What’s in your TOOL BELT

What’s in your tool belt?  Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. You have a tool belt too.

we all do.

When I met the infamous Mr. Chicken Fry he was a charismatic 34-year-old bachelor with a tool CUP!  YES, A CUP!   He literally had a plastic red drinking cup tucked away in a laundry room cabinet.  Inside of the cup was a screw driver, a hammer, some nails and possibly a wrench.   But that’s it!!!

I’m pretty positive that he came by it honestly.  Chicken Fry’s daddy wasn’t much of a handy man.  His sweet dear dad didn’t have many DIY fixer upper tips to pass down to a then young Chicken Fry.  Basically, I’m highlighting the fact that yours truly in the beginning. of our marriage was the full time tool time gal. My Mr. Chicken Fry didn’t grow up watching his daddy do a lot of manual labor projects around the house.  In other words, his daddy didn’t really have the know how, aka the tools, for home projects to pass down to his son. Instead, Mr. Chicken Fry’s tool belt was lined with other positive traits like salesmanship and the gift of gab!

I, on the other hand, had Mr. Fix it for a dad.  My daddy was a true do it yourselfer before it was cool.  He and his brothers (my uncles) along with my beloved (grandfather) Hoppy, did it and fixed it all. From car engines to door knobs from plumbing to light bulbs, these men had a ginormous collection of overused greasy heavy-duty tool BOXES!  They had long bypassed the belt in a big way.  What I learned is how to take something apart, make a big mess, attempt to fix, and then call my daddy for help!  So SUE ME!

Now, to circle this back around to my usual FITness speak…let’s talk about what tools you may or may not be missing from your own personal tool kit!  It’s my intention to line your trusty tool belt with at bare minimum, a chisel, a blow torch and some other Fitessentials.

Quite possibly you never knew that you have direct access to a blow torch right on the inside of your very own body.  You had no clue until now that you have an internal fat burning machine also known as your metabolism.  The first step of using your newly discovered blow torch is to carefully ignite it and crank up the heat.  I firmly believe that a hungry body is a healthy body which means you must EAT to turn up the heat and torch fat.  Put the blow torch to good use by eating lean proteins, fine whole grain carbs and vegetables.  The blow torch will melt the fat as long as you feed your body good nutrient rich foods.  All of the processed greasy cheesy fried foods are not blow torch friendly.  The fast food and sugary snacks cause explosions and act as a hazard to your health.  Chips, enchilada’s and french fries will cause the blow torch to back fire and eventually your waist line and your health suffer.  

Once you’re in a groove lighting up and burning food for fuel you will be given a chisel.  This is where the exercise portion comes into play.  Perhaps you were never taught the value and importance of active heart healthy exercise.  A vital component to any fitness program is regular consistent exercise which leads to weight loss hence the CHISEL Underneath all of the fat is muscle and by lifting weights and exercising you will begin to chisel down to the lean muscle.  BOOM!  And just like that…you now have two new tools in your belt!  No need to worry about fancy equipment…if you are a beg inner start by chiseling with your body weight.  Plyomectrics exercise such as push up, crunches, lunges, squats, tricep dips and sit ups are plenty effective.  By adding weights and combo movements such as a deadlift curl or squat up-right row, you are creating and forming muscle.

I just love this picture because it’s RAW TRUTH!  A sculpted physique doesn’t happen overnight.  It takes dedicated precise action but if you stick with it and use the proper tools, you too will be on your way to a slimmer self.  Remember…dedicated workouts outperform genetics all day long!  It’s never to late to call daddy, to get FIT!

Like mother like daughter??  NOT ALWAYS…  My mother was a spirited athletic child.  Even as a teenager she never had to specifically watch her weight or really think about working out until she was in her mid to late forties. In her 20’s and 30’s she played tennis, cared for the lawn and did routine rigorous house work.  When it came to food, she ate and drank whatever she wanted. If a burger, fries and a small coke was an option she ate it and never batted an eye! Growing up she cooked chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, bacon and sausage, meatloaf, spaghetti, fried okra and fried bologna and egg sandwiches. I watched mom eat candy bars and drink sodas with no side effects.

She had a genetically gifted speedy Gonzalez type of metabolism that I unfortunately  didn’t inherit. I learned the hard way that Ding Dongs and Twinkies didn’t work for me. Years of yo-yo fad dieting and uneducated starvation tactics left me heavy and hungry for truth.  At age 22, I got serious about training and educating myself.  I learned about FAT,  muscles and my other favorite M…metabolism.  I worked a cardio and weight lifting program with vigor and passion.  I learned to eat healthy low-fat high protein foods.  The result was a FIT physique and a career.  WHO KNEW?!

A stability ball is a multifunctional must have piece of workout equipment.

Now, I’m a middle-aged business woman with weekly workout warriors and my very own teenager.  I’m the one dispensing the FIT KITS!   With gusto…this FITness blog was born as a gift of my handy work. Consider it an act of love.  I have over 22 plus years of useful education tips on FITness, healthy eating, hair and makeup to pass off!

A TRUE STORY! (three years ago)

As a mom to a teenage daughter and a FITness professional, it’s a very fine tricky little line. Just the other day my 14-year-old came home from school, dropped her back pack and opened the refrigerator door.  Y’all there were all kinds of really good snack choices.  I had just stocked the frig with basically every kind of fruit known to man.  Not to mention deli meat, protein shakes, protein bars, grilled meat left overs, yogurt, edamame, and applesauce.  I heard her voice yell to me down the hall, “Mom what did you do with the cookie dough.”  I leaped from my office chair and ran toward the frig.  For a brief minute we had a cute, friendly cat and mouse chase going.  Before I could physically snatch the baggie of dough out of her hot little hands, Miss teen queen had placed a giant wad of cold uncooked raw cookie dough in her mouth. “Really, really, that’s your choice out of everything readily available to you in the frig you pick this crap.”  “But mom, I’m hungry,” she muttered in a childish manipulative sort of tone. This funny scenario had suddenly turned serious in a quick second.  “I’m sure you are dear, you should be but if you’re hungry you should eat something filling and decent,” I said.  “Chunks of cookie dough will not fill you up and will do nothing for you but make you….”  I stopped myself from saying the ultimate F word…FAT!  By the look in her eye I knew that she knew what I ALMOST said but didn’t say.  With that I took the zip lock bag of cookie dough and walked out of the kitchen.   

Parenting is plain awful!  Y’all, I don’t care if my teen queen eats cookies or cookie dough.  But as an after school, “I’m starving” type of snack, cookie dough is a horrific choice.  When you or anyone for that matter is starving this is when the pressure is on because it’s when you tend to over eat!  I would rather see anyone over eat on fruit, deli meat or grilled meat, crackers even,  but not cookie dough.  Does this makes sense???

My beautiful daughter is and has always been healthy and perfect in my eyes.  She is the one who at various times verblizes wanting to make changes on her body.   I always say, “honey you have a precious figure and I think you are healthy, but if you wish to tweak make an area, it starts by cleaning up the diet.”  This is me passing down the blow torch baby!   continually build up my teen queen by pointing out her positive athletic attributes. And when necessary snatching unhealthy cookie dough from her hands.  (Omg who am I?)

Love the Ultra Boost sneakers as seen here on the TEEN QUEEN!

If you are a work in progress or a parent…line the tools up and use them wisely.  Don’t be afraid to get your hands messy and your hair a little sweaty. Also, keep hammering away.  FITness is a lifestyle.  It’s a way of life.  You will never put away your tool belt or hang it up for good.  You will go back and back and use them over and over again, day after day. You will pass down your skills by lecturing and example. Now look at my baby.  She’s almost 18 years old and super. FIT! All of my clean living rubbed off.  She eats healthy and does. regular exercise.

The truth is we are products of our experiences and learned behaviors.  We must be careful what we accidentally or intentionally hand down. RIGHT?! Temper, money habits, language, driving skills, and healthy body care because the younger generation is watching.

All of this passing off business has me thinking…when is it too soon to pass off the laundry duties?  lol   Also on the list is how to properly manage finances, budgeting and saving! Teenagers need a lesson on how money doesn’t grow on trees!  Now I just sound old and grumpy!  lol

What’s in your tool belt? 

Love, lift and get FIT! 

Angi xo