A diet is something you go on and off of. There are always diet trends, like Palio, The keto diet, and even Weight Watchers has a new program. One person's food is another person's poison. We are all as different on the inside as we are on the outside so we all have different nutritional needs. One diet might work for one person and not the other. You might have experienced this if you have gone on a diet plan with someone you know. They lose weight and you don't. And let's not forget about all the diet books, Holly Cow! Let's stop all the craziness and make eating healthy a lifestyle. No more diets!

We are going to educate you and teach you how to make eating healthy a part of your life through this blog. Some of the things we will be blogging about are how to:

• How to be healthier than ever before
• Lose weight and keep it off forever
• Detox Safely
• Make recipes that are quick and easy
  and so much more so sign up for the blog to get started with your FREE 60-page e-book, "How to Eat Cleaner To Get Leaner" at Elite Physiques.

Here are a few things you can do to get started.

The Top 3 things people who succeed at fitness do on a regular basis:

1) They show up - You have to show up strong with a positive attitude. Have an appointment write it down. Commit to working out with someone, a friend, your trainer, or join a group to support each other.

2) They do something they enjoy - If you don't like it you won't stick with it. It can be a sport, weight training, or a class, you just have to do it! This weekend end I was on a hiking trip with a guide, he said "OK Ms. Trainer I have a question, I can't get motivated to do anything. I hike once a month but don't do anything in-between. How can I motivate myself to do something more often?"

How to Motivate Yourself: 3 Steps Backed By Science
read more here By Time.com

• Get Positive
• Get Rewarded
• Get Peer Pressure

Sometimes you just have to jump in and do it after 3 to 4 weeks it will become a habit and you will start to see and feel the benefits which will help motivate you to keep going. What do you do to stay motivated?

3) They write it down and have a goal or a reward in mind - the reward should be, to become healthier and happier but how do you get there? Start with the checklist below.

Create a checklist something like this for the first two weeks in January:

• Purchase a reusable water bottle that I will take with me everywhere
• Drink 3 full water bottles every day.
• Get a food cooler or container you can take to work with you.
• Clean out the cupboards and get rid of all things with sugar and gluten.
• Go to the grocery store, purchase a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and, healthy protein sources.
• Wash and cut fruits and vegetables and have them in user-friendly, ‘ready-to-go’ containers.
• Put some healthy snacks/energy bars in the car so you can access them when your hungry and in a hurry so you aren't tempted to stop at a fast-food restaurant.
• Start a food journal and write down when and what you are going to eat for the week.
• Smile and say positive affirmations every day.
  You have to have a plan to be successful.

I believe that you also have to have a positive healthy mindset. 

Don't let anyone stop you from achieving your goals, always show up and do your best.

A friend of mine Peter Twist says, "Value your days protect your time and try your best to stimulate positive experiences. Most times I show up contributing positively to positive engagement. Occasionally I falter and always recognize the disappointing blip in a dynamic way because of how I reacted or communicated less than my best. Regardless of how the other person participated, ultimately I am accountable for myself. If I show up my best, 99% of experiences are beautiful. If they are ugly, its because I chose to participate".

I am offering a $25 discount to the Eat Cleaner Get Leaner 6-week program to 10 people (includes menu, recipes, shopping list, exercise, motivation and more). That means you only pay $20 for 6 weeks of recipes, menus, shopping list, workout, and motivation. Go to the link and put in the code Eatclean. https://sherry-macdonald-s-school.teachable.com/p/6-week-total-body-transformation

Join us in having the Healthiest and Fittest Year Ever!

Sherry

First I attended a pre-convention workshop with Paul Chek's. I have been studying with Paul for the last 15 years and have taken almost every class and workshop that he has offered. If you've never heard of him you need to check him out https://www.paulcheksblog.com/. His workshop was intense, as always.  I learned a lot about myself and about working with clients. He talked about the 4 doctors that everyone should know, Dr. diet, Dr. quiet, Dr happiness, and Dr. movement. You need to know these doctors, you can check them out here http://www.ppssuccess.com/Portals/0/docs/Last4DoctorsChapter.pdf.

Fascia classes and workshops

There were a lot of workshops on the fascia, everything from exercises and stretches for fascia to tools that work the fascia. It seems that there is so much more to learn then we had thought. Check out Melinda's blog to learn more about fascia. Also, check out the video below on the new research.

Group classes

• Barre classes are still going strong. Most importantly they are also adding in myofascial work into their classes.

• Indoor cycling is holding it's own and still strong.

• Pilates classes got a lot of attention. I notice there are more studios going in where I live.

• Functional aging classes using weights and classes like Qi Gong are becoming more popular. I teach Qi Qong if you get a chance to take a class give it a try you will be gratefully surprised.

• Yoga will never slow down even though there weren't as many classes offered at the convention as in the past.

• Coaching is very popular for all health, wellness, and fitness needs.

• Kangoo Jumps are back. I took this class 15 years ago. You won't find a class that's more fun! Check out the video of the convention below for a sneak peek of this class.

• HIT, TRX, and Bootcamp class not still out there but not as much attention as in the past.

• Holistic training and coaching with people like Paul Chek are making a big place in the fitness market. Fitness enthusiast are wanting a more custom program to their fitness and nutrition programs.

Personal Training

More people are doing small group training, this is where 3 to 4 people train together in a group. Our group training at Elite Physiques is all custom-designed, each person has a different program depending on their goals and needs. There are people that still want that intense one on one interaction, I love working with them.

New Products

Here are some of the new products in the Health and Fitness industry. They make great Christmas gifts! The vibration plates were big at the expo. They have many benefits including increased strength and bone density, weight loss, and more. We have one in our studio and clients love it. We do small group training 3 to 4 people with custom programs.  During their hour of training, I have them on it one to two times for 3 to 4 minutes at a time. Everyone uses it a little different depending on their level.

The massage guns were even more popular than the vibration plates. I have the Sonic X by, LifePro Fitness and use on myself as well as my clients. I have a knee injury and I'm using it to stretch the fascia and work the tissue to bring in blood flow. It's been about 6 weeks and I can already tell a difference. I'm also using it on a client's traps and shoulder, she's a golfer and says she has more range of motion and less tension in her upper body. She is buying one for her husband for Christmas, I guess that's a sneaky way to get something you want:). Some other fascia related products at the expo were vibration balls and rollers. Use my code to get a discount on any of the products below. https://lifeprofitness.com/discount/SHERRYMACDONALD

LifePro Rhythm Vibration Plate Machine

LifePro 3D Turbo Vibration Plate Exercise Machine

Sonic X Personal Percussion Massage Gun

Pulse Fx Powerful Rotating Percussion Massage Gun

Check out this video I put together from The Canfit Pro convention because you don't want to miss the sneak peck of the  Kangoo Jump class. Let me know what you think.

I hope you are working out and staying healthy. Try this 30-day workout challenge for something different. Maybe you can try some of the classes above that you haven't tried yet. Leave a commit below to let me know what you liked.

Be Well,

Sherry

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When we release and let go, we create space to evolve and move forward.

Letting go of the extra weight

This is a good time to let go of the extra weight make a commitment to loving yourself and to become a healthier you! There is no such thing as a quick fix diet. Let go of all diets and make eating healthy a daily habit. Read "This Is How You Loss Weight".

Having to much stuff and clutter can cause stress and chaos in your life. This alone can cause you to hang on to extra weight. So follow the tips below and see how letting go can change so much in your life including your weight.

You might also what to check out this blog post on letting go of sadness Happify Daily.

If your home is less organized than you’d like, it can have an effect on other areas of your life. Creating a life that is free from mess and chaos isn’t as difficult as you might think, even if you have little ones to factor into the equation. De-cluttering is a must for a calmer, less stressful life. These tips should help to de-clutter your life!

Go For Small, Quick Wins

Think of de-cluttering as a work in progress. Sure, you want everything to be streamlined and organized but it doesn’t have to happen today. Focus on small wins that you can tackle each day. Over time, they add up to a less cluttered, calmer and more organized home and life. Adopting this mindset can be super important for making de-cluttering a big part of your life going forward and creating a life that is calmer and less chaotic.

Get rid of the Trash

Some of what looks like clutter is actually trash that no one has gotten around to throwing away or recycling yet. If you move around your home looking for items that fall into this category, you’ll probably be surprised to see how quickly you fill a trash bag.

Once your home is clear of trash, you can swap this tip to filling a trash bag full of items that can be recycled or donated.

Set Up a Central Communications Point

In a cluttered home, lots of things can slip through the cracks and get lost. It could be important bits of paperwork that you can never seem to find amongst general clutter.

Keeping paperwork together in a central place that can be a game-changer for keeping stress to a minimum. When you know you need to access this kind of paperwork, just head for the place you’ve chosen to store it. This can be as simple as a basket or collapsible folder.

Store Clutter in Hampers

Not got enough storage in your home for bed linen, blankets, toys and other items that just seem to take over? Store them in hampers.

Do the 12-12-12 Challenge

For every 36 items, you come across, aim to throw out 12 of them, donate 12 of them and put the other 12 where they “should” live in your home. Not sure what should fall into each category? Think about how much you really love and need a particular item. What do you actually gain by keeping it in your life and would it make any difference to your life if you parted with it? Asking these kinds of questions can help you to see if you’re holding onto items because of past attachments or because of genuine need.

Another trick is to think about how much you’d be willing to pay if you bought that same item today or if you moved, would you take it with you (this is what I always ask myself)?

This challenge has been known to add a very competitive element to de-cluttering and you can even get the rest of the family involved in getting organized.

De-cluttering Your Life

Your home may be the main thing that springs to mind when you think about de-cluttering but what about streamlining the rest of your life too? De-cluttering your life is another smart move for keeping chaos to a minimum.

Reducing your non-essential commitments: Struggling to get free time with a super hectic social diary? Take a step back and think about how many of your social commitments are actually essential. Do they all bring you happiness or do you find some of them stressful? Streamline your commitments to ones that are either essential or pleasurable. Anything else can go!

De-cluttering your day-to-day routine: When it comes to the average day, how much of a structure do you tend to have? Lots of people tackle their to-do list at random and this can affect how productive they are. It’s also a surefire way to add more stress and uncertainty. Having more structure around your to-do list can make a huge amount of difference. Write down everything you need to do during the week and allocate it to specific windows in your schedule. This way, you know everything will be done and that can bring a sense of calmness in itself.

De-cluttering your friendships: Even your friendships can be decluttered, especially if you feel that there are people in your life who are draining you, rather than providing positive energy and support. It can sometimes feel like any type of friendship is better than nothing but toxic friendships can be hugely stressful. Decluttering your friendships can be super liberating and free up unnecessary stress and negativity from your life.

It's time to let go! I hope you found some of these things helpful. What tips are you going to incorporate into your life?

Happy letting go,

.Sherry

I remember writing a post a year ago for women over 50 about flabby arms. I said if you workout with heavier weights and eat good food you won’t get them. I’ve been cursed I have them…… in one year! And yes I weight train what’s going on?

First of all, get rid of the scale don’t even look at it. If you are working out hard (more on that later) and eating clean food then keep doing what you are doing but think about the following ideas below.

Stress

Your body doesn’t know the difference between internal and external stress. The more stress of any kind, that you have the harder it will be to lose weight or change your body shape.

The diagram below shows that there are 6 main types of stressors:

1. Physical
2. Chemical
3. Electro-magnetic
4. Psychic
5. Nutritional
6. Thermal

From Paul Chek's book "Eat Move and Be Healthy".

Paul Chek says, We are exposed to each of these stressors every day and they are all crucial to our physical, mental and emotional health.  The problem begins when we are exposed to too much or the wrong type of stress.  The diagram also shows that we have Control Systems that help to rebalance the body in order to keep our bodies in balance, which is known as homeostasis.

If you exercise too much or too hard that’s stress, if you eat foods that are not good for you (sweets or maybe even carrots) that’s stress.

If your body is under any kind of stress that could be what’s holding you back and keeping you from your weight loss and health goals.

Diet

So let’s talk about diet, “everyone is as different on the inside as they are on the outside so we all have different nutritional needs”.  That’s why your spouse or friend goes on the same diet as you and they lose weight and you gain. Keto and Paleo are the big craze right now and yes people lose weight on them. But if you are not an Eskimo then maybe you shouldn’t eat like one.  Read this post from William Wolcott, the founder of Healthexcel and author of the Metabolic Typing Diet.

What I am saying is “one man’s food is another man’s poison. So eat the foods that your body doesn't need and you will be putting fire on the wood. It could be sugar, carrots, or any food not just "Bad" foods.  Read more about how to fine-tune your diet here https://elitephysiquesinc.com/nutrition-and-lifestyle-coachingutrition-metabolic-typing-and-lifestyle-coaching/

Exercise

Like I said above exercise can be good stress or bad stress. A good exercise program might be a program you worked up to doing. Starting with light weights and increasing the weights safely to a weight that can overload the muscle and increase muscle mass (to help prevent osteoporosis and burn more calories). This needs to be done slowly over time in order to strengthen the tendons and ligament and small stabilizing muscles. If you enjoy cardio do what you love but don't overdo it. If you lose form or don't like what you're doing that is stress.

A bad exercise program causes stress. This might be a weight training program using poor technique or not lifting enough weight to overload the muscle, killing yourself doing a treadmill or running every day. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying you shouldn't run or do cardio just work smart. Next time you go to a park watch the people running. Some have good form, stand tall and use their core, they run with ease others run with their shoulders forward hunched over. The latter do not have the strength or energy to be running. They are just adding stress to their bodies.

You are not going to lose weight by always being in a stress mode. Don't be afraid to lift heavy but be careful, eat for your genetics, your Metabolic Type and do meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong for stress. Oh ya about my arms, as you get older you need to work out a little more and a little smarter. I increased the weight I use and reduced my stress by meditating and doing Qi Gong. They are starting to tighten up:).

Read "Eat Move, and Be Healthy by, Paul Chek.Best book ever for everyone!

  Check out my new course, Eat Cleaner to Get Leaner https://sherry-macdonald-s-school.teachable.com/p/6-week-total-body-transformation

We are outside, more active, and there are lots of fresh fruits and veggies around. I’ve already gone to the store and got a good start on my week of meals. I will share photos on the Facebook group Eat Cleaner To Get Leaner.

When I go to the grocery store it’s sad to see what people put in their carts they are loaded with pop, bread, and processed foods. Next time you go to the store look around. Maybe this is your cart? I hope not but if it is what can you do better?

Here are a few ways to help you get started.

Hydrate

Yes, drink lots of water. Stay away from Gatorade and drinks with flavor. The natural flavor doesn't always mean it good for you, most of the time it’s not. Another reason is that you sweat more in the summer and drinking lots of water can help you from eating too much.

Plan your meals

Yes I know I always talk about this but it is important. Make a list before you head out to the store and stick to it. Don’t go down the aisles that have all the bad food you love. Plan what you are going to eat for all your meals and snacks. I am loving the Guacamole 100 calorie packs that I get at Costco (make sure you get the organic ones). I eat it with carrots and celery. YUM!

Be more active

Get outside while you can. Summer seems to go by so fast. Plan an event like a walk or run for charity. Get your friends together and train for it. Somethings fitness trackers can help you to be more active. There are also lots of free activity apps out there to help you stay lean and healthy.

Lift weights

Yes if you want to be lean and healthy you have to lift weights. First of all, if you don’t have muscle what are you going to get lean? Think about it. Second I want to be strong, I get 4 50 bags of bird seed at a time and when they ask me if I want someone to load it I say no thank you. I have a client that is 79 she still plants all her flowers and puts down mulch. She also works out as hard as my 40 and 50-year-old clients. If you want to be lean and healthy with strong muscles and bones lift something heavy. Take this 30-day challenge starting today https://elitephysiquesinc.com/2018/02/30-day-workout-challenge/.

Plan your cheats

I know it’s tempting when you go to a cookout or sit out on a patio to have a cocktail but don’t overdo it. And skip the deserts. Plan your cheats. Maybe you are going out with friends have a drink but keep it to one and no more than one time a week. Both sugar and alcohol are empty calories.

I help this helps you to make better choices. Our world is full of chemicals, artificial flavors, and colors that are causing havoc on our health.

A great resource for recipes, nutrition information, food videos, and workout videos is Food Matters. I believe it is $99 a year but it is the website I have found that covers so much and well worth the money.