Bikini bodies and Buddies!

Have you thought about our Move It And Lose It Buddy Challenge?  A BYOB – bring your own buddy for motivation?  The challenge starts in April, and is accepting registrants until the 31st of March.  Have you been on the fence about an exercise program?  Are you tired of the same old, and want to do different?  Join April and other challengers for Fun, Fitness and Finesse!
The buddy challenge is a way to keep motivated, a friend to schedule workouts with, a way to keep on task.  Not only do you get 12 weeks of workouts, but nutrition tips, and MOTIVATION as part of April Hartsook’s Want Different/Do Different Movement.

• $300/pair

• Both participants must be 30+ pounds overweight

• We must have 15 pairs signed up and no more than 20

• If we do not reach the minimum number of participants, the event will be cancelled

• Must be 13 years or older to participate

• A doctor’s note is strongly encouraged, though liability waivers may be signed in lieu of a doctor’s note.  Participants ages 13 – 17 MUST provide a doctor’s note

• The $300 fee includes:

• 12 one-hour group sessions for two at 8 AM every Saturday between April 6 – June 22 at Linebach Park.

• Beginner nutritional meal plan suggestions

• Facebook

support page

• Packaged valued over $1400 in personal training service

Get started, get moving and get ready for shorts and bathing suits of summer – especially when you experience change with your BUDDY!
For more information and registration!

http://forsythwoman.com/moveitchallenge/

Move It AND Lose It – Today

Today I choose….

Today I choose happiness over fear.

Peace over Anger

Joy over sadness.

Today I blame no one,

Love everyone,

especially myself.

Today I will make mistakes

Learn and Grow

Educate others.

Today I stop complaining

Accepting what I cannot change

Throwing away the rest.

Today the mask comes off

I am open and honest

I am who I am

Today I make a choice

for a better tomorrow.

Move It And Lose It – Words to get you moving!

There’s so many great quotes out there, we want to share a little inspiration with our challengers!  Just signing up and making the decision to change is motivation enough.  You may not know it, there’s a lot of other women watching what you are doing and taking inspiration from it!  First workout is this weekend and we can’t wait to get started!

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect It’s successful outcome.”
William James

Accept who you are right now and start this task with an open mind and heart.  Any decision you’ve made, choice you’ve made, thought you had yesterday stays exactly where it belongs – yesterday!  Today is your new day to be happy, healthy and leave everything else yesterday, where it belongs!

“I believe life is to be lived, not worked, enjoyed, not agonized, loved, not hated.”
Leland Bartlett

So much new opportunity is out there simply waiting for you, if you choose to see it.  Not happy?  Pretend to be happy and sooner or later you’ll find out you’re not pretending.  

“Be who you are, everyone else is taken.”
You are beautiful, you are unique, you are special!  The outside beauty is reflected by the beauty inside, know that you are a unique part of this world and here for a reason!

Find the attitude in the work and find the beauty!

As you start your new workout, meet new friends, and find a new you – know that we are here behind you with support, many are living vicariously through your adventures!
Now get out and Move It And Lose It!

Move It And Lose It – Spring Anew!

Today is the first day of Spring, and new beginning!  The “vernal equinox,” vernal meaning Spring, and equinox meaning “equal length.”  This is the celestial tipping point where day and night are of equal length (let the inner geek out.)  Sure it’s, MARCH but the trees are blooming, you can hear the frogs in the creeks, there’s birds everywhere.  It’s an exciting time to renew your vow to yourself.  Make it a point to celebrate who you are and then make your list of where you want to be, not just the BIG things but the little things.  A sampling of my list:

Get a raw egg to stand upright!  Yes, you can do this on the Spring Equinox, I won’t tell you how long I was in my kitchen (it’s still dark at 430am) but I got it!

Take my dog for a walk everyday – she’s so much happier AND she really needs it.  A daily walk is the dog’s therapy – she gets to read the poo poo bulletin board and I get to stand and watch her while doing NOTHING.

Write my morning pages every morning, one page long hand that is then thrown away.  This is my daily brain dump (could be great writing, could be drivel) it helps prepare me for the day.

Work on adding some type of fruit and veggie to every meal.

Packing my boys lunches for school – have you seen cafeteria food lately?

Call one person a day to just chat – especially my friends that don’t live close.

It doesn’t take much to make yourself happy, not a single thing on that list costs any money – but as the Earth starts a new, I choose to start anew too.  What would you add to your list?

Move It AND Lose It Challenge – In The Beginning There Was The Decision!

Everyone at some point stands at the edge of a cliff in life, looking over the edge trying to decide what to do.  Many turn around and walk back, backtracking to what is safe, what is familiar, away from that edge.  For over 25 women though, they’ve held their breath and jumped off that edge, they’ve entered unknown territory.  We met some of them at our Girls Nite Out at Bermuda Run Country Club and the excitement was in the air.

Some heard about our Move It And Lose It Challenge from sitting at a car wash and picking up a magazine, other’s found out from our Personal Trainer, April Hartsook while others heard from our favorite way – word of mouth!  “I signed up for the challenge because my friend is signed up and I want to do this with her.”  These women will share this journey and most will become lifelong friends as a result!

How does it feel to stand on that edge?  Some have said, “exciting,” “scared,” “hopeful,” and we say COURAGEOUS…you decided THIS time you weren’t going to walk away from that edge, you were going to take that step into the unknown and put your heart into it!  You are going to Move It AND Lose It!  Congratulations ladies for accepting our challenge and letting our readers be inspired by women taking a chance and moving toward a better life!

We will chronicle their journey with personal trainer April Hartsook, share with you the inspiration, the healthy living tips, the great workouts to get these women moving and losing it!  Are you standing on the edge?  There’s still time to signup and join these women, why not Move It AND Lose It with them?  www. forsythwoman.com

What edge are you standing on?

Spring into these cool fashion trends for 2012

Sure it snowed this morning, but just like any North Carolina day, the sun was out 30 minutes later and it was gone.  So in the spirit of Spring, and all of our flowers are blooming anyway, here’s 5 things trendy for Spring/Summer 2012!

1. High waisted flare pants – no we’re not talking about Mom Jeans, but  think Katherine Hephurn with the high waisted flares.  Pair this in a light linen type fabric with a neutral color and you’ll never wear another pair of pants all summer!  The pants this year will have thin loops for a belt so you can even dress it up with a blingy belt.  Example:  http://www.6pm.com/splendid-linen-flare-leg-pant-clay
2. Preppy is back – espadrill shoes, plaids, stripes are back in style.  These trends are not only clean looking but comfortable, nothing like blue linen pants with a blue and white striped tunic and some bright red espadril shoes!
3. Do you crochet?  Great!  It’s back again.  Small crocheted tops over flowing neutral colored tunics take comfort and style to a new level.  Better bet, go look through vintage or consignment shops and find your own one of a kind treasures!
4. 4.  70′s glam is back for the night life – think of a sequined dress but luckily a smaller shoulder pad to keep the line, and dare I say it – the jumpsuit is back!
5. 5.   You cannot go wrong with a base of neutral colors in flowing clothes.  Pair these items with your few new pieces with added color and create a look that’s unique to you.  What’s the favorite color for Spring?  ORANGE, yes, that’s right Orange!

6.  Don’t forget those Kitty Heels, the nice short think COMFORTABLE heel that makes anything you wear look good!

Plan your wardrobe by taking inventory of what you currently have and what you plan on taking to consignment shops.  Then make a list of what you’d like to add and as you drop off for consignment, shop the racks for a few go to pieces.  Or shop at your favorite boutique for the comfortable tunics and flare pants and go out in style.  What trends do you see for Spring?

Seagrove Potters Open House this Saturday!

“Women Rock”

“Women Rock!” Yesterday a friend told me that her daughter came to this stunning realization as she considered the many hats women wear in this world. Are there some things that women can do better than men? (I am not bashing men ~ just celebrating women!)

Here are a few things that came to my mind:

• Women can multi-task better than most men can.
• It is often said that women are the heart of the home.
• Women look better in lipstick.
• Women tolerate pain better than men do.
• Women flirt better than men.
• Women can get things done with only a glance . . . know what I mean!
• Women are better shoppers and better bargain hunters.
• Only women can get pregnant.
• Women grow more hair as they age . . . oops; forget this one because the hair does not grow where we want it to grow! ?
• A woman’s body looks better in a dress.

So let us be fair, what do men do better?

• Men age better than women
• Men look better with gray hair
• While women are the heart of the home, men are the protector of the home.
• Men have the potential to earn more money than women do – which is totally unfair!
• Most men can get ready, for any event, faster than women can.
• Men look better than women with hair on their face. (ha ha ha)
• Men lose weight faster than women do.

A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.

A woman must do what he can’t.

(R. Hansome)

International Day of Peace is TODAY! What will you do?

Today is International Peace day established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.  . 

Where do you find peace?  In the sound of the falling rain today?  In holding a small child’s hand?  In the soft warm arms of the one you love?  Inside you heart when you sit still and listen to the quiet whisper of the universe?

Peace comes from within, then projects out in your random acts of kindness, your ease with forgiveness, your willingness to help.  The Peace you feel as you help others find their peace is why this day is so important.  Many feel they are just one tiny grain of sand on the beach, but when we all take the time to do something that celebrates peace our smaller actions build to a big wave that eventually will change the world.

The Day of Peace is also a ceasefire, where you can make a difference with a ceasefire in your life-what have you been fighting?  Take a day and let it go, find peace in accepting things for what they are on this day of ceasefire!

Take a moment and do one thing that makes yourself or someone else feel Peace.  Share something special, do something outside of yourself or simply sit still and both listen sharing the peace that comes with connecting.  Share Peace and Find peace.

The resolution says, “”Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace.”

What will you do today?

The Portrait Gallery – a Headshot without the Headache!

If  there’s one thing most people hate, it’s getting pictures taken.  Right up there with hanging in the dressing room trying on bathing suits, getting my picture taken is such a wonderful joy.  So when asked, to get a Headshot for my bio, I cringed wondering if I could go through existing pictures and choose from there.  After sending too many pictures that didn’t work, I bit the bullet and called and made an appointment with Claudia of the Portrait Gallery!

The Portrait Gallery is located on James Rd in Clemmons, a beautiful white building.  Inside is a very comfortable studio, pictures on the wall show Claudia’s talent with children and families.  Beautiful black and whites, great pictures of children.  The only thing making me nervous was the large camera and a stool sitting in front of it.  Claudia immediately put me at ease.

“Don’t worry, just have a seat and we’ll knock this out in a few minutes.”  She’s looking at what I’m wearing and talking to me about white or black, we both decide that the black with work best and she asks what’s my good side.

“Hmmm, I have the Aargh eye on this side,” I say pointing to my right side.

“Aargh eye?”  She asks taking a few test shots.

“Yup, when I smile this eye likes to close.  My kids say I look like a pirate saying AARGH!”

Claudia laughs, “Don’t worry, just relax and we’ll try to keep you from looking like a pirate.”

Did you know that for Headshots, she’s got to be up high, with you looking up at her?  Claudia has me lean forward, look up at her turning my head to my good side.  “This probably feels wierd, but it’s the best way to get a great shot!”

After 10 minutes we’re done, and I’m amazed at how easy the process was!  We go to a computer and she shows me 15 pictures she’s taken, the start out really good!  When we get to my other side, we’re both laughing at some of the wierd smiles and of course my AARGH eye!  Immediately we decide that we’ll stick with my better side.

We go through the pictures, narrow it down to three then pick one out of the three.  Claudia agrees and says, “I’ll touch it up a little bit, and you’re done!”

All in all, it took about 30 minutes, and the result was something that even I was amazed with!  Claudia made me feel comfortable and with the resulting picture made me feel beautiful!  If you’re needing some pictures, headshot or not, think about Claudia and The Portrait Gallery – professional and FUN!