Goal Oriented Success *Client Spotlight*

One of my favorite things about what I do is having a client who has a rock solid tangible GOAL in mind, such  as a high school reunion or a wedding. I know these clients will be standouts for me because they have something to work towards and together we both have something to really push for. Whats even BETTER is once they achieve their goal-it’s 99.999999% likely that they will want to keep what they’ve worked so hard for because they look and FEEL so awesome. Plus, by this point it has become a habit and apart of their lifestyle. That right there is the REAL payoff as a trainer!

All this being said-I sure do love a good before and after! I use the term “after” very loosely because in all honesty it really is a PROGRESS picture! It is truly a trainers hope that they keep health and fitness as a life long habit. BUT! Let’s be real here…those side by side pictures to see the progress is so completely motivating and SO MUCH FUN to see because it is a direct reflection of consistency and hard work!

For this blog’s client spot light it goes to none other than Gillian. She came to me with a GOAL of looking and feeling better as a bridesmaid in her friend’s wedding. The first thing I noticed about her is her true willingness to put in the work that was needed to achieve her goals. This is something a trainer can really pick up on literally within the first minute of meeting a client. She was open and ready to make whatever changes she needed to make in her lifestyle as needed and she trained with me 3 times a week, never missing a session. During each session she left it all on the gym floor. She remembered all of my training cues as the sessions went by and she just continuously improved. Not to mention she has a wonderful personality and we had so much fun doing so. This is something I want everyone to know. You can have fun with the process! You are making an investment in yourself so why not? 🙂 I know we did, and I feel like I have a friend who makes me a better trainer because she just gets better. In 3 months she lost lb’s but most importantly lost tons of inches and gained massive self-confidence! Her endurance and strength has massively improved and I couldn’t be prouder! Without further ado…I give you Gillian’s progress pictures!

That right there is the sum of tons of SWEAT AND CONSISTENCY INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE GYM.

Proud of you girl! You LOOK INCREDIBLE! 

As always feel free to reach out to me for anything, results are what I’m after!!!

In Health-Demi

 

Small habits=huge change

Over the past week or so I have been thinking about what makes a person successful, no matter what business they happen to be in. I’m not just talking about success in your job, but success in every aspect of your life. True and complete joy and contentment.

Is it talent? Is it luck? Rich family?

I really tried to look around people and within myself asking these questions, while quietly observing those around me trying to see if there was a top secret “code” that people were following that other people could try out too.

The truth is, there was no ‘code.’ There was, however, a common thread that I picked up for sure among those where I was seeking some sort of answer.

Everyone that I observed that was living a truly fulfilling life, not just in their job but with everything it seemed, all did certain LITTLE things every day. I always say it’s not the big things that yield results, but the culminations of small things done here and there that give you the big pay off you are looking for.

And wouldn’t you know that is applicable everywhere?

That daily UN-SEXY habits and rituals are what build us or break us. 

This doesn’t apply to just our health and fitness goals, but to our relationships, family, business, etc. Pretty much everything!

• waking up at 5 am for a workout? Unsexy
• Leaving a little love note in your kids shoe the night before school? Unsexy
• Making sure you are hydrated every day? Unsexy
• Getting that last sweaty rep in the gym even though you are exhausted? Unsexy
• Treating the janitor like the CEO? Unsexy
• Taking the garbage out before your spouse asks you? Unsexy

These are just examples…but you get the point. What I’ve observed is that it’s the little things that truly matter at the end of the day and it can apply to everyone and to every aspect of your life. So what now? Think about everything you say and do today. Are you speaking from love and kindness? Are you taking care of yourself?

Lets be mindful today.  Un-sexy habits make us into sexy individuals in more ways than the physical portrayal of the actual word.

In Health-Demi

Supplement or nah?

Definition of supplement

1. 1a:something that completes or makes an addition

   Some Synonyms: additive, addendum, addition, appendix, compliment, extra, option

Now that the definition is out of the way, I think you have a pretty good idea what a SUPPLEMENT IS. In what I’m specifically talking about today is naturally; dietary supplements to enhance your performance and/or natural well being and overall  health.

These include but are not limited to:

Protein bars, shakes, etc

Fish oil

Amino Acids

BCAAS

Pre-workout

Fat burners

The list goes on and on…

There is a REASON why I prefaced all of this with the definition of what a SUPPLEMENT is, which is what all of the above fall under. This is why:

TO ADD SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR LIFESTYLE MEANS THAT YOU HAVE VERY SPECIFIC GOALS AND YOU HAVE A PLAN. TO ADD SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR PLAN MEANS THAT YOU ARE ALREADY ON A HEALTH AND FITNESS PLAN AND LIVE THIS LIFESTYLE OR YOU ARE BUILDING NEW HABITS, AND AGAIN YOU HAVE A PLAN.

If it sounds like I’m yelling, I am.

Supplements are NOT for anyone who thinks they can take a pill, patch, shake etc *NO MATTER WHAT IS PROMISED TO YOU THROUGH FAKE MARKETING* and just continue on with your sedentary lifestyle eating whatever and thinking you will have any positive results!!!

If any supplements tells you, “All you have to do is drink this every day and you will lose weight without changing your lifestyle! or All you do is take this pill in the morning, and wear this patch and BAM a bikini ready bod is on the way!”

RUN FAR FAR AWAY WHEN YOU HEAR OR SEE THESE CLAIMS! Because that is all complete BS and they are just stealing your money. #FACTS

Now! On the flipside: there are some GREAT supplements out there, and I recommend certain ones to my clients all the time. There is even a shake I recommend to my clients and it’s the ONLY one I endorse because it helped me feel super healthy and supplemented my own weight loss journey where I  lost 60 lbs 3 times in my life.  Again: this shake didn’t make me lose the weight. It HELPED me and made me feel good in my fitness journey. Check it out here or not; it’s all good. Remember; supplements are to ADD and enhance your healthy lifestyle. Think of them like the cherry on top of your icecream (probably not the best analogy for a health and fitness blog but you get my point), supplements just make everything a little bit better and more enjoyable for you when used the right way.

I do recommend Shakeology to everyone if they are looking for a protein and super food drink to SUPPLEMENT their healthy lifestyle. Depending on the client in front of me, I will also recommend other products depending on their specific goals. It’s all very subjective and all of this is another reason why having a  personal trainer is so important.  It’s not just about your workout, but everything else you consume during the day that can make or break your results. All of this being said-there are a ton of clients who choose no supplements whatsoever-and that is completely ok as well.

**Remember-supplements are to ENHANCE your journey to a healthier and fitter you…they are NOT a quick fix, they are NOT just a pill you can pop and magically lose weight.  No weight loss patch will curb your appetite and therefore help you lose weight. It’s NOT going to happen. If there was a quick fix that worked-wouldn’t everyone on planet earth be fit and healthy?**

Truth is: you gotta work. You have to put in the TIME, blood, sweat, and tears. You have to be PATIENT, you have to be CONSISTENT. There will be ups and downs. You have to roll with it. That’s why it is called a JOURNEY. You will have set backs. You will mess up. It’s in these moments that define your character and how bad you want to live a healthier lifestyle. You simply just have to keep going. There is no magic ANYTHING…stay hungry, stay focused, do the work and you will see the results that you’ve always wanted.

As always, I am always here for your questions or concerns-if you’d like to meet up for a free consult in the Charleston area-just send me a msg via my contact tab.

In  Health-Demi

Variety inspires consistency

Variety=RESULTS!

You need it. Everyone does. Why?

It is the only way you will stay committed for the long haul in your fitness journey. No one wants to be going to the gym everyday and doing the same routine, week after week. That is a sure fire way to get in a mental rut that can possibly halt your motivation altogether.

One thing that I have really embraced over the years is that I will never know it all, and neither will you. I strive to keep learning from everyone around me and I use all of it somehow. There’s a saying that goes; “If you’re not learning, you’re dying” and I truly believe that. Stay humble-learn and grow.

As a fitness professional I encounter a lot of the same split routines with gym members. Usually it goes something like this: Chest, Back, Shoulders/Arms, Legs. Or a combination of some of those spread out over the week. While this is very effective and DOES have it’s place in our fitness regimens-I do encourage variety with myself and my clients for many reasons.

Main one is that you can get mentally bored. Another reason is if you really do the same thing week after week…month after month..you’re body will start to adapt and you may encounter that dreaded “plateau” where you will stop seeing results and/or improvement.

Start to think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help or research different workout ideas on your own. Think of stability AND resistance training at the same time. Sports specific drills such as football and soccer drills can be very effective for speed training, burning calories while being seriously fun! Take a group fitness class here and there to shake it up a bit and to inspire ideas for yourself in your training. While it can be a bit scary to step outside your workout “box” and take out your ear buds…I promise you will gain some benefit from it.

As  always feel free to ask my anything-I’m here for you.

In Health-Demi

Trust and finding your “Why”

As I go through my personal training career, I always try to put myself in the position of the “consumer.”

Why would they hire me?

How can I convey that they can trust me?

The “why” and the “trust” are very important.

Let’s talk about trust.  I think it’s safe to say that within minutes of meeting someone you have already decided if you are going to trust them or not. For some people-trust is something that has to be proven. Both of course are very understandable. I know that when trust is broken, it’s pretty impossible to repair. Which is why it’s at the top of my priority list.

I want to get to know my clients. I don’t just want to be the “repair man” that just comes and fixes something, get’s paid, and leaves. Absolutely not. We’re in this for the long haul. This is about commitment. I want to look (for example) at YOU in the eyes and really listen. LISTEN for those cues as to what will be enjoyable for you, what you may not like, and what really makes you “tick” in a sense. It’s hard to describe as you can see! But you are essentially trusting me to change your life. I do NOT take that lightly. Every night I plan for the next day’s workouts, I dream about them, I will change them at the last minute if need be. I’m NOT a clip board holder and I will NEVER be going through the motions of just telling you what to do. Far too often-my time with clients always seems to go too fast because I lose track of time since I’m so absorbed in your experience. I’m WITH you, with every grunt, every bead of sweat, every properly executed rep-I am your biggest fan. I will also step in and tell you that you can do better when I know you can at certain times. I am results oriented. There is a method to the madness. I envision your goals as my own. If you can’t trust me to push you to your personal best, that wall of trust can be broken. And that is simply not going to happen with me. Your success is my own success.  My passion for you to succeed and be happy with your experience with me is what makes my eyes open in the morning. Period. End of story.

After establishing trust, we can move on to finding your WHY.

I have a very simple explanation of how to get to the root of your WHY.

Your WHY should make you cry.

Or at least a little contemplative.

Not trying to get sappy here; but before committing to me, spending time with me, sweating with me, and putting in the work: this must be established.

Are you doing this to look good in a bikini or for the summer? If that’s the answer you give yourself-you need to sit your butt back down and think again.

Forget about how you want to look. FORGET ABOUT IT. You need to establish a vision for yourself.

How do you want to feel?

Do you want to be able to keep up with your kids/nephews/nieces/grand-kids etc and play with them?

Do you want to be more confident?

Do you want to lower your cholesterol so you can live a long life for your family?

Do you just want to be healthy so you can not just survive, but really and truly THRIVE?

Do you want to set an example for someone you know because you care about them?

These are just examples of the type of questions I want you to ask yourself. Write it down in 3-4 sentences. BE SPECIFIC. Tape it to the bathroom mirror. Put a copy in your car. Do what you need to do to have this important reminder of why you want to change your life.

It’s not all about just losing the lb’s…but after implementing these 2 simple mental tasks, the weight-loss and strength gains are an added bonus effect and that’s when you will start to see results.

It’s about thriving and being truly happy with yourself. This is something you have so much control over, unlike many circumstances in life…THIS…you CAN control! You’re at the steering wheel here. I can help steer you in the right direction.

In Health-Demi

Friendly reminders…

Twitter: @demi_eliese

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trainerdemi

Instagram: demi_eliese

Also: Voting for Best Personal Trainer is still open! My name is at the top of the list-just head on over HERE and scroll down to “Best Personal Trainer,” “Demi Eliese Fitness” is listed right at the top. Click on “VOTE” and you are good to go and I am eternally grateful.

Thank you!

Corporate Discounts and other incentives/offers-plus a way to win 1 month of FREE training!

I told you I was going to give you my personal training corporate discounts today, and I aim to please. Please note that these discounts only apply to local business owners AND their employees; as well as hospital employees and veterans or active military in the Charleston area. If your business would like to become an affiliate partner with DM FITNESS, you can lock in these special rates, and I will put your website and logo on this website (free to do).  If this is something that interests you-please contact me and we can set that up.

Without further ado-here are the heavily discounted rates:

3 times a week of Personal Training with me at Exemplar Fitness:  $299/month.  

Twice a week of PT with me: $219/month 

One time a week of PT with me would be $139/month 

**There is an additional charge to the gym for their fee which is $59/month, discounts are available through the gym if there at least 5 people from your company signing up-contact me with more information on that.**

There are no contracts with me or the gym.

You are always offered a complimentary session.

*If you are interested in group training please contact me and let me know as those prices are drastically different according to group size and how many times a week you would like to train. A corporate discount will still apply to your group if it applies.*

***If you are reading this and still haven’t voted for Best Personal Trainer, I would be honored to have your vote! Even if you don’t live in Charleston, you can still vote. ALSO-everyone that sends me a screenshot of their vote will be entered into a drawing to win 1 MONTH OF FREE TRAINING (winner picked at random). Click HERE to be taken directly to the voting screen. Scroll down to the category of “Best Personal Trainer” and there you will see “Demi Eliese Fitness”…click on “VOTE”, verify your email address and you are good to go! The screen shot should show the green “voted” button  next to my name to qualify.***

As always, feel free to ask me anything!

In Health-Demi

Finding Balance

Myself and my boyfriend, Chris (DJ Rehab).  Pictured here he was DJ’ing the biggest New Year’s Eve party in Charleston; Charleston Wonderland. (Picture Credit Dana K. Davis). Yes-you can be fit and healthy and still have fun.

When you are on the path of self empowerment via health and fitness, it can seem like an all or nothing kind of mentality. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way.

I love to tell clients that YES they can still have bacon. They can still indulge in cupcakes. You can still have a drink with friends occasionally. It’s like I just lifted a 100 lb weight off their shoulders…like “did my trainer really just say that?” Yes, Yes I did.

There’s a popular thing that people hear about a lot, and it’s called the 80/20 rule. Now depending on your goals it can be more like 90/10. Basically:  80% of the time, you are strict on your nutrition and going to the gym. 20% of the time…go ahead and have that cake at the office party or go out with your friends. The thing here is to find your BALANCE and see what works for you, while still seeing results. Everyone is different. Some can have bacon and oatmeal every morning, and for some it can impede your progress or slow it down. This is truly a hit or miss thing, you have to go through a lot of trial and error and find your sweet spot.

A lot of it is self intuition. If you still feel good post “cheat” and you are able to hop right back on the horse and go back to healthy eating and workouts the very next day or even the same day-it may be safe to say that you are just fine with what you chose to indulge in. This is just one technique of many. Also please remember there are NO cheat DAYS-ever. There can be cheat meals-but not entire days! Many people (like myself) plan their cheat, I like to do a once a week thing, personally. I can still stay on track and it doesn’t hinder myself from maintaining my fitness.

Bottom line: it’s going to take some time. Keep a journal of how you feel after you eat and/or drink certain things. See if anything “trends” in your performance after indulging. What’s important here is that the majority of the time, you are treating yourself like an athlete; eating and hydrating properly while still working out most days of the week.

Hon, you still have to LIVE. I don’t want you to be that person at a birthday party internally screaming because you want a slice of birthday cake. HAVE THE CAKE. (Just one slice though! Portion control is important for these kind of things!) Have a cookie. Have a beer. If you are able to control yourself and keep yourself within reasonable limits OCCASIONALLY…than these kind of things are ok.

Back to the picture above…that evening was a perfect example of myself still having fun, but I still went to the gym pre and post event. Nothing else changed for me nutritionally. That evening though-I did have some adult beverages and ate a bit more than I usually do…because it was just one evening, and I knew I was going to be back in the gym the very next day.

Find your balance. Live your life. Always remember your goals. Being fit and healthy doesn’t have to be a miserable thing.

Enjoy.

In Health-Demi

“When will I see results?”

This is a question that I get asked ALL.THE.TIME.

And I get it. I was the girl who would workout, eat good, and get some good sleep, and I would weigh myself every single day! I would find myself very disappointed because sometimes my weight would go up, or there would be very minute changes. One thing you must know is:

THE SCALE IS A BIG FAT LIER.

(for the most part)

The scale is great to give yourself an overall glimpse of how your diet and workout are working for you BUT only as one simple tool, because it does not give you the whole picture of how you are progressing. That number does not represent how many pounds are fat and how many pounds are muscle are on your body at any given moment.

THIS IS WHY I MEASURE. 

Body measurements are more trusting and can give me and you a more accurate glance of how you are moving along. It can give us a baseline for body fat percentage, where we can measure every 4 weeks to make sure we are progressing and moving in the right direction. Keep in mind even measurements can vary in ways that are “not desirable” at the moment because it can measure water retention as well as differences in your body composition that is very common in the beginning of a workout program. What matters most is that we keep a general baseline that includes a combination of the scale AND measurements every 4 weeks.

Most people will tell me that their clothes are fitting differently and are looser. THAT is what I am looking for. That tells me that you are not just losing body fat, but you are putting on muscle. I had a client in the past that over 3 months of solid training with me: lost ONLY 3/4 of a pound. Do you know how devastated she was?! THEN we got to measuring. Sure enough she lost 22 overall inches! Can you see now how much the scale is SO not the end all judge here? The scale is just a tool. This woman’s clothes were so loose on her! Those numbers tell me she put on muscle and boy did she get strong! When she saw how many inches she was down, her happiness could fill that gym times ten. She was happy and I was so proud of her.

So getting back to it: you know you can’t spot reduce. Think of yourself like an onion. Every day that you eat good, workout, and sleep good-a SLIVER of that onion comes off your entire body at once. It will take time to get to any problem areas. But it is doable! You just have to stay consistent.

Here’s JUST AN EXAMPLE of what can be typical as far as when you can see results. Of course everyone is different; so please keep that in mind. This represents someone who is watching their food intake and hydrating properly, working out most days of the week, and sleeping well in general every night.

• Week one: Most people start to see some change in the scale (usually up to five pounds) during this week. You’re likely to feel better, but not see major changes in your body.
• Week two: During week two you’re likely to start to see changes in the way your body looks and feels. Exercise starts to feel easier and your clothes will start to feel loose.
• Week three: Week three is when you start to feel momentum in your weight loss journey. If you’ve been consistent in your plan, your body is responding well and you start to feel like the program is successful.
• Week four: By week four it is very possible that you’ve lost enough weight (safely) to be a different clothing size.

Again, remember this is all very relative and different for everybody. I will be talking more about all of this in-depth in the coming weeks and really breaking it down so please stay tuned. Feel free to ask me any questions you would like me to cover in the comments or send me a message via the ‘contact me’ tab on this website.

In Health-Demi

Fail to plan…plan to fail.

Yeah, I know-not the most positive title for a blog post. But I promise this is actually something to simply help you out in the gym.

When you go to the gym: do you plan your workout? Or do you blindly walk about seeing what looks like something you could do, while looking absolutely clueless?

I was part of the second question for many years, so if that’s you-you are not alone!

I want to tell you how to get over this, because this is very important. This is also going to stress why personal trainers are very important.

You need to get over yourself. If you walk in and you don’t know how to use a machine…ASK SOMEONE. Ask a staff member or a personal trainer you may see around you. You will be shocked at how willing they are to show you because you know; that is their job and everything. What could help you even more is when you first sign up for that gym and they give you that initial tour (they allllllll do), slow them down and ask them about EVERY SINGLE MACHINE and how to do it, how to work it, how to load it with weight, what muscles they work, etc.

NEXT STEP.

Come up with some sort of plan. Of course if you hired a trainer, this is part of their job so you wouldn’t have to worry about this.

You will need to come up with some sort of split workout to do throughout the week where you can hit each muscle group every week you are in the gym. You cannot do total body every day. You need to give your muscles time to recover and grow-because that is the time they get stronger for your next workout.

Examples can look like this: Monday: Chest and Back, Tuesday: Legs, Wednesday: Shoulders and Arms: Thursday: Cardio, Friday: REST, Saturday: Light Total Body with core, Sunday: Rest or Cardio. Like I said that is an EXAMPLE. Everyone’s schedule will be different according to your goals that either you can figure out on your own, or again just hire someone to do it for you and just show up.

NEXT STEP. You thought I was done? No.

WRITE DOWN YOUR WORKOUT BEFORE YOU GO TO THE GYM.

For example: If you are doing legs-write down which machines or dumbbell movements you will be doing followed by the number of sets and reps. Then when you are doing the workout in the gym, WRITE DOWN the weight you are using so when you do the same workout in the future or using the same machine…you can make sure you increase your weight so you CAN PROGRESS in your fitness journey. Again-this only applies if you are going about this on your own. You will have to basically keep a journal.

This is how you can be successful when it comes to working out at a gym or in your home gym if that is your choice. You gotta write it down. How can you know what you did if you didn’t write it down so you can push yourself further next time you do it?

Write it all down. Plan. Execute. 

Or hire a trainer and forget everything I just wrote.

Same thing applies to food…but that is a whole different post for a different day.

Any questions, comments, feel free to post or go to the “contact me” tab and send me your message.

In Health-Demi