Support - The Team Behind the Machine

I am SO lucky to have so many supportive people in my life - my family and friends and co-workers who understand when I say "my hips don't want your cookies" (even when I totally want them myself and they look gorgeously delicious). In this fitness journey of mine, there are two very special people who are my top supporters:


#1: Emilia D'Aversa with FLIP Training - My Personal Trainer!!!



Not only is she hip and cool, her background in martial arts makes me a little scared of her, so I keep showing up for my training sessions.

When you have an appointment booked with someone, you don't want to miss it. If you just are going to the gym by yourself, if you don't have anyone to meet, it's amazing how many excuses can come up to not go to the gym.

Emilia is always trying new varieties of exercises (she knows I get bored of the same old, same old), but at the same time they are familiar so I can work on the basics and recognize the exercises enough that I can feel strong that I have advanced.

She has been a great motivation every step of the way, and I am so glad she is my trainer. Her value far exceeds what I pay her. She is friendly, always has a smile on her face (mostly when my face is red and she knows my muscles will be hurting the next day). As with all the FLIP ladies, she is fun to hang out with, concerned with making sure I have proper form to prevent injuries, and she listens to any complaints I may have calmly and provide additional motivation to help me get through when I need it.

Call her up - it's worth it. I know myself, and even though I know all the exercises and what to do, those additional appointments are what gets me motivated to work out.

#2: My Boyfriend Andrew



Andrew has been an AMAZING support in this journey.



We make our shopping list each week, he agrees with having the most amount of veggies possible, trying new ones like kale (which, by the way, is worth trying fried up a little with lemon (my fave) or balsamic vinegar (his fave)). He now loves kale. I'm not quite there yet, but it's pretty good.

I like to call Andrew the Hoover (as in, the vaccum). I am a slow eater by nature, and he has an inner sense that watches me a like a hawk as I eat, and as I start to slow down, he moves in for the kill, asking if I need help.

Also, there are times Andrew wants to "share" something. "Sharing" does not mean 50/50, oh no - see, Andrew is a faster eater, so I will have 2 bites usually, and he gets the rest.

We hosted a rockin' cookie exchange party this past weekend, and I only survived with a plan. The plan was: pick my favorites, and "Share" each cookie - aka I get a bite, and he gets the rest.

Although a little annoyed that I couldn't eat the whole cookie, I was very greatful after, as it just isn't worth it.  We had some cookies left over after our house, after forcing everyone else to take the rest. I told Andrew: let's share one last cookie, then throw out the rest. And instead of being annoyed, he gave me a high five (we're very romantic). And we never did have that "last cookie".

Also, he likes to help me by after work, laying out what I need to help me get out the door faster. He writes little notes too.

Here are two examples from the last week:

Note #1:

(he actually does know how to spell beef, just saying)

Note #2:

 (couple miscommunication - Ashley's interpretation: "empty dishwater = dishwasher needs to be emptied" - Andrew's meaning - "empty dishwasher = dishwasher is empty, what a great b/f I am!!")
Andrew and Emilia both give me that extra push when I'm tired, grumpy, annoyed, and the excuses in my head are just taking over.

I love my team, thank you!!!!

Good support is like a weight bench, it supports you at all times, but it's up to you to do the work.