On your journey to a healthy lifestyle it can be very beneficial to hire a personal trainer. But, it is not easy to let down your defenses, push past your fears and put your trust in someone else. You don’t want a trainer who doesn’t listen to you, pushes you too hard or lectures you.

The professional you are choosing to work with should be helping to guide your goals and adjusting your sights towards efforts that line up with your needs!!! They should meet you “where you are”.

There are different interpretations of “Where you are”.

Spatially: at your home or office

Physically: do you want to train for a Couch to 5K or an Ironman triathlon

Emotionally: your life is crazy busy, you have been through hardships, you are a sleep deprived new mom

We all have different needs. Trust your gut or intuition to assess whether the person you hired is meeting your needs. If they are not meeting you “where you are” find another professional who will.

I want to share with you amazing professionals and their words of wisdom to help you build your own dream team of accountability and trusted resources.

Interview : Juliana Fitzmaurice.

Juliana writes a blog about health and fitness. She is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & Certified Pilates Instructor working for Homefit. After battling an anxiety and eating disorder for almost fifteen years she began to immerse herself in nutrition and lifestyle research. She’s found a simple, realistic approach to creating health and wants to share it with her clients and watch them flourish.

Sampling of Lindsey’s favorite blog posts by Juliana.

Personal Trainers Reveal Their Top Daily Habits. Interviews with personal trainers revealed three common factors: Hydration, Movement, Gratitude. https://julianafitz.com/personal-trainers-reveal-their-top-daily-habits/

Too Hard to Change, Too Hard to Stay the Same. You need to choose your battles in your health and fitness journey. Use your professional trainer to guide you and be there when you need them to help you achieve small successes and continue on your journey. https://julianafitz.com/too-hard-to-change-too-hard-to-stay-the-same/

What the scale doesn’t tell you.

a. It cannot measure you strength, your metabolism, your happiness, your effort, your confidence, or your purpose.

b. Use the scale to promote health, not judgement

https://julianafitz.com/what-the-scale-doesnt-tell-you/

Journal Question:

Today it’s an easy question… are your professional resources meeting you where you are?

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietitian

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com

Juliana Fitzmaurice: https://julianafitz.com

https://www.facebook.com/juliana.fitzmaurice

Homefit: http://www.homefitconsulting.com/

Lynda Ratliff Article in Health and Wellness magazine

Emotional Eating… most people immediately think about happy and sad eating… about leaning over a pint of ice cream, crying their eyes out because of a breakup. While this does happen, thinking of emotional eating only in that context discounts the real everyday story. True daily battles are normally triggered by three things listed below with some tips for combatting them.

1. Bored Eating: food becomes a time filler – something to do with your hands when you are in front of the TV or computer, or in the car. Instead of eating try:

-Knitting

-Adult coloring books

-Puzzles

-Break your routine. Do things differently for a few weeks. Your brain won’t automatically pair the new activity with food.

2. Stress Eating: When we feel uncomfortable or anxious, we want to push those feelings down or make them go away so we mask the feeling with pleasure… that pleasure being food. If you feel that way try:

-Get to the root of the stress. Figure out “Why” and “When” it is occurring. Replace eating with exercise or meditation

-Distract yourself to delay the snacking and you may not come back to it.

3. Tired Eating: grabbing food thinking it will give us energy. Before you get that exhausted try:

-Go to Bed! Your body will thank you for some extra sleep.

-Ask for and accept help. If someone offers to watch your kids, cook your dinner, put the kids to bed… say yes please and thank you.

To break it down to its simplest form, emotional eating occurs when you are not truly hungry. A great way to assess if you are actually hungry is to ask yourself. “Does any food sound good or just what you are specifically looking for”? Are you standing in front of the fridge or cupboard with the doors open trying to find that perfect selection? If you answer yes, then start thinking through the questions: Am I tired? Am I stressed? Am I bored?

Journal questions:

1. As you read through the different types of emotional eating, what resonates with you?

2. If emotional eating is something you deal with, when do you notice it happening in your day?

3. What is your biggest fear or barrier to getting help with your emotional eating?

Advice from professionals helps you to understand what you should do on your journey to health and fitness. You can create a game plan and jump into it with enthusiasm and hope. But your plans can come to a screeching halt when life intervenes. The unexpected twists and turns of everyday life trample your perfect game plan and leave you scrambling to catch up.

Interviews with real people and their struggles and successes can show you that you are not alone. Realizing that other people have the same issues can be a big relief, “It’s not just me”. We can gather tips from what has worked for others to store away in case we need them. It’s through these stories that we best learn, grow and cut through any false ideas of being perfect 100% of the time. Instead, we start to understand that we are all just human, paving our own paths and habits in health. It is trial and error as we go.

Interview: Aunt Jan

My Aunt Jan and I work closely together even though we live in different parts of the country. She writes up my show notes, does research and helps with my social media profiles. In return I am her accountability coach. We each feel like we are getting more than we are giving. Today we discuss how life style, family circumstances, changes in the season of life and everyday unexpected events impact her journey to be healthy and fit. She shares some of her struggles and give tips about strategies that work for her.

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietician

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

Emotional Eating… most people immediately think about happy and sad eating… about leaning over a pint of ice cream, crying their eyes out because of a breakup. While this does happen, thinking of emotional eating only in that context discounts the real everyday story. True daily battles are normally triggered by three things listed below with some tips for combatting them.

1. Bored Eating: food becomes a time filler – something to do with your hands when you are in front of the TV or computer, or in the car. Instead of eating try:

-Knitting

-Adult coloring books

-Puzzles

-Break your routine. Do things differently for a few weeks. Your brain won’t automatically pair the new activity with food.

2. Stress Eating: When we feel uncomfortable or anxious, we want to push those feelings down or make them go away so we mask the feeling with pleasure… that pleasure being food. If you feel that way try:

-Get to the root of the stress. Figure out “Why” and “When” it is occurring. Replace eating with exercise or meditation

-Distract yourself to delay the snacking and you may not come back to it.

3. Tired Eating: grabbing food thinking it will give us energy. Before you get that exhausted try:

-Go to Bed! Your body will thank you for some extra sleep.

-Ask for and accept help. If someone offers to watch your kids, cook your dinner, put the kids to bed… say yes please and thank you.

To break it down to its simplest form, emotional eating occurs when you are not truly hungry. A great way to assess if you are actually hungry is to ask yourself. “Does any food sound good or just what you are specifically looking for”? Are you standing in front of the fridge or cupboard with the doors open trying to find that perfect selection? If you answer yes, then start thinking through the questions: Am I tired? Am I stressed? Am I bored?

Journal questions:

1. As you read through the different types of emotional eating, what resonates with you?

2. If emotional eating is something you deal with, when do you notice it happening in your day?

3. What is your biggest fear or barrier to getting help with your emotional eating?

Advice from professionals helps you to understand what you should do on your journey to health and fitness. You can create a game plan and jump into it with enthusiasm and hope. But your plans can come to a screeching halt when life intervenes. The unexpected twists and turns of everyday life trample your perfect game plan and leave you scrambling to catch up.

Interviews with real people and their struggles and successes can show you that you are not alone. Realizing that other people have the same issues can be a big relief, “It’s not just me”. We can gather tips from what has worked for others to store away in case we need them. It’s through these stories that we best learn, grow and cut through any false ideas of being perfect 100% of the time. Instead, we start to understand that we are all just human, paving our own paths and habits in health. It is trial and error as we go.

Interview: Aunt Jan

My Aunt Jan and I work closely together even though we live in different parts of the country. She writes up my show notes, does research and helps with my social media profiles. In return I am her accountability coach. We each feel like we are getting more than we are giving. Today we discuss how life style, family circumstances, changes in the season of life and everyday unexpected events impact her journey to be healthy and fit. She shares some of her struggles and give tips about strategies that work for her.

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietician

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

It feels good and respectable to take care of others. When it comes to taking care of ourselves we often feel selfish, spoiled or undeserving when we spend our limited time on ourselves. Well, back up and rethink that. Do not feel guilty taking time for yourself. There is a reason that the airlines tell every person on every flight to “put on your own oxygen mask first, before helping your children or others needing assistance”. Here are some quotes to ponder:

1. Self-care is a priority and necessity, not a luxury in the work that we do.

2. Self-care means giving the world the Best of you, instead of what is left of you.

3. True self-care is not about a life of bath salts and chocolate cake, it is making the choice to build a life you don’t need to regularly escape from.

4. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

5. Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few seconds, including you!

6. Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean “me first” it means “me too”.

Choose one of those quotes that really speaks to you and write it down where you can see it as a visual reminder that You Are Worth It.

In her book “Famous in Heaven & at Home”, Michelle Myers reinforces this with a simple rule: Our health routine should enhance, not hinder our lives. Taking care of yourself, when done with the correct motives, should best equip you to take care of others.

Journal Questions:

1. Do you have any areas in your health life that you battle guilt?

2. What are some of your excuses or barriers when it comes to nutrition and fitness?

3. If someone could grant you an extra hour in your day, how would you spend it?

Kelly Brown is a friend who is the owner of Mom Camp, a marketing specialist and certified Birth Doula and Lamaze childbirth educator who is currently in training to be a postpartum Doula.  She and her husband also own a small family farm called “French Broad Valley Farms”, where they are raising 150 chickens and ducks along side of their 3 young children.
Kelly opens up and talks honestly about the struggles she has faced, allowing us not to feel alone in our own imperfections! Despite her knowledge and expertise as a birthing coach, Kelly was not prepared for what it was like to suffer from Postpartum Depression (PPD) or what is now called Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorder. In retrospect she had a mild case of PPD with her first two children but with the birth of her son she suffered tremendously, in silence. She was ashamed to admit it and afraid no one would trust her as a birth doula if she couldn’t handle the aftermath of her own childbirth. After 10 months she finally looked for help. Since then she has trained to become a postpartum coach to help other mothers in the same situation.

Look for a postpartum specialist to guide you during the weeks after you bring home your newborn. She can help you to understand the changes in your body and what to expect (and what not to expect). Proper nutrition after the birth of your child is extremely important for both you and your baby. Your specialist can teach you the appropriate foods for a nursing mother. Use your resources to your advantage. Reach out and accept help from all those people who offer it and share with them the guidelines given to you by your specialist.

Resources:

The 4th Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson.

Ms Johnson has studied other cultures that have practices that honor and nurture new mothers helping them to focus only on themselves and their newborn. She has taken what she learned and shared it in her book:

The First 40 Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother, by Heng Ou.

Heng Ou, a Chinese American, describes the Zuo Yuezi Tradition of rest and recovery for new mothers in her book. She shares traditional recipes for healing soups; replenishing meals and snacks; and calming and lactation-boosting teas, all formulated to support the unique needs of the new mother.

Resources:

Famous In Heaven And At Home: A 31-Day Character Study of the Proverbs 31 Woman by Michelle Meyers.

Mom Camp is coming April 27, 2019 To Gahanna Ohio.

Why should kids have all the fun!. A full day guaranteed to help you reset, relax, and rejuvenate We have an amazing lineup of speakers and movement plus the time for great food!

Register now at: https://www.momcamp.me/

Speakers:

Lindsey House, Accountability Coach, Author

Amy Koechlin, Yoga Instructor: https://www.burnwithin.com/

Kim Rice Wilson, Author of Feminine Genius

Kelly Gurich, Artist and Educator

Homework:

From Kelly:

Write down 3 ways that you can ask for help and accept it. Be specific and give it a time frame.

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietitian

www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

Kelly Brown:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.l.brown.338

Homegrown Babies: Asheville Childbirth Education & Doula Services

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twobraids/

Mom Camp: https://business.facebook.com/MeetMeAtMomCamp/

I get great motivation every Sunday from my pastor at New Life Chapel. A lot of my inspiration comes as I listen to his words and interpret them in ways that affect my life, especially in the areas of health and fitness. In one of his recent messages he mentioned “Reaping what we sow” in our relationships with our significant others. That fits perfectly into our journey to be healthy.

Using the example of a farmer’s life, you can see that there is a “season” between when we sow the seeds and when we reap the rewards of the crop. We don’t see immediate results. It is expected to take time to see the efforts pay off. A farmer does not just plant his seeds and sit back to wait for the harvest. There is a season where he cannot see any change, but he is working incredibly hard, sunup to sundown (watering, weeding, nurturing) and after months of seeing nothing but hard work, all of a sudden, he can start to see his efforts pay off with a beautiful crop.

In relationships, the more work or effort that we put into a relationship the more we will be rewarded with the outcome. Speak kindly about your spouse, think kindly about yourself, build each other up and the relationship will improve. But it doesn’t happen overnight. We can’t all of a sudden treat our significant other better and expect tomorrow to look different or even next week… but maybe in months we will start to reap what we sow! With patience our relationships will get better.

Where is your patience when it comes to your body? Do you throw up your hands when you don’t see results? Bodies are no different than the seeds that take time to grow. Starting a fitness program, packing your lunch or eating fewer dinners, out is the equivalent of planting seeds. These are solid changes taking place and healthier habits than what you were doing a week ago. Your body may not be providing the results that you were hoping for (your seeds have not sprouted, and you can barely see any of your work). but, be patient with yourself. Continue these habits month after month. Nurture your body with better choices, increased water, stretching, movement. All of a sudden, your work and efforts start to provide rewards like less pain in the morning, more energy in the day, more strength and confidence and yes even weight loss and a need for the next size or two down in clothing. Accept that there is, in fact, a season between when we sow and when we reap, when we put out effort and when we see the benefit or reward. Remember, your efforts are not for naught. Have faith in the process and if you have doubt about a choice or action… ask yourself “is this choice better than what I was doing a week ago? A year ago?” If you can say yes to that question, you are on the right path!!

Journal Questions:

1. What are some ideas you could pull in to gain more patience with seeing results in nutrition and fitness? How can you help yourself settle into the journey?

2. What are areas in your life where you have a lot of patience?

3. What is your biggest fear with making habit changes?

Interview: Nick House, my awesome husband!

Nick and I discuss our workout mentalities, which, by the way, are at opposite ends of the spectrum. We are a perfect example of why I always say, “Eyes on your own paper” and “Your journey, your way”. Just because something works for one person does not mean it will work for you. Make your journey your own!

Feedback request:

I am new to podcasting and still working on the details to give you a quality product. Sound quality is an area I am concerned about especially when doing an interview. I have many interviews from my Monday Morning Chats that I am sure you would find interesting as long as poor sound level or quality does not distract you from the message. Please let me know how the interview sounds to you, the volume, quality, etc. Does anything distract you from hearing the message? Please be honest, don’t hold back.

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietitian

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

I get great motivation every Sunday from my pastor at New Life Chapel. A lot of my inspiration comes as I listen to his words and interpret them in ways that affect my life, especially in the areas of health and fitness. In one of his recent messages he mentioned “Reaping what we sow” in our relationships with our significant others. That fits perfectly into our journey to be healthy.

Using the example of a farmer’s life, you can see that there is a “season” between when we sow the seeds and when we reap the rewards of the crop. We don’t see immediate results. It is expected to take time to see the efforts pay off. A farmer does not just plant his seeds and sit back to wait for the harvest. There is a season where he cannot see any change, but he is working incredibly hard, sunup to sundown (watering, weeding, nurturing) and after months of seeing nothing but hard work, all of a sudden, he can start to see his efforts pay off with a beautiful crop.

In relationships, the more work or effort that we put into a relationship the more we will be rewarded with the outcome. Speak kindly about your spouse, think kindly about yourself, build each other up and the relationship will improve. But it doesn’t happen overnight. We can’t all of a sudden treat our significant other better and expect tomorrow to look different or even next week… but maybe in months we will start to reap what we sow! With patience our relationships will get better.

Where is your patience when it comes to your body? Do you throw up your hands when you don’t see results? Bodies are no different than the seeds that take time to grow. Starting a fitness program, packing your lunch or eating fewer dinners, out is the equivalent of planting seeds. These are solid changes taking place and healthier habits than what you were doing a week ago. Your body may not be providing the results that you were hoping for (your seeds have not sprouted, and you can barely see any of your work). but, be patient with yourself. Continue these habits month after month. Nurture your body with better choices, increased water, stretching, movement. All of a sudden, your work and efforts start to provide rewards like less pain in the morning, more energy in the day, more strength and confidence and yes even weight loss and a need for the next size or two down in clothing. Accept that there is, in fact, a season between when we sow and when we reap, when we put out effort and when we see the benefit or reward. Remember, your efforts are not for naught. Have faith in the process and if you have doubt about a choice or action… ask yourself “is this choice better than what I was doing a week ago? A year ago?” If you can say yes to that question, you are on the right path!!

Journal Questions:

1. What are some ideas you could pull in to gain more patience with seeing results in nutrition and fitness? How can you help yourself settle into the journey?

2. What are areas in your life where you have a lot of patience?

3. What is your biggest fear with making habit changes?

Interview: Nick House, my awesome husband!

Nick and I discuss our workout mentalities, which, by the way, are at opposite ends of the spectrum. We are a perfect example of why I always say, “Eyes on your own paper” and “Your journey, your way”. Just because something works for one person does not mean it will work for you. Make your journey your own!

Feedback request:

I am new to podcasting and still working on the details to give you a quality product. Sound quality is an area I am concerned about especially when doing an interview. I have many interviews from my Monday Morning Chats that I am sure you would find interesting as long as poor sound level or quality does not distract you from the message. Please let me know how the interview sounds to you, the volume, quality, etc. Does anything distract you from hearing the message? Please be honest, don’t hold back.

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. It’s “Your journey, your way”.

Links:

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietitian

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection

We all want to be successful. But success is a relative term. Just as there is no right or wrong way to eat a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, there is no right or wrong way to measure success. I believe that we have to “rewrite the rules” on what success in your health and fitness journey looks like; not for society, not for your parents, not for your spouse but for you, personally. You need to change your mindset and use your own, personal strengths and passions to build lifelong change.

In order to talk about your health journey it is important to understand how to MEASURE your journey… your success! There are many tools available to keep track of your progress. They monitor things such as calorie and nutrient intake, energy expended, steps, distance or flights of stairs taken.

Some of my favorite tracking tools are:

1. Fitbit

2. Apple Watch

3. iPhone

4. An old school pedometer that may do nothing more than track your steps!

5. Fitness Pal

6. Pen to journal, scrap paper or even sticky notes

Consider looking at the numbers tracked as a research project. Gathering numbers for data disconnects you emotionally from the numbers (there is no good or bad) it’s just numbers.

Gather your info and look at averages over a week or even a month to see trends that could be helping or hindering your journey.

It is important to have a very clear understanding and way of measuring your success. Instead of hoping the scale will show you what you want to see, Fill yourself with the positive effects your efforts have produced.

1. Keep a journal of weekly non-scale accomplishments that make you proud.

2. Write your “feel good” moments on your bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker. (Make sure it is not a permanent marker).

3. Jot down “smile” moments in the notes section of your phone

4. Write down your “wins” throughout the week and send them to me every Sunday!

5. Be creative. Think about what makes you feel successful!

Refer back to my podcast episode #2 for more ideas on measuring success.

Journal Questions:

1. Have you tracked your food and exercise in the past?

2. What did you like and dislike about this process?

3. What tools and approaches changed your mindset and how did they change your motivation level?

4. Write down three good feelings you could take away from fitness or nutrition if you allowed yourself to forget about weigh-in or measurements?

5. Has the scale ever been your friend? What is your current relationship with the scale? Could there be a place in your journey to keep the scale if you use it strictly as a tool?

6. What was your parents’ relationship with the scale? What were you taught as a kid about health and fitness?

Homework:

Goal setting will always be part of your homework. Once a week write down your focus or goals for the week. Every Friday reassess them, tweak them or change them to fit your needs. Goal setting and accountability are where the magic happens!!!!

Links:

Direction Not Perfection, Accountability and Coaching from your Wine-loving Dietician

https://braughlerbooks.com/store/books/direction-not-perfection