Well, here we are almost into the summer months! WOW! Hope everyone is ready for the summer...beach trips, vacations, pool parties and good hot weather!

I have decided that competing is pretty much out of the question for this year!

I have been struggling with my health for the past several months and I am working with a naturopath, holistic dr to figure out what is going with me.

No conventional "DR" has been able to find a diagnosis and through my research have figured out the regular "DR's" dont do testing that holistic dr's do to come up with a diagnosis and treatment. Dont worry, its not anything terminal! I will let you know more once i am able to get all of the tests back!

So, because most of my energy has been given to figuring all of this out, my motivation and energy has definately taken a dive! I still try to work out to stay in shape but I cant work out on the level thats needed to take the stage at this time. I wish I could, but I have to be realistic.

Ive also decided to take a few trips this year with my family, so that makes it tough as well.

BUT, i plan on making a good "show" next year and that will be upon us faster than you think!

In the meantime, i hope everyone is making the best of the summer with their families and friends and staying as fit and healthy as you possibly can!!!

If you have good health- you have everything!

Stay fit AND healthy!

Shannon

Hello Everyone!
So glad spring is here and summer is just around the corner!
I will write more later but just wanted to take a moment to say something about my email....
If you have any questions about diet or training, then please email me. If, however, your questions, comments, or thoughts do NOT pertain to diet or training, then DO NOT email me. I do not appreciate any emails that are sexual, unsolicited or inappropriate in any nature! Please know that if I receive any emails that are inappropriate, I will turn them over to an FBI detective that traces IP addresses and if needed, will get a subpoena to access the owner of the email. Charges can and will be filed! My website is for the soul purpose of motivating other women to workout, change their diet habits and create a better "life". It is NOT for any other purpose. Please do not make it that way!
Thanks and Stay Fit!

Hello everyone! Can you believe that its already almost April of 2010??? WOW does time fly by! Hope all are making attempts to achieve their fitness/health goals for this new year! I know that im trying!!! In spite of everything thats trying to get in the way! LOL. I need to lose about 10-15lbs to compete in August but I know that I WILL do it. Patience and consistency is ALWAYS the key!

SO, I was wondering how many people happened to catch the show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show this past Sunday night? If you did not, and want a recap, it will air again this Friday night. You can click on this link for the details ...

http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

I am always astounded at the amount of JUNK and terrible foods children are eating these days so this show was VERY interesting to me. Listen, if you are an adult and want to be overweight, unhealthy and eat CRAP, then go ahead! You are old enough to make your own decisions and know the consequences of doing so...but children are a different story! They DO NOT know what nutritious food is and will eat what they are given by parents. Why do we continue to feed our children such terrible foods that are setting them up for a lifetime of unhealthy habits and sickness?

So here's my rant.....While i was working my flight this past weekend, my jumpseat happened to be next to a 4 year old girl and her mother. It was 10AM and she was hanging on to a bag of gummy lifesavers! I asked her if that was her breakfast and she proudly stated that " NO, my breakfast was a pop tart but I didnt eat it!"...ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Her breakfast was supposed to be pop tart? Thats NOT food!! Thats a man made chemical cardboard square with sugar on top!!! Why couldnt that mother have given her a banana or grapes or whole grain cereal/ oatmeal instead? Of course, her mother was about 75 lbs overweight also. Im not judging the mother for being overweight but I will say that i seriously doubted her "food" choice for her child. As I looked around on this 10AM flight, I saw another little boy eating a huge bag of potato chips, another child with a gallon size ziploc bag FULL of pure sugar candy, and yet another lap child being fed goldfish! These are the same parents that give their children coke on the flight and wonder why in the world their child cant sit still for a 1 hour flight! Its just amazing! The next generation will be the first generation that does NOT outlive their parents and ppl wonder WHY???? Parents have to get educated and make the time to create good wholesome meals for their children or the children will suffer the consequences later...and probably not too much later in life! SO, please, if you have children, try to set a good example for them by eating nutritious WHOLE foods and not "foods" that come out of a box, bag or can! And teach them to PLAY outside and enjoy physical activity! Take the computer games AWAY! They wont die from you taking them away but they could die if you DONT!

Just food for thought...:)

Hope everyone has a great week and workout hard! Change up your routine, do something different and remember, you can always email me with any questions!

imafitdiva@hotmail.com

Enjoy!

NEED MOTIVATION???

Im just like everyone and need motivation to keep training hard and staying in shape! Especially when im prepping for a competition. Even if you arent preparing for a competition, I know you have goals and want to achieve them. Check out this video of Ava Cowan, a new IFBB Figure pro! If you research her story, you will quickly find out that she has had a rough road and has come out on the other side a true winner with a phenomenal physique!
Now, let me get back to working out so i can dream about looking like her! LOL:)
Seriously though, its a great, inspiring video!

http://www.gasparinutrition.com/GaspariChannel/tabid/57/Default.aspx?fn=MINI_SERIES/SPORT_OF_FIGURE/AvaEP1FinalCut.flv

Are you stuck in a holding pattern???

HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL!!!

First, i want to take a moment to wish everyone a happy new year! I wish all of you much love, luck, and success in the new year!

The "new year" is finally here and with that comes many "resolutions" for people....including getting in shape. But what happens come February 14th or so???? The steadfast resolutions are out the window and many fall prey to their old lifestyle and habits saying "Its too hard" or "I dont have the energy" or any one of the LONG list of excuses people make to excuse themselves from the "resolutions". Why is that????

Recently, I started reading some books by Clarence Bass, a well known fitness writer and lifelong fitness enthusiast and bodybuilder. In his book, he talks about the "secret". He states, "It seems that people are always looking for a magic bullet. They love "quick fix" diets. As a result, they resist or ignore the real secret: Severe or unbalanced diets provide temporary results at best In the long run..THEY JUST DONT WORK! ...The way you look and feel your best is by regular exercise and a healthy, balanced diet containing enough calories to provide for your energy needs day in and day out." But people REFUSE to believe it can be that easy...

As a flight attendant, i thought about people being stuck in their ways and basically stuck in a "holding pattern."You know, you can see where you came from and you can see your destination but you arent sure how to get there...you just keep going around in circles, going absolutely NOWHERE. You are chasing your tail with no end in sight! I think thats what people have a tendency to do...start a "plan" with a great destination, only to end up right back where they started. It takes work people! You have to educate yourself, exercise yourself, and feed yourself with GOOD nutrition and you have to have a plan! You cant fly a plane without a flight plan and you cant get yourself into shape without one either...or you will be stuck in that "holding pattern" and end up right where you started.

I have to share a funny story with you all....I cook a lot of food on Sundays and then store it in the refrigerator so that I can eat "on the run" during the week. When i cooked the chicken breasts, i cut them all in half so that its easier to measure and my step-sons wont be tempted to eat a WHOLE chicken breast(or 2) in one sitting....as my youngest step-son(who is 16) was preparing his meal, he asked "why did you cut the chicken in half?" I stated so that he would learn to eat smaller portions instead of huge portions. Well, he was a bit dumbfounded and said "but isnt that what NORMAL people eat? 8-10oz of chicken at a time?" I could hardly contain my laughter because he had just proven my point about how the general public is so conditioned to eat HUGE portions and then wonder why they cant lose weight or change the way they look. You have to change the way you eat, think, and act about exercise and food if you ever want to change the way you look. And the change will come slowly, but with dedication, persistence and education on your part, you can do it!

Dont get stuck in that holding pattern anymore!

2010 is a new year, create a NEW YOU!

Good Luck! BE FIT..mind, body and soul!