comfort zone

Ladies: Build Sexy Curves to Burn Calories

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Ladies… Don’t be afraid to pick up some weights!
They will help you LOSE weight, LOSE the jiggle, & CREATE beautiful curves!!

Nicole bench lifting weightsToned Muscle not only looks amazing, but it serves purpose too!

  • Decrease the risk of injury during daily activities by holding joints in more stable positions.
  • Create more independence (No thank you, I can put the dog food into the grocery cart myself)
  • Burns more calories while the body rests than Cardio.
  • Takes up less space than fat. Muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. 1 pound of feathers = 1 pound of rocks. But, it
  • does take up less space than fat, so toned women may weigh the same but fit into smaller clothes.
  • Physical Strength.
  • No Bulk, more Sex Appeal.
  • Lowers your Cholesterol and decreases the risk of Heart Disease. Building muscle promotes the release of good HDL and decreases he amount of bad LDL in your blood stream. This lowers your risk of heart disease among other diseases.
  • Weight Bearing exercises decrease the risk of Osteoporosis.

nicole with dumbbellMany women fear they will bulk. You will NOT bulk like a man!

Women don’t have the testosterone that men have in order to bulk and even then, it takes a lot of discipline, the right lifting techniques, food patterns and supplements to grow large muscles. Stop fearing it, ladies! And, no need to spend countless hours at the gym.


You can change the shape of your body within 30 minutes a day.


You don’t want to put in the energy with effective workouts only to have it go to waste with improper food choices. This is where I can help. As a specialist in sports nutrition, I can create a realistic meal plan (options) that will have you turning heads. Exercise + Nutrition = Success.


Not sure how to accomplish this?


Contact me & I will get you started on an exercise program. If you are uncomfortable with the thought of going to the gym, I can help you find a HOME program that you will love. I’ll even coach you through it for FREE!!
You can find me at www.YourFitness-411.com
Regardless of how you go about it, start adding some weight to your life. The GOOD kind of weight!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how I can tweak your food habits and get you started on an effective program at home, please contact me.

I’d appreciate the opportunity to meet you & get you on the right path! My email is Bashford.Lisa@Yahoo.com.

nicole black and whitenicole and I muscles

(My beautiful model is my friend, Nicole Davison, who is a figure competitor.
My company, YourFitness-411.com, has the honor of being her sponsor at her upcoming figure competition!)
Photography is by Joseph at ‘Everyone’s Joy Photography.’

Confusing mix of Focus, Disarray, & Cliché

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Life Happens.
This too shall pass.
When it rains it pours.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

  Cliché. Everyone says them and everyone means well.  Just don’t say them to me right now.

no clichesHave you had a clear & focused life plan ….and then it completely changes in an instant?
That instant maybe a phonecall, an accident, announcement, or a single heartbeat. It stops you in your tracks and makes that focused plan fuzzy.
One misstep on the volleyball court changed my focused plan. I’ve been playing volleyball competitivley for over 25 years. One wrong step and BOOM!….pain, panic, and pity flooded me. I knew I had torn something in my knee. I instantly recalled many of the patient’s I’ve treated the past 18 years and their words on how they tore tendons, ligaments, muscles, cartilage. I instantly knew exactly what they were describing to me. It was a lightbulb moment I would have been fine never experiencing.

Two months ago I was focusing on my my presentations for local high schools, sports teams, company luncheons, etc. on ‘Food & Food Timing For weightloss and sports performance’.
I was editing my resume and actively looking to log more hours as a therapist while consulting with more clients regarding their food habits and tweaking those habits for success.
I was planning my running/training schedule for 2 upcoming Ultra Ragnar races in Chicago and Nashville. I was excited about a few days away from busy family life to run on the open road in new places.
My personal life is going through some changes which terrify me too, but the vision was clear.

Fast forward to today.
I sit here drinking my coffee and my brain is in complete disarray.
• My knee has stitches in it from a menisectomy 5 days ago.
• My range of motion (ROM) isn’t where I want it yet and my quad is having difficulty waking up. (Can you imagine if I didn’t take care of my body how much worse it would be?)
• I am pissed that I’ve gained a few pounds since my knee injury and can’t run to feel better.
• I just told my Ragnar team that I will NOT be participating in either race this year. (VERY hard decision since it’s a passion of mine)
• It’s hard to pick up more therapist hours when I’m recovering and on a crutch myself.
• I have about 12 individuals that want to take the leap of faith and join my Beachbody team as reps, but fear is holding them back. “Take the leap! It’s worth knowing if you can do it or not vs. just thinking about it!” (That’s what I find myself repeating often).
• My kids are feeling the stress of these last few weeks of school, friend drama, and other situations which are causing them to be irritable.
For the first time in my ‘type A’ personality life…. My future is uncertain and I have no idea what I’m really doing!  EEEEEK!!  This is foreign territory for me! The last time I felt like this was the first morning I woke up in the dorm room my freshman year of college in Cincinnati. I had NO idea what to expect or how to cope with college. I had NO idea how my journey would play out or end.
BUT…. As usual, it all worked out. I caught the hang of college life and embraced a daily schedule. I found focus and graduated with a 4.0 and an amazing job. It wasn’t easy…. I had a hell-of-a-time somedays.

Because of that, I know I can get through all the uncertainty now of my personal and professional life. I know I am strong enough to conquer anything thrown at me & I have the personality for success. I don’t need cliches.  The problem is, sometimes I don’t WANT to be strong enough. Some days, I just want to cry in my coffee and ask the famous question… WHY ME?

I know there must be a plan. A bigger plan than what I know.
There MUST be a reason why I have been forced to slow down, refocus, experience surgery and therapy as a patient vs. the therapist, leave my Ragnar team, and look at my future in an entirely new solo way.
one choice away from changing your life
I have to BELIEVE.
I don’t have to like it. I don’t have to know all the answers. (Did I really just say that?) I don’t have to be strong and pretend I have it all together all the time. (That’s a new lesson I’m learning). I don’t have to do this alone.

With prayer and some healthy support from others, I’ve been forced to see life in new ways.
I know a few things for sure.
• I will continue to educate and assist others on changing their food and exercise habits to create success & more active lifestyles.
• I will continue my mission to help others feel better about their bodies & do my part in fighting childhood obesity and food addictions/disorders.
• I will continue to be a leader for my children & someone they can depend on with 100% certainty.
• I will continue to fight my way back to running and rehab this knee and I will for CERTAIN have the body I’ve been focused on by my 40th Birthday this October.
• I will be a leader in the community.

Mark my words…. I will look back at all this in October as I’m running a half marathon near the ocean and celebrating my milestone Birthday in bikini with a banging body in the warm sand & know that I HAD to go through all these debacles to get to there. I have lessons to learn and I’m in the middle of them. I’m very determined and I will not apologize for it. I will be successful.

But for now… I’m going to rewarm my coffee, listen to the rain, and Google races near the ocean the weekend of October 17/18. Then, grab my crutch and go to the gym to ride the bike for increased knee range of motion while I review the food presentation I’m giving at a company luncheon this week.

NEVER GIVE UP.
When the world seems gloomy & nothing is going the way you expected……stay with the fight. Remind yourself that there is a lesson in the times of struggle and something brighter is in your future.
Make no apologies or excuses and find the peace of mind you deserve.
YOU. ARE. WORTH. IT.

happy life close upIf you would appreciate assistance finding your focus and plan regarding food, exercise, sports performance, or body image goals – please reach out to me. I’d be happy to assist you and keep you focused. Bashford.Lisa@yahoo.com

The million dollar question…

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“What if I squeezed myself into any shape
And I still don’t fit?
What if I bend myself so much that I break
And I can’t mend it?
What if I burn so bright that the fire goes out
And I can’t stay lit?
What’s the point in it?
I could get good at crying crocodiles tears
Just to get along.
I could carry on telling you what you wanna hear
Till my voice is gone.
But if I finally get to the place that I think is home
And I don’t belong.
What’s the point in it, where’s the benefit
When I’m gaining all but I’m losing it?”
—————————————————————————————————————————

This is a powerful song by Natasha Bedingfield that has helped me through many tough situations in my life. A friend introduced me to this song years ago….and it makes me re-evaluate my choices and thoughts and helps to re-direct my mind to stay on the path I want to be on.

For the first time in a very long time…..I’ve found myself in an unwarranted emotional situation. The details aren’t important….but the emotional rampage my mind & soul have been going through is taking a toll on my daily routine. I haven’t experienced this emotional roller-coaster since beginning my fitness journey about 5 years ago.

gym - emotionsAs a coach, when people tell me they have fallen off the fitness train because of a tough situation….whether it be a death in the family, house fire, divorce, ill parent, loss of job, or just life in general —— I would respond with “Exercise increases your mood and helps to beat stress – you can do this!” And I still believe that and stand by those words.
Honestly…… that’s why I do a lot of running. I started running because I found the therapeutic aspect of it to be attractive. I felt better, I looked better, it was time to myself, I could work out my problems and pray during those long miles. The endorphin rush after a long run was powerful (Either that or I was just too damn tired to care after a long run!) But, it’s well known that running is a natural antidepressant, and I found that to be true. It helped me beat the stresses of being a Mother, Sister, Daughter, Wife…….and allowed me to focus on ME.

I tell you this because the past 10 days have been absolutely insane in my world. New information about health and relationships have left me feeling lost and broken.
Because of this, I have missed many workouts this week and lost my appetite. That alone speaks volumes because I love to exercise!!  I’ve gotten my workout clothes on, drank pre-workout beverage, and just couldn’t do it. The thought of food made me want to vomit and I wasn’t hungry. Can you relate to this?? I surely cannot be the only one!
As a therapist and nutritionist, I KNOW my choices were not healthy or helping me to heal in any shape or form mentally, emotionally, or physically.

The million dollar question I get asked is = “If I don’t feel like it, how do I do it?”
That’s a pretty general question and I typically say….. “You just do it. Dig deep and tell me when the workout is completed because I cannot wait to hear how it went and how you feel after!”

But there’s a difference between that question and “When you don’t emotionally feel well and can’t find the motivation from within, how do you do it??”

This is a question I will now be answering differently. I’m learning from experience the deep gut feeling where you REALLY don’t want to (or just can’t) from emotions. I’m not sure all the answers and because it’s not a black/white problem with black/white answers……..it’s going to be different for everyone.  I will be able to pull from my experience and understand my clients better!  And….that will continue to make me a coach worthy of helping others because I can relate on many levels and am very realistic to today’s busy family lifestyles.

I used to find motivation in my Instagram feed because it is filled with workout pics and bodies getting stronger. That’s all it used to take to make me think, “Hell, if they can do it then so can I!!”
But…. My mind has been saying this week,  “Good for them….. Screw it.”  (Once again, I know some of you are relating to me!)

I have missed about 4 workouts this week and that is 4 too many. The workouts I have done are only 2-3 miles at a time on the treadmill in my basement and half-assed. I have lost 4-5 lbs. and I am NOT happy about it (even though my goal is a total of 10 more).

What’s my point to all this?? Just to let you know experience is teaching me to be a better fitness/health coach and showing you that life happens to all of us. Stress and heartache happen to everyone, no one is superhuman.

Today’s Goal: I WILL actually go to the gym today and get a workout in which includes cardio and weights. That FREE tanning bed is sounding pretty nice right now too!

love myself enough to exercise

I know I am strong enough to get through this, although there’s a little voice in my head questioning it. It’s not pretty, but I have some amazing friends that support me and my faith is a blessing. I truly believe everything happens for a reason…and right now that reason is something only God knows. But, if I’m not going to help myself, I cannot complain about it either.
I’m learning to not allow negativity (situations and people) stop me from doing what I love to do.

——————————————————————————————————————————

“Don’t wanna end up like pirate bones
What I thought was treasures is just a pile of stones.
I might have to judge it, better be lying alone
Pirate bones.
If I forfeit my soul it ain’t worth having.
If it’s something I stole, it ain’t worth having.
It’s not worth that much to me
If losing out is what it means
This way means shallow victory
Is empty, empty.
It’s just not worth the prize
It’s only a fool’s paradise
If it’s draining every drop of lies
Till I’m dry, lie, pirate bones.”

Natasha Bedingfield – Pirate Bones

If you are struggling with your weight, food, or exercise routine…. I urge you to contact me.
I’m a fitness challenge Specialist and love it!  30 minute workouts, nutrition plan, shopping list, motivation, support group ………everything you need to see positive changes.  Find me & send me a message at www.facebook.com/YourFItnessInfo

Fear ruins big dreams, goals, & plans.

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Fear.  It stops us from accomplishing a lot of things in our lives and it stops us from making positive change, trying something new, or breaking out of our comfort zones.  I’m learning this first hand on a few levels.  I’m a tough broad.  I’m not intimidated easily by others & I like to be independent & doing things that people doubt I can accomplish.  I have found that success IS the best revenge and I thoroughly enjoy it.  I find success in small things – running extra miles, helping others lose weight, promoting a kick ass workout program, creating a bicep muscle, losing weight after having children, getting my kids to bed on a consistent regimen and when they ask me for “a healthy snack” vs. chips & cereal.  But that darn fear cont. to hold me back at times.  Fear of the unknown and I end up playing the ‘what if’ game. 

That game NEVER bodes well….. Even if the ‘what if’ is positive, it’s often followed by a negative thought process.  “What if” I become a Beachbody coach and then I don’t do well and fail?  “What if” I sign up for another marathon and get injured or the training is just too hard.  “What if” my kids aren’t successful adults and feel as though I failed them?  Those are all common thoughts and questions, but it’s how we respond to those ‘what ifs’ that make or break us.  Sometimes, I’m tough and kick that ‘what if’ in the face by proving it wrong (becoming a Beachbody coach and helping others has been a great experience and allowed me to pay off bills, buy fun things, meet people from all over the world, and hold myself accountable).  Other times, that ‘what if’ plagues me; such as with my hesitation regarding registering for another marathon.  I ran my first marathon in October 2011 & have toyed with the idea of running another one since the first.  After I watched the Boston Marathon Bombings, I told myself I would run another marathon this October.  I booked the hotel room, poured over training programs, wrote out a training schedule on my calendar, and even have started running the mileage!!  But guess what???  I haven’t registered yet!  What is my problem?  I’m not sure!!  I’m allowing the fear of not being able to accomplish my goal time (and the pain mile 23 inflicted on my body) to make me hesitate!  I’ve ran 10 miles the past 3 Saturdays! I’m committed…… but need that last step. 
Therefore, I have found that when I hold myself accountable, I get things accomplished.  When I post my goals to the world (usually on my facebook biz page) is when it gets done.  A post such as, “I am getting ready to run a 10 miler this morning!” or “I’m going to complete the new Focus T25 workout program…  Want to do it with me?”  Those posts keep me accountable and that technique works very well for me.
So…… following suit, I’m going to conquer that fear and announce it here. 

“Hello, my name is Lisa and I am going to register for my second full marathon this week.”

Whew!!  Done deal now!!!  There’s a weight off my shoulders yet a shiver just went down my spine!
I will be documenting my marathon journey too.  Don’t worry, I won’t blog after every run (boring) but I hope to blog on a weekly basis. I hope to show you a candid vision of how emotional and time consuming it can be to be a Momma and train for a marathon.  I need to sneak those training runs in when I can!  Between soccer practice/games (Yep, I’m a soccer Mom), bedtime routines, being a physical therapist assistant and fitness/nutritional coach, I will get those miles in!  No excuses.  I don’t believe in excuses, just ask my clients! 

Fear, be gone!!!  (Shivered again).  If you are contemplating a big decision and find that fear is tripping you up (like the runner’s pun?) then I’d like to make a suggestion.  Envision what your life will be like once the decision or change has been made.  You should make a clear plan and write it down, so that you have a rough draft of what your life will be like.  Will there be struggles?  Probably.  But, in the end, will it be worth it??  YES.  And, if it’s not…. You still walked away knowing that you tried, so therefore, still worth it!  The weeks, months, years are going to go by regardless, so if you step out of your comfort zone, then at least you will have learned a little something about yourself, your strength, and how to conquer that fear the next time.  Every experience should be a learning one.  Good or bad… learn from it.  If you do this, nothing will be a waste of time. 
Bye Bye Fear!!!  (Right???) 

Finding & letting go of the past – Emotional Eating

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If you are following my blogs because you want some inspiration, motivation, healthy advice, or just like the way I write (awe)…. head’s up! Summer is on its way and it’s time to chin up and work dirty to get the summer body you want!
When you sweat, remember that is your fat crying because it’s LEAVING and NOT COMING BACK!!
I need some serious dedication from you this week. I need you to dig deep, get outside of your comfort zone, and mentally get prepared for change.  But, how can you truly prepare when you can’t let go of the past?
Much of our weight problems stem from our past experiences and emotions. Much of our emotional eating is the same way – we learned years ago that food makes us feel better. It comforted us during down/sad times and we celebrate with food too. However, we now know that the same food that comforts us, also ruins us. It hurts our bodies which lead to broken spirits and depression. Eating that dessert or second helping of gravy & potatoes may feel great while it’s happening, but I promise it will lead to feelings of guilt and frustration not including a possible upset stomach. Emotional eating is tough. WE ALL suffer from it and it takes discipline not to reach for the Girl Scout Cookies when feeling tired, sad, or giddy (I have felt a lot of giddy the past week).
Your challenge over the next 3 days is to do some self-examination. Nope…not the breast/testicular kind, although that is important, but the tough, deep kind. Spend a few minutes alone and really think about what drove you to eat poorly and turn to food for comfort. What happened in your life that caused you to gain weight? What stresses currently cause you to turn to food?  You didn’t gain weight because you just got lazy. There’s more to it than that and sometimes it can be painful to face. There is a deeper reason.

Let me explain my reason…… I have been an athlete ALL MY LIFE.  I had a lot of success in high school in Volleyball, played intramural in college and now on a co-ed league team.  I was the starting softball pitcher and played Basketball also.  I was always fit, had nice abs, and a strong build.  I love sports (Go UC) and am very competitive.  Then, I decided it was time to have a baby.

I had a premature baby (32 weeks) and spent the first 5 weeks of his life sitting beside his glass crib looking at him and praying he would live. I would grab a black raspberry smoothie from Zestos on my way home from the hospital and fast food because I was too tired to cook anything.  During that time, I also mildly dislocated my hip and was on crutches. Talk about bad luck!  Then, when my son came home, he was on heart rate monitors and all I wanted to do was hold him in my arms. I would hold him and eat quick foods just to fill my belly. After his first year, I got back on track again (to some degree) and then wanted another baby. CLASSIC, right?  I got pregnant 2 more times, and miscarried both of those babies. The second miscarriage was a partial molar pregnancy and I miscarried at 12 weeks. TALK ABOUT EMOTIONAL!! For the next 6 months, I had blood tests on a regular basis making sure that the D&C was successful and that no tissue was left behind that could turn to cancer inside my body. It was a long 6 months, but once I was cleared to get pregnant again….I easily got pregnant for the 4th time. Once again, I was high risk and placenta previa…..started symptoms of pre-term labor at 30 weeks, (I was terrified to say the least) but with the help of my doctors I was able to carry baby to 38 weeks. And, I now have a healthy boy and girl.  My youngest is 5 and I started working hard to get back on track about 3-4 years ago.  I wanted my body back. I began running and then needed more strengthening, but didn’t want to join the gym. I tried that when Jacob was 2 and wasn’t pleased with the daycare at the local gym. That’s when my friend said she was doing P90X and Shakeology and loved it. SO…I signed on as a coach because I didn’t want to pay full price for either product (they didn’t have challenge packs back then). I started the programs, found some success and people started asking me what I was doing. Then, I met a guy at a Christmas party, who was recovering from knee surgery and he wanted to lose weight also. We began challenging each other (we are a bit competitive) and before I knew it, I had lost 15 pounds and he lost 50. (Darn those men, always losing weight fast!) I started taking running more seriously, and being a PTA, I knew that I needed strengthening too (my knees and hips started to hurt) but was burnt out on P90X, so needed a new program. Thank goodness for nice discounts because that led me to Insanity > P90X2 > Les Mills Pump> Les Mills Combat!! I still have 10 pounds I want to lose. I’m on a mission before summer gets here! (I want my abs back!)
Anyways…that was/is my journey. I am WAY more educated about food choices now, so that helps me to make better decisions for myself and my family. When I think about those times, my bad food choices and the heartache during that time…my eyes leak. The pain of those miscarriages doesn’t go away. I pray for those babies daily and am grateful for the ones I am raising. I am working very hard at teaching my children the importance of health, fitness, and working hard to achieve goals all while making it fun.  I am now studying sports nutrition and will soon be certified (need to finish a few papers!). I coach others towards better health & fitness also…..and am a sponge when it comes to nutritional/exercise information, so I have plenty to offer.  If I don’t know the answer….I will find it.
Your goal is to deeply self-examine your past and recognize what it’s done to your body and then leave it in the past. It’s time to move forward and make a new you. You can’t move forward until you deal with the past. Otherwise, it will always be there….waiting on you.  And those bad habits will return, you will face those fears/worries again & make poor food choices all in hopes of finding comfort.  Then, you will look in the mirror and be angry at yourself. (Been there….done that).

I am physically stronger and can run longer than I could pre-children, even though I have yet to hit my personal goal.  But, I will hit it.  And I will rock those cute summer clothes.  It doesn’t matter that I’m a Mother – I can still look classy/cute in the summer….but this year I’m going to be the soccer/baseball Mom with the muscles too.  (Wink).

To learn more about emotional eating and techniques on how to cope, please look at this information from the Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/MH00025