Coaching Kiddos

My initial goal when I pursued my personal training certificate was to work w/ women-particularly moms.  To help them recognize that taking care of your physical self not only nurtures your mental health, but helps you to take care of your loved ones & sets an awesome role model for growing children.

My goals have evolved over the last two years.  I still very much enjoy working w/ new moms, but have been approached by many other walks of life for advice.  It has helped me to recognize that fathers, and all others need to learn this lesson of self love.  Until you take care of you, you can't sufficiently care for anyone else.

That being sd, if we help instill this in our youth they will have no need to fix these issues in adulthood.  Funny as it is kids can easily learn these things.  Just as they can easily pick up bad habits from us-absorbing everything like a sponge, they can also take in positive behaviors.  Coming to this realization has lead me to work w/ kids.  What an awesome opportunity.  Guiding our children on a positive path.  Feeding them a healthful knowledge & providing them w/ a toolbox of items to take home and support their own self.  Maybe my words are too deep, or yogic, but you get the drift.

I recently went out to California to CrossFit Brand X, and obtained my CrossFit Kids Coach Certificate.  I am very excited to begin working w/ kids.  Previously I had worked in daycare, one of my tasks being a 3 yr old room Teacher.  So I had that bit of knowledge creating lessons plans.  Fast forward 11 yrs later here I am.

Currently I have taught 2 bootcamps to kids at Camp Summer Fun at the University of Michigan Flint Rec center.  They were two groups of about 20-30 kids aged 6-11 yrs.  Man was it a blast.  The kids had so much positive energy and excitement.  A genuine desire to do good work.  And then there were some kiddos that felt physically discouraged of their abilities & needed a lil more motivation.  All in all it was a good time. 

I have been coaching the neighborhood kids, including my son.  They do great work, and have fun playing games too.  These opportunities have been between 2-4 kids at a time.  Believe it or not the smaller groups seem to take more finesse.  The energy of the larger group is easy to keep going.  But keeping it fun is key, and knowing when to move on is important.

Last weekend I worked for Genesys Athletic Club leading dances, games and stretching at the CrimFit Kid's Invitational.  The groups of kiddos were as small as 2 kids to well over 100 kids at a time!  They loved the Egg on a Stick Game.  The Hokey Pokey was a flop, live and learn.  The Cha-Cha Slide went over well, would have been better if the sound system wasn't choppy.  Seeing the HUGE smiles of excitement as these kids crossed the finish line was worth FAR more than my paycheck.  They were filled w/ pride, and a strong feeling of success.

Coming up next month I am excited to announce I will be teaming up Joe & Liz at 810 CrossFit coaching CrossFit Kids w/ 2nd-5th graders. I will be coaching on Mondays at 5pm and on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am.  Joe & Liz will also be coaching CFKids on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday at 5 pm.  I have been given the honor of programming the CFKids classes at 810.  The classes will follow this format:

FUN-FUN-FUN

20 minutes of Study

3 minute Warm up

10 minutes of Skill Work

15 minutes of WOD (Workout of the Day)

10 minutes of a Game

2 minutes of Stretching

810's CFKids is being advertised in the Grand Blanc Football Publication.  Keep an eye out for it.  810 subscribers if you are interested in signing up your child for CFKids please contact Joe for instruction.  How awesome to be able to come for the 5 pm WOD, and drop your kid off for study and their very own WOD, too.  It will be a great time for all.

My next ventures are a couple of YogaKids workshops in September.  Stay tuned!

Here's to our youth!

Healing

Nate, Me, Phil-one of my most fav wedding pics

 

I must admit it has been an emotionally intense week/s, and none of the things that happened happened directly to me.  I see a lot of pain and suffering around me.  From my brother, to my Gpa, my Grammie, to my hubby's friend's wife, my hubby's friend, my boss' parents, to my chiropractor's father, and one of my highschool friends.  Some of the pain is from growing older, some of it is from bringing new life into this world, some of it is from not taking safety precautions (helmets are so important), some is car accidents, some is pain inflicted from others, and some is total freak accident, or shock.  My heart goes out to all of these loved ones, and the people that surround them.  

May we be at peace.  May we be healed.

It has been hard to find the energetic desire to type a blog this week.  My little brother, Phil, was attacked this past Sunday while walking home from the bar.  I am so proud of him for choosing to be safe and not driving, but I am aching for him that he had to endure such an awful experience.  His cheek bone & nose were broke in the process and his shoulder was dislocated.  He lost his cell phone in the shuffle, and it took him a few hours to make it home--in a small town of Nebraska, as he was trying to run and hide from his attackers.  It has been tough to reach out to my bro given the 16 hrs of time between us, and that I can't pick up the phone and call.  I praise God that he is w/ my Dad, Stepmom, and stepsiblings that are surrounding him w/ love and support.

May we be a source of healing for others.

I work hard to remain positive in all aspects of my life.  It is hard to do.  There is always a positive in each situation.  I am certain it is hard to see when it is your situation.  My brother, or any of my friends above may find it hard, but when you look closely, remain present there is a positive lesson to be learned.  With that positivity I work hard not to hold negativity towards others.  Forgive and let go.  The people that attacked my brother must be suffering.  Perhaps w/ something they haven't even confronted or realized yet.  How awful a life must be to find joy in inflicting pain in others.  For his attackers I send love & prayer that they will come into the Light.

May our hearts remain open.  May we be awakened to the light of our own true nature.

When bad things happen in life it is important to step back, breathe, reflect, remain present, and connect spiritually w/ your higher power.  I am a Christian, and so that relationship for me is w/ God.  My Holy Spirit that lives w/in my heart.  You don't have to be Christian to have a spiritual connection.  It is important to have faith & trust in something bigger than you.  Letting go of your worries, and handing them over to your higher power.  As I type this paragraph I know LOTS of people will feel strongly about what I just stated.  This is what I believe.  I am not here to debate.  I am promoting a positive spiritual relationship, connection.  In my humble opinion everyone needs this for their own mental health & well being, even my brother's attackers.

May we be at one w/ the breath of the Divine.

In times of trouble, or in times of happiness and laughter, or just to give thanks, I find comfort in this prayer that I learned on a Yoga in the Woods retreat from Moses Love & Zeina.  I often use is when I need guidance, or before a meal.  Sometimes even just to take a moment of quiet w/ my son.  He knows the prayer too.  May it be a source of comfort for you.

May we be at peace.

May our hearts remain open.

May we be awakened to the light of our own true nature.

May we be healed.

May we be a source of healing for others.

May we be at one w/ the breath of the Divine.

Amen.

Breakfast on the GO!

Savory Parfait

Do you find yourself w/ no time for breakfast?  This is a SUPER fast yummy way to fit it in.  Use a cup that will fit into a drink holder in the car.  I used a small smoothie cup.  Then layer your savory ingredients, take w/ you on the drive to work and enjoy!  YUM!

My Ingredients:

1. 1 Veggie Sausage Pattie (microwave)
2. 1 Poached Egg (microwave)
3. 1/2 cup Michigan Cottage Cheese (I used lowfat.  Use what you prefer).
4. brocolli
5. salsa
6. Hemp Hearts & Chia Seeds (optional)

One Thing to Start Doing for Yourself

1. Start putting your needs on the front burner. 

The most painful thing is loosing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting you are special too.  Yes, help others, but help yourself FIRST.  If there ever was a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

Fast Food for Lunch!!!

Bwahahahaha, I gotcha!  Yes, healthy food doesn't have to take HOURS to cook or prep.  This morning I de-ribbed & cleaned some Kale, added some olive oil, tamari, yeast flakes and walnuts.  Threw it in a container and added a sweet potato to my lunch bag.  It took all of like 3-4 minutes to throw that together.

Come lunch time at work I washed my sweetpot (what I like to call a sweet potato, because it is more fun), stabbed it w/ a fork and zapped in the micro for 3 minutes.  LUNCH IS SERVED!  It was SOOOO delish and filling I almost couldn't eat it all... ALMOST!

Please share your favorite "fast foods" below.

Honey Facial & facelift

Michigan Honey!

Did you know you can use honey as a facial treatment?  It also give you a natural face lift & an AWESOME glow.  It rocks my socks.  Here is what I do.

Honey Face!

1. Wet a wash cloth, and microwave it for 30 seconds.  Make sure it isn't too hot.  Place on face until it cools.
2. Remove wash cloth.  Blot honey on face w/ your fingers.  Continue to blot until your face sticks to your fingers.
3. From there you can
1. let it sit for a bit
2. or use the wash cloth to wipe it off.
1. Either way I like to warm up the wash cloth and lay it back on my face after making sure it isn't too hot.

Ladies (and Gents-I know you wanna) go ahead and give this a whirl.  It is something you can slow down and enjoy.  And honestly it doesn't take a lot of time.  Heck you could be done in 5 minutes, or 15 if you really want to chillax.  I am going to work on doing this once a week.  Trust me you will be glad you tried!

Just for giggles.  My son took this CLOSE UP of my forehead w/ honey on it!

Rhabdo

Rhabdomyolysis also called Rhabdo is a rare condition.  I never thought in all my personal training schooling or CrossFit training I would EVER come across a case of it.  Unfortunately someone I work w/ did get rhabdo, and is in the hospital recovering.  Rhabdo is dangerous enough that it is worth briefly discussing.  Rhabdo can be caused from EXTREME physical activity, but there are many other ways it can be brought on.  Today I will focus on physical activity as it is the force that we see in my field.  My definition of Rhabdo is this: when your body is working hard the skeletal muscles break down at such a rate that your body can't keep up w/ the repair and toxins (aka myoglobin=muscle protein) are leaked into your body potentially causing kidney failure.

If you are new to exercising and go FULL THROTTLE SPEED AHEAD you will really want to be sure you are listening to your body, staying hydrated and resting when you need to.  That being sd rhabdo could happen to someone that has been physically active for their entire life, such as a marathon runner.

Medications: There are certain medicines that will increase the risk of getting rhabdo.  If you take any of the following meds please educate yourself, and listen to your body.  Statins used to treat high cholesterol [simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), pravastatin (Pravachol), or lovastatin (Mevacor)] and other medications such as Parkinson's medication, psychiatric medications, anesthesia medications, HIV medications, & colchicine.

Signs of rhabdo: weakness, muscle soreness, pain, swelling, nausea, confusion, and the biggest sign COLA COLORED or RED COLORED URINE (see pics).  If you see this sign, this is NO joke.  It is an immediate sign your kidneys are not keeping up w. the myoglobin in your body.  Have someone immediately take you to the emergency room.  If you are not able to get a ride or can't drive SAFELY do not hesitate to call an ambulance.  

PREVENTION: Drink plenty of WATER before, during, and AFTER exercise.

I am not sharing this info w/ you in an effort to freak you out, and scare you off exercise.  I am not asking you to lower your limits.  I am sharing this w/ you because it is VERY important to educate yourself, and find that body-mind connection, knowing what is safe for you and what isn't.  So keep on keeping on.  Ride the wave of YOUR life.  Know YOUR limit.  Push yourself to your limit, but do not catapult yourself over it!  And most importantly DRINK WATER!

Junk in the Trunk?

Gibson the Junk Food Guard Cat

Yup, there it is.  Junk food.  I don't even like it, but if it is there I WILL eat it!  Geesh.  Everyone ready for this public announcement?  Ready???  Huh?  I don't hear you...

.........I do really well w/ eating during the day and at work, but after working anywhere between 9-12 hrs in a day I am EXHAUSTED, and I will eat the first thing I cross paths w/.  For me this is a constant battle.  I do NOT like Oreos or Doritos, but when I am hungry and tired you are DARN right I will consume them.  And darn it all my family likes those things, so they are in the house whether I buy them or NOT.

So, part of our MHealthy Rewards here at work offers a Nutritional Consultant (you get $100 per yr for doing 2 things on the MHealthy Rewards list).   I just had a web meeting w/ my Consultant, Holly.  We went over my 3 day food log.  Holly told me it looked really good, despite what I thought wasn't(zucchini bread w/ carob chips or cereal for dinner), and that I shouldn't be so hard on myself.  I am all for moderate ground, and so we reviewed the goals I had set, and adjusted where needed.  Do you all recall the SMART Goals post?  Check them out and refresh your memory.

Here is my top goal.  I had three.

My short term goals Healthy Eating SMART goals are:
1.  I want to eat clean foods that will strongly support my body for the activities I enjoy. 

To be successful in reaching my goals, I need to do the following: 

1. Put doors on pantry.  (We have lived in this house at least 5 yrs.  The doors must go up, STAT)

2. Prepare healthy options; have them available for evening. (I was just prepping breakfast, lunch & snacks for myself & my 2 kids).

3. Package husbands & kids junk/snack foods in individual servings designated for them.  (Once the junk is designated for them I am ok ignoring it).

Well there it is.  My honest truth.  I hope that in sharing my struggles w/ you it helps you in your journey-whatever that maybe.  If you are interested in setting some goals for yourself use the  SMART Goals post, and get busy.  If you'd like to share them w/ me feel free.  Either leave them in the comments field, or send me a private email.

Shanti (peace)

Mamaste! Prenatal Yoga

Tonya Drew, RYT 200

I am honored to be assisting & co-teaching prenatal yoga w/ Tonya Drew at the Yoga Path in Davison.  Prenatal Yoga is something I have been interested in since I was pregnant w/ my son, Keem.  He is now 8 yrs old.  I first began doing yoga when I was pregnant w/ him.  Since then my love for yoga has evolved, and I have crossed paths w/ many other yogis & yoginis.  When I met Tonya I knew she and I had a special bond.  Tonya and I both received our RYTs under Maureen Bosker, RN, ERYT at Yoga in the Woods.  Our training and teaching is very similar in style.  We both have a desire to support our fellow ladies, and share our knowledge and experience w/ other mamas.  Our first prenatal class starts on August 8, and we are super excited!  If you have any questions at all ask me.  I am happy to help!  To register please refer to the info below.  Mamaste!

 

Prenatal Yoga at the Yoga Path
A prenatal Yoga practice can benefit pregnancy, labor and recovery. Learn techniques to find comfort, strength, balance, peace and confidence as you prepare for the birth experience. This multi-level class is available to women in all stages of pregnancy. No prior yoga experience necessary.
Wednesdays 7-8pm
$60 per six week session.
Register now!
Bring a mat, a towel, and a water. Additional mats, bolsters, blocks and straps provided.

The Yoga Path

Stonehouse Plaza

1086 N Irish Rd Suite 3

Davison, MI 48423

(810)919-YOGA (9642)

Email: theyogapath@sbcglobal.net

WARRIOR DASH 2012

Jess, ME, Nancy=WARRIOR WOMEN

Ahhh, another Warrior Dash under my belt!  Well, ok it was only my 2nd, but there is more where that came from.  I am signed up for WD2013 already!  WooooooHAAAA!  Nice thing to know that they also support St. Judes, so not only do I get the endorphin rush, but I am helping others while doing it, YAY!

So my results this year were  44 min 13 sec.  I do believe last yrs time was around 1hr 15 min or so.  I am SUPER proud of increasing my speed this year!!  WD2011 was pure evil.  I wasn't conditioned for it.  Aunt Flow came to visit at the start line.  It was hotter than Hades.  There was a TON of bottlenecking.  It was 4 in the afternoon.  Last year when I got stuck behind walkers I took the opportunity to walk rather than push forward.

FAST FORWARD to this year!  It was a cool morning.  My heat was at 8am.  Aunt Flo gave me a nice heads up.  The bottlenecking was minimal.  And I had nearly 8 months of CrossFit under my belt w/ a determination to show the rope from last year who's boss.  I DID NOT STOP.  If there were walkers I QUICKLY maneuvered around them, or politely shouted "ON YOUR LEFT!"  I considered this entire race one giant WOD.  Since I don't stop at WODs there was NO WAY I was going to stop 'til I was finished, and man let me tell you that rope from last yr... that was a cake walk-sucka!  When I neared the finish line there was one woman in the mud pit ahead of me.  In that moment I took every last drop of energy I had left determined to beat her.  I am not certain what came over me, as I am NOT competitive, and even typing it now gets me all fired up, but I did it.  I pulled my way through that mud, and finished before her!  The finish line announcer was telling the other chick, "Oh no here she comes from behind.  Watch out you are about to get beat.  Oh don't let her beat you.  And there she goes, a true MICHIGAN WARRIOR.  She left you in her dust... I mean MUD!"  Oh it felt so good to hear that... and not because I beat her, but because suddenly a switch had been flipped inside me.  My go switch has been ignited.  Watch out peeps, CAUSE here I come!  Oh and for the cherry on the top, after I traded in my chip for a beer I went and did a WOD put on by Plymouth CrossFit Thanks, Matt!  10 squats, 10 pushups, 5 box jumps=AMRAP 10 min.  Not gonna lie, I lost count! 

I am WARRIOR WOMAN!  HEAR ME ROAR!  Oh yeah, and next year watch out... cause I  WILL be faster.  This mama only improves w/ age!

**Special thanks to my fabulous photographer, Jessica Whipple!