Consistency. There is a word capable of striking fear into even the bravest of people! Or is that just me..?

Well, assuming I’m not alone, let’s just go ahead and validate those feelings. The thought of being consistent in something day in and day out feels really daunting sometimes. I hear you, I’m with you, I completely understand, and I want to run away too.
So, what can we do? Well, first let’s reflect on things we’ve done in the past and observe our actions, reactions, and feelings *WITHOUT JUDGEMENT*. I know that last bit is really really hard but if you allow yourself for observe with our judgement there is no end to the wonderful possibilities and changes coming your way. This, I promise you.

Next up, identify some behaviors you already are consistent in!!! “Wait, what? You think I’m already a consistent person?” Well, yes. Yes, I do. 
1- Do you brush your teeth and hair every day?
2- Do you get dressed every day? (unless you have a newborn, then move along to the next one... seriously no need to liver here.)
3- Do you eat when you are hungry/at meal times each day?
4- Do you greet people when you see them in the morning, at work, in the checkout line? (Side note, if you don’t, no worries but I highly recommend you do. It has an uncanny ability to brighten everyone’s day!)

Ok, you get the point right? There are plenty of things we do every day and I probably missed some of the most obvious ones here. But you can add them to the comments!!!
So, now we have reflected, observed, and had the “Ohhhhh, that’s true.... I am a consistent human...” moment. Where can we expand and grow and add in more healthy things consistently?
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Here are some pointers and ideas:
-Baby steps. Yup, babies learn a little at a time and they keep at the tiniest things until they master them. (They also take breaks when they are tired, just saying, we can learn a lot from babies...)
-Pick one thing for today or this week that you want to focus on. Maybe you have a list of 50, but for today, pick one. 
-Work on one maybe two things a week, with gentle and attainable goals. Then each week reflect back on how you did, how you feel, and what you think might serve you best going into the next week. 
-Find some accountability. Maybe you can hold yourself accountable. Maybe you journal to aid in that effort. Maybe you ask a friend to check in with you or start a buddy system. Maybe none of that works for you and you decide to hire a health coach/personal trainer. 
-Whatever you decide, make sure it feels right for you!

So, yesterday I took my daughter up to Woodstock for our last official pre-race meeting of this year.  The goal was to get the safety team and course team all on the same page and geared to go next weekend.  

It was pretty intense.  The amount of thought, care and planning that goes into a race like this is pretty amazing.  Three towns are involved, local and state police as well as a fire department or two!  To see it all come together is just awe inspiring.  

So is the course.  It's awe inspiring and from the back seat of a car at the tail end of an energetic caravan it will twist and turn your stomach into knots until the stunning distraction of the epic scenery is nothing in comparison to what you would give for a good ruben and greasy fries just to settle your stomach!

This course is crazy. CRAZY I say!!!!  It's crazy beautiful, it's crazy long, it's crazy technical and it is CRAZY hard.  And you know what?  We have over 70 crazy brave and awe inspiring women already signed up!!!  Now THAT is amazing.  It keeps being said that grown men, avid cyclists have given up on the hills of this course and yet these women are coming back for a SECOND time to show us what they've got and through tenacity and training they WILL CONQUER THE CATS!!!!

So, whether you cycle or not, are into women's sporting events or not, love the scenic Catskills or not, this event what it represents, and these women deserve our respect and our support.  Because this is epic!  These women are epic for being amazing racers, the donations we will be able to give to the Hope's Fund for women is epic, and of course... this course is EPIC.

www.WWCGP.com <---- Check it out and join us this Friday and Saturday!!!

So, this year I am lucky enough to be involved in America’s only women-only cycling grand prix!  How amazing is that?!  Not only that I get to do something super cool but more importantly that we Women now have our own Cycling Grand Prix race!

The race takes place in beautiful upstate new york and is between 32 and 65 miles depending on which category you sign up for (Pro 1-2, Cat 3 or Cat 4).  The Pro 1-2 is no joke if you are familiar with the formidable hills of upstate New York you know what I'm talking about.  

Another beautiful thing about this race (apart from the scenery of course!) is that this event will help to raise funds and awareness for HOPE’s Fund; which I was also lucky to enough to be a part of at the very beginning of my entrepreneurial adventures.  The HOPE's Fund and affiliated projects helped me to gain the confidence, education and other tools for success under my belt.  They are largely the spring in my first steps that allowed me to make the leap into my own practice as an Exercise Physiologist and Personal Health Coach.  For this I am so proud to be a part of an event, like Woodstock Women's Cycling Grand Prix, which gives back to such an enriching community of Women for Women. 


We would love to have you there as an athlete, a sponsor a spectator or volunteer.  Join us in spreading the wealth of Women for Women in athletics and beyond.  

Thankfully, our calendar tells us that SPRING is finally here!  Now we just have to wait for Spring to actually get here...

In the mean time may I suggest getting in the swing of things?  It may feel a bit premature but the warm weather will soon be here and so will summer.  At that point you'll be left feeling like you missed the boat!  Like two years ago when I thought I could plant my garden in July and have fruits and veggies before it snowed in November.  It just isn't going to happen!!!

So don't let the cold spring weather trick you into thinking you might actually have more time to get bikini ready or prepared for that race/event you've been mulling over in your head all winter long.

Get going now, start making a plan.  Do you want a trainer who will be with you during every workout to make sure you're form is correct?  Do you want a coach who will give you an exercise plan and meet with you every other week to make sure things are going smoothly?  Do you have goals to lose a whole bunch of weight and the desire to run your first 5k?  Are you finally brave enough to mount your bicycle or lace up your running shoes without the worry of poor drivers and fearsome snowbanks?  Do you want to try your hand at a Triathlon this year or simply survive the local nursery school's 5k run to raise money for colored pencils and glue?

Whatever YOUR goal is, get on it!  It's spring!!!!

Ok, so I'm a little late for the actual New Years celebrations but that doesn't mean I can't help you to make a fresh start!

I have a whole bunch of tools in my treasure chest and many of them are here just for that reason.

For starters, I've got some nifty calendars made up to help you set your goals.  If you're a Facebook follower (please do!)  you may have already seen them and hopefully even taken advantage of printing it out and filling it in!  You better hurry up and get over there (to FB I mean) because the next calendar is going to roll out soon!!!  February is around the corner... Yikes!

An even BIGGER tool I have can be found here:  Stop Challenge Choose .  As a personal health coach with Take Shape For Life (another fantastic and life changing program, ask me about it!)  I have access to this totally kick butt 12 Week Challenge.  The best part?  Anyone can do it and it is FREE.  Who doesn't want to kick start their health, receive daily motivational and inspirational emails and get their body moving in the right direction free of cost?  (If you really think about it I'd say no one.)  The whole Challenge is there to help you and you can go at YOUR pace.  It's perfect really.  I'm doing it and not only am I applying it to my health but I am also applying it to my business.  After all, a less stressful more successful business will help me maintain a healthier body right?  Yes, just agree because stress wrecks the body.  (Jump in on one of my stress management classes and I'll tell you all about it.)

If you decide to sign up for the 12-Week Challenge, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  And be sure to click on the box that says "I Know/Have A Health Coach" be cause you do, Cortney Whitebay and I'll be there for you if you have any questions or concerns.  

Be Well!

So I read an interesting article this week.  It was more like a poll of health and fitness professionals.  The question posed to these professionals was, "Fresh Food Prep Vs. Exercise: Is One More Important?" You might be interested to hear that some trainers would rather see their clients spending more time preparing their food. Why? you may ask: 1.) If you're cooking you're standing and moving around, not sitting while the microwave does the work. 2.) If you're preparing your food fresh you're probably making better food choices for you and your family. Better food choices = better functioning bodies = happy healthy people. 3.) Cooking can be a pretty good workout itself. I made some delicious Thai Mung Bean Pancakes this week and it calls for grated vegetables. I used a hand grater and got one heck of an arm workout! And have you ever hand whipped your whipped cream or homemade egg nog? Christmas is coming... I dare you to try it ;-)

The start to Thai pancakes! Grated kohlrabi, carrot, and chopped scallions. Let me know if you'd like the recipe!