When What You Love Isn’t Enough

Lets start off like this… it’s not that the love itself wasn’t sufficient. But what it became was not what you expected and it left you heart broken.

Sometimes dreams do that. You build up this perfect ‘how it might be’ in your mind and suddenly your goal is reached and instead of honest hard work to climb the ladder, there are those that drop their pants to get higher than you. And you’re not willing to do that. So you’re lost. You’re confused and most of all- broken hearted about what you fell in love with and were in love with for so long. 

The journey to find a new dream isn’t always an easy one. At least not for myself.  You lose yourself. Amongst the hundreds of hobbies you could pick up, none of them spark your interest like that first, giant dream.  All you want is to feel that fire you felt before- to know that you want it so badly you’ll skip out on other activities to work your ass off to have your hands around it.  

A voice.  You speak with yours in hopes to convince yourself and others that what you’re doing is what you love.  But is it?  It gives you unbelievable joy while you’re working- but the feeling of ‘something is missing’ is omnipresent. Or perhaps it’s just that you’re afraid to work so hard for something again only to have it crushed at your feet, along with all of the heart you poured into the belief in this goal. 

So how do we get past this? A wall built up in so short of time? What we have to remember is that walls may keep out the hurt, but they also keep out all of the joy as well.  If you’ve recently been let down, create something magic with what’s left.  Try your damnedest to get a goal that sparks your interest and fire again.  You can.  You will.  These moments are the ones that make you appreciate the better memories.  Don’t let it consume you.  Rise back up and get back to it.  The sun is shining, you have a presence that needs to be seen and felt to help those around you.  Believe it.

Soleone-Luxury at its Softest

What I thought was junk mail (believe me I get alot) turned out to be an amazing company ready to fly off the ground and hey would I like to try their clothes?  I’m so glad I did! The fabric is so smooth and if I could- I’d wear the hoodie every day! Check them out:

 

 

Get em here: http://soleone.net/ 

Becoming Who We Are Proud Of

Think back when you were younger. How exciting life could be. How great you wanted to be. An astronaut was the highest (literally) while being a life saving fireman or police officer was position that you wanted to stay at or above.  My point, is that some of us have settled.  We’ve become people we don’t know.  Life is confusing, we seem to lose our morals for what we think could be happiness or another notch on the totem pole.

Would your younger self be happy with that?  When you were young, you wanted greatness, sure you had been naive, but life’s jerks and complications are no reason to sacrifice your real beauty.  A person’s opinion of you should never become your reality.  Be who you are, a person you know you’d be happy with.  

You have big dreams? That’s great, that means you’re aiming high.  Just remember that with your extremely high goals, there will be people already there that may try to knock you down.  Not only that but there are people that will make you think you need to break a part of yourself to get to where you want to go.  When I say break, I mean morally, and THOSE situations are best walked away from.  Don’t lose passion for your goal. There’s a way to get there while having outstanding talent and keeping what you *should* value on together.  Be the whole package.

With each decision, remember what your younger self would think. You’ll make mistakes and mess up, that’s normal.  Don’t break that wonderful person you are underneath the make up, muscles or colored hair.  Stay beautiful (inside). 

Burn it & Rip it

My glutes HURT today, and I truly feel lucky to say that.  It’s been awhile since they’ve been that way with my whole Aubrie-needs-to-feel-sorry-for-herself moment where I didn’t really feel like training.  Now that I’m back I’m looking for pain- the good kind of course.  My buns are lacking (not greatly but still, everyone wants good ASSets) so I decided to hit a few moves that I knew would bust my butt.  I’d like to share them with you, follow along, print them off, write them down and hit that gym!

All exercises are 3 sets of 12-15 reps increasing weight on each set, 30 seconds rest between sets.

Single Leg Leg Press 50, 75, 90 #s
DB Split Squat 20#s all three sets
Lateral Step Up w/Kickback 15#s all three sets
Single Leg Smith Machine Squat 45, 65, 65# (I only did 10 reps here- owie!)
Machine Glute Kickback 35, 40, 45 #s
Walking Squat w/Band

Then I stretched it out, no cardio this day, I was beat!

Copyright CockDiesel Photo facebook.com/Cockdieselphoto

Have fun with it, always smile  

Men Respecting Women; Women Sticking it to Those that Don’t

Every girl will go through or has gone through it.

 

A guy gives you attention. You, being a girl, are nice. You might smile or even start up a conversation but where does that make their heads go?? To their groin.  Seriously it’s ridiculous.

 

But let me just tell you amazing young ladies something.. If you are in a relationship, and some bastard comes to you with this impressive list of jobs, that they can lift 9,000 friggin pounds and hey (insert inappropriate sexual question here) YOU SURE AS CRAP BETTER LAY DOWN THE LAW! Any as*hole that takes your relationship and tosses it into the garbage (which is what he’s doing) you better love your man enough to stick up for him and verbally cock punch the prick. No MAN will go after a lady that’s taken.  He’ll be respectful.  And I realize that in stories and movies this isn’t how it may be but you’re honestly going to feel ELATED once you stick up for something you believe in.. even if you believED in it before, it’s worth fighting for.

 

And for you lovely men that don’t act like giant genitals on feet, a big thank you to you. For being respectful amazing people that I can cyber high five instead of cock punch.

 

No jerk that flaunts his accomplishments then disrespects you can offer more than the man beside you (unless the man beside you hits you or disrespects you some other way.)

 

Well then. Lets all be amazing!

Chilly Winter Months, Warm Cocoa!

It’s getting deeper into the chilly months each year brings- and lets not forget the holidays! Thanksgiving has come and gone and thankfully here in Utah it was actually quite warm. Yet inevitably in northern Utah it’s getting below 40 and calling to everyone to huddle indoors, and shuffle into coffee shops for warm drinks.  I’d like to share with you a super-simple hot cocoa I learned about a couple of years ago to ward off cravings as well as warms your fingers after all the snow shoveling.

Fill a mug w/water, microwave about 2 minutes
Add 2-4 teaspoons of cocoa
1 packet Truvia
Unsweetened almond milk to taste 

Let it warm you and keep you out of that giant bag of cookies the neighbors have brought over!  Here are a few of the benefits cocoa provides besides helping you keep off the holiday pounds:

The flavonoids in cocoa help decrease the LDL cholesterol
Cocoa has also been shown to help decrease blood pressure (probably due to how amazing it tastes  this was found in short term studies)
Cocoa contains theobromine which is a ‘cousin’ to caffeine and stimulates the central nervous system.  Theobromine has also been used as a cough suppressor as well (though you’ll need much more than 1 bar of chocolate contains)

Feel free to scour the internet to learn more about cocoa and how delicious AND nutritious it can be. Drink up!
 

Doubt Your Limits is Going Commercial!

Here I sit. For the last hour I’ve been typing away, doing a bit of research and putting it all into my business plan. One I’ll be proud of taking to a bank to ask for a loan to help my empire grow. Sure, it won’t be alot. The gym won’t be filled with giant machines taking up the entire space, plus the gym won’t really be big enough. It will be filled with equipment I believe in using- which isn’t alot of machines. Mainly it’s for flooring and a few benches in case someone wishes to rep out for massive pecs and lifting the chest area

Anyway. I am SO excited! Working on getting the first draft done by the time I head to China with my BFF for a mini vaca across the asian continent! Stay tuned and make sure you check the NEWS section of my site as you may find yourself looking at a deal on training you just can’t pass up.

Why, hello. You’re looking Dapper

I realize it’s been months since my last post and it was probably deeply threaded with bitterness from some stupid part of my brain thinking cry babying would get life and the universe to hand me some better chapter in my life.  WTF was I thinking?  Life is not going to HAND you shit.  You literally have to head dive into that thick disgustingness called rough patches of life and dissect the ups and downs until you finally have a happy piece of life.

 

I’ve found it… Life.  The sun. My husband. My amazing friend Danny J and our amazing project named.. The Sweaty Betties.  The list could go on. This is just a short blog and I realize this. BUT I want you to visit my website for updates, training DEALS and STEALS and to stay up to date with my amazing life.  

 

And yes, I realize this could be the caffeine talking but as soon as I fall off of this high I’ll be reaching for another mug of COFFEE! Deeeep breath.  Ok ladies and gents, don’t forget to love what you see in the mirror no matter what size, height and hair color. YOU are worth living for, loving and so is life. Big smile! another one one more  

 

LOVE! (And I realize that I used the word ‘realize’ alot in this blog..)

Where’s the Love, Where’s the PASSION?

Ok I’m coming out and say it! The love and passion for my.. well, passion of fitness, has dwindled this year and has been far less than that of previous years. Why? Well, there are quite a few things that we don’t need to dive into, lets just say I had to sit down and reevaluate why I would even go to the gym.

And as it was, not too many months ago I stopped going as frequently, completely cut out cardio, cheated more, and ate far fewer sweet potatoes coupled with chicken breast. Hmmm. Not like me at all and to be honest I’ve wondered who the hell I am a few times now that goals I once had, ended up being more superficial than was worth my time.

Quitting. Wow, that’s a terrifying word. Once you quit you continue to quit and that ultimately means failure. Plus embarrassment. Who would want that?! Well there was a moment in time when I wanted to quit going to the gym, I wanted to ban it from my life as it had taken up so much of my valuable time in the past and what for?! WHAT FOR I ASK YOU?! I was angry with the entire ordeal and hated it for ending in a way I thought was a waste.

Lemme tell ya, that quitting lasted maybe a week. I felt like poop and cried looking in the mirror. Ok ok, lets go squat rack! Its you, me and the leg press for the next 40 minutes then I’m going to show that stupid elliptical who’s boss! I tried other types of workouts and did enjoy my first real crossfit experience. My workouts are mainly metabolic in nature now (which is basically how crossfit workouts are) because I don’t have to spend hours in the gym. Doing damn biceps curls is stupid and pointless and I’m going to throw this dumbbell at the next muscle-head jackass that looks at MY ass! (Actual thought that would happen, yep. I told you I was angry)

So I stuck with it. Good job, Aubrie you’re awesome. But I still didn’t love it. I of course, was still doing personal training but during this anti-passion portion of life my clientele didn’t grow, it dwindled and that caused more anger issues. Screw it! I’m going to get another job and just spend my life cleaning other people’s shit up.

There it was. Passionless Aubrie, even in my place of work. Questioning what was going on and if I even was who I thought I was. I am more upfront with people.. in what I think about them. Not always the best case but if you’re a jackass then you bet your ass I’m going to tell you, because you do NOT matter to me! (Actual thought) Wow, bitter much?

Anyway lets move on! I have a client coming, one of which I’m going to inspire to change, even if it’s not by my amazing personal training craft.

Matt and I were shooting a gorgeous gal and beautiful person one day and she told me how much I inspire and motivate so many people. I told her I was thinking of quitting and she told me, Aubrie you can’t quit, you have no idea the impact you have on so many people. So many people look up to you on their crap days for inspiration to look for the best in themselves. (Paraphrasing here) That got my thinker ticking. We never know how many people we truly influence in life and it’s typically far more than we will ever know.

I ask my clients to rate my personal training business with five stars because of how awesome their experiences were. One of my clients who I only worked for for a short time comes back with an outstanding video from the TED website and asks WHY I TRAIN. Crap, I have been trying to figure that out for a few months now! But then it clicked..

I train people because I want to inspire change. I want to let people know how strong they are and how do-able becoming active is. They can feel amazing and have tough life challenges become easier just by pushing themselves to make changes. I train because it is what I love. I train because I know how great it feels to look in the mirror and finally be happy with how you look when for so long you cursed your body. I train because I love my clients and love getting to know them. I train because while they are inspired by me, I’m far more inspired by them.

Low and behold, thanks to just a couple of people, I am reminded why I do it and why I love it. I love it for them. Because it helps me and it’s why I do.

These fine individuals know who they are and a special thanks goes out to you for knocking me upside the face to be better and get my act together.

Lets TRAIN and lets KICK ASS!

Where I’m Going

Holy cow how much time have I spent in the gym in the past 7 years (I started at age 15). ALOT, I’m thinking TOO MANY. That’s weird, haven’t I blogged about how much I love being in the gym and how you have to put the time in to get the results? Yes, I certainly have. But lately I’ve been doing more reading and I’m trying out the minimalist’s way of thinking when it comes to my body.

Now this means that I’m no longer looking for that figure body with the big shoulder caps and broad back, narrow hips and thick thighs (seriously my hips are too big to ever look like I have huge delts, and I’m quite grateful for that now, when before I’d curse my curves- what did I want? To look like a damn man? No longer!). This even means that I’m no longer looking for that bikini body either, seriously I can’t do that much cardio for how much I eat to stay that lean. So what the heck am I doing with my body?! Where do I want it to go? Well, although I miss my 6 pack, I can’t stand ellipticals, treadmills or stair steppers, they are awfully boring and take up too much of my valuable time. I honestly feel that minute by minute my life is slipping by as I try to shape up my calves, buns and display my abs. So I’m done with that! Currently all I want is to have my body look healthy and STRONG. I love the definition I have in my upper body, my lower body could be tighter- sure. So.. picture a strong lady with muscle tone, not super skinny, a lil something to hold on to w/a great pair of butt cheeks. That’s what I’m working towards.

This means that outside of doing multi-bodypart/functional exercises, I may have to add in 1 extra day of leg work. As you know I’m trying out my slow carb diet (no grains, occasional fruit during the week and 1 refeeding day), so I don’t need to do tons of cardio to compensate for high carb intake from grains. Wanna know what I AM doing? KBs 3x per week, hikes daily with my spoiled dog, no extra cardio, bikram 3-5x a week, practicing and perfecting form on functional, power moves. The end! I don’t need to spend extra time shaping my biceps, I don’t need them to bulge! I don’t need to isolate triceps, they get hit with other movements, legs get extra attention from lunges, squats and plyometric moves.

PS I’m trying to increase my overhead lunge weight. I can press about 80lbs on barbell press, but can I hold it? Nope! So I’m working on increasing that too.

I’ll post occasional workouts on my bodyblog if anyone is interested: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Aubrie

Happy training! Remember, if you don’t like the way I train that’s totally ok! You have different goals than I do. Smile and enjoy your 2 hours in the gym while I’m out laughing w/friends.