Fab Fit Squad

I hear this all the time, Kim exactly what do you do? I know you hear that as well when you go to parties or other networking events. Typically when I hear its my friends who know I have been working hard to become a certified wellness coach. I know that So when the ask, I know it comes from a place of caring about.

So.. I am a wellness coach. In November 2008 I started my journey. I have been a ACSM certified personal trainer for a while and began to notice that most of my clients came to me for a workout or to lose weight, but I soon realized that there was more things going on that was keeping them from being successful. As a wellness coach I have learned some techniques that will help me work with clients to help them better define their goals, support them through the change process and give them the confidence they need to make lasting change.

I know you are thinking, isn’t that the same thing you do as a personal trainer? No my role is a fitness coach I TELL people what to do.  As a wellness coach the golden rule is the client has the answers, I work with them to guide them to reaching their goals.

As you can imagine its been 18 long months and I am really excited.  I know you may think that I am crazy to launch a business right now. But I believe there is a BIG wave of opportunity happening so the timing is perfect and here is why.

• Women are ready to challenge the status quo and step into a more fulfilling way of life. People are more willing than ever to invest to change their lives.
• Women are tired of the rat race, working hard to just get by when all they really want is to look great and feel fabulous.
• The time is ripe for renewal and reinvention. Women are looking for a little guidance around how to get started and stayed motivated throughout the process.  (this is where I come in)

Over the past 18 months my coach has inspired me to play BIG and get out of my comfort zone. I have to tell you I LOVE IT! The focus of my coaching practice is this.

I help busy women who want to look great and feel fabulous!

You might be thinking: most women are already overwhelmed in their quest to live a healthier lifestyle and now you want them to play bigger!

I would be grateful if you would connect me to any women you know that wants to look great and feel fabulous.

The reason why I stress connect is because I believe this is the way business is meant to be: people connecting with each other and finding ways to add value and create mutual success. So the person you refer to me might end up hiring me or we may become professional colleagues, either way, we will both benefit from the connection.

One last thought…

When we hear and read a lot of bad news, it is easy to get discouraged, apathetic or cynical. But we all know, that this does not make the situation better.  The only way to feel better is to get back into the game of life and PLAY.  As a coach, this is my primary objective
You can refer people to be in several ways: leave comments below — | email –| website –| phone–(617) 744-9056

I ran the Miami ING Half Marathon exactly 20 days ago and its taken me this long to write about. Before January 31st the furthest that I ever ran was 10 miles.  I got to tell you that it felt good! Whenever I tell the story I am still refer to it as my first half marathon because I’m still unsure if I will EVER run that far again.  I will run again, I know that is true , but a half marathon, hmmm.  Most fitness things I do after I finish I’m so PUMPED to do it again. I got to tell you not this time. I was WIPED OUT! I just wanted to sit down and  get my shit together! Let’s go back to the beginning, why did I decide to run a  half marathon?  Well..

• I use to run about 6 years ago and a half marathon was goal of my and then my sciatica got to bad so I stopped. Read My Ass Doesn’t Do What?
• I ran in Falmouth Road Race (August and November) (7 mile race) and felt really good — I thought what’s 6 more? Hmm boy was I naive
• I needed a goal to get me through the holidays
• It was something that my husband I could do together — which was AWESOME to finally a hobby together.
• The race was in Miami in January (I live in Boston) who doesn’t like a little warm weather.

My training included running in a snow storm, running in 20 degree weather and finally we caught a break our last 2 long runs we got to run in 40 degrees. I know a virtual heat weave in New England.

The first 10 miles of the run were good. Especially mile 6 when the drag queens were out giving a show, that kept me going for a mile.  Okay maybe 2. Then mile 10 hits and the walls come crashing down! I was DYING! My ankles were hurting and I had major heartburn from the GU.  At this point I was praying to any God I could think of help me get through the next 3.1 miles. Two things got me thorough.

1. my husband and I agreed to meet at the finish line and I knew if I didn’t finish within 15-20 minutes after him he would be worried
2. there was this women in front of me that didn’t look like a runner (for the record neither do I) and she was struggling just like me, but she kept going! So, I decided there and then if she keep running so would I.

Once I crossed the finish line I thought that I would feel this runners high that would keep me going after I finished. Well…. I’m still waiting for this runner’s high. I didn’t get it.

Everyone keeps asking would I do one again. I say maybe.  But here are some changes.

1. I would do short runs at marathon pace
   • this time I only did long runs, not doing the short runs really hurt me in the endurance
2. I would not do a race in the winter
   • motivating yourself to run on a cold and/or snowy day SUCKS out loud
   • I also like running in the AM, and running in the cold and dark SUCKS too
3. I would conserve my energy early in the race
   • Don’t try to fight my way through the crowd early on, take your time and wait for the crowd to think
4. I would run 12 miles as my last long run
   • Those last 3 miles sucked, and the runner’s high and crowds energy didn’t get me through so I would definitely add 2 more miles so I know how my body will feel and react

If you’ve run a half marathon I would love to hear any tips you would like to add. If you are new to the half marathon, good luck!

Most people think because you are a personal trainer you are super human… UMMM NO.

image fitsugar

We have those days when we don’t want to work out and sometimes even when we set a fitness goal and get in the middle of training we say to ourselves, what did I sign myself up for.

That is me right now. Literally I signed up to the Miami half marathon. (I am registered, have a non-refundable plane ticket and hotel) Just 6 short weeks ago I thought it would be a fun challenge and keep me motivated through the holidays. WELP.. not so much. Today’s 19 degrees with a wind chill of 4 and I had to do 4 miles. Go ahead and call me a wimp, but this kid wasn’t going outside. So.. instead I decided I could suck it up and run on the treadmill for 4 miles how hard go it be.  In a word FREAK’N HARD!!!

Well.. even though the Jessica Simpson E True Hollywood story was on I still felt like a Gerbil on a wheel  so…4 treadmills, yes 4 treadmills every mile I moved one, because I was BORED out of mind and thought that would help not so much. This weekend I have to do 8 miles.. I really need to check the forecast… there is NO WAY I can do it on the treadmill.

So here I am 7 weeks away and wondering seriously who do I think I am. Should I be running a half  marathon?

Last week I ran my 1st Turkey Trot, just 4 miles through a neighboring town on Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving it was a nice day here in New England. I typically run mid morning, so this was my first early run, so I was testing what to eat. I decided on having a banana and a cup of coffee. Come on. I can’t leave the house without coffee, so it a must have! I ate it 1 hour prior to the race so that I plenty of time to digest it right!

Well at mile 4 I get sharp stabbing pains in my back, but I didn’t STOP I

kept going and finished the race in 39 min. My goal to run less than 10 min/mile and I did despite the stabbing pains in my back and having to pee. Yes, at mile 2 the coffee that I had to have needed to make an exit. So.. I guess my motivation to run a fast as I could was there.

Lesson learned for the Miami 1/2 Marathon — figure out my food and pee management.

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Tis the season for family gatherings filled with tasty and tempting treats. How can one not be tempted? Here are some tips to help you stay on track!

1. Have a Fitness Plan: Every Sunday I set down and schedule in my workouts and treat them like an appointment I can’t break. So. go ahead and grab your calendar and schedule in your workouts. Without this written commitment it’s a slippery slope to not working out until after the holidays are over. So set a plan and STICK with. Need someone to hold you accountable, give me a shoot me an email.
2. Moderation: You can have a small taste, without blowing it! Allow yourself to indulge a little here and there, but limit your portions. When you are out make smart decisions around where you will indulge and most importantly don’t feel guilty about it.
3. Do Something Active Each Day: Even if you only have 30 minutes, you can go for a walk, short run, or take a group fitness class, but make sure you move! This will help burn off some of those indulgences and help reduce some of that holiday stress. (more…)

So, I’m going for one of my goals. I have been thinking about running a half marathon for about 10 years. I stopped running because of the pain in my ass. I started working with a great posture guy and I was able to run the Falmouth Road Race (7.1 miles) 2 times without pain. So now I’m going to go for it.  The race is on Sunday, January 31st and my half marathon training starts on Monday!

As I begin my half marathon journey I will keep you all updated on how I’m doing. Today was a rare warm November day in New England.  I decided to go for  a little mini run (4 miles) and right now I feeling like seriously, am I going to make it 4 miles were tough! Here is my training schedule for this week.

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Just kidding! Here we are on the cusp on Halloween and you trying to build your courage and willpower. I get it, you live in a neighborhood where there are a ton of kids and if you don’t buy a truckload of candy your house will get egged or on November 2nd you are going to walk in to find your office filled with candy landmines. Hear are 4 tips to avoid that?

1. Buy candy you don’t like. That way you are less tempted to nibble between trick or treaters
2. Can you go candy free and not the be the weird house in the neighborhood? Could you have out granola bars or snack packs of nuts
3. Don’t buy loose candy. Trust me I love me some candy corn, but if I buy a bag it’s going down!!! As my coach would say jackass behavior is going to happen.
4. Heading to a Halloween party, how about bring the healthy appetizer or entree to share.
5. Just stay away, because they are small doesn’t mean that don’t pack on the calories. To find out how many calories, check this out.
   

On Wednesday, the TV show Cougar Town premieres on ABC. When I first heard about this show and let me take a step back, when I heard the word COUGAR I would get pissed off. I thought because a women is strong and goes for what she wants, why does she have to be a called a cougar. When a man goes for what he wants, he is called DRIVEN, DETERMINED or SUCCESSFUL.

I found a site the helped me change my mind about the term cougar.  A Real Cougar is a woman who is strong, confident, independent, sexy and proud to be past 35.

When I read I said this definition, I embraced and finally came to terms with the word cougar. Taking a look back at myself in my 20s, I remember discovering who I was in terms of my career and the woman I wanted to be living on my own for the first time. Many women work DAMN hard to discover themselves in their own terms. So I ask you ~ why does the term COUGAR have be a bad thing. Go ahead and call me a cougar. I am in the best shape of my life and living my best life with no regrets.

If you know who you are and you are not afraid to show it, embrace your cougar pride!  The Fabulous Fit Squad is all about empowerment and going for it.  So embrace your inner cougar and GO FOR IT!

Let me clarify for a minute, when I say go for it, I’m not saying put on your best push up bra and head to your nearest bar. What I am saying is look in the mirror and ask yourself are you living your best life? Are you:

• taking a stand and making things happen
• thinking age is nothing but a number
• done listening to other people and finally tuned your inner voice ~ positive talk only please
• working out and staying healthy and active
• financially independent or working towards that goal

Don’t be afraid start living your life to its full potential.  In the comments right below tell me how your embracing your inner cougar.

When you are sick, moderate exercise is permissible. In fact research shows that people who exercise regularly a get sick less frequently, but there does come a time when you are too sick to workout.

• We’ve all hear the above the neck  rule — stuffy nose, scratchy throat, headache– you are okay to workout if you feel up to it.
• If you have a fever, congestion or feel achy stay home! It may be
  something more serious than the common cold

If you do decide to keep working make sure you stay hydrated, over the counter drugs and/or prescription drugs may leave you dehydrated and a little light headed. Be extra careful and make sure you are wiping down machines before and after using and be sure not to touch your face.  Keep your eye on your activity level, now isn’t the time to push it.

Urban myth alert — There is no evidence that you can run or sweat out a cold.

5 ways to avoid catching a cold.

Since last March all we have heard back is the SWINE! Swine flu, this and swine flu that. So winters coming and flu season will be upon us,here are some steps to avoid catching it and/or spreading the flu

1. cover your mouth when cough or sneeze — use a tissue or cough/sneeze into your shoulder
2. wash your hands frequently with hot water and soap
3. avoid contact with anyone who is sick
4. if you are sick STAY home
5. make sure you are eating and sleeping

Top 10 things you need to know about the swine