Embark On A Journey

The road to weight loss and better health is paved with good intentions; you will make U-turns , you will get off track, you will get stuck and frustrated. These are all guarantees! However, with persistence and guidance (like the guidance you get in any of the guiding fitness programs); you are also guaranteed to make progress.

Just as a baby first has to learn to roll over, crawl and stand before he can walk; you must also learn what/when to eat, what/when to exercise and how to care for your body/mind/spirit before you can obtain and maintain a healthy weight. And just like a baby, you can speed up that learning curve by having a coach, trainer, and/or workout buddies to keep you on track. Whatever you do, don’t go the journey solo! You need to have an accountability partner that will call you out on your U-turns, will cheer you on when you get stuck and that will hold your hand through every mental and emotional break-through!  Find someone who has achieved (and maintained) what you want to achieve, and follow them in getting there!

My weight loss journey has been a life-long one.  My first visit to weight watchers was when I was only 13 years old. For over 20 years, I have tried so many diets and fad work-out programs just to lose motivation and fall off. It wasn’t until I invested myself, took a challenge, and partnered with one of my best friends and fellow trainers Jacque Stacy that I actually began to learn the keystones to a life-long health and weight management.  The combination of supplementation, clean eating, weight training, cardiovascular exercise WITH spiritual/mental growth, I was able to lose over 80 lbs. of fat and maintain a healthy weight for almost 2 years now.

If you are stuck, frustrated or just don’t know where to start, I would love to help you start your journey. I offer free consultations and fitness assessments to all first time and returning clients – don’t hesitate to reach out -  you are not alone in your journey! Myself or one of our amazing trainers will help you get started on the path that is specifically customized for you. There is someone always waiting here to guide you at Guiding Fitness!

~ Marilyn Clarey

Marilyn@guidingfitness.com

916-206-2944

Notes of Encouragement

We all crave encouragement and rewards on a daily basis. We are always hoping for some kind of recognition from someone else. We rarely look to ourselves for those things. We fail to encourage, reward, and recognize ourselves. Maybe not everybody has that problem but I know I do. Day in and day out I hope that someone will say something good to me; recognize me for the hard work I put in or give me a word of encouragement for my efforts. I hope that someone will give me some kind of incentive for what I just did. I fail to remind myself that I could actually do that for myself. A pat on the back is something we all crave, especially when we are putting ourselves through discomfort to change. Change is never easy so of course, we want to be recognized for that. However, we need not to place our desire for incentives or rewards on others. Sometimes I think it is okay to receive rewards from others but only we can be satisfied by our own self-gratification. It is so powerful to give ourselves something for what we are doing for ourselves. Why is it powerful that someone rewards their own self? It is important because we are our biggest competitors. I am my biggest enemy. You are your biggest devil. We all give ourselves such a hard time for not being perfect. “I didn’t lose the weight I was hoping to lose so I must not have worked hard enough.” “I didn’t gain the muscle I was working for, I must suck.” “It’s never going to happen” “I only lost a little.” We discourage our own selves. By rewarding yourself, you are recognizing your hard work. You are self-gratifying the ability you had to reach your goals. You didn’t give up. You are showing yourself you are proud of who you are, what you are becoming, and how you are getting there. Reward yourself for any good change you make in your life. For any progress, gain, loss, whether big or little reward yourself! Set a goal, give yourself a reward for that too. Here’s my suggestion for you. Approach your life from a position of “opportunities” and “possibilities”. Don’t look at the wrong you do in your life but look at the positives you reached. Set up a regular, meaningful reward system for yourself, maybe weekly, monthly, even daily, to give yourself recognition. Plan benchmarks for yourself. We all need a kick in the butt but this will help you sustain motivation for the changes you are making. Positive reinforcements from ourselves get us further than putting ourselves down for what we couldn’t or didn’t do. 

Remember we are our BIGGEST enemy; change it and be your BIGGEST support with rewarding yourself. If you’d like more information on how to set up a reward system or ideas of what to reward yourself with feel free to email or call me. I would be more than happy to help. 

Mikenna Kossow
mikenna@guidingfitness.com
9167528515