We are all so sad to have one of our Los Gatos 6am “die-hard boot camper’s”, Beth Morse move to San Antonio.

Now….I’m a Texas girl myself…

And San Antonio is not a bad place to end up (just wait till you experience the River Walk and tubing down Guadalupe in New Braunfels…you’ll be happy), but I’m just being selfish right now and am just plain bummed out to see our Beth go.

MY STORY:

Beth founds us (thank you Susan Freiman) last June. During Beth’s first month, she was having lots of problems with her knees, struggling, and as an instructor, I was scared that last June was going to be the only month that saw her. But, July rolled around and she was still there. And then August rolled around and she was still there! unannounced to me, Beth was totally addicted to Boot Camp.

HER STORY:

Okay…don’t get mad. I literally just flew into town today and am planning time to meet with Beth to interview her! I really want you to hear her story of what I can see, has been a life changing year with Red Shift Fitness. Again…I’m not going to talk for her. Stay tuned to this blog and she will share all her juicy stories.

YOUR STORY:

Do you have a story you want to share? Let me help you not be shy about this. Here at Red Shift, we are trying to do something very big, one person at a time. When you’ve had success and you share your experience, you are literally ‘paying it forward’ to the next person sitting there reading this, who is living in a bad space, wanting and wishing to change their life and focus on the ultimate, their health. They are wondering if they, too could be successful, and when you share your story, you give other people the hope and inspiration they need to get out of their comfort zone and into living the best life they can.

If you have a story, share it down below on this blog. You have the capacity to change someones life for the better, right now.

Boot Camp sounds like such a great workout…but I have to get in shape before I go.

Yes. This is what I heard last week when I was teaching the Wednesday 6pm training session. My long time client, friend, and Red Shift Boot Camp member Diane, was telling me the story of her friend that she’s trying to get to join her in Boot Camp.

I couldn’t believe my ears! But then again…I guess I could.

A lot of people have the misconception of what Boot camp is all about. The words “boot camp” already put a little fear in people with its militant background. Thoughts of drill sergeants with whistles screaming and pushing might go through your head. But I can tell you: Our Program is the antithesis of this mentality.

START AT YOUR OWN PACE

Seriously…our Programs are designed for you to start exactly where you are right now, today. The fitness levels in our camps range dramatically. We have members who have never exercised a day in their life! Honestly, when I hear someone say “they have to get in shape before joining camp,” it makes no logical sense.

AMAZING COACHES

Our Coaches are degreed and certified professionals! They are well equipped to modify the workouts, and more than that, we get to know you. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, we know exactly the best way to push your limits and when to back off. We offer an extremely positive and supportive environment, and you will feel it from day one…even if you are a beginner! You’re essentially getting a highly trained and qualified personal trainer who knows you, but in a dynamic group setting that feeds off everyone’s energy. It doesn’t get better than that!

WE HAVE FUN!

Seriously…I don’t know how people workout at a gym. The stale air closed in space, and boring routines. Even if you are working with a trainer, it’s so easy to get stuck in rut. Our Red Shift Camps are inspiring, energizing, never boring, and always a blast. It makes it A LOT easier to sweat and work hard when you are having fun.

COMRADERY

This kind of folds in to the “We Have Fun” category above. Once you get into Camp, you will see that even compared to other camps (trust me …our members who have tried other companies are quick to share…) our members are awesome. Everyone is supporting everyone else. There are no ego’s here, just tons of fun, and a great way to meet like-minded, health conscious friends like yourself! Some of our Campers met in camp, and ended up vacationing together! How cool is that?

Okay, folks…there you have it! If you have any friends who are on the fence about giving our kick-butt boot camp program a try, remind them of the above points, or even better, send them to this page and let them see it for themselves!

Remember, we roll out the red carpet for your friend. Get them here and we will take care of them!

Have you ever sat in the absolute back seat of a commercial plane? I’m talking about the last row, where the seats don’t recline and you’re right next to the bathrooms.

Well, that’s where I am right now as I write this to you. On this plane, the jets cover the windows, so you can’t even see outside.

I’ve just spent the past 5 days in “The Big D”, (aka: Dallas), mixing some family time with a business trip. I tackled 2 (yes….TWO) big family reunions in one very long weekend. It’s always good to see my family, young and old, who travel from all over to be together for this short spell. There is always waaaayyy too much food, including my grandmother’s homemade ice cream, which when it’s about 100 degrees outside, is the only thing I really wanted to eat. : )

In my nutrition coaching programs, one of the first things I teach is “How to gauge the hunger scale”. And with the incredible amount of BBQ Brisket, Tri-tip, 7 varieties of potato salad, that weird pink fluffy “salad”, 3 different homemade cobblers, banana pudding, a birthday cake for my Great Aunt (who celebrated her 90th by the way…) and of course, homemade Big Red ice cream, this particular hunger scale came in very handy this weekend.

HOW TO MONITOR YOUR HUNGER AND FULLNESS

Truth time:
Most people don’t take the time or even bother to check in to see what’s really going on in their body. They eat because it just happens to be time to eat, or because everyone else is eating, or because some emotion evokes an eat-everything-in-sight moment. This is not a judgment against you (or myself for that matter), but a cold-hard fact. Putting nutrition aside, if you are not at your body’s natural weight, it is because you are eating when your body is not hungry. And a full weekend of buffet style family reunions can be looked at two different ways: one, is of horror, while you eat everything in sight, completely unconscious of your body’s communication… or the other is option is to view it as an opportunity to tune in and listen to the subtle messages your body is giving.

YOUR CHOICE! (Don’t you love free will?)

THE SCALE, from 1-10

1: Get the *&*&%* out of my way…. I. Need. Food. NOW!!!
(just a side note…this is a totally rotten place to be. When you get here, usually it’s a sign of your blood sugar dropping way below normal and you will stop at nothing to get some food in your body. At this point, often consciousness is gone, and it is extremely easy to overeat reaching a 9-10 on the hunger scale…yikes!)

2: Okay…I’m dropping too low, I can really tell I’m hungry.

***Eating somewhere around/between 2-3 is ideal***

3: More than just a little hungry

4: You’re starting to feel a little hungry. It’s just below neutral, so it’s subtle. Nothing crazy here, so if you pay attention, you notice the very subtle feeling.

5: Is “neutral”. You are neither hungry nor full. Maybe this is where you are an hour or two after eating.

6: Is just above “neutral” in terms of fullness.

7: Feelings of satisfaction with the amount of food you’ve eaten. You can tell there’s no more hunger, and feelings of over-eating are also not present

8: This number is easy to get to, when you’ve decidedly moved to a 7, and then even just 1 or 2 bites more and….BOOM…you’ve reached an 8. The fullness factor has increased.

***stopping somewhere between 6-8 is ideal***

9: Oh boy…you’ve ignored your body’s very subtle clues and have passed the point of no return. : ) Now you’re on the couch ready for a nap.

10: You know the feeling you get when you ate too much dinner, then kept snacking in the evening, and now it’s time for bed and it just hurts to even lay down? It’s like you turn to one side, but your belly stays over there! A very unpleasant feeling, indeed, brought on by unconsciousness and neglecting your body’s very gentle and subtle feedback systems that tell you you’ve had enough.

Here’s how it works:

1. Your body is miraculous and does not fail you. If this belief does not come easy to you, then it will be difficult to believe that your body actually does give you the right messages…it’s just your job to pay attention!
2. Start tuning into your body and really listen to the clues it gives. This is difficult at first, but over time becomes easier and natural
3. Each time you are about to grab for food—whether it’s mealtime, snack time, or cravings/compulsions time—ask yourself if you are really hungry, and then give yourself a number from the scale.
   1. What this does is open your consciousness to decipher what’s really going on inside. Are you stressed? Lack of Sleep? Are you eating because it’s just time? Are you truly hungry?
   2. Once you dig deep, you might realize you’re not hungry at all! Then you can use your free will to decide if eating whatever it is will serve your body, your purpose, and your greater good.
   3. Or you might figure out that you are indeed hungry and it’s time to eat.
4. If you decided it’s time to eat (you’re below a 5 on our scale), now comes the fun part: Paying attention while you are eating!
5. Notice while you are eating if you are on auto-pilot or if you are taking your time. Notice if you can put your fork down occasionally and pause in the middle of the meal. And most importantly, can you notice as you slowly move from below 5 and into the 6, 7, or above range? And more than noticing…can you stop with happiness and content before hitting those higher numbers? If you can’t…why not? What’s going on there?

Look… I realize this isn’t rocket science….

But nevertheless, most people find it difficult to stay conscious enough to let this process occur. Start practicing before the big party, and let it be your guide everyday. In our nutrition coaching programs, this is one of the many methods we use to get you the results you need and deserve.

MY PERSONAL STORY

This might have been my best trip to Texas. As most of you know, I’m not a big fan of deprivation. If you “go on a diet”, there is an equal and opposite binge waiting around the corner for you.

But using this scale and staying present, in the moment, conscious (whatever you want to call it), I enjoyed all the foods from my family, eating when I was hungry, and stopping when I was full. As for my Nannies homemade Big Red ice cream, the small bowl I savored s-l-o-w-l-y, might have been the best bowl I’ve ever eaten.

Because it’s really not the ice cream I want. It’s what the ice cream represents. It’s the feelings of a hot, humid summer afternoon, sitting on the porch swing, hanging around with my grandmother and family, listening to the kids play, and my great aunt’s laugh. It’s the full realization of the moment, taking it in and savoring every sight, sound, taste, and touch. That’s what I want….and unconsciously eating 3 bowls of Big Red ice cream won’t get me anything but an upset stomach. And most importantly, what I was really craving—connection with my family—would never have happened because I would have been too busy stuffing my face instead of feeding my soul.

And how did I do it, and how can you do it, too?
By getting a little mechanical with your life and implementing a system that works. The hunger scale above combined with mindfulness just plain works. This is the stuff we teach in my nutrition-coaching program. Working with a coach (as I have found out for myself) can literally catapult you into a new level of consciousness.

If you haven’t checked out the Body Balance Nutrition Challenge…maybe it’s time!

Cathy Rocks.

Not just because she lost a ton of weight and inches in a matter of 8 short weeks, but because during our first meeting she was extremely up front and frank with me.

Cathy has tried countless “diets”, which of course can work in the short term, but basically set you up for failure. So coming into the Body Balance Challenge, she already had her head on straight. She knew that diets didn’t work, and she knew that if she was to succeed with this program, it would have to make sense for her life and not feel like a diet.

Enter: The Body Balance Nutrition Challenge

Hear how our WINNER was able to learn a better way to eat and lose weight.

Cathy showed up for her life, took control, and reaped the rewards. That’s what we are all about at RedShift. And the Body Balance Nutrition Program encompasses our deepest values, from showing up to your life, and living it to the fullest.

The next challenge Starts Monday, June 28th.

The first meeting will be a teleconference webinar, followed by focused one on one nutrition consultations with me.

If you are ready to get control, and get your body back, then nothing else matters like taking action.

Take action today! Register for the Body Balance Nutrition Challenge today!

Jaime rockin' it 10.5 pounds lighter! Congrats for being recognized as our CLIENT OF THE MONTH for June!

Jamie loves to exercise….

This girl can Boot Camp, Kick box, P90x, and stair climb you over any day of the week! In fact, that’s exactly what Jamie does. She doesn’t feel like herself unless she gets a good sweat session in most days of the week. And I have to say…I know exactly what you mean, Jamie!

But the truth that I preach in all our Boot Camp training sessions to all of you ALL THE TIME, is that nutrition is 80% of the game. Bottom line.

So after hearing me say it again and again, she decided to give the Body Balance Nutrition Program a try. Now let me say this, if you don’t know about this program, it is an intensive 8-weeks. I’m not talking about “pie-in-the-sky” wishy-washy nutrition tips. I’m talking about get-in-your-face-accountability. I’m talking about looking at things (not just food) that you haven’t bothered to look at before. If you struggle with your weight and nutrition, this program is life altering.

And that’s exactly what Jamie has done. She has changed her life and she is not looking back! Read below what Jaime had to say about her experience:

“This program opened my eyes.”

It wasn’t about restricting, but about restructuring my choices. I knew if I could figure out my nutrition the pounds just might fall off and the hard work I do exercising might finally show. Audra was completely relate-able and that mattered so much to me. I made the simplest adjustments and reaped the rewards. I have been in various programs that focused on tough love and pointed out my flaws. In the simplest ways, Audra taught me to love myself and all my features.

Recently I met a man when I was out one night and he asked me, “So what are you about?” I answered, ” Well, I’m awesome.” The confidence I’ve searched for for so long is present and just flowing out of me. I love it!

Audra opened my eyes, and told me it was ok to take care of myself and how focusing on me would be the best thing I could do for myself and my family. Audra changed my life. I stood at the fork in the road and she guided me to the healthier direction, and knocked down the obstacles I always thought were there. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible 8 weeks ago, but I’m proof. Now I make a conscious decision to put me first every day, to plan my meals, to savor my food and to love myself. I am so grateful for this opportunity. My lifestyle has changed-I do not diet- I eat. I no longer carry guilt with me when I eat or grocery shop. I’m so happy I cry from joy and accomplishments! Thank you so much Audra!

And a big congratulations to Jaime for being recognized as our CLIENT OF THE MONTH for June! As our client of the month, not only will she get showered with attention and recognized in our newsletters and blogs, but she also gets dinner on us at my favorite little spot, Andale!