I have the best of intentions, but the worst follow through. To still a line from one of my favorite musicians. I know what I want, I know when I want it & I know how to get it. My problem is putting that into practice. Do you ever feel that way? People often ask me for detailed diet & exercise plans. As a certified fitness instructor I am more than qualified to provide workout plans and have the experience & knowledge to throw so many at you that you would be exhausted from the mere suggestions let alone the actual workouts. I can give you 50 exercises to target your pecs (chest - see how it starts?) but if it overwhelms you then how do you apply it? (pause, while I text wake up reminder to friend/client who trains at home alone via exercise info I have provided her)
The diet aspect is a different story. According to the ethical policies of my certification I am not a dietician nor a nutritionist. Therefore I am instructed to provide mere suggestions and never to prescribe... diagnose... or treat. So I try my best to recommend or give my own personal practices as guidelines or references for others to follow. But do I tell people about the bowl of brownie batter I consume more frequently than I should or the beer/wine that I enjoy regularly? Or do I pretend I do it all perfectly all the time? No. I'm not perfect. But I work at it ... consistently.
So here's my message to YOU as YOU work towards those SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific) new years goals - you know what to do. Have confidence in your knowledge & work on the application. Start small. A bottle of water stashed in your gym bag. A bag of carrots in your lunch box. Choose a salad instead of a burger. Consciously thinking about what you'll eat all day before your day even starts. Make it start at the grocery store or before you even look at that restaurant menu. We know what to eat (fruit/veggies/whole grains/lean protein) now follow through! - You're TUFF enough to do it.

Resolutions... Some love them, some hate them, some make them, some break them... So what's a fitness gal to do? Blog about them of course! If you're reading this now, 1/2/12, then you've probably already given this topic some thought. But what have you decided? Are you ready to be SMART> (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely)? That's truely the key - Make it, Shout it, Do it! Get everyone you know involved. It has to become part of your lifestyle or it won't stick.

But maybe you're reading this and thinking... But Shanna, I don't really have anything specific I want to accomplish. My first response would be - Satisfaction breeds complaceny. My old weight lifting partner penned this phrase on the front of our training log years ago and it has been stuck in my head since. Then along came a bootcamper who constantly reiterated - Be here now; and now years later somehow the 2 have melded together in my head. To truely live in the moment, don't we need a challenge ~ something to stive for? Something better than "SATISFIED"?

So try this one on for size... I just want to feel awesome. Feel alive. Be full of energy every single day. I want to love life. And know that making healthy, active choices will get you to that point. Now, I think that's S.M.A.R.T.!

So 1) shout your goals/resolutions/heart felt thoughts from the roof tops 2) Find some partners in crime who will hold you accountable to the shouting 3) be Consistent ( I can't say enough about this part, well actually I can but you'll have to wait 'til the next blog) 4) beat out 50% of people who make resolutions by making it a lifestyle... Preferably a TUFF one!