Ty:

Donna, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to interview you for the online Winter 2013 Issue ofMOTIVATION magazine. The theme for the Winter Issue is "Purposeful ACTION―Motivation to Empower Your Life." My interview with you, Donna, will carry the tone and focus on the importance of motivating yourself to get fit and live healthy.
 

Donna:

Okay Ty, sounds good.
 

Ty:

I have two preliminary questions for you Donna. The first question is, we all have guilty pleasures, what's your favorite snack food or health food?
 

Donna:

Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, that's my guilty pleasure. I love it! I get a pint size and never ever eat the whole thing. I know how to eat in moderation but I love it. I take out a couple of teaspoons and I'll eat – and I'm actually good, I'm not like, oh I got to get more, just having it in my freezer. A pint lasts me about a month.
 

Ty:

My next question, what’s your most memorable motivating or inspiring childhood experience?
 

Donna:

Memorable motivating childhood experience... I’ll go back – my mom... and this is funny how things carry on through your life. I remember when I was about 10 or 11 and my mom picked me up from school. She'd ask me to do something and I would do it very quickly. She would then say, “I always can depend on you, you always come through.” And even as life progressed, I don’t know if that motivated me... but no matter what my sisters and brothers did, she could always rely on me. My mom lived with me when she was ill. I was the one who cared for her and took her around to her appointment. I took her to her to doctor appointments, to the hair salon, etc. Everything fell on me, and I loved it because I think every child should do that for their parents when their parents grow old or take ill. So, I’m thinking the moment that she said that she could always rely on me to be there for her, I never forgot that at all. I knew that was to be a special and significant part of my life, taking care of mother.
 

Ty:

Definitely motivating and inspiring, Donna.
 

Donna:

Yes, because – now when I encounter other people who are in the same or similar situation, and they are running around like they don’t have time. I tell them, that’s your mom, that’s your only mom—so you need to make time to do whatever it takes because you don’t want any regrets.
 

Ty:

There it is Purposeful ACTION, both meaningful and inspiring. Now on to the themed and focused interview questions. Donna, what motivated you to get into health and fitness?
 

Donna:

I actually started dancing first at a local recreation center. We had just started dance sessions there. Usually when you’re in dance, everyone is young, petite and small, 18 to maybe 29. I didn't actually go to the class at first, we walked by this class and it was all of these women and they were a variety of shapes, ages, sizes, no one was really skinny. They were full-figured and just jumping around having a ball. I remember thinking, this is something my family members can do, my aunts can do, my cousins can do, my friends can do, my mom and her friends can do. And that just motivated me to start taking and teaching this class. I just felt like I could reach a much larger group of people than a modern or jazz dance class would.
 

Ty:

What is DONNACIZE? What brought you to starting DONNACIZE?
 

Donna:

Well, I was hired to teach in Europe. I went there and stayed for a year. I thought about opening my own business before I left but I didn’t really put any effort into it. A friend of mine in California told me about a position he just read about in Luxembourg. So fortunately, I was one of the people chosen and that gave me the experience of actually running an aerobic program for large facility. And I did that for a year and I knew that when I came back to Baltimore, I would do something – and for the inner city residents because you’ll be sitting in centers in the outskirts of the city. You have to do memberships and a lot people are really comfortable only to fitness centers because they are impressionable. So I wanted something that inner city residents could go to or still get quality classes as though they were in a fitness center and reasonable memberships where they could pay per class, per month, per year but I wanted them to have that option.
 

Ty:

Why should getting fit and living healthy be important to everyone today?
 

Donna:

Life is not a play or dress rehearsal where you get to practice, you’re living it every day. When you live a healthy lifestyle, you live it with passion, you live it with energy, you live on a lifestyle that is well-balanced and you feel good in it. And when you don’t exercise, when you don’t really take care of yourself, you’ll basically slump through life because you don’t have the energy, you don’t have the stamina. And most of the time, you’re not feeling good about yourself, so I tell people, live a life that’s full of energy and you will benefit from it for a long time, not only you, your family, your children, your grandchildren, your employer, your colleagues, everybody really benefits from your energy.
 

Ty:

What struggles and mistakes did you make Donna when you decided to get fit and live healthy?
 

Donna:

I won’t say any struggles or mistakes when I decided to get fit because all of that was a blessing. But I know when I opened DONNACIZE, I never ran a business, so of course I was just fumbling through it. Thank God I had students come and people loved the type of classes, and that’s what kept me in business. But I've learned so much from that experience; what to do, what not to do, what to put in place. One thing, a big thing, I learned was I can’t wear every hat and I wore every hat you can think of before it was overflowing. I was trying to do everything... running a front desk, teaching classes, being the facility janitor, etc. So that’s one thing I learned, you absolutely – if you want to grow, you cannot be and do everything. So, when I reopen in 2013, I will definitely have people in place to wear some of the other hats. That was the biggest mistake I made but you learn as you grow and that’s how I look at that experience. I learned so much from it but I definitely realized that you can’t wear every hat.
 

Ty:

Good important business note. Donna, many people have some idea of how to get fit and live healthy but they don’t do it or cannot commit to it, why do you think so many people fail or quit when it comes to getting fit and living healthy?
 

Donna:

Because it’s not easy! I mean, you really have to focus and you really have to put yourself in a position to succeed. And it’s just consistency, it's hard to make a pledge to get up every morning or every evening and work out especially when you don’t see the results as quickly as you would like. And I think most people’s downfall is when they don’t see the results and they get discouraged. So they start working out and they've been doing it for a month and they don’t see progress at least the way they think they should see it. And I can see how that can be discouraging if you don’t understand the process and most people don’t understand the process, they don’t know it starts internally before you could see the external and of course they want the external first, who doesn't? But it’s just a long process but once it kicks in, you’re on your way but most people quit before they see the results. For some people it just gets discouraging because they do not see the results fast enough.
 

Ty:

Donna, who helped and influenced you most when it comes to getting fit and living healthy?
 

Donna:

That’s funny because I can’t think of major role models when I started. But I know I have one but I cannot think of her name, she was a 74-year-old body builder and she’s actually from Baltimore. I don’t know, are you familiar with her?
 

Ty:

Yes, you’re talking about Ernestine Shepherd.
 

Donna:

Okay, yes. I saw her – it wasn't last year, it was a year prior and I was just so impressed and I said okay, at 74, I still want to have a 6-pack. I never thought that before so I was just motivated by her because I just thought she looked amazing. Her energy level – so that was it, she is definitely one of the people who motivated me.
 

Ty:

Donna, what’s the best way for our readers to contact you, and learn more about you or about your products and services and all?
 

Donna:

The MOTIVATION readers can always go to www.donnacize.com and they can also email me at donna@donnacize.com. So they could do when they go to the website, in that way they can find more information about me and they can always send me an email.
 

Ty:

Thanks for sharing your contact information. Donna, I know you have more than a few, however, as a professional health and fitness trainer and coach, what is your most memorable success story with a fitness client?
 

Donna:

I would say, gosh there were several but I’m going to say, Judy. Judy started at my studio probably the first month I opened. I think her daughter had moved out. She was living alone and was overweight, and I just watched her transform her body, and she transformed it so much that I think it was a year and a half, two years when she went to The Department of Motor Vehicle to have her license renewed. They let her keep her before picture that was in her license because they said this is unbelievable. They couldn't believe how she looked years ago, she looked beaten down, and now her face was tighter, she was smiling, happy. She carried her before picture on a back of her license. Everywhere she went, she said, I show it to everyone. So, just watching and listening to her story because it went past physical, how she looked but also how she felt, and she constantly talked about it.
 

Ty:

That's definitely inspiring.
 

Donna:

Yeah.
 

Ty:

Donna, what did you feel are three proven strategies that a person can use to keep themselves motivated to get fit and live healthy?
 

Donna:

Ty, I know that physical is important, but one, they should focus on just feeling vibrant and feeling full of energy. That’s what fitness does for you, gives you that energy that you might be lacking. Going to work every day, going home, and working with the children can become mundane and draining. So, I would say, number one focus on the energy you will get from it.

Second, just drinking water. Mostly, we just don’t drink enough water. I talk to my students all the time and ask them, "Raise your hand if you've drank three to four bottles today?" Most of them don’t raise their hand. So the second thing would be hydrating yourself and drinking water, flushing your system.

And third would be moving. Even if you cannot go to an aerobic class or you cannot go to the gym, walk to the store instead of driving, if you can. Even if it’s just a 10-15 minute walk, go for it, enjoy it. When it comes to getting fit and living healthy, it's the small easy-to-do things can and will help you stay motivated.
 

Ty:

The next question, does a person have to get a gym membership and work out inside a gym everyday in order to get fit and live healthy?
 

Donna:

Absolutely not! For many people, if they have to focus on the many challenges they have to overcome just to make it to the gym each day, there’s a good chance that they will fail because driving to the gym, getting ready, waiting to use equipment and machines, it can be a long process. You could start at home. I mean, they could pop a dvd in before they go to work or if they are really motivated, then they could buy a treadmill or stationary bike. That’s something we all could do at home. Or get the kids or the dog and walk them around the block, and do this a couple of times a week. Getting fit and staying healthy definitely does not require anyone to join a gym. Just thinking about what you have to do to prepare and get there could become very discouraging and depressing. It’s hard. I still get up and go to the gym a couple of times a week. Because it can be time consuming at times, I often have to block out the time and place it on my daily planner schedule. So every day at a gym can be really tough. My passion is for everyone to become active and to get some form of daily cardio and/or workout, and there's nothing wrong with making that happen at home, if you have the discipline and focus.
 

Ty:

Donna, what two books would you recommend for our readers to read so they can get and live healthy, and why?
 

Donna:

I love all types of books... self help, fitness, healthy living, empowerment, non-fiction, improving your life, etc. I talk about two in my class, one is The Secret. I absolutely love The Secret, I read it years ago, until this day I still say my daily affirmations. I tell my students about the book when I'm teaching them the power of vision boards. The idea and process comes from The Secret. I incorporated a vision board in one of my classes on controlling stress and tension. I tell my students, they need to hit different areas of their life but I want them to create this board and that all came from The Secret. It’s not just about you have to exercise, it’s about just believing and knowing that you can change your life and you have the power to change make it happen.

The second book which is You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. It's on the same line but it's just presented a little bit differently. I show her video to my class and they actually have to write a one-page summary: Do you agree, do you believe that you can heal your life and why? Sometimes I have students who don’t believe it but I work them to express themselves. I want them to tell me why and I’d get wonderful feedback. Some will come and say to me, "I didn't believe this but now, I do believe." If you have a positive attitude, you can accomplish anything. So, when you’re talking about purposeful action, I would definitely say that those two books are huge and I live by them. Like I said early, I still say my daily affirmations. If I am having a bad day, I will quote my list of positive affirmations back to back, and then immediately I just start feeling better and move on.
 

Ty:

Donna, when you look at young people today in the world and see the challenge with obesity and health issues, what do you feel are two things parents need to do to empower and encourage their children to get fit and live healthy?
 

Donna:

I think a lot of parents do not cook as much anymore. I know when I grew up, there was no, 'here's a couple of dollars to go to McDonald’s or go to the corner store to get the chicken box.' That was not an option. You go home, dinner is prepared, and that happened every day. So, I think a lot of parents live a busy lifestyle now and it’s easy to drive to McDonald’s or Burger King for meals. My godson is six, and when he comes over, he gets into the car and asks, "Can we go to McDonald’s?" First thing that came out of his mouth, he’s hungry, he wants to go to McDonald’s and I’ll say no, we have food at home James. I don’t want it, I want McDonald’s, he has no idea what I have but he does not want the food that I've prepared at home. I have to really focus and bribe him like, okay if you want this, you got to eat this first. But he’s conditioned and used to eating out because his mom has a very busy life. She is a single parent and she is constantly running. She has two jobs, two kids and doesn't have time to cook home-cooked meals. He goes to a restaurant, this little boy knows how to order food but he’s not used to sitting at a table to eat a home-cooked meal. That is something I think most parents just need to focus more on and put time aside to cook.
 

Ty:

Yes... what’s another, a second tip for parents?
 

Donna:

Get your children moving. Find creative and fun ways to get them away from the table, television or video games, and make a family outing. Go walking, go to a museum, or a recreation center, something active and moving. Take them to the grocery store with you, get them moving and walking. Do not make it seem like your pressuring them to get up from the television and move, simply say let’s do something together.
 

Ty:

Donna, one more time, if our MOTIVATION readers want to get in contact with you, learn more about you or purchase and invest in any of your products and services, how can they contact you?
 

Donna:

They can go to www.donnacize.com. I do have a book, my book is actually on and can be order from my website. They can get it from barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. My email address is donna@donnacize.com.
 

Ty:

I have two final questions for you to conclude our interview.
 

Donna:

Yes, Mr. Howard.
 

Ty:

What motivates Donna Lynn to commit to staying fit and living healthy each day?
 

Donna:

Two reasons, Ty: one, I believe in practicing what you preach, and two, I love life and taking care of me! I’m always standing up in front of impressionable young students all the time. My largest class this semester was about 75 students. Having to stand in front of them and tell them what they should do motivates me get and be fit, healthy, prepared, and to live by example.
 

Ty:

Donna, do you have anything else that you would like to share with our MOTIVATION readers?
 

Donna:

Yes. When it comes to getting fit and living healthy, start with baby steps, don’t try to jump recklessly into... I’m going to get more fit; I’m going to have this elaborate workout schedule; I’m going to the gym everyday; and I’m going to cut out sodas and fried foods completely. That's often too much too soon, and most people will not foresee the crash and burn effect that's normally happens to most when they start with these elaborate, yet, reckless health and fitness goals. Just start small, if you’re going to cut something out of your diet, don’t try to rip everything out of your new eating routine all at once. Take out one or two things you want to change, focus on those things, do them for several months and then start changing and adding new healthy things from there gradually.