I teach this class a couple times a week called BodyForge.  It’s always really “fun” and I am amazed each class by all the people who show up and bust their a#*’s!  I’ve watched attendance grow and the strength of everyone improve and I can say without a doubt that those hours are some of my favorite every week.

Along with teaching fitness classes, I am a personal trainer and wellness coach and am truly honored to touch so many people working on their health every day! At the end of every class I offer a few suggestions to make the most out of all the hard work.

1. Drink lots of water:  I’m a huge advocate of drinking water.  Check this link for a few reasons and recommendations on water intake.
2. Eat a snack:  choose a complex carbohydrate and protein within 30 minutes of completing a workout.  This a a great way to maintain an elevated metabolic rate and keep your body’s momentum going throughout the day.  A scoop of good quality protein powder and a piece of fruit is easy.
3. Eat approximately every 3 hours throughout the day; proteins included with every “meal”:  eating in conjunction with your digestive cycle will also help to keep your metabolism up and your energy level even.  
4. Eat breakfast...EVERY MORNING:  breakfast kick-starts your metabolism after the overnight rest and recharge.  Read more here.
5. HAVE FUN!

I am full of other pieces of wellness advice :-) !  If you have questions, goals you would like to work toward regarding health and wellness or know someone who is curious...I would love to chat!  

Thanks to everyone for all your support, amazing attitudes and enthusiasm!  Enjoy the weekend!

Erin

ErInspiration

bodyforge@yahoo.com

Wellness Coaching! Bring your health visions to reality!

Here’s the deal… I love health and wellness, nutrition and all things involving fitness and well-being.

So far, I have lived a life experimenting in all arenas surrounding fitness and helping people with their own wellness fills my days with joy and gratitude! Now, I am taking the next step by sharing this knowledge with you through my Wellness Coaching Practice.

Wellness Coaching = You + Me

Wellness coaching encompasses all aspects of a person’s health including, but never limited to, nutrition, weight loss and fitness. This is done through weekly meetings, in person, over the phone or computer, in conjunction with unlimited email support throughout the month.

Me

For the past several years I have been working with clients to recognize their ultimate wellness goals. I have worked with mentors and coaches in regards to my own goals. I have looked at my body as my personal science experiment and been amazed at the results I have seen plugging in various pieces of data. I have found time and time again that working with a coach increases client’s success rates through motivation, accountability and an objective perspective.

In my previous post I put out a challenge to explore what your ultimate wellness vision could look like. My wellness vision includes: living an active, healthy, fun and rewarding life.

You

I want to help you, or anyone you know, identify and strive toward achieving personal wellness goals.

What are your goals? Long-term? Short-term? Health goals? Fitness goals? Lifestyle goals? Here is a list of 100 great wellness coaching questions!

To kick off Spring 2015, I am offering my first  Wellness Coaching Special.  Please message me for the specifics.  

As my client base grows, I am inspired by the limitless possibilities of wellness. I would be honored to help you all achieve your goals starting right now!  IMAGINE where you and your health can be in five years, in ten years, if you start today!   With that in mind, I am reaching out to each of you as I push my love of health and wellness, my vision, into action.

Please pass this along to anyone you feel may be interested in bringing their health dreams to reality. Send me a message if you have any questions!

I look forward to hearing from you! Thank you... this will be great fun!

ERINspiration (Inspiration from Erin) - coined by my dear friend Lyndsay

Words of the day:

Squats make you cry! ☺ (from Lyndsay)

OR

“It is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and sliver.”  Mahatma Gandhi

March 2, 2015

I just returned from a “dream big” kind of vacation; the sit on a beach and disconnect from reality, once in a life time sort of trip.  I love where I live, the community I call home and the people I get to connect with daily.  With that being said; I am so grateful for the perspective of an opportunity to step outside of all that for a few days and the possibility to look beyond and DREAM BIG.  

I am offering a “challenge” of sorts to anyone who wishes to DREAM BIG as well.

My challenge to you (and me) looks like this:

I ask that anyone willing to take part;

DEFINE, DISCOVER, DREAM

DEFINE:  define your goals for YOUR health and wellness!

DISCOVER:  give life to your goals.  Imagine the best that could come from achieving your goals.  What CORE VALUES do you connect with when you envision reaching these goals?  Identify 3 BIG WISHES that could come from accomplishing your goals.

DREAM BIG:  What could be if you defined your goals, gave them life, and achieved them?

If you are willing to take on the challenge; YEAH!  Let’s work on these dreams together!  I’m going through this process as well.  Send me a message and we can design a plan to give YOUR DREAMS LIFE!  Think BIG!  The SKY’S THE LIMIT and I would be honored to help bring your HEALTH and WELLNESS DREAMS to reality!

Have FUN! Take a LEAP!  It is NEVER to LATE to achieve your ultimate GOALS in HEALTH!

Erin

BodyForge Fitness

bodyforge@yahoo.com

I've been known to eat the same thing over and over...This is one of the meals I am currently stuck on and because of all the possibilities I can trick myself and my family into thinking we aren't eating the same meal again and again!  It is also pretty simple and if you have a few baked sweet potatoes or yams in your fridge can be put together in short order.

Baked sweet potato or yam, ½ - 1 per person

Olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ - ½ cup onion or shallot, chopped

2 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped

Fresh lemon juice, 1-2 tbsp 

Pinch red pepper flakes

Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

½ cup beans per person

                I like small white or black beans

1 cup chopped broccoli chopped

1 cup chopped kale

                Or any combination of chopped veggies, quantities do not need to be exact!!!

Bake a sweet potato or yam until tender.  I bake several at a time and refrigerate to cut down on meal prep 

Sauté garlic & onion in olive oil until translucent

Add broccoli & a bit of water to steam, add kale, beans, rosemary, red pepper & lemon juice until kale is wilted.  Season with salt & pepper.

Serve sautéed veggie mixture over baked sweet potato. 

Toppings 

                Pumpkin seeds

                Avocado

                Chopped green onion

                Lean protein if desired

This meal is a nutritional power house;  sweet potatoes are high in vitamins B6, C and D as well as Iron & Magnesium.  They are also a good source of beta carotene and potassium; check out this article on the benefits of sweet potatoes!  

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-reasons-to-love-sweet-potatoes.html?page=1

Leafy green vegetables like kale are full of fiber, vitamins A, C, K and D and provide lots of other health benefits.  Beans are a decent source of meat free protein and olive oil and seeds are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.  

Enjoy and eat often!  

This is fun!

Body Weight Walking Lunge X 25 per leg

Single Arm Kettle Bell/Dumbbell Swing 25, left arm

Body Weight Walking Lunge X 25 per leg

Single Arm Kettle Bell/Dumbbell Swing 25, right arm

Crunches on Stability Ball X 25

                Plant your feet flat on the wall in front of you.  Your knees will be stacked above your ankles...

Push-Up X 10

Repeat 3-4 times & have fun!

Happy 2013!

The time to renew the BodyForge blog has come. I’m excited to share some of the “fun” workouts I have up my sleeve, delicious food and ideas for living a healthy, fit and enjoyable life. Please feel free to send suggestions, questions and ideas!

 For now I will share the soup that is cooking in my crock pot. It is simple and smells delicious!

 LENTIL, SQUASH, SWEET POTATO & KALE SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup red lentils
-1 cup green lentils
-1 yam & 1 sweet potato diced
-3 stalks celery chopped -1 chopped onion
-3 large garlic cloves chopped
-1 medium butternut squash peeled & cubed
-3-4 cups kale leaves, stemmed and chopped
 -Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-1⁄2 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
-1/4 tsp cayenne
-1 tsp Garam Masala (optional)
-8-10 cups vegetable broth or water

DIRECTIONS: -Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Classes I am teaching at the WAVE this week:

Monday 9am-10:00am: BodyForge, full body strength & conditioning with some cardio intervals thrown in for fun. This is a challenging class but I am always prepared with modifications! Please note the new time for Monday.

Monday 11:30am-12 noon: Top Guns, 30 minutes of upper body strength training

Tuesday 11:30am-12 noon: Butts & Guts, the 30 minute lower body compliment to Top Guns

Wednesday 11:30am-12 noon: Top Guns, 30 minutes of upper body strength training

Thursday 11:30am-12 noon: Butts & Guts, the 30 minute lower body compliment to Top Guns

Friday 10:15am-11:15am: BodyForge, full body strength & conditioning with some cardio intervals thrown in for fun. This is a challenging class but I am always prepared with modifications!

I have a few slots available for private personal training and nutritional consulting! Contact me for information!

Running Analogies For Life

I have been running a fair amount lately. I have always liked to go out for a run, for different reasons. Sometimes it is the perfect opportunity to blow off steam without much peripheral damage and little preparation. Sometimes it is a great way to get out and explore the world around me. Often going out for a run works as a meditation and allows me to let go of the clutter in my brain.

Some friends and I were recently having a conversation about the mental preparation for a long run and we realized that it really has little to do with the distance. For example if we are going out for a five mile run, that is often what our heads will allow; a 20 mile run is no different. It is just a matter of setting the bar at a certain level and reaching it.

On a recent Sunday I went out for a run with a certain distance and time in my head. Close to the junction where I would head toward home, I decided to keep going and make the run a bit longer. It was a beautiful morning and it felt wonderful to be out, see the possibility of spring and to sweat a little. About a mile down the road, about when I would have started to walk if I had gone straight home, I started to feel a bit fatigued. I kept on, thinking about the mental bar, and before long I felt great again.

For the last few miles of my run I thought about how the mental plateau of a run transferred into the bigger picture of my life. I realized it is easy to get through life in a series of “5 mile runs”. A 5 mile run will get you into shape and feel pretty rewarding; but at some point a 5 mile run is comfortable. This plays into life as well. I realized that over the last few months I have set the bar for my personal goals at about 5 miles so to speak. I am getting by. Nothing is really suffering but nothing is really thriving either; things are comfortable, I am in shape but not improving. I am realizing that I need to raise the mileage bar in my life and push my comfort zone a little. Think about it; where is the mileage bar set in your life? Is it at a comfortable place or just out of reach so you are constantly pushing to improve?