There Is No Finish Line
“Beating the competition is relatively easy. But beating yourself is a never ending commitment.”—Nike, There Is No Finish Line ad copy Since the moment I saw this image, from Nike’s “There Is No Finish Line” ad campaign, I was inspired. Everything about it was—is–me. When I first laid eyes on it, in college, I was weightlifting with equipment that looked a lot like that, in a room that looked a lot like that, and wearing outfits that looked a lot like what the model is wearing. I fully admit to wearing those tall socks too (which I only figured out many years later were highly unflattering on me!) Most importantly,…
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…
An (extra)ordinary Father’s Day
Last summer, as I sat there one day at my dining table (AKA my office) I could hear my parents in my kitchen making themselves lunch. It was just another day out of the five weeks they stayed with us, visiting from New Zealand. I could hear the low hum of their casual conversation and the sounds of their food preparation and cooking, nothing special. But something on that random day caused me to pause, get fully present, and take it in. I felt a deep poignant blend of love, nostalgia and memory. I knew, even then, I would forever remember that moment of comfort and familiarity and stability that…
Make Every Holiday Moment Count
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities If this sounds like Pandemic Holiday Season 2020 (or all of 2020,) I could not agree more! But it also reminds me so much of Husband Dying of Cancer Holiday Season 2013. As I wrote shortly after this crisis started, there are…
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…
Wisdom From Weeds
Spring has sprung, although even as I write this it’s 47 degrees and drizzly outside on May 1. Our flora and fauna is coming to life again! But . . . along with the blooming of flowers, growing of grass and reappearance of leaves . . . the weeds are growing in full force. I abhor weeds. I loathe, detest and cannot stand weeds. I hate weeds! Yet every year they reappear to torment me. Despite my very best efforts (endless amounts of time and money spent year after year with no end in sight) weeds just grow back again and again. The process makes me feel very powerless, and…
The Consistency Factor
I got Invisalign a couple of months ago. It’s basically a substitute for braces, a series of plastic “trays” that fit on your teeth. After a couple of weeks you switch to the next tray and your teeth move accordingly, so on and so forth until your teeth are where you want them. A client of mine also got Invisalign last year. She is still on her first tray (I’m on tray 7 of 10). We laugh hysterically about it, because she just doesn’t remember to wear it, can’t remember where she puts it until day(s) later, and she’s already lost that first tray three times! But we recently realized…
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…
Reflections on Loss
I questioned myself as to whether I ought to write yet more about this topic, for a column titled “Edmonds Fitness Corner.” After two years, people might be wondering, is she ever going to get over it? But really, the answer is no. It just doesn’t work like that. I have adapted, changed, grown, learned to manage the most unpleasant of feelings, but there will never be closure. After two years I’m sensing a pattern—that this part of each year will be the most difficult for me regarding my husband’s death. The holidays are stressful enough for most of us, but are even more poignant with the loss of a…
31 Days of New Year’s Fitness Inspiration
Water–an essential weight loss tool. Make it a habit, bring it with you. Hydrates, filling, ice cold burns more calories. A little goes a long way. Take the stairs, park farther away, eat a bit less each meal, skip that final drink. It adds up. I once knew someone who lost 60lbs and kept it off by eating just 50% of her meals, without fail. Smaller portions work. You will have to deny yourself something at some point. Stay focused on what you want to accomplish. Discomfort will pass. Set & focus on a specific goal. “I want to lose weight” is not as effective as “I want to fit…
