Member Login
Talk to karen
ONLINE TRAINING, COACHING AND NUTRITION
for the 40+ woman!

Main blog

Last week I had the privilege of competing in the Sandra Wickham Figure and Body Building Show in Vancouver. Man, did I have a good time!

There were over 300 competitors…backstage was a sea of beautiful, buffed bodies of all walks, types and ages. I videoed my transformation over the months, and shared it with my on-line clients, so they could see real on-the-ground training and prep.

Many of my on-line clients are thinking about competing one day. And many already have, including Deanne Pfeifer, right, who started her transformation with my 10-Week Challenge 2 years ago, and loved her results so much, she kept going. Fast forward 2 years, and I witness Deanna win the Middleweight Bodybuilding Category hands down – 3 awards in total! (Yep, I felt like a proud mama of sorts…!).

After the show, a bunch of us went for dinner (naturally!) and while there were lots of lovely comments, one stayed with me: ‘What we love about your journey was that you did it all natural, with health and wellness at every step, and you shared it with us. You showed us how you can take it to its limit and be healthy and whole.”

Yes indeed. In a sport that is often mired with dangerous drugs, harsh diuretics, and potent fat burners, I did it my way: all natural. That was my goal from the beginning and I didn’t stray once.

At 51, I know all too well the hardships the body can endure when not treated well. My whole goal heading into the show was to get in the best shape of my life – regardless of my age – through clean, organic foods, hard training, and no artifical means or interventions: no diuretics, no fat burners, no drugs…heck, I didn’t even water-load or deplete. And when I had to eat  chicken and eggs 6 times a day (yep!), I loaded up on organic choices from our local market. I just couldn’t fathom filling my body, my ‘vessel’, with antibiotic and hormone-infested meats after all the work I had done. For me, the prep was about health first and foremost, and practicing the fine art of self love and self care.   

There is a certain grace and wisdom that us older gals have, and at this stage in the  journey, my goal is to embody my truth, to walk with grace and strength, and to honour this amazing vessel of mine. Our body is the only one we got, and as a mother with a son who can no longer use his body, I know all too well how precious this is. And in a world (and a sport) that sometimes loses sight of this, nothing else will suffice. Not for me, anyway.

Treat your vessel well ladies. Love yourself into health. Embrace your age, your journey, and your wisdom. And walk the walk, stand tall for all to see. Do it for the younger women, who may be caught up in the need to win…and sometimes at any cost.

Thanks to all who came over for the show and who shouted loud and clear from the audience….Lesley, Stacy, Jennifer, Carol, Liz, Mike, and my hubby Neil! I heard you all loud and clear!! And a special thank you to my coach Michelle (below) who defines grace and power in her own special way, and whom I am glad I had on this journey of self-discovery. May we have many more journeys together Michelle!

And to all my on-line clients who I shared my journey with. I loved sharing it with you all. We’ll do it again next year. OK?

karen

PS Check out my YouTube channel for some posing and prep stuff. http://www.youtube.com/karenmccoy2688

And don’t forget my next 10 and 12 Week Best Shape Challenges start in January…for many women it all started with the Challenges….so come walk with us! Only 20 seats! Yep, sign up has begun! Really!

Leave a Comment >>

In Week 9 of our 10-Week Best Shape Challenge, we’re looking at BELIEFS.

What are yours? The ones that whisper rather than shout? The ones that nag us and throw us off course? “I’ll never do this…I failed before, I’m not worthy, my hubby will leave me if I look too good, my friends will tease me….”

When it comes to successful weight loss (or anything in life – career, money, love…) the toughest part is coming to know those beliefs, and owning them. Only then can they shift. And sometimes awareness is all that’s needed.

And these beliefs go thru all aspects of our lives too…relationships, career, and weight loss, yes.

Example: I’m a hippie at heart, but as a young girl I never wanted to really ‘be’ a hippie because there was the unspoken belief that money was  a corporate evil (I think that’s shifting now). As a young girl, we came from decent means, and we had nice things. So growing up I wanted to make money, live a good, rewarding life, have nice things. But as a hippie gal, I had a hard time settling the two ends out. Until I realised that such a juxtaposition (oh, my english teacher would be proud of me!) was a ‘tribal’ belief I learned to embrace. So I created a new belief: you can embrace money and the environment at the same time!  

Here’s another little tiddy: your plate is a reflection of your state. Love that one! So when it’s filled with lousy food, and too much of it, you’re saying you’re not worth it, you’re going to sabotage again because, well, it’s what you know, someone else has told you you’re not worthy….are you filling your plate with self-satisfying stuff – like carbs and cookies – because youre’ trying to soothe something? What is that food taking the place of – love? sex? Are you wanting it because you’re lonely? bored? angry? resentful? Is it a reward?

When your plate is filled with fresh, revitalizing foods, whole foods, and even when you cheat with a small portion of the food you miss, it’s with love and acceptance, with boundaries that you can control (just one cookie, not 10). That’s a lesson in itself.…you know?

Like I always say, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you get what you get. In other words…if you like how you feel / look / act…then keep doing what you’re doing. If you don’t, change it up. So in the 10-Week Challenge, we’re changing it up! Right?

So ladies, dig away. And dig in places you haven’t been before (many times we dig in the same places…we know those places well, too well, means we don’t have to dig in new places…kind of a deflectin of sorts. ) Try a new mound to put your shovel into. When you scrape away the dirt, the sunshine can get in, and new growth can begin!

Karen

Next 10-Week and 12-Week Best Shape Challenges start in January 2013! Only 20 seats! Come join us!

Leave a Comment >>

When I started lifting weights 30 years ago, I was one of only a few gals in my neck of the woods who were lifting.

Oh yeah, I thought I was pretty hot stuff. I entered a bodybuliding show just shy of my 30th birthday…and won. Body building was in its infancy, so it was all new, fun, exciting. I weighted all of 108 pounds.

Then, for many years, I trained in smaller gyms, and again, I was out-lifting most women there…so I still thought I was pretty hot stuff.

Fast-forward 20 years and I became very ill, and I couldn’t train for about 8 years (which I describe in my book One Rep at a Time). A long, hard road, to be sure.

Me with Deanna and Leanne, two clients-turned-friends who both won the 10-Week Challenge and now are fellow competitors! They make me WORK!

But when I finally got my health back, I went back to the gym, and boy, was I in for a surprise. There were TONS of women lifting, and while I was glad to see it, my body and my results, paled in comparison. They were out-lifting me 2 to 1! 

That was when I realised, I had been a big fish in a small fish bowl for many years. All those years of training while living in remote areas – Banff, Whistler, Sun Peaks, my home gym – meant that I wasn’t keeping pace with the rest of the women lifters out there…and they had surpassed me!

So when I decided to go back into competition at the tender age of 51, I started looking around the Internet. I visited other gyms and watched and learned from other women who were big fish in their own right. And I was humbled….just when I thought a 25-pound dumbell shoulder press was great, these women were lifting, 40, 50 and more. (Yes, many of them were natural). And they weren’t overly huge, but they were extremely tight, toned and sexy!

So about 2 years ago, I upped the ante. I got serious. I no longer wanted to be a small fish anymore. And I teach this to all my clients ( this is what we’re working on in my latest group of 10 and 12-Week Challengers….Intensity!)

Sooooo many women are afraid of lifting big, and I suspect that way in the back in my mind, perhaps I was too. But there’s no easy road. Body parts droop and drop if you don’t work hard to keep them toned and lifted up!

Do yourself a favour: watch other serious women train in the gym, women with bodies that you would like. Even the internet isn’t a good place to look because the women are doing ‘promo’ videos and they’re there all day long, so they use smaller weights to be able to complete a days’ work.

Now, I’m glad to say I’ve increased my dumbell shoulder press to a clean 35 pounds….and I’m aiming for 40 pretty soon! And the extra effort is truly showing itself now in more rounded delts, firmer triceps and legs that (finally) are starting to grow. How nice! (Yes, I’m still only 112 pounds).

Now, if I could just lift up that saggy butt a wee bit more…

🙂 karen

PS My 6-week Lift n Lose and Women on Weights in-gym programs start again November 5th! Come join us!

Leave a Comment >>

Last week in my Women on Weights class, we were chatting about weight loss when one woman said that while she knew alot about what I was saying (clean eating, carb cycling), she just didn’t want to put it into action. ‘Why?’, I asked.

‘Because I enjoy my social life too much.‘

She enjoyed going out in the evenings with her friends to their favourite haunt for a few glasses of wine. That was an important part of her social life.

I get that. I really do. When our life is set up around social outings, it can be a hard thing to change. But when we decide we want change, something’s gotta give. There’s always a compromise to be made.

Life is about compromises….we can’t spend our entire pay cheque or we won’t make the rent or mortgage. We can’t just blatantly say whatever comes into our mind or soon we won’t have any friends left! It’s the same with eating: we can’t just keep eating and drinking the way we have been if we want new results.

This woman knew this, and while she was stating the obvious, I applauded her for being so honest and forthcoming. (I only wish all my diet clients were this open about their eating.)

Here’s what I’ve learned: you don’t have to compromise in big heaps…sometimes a little compromise will do. Like instead of having 2-3 glasses of wine with your friends at night, have one. Or instead of going out every night, go out on weekends. This woman’s social life – and the wine that went with it – was important to her. So she wasn’t wanting to give it up. But pulling back the reins a bit is a good starting place. Baby steps…..

For others, baby steps won’t work. For some of us (like yours truly), we seem to have to do things to extreme in order to create change (but this can set us up for huge failure, so be careful!). But you gotta bend in order to shift something…

Find your bending point and lean into it. Like I always say, If you like how you look and feel, keep doing what you’re doing. If not, change it up. For me, I’ve found what works: I stay without alcohol during the week, but I allow myself wine on Friday and Saturday, and one cheat meal a week where I get to eat whatever I want.

Beyond that, I lose control, and staying lean ends up being a wishy-washy affair and I lose all my gains from the week prior. I – like you – work way too hard to keep a healthy physique to see it all washed away in a no-holds barred attitude. So a compromise is in order, if I want to see results.

Like the lottery ad says: Find your limit, play within it. Then compromise then goes from being constraining to empowering. You feel more free!

And it feels great to be in control of your eating and have a social life at the same time!

karen

Leave a Comment >>

October 7th, 2001 – The Wedding, War and Frank Sinatra (5 months after diagnosis)

It’s October 7th and I’m standing in the rain, crying. My husband and I flew out to Vancouver to attend a friend’s wedding. Over 100 people arrived at this exclusive clubhouse in celebration of their union. But underneath the pink icing and bubble confetti is another reality – our friend’s father is dying of cancer and they hope he will make it through the evening to see his son wed. On this same evening, the United States has declared war on Afghanistan.

I’m outside on the patio, looking out over the soft, green lawns and I marvel at how peaceful everything looks. I cried through the wedding vows, not out of joy, but because the emotion of the moment stirred up other emotions deep inside me. I cried for my friend’s dying father, for the injustices of war, and for my son who may never experience the joy of marriage. Inside, Frank Sinatra’s My Way booms through the clubhouse halls. It was my father’s favourite song and I cry some more.

Tristan and me boating (before diagnosis)

Last month, the World Trade Centre was demolished. My son and I watch it unfold, holding hands tight. Things changed that day, for the world, and for me. Suddenly, I wasn’t alone in my grief because the attacks on the World Trade Centre had created a grief greater than mine, and it eased my own pain. I was experiencing schadenfreude, a natural human reaction which refers to the embarrassing spasm of gratitude we feel when something bad happens to someone else instead of us. It makes us feel safe, like when you hear of a family involved in a terrible accident, and you go home to your family and say, “We can’t complain, did you hear about so-and-so who died in that awful accident?”

With my son’s diagnosis, my family had become ‘that family’, the one everyone measured their luck by. It was a yardstick I didn’t want to own, but was to be played out for many years to come.

The terrorist attacks created a public grief, but my grief remains a private one. While strangers all over the world reach out to victims of terrorism, I am hard pressed to get a neighbour to cross the street to see how we are doing. When my husband took a job up north for the winter, I thought ‘surely our neighbours would come and help me shovel the driveway, or see how we’re doing’. No one came. I felt confused and angry. “Why won’t they reach out to help us?” I often asked my husband. “They know about Tristan, don’t they care?” It would be some time before I understood their silence.

Several months later I was watching a show on the families of victims lost in the September 11th attacks. A well-known TV psychologist was urging the family of one distraught woman, whose husband had died, to not pull away from her. “Often times when we say, ‘Oh, I went to visit so-and-so today and she’s doing much better,’ what we’re really saying is, ‘She didn’t make me feel uncomfortable today.’ It lets us off the hook.” Now I understood. My son’s diagnosis made people uncomfortable. We had become a reminder of what could happen when you’re looking the other way.

I’m learning to settle my anger, but it’s a slow process. Our family’s struggle with muscular dystrophy has caused a sifting out of people to one side or the other. On one side are people who stay tight within themselves. I am learning to let them go with love. On the other side are the people who offer help without being asked, who want to learn everything they can about the disease, and who want to know what their role will be. They listen to our story, and when I scream, they know my anger is not directed at them, but is rather a mother’s anguish at losing her only child.

Out on the patio, the rain continues to gently fall. Inside, Frank Sinatra is singing my father’s favourite song, My Way. I start to cry. I miss him. I wish he could wrap his arms around me and tell me everything was going to be alright.

Excerpt from One Rep at a Time – by Karen McCoy

Leave a Comment >>

I’ve always said women are the strongest and bravest creatures on the planet, hands down (even my hubby agrees with that!).

Since early September, I have been working 10 hour days to get all my ducks in a row for the fall training season. No biggie: it’s always the busiest time of year for me. Completing sign up for the Challenges and my in-gym classes is always a bit crazy (with lots of late sign-ups). Better late than never!

I’ve got 29 women that all said YES to the Challenge, and we kick off in 2 days! LOVE IT! This is when I clear my plate and give them 7-days-a-week support in whatever way they need it! Because that’s what trainers must do…none of this I train you for an hour in the gym and then I’ll see you for your next sppointment. stuff. Is that showing real support? Is that what women need? Nope.

That’s why I turned to on-line training. It’s affordable and I can support clients better with on-line training! One hour in the gym (with a few handouts) just doesn’t cut it. Not in my books, anyway! It’s the only real way to help women get healthy (in my humble opinion). 

Let your feet lead you back to the gym ladies (or the yoga studio or running track or wherever you train), and let that amazing courage of yours move you forward, into the greatest YOU you can be. Don’t strive for perfection,strive for excellence. And remember to stop beating yourselves up for being away all summer. Learn to love yourself into health.

Thanks to all my ladies who joined my Best Shape Challenges and my In-Gym classes. You’ve proven just how brave you truly are! And I won’t let you down. Promise! First class is tomorrow! Get ready to ROCK!

karen

Leave a Comment >>

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

Leave a Comment >>

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?

Leave a Comment >>

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

Leave a Comment >>

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

Leave a Comment >>