The idea of strength evokes a sense of power, dominance and control. However, when it comes to embracing the wholeness of another person, aren’t you impressed when someone can honor their weaknesses? If you are anything like me you probably are. Isn’t it funny though, how hard it is for most people to honor their own weaknesses – or things they perceive as a weakness. 

Our strengths and weaknesses, where we excel or where we don’t, and our individuality is uniquely our own. You might want to be a Ferrari but if you are a Honda Civic it is simply not going to happen. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t be a suped-up Civic! It's important that we understand and recognize our strengths and weaknesses because both are equally important. By honoring our weaknesses we are kept from following mismatched paths, and by focusing on our strengths we amplify the person who we are.

You wouldn't put a race car in an off-road race just like you wouldn't put a...

As we move into another year ask yourself what you want, then take an HONEST look at where you are and how you got there. Now accept that. Are you in a job that torments you, a relationship that is unfulfilling, or have you not started are achieved something that you keep thinking about?

Stop making excuses about why you haven't done this, and why you can't achieve that. It is time to start looking inward and honoring what holds you back. We all want to appeal to our highest and best self. We often tell ourselves and others all the great parts of ourselves but often overlook the less fantastic elements. That doesn't mean you are a terrible person in any way but maybe you got lazy, unmotivated, unfocused, feel like you are letting yourself down, or there is something you think should matter to you that really doesn't.

I'm here to tell you that all of that is okay. What is not okay is lying to yourself because you will never move forward if you're always telling yourself a lie.

Next...

Last week I met with a woman I have never trained for the second time. She had been referred by a former client I trained a long time ago with whom I still keep in contact. When this woman first contacted me I told her that training her seemed unreasonable because of where she lives — 45 minutes away. Instead, I asked her to come in to see how I could direct her in a way that would put her on a better food track, and give her some fitness advice and direction. She has done a good job taking those steps. We have also kept in occasional contact. Recently, she reached out to me after reading one of my blog posts and asked me how I could help her craving for chocolate and get herself better nutritionally focused.

Why am I even telling you any of this you might ask? Well, because in the two hours we talked she had some breakthroughs. She got a little bit of clarity that she needs to further explore and I gave her some direction about how to do that. Most of these breakthroughs were...

All the cholesterol you need to function properly is manufactured in the liver, however it also comes from the foods we eat. Cholesterol and triglycerides are the most common lipids (or fats) in the bloodstream. In order to make their way through the bloodstream so they can be used by the body, protein wraps itself around the lipids, creating a lipoprotein. When the body transports too many lipoproteins (filled with triglycerides and cholesterol), the remainder are stored in the fat cells. Your body needs cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, cellular membranes, and a substance that helps you digest food called bile.

There are two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoproteins (LDL), known as bad cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), also known as good cholesterol. LDL travels through your bloodstream delivering cholesterol to the cells that need it. If your body has too much LDL it can build up a substance known as plaque on the walls of your arteries. Overtime,...

Years ago when I managed wellness programs for companies one of the things employees got points for was getting their routine annual physical including bloodwork. It was great to see so many people start doing something they had neglected as well as be rewarded for being accountable to themselves in the health category. The problem I saw, however, was that most people didn’t really know what their blood tests said, or what they meant with respect to basic markers for cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose.

“My doctor said I’m good,” or something like that was a very common response. Naturally I would probe with more questions. “Was anything borderline?” “It is better or worse than last time?” and so on. Imagine all the blank stares I got. So here is me advising you – keep your records; watch the trend.

I know we believe that our doctors will tell us if we are heading somewhere we shouldn’t but you are assuming they looked...

Unless it’s quantifiable, the idea of “successful” is ever-changing and is dependent on perspective.

For those of you who are constantly seeking perfection on your quest to succeed, fighting the twists and the turns, you will find yourself in a never-ending battle. Life is a learning experience. We learn from our own experiences and from the experiences of those people around us. We don’t fail we find what hasn’t worked — then we learn how to improve upon it next time. The most successful people honor where they’ve been and learn from the unique challenges that they’ve faced.

The idea of success varies for each person and will likely change throughout your life. Having worked with people for nearly 20 years I have seen the shift from material and career success markers morph into the desire to simply pursue joy and purpose. If you are one of the fortunate minority, it is all wrapped into one. Whatever your success marker is at...

If you are anything like me you have a lot going on during the Fall and Winter seasons. I might be a coach, but just like everyone else we are regular people who have to give ourselves constant reminders of when to stay focused, and when to take time out for ourselves. 

So today I did just that. I got myself involved in a project I've been working on and shut down the computer at 8 a.m. to go to the cycling class I enjoy on Sunday mornings. In all fairness, I have missed that class for the past couple of Sundays, but it was planned and intentional.

This morning I went though – and let me tell you, it was the best thing I could have done. I had a great class. Afterwards, I felt energized and was ready to conquer today.

Last night was very similar. I made a commitment to my team to do a 5k and just like this morning I shut my computer down and ran from the house (in haste, unfortunately). As a result, when I arrived I was in an obviously foul mood because of various...

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...