over 40 Archives

Too Busy is NOT a Valid Excuse

Training week to strengthen and perfect form and build cardio…. perfect program for us busy folks!

The countdown is on to our upcoming 8-week fitness and nutrition challenge… 6 more days until we start! It’s the perfect program that is great for people who do not have much time, who are busy professionals and often have a hard time fitting workouts and nutrition in to their busy lives (like me!). This workout incorporates muscle building, fat burning, and core work all in 4 short workouts per week.

There really is no excuse not to get into the best shape of your life by using a program such as this. Nutrition plan is very easy to follow.… And if you have a coach, it makes it even better… I know this from experience! Just a little extra support accountability makes all the difference to help a person stay on track!

The other thing that makes a difference is working on personal development at the same time. A large part of our success is working on mindset, thinking positive, being happy now, and feeling good about yourself. Part of this will be to work on mindset, which will create success even beyond the 8-week challenge!

Our pre-program training segment is underway and we are all learning proper form and getting our muscles and heart ready for for the real thing starting July 16! Just this little bit of physical training and mental preparation will make all the difference and build up the momentum to drive us successfully through the 8-week challenge!

If you want to have a piece of this and get connected with a coach to keep you on point and accountable, let me know! I am at the point where I can only accept 1 or 2 more clients for this program so don’t miss out!

Contact me if you have any questions!!

#hiitandlift #getready #preparation #training #chestandback #getacoach #thefitgrandma #nursepractitioner #weightloss #muscles #abs #puthealth1st

Preparation is Key to Success (Let’s Do This!)

All set for a healthy day today!!! Dynamic strength workout done which now has all of my muscles fired up and roasting a tonne of calories that will increase my metabolism all day! The calorie burn all day is a real bonus! Once we are over-40, our metabolism really needs a kick!

My healthy food is all ready for the day to carry in my trusty cooler that includes mixed greens salad, 0% plain Greek yogurt, raw unsalted mixed nuts and seeds, apple, orange, and a spare scoop of superfood shake in a ziplock baggie just in case I notice any cravings later in the day. I will also have some eggs with pepper for breakfast for extra protein before I head to work!

All set for a healthy day! It helps to get started right every morning and to have some preparation done the night before!

Day 8 of my 91 day Challenge is done!

Have a fabulous, active and healthy day!!

#accomplished #granny #achievegoals #preparation #exercise #metabolismbooster #cleaneating #healthis#1

TO download a free report and worksheet about 7 ways to increase your self-discipline, be sure to CLICK HERE!

Beast-up with Granny (Yes, it’s Worth the Work)

Holy crap. My first Beast workout of my current 91-day challenge was super hard today! I can certainly tell I have been slacking in the lifting department!! 40 minutes of lifting this morning and worked the whole body including the core! I am feeling like total body rubber at the moment!

In the workout program today, the trainer refers to the lady in the workout as the momma-beast and so I decided I am gonna work towards being the granny-beast.? Sounds like a motivating goal to me!?

Time for a superfood recovery shake and some eggs for extra protein! I hope you have a healthy and active day!!

Be sure to read about WHY MUSCLES BENEFIT OUR HEALTH….gosh there are so many benefits and it is totally worth the work!

#grannybeast #muscles #fun #goals #changerequireswork #pushyourself #beastup #motivation #dreambig

To get a FREE download on 7 tips to improve your self-discipline, CLICK HERE

Any questions, ideas, thoughts? Be sure to reply to or comment on this post! you may also contact me here directly if you wish!!

Over 40 and Tired of Being Tired? How Patients Win their Energy Back

“I’m so sick of this.” Her eyes moistened, and she lowered her head and raised a tissue to her face.

“I hate feeling so fat and tired all the time.”

At only forty-one, she was exhausted daily, experiencing regular weight gain, and it was dragging her down. Now she’d come to the medical clinic hoping I could fix it.

It was a common complaint, but my heart still hurt for her.

I knew how powerless it feels to not know what’s going on with your body.

Luckily, I’d come out of it myself, so knew firsthand how she could too.

But would she be the kind to take the advice I was about to give?
Time would tell.

“I’m sorry. That’s hard.” I said, offering her another tissue. “Thankfully, this is totally fixable.”

She looked up at me with a mix of curiosity and doubt. “How?”

This is where I wonder what they’re hoping for. A pill? Homework? A promise that the problem would fix itself?

“Your body is not made for exhaustion. It’s a finely tuned machine, capable of running excellently even into your eighties. It’s just… well, it’s kind of like a car. If you put the right fuel in the tank, you can expect it to work. If you pour cat food or dish soap in the tank, you’re going to have big problems.”

She snickered, then sighed, realizing I would not prescribe a magic pill.

I took the time at that point to stop and educate her about clean nutrition principles.. “It will blow your mind how clean eating will change your life.”

She absorbed the information and dabbed her eyes with a tissue again.

“Did you know the processed or chemical-laden foods we eat actually can lead to adrenal fatigue, diabetes, increased fat deposits? It’s because they affect our hormones, which affect metabolism, thyroid, and other hormonal functions.”

She nodded. I guessed she’d heard it before.

“Did you know poor hydration can raise blood pressure?”

“Really. Huh…”

I couldn’t tell if she was overwhelmed, disappointed, or just plain tired.

“Seriously, clean nutrition habits will change your life.”

She left my office with an exhausted, half-hearted, “We’ll see. I guess I could try it.”

I thought for sure she’d be among the majority who change nothing and return again and again with worsened symptoms. To my surprise, she jumped in with both feet and started using the clean eating principles I had so carefully explained.

To her surprise, she experienced exactly the results I talked about.

Her blood pressure decreased, emotions stabilized, and her energy sky-rocketed! She didn’t need naps every day anymore. After a few weeks, she even lost a few inches from her waistline.

Our expectation for a quick fix is only making us sicker.

The truth is, our bodies need maintenance.

Just like a car.

Sure, you can ignore it for a while, and even treat it like junk. But after a while, the bolts will loosen, the hinges will stiffen, and rust will start to eat holes in the body.

Prevention isn’t just about avoiding a wheelchair when you’re eighty.

It’s about feeling awesome and energetic on your way to eighty.

If you’re like many of the patients I meet in my job as a Nurse Practitioner, and you’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, trust me – clean eating and increased physical activity will be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Try it. The simplicity and results will blow your mind. (and change your life)

Get started with clean eating and fitness NOW with the 21 day Slimdown!

The Secret to Thriving after Abuse

I know what it feels like to be powerless.

It’s a terrible feeling to live under someone’s thumb. Or be physically or emotionally abused. It’s worse when it continues and there’s nothing you can do about it. Every year the injustice continued, I burned hotter with rage.

I vowed that when I grew up, I would never be a victim. More than that, I would not let others be victims either. I would fight for others, even rescuing them if I could – just the way I wished someone had rescued me. It wasn’t easy. The temptation to feel sorry for myself was definitely there. But the rage was bigger than my sadness, and drove me to action.

Thus a lifelong advocate was born. I lived to help others – in the school yard, among my friends, and even down to choosing my profession as a nurse.

I’ve also known a different kind of powerlessness – the feeling of having no control over my body. Despite having loved fitness and physical activity since childhood – and even despite my training as a fitness leader! – my body began to change. My knees hurt. Chronic pain plagued my lower back. Weight added itself to my face and waistline every year without my permission. I was so exhausted sometimes I could barely get through the day.

I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, “Is this what being forty is about? Is this just how it is?” What was happening to me?
I thought I had no choice but to submit to whatever was happening in my body. After all, I was getting older, so I may as well get used to it, or so I was told.

After a while though, I realized what I was really doing. I was simply going along with what was happening, just as my female role model had submitted to all those years ago. I was talking and living like a victim.
That’s the day I renewed my vow to take my power back. I would not be a victim anymore, even of myself, even of my own body.

I remembered something important that day: we need to be advocates for ourselves. It’s an empowering thought, especially for someone who has been victimized and suffered abuse.

It’s strange how abuse tends to repeat and filter down– the abused often become abusers. But we don’t have to. We can thrive. For me, thriving starts with advocating – both for others and for myself.
I took charge of my fitness that year. After signing up for the P90X Beachbody program, it promptly kicked my ass. I couldn’t do more than a few jumping jacks or two knee push-ups before falling apart. My knees and back couldn’t take it.

But I would not be a victim, even of that.
In my determination, I recruited physiotherapy help to get me through the program. I modified, I pushed, and damn-well made it through to the other side. The result?

I got my power back, baby.
I got fitter and leaner and now have some awesome before-and-after photos for starters. The whole experienced Changed. My. Life. I dove in headlong and became a coach as another way to advocate for people.
But there was so much more to it than even that.

It wasn’t just my physical strength and mobility that improved. Not only did weight come off and energy increase. I found a new strength – the power of advocating for myself – the power of refusing to be a victim, even of myself. And that’s the key to thriving, no matter where we come from.

Contact Diane, the Athletic Grandma

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