What brought me to this place....

I had the privilege of seeing Oprah when she was here, thanks to a client who bought me a ticket. Oprah talked about “following the thread back through your life,” to find your passion. I look back at my life (following the thread so to speak)...and what did I find?

Fitness, helping others, and pushing the limits on all goals and overcoming obstacles set in front of me.
I wanted to let you in on how and why I am at this point in my life.... I was raised with 5 adopted brothers and sisters all of different nationalities....we were a target from bullies right from the start. Living in an all white neighborhood with black brothers and a native sister we endured not only abuse at home but bullied in the community for being different. I distinctly remember being chased by kids at lunch time along with my brother with chants of “we are the KKK and we going to kill you.” Going home and telling Mom what happened and being met with a slap in the head. On top of that my brother at 15 months got meningitis and he has brain damage to this day, he has CP and he’s mentally 2 to 4 years old. Having a “retard” brother was just the icing on the cake. (That’s what the kids called him in the community).

Most of you probably don’t know but I was raised in an abusive home, mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually you name it happened to me.. Being an abused child can be a very confusing thing....I thought at the time a parent’s job was to hate their children. I look back at my child hood photos...  never a smile always an angry or scared look on my face. I was told I was no good, an idiot, stupid; I would never amount to anything. I even remember my mom telling me she wished she never adopted me. She hated me. I remember being put out in the middle of winter and not being allowed back in all day, even to go to the washroom, (we had to find other alternatives the side of house was the favorite of my sisters). I never had a birthday party, a sleep over or any friends over. We were beaten not only by any object my mother could find, but a huge hand carved board that was used for extensive beatings. I remember being thrown, punched slapped hair pulled and being thrown down the stairs. That is just the abuse on the surface, but I think you get the point.
I was scared spit less to come home after school not knowing what would await me....My brother was in trouble with the police at an early age. I remember him kicking a three legged dog on our way to school and me crying....of course back then I had no idea this was a direct result from the abuse suffered at home. I just thought he was “mean.” Looking at my brothers and sisters the anger is still in them, they have not taken the steps to move forward, they are using the past for excuses in their lives. The results of not facing your past will come in many forms such as; anger, alcoholism, drugs, physical abuse, mental illness, over eating, under eating and the list goes on. Dr Phil has always said that mental and psychological abuse is always worse, because those scars never heal. He’s right.

You see this abuse grew into an anger issue, a big one. It started at 14 years of age, that when I started experimenting with alcohol. I soon would discover people, were frightened of me, I could use this anger as power to get my way. But something funny happened, I found the gym. I found exercise. I found an escape.
I was 15 years old when I found exercise. I snuck into the gym to get way from the abuse at home, I looked up to older women at the gym and stated following them around the gym copying what they were doing. I would spend hours upon hours there. All those hours at the gym helped with the anger, sadness, self doubt and all the other aspects of being abused. Exercises were helping to heal me. It was my way out. I mean I was always athletic, but self doubt always kept me from joining the track team or any team for that matter. WHY because I was brain washed to believe I was a failure, I was not good enough. I would surely fail. I had to go alone; I had to face my demons.
Looking back I now know why I was at the gym for all those long hours. I was escaping from the abuse at home. I was filtering all that aggression and hostility into workouts out and that helped to relive the stress and anxiety. I firmly believe if I did not have that I would have ended up in jail, a drug or alcohol addiction or worse. Fitness and helping others was my destiny....it was the missing thread.
Your past does not define who you are.

The difference is I made a point to change my life and not follow that pattern of abuse and the vicious cycle that would surely affect my future children. I am the only one in my family that has made that change, stopped making excuses for my behaviour because of my past.
I knew this path of destruction was not for me. My mother in law asked me the other day how I came to this point, with no one guiding me, how could I be who I am today? Easy really, I made a conscious decision I would not go down that road. I had God. I read self help books, I watched Oprah...yes she was a big influence in raising my kids and being the person I am today. I went to counselling. I put my energy into positive things like charity work in the community and working on myself, (which is a never ending mission)....So many people have asked me to write a book about my life and experiences, I have started but it’s a work in progress.

Being abused has taught me to have a soft spot for abused kids and abused animals. Why because I have been there, I know the hurt, I know the anger I know the sadness.
Thank God for my workouts, I get up every day and think I am able to walk, run, climb, hop, punch, kick and hopefully by the end of the year a hand stand push up!
 I am so blessed to be able to do this fitness thing....I will always have a passion for fitness. I make a difference in people’s lives every day. I make them believe in themselves when maybe no one else would, I improve the quality of my client’s lives, and I give the best possible training to clients. I take my job very seriously; I actually had a lady tell me sarcastically a few Saturdays ago (a brand new client) tell me Belinda you really need to have more passion when you talk about fitness and training, with a big smirk on her face. Yes it’s true, I can’t contain my knowledge when it comes to fitness, I can’t contain my passion in helping others, I am quite shy normally but when the topic of fitness comes in I can’t stop talking...!

Why did I tell you all this?

You need to stop making excuses for whatever is going on in your life, face it, work through it, move past and learn from it. The past may be 40 years ago or yesterday but guess what, as humans we always tend to go back there and blame it for every bad thing in our lives.
You see when I ask a client to do something and they say “I can’t”... I think to myself yes they can! Why don’t they believe in themselves? I know they can do it. They are just self- doubting themselves....they don’t want to fail. They are second guessing themselves. Failing is not trying and giving up before you have even begun. I think to myself if they only knew the true power that they have.
When you achieve a goal, it transfers to many different areas of your life, you start to believe in yourself. You see people differently. Life becomes a journey that you must finish little by little, step by step, hurdle by hurdle. I look at my kids and say to myself I did something right, the abuse stopped in its tracks... it did not permanent my family. I changed my kids past because of my future.

I challenge you to follow the thread in your life...find the passion, it’s there you just need to look. Stop the self doubt talk, you can do anything you want to do. You are important, you are seen, you are heard. You are special. Believe in yourself! Giveback, help others, and the end of the day if you can say you did the right thing, you were  was ethical, you were professional and you made a difference, it really does not matter who has what to say.

START TODAY TO CHANGE YOUR FUTURE ONLY YOU CAN!

Don't tell me you have given up...you just started! Yes its true, something like 83% of resolutions will never come to life....thats why I dispise resolutions...
They don't work.....your just setting yourself up for failure.....
GOALS are where its at...goals are never a bad thing.....
How are goals accomplished....?

1.Thoughts (brain storm)
2. Words (write them down)
3. Plan (have a specific plan for every goal)
4. Action (you need to act upon this plan)
5. Accountability (who and how will you be accountable)
6. Results measured (how will you measure your success?)
and back to more thoughts....

I get really upset when the New Year comes about and every gym out there markets to all those "New Years resolutioners" you know all those people that go the first week or two, and never to be seen again at the gym.
These gyms actually count on you not being there, that's how they can keep selling more and more memberships.
They don't care if you show up.....where is the accountability, man if you don't have the motivation in yourself, good luck with that one.
Thats why I believe in my training system, you get an email when you don't show up for the week....
I help you work on your goals....I know something about your family and you. The programs are fast, 30 min get in get out no wasting time!I cap my numbers so you get the best experience in my FLOW WORKOUTS....that's why my program has one of the highest retention rates.
Come on, you cannot keep doing the same thing and think your going to get different results.
We start again in Feb...I hope to see you!

Wow can you believe another year has past, where in the heck has the time gone? This is the time to not only reflect on the year but think about the future and how to make youre life that best it can be. So here are five tips to get you 2013 ready! 1. Write your goals down and remember why you’re on this fitness journey. Get out a pen and paper, and start writing. Are you trying to change your lifestyle or lose weight for a particular event? Maybe your Dr. has diagnosed you with high blood pressure or the onset of diabetes? Maybe you want to fit in to your “skinny jeans” again, or maybe you want to be there to see your grandchildren walk down the aisle. Take time to remind yourself why you’re eating healthy and working out. When your reasons mean something to you and are important, you are more likely to succeed. Place them in a spot where you can see them daily, like on your fridge or on your bathroom mirror. Seeing is believing. 2. Keep it simple, take it slow and one step at a time. For those times when you just don’t want to go to work out, but you know you really should, commit yourself to one step at a time. I remember watching Oprah one day, and she was saying she hates exercising but once she puts on her runners, there is no going back. I have been training for years, and I can tell you I have never heard one client tell me they wish they did not come to the workout. They are always smiling after the workout and happy that they finished. The endorphins are like nothing else, and you are feeling energized for the whole day. Start small, maybe twice per week and after a month, try moving up to 3 times a week of exercising. Make one small change a day, soon you will see big changes in how you look and feel. 3. Measure your Goals. Look at old photos of yourself. Put on an item of clothing that doesn’t fit anymore because it’s too big. A more concrete way is to simply to do body measurements, and body fat composition testing. The scale does not always tell the whole story. If you are not sure how to accurately do this, hire a qualified Personal Fitness Trainer. Sometimes when we have a very large goal, what we still need to do overshadows what we’ve already accomplished. It’s very important not to let that happen. We have to remind ourselves that we are running a marathon not a sprint and we have to keep moving if we want to reach the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race. 4. Surround yourself with like minded people, read and talk the talk. Like my mother always said ...“birds of a feather flock together”.... When you have a common goal with another individual or group you have the support and motivation to keep you on the right track. Bootcamps can be a really great way to stay motivated, meet new friends and help you stay on the “fitness wagon”. Make sure you find the right one, try a drop in workout before you commit to the program to make sure it’s a right fit for you. Read about the benefits of lifting weights and eating healthy in your favorite health magazines or blogs. They say knowledge is power and sometimes we need all the help we can get. Read up on something new you’d like to try, then TRY IT! Subscribe to fitness experts on Facebook and Twitter and look at the profiles of people you know, that are inspirational to you. 5. Schedule Exercise Like an Appointment Often we come up with every excuse in the book, not to exercise, believe me I have heard them all. I mean you could be surfing the net, curling up on the couch and watching a romantic movie or going out with friends for coffee. But exercise is not really an option. It’s a necessity and we need to remember that. Exercise can add years to your life, and can improve your quality of life immensely. I have a shirt that says, “Ask your Dr. if getting up off your butt is right for you....”. It is, so go do it! Put yourself first, you are worth it. Remember, no one will take better care of your health then you. Looking forward to an awesome year of training with you! Belinda

TRY THIS RECIPE!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1" chunks • 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces • 2 tablespoons white balsamic or white wine vinegar • 1 pound spinach or arugula, torn into bite-size pieces Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 2. In a large roasting pan, combine the oil, salt, and black pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and bell peppers and toss to coat well. Roast, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and stir in the vinegar. 3. Place the spinach or arugula in a large serving bowl. Add the potato mixture and toss to coat well. Serve immediately. Calories: 303 Fat: 7g Carbs: 56g Protein: 8

3 day DETOX

We start our 4 week Bootcamp program next week! I was watching Dr Oz a couple days ago. He had on his show 2 leading experts in detoxifications. I am not a big fan of detoxs, especially when some can be down right dangerous....Dr Ozs 3 day detox is very safe because its food with lots of fiber! This is an excellent thing to do before we start next week. I would only recommend you do it on the week off from Bootcamp. You really need extra calories the days that you are working out, if you don't it's like taking one step forward two steps back. For those that want to give it a try heres the link with the shopping list and exactly how to do it....its very simple and affordable with real food that will nourish, replenish and reset your metabolism... http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet CHEERS!

Wow I have not blogged in awhile...where does the time go? It seems like you turn around and a whole year has gone by. One thing I know for sure is that Fitness is constantly changing....scientific studies are a real basis of my training for myself and my clients. I think this is imperative for a good trainer. It seems that there is so much misinformation with regards to fitness and health... I am always researching and educating my clients, I believe this is an important quality of a reputable trainer. I mean you need to have a reason for why and what your doing. I actually know of a trainer that gets her clients to run 5km before every Bootcamp, I asked her why? She had no answer to give me but "well i run...." REALLY????? Not good enough. Why are the clients there to lose inches, burn fat increase lean muscle, the list goes on. A GOOD trainer would know that running around for 5 km before every Bootcamp is doing very little for fat Burning.....and that why the clients are there...plus who in the heck wants to waste time, I sure don't. I am super excited about the New Year and what it will bring. I hope you let Be More Fitness be apart of your journey.

BBQ Chicken

Say Goodbye To Boring, Flavorless Chicken

Serving Size: 1 chicken breast

What you need:

1 pound of boneless chicken breast (approx. 4 pieces)
4 pieces of organic bacon (optional)
4 rosemary springs
4 tsp lemon juice
sea salt and pepper

Method

1. Pound chicken to even out the breast’s thickness
2. Season each breast with sea salt, pepper and lemon juice
3. Place a rosemary spring on each chicken breast
4. Roll the chicken around the rosemary spring
5. Roll a piece of bacon around each breast
6. Bbq for approximately 20 minutes (until no longer pink inside)

Nutritional Value

Calories: 272
Total Fat: 16g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 100mg
Protein: 31g
Carbohydrates: 1g
Sodium: 360mg
Sugar: 1g
Calcium: 13mg
Potassium: 220mg