A New Year’s Note
There’s a collective energy in the air at this time of year. Wafting all around us are feelings of freshness, motivation, potential for change, new opportunities, and chances to make ourselves and our lives better, promoted and perpetuated by newspapers, magazines, books, social media, our friends and family, and of course, ourselves. I’m a sucker for it, as I think most of us are. I love starting fresh in the New Year! Usually, we fall back on New Year’s resolutions which don’t tend to lead to lasting change (to which I can definitely attest.) In fact, nine years ago in my very first column for My Edmonds News, I suggested…
Audit and Edit Your Fitness Regimen For Winter
Lately, it hasn’t felt in the Seattle area as though winter is near (and hardly even fall) although this may have changed by the time this column is published. In fact, this is the perfect time to take a good look at your current exercise program and think about how you may want to prepare for a smooth transition into colder darker weather. Whether or not you take note of seasonal-related adjustments in your exercise routine, there is always a certain degree of adapting and altering as the weather changes. But it makes for an easier transition to consciously prepare and plan. Consider the following ways to audit and edit…
How do you want to show up for your future self?
This has been an unprecedented and overwhelming year. Even as we move into winter, Covid is not letting up. Our lives have been compromised by the significant consequences of this pandemic and we all feel the cumulative and collective stress and worry. We’ve figured out various ways to cope this year, and with good reason to do so; if a pandemic doesn’t give us license to do whatever we have to do to keep our chin above water to get through this, then nothing does! Consider what habits you have leaned into this year as a survival mechanism. Are you overeating? Drinking too much or too often? Not exercising enough…
When Indoor Cycling Becomes A Community
Years ago, I heard a reverend say to her parishioners, “If you can’t find the faith you need then you can borrow it from me.” Similarly, in my role as a strength coach and trainer, I provided energy and motivation to my clients that they may not have been able to find within themselves 100% of the time. But last year, as I struggled to make sense of my new life after relocating to Texas, I wondered who—or what—would provide me with the motivation that I was unable to find anywhere within myself. Isolated in a new location, limited by an ongoing painful foot treatment that prevented me from walking,…
Finding Your Perfect Personal Trainer
These days there are endless opportunities to work with a personal trainer! Small independent studios, large commercial gyms, specialty studios, trainers that come to your home, trainers that train out of their homes, to name just some of your options. But with so many options, how do you find the trainer that is right for YOU? We each come with our own set of physical limitations, injuries, fitness goals, etc. So it’s going to be on you to find the right trainer, but what do you look for when you decide you want to start training with someone? Here are a few ideas to help narrow it down. Referrals: Talk…
The Ripple Effect
It was the summer of 2010 and my sister had left me a voicemail. In her typical stoic way she informed me that she was on her way to the ER as she had woken up that morning with one leg twice the size of the other! She lived in Albuquerque and I was here in Edmonds. She’s my only sister, younger than I, just mid-30s at the time. She could have died from that blood clot in her leg, and she needed surgery pretty quickly. They placed a couple of stents in her arteries and kept her in the hospital for three days to recover. She was on blood…
Outdoor Walking vs. Treadmill Walking
I stepped outside to walk at 7am this morning and realized that it’s not just darker now, there is also an undeniable chill of fall in the Edmonds air. For someone like me, an avid outdoor walker, it’s time to prepare for inclement dark weather and the possibility that I will need to hit the treadmill on some days this winter. I don’t mind reverting to a treadmill in bad weather as long as I have music and reading material. But most days I look forward to getting outside for my walk, especially when it’s a sunny day, no matter what the temperature. However, there are many people I know…
Starting a Fitness Program
As a trainer, I take exercise very seriously. As a business owner, I put a great deal of energy and effort into providing professional and valuable services to my clients. As a woman who considers her body her temple, I make it a priority to keep myself healthy. So, would you believe that fitness became an integral part of my life pretty much by accident? When I was twenty years old I took a year off from college to live in Hawaii. My boyfriend at the time dragged me to the gym almost daily. Although I was often thinking only of the pizza that we would eat afterwards, I eventually…
Boosting Low Morale
For reasons I won’t bother expanding on, I have been physically unable to walk for seven weeks. I am talking about my daily four-mile-long fitness walks through my Edmonds and nearby Woodway neighborhoods that I have been doing almost daily for about as long as I have lived in Edmonds. Not only does my career revolve around fitness and health, but one of the ways in which I personally define myself is through my own exercise program. Most especially walking, which I consider to be crucial for my overall health and well-being. Walking is also particularly good for helping me stay grounded and purposeful in my life. My walks are…
It’s Mine To Choose
It’s Friday evening and my last client just left. I head toward the door. I’ve been on my feet all day, my stomach is growling and there is a glass of wine with my name on it in the near future. The very NEAR future! Then I stop at the door, because I just remembered that I haven’t done my workout today. Today, I’ve designed and implemented personalized strength programs for each of my clients. Today, I’ve motivated, energized (I hope!) and entertained each client while making sure each of them had a safe, effective and enjoyable workout. Today, I’ve kept in mind specific and individual injuries and limitations for…
