The Juggle is Real

It has almost been one full year since I became a mother. This has always been something I dreamed of, bringing life to a little one that resembled not only myself but my loved one! Don't get me wrong, being a mom is one of my favorite hats, but you should also know that I have a Type A personality. When Googling Type A personality here is the description: 

   The hypothesis describes Type A individuals as outgoing, ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status-conscious, sensitive, impatient, anxious, proactive, and concerned with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics". 

Well Google, I think you hit the nail on the head, my personality to a "T" and why I decided to write this blog post. 

Rewind to a year and a half ago.

This was the time in our lives where we decided to move the gym out of the basement of our home to expand it in a commercial space. You could say that even before this move I struggled with balancing my life as a wife, daughter and business owner. I was personally all in for growing the business, I mean I "needed" to show everyone that I could do it.  That I could grow a business from ground zero and make my hypothetical dreams, that many giggled at and simply said "ya ok", come true! Therefore, it was the next step to my dream and getting pregnant was not happening, so we made the plunge.

Now to February 2017.

We found the perfect commercial space for the gym, this was really happening! Yes I knew what it would take and many would describe my habits as being a workaholic during this transition period. Many times, Jake (my husband) would come to the gym after working his 8 to 5 job and would log additional hours at the gym so he could "be" with me while I was awake. Home life at this point was just for grabbing food and sleeping, after all I was logging hours from 5a.m. to 8p.m. three days a week.

March 2017

Did I mention that we stopped trying to have kids during the business transition? Well it happened we are pregnant! This news was always supposed to be positive and we were struggling and we had a miscarriage, why were my feelings so mixed? Not only this, but man no wonder I was always so exhausted, the crazy hours plus my body is trying to make a human! Once again, my personality starts to get the best of me questioning, how will I do this, why now, what does maternity leave look like now?

April 2017 to November 2017 (Easton's due date)

We begin the interview process, add two employees, add a few new services like nutrition and group classes. A time in my life where I struggled. I struggled letting go of the business, training others to help me do what I created from ground zero was not easy. However, it needed to be done, as I was going to posses a new baby, the kind that I had dreamed of for years!

2018

WOW! My priorities have changed. All I wanted to do is stay home and be with that perfect little human, but now I was to juggle being a daughter, sister, wife, mom and business owner. How would I EVER master all hats to my Type A personality perfection? Well I haven't! I have failed time and time again. I have had to say no to many things, many opportunities and even no to a surprise party for my parents. THIS IS TOUGH! I have had learn how to let things go, like having a dirty kitchen or a dirty car and even what my limits are, how little of sleep can I operate on without saying or doing something I shouldn't have? I am also still learning how to do things at 85-95% rather than doing everything at 115%. Unfortunately, the time simply does not exist to give everything 115%.

Lastly, I am still learning how to juggle. The more things I "juggle" the more anxious I become and the less I like myself. Becoming tense, stressed and overworked is nothing that anyone lives for, so for the next six months I am going to work on juggling less hats. I am going to prioritize my hats and spend most time with those at the top of my list! Hopefully this will help me not only manage my personality traits but to also get back to mastering these hats nearing the 100 percentile. How many hats are you juggling?


-Gabby Skinner

Can you really change in 21 Days?

On January 8^th Jake and I decided that after having our first child it was time to tackle one of our largest struggles/challenges in both of our lives. What was the culprit that was holding us back from accomplishing some of our wildest dreams both financially and physically, FOOD! By no means are we ever perfect, but we both had an existing passion for exercise. For Jake it is running, he loves to simply get out and go! For me it is a combination of cardio and strength training. Regardless of the type we do a very good job of implementing this into our daily lives. However, when it comes to food we were out of control and getting pregnant only amplified this.

Now when one starts to talk about how they changed their diet, there is always two main excuses that come up – time and money. For us the major issue was time and to be frank laziness from the both of us! Back in July of 2017 we added Ashley Ward to our FITness Into A Lifestyle team who brought to our team a success story, as well as a passion for nutrition. Yes we picked her brain here and there on what we could be doing better and we even “took part” in her Fall 2017 21 Day Challenge. It was not until January where it finally sunk in for us and we were determined to take it seriously on January 8^th (Winter 2018 21 Day Challenge).

First, here is a snapshot at how our finances changed from July 2017 to January 2018 when looking at food specifically. 

You can definitely assume that our choices to eat out were also never the healthiest as we were living the “busy” American life where rolling through Runza or ordering delivery pizza was what we were consuming.  Since we made the change. our grocery bill has remained similar to previous months but we have been much more health conscious in what we buy.  The big change was focusing on making healthier meals at home, and avoiding the temptation and guilt of eating out for various reasons all throughout the week.  Although only seven days in to the month of February, our spending trend is also on par to mimic our month of January. Taking one large trip to Costco at the beginning of the month costing an average of $350.00 and adding $50.00 on a weekly basis to keep fresh vegetables and fruits on hand.  Going along with the change, we are also eating out once a week, making a point to make a healthier choice if we do go out(substituting veggies for fries, small instead of a large, or chicken sandwich without the bun).   This has resulted in hundred of dollars in savings thus far, but more importantly, a much healthier and sustainable lifestyle!

In addition to this wonderful financial success mentioned above that the 21 Day Challenge provided us, we both also experienced substantial physical success!

- Gabby Skinner

Testimonial Tuesday - Carrie

Good Morning!

This month we feature Carrie a longevity personal training client of 26 months! Carrie is a 46 year old, mother of five all ranging from the age of 21 years old to 9 years old and lucky enough to stay at home. It is easy to say that her personality is a natural go-getter! In her "spare time" you can find her baby sitting her nephews, in the kitchen making a few extra dollars by baking and being fully involved with her kid's school. Her journey with FITness Into A Lifestyle began on August 28th, 2015 with the personal goals of toning, specifically those areas that become problem-some for women as they age and increased physical activity level to keep up with all her kids! (Unfortunately, we did not take before or after photos, so here is Carrie in her family photos from 2016).

Since the very beginning, Carrie has always been a very diligent client, coming twice a week for sixty minutes each time. In addition, she spends every morning taking time for herself before the kids get up, by walking/running on the treadmill or outside! Dedication was never her issues, she was simply seeking a change in her routine and for education of how to work the areas she was not satisfied with.

In these 26 months Carrie has accomplished more than I can even summarize and hard to put on paper! If we were to look at Carrie's weight, she has lost none. If we look at Carrie's inch measurements, she has lost two inches. Overall, these values not too impressive. However, it is the work or volume of work that she has accomplished that is more than impressive! When we first began her cardio-respiratory fitness was 50% and now nearly tops the 90 percentile ranking. She also started back in 2015 squatting 10 pound dumbbells and now can easily lift 135 pounds for multiple sets and reps! I could continue with every lift we have ever completed, as she has seen success in all components of strength training.

Overall, Carrie has accomplished all of her initial goals while dropping two pant sizes and increasing her volume of work by 80%! She came to FITness Into A Lifestyle as an ambitious mom looking to provide guidance for her kids and just over the course of the last two weekends she has spent them running 5K's with her daughters, running 3.2 miles in 28 minutes and 34 seconds, placing third in her age group. She has been a perfect model of what we strive for at FITness Into A Lifestyle, making it truly a way of life rather than a chore, diet or fad. Give it up for Carrie!

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner
Personal Trainer & Owner
1900 E Military Ave, Suite 218
Fremont, NE 68025
402-459-1541
gabby@fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Testimonial Tuesday - Jenna

Today we feature Jenna B.  Jenna's journey began with Ashley back in May, about 5 months ago.  

Jenna decided that she wanted to lose a little weight and work through some stress management as well.  Here is Ashley's recap of Jenna's progress:  

When I first met with Jenna, I wasn't really sure if I would ever see her again.  Jenna seemed to be a very driven, hardworking lady, and I kind of assumed that with as hard working she was, that she would be way too busy to take on such a huge lifestyle change.  To my surprise, she signed up for a 3-month plan and she never missed an appointment.  She was dedicated and committed from day 1.  Every appointment that we had she seemed more and more at ease with clean eating.  It was a struggle in the beginning, but after a few weeks, she picked it right up, and has not turned back.  

Within a few months, Jenna was down 20 pounds, not by starving herself, or buying a weight loss product, but just by changing the quality of the foods she was eating.

After 3 months of working together, exclusively on nutrition, Jenna began adding Yoga in twice a week to her new lifestyle routine to help with stress management, relaxation, and exercise.  Then after a month of doing yoga, she began strength training with Gabby.  Since she has started doing yoga and strength training, she has dropped another 5 pounds, and lost just over 4 inches.  In addition, she has improved her cardiorespiratory fitness by 30% truly demonstrating a full lifestyle change!

To this day, Jenna is one of the most consistent clients I have ever worked with.  I still review her food logs weekly, and every week she continues to blow me away with her dedication to her health and wellness goals.  

I have loved being a part of Jenna's transformation, not just on the scale, but also in her personality.  Jenna has a hard time relaxing, in every yoga class when we get to the end and drop in for our "resting pose" (or savasana/corpse pose), Jenna was always tapping her hands and looking around the room, patiently just waiting for this torture to be over.  However, the last few classes that she has come to, I have caught her closing her eyes, and finding some calm and stillness.  

Jenna is learning the perfect mix of how exercise, a little calm/rest and nutrition can transform your body and mind, and we at FITness Into A Lifestyle could not be more proud of her hard work.  Keep it up Jenna!  You are such an inspiration and we are so honored to get to work with you on your goals!

In health,

Ashley Ward 

Nutritionist and Group Class Instructor

1900 E Military Ave, Suite 218

Fremont, NE 68025

402.317.0391

Testimonial Tuesday - Jake

Good Morning All!

This testimonial hits a little closer to home, as I wanted to do a special feature on my husband, Jake. (Disclaimer: he does not know this is being done, so all of this is coming from my point of view and own heart!). All of our relationship, since September of 2011, Jake has struggled with proper/nutritious eating habits. In addition, a exercise routine was far and in between. He would occasionally do a pick up game of basketball or racquetball with his then roommates, but nothing ever regular. As our relationship became a bit more involved and some of my personal time was devoted to the gym, he as a supportive boyfriend/fiance/husband, began to join me.

Jake 2011:

Jake has always struggled with up and down weight, but it was the year of 2015 to now that I want to talk about today. The year of 2015 was one to write home about, beginning in May/June we suffered the miscarriage of our now forever rainbow Skinner baby. In October, Jake's brother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and his sister was also diagnosed with breast cancer. In December, his brother lost his battle and that completed the year of 2015. With all of this diet and exercise was the last thing on anyone's mind which took a tole on the entire family.  As for Jake, it was a few months into 2016 that he found himself feeling miserable day to day as he was nearing 300 pounds!

 Jake 2015/2016:

At this point, he decided that something needed to be done and this time was different. He began with assessing nutrition! By using a smartphone app to log his food intake he tracked it daily and started to see success within a month. As he started to feel better, he began running once again, signing up for his first half marathon as of September in 2016. Here he found a real passion and trained on a daily basis while still logging his food. In July, he was already down 30 pounds and had the momentum to continue!

This momentum only brought more success! As of today Jake has ran three half marathons, has meet with Ashley Ward - Nutritionist on how to improve his eating habits, has completed two juice cleanses and a 21 day clean eating challenge. He is now down to 225 pounds and inches lost can be clearly seen in the before and after pictures. Personally, I am most proud in his success in nutrition. Being a picky eater from a small age, adding greens and vegetables to his diet was a huge stretch. Now you will find him adding spinach to his scrambled eggs in the morning, as a small example!

Jake 2017:

Lastly, Jake has truly made it a lifestyle change and that is what is most impressive! You can now find him running at least three days a week, strength training two days a week, eating breakfast and  adding a fresh juice containing vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. On our last trip to Denver, CO you could find Jake eating Eat Fit Go meals on our travel days to and from CO, while also participating in his third half marathon. Overall, I am so proud of his hard work, even if every day is not perfect, he continues to get back on the wagon picking up where he left off! Cannot wait for him to share his passion for running with our son come November. Great job Jake/honey, so excited to continue this happy and healthy life with you!!

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1900 E Military Ave, Suite 218

Fremont, NE 68025

402-459-1541

gabby@fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Testimonial Tuesday - Mike and Paula

At FITness Into A Lifestyle, we love when we get families or couples as clients! Watching the growth of not just one person, but TWO makes what we do so rewarding.

Meet Mike and Paula Johannes Conrad.

One of our favorite parts of this story is the very first time Mike and Paula met with Ashley.  Mike just came along with Paula for the consultation and sat with his arms crossed and was just listening.  He didn't say much at first, then chimed in and said "Okay so I'm here to see what product you are going to try to sell my wife. We've done the shakes and I don't want to do that again." We think Ashley shocked him when she said, "We don't sell any weight loss products. And we won't teach you calorie counting or a fad diet.  We just want to teach you how to eat.  If we could sell you broccoli, we would do that.”  We think he was convinced at that point, that Ashley’s services were different. Here is Mike and Paula's Story:

"My husband and I went in for a nutrition consultation two years ago. We began to follow Ashley's advice with our daily food choices. My husband has rheumatoid arthritis and when we learned that certain foods can spark inflammation, he was very open to trying a new approach to eliminating these foods for a year to see how he felt.  The two biggest things he eliminated from his diet were Pepsi and milk.  It didn’t take long and he was feeling much better and not only that, he lost 25 pounds in the process and has kept if off for a year already.  He also was able to decrease his arthritis medications.  I, Paula, lost around 10 pounds and noticed that my eczema was much improved after just a couple of days without the sugar, gluten and dairy. Not only that, we both have a lot more energy and just feel better overall! We no longer crave the foods that we have eliminated and have noticed when we do have something not in line with our eating plan. As a matter of fact, when we had dinner at a friend’s house one time and had dairy, gluten and sugar in that meal, it literally made us feel physically sick. Our bodies are just not used to that anymore. This is our lifestyle now and we love it! It has made a huge impact in our overall health. We would definitely recommend working with Ashley at FITness Into A Lifestyle to anyone that is ready to take their health back into their own hands." 

- Mike and Paula Conrad

In Health,

Ashley Ward

Nutritionist & Group Instructor

1900 E Military Ave, Suite 218

Fremont, NE 68025

402.317.0391

ashley@fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Testimonial Tuesday - Madison

Hello!

It has been awhile since we highlighted a client, so we are back in action and have a client to share with you. This particular client you have met before. Madison Hespen, almost Brown, has joined us once again and this time her training routine was a bit more tricky to work with. Previously, Madi trained with us for nearly one year back in 2014, where she gained motivation and education to take what she had learned to apply it to her daily life. She then found a passion in running and kickboxing in Omaha.

Unfortunately, this all had to come to an end in December of 2015 when she was diagnosed with a rare disease Dermatomyositis. This is a rare inflammatory disease causing muscle weakness and a distinctive skin rash. When exercising, one must be very aware of the body and know when too much is truly too much. In addition, you have to start very slowly, while modifying many exercises to work with the weak muscles that flare up quickly.

Thankfully, all side effects have subsided and Madi has been cleared to exercise in moderation by the doctor. It was then that our journey together began again. She started her second journey with us in June and has seen wonderful success in these short two months! Her strength has improved drastically, for example, when she first started in June she was squatting body weight and today she is squatting 67 pounds 30 times. Her VO2Max has improved by 10%, demonstrating a larger capacity of heart and lung health. She has also lost a total of 4.5 accumulative inches, as you can see within her before and after pictures below. Lastly, Madi is feeling better than ever since being diagnosed. She is even back to working out on her own on her days away from FITness Into A Lifestyle!

Congratulations Madi on a job well done! As we all know life continues to challenge us and through these challenges we discover who we truly are. Madi is a strong, driven and poised young lady who has concurred a rare disease at a young age and we are so proud of her accomplishments! Keep up the continued great work Madi!

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1900 E Military Ave, Suite 218

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Testimonial Tuesday - Kevin

Happy Tuesday to All!

Wow, it has been sometime and I am sorry for that. Life has been crazy busy, in the best possible way and that means blogging had to take the back seat! We hope you enjoy some of these upcoming success stories.

Without wasting anymore time, it is well over due, everyone meet Kevin! Kevin and I have known one another for sometime, the relationship however was much more of just an acquaintance as my younger brother and his son were in the same activities growing up. Then finally being a poor broke high school girl and needing some gas money I found myself working for Kevin and his wife Betsy at the locally owned Gambino's pizza. From here our relationship was always mutual and I always looked up to their hard work ethic! Years then past and it was not until Jake and I wanted to think about options to expand our business that Kevin and I crossed paths again. We wanted to discuss the restaurant business with him and his wife. It was then at this meeting where Kevin knew that FITness Into A Lifestyle was his chance to achieve some of his health and fitness goals.

Rewind, let me fill you in on Kevin's journey! Kevin's lifestyle has always been deeply involved with business, family and God, physical activity however, was not a regular part of his life. From an early age he has struggled with maintaining a healthy weight and being in the restaurant business never aided this process. Prior to training with FITness Into A Lifestyle, Kevin had tried boot camps with other trainers here in Fremont and even fad diets. All getting him immediate results, but gaining more than lost after completion of the programs. Therefore, Kevin now being mid 50's was determined to find something to help improve not only his quality of life but also the longevity. He was ready to eliminate the worry about his weight stopping him from doing the things his wife and kids wanted to do!

Kevin, August 2014:

Although it has been a lifetime struggle, Kevin really began his journey to his "ideal" physique 15 years ago, with the last eight to ten years being the most serious. The picture above demonstrates where Kevin was two and a half years ago. Tasks like tying shoes, carrying items up and down the stairs and getting on the floor all had to have a strategy. Kevin, was mentally ready for a change! He and I began our motivation and companionship back in April of 2016. When he came to me he was 350 lbs, hypertensive and not being medicated, extensive pain within both of his feet, and a resting heart rate of nearly 90 beats per minute. With strict orders to visit the doctor before we would begin an exercise regimen, he was given the okay to proceed after the addition of a blood pressure medicine. From here we took training one step at a time.  In my recent interview with him he expressed that these small steps were the hardest part of the training. "To believe that exercising only twice a week was going to help me achieve my goals, seemed far from the truth, but you(Gabby) have stuck to your word from day one" said Kevin. 

Overall, Kevin has hit many many milestones within our nine months together and I am so very proud of all his accomplishments and determination to get where he is today. Below, is a list of a few of his accomplishments:

Kevin's Accomplishments:

Weight lost - 72 lbs.

Inches lost - 27.75"

Blood Pressure - 162/95 to 136/86

Resting HR - 90 bpm to 77bpm

*Competed in his first ever race - 2 miles on Thanksgiving

*Does not have to plan his life around his weight.

*Able to complete exercises on and off the ground.

*Eliminated all foot pain, now complains his feet get cold! :)

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1735 Churchill Drive

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Testimonial Tuesday - Madison

Happy Testimonial Tuesday!

Today on this Tuesday we feature Madison H. Her journey to a healthier lifestyle began nearly two years ago when she realized she had let herself reach a weight she never wanted to see. At this instant she took life into her own hands and began a search for an accountability partner. Madi joined FITness Into A Lifestyle in May of 2014. When first joining, her physical ability pretty minimal but her determination was larger than any client I had ever had, with this the sky was the limit!

Beginning her journey she came to FITness Into A Lifestyle twice a week, set SMART goals and tried her best to workout on her own in between her personal training appointments. Within the first three months of training she dropped 17 lbs, increased her VO2Max by 40% and decreased her inch measurements by three inches. These substantial improvements in just three short months reflect directly on her high determination and motivation that she brought with her since day one.

After a year of training Madison's life took her to Omaha, where her journey only continued! When clients leave FITness Into A Lifestyle I personally get a little nervous and unsure of where they are psychologically in their process to a healthier lifestyle, but I never doubt anyone when they say they are ready. The same was true with Madi's journey to Omaha I can honestly say I was a bit nervous. I knew that her love for running was very minimal and joining a gym would be her best bet to allow her to lift weights as well as giving her different options for cardiovascular work. 

To this day Madison has accomplished so much more! She joined a running group through the Red Dirt company in Omaha and as of a few weeks ago she completed her first half marathon. In addition to this great accomplishment, running has become a way of life for her and she is a great example for all. With hard work, determination and motivation even your least favorite thing in life can become one that has helped you achieve your largest goals and dreams!  

Through all of this Madison has found a new way of life and a new found confidence in herself! Madi said when asked how she rates her satisfaction/confidence level compared to when she first began her journey? 

"When I started I was embarrassed that I was always being judged for my size. Now, I embrace it. I’m so much more confident. And being confident is satisfying." 

A high standing ovation to all her accomplishments in and out of the gym! Keep up the great work Madison! We look forward to keeping in touch as you reach your next goal year after year. 

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1735 Churchill Drive

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Testimonial Tuesday - Courtney

Everyone meet Courtney, this month's testimonial Tuesday! Courtney joined FITness Into A Lifestyle in late August of this year. When first meeting her I can honestly say I was unsure at how seriously she was going to take training. Courtney is an extremely busy lady and I was unsure if she had the time! From being enrolled at Midland for her nursing degree to being an athlete for the university as well, her days were booked solid and despite that, she was trying to add one additional thing into her day. Like all clients, we discussed her commitment to training and we proceeded with the workouts, knowing that I may have to stop her program if her days became too strenuous. 

Day one of training began and I could not believe my eyes, this girl was ready for the fight. She came in ready to work and did so three times a week for the next month! From here we only began to see positive things. Her goals were like most, weight loss and toning of her muscles so her program focused on increasing her cardiovascular fitness while increasing all weights during strength training. As a collegiate athlete she did demonstrate hard work ethic in the gym and knew when to keep pushing herself. These characteristics most definitely helped her obtain the progress she has seen in the one month time frame. 

             

In additional to all her hard work in the gym, Courtney also began to eat consciously. The idea of thinking about what you eat before you eat is a true struggle for most American's. We get hungry and we eat what first comes to mind, so for Courtney she began to eliminate this by meal planning and choosing healthier alternatives like Subway over McDonald's for lunch. 

Overall, Courtney lost 4.75 inches within the first month of training at FITness Into A Lifestyle, while dropping 9 pounds and increasing her cardiovascular fitness by 15 percent! An outstanding amount accomplished for just one months time! To top it all off we also set a goal of her's to complete her first 5K race without walking and just this past weekend she did just that! She was able to completed the Susan G. Komen race in Omaha for a time of 34 minutes, another great success and a time to beat for her next race! 

Courtney has continued to set and go well beyond her goals from training to completing the race, and I am excited to see what more she can accomplish.  Great work Courtney!  

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1735 Churchill Drive

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Through the Struggles of a Personal Trainer

Hey All!

So sorry it has been so long since writing. Life has been a whirl wind lately and I think we have finally caught up! Through all of the craziness it has inspired me for this blog post, so here it goes.

Through my three years of being a personal trainer I have learned things, experienced things I never thought possible and took on life a bit differently. Many of these educational moments have been put in my life through/with my clients and I am always looking for new ways to relate. As they say, life events happen for a reason and looking back on this recent event it is starting to make more sense.

Jake and I experienced the loss of our wonderful baby back in early July. We were not informed of the news until my 12 week checkup. This news was devastating and there are still days of hardship. We had so many questions, but none could be answered. Those that know Jake and I, know how excited we were for the creation of our little one when we found out in early May. We were so ready to grow our family and to share our love with he or she. This was obviously not God's plan for us! As we have had some time to mourn and grasp our minds around what truly happened, it is oddly all coming together.

As a personal trainer this life event has helped me grow in a number of ways. In general the perception of a health professional can be unrealistic. We are perceived as individuals that have a balanced life where exercise and nutrition come so simple to us. This idea of having a perfect, under control life is not as true as some may suspect. We actually struggle with the same things anyone else does. Life can also take a toll on our routine, just like I'm sure you have experienced.

For me my pregnancy beginning in May took me for a ride of a life time and it is not one I am proud of. My body was not reacting well to all the internal changes and I was not myself for an ounce of these two months. With that I began to throw all my exercise and nutrition to the wayside. Eating things that I was craving and exercising NEVER because my body felt like crap. I was giving up on all things that I practiced and preached each day to my clients. All of a sudden I was my next worst nightmare! This all spiraled and in just two to three months I gained 20 unhealthy pounds!! It felt like a state of depression for me personally and I was doing nothing to help the way I felt.

Therefore, this is another lesson in my life that has opened my eyes. I have always been one to say that life happens and getting out of routine is always easy to do. Man did this health professional really let that happen. Remember that we all face similar types of challenges and temptations mixed in with ups and downs of our own personal lives. The importance of all of this is that we realize what we are doing and jump back up to fix our mistakes. For me I am now back to training full time, logging my food intake and exercising six times a week. It is simply amazing how much better a body feels when we are feeding it the right juices!

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1735 Churchill Drive

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com

2nd Annual FITness Boot Camp!

Food Prepping Made Easy

Hi All!

This past weekend Jake and I put a few hours aside on our Sunday evening to prepare the meals for the week. We have done this in the past with much more planning involved, but how realistic is it to have a full day each weekend to make meals? This was by no means realistic for us so we failed at our first attempt about six months ago.

Jake and I have a issue with eating out during the week as we have limited time to make a meal and to clean the kitchen after a meal. Therefore, doing some kind of prepping is very critical so some kind of organization is needed to succeed. Let me share with you just how easy our meal prep this past Sunday was!

To begin with we simply used what we had at home already. In the past we would start our food prep day with a list of items to get at the grocery store, but that was not the case this time!

What you will need:

• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 3lb bag of skinless chicken breasts
• 1 container strawberries
• 1 can corn
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can green beans
• 4 cups organic long rice
• 1lb potatoes
• 5 green peppers
• 1 can rotel
• a splash of Fat Free Italian Dressing

Steps:

1. Grill all chicken from 3lb bag
2. Cut up head of lettuce and store in air tight container
3. Cut up strawberries and store in easy to go containers
4. Peel all potatoes and set aside to grill after chicken
5. Cook all rice
6. Clean peppers leaving two for stuffing and the rest can be chopped for grilling

Meals:

1. Chicken Green Bean Corn and Rice Casserole
2. Rice, Rotel and Chicken Stuffed Green Peppers
3. 2 Grilled Chicken Breasts for Salad
4. Cut up strawberries
5. Grilled potatoes and green peppers
6. Side of rice 

This random array of food may seem like a mess but it keeps us from going out for dinner knowing that some kind of meal is ready for us when we get home even if we need to cook something on the side to complete the entire meal. In entirety this prepping took us 3 hours (cooking and cleaning included). 

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1735 Churchill Drive

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com

Jake Speaks Out!

While it has almost been a week since my husband (Jake) and I began our journey to a healthier lifestyle, I encouraged him to write a little something and here is what he wanted to share......

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In starting this challenge, one of the first things we both thought was important was to honestly assess what was important and put to paper some of our goals and what we want to accomplish (Realistically).

For me, there were two big items or categories that I knew would be crucial if this was going to work:

EXERCISE/WORKING OUT

                *While some people can work out every day of the week, I am not one of those people.  When I have tried doing this in the past, I burnt out quickly. 

My action plan:

·         Work out 3 times every week in the beginning

·         Increase to 4 times by 12/31

·         Run 5 miles without stopping by 12/31

EATING/NUTRITION

              *This is one of my largest challenges as I am guilty of over-eating (especially with items like chips), snacking, and choosing the unhealthy options.  While I am good at bringing smaller portions to work, this causes a lot of snacking. 

               

            My action plan:

·         Remove all snacks from my desk (trail mix, fruit snacks, chips, etc.) and eat only what I bring.

·         Pack lunches the day before so I have more balance rather than, grab and go the morning of.

·         Use smaller plates at home as opposed to the larger ones to control portion sizes.

·         If chips are available, buy value snack size packs or put reasonable portions into zip lock bag ahead of time. 

With all of these “action plan” steps, I will also create a scorecard that I will review weekly with Gabby to help track my progress and hold myself accountable throughout.

While we both have the same objective (losing weight, eating healthier, exercise, etc.), we both have different ways to get there which is okay!

Sincerely,

Jake Skinner - The motivators husband :)

Road to a Healthier Lifestyle

Hey All!

Through the year and a half that my husband and I have been together we have developed a few....ok more than a few bad habits (who doesn't!). As a team we have both decided that we are ready to choose a healthier lifestyle and we want YOUR help! 

Over the next 6 months or so we are going to be documenting our progress/regression and sharing it with you all. With that we will share what is working and not working for us and what steps we take to make it a lifestyle change rather than a "few week trial." 

We are looking for your help to share with us what you have seen work or to simply join in with us and to try our recommendations while creating your own! 

Our current challenges & bad habits:

• Eating at home (always looking for quick and easy)
• Finding time to workout together (for us doing this together helps push one another)
• Portion control (knowing when to stop because we are full)
• Eating only when hungry (at times we enjoy "snacking" too much)
• Helping the other make a healthy choice
• Exercising out of our comfort level

Look forward to our updates as we begin this journey starting November 1st!

Your Motivator and Companion,

Gabby Skinner

Personal Trainer & Owner

1735 Churchill Drive

Fremont, NE 68025

402.459.1541

www.fitnessintoalifestyle.com