What are you reading today?

THURSDAY - Intellectual health -

I regret to inform you that I am not as well-read as I used to be when I was in 8th grade.  Sad but true.
When I was a kid I couldn't be found without a book in my hand.  I once was that loner kid on the playground hiding behind the school with a book.  Books were my best friends.  I read everything I could get my hands on.  I remember sneaking into my older brothers' rooms and stealing books from their shelves.  I was in 4th grade when I read the Lord Of the Rings trilogy.   I would hide in closets with a flashlight and a book. By the time I got to High School I had already read all of the required reading for English classes. Probably because I stole those books from my older siblings shelves while they were reading them for High School when I was in Elementary.  To my siblings - If you ever got in trouble for lost books, I apologize.  This is my 35 year late apology.

 My High School English teachers allowed me to test out of required reading.  Every. Single. Required Book.  Including the Scarlet Letter.  Already done. All done before the 9th grade.
    That's about the time I stopped reading books. It's also the time I started sports and Cheerleading and all that crazy extra-curricular stuff in life, jobs, homework, etc....  It's not that I became suddenly stupid.  I just got busy.  And it got worse from there.

    After college came marriage and kids and reading for fun wasn't something I did anymore.  I made time for reading my scriptures but that was it.  Apparently I am not alone.  There are multiple reports you can find online about Americans and book reading.  According to most research, after we leave school (high school or college), we quit reading books.Well, maybe not most of us, in fact it's really only a little over 25% say they haven't read a book in the past year. I would have fallen into that category until recently.
   
Okay, now back up....
I am not saying I don't read ANYTHING.  No.  Not true.  There is a LOT of information to be found on the internet.  I actually do a LOT of reading articles and studying topics of interest.  But books... eh... not so much.

There are many ways to improve your intellectual health.  You can take classes. Watch videos on topics of interest you want to learn more about.  You can read articles.  I love signing up for webinars. Another favorite thing for me is finding new fitness programs to get certified in just to learn about it and further my skills as a trainer.

Today I am working on picking up books again.  The really crazy thing, back in the day, I used to want a home library, a huge room in my house lined with bookshelves.  You know like on Beauty and the Beast when the Beast shows his library?  That was my dream room once.  There is something nostalgic and wonderful about flipping pages that you just don't get looking at a screen.


My love for books is returning.  

 I have a goal of a Book a month.
A fun way to improve both your social health and your intellectual health is to join a book club.  Meet together with friends and discuss the book of the month.

Today's challenge for you is to pick up a book.  What are you reading today? 

Let's chat about your pillars...

Are you aware of the pillars of health?  It's a concept I was introduced to over 20 years ago by some Japanese business men at a so-called "Sales training" meeting.  The company was Nikken Inc.  The training was their beginner level training called "Silver Training".  It was for their sales team, but I went because I wanted to have some self improvement.  I wasn't a Representative of the company  but, my dad, Larry Proffit, was the VP of Sales and Marketing and the was main Speaker and lead trainer for Nikken at the time, SO I got a free pass in.  Lucky me!

    The company is based in Japan.  They brought a weird way of thinking about business over here to us Americans.  It was interesting to note that at that "sales team meeting" not one word of sales skills or how to improve your business by increasing sales, was brought up.  We didn't even learn about their products that they sell at all!  It was purely Self-Care and self improvement.  They were big on creating a Life-Cycle plan or a HUGE vision board that mapped out 10 years of dreaming in Several areas of health.  They called this the "5 Pillars of Health".

The concept that you cannot be an effective sales representative for the company if you are not balanced in these areas of life, was the training for the weekend.  It was very revealing.  I did do my vision board/Life-cycle plan.  And I do have to say, most of that stuff I put on the vision board has happened.  It works.

Since that training, I have gone on and researched "pillars of health" and have discovered, there are a LOT of philosophies of what those Pillars of health actually are:

There are dozens more philosphies about Pillars of health out there.  Some get super complex.  I decided that my business needs to be simple and based around the basics.  I don't need my  life complicated anymore than it already is.
As I was setting Goals with my kids, I asked them what they want in some basic areas of life and challenged them to set goals in those "pillar" categories.
I changed them around a bit and made it 7.  You can create your own categories if you want or take it and adjust all of the above ones as you see fit.

Here are the categories I decided were important for balanced life, health and success:
1 - Spiritual
2 - Physical
3 - Work/ finances
4 - Emotional
5 - Intellectual
6 - Social (friends/community)
7 -  Family relationships

I might be a "fitness Professional", but what I have discovered is that when someone is out of whack in one of those areas of health, they have a difficult time reaching their fitness goals. As a personal trainer I found I was dealing with people that had loads of "baggage" and garbage built up in other areas of their life and until they released it or dealt with it, they struggled to feel good, drop weight or develop healthy eating habits.  It's my belief that true physical fitness/health is a result of feeling amazing about who you are and what you are capable of.  This comes as a result of repaired relationships with God, family, community, wealth, emotional well-being and  your relationship to money too.  It's all connected.  I guess the relationship can be flipped and you could say that your financial well-being could be the result of balance in the other areas, and so forth.  Your health in each pillar category is increased and becomes better as the other pillar categories come into balance.
  I left the business of Personal training because I was tired of helping people get the perfect butt when they were just unhappy with their marriage.  The perfect butt and waistline wasn't going to fix it.  I was tired of dealing with unhealthy people with unrealistic physical expectations that really needed a more well-rounded approach to true wellness.    I no longer consider myself a personal trainer per se.  I am a wellness professional today.  I focus on whole wellness over physical perfection.

   As you read this blog and follow me, you will see me focus on addressing the "pillars of health".  Each day, I am striving to focus on just one area of my life to improve. In a perfect world, all 7 would be addressed daily and worked on.  But baby steps is a great place to start.  So, each day, I challenge you to look at just one area of your life and improve in that place for that day.

Sunday - SPIRITUAL  - How is your relationship with God?  Do you take the time to pray, meditate and listen to his desires for your life?  It is my belief that we have a supreme being that cares about our well-being who reaches out to us.  It is up to us to listen.  You may have a religious affiliation or not.  I believe all of us are children of God.  Have you taken the time today to build on that important relationship?  It is up to us to listen quietly and reflect on the love he has for each of us.  I know that as I have done this, I have found inspiration for my life and the path I need to take in all other areas of health.

Monday - PHYSICAL - I do believe in movement daily as well as balanced nutrition all week.  Not just once a week.  But Mondays are a great day to start again with planning your meals and workouts.  A strong, healthy body helps boost your immune system and rid yourself of the blues.  Move and re-commit to your fitness and nutrition plan every Monday.

Tuesday - WORK/ FINANCES - Take this day to look at your career and financial goals. Are you going the right direction?  Are you saving money?  Is your business healthy?  What adjustments need to be made today or what action plans need to happen to bring you closer to your dreams?

Wednesday - EMOTIONAL - Do you think before you react?  How are you managing stress?  This is a good day to be a little more aware about your emotional responses to people and situations.  What do you do when someone cuts you off in traffic?  Or that crazy coupon-er that takes too long at the grocery store in line in front of you?  How is your emotional well-being?

Thursday - INTELLECTUAL - Do you take the opportunity to learn something new?  Are you reading any books? Taking an on-line course?  What are you doing to ignite that amazing brain of yours? Your education should always be a priority.  Have you taken time to learn from masters in the field of your interests and hobbies?  Or how about learning something new that you have never tried before?  How will you ignite your mind today?

Friday - SOCIAL  - How is your relationship with your community? Your friends?  This might be a good day to connect to an old friend or find opportunities to serve the community. I have heard people say, "I don't have any friends".  So what about reaching out to others that also feel lonely?  Quit sitting in front of the screen.  Turn off the electronics for a bit and connect face to face with other people.  How is your social health?  Take this day and find one way to improve in that area.

Saturday - FAMILY - When was the last time your talked to your mom or dad? Brother?  or Aunt or Uncle? What about other family member you have been out of touch with.  Would it be weird to pick up the phone and reach out over the miles to say "I miss you and I love you.  Remember when....?"  Take today and reach out and touch someone.  Was that AT&T's slogan back in the 80's?  This is also a great day to take the kids on a hike or a date with your spouse.

That's it.
Those are MY pillars of health I will be focusing on as we work together to build a happy, healthy  life.  I guarantee that as we work on these pillars of health, you will see increase in fitness results, joy, and peace.  This is the secret formula.  I am telling you!


Are you ready for true bliss?  I know I am.

 - Blessings,
       Michelle

You have been warned... This may get graphic...

Next month it will be the year 2018.  That is the year I will officially turn 45 years old.  I remember when I thought that was SO OLD! A few days ago I had a conversation with a beautiful woman who came to one of my group fitness classes.  She mostly just stood there and observed.  At the end of the class she told me, "Your classes seem really too intense for me.  I will be 50 soon and I think it's time I just faced the fact that I can't do everything I used to be able to do.  I think it's time I settled down and was more gentle now that I am turning 50."

Okay...

She has no idea how old I am.

I see 2 ways to look at this:

1 - Sure, you can be gentle on your body.  I go back and forth.  I choose gentle exercises like Tai Chi or Gentle Yoga occasionally to mix it up.  I recognize the importance of honoring your own limitations as they are today and being careful not to go to crazy extremes just to prove something or keep up with the "young'uns" in class.  I get it.  But I know you can build on from here, no matter what age.

2 - I also get that there are 75 year-old athletes out there outdoing me.  I am reminded of that every time I sign up to run a race.  Not that personal fitness is a contest.  It's not, (for most of us).  But, to determine that there is an age where you just have to "face it" and say, "Nope, that's it!", is crazy.  Unless you have had a serious injury (or other illness that keeps you from moving), as long as you are living, you still have the opportunity to improve your cardiovascular health and strength.   The day you decide that improving your fitness is no longer for you, is the day you begin to deteriorate more quickly and your quality of life diminishes.

I refuse to die before I am dead!

I've decided that when I turn 50, it's going to be my best year ever!

That being said...

I want to be super-real for a minute.  And, we are going to get a little graphic here:

I was talking to a couple of sisters following a Zumba class one night.  They were telling me about how much weight they had lost and that they felt super self-conscious of the amount of leftover skin and stretch marks they had on their bodies. During our conversation, I realized I was old enough to be the mother of the 2 of them.  It's crazy right?

So I decided to show them my belly under the cute yoga pants I wear to hold it all in.

Are you ready for reality?  I'm warning you...  My kids run screaming when I show them this:

I am warning you...

  

Only look if you can stand a "mommy belly"...

Oh yeah, and following a summer of eating badly, too.  I was kind of crazy the summer of 2017 and gained a few pounds.  SO, I have a new starting place.

I mean 6 kids bigger than 9 lbs each.....

Yes, I am a beast.....

Are you really wanting to see the reality under the cute yoga pants that hold it all in?....

You were warned.....

Here it is:

Yup, I gave birth to 6 LARGE babies. Now, granted, I have also been thinner.  This belly is following a summer of eating a ton of garbage and not doing the 40/20 circuit much.  I have recently recommitted to the circuit and to better nutrition.  I am taking myself through the Phazes 12 week transformation challenge as I develop it for YOU.  So, you will see this change.  I just want YOU to know what is possible.  But, yeah, this is the belly of a 44 year old woman in pretty good shape. Maybe not her best shape but, pretty good shape.  I am strong and can handle a hard fitness class and keep up with the kids in class.  But this is my belly.  I do have a goal of going down a bit in my body fat percentage.  But I am in a very healthy range for my age.


Okay,

Now I am going to pull up my yoga pants and take a more flattering photo of my post-6 baby and 44 year old belly following a summer of junk food:

 Wow, amazing transformation.  It looks like I just lost 10 pounds by pulling my pants up.  :)

Suddenly I am a LOT sexier, no?
LOL!

Now you all know my dirty little secret of the belly under the support in my stretchy pants.

No really. I think a lot of us see the glamorous shots of fitness pros that know how to angle a camera and know what clothes to put on.  We don't see the stretch marks.  We don't know the stories.  We don't know the age.

When I tell my clients they are half my age, they choke a little.  They usually don't get the "privilege" of seeing the belly in the photo at the top. They usually don't hear how many babies I have had or that I lost 60 pounds... Yeah... there is some left over skin hanging a bit.  But my body doesn't have to stop just because 50 is coming around the corner or just because I have more of a belly than that OTHER amazing. thin, beautiful instructor that's half my age.  There are some AMAZING ladies coming to my fitness classes that are nearly twice MY age!  They come and do what they can because they KNOW that life is better when you are moving and not concerned about how you measure up to the next person in class.

Quit worrying about how your body compares to someone else's or if you are as fit as the next person in the class.  Just move that body of yours!  It's an amazing gift!  Love it!
Make this coming year YOUR best year!

- Michelle

My who I want to be when I grow up vision board...

I have at home on the wall above my desk, a dream board, or vision board. I have taken images and words that convey what I hope for in life and taped them onto a poster board for me to look at every day.  This is not a new concept.  I have done dozens of these over the years.  Almost every training seminar I go to suggests surrounding yourself with the imagery of what you want in your world.
"What you surround yourself with, you become."



So... with that in mind.  I took on a challenge to define myself.  To try to become who I want to be. What is it that I want?

As I was listening to a training video by one of my role models (Chalene Johnson) she suggested drawing a picture of who you want to be.  What is the image you want to portray.  Well.... I drew my picture.  I hated it.  Mostly because I am a lousy artist.  But also because I can't capture in a single drawing every piece of me I want to envision. and how I want to see me.

I began asking myself, Who are my role models?  Who do I want to be like when I grow up?
I started making my list of who I admire and my list of amazing women grew and grew and grew.  I found I admired people, not because they were perfect, but because they were unique, had amazing qualities I could learn from.  I found myself picking more and more and more.  Of course it would be impossible to be ALL of these women wrapped into one.  I can only be ME... whatever that is.  In the meantime, I can seek after qualities I want to improve in me.

Here is my partial list of people that have attributes of what I want developed in me when I grow up...

Mother Teresa, Servant of God

Shawna Kaminski, Fitness professional over 50 and rocking her style

 Chalene Johnson : Fitness professional and Personal development coach and more.

Marjory Hinckley, Devoted wife, mother and support.  Humble, sweet and a great example of quiet leadership. Loved life and family and God.   

Meryl Streep - Talented and natural in a world of hypocrisy and falsehoods  She stands out as a queen in her profession. I love her natural beauty. 

 Malala Yusafzay-  faced death in the face and still didn't back down from the principles she believed in.  She was shot for it. (And survived)

I have Oprah and Condoleeza on here as strong beautiful people that lead in unique and seperate ways.  

Suze Orman went from broke to financial guru.

Ellen Degeneres for her humor, love of life and ability to make everyone feel special. Oh and mad dancing skillz.

Oh and who can forget my amazing Mom?  one of the most talented and inspiring women I have ever met in my life.  I would say that even if she weren't my mother. a mother of 10 kids and as faithful a lady you will ever find who still knows how to party when the time is right or not right...  (all those irreverent giggles in church.... and parodies of church songs....  sheesh....) 

And my list of amazing women could go on and on and on.... all the people I have met who have inspired me.  There are too many to put here. I find God has surrounded me with the most amazing people.  I find something in almost everyone I meet that I can take and learn from and try to better myself.  I want to be like a piece of all of them.

So There you have it.  A snapshot of the kinds of women I admire and want to reflect when I grow up.  I want to be a great mom and wife and daughter of God.  I want to be generous and kind and seek to serve.  I want to be fun, and dance and smile and help others to do the same.  I want to be smart and lead and make changes.  I want to be fearless in the face of death when it comes to standing up for what I believe in.  I want to inspire people to change their lives.  I want to be strong and fit and healthy.    I want to be remembered as honest, kind and loving.  I want people to know me as a servant of God and having loved mankind.  I want to have done all I could do to make this world a better place to live in for future generations.
I know I cannot be all these people.  I will be Me.  I will be the best version of me I can be.  What that will look like on a picture???  I really don't know.  Certainly the photo I have here can't represent the whole me.  But it makes me giggle.  So it stays.

.  

I want to learn how to use Photoshop so I can put my face on this picture.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?  

What does your picture look like?