​No matter how good our intentions are we all come up against roadblocks on our weight loss journey.  Trying to bust through those roadblocks can be extremely difficult, especially when they are built up through our own negative thoughts.

​How many times have you set out determined to lose weight and get back in shape but nothing seems to happen.  Maybe you’ve vowed to eat better and go to the gym but when it comes right down to it, life gets in the way; you ended up working late, you too tired to cook dinner after working a long day, you already get up early enough you can’t possibly wake up any earlier, or well you get the idea.   Although these reasons are legitimate, they are still excuses.  Everyone is busy, no one wants to cook at the end of the day and let’s face it’s pretty easy to put off what we don’t want to do. The problem is, not only will these excuses keep you from reaching your goal, next year you’ll very likely weigh a little more, be a little bit more out of shape and possibly have some aches and pains as well as low energy to go along with that.
 

The gyms are now filled with men and women who have vowed that this year they are going to get fit, lose weight, tone up, slim down and reduce their body fat. Whatever your goal is, in order to succeed, you need to have a plan.   And by a plan I don’t mean workout 3 times a week and try to eat better.  
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A lot of people believe you need to change what you do every work out so you surprise your muscles; this is what I call chaos training.  Whether you go to the gym or workout at home, your workouts need structure and a specific goal. Let’s talk progressive overload and periodization.

​Do you know someone who constantly works out and is constantly on a diet, yet his or her body never changes?  Maybe this person is you. Most of my clients, who are woman over 50, come to me with the same complaint; I joined a gym, and I go about 3 or 4 times a week, I eat health but nothing is happening.  What am I doing wrong?

​Beginning a weight loss journey can be difficult. Less face it, staying on the weight loss journey isn’t easy either. Trying to tackle your goals by yourself is of course possible but you are more apt to lack follow through. This is why so many of us turn to others to help hold us accountable. The key is in finding the right person to do the job and making sure you are both very clear on expectations

Why go through hours of exercise to lose weight?  Cut back on your portion sizes and you’ll be sure to drop a few pounds. 

If you want to be able to eat pizza, ice cream, heaping bowls of pasta and enjoy bread and butter before your meal just exercise harder or longer. 

Calories in versus calories out:  simple right, and doesn’t It makes sense?  Well, I hate to break it to you but it’s not quite that simple.  In order to get resultS, and I mean lasting results, you’ll need to do both.

​I am continually amazed at the amount of misinformation out there on how to lose weight:  low carb, low fat, high fat, high protein, blood type, body type, the list goes on and all of them claim that THIS is the way you are finally going to lose weight. What’s even worse is that they WILL work, but they’ll only work for a little while and because they work for a little while that’s what ropes you into believing in the diet, and the next diet, and the next one after that.
 
The same goes for workouts. Women are told to use light weights and do heavy reps so they don’t bulk up, or that a certain type of exercise will give you a long lean look. Maybe you believed that cardio was the secret to losing weight so you go to the gym and spend all your time on the cardio equipment. And what happens?  Nothing. You look the same as you did the day you walked into the gym determined to finally lose the extra weight.
 
If you are reading this, I’m betting that by now you know that quick-fix diets don’t work and you’re ready to do the work that’s needed for lasting results.

​I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard both men and women tell me that they can’t lose weight because they have a slow metabolism, or because they are over 40, or 50 and their metabolism has slowed down and they accept the fact that they won’t be able to lose weight. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Do things slow down as we get older? Sure they do. Does that mean you have to settle for being overweight or unfit? Absolutely not.

​Gone are the days when Dad worked 9 to 5 and Mom stayed home raising the children and taking care of the household.  In 1967, 49 percent of mothers were stay-at-home moms, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Today it is roughly at 29%, and has been on the rise since an all time low in 1999 of only 25% (Pew Research Center) Being a working mom or a single working mom can certainly take its toll on your health as you try to juggle all your responsibilities.  Let’s face it; Mom’s put everyone else’s needs first. 
 
But there’s an even bigger drain on women these days as the number of 40 year olds enter the Sandwich Generation.  If you haven’t heard of the Sandwich Generation, this is the age group that is taking care of both elderly parents and grown children.