A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the Europa Battle of the Champions Expo in Hartford, CT. It was super exciting to finally have a fitness expo so close to home.

If you’ve never been to a fitness expo before, you honestly need to go. My first experience at an expo was the Arnold last year – talk about going big – it was amazing. The best part about any expo is to be surrounded by people addicted to fitness. Yes, there were many people walking around who look like they have never stepped foot in a gym, but maybe after this experience they will.

The highlight of the Europa Expo for me was seeing the ‘Train with the Pros’ area. While I was there I had the opportunity to see Trish  Warren – who at the time was 9 weeks out from stepping on stage at the Olympia – go through her workout. Seeing Trish’s workout and having the opportunity to speak with her briefly after her training was awesomely inspiring.

Seeing the way Pros – like Trish – train – is really cool. To know that this is what their workouts look like – to see them sweat and grimace in pain as they pump out another rep – is awesome – its inspiring. However, it truly makes you realize how important it is to have goals. If you don’t have a goal to work towards in the gym – you aren’t going to want to be there – you aren’t going to want to try to squeeze out one more rep – you aren’t going to want to focus.

Trish is focused – watching her train has helped me refocus my goals and made sure that my training matches up to getting me to those goals – not mention the fact that I just want to be in kick ass shape like Trish is in this video.

Need some inspiration for your workouts? Watch this!

Have you ever had one of those times where you just get stuck in a revolving door and can’t seem to get out?

Those days – moments – weeks – hours – where you aren’t quite sure where you are – who you are – or where you are trying to go?

Those days when nothing goes right – when you seem ’stuck’. The feelings of uncertainty – the questioning of yourself – wondering why you decided to embark upon this journey and why things aren’t going like you expected.

It is in these moments of uncertainty and questions – that many decide to give up – that they decide that it was too hard to begin with and everyone else was right when thinking that you were crazy for doing this in the beginning.

However – there are a select few that decide in these moments that – NO – they will not give up. They will instead jump back on the horse – find a new route and continue their journey to their goals and dreams. Find a way – no matter what happens to reach their goals.

Personally – this has happened to me on many occasion – its still a daily work in progress – making sure that every day I am focused and doing something to help me reach my goals. It also requires me to HAVE goals – to know where I’m going and what I want to do – its not easy and when you’re running around everyday it can be easy to fall off course.

But you can’t give up.

Know what you want and go for it – attack it – the feelings of success when you get there are always SO much better than the feelings of regret that you never tried.

Watched this movie last night…love Rocky’s speech…sometimes we all need a kick in the pants to keep us moving…most of the time we are our own biggest road block…get over it…and do it.

We all start from a different place and all seem to partake in a similar journey – exploring the world of fitness. Kerrie Ann Frey started out as a fitness writer and has recently become a certified Pilates instructor. Kerrie Ann knows life in the fast lane – balancing being a wife, mother of three and a fitness fanatic and advocate, yet she still manages to make time for herself and her fitness routine and flat stomach goals. Starting of the New Year with a wonderful inspiration…Kerrie Ann Frey and find out how you too can make your fitness goals a reality this year.

Womens Ab Workout: Tell us more about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry?

Kerrie Ann Frey: While the top of my “Who Am I” list includes mom and wife, just underneath is fitness advocate, Pilates professional and health and fitness writer.  I hesitate to even separate the list into sections because they all overlap. When I am being a mom, I’m always reinforcing the benefits of eating healthfully to balance out the junk that sneaks in to every child’s diet or encouraging my children to get outside and exercise.  Okay, the reality of that encouragement sounds more like, “Get your tushes outside and move them around! You need to burn some energy!”   I struggle to get my husband to exercise and hear a lot of “I’m tired, I work late, I…I…I…” from him. And I am just like every other mom who has to work to find time to exercise.  However, after a lifetime of learning and teaching clients, researching and using myself as guinea pig throughout three pregnancies, it is imperative for me to spread the word about healthful living.  And to make sure I get it in myself – no matter what form it comes in.

WAW:  It sounds like you began your journey in the fitness industry, as a writer. What interested you to be a fitness writer? Who did you write for to get yourself out there and become well known?

KAF: Writing has always come easily to me.  I coupled that with my love of fitness years ago when I began writing local articles for any publication that would take them.  By that time in my life, I had tried all sorts of exercise from dance to Jui Jitzu and had gotten a Master’s in English Literature so it was natural that the two blend together.  Eventually the local health and fitness magazine hired me on as the editor.  It was as in that position that I realized how important it is to be a credible source.  At that time I could write articles and tell people how to exercise, but until I became a certified professional trainer, I didn’t hold much credence.  Sure I did whatever the story called for – kite-surfing in Florida, sprint triathlons in Alabama or marathons in my home town of New Orleans – but I wanted to be able to provide educated references for my readers.  I became American Council on Exercise (ACE) Personal Trainer certified and eventually a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant before becoming pregnant with my first child.

The pregnancy brought forth all sorts of new knowledge and a realization that there weren’t any pre- or post-natal fitness opportunities available in my area.  That’s how I came to found Fit Mom USA, a former stroller exercise-based program that evolved in to an online presence with fitness, wellness, and nutrition information for all men and women. I specialized in training the pre- and post-natal mom at first and eventually included athletes, dads and kids.  But it was through researching a story that I found my true fitness love – Pilates.

Through all this experimental fitness expeditions, I continued to write articles for area publications and made myself available as the go-to source for the media.  Building these relationships was critical in my quest to write, to train and to educate.  I learned the market locally and nationally and found out what they were looking for – and provided it.  I highly recommend doing the research before contacting editors or publications with queries for your own work.

WAW:  What does your workout look like? Do you only do Pilates or do you focus on lifting weights and cardio as well?  Do you need to do more than just Pilates for a good workout?

KAF: My workouts tend to vary depending on what I find holds my interest.  I go through phases and currently am in a half-marathon phase, so I’m running a lot.  Summers will find me in sprint distance triathlon mode and no matter the season, I always cross train with Pilates.  I completed the Kathy Corey Pilates certification, a full Pilates apparatus year-long program requiring 600 hours of study, training and apprenticeship in Louisiana.  Clearly I am a believer in the power of the Method – it works your whole body with focus on the core and it rehabs what I tear down with the running, biking, and swimming.  A lot of people who haven’t tried Pilates think it’s a bunch of stretching and I really encourage them to give it a try.  It goes beyond that and is so much more.  Once a month or so I’ll throw in a traditional weight training session just to throw the whole business for a loop.

There is not one thing that can be considered a perfect workout that should be done solely.  You need cardio, strength and flexibility.  It’s like apples.  Apples are great for you, but if you only ate apples, you’d get sick and they’d lose their potency.  Just running, just weight training or just Pilates by themselves would be better than nothing, but certainly not a complete program.  I do it all to give my body the best I can while keeping my mind active as well.

WAW:  As a busy woman, it can be hard some days to find enough time to get your workout in.  How have you been able to balance your time to make sure everything fits? What advice can you offer other busy women, to ensure they have the time to get their workouts in?

KAF: Let me just put it out there – I am crazy.  I will do whatever it takes to get in a workout because it’s the only thing that gives me peace when life gets me anxious and stressed.  If that means getting up at 4:15am to run and then get in my own strength and flexibility via Pilates in between clients, then that’s what it takes.  I forego lunch hours or visits with friends after training clients or writing to make sure I get my session in because it’s that important to me.  You just have to decide your level of commitment – do you want to look good, feel good and find patience or do you want to sleep later or gossip with the girls at lunch?  I’ve also managed to find fabulous friends who believe in the power of fitness as I do so they understand that I need to workout before I get in carline to pick up all the kids.  Finding people who support your fitness habit is so important – surround yourself with likeminded people and it’ll be easier to say no to the snooze button in favor of a good cycle class.

With every good decision like that, I am setting a positive example for my family.  All three of my children are firmly entrenched in the thought that exercise is a vital, uncompromising part of their day.  But, the trick is helping them, and me, find something that we like. No one will happily trek off to the gym if he or she dreads what’s to come.  If I made myself do a step class every time I stepped in the door, I’d be overweight and unhappy because I’d stop going.  The same goes for my clients and my kids.  Of course that means I drive all over world to get one to dance and another to tennis, but that’s what motivates my children and it’s my job to encourage that for now.

WAW: What are two Pilates moves that I need to be doing right now to help me get a flat stomach?

KAF: Oh there are so many! I encourage people to look at Pilates as a way to approach abdominal work – you can do your crunches or your bicycles, but do them Pilates-style.  Neutral spine, hollow out the abdominals and keep your head and neck in line with your spine and you can apply that principle to any workout.  I’d say the Pilates 100s and the Roll Up done properly will get your ab fix in nicely!

WAW:  What’s your favorite ‘healthy’ recipe?

KAF: I just love the Clean Eating magazine Oxygen puts out.  There’s such great recipes and shopping lists it makes cooking and preparing mindless.  Also, I am a big believer in sneaking in a goodie to make “healthy” food more palatable to the family as well.  That means I’ll sprinkle a teaspoon of chocolate chips in to zucchini bread of whole oatmeal to appeal to the kids.  One teaspoon of chips in a whole recipe adds hardly any sugar or calories but makes the bread more interesting.  Tricks like that can turn any untouchable “healthy” recipe suddenly a big hit in my house.

WAW:   Where can we find more information out about you?

KAF: I love Twitter for quick updates on the Pilates studio, my life or just about anything else I’m dealing with that day.  I can be found at www.twitter.com/kerrieannfrey.  The studio website is being reworked and will be up at www.corereformpilates.com by February 2010.  But my creative outlet, ranting house and catch-all is my blog at www.fitmomusablog.com.  I’d love a visitor or two – it makes me feel loved.

I met Barbara Mencer through Twitter and after talking to her I realized she is truly an inspiration for women of all ages, competing in her first NPC Figure Competition at 46 and helping small business owners create successful marketing campaigns.  I had to ask Barbara for some of her secrets so I could share them with all of you and we could all be inspired.

1) Tell us more about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry?

I am a marketing consultant and a business development coach. My company is Business BreakThrough Institute. We work with small business owners and professional service providers to help them overcome their fear of sales and marketing so they can attract more clients and make lots more money!

Beyond that, I have a passion for fitness and I’m an NPC figure competitor.  I only started training 7 years ago and started competing 4 years ago.  I just turned 50 years old and have found that training and competing is a way to turn the clock back.  I feel more like 35 than 50.

I haven’t told many people this, but my goal is to get my pro card in Masters Figure. Who knows how long it’ll take me to turn pro, but I figure I have time. Right now I’m shooting for Masters Nationals in 2010 and may do a couple shows between now and then. Other than that, it’d be great to do a little fitness modeling for magazines that target older women. I’d like to encourage middle-aged women to get out there and get fit. I’m concerned that too many women settle for being in less than stellar shape (and less than stellar health too) just because they’re getting older and gravity is starting to do its thing. It truly doesn’t have to be that way!

(WOW – LOOK at THOSE ABS!!!)

2) You just won your Masters Division 45+ (I hope that’s okay to advertise) and you placed 6th in the Open Division at The Cal – what was your motivation to start competing and get into fitness?

I love goals and I love challenges. After I got into shape I was going to the gym about 4 days a week and just maintaining. Nothing wrong with that but I was a little bored.  Someone asked me if I ever did any physique sculpting competitions. I hadn’t heard of that and was intrigued.  Soon thereafter I saw an MTV “Made” show where a young woman was “made” into a fitness competitor.  The gymnastics/dance piece was a bit much for me (I am NOT flexible), but I soon found out about figure and that seemed just perfect for me.  It became a way to take myself to the next level in my fitness. I did my first competition in 2006 and came out of it with 3 trophies.  That’s all it took to get hooked. I’ve been doing it ever since.

3) To get into great shape like you are you must be very particular about your training. How would you describe your training? Are you into body part splits or full boy training? Why?

I’m very fortunate because I have Kim Oddo, trainer and nutritionist to many NPC and IFBB figure competitors as my coach.  Between Kim and my husband, Dan Mencer, who is also a certified personal trainer, I’ve got all the help I need to set up the best training program for me and my goals.  I typically train 5 days per week, training two body parts per day. This will switch around depending on my physique goals at the time.  For instance, right now I’m focusing on widening my v-taper and building my hamstrings.  So, I work my back by itself two days per week and add a second day of hamstrings onto, say, my chest/triceps day in addition to working hammys on legs day.  In a few months, I may switch things around if I want to focus on something else. I find this type of training helps me sculpt my body to be along the lines of what the judges are looking for in figure.  Plus I just like it!

4) Your nickname on Twitter is 6pakgirl – Diet is a HUGE part of getting a six pack or flat stomach – what does your diet look like? If I’m trying to get a flat stomach what are three things I should be doing with my diet?

Yes, a six pack is about 70-80% nutrition based, the rest of it being training and cardio.  My diet is pretty strict, whether I’m on or off season.  I eat completely clean.  No butter, salt, sugar, mayo, sauces, etc.  I eat very little pasta and bread and even less dairy (it’s bloating).  My diet tends to be high in lean protein – grilled skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, and egg whites and my carbs are yams, oatmeal, brown rice, and lots of fresh veggies.  Of course all good nutrition plans include healthy fats.  I get mine from avocado, peanut butter and almonds.

In order for a six pack to show, you must be lean.  You can do all the crunches in the world and you won’t have a six pack if there’s a layer of fat over the muscles.  Three musts for a flat stomach:  1.  Eat more lean protein and less starchy carbs;  2. Drink lots of water (I drink 1.5 gallons each day)  3.  Eat clean! Cut out salt, sugar, and alcohol from your diet.

5) Many women want a flat stomach, yet life sometimes gets in the way and makes reaching this goal that much harder. What are your top four secrets to for a tight, toned stomach?

Well, as I mentioned before, the main secret is to eat correctly and to do so in several small meals each day. That’s huge.  Beyond that, when you’re training your abs, don’t just do crunches. Focus on building and strengthening your core and also add variety to your ab training, using all the ab machines available as well as floor work and hanging ab straps. Consistent cardio at a fat burning speed is also important because, as I mentioned before, your abs won’t show if your body fat is too high. Finally, love yourself during the journey. Getting a toned stomach or six pack abs is absolutely a process.  You’ll have your ups and downs along the way.  That’s okay. Just pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.

6) Where can we find more information out about you?

You can find out more or contact me by going to my website: www.BusinessBreakThroughInstitute.com, emailing me at bmencer@san.rr.com, or following on Twitter @6PakGirl.  I’d love to hear from you!