As I prepare for my seminar on weight loss supplements tonight in Sidney, I find myself struggling with the whole concept of ‘weight loss’.

In our culture, we’re so focused on weight loss, but it needs to shift: we need to focus less on weight loss and more on fat-loss. That’s what we’re really after, right?

Because when we strive to lose weight and to see the scale, counting calories and reading labels as our guide, we will lose weight, sure….right along with our metabolism.

However, if we lose fat, we actually increase our metabolism!

Why is that? Because when we diet, do cardio, cut calories, cut carbs, we will lose our muscle (and that’s our metabolism). And losing muscle happens at an exponential rate after 40 years of age! 

But most gym goers are too fixated on looking between their toes, at the scale, that number, to tell them their worth.

But once you get your eating in line (no, really in line…do you know your macronutrient profile and what you should be eating to lose bodyfat?), and once you get exercising (sorry, walking isn’t exercise), then we can start talking fat loss supplements.

Which ones do I use? Few, and in limited quantity, but I’ll be going over that tonight at my Weight Loss Supplements Seminar at Hemp & Co. To me, it’s a step by step process that you can do to help teach your body how to do what it was intended to do – burn fat and keep your metabolism stoked as you age. Me and my Inner Circle of gals are living proof of that, and we work at it every day.

I’ll also have my fitness and lifestlye book – One Rep at a Time – at the seminar.

See you tonight!…

Karen

PS – I’ll be closing out my special $1 for one month of the Healthy Living Program! If you want to check it out, please do so now…I’ve had great sign up so far, but the promo ends at the end of February!! We’d love to have you join us!

Someone asked me the other day what my ‘branding’ was.

I had to think about that one.  If you look on the surface, I guess you could say I create training and nutrition programs for women. That’s what people think. But that’s surface stuff, and that’s why it’s hard to explain, really. Because my inner circle of ladies, my ‘tribe’ so to speak, are living it from the inside out. Quietly, and with purpose and conviction.

So my branding…hmm…. Well, I’ve often thought of myself as a warrior, given all the setbacks I’ve experienced, and I know each and every woman out there has gone through similar hardships, and when we share space with other women, we know that we’re not alone. We all struggle together, and we support each other in that journey. 

It’s no different with training and eating, really. It’s woven into our fabric, becasue to get healthy and stay there requires that we honour that weave. We simply cannot separate our lives out from our gym time. That’s what the media, allopathic medicine and government agencies do, and that’s the problem. We are compartmentalized, dismembered, and that causes dysfunction in our bodies and our spirits.

As Warrior Women, we use training and clean eating to reclaim our power because it connects us to our core.  We strive for excellence, not perfection. We are strong but soft at the same time. We respect other people’s values and beliefs. And when others fall, we help pick them up because that’s what women in community do.

We live our lives one step at a time, with grace and gratitude.  We stay open to the possiblities and allow others to live as they please. We live in a different place, this place, this community. That’s the root of all my programs – the Healthy Living Program and my Best Shape Challenges. Always has been.

So when people ask me to explain my online programs, I send them to the web site with videos and documents to explain the nuts and bolts of it all.

But the real deal is behind the scenes, in the journey, and in the many women scattered all over the map who partake in that journey, and who all are working to better their bodies and their lives with a program that puts them at the heart of it, and honours their journey to wholeness by helping support them on the path in any way we can.  And we all walk together, as one. 

Karen

Check out my $1 for one month of the Healthy Living Program! Women supporting women.

Today I took a walk down memory lane at all my old blogs. I’ve been blogging since 2006, and we’ve covered a lot of ground….

There’s some that made you mad, sad, stirred up controversy (remember the one about a client on her hunting trip, and the vegan that I had to get a restraining order agiainst because he was so incensed about it?).

And this one caused quite a stir too – still does….Enjoy!

https://mccoyfitness.ca/get-motivated/cut-the-cardio/

PS Don’t forget my Feb special, the HLP for $1. Our February HLP Workout is out…a perfect time for you to get your body in gear! CHECK IT OUT…..

$1 for one month of the Healthy Living Program!

Fifteen brave women have joined us so far….why not be next? Limited seats! (So I can give you the support you need!)

If you’re not seeing the results from your weight training program (and as a woman over 35, you should be weight training…’cause things shift, they get looser, we lose our shape, the fat accumulates more easily, then there’s the hormone thing…) then ladies, simply ramp it up!

If you’re doing mostly cardio, stop. If you’re doing bootcamp but it’s not changing how you look, stop. If you’re doing more than 12 reps and less than, say, 15 pounds for a dumbell curl, or 15 pounds for a dumbell kickback (for those nasty arm flaps), then you gotta ramp it up! (No, you will NOT look like a bodybuilder….can we put that one to rest, please??).

If all you’ve been focussed on is losing the weight, stop that too. We naturally will lose the weight when we train properly, but are you getting firmer, tighter, and more shapely? You want to, don’t you?

If you think you’re eating well but you still look soft, ramp that up too. See, what I know is that most women think they’re eating right, but just because you don’t indulge in McDonald’s and you count calories doesn’t mean you’re eating right. And no, age has nothing to do with it. Honest. So don’t buy into the myth that you naturally gain weight (or it’s harder to lose) as you age. Not true. You’re just not dialing in your training and eating.

Or join me and all my gals on my Healthy Living Program. It’s on sale for the next 2 weeks only. And I’m only taking on 20 gals, so I can be there, leading, teaching, supporting and educating them on the real way to train, eat and live in today’s world. Our method is different, real, open. You’ll see. And yes, you can unsubscribe at any time. It really is easy.

If you’re not seeing results, then you simply must change. Father Time marches on…..

There is no obligation, no gimmicks, and you can unsubscribe at any time…but I am only taking 20 women. Our new February HLP Workout is out…a perfect time for you to get your feet wet! CHECK IT OUT…..

$1 for one month of the Healthy Living Program!

Move fast on this! It’s filling up as we speak!

karen

For 5 years, I’ve been running my on-line programs to women everywhere, and one thing I know for sure…this on-line stuff is a hard sell. Most people just don’t get it…is it a DVD you buy to follow along? Is it located in a gym? Is there a diet plan? How do you progress? How the heck can it really work if Karen isn’t there to teach you…

Oh boy, the life of a pioneer! I’m hard pressed to explain it because no one is doing what I’m doing! Really! And that’s why I created it, from the ground up, so I could offer an affordable, hands on progressive training and eating program(yes, hands on…lots of support from me…I don’t outsource to anyone) to women anywhere in the world. All they need is a computer and a gym to train in…I do the rest! But they have to have a  little bit of motivation (if you want a Gillian Michaels approach to training where she holds your hand thru every move, and yells at you at the same time..well, I’m not it!).

And my current gals know that I’m always here, supporting thru email, a private Facebook Page and other means. My whole pledge when I started this thing was to be as hands on and supportive as I can be in this strange medium called the internet. And it’s working quite nicely…

My 10 Week Best Shape Challenge and my Advanced 12-Week Best Shape Challenge are proof of that…they always sell out. And the monthly Healthy Living Program is the goundwork of it all – my progressive, continuous training, eating and lifestyle program served up monthly to 100+ women in Canada, the US, Aruba, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. But no matter where they are, I’m there too.

So I’ve decided to offer a $1 trial run of my popular Healthy Living Program for February. But I’m not taking on as many women as possible. Why? Why don’t I want to make a million bucks? Well, to start, not that many people are making that kind of money…many of them lie to get you on board! I’ve learned this one! I’m only taking 20 women so I can service and support them, so I can be at the end of every email (yes, it is me at the end of every email, really!) and so I can help you on your way. Because learning a healthy lifestlye is NOT as simple as tearing a program out of a magazine and following along…if that were the truth, why don’t all those women have bodies like the women in the mags?

So, for the next few weeks, you’ll see my Healthy Living Program for $1 for 30 days. After that, the regular price of $23.99 applies. (I have never, ever had any woman tell me it wasn’t worth the price, in fact, I’ve been told by my long term gals that the price is too low! But I’m not budging…!).

There is no obligation, no gimmicks, and you can unsubscribe at any time…but I am only taking 20 women. Our new February HLP Workout is out…a perfect time for you to get your feet wet! CHECK IT OUT…..

$1 for one month of the Healthy Living Program!

Move fast on this! I’m pretty sure the seats will fill up fast!

karen

Every month, I do a fresh Coaching Call as part of my support for my ladies. This one is soooo important that I thought I would share it with all of you, too…..

– Ever feel resistance when you embark on a healthy living journey (I sure did!).
– Even wonder why?
– Does it drive you crazy?
– Do you feel like you’re being sabotaged? (That’s cause you are!)

This is what I know for sure….please listen and enjoy. And know you are on the right track!

Why Does my Healthy Living Offend You?

Karen

PS: 10 and 12- Week Challengers and Healthy Living Program members, keep on keepin’ on! You’re doin’ just fine…! Thanks for the inspiration for this audio! The downloadable transcript will be on your Articles Page in the HLP.

In our size-conscious world, we are often hungry for the classic ‘before’ and ‘after’ weight loss photos. But I’d like to propose another kind, the before (shape) and after (shape) photos…

See, I understand the desire for women to lose weight, but I can always tell when a woman loses weight in absence of real weight training: her body may have shrank (and that’s often a good thing!) but her shape didn’t change….a classic example of an over-emphasis on cardio and calorie cutting (in fact, some weight loss programs want you to lose the weight first before you weight train, a big mistake in my books!). 

But let’s pay homage to the woman whose focus is grander. There are women who want a better physique, better shape, better tone. So in all my on-line training programs, I focus on both fat-loss and shaping work. Serious shaping work. And the results can be more evident on someone who isn’t carrying a lot of extra weight that would normally blur a muscle’s curviness….

So I’d like to share these photos with you…of some women who lost some weight, yes, but who created more curve, more tightness, more carve appeal!  The only way to do this is with progressive weight training and a solid and consistent healthy eating lifestyle. 

Many thanks to Leanne, Deanna, Chelsea, Dawn and Jane for allowing me to share these with other women, and for all the women who are walking with us on this journey of health and self discovery. Like I always say, walk the walk and live by example. And you truly are examples of what faith, focus, commitment and self-love truly is.

karen

Challenger Gals.
Dawn Boyle.
Jane Henson

Yep, you can tell it’s a New Year! Already the latest and greatest weight-loss supplements are hitting the radio and TV ads….and already my in-box is filling with questions about them….which one is best? Which one do you recommend? Have you heard of……?

Answer: None, none, and yes, I’ve heard of them all.

But what’s nice to hear is that not one of my current Healthy Living Program clients have asked me yet about them (or maybe they’re too scared, because they know what I’ll say….)!. I’ve had a few questions from my new batch of 10 Week Best Shape and 12-Week Advanced Best Shape gals, but that’s normal. They haven’t been through the works yet…not with me anyway.

So if you’re looking for the quick fix solution, go elsewhere. But if you’re looking for lasting change, a sexy, tight body, TONS of energy and the chance to change your body year after year, then come shat with me! Or join my Lift n Lose class at Panorama. Or my 10-Week Challenge that starts in 4 days!

As a gift, I am putting all my clients  on my 7 day New Years Body / Mind cleanse, including my new Challengers! ….we started 2 days ago, and already, they’re feeling better and better, and dropping the weight (yes, there is that transition phase and some of them are releasing a lot of physical and emotional stuff…that’s the liver cleaning up!). We’ve got videos, eating plans, a shopping list…and we’re even doing daily meditations, which honestly, I was a little nervous putting out there, but they LOVE it! Cool! Welcome to MY world ladies!

Ladies, pledge to take care of yourself this year, the real way, with quality training, clean foods, and pure supplements. And work on your inner world too…that’s sooo important. Because I know all too well, with my own journey, that the perfect life is NOT about having great arms or a tight butt.

But that’s kinda nice too!

Happy New Year all! Onward….

karen

PS Welcome all my 10-Week Best Shape Challengers to the program…we kick off in 4 days! Please check your email for your sign in and I’ll be measuring bodyfats on Friday and Saturday. Let’s have some fun with this, ok?

Wow…did you hear that? That was another year gone by….

Is it because I’m getting older that the years seem to whiz on by at break-neck speed? Or is it just what we’re all feeling in general as the Mayans predicted – things would move faster and faster as we evolve toward enlightened beings?

I have the solution. Here it is: just slow down.

Yep. I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t I think of that? Yes, I’m getting wiser and more alert in my old age!

OK. All kidding aside. It’s time to make drastic changes. For all of us. No more excuses (and yes, they’re all excuses, even the noble-sounding ones). It’s all a choice.

This time of year (December) is the busiest time for me. With New Years right around the corner, it’s when all my programs kick off. It’s also a time for bringing out new programs, like my Fit n Fab Stage-Ready Program for Competitors, in conjunction with IFBB Pro Michelle Krack. And it’s a time to tighten up and update my other programs, like my monthly Healthy Living Program and my 2 Best Shape of YOUR Life Challenges.

Then there’s the lecture part of my work – the part that I love the dearest but that I practice the least given the little amount of time I have left. That’s changing this year too with my McCoy Workshops offered to businesses and colleges. And the book sales…something I’ve let slip after writing my popular fitness book – One Rep at a Time – that I must get back to.

Any my charity work. This year was one of the least productive on that front, with my family’s work in my son’s foundation – the Tristan Graham Foundation – because I just couldn’t devote any real time to it.

Enough already. I’m reclaiming my life.

As I begin the process of taking down the Christmas tree (I can distinctly remember putting it up last year…wasn’t it just a few months ago?), it’s time to re-group and re-gather. I ca’t work any harder, really. That would simply be impossible. I profess this year is the year of working smarter. What does that look like? I don’t exactly know, but I know it is possible. Somehow, some way. I simply will no longer watch my precious life, and the life of my family, rush by in a blur. It’s too precious. And I’m even more starkly aware of it than most with my special needs son, who is turning 17, and who (God willing) will be moving out on his own in a few short years.

I’ll still do what I love – teaching healthy living to women all over the world – because that’s my life’s work, my passion. And I’ll still do one or two in-gym classes, my Lift n Lose, because that keeps me connected (and gets me out of my office!). And of course I’ll still train and compete, because that’s my way of moving toward constant improvement and never allowing myself to slip. But I am refocusing on my priorities and how I can best serve. And my clients deserve a well-rested, calm, rooted teacher to lead them along this journey we are on together, something that is near and dear to my heart. Lead by example, I always say.

So starting January 1st, all my HLP clients and I are doing a 7-day Body / Mind Cleanse…of body, mind and spirit. I’ll be uploading daily videos on calling back our spirit and setting our bodies on the path to wholeness, strength and grace. They think I’m doign it for them, but with all my stuff, it’s as much for me as for them, because I’m blessed to be doing work with eager, loving women who are all here to better themselves in whatever way, and who all trip over similar obstacles along the way. Yep. That’s my clan all right. And I love and respect each and every one of them!

Choose to do something different this year. Park your excuses (and they really are excuses)- you have to make more money, take care of your kids, build that retirement fund, you have to work, period. (If I’m touching a nerve in you, good. That means you’ve slipped into victimhood. Time to reclaim your life and choices!).

Be the change you want to see in the world, Gandhi said. What do you want to see? I want to be a catalyst for other women to change. I want calm productivity. I want to feel rooted, grounded, and calm. And I want to muscle into every moment with my family, to live deeply and with a sense of reward. And I want that for you too.

Let’s make 2013 the year of change. Like the Mayans talked about (they actually didn’t predict the end of the world….gotta love the media!). But they did predict this time as the time of great personal and community change.

I’m in. How about you?

karen

The 10-Week Best Shape Challenge and 12-Week Advanced Best Shape Challenge start in just 10 days! Only 20 seats! And my in-gym Lift n Lose class for women starts too! Join us! Make it YOUR YEAR!

As a nutritionist and lifestyle coach, I know I’m heading into tricky water with a client when I hear the ultimate challenge:

“Just tell me what to eat.” 

Oh boy!. It’s that diet mentality rearing itself again, the one that says ‘I want to cruise on automatic pilot rather than do it myself.’ 

In all my programs, my goal is not to tell you what to eat. Rather, I want to teach you how to eat.

See, in this day and age of instant gratification, many people want to be told what to do. But in all my programs, whether they be in-gym programs or my on-line programs, my goal is to empower you into learning how to eat, to understand just what that food science means, and to help you make clear choices.

Really, we all think we know how to eat, but that is sooo far from the truth….!

Case in point: How many grams of protein do you eat in a day? How many do you need? What is biological value, what’s the omega 3 content in red meat and why is it important? How do we eat in tune with our circadian rhythms and what are circadian rhythms anyway? Are eggs really the culprit in cholesterol (NO!) and is low fat better? How much fat should we eat? Is milk a good source of Vitamin D and is butter really bad?

See?

So, when you ask me to tell you what to eat, rather than how to eat, it is so far off the mark, that when I’m no longer there, doling out menu plans, you’ll be lost. And you’ll stray back to your old ways, and, well, the rest is history. 

I always say that a good coach empowers you, in training and in eating healthy, and teaches you – over time –  what they know, so then you can apply it to your own life with confidence. Yes, it takes more time, but that’s what responsible adults do!

My wish for all of you in 2013 is to be filled up with good health! To feel empowered and alive, confident and

Karen

PS: In the New Year, I’ll be offering my Myths of Healthy Eating  seminar and more on a regular basis to local groups and businesses! Check them out HERE! And don’t forget about my 10-Week Best Shape Challenge and my 12-Week Advanced Best Shape Challenge! Starts Jan 7th! Sign up has BEGUN!