Message From Lisa Dougherty, Owner of Whole Body Fitness

Inspired by…Conversations with My Father

My father tells me that as we get older the years fly by faster. He often reminisces about his youth when he would ask his mom (my grandmother): “When will summer be here?”, “When will Christmas be here?” It seemed like the time crawled by when he was young. As adults, it seems before we know it, the holidays are here and gone and another new year begins. It’s at this time that we make resolutions. We want to lose weight, get in better shape, and be healthier. What we resolve to do is: make the changes necessary to live a better, quality of life, and live longer. It’s just a matter of dedication and for some, creating balance in their day in order to accomplish these goals. As “they” say, “All the money in the world doesn’t mean anything if we don’t have our health”.

I came across this quote: “Making personal changes takes courage, planning, persistence and will.” I have coached/trained many remarkable people, with various challenges, who took ownership of their health and the quality of their lives. Today they are stronger, healthier, and more confident, doing things that they didn’t think were possible before. They all arrived at a point in their lives where they were ready to make the commitment to be healthier. They just never gave up.

I talk with my father every Sunday – it’s our “fireside chat” – although he does not have a fireplace. We’ve been doing this for years. He has survived cancer three times. He’ll tell you he’s one of my biggest fans. Really, I am one of his biggest fans. He is a great mentor to me and one of my best friends. He inspires me do my best, be healthy, and take care of ME first. He is one of the reasons that I started Whole Body Fitness after leaving my job in corporate America . I wanted to make a difference and change people’s lives so they could live healthier, longer, more fulfilling lives.

He always says in closing each week, “Have a good day, a good week and a great life”. I once asked him, why he always tells me to “have a great life”?, his reply was, “There are no guarantees about tomorrow or next week, so just in case I want you to know I want you to have a great life”.

We should all heed this advice and take responsibility for our health and the quality of our lives. Having the support of family, friends and co-workers will enhance the chance for success. My team is also here to serve and support you in reaching your health related goals. We look forward to hearing from you this year! Don’t let another year fly by…

My business continues to grow through your referrals.
Many thanks for your continued trust and confidence.

People-Watchers Beware: Don’t Let Lookism be the Lenses in Your Binoculars — By Dr. Laura Triplett

Do you ever stop to wonder how we have allowed society to reach this point? That point being the moment in time when it became acceptable to comment or question a woman’s physical appearance, and in particular, her weight? If you have turned on the television, listened to the radio, logged onto the Internet, opened a magazine or even had a casual conversation with a friend, you are likely to have either been exposed to or participated in a discussion about another woman’s weight. And the sense of entitlement – perhaps you have noticed that society seems to feel it’s literally owed an explanation for why a woman looks the way she does – that accompanies our doing this brings up a very important question, “Why the heck are we doing this?”

What we are doing is known as Lookism and it is one of the most common, albeit harmful, forms of stereotyping. And unfortunately, women are subjected to it to a far greater degree than their male counterparts. It is a simple process that, in part, involves using a person’s physical appearance to make assumptions and judgments about who that person is. Recall the last time you met someone new; before you even interacted with her you used physical characteristics to draw conclusions about who she is. For example, you might have interpreted her blonde hair to mean that she lacks intelligence or thought her black sweater was evidence that she suffers from depression. For a woman, weight is the most defining characteristic others use to make judgments about who she is; weight cues perception about everything: From how likeable she is to whether she can be trusted.

And as bogus as we all know this is, Lookism endures. We were not born to be Lookists, rather we have been socially schooled to find certain physical characteristics more desirable than others. Worse, we have allowed the media to set unrealistic standards for female aesthetics that are so ridiculous, women should be amassing right now…gathering for a mammoth uprising against outrageous beauty expectations. We should march on…well…on the offices of Vogue and the headquarters of Cover Girl to tell them that we will no longer let them decide what women should look like!

But, alas, we don’t assemble…we never gather…and we certainly haven’t risen up against the absurd expectations that women should look like Barbie (even if looking like Barbie means that women are forced to walk on all fours because the unrealistic proportions of the teeny-tiny plastic standard to which we are endlessly compared, would make it impossible to stand erect). Instead, we idly stand by while Jennifer Love Hewitt, a size two, is chastised for looking too heavy on her Hawaiian vacation, and while Eva Longoria Parker has to deny pregnancy rumors because, apparently, she dared to eat, and while one of the female contestants on Bravo’s “Make Me a Supermodel” was told her legs were too “jiggly” and could never be put “on a runway” (as if they were autonomous from their owner and had the option of walking on their own) because it would be too “horrifying” for the fashionistas and glitterati lining the catwalk.

So, why the heck are we doing this? And why are we letting it be done to us? Women should want to be healthy. And happy. And most importantly, real. I can’t speak for you, but I would much rather walk erect than join my dog on all fours even if this means I’ll never look like Barbie. How a woman looks should not be anyone’s business, but her own. No woman should care more about how a woman looks than herself. And when a woman cares most about how she looks – and forgoes letting Lookism be her guide – she will be healthier, happier, and more real than ever before.

Why the “Me” in “I’m doing this for me” is Key — By Dr. Laura Triplett

Him.  Her.  Them.  Us.   Most people are motivated to change who they are for someone else.  And that’s just not right.  Ever decreasingly, the phrase “I’m doing this for me” is uttered and when it is, it is often said with guilt, insincerity, and irritation.  Guilt for daring to be “selfish” enough to take the time to do something for yourself; insincerity because you know that this urge to change came from an external rather than an internal need; and irritation from being put in a situation where change is a requirement to fulfill someone or something’s expectations.

So, what’s wrong with saying what you mean and meaning what you say when it comes to proclaiming, “I’m doing this for me?”  Absolutely nothing.  In fact, when we actually do something for ourselves we become better people.  Any effort that is made under the auspices of bettering yourself because you genuinely want to be better is like a gift to humankind.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our society was one comprised of people who better themselves — becoming the people they truly want to be – because it is their desire to do so and not just a response to what others think they should do?

When you talk about personal change, any endeavor that you want to be successful has to begin with the phrase, “I’m doing this for me.”  Because if you’re doing it for any other person or worse, because you think it’s what society expects of you, then the journey becomes a fight and success, an infinite burden.  But when you really want to do something — and you do it because the very thought of it makes you desperate with anticipation and excitement — then you know you’re truly doing it for yourself.

Physical change doesn’t come easy, but the difficulty of it is made ever so sweeter when you remember “I’m doing this for me.”

Life Lessons by Professor Phelps and the Gang

Many of us have been up late losing sleep but gaining inspiration from the world’s athletes.  Yes…we have been tired the next day and needing to make extra trips to Starbucks- but we have already been treated to the best that athletics has to offer.  We have seen the “impossible” become a reality and it reminds us that hard work, dedication, and how believing in one’s self can attain almost anything.  All good lessons for us to remember in day to day life.  I think it’s probably safe to say that none of us will ever know what winning 8 gold medals is actually like…but we can know what it feels like to conquer something others might see as “impossible”.  

Granted I admit that I am an Olympics fanatic and given the opportunity I could probably watch it 24/7.  However- how can you not enjoy watching the dedication…perseverance…and pure talent of the world’s athletes.  They make it all look so easy…and even in defeat they keep a smile…shake a hand…and try not to think about what could have been.  Again all good lessons for life.

We Want You!

Boot camp started 3 weeks ago and we wanted to give a big “shout out” to all of our boot campers that have been giving up precious Saturday morning sleep to “enlist” for an hour of stretching, running, jumping, squatting, lunging, and lifting!  You guys are doing awesome!  And for those of you that would still like to “join the ranks” we are out at the Newport Dunes every Saturday morning…just email us your RSVP or drop by and join in for a fun, challenging, out of the gym workout!  Stay tuned for pictures and boot camp updates!