Christine Parker

Change Your Diet…Change Your Life!

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Guys, I have been talking to so many people lately about different health conditions ranging from autoimmune diseases to significant aches and pains in the body to mental health problems. When we start to talk there seems to be one HUGE common link in so many of the cases…..less than adequate diets.  I am NO doctor but I have spent a ton of time over the past few years listening to experts, reading books and researching material on how to help our bodies from head to toe, inside and out, feel their best and stay disease and injury free. There is ONE main factor that can be controlled that keeps coming up…the quality of the food that we consume and our diets.

What we put into our bodies or do not put into our bodies has one of the biggest effects on our health. If we want to feel better we are going to have to start to understand the relationship between our health and our food! Sometimes it is not even a matter of what we are eating but what we are not eating!  I am going to start simple today by listing some of the top foods that you can and should incorporate into your diet right now. Just like exercise programs, there is not one nutrition plan that fits all. There are many plans out there and they all serve a different purpose. It takes time and effort to discover what is right for you! Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to learn more about how you can use your nutrition to feel your BEST!

Top 7 Foods for Reducing Inflammation

  1. Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon
  2. Leafy Greens
  3. Fermented and Cultured food (sauerkraut, kimchee, miso and kefir)
  4. Garlic
  5. Blueberries
  6. Matcha Tea
  7. Coconut Oil

Top 5 Spices for Reducing Inflammation

  1. Tumeric
  2. Rosemary
  3. Ginger
  4. Cloves
  5. Cinnamon

Top 8 Foods to Cut down/Get Rid of Right NOW

  1. Soda of any kind even diet
  2. Processed Meats
  3. Food Additives
  4. Fried Food
  5. Foods with Added Sugar of more than 5-6 grams
  6. Refined/White Carbohydrates
  7. Dairy
  8. Alcohol

Start Simple!  Which one or two things can you start incorporating into your daily diet tomorrow?!?!?! Which one or two foods do you need to put the brakes on?!?!  Start NOW…Change your diet and change your life!!!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Stand Strong Fit A Thon!

This Memorial Day

Monday, May 29th 7:30 AM- Noon
FIVE DIFFERENT CLASSES
Memorial Day Murph Challenge, FitHouse Kids Class, & More

We will be doing morning class passes for a $10 donation and we encourage you to bring family, friends, and anyone who’s in for a FUN morning!

We will also be holding a Chinese auction with great baskets, a bake sale, and a vendor table with lots of great stuff!

How can YOU help???
If you like to bake, have a talent or items that you can donate to the vendor table like jewelry, pottery, crafts, clothing, etc. please consider being a part of our event!

We are in the search of a few more baskets! If you have any items or are a part of any local businesses that would be willing to donate that would be awesome!

NOW AT FITHOUSE!!!!!

PURCHASE YOUR BELT HERE WITH OUR CODE AND SAVE $50!

My Zone logo

GET IN THE ZONE WITH MY ZONE!!!!!!

MINUTE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE **Plank Up Jacks In May!

That’s right! We’re starting minute of the month challenges to keep YOU motivated, challenged, and fired up! This month our challenge is Plank Up Jacks! Start with your hands in full extension plank, drop both down to forearms, back up to full extension, 1 plank jack, drop both down to forearms, back up to full extension, 1 plank jack, and back down! START PRACTICING and get your name on the board

SET A GOAL.
MAKE A PLAN.
CRUSH IT.

Consistency is where transformation and greatness happen!!!!!

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Women doing battle ropesHello All!!! I am following up this week from last weeks Spring Cleaning Challenge!! While I wasn’t absolutely perfect..knew I probably wouldn’t be but figured if I aimed high I might get somewhat close…I made some pretty good changes that left me with more energy, in a better mood, 2.5 lbs lighter and left my body feeling significantly better than it has in awhile!  So now what?!?!?

It means that I have to stay consistent with those habits!!!!! One of the biggest thieves of success and happiness in life is not being consistent with our healthy habits. I struggle too. How many times have you put the pedal to the medal with your fitness, your nutrition, and or some other healthy lifestyle habit  and then 4 weeks later you are back to square one. You know how it goes, you hit your workouts for 14 days straight and then don’t go back to them for 3 weeks, you adopt a clean eating plan and then decide to let pizza, wine and ice cream back into your life on a regular basis.

What if instead of aiming for full speed until we run out of gas we aim for consistency??

In my 25 years as a trainer and athlete I can guarantee that consistency works! Being consistently good will get you better results every time then being perfect every once in awhile. It’s also a lot harder on the body and the mind when we are inconsistent. We often like to tell ourself that we need to find the perfect program, the perfect diet, the perfect plan. There is no perfect! It’s all about building consistent habits that we don’t negotiate with and staying consistent with the plan

Often I look around the room at FitHouse and see members who started a year ago and have been consistent in their efforts I am inspired by the transformations they have made. You are no different. Consistency works for everyone!!!

When you are growing a garden there is a small window of time that the plants can go without water and food and then then die and you have to start all over. Too much isn’t good either! With us there is a small window of time that we can neglect our healthy habits if we want growth and transformation to happen.

Build a plan that demands consistency instead of perfection! What do you need to work at being more consistent on this week?? Set your mind to it and get going!!!

April showers bring May flowers and Consistency Guarantees Success!

I hope to see you this week at FitHouse!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Stand Strong Fit A Thon!

This Memorial Day

Monday, May 29th 7:30 AM- Noon
FIVE DIFFERENT CLASSES
Memorial Day Murph Challenge, FitHouse Kids Class, & More

We will be doing morning class passes for a $10 donation and we encourage you to bring family, friends, and anyone who’s in for a FUN morning!

We will also be holding a Chinese auction with great baskets, a bake sale, and a vendor table with lots of great stuff!

How can YOU help???
If you like to bake, have a talent or items that you can donate to the vendor table like jewelry, pottery, crafts, clothing, etc. please consider being a part of our event!

We are in the search of a few more baskets! If you have any items or are a part of any local businesses that would be willing to donate that would be awesome!

NOW AT FITHOUSE!!!!!

PURCHASE YOUR BELT HERE WITH OUR CODE AND SAVE $50!

My Zone logo

GET IN THE ZONE WITH MY ZONE!!!!!!

MINUTE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE

***BURPEES IN APRIL!

That’s right! We’re starting minute of the month challenges to keep YOU motivated, challenged, and fired up! This month our challenge is burpees! Hands to the ground, jump back, jump forward, and hop it up! START PRACTICING and get your name on the board.

SET A GOAL.
MAKE A PLAN.
CRUSH IT.

4 Simple Rules for Renewal from the Inside Out!

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Spring Cleaning

Between a teenager, a toddler and two in between I can often relate to that saying “Cleaning your house with kids is like brushing your teeth while eating oreos!” I know that many of you can relate! There was a lot of spring cleaning going on in our house today and it felt GREAT! It is such a refreshing feeling to be able to get rid of clutter and reorganize. It brings a new energy to the space around you.

When we think of spring cleaning we think about our houses, but what about our bodies?!?! When was the last time you gave your body a little spring cleaning?? Are you looking for more energy and you want your body to feel better?? I challenge you to do a little spring cleaning this week Try these simple steps and see how you feel after just one week!

  1. Start your day with 8-16 oz of water with lemon. Drink this as soon as you wake up and at least 30 minutes before consuming anything else.
  2. Commit to a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night.
  3. Say no to desserts, sweets, etc. That includes soda.
  4. No alcohol.

That’s it! Just 4 Simple rules! I said simple not necessarily easy! Remember health starts from the inside out!!! We expect a lot from our bodies, they are quite amazing!! They need a good cleaning sometimes to perform and feel their best!

Spring Clean with me!!!! Let me know if you are in!!!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mom-to-be Fitness Event

Health and Wellness Event for New & Soon-To-Be Moms!

Tuesday, April 25th
6:00-7:30 PM

How to build a healthy foundation from the ground up featuring Fleet Feet, FitHouse and Pittsburgh Chiropractic& Wellness!

Nutrition, Fitness, Health & more… Click HERE!

BRING ON THE MOUNTAIN

BRING ON THE MUD, BRING ON THE FUN!!!!
Come join the FitHouse Team
Saturday May 13th
9AM HEAT
Seven Springs

FitHouse Team Down and Dirty

Optional Training will begin Tuesdays 6:15 PM at FitHouse and Sundays 10:15-11:15AM.  

(Session will increase to an hour and 15 minutes in weeks 5-6-7 and location may vary.)

TRAINING FOR MEMBERS- $60
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

TRAINING FOR NON MEMBERS  $135
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
This includes two additional FitHouse Classes weekly during the training program
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

NOW AT FITHOUSE!!!!!

PURCHASE YOUR BELT THROUGH US AND SAVE $50!

My Zone logo

GET IN THE ZONE WITH MY ZONE!!!!!!

MINUTE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE

***BURPEES IN APRIL!

That’s right! We’re starting minute of the month challenges to keep YOU motivated, challenged, and fired up! This month our challenge is burpees! Hands to the ground, jump back, jump forward, and hop it up! START PRACTICING and get your name on the board.

SET A GOAL.
MAKE A PLAN.
CRUSH IT.

Reprioritizing to Accomplish Your Goals!

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10 Stories of Strong Living

As I have grown older I have come to really enjoy writing. I find it quite cathartic and it is a way to share and visualize thoughts and sometimes emotions that would often go unexpressed. It can also bring a certain level of clarity to ideas in my head and also serve as a universal connection through our thoughts and stories. However at this point in life it can often be challenging to find the time and the space to write on a regular basis. One simple distraction can throw your mind completely off course and my life seems to filled with a lot of those right now!

I am super excited to announce that I have completed my first chapter to be published in the book “10 Stories of STRONG LIVING…True Fitness Starts in Your Heart” The ok will be released June 6th!

After many Saturdays and Sundays set aside over the past few months for brainstorming,writing, revising and digging deep, monthly conference calls and a few creative blocks and minor meltdowns the project is almost complete!

When I was given the opportunity several months ago to write a chapter in a book collaborating with several of my well respected peers around the country I immediately knew that it was something that I wanted to pursue. Writing a publication has been on my Big 5 list for awhile. I knew that I would be surrounded with the accountability that I needed and I would have the opportunity to learn a lot about the process by working with experts who had already written and published hundreds of books. At this point in my life I have learned that for me those two things are often critical in a successful outcome. The idea of one chapter seemed like just the right amount to keep me invested in the process but also to not cause me to bite off more than I could chew!

Even with this in mind some moments felt like I had bit off more than I could chew!

When I said YES to this project I knew that I was going to have to make it a priority which meant “unprioritizing certain things” Some of the things that I had to “unprioritize” were things that I really enjoy doing like long runs, cooking on the weekends, listening to podcasts, spending time with my friends and Saturday night movie marathons with my family. I knew that for 3 or 4 months certain things were going to have to take a backseat and that was hard. Taking a backseat didn’t mean that I didn’t had to completely give up all of the above things, I just had to structure things a bit differently and those things sometimes had to be bumped to 2nd. My long runs turned into shorter sprints and intervals, my podcast time got replaced with writing, I had to pick and choose my social outings, movie marathons turned into end of the night family massages and we had a lot of grilled chicken and salmon with sides of veggies and sweet potatoes (boring). I knew it was temporary and I knew I had an end purpose which was important to me for so I was ok with it, I had to be.

When we set a goal or decide to make a change in our life a lot of times we have to be willing to reprioritize and often thats not easy. Making changes and reaching goals are a commitment often in many areas Reprioritizing can often be inconvenient and can require discipline in areas that we don’t always like to be disciplined. When we have a lot going on in our lives it can be hard to make a change or reach a goal that is important to us. This 4-5 month process has reminded me of a few important things

1. When we “reprioritize” we find the time

One of the easiest excuses for not doing something is not having the time. What we are often really saying is “I don’t care enough to make the time for that right now” That is absolutely OK if it is something that is not important to you but if it is important then often it’s worth reprioritizing to make the time!

2. The importance of accountability groups

When you have people to hold you accountable, you’re no longer on your own in your journey. You’re less likely to allow yourself to lose focus and become distracted when you have someone who’s encouraging you or who is on the journey with you.

3. The importance of a coach

A coach provides accountability but above that someone who has experience in areas that you do not can save you a lot of time and energy teaching you things a lot more efficiently and effectively.

4. The importance of a written plan

When you have a plan it leaves a lot less room for deviance. When our brains get overloaded it is much harder for then to make decisions or for us to be disciplined. When we have a plan the decisions are already made we just have to follow them.

5. The importance of embracing the process and learning along the way

It is very rare that anything ever goes exactly as planned or as expected. Welcome to life right!?! Sometimes we don’t reach our goal when we expected, sometimes our plan doesn’t work as intended. You will be a lot more willing to set goals and go after them if you accept this fact. No matter what the final outcome or when the final outcome there is always something to learn about yourself in the process.

If there a goal that you want to accomplish or a change that you need to make?!?! What can you reprioritize to make it happen!?!?!?!!

Upcoming Events

Stand STRONG Charity Event

Saturday, April 29th
6:30AM-4:00PM

Stand Strong Fit-A-Thon

Start to rally a team of 4!

We Need YOU…Calling All Bakers!!!!!

We are looking for healthy baked good options to sell at our Stand Strong Fit-A-Thon Event on April 29th. Would you like to contribute to the bake sale to raise money for a good cause, the Mighty Penguins Sled Hockey Team and possible a charity of YOUR CHOICE? Team points will also be awarded for baked good items. Let’s see what you’ve got!!!!!

ALL DETAILS CAN BE FOUND HERE!

Mom-to-be Fitness Event

Health and Wellness Event for New & Soon-To-Be Moms!

How to build a healthy foundation from the ground up featuring Fleet Feet, FitHouse and Pittsburgh Chiropractic& Wellness!

Nutrition, Fitness, Health & more… Click HERE!

BRING ON THE MOUNTAIN

BRING ON THE MUD, BRING ON THE FUN!!!!
Come join the FitHouse Team
Saturday May 13th
9AM HEAT
Seven Springs

FitHouse Team Down and Dirty

Optional Training will begin Tuesdays 6:15 PM at FitHouse and Sundays 10:15-11:15AM.  

(Session will increase to an hour and 15 minutes in weeks 5-6-7 and location may vary.)

TRAINING FOR MEMBERS- $60
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

TRAINING FOR NON MEMBERS  $135
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
This includes two additional FitHouse Classes weekly during the training program
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

NOW AT FITHO– USE!!!!!

PURCHASE YOUR BELT THROUGH US AND SAVE $50!

My Zone logo

GET IN THE ZONE WITH MY ZONE!!!!!!

MINUTE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE

***BURPEES IN APRIL!

That’s right! We’re starting minute of the month challenges to keep YOU motivated, challenged, and fired up! This month our challenge is burpees! Hands to the ground, jump back, jump forward, and hop it up! START PRACTICING and get your name on the board.

Congratulations to our member Shellie Smith for rocking out the minute of the month in March for 47 Hand Release Push Ups in 1 Minute! WOW!!!! Good job everyone it was definitely a close one!

Minute of the Month

Todd Durkin leading post-workout meditation

Challenging Yourself to Think Better, Do Better, Be Better!!!!

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We are One Quarter through 2017! Really?!?!?! I don’t know about you but time from this end just doesn’t seem to slow down..that’s even more of a reason that we have to make sure that we intentionally slow down sometimes! This month has been full of great energy at FitHouse as we just wrapped up the March Madness Challenge! These participants came in like Lions and out like Lions…no lambs spotted!

Whether we realize it or not I think there is one BIG reason that we take on a challenge! We take on a challenge when we are seeking change! Typically when we challenge ourself we have to do things differently than we are already doing. We may have to change habits, shift our priorities and change our thinking. Change is one often one of the hardest things to do. We have to decide that we really want to, decide that we are willing to do what we have to and take action! A challenge is a great way to surround ourselves by others who are seeking change as well and will help us to stay on course with our own plan, push us to work hard and remind us that we are not alone! That is exactly what I witnessed in the March Madness Challenge!

On the outside there was a lot of sweat and a lot of physical work. But the greatest part of a challenge is what happened to so many on the inside!

You found a level of fierceness that you didn’t know you had
You changed your habits to make YOU and your fitness a priority
You proved to yourself that YOU are determined enough to show up even on the days you really don’t feel like it
You knew what you had to do and you did it!
You pushed aside fear when you weren’t sure how you would finish
You came back and tried again when you thought you could do better
You turned I can’ts into I cans
Some may argue that competition isn’t a great thing. I believe otherwise If you approach competition with the right mind it can do great things like
Help us grow
Teach us about our strengths, our weaknesses and our limits
Motivate us to set goals
Prepare us for life and encountering challenges in the real world
Keep things fun!

If you want to compete with someone else you have to grow. There is no way around it. Whenever you want to get good at something make friends with people who are already good at it and remember that your only real competition is being better than you were yesterday!

How can you Challenge yourself to DO Better, Think Better and BE Better in the next 3 months!?!?!?

Congratulations to ALL of our March Madness Challengers and a BIG HIGH FIVE To the Winning Team

Heather Sherman and Jodie Sherman

Second Place ; Jenny McDowell and Jen Leehr
Third Place; Cathleen Faina and Jackie Malley

 

 

Upcoming Events

A HUGE Thank you to all of those who have participated and brought items so far! We are still collecting this week, so if you would like to contribute we will be collecting the items on the list in FitHouse and will collect on the 6th!Community Action Southwest

BRING ON THE MOUNTAIN

BRING ON THE MUD, BRING ON THE FUN!!!!
Come join the FitHouse Team
Saturday May 13th
9AM HEAT
Seven Springs

FitHouse Team Down and Dirty

Optional Training will begin Tuesdays 6:15 PM at FitHouse and Sundays 10:15-11:15AM.  

(Session will increase to an hour and 15 minutes in weeks 5-6-7 and location may vary.)

TRAINING FOR MEMBERS- $60
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

TRAINING FOR NON MEMBERS  $135
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
This includes two additional FitHouse Classes weekly during the training program
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

NOW AT FITHO– USE!!!!!

PURCHASE YOUR BELT THROUGH US AND SAVE $50!

My Zone logo

GET IN THE ZONE WITH MY ZONE!!!!!!

STAND STRONG FIT-A-THON

APRIL 29th! WE NEED YOU! 6 AM-4 PM. Join us for 30 minute classes running throughout the day, silent auction baskets, bake sales, games challenges and prizes, and the Mighty Pens! Rally a team of four and earn points and raise money for the Mighty Pens and a charity of choice by the winning team!

MINUTE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE

***BURPEES IN APRIL!

That’s right! We’re starting minute of the month challenges to keep YOU motivated, challenged, and fired up! This month our challenge is burpees! Hands to the ground, jump back, jump forward, and hop it up! START PRACTICING and get your name on the board.

Congratulations to our member Shellie Smith for rocking out the minute of the month in March for 47 Hand Release Push Ups in 1 Minute! WOW!!!! Good job everyone it was definitely a close one!

Minute of the Month

Todd Durkin leading post-workout meditation

Spring into Fitness with FitHouse!

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Invest in Yourself

I was reading an email from Todd today and he shared his 7 Principles of Success which he compiled from a variety of his mentors.

Number Seven read:

WORK HARDER ON YOURSELF THAN ON YOUR JOB.

He went on to say:

That’s a powerful statement. I believe it’s “easy” to work on your job. I think it’s more difficult and takes great discipline to work on YOU. Especially consistently.

Isn’t that so true. There is an urgency that comes with working on our jobs, our children, our families. These are things that we feel compelled to do! They are all extremely important. Working on all of these things is hard, but when it comes to woring on ourselves it can become easy to negotiate. Often we spend so much time working on our jobs whatever they may be that we neglect working on ourselves.

Your energy, well being and happiness are not negotiable. When we work on ourselves, take care of ourselves, and do what makes us feel our best everyone and everything around us flourishes! When we work on ourselves we keep our energy high, our passions alive and we are aligned with our purpose.

Don’t negotiate on the things that make you feel your best! Invest in yourself…there is no better investment!

What can you do this week to Invest in YOU?!?!?!

Community Action Southwest

Help US Help YOU!

You will notice Clorox wipes on the two window ledges near the mats and in the back… Help us keep our facility clean and in tip top shape for you by wiping your mat off after class is over! We greatly appreciate the extra help 🙂

Upcoming Events

BRING ON THE MOUNTAIN

BRING ON THE MUD, BRING ON THE FUN!!!!
Come join the FitHouse Team
Saturday May 13th
9AM HEAT
Seven Springs

FitHouse Team Down and Dirty

Optional Training will begin Tuesdays 6:15 PM at FitHouse and Sundays 10:15-11:15AM.  

(Session will increase to an hour and 15 minutes in weeks 5-6-7 and location may vary.)

TRAINING FOR MEMBERS- $60
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

TRAINING FOR NON MEMBERS  $135
Includes Weekly Down and Dirty Sessions
This includes two additional FitHouse Classes weekly during the training program
A Running Plan
Additional Support as needed

COMING TO FITHO– USE IN MARCH!!!!!

STAY TUNED FOR OUR MARCH MADNESS MY ZONE PROMO!!!!!

My Zone logo

GET IN THE ZONE WITH MY ZONE!!!!!!

STAND STRONG FIT-A-THON

APRIL 29th! WE NEED YOU! 6 AM-4 PM. Join us for 30 minute classes running throughout the day, silent auction baskets, bake sales, games challenges and prizes, and the Mighty Pens! Rally a team of four and earn points and raise money for the Mighty Pens and a charity of choice by the winning team!

MINUTE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE

***HAND RELEASE PUSH UPS IN MARCH!

That’s right! We’re starting minute of the month challenges to keep YOU motivated, challenged, and fired up! This month our challenge is hand release push ups! A hand release push up is done by laying completely flat on the floor, picking the hands up, placing them back down, and raising into a plank position. Your goal is to try to get the entire body off of the ground at the same time- from the chest to the shins by engaging the core to get the lower body up with the upper body! START PRACTICING