JOURNEY

Christine Lusita, CPT, CHC, Behavior Change Specialist, Nutritionist, Mindfulness Educator, PMA Pilates instructor.

All my life I’d been hearing about workouts and diets that were “supposed” to be good for me.

For years, I treated my body like an experiment I failed at daily. I hit the cardio equipment like a maniac, obsessed over Jane Fonda tapes, weighed food, drank shakes, ate pre-packaged meals, fasted, you name it. And then when I still didn’t look like Christy Turlington, I’d park my butt on the couch, get out the ham and cheese sandwiches and quit. Until I’d hear about the next get-thin-quick fad (and we all know there’s no shortage of those) and then start up again on “Monday.”

Each time I “failed,” I felt as if I was the problem. I knew something had to change, and it wasn’t about finding the next gimmick. It was about finding what worked for me. 

So I decided to get real about my body. I took a hard look at how I was treating it and decided to be brutally honest about what I would or wouldn’t do. I learned to set reasonable goals that inspired me without comparing myself to others. I learned to tackle that tough inner critic that derails all of us on our journey to live healthier and happier, I learned to carve out time for myself without guilt and celebrate my accomplishments. I learned to prioritize and above all, to value who I am as I am.

Which is how I came to my simple philosophy for success:

The truth is this: If something doesn’t feel good--whether it’s a food plan, workout or new habit--you’ll never stick with it. But if it makes sense to your mind and feels good to your body, you’re golden. Success is a given, and then—what a feeling.

Today as a diet and fitness coach, I’ve spent the past 15 years teaching what took me so long to learn: To manage food and fitness, you first have to manage yourself. My goal is not to introduce yet another magic formula. My goal is to help you become your best self—your fittest, most balanced and happiest self. And my goal is to make it easy, to make your success a sprint instead of the marathon I’ve gone through, along with millions of other long-term dieters.

So join me in what I call my What a Feeling community. This is a group of inspired people who reach their goals and live their best lives by doing what works and feels good for them. In this community, we create our own paths to success, honoring our own unique personalities, choices and lifestyles every step of the way.

So my journey began through self preservation. I stopped trying to perfect my body and my diet. I discovered that behavior was something that we learned but could also change and that all success begins in our minds. I set out to build a healthy relationship to food by not counting calories and stayed consistent in my workouts without judgment, even in the times I just couldn't give a 100%. I always make a personal commitment to have FUN and rate my success on how good I feel and how much I enjoy my physical activities. I celebrate my body for what it can do. I discovered my best self through my most fit self. After realizing the power that movement has to change lives, I knew I had to share all of my unique strategies, techniques and core principles with others-

I love what I do.

I live in each of you.