Year End Blog: 2008 - A Year of Gratitude

2008 – A Year of Gratitude

It's Christmas Day 2008 and I am continuing on with my tradition of writing my year end blog where I reflect back on the year that was on many different aspects of my life. When I think of this past year, one word stands out in my mind. GRATITUDE. This has truly been an incredible year for me. More often than not, I have had many moments where I have consciously been very grateful and thankful for so many wonderful things that I have experienced this year and look forward to 2009 with optimism.

I have found myself many times this past year thinking out loud to myself how much I love my life and how happy I am, and realize not many people can say that or feel that way, and have found myself overcome with feelings of Gratitude because of it. That in turn has influenced me to "give back" so to speak not so much in monetary terms, but to really be there for someone in their time of need, to help when and where I can and to help empower, uplift, encourage and motivate someone with my word.

ShariFitness has had it's best year since it's inception and I love, appreciate and care about every single client I have and am truly passionate about what I do. I have established some incredible friendships (and you know who you are) this past year which I am forever grateful for and have met so many wonderful people.

A wonderful experience was The Boundless Living Challenge created by Bob Doyle. It was great to be a part of that and the community Bob built and look forward to a new challenge for the New Year. Being part of that and becoming a student of Bob's Wealth Beyond Reason Program has really given me so many ah-ha moments that I am looking to implement in 2009.

As a model, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and have built a great portfolio and am still amazed at the images that have been created with these truly gifted people. I look ahead to 2009 and establishing myself further as a model.

One thing I was able to do on a personal level this past year was to give my heart to another. That is something I had not allowed myself to do as a way of protecting ShariFitness. The relationship didn't last long, and although he is the one who ended it and yes, I was a bit heartbroken about it, I am grateful for the fact that it did help me step out of my comfort zone. I am grateful for his honesty, the untarnished memory of a healthy relationship and the realization that great guys do exist. I found one once, and I will find one again.

Before I close this blog, there are some programs, DVD's, etc. which have helped me immensely this year and have been quite influential on the amazing year I had which I would like to recommend. I would not be recommending or endorsing these items if I truly didn't believe in them and if they didn't have the positive impact they had.

Wishing you all magical moments, happiness, health, and an abundant 2009.

Rhonda Byrne - The Secret DVD

Why is it that we RESIST and run away from the things we want most???

Why is it that we RESIST and run away from the things we want most????

I had an Ah Ha moment when I woke up this moment and it came from a conversation I had last night with a friend of mine. My Ah Ha moment, helped me to come to the realization about something within me, however, it also helped me to understand why the Object of My Affections was resisting me even though I AM what he is looking for, AND also helped me to come to a realization about why people resist doing anything to improve their overall health and fitness when it is something they want.

We all want things, desire things and want to acquire things in our life whether it is financially, relationally, mentally, physically and or spiritually. However, we are “wired” or “programmed” from birth to have certain beliefs which contradict what it is we truly desire. These contradictions cause us to RESIST the things we truly want for ourselves. RESISTANCE stems from fear and prevents us from stepping out of our Comfort Zones. It keeps us in a “holding pattern” where you keep doing the same thing over and over again.

Relational Resistance:
Here’s a good example relationally of this. I was presented by my OOMA (Object Of My Affections) with what we call “the White Elephant”. My OOMA had put out to The Universe what traits it is he is looking for in a person, and I enter his life. I am EXACTLY what it is he put down in writing of what it is he is looking for in a person, however, he RESISTED (in the form of The White Elephant) what it is he wanted and was looking for.

With everything he stated that he was looking for in a person, he RESISTED me even though I was what he was looking for. However, it is his wiring that caused the resistance which is something he acknowledged. The wiring and program can be changed, however, in order to do that, rather than running away from me, (which is what he did), he really needed to face it head on and work within himself to make that paradigm shift…..or…to change the tape in his head. In order for him to do that, he needed to spend more time with me, rather than away from me.


Health, Fitness and Wellness:
You talk to just about anyone out there, next to wanting to be financially abundant, the number one thing people want to is to lose weight, feel better and look better. But when you talk to people and ask them what they are doing about it, chances are they aren’t doing much of anything. And it’s not like they don’t know what it is they have to do to make improvements in this area. When you ask them why they aren’t doing anything to make the improvements they want, they will come up with all kinds of excuses. The excuses are forms of RESISTANCE. No body truly desires to be overweight, obese, lethargic, sick. Yet, we all know that being sedentary, sitting on the couch in front of the “plug in drug” with a bag of chips or getting your next meal from the drive thru of your nearest burger chain, is only going to continue to contribute to weight gain and a decline in your overall health, fitness and wellness. So why do people RESIST making better food choices or getting off the couch and exercising? Because it’s easier to stay in your holding pattern. To not step outside your comfort zone. It’s comfortable and familiar even though you know deep down it’s wrong and it’s not what you want.


Wealth Consciousness:
So many of us are held back by our belief system and money. The media plays a huge role in our thoughts about money and so we are led to believe that the world is full of lack and not abundance. We are beat over the heads every day with headlines about the Economic Crisis and our belief system buys into it. So, we start thinking in terms of lack and we feed on that. It creates our reality. What happens, we RESIST spending money. When people stop spending money, the economy slows down even more. Look around. When you go to the malls, the stores are practically giving away the farm to get you to spend money. If you don’t, then stores will go out of business and people will lose their jobs and the cycle never breaks. There are people I know who are still very much gainfully employed but are cutting back simply out of FEAR of the economy and it is making them RESISTANT to living the life they have always lived. If you continue to think in terms of lack and RESIST, you put yourself into the mindset that you will always lack, there is not enough to go around and that you don’t deserve to have. Don’t think you don’t have wealth. BE what you want. You don’t need to have external evidence. Just BE.

The Economics of Your Health, Fitness & Wellness

“Procrastination gives Way to Consequences” - Winston Churchill. These words apply to so many aspects of life, however, when you apply these words to your overall Health, Fitness and Wellness, they have a lot of meaning and truth to them.

It's very rare when you come across someone who doesn't want to look better, or just feel better. How many people do you know are always sick and run down? What about you? When you think about your overall Health, Fitness and Wellness, are there any changes you like to make? Chances are you answered yes to these questions, but then ask yourself, how many people do you know are actually being proactive about it? When I say proactive, how many people do you know are exercising, eating healthy, well balanced meals on a daily basis, drinking more water than soft drinks and taking a good quality multi-vitamin?

Obesity in this country is at an all time high and the numbers keep growing not only amongst adults, but amongst children as well. Diabetes and high blood pressure are common diseases. Health care costs are out of control.

How many people do you know, or perhaps yourself suffer from headaches, lack of energy, dizziness, are depressed or are mildly depressed? Some of these symptoms stem from nutritional issues and from leading a sedentary lifestyle. The human body was meant to be in motion, not sitting on the sofa glued to the TV with a bag of chips or ingesting all kinds of chemicals that make up the processed foods you eat. You go to the doctor because you want to feel better. The doctor says you are just getting older and it's a sign of aging so he prescribes you a pill? Does the doctor ask about your eating habits or your exercise habits? Probably not.


Complaints of physical ailments are really diet/nutritional issues as well as being sedentary, and being overweight is the obvious symptom. Being overweight or obese is not just too many calories, it is a nutritional imbalance. Symptoms associated with being obese or overweight are treated with over the counter remedies or prescription drugs.

Look, I'm not a doctor, but as a Fitness Consultant, one of the things I do with all my clients is ask for a food journal and it is obvious from all the food journals I have looked at over the years that people are eating too many processed foods, not enough fruits and vegetables and lean sources of protein. The average American knows that they don't eat healthy, but don't know how to change their habits. People want answers to diet and health.

There are two industries out there. You have the Sickness Industry and you have the Wellness Industry. As a fitness professional, I am in the Wellness Industry. People who are sick, are customers of the Sickness Industry. People who are customers of the Wellness Industry are avoiding being customers of the Sickness Industry.

Economic Causes of the Sickness Industry:
Let's take a look at the Food Industry because after all, most Americans are eating unhealthy, processed foods that are loaded with chemicals that the human body was not created to process. The food industry consists of fast food restaurants, Processed Foods (foods that are canned, frozen or in a wrapper), and Farmed Foods. The Processed Foods industry is 95% of our foods stemming from companies like the Golden Arches, Kraft, P&G. These companies will spare no expense on R&D to increase consumption of these foods. The more overweight you are, the more calories/product you consume.

They mix chemicals in the foods so that the consumer is never sated. The chemicals in every processed food has been altered, so that your taste buds don't get bored with the food. Hence, you consume more product, you gain more weight. You gain more weight, your caloric intake goes up. How many people do you know who are overweight are happy being overweight?

Trillions of dollars of lost productivity is due to health. Diabetes is up and never mind the cost for the shot. It is the 2-3 days someone is out of work because they are sick. One third of American children are diagnosed as being pre-diabetic all due to diet.

The Medical Industry
The Medical Industry targets the doctors. They have pharmaceutical reps visit doctors and get them to sing up to write Rx's for the latest drug to treat the SYMPTOMS of the newest ailment.

The Medical Industry treats SYMPTOMS, NOT DISEASES. Modern medicine is based on technology which is controlled by private companies looking to make money. Most of the drugs out there you end up taking the rest of your life because they don't cure, but treat the symptoms.

The medical industry is now the sickness industry because you become a customer when you get sick. One Seventh of our dollars are spent on treating sickness. Sickness is one of the largest causes of bankruptcy in the US.

Medical expenditures are going to sky rocket but nothing is being done to help a person lose weight or educate them on how to make better nutritional choices. When you see a doctor, do they sit you down and really talk to you about nutrition or seeing a fitness professional?


There is a need for a Wellness Revolution before the health and wellness of America becomes more out of control than it already is. Overweight and obesity is more than just a health crisis in this country, but it has become an economic crisis not only to the individual, but to Corporate America which will affect employment opportunities.

The Wellness Industry:
The Wellness Industry provides products and services pro-actively to healthy people who want to feel healthier, slow down the effects of aging or prevent diseases from developing in the first place. The Wellness Industry is what you do to keep from becoming a customer of the sickness industry.

There is a small percentage of Americans getting more fit and healthy as they age. They are early adopters for wellness. They are successful people looking to be fit and healthy and defy aging.

As I do my weekly trip to the grocery store, products that I used to purchase in a specialty market are now available in mainstream supermarkets. Publix Supermarkets, for example, now has a Greenwise Aisle where you can now buy Protein Bars, Protein Shakes, Protein Powder and Organic Foods. WalMart and Target are now selling supplements.

It is a shame that we have become a society of instant gratification. Everyone is looking for that quick fix from looking for that magic weight loss pill, the latest diet, plastic surgery, liposuction rather than just doing what you need to do. Be consistent about your diet, exercise and supplementation. You will improve your overall health, fitness and wellness, but it is hard work and it does not happen overnight, however, the results are PRICELESS.


The next time you go to the doctor and pay the bill for the doctor's visit, the lab bill for the blood work done on you and the prescription drugs, ask yourself if all of that could be avoided if you had a piece of fruit instead of the candy bar, if you went to the gym instead of sat on the sofa and if you took a good quality multi vitamin.

For those of you who have turned down the services of a fitness professional because you didn't want to spend the money on it, think of all the money you've wasted on fast foods, over the counter medications, doctor's visits, etc. What would you rather do, end up spending money on a visit to the doctor and the prescription drugs, or a few sessions with a qualified fitness professional. Where would you rather spend the money? “Procrastination gives Way to Consequences” - Winston Churchill