A testimonial from my client Sara. A woman who decided to get BIG and take up space.

The following blog was written by my client Sara, who hired me just over 2 years ago. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and settle in for this delicious read. February 9, 2018

Strength, Strong, Confident – Shit I didn’t have but definitely realized it was time to acquire it.

I was dating a guy at the time who wasn’t doing any good for me and I wanted so desperately to make it work, he is huge into sledding as was I and just getting myself back into the sport I thought perfect I finally met a guy who I can go riding with, PERFECT. Boy was I sure wrong, the guy made up every excuse not to take me. In my head I thought I wasn’t a good enough rider and maybe I should do some training to get better so he would want me to come. I started searching personal trainers on google and came across Custom Fit, sent them an email and waited. Thankfully not long, I think I received a call the next evening. I briefly explained to Paul who was the one who called me and decided my best fit would be with Deanna. I got in touch with her and setup my first visit.

Well already my first appointment started off on a rocky start, the night before I am struggling to get a hold of said boyfriend, have no clue where he has vanished to, until the next morning when he sends me a message from Belize saying he is fine had to get away, and if I wouldn’t mind running some sled parts from his house to the shop. Are you Fucking Kidding me right now!!! Sadly I do it because obviously at the time I had no back bone.

My drive to the city to see Deanna for my first time I was basically crying the whole drive in questioning how the fuck someone can pull such a stunned move.

When I got inside we had a sit down to figure out why I was there and what are my goals. Already Deanna could pick up something was off, and right away asked me what was wrong. Deanna is someone you can definitely and easily open up to so I spilled the beans about what buddy just pulled. She sympathized with me and assured me life will move on and get better.

Next GOALS, What are you goals?? She asked me. Well fuck I don’t know, I don’t want to be weak and have assholes walk all over me anymore, I want to stand me own ground. I want to train women like me to snowmobile without a man!! I want to become a snowmobile coach / guide!! Wait… WTF just came out of my mouth!! Did I really just say that?? COOL!

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So onto creating a little Beast and onto Snowmobile Fitness.

This is going to include the following for the next 2 years of my life…. So far anyways 😊

First lesson – GET RID OF THAT BOYFRIEND WHO IS KILLING YOUR SOUL!! – Done check – FYI I cried lots

#2 TIME TO GET STRONG!! Mentally and Physically

- Now this doesn’t happen over night. As most like to say gaining weight must be so easy!! Fuck NO!! Probably the hardest part of my training is eating!!

- What I love about Deanna she will make sure you WILL NOT FAIL. Everything she sets up is fool proof. If you are failing well that’s on you. You obviously don’t want your goals that bad.

#3 CONSITENCY

- ……is a bitch!! In the beginning for sure. As Deanna says be gentle on yourself, and in Sara words, you’ve living your life one way for the last however many years, its going to take time to change your way of thinking.

- You want results you need to feed yourself, you need to motivate that ass to the gym so it can grow into that beautiful bootilicous booty.

- Set realistic goals, even short little month to month goals

#4 ACCOUNTIBLITY

- This I have learned is 100% on your shoulders, but when you have a trainer like Deanna she will check in on you and make damn sure you are doing what you are suppose to be doing. Again fool proof.

#5 ENJOY THE JOURNEY THE SET BACKS AND GROWTHS

- Honestly shit ain’t easy, one minute you are achieving all your goals so easily and then BAM shit show! After shit show, after shit show and then you sit there like WTF am I even doing anymore.

This is when I have had to sit down re-focus re-prioritize probably cry my face off, dust myself off and get after it again, and sometimes I have to take a completely different path then first intended. But then you get surprised by your unexpected hard work, and the rewards are glorious.

What training with Deanna has done for me:

#1 Help gain me confidence to chase my dreams and goals.

- Once I had a plan to become a snowmobile coach and guide. How easy it became to reach out and figure out how I am going to get it going

- I made a plan for year 1 – confidence (you can’t do shit all without confidence)

- Made new friends to get myself out on the mountain – joined several snowmobile facebook groups to do this – DONE

- Ride Ride Ride – I am still very new and have much to learn and the more seat time the better

- Signed up for courses that I wasn’t afraid to attend solo and therefore ended up making even more friends.

- Ride Ride Ride lol more seat time

- Gained enough confidence to do up a athlete resume to seek out sponsorships even lucky to have Deanna as a reference and also an athlete in the industry that I had made friends with.

- Year 2 Plan – coming out of my comfort zone – hate it, it’s bullshit, fuck this shit ☹

- Attended a harder course with very good riders and it smashed my confidence – FUCK

- Had to take a huge step to the side and re-focus (shit got too serious – time to put the fun back into the sport)

- Also I fell into the comparison trap this year. I was getting super jealous of other lady riders who have it easier then me because of all the extra help they get from their significant others. Unfollow all girls who made me feel bad about myself

- At another course I was feeling good having fun being silly and then smash I had a head on collision with my sled. FUCK this year!! Out of the game so far 3 weeks (good news she is getting fixed very soon the sled)

- Doesn’t stop me borrowed friends sled still going and just going to chop up this year to fun town.

- At 35 I will be doing a jumps and drops clinic again something out of my comfort zone but I am going to remember to have fun and not focus on being the best. I am still learning chill the fuck out!!

- Next years goal Year 3, safety education

- I want to advance my avalanche training as well as my first aid and take an outdoor survival course.

Two years ago I would have never thought I would have done this much, but it’s my passion and no matter the costs and time I’m obviously making it happen. If you want it bad enough the only questions you should be asking is always what’s my next move?? And I never worry about asking for help to get my pointed in the right direction. If you don’t ask you won’t receive the answers.

#2 Deanna has given me the gift of STRENGH

- I love eating, I love putting on weight, I love how my body looks how it feels, how others look at me now – especially my baby girl

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- I definitely hold myself differently these days, I have quit questioning everything that is wrong with me and start questioning what I allow in my oh so interesting life.

- I don’t wait on others to do things for me, if I want it I get it – so much more rewarding doing it yourself.

- My anxiety about anything and everything is much more manageable,

- I still working on my quick hot reactive temper but I have definitely learned to start to stop and assess before I react.

- Being a role model is huge – I know my little girl looks up to her momma and the love and patience I have gained with her is certainly my strongest point to date. I have stopped being so focused on the stupid stuff going on around me that I actually am more focused spend more time and attention to her, my stuff can always wait, she needs to know that she has my attention on her. And our bond is stronger then ever before. I find myself including her more in my life and adventures instead of always pursuing things by myself. I love being a mom to that kid of mine.

My journey this last 2 years has been nothing I ever expected my life to be like I was always sitting around hoping the next boyfriend will be the one who loves me saves me gives me a better life. Now I know my life is mine to create develop and love. It is my responsibility to give myself what I need to make it a world that I want to live in. Deanna has helped get my feet in motion, help me see what I am truly capable of and not be blinded by falseness not only in myself but also in others.

I am beyond grateful to all the GAINS I made.

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Thank you so much Sara. This is why I coach. When I help women get strong, they are able to DO so much more in life. When we are strong physically we carry ourselves differently. We show up differently. We aren't afraid to take up a little space.

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What areas do you feel you could be bigger and better in?

Hit reply and let me know.

xFtibabe

A Competitor in the Fitness Industry

I am a firm advocate of a formal education for Fitness Professionals. I am a proud graduate of the Fitness Leadership Diploma Program,

https://www.gprc.ab.ca/programs/personal-trainer.html

This 2 year Diploma has opened up so many doors for me in my career as a Personal Trainer and I am always excited to be able to give back to the program.

I was thrilled to recently be approached by my former College Instructor Laura Hancharuk to answer some questions from her current students regarding my career and how competing in Figure Competitions had an impact on both my personal life as well as my business.

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Here is the interview. I hope you enjoy. xFitbabe

** these are the students asking the questions ...

•I would like to know the best and worst part of competing.

The best part of competing is the commitment to a goal and following through. Every single day. I love the focus, and having a sense of achievement to the journey. The worst part? The actual day. It is long.  You get up at 4-5 am in order to get your hair and make-up done. Then you have to be at the venue an hour before the start time. For us Figure girls, that means 8 am.  You have to wait 3-4 hours back stage until your class is called up. Then you have to repeat the whole process for the evening show. Next, the tanning. It is fucking cold. You stand there naked while getting spray tanned, among all the other competitors...yes, there are tanning tents, but you strip down outside the tent among everyone. After 5-6 shows you don't even blink an eye. Hormones are shut down so it is not like the men are getting erections ha ha!!  You also have to keep your tan tidy while you wait, that includes when you pee. Some competitors use a funnel to pee into so you do not splash on your thighs. This is real life shit. The real ugly? The food restriction. The water cut, the dehydration and the discomfort of never really satisfying a deep hunger. Eventually you chew packs of gum to just have some sort of mouth pleasure, which gave me abdominal distress, gas and bloating! I had to cut all gum and sweeteners from my diet the last week. Good times.

• I want to know what a reversal looks like after a competition? Does she have a strict diet to follow after or is it kinda eat normally right after.

I competed from 2005-2014. In this decade, there really was no such thing as reverse dieting. I was never given a post contest plan from any bodybuilding coach. Essentially, after your 12 week prep, you were done. Myself being in the fitness industry as a career had a huge ego. I loved the attention and satisfaction of being super lean. I messed up by trying to stay lean afterwards. I would start to add fruit back in, as well as small treats like Quest Bars and peanut butter etc, but I really just stuck to my precontest diet foods. Now a days, coaches are reverse dieting their clients out of shows. It is a different world. Also, bodybuilding in general is a different world. Too many shows letting in too many average basic physiques. This causes a watered down show with not a lot of competition for greatness. I am from an era where the freakiest most crazy shredded bodybuilders ONLY were on that stage. Now, anyone who has simply lost some weight and wants to show off a beach body is entering a show.

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•

 Also, has her eating disorder effected her prep for a competition?

I had an ED way before I entered the bodybuilding scene. I actually believe figure show gave me different eating disorder. I was no longer binge/purging, but I was super strict on what I would allow myself to eat. I would only allow myself to eat 6-8 foods. I also had an obsession with exercise,  so I would use the idea of a show to validate my over-training. This caused me to have an unhealthy relationship with food and training during and after prep. I had to eventually leave the competition life in order for me to heal myself. I couldn't be healthy and compete. It was ALL or nothing.  I believe firmly NO ONE leaves a competition prep without some sort of eating disorder. You just do not look at food the same way after.

• Would she recommend competing to others, and if so with what advice or warnings would she give?

I would have a hard look at your why. I would also have a hard look at your genetics. Do you have the "X" frame? Do you possess the qualities needed to go to the top? Are you just looking for a goal that gets you shredded? If so, you can diet and train for the same result and not spend $3000 plus dollars to compete. ** Suit cost, shoes, hair,nails, grooming,  tan, coach fees, food, supplements, entry fee, hotels and flights if needed, time off work, gym membership, posing coach, photographer..and on an on.

Do you have a healthy relationship with you body? Do you have a healthy relationship with food? How is your family life? Work life? Relationships? You need a good support system.

I lost a lot of friends, missed out on tons of family outings and events due to my strict food and training schedule. You must treat a show like a hobby, and not make it your whole world.

Be prepared to sacrifice a lot. But it can also be super fun and rewarding if done in a positive way.

Hire the right coach. If he or she cuts out entire food groups, or starts you out with an hour of cardio 12 weeks out RUN!!!

Ask for credentials and also ask if he or she does a reverse diet plan after the show.

• Does she feel that the fitness industry in general is somewhat of a “breeding ground” for eating disorders for fitness professionals?

Yes it can be. I was one of them. Before I enrolled in the Fitness Leadership Diploma program I was an Fitness instructor for 4 years. I had an eating disorder since the age of 15. I would teach up to 10 fitness classes a week, as well as train myself for 2 hours a day.  I wanted a career where I could exercise and be able to get paid for it. I am currently working with Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta http://edsna.ca to help educate instructors to be able to see the warning signs of this happening with their students. Here are some articles and resources specifically on the topic of eating disorders in the Fitness Industry:

https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/exploring-eating-disorders-in-sports-and-fitness/

http://edsna.ca/resources/#healthcare

https://www.notsolinear.ca/thoughts/hiding-my-eating-disorder-what-i-wish-my-gym-teachers-dance-instructors-physical-therapists-and-personal-trainers-would-have-been-more-aware-of-when-i-was-sick

• Does she ever feel pressure from clients/employers to maintain a certain look?

Yes and NO. I have been told that a client has hired me because I have a desired look, but mostly it is my knowledge, personality and coaching style that kept them coming back. I have an ego. I love being fit and lean, but, staying so lean was not healthy nor sustainable. I now have a much more thriving business since stepping away from competing and focusing on being strong and healthy. My clients see my deadlift PR, my pull up videos, and think...COOL! "maybe I can be strong and then in turn my body will LOOK strong". Funny how that is actually the truth! I know many trainers who may not look jacked up, but are really really good at what they do. I also know trainers that look shredded but are the worst in the business. Having a lean body and having a lot of followers on Instagram does not make you a better coach. :)

•

What is the favourite part of her career and what she dislikes the most.

My favorite part is helping people believe in themselves. I love having a client who comes in sick, tired and fed up who then makes a complete lifestyle transformation.  I also love that I am 40 now and am entering a decade where I am attracting my ideal client. I have the confidence and conviction and can draw a line in the sand on who I am for and who I am not, with NO apologies. This however wasn't always the case. In my 20's and early 30's I had to hustle. I took every client on who hired me, I worked from 6am-9pm, I drove all over Edmonton to please people. I sacrificed a lot. But it was worth it. I am in the trust business. I had to prove I was reliable, professional and could follow through with results!! I also love my team of professionals at Custom Fit. I am a local expert now, and have been able to assist my colleague by doing Fitness Tips on the CTV Edmonton News since 2006. We are known  as the best in the city and I stand firm that we are!! Conviction right?

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I also love that I am in career where I can pivot at any time. The fitness industry has given me so many opportunities to meet and engage with people from all over the world, in turn this introduced me to other career options. I love that.

• What advice would she give to a new fitness professional just starting out?

As I wrote above, you have to be prepared to WORK HARD. You will not have 9-5 hours. You will be tired and have to smile. You need to love to help people first. It can't be about the money. In the beginning you will have to say YES to everything that comes your way. You get to earn your NO's. ALSO, LISTEN TO EVERYTHING LAURA SAYS. I still hear her wise words and phrases repeated in my head while I coach. Laura changed my life.

Thank you all and if you have any questions, let me know. I am happy to respond.

Deanna Harder

CSEP- CPT

Fitness Leadership Diploma

780-984-2264

The Pull Up Maiden...

Hey everyone. I thought I would do a little training follow up. If you have been following me on Facebook as well as here on my wordpress, you will know I have been doing a hypertrophy program for 14 solid weeks. Although I absolutely love the results I have gotten,  I wasn’t very consistent with my beloved pull-ups.

I used to be able to do 10 unbroken strict pull-ups easy. However, as of last week I discovered I could only do 5. Gahhh! I gassed out!

Your body adapts to the demand you place on it. Pull-ups are hard as fuck. You have to keep doing them repeatedly to keep them. This is the principle of adaptation.

"The principle of adaptation refers to the process of the body getting accustomed to a particular exercise or training program through repeated exposure. As the body adapts to the stress of the new exercise or training program, the program becomes easier to perform and explains why beginning exercisers are often sore after starting a new routine, but, after doing the same exercise for weeks and months at the same intensity, the exerciser experiences little, if any, muscle soreness. This reinforces the need to constantly vary the exercise and training routine if you want to maximize your results."

So, I need to get my body back under some new stress again.

The most annoying thing a client can say to me is “I want to do a pull up” and then proceed not to do them!!

Sorry, just like learning a new instrument, or to speak a new language, you have to put your time (reps) in, consistently.

So in order for me to get back to 10 plus unbroken pull-ups, I am following a 5 RM Pull-up ladder program by Strong First.

https://www.strongfirst.com/the-fighter-pullup-program-revisited/

My favourite thing about strength training is I get to go into the gym and decide how I want to look, feel and perform. I have total autonomy over my goals. You can literally pick a goal and get a program to allow you to smash them.

However, To see a great change in your strength you have to apply a great stress.

The body adapts only when you force it to do something intense.

Don’t be afraid to get uncomfortable.

So, pick a goal. Make it a priority and do the actions to get there. Make sure it’s a goal you realllllllly want...or you won’t show up. Don’t pick a goal that makes you miserable!

Have you ever started a fitness routine, only to fall off a few weeks - or hell a few days later? And don't you just want to find someone who can help you stay motivated and accountable to your personal fitness goals? Enter me, the "Pull-up Maiden". I will  I wbe the one you can rely on for accountability. I won’t let you quit! Hiring a coach is a game changer.

Let’s smash those goals.

10 pull ups....I am coming for you.

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Hit reply and tell me what goals you are working on today? I am here for you.

The Bigness Project!

You guys! It’s so much fun to go into the gym and decide how you want to look. Today I trained to achieve “boulder shoulders”, because that shit doesn’t just happen by accident. You don’t just wake up and have shoulder caps! No, you have to build them! It’s so cool!

Here I am week 13 of the Bigness Project, an hypertrophy block of training and I’m so happy with my results. I think I’ll keep on building!

http://www.bignessproject.com/join-the-bigness-project/

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“Hypertrophy training is, essentially, striking that perfect balance between workout volume, training frequency, exercise selection, amount of weight you use, rest times, and a myriad of other factors in order to build the biggest muscle size that you can.”

"Sculpted arms, popping shoulders, and bootylicious booties aren't made by working them off - they're built by the age–old art of bodybuilding." See more here: https://www.jensinkler.com/bigness-qa/

My training is like movement meditation! It’s me time.

I started this program 13 weeks ago and wasn't sure how it would turn out! I am so in love with the structure of my workouts and I never dread going to train!

The change in my mindset going from staying petite, to taking up space has been such a game changer in my body image. You get to decide. You can take look bigger, but leaner at the same time. It just takes patience, consistency, more patience, hard work, oh and MORE patience. Building is a fabulous form of self care.

I love it.

No matter what your goal, I’ve got a plan for that!

Let’s Fucking GO!!!

Here’s a fun shoulder giant set to try: 10x dumbbell strict press 10x front raise 10x rear delt raise 10x upright row Rest Repeat 3 times!

What is your fitness goal right now? How can I help you?

xDGH aka: FITBABE

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My best diet advice, and a trip to New York City!

You can be confident and not have to lose 10lb. You can lose 10lb and still not be confident. However, you can be confident while intentionally working towards building a body you love. Side note: **muscle on a woman is an acquired taste- that I just happen to personally love** I know from experience, being lean does not give you confidence. That shit starts with loving yourself now...not later.

You can't hate yourself into a lean, healthy, fit body in my opinion. A healthy, fit body is a result of loving yourself and who you are. You deserve it.

So how do you do this? How do you eat when you love food, but also want to have a body that is lean, fit and healthy?

Well, it takes practice, mindfulness and a lot of fuck ups. I had to stop dieting and following a meal plan that was written out for me by someone else, and I became my own diet detective. I learned to incorporate all foods in moderation and allowed myself to eat until I was satisfied, but NOT stuffed. What do I mean?

Eating until satisfied NOT stuffed:

Putting my best fork forward means eating when I’m hungry, choosing the foods that work best for my body in terms of likes, dislikes, and energy needs. ( leg and back days..I eat a little more starchy carbs, rest days, I eat a little more fat and less carbs)

It also means using my fingers to eat my favorite salty fatty olives, nuts, or berries, and my fav buffer food/drink- a small glass of wine to sip in between... It is also knowing when to put my fork down because I’m nearly full. This takes mindfulness. You know like, hmmmmm is this next bite is going to put me over that satisfied mark? Will one more bite make me feel uncomfortable? Introspection.

This is exactly how I ate when I went to New York City last weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday. I tasted the foods that I wanted to, ate only until I was satisfied, and saved my calories for my beloved wine. I ate some protein bars in between to make sure to hit my protein numbers and didn't stress over the rest. I enjoyed my time and food wasn't controlling me. It felt so liberating!!

Notice I am not counting a single calorie here?

( note: yes some clients need to count calories if they have performance goals, but I’m talking about sane eating habits here!)

This takes practice. When you are used to eating everything in front of you, you will need to stop, and think...how hungry am I? Could I wait a few minutes before eating again?

This is how I coach my clients to get off the diet roller coaster.

But Deanna...what about CHEAT MEALS?

AHHH the old cheat meal, which was in my opinion was made super popular to the general population by a diet called Body For Life back in the 90's. This is where you had to eat super clean and calculated for 6 days a week, which then you were told to eat as much crap as possible on the 7th day. UGH. I also had cheat days when I was dieting for figure competitions..BUT only when my coach told me I had earned one. So, again, I was controlled by someone else. ** Bodybuilding is a sport that requires refeeds ect. This is NOT my audience.

So "cheat meals" may work for some but, there are many reasons I don't suggest them to clients:

1) They create an idea that you are doing something bad (cheating) 2) Cheat meals often snowball into full on cheat days..ugh- not a fan 3) They can lead to a binge/restrict cycle. You are now back to being on or off a diet. That starting over every Monday mentality is exactly what I am coaching women/men off of.

What I do stand for? Moderation of all foods 365 days a year Satisfaction bites of foods Teaching to eat to 80% fullness ( this shit takes time) And as I wrote above, you can eat anything, but not EVERYTHING.

I coach clients to practice eating only when hungry...not just because food is in front of us.

They way we eat to lose fat has to be a way we can eat to sustain the fat loss...otherwise, your diet did NOT work.

It seems that everyone wants "rules" around food to follow, when we humans are sort of rebellious by nature. Those sexy diet rules sell. They sell again and again to those looking for easy solutions. These diets do not take into account that you have a full time job, a family, a sick parent, a travelling schedule, allergies, sleep deprivation, binge eating disorder, going through a separation or a career change, a move, wicked bad stress or depression!!!

By the way, my eating disorder counselling has taught me that if you’re struggling with binge eating, fat loss should be the last thing on your mind.

Another diet is NOT what you need.

What diets have you tried and failed?

Are you ready to get off the diet roller coaster?

Hit reply and let me know. I am here to help.

XFitbabe

I asked women to tell me what they loved about their bodies and this is what happened....

So last week I was driving to work and the radio station was interviewing a body image expert all about disordered eating. The expert said "91% of women dislike their bodies" and it really stuck with me. It pissed me off. This is why the diet industry is successful. It keeps us small and desperate for the next quick fix to get external validation. What if we instead focus on what we love about our bodies so we can switch the dialogue. When you value yourself, you want the best for your body, you want it to be a beautiful fully working machine that is strong, healthy and confident. I do believe we are making a shift in the fitness industry into a more body positive movement and wanted to prove it.

I went to Facebook and posted this stat and then asked my friends and followers what they LOVED about their bodies....and I had over 70 responses back!

Check it out here!

Join me on Facebook to comment! I would love to know what YOU love about your body!

https://www.facebook.com/deanna.harder.5/posts/10160911759885206

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The long game. A client testimonial.

My client Sherry made this testimonial post over on her Facebook page and it brought me to tears.  I am so proud of this woman. The beautiful thing about life is you can decide who you want to be and how you want to live. And she did. She chose health and fitness and hired me to help her. This is why I coach.

"I'm going into 10 months of a weekly training session with my personal trainer… And today I was just really proud of myself, and wanted to share. One year ago I was really struggling with my health. I was depressed, battling fibromyalgia, losing feeling in one or both legs at a time regularly, migraines that would last days if not weeks, and I was unable to do the most basic exercises and activities because of pain. There were many days where I was having to walk with a cane and in my early 30s I even had a handicap placard that I was so embarrassed to use because I never wanted anyone to know how bad things really were. I would literally go grocery shopping, or to a Walmart not in my area just to make sure no one I knew would see me in a motorized shopping cart or parking in a handicap space! I would spend two days a week working, and five days recovering. But with the help of an amazing personal trainer, my bad days now are what used to be my amazing days. I can move, I don't even know where that cane is anymore because I haven't used it since this past spring. Wahoo!! I initially searched out for a personal trainer because I desperately wanted to make sure that I could make it through my wedding day without having or needing assistance to walk down the aisle. I did that, and I've done so much more. I still struggle daily with some health issues… But I no longer see myself as a victim of a diagnosis, but rather an advocate of how much choice we have and feeling better. I get to go to my weekly sessions now and do all the exercises she asks me too, and I leave feeling like I am successful, not defeated… I leave feeling fit, not like I need to mend a broken body. I didn't need stronger medication, massage, acupuncture, or physiotherapy. I just needed to learn how to take care of my body and have someone to support me no matter how bad I wanted to give up. I have an extremely long way to go, but I can't say there is ever going to be a finish line… This is much more than getting in and exercise, or learning how to eat better… It's 100% about learning to love myself enough to take care of myself. Big thanks to my coach for investing in me and always knowing what I needed even if it meant spending an hour on a foam roller, or just speaking truth to motivate me for the next week. I am super thankful that I am a client at Custom Fit, and even more thankful that I am a client of Deanna Harder. Pretty much the most bad ass bitch I know. 😊" Sherry Oleksyn

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Turning 40 and a new beginning!

After I went through a hardship 10 years ago with a condo litigation disaster I was in limbo. I felt as though I was undeserving of having nice things. I never felt at home in this place. I never really unpacked and no pictures were hung. I was stuck in inaction. I kept saying to myself, "as soon as I get married, I will move out of this place"

"As soon as I make more money I will renovate"

"I will sell it and just start over..."

As soon as, bla bla bla...it wasn't happening.

My husband has not shown up yet...

The market wasn't optimal for selling my condo, and if I did sell it...where was I going anyway?

So, I took action!

I asked for help.

Asking for help requires authenticity, and vulnerability.

I gave my client/Friend a budget to paint and decorate my condo.

I came home from my Thanksgiving weekend with my family Monday, October 9 and my clients Patricia and Sandra had worked some magic!

Turns out all along I just needed to change my mindset. HATE IT...CHANGE IT.

It is beautiful.

I love where I live. For the first time ever.

I am so grateful.

Take action. Ask for help. You are never stuck.

“From what I’ve seen, it isn’t so much the act of asking that paralyzes us—it’s what lies beneath: the fear of being vulnerable, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking needy or weak. The fear of being seen as a burdensome member of the community instead of a productive one" Amanda Palme

On Thursday October 12 I woke up and I was 40!! FOURRRRRTY! WOOOOOSH. It felt very powerful.

Turning 40 is awesome! New decade- new beginnings!

Oh Haaaaay 40! Let’s do this!

October 12 was a great day to be Deanna Harder. 🤙🏻sleep in- a full 10 luxurious hours of sleep 🤙🏻 drinking espressos enjoying my new digs🤙🏻leg workout - heavy and intense!! 🤙🏻facial 🤙🏻pedicure party with cool people 🤙🏻drinks and food at Cactus Club on Jasper! Good friends and a lot of laughs is all I could ever ask for!

I was spoiled and I am so grateful!!

40 - what does 40 even look like?

Like this...🙏🏻

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Here is a sneak peak of my condo!

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It is cozy and warm. I am in love and want to invite people over for wine for the first time ever.

The moment we get clear about exactly where we are in life, we have the power to transform.

Are you currently owning exactly where you are?

Do you feel stuck?

Hit reply and fill me in!

We are in this together!

XDH

Fitbabe.

Being at peace with my body.

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Hello Fit Fam. Accountability post. I am 4 weeks into my build and am working around my back injury. This set back has forced me to train super light with mostly walking for now. Here is my current condition.

I am turning 40 in 5 weeks and I am finally at a place where I am at peace with my body. I'm maintaining my weight (lean gain) while eating foods I love and drinking wine 3-4 nights a week with my dinner or out with friends. I no longer find myself needing to "burn" off extra calories or deprive myself the next day if I over eat a few bites of food. With the moderation mindset no food is off limits and exercise is not a punishment but something I do because I love it! Lift heavy, sprint often and eat all foods in moderation = balance. I am slowly adding muscle which is just fine with me. I am in this for the long game. Oh, and speaking of the long game..here is a fat loss tip.

If you have been dieting for a long time and your fat loss has stalled, it may be time to move into a maintenance phase for a bit. The metabolism adapts (metabolic adaptation). This will give not only your body a break from low calories but your mind as well. Dieting is stressful and if you are in this for the long game, you need to take your time. A welcomed break may just be what you need to kick-start that fat loss again. Hit me up with any questions! #selfieTime#fatloss#moderation365#EDrecovery#lovehowyoufeel#selfcare#fitnessgirl#thisis39#gymlife#gymrat#healthfirst#fitnessat40#muscleandperformance#yegfitness xDGH

Autonomy

Hello my fit and fabulous folks. Today I want to talk briefly about workout autonomy. The only way you’re going to be motivated to eat well or exercise consistently is if you actually like what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.

Even though I may design my clients programs, I do it from a place that I know they will have AUTONOMY. Autonomy is being in charge of and liking our own choices. I would rather you do the workout you LOVE consistently vs dreading that crazy hard workout which you end up skipping 50% of the time. (many think they have to run to drop fat or do hours of spin classes that drive up stress and body pain) Those types of workouts do not enhance ones life. For so many years exercise was NOT enhancing my life, as it felt like a chore. It didn't make me feel good. Never again. I never dread my workouts. EVER. If you’re not feeling motivated to exercise or if your motivation is off and on, check in on your autonomy towards what you’re currently doing.

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Need a September reset? I am here. xDGH