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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU0jr96R5xs)

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All Aboard!

FALLING OFF THE WAGON

We are probably all familiar with the idiom "falling off the wagon", but what do we say to counter that? Falling off the wagon is simply a phrase to describe an interruption in our routine (that we have found to be successful) or rifts in our groove. Truth be told, it happens to us all. What is success without the understanding of failure or going with no concept of stopping? It becomes meaningless in the absence of something that opposes it, just as falling off of the wagon. So let's give credit where credit is due; AT SOME POINT YOU WERE ON THE WAGON!

BOTTOM OUT

Silver linings are your friend when it comes to health and wellness. Figuring out what you did right and giving yourself credit as well as doing a self-inventory of what was wrong and creating a plan to do better is important. When you bottom out you give yourself a chance to start whatever you want, whenever you want. It is just up to you to decide.

REBOARDING THE WAGON

Now it is time to make a plan.

1) Set Check Points. Setting check points for yourself can be useful, but don't take advantage. Don't be that "I'll start NEXT Monday" type of person and it turns into next next Monday. If you know you have a tendency to procrastinate, START NOW.

2) Kick self doubt, fast. Doubting yourself will surely keep you bottomed out or yo-yoing between your current move and your next move. It is okay to compliment yourself. We have to be our best cheerleaders.

3) Create a schedule. However you manage your time, add YOU to the schedule. Are you a morning person or afternoon person? Is it better to meal prep the night before or do you have time before work? Is there a gym on your commute to work? All these questions are worth considering.

4) Accountability. Whether it is a buddy or a cell phone app, find a way to keep yourself accountable.

5) Document your progress. This plays back into your accountability. You can take before and after pictures or simply keep a diary of when you worked out and what you ate. This keeps you motivated and encouraged when you can visualize your progress. That is why fitness trackers are a big hit!

6) Celebrate. This is probably the most important of them all. Find a non-food consumption way to celebrate your victories. We live in a society where we regularly celebrate with food. While that is fine, in moderation, find a fun activity to reward yourself with. It is never too late to create new habits!

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I have never done a full write up about my health and wellness journey and today something told me that I should. I know this is for someone, I just don’t know who yet.

When I started my journey I had reached 219lbs and I had had enough. I was extremely shy and I hated taking pictures because I already knew what I looked like and I did not like it. I was 15 maybe 16 years old and I remember going for my annual physical and the doctor telling me “Well you aren’t going to get any taller, you can only get WIDER”. Now as an adult, she very well should’ve been told about herself, but even to this day that has resonated with me and put me into mental action. But I had one problem... I had no idea of what to do about it. I remember being in the mirror and feeling trapped in my fat body and I was deeply saddened about it. I come from a family of big people who I’ve often heard make excuses for being overweight. The typical “We’re just big-boned people” or “You’ll grow out of it!” And I knew that wasn’t true. The only thing I’d potentially grow out of was my next pair of pants or a shirt that I really liked.

So where did I start?

I started by reading. I almost obsessed myself with it. While I’ve never been reader I picked up every book I could find, searched for every internet article I could (This was before the magic we now know as Google), and watched every Discovery Health show that gave me a little more insight into how this thing worked. I knew my family couldn’t help me because it was a journey many of them had never taken, whether it be because of fear, lack of information, or simply choice. The thing that I really can attribute to my attainment of accurate information was Dr. Phil’s Weight Loss Challenge that aired on his show in 2003. My mom’s close friend had been cast as one of the competitors so initially we started watching to support her, but I got drawn in. I wanted to know what it took and what I had to do. It put the all gimmicks to shame and you saw people who had been struggling their whole lives get their butts kicked on national TV. I wanted to be on the show! As a result, the very first book I read on it was  The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens by Jay McGraw, Dr. Phil’s son. It had been promoted on the show. Over the years, I can honestly say that I read the book over 5 times because at one point all of this stuff was new to me, but I read it so many times so that it could become second nature, so it could become my new #commonsense.  

(10th Grade Chemistry Presentation. 219lbs and very uncomfortable)

The Support

When I first got started most of my support didn’t come from inside my home and wasn’t from my family (unfortunately). When I decided to stop eating pork and beef it often made it very awkward to do holidays with my extended family because I was often mocked and asked “When did you become a vegetarian?” and i’d kindly advised those antagonist that I still ate chicken, fish, and turkey. My biggest support came from my close friend at the time who would work out with me and keep me encouraged. Before school in the morning we would do #DeniseAustin’s workout that at the time played at 6am on the #Lifetime network. We would call each other every morning to ensure that the other was awake, hang up to do our workout, then call back after to discuss how easy or difficult it was for the day. As a result of Jay McGraw’s book, I gained a better understanding about food like the differentiation your body makes between white rice vs. brown rice or wheat bread vs. white bread. I stayed educated and stayed focused and it started working.

The Results

The weight came off! I remember my senior year in high school I would still wear what had become my too big clothes to school because I wasn’t necessarily in control of when I got new clothes. My friends would chuckle at me, but it was a reward to have the issue of clothes being too large as opposed to not large enough. Some form of exercise had become the norm for me and I learned HOW to eat.  REMEMBER: Everyone can’t and won’t be your supporter because that would require that they cheer someone other than themselves.

Relapses 

They happen. Be Resilient. Bounce Back. And never have a problem asking for HELP!

Progress over Perfection

This is the BIGGEST issue I’ve seen among my clients (other than non-compliance). Acknowledge your progress and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. I am guilty of it at times myself. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious and striving for better, but don’t beat yourself up.

So I hope this has been helpful! Stay motivated and stay focused!

Blessings

I am a firm believer than God gives us all challenges to help us realize something and mine went a little deeper. After I felt that I had defeated what was myself, I wanted to help other people do it too because I knew first hand that IT WAS NOT EASY and anyone who ever said it was hasn’t really had the struggle. That is why REPOHealth: Re-Educating People on Health exist. It for the ones that have never been an athlete, haven’t necessarily had the best relationship with food, or that just really have exhausted all their options and just want help. I went on to obtain to my Master of Public Health because there really is a science to health behaviors. I become certified to facilitate group exercise so I can work alongside with my clients. God Blessed me with a challenge that last years and that still exist, so that test has become my testimony. #AMEN

IG: Repohealth

FB: Repohealth or Sharee Sumbler

http://www.repohealth.net

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FIVE Health Indicators to Consider...

While I committed to posting at least every Wednesday, any person that knows me will also know I have commitment issues. Ha! But I digress. I really have been thinking about the most beneficial topic to discuss and I wanted to talk about “FIVE Indicators of Health”. These five are by no means the end all be all, these are just five specific things that I have found particularly useful as a Health & Wellness Coach, but also as indicators on my journey.

 1)     Your BLOOD PRESSURE/ Resting Heart Rate

 I presume that it would first be important to identify exactly what a blood pressure reading is indicating. The simplest interpretation I can give is that it is a reading of the pressure within the arteries when your heart beats (Systolic) and in between your heart beats (Diastolic). For a more detailed, yet consumer friendly explanation I would recommend the American Heart Association website. But now that you have a basic understanding: Why Is This Important? Well think about a toothpaste container being squeezed somewhere in the middle and toothpaste splattering onto the cabinet. Now that you have that visual, that is the similar affect that a “clogged” artery has on your blood pressure subsequently causing your heart to regularly work harder and thus give a reading that will be elevated from recommended levels. The recommended reading is 120/80, while of course every persons norm can deviate. Determine what is normal for you with the assistance of your primary care physician.

 I put HR and BP together although they could be separate.

 NOTE: THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.

  Anyone that has had a personal trainer may have had a fitness assessment and after that lovely step test the trainer may (should) take your heart rate (pulse). They are gauging your heart rate and how long it takes for your heart rate to decrease after physical exertion. Typically the faster your heart rate recovery, the greater your fitness level. This is important because for those of us that like to think it is normal to get winded and need intense seated recovery after a flight of stairs *tisk tisk* shame on us.

 2)     Fatigue/Tiredness

Chronic fatigue really isn’t normal. Now I’m not saying go to your doctor and demand prescription drugs, but I’m just saying there is an actual difference between being sleepy and tired/fatigue. I would greatly encourage that you determine the line of deviation. Ironically, exercising does help with feelings of tiredness, granted you don’t have some other type of medical condition. I feel like our bodies are the best computers known to man (YES BETTER THAN MACBOOK PRO’S AND IPHONES). I know we have all heard this a thousand times, but your body actually does produce endorphins during cardiovascular exertion. Our bodies take so much abuse and deprivation that the least we could do it get a good nice rest and good physical exertion, and obviously eat well.

 ALSO, consider investing into some supplements, especially if you know you are not consuming your micronutrients regularly through your dietary intake. Email me for recommendations.

 3)     Blood Panel

This has the potential to be lengthy, but it won’t be. The most important thing is that you should be getting an annual physical and you should also have a blood and lipid panel every couple of years. If your doctor doesn’t suggest it and you can’t remember if you have ever had one, ask for it. I’m no healthcare patient navigator, but it might be covered under preventative care. This test assesses your risk for developing cardiovascular disease and other conditions. Typically it includes cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, and fasting glucose.

 4)     Emotional Well-being

I’m only going to touch on this topic because I plan to expound on the topic in my next post. The most important thing to emphasize is that a certain amount of stress is normal and necessary (said a therapist), however there is a thing as TOO much stress. Those levels are to be determined individually, but realistically speaking how can you be happy, fulfilled, and healthy if you are always stressed? I’ll wait…

I have worked corporate and next to school it was one of the most stressful things I think I have done. I had very little desire to do anything outside of work, but for some strange reason I always felt overly committed to being at work on time even if I wasn’t feeling well. Ridiculous, I say. Regardless of what you do we all need mental health days. Despite what some may think your job, circumstances, and emotional state can make you physically sick. If you are sick, you can’t work. So why not take the time you need to regroup? #IJS

 5)     Weight

I use weight very loosely (I’m sure most of you understand why). BMI I hardly reference at all simply because it is a ratio that correlates and is determined by your weight. In my mind I don’t need to know 2 different ways that I’m overweight. Right?

For those of you that do not know why I use weight loosely, it is because we all have different body types and frames. And for those of us that lift, it is true that muscle weighs more than fat, yet it takes up less space.  I’m not suggesting that you completely dismiss weight because it definitely matters how the weight is distributed. Belly fat is typically associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore people with a pear body shape compared to an apple body shape may weigh the same amount, but have different risk of disease development. I think the most important thing is to make an accurate, honest, self-assessment of your physical health. I recommend definitely referencing standard charts, but don’t live and die by the scale it WILL drive you crazy (I know this to be true personally).  

Essentially, health and wellness is composed of so many things. Don’t ever spend more time worried about how you look physically over how you feel mentally/emotionally. We need balance and all of these things are interconnected. If you choose to dismiss one piece of the puzzle then you are definitely doing yourself a disservice!

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Just When You Thought it Was Safe...

...to buy supplements from the corner store. LMBO

But seriously, what were you thinking? I do not know who my readers are, but for those of us that live in America know that the FDA DOES NOT, I repeat DOES NOT approve supplements because a supplement is not considered a "drug". 

For those of you who are not abreast on the latest consumer health news I'll briefly update you. Many HUGE supplement/vitamin distributors have just been dinged for "Failing the Ingredient Test". In other words, after test were run to ensure that the ingredients listed in these supplements were in fact present, many of them FAILED. I don't mean 3 mg versus 1 mg, I mean 3 mg versus NO MILLIGRAMS. Insane right? I repeat the FDA DOES NOT APPROVE SUPPLEMENTS. 

I am a huge proponent of supplements, multivitamins at the very least. I am also a huge supporter of consumer research. Yes, it is taxing and tedious, but this free market, unregulated society we live in (which I appreciate in other ways) requires us to be on the look out for our own well being. So next time, reconsider the brand and location that you purchase supplements, food, really anything and stop complaining about how much quality products cost please. It is annoying. It is even more annoying that some people don't mind spending $100 on a saturday night at the bar, but don't want to spend $30 bucks on a good quality supplement, but I digress. 

Want to read more? Check out a nice RELIABLE link from ABCNews that I posted below. 

Q&A? repohfitness@gmail.com 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/bogus-herbal-supplements-fail-ingredient-test-investigation/story?id=28684472

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What is Public Health

People still ask me "What is Public Health?". I've also gotten the "Well most people that studied public health don't do what you do, so how is that public health?". Well public = people; health = well...health, lol. So when you combine the topic of people and health that could go so many different ways, it really depends on your interest. The people that score restaurants, yup you've guessed it, they are funded by local Departments of Public Health. The ones that test water quality, the folks that write health policy on capitol hill, the pavement pounders that interact with the community, and even those nice EXPENSIVE health fairs at the mall that many of us overlook and fail to attend... all of these things and more encompass public health! It's providing health to the public, simple right?

Why did I choose It?

One word: Influence

The beauty of spirituality is learning The Gift that you Bring and not being modest or ashamed of the gift God has bestowed upon you. I say this to say that the gift I bring is influence. I've only recently embraced that fact because I never wanted to appear arrogant or cocky, but it is more of blessing than anything else. For a long time I have gotten feedback from people like "You have influenced me too..." or "I was inspired to...because of you" and for a long time I didn't think anything of it. That was me being modest or oblivious as many of my friends say, LOL.

But getting back on track: While I value the public health analyst and all the people that do the administrative leg work behind public health (because believe me grant writing and developing program proposals is NO HEAUX) I always appreciate the people that work alongside people more. Think about it this way, when you have had a job which manager did you like more: The one that didn't mind doing what they asked you to do or the one that felt like your menial tasks were too beneath them? I'll wait...Exactly. So I approach public health with the same perspective. I appreciate the doers over the sayers. But of course I'm biased because traditionally I am a doer. 

With all of this introspection, etc I decided to turn my gift of influence, my appreciation for doing, and passion for health into a business: HEALTH & WELLNESS Coaching. Public Health relates to this so well because at the end of it all being "healthy" is more of an emotional experience than we'd like to acknowledge. That is why we have emotional eaters, bulimia, anorexia, and other food related disorders because we FEEL so many things. Much of my public health curriculum focused on tackling health perspectives, acknowledging barriers to achieving good health, and emphasizing social support to motivate and increase health outcomes. I'll tell you straight up that MOST personal trainers will motivate you while they are kicking your butt, but how many of them can you count on to call you on Saturday to see how you are doing? How many of them will sit down with you and have a heart to heart about exactly why you aren't taking your health seriously or what kind of relationship do you really have with food? That is beyond their scope of practice and honestly some of their levels of care (No Offense to my PTs!!) Let's be real, personal training requires no passion or zest, it really only requires a stop watch and concept of exercise form and some don't have that. #IJS

So that is why I started REPOHealth (Re-Educating People On Health). Being healthy is a journey best traveled together and can rarely be accomplished alone because it is hard, it can be lonely, and ironically it can be stressful. So that is what I do. I'm an accountability partner, personal trainer (ick I hate this word), health educator, and enthusiast all wrapped up in one Health & Wellness Coach. 

Anywho I'll wrap up here and you can visit my website for rates and more info on what I do and how it can help you!

www.REPOHealth.net 

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Night time #WORKOUT wouldn't be complete if I didn't replenish with #Supplements ...if you workout and if you DON'T you need to ensure you are getting all of your #vitamins and #minerals I #eat relatively well and I can ensure you that I'm not getting EVERYTHING EVERYDAY so I make up for otherwise #kanyeshrug I just want to #live well and #prosper When you know better you will hopefully do better... #fitness #health #exercise #REPOHEALTH #wellness #nutrition #motivation

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So I need some work on vid postings on IG I'm an ameture. But I was inspired to try air crawls by @massy.arias so I did tonight...#work in #progress #YAY GO ME LOL #REPOHEALTH #FITNESS #HEALTH #WELLNESS #WORKOUT #EXERCISE

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What's wrong with this picture? Oh that's right...Everything! 3% #juice ? Oh ok so 97% what exactly? Start asking questions about your #food or else you will be asking your #doctor questions about your #health 🐸☕ #ijs #REPOHEALTH is all about health and #wellness #coaching and 1st thing 1st teaching ppl how to read #nutrition #labels @ www.repohealth.net

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#BITTERSWEET ending to an #AMAZING 8WKS An honorary #CHAMPION The ladies lost 47% body weight! #WOW they were seriously getting #Fit and took their #Workout home. I'm glad #REPOHEALTH was a part of their #journey STAY TUNED FOR MARCH AND APRIL REPOHEALTH EVENTS TO HELP YOU GET YOUR #HEALTH ON! !

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Listen to all my #pseudo #motivation from my pseudo #photographer @snackus_maximus SMH...Yes I was watching the timer 😂 because this is a tough upper #body #workout and the #squat position increases the burn and my #fitness ! Stay tuned #bootcamp coming soon with #REPOHEALTH

[repohfitness]

One of my #customers turned out for me this morning! He is a #chef so he knows how to #eat properly! He needs good #nutrition #Supplement #products to compliment his #Workout and #dietary regimen #REPOHEALTH #fitness #life #live well and eat even better!

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#Dreammate vs. #Teammate know the difference and appreciate people for their role in your life and don't force them to be anything else

[repohfitness]

So I'm getting back on track. #Sweets addict! #Workout heavy #Eat right for #nutrition #Supplement #Rest <~Have to work on that one. But #Train hard. #fitness #health #REPOHEALTH

[repohfitness]

The #verdict is in. .. I guess he is #working on his #health and #wellness @snackus_maximus #REPOHEALTH

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#Round2 #fitness stuff #wellness stuff #health stuff #REPOHEALTH stuff #exercise + #nutrition + #EDUCATION @snackus_maximus

[repohfitness]

#REPOHEALTH Re-educating People On Health to not only promoting #physical #fitness but also #fight #obesity through #health #exercise and #nutrition #EDUCATION starting with #Atlanta #health AND #wellness