Fitness Files: Michelle Dozois

Michelle Dozois, is an internationally recognized fitness expert, award-winning athlete and creator of multiple top-selling fitness DVDs. Michelle has been helping people lose weight and reach their goals for almost 20 years. With her contagious energy, motivating approach she has sold over 4 Million DVDs, including “Peak 10”, “Your Body Breakthru”, “Pilates for Dummies“ and the “Original 10 Minute Solution” series.  With so many years under her belt I had to interview her for my Fitness Files series to learn how she keeps herself motivated while pushing others!  

Michelle Dozois

NMF: Has fitness always been a major part of your life or was there catalyst/point in your life when you made it more of a focus and priority?

MD: Actually my mom signed my sister and I up for gymnastics when I was five.  Although my sister didn't continue, I was hooked and dreamed of one day competing in the olympics.  I am very grateful for that introduction to movement and sport as I believe that helped formulate who I am today.  Eventually that love of movement transferred into dance.  My gymnastics and dance training paid off when I landed my first big job on a national touring show called the "Masters of the Universe Power Tour".  Here is where I met a fitness super star, Madonna Grimes, who introduced me to the sport of competitive aerobics.  She encouraged me to teach classes on the side as a way to help support my dance career.  Although I never made it to the Olympics for gymnastics, I was able to compete in the National Aerobic Championship where I eventually won the titles of both National and World Aerobic Champion in the mixed pair devision with my partner, Chris Galen.  All of these past experiences paved the way for my fitness career.

NMF: What are a few of your go-to healthy snacks/drinks that help keep you on the straight and narrow?  

MD: Well for me, I have a very sensitive stomach and find sports drinks of any sort just don't sit well with me.  Ideally I would have a smoothie from our juice bar but have to limit them as I am sensitive to whey protein which is a huge bummer.  I have found alternatives but nothing tastes as good as my favorite shake called "Michelle's Special" at our health club, Breakthru Fitness.  It is very simple, almond milk (or your choice of milks), vanilla protein powder,  a small amount of peanut butter, 1/2 a banana, add some ice and you have a super delicious post workout recovery drink.  I feel best when I eat 4 smaller meals a day and on days where I need a grab and go meal,  I often reach for a Builder Bar (peanut butter is my favorite).  For snacks, I typically eat apples, bananas, carrots with hummus or cliff Z-bars.    I also love chocolate so I make it a point to save some of my calories for small amounts of yummy dark chocolate.  

NMF: At Nadia Murdock Fit our motto is “Train Your Mind, Change Your Body” so we must ask: How do you train your mind and stay motivated?

MD: That is so important as we all know it is our minds that stop us from succeeding at just about everything in life including stay fit and healthy.  I am a big fan of goal setting and continue to rework my life's plan through the ups and downs of childrearing, work, relationships and family.  One thing we know for certain is change is inevitable with all things.  Being fit helps us in everything we do, so making it a priority is what helps us reach our goals, set our dreams high and have the energy to deal with the bumps along the way.  I think people expect the will or motivation to exercise to drop out of the sky and land with the next big "magic pill" but that is not the reality.  I tell our health club members to find an activity that speaks to them now at this point in their life and be ok when what you used to like needs to change to something new. Set realistic goals and revisit them everyday to stay on track.  Plan strategies around the things that usually result in failure to stick to a fitness program.  We all know, parties, birthdays, graduations, holidays, etc provide excellent ways to avoid sticking to our goals so why not have a plan for those things before they happen?  Find a workout buddy and help keep each other motivated.  Bottom line, we all lose motivation and that is normal, it is how we choose to act during those times.   When you fall off the fitness bandwagon, dust yourself off, give yourself a break and start again.  One thing about fitness, is it is never too late to start or start again.  

NMF: How do you change your body?  What are your fitness favorites?

MD: Honestly, I love high intensity workouts and working out to music.  It is why I created my Peak 10 &  Peak Fit System fat loss programs.  I run the program three times a year at our health club and find this keeps my staff, my members and myself fit, strong and lean.  I also believe it is also equally important to take good recovery breaks from high intensity workouts so I also am drawn to mind-body workouts, danced based workouts, circuit training and yoga.  Variety in my workouts keeps me motivated and my body less prone to injury.   

Nadia

Training minds, changing bodies!

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