Alexandra placed in the top 10!

Congratulations to my client, Alexandra! She placed in the top 10 in the Bikini division at Fitness Universe. Doesn't she look fabulous? She has been working hard for months and all of her hard work paid off!

Final Plug...Alexandra is off to Miami

Check out the email my client, Alexandra, just sent out. She is off to Miami to do her first Bikini and Figure Competition at the Fitness Universe! She is raising money for a charity. Check it out-

Alexandra's email-

"Mission Miami is due to launch this Wednesday. Unbelievable! It seems only yesterday that I decided to embark on this personal challenge. And boy has it been an adventure. If I see another whey protein, piece of chicken, tuna, another alarmingly high pair of heels or high cut bikini bottoms…I will crack up. It has been such hard work but I wouldn't change it for the world.

First and foremost, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all of those who have generously donated to our amazing charity Ability Bow. We have already raised £917 which thrills me to bits. I have fully achieved my goals listed below!

Well…apart from the last one, due to be ticked off the list this week! ·

• To weight train 4 hours per week 100% ACHIEVED (in fact I worked out since end of January 09 I have trained 72 hours) ·


• To consume a minimum of 100 grams of protein per day 80% ACHIEVED (I found this one very tough) ·


• To maintain a single digit body fat percentage 100% ACHIEVED ·


• Get on stage and compete in the 2009 Miami Universe competition TO BE ACHIEVED 19th & 20th JUNE

In addition to these goals, I also discovered yesterday that I have gained 3.2 kg since the end of January which means I have achieved my weight gain target of 3kg too! Now, does this stellar girl not deserve more donations??? Of course she does! You have until the 20th July to make your donations! So keep them rolling in!" http://blog.alexandra-wilson.co.uk/

90% On Average - Nutrition Periodization

That last post was not meant to give everyone an excuse to take a week off. Actually I have been thoroughly enjoying getting back to my normal lifestyle- eating healthy, getting all of my workouts in and losing the bloat. Back to my normal self...

I always follow the 80-90% rule with my nutrition but one concept that I don't know if I have ever explained is the 90% "on average" concept.

When I have a week like we did last week in Britain I do my best to be close to 100% on track the week or two before we leave and then when I get back (this week) I am super motivated because I have had a break and am usually close to 100% for a week or two on the other side. So over 5 weeks-

Week 1- 100%
Week 2- 100%
Week 3- 50%
Week 4- 100%
Week 5- 100%

Guess what? On average the above equals 90%!!!! So on average I am actually right on track. The hard part about the above is being 100%. 100% means no meals can be missed, no vegetables can be skipped, and no wine can be drank(usually my weakness, a glass of wine with dinner 1-2 x a week). But knowing you are leaving on vacation in a few weeks keeps you focused and then because you let yourself relax, you are ready to be back on 100%. It works really well actually and is a strategy you should give a try.

I think too many people try to be 100% all the time and it just does not work long term. They eventually blow it, become self destructive and it gets them nowhere. Plus your body needs a break and will respond better afterwards.

It is periodization with your nutrition! We are always using a periodized training program, why wouldn't your nutrition be the same? Having periods of a more regimented food intake and other times of complete freestyling.

At this point I have 6 weeks until Alwyn and I head to Cabo for another vacation so once I again I will be on track close to 100% until we go because I know we will probably relax and have a few drinks while we are there. So overall, my year is 90% on track with what I should be eating and therefore I can feel good, look good and enjoy a relaxing vacation throughout the year!

What will you eat there?...Aahhh The British Bloat!

Just got back from a trip to Scotland and London. Alwyn and I try to go once a year to see his family and friends who live there. Before I left I was at my hairdressers and she said to me-

"What in the heck do eat while you are there? There is nothing healthy, is there?"

To tell you the truth when Alwyn and I go to Britain we absolutely do not try to stick to our normal healthy diet and I definitely know that the nutrition regime that we usually follow a minimum of 80-90% of the week slips to probably 50% or even worse...Gasp!!! It is as the saying goes- "It isn't what you eat between Christmas and New Years...it is what you eat between New Years and Christmas." Basically if most of your year you stick to a healthy diet of lots of fruits and veggies and lean protein, you can give yourself room to relax and enjoy yourself when you choose to such as on vacation or during the holidays.

Life is about experiences. The reason we eat healthy and workout is to experience life to the fullest, feel optimal and get the most out of life that we can. To fully experience Britain you definitely have to indulge in Fish N'Chips, the kind you get from the "Chippy" and eat out of a newspaper while walking down the street drenched in sauce, British Chocolate which is out of this world, Crisps in flavors such as Roasted Chicken and Steak and Onion, square sausage on a roll with brown sauce(Alwyn's fav), a Traditional British Breakfast which includes Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, mushrooms, Beans and fried bread and the assortment of Pies, Pasties and other cooked goods that you can only find in Britain. It is true that at a traditional British restaurant their idea of vegetables is a few green peas on the side of your plate. And then of course...the beer- I am usually a one glass of red wine kind of girl(ok, maybe two) but not in Britain- Yes, I do enjoy a Guiness or a Newcastle or my new favorite was one called Organic Honey Dew. We drank a lot of Shandies which are half Beer and half Sprite. They have lots of different beer and being married to a man from Scotland I have accumulated an appreciation for good beer.

Yes, I usually do put on a few pounds and feel less than optimal and am anxious to get back to my normal routine when I get home and within a week lose the British Bloat. It is usually a good boost for my fitness and nutrition when we get back and it is amazing that within a day or two the bloat comes off. If you follow a healthy lifestyle most of the time you can take a week completely off without too much damage at all and give yourself a break. As long as you get back to it after a week, you'll lose the bloat within a day or two.

Our damage control- We did keep up our exercise despite all of the food we indulged in and tried to drink enough water. We hiked up to a Castle which was a pretty tough hike along with squeezing in a couple workouts a week at the local gym and I got a run in along with walking what we figured to be about 5 miles a day while in London. I actually like to run when I am in a new place to explore the area and Alwyn and I usually walk around the city quite a bit.

Anyway, I just thought it was funny that my hairdresser thought that I actually eat super healthy while in Britain...because honestly I don't even try. I remember when I first met Alwyn and we went to a British Pub and I tried to order a salad and some wilted lettuce came out while he chowed down on some yummy fish and chips I swore I would never order a salad at a British Pub again. From now on when we go to a British Pub it has to be part of my 10% so when we have a week full of British Pubs...that 10% goes out the window and I enjoy myself!

BUT- I will say, because of this question I did pay more attention to IF you could eat healthy if you really wanted to and yes, of course, if you made the effort you can find healthy choices. Not at the chippy and maybe not at the British pubs but I was surprised that most of the British Pubs did have Vegetarian Options and many had a section of Healthy Choices on their menu. I did also notice a number of health conscious restaurants including- Pret A Manger and a place called LEON. Plus of course you can find grocery stores and get whatever you need. But when we sat down at our first British Pub of the trip and ordered our Shandies I was not about to order from the healthy options and miss out on a good steak and mushroom pie and chips with vinegar to go with my beer to get the full experience. And when Alwyn's dad cooked up a full British Breakfast for me I couldn't turn it down.

In all I gained 4 pounds while in Britain for 10 days and it took me one day to lose the 4 pounds. It was all just British Bloat that went along with the amazing trip we had, with fabulous experiences, good British food and of course beer!

And a renewed motivation to get back to my normal lifestyle!

Cheers!

Me and Nygel Lythgoe

Friday I spoke at an event for the Local Ladies in Business and it was a huge success. The keynote speaker was Nigel Lythgoe and he was great.













Also on the stage before me was Susan Beavers who is one of the writers for Two and Half Men and she was fantastic as well. They had a great lineup and I was honored to be among them.

Women need help!

Alwyn and I are in Vegas at a meeting with one of our business coaches. Our meeting starts at 8am so I got up early to head down to the gym to workout knowing that the day would probably be a lot of sitting. Gym opened at 6am. I arrived at about 6:10am and the treadmills were all taken(not that I wanted one but it goes with my story). This gym is very well equipped for a hotel gym. Every possible fixed machine you could imagine PLUS a full set of free weights up to 75 pounds(plenty) and a smith machine, swiss balls, medicine balls, a nice pulley station- lots of good stuff to get a good work out in. Yet, everyone was trudging along on the treadmills doing the treadmill shuffle.

I went over to the weight training area did a warm up of lunges, stretches and movement prep and then grabbed the 30 pound dumbbells and started with a set of lunges. During my workout only one woman ventured over to the free weights after she finished her hour on the treadmill and she grabbed the 10’s and this was her routine-

bicep curls, then some strange thing where she put the weights behind her and pulsed for 20 reps, then overhead presses, then shoulder rolls, then lateral raises, then bicep curls AGAIN but this time hammer curls and then finished with her arms behind her again but this time bending her elbows(probably thought she was working her triceps).

She proceeded to set the 10 pounders down and hit the locker room for a shower. That was it- that was her strength training. An hour on the treadmill and then that.

Sometimes, it is good for me to get out of my bubble at our gym where all of our female clients lift weights, challenge themselves and the priority workout for them is their strength training. They all do "bang for your buck" exercises and no woman at our gym spends more than 20 minutes on a treadmill and most don't spend any time on a treadmill. We have two treadmills that are empty most of the time.

Women need help when it comes to their fitness. This confirmed to me that women do need my book when it comes out- The Fit Chick Body and my website, www.fitchickcoach.com where I will be coaching and helping them to figure out what they should be doing in the gym. I just hope they are ready for it!

Go to the website now and sign up for updates if you aren't already on my list- www.fitchickcoach.com.

10,000 hours = Expert

One of my clients gave me the book- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

It is a great book, I am about half way through. She wrote in the front of it- "To Rachel, My outlier and inspiration..." I thought- wow, "one of her outliers..." and had to dig in to the book just to figure out what she meant by that. The book is all about how to become successful and an expert at what you do.

That same week someone asked my husband, "How did Rachel set herself up to become the expert training women?" Interesting that I had become known as the expert, at least to this person. And I couldn't really pinpoint what I did to "become the expert." I knew I had worked my way to the point of getting in the magazines and getting my first book published this year but how did I get to this point?

This all came together for me when I started the book. In Outliers he talks about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something and that is usually about 10 years for most people. It all clicked that I had put in my 10,000 hours and very well could be an expert at what I do. I love what I do and everyday work with women and learn more with every client about how to help them become the best they can be. I didn't start with my first client thinking- how do I become known as the expert? Instead I just kept my nose to the ground stone and did what I did the best I could do and continued to learn and apply what I learn. I listened to my clients and learned from them with every session.

It all started with my very first client in 1997(12 years ago). Her name was Mary Sue. Mary if you are out there- hello and thank you for being my first client! She was a fantastic client, a writer for a Soap Opera and I trained her in New York where I moved right after college. She was my client for a couple years. I would take her around the circuit of machines at the gym I worked at, Manhattan Plaza Athletic Club in midtown New York, and talk to her about her day and she saw improvements. In fact, after we had worked together for awhile she started riding horses again. But I think back now and I think how far I have come since 1997 when I started training that very first woman I ever trained. I gave her the best I knew how but from there have continued to learn with every client I have trained, every book I have read, every seminar I have attended, every experience, every conference I have been to and my philosophies and ideas have been shaped and formed and at this point I have definitely put in 10,000 hours training women. It wasn't until just a few years ago I did consciously say to myself- "I want to be the best at training women and know everything there is to know about it."

The more I think about it, I think this 10,000 hour rule is pretty accurate. You have to put the time in. We also see this with our business. We are going into our tenth year of having our business open and are now becoming known as experts in the fitness business. It has taken us 10 years to become experts running our business, making mistakes, reading business books, attending business seminars. But now after 10 years are becoming known as experts and have new fitness business entrepreneurs coming to us to learn from us. We have put the time in.

Another example is the coaches who work at our gym who get really good, really fast because they train a LOT of people. More than they would ever train working at another gym. They are all full time so work with clients 30-40 hours a week and see up to 3 people each hour. I have always noticed that this accelerates how good they get because of the mere number of clients they are training and learning from.

Decide what you want to be the best at in life, what you want to be an expert in and put your time in. Every hour you spend doing it, get everything out of that hour. There is no quick fix to becoming an expert or the best at what you do. You have to put the time and work in.

Although, people see me as an expert at what I do now, I will never stop learning, getting better and giving my best every day.

What will that make me 10 years from now when I look back?

Thank you Micaela for giving me the book, Outliers and for inspiring me to write this post. You are a pleasure to work with and to have in the gym.