If You Build It, They Will Come: Sharing your Passion
There are so many ways of introducing people to your gift. You can take a very direct approach like walking up to strangers at Whole Foods or rolling over to your mat neighbor at morning yoga and sparking up conversation; you can set up a booth at Runyon Canyon where you assume the fit community would be dying to talk to you and get free tips for the success of their diet; you can create weekly emails and daily social media posts with wit and flare to share with your filtered social circle (who must have forgotten where the like button is or perhaps their keyboards were broken so they couldn't comment on how much they LOVE your dedication and they are SO inspired); or you can even try to create free teleseminars and discounted group fitness classes with awesome topics and dance inspiring playlists that you just KNOW people will sacrifice their Sundays for.
I'm telling you people, when you have found your passion you'll want to try it ALL just to share it! Nothing is better than seeing the smiles and hearing the testimonials of people who's lives have been transformed at the hand of your service to them. It's just those techniques, noted above, don't always seem to work as big as you had dreamed them to, and the one thing you'd least expect to bring awareness to your passion comes out of nowhere!
It's been almost 2 months since I started the Los Angeles Spartan Race Training Group on Meetup.com. The group has grown to over 86 people and we've met some really awesome folks. Since this group was largely intended to keep Tamara and me accountable for our So cal Spartan Sprint training, I don't do a lot of nutrition or training education. Occasionally I'll talk about the supplements I took before our session, or the meal I'll have after and I'll help out with form when needed but we are there to get in shape and people know where to contact me for extra help. So it was a pleasant surprise when one of the group members connected me with the coaches of the Beverly Hills High cross country and track teams to do a nutrition seminar for the athletes.
I met with the coaches a few weeks ago and they explained their needs and what they hoped the athletes would get out of a nutrition presentation. Hearing some of their concerns brought me back to my days representing the Madera High cross country team. I was clueless when it came to eating for life, let alone eating for competitive sport, and so were my parents! Preparation and knowledge are always the keys to success, and if I failed to pack what I thought was a healthy lunch for my day I would often find myself having just consumed one Gatorade or a small pintos and beans from a nearby Taco Bell before practice. I suffered from serious fatigue, shin splints, a fractured foot, acid reflux, dehydration and I even passed out crossing the finish line at one meet; all due to my poor diet! Fast forward a few years, as an adult professional athlete and nutritionist I knew I would a have a lot I could share!
The day of my presentation arrived last Thursday, October 2nd. There were over 30 student athletes and about 30-40 parents in attendance! My largest group to date! I created easy-to-read educational handouts about the basics of macronutrients, calorie intake and nutrient timing; quick and super tasty no-cook recipes; and had all the students fill out food journals. I had a fun q&a with the athletes and handout out non-gmo protein bars to those that participated, and also explained that those bars are great for snacks, rather than just eating nuts, cheetos, or skipping meals. Once the parents arrived I answered questions and did demos of 3 smoothies and our zuccatini salad from a few weeks ago. Everyone seemed to enjoy the presentation and all of the athletes got involved in a discussion or two. Many of the parents were even interested in training sessions and personal/family diet plans. As well, I've already been asked back for the track team, which has over 100 athletes!
So the moral of this story is to never give up on your passion. When interest seems slow or you're just not performing to your max, take the extra time and continue researching and educating yourself. Keep plugging away and staying active. You'll either catch the attention of those in need or you'll stumble upon some information that will change your game for good. Preparation will one day meet opportunity! Build it, they will come.
CONTEST ALERT: Soma Fitness Giveaway!!!
Happy October, Superstars! Soma is excited to kick off this month with an Inspiration Calendar contest. It's super easy, but might involve a selfie or two! Show us your fiery side to win big while following the October inspiration calendar with your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts.
Be sure to tag us at @fitsoma and #somaoctober! Each post earns you one point. The superstar with the most points by midnight PST on Oct. 31st will win our fab fall basket that includes Village Tea, Qu'i Breakfast Cereal, Symbiotics Chewables, and a pair of SONE ear buds/headphones!
Green Dream Smoothie
If like millions of people you suffer from digestion issues like acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea or constipation the Green Dream Smoothie is for you! This yummy drink will sooth your tummy and is packed with healthful amino acids, probiotics and a secret ingredient called colostrum. Colostrum is nature's first food provided at birth and provides the following:
- Boosts strength, stamina and lean muscle mass production
- Promotes healthy intestinal flora and supports the entire GI tract
- Encourages cellular re-growth for healthy skin, bones, muscles, nerves and cartilage
Once digestion is regulated, you can look forward to easy weight-loss and a flat tummy!
Ingredients:
2 scoops Sun warrior classic vanilla
1 cup water
1/2 cup kevita lime mint mojito coconut
1/2 avocado
1 cup frozen blue curled kale
1/2 tsp maca
1 tsp bovine colostrom
Directions:
Blend all thoroughly till smooth. Enjoy!
New Recipe: Italian Zuccaroni Salad!
All of this hot weather calls for refreshing recipes. This week’s yummy salad puts a healthy twist on one of our all time favorites – Macaroni Salad.
However, our version utilizes fresh veggies and gluten free pasta, so you can indulge without having to worry about bloating or overeating! Check out our Italian Zuccaroni Salad. This salad keeps very well in the fridge without getting soggy so it is perfect to make on Sundays and can be enjoyed throughout the week!
Ingredients Needed:
2 Zucchini
Green Onion
Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 cup gluten free pasta
Sliced black olives
2 tbsp. of olive oil
Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve!
Enjoy!!!
September Inspiration Calender
Print our September Calendar and use hashtag #somaseptember to share your creative ways of living your inspiration! xo
Spartan Race Training Update
For the past couple months Soma Fitness has been hosting weekly Meetups around Los Angeles to train for the upcoming Spartan Race in Temecula on September 14, 2014. The trainings are free, and open to anyone that would like to participate. It's been a great way to meet new friends and keep our workouts fresh, and interesting while discovering new parts of the city. Griffith Park, Runyon Canyon, Fryman Canyon, Jefferson Stairs and Santa Monica Stairs have all been conquered on our training runs. If you’d like to join us for our next training session, click on the link to find out details. Below are group photos from the past few weeks! Enjoy!
Thanks to one of our workout partners Roy for tracking the stats on our workouts. Here's one of our Jefferson Stairs workouts. Where else are you going to burn 1,000 calories and have fun doing it? Want to see the rest of our workouts? Check out our Meetup page.
Soma Superstar: Entrepreneur & National Bikini Competitor Laura Varney
When you came to Soma Fitness what was your fitness goal?
Cool Down with This! Ginger-Peach Smoothie
Summer is in full swing and it is hot, hot, hot! Cool down with this delicious smoothie that is not only packed with nutrients but will sooth your stomach! This is a perfect snack or after dinner dessert!
Ingredients:
* 2 scoops Sun Warrior classic vanilla
* 1 ripe yellow peach
* 1/3 cup organic ginger zing granola (whole foods)
* 2 tbsp flax seed
* 1 cup spring water
* 1/2 cup sparkling water (Voss or Gerolsteiner)
Directions:
Remove seed from peach. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!
August Inspiration Calendar
Your boss just gave you a huge new project, your kid's birthday is coming up and your planning a big party, and you can't seem to keep up with all demands of the organization you're volunteering with. We know that it can be really tough to slow down and enjoy how wonderful your life is. That's why we created our first ever Inspiration Calendar to help remind you to do one thing each day to bring joy and beauty to your life! We want to know what you are doing so please use the hashtag #somasummer to keep in touch and let us see all the creative ways you've found to celebrate life, or #somafoodlabs to share your culinary creations!
Click here to download the Inspiration Calender
Busy Mom & Career Woman Kristal Eats More and Works Out Less to Lose Weight!
Hi my name is Kristal and I’m a client of Summer White. I’m just presenting this to let you know the success that happened for me and after meeting with Summer. She gave me a great meal plan with a lot more food on the plan than I had been eating. Typically I was eating 3 meals a day or 6 small meals, which would consist of something like a celery stick with some peanut butter. But after meeting with Summer she gave me more food than I thought I needed. And it has helped me tremendously in losing my weight. I’m a project account manager so I’m quite busy, on the phone, meetings things like that - so there are days that I’ll go without eating. But after speaking with Summer I have armed myself with a variety of food that I can package, put in the refrigerator at my desk, or in my car or purse - if I’m in those meetings and I just don’t have time to make a meal or go out and grab something. It was surprising to me because I workout — maybe I’ll do the treadmill or go to the gym but after meeting with Summer I actually didn’t workout as much and I lost way more weight than I have in years. So I’m probably smaller now than I have been in quite a bit. So I weigh less now than I did before I had my daughter, who by the way 20 year old. Also the supplements that she provided, that was surprising to me because I was doing a multi-vitamin and I thought that was enough. But after meeting with Summer she has show and given me - she has armed me with an immense amount of knowledge, about clean eating and also how fun it can be and how tasteful and tasty it can be to bring in clean eating and bring it into your family and have my husband and my daughter — I’m doing small steps with them, but they have done a tremendous job with helping me and supporting me, but also making it easy for me transition our home into that process. The challenge that i had was? Just trying to balance life and balance it all and trying to implement this into my home, into my life, into the life of my family. i didn’t want to have to make two different separate meals one for my family and one for myself. So I think that was slightly a challenge for me, that was probably the only challenge for me. And not working out as much, there’s working out - has been a tremendous, it helps with stress, it helps with a variety of things but clean eating, with Summer showing me - I consider her my compass. She took out the guesswork, she took out, she has pointed me in the right direction to now, I just go and I know what I’m supposed to do. If I’m going out with friends, I know that I don’t really need to eat off the main menu, I can eat an appetizer and be smart about what I’m eating or what I’m having for the day. She has been a lifesaver for me, because I really have seen a huge difference, and not only have I seen it but friends and family members have definitely seen the changes in my body. I’m constantly getting constant compliments on how much weight I’ve lost. So I would definitely recommend Summer to any and everyone. I’ve told tons of friends and family about her because she’s been — she’s just awesome, she’s incredible. Have a great day and thank you!