25 Dec colleen riddle.

santa rosa beach, florida.  |  wife. sister. aunt. mentor. leader. health and fitness expert.

 Colleen Riddle knows about commitment and she knows how to motivate. And anyone who has met this woman knows that she leads by example. Over the years Colleen has taught countless people how to choose healthier foods and how to diversify workouts, including yours truly.

Creator of New Mommy Makeover, her work was voted the number one Post Natal DVD series and was also reviewed in Fit Pregnancy Magazine. A former FSU swimmer, Colleen Riddle is a natural coach. And in the words of Martin Short, in the famous SNL synchronized swimming skit, I am not a very strong swimmer. In order to improve my stroke, Colleen spent an entire day in the pool with me teaching me technique. I am still working on the swimmers flip, I must say.  Another opportunity for a Martin Short reference. My apologies. That will happen every now and again. Knowing the holiday season can tank our healthy lifestyles, I called upon Colleen to share a little wisdom about owning a small business and making healthy choices. 2015 is right around the corner!  Prepare your mind and enjoy today’s highlight.

How did you choose the life you lead and was it a conscious decision?

I went to school for Elementary Education and taught third grade right out of college. It just wasn’t my true passion. This led me to partner with my husband and sell real estate. That was great, and I enjoyed helping families find homes, but still something was missing. I feel like I had a “mid-life” crisis at age 30 and questioned: what do I want to do with my life? Who am I? I realized my true passion is inspiring and educating others to lead healthy and fit lives. This realization led to opening Elite Physique Personal Training.

As a personal trainer, how do you motivate clients that you KNOW are just going through the motions? In other words, how do you gracefully help people realize that the change comes from within?

I try to find out their true “Why.” Why is it important for them to get healthy? I drill down farther than, “I want to look good in my jeans.” The more clients are in tune with what REALLY matters to them — “I want to be able to run around with my kids,” or “My mom died of a heart attack and I don’t want that to happen to me” — the more they will WANT to shift their habits.

What is the most difficult thing you have ever done?

In 2011 I was in a horrible car accident. I fractured my pelvis in three places and was on a walker for over four weeks, then a cane for another two. This was so challenging because I’m such an active person. I’m also a very independent person; and to have to depend on someone for my every move was frustrating. Thank goodness I have a wonderful husband! It was also difficult because I couldn’t train my clients. It was a huge eye opener that I must have a “Plan B.” I needed to better prepare myself if something like this were to happen again. So I added a nutritional component to my business. After a great deal of research, I added the product Life Shotz to my own daily routine… when I saw results, I added it to my business. An addition to my successful training business, I now sell a product that I completely trust. I feel better that Plan B is in place, and thriving!

What are your best tips for keeping our resolutions to live a healthy lifestyle?

2. Prepare. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Eat a protein packed snack between your healthy meals. My favorite is an apple with natural peanut or almond butter or my LSVIBE shake!
3. Stay hydrated. We all probably had our fair share of adult beverages over the holidays (yes, even me. Admittedly, wine is my weakness). It’s time to regroup and get back on track. Drink lots of water.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

After years of training various clients, one niche area stood out to me that needed my attention: New Moms! I kept getting the same question, “How do I lose my baby weight?” I wanted to find a solution that could help women across the globe, not just in my own little community. My DVD series was born, The New Mommy Makeover system. It’s a three-phase series that encourages women to work at their own pace, leaving them feeling confident and successful. I also wanted to provide a complete, realistic and healthy approach that women could easily follow to achieve success.

What is your best advice on how to live a graceful life?

I’m a huge believer in personal development. Our businesses and our personal relationships can only grow as much as we grow. Since I partnered with Life Shotz over four years ago, I have grown so much. (It helps to align your life goals with your work goals.) Learning more about myself has helped me to be a better trainer, wife, friend, and overall contributor to the planet. This self-work has also helped me be in tune with my own thoughts. Once you start to pay attention to the “mind chatter” you’d be amazed how negative and hard we are on ourselves. I’ve learned to notice that chatter and I try (as much as possible) to shift when it starts to go down hill. This can lead to an increase in your self-confidence. I think if we all had a little more self-confidence we would take more chances, live in the moment, and worry less.

j. jane side notes:

Like every other woman in America, I have tried every protein shake and nutrition bar on the market. At this point, I have not found a better protein shake. The chocolate LSVIBE shake is delicious and super satisfying. I do not make money from this suggestion. This is Colleen’s business. I just wanted to share my experience as New Years Resolution’s typically include creating a healthier lifestyle. So, you may want to try something new in 2015.

You can order Colleen’s workout videos at New Mommy Makeover.

Happy New Year. Make 2015 count like never before!