One of the biggest problems with mental fitness is worry.  Think about this.  Have you had one day where a single worry has not passed your mind?  Probably not.  And can we control those little worries that pop into our mind?  No.  But what we can do is choose to control our thoughts. 

When I was 30 years younger I constantly worried.  At that time my biggest worry was money.  I had a baby and my husband was a hard worker.  However, we were poor!  Poor, but still had a home to sleep in, food to eat, car to drive, ect.  (By golly!  Here I was thinking we were poor and yet we were rich!) 

I constantly worried, which would cause me not to sleep and not be a very pleasant person to live with.  I had to make a choice to start changing the way I was thinking.  I started thanking the Lord for every little thing.  It was hard, especially since I did not believe it.  But a miracle happened and I started to believe and truly became thankful.  Worry still was a battle in my life for many years until I really had some heartaches happen to me.  From that point I virtually let go and trusted that whatever happens to me in this life, God is truly in control.  I belong to Him, and nothing passes by Him without His permission.

Worry can cause havoc on your health and well being.  Close your eyes and breathe deep.  Then cast all of your cares onto Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5v7)

Laurie Jones personal fitness trainer offering in home training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

Here is a special article for young people, especially teenagers who are rapidly coming up to adulthood.  Many of you at this point have no trouble with your weight.  You can eat anything you like and not gain a pound.  Some of you laugh and joke about how you can eat whatever you want and still stay slim and trim.  You might even be a bit prideful, looking at overweight classmates with disgust because they are “fat” and you are not. 

Take heed, you who judge, because if you do not start taking care of yourselves RIGHT NOW, you too will be in trouble some day.  It usually hits the girls after you have a baby.  You will not know what or how to lose and control your weight because you have been so used to eating whatever, whenever, and how ever much you want. 

Consider how you feed your bodies.  Is your main diet junk foods?  Junk drinks?  Do you realize that even though you are not gaining weight what you are putting into your body is what is feeding your hair, skin, nails, mind, emotions and all internal as well as external parts of your body?  Living on a junk food diet makes me wonder how much of this plays into depression for young people.  And exercise?  Many of you balk at the thought of working your bodies.  I was out walking on my street one morning, and there were a group of girls walking past me.  They were in their p.j.’s so I figured they had just had a slumber party.  As they were walking up the street (and it was a hill) I head one girl say “I can’t make it”!  Yikes!  That’s scary!! 

This is the time NOW to start making positive changes in your lifestyles.  Start now to consider your diet and how you are feeding your body.  Look at the foods you eat.  How much are natural?  Fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, baked products, lean meats.  I’m not saying never to eat French fries and shakes.  Make those foods a treat, not a way of life.  And for exercise.  Instead of ignoring it, change your thinking on it.  Get into something you enjoy doing.  Dancing, bicycling, jogging, swimming, sports anything that gets your heart rate up and stretches and works your muscles.  Grab a friend and the two of you get a routine going.  No girl friend willing to commit?  Then do it yourself, for yourself.  It will pay over and over for you now, and surely in the future.   

Laurie Jones

Personal Fitness Trainer

For any questions or help needed, please visit my website at lauriesimplyfit.com

#1. Show them how.  You are the one in control with what foods come into the home if you are the one doing the shopping.  Start buying foods that you know are good.  Fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grain breads, butter instead of margarine, peanut butter that is just peanut butter (no added sugar)  cheeses that are real cheese and not processed, chips that are baked, dairy products that are low fat, oatmeal that takes time to cook instead of instant.  

#2.  Plan ahead and be ready.   Make a menu of 7 dinners.  Cook extra to have left overs for lunches.  Freeze up part of it for future dinners.  If your family likes oatmeal, cook up a batch that will last several days.  Each morning you can fix a bowl, and then add good things like honey, raisons, apples, cinnamon, ECT.  Scramble up enough eggs, veggies and meat for a few mornings.  In the morning, heat a tortilla and have an egg burrito.  These are fast morning meals that you can do without getting into frozen processed foods. 

#3.  Have good things ready that the kids can grab easily.  Are they hooked on those frozen burritos and corn dogs?  Make your own and freeze them up. Most anything you make from scratch is much safer than boxed and frozen foods.  Yes, a fairly decent kind of corn dog can be home made.   Cut up some fruit and put it in Tupperware. Add nuts or yogurt.  Peanut butter and those little cocktail breads would be fun for the kids.  

#4.  For the problem of inactivity.  Have the kids do jobs after home work.  Jobs that take time.  Kids need responsibilities and it is a help to you.  I know, they won’t do it like you. Train them and in just a bit they will do the job right.  Maybe even better than you! (I used to take my boys out on the lake during the week every summer.  Since their Dad was working, I learned to back the boat down the ramp, launch it, and get it started.  Then I trained the boys to do everything to the point that all I had to do was lay in the front of the boat relaxing!) Kids can get dinner started.  If they are not old enough to cook, they can do simple things like wash the lettuce for salad, set the table and put ice in glasses for drinks.  I have pictures of my oldest boy Nathan standing on a chair doing dishes since he was too short to reach the sink.  My second boy, Coleman was in Sunday school and the teacher had the kids tell of the chores they did at home.  On hearing and comparing what the other kid’s jobs were, Coleman came to the conclusion and announced to the class “Man!  I’m a slave!”

Changing bad habits to good habits happens quickly!

Laurie Jones

Personal Trainer offering in home training/nutritional help

Lauriesimplyfit.com

laurietmr@hotmail.com

370-8228

I know this wonderful, sweet girl who is small in statue.  In other words, she is short, even shorter than myself, and I am approximately 5’2 AND 3/4 of an inch!  (I always add in the ¾ but honesty, I’m not sure about that. Not sure even where I got that.  I guess from being measured somewhere, but I’m sure I was s-t-r-e-c-h-i-n-g for that one!)  She is 4 foot something.  She wears the cutest shoes that boost her up 2-3-4 inches, and I know what she is doing cuz I do it myself.  That little boost makes us feel taller and when we are taller we feel leaner!  

Anyway, she told me that to loose weight she has always had to work very hard exercising and had to cut her calories very low, somewhere between 500 to 800,  For her to have such a low base for calories, you know she has a slow metabolism.  My first training client years ago was a close friend and she also had an extremely slow metabolism.  I remember working her out hard, watching her food intake, and it was about a month before we started seeing results. 

 When you look at food labels, it will give you the serving size and the amount of calories and nutrition.  However, (and this amazes me) it never gives you who that serving size is for.  Is it for a 200 pound muscle man?  Is it for a 7 year old child?  How about a bed ridden person?  A marathon runner who trains hours a week?  How in the world can we count on the label for the proper amount of a serving size?  We can’t.  However, we can use those serving sizes to determine how much calories we need as an individual to maintain, loose, or gain weight.  Let’s say for one week you keep your activity the same as normal.  You use the measurements on the food labels exactly by measuring out your food and writing down the calories you consume a day.  By the end of the week you should get a pretty good idea of how much calories you need to loose, gain, or maintain.  Now, just because we are little and have a slow metabolism, does this mean we have a smaller appetite?  No!  We can overeat and stretch our stomachs so that we could out eat our friend who never gains an ounce!  This is where shrinking your stomach by cutting down portions comes into play.

The next time you sit down with a friend or loved one to a meal, and see that they can eat far more food than you and not gain an ounce, don’t get frustrated.  Just learn to know and except your body.  Food is pleasurable. Its main purpose is meant to give you energy to work and play.  Remember, calories in must be calories burned to keep yourself feeling good at a healthy body weight.

Laurie Jones offers in home personal training.  530-370-8228

Lauriesimplyfit.com

One of the problems we run across when trying to make healthier eating choices is knowing what to eat.  

The fitness industry has come up with an eating plan that makes sense.  This is eating small portions throughout the day, about 5 times a day.  The concept is keeping the metabolism burning hot with smaller amounts of food instead of starving yourself and then over eating at one meal.  I’m not going to label any of these as breakfast lunch or dinner.  These are meal and snack ideas.  All combine carbs, fat, and protein. 

*Poach 2-3 eggs, eat only one yolk.  Put egg on 1 piece of GOOD dry toast. 

*Oatmeal..The kind you have to cook.  Add chopped up apple, raisons, almonds, cinnamon, and milk. .

*Cold cereals..Brand name Kashi… (Sure I spelled wrong) This cereal is sweet with protein.   

* Banana or apple (or both) with healthy peanut butter.  (Get rid of the skippy’s.  Squeeze your own at Raleys or buy Adams or Laura Scutters.  Pour off the oil instead of mixing in.) 

*Cottage cheese.  I find Knudsen’s to be the firmest and best.

*Baked potatoes topped with red or black beans and salsa. 

*Sweet cravings:  Flavored yogurt with almonds or walnuts.

*caramel rice cakes spread with peanut butter.  Add slices of banana, apple or both with raisons.

*favorite fruit or combination of fruit; small amounts of nuts; cinnamon and milk. 

* Favorite small amount of ice cream with fruit cut up and small amount of nuts for added satisfaction.

*Salty cravings:

*Kashi crackers or pretzels in health food isle.  Dip in cottage cheese.

*Smoked salmon with crackers, cottage cheese, olives or pickles.

* Rice cake spread with cottage cheese, pickles or olives.

*Popcorn without butter.

*Salad ideas: make those salads heavy with bulky veggies: carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, apples, walnuts, beans, ECT.  Lettuce comes last.  Instead of heavy dressings, try feta or blue cheese crumbles and then a low fat or none fat dressing.

*All leans meats including pork are low in fat and high in protein.  When having a meat in your diet, side dishes should be a veggie, salad or both, then choose between a bread OR a starch (potato, rice, pasta).  Do not use bread and starch at same meal.   

Those are just a few ideas that are really good and satisfying, and I have many more but not enough room to write!  Maybe I should write a book!!

Laurie Jones offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplyfit.com        370-8228

If you think about it, we deal with failure in many parts of our lives.  With our work, families, friends, finances.  It seems like all of life is a swim upstream.  However, swimming upstream builds muscle.  So, what is the correct way to deal with so called failures?  View them not as failing, but as a little fall.  When a baby is learning to walk, he falls over and over again.  He doesn’t just lay there and say to him (however babies talk to themselves) “I fell down again!  I will never walk.  I mide as well just lay here cuz it’s  hopeless!”  If that’s the way babies think, all of us would still be laying on the ground! 

Changing from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one is going to be the same thing.  You will fall.  Get back up.  Fall.  Get back up.  Keep getting back up.  Pretty soon, you will not fall as much.  Then, you will be running and hardly falling at all.  Never give up.  At the end of the race you will be proud and see that, yes!  You indeed DID conquer!

Laurie Jones offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com     530-370-8228

Well quit obsessing or it may lead you to be grumpy, and then you could end up overeating since everyone is mad at you and now you’re depressed.  Instead, let’s come up with ideas that will keep us relaxed and de-stressed.   

We know that we will want to try all of the wonderful recipes that others will be bringing to work, parties, or wherever we hang out.  We also are going to want to try new recipes that we are seeing on the food channel and magazines.  So, the first step is:

Acceptance.  Accept that you will be over indulging in food items that you usually say no to or limit in your diet.  So, with that in mind, you want to

Be ready.  Got to have a plan!  What will your plan be?  Mine will be “a little more sweat, and a little less eats” BEFORE the day of celebration. 

Now in reality, we know that there will not just be one day of celebration, but many cuz those wonderful friends are already starting their baking creations and bringing them in!  It’s already happening at my work place.  So, that means our “little more sweat and a little less eats” are going to have to happen “a little more than normal” through the next few weeks.    

Stay in control.   If you end up eating ½ a pumpkin pie with whip cream, you are not going to be happy with yourself!  You will end up beating yourself up then probably eating the other half!  If that pie means everything to you, you better sacrifice other areas, like Turkey, potatoes, dressing, rolls, gravies, veggies with cream sauces, drinks and all salad dressings!   And for me, when it comes to pumpkin pie, I just might do that!

We work hard so we can take a break.  But keep yourself sane!  It may taste and feel good for the moment, but if we go crazy wild and eat like we haven’t eaten in a year, we will pay!

Laurie Jones offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com    530-370-8228

Since this is a fitness article, I mainly deal with the physical when I write my articles.  So, when it comes to over eating on Thanksgiving which practically everyone will do, I make the same suggestions.  Enjoy the day and eat as you like, but cut your calories a few days before Thanksgiving and a few days after.  Keep your exercise routine up.

Fitness however is not just about physical.  Fitness is also about emotional health.  The media advertises how great the holidays are, being with family and friends. However, the holidays are a time of great emotional distress and sadness for a lot of people.  Many have absolutely nobody to spend Holidays with.  Keep this in mind.  Be kind to everyone around you, forgiving each other quickly.  And above all, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.    

Laurie Jones

Personal trainer offering in home exercise training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

A few weeks ago, I purchased a road bike.  My boyfriend has been biking for many years and wanted us to ride together.  Now, I have been in the gym for years and part of those years I had led spin classes (stationary bikes) that are very intense.  Let me tell you what!  I had no idea of the difference!  On the road bike, I use clips to lock my feet into the petals.  Clips are great cuz you can use the back of your legs for power causing the muscle to become stronger.  The first time out, we started in Bidwell Park.  While on his bike, my well experienced guy was patiently trying to teach me the appropriate gears (which I couldn’t seem to get!) and while looking back at me, one handed, lost balance and flipped over!  Two bikes pass us by, offering their condolence saying to him “Don’t worry!  It happens to all of us!”  Well, he said it has NEVER happened to him!  Scraped up his bike and skin!  We continued, and then I fell over 3 times forgetting I was clipped in!  (I think that helped his pride a little and hey, unless you have been clipped, don’t laugh!)  Anyway, we have continued day after day, taking hard rides from Chico to Paradise, up Honey Run (which is a climb that you think is never going to end!) and riding flat lands with speed.  Last night we rode at the park and he had me doing intervals of speed and stands.  Oh my gosh!  As I gave him the evil eye, he reminded me (laughing) that is how my clients feel toward me!

 Because of all the running, spin biking, and weight lifting I could hold my own, but it is hard.  Being out on the open road is so different.  It is a whole new work out.  He challenges me, yelling “come on!” making me grind and determined!  The point?

#1.  Training in the gym is great and essential.  However, whether running, biking, whatever, being out in the world is a total different experience.  Intense.  Imagine being in the middle of a hard climb and everything inside of you cries “stop!”  Guess what.  No stopping.  Can you imagine resting and then starting again on a hill?? Then there’s the constant watch out for cars, bikes, runners, walkers, dogs, cats, squirrels and potholes!  And riding in traffic is unsettling and freaky!

#2.  I am a personal trainer.  I push my clients, and even though I believe I push myself, he pushes me harder, much harder than I would push myself.  We get lazy.  Having a good partner or hiring a trainer is essential if you want to get stronger, fitter, and reach your ultimate goals!

Laurie Jones

In home/gym personal fitness

Lauriesimplyfit.com

370-8228

Do you feel that you are working out hard and sacrificing in your diet and not getting the results that you want? 

I just started training two ladies the other day.  They currently had been walking on the dam together and had pretty good results for awhile.  The results came because before they had been inactive.  So, even a little bit of activity provide results…up to a point.  They both had become frustrated cuz they were stuck at their current weight and their progress had stopped.  The temptation to quit then comes into play cuz they (and all of us) start thinking “Why should I continue this sacrifice when I am no longer seeing results?”  And then the disaster of that thinking sends us back to previous habits and we pack the weight back on thus canceling all the hard work and sacrifice we made previously. 

So, as partners, they hired me.  During their first workout it became very clear to them why they were not getting results on their own.  When working with clients, I believe in short, intense workouts.  By the time we were finished with our hour together, they were sweating, beat, but convinced.  They recognized they were not pushing themselves and why they were stuck where they were. 

Is personal training expensive?  It depends on how serious you are.  Are intense work-outs hard?  It depends on how badly you want results.  By hiring a GOOD trainer, you should be able to get to your goals in half the time it would take you to be on your own. 

My girls have not stopped their walks on the dam.  However, they are incorporating what I am teaching them into their work outs now.  If they continue, they will be very satisfied in half the time and will always want to keep it part of their lives. 

Laurie Jones offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com   370-8228