Practice what you Preach

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

So I have a confession to make… I don’t always do as I tell others to do when it comes to nutrition and healthy lifestyle – especially not in the last few month. Yep, I admit it – I am human! I have all of the same excuses as everyone else – I just had a baby after 3 months of bedrest,  I had a c-section, I am tired and when I am tired I crave things I shouldn’t be eating. Yes these reasons are true, but they are still excuses and because of these excuses, for the first time in a very long time I looked at myself naked in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw. So, it is time to treat myself like a client – the worst client I could ever have – but a client none the less and get off my ass and do something about it. I can’t tell others not to complain unless they are willing to change if I myself am not able and willing to do the same – so here goes!

As of Tuesday April 3, I am 13 pounds and 3%BF larger than I was before the baby. I wish I could really truly use him as an excuse, but I can’t because the truth is, most of that I gained after his birth! The last few months have been a whirlwind of midnight feedings, diaper changes, returning to work with very little sleep and eating like crap. Even starting fitness classes again at 5 weeks postpartum didn’t help because my heart wasn’t really in those workouts for myself, I told myself that I was just too tired to put in much effort so I coached and cheer leaded more than participated. Yep, I admit it, my name is Michelle and I am a slacker!

So I sat down at my computer yesterday after spending some time in the mall on the weekend trying on clothes – usually a great passion of mine, but this time, there was no joy in my reflection. I sat down and took my own measurements (180lbs and 28% BF) and created some goals for myself. Before Ivan was born, I always – intentionally- kept my body fat percentage at 25% in order to better aid the fertility treatments, and as you know at my age (37), a health body fat is between 20% and 30%. I stayed right in the middle but now have started to creep to places I shouldn’t be. So my first goal is this – a loss of 5% BF, 12 inches total around my waist, belly, hips and thighs (I am still nursing so my chest doesn’t count) – this would amount to approximately a 15 pound loss depending on muscle mass. So that is it – that is my goal and as I have said to every client I have ever had, a goal without a time line is just a dream so my timeline is… 8 weeks, 2 months – by the end of May. There you have it, my personal weight loss and fitness goal – set in the exact same manner I always coach my clients on. Can I do it? Of course! Will? Yes! Especially now that I have put it out there in the universe for everyone to see and staked my professional integrity on it! Damn right I will do it!

So how exactly am I going to accomplish this goal? Well, treating myself as my own worst client, I sat down and figured out my base metabolic rate – this is the amount of calories I would need to consume in a day to stay exactly the same size, doing the exact same thing. My base metabolic calorie consumption is approximately 2500 calories a day – this is a calculation derived at by calculating body mass, composition, activity level and the fact that I am a nursing mom. In order to reach my weight loss goal, I will need to consume just under 2000 calories a day, continue my current activity and when I hit that inevitable plateau, bust through it with accelerated fitness training or another drop in calories. Because I will still be breastfeeding, a drop in calories is not recommended so an increase in activity it will be!

Now it seems simple to just drop your calorie consumption and if that is all that mattered, it would be – but you have to remember that those 2000 calories need to be well balanced, with 55% being complex carbs, 25% being protein and 20% being fat. we also have to ensure that there is a balance of vitamins and minerals and a consistent energy source throughout the day. This may sound complicated and for some, it can be which is why they come to see someone like me in the first place, finding these balances is what I do for my clients every day, and everyone is different.

So what did my first day (Tuesday April 3) look like? Well it started at 5:30am with a glass of milk and a cup of chocolate flavoured ovaltine mixed with water along with my postnatal multi-vitamin. 6;30am saw a boot camp class with 25 solid minutes of cardio training along with strength building and flexibility components. Breakfast at 8:30am consisted of a homemade chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie (see next week’s newsletter for the recipe). I actually skipped my morning snack (slap hand) because I lost track of time but enjoyed a tuna salad sandwich for lunch – made with fat free mayo, an entire can of tuna, onions and lettuce on whole wheat bread – no butter or margarine of course! My afternoon snack was about 3 cups of raw carrots and celery along with 1/4 cup of homemade cucumber-dill dip (see next week’s newsletter for recipe). Throughout the day I drank plenty of fluids – hot decaffeinated coffee and tea – black of course!

My evening was a rush of mis-scheduled events so I grabbed a quick sandwich for dinner – two fried eggs (fried with no margarine or spray on my new ceramic non-stick pans) with 1/2 tomato, a slice of cheese and whole wheat bread. My treat for the day was a cocktail later on of vodka and diet-cranberry and my bedtime snack (an hour before bed) was a bowl of raisin bran cereal with 1% milk. My total calorie consumption for the day was 1800 with 46% coming from carbs, 24% from protein, 23% from fat and 7% from alcohol. Not perfect, but pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

So day one is done and day two is on its way. What is my biggest challenge for week #1? Losing all will power through Easter weekend because I am a HUGE candy fiend and we will be having a family birthday dinner with my in-laws. My plan for overcoming this challenge? First of all, not to buy Sera any of MY favorite treats. We usually limit the amount of candy anyway, but I will be sure to find things she likes and I don’t this weekend! My other solution is to get my husband on board, supporting my goal so that when y will power starts to fade, he is there to bolster me up! I have also written my goals in lipstick in huge writing on our bathroom mirror so that every morning, I can get and stay focused on my goal so that every decision I make is based on that!

Wish me luck! Happy Easter!

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The Birth of Butterfly…

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

I’m baccckkkk…  yep, after 3 months of blog silence, I am back with a whole lot to say it seems No, I am not going to talk about babies, pregnancy or parenting – those are issues that you can read in my other blog – this is simply not the place for it. This is where I want to talk about politics, current events and well – me. So here it goes…

When people look at my website or hear about another project that I am working on, they usually ask me in one way or another, ‘What do you do??’  I take that as their very polite way o saying – ‘You do so many different things that are seemingly unrelated – exactly what is it that you do???’ And it is a very valid question and one that I try to answer as quickly as possible but don’t always get the chance so here and now, I am going to explain in full.

When my son was born in 1994, I was a waitress – I had always been a waitress, working in restaurants since the age of 11 – it was all I knew. I had a high school education and a few university classes but no real education and it looked like I was destined to repeat history and raise my son in base poverty, struggling to make ends meet. That prospect didn’t bode well for me so I started taking correspondence courses in management and business – eventually moving up the ladder to running and owning y own restaurant before I was even 22. After I lost that business in a fire and went through an ugly divorce that left me penniless and again back to waiting tables trying to raise my son on my own, I went back to the books – eventually earning 2 diplomas back t back in Bar Operations and Food Services Management. These pieces of paper along with my then 15 years of restaurant experience moved me up to the level of general manager with salary and benefits and an introduction into a lifestyle my son and I could enjoy.

The long hours, the stress and the isolation of the north finally got to me and I swore off the restaurant and bar business for life – returning to school to take a new turn – studying Law enforcement and applying to the RCMP – a dream that was always in the back of my mind. I trained, I studied, I passed all my entrance exams including the physical with flying colors only to discover that the 6 months of training would require me to leave my son behind. End my short stint as a cop.

Another life twist and a new marriage to my fitness training partner in college,  found me using my education and training in the field of institutional food services – something I was trained and qualified for but never practiced. Working at Frontier School Division’s Residence introduced me to some serious issues with the nutritional education and practices of our Northern Manitoba youth so again, seeing a need, I returned to school taking a year of correspondence to earn a third diploma in Nutrition and Diet Therapy – after which I began educating groups and working with private clients on weight and type 2 diabetes Management.

Fast forward a few years to the birth of my second child in 2005. i found myself in a position that i had always envied – stay at home mom! having reached what I thought was my dream fulfilled, I realized something significant – I wasn’t cut out to be a stay at home mom. I loved my children (11 and 0) but found I wasn’t fulfilled and needed something more – much of this had to do with the fear of being financially dependent upon another person. Not trying to blame my then husband for the sins of my former, but having an internal drive for independence, I found what I thought was a perfect compromise. Instead of returning to my managerial field of work I opted for something I could do from home, with my children – the best of both worlds, something to make a little money but still allow me to be a full time mom. I started my own Mary Kay business and withing 9 months earned my first free car and two diamond rings. I was hooked. the second year had me surpass all my annual earnings of any other job, a brand new car (my second) in the driveway courtesy of Mary Kay and a couple of more diamonds – then disaster struck. My husband died and I found myself a single mother again, this time with 2 kids (13 and 2) and they needed me at home. I quit my Mary Kay business, or at least stopped working so hard at it, resigning my position ans Senior Sales Director and sending back the car (the diamonds I kept ). And for a year after their Dad’s death, I was what they needed me to be. A full-time, stay at home mom.

Once I believed that we were all ready for me to focus less on the past and present and more on the future I looked for something to do with myself where I could use my education, training, experience to generate a little money and give myself the fulfillment I had always searched for. I was and am grateful that their dad had left us provided for so while we were far from rich, I could be choosy with what I did as the income wasn’t as important as my sense of accomplishment. hence the birth of Butterfly Consultations. What is it that my company does? Everything that I am trained to do.

As a certified trainer for the National Food Safety Training program – I certify food handlers and restaurant owners in food handling safety.

As a certified nutritionist, I offer private weight loss counseling along with public speaking and workshops on healthy living.

Not having any fitness studios in our area, I again returned to school , earning my Certification as a Fitness leader with the Manitoba Fitness Council and teach group fitness classes in our own studio here in Rivers – all year long as well as offer private training sessions for my clients, I have even developed a few of my own classes like Burlesque, Strip Aerobics and InfuZion. Dancersize will be coming next fall! using my training from my law enforcement days, I have even offered basic kick boxing as an aerobic routine!

Using my education and 20 years of experience in management, I offer training and trouble-shooting for restaurant owners and staff, I have even done bookkeeping for some businesses and budget planning for individuals since I have been doing my own since the 19080′s.

One of my newest endeavors has been wedding and event planning – this came about after meeting my new husband and becoming engaged in 2009. While planning an extravagant dream wedding 2 provinces away, I couldn’t fathom relying on anyone else for something so important so I spent 6 months studying and then traveling to Toronto to receive my event planning certification. Our wedding was a fabulous affair and I am eager to help others have the same experience, even if my training was initially for personal reasons only.

And now here I sit in my latest brainchild – Creative Creations Gift Shop in Rivers Manitoba, a store that is dedicated to Manitoba artists and crafters, selling their handmade products on low consignment, offering them an avenue to do what I have done – stay home with their kids while still earning a living. This store came about after my first store, a health food center closed after a year. We opened that in 2009 as a support to my nutrition counseling and fitness studio, giving me a space to work from. It was a mistake – great concept, wrong location. So 2 years later with our commercial space vacant and a new baby in tow, here we are.  I actually have to thank a  local home-party business operator for the idea. She approached me last November looking to rent my space for a home-party based central store. She never went through with renting our building but in January when I was sitting at home feeling that same old itch to get back to work (after 3 months of bedrest),I kept returning to her concept and considering how popular craft shows are in our area, adapted it into what we now have and I am loving it. Thanks Deborah!

So what do I do?? Just about everything. If it makes me money and allows me to be with my children, if it utilizes my education and training, if it allows me to make my family a priority without losing my own identity, if it helps me make a difference in the lives of others, if I am able to give back just a smidgen of what was given to me, it is what I do. And as hectic and as crazy as it sometimes ok, always is, I love it. And when I compare my life today with all of the yesterdays I wouldn’t change it for the world!

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Are you going to wish for it or work for it?

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

On the walls of my fitness studio I have 3 or 4 chalkboards and every week I change the quotes that are on them to words that I use to inspire me. Ever since I was inrehab back in the bad old days fighting to kick my addiction issues I have used quotes and small inspirations such as these to basically guide me in my day to day life. I know it must sound almost ridiculous that a well-educated woman would find guidance and solace in something you could read on a desk calendar but bare with me as I explain why.

These quotes are simple. They cannot really be over-analyzed, torn apart, misinterpreted or argues over. They are what they are and cannot be made into anythig more or less. Often people try to over-complicate things to the point that all meaning is lost or they work it into something  they can interpret to mean exactly what they want to hear. My prime example of this is the millions of different interpretations of religious texts by both scholars and laymen – how many times have the same words been used to justify different acts? It is all in the interpretation and perspective of those that read them and that is why I prefer to find simple words of people that have been through what I am going through – words that they choose to describe the simplest way to overcome whatever challenge I am facing because that philospophy helped them to overcome theirs.

Which is why one of my favorites is the title of this week’s blog: Are you going to wish for it or are you going to work for it?

I first heard this quote during my training for Directorship in Mary Kay. We were siting around talking about our dreams – how we all wanted to make thousands if not millions, drive free cars and wear free diamonds – and our Mary Kay Millionaire National Sales Director said to us, “So now that you know what you want, are you going to wish for it or work for it?” It was a profound moment in my life – I don’t know about anyone else but at her words I realized that whatever my life was truly to become, whatever dreams of mine were to come true – they were  up to me to make happen. No amount of dreaming, wishing, hoping and even talking was going to win me a free car or get me a diamond – nothing but work was going to fill my bank account and you know what? Within 4 months I had earn my first diamond ring (which I still have) and was driving my first of 3 free Mary Kay cars. I was the only one of that group who was and the next year as the #2 Sales Director in my area with over $400,000 in sales and personal earning of almost $80,000 in that year (and having earned 3 more diamonds and yes another car!) I was asked to teach a group of aspiring new Sales Directors at the very same conference that inspired me. You know what I saw? The same women that were sitting there with me the year before still talking about what they were going to do and what they wanted. To say it was an eye opener for me in the ways of human behavior would be an understatement.

I still use those words today in almost everything I do. My husband and I discuss our dreams and our goals for the future and then we sit down and make out a plan that will get us where we want to be and figure out what we will have to do to get there. As our dreams and/or circumstances change – so does our plan. Just like life, it is always changing, always fluid, but it is there. It brings me comfort to know that my dreams are mere wishes in the night, they are attainable, achievable goals that can only be determined by my own actions or inaction, by my own choices. My life is not determined by chance or fate – that to me would make me a victim and I refuse to live like that. I am no victim of chance, either good or bad, I am in control of my own destiny and when the unforeseen happens as it always will, I have the power to adapt and to change right along with it.

It is this attitude and philosophy that I use to help my clients achieve their own goals. They will often here me listen to their complaints, their excuses, their challenges with an open ear. They tell me all the reasons why they haven’t done what they said they would, they explain how circumstances are holding them back from doing what they need to do and then I will look at them and say – ‘So what are you going to do about it?’ Most of the time they are quite taken aback because they have never thought much about their on empowerment. They have never really realized or even been told that they are the masters of their own destiny, that they are in charge and challenges are just that – challenges – they cannot stop us from reaching our goals and living our dreams if we do not let them.

It is this saying that comes to me again and again when reading wishes that people have been making online on a popular local discussion board. There have been so many that have asked for things that they want in their lives but when asked what they were willing to do in exchange – they either don’t respond, don’t follow through or in some cases actually get angry and say ‘I was just making a wish!’ What some people don’t understand is that most often the best way someone can help grant their wish is to show them how to get it for themselves. Many MANY times people have wished for financial assistance for help with groceries or rent or even gifts for the holidays for their children. I always offer them help with their finances by volunteering my time (and professional advice) to assist them with developing a budget and a sound financial plan so they can figure out how to pay for all of their needs with what income they have. In this way, their wish for groceries etc can be granted not just a single time with a cash donation but for all time. Guess how many have taken me up on that?

It is often akin to banging you r head against a brick wall – watching people complain again and again about their situation but not actually doing anything about it.Don’t get me wrong – we all have our days. even me. I have been known to bitch and whine and complain my fair share BUT when you hear the same complaints from  the same people again or again or even spend months or years listening to people talk about what they want but see no movement towards it or change in behavior – what do you do? It is frustrating! And beyond frustration it can lead to annoyance, at least for me. It is like watching someone complain about a cough while smoking their 3rd cigarette in a row, tell you how they want to lose weight as they eat a bag of chips or complain that they don’t have money for rent as they are buying a case of beer.

Wishes and Work – to many they are mutually exclusive but to me they are not – a wish is simply the end result of what you are willing to work for. It is what you want to get out of the effort you are willing to put in. Rarely does someone sit and do nothing and have their wishes magically granted (I think the last person to do this was Aladdin) – the rest of us that don’t live in Fairy Tales actually have to be willing to work for the things that we want. So many times I have had this conversation with someone and they look at me and say ‘Well it’s easy for you!’ And go on to tell me all the reasons why they just can’t….

Nothing is easy for me, nothing has ever been easy for me and that’s OK, if it was I probably would have eyed it with skepticism and turned away from it. Life isn’t meant to be easy – nothing worth wishing for is ever easy – but I promise you that the path to it is a simple one -it all comes down to how badly you want it and how much effort you are willing to expend to get it. There is only one question you have to ask yourself to determine whether or not your wish is attainable…

Are you going to wish for it or work for it?

And if your answer is wish – you don’t want it very badly and if your answer is work – I will always be here to help!

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