Monday, October 20, 2008

Become Significant to Yourself!

Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously.
You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest.
You know what to get worked up about, and what to get rid of.
And you know when it's time to take care of yourself, for yourself.
To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete.
Because you know it's never to late to have a life.
And never too late to change one.
JUST DO IT!

The fantastic message above is from an old Nike ad years ago. I couldn't have said it better myself...

Monday, October 13, 2008

Persevering through the storm...

Having gone through some difficult changes recently, I realize how easy it is to escape the feelings that come along with that difficulty.
But I don't give up and I don't let go. Working through the hard stuff- whether it be hurt, abandonment, disappointment, mistakes, loss, grief, mood swings - creates character and hope. We become better people as a result. Work through it, not around it and especially do everything you can to feel it. Emotions are a necessary fact of life...even when they suck!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Excuses

I can make excuses for anything. I can justify anything. I can make any decision of mine seem "right" just because I want to be right and because I want to do what I want to do. But every time I head down that path of making excuses I come right back to the reality of personal responsibility.

I am the maker and creator of my life. If there is something about my life that makes me uphappy, it's my responsibility to change it. I'm not saying these changes are ever easy or quick, but they are in my own realm of control.

A lot of times when I'm miserable about something, it's a result of my own doing. It's very empowering to understand that I'm the director of my movie and the one place in the universe where I have control is myself.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

It's time...

Well, I finally made my way back to my blog. It was a quick summer and I hope everyone enjoyed their sunny season as much as possible. It certainly was great weather here in Pittsburgh!

Life has certainly moved forward, positively for me, however my blog did not! Although, my procrastination certainly creates a topic!

Have you ever had a friend with whom you slightly lost touch? Then you don't call him or her each time you have a minute because you figure a minute is not long enough to catch up...then events build up in your life and you figure you need way longer than minutes to have a conversation, but before you know it, time passes and you're way out of touch!

The point is, there are so many minutes in a day and unfortuneatly we cannot create more time. The goal is to spend our time as best we can, however we see fit for ourselves. At the end of the day no one else can take care of us or our children. We are responsible for our lives. We choose the type of day we have no matter what happens within it and more importantly, how we react.

Today I choose to share my experiences and try and help others more than I did yesterday. Keep me posted on summer adventures, let's enjoy this day as best we can and look forward to fall...my favorite season!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Mind Over...Madness?

Hello, fitness friends! We've all heard of the power of positive thinking but how many of us actually put that into practice? Lately in my line of work, I've been realizing just how important it is to prepare your mind first and foremost before accomplishing any goal!

The first assessment I make with new clients is where they are mentally, in terms of how much they believe in themseves and their ability to make changes. When we want something, a new job, a raise, healthly relationships, getting pregnant, we have to imagine it first, visualize it, before we can take action to make it happen. If I'm constantly saying things to myself like, "I can't lose weight no matter what I do or how I eat" or "I've always been this way and I'll never change" then nothing will change.

If we always do what we always did then we will always get what we always got.

If we truly believe something can happen, really belive it, have faith, then we naturally take steps to get ourselves to that end. This is really amazing. And simple! Try it!

It's no wonder why people who are sick a lot tend to stay sick. Negative people breed more negativity. The greatest thing about this phenomenon is that we can choose ourattitude and out disposition. So why not try a positive attitude and start visualizing your goals?! It works!

Monday, March 17, 2008

The sun is shining!

What is it about the sun that makes the day so much better? Doesn't it seem like everything's a little easier when the sun is shining?

I am thrilled because today will be the first time in a long time that I will take my son for a long run. I've been running on a treadmill since November and can't wait to get outiside! My son loves the fresh air and the view...we run from Milvale along the river all the way to the stadium. It's so scenic and wonderful...for those of you familiar with Pittsburgh!

I run a little harder when he's with me because I don't want him to see mummy getting passed by anyone! And also because for those of you who have never run behind a jogging stroller, it's hard work let me tell you! I'm amazed how quickly my running ease returned after many a day running behind that thing. Running alone has never been easier!

I love being outside and can't wait to get out there more!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Cheers to Spring!

Greetings, fitness fans! I am ready for spring! Infact, I can't wait for the weather to warm up and the snow to stop and the sun to shine! It's March and even though it's raining and the sky is still pretty dark, I am feeding a postive attitude with the anticipation of spring.

I was walking to work early yesterday morning and I could hear "spring" in the air. I could hear birds that I haven't heard since last year and I could see specks of light in the sky, thanks to Daylight Savings. If I can just focus on the fact that warmer, more pleasant weather is coming, then it makes the current drab and little more manageable. Nasty weather is inevitable and temporary.

Everything in life is like this. Sometimes the process (of whatever) can be alot of hard work and very uncomfortable, but if we focus on the end result and visualize our goal, it makes the process a little easier. I'm reminded of a favorite quote that says, "Obstacles are those things we see when we take our mind off our goals."

We can achieve anything, one step at a time. Start small and think big! I'm eager for spring because warmer weather affords more options. I can't wait to take my son to the playground, to the zoo, anywhere outside. I can't wait to take him running all over the place because we both love that! But until then, I'm going to enjoy this day as much as I can. I hope you all do the same!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

I've Been Hit!

Insert foot in mouth! After surviving my son's cold, my partner's flu, my mom's ear/sinus infections and pink eye, I've finally been wacked with the flu.


A part of me has always believed that as long as one lives a healthy lifestyle: diet, exercise and absence of harmful activities (read: alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) then one's chances of getting sick were slim to none. At least this has been my experience the past few years. The last time I was sick was in 2005 and surely I wasn't living at the apex of health at the time.


Anyway, my son fell ill last week and of course I was his number one for wiping his extra-runny nose. At one point we were playing on the floor and he was climbing all over me, which he loves to do, and he was literally coughing in my face and I thought, "it will be a miracle if I don't get sick." Sure enough the next day I woke up with the infamous sore throat and over the next few days I developed the full-blown flu.


Sickness is just like war: to some degree it's inevitable. But we can do our best to be prepared. We can act proactively and live healthfully to increase immunity and decrease our chances of getting hit or lessening the severity.


A colleague of mine recently told me that having kids at home is like having the plague. I think that's hysterical and very true. Nothing passes germs quite like a young child. And although I'd like to think I'm invincible to the flu season because I eat right, exercise, drink "green" drinks and do my best to manage stress, etc. I think I may reconsider getting the flu shot next season!

Stay healthy and wash your hands :)

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

One Year Later

I remember all the different emotions and thoughts that came with the news that I was going to have a baby. At that time I was very physically active and in great shape. Besides the excitement of actually having a child, I was very nervous about what I was going to look like after he was born. I had heard that "things shift" and "your body is never quite the same." I mean, what pregnant personal trainer wants to hear THAT?! Furthermore, at about 3 or 4 months I had horrible sciatica and these back spasms that kept me from working or even staying moderately active.
I never had morning sickness but I was nauseous a lot and ironically I lost all taste for anything healthy. The idea of trail mix, tofu or any kind of protein (besides grilled cheese) disgusted me. By the end of my pregnancy I was huge. All of my kind loved ones assured me I was "all baby" but I have pictures to prove otherwise! Add all the fluids they pumped into me during labor and all the swelling, let's just say I was really huge! Plus they failed to tell me that even once the baby is born, I still looked 6 months pregnant!
In a way, I am very grateful to have been so big. It was difficult to move around, sleep, shower, get up and down stairs, up and down anywhere, drive, and on and on and on. I was short of breath and had all sorts of issues related to my size. It was very taxing, both mentally and physically. I remember feeling so miserable and vowed to never feel like that again.
I remember trying to get back into shape once Aidan was a little older and the weather a bit nicer: it was painful. After having a dormant exercise regime for about 10 months, it was hard. I understand why millions of people remain inactive...because getting in shape can hurt! My chest and throat burned, my legs felt like they were going to give out and I doubted my lungs' ability to keep working! I remember running at Frick Park and wanting to wear a sign on my back that said, "I don't normally sound like this, I just had a baby!"
It was hard and sometimes painful, but I kept at it. I started by running just one day a week. I added a few minutes to my twice weekly run until it became a whole run on another day. I kept at it until it didn't hurt so badly anymore. It took about 3 or 4 months of shuffling my feet and breathing heavily until it started to feel good. Slowly but surely I started looking forward to exercise as I had before I was pregnant. If everyone could just get over that "hump" in the beginning, exercise, or at least a more active lifestyle, would be somewhat enjoyable and certainly easier.
I worked really hard to get back into shape after I had my baby. And I'm hear to say that there is hope after childrearing! A girlfriend of mine (you know who you are) waited until after her first child to catch the fitness bug. And she looks fantastic after two kids! In a lot of ways I like my body so much more now. I mean, I carried and bore a child! My body's amazing just for that! Women have children because men could never survive labor. And it feels great to be able to carry my kid all around and up three flights of stairs and chase him around and keep up with him because I work hard so that stuff feels easy. We are capable of anything...the first step is commitment followed by a lot of effort and a little bit of faith...to be able to focus on the final product really helps to push through the discomfort, kind of like labor!

Monday, February 11, 2008

My First Baby

The first official love of my life was a small 10 pound chihuahua that I fell in love with a few years ago. He's larger than most chihuahuas but over the past few years has settled into a quite comfortable and appropriate body weight. Well, the funniest thing occured to me last night. Ever since Aidan's been eating finger foods three or four months ago, a new ritual has been created with our beloved animals. As soon as our cat and dog hear the tray click on that high chair, they both come running into the kitchen and patiently wait for the inevitable: the food that Aidan throws onto the floor! Well, just last night I realized that my dog has gained a few and looks quite the jolly chihuahua! Most of his supplemental diet includes toast with butter and any meat bits! Now, I'm certainly not crazy about keeping up his appearance but I know extra weight on an already-small dog is horrible for his health. Unfortuneatly because of his size he hates to be outside now, especially for any extended period time. So this is just another reason I am estatic for spring! Aren't animals great? I never thought I could learn so much from a creature who can't speak (in our language anyway!). Hears to all our pets out there!

Friday, February 8, 2008

TGIF

Howdy, fitness friends! It's been a whirlwind week for me as we just celebrated my son's first birthday. What a milestone! It's so fantastic watching a human being transform from a helpless, tiny baby into a little boy complete with a personality and will all his own! I'm so excited to introduce him to all the wonderful things life has to offer. It's so important to teach kids the importance of an active lifestyle. And I know once he's old enough, he will choose how he wants to spend his day, but until then his father and I have the responsibility to teach by example and live a healthy lifestyle as best we can. Kids learn what they experience and what a gift we give our children when we teach them how to take care of themselves in the best way possible. If you're a parent trying to live a healthy lifestyle at home, I'm eager to hear from you! Have a great weekend, everybody, and live the best you can!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Welcome to My Domain!

Greetings, fitness fans! My name's Nicole and I'm here to help you live a healthier and more active lifestyle. I've been working in the health and fitness industry for the past five years and want to share my passion for fitness with the rest of you! Please post or e-mail any questions, comments or suggestions to me. I'm happy to hear from you!