MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I wanted to take the time to wish all of YOU a very Merry Christmas and an upcoming safe and Happy New Year.  WOW�can you believe how the time has gone by in a blink?  Life truly is like that you know and it is so important to cherish every moment, and really take in the meaning of things.  We get so caught up in busy, busy, busy, that even relaxing has become a stressful event�WHAT???

Believe me, I used to be one of those busy people who felt that time was utilized for work and if I was not doing something productive every minute then I was wasting valuable time.  This can really create a self- inflicted guilt trip that dares a person to even place their backside on the sofa for a minute�back then, it caused too much anxiety.  So, I buzzed around like a bee all the time and I did not realize how much of life I was missing.  I was too busy trying to make a living and not make a life. I truly thank God for my older, wiser, better self who has slowed the pace of my life down to a healthy balance and I can now see the world and everything all around me with much more clarity for many years now.  It is absolutely awesome to take deep full breathes and not feel on edge about this and that, and let go of thing that really do not matter in the big scheme of life.

Lately, my husband and I have been surrounded by people in crisis through illness, death, and job loss.  Our hearts have been touched, pained, and our knees bent in prayer for those that we care about.  It is times like these that life does not make sense, and even can provide a fear and a desperate cry for protection of our lives, relationship, finances, and all things meaningful in this life.  There is no amount of money that replaces a person, and that is when it is realized that all that busyness is for nothing.  It is so important to have a heart of gratitude, and thankfulness because there are people out there who are praying for the very things that I/you/we have that are taken for granted.  I know this sounds like heavy stuff, but it really is just a share of how important it is to realize how important life is�it is truly a GIFT and there are no guarantees of how long the gift of being here will last.  I do know that taking care of this gift of life is what I am supposed to do, and taking care of my physical, nutritional, emotional and spiritual health are all a part of that plan.  That is what I share with you here on the Blog�ME to MOTIVATE you, and if I have touched one person, inspired, encouraged, or helped in some way to better the quality of life for someone�then I have accomplished my goal. 

As I sit here typing my thoughts to you, I wonder what you are thinking, feeling, and how your life is going?  Are you caught up in �too busy� and not making time to take care of you, missing out on family and friend opportunities, not making a call to that person that has been on your mind, and other meaningful things that you think about  but are pushed aside each day because that busy voice keeps taking over? We never want to be in a position of regret and saying, I wish I would have done this or that, because at that moment it is too late.  Life is about taking those important things and doing them now.  Tossing the �too busy card� is a necessity to have a healthy life and that is really what this post is about. 

I understand the importance of work, but we all have the ability to create a healthy balance of life through choices, changes of priority, and our overall mindset of what we think and feel about life.  My wish and gift to all of you this Christmas, is that you all step back and really allow yourself to relax and get into the moment, develop a heart of gratitude, see with the eyes of a child and play with such freedom of non-care that it is contagious, laugh until your belly hurts, and be REAL in your sharing with your spouse, family and friends.  Adapt such a balanced, healthy lifestyle that everyone will be asking YOU what you are doing to get healthy, because it all starts between the ears and shines through with your actions.  Take good care and Merry Christmas!

ME and My Girls

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Stay Healthy

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Darla

The Value of Time

Our New Puppy ~ Roxie

Hubby and I were reading our daily devotional about the meaning of time and really how that equates to love.  What really shouted loud for me was this fabulous share:

�Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.  It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. "My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action." Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E.�

It is this kind of paragraph that stops me in my tracks and makes me appreciate the value of time even more.  I zero in on �you can make more money, but you can�t make more time�, and �Your time is your life�� aren�t these such  AH-HA statements to think about.  The reason I share such a personal blog today is that I want you to know, and I am sure you have heard this many times�it is not about having the best of everything, but making the BEST of everything you have.  I would have to say that this really attributes huge to my living a healthy lifestyle, and realizing that I am enough, my funds are enough, my car and home are enough, time I spend in the gym is enough, and all the things that I am blessed with are ENOUGH.  Knowing this allows me to relax, spend quality time with hubby, family and friend relationships, and to really let go of so much stress that can be created by the �Not Good Enough� mentality.   

It is also being comfortable in this/my skin, and not having to compare myself to others.  I am the type of person that can celebrate the success of my family and friends and not be down in the dumps if I am not at their financial status.  What kind of friend would I be if I secretly felt bitterness, jealousy, and other ugly negative mind games that spell out hypocrite and surely does not fit a healthy mind or life�I could not define myself as a friend that is for sure.

Time is so valuable that no amount of money or price tag can be placed on it, and that tells me just how important it is NOT TO WASTE IT.  It also tells me that I should be living the BEST life with my time, being the best I can be to myself and other important people in my life.  Quality time and all the good and meaningful things I do in that quality time is healthy.  Loving Darla daily through exercise and healthy foods is time well spent.  Let me go further and share that my job as a personal trainer/consultant/coach is so enjoyable because it is giving the gift of my time, never to get back, but given with genuine care and complete attention to each of my clients, and I feel really great about that.  Helping people with my time is healthy for them and healthy for me.  It is such a great team relationship that can truly be defined as quality time. 

I think the most important part about time is not wasting it�it is such a gift and privilege to be given each day to celebrate all that TODAY is and will be.  I think it would be a slap in God�s face to not appreciate the time given to me�I mean how can I waste such a gift as this.  If you gave me a present, I would not throw it on the ground and not appreciate it.  I look at life and time like that. How I spend my time makes for a healthy me, and realizing what that means, and how it makes me feels is pretty darn satisfying for this Stay Healthy Gal.

In Your Face MOTIVATIONS

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla

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SIMPLE IS HEALTHY

Simple is Healthy ~ Workouts Part 2

As promised, I am continuing my write about why I think �Simple is Healthy� and how I apply that to my life in all aspects.  Of course, it is such a HUGE factor for me, and knew that I could not fit all I had to say in one piece being the chatter bug that I am, so had to break it up in a series of Blogs. If you read the first of the series, I covered my food and how keeping it Simple makes for healthier foods�an apple vs. some packaged product with fake apple substance in it for example�YUCK.  I am dedicating this Blog to how I keep my workouts Simple and how that is absolutely HEALTHIER for me. 

I am a down to earth, back to the basics, sticking to the foundation of exercise kind of gal.  I do not need anything fancy to create a healthy body, and in fact enjoy the simplicity of an all over body weight   program many times throughout the week.  Also�my time�it is so important�please do not think that I spend hours in my studio pounding the weights to maintain my 48 year young self�..NOT.  I keep that simple as well and dedicate one hour at least 5-6 days per week to get my Darla Sweat ON.  That is it�if I am spending more time than that�what the heck am I doing and WHY for crying out loud.  My body requires daily physical activity and healthy foods and feeling like I need to push my body to limits beyond requirements is unhealthy in my book.  I consider working out a reward, a privilege and thankful that I can perform the exercises that I do with my new modified ME.  I think when the balance of workout is tipped so far into an obsessive thought process, it can become a burden and a something I �have to do� instead of �I want to do it�.   Think about this idea�maintaining healthy food intake so I do not have to work as hard or long in the gym�WHAT�.YES, studies have shown that the body only requires a good focus of 30 minutes per day of QUALITY exercise to maintain a great physique.  LIGHT BULB moment here and QUALITY workouts are a �want to� inclusion in my life to make exercise SIMPLE, and that is HEALTHY!  So, if I remain consistent on my healthy food intake, I can shave down my gym time by at least 15 minutes and really complete what I have to do in 45minutes.  WIN WIN�clicking of fitness gal trainer shoes�woo hoo.

There are so many ways to exercise the body, but think about the root of all exercise that stems from strength and stabilization�that is where I come from.  If my strength and stabilization are not in order, I might as well forget having a healthy workout session and body for that matter.  I am all about body balance, proper posture, positioning, form and technique, and positive and negative (concentric/eccentric) movements.  Let�s say I have a postural deviation and need to work on my core strength, my simple focus will be on doing that, and progressing from there.  I will not put my body at risk for injury by swinging this or that for hours on end, jumping here or there, and creating pain and suffering by performing movements that my body is just not ready for and may not be able execute properly even after I have come to my point of progressing forward.  I feel like a �body whisperer� where I pay close attention to what my body says I can do and proceed with caution with those things that I should not be doing. I am not a �push through the pain� person or trainer�there is normal discomfort that comes from a workout and then there is that �not right� discomfort that should put a screeching halt on my workout and yours for that matter.   

I can have a simple good exercise time with nothing but my body weight, a set of dumbbells and pull up bar�BINGO.  I see squats, negative pull ups, overhead presses, bicep curls, triceps kickbacks, and core work in that program.  Nothing fancy about what I do, just me executing simple controlled QUALITY moves for 30-60 minutes, getting a fabulous sweat on, and feeling accomplished when I am done.  Getting back to the basics of exercise, and the base moves that ALL workouts stem from is the safest and simplest form of creating a healthy body for ME and has served me well for several years.  I turn a deaf ear to the fads of fitness out there, especially if they are making unrealistic promises with risky movements that may send a once healthy body into a now I need rehab for an injury body.  Keeping it simple, fun, QUALITY, and time efficient sums up my workouts to be HEALTHY and LIFETIME maintainable.  That is what I am all about �Quality Life, Simple is Better, and Simple is definitely HEALTHY!

Enjoy my Stay Healthy recipe feature this month on SkinnyMs.com, a website dedicated to Health, Fitness and Success! 

Stay Healthy Crock pot Chicken & Brown Rice on Skinny Ms

 

In Your Face MOTIVATIONS

Coming soon�I have been asked to provide a review for Ellie, a new online fitness clothes brand and I am very excited to share my personal and professional opinion next month in addition to providing a special offer for you!

Thanks to all my Stay Healthy Fitness Facebook Followers who contributed to the Stay Healthy Fitness Grocery List and this was a fun interactive project.  I have put your selections together and created a printable PDF list for you�HAPPY STAY HEALTHY SHOPPING! 

CLICK THE GROCERY BAG ON MY HOME PAGE

Mardi Gra Fun with Hubby day before Super Bowl

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla

Receive My Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift and Thank you when you donate to Stay Healthy Fitness...

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Happy New Year!

I live with expectations for myself, and push the word of anticipation of something to happen into making it happen.  Truly, I am responsible for my own expectations and waiting around just does not make sense.  The problem with expectations, and I have been guilty in years gone way past of this BIG NO NO�creating �unrealistic expectations��you know�the kind that we create in our heads that say, and I will use �he� for this example, is going to surprise me with flowers, dinner, dancing and when �he� shows up offering nothing but his cute self ready to tune in to some sports event on TV, a 3-alarm fire goes off in our heads, feelings of anger and OMG�how could he let me down like that�and guess what�the night is ruined�WHY�Did he do anything�NO.  What did I do � well, I created this unrealistic expectation in my own mind�HOW CRAZY IS THAT.  Can you relate�been there and done that maybe? Or still doing that?  I stopped thinking in �Cinderella Land� through my journey of life many years ago, and have realized that it is I who needs to be clear in my communication of my wants, needs, etc.  It is a fact, that people will let me down in this life and instead of having unrealistic expectations of this truth, I have accepted, grown in positive ways, and now have Great Expectations for ME that I control. 

YES�I know, what does this have to do with maintaining my health, physique, and all things living a Stay Healthy life?  Having clear expectations for ME is a huge part of my healthy life and I do not expect anyone to create things for me.  I am responsible for my health, my workouts, what I put in my face, and how I treat others.  When it comes to my health, I have great expectation of remaining a healthy person through what I eat and how I work my body.  OK�am I saying I do not enjoy the anticipation of receiving something from hubby, or my kids�well of course not, BUT,  I consider that to be an extra blessing or something unexpected that is treasured.  I do not go around thinking he or they should do this or that for me�that would be a back pedal into an ugly scenario of self created drama.  No way for this fitness chick.  Life is so much simpler and REAL with genuine expectations for my life, day, and moment ...you get the picture.  Kicking �Cinderella� to the curb years ago was one of the best things I have ever done for Darla.

Some of my expectations have had to take a detour due to injury and that was a letdown, but not a self inflicted unrealistic expectation.  I have picked myself up, dusted my knees off from being on the ground praying so much, and with strength bigger than I, I am here to tell you that I still have GREAT EXPECTATIONS for ME.  In fact, part of my expectations involve YOU, and my passion to In Your Face MOTIVATE  each and every one of YOU to adapt healthy lives.  Living with self expectation has taken me to a satisfied place of acceptance, and more�I have plans for this New Modified Me and sometimes as with my earlier detour, I may not be in control of all my expectations, but I am going to do my very BEST to make each plan I have for ME happen.  As I shared earlier, having expectations is not only about clear communication within ME, but also to those in my life.  I do my best to offer clear communication of my expectations for ME, my family, friends, and clients.  In my opinion, success comes from Great Expectations and clear communication�they really go hand in hand. If I desire something, then it is up to me to communicate that, to take the action necessary, and if I fail in that area, that is on ME. 

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS

 

Me and My Fabulous Daughter over the Holidays

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Happy New Year and Stay Healthy~ Darla :)

Receive My Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift and Thank you when you donate to Stay Healthy Fitness...