When I work with clients I often hear stories of the glory days, when they were more fit, healthy, accomplished etc. I think that is awesome. The challenge is making sure they are not living in the past and are accepting the present. However, it is important to honor who you are and where you are in that moment.

As humans we usually like to appeal to our best self. In fact, we are more responsive when others do also. If you are someone who often says things like aloud or in your head like "I keep my commitments," yet you have fallen short on them in the past several months. Well guess what, you don't actually keep your commitments. And I'm here to tell you that is okay, for now. The present is a summary of your past. You can make changes at any time but you cannot go backwards.

What I am saying is that it is important to acknowledge and accept where you are right now. It doesn't make you a bad person, it doesn't mean you are a failure. Focus not about where you should be, you...

Every year I like to learn or try something new to keep me growing as an individual. As a coach it also helps to remind me of how challenging learning something new is. Besides that, I often get reminded of the lessons I teach and it keeps me on my toes.

In recent years I’ve taken singing lessons, became a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, and learned to snowboard and how to swim properly. Most recently I am learning to play tennis. I’m telling you all of this for several reasons:

1. It’s never too late to learn something new.
2. Learning new things keeps our brains active and flexible.
3. It gets you out of your comfort zone.
4. Helps us put our beliefs into practice in new settings.

For example, most recently my coach told me not to worry about where she was on her side of the court, or where the ball I hit was about to land. I kind of laughed because last week I wrote and posted this meme on social media “Be too busy watering your own grass to notice if anyone else’s is...

At yesterday’s Nutrition Essentials Seminar I let everyone in on the secret to weight management. Are you ready? It’s Self-Discipline. Assuming that you have gathered the proper education about how food is used as fuel from that point on it is your responsibility to stay true to your goals by using the knowledge and education that you have via Self-Discipline.

It’s easy to get lazy or to let the hedonistic toddler inside us all take over in the moment and redirect us from goals we’ve set. Whether your struggle is better eating, following through on a big house project, writing a book or simply following through on a weekly commitment – even on days it is raining or you are lazy – it is Self-Discipline that must prevail.

Choosing between “this or that,” two items right in front of you is far more simple than choosing between right now and the future. Do you deserve buying a frivolous item or do you deserve saving that money so you can...

A healthier, more fit and longer life is within your grasp. A significant amount of research shows that exercise is the magic ingredient for a better quality of life.

Regular exercise aids in weight loss and helps with weight maintenance, it increases bone density and general strength, reduces your risk for several chronic diseases and conditions, and helps to reduce stress levels. No matter your fitness level there is a place to begin for everyone. The key to exercise is finding what you enjoy and making it part of your daily routine. 

Research has confirmed that any amount of exercise, at any age, is beneficial. In general, the more you do the greater the benefits. The National Academy of Sciences has recommended that everyone strive for a total of an hour per day of physical activity. Sounds like a lot, but the hour can be made up of several shorter bursts of activity done throughout the day, and is not limited to the gym and sports alone. Depending on your fitness...

I believe in the extraordinary potential that exists within everyone. Now I don’t just mean a person’s ability to draw, or do math or whatever other tangible skill a person has. I’m including the intangibles like depth of character, ability to be empathetic, hard-working, and skill at lifting people around them and brightening a day. These are just a few examples.

Not everyone is an all-star at something tangible. And that’s okay. But everyone is an all-star at something. We are all here influencing people with every turn and are role models in our own way. I believe that finding your gift and sharing it is what creates life fulfillment. Unfortunately, too often we ignore our own gift for want of another’s. Personally, I’m not great at anything specific but I’m pretty decent at various things. However, it is my desire to learn about people and things which allows me to relate to and connect with a wide array of people that I believe to be my...

Visualization is a powerful tool. When used to enhance physical performance, help manifest something in your future, or recover from injury, visualization is incredibly useful. Our brain doesn’t know the difference between thought and action. Studies have shown that the brain of an athlete lights up the same when performing a skill or imagining it. Not only does visualization stimulate and wire the brain, it also sends blood flow to areas of the body being used in the visualization. On a personal note, in high school my volleyball coach had us do guided visualization tapes (yes, I said tapes) about twice a month. I found them very helpful and saw my game performance improve.

In the context of life we spend such a great deal of time thinking about all the things we have to do. We do it every day and with every topic of life. I spend a great deal of time coaching people to “let go” of things they are really not going to deal with in the immediate future. It’s...

Like many of you I am a participant in social media in its various forms. My blog today is fully inspired by the incredible amount of false content we have access to, and the rapid fire way in which people communicate it without fact-checking. Very often these “shares” are of the political nature, inaccurate dates and events, partial truths or lies, or true events circulated with inaccurate headlines in order to evoke outrage. To give a non-divisive example, I have literally seen memes announcing the death of “The Rock,” Dwayne Johnson at least three times. As we know, they travel in cycles. If you know people who spread untrue or misleading content, please ask them to stop.

I believe it is our duty to read past headlines and see more than the surface content of a photo. We are highly social beings who engage with one another. The integrity of our word is vital. Critical thinking obligates us to ask if something really makes sense even if we want to believe,...

We all sit so this applies to everyone, but if you have a desk job, drive for most of the day, or find yourself sitting to watch hours of television you are most affected. The flexion at the hips and rear tilt of the pelvis causes a muscular imbalance through the powerhouse of your body, your hips. Any athlete will tell you that the body’s power comes from its ability to ground itself from the center, move and adjust rapidly, and have full range of motion in any plane. Ongoing tightening causes energy build up, affects the nervous system’s response to stress and rapid motion, and causes emotional drain due to the stress signals being fired from our root, our most grounded point. The body was designed to move. Don’t you feel better physically and emotionally when you get up and walk around?

Many people have moved to standing/sitting desks and take walk breaks at work. Even stillness is an overuse activity. If you have already made desk changes, terrific! Keep...

I got a photo from a former client today, it was of her from a few years ago when she was much heavier. It popped up as a memory on Facebook and she wanted to share the reminder of her success. The memory was terrific because it reminded her how far she has come and how many things she never imagined she could do that she has! We texted briefly and she said she never wanted to go back. I reminded her that she doesn’t have to because we close doors behind us and open doors in front of us.

Every good and bad experience we have is a lesson. A lesson that we move through and leave as history. Learn from it and keep moving forward.

As a social society we are creatures who gather and find safety and comfort in likeness. Much like we see in today’s very connected, yet disconnected climate, we are still fundamentally fearful of difference and have the media resources to selectively communicate those differences, often in a negative fashion. I fear that until we as people develop more empathy and self-worth we will continue to disconnect, more so from the people we see different than ourselves. No one ever said you have to be best friends with everyone but changing the lens through which you see the world periodically helps you see things from another perspective.

Belonging can be hard, especially when we are young. Throughout the years I have talked with many adult friends and clients, as well as teens about the struggle to fit in. A client once told me how her daughter’s 13 year-old friend was suddenly being actively rude and snotty at school. I reminded her that she was probably trying to...