So it’s been awhile, I mean I have written about 50 blogs (at least) in my head... but to sit down and do it... I couldn’t find the right words and feelings until now. I know what you’re thinking new mom too busy, too tired, too different yada yada yada.... but HOLD UP

Not it at all...

To be perfectly honest I have been enjoying my time away

is that taboo or what!? I finally figured out why I was having such a hard time knowing what to say- society wants me to pick a side... mom who overcomes the struggle of motherhood or mom who gives in to the craziness...

And guess what else I don’t feel guilty for any of it!

The internet is saturated with all kinds of different content “mommy it’s okay to feel this and it’s okay to feel that” and guess what it sure as hell is! Also it’s okay to feel both, feel the same, or feel different.

If you were a go getter before you will probably be a go getter again... if you liked to be way chill you probably wont suddenly find a second gear...

If you love being at home with babies and feel like a bad ass doing so good for you and/or you love being a mom but have someone help you in the child rearing process good for you too.

I am a mom and I am enjoying the many moments of motherhood and the types of mother I am, day by day as they come.

Signing new clients and making dollar dollar bills y’all (Kyle probably wishes I was this mom more often... haha or maybe thats just my own ego)

like seriously have you lived in FL and skipped a shower... too literal?

nailed it! What can I say... and that outfit thooo

but really those nursing calories

I mean not a whole season because that’s literally 24 hrs but you know what I mean

that is the beauty of life though isn’t it... we are not stuck in one category! The struggle is real and sometimes there is no struggle!

guess what mommas you don’t have to get that body back right away or even ever (physically idk if its possible to put the female body completely back) but if you want to workout go for it! And sweat your momma booty off as much as you would like! If you workout one day or seven its up to you! Physical health is up to you but that mental health is a priority and like I said you don’t have to change but your priorities probably will! Keep that mind and that heart strong for you and your families. You can’t fill other people’s glass if you’re empty! And if you get there by fitness, pintrest, therapist or even a little blue pill there is no shame in any mom game!

I have been a trainer for almost 8 years now and in the fitness field for about 11... wait what... now I'm feeling my age.
I have worked in all types of fitness specialties but have more recently come to a realization- I DON'T want to just "lift weights". Now before I continue... I am not saying it is unhealthy... hear me out before you jump to any conclusions.
In the past week I have had several former clients come to me, in a kind of tail between the legs, saying "I just don't feel like working out anymore".... and personally I'm sitting there thinking man me too... But I didn't say it, I listened to their reasons and gave them some tips but here is what I hope they and anyone can take away from the below ideas....

Now Im not talking about working as in your heart and your muscles pumping, Im talking about your desire... I'm talking about that pulling teeth dragging fingernails gut feeling.... now I know there are some of you out there reading this thinking...well if I lost those last 10 lbs or made the team or what ever your end goal is.... I'll do it and I'll do it every day but the truth is when you do something that you would rather not do you are going to have a hard time with motivation.

Since having Alivia, I have come to realize. I don't want to go in a gym where there is no air, no sun, no cute baby girl... I want to explore and share and have FUN... thats not to say I did't at some time enjoy they gym but not right now, and hey thats just me. 

When people would say "you look great" or ask "how are you getting back in shape? I would say "Thanks' I'm trying" but the truth is I'm not and I don't really want to...

I don't want that to be my focus nor do I wan't to teach my daughter that "TRYING" to look a certain way is an important goal... A person should want to take care of his or her self... but have fun while you're at it and accept that there are things about your body you cannot change... Like I will never be 5'10 or even 5'3 as hard as I try.
Not "trying" to lose weight I have gotten back down to my pre-pregnancy weight I mean yes my body is different and yes its not the smallest I have been but I am also not

all of which would have me trying too hard

I do plenty of active things, I walk, run, build, sand, clean, play
in short add activity to my life doing things I already love.

at least in terms of my body and my routine

Mostly, I want to live a life I enjoy and set an example for my daughter that being active, healthy, and working out doesn't have to be counting reps... it can be if you enjoy it, but it doesn't have to be. There is a whole big world out there see it in what ever way you want....(and if that is in a gym that is fine too)

You are not only your looks so you don't have to go into a box to fit into a box so that others can say how perfectly cut out and pretty you are. My whole life I have seen in soooo many women that the value of their person was in a weight, or a size, and I do not want to portray that in any way to my child.... If you like lifting weights or you like the treadmill go for it, but if you like to dance then dance, what ever you do there must be something you can incorporate into bettering you while still enjoying yourself! 

I remember the first time I heard that expression, my brother and I were deciding what run we wanted to go on, neither of us had a set goal that day and you know what I think we ended up going much further and longer because we just did what we wanted. So don't let anyone, not even this blog tell you what to do.

Part of the reason I am not in the gym is because I am rediscovering other things I like and other parts of my person... one of the best things for a healthy body is diversifying your activity

If reevaluation isn't a constant part of your healthy lifestyle well then you need to reevaluate... what I mean is you should constantly check in with yourself, and make changes as needed, right now I am reevaluating how I look at health and thats up to me to grow and change... eventually I am reevaluate and decide I have had enough of this fresh air, sunshine, love myself BS and go back to the gym pound out some weight and blow up with botox,  and if thats you right now refer to #8 

To say this has been a crazy year is an understatement.... Marriage, Move, Mortgage, and now MOTHERHOOD.... To be completely honest I was not mentally expecting that last M! But once we found out, just like everything else, Kyle and I approached this turn of events enthusiastically and more importantly as a team. 

Wall-e was actually the first to figure out what was up with his dog momma, he began sleeping by my tummy and being extra loving..... Next was a sudden aversion to chocolate, and I mean come on if you know me and me not wanting chocolate, I knew something was up! Before long we found ourselves with a positive test and real test of our teamwork!

Having just started a new job and suffering some extreme mother-to-be sickness Kyle really had to hold up the support end of the Zienin team. (Not to mention his still relatively new job and new home chores) All I can say is I am one lucky wife! Not to mention my new co-workers have been amazingly supportive! I also have decided to completely embrace my current state of being human and utilize this as a growing experience for my knowledge as a trainer. This week I will complete my Pre/post-natal training certification so that I can safely navigate my own fitness lifestyle as well as help clients during this exciting but often unfamiliar phase of life and creating life!

We recognize that it has been an eventful year for everyone and between storms, travel, and weddings we wanted to make sure we shared our exciting news at the appropriate time. Our life since we have moved to Florida has felt like its going at least 100MPH but the end result will be a much more exciting one! We were very lucky that the most recent storm to blow through Florida completely avoided our little town and left our boat and home safe and sound! Thank you to all the friends and family who reached out to make sure we were doing okay!

Baby Z is now rapidly growing and I'm sure the next few months will fly by! But we are excited to be sharing with all of you now and lucky to be surrounded by so many supportive and loving people near and far!

But when has anything that Kyle and I have done been "normal"... and that will be the point I want to make with this blog... 

One of the #1 questions we got was "How can you live like that?" but the answer is simple and just like anything else, its best when you set goals!

Having these common goals made it so at the end of the day when you bump butts trying to put on pants or you run out of hot water because someone took a longer shower, you know you're in it together.
You also know that the intent behind the others actions is for the best of each other.

And just like I have always said, it was about balance... and not that I was balancing on a rocking boat everyday but that I took the time to recognize that just because I was on a boat and a beer sounded good just about every night. I also wanted to feel and look good working on the boat or rocking that bikini.
Not to say that this wasn't a challenge, going from being full time employed with a set regimented workout schedule to no time line at all isn't as glorious as it may sound. Sometimes time is our enemy. Choosing when and where and what you do in terms of the order of your day really tests your commitment. Even someone who love to workout can say ohh but I'll love it even more this afternoon or after this or after that... and the day slips by. I quickly learned that in my not normal environment I needed some norm and yet still tried to embrace the flexibility.

More than anything I think the boat taught me about time. Make time to workout. Make time to Work. Make time to eat. Make time to do boat work. Make time to still be a newly married couple. Make time for new friends. ALWAYS make time for old friends. Make time to not think about time. MOSTLY ENJOY ALL THE TIME YOU CAN.

Ever wonder why you become so close with a gym buddy? I think its because its a lot like living on a boat. Your doing hard work, in a small proximity and you are completely relying on each other. Kyle and I have been many things to one another but never gym buddies. Getting that kind of relationship with him on the boat was one of the most rewarding things I will ever go through in my life... Even if I did threaten to throw him overboard more than a fair share of times. But anyone who has had a gym buddy can relate to that too, they tell you "come on one more round" and you think "why are you trying to be superman today? I just want to burn off my ice cream".... that is exactly like living on a boat... little personal space and decisions. As two independent strong willed people we quickly realized everything on the boat and in marriage is a mutual choice.

Yes mutual or alone... every thing is... a choice.... On the hardest day of your life you will have to remember you make the choice to live or at least continue living in your situation.
We made the choice to live on the boat, we made the choice to marry each other, we made the choice to stay healthy... be it mentally or physically, that is a choice too.

So living on a boat may not be for everyone.... hardly anyone from what I have heard.... but it is one way to strip away all the boundaries that are kept up even after 3 years of living with someone..... it is one way to really test your commitment to your goals.... it is one way to recognize what really matters.... like sure I have a six pack (okay its only a 4 pack) but can I really help remodel a V birth and hold power tools, or sand an entire ceiling..... 

Sometimes you will be amazed at what you don't know....

Sometimes you see something amazing...

Sometimes people will amaze you...

Sometimes you will amaze yourself...

Amazingly... I really thought I was tough... thought I had this balance thing on lock down...not so amazingly I was wrong...

But I'm about to hit y'all with some truth bombs... that may or may not amaze you:

Balance isn't only eating a treat every now and then.... balance is saying f* it right now I know ice cream isn't the best caloric intake I could eat but it sure as hell will make me appreciate my day!

Balance isn't saying I worked out 8 of the last 10 days.... balance is saying get your a$$ out of bed you need these endorphins today, or you know what your relationship could really use this cuddle time right now hit snooze!

Balance is recognizing that your physical health is only a part of the whole picture

Balance is saying hey 5 lbs up or down this month doesn't make me a better or worse person....being a good friends/partner/individual does.

*personal truth bomb alert*

I have eaten fast food more times than the rest of my life combined so far this year... I have also learned that you can order grilled and salad options at these places

I have learned that sometimes I need to make myself sleep in/ skip a run/ get a little soft because being a happy healthy person is better for everyone instead of just a "fit" person

I have realized my husband did not marry me for my flat abs or my beautiful hair... because honey they gone! And you know what... he's still here....(side note...don't light candles and proceed to light others while you reach over the already burning ones... also don't paint the ceiling of a rocking boat with out a cap on)... okay back to truth bomb

I have stopped (again) letting the opinions of others influence how I feel about myself... this is a lesson that has to be re taught anytime I make new relationships

I have skipped more workouts than I have done some weeks... and you know what... I don't think I'm any less of a fitness enthusiast because of it.

I am completely out of running shap... I walked ALOT on my last two runs

But most importantly I don't give AF, excuse me, a damn, ooops I mean root tooting dang about any of this... as long as I am living life to the best each day has to offer.

And I mean it.

Soft serve is amazing.... so is Kayaking across a bay with my guys by my side... my next marathon will also be amazing and so will the burpees I plan on doing tomorrow morning.

Because you know what if you go to bed not being amazed by at least one thing each day, you have not found balance...

but here is a little secret and kinda the point of this little blog... sometimes balance is just being amazed that you made it through another day of this crazy thing called life ....

if you can be amazed at that then you really are tough!

Don't let life get you down and especially don't let you or anyone else get you down either!

You are amazing! (Ready in Oprah voice) and you are amazing and you're amazing and you and you and you!

We tried to crate up the guys and take them with us.... unfortunately that didn't work... but worth the try and a pretty funny picture!  

Some of our favorite people were awesome enough to make the 16 hour drive and then spend two crazy days with us!

I honestly don't know what we would have done without Kristen and Shane! We will never be able to thank you enough....

We did get to show them one night of fun while they were here... maybe just enough that we could get them to consider moving here too! #moveSOMDtoFL

I can't tell who is most excited to be here.... 

With our top contender being on a BOAT! So time will tell if we continue to keep up the #CruZienin life style!

As we prepare for whats next I will be working primarily as an ONLINE coach and trainer.

So over the next few weeks I will be rebooting the website and releasing some exciting packages for FUTURE, CURRENT, and PAST clients!

If you have any questions on getting started ASAP feel free to email me at casey@trueyoufitnesstraining.com

So I am sitting here thinking of how can I open this positively and light hearted.... because that is me and what I like to do.... But after some thought I have decided just like the real me, my blogs don't have to start off all sugar and spice and everything nice, because lets face it sometimes the real me is just a little more spice....the sugar eventually comes So here it goes:

Mental image - set scene 1:
You have worked hard and you find yourself in a happy, confident, and comfortable place. Simultaneously as you embrace that satisfaction and you look down at your gadget of choice that is buzzing or doing what ever signal it does to help you feel accomplished someone calls you out, some one shames you, someone lets their insecurities make them feel justified in SHAMING you. But wait you look at the flash on you gizmo and it has fireworks and a giant middle finger pointed at the person trying  to bring you down, you smile and move on. - end scene

This is the image I had on my run this morning, thinking to myself "you know what WHO CARES, Im gunna just be me and love it"

It seems like the new thing in hip culture is to shame others. Honestly, we live in a society that cares too much about everyone else and not enough about each individual self.

So as a pre-curer to my new website and fall fitness launch I want to say: 
DO WHATS RIGHT FOR YOU!
Be it fitness challenge
Taco eater
Political Activist
Facebook Poster 
No make up? ( I honestly don't get how the amount of make someone wears is anyone else's business anyway)
Fit Mom
Work Mom
Marathon runner
Netflix Surfer
Blogger...

Whatever it is that you do to define you as you DO THAT, and if if YOU don't like it CHANGE IT, but if you do KEEP ON BEING YOU BOO!

So I believe it has been about 2 months since I have posted anything... but today I needed to find some fitness balance! and I figured the best way to do this would be by sharing with you all some stuff about healthy mentalities and a little bit about what is going on in my life!

So uhm HI since its been awhile I hope are doing great and your mentality is is great too. I can't believe how crazy life has gotten! But I hear it only gets faster and crazier.... on roller coasters this is a good thing so I believe it will be in life too because life really does feel like a roller coaster most of the time.

I mean its all about positive mentality, right! You can be scared of the big drops or just put your hands up and ride it out!

Just to catch you up on my crazy roller coaster ride and some of why I have been MIA.... I mean other then planning a wedding, running a business, and trying to maintain healthy relationships with friends and family.... (you know life and the things we all have to work with) I have also recently started School again! Why you might ask.... I ask that question right before every test.... well because in my current career I wanted to know more, I wanted to be able to help more, and help more people. Also, learning always opens more doors. So currently I am taking the prerequisite courses for medical professionals. I'm not exactly sure what or where I will go with this but already I feel I am learning so much that can help my current clients and will only open more doors in my future! It mostly has me thinking... I don't know if there is any right time to do anything in life, so why not just go for it. 

I am sure there will be many ups and downs and lessons to learn, and one thing I will have to find on this new adventure is balance which is what I want to share and talk about with you today!

​ Not only will it be good for me to think about and keep in the forefront of my brain along with all the new stuff I am learning but I hope it will help you too and what ever endeavor you are on!

Without balance it is hard to succeed at more then any one thing. Eventually when you are over loaded things are going to give out.... that is why it is important to always keep in mind you can't go 100% in every direction.
So often I have clients who give up 100% of the food they like or go 100% on a workout, and all that happens is then they can't get up and do it a gain the next time.... maybe they last a day, a week, or even a month but sooner or later something will give. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little in one area so you can grow in another. That means good and bad. Unfortunately for me lately this has been my blogging and traveling. As much as I love these things I want to feel good about my classes so I can't do as much as I would like. At the same time I can't give up everything I like for one goal or I will not be able to feel good about it for long. A good example of this is sleep. You can only go so long without sleep but then your body will stop preforming well mentally and physically. But your body will tell you what you need if you listen. Sometimes it just takes a little bit to try and figure out what it is saying. Right now I feel like my body is a 2 year old who can't really form good sentences. For example, I want to sleep a lot and I wasn't exactly sure why until my body started not recovering from workouts... This does not mean I need to stop training, stop studying or stop sleeping.... even though I wish I could stop sleeping imagine what I could do with 6-7 more hours a day, and that is already not enough sleep. I can't study and never sleep because then I will not absorb as much of the information as I need. So now I am working out a little less because until I figure out how to study while I sleep I have to use some of my recovery time to study.  ANYWAY,

The most successful people in life don't do it all... they do what they can and don't get hung up when they can't do everything. They move on. They find balance. They take care of their needs. Because otherwise life is unsustainable.

Now as I go forward into this next goal of mine, I want to try and remember this, I want to share this, and I want to help others remember this too.

I have clients who don't see results because they don't balance their needs.

Health takes sleep, nutrition, and mental breaks, along with working out and growing mentally as well as physically.

So I wish you all well and hope you can find some take away form all this! It may have been lots of rambling but I hope that what I share helps you remember to take care of yourself and also that you are not alone.....

Sometimes life feels a little crazy, but so do most roller coasters...
I'm just happy to be on the ride and love my up and down balance in life!

April fools!.... I really just want to give you an update on everything because it has been way too long! But I got you excited didn't I! Well hopefully you find what I say next just as interesting as what you thought the BIG NEWS would be! So here it goes:

HI! 
It has been such a wonderful crazy busy year so far!
I also can't believe how fast it is flying by! I mean April already! That should be the joke!

So it has been a little over a year since True You Fitness has really been rocking on the East Coast!  and things are going great!
Recently, I have started a Women's Boot camp on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I feel like I should use a different term instead of boot camp because it is more like a fit social morning. Way more what I am about. Because fitness should be FUN! (contact me if you want to join)
My schedule continues to be full but I will always try to squeeze anyone who wants to be healthy in!
So far this business venture has been pretty awesome! I am still learning a lot and a lot about myself in the process which is all I can hope for.

I have also been working very hard on WEDDING PLANNING! I am so excited to marry my best friend and on top of that get to go on a CRUISE with many of our friends and family! What, a cruise!? Yep you read it right, that is what we have decided! We just couldn't imagine only spending one day with the people we love so we decided to make it a whole weekend event in the Bahamas! YEY!

Currently, I am also training for a half marathon! It should be exciting to run in the Historic Saint Mary's City! Also, it is on May day! Which I hear is quite the event at our local college and could lead to some very interesting sights along the way including streakers.... Which I guess is a thing! Who knew!

I hope to have a challenge soon, I want to get a feel if I have enough people interested first though... so if you are, let me know!

For any other fitness inquiries send me a message or an email:
Casey@trueyoufitnesstraining.com

I hope this year is going well for Y'all (I still don't quit feel natural saying this) and would love to be a part of your fitness journey in anyway! I also hope to keep sharing more of what I am doing, so you can learn the lessons of training along side me! 

Happy April!
xoxo,
​Casey

​

It a two cups of coffee kind of morning... not because I need the energy but because it was so nice having a slow morning with my Guys (Wall-e and Kyle, felt I needed to make that clear for some reason) that I'm not quit ready to get up and move yet. Sound contradictory to the title of this blog though right.... you would think so but it is actually not.

I get asked all the time "how do you stay motivated working out by yourself?" or "How do you manage work from home?"
I can't say it was easy right away or that I am motivated all the time but I can say I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

So here are some little things I have found help me stay motivated and keep my own sanity:

I am always making lists.... Do I always follow them? Hardly, but what I do is get a chance to visualize the things I need to get done a prioritize, what actually has to get done.
I mean lets be honest: That pintrist recipe has been on there for a week now... 

Okay maybe 3 weeks if we are really being honest... but look at all the cool things I am doing, and hey if I spend a little extra time working on my website then planned I like to think of it as a win... I mean come on I'm just excited people read the random stuff I write.

What ever it is you are doing, following a list, working out, eating a healthy meal.....TAKE YOUR TIME..... And enjoy it! What is the point of doing something if you are not going to present when doing it. And in all honesty most of the time things take the same amount of time because you are not STRESSED so you calm and collectedly do what you intend and it gets done the first time. (shout out to my mom, sorry this one took me so long to learn)... actually I will make this #4

My idea of clean used to be throw things in the closet close the door and deal with it later, but you know it doesn't get done later and your life ends up a closet mess.... you know what I am sayin! You can only hide that stress for so long... same thing for the clothes they eventually explode out onto the floor! (if your boyfriend says thats what he likes about its a lie... what? I know, random but true)

Really! Just Stop! It gets you nowhere, and you want to talk about a fun sucker! When you tell yourself YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING that you don't really have to, I bet you are less likely to want to do it! As crazy as it may sound there are some days where my internal morning conversation goes a little like this:
"what is that sound? Dang alarm, it can't be time to get up yet....  You could stay in bed.... Yes that is true, technically you could always stay in bed, forever, I mean really no one would REALLY be able to stop you, they might not even notice.... I don't really want that, I wan't to be the kind of person that is helpful and people do notice. I want to help people and be productive, I guess I do want to get out of bed" and some does I hit snooze and have the conversation 10 minutes later. But my point is we are our actions so think about your actions don't guilt yourself about them. Be happy about being you and doing the things you do and that is when motivation becomes second nature.