Mental Clarity Creates Readiness for Physical Change

I started working with Misty in December when I had hit a plateau in my weight loss. I had lost weight by limiting calories and using the My Fitness Pal app on my own, but without focusing on macros. Actually, the amount of food I was eating before was basically the same, but the composition of what I was eating was different. I had been trying to base it just on the Zone plan. Misty came up with an individualized plan for me and told me exactly how many carb, protein, and fat grams to eat per day. I liked that I knew exactly how much to be eating and didn’t have to do my own guesswork or generic plan. Within a week of eating according to the macros, my muscles became noticeably defined, especially in my arms and legs. It was a pretty incredible change. I had noticed before when I was limiting calories that I felt like I was losing strength in the gym. Since doing macros, I have been steadily increasing in strength.

It's now April and in the past 4 months working with Misty, I have lost 16 pounds of fat and am so much more toned. Not only did I lose 16 lbs, but it was the final weight I needed to lose, which is the hardest to lose (I’ve lost a total of 49 lbs). I am below my weight when I got married and didn’t think that would be possible for me as I’ve now hit my forties. Along the way, Misty has adjusted my numbers to accommodate changes that happen in my body composition, goals, and hunger level. The amazing thing is that she has added food in and it would spur on MORE weight loss! I feel so much better inside and out. I’m lighter on my feet; I don’t have the body aches I used to have; I can run faster, do more pullups, and lift more weight. I can cross my legs more easily and I’m not splitting my pants anymore! In fact, I’ve had to get a whole new wardrobe (for the good reason, not the bad reason!). What’s an even bigger deal than all the outside changes are the inside ones. My family has commented on what a better mood I’m in, I feel much more emotionally stable, have more energy, and am more productive. My friends have commented that my whole countenance has changed and become much brighter. And that’s how I feel! I’m very thankful to Misty for helping me during the difficult final stretch of this weight loss and for all her encouragement along the way to help me do what I didn’t think I could.

The Mom Life- Creating a Better Version of Self

I have the honor of working with AMAZING clients! We all come from different walks of life, and all have a story to share. When a client is ready for TRUE CHANGE, that is where the MAGIC happens! Meet one client and her story:

I've always been an active person. I'm always wanting to try something new in terms of fitness. I can remember going to step aerobics, kickboxing, some spin class and some weight training. I even took up running in the middle of a very humid summer in Houston! So when I did travel assignments on the east coast, I was still pretty active, but the toll of working night shift and the night life didn't agree with my metabolism. Let's just say I gained 20 lbs while I was on the east coast.

I then ended up on the west coast. The weather is beautiful and I took up running again and even did a half marathon. I was back to my usual weight and I even lost most of the weight that I had gained during my traveling years on the east coast.

Fast forward, then came marriage and having a family. I was actually in pretty good shape when I got married. I was going to the gym on a regular basis with the help of a personal trainer and I was still running so I was able to maintain my weight, but I've always struggled with the nutrition aspect of my training. My husband and I are home bodies so we love making food at home! We also like to try new restaurants and live life.

Next, babies came in the picture. I had my daughter in 2010 and I was able to lose my baby weight due to lack of sleep for 8 weeks! With our move in 2012, I also found CrossFit. It has been a major part of my life. I was doing CrossFit on and off around the addition of my boys in 2013 and 2014. After I was cleared to go back to working out, I knew I needed to be consistent and really work on getting my fitness back on track and work on getting my body back as we were done with our growing family.

I was back going to CrossFit almost everyday and felt great at first, then I started really getting fatigued often. I was so afraid to eat more because I was thinking it defeats the purpose of working out. I needed to lose weight. The pressure was on because my 40th birthday was months away. I lost the weight before my 40th, but as soon as I started eating again, I gained it back. My nutrition was not dialed in, so I was getting frustrated. That was when I sought the help of Misty Smith. She was talking about a nutrition program and the "macros" way of eating. She offered a nutrition challenge at the gym which I participated in and had been very successful.

I've been doing this type of nutrition plan for over a year now and I've really enjoyed the process. It has been exciting and frustrating at the same time. Every new thing that you do there's always a learning curve. With this way of eating, planning is the key! I've achieved my goal weight and my performance at the gym has improved tremendously. In the last year, Misty and I have worked on several goals and my macros were adjusted accordingly. Now, I'm not saying that I've always been consistent in adhering to my macro plan, and there were days where I've had major slip ups, but the beauty of this plan is you get to start over the next day. I'm still sticking to this type of nutrition plan currently, and I hope to continue doing this for the rest of my life. I can eat everything just as long as I can fit it in my macros. For me, it's basically just about eating in moderation and making healthy choices. I'm a dessert person so if I want to eat dessert, I take that into account and plan for it. We like to go out to dinner, so again I try to plan my food intake accordingly. The same thing goes when we travel or go on trips. It's hard because you are out of your element, but you just do your best. Again, you can always reset and get back on it! Life happens and you need to enjoy it!

In addition, the macro planning helped educate me in understanding nutrition labels and information. I think we've become a country of big portions and we're not really eating a serving size unless you weigh it!! I want this to be my lifestyle so I can be an example modeling a fit and healthy lifestyle for my family, for my children, and the people around me.

Sometimes the Journey is Longer than Expected

Underoos make everything better!

Some of us are always working on our inner superhero by developing our best selves. I'm still trying to refine my status! #superherowins Shortly before I turned 30, I set the goal of being in the best shape of my life by that birthday. Growing up I had always been athletic and I was fortunate enough to be a college athlete. Those were some of my best fitness days of my life. When I made that goal, I had recently had my second baby, and we knew we were done having kiddos. I had officially retired from teaching about a year previous. My new job was being a full time momma, and I felt I had realistic goals of getting in the best shape of my life with a more 'flexible' schedule since I wouldn't be working outside the home. Well if you are a parent, whether you are working outside the home or not, we know the schedule isn't that flexible at all, and I quickly learned that this would be a season of life where I must be flexible with my goals. We all tread through this stage of life differently. I definitely didn't think it would take as long as it did to attain my goal.

With my big goal documented & noted, I really wanted to set myself up for success and I hired a personal trainer to help me get closer to my goals (Thanks Troy! You were a catalyst along the journey.). A coach needs a coach too. I spent several years at my local YMCA, working on my fitness goals and toting my kiddos to the daycare and kids' activities, so momma could have her time. With my degree in physical education & health, I was also inspired to become a personal trainer myself and joined the team at the YMCA. I was then fortunate enough to coach bootcamps on my own and to continue to bring fitness to others. It worked for that season of life and I was excited to help others along in their fitness journeys! Age 30 came and was gone just like that.

I went to graduate school for a year so that I would have potential opportunities for when my kids were older and I was ready to go back into the 'professional workforce.' I quickly realized that grad school and young kiddos were not a good combination for ME. My priorities had changed and the commitment of school was not as important in this season of life. Then my family experienced a big move from the Seattle area to Northern California, back to Seattle, then back to NorCal. We are a little crazy when it comes to moving ha, ha! That's another story...

Before married & babies, after 2nd baby, 1 yr into CrossFit

I continued to work toward my goal of being in the best shape of my life by 35, then found CrossFit. Talk about a huge fitness shift! I thank God I found this type of fitness. I thought I was in decent shape before, but truly found the athletic stimulus that I needed again. Something that was different every day and had a variety of fitness components all in an hour class. Totally different from the regular gym routine and it works for my personality and needs!! Plus, it was WAYYY better on my old knee injuries from high school and college. Higher intensity, less time pounding, modifications as needed!

Then another hiccup, bump in the road two years later. Probably due to my compensating movement patterns with knee issues, I suffered a fairly significant back injury that I dealt with off and on for two years. Finally on the other side of recovery from injury, I truly reflected on my purpose, goals, and LIFE! Why was I making the choices and choosing the behaviors that I was living out? Once I had clarity in that, I was truly recommitted to the original goal with the right intentions and focus. A little wisdom comes with age ha, ha!! I realized I needed some help with reaching my overall health goals, and I hired a nutrition coach. Best investment I have ever made, as it has been a game changer for where I am in life right now!

High school reunion, friends wedding, Thanksgiving 2015

Bodies are weird! Like truly weird AF, yet also truly fascinating. I have been working on this science experiment with my fitness and body for almost a decade now trying to be in the best shape of my life!! Your body goes through weirdness with pregnancies, stress, hormones, injuries, age, etc. Some navigate this rather easily, and for others, it can be a real roller coaster of change. I've never really dealt with 'weight issues' but at 5' 10, I can carry extra insulation better than some. Some stages of life, I would be considered 'fit', and other stages I would be softer than I would've liked. Then there were also stages where it was important to be a little more 'softer' because there were little humans that I was producing and then feeding! And don't get me started on the back injury. That was just a mind f*&% in all areas of health!

I will be the big 4-0 in about a month. I can truly say that almost a decade later, I am in the best shape of my life! Nutrition has truly been the biggest component to the changes in body composition and overall health. I've always known it would be, but didn't make it a priority until I was ready for significant change. Nutrition + CrossFit for the win! It took a little longer than expected to achieve my goal (like a DECADE!), but I wouldn't change this journey. And more importantly, my overall health is the best that it has ever been! Mind, body, and spirit!

Don't give up on your goals. They can still be the same or morph and adapt to life. Just realize that there are seasons of life. Different priorities come and go, and sometimes there are hurdles along the road. Enjoy the journey! The process and life's lessons learned along the way are more important than the timeline. The goals will always be there! Be ok with being patient though the process.