Check out this blog by a client of Integrity Training Systems, Vanessa Coe!  Show her your support and follow her journey!

Fit Girl vs. Fat Girl: The Journey to Reach My Fitness Goals

http://www.onefitdoc.blogspot.com/

Food is Fuel: Diana Pitts

A Weight Loss Journey Guide

So, here it is, August already. What have I been up to all summer?  I have been gearing up for the IFPA Pro Galaxy Elite on August 17th in Troy, Alabama. I selected this show in hopes to qualify for the Yorton again this year. Along with an intense training program with Debbie Portell's Integrity Training Systems & competition diet plan with Roger Schemp out of Powerhouse Gym in St. Louis, I have been working part time as a registered nurse at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and part time as a personal trainer at Complete Fitness in Lake St Louis, Mo.  I've had the privilege of representing one of my sponsors, www.themusclesource.com, at a couple of shows in the midwest this year. It truly has been an honor to hand out trophies to so many well deserving athletes.

At times as a single parent, I have found it to be challenging to find time to meal prep, train, take care of my boys and keep the house clean. I'd have to say it's a delicate balance. I'm always finding creative ways to multitask and prioritize.  I certainly am excited to step on stage again. I also have a few photo shoots lined up this fall. 

Competing and fitness modeling at age 39, mother of two, just goes to show anything can be done if you put your mind to it. For so many, the mind limits the body. Don't let fear get in the way of your dreams. 

Diana Pitts, RN BSN
IFPA figure professional athlete
ACSM certified personal trainer

"Force fear and frustration out of your mind.....favor fortitude."

What Are the Effects of Too Little Serotonin?

Our show's topic today will be concerning Serotonin, refer to this link if you missed something!

"What are the Effects of too little Serotonin?"


http://www.livestrong.com/article/292417-what-are-the-effects-of-too-little-serotonin/?fb_action_ids=598952256803013&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22598952256803013%22%3A10150256755325617%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22598952256803013%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Low serotonin levels symptoms

On our show today, we will be talking about "Low Serotonin Levels Symptoms", refer back to this link if you miss something!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/245341-low-serotonin-levels-symptoms/?fb_action_ids=598787806819458&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22598787806819458%22%3A445992968378%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22598787806819458%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Your Gut Bacteria Affects Your Brain Function, Study Confirms - an article by Dr. Mercola

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/20/gut-brain-connection.aspx

This article will be referenced Sunday, June 30, 2013 on "Healthy Living with Integrity Fitness" heard on FM News Talk 97.1

How Turning the Food Pyramid on Its Head Can Help You “Slim Down Without Trying”

This is a fantastic read and I will be referring to it on my show today!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/22/food-pyramid-guide.aspx

Adrienne Hood

A Weight Loss Journey Guide This Week...

So let’s fast forward to the beginning of Fall. I’d worked hard ALL Summer during my husband’s deployment and it was finally coming to a close. He was coming HOME!! I’d gone from my heaviest weight, 180 pounds in a size 16, before working with Debbie to almost 120 pounds in a size 4. I couldn’t believe it!! It’s hard to describe that feeling of FINALLY conquering something that’d weighed on me, no pun intended, almost my entire life.  Anyone who is or has been overweight, you know what I’m talking about. The burning desire to lose the weight that’s coupled with a crippling inability to accomplish it. It’s a maddening circle of failure. It crushes your hopes until that fire in you dies down to almost nothing until you get fed up and repeat the cycle. Well, no more! I did it. I finally did it! I was free and happy and healthy! It made me think of all those times I’d watched a weight loss show or commercial on TV and tried to imagine that elated feeling those success stories must be feeling. How much I wanted to grab onto that, to have that for myself.  Well, it was mine.

Over the Summer, I think the biggest realization I had to make was that excuses are just that, excuses. I always had an excuse for why I ate this or that like being stressed or bored, or that I was simply a victim of my circumstances like the influences that were around me. So the family wants to go to the Chinese buffet? Well, I shouldn’t but they want me to. Who am I to say no? Forget the fact that I could at least make some healthy choices at the buffet. That’s not what everyone else was doing. This was an extremely hard habit to break. Our family loved to gather around food as I know lots of families do.  You don’t have to eat what everyone else does. You DON’T.  Stop it!

People gather around food to socialize and talk. While food is the excuse, the focus is not for people to monitor what you eat during those gatherings so make HEALTHY choices, not excuses. No one will notice. However, you will when you get on that scale. When you look in the mirror. When you feel that huge wave of guilt rushing over you because you failed AGAIN. Why is it so hard? Because you let other people’s priorities become your own. You can undo this! It’s a difficult mental roadblock that is engrained in a lot of us but you can break through. How do you do that? By having someone in your corner.

Debbie was that person. Because of my healthy lifestyle, that circle of people in my corner has grown over the years but it all started with just ONE person. Debbie Portell. Find your person. Find a trainer. You will NOT regret it. Stop that maddening cycle of failure once and for all. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. You don’t have to try to be strong all the time, all by yourself because, let’s face it, you can’t. You’ve proven that to yourself time and time again. You simply don’t yet possess the tools to empower yourself so, please, let someone help you! This is not some ridiculous, quick-fix diet pill commercial on TV. None of that works. None of it. All those lies just help feed the cycle that I know you want to finally break out of. This is how you change your life. You get someone in your corner. Someone with knowledge, experience, and the fire to drive you to succeed. YOU can be that success story! It’s not some faraway dream that only exists on TV! Plus, I’d be willing to guess that almost all those success stories had trainers. So join the club! I would’ve never made it without Debbie and that’s the truth!

I don’t know if I can really put into words that feeling of not only seeing my husband after being gone for months of deployment but with the added joy of knowing that he is FINALLY seeing me like I should’ve always been. He’d never seen me like this. Ever. It makes me want to cry. Not just because of all the time I wasted being unhappy with myself, but also because I was so proud and happy to finally be where I always wanted to be. In my husband’s arms, I was finally the way I’ve always seen myself but never been able to realize on my own.  

So, like I said in an earlier blog, some people need that big life changing moment to realize that it’s time to make a change. My husband’s deployment was mine. Don’t wait and wait and wait around for yours. Stop wasting your life! Make that change NOW!

Rich Wood 16

Food is Fuel: Rich Wood

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

I think the statement “I need to lose weight” is filled with negativity. It already has the word “lose” in it. Same as “I’m going on a diet.” You have said these words a million times. Try saying “I’m going to get healthy.” There is no way to think negatively about this. No one could say anything negative back to you if you say this. When you say “diet,” your friends will start coming up with reasons why you shouldn’t, but why would anyone be against you getting healthy.

Every day is precious, so start living your life in a way to be proud and healthy. Getting on the path takes incredible strength and commitment. These are powerful words. Can you think of any reason not to put time and effort into your own health? Who else is going to take care of that for you? The people I train are proud of themselves for what they are achieving. They let me know through positive words and actions. They thank me – but they are the ones putting in the hard work. I am humbled and grateful to be a part of it. I am thankful for them. One little lifestyle change can be the tip of the iceberg that will change everything. When you start working out and eating healthy, you will be no longer want bad food or alcohol. This statement is based on specific people I have watched completely change their relationship with food and alcohol. They no longer want to change how great they are feeling ALL the time, for short term unhealthy pleasure. Weight loss is part of it, but the way you feel everyday is the key. 

I write this blog to remind you that it is never too late. It’s not hard to start. There is nothing to fear. It’s time to stop talking about getting healthy and start doing it. Have you looked to see how inexpensive it is to join a gym? I’m so lucky that I get to work in an environment where people’s lives are changed everyday for the better. Come and change yours. The gyms I work in offer a free assessment. What excuse can you have about something free? There are no gimmicks in the training and nutrition program. It only takes your commitment and determination. The next time you are walking around looking for an unhealthy snack, or you can’t find the TV remote, think if there is a better way you could be spending your time. Next time you walk a flight of stairs and at the top you ask yourself “am I really this short of breath?” remember reading this. 

Start believing in yourself and start changing your life right now. Making excuses can no longer be a factor. You can no longer be weak minded and be controlled by food or laziness. My life is changed and enriched everyday by the people brave enough to take the first step. It’s going to be ok!!

Clean Eating Cookies

Rich Wood 15

Food is Fuel 
A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change 

We live in an age where you don’t have to leave your home to buy a book or newspaper or music. Everything is online. It’s so easy to stay in your house and have everything come to you. A gym is a place you have to go to – where your own hard work produces results. A 100lb weight is always 100lbs. It sits there waiting for you to move it.

The company I work for is called Integrity Training Systems which is the brain child of Debbie Portell. We go through very detailed training to make sure you learn the proper, safe way to exercise. Reaching your goals is the objective. We really want you to succeed. Every trainer is different, as is every client. Our system is set up to get you to the right person. I say all this to give you some idea that we are not just about getting you to come in and workout while you count the minutes until it’s over. That’s why it’s important that we train you about your posture, your breathing; things that make the quality of your life better. My approach comes from my training in the martial arts.  

The mind and body connection is real. Once you learn the proper and safe way to perform a move or exercise physically, then you can learn the mental side of exercise. This will get you in touch with real change. I have a fire that burns inside of me to challenge myself. I’m not a super athlete. I’m hard working and curious, and determined to take my mind and body to deep waters and find out what I’m made of. This is what I want to bring to the people I train; to help them believe that they are capable of so much more by having a strong mind and body. I believe being able to relax and breathe while doing something strenuous in the gym will transfer to relaxing and handling stressful situations outside of the gym. I want my clients to focus on getting better, not how many reps we are doing. Learning to focus and push your self is an amazing thing. My love of exercising is to find out what I’m made of, and to prove that I am able to perform under physical and mental pressure. I love watching people do things that they couldn’t have accomplished a month earlier before their training started. They can’t believe what they are capable of. We all need help in life with things, and the gym is not a place to fear. It is amazing to watch someone who is shy or fearful of the burn that starts in their body, learn to relax and embrace it and know they are prepared to handle it, and then learn to love it.  

You and your life are worth being the best possible. Don’t be afraid. We have an answer to the question of what you want your health level to be. I train people who want to lose weight, who are fighters, who are trainers, who want to improve at a certain sport – and every one of them have certain anxieties that they have learned to control. Once you do this, a new world opens up to you, and once you realize you are in control of your health, real change begins. You are worth it. Don’t let stale patterns in your life control you. Take charge of your life and health. Spending everyday in the gym and being there when someone changes their life by accomplishing things they never would have allowed themselves to believe they could do is remarkable. Do something to relieve the stress you are feeling about the weight you are carrying around. You will feel it both mentally and spiritually, even more so than physically. Dedicate one hour a day to make the other 23 better. The weights don’t gossip, back stab or disappoint. The weights bring out the best in you. As long as you’re breathing it is never too late. Once you experience how we do it, you will never want to stop and I will never let you lose sight that these are your accomplishments.

Your mind and body are so powerful. Why would you not want to find out how powerful? I write these things because I know how people no longer want to make excuses and sometimes something can click on a certain day and certain moment that makes today the start of something that is like no other. Your body will respond immediately. Get your mind wrapped around the idea that nothing can stop you from achieving!!! Do you really think it’s too difficult, or is it the first step into something you think about everyday? Stop, take a deep breath and you are already on the path to starting everything that you just read. You are already on your way; the first step is that easy…

Rich Wood 14

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

Change: to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.

Champion: a fighter or warrior

What makes you not believe in yourself? You know in your heart you are capable of so much more. Your body lets you know everyday if how you treat it and what you are doing to it works. Finding the right nutrition program and training program is not hard. It is a phone call or email away. Getting yourself to do it is the hard part. 

I told myself I am going to change, and I did. I don’t want to be weak minded. I want to be in charge of my mind and body. Food does not control me. When I am in the gym, the weights do not control me, I control the weights. How in any way would making your health a priority be a bad thing? If you read this and think that you would like to change, then start right now…you are worth it. I want to know exactly what I am made of. Putting honest, hard work in at the gym shows me that everyday. You can’t hide your weakness in the gym.  

Your true inner champion will come out by the work you put in.

People will invest in a stock and hope and pray for it to be successful years down the line. Put the same faith in yourself and in your health and success will come immediately. What would be a better long term investment than you? The easiest thing to do would be to let life pass you by. Make today different. I work with people that thought the things they are doing today would have been impossible only a month ago. 

The hardest muscle to train is your brain. Excuses have stopped you before, but don’t let it stop your health and happiness. You have something inside of you that needs to be explored. Challenge yourself to something new. If you wake everyday saying I have to lose weight, or I need to get into shape – or I need to make a difference in someone else’s life…make it your own. Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from anything. The journey is worth it – you won’t fail if you try. Regret is a million times worse than failure. 

There are no negatives to being healthy. Your only obstacle is food?? Do you really want to be that weak? (but Rich…the unhealthy things taste so good…) my answer is, are those worth the anxiety and guilt, and the way you physically feel? We both know the answer. Your body is telling you right now!!! You owe it to yourself to get on the path of happiness and health. These things will not land on your shoulder like a bird; you have to make it happen. Stop thinking in old patterns – challenge yourself. 

Try a new way. My life is full of people trying their best to be healthy. They don’t want the guilt and stress of being unhealthy in their head anymore. I promise you, the solution to whatever problem you are facing is solvable. Take the first step and try. There is no failure in that. I see accomplishments and success everyday. I’m so grateful and humbled by this. Start realizing how special you are, and how wonderful life is. Challenge yourself. Find out what you are made of. Be happy, healthy, and proud. Once you change your mind, your body will follow.

Adrienne Hood 3

A Weight Loss Journey Guide This Week...

It was time for my first workout! YAHOOOO!!!! I was so excited but…I was also VERY nervous. We hit the floor and Debbie put me through the wringer. The workout was difficult but I loved every second, even if I couldn't show it between the sets that were taking my breath away. Debbie kept me on task and made sure my form was perfect. To this day, I take great pride in demonstrating good form in my workouts because of Debbie. It’s so crucial in not only working the muscles the exercise is targeting but to avoid injury. I wouldn't know any of this if I’d tried to do it on my own. I also know I wouldn't have gotten a great workout on my own. Even today, I see Debbie on a regular basis because almost 7 years later, she’s the one that gets me to eek out that tiny extra bit of effort at the gym. Debbie, being the fantastic trainer she is, also kept me on task. When I was struggling, I’d do my best to drag out whatever rest time I was given. Debbie knew better. She ALWAYS knows better. THIS is why you need a trainer.

Sure, you can do this stuff on your own but you may never reach your full potential until you have a professional pushing you, keeping you on track, and keeping you accountable.

With Debbie’s help, I made a commitment to get to the gym at least 3 times a week for a strength workout followed by some cardio. By the end of David’s deployment, the stepmill and I were besties. I also became such a regular that people started to recognize me and give friendly smiles and gestures. I can’t explain how great that felt. I felt like I was being accepted into the world of health and fitness that I’d been longing to be a part of ever since I’d become overweight as a child. It’s exhilarating. It’s even freeing because now you know you’re in control. Not the scale, not the food, not the bad influences that take your eye of the prize. Strangling enough, you begin to even feel accountable to those regulars who also frequent the gym at your regular times. There’s a silent bond with those you exchange smiles with because you know they’re there for the same reason, to be better, to be healthier. Even if you’re at different places on your journey, it’s still the same journey and the same desire that brings everyone to the gym. You can become a part of that!

As for my food, one week in, I was finally starting to get the hang of it. I realized the food was going to take time for it to become second-nature. I was working hard on resetting my brain’s idea of what a meal should look like. Do your best! Even when Debbie adjusts my food now, I tell myself to give it a week or two to settle in. Change isn't easy but you’ll get there. I went through craving after craving not because my body was actually hungry or even needed it, but because it’s what I’d been eating for years. My whole life up to then had been about satisfying craving after craving, whatever they were. Cravings are what made up my meals if you could even call them that. The food was in control. Food should NEVER rule what you do with your LIFE. It’s just food. Eat to live, not to eat.

With my new exercise and food plan in place, my commitment started to pay off quickly and the number on my arch nemesis, the scale, was going down! I was stunned at what listening to your trainer could get you! I felt like I was finally on the right path on my weight loss journey. I was feeling empowered to continue…

Janet Yost

Sept 2012

 In September I made a life altering decision.  Let me give you a little background first.  I was diagnosed with MS in 1994.  As a woman of great faith I thought that this would just be a minor hiccup in life that would soon go away.   I was wrong.  The one thing that I forgot is the Bible teaches us “faith without works is dead”.  While that makes sense in the spiritual sense, I did not understand it is also true in the physical world.

My health began to deteriorate, and I began to retreat in food as an escape.  The more difficult it was to do simple tasks, the more I found solace in my poor food choices and sedentary lifestyle.  So much, in fact, that I found myself almost 15 years later as a middle aged woman in her 50’s at almost 250 lbs, and having needed a cane to walk for almost 7 years.  Something snapped in me in 2009.  Perhaps it was the daughter of a friend being diagnosed.  Perhaps it was being told that after 15 years you can expect your health to go downhill when you have MS.  Perhaps it was I was sick and tired of depression and fear ruling my life.  Whatever the reason, I joined a gym for the first time in my life and started working out HARD with a trainer.  Within 3 months I no longer need my cane, and was off almost all medication.  I steadily began to improve dramatically.

Oct 22, 2012

Oct 8, 2012

Nov 2012

My diet was “clean” and I thought it was good.  But around August of this year I began to think “good enough is not good enough”.  Having gone from a size 20/22 to a 12 was good, but I began to think I needed to  get serious again. So I made the life altering decision I mentioned above. A friend and I were discussing my thoughts, and he said I should go to the best in St. Louis – and the best in St. Louis for women training was Debbie Portell.  So I hired Debbie to help me with my nutrition and as a trainer.  The first thing I found out is about 80% of what I was eating, I should NOT be eating.  My diet was clean, I was used to cooking most of my food, but I was still eating gluten, meats, vegetables and fruits that I should not have been.  So in order to achieve optimum health I followed Debbie’s instructions.  Oh, and I totally cut alcohol out of my routine.  As a woman who loved her wine, my friends could not believe this would happen.  Heck, I could not believe this would happen.  But it is December and I have not had any alcohol since September.  Perhaps I will in the future, but never to the extent I used to.  And perhaps not at all.  Because I decided that I am in this race for the long haul.  That means something different to everyone.  Perhaps it is fitting into that dress or pair of pants.  Or being able to look into the mirror and smile.  All of those are important, but I have been working to stay out of a wheelchair.  That gives you a lot of incentive and motivation.So just a few months later I find myself about 2 sizes smaller (no idea of the pounds, I threw away my scales a long time ago).  But more importantly, I FEEL fantastic.  I feel HEALTHY. 

 The food changes I have made will stay with me for life. 

If you know of anyone with health challenges, I urge you to send them to Debbie.  She will encourage them, kick their butts if needed, and be a forever friend.  I am so glad that I decided that “good enough is not good enough”.  -Thank you Debbie, for helping me change my life.

Rich Wood 13

Food is Fuel
A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

The unhealthy food you are eating does not care if you have a heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol count or a stroke. YOU have to care!!! You are in control of what goes in your body. When you wake up every morning and tell yourself “I have to do something about my weight,” and then go make the same food choices that you did the day before – you can’t blame the food. Every time I ate something
unhealthy I knew it was bad for me – my body would let me know. Your body is letting you know.

If you have been overweight for a long time and you look at all the money and effort you have put into looking and feeling this way, why wouldn't you put the same effort into feeling great? Please write me and tell me the downside to going through life feeling your best. Honestly you can no longer be this weak about food. Time to change!!! Prove something to yourself, whatever problem you face in your life, being unhealthy through those obstacles does not change the problem. You need to start believing in yourself. You are still on this earth to be a happy, healthy, productive person. You are able to get up and walk around. Think about how many people in wheelchairs would trade one day to be able to walk on a treadmill, much less go for a run. Whenever I am feeling tired, sore or wasting time, I think about all the people who would love to be able to go to the gym and improve themselves. You are totally capable of making the necessary changes. How can you complain about how you look and feel, when you are able to do something about it but choose not too?

I come in contact every day with people who are determined to change themselves. They are doing it. There is a reason the gyms are open 24 hours a day!!! You can watch your favorite tv show later. Skip baking the cake and cookies and do what is best for you in the long run, not short term pleasure. How about long term health? Some people will ignore this because it’s too real, but write down what you eat and how you spend some of your time. Put it on paper. Be honest with yourself. No one else has to see it. The answers on what you need to change will be right in front of you. Make the most of everyday you have on this earth, you owe it to yourself and your family and loved ones you have lost. See what it feels like to run at the optimum level. Think and live like a champion, you can do it. I’m living proof. Make the New Year everything you want it to be. It’s time to do work. If you put the time and energy into your health it will pay off – I promise!!! I’m going to train. You need motivation? Do you think you are the only person who is busy?

Are you ready to begin?

Rich Wood 12

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

My passion for improving my own well-being has caused many changes in my life, besides just physical.  I have changed my entire life and career to become a certified personal trainer.  It has become my life’s work to help others feel better and find their passion.  If you need inspiration, or haven’t found that one thing you are passionate about – be passionate about your health.  It will improve all other areas of your life.  I still go to a trainer to help me achieve my goals.  I know the importance of asking for help, and I know how effective getting help from the right person can be.  I surround myself with people who are passionate about what they do.  It drives me to have the same passion about what I do.  I never lose sight of how lucky I am to have people in my life help me stay focused and help me strive for greatness.  Let their words inspire greatness in you:

---

Debbie Portell

Personal Trainer/Nutritionist Coach

Why did you become a personal trainer, what do you love about training people, and why are you so passionate about it?

I became a trainer because 10 years ago I was so sick I nearly died.  No one could figure out what was wrong with me.  I fought daily to uncover the reason why I was losing weight, then gaining weight and could not get out of bed due to rapid heart rate, persistent dizziness and terrible tremors.  I thought for sure it was the end for me.  I finally tried one last doctor.  It was the 22nd doctor in 2 years.  He asked me what my blood type was.  I told him O positive.  He said you are eating everything wrong.  I said that cannot be, I meet with the hospital dietitian regularly.  He changed my food and I was feeling better within a week.  I had suffered for 2 years.  Thought for sure I was going to die.  I was feeling 60% better in a week.  Food is fuel.  It can save your life or it can cost you all the joy and pleasure you have in your life.  I am so passionate about it because who wouldn't be if they experienced what I did.  God must intend for me to share this information.  I made an agreement with him after I started feeling better daily.  I told him I would save lives every day he gave me on earth.  That’s exactly what I do, along with kissing my sweet doggies every day.

What are you trying to achieve in the future, and what does seeing someone succeed do for you?

We are trying to achieve a lifetime of optimum health. I hope Rich will change lives daily the same way I do.  Just through his story.  His testimony is amazing and he is a walking inspiration to others.   What does that do for me?  Blesses my life more than you would ever know.  Makes it clear that I am doing exactly what I should be doing with my life.  Explains why I jump out of bed every day to do it again and again with each new day.

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Kyle Watson

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt/Instructor

What do you love about training people, and why are you so passionate about it?

I love interacting with people and more importantly helping people. I have also always enjoyed the satisfaction of sharing knowledge.  With my passion for Jiu-Jitsu, creating my own gym was a natural fit. On a daily basis I get to surround myself with great people, and help them by sharing a passion of mine that just happens to positively affect everyone it touches. Simply put, it was meant to be!

What are you trying to achieve in the future, and what does seeing someone succeed do for you?

In the future I see not only creating many champions, but I plan on sharing the many life-changing benefits of this art with as many people as I effectively can.  I hope to have multiple locations so I can reach out a broader spectrum of people. This is much more than an art to me. It is a platform that I can use to help people stay healthy, live happier less stressful lives, teach people to be more humble and live by a code of honor, develop many healthy friendships, conquer fears, build self-esteem, empower people to protect themselves, and develop future leaders.

It is hard to describe in words how my students’ successes make me feel. Although I do not have children, I imagine it would be similar to a proud parent.  It is a sense of happiness, not that you achieved something for someone, but that you showed them that through hard work they could achieve it themselves. It is gratification at its highest level, and I am truly blessed that I get to experience this feeling on a varying scale every single day.

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Sid Gee

 8^th Degree Black Belt, Kenpo Karate Instructor

What do you love about training people, and why are you so passionate about it?

My passion for training people comes from how it changed my life. I can take a shy kid and give him confidence. Take an out of shape person and make him fit. Take a person that's lost in the world and give them a chance to get better at something. The bottom line is that it gives a person confidence, with confidence you can do anything you want in this world. My favorite quote," how do you put a price tag on that".

What are you trying to achieve in the future, and what does seeing someone succeed do for you?

Karate has an endless path; I tell my students enjoy the journey not the destination! We all hit road blocks when we dedicate to something. You have to find what you really want out of your journey. Some people want self-defense, some want to sport fight, some want to get in shape. Everyone has goals. If I have a student that's burned out on katas or techniques we will spar or we can do mitts. All these things will get you to be happy training in martial arts. It's not all about belts; it’s about being happy improving yourself and getting better at something.

I believe Rich has changed his life because he wanted to change, he just didn't have a vehicle to do it. He found it through Martial Arts. Rich and I have a common bond in many ways but especially in MMA, We both have a passion for the stand-up part and we understand it very well. I'm still looking for my first world champion in MMA, someday it will happen.

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    It’s important in life to not be afraid or ashamed to ask for help.  I interviewed this group of important people in my life to show you just how anxious people are to help.  Stress can cause you to feel overwhelmed, and maybe you can’t change that immediately, but the one thing you absolutely can control and change instantly is your health.  There are many options available to help you start.  Chase your passion in life, no matter what.  I’m not telling you to quit your job because you've always had an interest in playing guitar, and then overnight hope to be Eddie Van Halen.  But, what I am saying is: go buy a guitar.  Take a lesson.  Pursue your passion.  Life is a journey, and by taking chances you will come in contact with incredible people who will make an impact on your life in a very positive and meaningful way.  If you have any fear about how to get started, and getting yourself on the path to a healthy lifestyle, let these words help you make the first step.  You can contact any one of us to help get you on your way.

Everyone mentioned in this blog has had their own obstacles to overcome.  We can each relate to whatever it is you’re going through.  You’re not alone in this; it’s ok to do something for yourself.  Everything in life can and will get better if your health is running at its most optimum level.

Food for thought: Chase your passion, not your pension. 

-Rich Wood

Lisa Klaus

I grew up in the traditional farm family where food was home cooked and a big part of each day, every celebration. 

Food was used to show our love…

if someone was happy or sad; had a success or a failure, food was made to express how much we cared.   Exercise was working on the farm.  I had no idea what the inside of a gym looked like or was used for until college friends asked me to join them for a workout. I was blessed to have the childhood I had, but it was a childhood that instilled very bad habits that led to me being overweight and unhealthy most of my life.  

I really didn't know much else, and as intelligent as I may be, didn't realize there was another way of life.  That is, until I went to college in Champaign.  My roommates were from Chicago and Peoria, all of them had grown up in a world completely different than I had.  My freshman year I put on the Freshman 15, lived on little sleep, ate anything I wanted, and developed daily headaches that would haunt me for 20 years.  In college I did learn that exercise could be fun and used it to control my weight.  I joined Weight Watchers and by my Junior year was down to 115 pounds.  I ate yogurt and green beans and walked. However, this was nothing I could maintain and the weight crept back on slowly.  I graduated, got married and all the weight came back, plus some. 

  Even though I learned a lot about healthy eating, I never really did change many of my eating habits.  

Over the next several years I would gain and lose weight and exercise on and off, but never really established habits that would cause me to change my lifestyle and make them permanent.  About the time I turned 37 I found myself fighting to keep my sanity.  I was dealing with a failing marriage and daily headaches that were getting worse.  I was on seven prescriptions medications….four for headaches and three for high triglycerides….and was around 230 pounds.  My days started out miserable everyday when I woke up with a headache, and didn't usually get better….I was constantly tired and in pain.  Exercise was the last thing I wanted to do.  But, somehow I did get into the habit of getting up early to workout….looking back; I am not sure what it was that got me out of bed every morning.  Once I did get into a routine, I started to notice how much better I felt. My headaches got a little better and I had more energy through the day.  I started lifting weights more, I took some classes, and eventually found that I could push myself harder than I thought I could.  The harder I pushed, the better I felt.  Eventually my headaches got much better and I reduced the medicines.  It was a gradual process that took about two and half years but I has lead me to places I NEVER would have thought I would be. I lost 100 pounds and have found that my body is capable of so much more than I ever dreamt.

In March of 2012 I attended a Bodybuilding/Figure Camp that PowerHouse was holding and my life would never be the same. I met Debbie and decided immediately that I had to figure out a way to train with her and be a part of the PowerHouse team. I instantly felt like I had found something amazing.  My first meeting with Debbie reinforced that feeling.  She went through the assessment with me and found several structural issues and corrective exercises to address them. Her excitement and heartfelt sincerity were infectious. I could not wait to get started.

I did the foam rolling and stretches as instructed by Debbie and quickly saw changes. 

  I am convinced that I would be never be where I am now and possibly be injured if I had not met Debbie.  

When I met her my goals were to do a figure show and she got me there.  She gave me the tools I needed to take it to the next level, mentally and physically.  The knowledge, love and commitment Debbie gives is unparalleled and is what makes her different than anyone I've ever met. 

Adrienne Hood 3

It was time. I sat in the front lobby of the gym waiting to meet my new trainer, Debbie Portell. I’d dabbled in a gym before this day but I was so nervous it felt like it was the first time setting foot in one. When she approached, I saw a smiling, petite woman but I quickly learned that her size was deceiving. Debbie was a forced to be reckoned with! The first meeting consisted of basics like determining my goals, imbalances, what my current eating habits were, etc. It was a LOT of information to take in and Debbie meant business! Without ever setting foot on the workout floor, I’d been sent off into the world with my first marching orders.

The first week’s focus was completely on my food. At first, I was dismayed because I really wanted to start working out, thinking that was the key and how I was going to get the weight off. Now, I know different. I really needed to focus on just my food to start off on the right foot. I once read somewhere that you lose weight in the kitchen and get fit in the gym. I didn't know this yet but it is so true. So, off to the grocery store I went. I’d never eaten like this so all I could do was rely completely on the list Debbie provided me as I wondered around the store.

I was placing a lot of faith in her as this was uncharted territory for me. I didn't know how I would feel or if I’d get the results I was looking for but, here’s the thing, I needed to let go and let someone else guide me for once because I’d clearly failed at being my own expert. It didn't matter how much time I spent researching on the internet, how many programs I’d tried, how many supplements I’d taken promising weight loss, I was not the expert and needed to stop fooling myself into thinking I could do this alone. For those of you still searching for the magical weight loss secret out there, here it is: a personal trainer.

So, here I am, with a new eating plan. I was watching the clock to make sure I was fueling my body at proper intervals and measuring my food, etc. Things that were completely foreign to me! I think for most people, food is the hardest area to tackle when trying to transition to a healthy lifestyle. Commit to do what your trainer tells you and be accountable to them. It’s what they’re there for because being accountable to just yourself has most likely failed you in the past. Integrate your trainer into your life. Let them be your first healthy-minded friend as you’re probably surrounded by the opposite. They’ll be the first of many as you take steps to a healthier you.

Admittedly, I made lots of mistakes, particularly with food, but every day I was determined to make progress. I’m a bit of a perfectionist myself and I used to really struggle with an all-or-nothing attitude when it came to weight loss. I was all too familiar with thinking I’ll just start over tomorrow or the next week if I ate the wrong thing or caved and went through drive-thru. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably good at beating yourself up but you have to learn to let mistakes go and try to love yourself again. Again, corny but true. Forgive yourself and immediately get back on track. A favorite motto of mine is to strive for progression not perfection.

The next week, it was time to add the exercise component to my weight loss plan and Debbie took me through my first workout…

Adrienne Hood 2

I once heard that some people need a major life event to occur for them to reevaluate their lives and make a change for the better.

My husband getting deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 was just that. I've never cried so hard in my life, let alone in the middle of an airport terminal, as my husband walked down that ramp to the airplane that would take him overseas to a war zone for almost six months. It was heartbreaking.

While I consider myself a strong and independent person, my husband, David, and I had been together since I was 17. We stayed together through him leaving for basic training and tech school before he was lucky enough to get stationed at Scott Air Force Base just an hour away. We even got married at 19 and 20 years old and made it through almost the full 4 years of active duty when he had only had 8 months left before separating from the Air Force. I naively thought we’d somehow managed to avoid a deployment in those 4 years. I was wrong. It was February in 2006 and we lived on Scott Air Force Base.

David came home from work and found me upstairs. When I looked up, he had a strange look on his face so I thought he was about to surprise me with something nice since it was close to Valentine’s Day. Then his expression changed and I knew it was bad. I can’t imagine how hard that was for David to tell me and to handle the crying that ensued. I did not feel strong and independent at that moment. It felt like I was about to lose a limb because that’s the only way I could imagine how being without him would feel.

We had a couple months to square things away before he left and, in that time, we moved to my parent’s house where I’d stay during the deployment so I wouldn't be alone and away from family. When he left, I didn't know what to do with myself but within a week of him getting on that airplane, it dawned on me. I needed to be strong. This was my opportunity. I called a local gym and immediately setup a membership and an appointment with a personal trainer. 

I somehow got lucky enough to have been randomly matched with Debbie Portell as my trainer. 

Debbie would help me transform my life in ways I couldn't have imagined in the months that followed.

In hindsight, I wish it hadn't taken me so long to have that light bulb moment. I missed out on a lot because of my own self-imposed limitations that I could've done something about. I could've done track instead of dropping out or tried playing sports. Who knows what I could've accomplished! Don’t let that be you. I know some people may need to have that major life event to really look at where their lives are at but don’t let that be you. Take a hold of it now! Stop dreaming about when you’ll make that change or that next summer will finally be the summer you’ll be proud to wear your swimsuit at the pool. 

The holiday season is coming up? So what! Start now!

Rich Wood 11

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

I’m going to let you in on a huge secret: when you eat healthy, you can eat up to five times a day.  It’s about what you eat and when you eat it.  Starving yourself, and then gorging yourself is not the answer.  Take the word “diet” out of your life.  It has negativity and failure attached to it.  How many times have you said “Monday, I’m starting a diet.”  The way it is said already has you setup for failure.  Have you ever said “this is my last weekend like this, I’m going to eat whatever I want this weekend and Monday I am going to change everything?”  Monday comes, and you fall back into the same patterns.  Big announcements about diets breed failure.  It’s about what you eat, not about trends or fads.  I hear people say “I can’t live without my ________.”  They are announcing that there is some kind of food or drink that has power over them.  Can you live without diabetes or a heart attack?  

Change your way of thinking.  

Tell yourself that you are worth caring for.  I am worth the effort to make sure that I am going to proceed through life making my health a priority. If you need help, it’s ok to ask for it.  A magazine article or a diet that worked for someone else may not work for you.  You may need an expert to customize a nutrition and fitness plan for you.  Try something new.  Put into action feeling better about you.  Train your mind and body…the connection between the two is the key. Has food helped you solve any problems in the past?  Has food given you any answers to what is causing you to overeat?  You are in control of your health, happiness, and destination. The corporations and people making these processed and unhealthy foods are not concerned about your health.  They want to sell you a product, not food.  You have to take charge of your own health.  Is a dollar menu item really the answer?  Stop doing things to yourself that you can’t feel good about.  Do what is right.  Do not make another New Year’s resolution – start making changes today.  Get fired up and be the person you want to be.  What is keeping you from taking this challenge? 

I want you to know that there are people that legitimately care about helping you.  I know I can help you lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.  Through this blog, I try to express how much better my life has become by taking control of my own health – but the joy that comes from helping someone else begin this path is immeasurable.  Being able to look into someone’s eyes and see how desperate they are to change…then help that person begin to realize what they are capable of through diet and exercise….how strong mentally and physically they are…then begin to see the changes happen…I can’t express the satisfaction that comes from this.  

I just had an experience with a client where I shared with him how bad it had gotten for me.  I would wake up at 3am and eat a full meal, then go back to bed.  This person looked at me with sadness and anger and admitted that this is the pattern he is living right now.  My reply to him is that he has already taken the toughest step.  He is here in the gym making changes.  If you relate to any of this – what are you waiting for? 

Do you owe yourself health and happiness?

Rich Wood 10

Food is Fuel

A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

I am familiar with all the little voices you fight inside your head when you are struggling with your weight.  How you will say to your friends, “I know this food is unhealthy…but I don’t care, it’s just so good.”  That was not how I ever really felt on the inside.  I did care, and so do you.  I made jokes about myself, and the other overweight people in my life would laugh along with me.  That was easier to do than to face the problem.  

There is no easy way.  No pill.  You can do it without getting dangerous surgery.  You can do it by putting the human brain and body to work!  I am working with a gentleman right now and I have watched everything about him change.  He is so determined to get better and stronger.  Find that in yourself.  All the confidence and care you put into your kids or grand kids  or your spouse, or job…whatever it is…put that faith into your own well being.  Can you do something for yourself that is necessary to continue living??  I know that if I was able to break the hold that an unhealthy lifestyle had on me, you can too.  Your diet and workouts don’t have to be a torture test.  You have to educate yourself in what will work for you.  

What do you need to happen to make you realize that it is time? 

There will come a time, hopefully because something will click inside of you and not because of doctors orders, and you will be ready to make a change.  Stay on the path.   Losing and gaining weight – it is a real struggle for people, now is the time to try something new, why would you not take a chance on yourself?.  Ice cream and soda are not more important than your overall health.  I found that once I had to get healthy, I never wanted to be anything but that.  I now love healthy food, and I’m dedicating my life to helping people get better.

Stay strong and realize sacrifices will have to be made to get the results you want.  

-Rich Wood