Transformations

TRANSFORMATIONS

Last week was certainly interesting. But in a good way! I've been pulled or pushed out of my comfort zone quite a bit and I always feel amazing once I come through to the other side. It started with my westside FIT meeting in Beaverton last week. Followed by a presentation on my Mt. Hood adventure and lessons learned. Then I signed up a new health coach (Welcome, Emily! She's going to do great, don't you think?!) Then on Saturday I gave the Take Shape For Life Presentation at Mt. Hood Community College in the Auditorium. Check out the size of that screen! But I digress. Let me tell you about what's on my mind this week.

THEN

Weighed WAY too much. A good day for me consisted of 7 items from Taco Bell, the kids playing quietly so I could take a nap after I was full and then avoiding people until I absolutely had to be with them. I think that, being a stay at home mom, perhaps I was feeling isolated and depressed. There was a cycle that I couldn't stop. Feel bad because I'm gross, eat because I feel bad, get gross because I couldn't stop eating. This was paired with a sedentary lifestyle.  

I've told people before about my breaking point, so if you've heard it, then skip this paragraph. Let me retell it here really quick.

MY BREAKING POINT

Obese as I was, I still enjoyed a thrill where ever I could find it. For my daughters graduation we flew down to Southern California to hop some roller coasters. I got to that Super Man ride at Six Flags and was pretty excited. The other coasters I had been on were fun. I was nervous each time, however, about whether or not I'd fit. This ride, I did not fit. With the whole roller coaster full of people staring at me, I had 5 park attendants jumping on me to try to close the gate. That didn't work. I had to get off that coaster, my daughter with me, and walk the plank of shame. Everyone knew that I was getting off because I was too fat. That moment ruined the rest of the trip for me. I was scared to get on any rides. I was depressed. I was embarrassed.

NOW

So, now, despite a few bumps in the road, I am down 120 lbs and feel better than ever. My immune system is strong. I am hardly ever sick anymore. I have learned the importance of healthy eating and movement. I've learned that it isn't about just one thing or one pound here or there, but its about changing your whole belief system about eating, weight loss and health. I've learned proper portion sizes, proper nutrition and proper activity. I've learned I love people. I love to help people, listen to people and talk to people. I have learned that Taco Bell is not good. Naps during the day aren't always necessary and you don't have to be full to get to sleep. 

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Take Shape For Life, my health coach Chemae and the support of my friends and family-that is the difference. You start with Dr. Anderson and his Habits of Health, you add the highest quality portion controlled meal replacements and you add a Health Coach. Magic begins to happen. You start to feel good, because you start to feel good you start to move more. Because you move more, you lose more. Because you lose more, you gain more confidence and you move more! Its a whole new cycle! Its a great cycle! This is the one you want! 

INVITATION

In conclusion, I'd love to invite you to just privately contact me if you'd like to know more about Take Shape For Life or my role as a health coach. I'm straight up. I tell it like it is and I will not pressure you. Even if right now is not a good time for you, get some info so you'll know where to go when it is time. Call, email, facebook, text... I'm available. You'll never know unless you ask. And by the way, this is not a program for obese people. I bet you know someone who could use health in their lives, has 10 lbs of vanity weight to take off, or needs help managing their hypoglycemia? ect, ect ect.

IN CONCLUSION

Check me out last Saturday telling my story at Mt. Hood Community College. Was the presentation perfect? NOPE. Learned a few things, kind of feel bad about one or two of them. And HELLO, check out my poor posture. I'll be adding that to the 'things to fix' list. But the thing is, I wasn't afraid to get in front of some of the people I admire most, a crowd and a big screen and talk! I wasn't afraid to fail! woah. Let me say that again. I wasn't afraid to fail. I just wanted to try, see if I am good enough to continue down that path and be invited back. 6 months ago, I got hives when I talked about calling someone on the phone. Now I'm here speaking on a big stage because I have the confidence to do so.

I really love helping others achieve their goals and dreams. Its my favorite. Don't be shy. Contact me today.

503-936-9728  husk7736@comcast.net

Being Inspired by Emily

Last December my friend Emily approached me and wanted to know more about how I'd lost all my weight. She'd seen on facebook what I was doing, she just wanted to hear more. We met at Starbucks, which is pretty routine for my local friends, and I just sat and listened to her. We talked about where she was in life, where she wanted to be. We talked about what things she struggled with when trying to get healthy and we began to create an individual plan for Emily. (by the way, I totally do this over the phone with long distance friends as well, in person is simply a 'perk' not a requirement by any means.) In January, Emily began her journey and a few weeks later, her husband Kory joined in as well. Kory, being a dude, reached his goal before Emily did. Emily assisted Kory through the transition program and into maintenance. Emily made healthy snacks for Kory, added fruit and grains into his diet and continued to plug along on her own journey. Yesterday, June 20, my sweet friend reached her goal. What an inspiration! Emily has done everything that I've told her to do. She's been 100% coachable. She's called me or emailed me whenever she was discouraged or had a question. For a while there she had a LOT of questions! LOL  But what joy is mine. I love talking to her, hearing how she's doing, encouraging her and when people reach their goals it propels me to continue to reach out to others and offer my help.

Emily has inspired me over and over again to just keep going. We're in this for the long haul. We are in this to make total life transformations. Emily now looks forward to adding food back into her plan, teaching her kids healthy habits for life and of course, shopping will be a total ball for her as well. I am going to publish the email she sent me yesterday here. Let me know if you would like to meet for coffee or on chat or something. I also have several opportunities this week where you can learn both about the healthy habits program, Take Shape for Life and the opportunity to become a health coach. Contact me if you'd like to know more! 503-936-9728  husk7736@comcast.net

Hey Charity,

I did it!!!  I reached my goal weight today!  I am at 120lbs!  I can't believe it's happened!  I am out of town right now, and our camera battery died, but I will take pictures when we get home.  I am so excited!!!  I lost 48lbs, and 41 inches total!!!  12 of the inches were from my waist.  I can't believe the transformation.  It truly is amazing.  A scary thought I had a couple of weeks ago, was that my starting weight was more than Kory weighs now!  That's crazy!  He's like, 9 inches taller than I am.  Anyway,  I'm so excited.  I haven't seen my parents or Kory's since the very beginning of this, like week 1 or 2, so it will be really fun to see them in July. 

Thank you so much for your encouragement and listening ear through all this.  Losing the weight was easy.  Now comes the tricky part.  The real test of lifestyle change.  I told my mom yesterday though, that one of the things I really like about the meal replacements, even more than the convenience (sp?) of them, is that they totally broke my addiction to all those foods that aren't healthy.  And as I transition, just like I did with Kory, the foods that we eat, are good for us and actually fuel our bodies. 

Okay, I need to get going.  I have little people telling me they are hungry.  :)

Talk soon,

Emily

Mission Impossible

Finally. June 13, 2010 at aprox. 6:30 a.m. I reached the summit of Mt. Hood. For the last 8 weeks I have set aside and forsaken many things to prepare myself for this adventure. I set my mind of accomplishing this big task and refused to stop until I met my goal. I had no idea that I had that in me. To be completely honest, I don't think I had any business up there. I was not ready. My heart and my mind were in the right spot, however, I don't think my body was ready for that sort of a challenge. I found myself in a 'do or die' sort of situation and had to push beyond normal human capabilities to survive. The extreme.

I have been thinking for 2 days how I could fit everything that I seen, heard and learned into one small blog entry. What are the highlights that I could share? I really don't even know where to begin. So, for now, I'll just share the facts of the climb.

We began at about 10:30 PM at Timberline Lodge. We were scheduled to meet our CAT driver at 10:45-11:00 PM. The snowcat was pretty cool. Huge, warm, lit, FAST...... it dropped us off at the top of the Palmer Ski lift which is at about 8500 feet. My research on altitude sickness shows that people are susceptible to altitude sickness above 8000 feet. So going up to that elevation within 30 minutes probably had its draw backs. I don't know though, I'm assuming. We were in no hurry at that point. We didn't want to be on the steep parts too much before day break and we did not want to be the first ones on the summit. We were hoping that the next load of climbers would lead the way so we walked slowly. By the time we reached the Hogsback, we were surrounded by good company and professional climbers.

The Class 1 climb "The South Side" as I knew it followed the Hogsback ridge up and through the Pearly Gates. The Hogsback apparently has been moving left so its not a straight shot up through the Pearly Gates anymore. Furthermore, there is a bergschrund (glacial crevasse) across the Hogsback, big enough for a semi-truck to fall in. Can't go around that huge beast. People died falling into it in 2002 (see http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/News_HeliCrash.htm for that story and a picture) I wish I would've gotten a picture of it. Hopefully dad did. So climbers had to resort to what we refer to as "The Old Chute" This can be approached a few different ways but we followed the professional guides before us. Up and over the Hogsback, down below the fumerol pits then up the chute. The final push for the summit was terrifying to me. The wall was too steep, I didn't trust my crampons (metal teeth you strap to your shoes to grab the ice) I was tired, sore, I had a migraine that was making me want to throw up and frankly, I felt like I was at the end of my rope. But I was so close to the top it would've been embarassing and lonely to sit there and wait for the rest of my party to summit while I sat crying like a baby. So with my dad yelling at me, I put one foot in front of the other, one hand in front of the other, allowed the tears to freeze like little icicles from my nose and pushed on. Several times I got hit in the head with some ice chunks. Thank God my dad forced me to wear a dumb helmet. I think what added additional fear for me was seeing how the other groups were belaying and setting hooks and tying themselves to the mountain.... and we were not. I was so unsure of myself and seeing that others more experienced then I, were also unsure of themselves, I really would've liked to have been strapped to a Picket: (A "T" shaped length of aluminum 2' to 3' long pounded or buried in the snow for protection.) for peace of mind, if nothing else! After taking way too long on that dumb chute (I'll have nicer words for it next week, I'm sure!) we reached the summit. I have to tell you though, the whole time I'm scrambling on all fours trying to get up there, I am dreading the trip down.

You'd have thought that after all that I would've been happy to be up on the summit. I had anticipated tears, wild emotions, kissing the snow.... I just wanted to be home. It was windy, it was steep, it was scary. you could not get too close to the edges at all because the snow was over hanging and it'd just collapse with you right on top of it. I couldn't really take a ton of pictures because you'd have to take your gloves off to work the camera. First I was afraid my gloves, or my camera would blow away. Second it was cold. I did not want to remove my gloves. I got a few though. Not the pics I had imagined. I had made a banner that said "Thank you Take Shape For Life" I was going to hold up. It would've acted like a kite and blown me off the summit right into the Columbia River behind me!

The return trip: Just as scary as I imagined. We were in a hurry now, had to get out from under the ice chunks that were over our heads before the sun got too warm. We had traffic to tend with getting down. We crawled backwards on all fours, on our tippy toes, jamming the points of our crampons into the wall, trying to have 3 points on the wall at all times. I totally busted my two big toenails right in half. Even when everyone else was relaxing, taking off their ropes and helmets I was still freaked out beyond repair. So, we moved slow. We had to trek this way and that to stay out from under the avalanche paths. We did witness a pretty big avalanche just above Illumination Saddle. Now, if I had been a tad more brave, we could've started glissading down the mountain on our backsides and gotten down quicker, but I was just still too scared. The fall line (the direction a ball would roll from the top) ends up over Mississippi Head (cliffs) and I just didn't trust my ability to go fast and stop myself so I opted to walk and I walked slowly. Once the degree of the slope calmed down I did slide down, maybe about a mile on my buns and really, that was fun. I wish I had been braver now to start that up a little higher.

My little brother, Larry and his mom (my step-mom???) Robin met us at Silcox hut on the way down. I cannot believe they walked up a mile in the snow with zero sunscreen or sunglasses. They had on jeans and regular shoes. And I will never forget this kindness. Larry took my dad's backpack and Robin took mine. They carried our packs down the last mile. When we got to the lodge, I RAN to the bathroom and Robin met me in the car there so I wouldn't have to walk over to my car. When we got back to their RV Robin let me sleep (I slept for 3.5 hours!) and I woke up to hot soup, coffee, chicken and a salad! Robin took such good care of me when I got back to the trailer and I get a little emotional when I think about how grateful I am for her.

The lessons learned are abundant. It may take me time to process each one into words. The trip was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I would've quit so many times if I didn't have someone yelling at me, pushing me forward and telling me I could when I thought I could not.

In closing, I really need to emphasize that first Philippians 4:13 played on through my head over and over again. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I wouldn't not have made it to the top with prayer, without the Lord willing it. There just is no way. I also would not have made it without my dad. When he signed up for Take Shape For Life with Chemae (my health coach) one of the reasons he listed that he wanted to lose weight was so he could climb Mt. Hood with me! I cannot believe he did it! I owed him that trip. But he yelled at me a lot. LOL I really was hating him on the summit of the mountain, but isn't that what a good coach would do? Empower you to accomplish what you thought was impossible? Dad, I think that you are a great coach and I love you. Thanks for yelling at me.

Thanks to Take Shape for Life. Thank you Dr. Wayne Anderson for your vision to get America healthy. How amazing is it when people get their health (and life) back? I have not summited Mt Hood in 25 years, and my dad has not done it in 30 years. It took more than one try, but today I've got the sunburn and aching muscles to prove I made it--along with my dad and my 15-year-old son Cody. What a life! What a transformation! Between the two of us, my dad and I have lost over 200 lbs and my kids get to grow up in a healthy family! If you are interested in learning how we did this, what Take Shape For Life is all about or about how you can be a great coach like my dad, then there are a few opportunities. Tonight in Hillsboro we are having a meeting at 7 pm. There is one on the eastside in Gresham tomorrow night at 7 pm and there is one happening in Bend, Oregon on Friday/Saturday this weekend (June 18-19, 2010). If none of those time slots are open for you just call me or my dad. We'd be happy to meet with you and share our stories with you one on one in person or over the phone. Distance is no object. You don't have to live in the same state! I look forward to helping you achieve your goals. 503-936-9728 husk7736@comcast.net

MHS3

I'm headed out the door as soon as my iPod finishes syncing the new music I just purchased. I'm going back to REI to get my gear then up to The Mount Hood Resort to try to catch a day nap before the climb. The plan is to be at Timberline at 10:30 PM and board the snowcat by 11 PM. I think it takes 30 minutes for the snowcat to accomplish what it took us 5 hours to do a month ago. Once we get to the top of the Palmer Ski Lift, we will assess the situation. We will always be assessing the situation. The plan is to stay there until the snowcat brings the next group. The group after us is led by professional guides and we hope to follow them up to the summit.

I've been challenged physically and emotionally these past 8 weeks training, trying, prepping, canceling, willing myself to try again and that's not all mountain talk. Other things have been going on and those of you closest to me know about some of that. But wow, I've learned so much.

I just finished reading a book by Karen James. She is the wife of the man from Dallas, Texas who died on Mt. Hood in December 2006. Its called "Holding Fast." If you are interested in mountain climbing or that tragic accident at all, I highly recommend this book. A lot of people have been judgemental-including myself-about the guys making that climb that time of year, that route, ect. but there is always more to a story then what we think we know. In the book she included a poem that Kelly James wrote at one time. He never shared it with anyone but now its in the book for the world to read. I am going to publish it here, I pray Karen James will forgive me but its because I want to continue to honor her brave husband and its because I understand this poem like I could've written it myself. (No, I do not have a death wish, neither did he. )

I love life, I enjoy what God has given me&

I grab it with both hands & pull life into my heart.

I have seen true beauty, most people never experience.

Thank you Father, I recognize this is not possible apart from you.

I cannot resist the lure of adventure, I crave it.

I'm absorbed by challenge, & to a certain extent, Danger.

Thanks for your protection!

I am motivated & driven to climb now more than ever,

even at the expense of death.

Death has no hold on me & does not instill fear in my bones.

I do want to live, but not at the expense of being idle.

I know God wraps his loving arms around me

& cradles me in his palms.

I know I scare my family and friends

but I don't want to live unless I can live.

I think everyone understands reluctantly.

I just want to enjoy God's beauty with His help.

HE IS MIGHTY!

-Kelly James, Mountaineer

Specializing in the Ridiculous

It is confirmed. There will be another attempt to summit Mt. Hood this Saturday night/Sunday morning. The new element this time? A SNOW CAT! All the times I've attempted to summit, I have never taken a snow cat. This is going to be an adventure for sure! This CAT will take us (in a WARM, closed in cab) up the most long and boring stretch of the climb to the top of the Palmer lift at 8500 feet! From there it should only be 4-6 hours to the summit for our rag-tag party! Our chances of making the summit this time around look really good. Third time is a charm my friends. I have a good feeling.

I was watching a preview for the new movie "The A-Team" coming out this summer. One person referred to the A-Team as "....the best....they specialize in the ridiculous!" How great is that? Do you want to specialize in the ridiculous? Let me tell you something! You should! You can! And if you are 'coachable' then I will be there for you the whole way! If you were to specialize in the ridiculous, (in the positive sense!) what would that be?

Maybe you want to climb a mountain? "Ridiculous!" you say? I say its possible.

What about lose 100 lbs? Is that ridiculous? No way! My story is only one of a zillion. I thought when I got to convention last year that everyone would revere me for my 100 lb loss but I was only one small fish in the sea of people who mastered that ridiculous challenge.

Look good in a swimsuit? Be unafraid to pose in pictures with your kids? Run a 5K? Better yet, run a marathon? Ride a bike to the beach? What about helping your family get healthy? Beating your frosting addiction? Are these things ridiculous ideas? Or are they goals that you can accomplish or create with the help of a health coach? Hmmm.

Contact me if you haven't already and lets start your journey - beginning with your current reality and lets not quit until we achieve your goal. husk7736@comcast.net 503-936-9728

My name is Charity Husk. I am a Certified Health Coach. I am trained by The Health Institute. I facilitate transformations in other people. I am the best. I specialize in the ridiculous.

Hiking with Cody

This weekend I thought I'd absolutely go crazy if I couldn't go for a hike. It had been 2 weeks since I smelled fresh air, heard waterfalls and stretched my legs. The rain. It would never stop. Haven't been able to attempt another summit on Mt. hood, haven't been able to go for walks. Hey, I have a phobia of worms and they are out on the sidewalks in full force when it rains. Anyway, it stopped raining this weekend for a bit. Sunday night, after 6 PM, Cody said "Want to go to Multnomah Falls?" because he was bored as well. Well, I heard "Want to go do Multnomah Falls?" Ha ha. I jumped all over that. Yeah, I've seen Multnomah Falls 100 times, if not more, but I haven't taken Cody up the Larch Mountain trail before and so, I figured we could head up that way. I realize it was night time when we made the decision to go, but I'm always up for an adventure.

The drive up there was funny, when Cody and I realized we weren't on the same page. There was a look of fear all over Cody's face. Like, he had no idea what he was in for. At the base of the falls is when Cody shared that he said "go to" not "go do." I convinced him we'd just go a little ways. Right around switchback 3 of 11 Cody was done already but I pushed him onward. Now, at the top of Multnomah Falls, about 1.25 miles, you can go right to the look out, or you can go left. We went left. Maybe up another half mile Cody started whining. It was about 7 or 7:15 pm. We seen another waterfall and it was just amazing. I told Cody to imagine how so many of his friends had never seen that waterfall. Here is what he said. Get a highlighter pen. You ready?

"Yeah because all my friends are lazy." He paused a moment then continued...."and all their parents are too lazy to ever take them anywhere."

At that moment, I gulped. Do you want to know why? For 15 years I was one of those parents! I was content to let my kids watch movies and play video games all day. Since Take Shape For Life has helped me beat the odds and get lasting results, I've been taking my kids places. Not expensive places, not Disney Land. I've been taking them hiking, mountain climbing, tide pool exploring, rock hunting!

I really hope, that if you are the parents of one of my sons friends, that you'd consider changing for your kids. I'm not saying you aren't a good parent, that you don't provide, love and nurture your kids. God knows nobody cares/cared more about my kids than I did/do, but I just didn't have the energy to do anything. You can change your life today. Call me and I will tell you how this all works, why the Take Shape For Life approach is so revolutionary and how you can beat the odds.

About the picture: You cannot tell because Cody is a bad photographer but this log really jets out far above the fast moving water just above multnomah falls. People thought I was crazy going out on that thing. Maybe I am. I actually had to get down on all fours and scootch back off the thing because I was too scared to pivot. I think if he'd stepped to the left you could see a little better exactly how far out I was. Also of note: I was wearing a fanny pack and hunched over a little bit because I felt the log moving. Don't judge the photo. :)

The end of the story is that Cody and I hiked a total of about 4.5 miles that night. We got back to the car around 8:45, just before sunset. We seen about 4 more waterfalls and Cody made a profound statement about creation that floored me. It was worth it. I was freezing cold, tired and hungry when we got back, but it was worth it. Thanks for 'doing' Multnomah Falls with me Code. Love you.