Author: lizjones10

We all have gone through it, in our minds we are doing what we should, going to the gym, eating better, managing our stress and working hard. Then we will step on the scale and not see a number that makes us happy. Or we will get a mind numbing headache when we have been doing our best to be healthy and relaxed. Maybe we work and work, yet feel like our “to do” list has only gotten longer as the days go on. This week’s article will focus on ideas when you hit a plateau or frustration from not making progress that you want to, and what to do if you are doing what you think you should, but still are not feeling fabulous.
This time of year is especially hard. The “newness” of the New Year has worn off, the weather is gloomy and cold. Many people are feeling overwhelmed by goals that they are trying to reach at work, New Year’s “resolutions” that have since lost their luster. I’ve experience much of this myself at different times in my life.
If you are not reaching your goals at the gym:
• Take an HONEST inventory. Did you go to the gym to workout, but cut out some of the activities that were on your daily plan? Did you spend ten minutes talking to someone you know? When you do cardio are you really sweating or are you just going through the motions? If you are lifting weights, how long has it been since you increased your repetitions or weight lifted? Are you actually following a plan or are you just floating around the gym or doing your home workout willy nilly?
• Re-commit to yourself. Goal planning is not just for January 1, in order to reach our goals we need to often reevaluate what is working and what is not and sometimes change up the measurement of success. Was your goal to lose 30 pounds? You may need to break that up to set a goal to lose 1 pound per week and monitor your progress. Did you make a goal to go to yoga class twice a week, but are finding that you are making excuses or your schedule is getting in the way? Make the commitment to yourself again that you WILL make the time to do what you need to do. Don’t give up. Life is a journey, not a destination. You have not failed! You just haven’t finished. Giving up is not an option, so you may as well make the best of it and become determined to work toward the life that you want.
• Give yourself credit for what you have done. Focus on the positive, not the negative or any perceived failure. As with all things, positive acknowledgement encourages more positive behavior. This includes positive reinforcement to ourselves. Scale hasn’t budged? Well, that’s a bummer, but are you feeling better, have you gotten stronger, have you started to develop healthier habits?
• Get support. Work with a trainer. Join a boot camp or group exercise class. Talk to your family and enlist their support. Maybe your family will commit to an activity with you once a week. If you are working with a trainer- listen to what they tell you, be honest, and make sure you are doing what you need to outside of the gym when they are not with you. A big part of my work as a trainer and wellness coach is to listen to what’s going on with people outside of the gym and to help them find ways to overcome challenges they are facing. In order for me to do that, they need to be honest with me and share their struggles as well as their accomplishments. Feel free to email me if you have any topics that you would like to see more information on!

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Paleo, vegan, juicing, cleansing programs, omnivorous, macrobiotic, raw, Ayurvedic. There are so many meal plans, as well as so many fad diets out there. Crazy things like the grapefruit diet, heavily restricted calories, prepackaged foods, the cabbage diet, so many I can’t list them all here.
With all of the information out there, how is anyone, especially the “average Joe (or Josephine)” supposed to figure out what is best for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle? What I tell people when I meet with them as a trainer or wellness coach and nutritionist is that I don’t personally advocate for “diets” I believe in eating for nutrition. Give your body the fuel and care that it needs, cut out the toxins (processed food, white flour, white sugar, chemicals), get a handle on portion sizes, make sure you are getting the protein, complex carbohydrates, good fats, water, amino acids and vitamins that you need. Be active. I’m an advocate for eating clean. That means cutting the garbage out of your food. Replacing white flour with things like coconut flour, ground oats (gluten-free if you are sensitive to gluten), or almond flour. Replace white sugar with better choices like not eating sweets, or getting your sugar from fruit. You can also use (in moderation) better choices for sweeteners like agave nectar, raw local honey and REAL maple syrup. Also, eliminating foods that causes allergies and inflammation in your body can be a very good choice.
Some of my favorite resources for recipes are things that I make up at home (follow on Facebook for regular recipes and meal ideas https://www.facebook.com/liz.jones.1441810 ), as well as sites like EatCleanDiet.com and Body for Life websites and books. There is also a “Clean Eating” website that has some good tips and meal ideas. I do think that some other meal plans have some virtue, I think trying recipes from some of them is a great way to add new, potentially healthy, meals to your family’s routine (for example trying a meal from a Paleo cookbook or add juicing smoothies to your day to get extra nutritional bang in your body), or trying to eat vegan a few days a week (or if you do go fully vegan, making sure that you have educated yourself enough that you are not missing essential nutrients) can all be beneficial if you do it right, do it carefully, and make sure you are getting an adequate variety of foods.
If you are dealing with a medical issue, I highly recommend, and often refer people, to meet with a registered dietician, who can get down into the more “nitty gritty” of an individual’s nutritional needs. I’m always happy to hear from people. Let me know how I can help you reach your goals in 2014.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Anyone who has a family at home and is trying to live a healthy life probably knows that the people around you in your home probably influence your life and your choices more than any other factor in your life. Many individuals who struggle with weight management (over 66% of our population) are likely to have children that struggle with weight issues at some point. Or if your spouse eats unhealthy food or doesn’t exercise, it may be hard for you to maintain healthy habits.
The best way you can encourage your partner or children to be healthy is to work as a family toward your fitness. Finding ways to be physically active together, like going for family walks, playing volleyball or soccer in the yard or joining group sports together. Another thing you can do is schedule a group session with a personal trainer to learn some exercises that you can do together. You could also participate in things like indoor wall climbing, 5K walks/runs, WII sports, or take a Zumba class together.
Some of the things that we do together is go to the gym to train together whenever we can and we box together in our yard (he holds the pads and I practice my hits and we do bag work together). With our thirteen year old we both help with the soccer team that she plays on, we all play volleyball in the yard and have even made up games with racquets hitting tennis balls or other objects around the yard. We are planning to do a 5K together in May as a family.
Not only is staying physically active good for your whole family’s health, it is good for maintaining healthy relationships within your family.
If you are looking for ways to implement fitness into your family, please feel free to send me an e-mail and I’d be happy to make some suggestions.

Liz Jones is the Wellness Coordinator for the City of Mesquite and a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Sleep is one of the important health factors that affect us most. I speak to almost everyone that I meet with for wellness coaching on the topic and it is often one of the most common struggles that people are dealing with. It’s also becoming one of the most medicated wellness issues out there. I’ve always had trouble sleeping due to having a very busy brain if I wake up at night and being a light sleeper, I wake up often. I also share a home with someone with sleep apnea, which is a huge health issue in itself and obviously a noisy one that creates more sleep deprivation for both of us.
There are so many factors that can affect quality and quantity of sleep and in turn so many medical issues that lack of sleep can cause. Problems such as age-related cognitive decline, anxiety, bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea and snoring, various medications, or as I mentioned, a busy brain, can all have an impact on your sleep. In a vicious circle, the things that cause a lack of sleep, can also be amplified by lack of sleep. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease all have been shown to have a link to sleep. Sleep issues can wreak havoc on emotions and cause stress in relationships.
Sleep quality has been linked to risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as protein deposits on the brain. Sleep apnea causes a lack of oxygen and can in some cases end in death or have long-term effects. People prone to anxiety and depression find the symptoms growing if they are not getting enough quality sleep. Lack of sleep can result in detrimental health from causing a heart attack to weight gain. Your body is more susceptible to infections and viruses when run down, your cortisol and other hormone levels rise and can cause weight gain and make it nearly impossible to lose weight. Of course being tired also causes people to not have the energy to workout, make poor dietary choices and in general causes a lower quality of life.
Not drinking alcohol before bed, eating too late, or exercising in the late evening can be better choices to help with your rest. Most of us know that things like Epsom salt baths before bed, yoga, meditation, turning off electronics and taking supplements like melatonin and Valerian root can aid in sleep, but most importantly, if you have a pattern of sleep issues see your doctor, get a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea if you are at risk, talk to your family to recruit their help with creating a healthy sleep environment. Wishing you and your family happy, healthy holidays!
Follow me on Facebook for tips: https://www.facebook.com/liz.jones.1441810

Liz Jones is the Wellness Coordinator for the City of Mesquite a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Sometimes when you are trying to healthier, it can start to seem like all you are eating is chicken and broccoli over and over again. It’s important that food is still enjoyable when you are making clean eating a part of your lifestyle, so that it is something that is sustainable and to avoid an all-out meal mutiny one day while driving past the Dairy Queen. An easy way to do this is to try out new flavors, herbs and spices, adding both flavor and nutrition to your meals. There are many, many great flavors that taste great as well as have wellness benefits to eating them.
Cayenne pepper- known as one of the world’s healthiest foods. It is high in capsaicin content, which is well-known for its pain relieving property. It is said to help prevent ulcers, as well as being loaded with vitamins, such as beta-carotene, and fights inflammation, clears congestion, and can boost weight loss.
Cinnamon– was historically used as a medicine. It has microbial agents, as well as known to boost brain function and help control blood sugar levels.
Chinese 5 Spice– is one of my favorite blends to add to dishes. It contains anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel- all of which have great attributes on their own, and together make a unique tasting addition to most meats. My favorite way to use it is on sliced sweet potatoes along with a scoop of coconut oil, wrap in aluminum and put it on the grill.
Cilanto– is another one of my favorites that we add to many things in our house such as eggs, rice and quinoa, with meats and in sauces. Cilantro is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits and has been shown to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.
Cardamom– from the ginger family, is known for is digestive support. Cardamom is used for digestion problems including heartburn, intestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal gas, constipation, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite. It is also used for common cold, cough, bronchitis, sore mouth and throat, and tendency toward infection. Some people use cardamom as a stimulant and for urinary problems.
**Always remember, if you are managing a medical condition to consult your health care provider and seek their input on any dietary changes.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

We all know someone who tragically has been diagnosed with a terrible disease such as diabetes, hardening of the arteries, cancer, or other serious ailments. Or even someone who has found out that they have high blood pressure or cholesterol issues. Maybe it is you. Or maybe you have a family history of disease that you hope not to inherit. For so many people it seems to take getting bad news before they find the motivation to fight for their life. My wish for these people is that they would start to fight for their life BEFORE it’s too late, before the verdict.
One of my favorite authors, Bernie Siegel, who wrote many books such as, “Peace, Love and Healing,” “Love, Medicine and Miracles,” is well-known for his writing on how we have control over our bodies and our health.

“It is astounding how much the immune system is strengthened by reducing daily mental stress levels with either visualization or meditation. The other great tonic for the immune system is love—loving ourselves as well as others.”
“The most powerful tool in the doctor’s “little black bag” to prevent or treat illness is the patient’s (your) own mind!”

Our thoughts and attitudes, as well as the actions that we take, are our first defense against disease and deterioration. Granted, we all will die of something and sometimes a disease is inevitable for some people due to a genetic or environmental factor, but if we can find ways to avoid disease, to prolong our lives and our quality of lives, shouldn’t we?
First, you need to know your family history if it’s available to you. Next you need to “know your numbers.” Get an annual exam and have your medical provider monitor your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other vital blood work. Next, take action- whether you have already been diagnosed with something or whether you know you are at risk, get busy. You don’t wait to get fuel for your car until you run out of gas. It’s much easier to drive up to the pump while you’re still mobile. It’s also much easier to prevent disease than to reverse it once you become sick. Have a positive outlook on life, eat clean, be active, get enough quality sleep, drink enough water. Do what you can to protect your health before you have to fight for your life.
I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you will take time to be thankful for your own health and for the health of those you love. If you are managing a disease, I will hold you in my thoughts and I wish health and healing for you.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

When I meet with people as a wellness coach or personal trainer, among the things people discuss most is their eating habits. So many people have had a strained relationship with food for most of their lives. We find comfort in food from the day we are born; we are rewarded with treats as children; as teenagers many people develop body image issues and start to “diet” or starve themselves- or on the other end of the spectrum, teenagers gorge themselves on chips, soda, pizza and hotdogs. As adults we learn to count calories- feeling guilt or a “price” associated with every meal, or we eat for emotional reasons, or add high-calorie alcohol to our daily menu to relax after a long day of work. We associate our social life with going out and eating and drinking with our friends (this is probably my biggest struggle with food relationships).
I think how we think about food and the language that we use is important. When people ask about their food, I always say that I cannot prescribe them any specific “diet” and I don’t like the connotation of the word diet anyway. What I can tell people is that I believe in eating from a nutrition mindset. Ask yourself, “What does my body need?” A drug addict can stop using drugs to fight their addiction. A food addict cannot stop eating food. Food is our fuel and giving our bodies what they need is just as important as not putting garbage and excessive calories into them. Although I think logging meals can be a good idea when starting a new meal plan, to help a person be more mindful of what they are consuming, I think having to count every calorie that we consume is not something that is a sustainable habit. I also think that it is OK to enjoy food without attaching guilt to it.
Some tips:
• Eat for nutrition: Make sure you are getting enough lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Include enough vitamins and minerals in your food by eating a wide variety of foods, especially green vegetables.
• Continue to enjoy food. Your favorite foods can be prepared so that they are healthier.
• Give yourself a treat day. Unless you are training for a specific event that involves your pant size, I think you need to have a day where you allow yourself to relax and have food you enjoy, even if it may not be something that should be included daily in a healthy meal plan.
• Think about your relationship with food. (“When Food is Love” is a book that was just recommended to me today).
• Continue to enjoy food. Your favorite foods can be prepared so that they are healthier. Find ways to add nutritional value to what you already like.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

76-82% of people who being an exercise program will drop out in the first six months. 75-80% who begin a diet will stop. There is no trainer, no program, no person outside of yourself that can make you change. As a trainer, teacher and coach, I can offer information, resources and support, but the only way that people see lasting change is by finding the internal reasons that they want to evolve.
Most everyone wants to feel better, or look better, be healthier, or happier on some level, but unless they can find a benefit that outweighs a cost or reward (including instant pleasure, a lack of motivation to get up and move, the desire to take a nap, the taste of chocolate cake, giving up a tv show, socializing with friends that goes along with certain habits, etc.), their rate of success is fleeting.

The best advice I can usually give people is to sit down and write out what you want your life to look like, whether it is health, wealth, happiness, or physical appearance. Then write down the “why” you want that. Really envision what your ideal situation would be. Then write down what would need to happen for you to have your ideal.
That’s where hiring a trainer, or enlisting support comes in. Once you are ready to change, a trainer, or a friend, a coach or whomever you have available can help you identify ways to be successful. What’s your motivation?

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

This is my upcoming birthday week. Each year, I set new goals for the next year, or a future time period of my life. When I turned 40, two years ago, I set new goals for my next “chapter” in my life. One goal was to compete in a master’s figure show (over 40 in most federations), so last November, I headed to Fitness America in Las Vegas and competed in Figure Classic (that federation’s class for my age group). I wanted to write a weekly column about wellness (check) and am lucky enough to write for several different venues. I also set the goal to write a book. So, to follow that path, I attended a writer’s workshop a few months back and now get to write a book proposal for a well-known publisher (due in a couple weeks!) which I am in the process of (and occasionally the procrastination of) completing. I also set goals for my personal life, and my professional life -going back to corporate wellness programming, which is what I am fortunate to get to do and to do more one-on-one training with individuals. I can truly say I am in the midst of really living my vocation and my passion. I have a great family both in my house, and back in Wisconsin and surrounding areas. I get to have really amazing, inspirational people in my life, my son, my brothers, the love of my life and his daughter, my mother and my boyfriend’s mother (although they may not realize my respect and admiration since I am not a very “mushy” person about all that) and my niece and nephews and many of my fabulous friends who I am always connected with- even when I don’t see them for a long time. They all influence my life in their own ways.

I am inspired every day by the people that I get to work with, both as coworkers and as clients. I see people overcome obstacles every day. I see leadership in action in so many ways. I get to be amazed by people who decide to make positive changes in their lives and see them take action to better themselves. I am touched by people who struggle with different challenges or addictions and am always proud to watch them keep trying, even when it may take a lifetime of “one-more-time”. The people who I know in the community that do charitable work, whether it is the people who raise money to fight domestic abuse, battle cancer, empower young girls, mentor young men, help the homeless or the underserved in our community. Or the people who work for companies support the causes. There are just too many to name.

I want to thank everyone who is an inspiration to me, who help me to grow, teach me new things (even those who teach me patience), those who give me opportunities to help others and who help me to reach my goals. For me, this is my “new year” and I look forward to another great year of getting to know people’s stories and to learn from them. Our lives are definitely a journey and we always continue to grow until we reach our final destination. I’d love to hear your story and what inspires you. I can be reached at: [email protected].

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

You may know that October is breast cancer awareness month. Many places that you look you’ll see people wearing pink in honor of those they love who have passed away from cancer, or survived the dangerous disease. Others wear pink ribbons as a reminder to get your breast exam or in support of raising money for research to fight. Many survivors wear pink to celebrate life.
Ironically, I just arrived back from the hospital after receiving a diagnostic exam and sonogram. I went for my annual mammogram, where they do a screening and was called back for more review. I try to be a good example and practice what I preach, so I made my follow up appointment right after my doctor’s office called with my initial results.
First, it’s important to get your annual exam. If you have insurance, most likely they cover the cost for preventative care. If they do not, find out what the out of pocket cost is. Many places are offering special rates, such as the place I went today has a $50 mammogram for all of October (for a screening exam, not a diagnostic exam). Public health facilities, such as Helping Hands in Rockwall and other community clinics offer low income women exams at no cost to them. Go, get it done. It’s an easy test.
Second, follow up and don’t panic if you have to go back in. Breasts are lumpy… fat and tissue change, especially as we get older and are the age (40 & over) that it is recommended to get yearly exams. Many women will have to go in and get a follow up diagnostic exam. Don’t worry, it’s very common. I’m happy to say my results were good and I was sent home with peace of mind for everyone who cares about me and knew I was going to the doctor.
Third, make sure to do home exams every month no matter what your age. Get to know what normal feels like and make sure to report any changes or pain that you notice to your doctor- don’t wait for your annual exam if you find something that doesn’t feel right.
Finally, PREVENTION is so important. Take your vitamins, eat clean, nutritious food. Get lots of antioxidants and green vegetables, flax seed, and other “super” foods. Stay active, avoid chemicals (processed foods and drinks, smoke, other environmental toxins), drink alcohol in moderation if at all. If you have a family history of breast cancer, many insurance plans cover genetic testing if you are high risk. And while I think that Angelina Jolie having a preventative double mastectomy is an extreme solution, it very well may have saved her life.
Do your research and learn more. I’m attaching a link to a good article from the Mayo Clinic with more tips to prevent breast cancer. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer-prevention/WO00091

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].