Thankful

Looking back on this year and with Thanksgiving recently passed, I would like to thank all my wonderful clients that have made this past year of personal training a success!! I have been training people for just over a year this month. The journey has been extremely exciting and I have made some really great friends along the way. I can't thank everyone enough for all the support, encouragement, and constant laughs day-in and day-out. I truly value everyone that I have come in contact with through my training!

I feel that I have been able to help people and that, truly, is my main purpose in life. I am excited for all the people who have taken their fitness and health to the next level this past year with me. I am thankful to call you clients and friends.

I look forward to the year to come as I have decided to take a leap of faith and make personal training my full time profession! I'm excited and hopeful that this year will be even better than the last and I can't wait to put forth more effort, to dedicate more time, and to commit at a higher level to all of you and your goals!

Thanks again for everything! Here's to the future! :)

The Holiday Survival Comedy

Hey guys! I want to say thank you to everyone who read my first post! This is all so exciting! :) Well, as you can see the title of this blog is "The Holiday Survival Comedy". I say that as I chuckle to myself because I think about the internal fight to stay on track during this time of the year is truly quite comical. Don't think you guys are alone in this battle.......I struggle the same as you. I have the fitness angel on one side and fatty devil on the other screaming to take over!!

"You want to stay on track...

...but you know you want to eat 3 pieces of pie!"

"You don't want to feel like your going to explode...

...but it only comes around once a year!"

This can be very frustrating and if any of you have family like mine our sole focus around the Holidays is fooooooodddd!! Yummy, homemade food. It would be considered treason to pass up rolls made from scratch, sweet baked pies, and deep fried turkey!!! Yikes!!!!!!! That sounds like a couple pounds......however, my mouth is watering as I type this!

In continuing your focus during the Holidays let's go back to what I always say,

"Your diet needs to be a life style change and realistic."

You shouldn't expect to stay completely away from the holiday food entirely. Let's be real and just say it is going to happen. But, good news! There are great ways to still stay on track and enjoy some tasty treats during the holidays!! I didn't get this from a magazine or a health forum, just stuff that I find could be helpful and realistic! Check it out and print it out!

1. Make your portions small!! Only take the amount of a couple bites of each food item you want.
   
   
2. Bring a vegetable appetizer and munch a lot before the "big" meal on those yummy veggies.
   
   
3. Drink two glasses of room temperature water before you start your meal.
   
   
4. This will make you feel fuller and won't make your digestion system slow down as long as you keep the water warmer.
   
   
5. Use fat free whip cream for your pumpkin pie.
   
   
6. Avoid holiday cocktails. Every gram of alcohol equals 7 calories.
   
   
7. Work out 30+ minutes before your day starts (make sure it includes cardio)
   
   
8. Convince your family members to go on a short walk after your food settles! Great time to chat and enjoy the scenery.
   
   
9. Know your limits and don't make yourself miserable. Think about all the hard work you have been putting in.
   
   
10. Last but not least- have an accountability partner in your family. Let them know that you are trying to stay on track and want to keep your food under control. This is also a great time to update your family and friends what you have been doing in your exercise routine and the large strides you have been making!

I know we can do it guys!! If you mess up......it is OK!!! Just make up for it and get a hard workout in soon!! Let's stay strong through the next months so we can get a jump start on the new year! Join me and kick that little voice that sits on your shoulder that wants you to fail this holiday season!!!

Here We Go!

Here we go! Welcome to my blog! I'm not so sure exactly how all this works, but I am willing to give it a try and express my feelings, ideas and dig deep with everyone that follows this..............just kidding! But who knows! I really am going to try to use this blog to be 1.) Interesting 2.) Informational and 3.) Inspirational. This is my first time.........so go easy on me.....that's what all my new clients say!!
Well let's start by getting to know me:
My name is Haley Ray and I am the Personal Trainer at Fit for Her in Edmond. I am 23 years of age (I don't believe in getting old), I am married to Patrick Ray (going on 3 years.....yikes!) and have a background in Kinesiology studies and I am certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine for Personal Training.
I have been the Personal Trainer at Fit for Her for just a little over a year and have extremely enjoyed it. It is not only doing what I love, but I have made some awesome friendships with people that share the same passion for fitness.
I am not your barbie/perfect body type, but one thing I am is real. I am a real woman with a real life and understand real life needs. I have never been a size 3 nor attempted to try to get my jumbo muscular leg into a pant leg of that size. And that is OK! :)
That brings me to the beginning of my interest into the fitness world...................
I was never a small child. I always seemed to be awkwardly bigger than most of the kids in my grade, ballet class, and the basketball court. I was always active, but I kept a lot of baby fat making me an over weight child. I didn't really see a problem with it until I started getting made fun of on the school bus constantly. I got used to people telling me the excuse that I was big boned (which I am), but there was plenty around those bones. Ughhhhh...... So being the determined person I was, I did two things 1.) I punched the guy who was calling me fat in the mouth and made him go to the dentist (mind you I was like in 5th grade)(disclaimer-I am not promoting violence, just justice) and 2.) That whole next summer I did workout sessions on TV! Lame I know, but I was determined to not be overweight anymore! My parents also bought a weight machine and I started lifting weights! This was my decision and motivation, I wasn't foreced to do anything. No parental units were involved in besides encouraging and supporting whatever I wanted to do.
I was always interested in basketball and my new interest in fitness just made my skills on the court that much better. My sister and I would spend countless hours every night going to the gym in town to play bball with the boys (yes I said "in town" bc we lived in the country, but the town only consisted of 500 ppl anyway). Then I started realizing the better shape I was in the better my performance on the court became. It was addicting and I craved the healthy lifestyle even more. I then pursued a dream of playing basketball in college and even in the WNBA :) Didn't make it to the WNBA.....but really that is how my interest in the fitness world started.
I know my story may not touch everyone, but hopefully you can relate to my experience somehow and how I overcame it!
That's all for now, but I intend to be posting more informative information in the near future!!