Welcome to the first installment of Wellness Wednesdays with LaQuesha McClaine. One of my goals for 2013 is to eat healthier foods, lose weight and live a health and wellness lifestyle. I am grateful to have enlisted the help of an expert and fitness coach. LaQuesha is passionate about healthy living, diet and exercise. “I am a personal trainer and I accidentally fell into this profession. I transformed my body, and I want to give the same gift to others”. I am not expecting this to be an easy journey and I want to share my progress with all of you. Tune in every Wednesday for LaQuesha’s health tips and for updates on my 2013 resolution.
Fire Fitness Coach LaQuesha McClain
Train your BRAIN! You want to finally hit that goal? The one that you make every single year? Well recognize that your mental efforts play as much of a part on your success as your actual physical efforts. Ask yourself: “What will be different this year?”, “WHY am I doing this?”, “What is my motivation?”, “What sacrifices will have to be made this time?” Once you grasp the mental aspect of success, the actions that follow should align.
Understand that YOUR goals may NOT coincide with your friends’ and families’ goals. It would be awesome for your loved ones to jump right aboard and tackle these health and fitness goals with you. It would make things easier and maybe even make your goals that much more attainable. But let’s face it, it doesn’t always happen that way. Someone will offer you a cupcake or donut. They may eat your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream around you. They might invite you out for margaritas when you are supposed to be at the gym. It is YOUR responsibility to say “NO THANK YOU!” And remember the mental strength that we talked about above…well that will come in handy here.
Recognize your “unhealthy” triggers and avoid or eliminate them.Taco Tuesday may be fun, but you know you overdo it with the $2 tacos and $5 drinks. You know that every single time you and Sally Mae get together, you eat tons of chocolate while you dish on your guys. You know that your in-laws cause you to stress eat after each visit. If you recognize these triggers, especially in the very beginning of your resolution pursuit, AVOID THEM! Set yourself up for success, not failure. Get past February, then see if your willpower has strengthened enough to tiptoe around those triggers safely.
Be a VIP. You are worth it. If you don’t think that you are important to someone (your kids, significant other, parents, co-workers), you should at least be important to yourself. And let your actions reflect that. Act like you have a personal chef when you go out and ask that your food be prepped in a healthy fashion. Take time to yourself for workouts or to meditate (barring emergencies, of course!) Remember the better you treat yourself, the better mom, friend, employee, daughter you will be. You are important!
Be unreasonable!! I know, I know, I know that things happen in life. Traffic sucks, your boss gave you a huge last minute project, your child was acting up in school and every other reason/excuse that you can give me…that is called life! Quitting letting your circumstances and situations push and pull you in the wrong direction. Make the decision to be in control of your own life…not your circumstances. Be bigger than your circumstances. And if by chance something happens to push you off course, get right back on track immediately. Don’t give up! This healthy lifestyle is a journey full of twists and turns. So enjoy it.
About LaQuesha: I am a certified personal trainer with Xsport Fitness in downtown Chicago, online accountability coach, gym rat, vegan, and amateur chef. I am quite passionate about health, wellness, and fitness. I use a more holistic approach to health and wellness and recognize that getting healthy is bigger than hitting the weights or eating salads. I look forward to sharing my experiences, insight, and exploring different topics on Wellness Wednesdays. To request a topic or ask a questions please leave a comment.
Contact LQ:
Facebook
Email: firefitnesscoach@gmail.com
Twitter: @firefitcoach
Mobile: 773-531-0122
