything less.  Life is too short to not want to be healthy physically and emotionally and the BEST place to start and maintain all that is within ME. 

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATION

Me with My Fabulous Kids

Thanks for stopping by my Blog and I hope you enjoyed the content.  Let me know by leaving a comment, a LIKE, or whatever you are inspired to do. I look forward to responding, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friends list.   

Stay Healthy~ 

Darla 

MADE IN THE GYM, MAINTAINED IN THE KITCHEN

It does not matter how much I exercise, if I do not put healthy foods in my body, I will not be healthy.  It is really that simple.  Outside of my workouts, I maintain my body mostly with healthy food intake.  An hour of exercise at least five days per week is sufficient for me, and allows for great recovery and rest for my body.  How I feed my body is the maintenance work that takes place all day long, until I hit the sheets for sleep.  Even then, it is important to eat healthy food that promotes sleep as well. 

Yes, I build my body in the gym and prior to that ensure that my body is ready to go with the proper fuel to get me through my workout.  I purposely create a space on my client calendar where I am the client for a workout.  I give myself one hour of bodywork time and that is enough.  If my hunger bell rings just before my scheduled time, I will slam an apple or a few pieces of watermelon, and if over the top hunger hits, there is no way I am missing what my body is telling me…GO EAT.  It happens sometimes and I will not allow my metabolism to be thrown out of whack over one workout.   Most of the time though, a small piece of fruit and water will allow me to push forward and I fuel directly after my workout.  I have become quite the strategic eater and workout gal with my career as a personal trainer and coach.  

The maintenance work is always on call and important for a healthy body.  Like I shared earlier, there is no amount of exercise that will create a healthy body without the healthy food.  Some get caught up in a vicious exercise punishment cycle of I got to work that “shit” off or starvation mode the following day.  That creates a negative thought process about working out instead of looking at it as a gift for the body.  Before any backlash, I need to clarify that exercise is great and important for the body even if unhealthy food is being eaten, so please do not think I am saying not to exercise if your nutrition is not dialed in yet. The human body was made to be active and move, not remain stagnant and sedentary for hours on end.  So any steps taken to create a healthy body with exercise are POSITIVE steps. I understand that beginning and adapting a healthy lifestyle can be a struggle in the food department and if exercise is the first thing on the agenda to incorporate…that is great. 

What I am saying, and I will use my personal life as an example, is that my body is at its’ healthy best when I am simultaneously eating healthy and exercising consistently.  It is a LIFESTYLE of building and maintaining that has been fine tuned over the years.  It does take years to develop muscle, maintain that muscle and fuel the body in ways to keep that muscle.  Without healthy food and not eating, I would lose all the hard work made in the gym, and that is just not going to happen, besides…I LOVE to eat!

My main maintenance foods consist of lean proteins, antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber.  Examples would be boneless skinless chicken breast, lean ground turkey, eggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, oats, all types of greens and vegetables along with fresh fruits, and healthy oils.  I prefer to purchase all my healthy food products organic, humanely and sustainably raised, and non-GMO (genetically modified organism).  If I am on track at least 90% of the time with my healthy food intake for maintenance, I feel pretty good enjoying my occasional treats.  I do not deny myself if I want to enjoy a cookie, brownie, pie, frozen yogurt, etc. as long as the dessert or “cheat meal” is quality.  There is no way I am downing a packaged processed non food item for a “treat meal”…did you catch how I changed that up?  The indulgence would have to be home baked or gourmet, all natural quality ingredients and provide over the top fabulous flavors in my mouth.  

Overall, the combination of work in the gym, maintenance with the food, plenty of rest, and balance of life with work and play is what makes up healthy ME.  I do not believe in calorie restriction, over exercising my body to risk physical injury, or overworking myself to unmanageable stress levels.  Life is about being healthy and the work in the gym and maintenance with the food is just a part, but very important part, of the success of living a healthy life, feeling my best, and enjoying the results of living this way. 

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATION

Thanks for stopping by my Blog and I hope you enjoyed the content.  Let me know by leaving a comment, a LIKE, or whatever you are inspired to do. I look forward to responding, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friends list.   

Stay Healthy~ 

Darla 

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Hi Everyone!

I am excited to announce my first giveaway and of course all in fitness fun...YEAH! I have always been a clip the hair back girl forever until my friends at a Girl and Her Band got in touch to try their product.  I am sporting the Forever In Blue Jeans band and I will share...I AM CONVERTED TO A BAND GIRL!  I was able to wear the band the whole day without it slipping out of place during my workout and throughout the rest of my evening...I had to give it the full go.  Anyway, after wearing it and being happy to have a band that sticks, is comfortable, and keeps my hair back without having to wear a clip and spray, I was happy to want to share it with you. So, I am offering a GIVEAWAY for a HEADBAND of YOUR CHOICE and BIG thanks to my new fab friends at a Girl and Her Band for the opportunity.  Now to get to the GIVEAWAY RULES:

1. Like a Girl and Her Band on Facebook and tell them that Stay Healthy Fitness sent You.

2. Like Stay Healthy Fitness on Facebook and let me know that YOU entered the contest....YES...you can brag...lol. 

3. Leave a comment on THIS BLOG POST sharing the most awesome place you plan to sport your new Head Band.

4. Winner will be randomly selected and chosen on July 17th by noon!

5.  All entries MUST be submitted by Tuesday, July 16th at midnight in order to be counted.

6. Winner will receive a Girl and Her Band Headband of your choice.

Optional rule: wear your new headband with a smile and let everyone know that you plan to live a Stay Healthy LIFESTYLE! Well...I want YOU to enjoy that healthy lifestyle at the very least :)

Have fun and I look forward to selecting a WINNER next week. Good luck and Stay Healthy! Darla

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla 

- See more at: http://stayhealthyfitness.blogspot.com/#sthash.RA7566LU.dpuf

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla 

- See more at: http://stayhealthyfitness.blogspot.com/#sthash.RA7566LU.dpuf

Don’t Over-think Healthy

Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in over-thinking healthy and what it takes to live healthy?  In my journey of living a healthy lifestyle, I have found that over-thinking can lead to feelings of inadequacy of not doing things right, and getting so overwhelmed that it turns into something that is not enjoyed.  Living a healthy lifestyle should be about simplicity, enjoyment, fun, balance, and all those fabulous things in life that make life worth the ride. 

                                                                     

I come from a background of extreme athlete, competition, and counting every

Getting Back to Healthy

gram of protein, carbohydrate and fat I put in my face, in addition to the supplements taken at spaced out intervals throughout my day, and the intense workouts all tucked neatly into my very organized trainer binder.  Whew…I think about that now and remember how strict, stressed, and really undernourished I was during that time.  My body fat was not at a healthy level for a woman, I was not having a cycle and my hormones where so out of whack that it took months for my body to get back on track when I made the decision to discontinue treating my body that way.  Now…am I saying that competing is a bad thing…NO…I am not saying that and I applaud everyone’s goals for health and fitness, but what I am sharing is that it did not work for me for an extended period of time.  Further, this was not a life-long sustainable way of health for my body, mind and spirit.  I just wanted to make that clear before any backlash hit my page.  What I am sharing about this time in my life is that I did over-think health, but I was not really thinking about health per se as my goals were to look a certain way and not considering feeling a certain way.  Fast forward to many healthy years later…

I do not over-think my healthy lifestyle and teach quality over quantity, simplicity over difficult, and enjoyment over feeling overwhelmed.  I designed a very easy nutrition guide for my clients that I use myself and have received rave reviews, as well as fabulous results that are life-time maintainable. I never want healthy to feel like a burden to me or my clients.  I do believe in a health plan and structure when it comes to food prep and having food ready to go for the week, but that is the only effort required for a healthy lifestyle, alongside a consistent exercise program.   I put in the time to cook my food and enjoy what I cook.  I no longer count calories, keep a journal, although this can be helpful when first beginning a program, and simply eat healthy food throughout my day without calorie restriction….AMEN.   I believe in keeping food to their simplest form and eating it raw or close to raw if possible, and I am talking mostly about my fruits and vegetables here.  Of course, I crock pot chicken like no other, boil a boat load of organic eggs, crock pot large amounts of brown rice and steal cut oats every week.  This has become my habit or healthy eating life and feels as natural as breathing to me now.  I will also share that I do splurge in moderation, although I prefer to cook/bake my splurges because to me there is nothing better than a home-made cookie, pie, or brownie warm from the oven.  Also, I do not like how overly sweet, salted or incorrect fat saturated purchased desserts can be and prefer to control that part of my splurge intake.  So, the point I am driving home about my nutrition and how I think about it…is that I DON’T OVERTHINK IT…I eat to live and keep all kinds of healthy REAL food in my refrigerator and pantry and ENJOY my food.  I realize that my body needs all kinds of fabulous nutrients and I have no worry about eating anything healthy that will fuel my body in a great way.  If it is healthy, I eat it…that is how simple I keep it.  

Turning to my fitness program or exercise, I have come full circle with that as well.  I used to keep a journal years ago of my programs, weights that I lifted, gains, reps, intensity, duration, type, frequency, rest periods…OH MY.  Again, I am not insisting that doing this for anyone else is a bad thing, but for me, it became mechanical and going through the power intense motions of pushing my body to the limits without regard for ME.  This was years ago, and I now treat my body with more TLC and exercise to maintain a healthy body…that is now my goal.  The journey with my exercise has taken on a whole new meaning as I dedicate my programs to taking the BEST care of my body with the limitations that I have and do what works well for my body without aggravation, or flaring this or that up.  I no longer keep a journal but now enjoy workouts that I feel like doing on a specific day, and avoiding sore muscle areas, along with listening to my body if it needs a rest…I rest.  The body needs to move for health and my focus is to move my body for health, to maintain the muscle that I do have, stretch to ensure range of motion through my joints, and perform cardio enough to work my aerobic system.  I really enjoy my workouts and keep them fresh all the time with lots of variety…today was taking my puppy for a long walk/jog and utilizing park benches for step ups and squats along the way.  I go with what works, I do what it fun and don’t over-think it.  If I perform 15 squats instead of 20…so what…it is better than no squats.  That is what I am talking about…doing the BEST I can with what I have and enjoying the journey.

I can say that not over-thinking healthy has provided a much healthier and

happier lifestyle for me.  I believe if healthy feels like a burden, something is not being done right.  The beautiful thing about living a healthy lifestyle the right way and not over-thinking it,  is that it does feel good, makes my body feel strong, provides a confidence and happiness that is awesome, and overall allows me to be my BEST healthy ME.  Wow…what a journey and I like it!

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATION

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla 

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