Meal Planning..Crazy Making or FUN??

Do you find yourself giving in to less than stellar foods and even eating meals out a little too often and are left feeling yucky due to not preparing well? This is an issue for many people. No matter what your life looks like, we can pretty much bet that most people are juggling many things these days and meal planning and prep has gone to the wayside. It's easy for this to happen, but the reality is, when your health declines because of it, you will soon discover what you can do without in order to get the priorities straight again and recover your health and vitality. Often times what we are "busy" with is keeping up with the Jones's and let's face it.....it's tiring, and running us down. When we have a solid foundation in our health, we can then pick and choose how to spend the rest of our time from a more balanced place.

The number one place to start, as with anything, is to DECIDE. Decide that your health and well being have to come first. If you do not have your health, you cannot enjoy much of anything else. Decide to make this a priority and to commit to learning how to do this in your personal life and circumstances.

Pick a couple days out of the week where you can dedicate some time to planning and prepping your meals. This takes a minute to figure out but like anything, the more we practice the better we get.
 Prepare your meals in larger portions than for just a single meal. Pack a lunch from the extra and have the leftovers for your next dinner. Prepare easy to grab foods during your busier schedules and leave more elaborate recipes or cooking for when you have the time to be creative and relax. Every meal does not have to be gourmet to eat really well. Chop and pack fruits and veggies, cook extra protein and eggs to toss into salads and add some avocado or nuts for healthy fats. 

Determine how many mouths you have to feed, figure up the next few meals and write a grocery list. Stick to the list at the store and come home to prepare. Staying focused helps a lot. It is easy to get distracted with all the tempting goodies at the store. By all means, have fun...just stay on task too! If there is one particular person in your family that really enjoys the prepping, cooking and kitchen shenanigans then enlist that person. It is entirely possible to find the way that works the best in your home and your circumstances.

Decide, commit and take action! The rest will take care of itself. Some weeks will be amazing and work out really well. Others, could be better. No biggie....keep making adjustments. Life is not the same all the time. We have to adjust things as the river of life flows. Once your nutrition is dialed in, you will just know what to get at the store and your home will be stocked with health supporting foods.

Here's to making your nutrition and health a priority!!

Here are your steps:

1. Decide to make it a priority and commit to learning as you go.
2. Plan your meals a few days in advance and make the grocery list.
3. Go to store..
4. Cook and pack extras for meals to take with you.


If you need nutrition guidance and overall health and fitness guidance..contact us via email to find out about our programs. jami@mackperformancefitness.com or keith@mackperformancefitness.com

Break the Chains!!!

Some of you may have been drawn to this reading because you KNOW you are a people pleaser and are suffering and others of you simply may have happened upon this, to which I say, there are no mistakes. : )

What is People Pleasing? People Pleasing is a behavior pattern in which the said ‘Pleaser’ lives life based on pleasing others. Ignoring how they themselves feel, truly and authentically, they make decisions based on how others will feel, or respond to them. This behavior is usually created out of a desire to protect oneself, to be accepted and approved of, even though it appears to be for the other person’s benefit. You may also be known as the Peacemaker. Keeping the peace no matter what it costs you personally. Stemming from fear and low self esteem or confidence, this behavior only depletes confidence and esteem even more.

Some basic examples of People Pleasing behavior may show up as saying Yes, when you want to say No. Or the opposite, saying No when you want to say Yes, too afraid to share your true feelings. Not being able to make a decision out of fear of what others may think of you. Family, friends or even strangers.  This behavior carries over well into adulthood and before you know it, you are of the age where you feel you can’t seem to figure out what is going on, but you know something is just not right.

The first step in walking yourself out of people pleasing behavior is to simply recognize that you are doing this and where you are doing this. For a while, it may feel overwhelming. You may see it in every relationship and circumstance in your current life. Once you become aware, there’s no ignoring it. This is ok. If you have a trusted friend, partner, or counselor/therapist you can talk to, this will help you lighten the load by talking it out. The first part of any change is awareness and feeling the pain of what we’ve created.

Start creating new behavior patterns with the ones you can trust and that will love and support you through this journey. This is not always the ones we think they will be, that is ok too. Start by practicing sharing how you truly feel about something. In the beginning, it helps to say things like, “you know I love you and I hope you can understand this but…..”. Or something of that nature. It is in a way, still setting the stage for peace, but opening the door for a more authentic conversation. You will begin to strengthen yourself and this will roll over into other areas.

Once you have awareness and have begun practicing, you will discover a new energy within yourself of a positive vibration, a new sense of possibility and you will not want to go back. You will have opportunities all over the place to utilize this new found way of being and although it may feel really different and even terrifying at times, committing to yourself and knowing that you can truly only be of service when you are honest will strengthen you to take necessary steps and speak up.

This can be done from a place of love and kindness. It may not feel like that in the beginning because you’ve thought what you’ve been doing your whole life was out of love and kindness, it was really for protection and approval. At first there may be a reaction to blame others for taking advantage of you, or for whatever it appears “they are doing”. It is imperative to remember that “they” haven’t done anything different. You are the one undergoing personal transformation and your new behavior may upset some people. Understand that “Everything Affects Everything..”. If you do make one small change in yourself and your life, you will see some effects. Get clear on your intentions in yourself and your life and know that you can live honestly, authentically and from a place of love and the only approval you need comes from within.

1. Awareness
2. Start where there is support and encouragement
3. Know you can make these changes in a loving and kind way, committing to yourself

I hope this helps get you started on a new journey. You will be so glad to use your energy in more creative, fulfilling ways and help others also!

Hello! and Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2015 and I thought I would finally introduce myself personally and share some of my story with you guys.

We'll start with what you are already a little familiar with...my name is Jami Lynn McCormack and I am married to Keith McCormack and we have a dog named Lady who is our everything. We had two dogs for most of our time together but we had to say good-bye to our Shiva Blue just this past July. : (

I am originally from Texas. Both sides of my family still reside there. When I was 12, my dad moved up to Washington State for work. I moved up there at the age of 14 and with a couple moves back and forth  between Texas and Washington, I eventually ended up graduating up there. I was there for almost 10 years.  As a youngster I was interested in healthy eating and natural medicine. Back then, I did not know much on those subjects but I was always drawn to it. I bought my first herbal medicine and aromatherapy books in high school and even read books about how the way we think and speak has an affect on us. This was the very beginning for me.

My next move was to Colorado. I was there for 2 years. This is when I got Shiva.: ) This is also when my interest in holistic health really really became strong. I read yoga magazines simply out of pure curiosity and joy. I did eventually begin my yoga practice in Colorado at a place called Starr Mountain. I lived in a little mountain town called Woodland Park just west of Colorado Springs. During my two years there I read ..a lot..I was like a sponge for holistic "things". I came across this treatment called Reiki. It is vibrational, or energy healing. I was curious and I decided to go through the courses. I went through Master Level training. Although I never thought I would use it to work with people, I wanted to learn about it for myself. During this time I also learned so much more about essential oil and their many health benefits and began playing around in the kitchen making all kinds of body oils, scrubs and such. It was fun, but there was much left to be learned. While living there I worked at Dillard's in the cosmetics department at the Origins counter, which was their "natural" skin care line so I was also learning there too. My desire grew to learn more and all I knew was that "I want to work in Holistic Health."

Then came my move to Little Rock. My mom, sister, niece and nephew had moved here at some point while I was gone and as life brings us times of change, I was in the midst of a big one and came to live with family again. I transferred with Origins/Dillard's so I had a job to come to while going through this change. It just so happened that Dillard's still had the cookie department upstairs. : ) One day a gal that I worked with and I decided to go get one. This pretty cute guy served us up and was pretty talkative. Me, well, I was a little shy. I didn't quite know what to think with his abundance of initial conversation. It was sparked once he found out I had just moved from Colorado because he had just returned from working up there for a ski season. We had the Colorado connection! I walked away thinking he was pretty cute. Fast forward, we are married for almost 9 years now. We met in 02. 

I was in a bit of culture shock moving here. I remember feeling quite out of place and not sure what was going on. Very different from Pacific Northwest and Colorado.  I felt nervous quite a bit and as it turned out, I was more uncomfortable than I was aware of because my body began having health issues. I was internalizing all of it. But..I did my best to take it in plus I was excited about the boy. One day another gal I worked with went to go get a colonic. If you do not know what this is, it is a cleansing of the colon with filtered water. It is a holistic therapy for cleansing the body. I told her I wanted to know about it because I was experiencing these new issues. When she came back she said, "You have to go meet this woman. She says things you would say and I think you need to just meet her." Ok, so I go and fast forward again, I become a certified Colon Hydrotherapist and also a certified Body Ecologist. Body Ecology is a nutritional format for healing the digestive system with cleansing, food and probiotics. BOOM! Working in Holistic Health! woohoo! I loved my work! I was learning and learning so much. Had an amazing teacher and worked with great people and had truly amazing clients, some of which are my friends to this very day.

I ended up meeting my very first Holistic Lifestyle Coach while working here. I remember when I met her and learned of what she did with people I thought, "That's it! That's the missing piece!" Because it was totally based on THE INDIVIDUAL and it covered everything from the chakra system (our energetic body) to nutrition to movement to mental/emotional patterns, all of it and I loved it!

A few years into being here and working in colon therapy I met a lovely, lovely woman who was a therapist and a Reiki practitioner. I spent time with her and went through Level 1 training again and began to work with clients utilizing the energy balancing technique. I loved it also and everything I was learning was also bringing up more questions.

In the midst of all of this with my work, I was still experiencing difficulties with my own health and with this new place and life. I just didn't know what was going on. Fast forward yet again to me in 2011-12. I finally went to a Holistic MD here in the area. She took everything she could get her hands on from my body and got to the core and figure what was going on with me physically. I was diagnosed with celiac disease and auto-immune hypothyroidism.  Thank God I finally had an answer! I already ate well but now it got serious. What is known now as the Paleo way of eating saved my life. I was initially put on thyroid hormones but just for a while. I had severe malnutrition even with my healthy way of eating because of the damage that was done to my intestines from eating wheat all my life.  So, I was determined to get well, and be well again. I mean, how could I have been learning all these things and living and loving it and end up sick!? What kind of trick was that?!

So, with food, movement, prescribed supplementation...I began to get well. I had felt so bad and became somewhat disillusioned by it all that I just didn't know what to do or think. I was experiencing anxiety and depression and so much frustration I just eventually laid down. I remember just waking up one day and I just didn't have it in me to get up and make like I was ok anymore. I wasn't and I didn't know why. I had listened to a podcast one day and heard this woman speak about health and wellness and it was very inspiring. I went to her Facebook page and commented on something and ended up winning a phone call with her. Here's where my health really began to get better. She is a Lifestyle Consultant. Working with her I was able to figure out the deep rooted issues I was dealing with that were keeping me not well. This was not only monumental for me but also for Keith and I. Not that we were not good, but it helped us go to a new level. One of the biggest things I learned during this work with her was about Intuition. I knew about this. I knew I had experiences with it when I was a child but I became afraid of it and told myself I didn't want to "know" anymore. I had very strong feelings in my body and I didn't know how to do it. I developed ways of just keeping the peace by being a people pleaser. This was a shocker when I found out I am not quite as SWEET as I thought I was! : ) Probably a shocker to some people around me too. But this was integral to me getting well.

As I began to acknowledge this and start to listening to it again I regained so much energy. Not only that but a lot of the pain I had been having went away. WOW. I was blown away! And I was getting well. So much so that I decided it was time for me to start doing what I loved so much....working in Holistic Health. I went back to my Holistic Lifestyle Coaching certification class and I also went through the Exercise Coach course, both through the CHEK Institute. I began working with women to help them regain their health, confidence, joy ..whatever that's been missing, it can be brought back to life! I am living proof of the work. Holistic Lifestyle Coaching is formatted for the individual because we are all different and our health and vitality will come from a unique variety of tools with a foundation in diet, quiet, movement and happiness. I....LOVE ....IT. It has been my dream to do this work and so here I am! I have been through it! and I am able to help others now, experience the same life changing for the better benefits of aligning with your truth, your dreams, and taking action to make these things happen. It's like magic.

Own the Decision

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.
This is a wonderful time of year, one where we enjoy time with family, time away from work, watching football, shopping, and EATING!
This brings me to a very important idea to focus upon.
We know that we are going to enjoy the feast.  We know that there will be food and drink available that may not be the best choices for our dietary plans and overall health and wellness.
Should we feel guilt or shame with the things we decide to put in our mouths and down our throats?
No, or even, Hell No.....  If you have studied psychology or follow Dallas and Melissa Hartwig at the Whole 9 (or have even attempted the Whole 30 Challenge), you know that there is a huge mental component not only with the foods we eat but also the decisions that go along with those choices.  The BEST thing we can do when we make a decision is to think about it, follow through with it, and be "ok" with that decision we acted upon.  Own the decision.  Have strength in your commitment.
Be positive and let your body know that it's going to efficiently take everything nutritious out of whatever you just ate and use it in an effective manner for your body.  I can assure you if you have a positive mental attitude about your food choices it will make you physically feel much better. 
Don't feel shame, don't feel like you're doing something wrong, and don't say, "I shouldn't be doing this," "this is going to go straight to my thighs," etc.  These are silly ideas that place negative energy around what should be a good experience with family and friends. 
Know that one meal is not going to wreck your hard work.  Enjoy yourselves and eat some good food.  If you have to, take a short walk with the dog or family post-meal to burn some calories (sugar).
Understand that this doesn't mean you allow the wheels to totally come off and the next thing you know you're locked in a closet with a big bag of doritos, snickers, and 3 liters of Diet Coke. 
Be smart but enjoy this holiday meal. A piece of pie is legal.
We eat healthy and move our bodies to be physically, mentally, and emotionally in a better place.  We want to feel good and be happy so we can do the things we enjoy.  And usually, being with friends and family, the people we love, is something we enjoy.  Let your guard down a little but always stay cognizant of your choices.  Own them!

Knowing Your Clients Physical Abilities

You're my new client, we talk, we meet, I MAY know what you've done on paper, but I have to see how your body moves with my own eyes. 
You see, if we are going to work together, there will be a 2-way street of communication.  I will understand, after talking with you, what it is you want, your goal.  But, the reality is, I can't formulate an effective plan until I see how your body moves and if you have the flexibility, stability and strength to get into certain positions.  This is another form of communication, you communicating through your movement and ability where we start with your exercise progressions. This is the KEY, you may be telling me one thing with your words, but your body movement may be saying another.  Movement always trumps words, unless those words are: that hurts, I can't or something doesn't feel right....  We immediately stop here.  These words require more information to be gathered.  That's when it pays to have an attentive, responsible trainer; one who can communicate.

I start my clients out with a Physical Screen and Posture Assessment.  This is my 1st meeting with a client in the gym. The screen and assessment is broken down into 4 parts and takes about 45 minutes to an hour.  I focus on the client's:

1. Flexibility/Mobility
2. Neuromuscular Efficiency (or Balance)
3. Stability
4. Functional Movement 

The answers revealed from this process allow us to intelligently begin a structured exercise program.  One where we can have structure to progress through. 

The structure follows around the basis of these Four Physical Pre-Requisites:

1. Flexibility: of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints so that we create a balanced body, one where we correct any current muscle imbalances. I must see that your body can get into proper positions.
2. Static and Dynamic Stability:  1st we develop a stable body in a fixed position, after we are proficient here, we progress to having stable body segments while moving.
3. Strength Development:  here we always start with bodyweight before we introduce an external load.
4. Power:  the fourth and final component, and one that never starts until we have demonstrated good ability with the other 3.  Power is a combination of strength and speed and necessitates flexibility, stability, and strength.

I follow this process with my General Training Clients, High Performance Clients, and Golf-Specific Clients.  I must know or have an understanding of my client's abilities.  This allows us to be SAFE, know where to realistically begin, and have a means to both quantify and qualify progress they've made with physical ability. 
This starts us on the healthy path of Good Movement with their body.  A body that will support the things they love to do.

Find Your Tribe, Surround Yourself With LIke-Minded People

Guess what, we had some fun today.  And, it was healthy and took very little planning. 
We had 2 friends come over, a couple, friends of ours named Tim and Amanda. We wanted to share how important it is to find your tribe. Making changes in your lifestyle, or just being the ones that live a healthy lifestyle can sometimes leave you ..less social. You will probably get teased at parties for what you eat or other choices you make (know from experience)..until you are surrounded by like minded people.   There is a mindset out there that "being healthy" is hard, unrealistic. I get this.  There is planning that goes into healthy living: managing time, budgeting, cooking food, getting rest, being active, etc.  But when you think about this, is this really hard or are we brainwashed by advertising that knows how to get our attention - LET US MAKE THIS EASIER FOR YOU.  The reality is it just takes a desire to be healthy and to feel good.  It takes some work.  It takes a plan.  Having like-minded people in your life definitely helps your cause.  The question inevitably comes up, "What if there are no healthy people in my life?" Easy answer, go find them, they're out there, and they probably want to be your friend. The hardest part, if you are not yet into your healthy living habits, is getting started. Like anything.
We challenge you to pursue your healthy desires, conquer some of the goals you have set in place but may have fallen to the wayside.  Jami and I will be your "healthy, like-minded friends".  We can motivate, encourage, and celebrate with you.  And as an added bonus, you'll meet great people like Tim and Amanda along the way.

 

 

Pre-Workout with Tim, Amanda, Jami Lynn, and Keith

Post-Workout

 

 

Post-Workout Meal - Tangy Taco Salad with homemade Guacamole and Cilantro Cauliflour Rice

Stable Shoulder Blades Equals the Key For a Great Top Position In the Backswing

What's holding you back in your golf swing?
You go to the golf pro or swing coach, you get a great lesson, hit a few good shots, but lack that consistency on the course. You have the best brand, most forgiving clubs, but for every 1 good shot you hit, there's a couple "fat" and "thin" shots that follow.  You get frustrated. You threaten to give up the game and throw your clubs in the river. Slow down, man.... The issue here is not the club, it's not the swing coach or pro. Your body creates the motion and power that is distributed into creating that golf swing.  Anything "not working" in your game can be traced back to a body issue or physical limitation. 

Good news, this CAN be fixed!  What it takes is first figuring out which area of the body may be causing the physical limitation. There could be a few, but lets handle the major threat first.
Let's say you have not so great posture. You work a job that has you in this hunched over, sitting position for the majority of the day. We find ourselves in this position eating, driving, messing around on the computer, and reading. This poor posture becomes our norm and presents itself in the golf address position and carries over into the swing. It's very hard to rotate your torso in a flexed/hunched over position. This condition is known as Upper Crossed Syndrome (http://www.muscleimbalancesyndromes.com/janda-syndromes/upper-crossed-syndrome/), and is a combination of muscle imbalances found in the chest and back area.  It leaves our mid-back area weak and WILL lead the golfer into having absolutely no scapular stability. The scapula or shoulder blade area (scapulo-thoracic joint) has to be a very stable area of the body in the golf swing. This area locks down and allows the shoulder ball and socket joint (gleno-humeral joint) to be very mobile to extend the club to the top of your backswing and initiate a proper swing path coming down during the downswing. If you lack this stability in your scapula you are telling your shoulder to try and be both mobile and stable at the same time. This is not going to go over that well and will not lead to consistent golf shots.
What you need are corrective golf-specific exercises to strengthen this physical limitation in the body.  If you keep the pattern above going on too long, you will continue to have muscle imbalances in the body that will surely lead to injury. It's not a question of IF but WHEN. 
Try this exercise below. It will both strengthen the shoulders and add stability in your shoulder blades. It will also improve shoulder mobility as this exercise takes each shoulder through flexion and extension.  The nice thoracic extension this exercise demands will lead to better golf posture and everyday-life body posture.
Strong scapula (shoulder blades) will help you keep a stable thoracic spine giving you a good strong turn and consistent swing path that will hopefully hit great golf shots.  This will leave both you and the golf pro very happy.  

REVERSE FLY TRAPS TALL KNEELING

If you're looking to get screened for any physical limitations that may be adversely affecting your golf game, contact me at keith@mackperformancefitness.com  I'm Titleist Performance Institute trained.
With my screening process information and your swing analysis, I can come up with a unique plan of action to improve your golf game and personal well-being.