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for the 40+ woman!

I’ve trained tons of women over the years, and I’m sometimes quietly asked the question about stretch marks and cellulite…can they really be erased? How do you know? Are there remedies?

Yes, and no. It’s a toughie, but in my experience, it depends on several factors, really. So in my Healthy Living Program, I’m unveiling all the facts, with videos and all! Sooner or later, we all have to face the music.

Here’s the deal: when I first competed in my 30’s, it was pre-baby. Then afterward, I stayed heavier, so I never noticed the stretch marks. Now, at 51 they’re shouting at me…railroad tracks all around my belly button and lower abs, all white and squiggly. Oh yeah, and the cellulite is there too. When did THAT happen?

It almost made me want to cancel my figure competition….but then I re-grouped. I asked myself, “what am I really competing for now?” So I did the SHIFT (as I call it) and reframed it.

I’m competing for excellence, not perfection. I want to, once again, put all of me into this. But this time around, I am competing from a very different place, with a very different sense of self. 

The main reason I’m doing it is for my son, Tristan, who gives me inspiration and strength every day, to go above and beyond and to never, ever give up. I train because I have a responsibility to him, and others who cannot know the pleasure of being housed in an able body. I will be there, stretch marks and all. And with sheer gratitude for all things dear.

The dedication page of my book says it all, and will be read as I walk on stage….

“For Tristan
Who has taught me that true strength is not measured by one’s muscle.
It is measured by one’s heart.
Wherever you go, I will always be there.”

mom

Excerpt from One Rep at a Time: An athlete and mother reveals the secrets to creating inner power and serenity. Available on Amazon.com

I was getting my nails done today and my nail technician and I were talking about women who go on diet after diet in an attempt to lose the weight. She has a friend who has now chosen the wheat-free diet….”This is it. This is the one“, says her always-dieting friend.

Why do so many people resort to the most recent popular diet to lose weight? The way I see it, there’s 2 problems with this approach:

1) Diets don’t work. Yes, it’s true that some diet plans have some worth, ie, wheat can lead to holding onto weight in some, but in the overall scheme of things, it’s not going to be the magic bullet. Trust me on this!

2) Getting the weight off is the easy part.  (They say the average woman has gained and lost 3x her bodyweight over her lifetime!) Keeping it off easily and effortlessly, for life, is the hard part.

So…are you a maintainer or a regainer (and loser, and regainer, and loser……)?

What I know for sure is that it’s not what we eat but how we eat. So in all my programs, I teach women how to eat before I even thrown a menu plan or recipe book their way. Why? Because I don’t want them to become one of those ‘before and after’ photos that mean relatively little to me (but they sell products!).

I’m so tired of the ‘before and after photos’ all over the internet. I prefer to do ‘before and way after’ photos….my gals are 2, 3 and 4 years down the road, and they still look HOT!

Whatever you choose to do to lose the weight, promise yourself you’ll permanently change your eating. See food as fuel. Eat for energy as well as pleasure. Eat close to the earth. Eat with crunch and texture. Cycle your carbs. Taper your timing. Nix the juice, sodas and milk. Cut the alcohol. And here’s the clincher: do it all with pleasure….if you don’t, you are certainly doomed to fail.

Be a Maintainer for Life! It’s liberating, energizing and confidence-building for sure! And you’ll never, ever live in denial again! (The woman pictured above has kept it off for 5 years! Now that’s success!)

karen

PS My 10 and 12-Week Challenges are starting soon… Join us! You DESERVE it! And my only 2  in-gym teaching classes are starting soon too! Let’s get back at it, shall we?

It’s always hard to see someone struggle so much with their weight and their lack of health goals. It’s sad but true: the majority of people will start on the health journey, but few will continue on for a lifetime…

As trainers, we get frustrated with the stop-and-go mentality of many clients, and we feel lost as we watch our poor clients swirl around in guilt, self-loathing, and disappointment.

I have the answer. It’s what many a coach and motivational speaker has recognized as the simple but true path to staying with anything: pain versus pleasure.

See here’s the deal: if you see dieting or losing weight as painful, if going to a gym makes you feel yucky, if the thought of having to live in denial of certain foods makes you cringe, well, that would be enough to keep even the most positive of people away from partaking in a healthy lifestyle!

But what if you re-framed it? What if you saw it not as painful, but as pleasurable! What if, every time, you completed your training and made mental notes of how your body was changing, and use this as fuel to propel you onward?

What if, when picking up your Starbuck’s coffee, you silently said no! to all those lovely pastries sitting pretty and sweet under glass…to  shift you away from a painful experience (denial of sweets, oh my!) to a pleasureable experience (growing your inner conviction and faith in yourself, and keeping the calories out!) 

I always say healthy and wellness is an inside job. Those who get on track and stay there have learned to find the pleasurable parts of the journey, and build on those. Changing a mindset never happens overnight, but with diligence, it does happen. Trust me. I used to think like you, and I used to be overweight, tired, and I felt guilty all the time! Now, if I falter, I channel into those old, sad feelings of lack of control and self-loathing, feelings I never, ever want to feel again. Instead, I now make a conscious decision to move toward feeling the pleasure in owning a fit, lean body, something I want to feel for life! That’s what keeps me on track!

Choose pleasure over pain: reframe how you think and feel about things. Focus on the pleasure in saying no to the pastries display, rather than the pain of not having it. When you start making this mind-shift, you are heading down a very cool, and health-affirming path indeed! 

karen

PS – We take a look at this, and so much more, in my upcoming 10 Week and 12 Week Challenges, starting in just 4 weeks! Videos, workout cards, nutrition and lifestyle plans, weekly tele-coaching calls with me! Ask me anything, join the group, and come join us on the Challenge! Sign up has begun! Only 20 seats! YOU DESERVE IT!

“Karen, I can’t tell you how amazing I feel and how much my life has changed 🙂 I’ve lost 12lbs and gained habits that I will have forever! Thank you so much for all your support, you’re an inspiration!” – Kurstie Somner

“I have been meaning to drop you a note to let you know how much you have inspired me…you have (and the challenge) has made an amazing difference in how I feel, both mentally and physically….and I’m sure I will only get better!   I am surprised at the comments I have got (especially about my arms)…even by a couple different women in Mexico…and my husband loves my firm butt!” – Darynn Cowan, Victoria BC

I’m dumb-struck that summer is coming to a close! Yikes!

So this is a friendly reminder that sign up for the 10-Week Best Shape Challenge and the 12-Week Advanced Best Shape Challenge is happening NOW! (Please note those in the Advanced MUST have completed the 10-Week Challenge).

(Many McCoy members / followers wanted me to let them know first, before I put it out to the masses, so here you go!)

I only take on 20 girls per Challenge, so I can give you my undivided attention! You deserve it, and I deliver! But the registration closes September 5th and the  Challenges start Sept 10th! So HURRY!

Ladies, do yourselves a favour and get your lovely butts in line for the Challenge…it truly is my favourite thing to teach! And we’ve seen A LOT of success stories from it!

Come join us! You deserve it! But hurry…the September ones always fill FAST! 

And check out these former Challenger Graduates….they all started with just wanting to get in better shape and joined the Challenge…and look where they are now! CLICK HERE!

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING….

I have LOVED every part of the challenge.  I am proud that I have completed it and stuck it out! I LOVE how I feel, I am STRONG! I am a little warrior!  I AM ME!” – Misti Miller, Florida

“I have been weight training since I was 15 years old. I forgot how to push myself until Karen reminded me. Now I’m enjoying the heavy weights again and all the pretty muscles that go with them.”Kristeen Gordon, Alberta

Mark Twain said: “Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” Thank-you for inspiring us to be great Karen!” Susan Lees, Victoria, BC

“I HIGHLY recommend The 10 week Best Shape of Your Life Challenge. Karen has put together a program that is like no other…and trust me, I’ve tried every diet/fitness plan out there! She truly made me excited to check my email every Sunday night, which goes to show how Karen manages to make clean eating and working out both interesting and fun! If you simply do what Karen says, you will see results and feel great, both physically and mentally…and she will be there cheering for you throughout your journey.  Thank you Karen! Though you are very true in saying that the 10 weeks “is not just about building the perfect bicep”… mine are looking pretty darn good after your challenge! :)” – Chloe Robinson, Victoria, BC