Books are nice gifts… Check out Karen Goeller’s sports, fitness, and children’s books. And be sure to check out the book on her life story after a cancer diagnosis.
Books by Karen Goeller
Titles include: Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning, Handstand Drills and Conditioning, Gymnastics Journal, Gymnastics Coloring Book, Fitness Journal, Strength Training Journal, Fitness on a Swing Set, Swing Set Workouts, Legs Plus Workouts, Lymphedema: Sentenced to Life in Bed, Missy’s Voice, and More.
Gymnastics Coach Maggie Haney was suspended for 8 years.
I had a handful of parents reach out to me after the news to say thanks for doing my part. I reported her to USA Gymnastics and SafeSport after I heard the sixth complaint in 2019. (USAG SafeSport Policy: Any adult under the jurisdiction of USA Gymnastics who becomes aware of an incident of child abuse or sexual misconduct involving a minor must immediately report the incident to law enforcement and the U.S Center for SafeSport.) When multiple families tell you the same story on different occasions, you know there is truth in it. I wish more coaches would help rid the sport of the abusive coaches that remain in gyms. We are now required to report abusive behavior. I expect more abusive coaches will be flushed out in the near future.
Please understand that not all gymnastics coaches are abusive. There are so many great coaches here in the tri-state area and throughout the USA. Be sure to visit a few gymnastics clubs before you sign your child up for training anywhere. Make sure you are very comfortable in the atmosphere, talk to the other parents, observe the team kids and learn whether they are happy, goal-oriented, injured, sad, or otherwise. Allow your child to be part of the decision on which gym you commit to.
Your child must be comfortable with the coaches, atmosphere, and equipment. If there is ever a day your child does not want to go to the gym find out why. There is always a reason and it is usually a very good reason. And believe your child if they say they are being abused, but also know that gymnastics coaches must be demanding, while respectful, because of the safety factor involved.
When your young child is on that balance beam or swinging on the uneven bars, their safety is literally in their hands. They must be clear-minded, able to focus, strong, agile, and able to follow directions to remain safe, progress, and be successful. So talk to your child, allow them to be coached, encourage them to try their best, but pull them out if there is any sign of misconduct or abuse, and report any abusive coach to the proper authorities.
Please remember, asking a child to perform to the best of their ability and focus is not abuse. Lack of focus causes accidents. Hard work is not abuse. Yelling at a child for unsafe behavior (such as horseplay) after they have been told nicely several times not to do something dangerous is not abuse because their safety is in jeopardy. Asking a child to take a break after several repetitions is not abuse, it is a safety measure to be sure your child can refocus. Yelling at a child for a mistake, putting a child down, screaming in their face, going overboard-punishing kids for mistakes, cursing, forcing them to remove medical devices, improper touching are all abuse. You’ll know it’s abuse if you see it.
Don’t be afraid of a good work ethic, but do remove your child from abusive situations. Just follow your gut instinct when it comes to your child’s training.
Goeller Laundry Bag Exercises… If you want to workout and do not have weights, use whatever you have! Working out with a laundry bag is definitely unique, effective, and fun. This is a full-body workout with exercises for every major muscle group. If you follow along, Karen only does a few reps of each exercise. Do the entire workout to learn the exercises and then repeat it with a higher number of reps so that you are getting more reps in than what is shown here. Exercises for legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, and core. For more of Karen Goeller’s unique exercise methods check out www.LegsPlus.com and www.SwingWorkouts.com.
You CAN eat bread and remain healthy. That’s as long as you are eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and other REAL foods. Every cell in your body relies on glucose to function so you DO NEED CARBS for energy.
My favorite bread is the Oat Nut, but there are many varieties that will not sabotage your good health. The Ezikiel bread in the freezer section is a great one.
No need to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time. Yes, you heard right. Karen Goeller, CSCS, the person who has been teaching people about health, fitness, and strength for over 30 years just said that!
If you try to eat 80%-90% healthy, you’ll likely be satisfied and remain close to your ideal weight. But first, define healthy.
In my opinion, healthy foods are food from the produce, fish, and meat sections of the supermarket. That’s fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. Yes, potatoes and yams included. Just stay away from the boxed meals, fast-foods, and junk foods.
Try really hard to snack on high-quality foods rather than cookies, candies, and other processed foods with low or no nutritional value.
And yes, I DO eat bread and a high protein-omega-3 pasta made from legumes. I personally enjoy Oat Nut bread and Barilla pasta in the yellow box. The Ezekiel bread is high quality too. And of course, your beverages count. Keep the sugar and syrups OUT of your coffee!
So try this. next time you go to the store, be sure that 8 or 9 of every ten items in your cart are actually healthy items. I personally only eat 80%-90% healthy. Remember to define healthy before you make changes.
Good luck… Stay healthy!
And if you want to start exercising, try the LEGS PLUS workouts. www.LegsPlus.com
P.S. Follow your doctor’s guidelines for you if you have a specific diet. Discuss all changes with a medical professional.
After seeing a photo of me holding my Lymphedema Book, someone asked me, “Is there a specific diet you follow for lymphedema?” My initial response was, “A healthy one!”
Not being wise, seriously, a healthy variety of real foods. I try to eat many fruits and vegetables daily and I eat carbs and proteins. Yes, I eat carbs! Every cell in your body NEEDS glucose to function.
And I eat enough proteins, but I do not overdo the proteins. Unused proteins go back to the liver, get converted to glycogen, and then get stored in your body as fat. So too much protein not only stresses your organs, it gets stored as fat if not used for energy. And when your body is using protein as energy, it is actually taking it from muscle. So if you are not doing resistance exercise and you are not eating carbs, you will end up with very little muscle tone and too much fat stored in your body. Stop doing the protein drinks and bars if you are not a body-builder. They were created for body-builders, not for middle-aged people who do not exercise very intensely.
And yes, I eat carbs! I eat plenty of rice, potatoes, yams, quinoa, and pasta that is made from legumes and oats. I eat oatmeal, oat bran, or cream of wheat with one or two of the following in my hot cereal flax, chia seeds, blueberries, or goji berries in the morning. And I use almond or coconut milk rather than cow milk.
I admit, when I visit mom, I do eat a slice of cake if she offers it after dinner, but I do not keep junk food at home. Junk food is not part of my daily eating routine.
And do not follow any diet that is advertised. Why? because they are advertising their diets in order to sell you something. It does not mean that it is a suitable eating plan for you. Many generations before us did very well just eating real foods. The human body has not changed in its needs. Eat your fruits and vegetables! It will pay off in the long run.
A quick motivational podcast to help you enjoy your New Year…
Set goals, spend time with friends and family, and try to enjoy life in between your career efforts and hard work. Try to avoid letting the small inconveniences in life bother you. There are so many bigger things to worry about.
Make a new LIFE resolution. How are you going to change your life for the better forever? Setting and achieving smaller goals as you reach toward your ultimate goal will be more enjoyable and rewarding. Best of luck with your resolutions… K. Goeller
You CAN eat bread and remain healthy. That’s as long as you are eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and other REAL foods. Every cell in your body relies on glucose to function so you DO NEED CARBS for energy.
If you try to eat 80%-90% healthy, you’ll likely be satisfied and remain close to your ideal weight. But first, define healthy.
And if you want to start exercising, try the LEGS PLUS workouts. 
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