Live Out Loud

I was recently inspired by a new friend.  He is motivated by – and lives by – the mantra “Live Out Loud”.  When I met him, it was one of the first topics of conversation because I saw it clearly tattooed on the inside of his wrist.  When I asked, he said it was the way he wanted to live.  To be honest and open, dream big and have a purpose.

I'm proud of how far I've come

In the days since our conversation, I have thought a lot about the idea of living out loud.  I would like to think that I live out loud, though that was not always the case.  There have been times – when I was a teenager and during a very difficult marriage – when I much preferred to be hidden.  I was unsure of myself and I did not want anyone to see my truth.  However, today I am proud of who I am and how far I’ve come. 

I am not perfect, but I own that.  When I look down, I see stretch marks.  But those stretch marks are a symbol of the 50 pounds I lost.  They make me proud because I used to be ashamed of my thighs.  Sure, the combination of my genetics and love for running mean I don’t have a lot of curves.  But, I like my legs and I have blood pressure that rivals a professional athlete.  So, I would never trade a Kardashian booty for my killer legs and life-saving blood pressure!  

My Pop-Pop lived & loved out loud

I have also learned to live out loud emotionally.  This is not something that comes easily for me.  If I am being honest, I usually expect people to let me down.  I have built up walls to prevent getting hurt.  But the thing about walls and fences – they don’t just keep people from getting in, they keep you from getting out.  Neither of these scenarios will lead to true happiness. 

One person who lived every minute of his life out loud is my maternal grandfather.  He earned a purple heart in WWII.  He earned my grandmother’s heart by singing “You are My Sunshine”.  He was known to flip a table if provoked, hug or curse you based on what you deserve, and love and laugh with abandon.  He’s been gone over 30 years, but he’s with me every day reminding me to fight for what I believe in.

My Granny lived out loud through food & flowers

Another person who lived out loud in a much different way is my paternal grandmother.  She was likely dyslexic, but was the secretary/bookkeeper for our family business and was able to keep track of names and numbers.  She cooked three hot meals a day from scratch, but never learned to drive so she relied on someone to take her to the grocery store.  She never rested or complained.  Instead, she would find peace by tending and talking to her flowers.  She truly shined through her food and her flowers.  She’s been gone over ten years, but she’s with me every day showing me that no matter what, I can always be vivid and life is worth savoring!

Isn’t that the way we all want to live?  Out loud doesn’t mean noisy.  It means living with honesty.  Showing your truth and seeking the truth.  Having a passion and the dedication to pursue it.  Turning your dreams into reality.  Loving yourself and others like there is no tomorrow. 

When you’re ready to live out loud and dedicate yourself to living life on purpose, I will be here for you.  When you look in the mirror, be completely honest with yourself.  Make a decision to seek truth, happiness, and health.  I will educate, encourage, and motivate you to live out loud.  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com  to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and it starts by living out loud! 

Size Matters

Me & Ray at the Franklin Theater
where his play will run May 1-2, 2015

Size matters.  Let’s be honest, whether it’s your waist or your heart, it really matters.  Unfortunately, in today’s world, people put higher value on the size of a person’s waist than on the size of their heart.  I recently had the privilege to read the script for a new one-man play Size Matters by Raymond McAnally. 

I connected with Ray on Facebook last year.  He currently lives 2,000 miles away in Los Angeles, but we grew up with the same neighborhood kids in school in Franklin, Tennessee.  Upon graduating high school, Ray went on to accomplish great things on stage and screen.  He’s written and starred in numerous plays, shows, and movies.  However, his finest work so far is his first full-length play Size Matters. 

Size Matters is “an autobiographical one man show with fifteen characters.  The show addresses the topics of bullying, body issues, love, and family responsibility…We journey with this uncle and nephew over the course of a year filled with gains and losses and the need to be something important to somebody else.”

After reading the script, I had a chance to sit down with Ray and talk about our perspective on weight, body image, bullying, and love.  I told him that as I read the script, it really took me back to my childhood as an overweight kid.  There is a scene in the play that addresses clothes and how they can have such an impact on how we feel.  It’s incredible that pieces of fabric can make a child (or adult) feel so huge, and yet so minuscule.

We talked about the effect food and exercise has on our brains and our bodies.  Somehow we have allowed ourselves to become addicted to food, but in all the wrong portions and all the wrong quality.  Poor decisions create shame which leads to worse decisions.  It’s a sad cycle.  It’s something we both recognize, not only for ourselves, but as role models.  

I asked Ray about his relationship with his nephew Morgan and his wife Whitney, both central characters in his play.  Much of the play revolves around the admiration from Morgan and the love from Whitney.  Ray said writing and debuting Size Matters has opened an emotional dialogue.  I think it has also helped Ray deal with self-confidence and self-love.  Until this point, Ray never really admired or loved himself as much as Morgan and Whitney do.  People say love is blind, but I believe love provides us with special x-ray vision.  It allows us to see people’s beauty shine from within.  We love someone because of who they are, not for the package they come in. 

Size Matters gives me a new hope not only for the future, but for the present.  We can choose to put a value on our waist size.  Or we can choose to put a higher value on the size of our heart.  As we look at others - and ourselves - we can choose compassion over judgment.  We can choose kindness over bullying.  And we can choose to be happy in the moment. 

I cannot wait to see the show!  I hope you will join me May 1 and 2, 2015 as we welcome home Ray McAnally.  He will bring Size Matters home for us to experience.  I promise, no matter your age or stage in life, you will leave emotional, yet hopeful.  Get show details and your tickets for Size Matters at the historic Franklin Theater now http://secure.franklintheatre.com/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=94604~cfe40b7d-1c56-4c4b-b937-600bdd7c5904&

I encourage you to go see this show.  And when you love yourself enough to make a change, I will be here for you.  I will educate, encourage, and motivate you the entire time.  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com  to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and it starts by loving yourself in this moment! 

Valentine Guest Blog

I am currently guest blogging for Nashville’s Music City Moms.  You can find my current blog “The Love of Your Life” which includes my take on finding true love and my delicious recipe for dark chocolate syrup at http://musiccitymoms.net/blog/53-health-a-fitness/289-the-love-of-your-life

Whether you are looking for cooking lessons, personal catering, or fitness training for your family or if you are interested in an office lunch-&-learn, I am here for you.  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com to see all the ways I will educate, encourage, and motivate you in 2015 and beyond.  Obesity is 100% preventable and starts by loving a healthier you!

Holiday Guest Blog

I am currently guest blogging for Nashville’s Music City Moms.  You can find my current blog “Happy Healthy Holiday” which features tips for staying healthy during the holiday season and recipe for my festive scrumptious Holiday Potato Skins at http://musiccitymoms.net/blog/52-food-a-drink/275-happy-healthy-holiday.

And if you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for friends, family, clients, or even yourself, I’ve got two amazing holiday deals!  1) Buy two of my Don't Diet, Live It! books and get one free, and each will be personally signed!  2) Buy two mini muffins gift boxes and get a free sample pack!  You can only get these specials from me, so contact me to place your order.  And don't delay – these will only run through 2014!  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com to see these holiday specials and to see all the ways I will educate, encourage, and motivate you the entire holiday season.  Obesity is 100% preventable, and it starts with a happy healthy holiday!  

Thanksgiving Guest Blogger

I am currently guest blogging for Nashville’s Music City Moms.  You can find my current blog “TBT Thanksgiving Day” which features tips for Thanksgiving as well as a delicious green bean recipe at http://musiccitymoms.net/blog/52-food-a-drink/272-tbt-thanksgiving-day.

And after your Black Friday shopping, remember that November 29^th is Small Business Saturday!  Starting on Saturday through the end of the year, I will have two very special offers – one for my book and one for my muffin gift boxes.  So, stay tuned because they will be perfect for all your holiday gifts!  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com to see these holiday specials and to see all the ways I will educate, encourage, and motivate you the entire holiday season.  Obesity is 100% preventable, and it starts with a healthful Thanksgiving!  

Beyond the Bucket

Payne family

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you’ve heard about the ice bucket challenge.  There’s even a good chance you have dumped a bucket of cold water on your head.  This has all been started in an effort to raise awareness of ALS and money for research for a cure.  And it is working – as I write this, donations have reached over $70 million (compared with $2.5 million in the same period last year).  Currently ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, does not have a cure, and most patients die within three years. 

I know personally the toll this disease can take not only on the patient but on the family.  About ten years ago I met the Payne family.  Marcy, the mother, had ALS.  At 37 years old, Marcy was running (and winning) 5 and 10K races.  She had a 6-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son.  In August of 2000, she was diagnosed with ALS.  In October of that year, Marcy resigned from her executive director position at Happy Tales Humane – the no kill animal shelter she helped start in Franklin, TN.  She stopped walking in 2001, had to get a feeding tube to eat in 2002, and from March 2003 until her death in October 2010, she was a quadriplegic and on a ventilator in the family living room at home. 

Darcy and me

When I met them, Marcy was already a quadriplegic.  Her daughter, Darcy, had just started middle school.  I became like a big sister to Darcy – we went back-to-school shopping, planned Christmases and birthdays, I cheered her on at soccer, and attended her middle school graduation.  Although Marcy could not speak, she still had a very healthy influence on Darcy.  I can remember one time as Darcy and I were leaving the house, she went to kiss her mother goodbye.  While they were communicating (she used eye movements), Marcy told Darcy to “eat her vegetables”.  

Marcy was a strong, loving, vibrant, courageous, funny, fiery red head.  Though Marcy never physically spoke a word to me, those qualities were evident.  I didn’t know Marcy before, but those that did would agree that ALS did not affect her personality.  Since meeting Marcy, I have had days where I was feeling down – emotionally or even physically.  But Marcy gives me inspiration to push through and be strong.  How can I complain or be lazy when my body is capable of so much more.  How can I take my body and my health for granted when Marcy wanted nothing more than to stand up and hug her daughter?

I cannot tell you exactly what Marcy would think about this ice bucket challenge phenomenon.  But, I do think she would find it amusing and be grateful for the awareness and money it is raising.  But I also think she would be practical and want something even beyond the bucket.  Once you dump the bucket over your head, don’t let it simply be a memory or a funny video clip.  I challenge you to take advantage of your healthy body and make the best of it.  Run because you can.  Eat your vegetables because you can.  Many who are fighting ALS cannot.  Take nothing for granted.  Prevent what you can.  And honor those with ALS by taking care of your healthy body.

There may not currently be a cure for ALS, but obesity and the related health risks are 100% preventable.  Don’t take that for granted.  To see how I will educate, encourage, and motivate you to go beyond the bucket, go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com. 

This is Your Summer to Sizzle

Yep, it’s official.  Summer is here.  Memorial Day kicks off four months filled with pool parties, cookouts, cold drinks, and summertime treats.  I have seen a multitude of advertisements recently promoting trendy new food products and fitness movements.  However, these ads should come with a warning: proceed with caution.  If you’re not careful, a few of these new trends could alter your summer sizzle to a fizzle.  Here are a few offenders and my remedies to ensure you sizzle all summer!

Blend your own summer smoothie that sizzles!

Berry Pomegranate Premium Fruit Smoothie from Dairy Queen/Orange Julius – This sounds like a health drink and the ads boast “no artificial flavors”.  Too bad they fail to mention the amount of sugar in this bomb.  With 102 grams of sugar in a large, you will have slurped up four day’s worth of sugar.  The Original Orange Julius is even worse – it has 103 grams of sugar!  Swap your own summer smoothie by blending one cup mixed frozen berries, half cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, and half a banana in a blender.  Now that’s a refreshing summer sizzler! 

Zensation Zalad from Zaxby’s – Many people think salad is a healthy option, but this packs a whopping 1,165 calories, over half of what you’d need in an entire day.  With 49 grams of sugar, this salad has two day’s worth.  Plus it has more than a day’s worth of sodium.  That certainly doesn’t lend to a “zen” state!  For a summer sizzler swap, make your own salad by topping baby spinach with sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, mandarin orange segments, sliced almonds, and grilled chicken or shrimp.  Make a quick dressing by whisking a teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce, a teaspoon of juice from the mandarin orange, and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. 

Make your own wrap & sizzle this summer!

AM Crunchwrap from Taco Bell – Just one of these little breakfast items has 46 grams of fat, 14 of which are saturated.  That’s a full day’s worth of fat in the palm of your hand, and your day just started.  Instead, make your own wrap by scrambling an egg with bell peppers and Canadian bacon, top with shredded cheese & salsa and wrap in a whole grain tortilla.  Or make a sweet wrap by spreading a whole grain tortilla with peanut butter and wrap it up with a sliced banana, apple, or fresh berries.  My wraps are hand-held summer sizzlers!

CrossFit and other High-Intensity Workouts – While I always encourage physical activity, exercise choices should be based on your current fitness level.  If you would not label yourself “extremely fit”, CrossFit is probably not for you.  While it is very trendy, 75% of CrossFit participants have reported an injury that sidelined them.  Even those considered to be in “good” or “excellent” shape are at risk: 16% of CrossFit participants permanently dropped out due to overuse or injury.  Instead, make swimming your summer sizzler.  It has a lower risk for injury and is an excellent cardio and resistance workout.  Now that pools are open, it is the perfect summer option. 

Design your own obstacle course for
a free fun summer sweat session!

Mud Runs like Tough Mudder – These endurance races are unlike 10k races or even triathlons because they involve challenges that you cannot train for or anticipate.  These mud runs involve risk of serious injuries from extreme obstacle courses, electrical shocks, drowning, and bowel infections from stagnant water.  Some of these risks can even be fatal.  These mud run are intensely popular, but without proper regulations, supervision, or preparation, they may cause more harm than good.  Rather than run with danger, make your own obstacle course in your backyard or neighborhood playground.  You can use monkey bars, trampolines, swings, balls, bats, benches, bikes, or any other equipment you have on-hand.  Bonus: it’s free!  Make it a fun competition with friends or family, or just compete with yourself by improving your time with each set. 

By being aware of the summertime hype and recent trends, this can be your summer to sizzle!  In addition to my tips here, I will educate, encourage, and motivate you all summer long.  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com  to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and it starts with a summer that sizzles!