Tuesday, February 24, 2015
I'd like to introduce you to Eli Sapharti, author, columnist and motivational speaker. Six years ago, Eli’s life changed in a dramatic way when he lost over 100 pounds. His weight loss, though significant, is only a small part of his story.
Since publishing his popular memoir, From Fat Boy to Fit Man: A One Step at a Time Success Story, Eli has appeared on the Emmy award winning, The Doctors, as well as ABC’s Good Morning America, and a host of other local morning shows. His story has also appeared in national publications including PEOPLE and the Huffington Post.
Eli has personally written for the popular health and lifestyle website, Diets In Review.
With his natural charm and charisma, coupled with a first-hand knowledge of weight loss, Eli has become a popular TV guest. His greatest joy, however, is the work he does as a personal coach and motivational speaker.
Having founded the principles of "One Step at a Time" for sustainable weight loss, Eli’s philosophy has proven effective for many of his clients and the 30,000 + very active followers on his Fat Boy Fit Man Facebook page.
As an entertaining and authoritative guest speaker, Eli has had the privilege of sharing his expertise at health and wellness events, corporate receptions, organizational retreats, and motivating kids at both the middle and high school levels.
Today, Eli continues to motivate and inspire audiences across the United States, while providing, “One Step at a Time” principles they can utilize in their own lives.
Here is also a link to a short video about ELi's Inspiring Book: http://youtu.be/
You can find Eli on the following social media:
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Jessica Alexander
Hmmm ... I usually tell people that I'm 26 but I'm actually
33, lol!
I've lost 85 pounds
When and why did you decide to start your transformation
journey?
My journey started when I went to
try on bridesmaid dresses for my sister's wedding and I had to look at myself
over and over again in the mirror ( probably like 30 times, lol ) and I didn't
like what I saw...I couldn't believe it was me anymore. I had two beautiful
little girls but I had never lost all of the "baby weight" and I
thought I never would.
What keeps you motivated along your journey?
Being there for my daughters and setting a
good example for them and just helping others on their own journey keeps me
motivated every day!
What are your fitness goals?
For my fitness goals, I just want to steadily
push myself harder and harder. I've had two kids, so I know I probably won't
have six-pack abs or anything like that ( although it would be nice! ) but I
would love to improve my overall tone, work on strength training, and improve
my cardio to maintain a nice, healthy heart!
What does your weekly exercise schedule look
like?
I work out for 30 min a day, 5 days a week. I
prefer Beachbody programs because they have a calendar to go off and each
program has a bunch of DVD's with it so that you don't get bored at all and
that's really important to me! Right now, I'm doing Shaun T's Insanity Max:30
and then after that I'm going to start Autumn Calabrese's program the 21 Day
Fix Extreme...time to get shredded baby!
What nutritional goals do you strive for?
for nutrition, I'm a fan of tracking, so I
stay within the healthy limits for my height and weight but I'm always trying
to integrate more "power" foods!
What “tips and / or tricks” do you have for
others?
for tips and tricks, I just say that it's so
important for you to educate yourself...I'm an area supervisor for McDonald's
and I eat there for free while I work so I get 10 free meals a week there and
ain't no way I was gonna pass that up! So I use all of the tools and resources
available to me so that I can still eat McDonald's 10 times a week and still
lose weight and it has obviously worked for me!
How has your life changed since the start of
your transformation journey?
oh wow, my life is soooo much better now! I
have more energy, I don't feel as stressed, and I just enjoy life more! I never
thought this would be possible again!
What are some of your favorite motivational
thoughts and / or quotes that inspire you?
My favorite quote is actually something that
I use as my "anchor" every day to snap me right back on track if I'm
struggling...
"Without struggle, there is no progress."
- Frederick Douglass
You can follow Jessica on the following
social media site:
https://www.facebook.com/jessica.beyeralexander?fref=ts
Monday, February 9, 2015
So for a while, I would run the same route, do the same
stretch, same same same!!!
And one day before my run, I thought to myself … let’s go
the other direction. I never thought
that such a simple switch would make such a huge difference! That 3 mile loop that I ran countless times,
was tougher in reverse, or was my body just used to running it the “easy way”? Yep, my body had gotten so used to the hill
and the downhill and the zigs and zags that turning things around made me work
harder, even added time to my pace.
WHAT??? Such a simple thing such as changing direction will help
with my workout routine. Absolutely, your
body gets conditioned to the same ol same ol, so SWITCH it up every now and
then.
Confuse your BODY!!! You will be glad you did!!!
Picture: http://lifespiral.info/?p=596
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Starting Monday, January 19th, 2015 - Anywhere and Everywhere
Let's go on a moving streak and see how many consecutive days we can get up and move. You can walk, run or a combo of both ... whatever works for you! A minimum of a mile a day counts I'm going to run for my streak.
Join Wholesome & Fit's Facebook Event to log your miles www.facebook.com/wholesomeandfit
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Michelle Bryant
39 years old
40 pounds lost
When and why did you
decide to start your weight loss journey?
I started my journey in
February 2013
What keeps you motivated
along your journey?
It may sound moot, but my
children. I had gotten to a point where I was very unhealthy, and thought that
I was having a heart attack due to my, what seemed to be “overnight” weight
gain. My children mean more than the world to me, so I had to do something for
them.
What are your fitness
goals?
My fitness goals are to
run a 50k in 2015. I am about to scratch off my very first full marathon in
March of this year. I never saw myself doing more than a 5k, now here I am.
What does your weekly
exercise schedule look like?
I work out (run) 7 days a
week. I have been doing a running streak for a little over 100 days so far.
What nutritional goals do
you strive for?
I just started living a
Paleolithic lifestyle. So I am focusing on clean eating, to the best of my
ability.
What “tips and / or
tricks” do you have for others?
Take lots of pictures.
Trust me you will have more non-scale victories then you will scaled victories.
How has your life changed
since the start of your weight loss journey?
Yes it has. I have more
energy, I am able to do more things. I feel great both inside and out of my
skin.
What are some of your
favorite motivational thoughts and / or quotes that inspire you?
You can follow Michelle on the following social media site:
https://www.facebook.com/happypacerunner
Monday, January 12, 2015
It is a new year, full of opportunities. I am choosing to make my fitness lifestyle a
little bit better, for me. My fitness resolution is Wholesome & Fit – Lean in
15.
I am committing to working out 6
days a week. I am running 3 days of the
week and doing a PiYO / P90X3 Hybrid that I printed off of the BeachBody website. I am not going to be doubling up on longer
workouts, I don’t want to burn myself out, it is all about moderation for me this year. I may however, squeeze in a few squats, push-ups,
or crunches throughout the day, or a 7 minute workout here or there. Balance is
KEY!!!
Last week I logged all my workouts, whether they were good
or bad, if I was positive or not. I enjoyed doing this and it has also given me
some insight to my workouts, what days I struggle with, what program I struggle
with, and what I love about my workouts.
I hope you enjoy reading about my Wholesome & Fit – Lean
in 15 Journey.
Day 3 of Lean in 15
Well, I got up at 4:30, s l o w l y out of bed, started my workout. During the warm up my daughter needed to go potty and wanted to stay up ... um nope. Finally got her back to bed and a few minutes later my son came out because he had a bad dream, poor buddy he wanted to snuggle, so we did, and finally got him back to bed. Did about 15 minutes of P90X3 Agility and I am just not feeling it, not sure why. So, I'm going to get my coffee and get ready for the day. Next time Agility X, I will complete you!
Well, I got up at 4:30, s l o w l y out of bed, started my workout. During the warm up my daughter needed to go potty and wanted to stay up ... um nope. Finally got her back to bed and a few minutes later my son came out because he had a bad dream, poor buddy he wanted to snuggle, so we did, and finally got him back to bed. Did about 15 minutes of P90X3 Agility and I am just not feeling it, not sure why. So, I'm going to get my coffee and get ready for the day. Next time Agility X, I will complete you!
Day 4 of Lean in 15
has been an interesting day!
Not so great, so
far, exercise wise. Didn't sleep well last night, got up an hour late (thus
missing my workout time). Went to get eggs out of the fridge for breakfast to
find that a bag of Posole had thawed out ALL OVER THE FRIDGE! So, I cleaned the
fridge, one of my least favorite things to do, and it took me almost 2 hours!
And why stop there ... so I cleaned the entire house. It's 2:40 and I just sat
down for the first time today.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to squeeze in a run today or not, we shall see where the rest of the day takes us.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to squeeze in a run today or not, we shall see where the rest of the day takes us.
Day 4 update: did PiYO
Core just now and will run tomorrow, since I couldn't run today. Look at me
being flexible …ha-ha
Day 6 - it took me
till 2 pm to get my motivation to go for a run, and I'm glad I finally found my
motivation today. I'm feeling great after my 3 mile run on the treadmill.
Day 7 - Wholesome
& Fit - Lean in 15
Today is my rest
day / prep day for the week. I'm planning out my exercises for the week in my
planner along with my goals and outcomes. This week in trying to focus on
"being human" and not putting to much pressure on myself to be
perfect, but to be the best me I can.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Liz Bollini
32 (until Jan 26, lol!)
30lbs weight loss
When and why did you decide to start your weight loss journey?
I decided to get motivated to start living healthy in
January of 2011. I was sick and tired of
not feeling good in my own skin and my clothes not fitting right. I knew I needed to change so I could get back
to my happy, confident self for me and my family.
What keeps you motivated along your journey?
My family is my "why" for doing this. They are my #1 priority and I need to be
authentically me so that I can be happy and give them my 100% self. They
deserve that.
What are your fitness goals?
My fitness goals now are just to be better than I was the
day before, continue to live healthy and inspire others along the way.
What does your weekly exercise schedule look like?
My weekly exercise schedule consists of 6 days a week of
working out Monday-Saturday, at least 30 minutes of some sort of exercise. I like to mix it up with at home workouts
that consist of cardio, HIIT training & strength training with
weights. I also teach PiYO at a local
gym, so I consider that my weekly stretch workout. Stretch is so important, don't skip this
vital part of working out!
What nutritional goals do you strive for?
Nutritionally I aim to eat as clean as possible 80% of the
time, meaning I stick to whole foods, lots of veggies, fruit, whole grains,
healthy fats and lean meats.
What “tips and / or tricks” do you have for others?
My best advice is to look at fitness and clean eating as a
lifestyle and as a journey that is continuous.
The sooner you can wrap your brain around the fact that this is your
LIFE and it will always be a part of your daily routine, the sooner you will
adapt to just living this way and it's not a chore or a fad anymore. With nutrition, get good at reading food
labels. If it has more than 10g of sugar
in it put it back. Eat whole foods,
think to yourself, 'Did this come from the earth?', if it didn't and it's
packaged, boxed or bagged, it's not the best for you. And if you can't pronounce an ingredient on
the food label, you probably shouldn't be eating it.
How has your life changed since the start of your weight loss
journey?
Oh wow, how has it not changed, more like it! 4 years when I started this journey I was
someone who was 30lbs overweight, shy, insecure, no goals and no purpose, I was
just going through the motions working my 9-5 job as a marketing executive.
I guess you could say I was existing, not living. Fast forward to now, I am nowhere near the
same person I was 4 years ago. I'm
extremely happy, confident, goal oriented and have since built an at home
fitness business that now serves thousands of people in helping them achieve
not only their fitness goals, but their life goals. I teach people how to LIVE and not just
exist. Health and fitness is just the path I choose to take to get them there.
What are some of your favorite motivational thoughts and / or
quotes that inspire you?
I've always loved the saying, "You are the 5 people you
choose to surround yourself with, choose wisely". Why? Well, I truly believe it takes more than just
healthy eating and working out to achieve your fitness goals and keep them long
term. Anyone can lose weight by doing
those things, the struggle and challenge is to maintain it and live it. If you don't have people around you who have
the same frame of mind that you do pushing you to be better than you were the
day before then eventually you get lost in the mix and lose sight of your
purpose. Surround yourself with like-minded
people, who have your best interest in mind.
You can
follow Liz on the following social media sites
www.lizbollini.com
www.youtube.com/lizbollini
www.facebook.com/liz.bollini
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