Ricky Lawson

Sunday 9/20/09 time 8:29 PM - Diana

On July 23, I, along with 5 of the other Workshop Fitness trainers started working with a young man by the name of Ricky Lawson.

Ricky is 25 years old, and when he first started training, weighed in at 370 lbs. He has been training 6 days a week with us, and has lost a staggering 33 lbs!

Please support him by subscribing to his blog: 180degreesofricky.blogspot.com.

It is also available at 180degreesofricky.com

No blog since July? Really?

Wednesday 9/9/09 time 10:16 PM - Diana

Do you ever get to periods in your life where you are just so busy that you can't seem to handle the little odds and ends that you would normally entertain, saving energy only for the absolutely necessary?

That is how I have been since mid-July....

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Detox, Retox

Friday 7/17/09 time 12:18 PM - Diana

I mentioned last time that I would be talking about my detoxification process...that caffeine devil. Well, I stopped drinking coffee for, oh, 3 days or so. I was surprised that I didn't get a headache or really even want it too desperately.

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Water Water Everywhere...

Wednesday 6/10/09 time 12:35 PM - Diana

It all started last Tuesday when I started feeling a sharp pain in my side that spread all the way down into my abdomen. I felt so terrible that by the time my 11am client was 1/2 way through her work out we switched to Pilates so that I could sit down on the floor.

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Group Fitness for Moms

Friday 5/15/09 time 2:18 PM - Diana Haggerty

This week (Saturday, May 16) we will be meeting at 12 noon for an informational session that is also a mini-seminar, and the classes after this week will be at 10am. Look at the Workshop Fitness website for directions to the gym. Invite your friends! It will be a great time.

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Hypertrophy For the Common Gal

Saturday 4/11/09 time 11:36 AM - Diana Haggerty

Do you know what hypertrophy is? Does it sound scary? Like some obscure disease, right?
If you look at the word, though, you'll realize pretty quickly that it means muscle growth.
Does it still sound scary? A lot of women are, indeed, afraid of building too much muscle and looking "bulky" or "masculine". This can cause ladies to forgo the weights all together, sticking to cardio for weight loss, and maybe a few squats or lunges or butt lifts for their low body. However, it is vital that we ignore the hype and pick up the pounds, for a number of reasons:

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Just Get In The Door

Sunday 4/5/09 time 2:10 PM - Diana

This is Dana Crawley. Just over 8 months ago, she walked into a gym looking for a trainer to help her shed some pounds off of her 5'2", 150 lb. frame. She began training with Thomas Faustin, who worked at the not-to-be-mentioned corporate gym, and has since has moved to Workshop Fitness where we train together currently. I watched Dana. She got stronger. She dropped body fat. We all watched as she gained the figure she desired. Then Thomas suggested something: why not train for a figure competition? Dana accepted the challenge, and began working toward the goal of getting into good enough shape not only to participate in the West Texas Classic and the Texas Shredder (in Lubbock and Austin, respectively) but in good enough shape to win. She dedicated herself to an intense regimen of training: 30 minutes, 3x per week with her trainer for weight training, cardio on the off days, and a diet based on getting her as lean as she could be. I'll jump ahead 12 weeks. Dana just came back from her first figure competition in Lubbock, where the photo above was taken. And yes, she won. First in her class.

And what does any of this have to do with you? Why am I writing about this figure champion on this particular website? That goes back to the reason Dana walked into the gym in the first place. Dana's disappointment with her form was partially related to the physical toll that comes with having children. In Dana's case, there are five of them...and one set of twins. We all know that kids can present a number of road blocks when it comes to our fitness goals, from a modified body shape and extra pounds to limited time and lack of energy to reduced finances and a shift in priorities. There comes a point, though, where frustration turns to motivation; we find it within us to make changes because we are just not satisfied with what we're working with. You know this, because you're here--whether you're at the beginning of your journey or just shy of reaching your goals, you're working to get better every day. Just like Dana did. She got frustrated, got motivated, and just got in the door of her local gym. That's where her journey started.

Where will yours start? Has it already begun? Could you use a jolt to get you reset toward a goal set (or broken)? Look to Dana Crawley, mother of five, who set out to acheive something she never pictured for herself just 8 months ago. All you have to do is get in the door...

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20 Minute Cardio Blast

Monday 3/2/09 time 1:52 PM - Diana

Hello everyone, and happy almost Spring! As we get closer to warmer weather, the need to wear fewer clothes can prompt us to get more committed to a fitness regimen. However, with the perpetual excuse of “I don’t have any time”, how can we be sure to get the most out of our workouts in the shortest period of time, and still see results?

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No Dessert Update

Monday 2/16/09 - Diana

We went to Chez Nous (oui oui!) and I did NOT have dessert. Though, nothing really sounded appetizing anyway. I'm more of a cookie monster than anything, with oatmeal chocolate chip with walnuts (or almonds) topping my list of all time most exquisite creations in the universe (preceeded only by my child and spandex.)

So, it was a successful evening overall. Except for these stupid cedar allergies that made it nearly impossible to taste my lobster medalion.

No Dessert.

Saturday 2/14/09 - Diana

So, today is Valentine's Day, and I am being taken out to dinner to a lovely restaurant. Here's the deal: I am on a no sweets, no liquor plan until mid March. Why, you may ask? Because I want to! I think it's healthy to clean up the diet every now and then, and really let the body heal and regenerate. Plus, I just like the way that I look and feel when I am not all sugared up.

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Diana Has the Best Clients Ever: Client Profile #1 -- Karen

Thursday 2/12/09 - Diana

Karen has been a client of mine since July...the day before my birthday. For the last 8 months we have been working out for one hour per week, and doing just fine--increasing core strength and endurance, focusing on balance and agility, and having a wonderful time. Two weeks ago, Karen decided to get really serious about the thing that, up until recently, she said she was just not ready to do yet....she was finally ready to adjust her diet and drop some serious pounds.

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Hit the Deck! Floor Work for a Tight Tummy

Tuesday 2/10/09 - Diana

Working with your own body weight can be one of the most gratifying, not to mention easy, ways of getting in a great workout. You don't need any extra equipment, so it's cheap and versatile, and the great thing about a core-focused workout is that you don't have to spend a long time with it, so it's great for building strength when you're short on time.

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Exercise for a Happier Baby

Sunday 2/1/09 - Diana

I went to an amazing lecturet by Karen Strange, a midwife and educator out of Colorado. She lectures around the world on neonatal resuscitation as well as a variety of subtopics of gestation and birth, but this one in particular was about the physiology of the birth process and the effect on the baby. As many of you know there has been massive research performed and subsequent data released about maternal nutrition and the ramifications on her fetus; everything from size to propensity for diabetes has been linked to the conditions of the womb. Well, it goes even deeper: research is showing that aspects of the personality are developed in utero...

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Mini Workouts: For the Time Strapped and Short Winded

Tuesday 1/27/09 - Diana

Ever find that, despite all your good intentions, you just CAN'T make it to the gym? You have FINALLY crammed a bag of workout gear into your car, have an energy bar in case you use the "I'm to tired" excuse with yourself, and found a great gym with childcare, yet you still haven't been to that spin class you have marked on the calendar for every Tuesday and Thursday through 2010. By performing circuits using your own surroundings and easy to follow sequences, you can get a great workout without even leaving your home, and you can fit it in whenever time allows...

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What's for Dinner?

Saturday 1/24/09 - Diana

Today is my cookin' day. I find Sunday is the best day of the week to spend a few hours in the kitchen whipping up the household's vittles for the week. I am a vegetarian with wanna-be vegan tendencies, my daugher is a textbook carnivore. In order to avoid turning myself into a short-order cook every night, I "prep" by putting together the basics for the whole week that I can throw into a pan and make everyone happy and full in no time flat. I still get to be creative and not eat out of a huge pot of "goulash", without having to spend the time and money to be gourmet. I pray nightly to the plastic container gods, and am so grateful for my collegiate neighbor who lets me have the coupons from her Sunday paper. Hallelujah.

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Show Them How it's Done

Wednesday 1/21/09 - Diana

So, I don't know if you've heard, but kids are sponges. Shocking, right? I jest, but every parent who has ever heard their toddler scream an emphatic "F%*#!" when they get frustrated knows that the small people are listening and watching and repeating and learning all the time. We're taught as parents (and humans) to lead by example: that your best course of action is to show your child how to behave, not only tell them.

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New Website!

Sunday 1/18/09 time 10:06 AM - Diana

Welcome to my new website! I hope that you find it interesting, easy to navigate, and full of lots of great information and opportunities to interact with each other. Please take advantage of the message board feature, or if you're a little shy, the Ask Diana section.

I am really excited to have this up and running, but it is still in the creative stages. I would love (seriously) to hear your feedback about the look, the content, and the presentation of the site itself, in addition to the features. Please give it a good once over, bookmark it, come back every day, link to it, tell your friends about it, etc. etc. 

Have a beautiful day!!

Diana

OK Crossfit -- I'm a believer

Sunday 1/18/09 - Diana

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Mind Over Matter

Saturday 1/17/09 time 7:51 AM - Diana Haggerty

Mind over matter. I am sure you have heard this adage at least once in your life, and probably from someone who seemed to be preaching or making a pedantic appeal to your ability to take control of yourself. I am always speaking with my clients about the mind-body connection, and take the cliché very seriously. A study involving...

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