Hello All! This month is flying by! I wanted to take a moment to thank those that shared and commented on my last blog entry. I appreciate your support of my efforts to get my blog out there. In case you missed my Facebook post on The Gym Struggle like page, Melissa M. was the lucky winner of the Fitumi.com fitness tank of her choice. Stay tuned because I will have more giveaways to come, including a biggie!
So let's get down to business. In less than a month I will be running The Burn Run in East Syracuse, NY. The Burn Run was created by the East Syracuse Fire Department and has been running for the past 9 years. It started as a race for firefighters to encourage physical fitness among fire departments. Although this race is popular among First Responders, it is open to all and there is even a kid's fun run. The Burn Foundation of Central New York benefits from a donation from the proceeds given by the ESFD. If you would like more information about The Burn Run, The East Syracuse Fire Department or The Burn Foundation please click the corresponding links.
Some of you may already know the story if you keep up with my Facebook page but for the last few years I have volunteered at the Burn Run. Whether it was handing out water at one of the water stations, helping with the kids fun run, or manning the information tables I tried to be present on race day. There is something about that race culture, runners are some of the most motivated, encouraging and interesting people I have ever met. I wanted to be part of that culture but I had always classified myself as not a runner. Last year I told myself that next November I would be running that race no matter what. 
Finally this past February, I said enough with the excuses and started training for my first 5k. I could not have done it without my cross training. It would not have been possible at all. I started out doing the Insanity Max: 30 program. Its high intensity interval training. (HIIT). Not only did it help me lose weight, it taught my body how to breathe through a workout. I learned an astonishing amount of endurance. The girl that could only run a hundred yards before becoming winded found herself being able to run at a steady pace with controlled breaths. In the Spring I tackled my first 5k and I tackled another in the Summer. I have been able to steadily improve in my training so I decided, what the hell, I will try for the 10k race instead of the 5k. What was I thinking? After a rather tough run last night I am honestly wondering why I had to open my big mouth and say I was going to run the 10k. Then I remembered. These last 9 months I have been "raised" and coaching others in a community of accountability. I opened my big mouth that I was going to run the 10k because then I would be held accountable to my actions by others.
I'm very excited and feel lucky to say that I am not going to do the 10k run alone. One Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago I was sharing my story with a fellow coach, Lindsay, who is getting back into running. I told her my story about my 5k and my weight loss and she said that she would do it with me knowing how important it was to me. Its an awesome feeling when you can work toward a goal with someone that is passionate about the same things as you are. Earlier this week Lindsay and I shared our running and cross training schedules with each other.  We officially started our "crunch to 10k" training last night. Sweaty selfies, pace time, run time, and all.

 you will want to get it done so you don't let that other person down. In my challenge groups I use accountability to keep my challengers motivated and on task with their clean eating and workouts. It works for those that truly want to meet their goal; for the people that have come to the point that they are ready to throw all of their excuses away but need that little push when times get tough.
So maybe this is a good time for you to reflect. What goals are you trying to reach? Have you been on the right track to attain them? Do you find yourself rationalizing excuses; talking yourself out of reaching your goals at every turn? Who knows about your goals and aspirations? Its important for you to take the time to let someone in by sharing your goals with them. Sometimes it just takes one extra person to be that motivating factor to get you moving. xoxo- court

Hello October. Now begins the season of couch potato nights, dark sleepy mornings, candy, food, holidays, shopping, gatherings, and more food. Did I mention FOOD? To so many people this time of year is synonymous with comfort, hoodies, and crock pots full of home-cooked meals. Well, I'm here to tell you that its all well and good but don't lose sight of your goals. So, what do you do when you don't want to pack on the weight, don't want to go backwards in your progress but have ZERO motivation to get off of the coach? I'm going to share with you 7 ways to get your buns moving and I'm not talking the ones you put on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
1. Baby Steps. Start out small. If you have lost your motivation to work out then chances are its not going to come flooding back all at once. You need to build it back. So start by parking far back in the parking lot. If anything that crisp, cold, air will fill your lungs, invigorate you, and make you high tail it into the store. Increased heart rate. You're welcome. Seriously though, don't ask your kids, roommate or spouse to hand you the remote- get up and get it yourself. Take the dog for a walk instead of letting him do his business on the front lawn or just letting him out in the backyard. Do a couple laps in the parking lot on your lunch breaks. Just get moving again.
2. Read about it. Find a book, magazine, blog, article- whatever, but read about fitness, running, lifting- hell even look at a fitness apparel catalog. If you are seeing it, you are reading it and if you are reading it you will be thinking about it. It can be a silent push that you need to get back on your game.
3. Share your struggle.  Tell someone that you are in a slump. Preferably someone fitness minded because they will get it. If you tell the postman or the cashier at the grocery store, chances are they are going to think you are a whacko. Telling someone fitness minded; they know the struggle because they have undoubtedly been there before. Motivation ebbs and flows for everyone. EVERYONE. Even if that person is a Facebook acquaintance that you see is consistently doing fitness related activities. Break the ice. Reach out, comment on a post. Tell them you are struggling, see if they want to hold you accountable. Its been my experience that people that are fitness minded LOVE when they meet other fitness minded people. We love to talk about what we are doing, what our goals are, how far we have come, the whole 9 yards. That might be just enough to inspire you to get off of the couch.
4. Know your strengths.  Are you a morning person? Do you accomplish more in the evenings after work? Is your day so jam packed that you literally only have your lunch break? You know you. So if you read this blog post and decide, "I'm going to wake up tomorrow at 5 am and workout! Yea!" You better be someone that regularly sees 5 am on the clock. I will tell you right now. You will never see me up at 5 am to workout. Why? I'm a night person. I do better when my body is loose-y goose-y from the day and I can mentally function. Plus, exercising a few hours before bedtime does not keep me awake. For me, it does the opposite; gets all the jitters out and I have a more restful sleep. So, know who you are and align your goals accordingly. You would do yourself a disservice if you set yourself up for failure from the jump.

6. Treat yo' self to some shiny.  Nothing. I mean nothing gets me more motivated to workout than new workout clothes. Okay, let's be honest, new workout clothes, new sneakers, gym bags. It doesn't take much and yes I'm a bit of a shopper- hey back off! I'm not on trial here. Really though, get yourself something new. Practical/impractical or new/new to you. Wanting to go out and use whatever that "new thing" is might be the push you need to excite you to get out there.
So I really like new fitness apparel. Nothing motivates me more than getting to wear a new, funny, ironic, or branded fitness tank. As an Independent Team Beachbody Coach its helped with my brand recognition and to draw attention to my posts. As a Fitness Instructor its helped to draw attention to my classes through word of mouth. Plus, I like them a whole bunch. Pictured below, are 2 tanks I got from www.fitumi.com. The red one is  a simple one that I had custom made and the blue one is one of the their designs. I LOVE this company. I have ordered from them multiple times. I have 2 stock shirts from them and 2 custom shirts. Every time I order it is uncomplicated, they are made right away, and shipped right out. I get them in a few days and they are always flawless. They use quality shirts and they are pretty true to size. Plus, after multiple washes the screen-printing is still holding strong. They are on Etsy too, which is where I do all of my ordering from them. Did I mention all of their designs on their site are at an awesome price point of $18? So this morning when I decided to feature their apparel on my blog I Googled what "fitumi" means. Get this, "fake it till you make it." Which basically couldn't be anymore perfect in going with the theme of this whole post.

 7. Get Inspired. Google people that have achieved greatness in the workout/activity you like to do. Do you love Pilates? Google "Plyoga" the things creator Stephanie Lauren can do with her body are Ah-MA-Zing. (In Jimmy Fallon, white suburban girl voice). Its totally normal to be inspired by the accomplishments of others. Its also totally to normal to be a little intimidated but don't psych yourself out for no reason. Get out there and go do something great. Even if your version of great is running around the block without getting winded or getting a workout in 3 out of the 7 days next week. Just go do it.

Okay, so there ya have it. 7 Ways to get out of that Snuggie and moving. xoxo- court
WIN A FITUMI FITNESS TANK Compliments of The Gym Struggle.
GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Read the blog post. 2. Comment below in the comments section. 3. Share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter. 4. Comment on my Facebook post or Tweet "done". So I know where you read it and so I know that you did it. Drawing will be on Friday 10/9.