My Top 3 Weight Loss Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

One of the benefits of having a coach or mentor is that you can learn from their mistakes.  I love hearing stories from my business coach about things she did in the early years as an entrepreneur that did not work.  Learning from her has helped me avoid mistakes in my own coaching business. 

Today I’m sharing my top three weight loss mistakes I made and how you can avoid them.  These are things that slowed my progress and left me feeling frustrated and discouraged.  If this is you, you’re in for a treat today. 

Let’s get started!

Focusing Too Much On The Scale

I have a decades long history of attaching my weight loss and maintenance success to the number on the scale.  In high school and my early twenties before I started gaining weight, I hovered between 120 and 125 pounds.  Once I started to creep up closer to 130 then 140 and up to 145 I felt my self-esteem plummet.  I was tying my self-worth into that specific number.  This just caused me to eat more junk food and drink more high calorie beverages.  

Once I finally started making changes, I decided I would still use the scale as tool to measure my progress in addition to paying more attention to how my clothes fit.  During this time, I lost about 10 pounds just scaling back on my calories slightly.  More on this later.  I was running and strength training which meant that I was burning fat and building muscle.  When you’re building muscle the number on the scale may not change much but your clothes will fit better.

When I started to make sustainable changes to my eating style, that’s when the fat really started melting away.  I eventually went from about 133 pounds down to about 118 in my early thirties.  I still found myself celebrating the success of 118 being on the scale.  Looking back, I realize I was probably too lean for my body type.  I didn’t have a lot of lean muscle mass which meant I wasn’t that strong.  

Now that I’m in my mid-forties and my focus is on building lean muscle mass, my weight hovers around 135 and I’m the most confident I’ve been in my entire life.  Now it’s not about the number on the scale.  It’s about staying consistent with whole food nutrition, a strength routine, moving frequently, and giving my body rest when it needs it.    

Counting Calories Or Carbs

In my late twenties, I was all about counting calories.  I would aim for 1200 calories or less a day which was really difficult because I was hungry all the time.  It wasn’t about the quality of food, just stopping at the 1200 mark.  To be honest, I fell into the trap of yo-yo dieting.  One week I would eat around 1200 calories and other weeks I would binge on food because I was so tired of feeling hungry all day long.  Obviously, this didn’t last long.

When I stopped counting calories while still eating less, the fat starting melting away.  I was eating less processed food and more whole foods while paying attention to how full I felt to avoid overeating.  I actually felt satisfied after my meals and was no longer hungry all the time.

When I was introduced to a low-carb eating style, my old habit of wanting to track a number led me down the rabbit hole of counting carbs.  This was actually really helpful in the beginning but then it turned into an unhealthy obsession.  I was so worried that if  I ate rice occasionally I was going to gain weight and all my hard work would go out the window.  The reality was this wasn’t going to happen.  Eating rice every now and then (even once a week) wasn’t going to make be gain five pounds over night.  That’s not how the body works.

If you’re transitioning into a low-carb eating style, counting carbs for a week or two might help you get a good idea as to how much you’re actually.  Let’s be real.  We usually underestimate how much we’re really eating.  We tend to think we’re eating less than we actually are.  Once you know where you’re starting, you can make adjustments from there.  

Not Working With A Coach

Your body is made up of complex systems that work together to keep your blood sugar under control, help you stay at a healthy weight for your body type, and keep your hormones in check.  A highly skilled coach knows the ins and outs of the body and has the skillset to guide you through the process of experimenting with different lifestyle habits so you can find which ones work best for you.

When I was on my weight loss journey, health coaching wasn’t as well known as it is these days.  In fact, I didn’t even know it was a thing back in the day.  Thankfully my hubby knew more than I did about the body so he was able to help me make choices that were right for me and my body.  He was the closest resource I had to a health coach at the time.  

I’ve lost count of how many times I wanted to give up.  If I were working with a trained health and fitness coach like myself, they would have helped me sift through my frustrations and disappointments to keep me moving forward.  One super important role of a highly qualified coach is to listen to your frustrations, validate them, and help you find solutions that work for you to overcome them.  It’s not always easy but it’s definitely worth it to have someone on your side to help you see situations from a different perspective.  This is usually what we need to do to get out of our own head.

I believe one-on-one coaching is the most effective way to achieve your goals in shortest amount of time but group coaching is incredibly effective as well.  I’ve been in many group coaching sessions where someone else was being coached and it helped me view my situation from a different perspective.  The odds are in your favor that if you’re having a weight loss challenge another woman is going through the same challenge.  

Having a coach that’s highly trained is a guaranteed support system.  When I work with my clients, I reassure them that I’ll catch them when they fall (sometimes literally if we’re working out together).  If you’re willing to do the work, you can achieve goals that feel impossible in the beginning when you work with a coach.

Be Open To Making Mistakes 

Sometimes it’s necessary to make your own mistakes and learn from them.  In fact, it’s actually a great growth opportunity for you.  Minimizing your chances of mistakes by learning from others who have been on a similar journey will help you get to your destination more efficiently.

Want to learn how we can work together?  Go here to book your free Wellness Strategy Session.

From Frenemy to Bestie: Low-Carb Eating For Women Over 40

I’m sure you’re familiar with a low-carb eating style, right?  This type of eating style has been criticized over the years for being unhealthy.  There’s people who say there’s not enough scientific evidence (a.k.a. published scientific studies) to prove that it’s effective for sustainable weight loss and improving overall health and that it might be doing more harm than good.  I’ve been eating this way and studying a low-carb eating style for over 13 years now and the evidence that I’ve come up with is that it works.  More importantly, there is a healthy way to make it work for you.

Today I’m going share the health benefits of a low-carb eating style if you’re in your 40s and how to take this eating style from frenemy to bestie to make it sustainable for you.

Before we dive into the benefits of eating low-carb, let’s talk about how your body processes the calories you consume.  When you drink alcohol your body sees it as a toxin and has no ability to store it so it burns this first.  Next your body will burn any calories from carbs to use as energy.  The leftovers will be stored either in your liver or muscles. When your liver and muscles carb storage reach their limits, the remaining carbs are stored as fat.  

If your body still needs energy after all this, it will begin burning fat from calories you’ve eaten.  If your body doesn’t need any more energy, where will any excess fat go?  You guessed it!  It will be stored as fat. 

Now let’s dive into the benefits of a low-carb eating style.

One of the most common objections to a low-carb eating style hear is that your body needs carbs to function, specifically your brain and for medium to high intensity exercise.  This is true to some extent.  If you’re eating too many carbs in the form of highly processed starchy foods such as whole wheat bread, bagels, chips, baked goods, etc., your brain becomes overwhelmed with too much glucose and this is when neurological disorders occur such as Alzheimer’s.

Giving your brain the right amount of carbs in the form of whole food veggies and fruits will suffice the requirements for optimal brain function.  If you’re following a keto eating style eating less than 50g of carbs a day, your body will make ketones and use these for energy for your brain.  Your body also makes glucose from protein you eat or your muscles.  This is the “break in case of emergency” glass case in your body in the event you need a little glucose boost. 

As you enter your 40s, our estradiol (the prominent form of estrogen in your reproductive years) begins to fluctuate dramatically before it finally drops and a weaker form of estrogen (estrone) takes over.  Estrogen increases your body’s ability to process carbs efficiently so you don’t experience the dramatic ups and downs of energy from your blood sugar levels rising and falling too fast.  When your estrogen levels begin falling and become unpredictable, your body tends to store more fat.  In addition, you may not sleep as well if you have too much glucose in your blood stream at night.  When you’re not sleeping well, your hunger and satiating hormones get out of whack and you may eat more which in turn could make you store more fat.

This may sound like a vicious cycle but it’s actually your body’s way of keeping you alive with the not-so-great resources it has to work with.  This is survival mode for your body.  Giving your body healthier options such as meat, veggies, fruits, and nuts to use as resources to keep you at a healthy weight, sleeping great, and moving efficiently is a key component to helping you thrive.

So, how do you sustain a low-carb eating style?

This is actually a simple process that’s not always easy.  The key to success is starting small, whatever that looks like for you.  When I started eating low-carb in 2012, I slowly replaced highly processed foods until I eventually eliminated them from a majority of my meals.  For example, I replaced my lunchtime sandwich with a nutrient-dense salad filled with mixed greens, olives, tomatoes, onions, protein, and avocado and topped with olive oil and apple cider vinegar.  I continued to eat toast with my eggs in the morning until I felt ready to focus on adding more protein and fat to where I didn’t even want the bread.  After several weeks, I was eating at least 90% meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, and nuts.  I would occasionally eat pasta or baked goods but not that often.

When you slowly introduce more whole foods to your eating style, your body adjusts to   not needing as many carbs.  Your hormones get to levels where you’re not craving ultra-processed food and you don’t get hangry when you’re hungry.  You can go hours feeling hungry and still maintain energy levels.  This is your body thriving on the whole, nutrient-dense foods your giving it.

Once you begin eating low-carb, you may notice that you need more carbs during the second half of your cycle.  This is to be expected because of low progesterone levels.  During these weeks, eat more whole food carbs such as potatoes and fruit to help your progesterone levels increase.  If you’re working out more in the beginning of your cycle because you have more energy, you may benefit from eating more starchy carbs.  

Low-carb for you can be different than low-carb for me.  It’s all relative based your individual needs.  It’s important to be willing to experiment with different whole foods to figure out what works best for you.

There’s so much more I can share on this topic but I’ll leave the rest for another day.  The bottom line is a low-carb eating style can help you maintain a healthy, sleep great, and have consistent energy levels throughout the day.

Want to learn more about how you can get started?  Book your free Wellness Strategy Session with me and I’ll help you get started.

How to Enjoy Thanksgiving Without Derailing Your Health Goals

My favorite day of the week is any day I get to wake up naturally without an alarm.  This means going to sleep knowing I can wake up whenever I want, not feeling rushed, and being able to sip on my cup of coffee for as long as I want to.  These are the days I usually feel the most rested and relaxed.  When I’m well rested, I’m happy and have a more positive outlook on life which means I’m more likely to make lifestyle choices that align with my intentions.

Today I’m sharing how I prioritize the Wellness Abundance Trifecta (nutrition, movement, and rest) on Thanksgiving Day to be sure I maintain the lifestyles habits that help me stay healthy and thriving while enjoying holiday indulgences.  You can follow my process and personalize it to align with your health and wellness intentions.

Priority #1- Feel Well Rested

Sleeping in as late as I want to (7am is the latest for me) is how I love to start any holiday, especially Thanksgiving.  I get up super early at 5am and work hard during the week and, even though I love what I do as a coach, I still look forward to taking a break to recharge my batteries.  It’s not just giving my mind a mental break from work but also my body a break from feeling like I need to workout right after I have my coffee.

Sleeping in and enjoying coffee time with my hubby helps me start Turkey Day in relax mode before the holiday chaos starts.  It’s our quiet time together before we join the rest of our family and jump into our family dynamic of conflicting personalities.  I think everyone can relate to this.  As I mentioned earlier, when I’m relaxed and happy I’m more likely to make food and beverage choices that align with my health and fitness goals (more on this later) and I’m able to have a good time no matter what happens throughout the day.

Priority #2- Move Your Body

After our quiet, relaxing coffee time, we’ll do our annual Turkey Day burpee workout.  This has been our tradition for several years now and it’s one that I look forward to every year.  

One of the reasons we do a burpee workout is to deplete our glucose (the body’s form of stored carbs) so when we eat all the carbs delights during the afternoon feast our bodies are less likely to store them an excess as fat.  Not only am I physically benefiting from this type of workout but it helps boost my mood as well.  

You don’t need to do an intense burpee workout.  You can do a strength training session, go for a hike, participate in a local Turkey Day Trot, or simply go for a walk around your neighborhood.  If you need accountability to get moving, invite a friend to join you. 

Speaking of accountability, we’ll be live-streaming our Turkey Day burpee workout on our YouTube channel here and would love for you to join us for a full-body workout at 9am PST.  We’ll start by giving everyone a tutorial on different versions of a burpee so you can choose the one that aligns with your fitness level.  You can do as many as you’d like and we’ll be there to encourage you to push your comfort zone.  You’re way more capable than you give yourself credit for so this will be an opportunity to see what you can do.

You don’t need to do the entire workout at once.  You can break it down into micro workouts throughout the day.  For example, if you’re cooking, you can do squats or push ups in-between basting the turkey or preparing the mash potatoes and green bean casserole.  Even moving around the kitchen cooking and cleaning is movement that can benefit you.  Going for a walk after a meal slows down the digestion process and keeps your blood sugar levels from going crazy.

Do whatever feels right for your body, mood, and schedule for the day.

Priority #3- Nutritional Flexibility 

This is one that I struggle with every year.  I love eating delicious food and am not one to shy away from a hearty meal.  If this is you, you may be able to relate to the struggle of staying true to what you consider healthy eating style intentions.  It can be easy to give into the delicious temptations on the table.  

• Warm rolls fresh from the oven

• Buttery mashed potatoes 

• Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows

• Pumpkin pie

• Apple pie

These are just a handful of delicious holiday dishes that tempt me.  I give myself permission to indulge in any Turkey Day dishes if I feel like it.  I go into it knowing I might not feel great but it’s an infrequent indulgence and I know it’s not going to derail me from my health and fitness progress.  

One the other hand, if you want to stay true to your healthy eating style on Thanksgiving, have a strategy in place if you feel like you might be tempted to indulge too much.  You’re the expert in your own life which means you’re the only person who can decide what you eat and don’t eat.  If I were to stick to my usual eating style, I would focus on eating meat and non-starchy veggies with butter.  If I really wanted dessert, I would bring dark chocolate to treat myself to an after dinner sweet treat.    

Day After Strategy

If you want to use Turkey Day to take a vacation from your healthy lifestyle habits, go for it.  Often times days like these are friendly reminders of why you’ve implemented different nutrition, fitness, and rest habits.  You may wake up the next morning feeling like crap and be super motivated to get back to it so you don’t feel like that again.  

If you indulge a little or a lot, have a strategy in place to reset your body such as scheduling a hike or strength session with a few friends the next day for a post Turkey Day workout.  Make sure you have nutrient-dense foods such as meats, eggs, seafood, veggies, and fruit in your house ready to eat on Friday and through the rest of the long weekend.  

My philosophy at Wellness Abundance Coaching is that living your life in a way that you enjoy without strict rules to follow all the time will help you stay healthy and happy and keep you thriving.  

So, how are you going to enjoy your Thanksgiving  next week?

How To Stop Labeling Food As Good or Bad

The other day my hubby and I were talking about how it’s a little strange to be in our 40s since it feels like just yesterday our parents where in their 40s.  When my parents were my age it felt like they were old.  Now that I’m in my mid 40s, the reality is I’m not actually old (even though at times I feel like it).  

This season in life can be a bit tricky to navigate with hormonal and life changes that can be frustrating and confusing.  The great news is we have a choice to fall into the midlife victim mentality or recognize the opportunities to make changes and embrace this season of life.  

Today I’ll dive into how you can take these opportunities and run with them to improve your health and maybe even become the healthiest you’ve ever been in your life.  

When I ask women in their 40s and 50s what their health and wellness goals are it’s usually centered around overall health.  Most women in midlife no longer have the unrealistic goal to be super skinny.  Some women do want to lose weight but they want to lean up for health reasons and not aesthetic reasons.  This type of weight loss goal is realistic and totally doable.  We all have an ideal body weight where our body is happy, healthy, and thriving.  

One huge benefit of aging is most people (not all) become wiser as they age.  I know I’m definitely wiser than I was in my 20s and 30s.  I’m more self-aware of areas in my life that can be improved and more open to honest feedback.  In my younger years, I took a lot of feedback personally even though it didn’t reflect on who I was as a person.  Now a days, I’m always asking for feedback from my clients and community.  I will occasionally take it personally depending on what kind of mood I’m in but, for the most part, I enjoy getting feedback because it gives me ideas on how to improve my programs to help my clients on a deeper level. 

The same can be said for health and wellness habits.  Midlife is an ideal time to reflect on what you’ve learned over the past several decades in regards to nutrition, fitness, and rest so you can become self-aware of your choices.  With your hormones fluctuating more frequently than before it can be a bit more challenging to dial in a nutrition and fitness strategy that works for you. 

We all make choices based on logic or emotion and sometimes a little bit of both.  When you reach for the cookies, this choice is probably based on your emotions and not logic.  You’re most likely fully aware there’s little to no nutritional value in a cookie.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Sometimes we need to give into our cravings and eat that comfort food.  It’s not about eating nutrient dense food all the time.

The key to success with sustainable habits is to be able to recognize the difference between emotional and logical choices.  If you’ve spent your entire life differentiating between “good” and “bad” foods and still struggle with it, this will be game changer for you.  When you stop labeling food as if there were super strict rules with what you can and can’t eat, you feel a sense of freedom you’ve never felt before.  You just eat food based on what your body needs including the occasional indulgence.  There is a skill to this based on self-awareness that you can master.

If this is a new concept to you, you’re on your way to creating a new nutrition strategy.  This is an exciting change that just might be exactly what you need if what worked for you in the past to build muscle or lose weight isn’t working any longer.

Let’s dive into how to become self-aware with your nutrition strategy.  If you’re already self-aware, diving deeper into your awareness can help you take your nutrition habits to the next level.  I’ll share four simple questions you can ask yourself to raise awareness when you want to eat a specific food.  I’ll use the example of eating microwave popcorn since this has been an indulgence for me lately.

What am I thinking right now?

When I eat popcorn I’m usually thinking about how movies and popcorn go together.  But not just any movie.  It’s usually when we’re watching a movie in a theater.  When I’m at home, curled up in bed watching a movie popcorn doesn’t even cross my mind.  In my mind, it’s the experience of watching a movie on a big screen with surround sound.  

How am I feeling right now?

There was a day in the last few months when I was craving carbs because I was PMSing (which is normal, by the way) and I wanted comfort food.  Since I connect movie theaters to popcorn, that’s what I gravitated towards based on how I was feeling.  I was satisfying my body’s need for carbs and my emotions.

How am I behaving right now?

When I was eating popcorn, I was enjoying a relaxing afternoon with my hubby disconnecting from reality for a few hours.  When I’m in relaxation mode, I don’t worry about what I’m eating or drinking or how it’s going to affect me.  I just do what feels right in the moment to help me relax.

What’s logical about eating this food?

I know popcorn has very little (if any) nutrients that’s going to help me build lean muscle mass, sleep better, or improve my overall health.  There are no logical health benefits to eating popcorn with butter and salt on it other than the fact that it made me happy in the moment.  I love the crunch along with the salty, buttery flavor.

After I indulged, I didn’t feel any guilt for eating popcorn.  In fact, I felt like I had satisfied both an emotional and physical craving.  I was very self-aware of the food that I was putting in my body and why I was eating it.  I didn’t label it as good or bad food.  It was just food that I gave myself permission to eat sans the guilt.  I did go on to eat a nutritious, home cooked meal for dinner at the end my popcorn and movie days.  

Years ago I would have been really hard on myself for eating a “bad” food that has very little nutritional value.  I even may have said that I was behaving “badly” for eating it.  You know what I’m talking about because you’ve probably said it yourself.  “I’m just going to be bad today and eat whatever I want.”  When we label our eating behavior as good or bad it sends a message to ourselves that we’re a good or bad as a person.  This sends us down the rabbit hole of “I’m not good enough to be healthy.”  When we fall into this mindset, we tend to lean towards behaviors that don’t support our healthy habit intentions.

You’re eating behaviors are not a reflection of who you are as a woman or your ability to create sustainable nutrition and fitness habits.  When you remain neutral with your food, exercise, and rest choices and are fully aware of why you’re making those choices you find a groove with your lifestyle habits.  You’ll instinctively know when to indulge in treats and when to focus on nutrient-dense foods.  Mastering this skill takes time, focus, and patience and you have the willpower to make this happen.  

Next time you eat a meal, ask yourself these four questions so you can get a sense of how self-aware you are of the rational behind your food choices.  

Why Healthy Habits Feel Like Frenemies (and How to Finally Make Them Stick)

If you’ve had an on again, off again relationship with healthy habits, it’s not your fault.  A whole food eating style and consistent exercise routine can be your frenemies.  They’re like that person in your life that’s your friend one day and the next day they’re driving you crazy and you’re wondering why you even hang out with them.  Sometimes my hubby and I will be walking through the frozen food isle at Trader Joe’s and he’ll say, “Why do I need to eat healthy all the time?  There’s so many delicious  frozen foods that are not so healthy!”  The temptations are everywhere.

If you can relate to this and struggle with sustainable habits, I highly recommend working with a health coach and not just because I am one.  I see the value in any type coaching when you want to learn a new skill.  Working with a pro who’s trained in a specific area will help you reach your goals faster and more efficiently.

Habit creation is a skill that many people are not great at which is why most people struggle with sustainable healthy lifestyle habits.  It becomes especially challenging when social media is telling you how to lose weight by implementing habits that you have no idea how to fit into your life.  One great example is spending an entire day meal prepping.  I know this works for some people but most people I speak with tell me they don’t want to spend their entire Sunday cooking and doing dishes.  There are other ways to be successful with a whole food eating style.

This exactly how I help my clients figure out what will work best for them.  Let’s do a deeper dive into how this works…

Set Realistic Goals

My clients come to me feeling either overwhelmed or ready to take on the world.  Both are completely valid.  The great news is both ends of the spectrum can have strong motivation behind them.  

When you feel overwhelmed with where to start, you’re more likely to hesitate taking the first step towards a healthier you.  You might just need a little nudge and some clarity to get started.  

If this is you, I will help you breakdown your overwhelm into manageable steps so that you feel confident with your starting point.  We’ll brainstorm a list of starting points and narrow it down to one that resonates the most with you.  From there, we’ll co-create an action plan so you can start implementing one habit right away.  Once you feel like you have a rhythm with your first habit, you can add another small step.  As you continue to have success and celebrate your wins, you can add more small steps.

If you’re ready to take on the world, this is an amazing feeling.  While you’re riding this wave of motivation it’s super important to consider what you have the ability to take on at this time.  If you take on too much too soon, it could be difficult to sustain.  

If this is you, I’ll help you step back and take a look at your schedule, resources, and abilities to make sure your habit intentions align with them.  If they do, we’ll co-create a strategy on how you’re going to implement your new habits into your life.  If they don’t all align, we’ll start with the ones that do and create a plan of action together.  It’s super important to keep the ones that don’t align right now in your back pocket for later.  Once you have your initial habits dialed in, you can revisit your other list and choose which ones to add.

The key to finding success from the start with healthy lifestyle habits is to start small (whatever that looks like for you) so you can build your confidence and experience quick wins.

Overcome Obstacles

Once you get into a rhythm with a new habit it’s important to maintain momentum so you can keep moving forward.  Obstacles are what trip people up and throws them off course.  The great news is most obstacles can be anticipated which means you can create a plan in advance to overcome them.  Even with the ones you can’t anticipate you can still decide how you’re going to respond if or when something unexpected comes up.

Let’s start with anticipated obstacles.  If you’ve decided that you’re going to wake up thirty minutes earlier than usual so you can get a bodyweight workout in at home, make a list if anything that might get the way.  One obstacle might be not getting good sleep for any reason (night sweats, insomnia, a kid waking up in the middle of the night, etc.).  Create a plan around how you can overcome each one.  

If you wake up with night sweats, having a clean, dry pair of PJs right next to your bed to change into quickly might help you get back to sleep faster.  If you haven’t been getting great sleep lately and insomnia is a concern, have a plan B for your workout that you can do after a not-so-good night’s sleep.  Some movement is better than no movement at all.  If you’re working with me, we can brainstorm ideas on how you can get back to sleep rather than stay up all night lying in bed feeling anxious about not getting sleep.  

Create Accountability 

Accountability is hands down the most common challenge I hear from women and I get it.  This is a tough one to navigate.  You can talk yourself out of a workout within minutes by listing a bunch of reasons why you can’t do it.  

• You’re too tired.  

• You’ll workout tomorrow.  

• You don’t know what you’re doing.  

• You might injure yourself.

• You don’t have time.

• I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.  Now, all of these reasons might be legitimate.  Sometimes you actually are too tired and your body is telling you it needs more rest.  I’m all for it.  

It’s important to differentiate between legitimate reasons and excuses which is something you and I can work through together during our coaching sessions.

Most of my clients start out with an external source for accountability such as a friend or partner and me, their coach.  This works great in the beginning but shouldn’t be relied on in the long run.  A friend might bail on you because something comes up in her life.  Your partner might help you legitimize your excuses.  This isn’t necessarily because they want to sabotage your intentions.  They most likely want you to be happy and healthy which is great.  You want this kind of support.  However, because they want you to be happy they might also unintentionally encourage you to skip your workout if it they think it would make you happy.  

As we’re working together, we’ll strategize how you can hold yourself accountable so you don’t need to rely on anyone else (myself included) to keep you on track and moving forward.

Where do you start?

If you’re still on the fence about working with a health coach, I get it.  I always want to make sure I’m investing my money into services that I know are a good fit for me.  Most health coaches offer a free call for you to ask questions before you officially enroll in their program.  I do the same.  Go here to book a free virtual video call with me so I can answer all your questions before you commit.  

Just a friendly reminder that when you invest in health coaching you’re investing in your future self.  Think about how future you would feel if you upgraded your health and fitness habits now.

Hormones, Weight Gain & Mood Swings: The Missing Link Most Women Over 40 Overlook

If I could give one piece of advice to women in their 40s who are struggling with weight gain, mood swings, hot flashes, and any other perimenopausal symptoms it would be to track your hormones.  I know the last thing you want to do is to track something.  I get it.  I’m don’t even track my workouts.  But hear me out with this one.

One huge benefit of tracking your hormones is it gives you a sense of control over your body when you’re going through a phase in your life where you feel like you have little control over your body.  You don’t know if your pants are going be snug tomorrow or what kind of mood you’ll be in and it can make you feel like you’re crazy.  

The truth is you’re not crazy.  It’s your hormones that are going crazy.  Today I’ll share how you can track your hormones easily and effortlessly and how to use the data to align your nutrition, fitness, and rest habits to mitigate mood swings, weight gain, and other perimenopausal symptoms.

Before we dive into the good stuff let’s tackle the legal stuff.  I’m not a licensed medical professional which means I’m not qualified to diagnose or treat your hormonal fluctuations.  My role as your health and fitness coach is to help you to create sustainable nutrition and fitness lifestyle habits that work for you.  I will share my knowledge based on my in-depth training of perimenopause and personal experience.  Got it?  

Okay, let’s dive right in.

When you’re in your reproductive years ovulating and have a regular menstrual cycle it’s pretty easy to predict what your hormones are doing throughout your cycle.  Estrogen begins increasing when you start your period and continues to rise until ovulation.  This is the follicular phase of your cycle.  After ovulation, you enter the luteal phase where your estrogen begins to decline.  Your progesterone increases during and shortly after ovulation and then declines a few days before your period.  Low progesterone can trigger sugar cravings which is why you want to eat all the sweet stuff right before your period.  Your estrogen also begins to decline during this phase.

When you reach your 40s (or even your late 30s) your hormones may fluctuate more frequently.  This could explain weight gain, mood swings, insomnia, brain fog, low energy levels and other symptoms.

Now let’s talk about how tracking your hormones (specifically estrogen and progesterone) can boost weight loss, minimize anxiety, and mitigate brain fog.  

Your body is made up of systems that interact with each other by increasing one hormone and decreasing another.  Estradiol, the prominent estrogen hormone, keeps a handful of hormones in check.  For example, estradiol works with your satiety hormone, leptin, to let your brain know you’ve had enough to eat.  When your estrogen levels are low, it can’t communicate with your brain as effectively to let you know it’s time to stop eating.

Low estrogen also increases insulin resistance which means your body isn’t able to distribute nutrients from carbs as efficiently as it should if you were more insulin sensitive.  When this happens your body stores carbs as fat and sends your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride.  When you’re insulin sensitive, your body can burn carbs more efficiently by moving them through your blood without the roller coaster ride.

Estrogen also has an impact on sleep.  When your estrogen levels are low you may not sleep as well.  The same goes for progesterone.  If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, this could be due to low estrogen and progesterone.  When you’re not getting great sleep you’re more likely to experience sugar or salt cravings, false hunger, and anxiety.  

So, how does this help with weight loss?

If you know that your estrogen levels are low, you can make choices throughout your day knowing that you may want to eat the entire box of cookies or bag of salty potato chips because of false hunger and cravings.  It’s super easy to be reactive when it comes to food by giving into your body’s cravings when it actually prefers whole foods. 

The solution is simple: focus on prioritizing whole foods with protein first (fish, beef, bison, chicken, pork, and eggs), healthy fats second (avocados, real butter, diary), non-starchy veggies third (broccoli, spinach) and fruit fourth (preferably berries).  This will help your body keep these hormones in check.  When you become proactive with your nutrition you naturally fall into the habit of working with your body rather than against it.  Your sleep, mood, energy levels, and everything else will fall into place.

Will whole foods actually increase your estrogen levels?  Probably not.  However, if your estrogen levels are low, feeding your body processed junk food will only intensify your perimenopause (or menopausal) symptoms.  If you want to increase your estrogen, I encourage you to see your healthcare provider about hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  You can go here to check out the podcast episode with my nurse practitioner friend, Dana Salisbury Duarte, to learn more about HRT.

If you’re not sleeping great because you know your progesterone and estrogen are low, this is a great opportunity to take an active rest day from your workout and go for walks.  You may even consider taking a nap or simply lying down for 15-20 minutes for an afternoon energy boost.

So, how do you track your hormones?

It’s actually super easy to do in the comfort of your own home.  There’s several hormone tracking products on the market. I personally use Mira and it’s been pretty accurate so far.  If you have irregular periods (this is a sign of perimenopause) and it’s new territory for you, the Mira app will predict when your period is going to start so you don’t have to be surprised.  I recently started tracking my hormones again at the end of my cycle and it was spot on with predicting the day I was going to start my period.  I was amazed at how accurate it was even when I hadn’t tested in a few months.  

I talk to women all the time who say they’ve had their hormones tested by their doctor and the results come back within normal range yet they’re still experiencing mood swings, irregular periods, and weight gain.  One snapshot of your hormones is not a good measurement of what’s really going on because your hormones fluctuate from day to day and throughout the day.  It’s best to track your hormones over at least a few cycles to see if there’s a pattern.

The Mira app will create a testing schedule for you when you input all your info including why you want to test.  You can test for fertility or where you are in the menopause transition.  The actual testing part is really simple.  You just pee in a silicone cup, dip the wand in the pee for 20 seconds, stick the wand into the monitor, and go do something else while waiting for your test results.  It’s best to test in the morning with your first pee before you’ve had anything to eat or drink.  This will get you the most accurate results.

One feature of the Mira app that I’m a fan of is the ability to download a report of your hormone levels to send to your health care provider to share your data.  This will help them recommend the appropriate treatment for you.  If you’re enrolled in my 1:1 health and fitness program you can share your data with me and this will help me guide you in creating a fitness program and nutrition plan that works for you.

If you want to start tracking your hormones, you can go here to check out Mira.  To be totally transparent, I earn a small commission when you order from any Mira links on my website, YouTube channel, or podcast.

Exercise vs Diet: What’s more effective for weight loss?

When you think about weight loss, do you think your focus should be on exercise or diet?  I’ll give you a hint: it’s probably not what you think.  There’s a lot of confusing information roaming around the internet on this topic and it can be challenging to sift through it all.  In addition to being overwhelmed with information on the internet, we’ve been taught that calories in/calories out is the ideal equation for weight loss and weight maintenance.  This is true to some degree, but it’s not that simple.

Today I’ll dive into the most effective strategy for weight loss and how to make it work for you.

Let’s start by talking about how your body responds to exercise to clear up any confusion.  When you workout your body uses energy from stored fat, sugar in your bloodstream, or recently consumed calories from fat or carbs depending on the type of exercise.  For example, a high intensity cardio workout uses carbs for energy.  A lower intensity workout like a light run, hike, bike ride or strength training session uses fat for energy.  Your body doesn’t just burn random calories when you exercise.  It has systems in place to utilize different forms of calories depending on how you’re moving your body.  This is one of the reasons why the calories in/calories out theory isn’t completely accurate or straightforward.

Now, let’s move on to diet or what I like to call your eating style.  When you eat a meal your body uses any carbs for energy first.  After all the carbs are used up in the form of energy, it taps into any fat that you’ve eaten.  If your body doesn’t need any more energy, it will store any unused fat under your skin, in your blood as triglycerides, or around your organs.  Your body doesn’t have a storage limit of fat so it can hold as much as it needs to before burning it off.  By the way, any unused carbs will be stored as fat in your body in addition to fat calories consumed.  

Your body doesn’t necessarily use protein for energy.  Protein is made up of amino acids  which are the building blocks of your body.  It helps build muscle, create strong bones, and keeps your skin healthy.  Protein, in my opinion, it the most important macronutrient to consume in abundance.  It also helps minimize sugar cravings and helps you feel full longer.  This means you’ll naturally eat less calories when you prioritize protein over processed foods.

Protein and fat are usually paired together in whole food sources so it’s the ultimate macro to focus on.  Your body has the ability to make carbs if needed.  To be clear, I’m not saying carbs aren’t important but they shouldn’t be a priority with your meals.

Now that you have a better understanding of how your body works when you exercise and eat, what do you think is the better for weight loss: exercise or diet?

If your answer is diet, you’re right.  We always say in our home that you can’t exercise your way out of a poor diet full of processed foods.  When you exercise, your body wants to use “clean energy” in the form of whole foods to fuel workouts rather than “dirty energy” from processed foods.  

Exercise is definitely an important part of your weight loss and weight maintenance strategy, however, starting with the food you eat will be more efficient.  If exercise is the most convenient habit to implement first on your weight loss journey, I highly encourage you to start there.  It’s still going to benefit you in the long run and you can always add whole food eating habits down the road.

So, how do you implement more whole foods in your eating style?  Start by making a list of all the whole foods you enjoy eating (i.e. beef, chicken, pork, eggs, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc.).  From there, you can cobble together meals to make throughout the week.  Decide how many whole food meals you want to eat in the upcoming week, gather all the ingredients, and find simple recipes that you can make at home.  Repeat this simple process every week by adding more whole food meals until at least 90% of your meals are made with whole foods.  

When you’re ready, add exercise habits into your lifestyle one step at a time.  Start with what you’re comfortable with (i.e. walks, light strength training, etc.) and add a little more as you gain confidence and you’re able to carve out time for more workouts.

Weight loss and weight maintenance is actually easier than it sounds.  If you’ve struggled with weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight in the past, I’m happy to help.  My specialty is helping women like you find a way to make it easy for lifestyle.  In my program, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.  Healthy lifestyle habits look different for everyone.  Go here to book a free wellness strategy session with me to learn how you can make it work for you.

Interval Training Isn’t Just For Fat Loss

I’m sure you’ve heard the term high intensity interval training (also known as HIIT) in relation to exercise routines.  HIIT workouts can be beneficial for everyone, no matter your age, ability, or goals.  If you’re a woman in your 40’s and beyond, interval training can not only help with efficient fat loss, but also with navigating the hormonal changes in this season of life.

Let’s start talking about the “fun stuff” we go through as women in midlife when our hormones can’t decide whether or not they want to stay at healthy levels, go super high, or drop to an all-time low.  This can vary from woman to woman and from day to day.  You could be feeling like everything is going great one day, then wake up the next day with a wave of anxiety.  You might not remember what you walked into the kitchen for or why you opened another tab in your web browser (this is me on daily basis!).  You might all of a sudden feel like it’s 5,000 degrees in the room and then frantically grab the nearest blanket a few hours later.  Or you might look at your partner and wonder why you hate them so much for no reason at all.  The struggle is real, Ladies!

Yes, these are all real-life challenges that many fabulous midlife women like you and I experience.  On one hand, it’s an interesting season in life that can be confusing and frustrating at times.  On the other hand, it can also be a time where you don’t really give a #%&@ about what anyone thinks about you and finally take the risks you’ve been wanting to take.  Or it could be a little bit of both.

Thankfully there are ways you can mitigate the anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, and other perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms with lifestyle habits.  One of them is exercise.  

Before we dive into how exercise can improve the “fun stuff”, let’s learn a little bit about the changes that could be happening with your hormones and how it’s affecting your ability to remember where you put your keys or the anxiety you’re feeling for no reason at all.  I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty science of how hormones affect your brain but I think it’s important to have a basic understanding of what’s happening.  I’ll make it super simple to understand.  

Let’s start with fun facts about hormones and your brain.  Your central nervous system (CNS) is the system in your body that controls just about everything: appetite, sitting down, standing up, muscles, heart rate, blood pressure, etc.  Your CNS is made up of your brain and spinal cord.  It’s a pretty important system in your body since it literally keeps things running efficiently.

When your brain isn’t getting enough estrogen, you may experience brain fog, difficulty concentrating, or other memory issues.  Progesterone helps stimulate your feel good hormones such as serotonin and GABA.  When your progesterone levels are low, you may experience anxiety, depression, and mood swings.  

Ever notice just before your period starts you feel moody, anxious, and like you want to rage over your kids misbehaving or your partner not doing the dishes?  Or if you ever feel like a raccoon and get distracted too often by shiny things.  You’re not crazy.  It’s your brain’s response to your estrogen and progesterone levels being low during this phase of your cycle.  If you’re cycle is regular, these hormone levels will start to increase as you get closer to ovulation.  You should start to feel relaxed and focused after you start your period.

If you’re in perimenopause (the menopause transition), your story might be a little different.  When your cycles become irregular and your hormones fluctuate more frequently, it can be harder to predict when your estrogen and progesterone levels are low.  There are tools you can use at home (I use Mira Menopause Transition Kit here) to measure your hormones to give you a better understanding of what’s happening inside.  Sometimes not knowing what’s going on can add a layer of frustration to your emotions.  Knowing what your hormones are doing can help you be more strategic about your exercise routine to minimize anxiety, boost your mood, and be able to concentrate better.

Now lets talk about how interval training can help with memory, mood, and concentration.  

High intensity interval training is known to stimulate the brain by using glucose (a.k.a. carbs) for energy.  This will help you stay alert and focused throughout the day and boost your energy levels.  If you feel like your anxiety is skyrocketing, a lower intensity interval workout such as a walk or hike with occasional hills can help your body produce more feel good hormones and reduce stress.  If you really need to get some frustration out, take a medicine ball or any kind of ball that’s tough and start slamming it on the ground.  This is a great way get any rage out of your system without harming anyone else.  

An effective mindfulness exercise that will help you improve your concentration is to focus on one thing during your workout.  For example, paying close attention do your form during a movement will help you prevent injury, work your muscles effectively, and teach you focus skills.  You can also pay close attention to your breath to make sure you’re breathing properly throughout the movement.  One of the worst things you can do is get in the habit of holding your breath during a movement, especially one that’s difficult.  Breathing through the movement by inhaling during the easy part and exhaling during the difficult part will help you move through the movement efficiently.  

To wrap it up, when you feel like you’re going crazy or simply don’t feel like yourself go for a walk, take eight deep breaths, or push heavy weight around.  This will send a message to your brain and you’ll feel better afterwards.  You may not feel 100% but you’ll definitely see an improvement in your mood.  If you can’t find anything that works for you, go here and schedule a call with me.  We’ll figure it out together.  

Ladies, Feel Stuck? Quick Wins That Jumpstart Real Change

If you ever feel discouraged by not making progress when creating new habits, you’re not alone.  I hear this all the time from clients and I definitely feel it myself.  It’s super easy to focus on everything that’s not going the way you planned rather than the what’s actually working.  This can be tricky to overcome because it’s in our genetic makeup to be more pessimistic than optimistic.  On one hand, this is actually a good thing because it protects us from any danger we might be in.  On the other hand, this makes it harder to focus on what is working.

Today I’m going to walk you through how to find quick wins in any situation to boost your confidence so you can focus on solutions.

There’s a great quote from a psychologist, the late Wayne Dyer, that sums this up nicely:

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” 

Now, I’m not here to encourage you to look at everything as rainbows and unicorns.  That’s not realistic or even healthy.  However, when you can look at a situation from a different perspective, you’re able to find and celebrate even the smallest of wins.

A quick win is a small success you have at the beginning of and throughout a journey where you see results right away.  For example, when a new client enrolls in one of my programs the first thing I do is celebrate their win of simply enrolling.  I speak with people daily who don’t even take the simple step to reach out for help when they know they could benefit from working with a professional.  So, the simple action of hiring a coach to guide you through the process of creating nutrition and fitness habits that work for you is a win.

If you tend to navigate towards what you’re not doing (i.e. maintaining a consistent strength training routine) rather than what you are doing (i.e. going for a 15-minute walk twice a week), getting your quick-win muscle strong is something you can work on daily.  If you’re walking for 15 minutes a day, what changes have you noticed?  Are you sleeping better? Do you have more consistent energy levels throughout the day?  Every single result you notice and celebrate moves you one step closer to creating that consistent strength routine.

If you want to lose weight and tone up, your body knows exactly what to do to get you there.  It may not happen as fast you want it to because your body has a process it needs to go through.  If you experience a lot of stress in your life, daily 15-minute walks could be the catalyst to lower your cortisol (the stress hormone) to a level that will allow your body to burn fat efficiently.  Your clothes may not feel looser and the number on the scale might not go down right away, but you might feel more relaxed and less stressed.  This is definitely quick win.  This shows that you’re on the right path to your ideal body composition.

My 6-Week Healthy Habit Reset program will help you find and celebrate quick wins from the beginning.  I’ll walk you through setting small, realistic goals so you can actually get results.  My Reset is a group program which means you’ll have an extra layer of support and accountability from other women.  It never ceases to amaze me the impact a group of women can make on their own personal lives, but also the lives of others.  I truly believe in the power of community which is why I started my business 9 years ago facilitating group coaching and why I love it to this day.

The last day to enroll in the Fall cohort of the 6-Week Healthy Habit Reset is September 6th and there’s limited spots available to keep it small and intimate.  Go here to learn more and secure your spot today!

3 Simple Steps to a Safer Beauty Routine

Did you know the quality of the skin care and cosmetics you put on your body is just as important as the food you put in it?  Yup, it’s true!  Your bathroom could be housing bottles of cleanser, moisturizer, shampoo and conditioner, sunscreen and more that are causing hormonal chaos in your body.  These products could be contributing to infertility and increase your risk of breast cancer and endometriosis in addition to causing damage to your reproductive organs.  Even if you’re not looking to get pregnant, healthy fertility is still a super important part of your overall health.

Today I’ll dive into three simple steps to get on the safer beauty train.  It’s actually easier than you may think.

Step 1 - Check the Quality of Your Current Skin Care Products

There’s a really cool organization called the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that has a database of skin care, cosmetics, household cleaners and other products with their hazard rating.  EWG’s rating system (which you can check out here) includes rating ingredients for allergies, cancer, and more.  They have a rigorous certification process companies can go through and receive the prestigious EWG Verified Certification for their products.  This makes it super easy for you as a consumer to choose skin care products that are safer and way less likely to cause cancer and other health issues.  

I would advise against relying on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a go-to resource for safer beauty ingredients because there’s very little regulation for the cosmetic industry.  As little as 10 chemicals are banned in cosmetic in the U.S. while over 1,700 are banned in the E.U.  At the time of this article, a Safer Beauty Bill Package is in the U.S. House Of Representatives to create more regulation in the beauty industry.  This will help you take the guess work out of which products could potentially be causing more harm than good.  You can learn more about this bill in an NPR article here.

Step 2 - Find a Transparent Clean Beauty Brand

There are several clean beauty companies that offer amazing products.  The number one thing I look for when I’m on the hunt for safer products is transparency.  I want to see a list of every single ingredient in all products.  I may not know off the top of my head what the ingredients are but I have an amazing tool at my fingertips (the EWG app and website) to look up each ingredient.  If a company isn’t willing to list out every ingredient or send me an ingredient list when requested, that tells me they could be hiding something.  As a business owner, I do my very best to be super transparent on my website with my programs.  If a feature of my health and fitness coaching services isn’t clear on my website, I’m more than happy to answer any questions or concerns during a free Wellness Strategy Session or over email.  I want all of my clients to feel confident they’ve made the right choice at the time enrolling in my programs.  I expect the same of investing my money in safer beauty products.

My go-to clean beauty brand is Counter (formerly Beautycounter).  Counter is fully transparent about the ingredients in all of their products and they don’t just make safer products.  They advocate for more regulation in the beauty industry.  Counter is a company of integrity which is why I’m a Brand Partner for them.  This means I make a commission off of sales from my Brand Partner website.  

Side note about Counter: Beautycounter was recently rebranded as Counter.  Most of Beautycounter products were EWG verified, however, since Counter is technically a brand new company, the EWG verification process starts all over again.  So, many of the products might not officially be EWG certified.  They are in the process of getting their products certified.

Another clean beauty company I trust is 100% Pure.  This was one of the first clean beauty companies I found years ago when I was making the switch.  They list all the ingredients on their website and you can find the hazard ratings on EWG.  They’re now my backup clean beauty go-to if I can’t find what I’m looking for at Counter.

Step 3 - Start Swapping Your Beauty Products with Safer Products

After you dive into the EWG database to check how safe your skin care products are, choose one or two that are the most harmful.  Find a clean beauty company that you resonate with and start replacing your beauty products with safer ones.  You’ll find that higher quality, cleaner beauty products are more of an investment than products that use synthetic, harmful chemicals.  If needed, build your new safer beauty collection as your budget allows.  

Go on the hunt for discount codes for your first purchase.  Most companies offer you a first time purchase discount as a thank you for joining their community.  Counter offers a 10% discount on your first order when you purchase $100 or more in product.  This is an ongoing offer.  There’s a limited time 15% discount for all Counter products when you order 3 or more products.  Use the code CLEAN15 when you check out on my Brand Partner website here.  This offer is only available until 8/18/25.  Counter also has a loyalty program where you can earn points towards future purchases.  

So, are you ready to make the switch to safer beauty products?  You deserve to look and feel your best while giving your body the care it needs.  Your future self will thank you!

3 Things Yosemite Taught Me About Habit Creation

Photo credit: Dani Kwan

We recently emerged from the wilderness after spending three nights in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park.  The granite rocks were an incredible sight to see, the water was crystal clear at a temperature ideal for tired feet, and the wildlife wandered around giving us our space to enjoy nature.  It was four days that gently nudged me out of my comfort zone just enough to return to civilization feeling more confident in my abilities to do hard things.  It was challenging and enjoyable at the same time which reminded me of the habit creation process.  Today I’m sharing three friendly reminders from the trail about habit creation. (The photo to the left doesn’t do it justice to the beauty that is Yosemite live in-person!)

Set Up Realistic Expectations

This is a super important one.  When we embarked upon our Yosemite journey, I was under the impression that it was going to be a moderately easy hike.  I was wrong.  The first day was a lot of downhill that was hard on my knees (Scot hiked the same trail in 2020 and gave us a heads up on this).  Most of the difficulty for me was carrying a 25-30 pound pack on my back which I was not used to.  I trained by doing a few hikes with my pack on prior to this but definitely not enough.

Day two had pretty steep climbs that were really challenging and definitely unexpected.  One thing I did not do before this hike was look up the elevation gain for each stretch of the trail.  I went on what Scot said which was a mistake on my end.  Everyone has different abilities which means the same hike might be hard for someone and even harder for someone else.  I was carrying the same amount of weight on my back (give or take 3-5 pounds) as Scot, however, I weight 50 pounds less than him.  This is something I did not think about until I was climbing up the switchbacks on day two.

It’s the same with habit creation.  A consistent exercise routine is easy for some of my clients and difficult for others.  This isn’t necessarily because one client is more committed than another.  There’s several variables that are involved in creating consistency.  The most common one is schedules.  We all have responsibilities outside of simply keeping ourselves alive on a daily basis.  We have jobs, pets, kids, and parents to take care of in addition to paying bills, feeding ourselves, sleeping, and relaxing.  At times it feels like a never ending juggling act.

If you have a history of struggling to stay consistent with an exercise routine, give yourself grace and brainstorm ideas on how you can overcome the challenges you have control over.  From there, you can set up realistic expectations to enable you to celebrate wins along the way.

Remind Yourself Why You’re Doing This

We have a running joke in our friends circle where we question why we’re friends with each other.  This is because when we spend time together we don’t just go to a coffee shop or restaurant and hang out.  We go on an adventures that includes 30+ mile bike rides, climbing sand dunes, summiting mountains, or 4-day treks through the Yosemite backcountry.  Believe it or not, this actually is my idea of fun.  With that being said, it doesn’t mean it’s always easy for any of us.  During the challenging times, I question my choices and dream about what it would be like to just lay on a beach for week reading a great fiction book and sipping on mimosas.  The reality is, that’s not me.  I would get really antsy laying around for a week and drive myself (and my husband) crazy.  I prefer to challenge challenge myself while getting out in nature.

When you’re super clear on your Why you want to eat more home cooked whole food meals, get to bed at a reasonable time, and move your body frequently, the obstacles some how become easier to overcome.  Just about everything you do in your life that’s worth doing and will bring you abundance will have challenges along the way.  When you can tap into your emotional Why it’s so much easier for you to power through the challenges and get creative with finding solutions on how to overcome them. 

I see this all the time in my clients who are clear on their Why.  Our coaching sessions are centered around what’s holding them back from carving out time to make a nutritious meal at home.  Often times the solution is obvious like making sure to get to the grocery store on the weekend to stock up on meat and veggies for the week.  Other times it’s bit more complicated and involves rearranging schedules and delegating other household tasks to partners.  The key is to be so committed to creating the habits that work for you that you almost automatically go into solution mode.

Lean on Your Support System

I’m incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to hike through the beauty that is Yosemite with my hubby and two of our favorite people.  With every step I took up the granite staircase on the switchbacks, I felt a wave of “I got this!” just being with three people who are part of my strong support system (and having my trekking pole in hand).  When I said out loud “I can’t go any further!” and felt the need to burst into tears, someone would remind me that I could in fact keep moving forward.  Looking back at this made a big difference.  I felt like I was infused with energy to get to the top of switchbacks.

When a client reaches out to let me know they’re temporarily unable to stick to a fitness routine we previously discussed and asks for suggestions on what to do instead, it’s a reason to celebrate because I know this person is committed to their health and fitness intentions.  One of my favorite parts of being a coach is helping my clients brainstorm ideas on how they can find an alternative way to stick to a fitness routine when life happens.  There’s multiple ways you can stick to a routine that aren’t necessarily obvious to you so this is why reaching out for support is crucial. 

If you’re feeling discouraged by your progress and feel like giving up like I did on the trail, leaning on your support system can shift your mindset into a “I got this!”  This is why building a strong support system of people who you know will help you see your value and ability during the times when you can’t see it will set you apart from the people who throw in the towel to early.  I talk more about what to do when you feel like giving up in this podcast episode here.

The End of the Trail

Stepping back into civilization after four days on trail I felt a sense of accomplishment.  It felt great to get back to indoor plumbing, hot showers, and food that wasn’t freeze dried.  Don’t get me wrong.  I actually enjoyed unplugging from civilization as it gave me a deeper sense of appreciation for the conveniences of modern life.  But I was looking forward to washing the sweat off my body with soap (and washing  my hair!) and not just river water.  I will say, the river water felt amazing on my skin at the end of a long day and it was super clean water.

The moment you realize you have systems in place to cook nutrient dense meals on demand and get out of bed almost effortlessly to get your workout on, I encourage you to look back at the work you’ve put in to get to this point.  It most likely wasn’t always easy and you probably overcame many obstacles, but you did it.  While the journey isn’t over and your maintenance section of the “healthy habit trail” has just begun, hopefully you’re feeling more confident in your ability to make even more progress.

How to Stay Healthy After “I Do” — 3 Tips for a Strong Body & Stronger Marriage

Getting married is an exciting season of life.  It can also come with a period of adjustment.  It’s easy to let your healthy habits go when you’re knee deep in wedding and honeymoon planning.  Sometimes the entire process feels like full time job.  Once the wedding is over and you return to your daily life after the honeymoon, there’s an adjustment period.  Even if you’ve been living with your partner for a period of time, it may take time to mentally take in the fact that you’re actually married.  

One thing that doesn’t get enough attention is how marriage can quietly sabotage your health and fitness habits.  You may not even know it’s happening until one day when you put on your favorite jeans and they’re a little snug.  Or when you’re finally ready to have a baby and experience fertility issues.  

Today I’ll share my top 3 tips for maintaining (or creating) healthy lifestyle habits while building a solid foundation for a strong marriage.

Let’s start with real talk: marriage isn’t always easy.  You’re not always going to want or need the same things as your partner and this is normal.  The sooner you understand and accept this, the easier it will be to work with your partner to find ways to support each other’s health and wellness journeys.

Tip #1- Be Open to Your Partner’s Perspective

Remind yourself every day that you’re still your own woman in addition to being on Team Marriage.  At times it can feel like a juggling act to prioritize your personal needs while still being an active participant on Team Marriage.  One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from being married is to always look at my hubby’s perspective on things with an open mind and heart, including health and fitness.  It’s not always an easy task, especially when we have different opinions.  I strongly believe this is the foundation of a solid relationship.

Tip #2- Share Your Why With Your Partner

This is an important one.  When you share your Why (your motivation behind your health and fitness habits) with your partner, you get them on board as spectator.  There’s no pressure for them to do exactly what you’re doing.  Share with them how they can support you whether it be giving you space to do your strength workout, plan your meals for the week, or enjoy some quiet time in the morning after you wake up.  Even when your partner doesn’t have the same lifestyle habits you do, they can still hop on the support train in their own way.

Tip #3- Live by Example

There might be times when your partner is not willing to get on the healthy habit train and that’s okay.  If they’re not ready to eat more whole foods or start a strength training routine but you are, do it anyway.  They may not be convinced that eating a certain way can be beneficial.  Or they may not want to give up their shows at night just to get to bed earlier to get a more restful night’s sleep.  Showing your partner what’s possible by taking action and getting results might eventually inspire them to create they’re own nutrition and fitness habits to help them become the healthiest version of themselves.

Whether you’re building new health and fitness habits or maintaining your current ones, give your partner the freedom to choose how and when they want to be involved.  Be open to hearing their inputs and listen carefully when they share how you can support them.  This will help you build a strong foundation to stay intact if things get a little shaky down the road.

Vegetable and Seed Oils: Good or bad for you?

Vegetable and seed oils are getting a lot of attention in the media these days. There’s an ongoing debate as to whether or not these oils are healthy for you. To be honest, this debate has been going on for years, possibly even decades. However, I believe one of the main reasons this debate is talked about so much these days is because Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the Health Secretary and he believes these oils can be harmful to your health. 

The purpose of this article is to talk about what vegetable and seed oils are and whether or not they could potentially harm your body. I'll dive into how to sift through all this information on the internet. This is one thing that holds people back from actually making healthy lifestyle changes because it can feel overwhelming to constantly be reading “this is good for you, but that isn't good for you” not knowing what the truth is.  There’s all sorts of debates in the health and wellness space. So, I am here to help you sift through all this information that's being thrown at us on a daily basis with every news cycle. Alright, let's dive right in. 

First of all, what are vegetable and seed oils? Well, they’re oils that come from seeds and vegetables. One of the main differences between vegetable seed oils other ones like olive oil, tallow, avocado oil, lard, and ghee is the way they're processed.  Vegetable and seed oils like canola and sunflower are processed at super high heat. You may be wondering why this matters. This actually damages the molecules in the fat cells. When they're damaged and you consume them, it can cause oxidative damage in the body. 

It's generally agreed upon between the plant-based, paleo, and carnivore folks that olive and avocado oils are both healthy for you. However, there is one caveat. There are some avocado oils and olive oils that are not processed in a healthy way. Meaning they could be processed at high heat as well. Cold-pressed is definitely the way to go. Most companies will tell you on the bottle how it’s processed.  

One great benefit of avocado oil (I’m still not clear on this with olive oil) is that the fat molecules can sustain a very high heat without being damaged. When you're cooking on medium or high heat, you want to make sure the molecules in the oils that you're using aren't being damaged and you’re not consuming oxidized oils. This is one reason why the coconut oil, lard, and tallow are more heat stable and better oils to cook with.

Even when you’re not cooking with the canola oil at high heat and eating it in a salad dressing, you still run the risk of these oils causing damage within your body because of the way they're processed. So even if you don't use them for cooking and you personally are not heating them to a high temperature, then they could already be damaged when they're in your salad dressing bottle. 

Let's talk a little bit more about how they could be healthy and unhealthy for you now that we know what they are and what’s causing the drama is around them. 

There are two omega fatty acids that we consume frequently: omega-3 and omega-6. The best whole food source of omega-3 fatty acids is oily fish such as sardines.  Pasture-raised eggs are another great source of omega-3s. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. The difference between omega-6 and omega-3 is omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory which means they help reduce inflammation. This is why many health professionals (doctors included) recommend taking fish oil supplements or eating sardines regularly if you have joint pain caused by inflammation.

On the other hand, omega-6 fatty acids also have anti-inflammatory benefits yet they can also be inflammatory. So this is where the whole debate comes in. Because here's the thing, if you are eating food with omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, but you're eating more omega-6 fatty acids, then that ratio is going to be off. This means you're going to get more of an inflammatory response with a lot of omega-6 fatty acids than with omega-3 fatty acids.

One of the reasons why this is a huge topic in the health and fitness space is because there's a lot of seed and vegetable oils in processed foods. I feel like there's an understanding amongst health and wellness professionals like myself that eliminating as many processed foods as you can and incorporating more whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, and eggs is the the best way to give your body what it wants so it can thrive. 

One of the biggest problems is people are eating too much fast food and too many processed foods, especially ultra processed foods. And a lot of this might be because people are busy and have a hard time carving out time to make homemade meals. And it's hard to create new habits. It's hard to create whole food eating habits that actually work for you. And this is one of the reasons why I do what I do, because habit creation can be challenging. It's not the lack of information out there. There's so much information out there (maybe too much). It’s the lack of being able to sift through the information and implement and experiment with what works for you and what doesn't. 

Let’s dive into the a super important question: how do you know if you should be eating vegetable oils and seed oils? Should you eliminate them altogether? Should you just have them occasionally? And the answer is… it depends on your body and what's happening inside of it, including your genetics. There's a lot of variables involved in this. If you have any chronic pain such as achy joints, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), or any other health challenges that affect your daily life, you may want to consider eliminating vegetable and seed oils (including soybean) for a short period of time (not forever). 

Try it first for a week and then add another week. Build upon that and see how you feel. Really take note of how you feel. I'm not a big fan of tracking food in too much detail but if you’re experiencing chronic pain and you want to manage it better, definitely track your symptoms and what you eat and go from there. Then use the data, the data meaning “I felt great today” or “I can actually do pushups in the gym without my wrist throbbing” or “I was actually able to get out of bed today because my PCOS pain was not that intense” to decide whether or not eliminating these vegetable and seed oils from your diet could benefit you. It’s really just about experimenting on your own body to figure out what works best for you. 

To wrap it up, it's really about what works best for your body. Some people can tolerate mostly whole foods and a little bit of processed food. Other people have to do all whole foods all the time. Other people can do a little bit more processed food and maybe a little less whole foods than their friend or brother or sister. 

I hope this article clears up at least some of the confusion for you. If you ever want to chat about this in more detail, you're welcome to book a free Wellness Strategy Session with me here.

Why Rewarding Exercise with Food Might Be Holding You Back

If you've ever rewarded yourself with a cookie, brownie, cupcake, or glass of wine for exercising, raise your hand and raise it high.  I’m raising my hand because I’ve totally done this. In fact, I used to do this all the time (more than I’d like to admit). What I learned was this habit actually kept me in what felt like an infinite loop of not being able to lose weight and keep it off. 

Now just to be super clear and to get the record straight, I’m all for indulging. I love enjoying a delicious brownie, cinnamon roll, or adult beverage on the weekends but I do it within reason. I actually encourage my clients to indulge in foods and beverages that make them happy and brings them joy because we all have to live your life. The problem comes when you fall into the mindset of “I can eat whatever I want because I worked out.”

This mindset makes you fall into the trap of exercising for the wrong reasons. So, if this is you, you're definitely not alone. I hear this all the time from my clients. And like I mentioned before, I said it for years.  This was my way of justifying eating too many baked goods and processed food.

Today I'm sharing with you how to get out of this infinite loop (yes, there is a way) to get the weight loss results you want from your exercise routine.

Let's start with how exercise actually supports fat loss and a sustainable healthy weight. I'm going to share a little bit of hard truth with you, which you may or may not have already heard, but the calories-in/calories-out method doesn’t actually work the way that we were taught.  We’ve been taught to eat less calories and do more cardio to burn those calories that we ate so we can stay in a caloric deficit.

The realistic big picture of the calories-in/calories-out method is it's actually difficult to measure accurately. And here's why. Calories-in (food you eat) can be easily tracked through an app. There's so many apps available for you to input exactly what you ate throughout the day and it will calculate how many calories you consumed in a specific day.  The challenge with this is it can be time consuming and you have to be consistent with it to get an accurate measurement. 

An even bigger challenge is calculating how many calories you actually burn throughout the day because it's not just about exercise. Yes, you burn calories when you do cardio or a strength training session. But your body also burns calories when you sleep, digest food, menstruate, and when your organs are doing their job to keep you alive. So, without being in a lab setting it's very difficult to measure all of this. 

How you can get out of this infinite loop? Now that we’ve cleared up that the calories-in/calories-out method is not really a good measurement of weight loss, let’s talk about which type of energy your body uses when you're exercising.  Understanding this will help you flip the script and shift your focus to what matters most with exercise and weight loss.

When you're doing a low level cardio workout where your heart rate gets up high enough to where your breathing is a little heavier and a bit more intense than normal and you can still carry on a conversation with someone, your body is burning mostly fat.  A few examples of this are walking, swimming, a light run, hike, an easy bike ride, and strength training sessions.

When you do more intense workouts like high intensity interval training where you're getting your heart rate up super high for a short period of time and then resting, giving your body an opportunity to catch its breath, your body is burning glucose, which is the storage form of carbs in your body.  

Now that you know this, think about the energy you use while exercising in the form of carbs and fat rather than calories. Calories are important. We need to eat enough calories so our bodies can function properly and keep us alive. But when you shift your focus off the calories, it's easier to align the food you eat with your fitness efforts.

So, rather than saying “I worked out today so I can eat whatever,” consider saying “I worked out today so I’ll eat whole, nutrient dense foods to support my body.” Because when you deplete your glucose stores in your body from a high intensity interval workout, you want to replenish them, right?

Now there are a few of ways to do this. One way is by eating starchy or non-starchy carbs.  If you're doing a lot of high intensity interval training, I would recommend, focusing on eating whole food starchy carbs (i.e. potatoes).  There's a lot of fitness and influencers on social media that eat candy after a workout to replenish glucose. This is something I’m not a fan of. I don't think candy or cake is an effective way to really replenish your glucose stores.  I’ll get to how to indulge in a healthy way in a sec, just stay with me. 

Another way to replenish your glucose stores is to eat enough protein. Enough is a very general term because everyone needs different  amounts of protein.  There's a lot of variables that go into calculating recommended protein intake such as your strength goals. If you really want to build lean muscle mass, adequate protein intake is key.  When you eat protein, your body has the ability to break it down in your body to make glucose. I talked more about this in the last episode about intermittent fasting. So if you haven't done so already, head back to last week's blog here and give it a read.

Let’s dive into indulging and how to approach it in a way that supports your weight loss efforts. When you catch yourself saying “I worked out today so I'm going to eat half a pizza” or “I'm going to eat two pieces of cake or an entire box of cookies" pause for a sec and ask yourself why you’re eating the pizza. Why are you eating the cookies? Why are you eating the cake? I know this might sound a weird at first, but taking a step back helps you put things into perspective. If your first response is, “I'm gonna eat this because I worked out today and I earned it” consider putting the pizza, cake, or cookies down to think about it.

If you are eating it because you want to enjoy pizza night with your family or you’re at a party, then go for it. Eat the pizza, enjoy it and savor every single bite. I tell this all the time to my clients and I remind myself of it when I'm indulging.

Another question to consider asking yourself is “Is this actually supporting my fitness efforts?” You work hard to workout even though you may not feel it in the moment.  I see it all the time with my fitness clients. They may not be sweating dripping sweat by the end of the workout or their legs may not feel like jello (you know what I’m talking about), but I know every single one of them is putting in the effort based on their ability and their fitness level. And this is something to be celebrated. 

Remind yourself that it's not about rewarding the exercise with eating junk food or eating baked goods or drinking an entire bottle of wine. It's about rewarding your efforts to replenish the glucose and fat that you burned. When you do this with whole foods, you’ll naturally replenish your calories in a way the supports your exercise efforts.

To sum it all up, something that we say in our home that my husband taught me years ago is you can't exercise your way out of a poor diet.  If you're trying to exercise your way out of a poor diet, you're going to stay in that infinite loop of not being able to lose weight and keep it off.

If this is you right now, what’s one thing you can do to get you out of the infinite loop? 

As a friendly reminder, you can sign up our weekly newsletter and join our Wellness Abundance Coaching Community. Just go here, scroll down just a tad, and get your fitness guide to fat loss.

Fasting for Real Women: A Gentle, Strategic Approach to Sustainable Weight Loss

Intermittent fasting can be very beneficial for sustainable weight loss, however, it can be a tricky road to navigate.  If you’ve tried diet after diet and still can’t maintain a healthy weight, intermittent fasting is something to consider experimenting with.  There are different ways to do this, some are more effective than others.  

Today I’ll share how you might benefit from intermittent fasting and how to utilize this simple tool to make it work for you.  There are physical and psychological benefits of going for extended periods of time without eating (or drinking anything with calories) so we’ll dive into both today.

Before we dive into intermittent fasting tips for weight loss, let’s talk about what intermittent fasting (a.k.a. IF) actually is and how you can benefit from it.

What is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?

Intermittent fasting is an extended period of time (at least 8 hours) that you go without consuming energy (a.k.a calories) in the form of food and beverages.  Plain, unflavored water has no calories so it’s totally okay to drink water while you’re fasting.  I’m going to state the obvious here - it’s highly recommended that you continue to drink water while you’re fasting.  I realize this should be common sense but I just want to be super clear.  When I’m fasting, I drink more water than usual probably because I’m not getting additional water from food.  Yup, your food has water in it, especially if you’re eating whole foods like meat, veggies, and fruit.  

Your Body’s Built-In Healer

When your body’s not having to metabolize food or beverages, it’s “take out the trash” process kicks in.  Basically, your body gets rid of cells that could cause cancer, heart disease (which the risk increases for women as we age), and other diseases.  This process can also boost your immune system which is obviously a win because who wants to get sick?  

Activate Your Inner Fat-Burner

When you fast and your body needs energy, it will either dip into your fat stores or make glucose (yes, this is a thing) from protein.  So, when your body is forced to dip into it’s fat stores, what does it do?  It burns more fat!  

One caveat about your body making glucose is it either makes it from food you consume (i.e. meat or eggs) or from your lean muscle mass.  Obviously the preferred way to do this is from protein you eat so your hard work in the gym isn’t wasted on your body making glucose from your muscles.  On that note, if you’re working on building muscle, long periods of fasting (12 hours or more) may not be best for you.  You want to be sure your activity level aligns with your calorie consumption and you’re getting enough nutrients to replenish the extra calories burned.

Hungry or Just Bored?

One thing I noticed 13 years ago when I first experimented with IF was that I was eating when I wasn’t actually hungry.  Looking back, this was probably the catalyst for my weight loss at that time.  I remember when my now hubby first introduced me to IF.  I thought he was crazy.  Skipping a meal was not what I considered healthy.  After a while, my body adjusted to it and it changed my life.  While I still struggle with my hunger cues (mostly when I’m tired or stressed) I’ve learned how to know when I’m eating just to eat or if I’m eating to give my body the nutrients it needs.  

Take Your Power Back from the Pantry

Piggy backing off of dialing in your hunger cues, IF helps you scale back your snacking if you’re a snacker (which I am!).  One thing I’ve noticed when I’m doing a planned fast is that I don’t snack at all.  When I do an intentional fast, it’s usually because I’ve eaten a huge meal the night before (which happens pretty much every Thanksgiving) and indulged in baked goods or booze more than usual.  This is how I don’t over consume calories when I’ve already eaten way too much.  So, if you’re a snacker, especially after dinner, experimenting with intentional fasting, say not eating anything after 7pm, could help you kick your nighttime snacking habits.

Navigating the Path of IF

• Before you start experimenting with IF, you’ll want to ask yourself these questions:

• What am I looking to get out of IF?

• Do I ever feel hangry when I’m hungry?

• Do I have energy lulls in the afternoon? 

• Do I have (or have had) an eating disorder? (This is a super important one!)

These are questions I ask my clients if they want to implement intermittent fasting in their life and here’s why.  Experimenting with IF may not be a good fit for you if you’re doing it just because it’s healthy or your bestie is doing it and it works for her.  Your body is unique which means what works for your bestie may not work for you.  Plus, you’ll probably need to make some changes to your schedule, so if you’re not willing to do this it might not be a good fit for you at this time.  If you’re at a point where you know you need to make a few lifestyle habit tweaks and you’re willing to make the necessary changes, then go for it and be strategic about it.

Let’s start with the last question.  If you’ve had an eating disorder in the past or if you think you could have one, please do not experiment with intermittent fasting.  Eating disorders are difficult enough to navigate on their own which means you don’t need another thing like IF to make it more challenging.  If you’re working with a professional about your eating disorder, I recommend talking with them before starting any other type of eating style.  

So, how do you be strategic about IF?  

If you feel hangry when you’re hungry, you’re probably not ready to experiment with fasting (other than when you sleep).  One reason for this might be too many processed foods (pizza, sandwiches, bagels, cereal, etc.) and not enough whole foods.  This means your body needs external calories (a.k.a. food) for energy too frequently throughout the day to maintain your energy levels.  When you eat satiating foods such as chicken, beef, and eggs along with healthy fats (avocado, butter, etc.) and you eat enough of it in one sitting, your body will slowly metabolize the food.  This will give you consistent energy levels throughout the day without have to refuel with food every 3-4 hours.

If this is you and you truly want to experiment with IF to either jumpstart your weight loss or get out of a plateau, I recommend focusing on eating whole foods every day for at least 21 days, preferably protein forward meals.  What do I mean by protein forward?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  When putting a meal together, choose (and eat) your protein first.  Think outside the box with this one.  You don’t need to eat eggs every day for breakfast.  Throw some chicken or leftover meat from dinner the night before on your breakfast plate.  

By the way, if you haven’t done so already go check out my podcast episode called 3 Signs You’re Not Eating Enough Protein.  This could be motivation and inspiration for your protein forward meals.  

One of my super easy go-to protein forward breakfasts during the work week is hardboiled eggs (we buy them cooked, peeled and ready to eat from Costco) and cooked breakfast sausages (without the crappy ingredients).  All I need to do is open the eggs and pop the sausages in the microwave for one minute and I have my nutrient-dense meal in minutes.  

This might take a bit of planning in the beginning but it’s totally worth it.  You’ll experience consistent energy levels throughout the day and other benefits such as better sleep, improved mood, and sustainable weight loss.  

Where to Start with IF

If you’re already eating whole foods most of the time, you don’t get hangry and you don’t have an eating disorder, you’re probably ready to start your first experimenting with intermittent fasting.

There are several ways to do this.  One way is to have a condensed eating window every day.  A great way to start with this is to simply extend your morning fast by a few hours.  For example, if you’re finished with dinner by 7pm and you eat your breakfast at 6am the next morning (which is an 11 hour fast), try waiting until 8am or 9am to eat your first meal of the day.   If this isn’t possible, try a 12 hour fast where you would eat at 7am.  You may need to make some shifts to your morning routine if possible.

You can also start with extending your fast in the morning on the weekend when you don’t need to be somewhere at a specific time.  This will give you more flexibility to make some shifts to your morning routine.  By the way, you don’t need to intermittent fast every day for it to be effective.  I only fast occasionally and it works for me.  

Now, this is where it’s important to really think about whether or not you’re willing to make changes.  If it’s too stressful for you to shift 10 things around in the morning then don’t do it.  It will only cause more stress and will be counterproductive to it’s purpose: a healthier body.

If you’re ready to do this and want to activate your inner fat-burner, my 4-Week Summer Slim Down will help you get your whole food eating style dialed in so you can experiment with fasting and get results. It’s a self-paced program that walks you through how to create a whole food eating style that works for you.  You’ll also learn how to create fitness and sleep routines to help your body burn fat more efficiently.  Plus, you can message me at any time through your Practice Better account for text support throughout the program.  If you want more personalized and video chat support from me, group and one-on-one coaching is available with limited spots open.  

5 Steps to Easier Weight Loss

When you hear the words weight loss, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  Deprivation?  Counting calories or carbs?  Hours of cardio?  These are all things I hear from women when they ask about the best way to lose weight.  So many women think sustainable weight loss is complicated and time consuming.  Do you need to put in an effort?  Yes, of course you do.  Does it take time to create new habits?  Yup, sure does.  But it can be easier than you may think when you make it simple.  

Today I’m going to share with you super simple ways to create sustainable lifestyle habits that put you in control of your weight loss journey.  This is the exact process that I personally use to walk my client’s through the process.  It’s your life and your body so you get to choose how you get to your destination.  When you put effort into building the foundation, the rest becomes easier.  Let’s dive right in!

Step #1-Get Super Clear on Your Values

This first step will help you get the ball rolling when choosing which habits you want to start or stop.  Maybe you don’t even know which habits are throwing a wrench in your weight loss efforts.  This is actually very common, especially for women.  It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of getting the kids to school, completing work projects, doing the laundry, and simply keeping yourself and your family alive.  Tapping into your values will help you uncover what’s actually most important to you which can get lost in the abyss of life.  

So, what are values?  Values are what’s most important to you in your life.  For example, I value home cooked meals made with whole food ingredients, variety in my meals, and simplicity.  My nutrition habits are centered around these three values.  

Maybe you value flexibility, autonomy, simplicity, balance, accomplishment, or motivation.  These are just a handful of values that can be at the forefront of your health and wellness goals.  

Step #2- Decide What You Want to Prioritize Right Now

Make a list of all your health and fitness goals you want to achieve in the next 12 months.  It doesn’t matter if you feel like they’re out of reach, write them all down.  Next, choose one (just one!) that you want to work on right now.  Which one is the low hanging fruit (i.e. the one you feel is the easiest to achieve)?  This is the one will be your focus in the next 4 weeks.  

Now, I realize you may want to focus on more than one goal to feel more productive.  Remember, you’re in this for the long haul.  Your health and wellness goals are ongoing which means it’s a continuous journey until the day you die.  You’ll move in and out of different phases where you’re working towards new goals or maintaining current habits.  

Step #3-Choose a Habit Implementation Strategy That Aligns with Your Values

Now it’s time to get the ball rolling on your action plan.  Make a list of all the habits that will move you closer to your goal.  For example, eating more protein will boost weight loss by helping you feel full longer and mitigate sugar cravings.  If you feel like you want to eat more protein and you value simplicity with your meals to accommodate your busy life, brainstorm ideas on how you can add more protein to your meals without complication.  Perhaps you can buy precooked chicken from the grocery store to have on hand that you can add to your lunch.  Or you could have hardboiled eggs that are peeled and ready to eat on a moment’s notice.  Buying ready-to-eat hardboiled eggs in bulk from Costco is one of my go-to solutions to get more protein.  

As you’re creating your list of habits you want to create, make sure to scrub them against your values list.  If a habit doesn’t align your values, it’s probably not going to be sustainable for you.  

Step #4- Rate Your Confidence on a Scale of 1-10 

This is a super important step in the habit creation process.  It’s so easy to get excited about what’s possible with your health and fitness goals that sometimes you tend to commit to too much.  This is totally understandable especially when you come into this with a lot of motivation.  I’ve been there many times with habits, in all areas of my life.  

Confidence in your ability to implement habits tells you whether or not you’ll be successful.  If you choose a habit that doesn’t align with your values or you simply can’t figure out how to weave it into your current lifestyle, it’s probably not the right habit for you, at least not at this time.  

On a scale of 1-10 (1 means you know you can’t do this and 10 is you’re 100% sure you can do this), if you’re 8, 9, or 10, it’s probably safe to say you can make it happen.  If you’re a 6 or 7, there might be some obstacles that are likely to get in your way.  Write out the obstacles and how you’re going to overcome them.  If you’re a 5 or less, go back to the drawing board and choose a different habit.  

Step #5- Actually Do it!

I know this sounds obvious but I’ve met so many women who get to this step and freeze.  They overanalyze they’re decision until they spin out of control and just give up.  Or they tell themselves they need to wait for the wave of motivation.  

I’m going to be direct with you here - more often than not, action comes before motivation.  If you keep waiting for the motivation to kick your booty in gear, you’ll probably be waiting for a long time.  Remember, your health and wellness habits are never permanent.  You’re not in a legal contract when you experiment with walking more or going to bed earlier.  You don’t have to do it forever and you can make tweaks down the road if it doesn’t work for you.

If you're like me and crave stability, think of your value system as your anchor during the habit change process. When you're crystal clear about your values and build your habits around them, you can maintain a strong sense of stability and truly thrive.

You Deserve an Easier, More Empowered Weight Loss Journey

The five steps we covered today aren’t about dieting harder or doing more — they’re about aligning your health and fitness habits with what actually matters to you. As a busy woman juggling so much already, you don’t need more pressure — you need a plan that supports you.

So here’s your next step:

Take 5 minutes today to reflect on your top values, then choose one small habit that feels doable and aligned. Write it down, rate your confidence, and commit to trying it for just one week.

No perfection. No pressure. Just progress.

And if you’re tired of doing this alone or second-guessing every step, I’d love to support you. Go here to book a free call with me — let’s create a personalized plan that actually fits your life.

You’re capable, you’re worthy, and you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.

How I Turned Self-Doubt Into Strength (You Can Too)

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved riding her bike, running around the neighborhood with her friends, and playing softball.  She wasn’t the strongest rider, fastest runner, or best hitter (she struck out at the plate more than most of her teammates).  While she felt discouragement along the way, she kept moving forward thanks to one voice. The voice inside that kept reminding her that she was capable of more and could do better regardless of what society was telling her.  To her, it wasn’t about being number one but being the best and strongest version of herself.

Today I’m going share my personal story of how I overcame self-doubt to eventually climb a 14,000 foot mountain in one day, ride 50 miles on a new-to-me bike when the farthest I’d rode was 40 miles up to that point, and complete one of the most dangerous hiking trails in the world on my first backpacking trip.  Even if climbing mountains and riding dozens of miles isn’t a goal of yours, keep reading.  If your goal is creating an exercise routine that helps you build lean muscle mass when you’ve never had tone arms and legs before or feel your best in your 40’s and beyond, this article is for you.

There’s a stigma that women are delicate humans that can lift weights, but super light weights.  Obviously, it’s not like Gone with The Wind where the women are sent upstairs in the afternoon to take a nap while the men drink and solve the world’s problems.  While more women these days are hitting the gym and lifting weights they never thought they’d be able to, there’s still an underlying belief that holds women back from pushing their physical limits.

Here’s the thing about your body: it’s capable of so much more than you think.  I’m living proof of this.

One of my best and most challenging characteristics is stubbornness.  Often times it drives my hubby crazy while other times it’s the driving force inside of me to push my comfort zone during a workout out or a challenging hill climb.  Channeling my stubbornness when I’m on the verge of giving up is usually what gets me over the hill.

As I mentioned earlier, I played softball as a kid and absolutely loved it.  The camaraderie with the girls on my team was something I craved as a shy kid who wanted to be social.  I remember feeling a little intimidated by the girls on the team who were the star players.  One of the girls was actually one of my best friends with whom I had countless sleepovers with at this time.  I really wanted to be as good as them and would sometimes go down the rabbit hole of comparing myself to them which led to not feeling good enough.  The thing is, I knew I had my own unique talents but I didn’t know how to express them at this time.  

I ended up getting a trophy one season for Most Improved Player.  This was a huge confidence boost because it proved to me that my focused efforts of mastering my softball skills paid off.  I’ve always been a hands-on and visual learner so I paid close attention to how my teammates threw the ball, caught the ball, and swung the bat.  Each day at practice I would implement new skills that I learned and kept practicing them until I felt my confidence surge.  While I didn’t make the softball team in high school, my experience playing in elementary and middle school made a lasting impression on me that I could do almost anything physically.  

So, fast forward to 2016.  My now hubby and I were planning a vacation to one the  Hawaiian islands.  He had the crazy idea to go backpacking on the Napali Coast on the island of Kauai.  My idea of a vacation is relaxing, eating local cuisine, sleeping in, and hitting the trails or the gym to keep my exercise routine going (if it’s possible).  He showed me photos online of the Kalalau Trail and it was so beautiful.  So, I agreed.  I mean how often do you have an opportunity to see firsthand island scenery that can only be seen up close on a hike or boat ride along the coast.  This was a rare opportunity and I wanted to take advantage of it.  

We bought backpacking gear (I didn’t have much since I’d only been on day hikes), checked our luggage, and headed across the Pacific ocean towards our first multi-day hike together.  Once we arrived at the hotel to spend a few days relaxing, we learned the trail we were about to hike was one of the most dangerous in the world.  I thought, okay how hard can it be at sea level.  Then we learned the island was getting an unusually heavy amount of rain for June.  This stirred up a lot of anxiety because we had about 7 or 8 streams to cross to get to the beach and then back to civilization.  I didn’t sleep great the night before and questioned my ability to hike this trail and come back alive.  

The first day was successful and exhausting at the same time.  At around mile 7 there’s a section of the trail called Crawler’s Ledge.  This is about a two foot wide trail up against a rock wall on one side and a 400 foot cliff on the other.  One misstep and you end up in ocean.  I was not expecting this and Scot intentionally did not tell me about it before hand.  He thought I would be too scared to do it and he was probably right.  He knew I was fully capable of doing it if I just did it and didn’t think about it too much.  He was right again.  By the way, don’t tell my husband I said he was right.  I don’t want to set a precedent (SMILE).

We made it to the beach, set up camp, dipped our feet in the ocean, and ate dinner.  I felt good about myself and how I pushed myself not just physically, but mentally as well.  It was a difficult trail with all the ups and downs and stream crossings.  

The next day we started our trek to the other campsite we passed on the way to the beach.  Crawler’s Ledge was a little more sketchy on the way back because it was super windy.  Holding on the rock wall while going around corners with a pack on your back isn’t the easiest (or safest) thing to do.  We helped each other stay calm on the short stretch by reminding ourselves that we did it once and we could do it again.

We made it to camp in the afternoon so we had time to relax and unwind after a few days of strenuous movement.  Everything was going smoothly until it started raining.  The streams I mentioned earlier?  Yeah, those were filling up rapidly with every drop of rain throughout the night.  I remember having a lot of anxiety that night about crossing the streams safely.  I’m talking crying and shaking.  Serious anxiety.  

The rain eventually stopped and I actually got some sleep.  We woke up to a stream so swollen from the rainfall that it took us about 45 minutes to figure out how to cross it safely.  This was the first of probably 4 or 5 streams that we need to cross to get of the trail.

After crossing, I felt a wave of relief and confidence that we were going to get of the trail safely.  I was very determined to get off the trail and catch our flight the next day to Maui to relax at a 5-start resort for the rest of our trip.  We kept hiking and crossing every stream with caution when needed.  When we arrived at the last stream, the water was up to my chest.  The rule of thumb is to never cross a stream if the water is above your knees.  I was throwing this rule out the window.  My stubbornness kicked into high gear and I was ready to get off the trail.

Scot was really nervous about me crossing, which I get.  One swift undercurrent and I would be carried out to the ocean.  I was confident we would both make it across because there were a few people on the other side of the stream pulling people across and one of them was park ranger.  

So, without thinking about it, I nudged Scot forward into the water holding on to his pack.  After a few steps, we came across a boulder underwater that we were able to step onto to give us some height above the water.  We grabbed onto the arms of the people on the other side of the stream and put our feet down on solid ground.  We made it.  With wave of relief, I felt tears well up in my eyes and started to cry.  Scot said, “We don’t have time to get emotional.  We still have two more miles to get off the trail.”  I understood where he was coming from.  We were exhausted and ready to be done with our Napali Coast adventure.

We powered through the last few miles (thankfully it was a super easy hike to the end), caught a ride from another hiker into Hanalei, and savored a delicious cup of cold brew coffee with macadamia nut ice cream.  It was a great way celebrate our accomplishment of pushing our comfort zones.  

Our Kalalau Trail adventure was the catalyst for pushing my comfort zone physically for future adventures.  I’ve hiked Mount Whitney in one day.  It’s 22 miles round trip with about 6,000 feet in elevation gain.  Not a walk in the park.  As we navigated the 99 switchbacks (yes, there’s actually 99-ish), I kept telling myself I could do it even when my muscles were feeling fatigued.  I pushed through and experienced the view from the highest point in the lower 48 states.  There are no words to describe the feeling of being up that high.  

Alongside our hiking adventures, we’ve been on several bike rides that definitely pushed me to the limit.  While I don’t push my comfort zone to this extent on a weekly basis, it has inspired and motivated me to increase my weight in the gym, do one more rep, or do a new movement that takes more coordination than I think I have in me.

All my hiking and biking adventures have taught me that my body is way more capable than I give it credit for.  Your body is the only one you’re given and it can take on adventures you’ve never thought possible when you build lifestyle habits around whole food nutrition, frequent movement and strength training, and lots of recovery.  Every single daily habit gets you ready for the next level.

The #1 Habit Most Women Miss in Their Workout Routine (And Why It Matters)

There’s one really important component of an exercise routine that often gets overlooked.  This missing piece can be the catalyst for efficient fat loss if you’re in weight loss plateau, better sleep if you experience insomnia, and consistent energy levels if you feel like you need to take a nap in the middle of the day every day.  I have good news and great news about the missing piece.  The good news is it’s actually a very simple habit you can add to your exercise routine.  And the great news is there’s so many ways that you can make this happen even with a busy schedule.  Today I’ll dive into the specifics of what this missing link is and how you can weave it into our exercise routine.

Let’s start by talking about the anatomy of a well-rounded exercise routine.  Working out isn’t just about burning calories to lose weight so you fit into your favorite pair jeans  or look lean and tone.  Now, deep down we all want to look good and feel like the sexy woman that we are in our favorite outfits.  This is sometimes the motivation we need to jumpstart our exercise routine that helps us get there.  However, when I work with my clients I’ve found there’s deeper, more valuable reasons to create an exercise routine that sticks.  One of the deeper reasons might be that you just want to improve your overall health so you can do all the things you want to do in your life, like live to see your kids get married, be independent and live on your own in your 80’s and 90’s (and beyond), and enjoy a rich life with minimal stress.

A well-rounded exercise routine can give you all this and more when you build your fitness foundation with three pillars: strength training, cardio, and recovery.  These three pillars, woven into a sustainable fitness routine, can help you take your health to the next level and beyond.

Out of these three pillars the one that’s often missing is recovery.  This is the pillar that is just as important as the workout itself.  When you’re not giving your body proper time to rest and recharge you’re causing unnecessary stress on your body that can inhibit weight loss, promote weight gain, cause hormonal chaos (such as intense PMS, infertility, perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms) and promote mood swings.  All these things are the opposite of what you want to get from your exercise routine.  Recovery activities are anything that relaxes you while giving your body an opportunity to heal, recharge, and destress from intense workouts.

On a quick side note, last week I talked about how to know if you’re exercising too much (which is more common than you may think).  If you haven’t read that article yet, head over here to check it out to see if maybe this is an area of your wellness routine that can be tweaked. 

So, what does recovery look like and how do you incorporate it into your exercise routine?

Recovery looks different for everyone and it can change depending on your mood, schedule, and most recent workouts.  For example, if I’m on a time crunch after a workout my post-workout cool down might be simply walking to the locker room and drinking water before I hop in the shower.  Other days it might be 10 minutes of stretching and mobility movements.

Taking a hot bubble bath with epsom salt is a relaxing way to give sore muscles much needed TLC after a strenuous strength workout and challenging hike.  Taking your dog for a walk is a leisurely way to move your body on days when your menstrual cramps are throbbing in your pelvic region.  Enjoying a walk with your family on a warm summer night after dinner is a great way to wind down and help your body digest food more efficiently.

Recovery activities can be planned or spontaneous depending on what’s happening in your life.  Weaving in recovery to your current exercise routine is a great way to make sure you avoid overtraining.  Of course, there can always be some wiggle room with your planned recovery.  For example, Sunday is our sleep-in day so we don’t usually schedule anything too early on these days.  This is the one day of the week we don’t wake up before 6am and can take our time in the morning.  If something comes up like a family BBQ or day hike with our friends on a Sunday we’ll definitely make an exception and get up early.  You can’t be so rigid with your recovery routine that you forget to live your life.

Spontaneous recovery can happen when you don’t get great sleep and wake up feeling tired and it’s only 7am.  Moving your body will help you wake up without making you more tired with an easy walk or yoga routine.  If you’re feeling crampy from PMS or your period, finding an activity that you can do instead of a strength routine can be super helpful with your recovery routine.  You can even choose to stay in bed to watch your favorite movie or binge your favorite sitcom (Friends anyone?).

The bottom line is incorporating recovery into your regular exercise routine can help you minimize stress, lose fat efficiently, sleep better, and have more consistent energy levels.

What’s your favorite way to recover from your workouts?

5 Signs You’re Exercising Too Much

Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or really motivated to lose weight, it can be super easy to get caught up in an intense exercise routine.  I speak from personal experience.  There have been seasons in my life when I worked out all the time.  I was running, strength training, and doing high intensity interval training (HIIT) almost every day.  I started to become obsessed with working out.

One of these seasons was when I was training for my first half marathon back in 2012.  I was running after work and on the weekends.  When I wasn’t running (or working), I was doing strength training and HIIT workouts.  On the weekends, my hubby (boyfriend at the time) and I were either hiking or climbing up the sand dune at the beach.  Looking back, I probably didn’t give my body the appropriate rest it needed.  However, I was 31 at the time and my younger body was able to recover faster and more efficiently than my current 44 year old mid-life body.

Today I’m sharing 5 signs you might be overtraining.  While they’re all intertwined, you may experience all, a few, or only one of them. No matter how many you experience, if you notice something is off about how you feel I encourage you to take a look at your training and recovery schedule to see if you’re overdoing it.

Chronic Muscle Soreness

When you exercise your muscles don’t actually grow while you’re doing squats or lunges.  During your workout your muscles get micro tears in them.  The growth (and healing) process begins after your workout which means this is time when your muscles get stronger.  You could experience muscles soreness during the growth process since your body is actually healing from a micro injury.  Soreness can also be caused by not enough lactic acid moving through your muscles efficiently.  This can be mitigated with low level intensity movement such as a leisurely bike ride or walk.

When you do intense workouts too often you don’t give your muscles time to heal properly.  It’s like when you have a scrape on your knee and you keep picking at the scab, you’re not giving your skin the opportunity to do it’s thing and create new, healthy skin.

Weight Loss Plateau

When you notice the number on the scale isn’t going down, it could be a number of different variables.  I talk more about one of the variables with weight loss plateaus in another article here.  When I meet women who tell me they workout for 1-2 hours every day and can’t lose weight the first thing that pops into my head is that they might be overtraining.  Of course, this depends on the type of workout they’re doing but this is a red flag for me.

When you do a HIIT workout 5-7 days a week, spend 30 minutes lifting weights and then go for a run or do a spin class for an hour you’re probably overwhelming your nervous system.  Think about your nervous system like the boss lady.  It has different systems that control your hormones and tells it what to do depending on how you eat, exercise, and rest.  If you’re exercising too much and not getting enough rest, it will tell your stress hormones to kick into high gear along with your hunger hormones to make sure you’re eating enough calories.  You’ll most likely be craving starchy carbs because your blood sugar levels are going up and down too often.  I’ll dive more into this later.

Unable to Sleep

In my opinion, sleep is the ultimate recovery method.  This is when your body kicks into high gear and calls in reinforcements to repair your muscles, tissue, and nervous system from the physical stressors (i.e. workouts) of the day.  When you can’t actually fall asleep to get enough sleep, your body can’t do it’s thing.

Sleeplessness from overtraining can be caused by intense muscle soreness, high cortisol levels, high blood sugar (or insulin), or all of the above.  The most effective exercise routine is designed to give consistent energy levels throughout the day and help you fall into a deep and restful sleep at night.  If you’re feeling fatigue during the day yet unable to fall asleep when it’s time hit the hay, something is off balance and not normal.

Increased Sugar Cravings

The combination of not getting enough sleep and your cortisol levels increasing can be the catalyst for your sugar cravings.  Even if you don’t necessarily crave sweet treats, this can make you want to eat more bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, and all the other yummy carby foods.  When you give into your cravings and eat that bowl of pasta with garlic bread (my go-to dinner back in the day!), it throws off your blood sugar which then causes your body to produce more insulin.  This causes chaos in your body and can lead to weight gain or at least stalled weight loss.

Giving into your sugar cravings can also intensify PMS, PCOS symptoms, and pain due to endometriosis.  If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS or endometriosis, creating an exercise routine that weaves in adequate rest has been known ease symptoms so you can go about your daily life with less interruptions.  You can go here to check another article I wrote about PMS relief.

What’s the solution?

While it might take time and a few brainstorming sessions, you can find a solution to your over training routine that works for you.  Often times my solution for overtraining comes to me by default, meaning sometimes life gets in the way of my training schedule and I need to prioritize something else that’s come up unexpectedly.  Other times I schedule it into my workout routine.  For example, if we go on a two hour hike carrying backpacks on a Saturday, I’ll plan on Sunday being a rest day where I do chores, go grocery shopping, or browse REI for two hours (yes, we’ve been known to spend two hours in REI).

This is where working with a health and fitness coach can be super helpful.  When you talk through something with a person (specifically one who’s an expert in habit creation) who can give you an outsider’s perspective to see your situation from a different angle.  This is often when you’re going to find the solution that works for you.  Your body is made up of complex systems that knows exactly what to do to keep you alive to survive or alive to thrive.  You just need to tune into your body and learn how to listen to it.

The (Unofficial) Start of Summer: Enjoy the Season Without Losing Your Groove

Memorial Day weekend is the start of summer fun even though summer season hasn’t officially started.  Graduations are happening, shorts and t-shirts are emerging from closets and drawers, and the BBQ cover is being taken off.  It’s time to celebrate warmer weather with get-togethers with friends and family, delicious food, and refreshing adult beverages.

Staying “on-track” with your healthy lifestyle habits can either be super easy or a bit more challenging this time of year.  By the way, I put “on-track” in quotes because you get to define what this looks like for you.

For moms with school age kids, it can be more challenging to stick to healthy habit routine during the summer since the kids are out of school.  When I was going to school way back when I remember summer being a free-for-all,  I got to sleep in every day (unless it was the week of vacation bible school) and my mom didn’t have to get us to school on time.

For moms who have kids graduating from high school, it can be an emotional time accepting the fact that their child is an adult now and free to do what they want (for the most part).  This is not only a new weather season but a new season for everyone in the family.  Newly graduated kids (yes, to me they’re still kids) are gearing up to enjoy their first summer before the next phase in their life.  Parents are preparing themselves to send their kid off to college or trade school, abroad for a gap year, or right into a full time job.

For some women, it’s a time of year to get back to healthier eating habits and a consistent exercise routine that got away from them over the past several months.  Because let’s be real, some years it takes a little longer to recover from the holidays and that’s okay.  If this you, it makes you a real human.

For other women, there could be some underlying anxiety on how to navigate summer festivities when they’ve made a lot progress with their mindset, habits, and weight loss.  This kind of anxiety can stem from getting derailed on a previous weight loss journey, whether years ago or more recently.

Whichever category you fall under, I’m here to share tactical tips with you to kick off your summer of fun while maintaining your healthy lifestyle habits or creating new ones.     

Tip #1- Skip the Bun

Before you totally discount this one, I encourage you to have your next burger at home without the bun.  I get that burgers are usually better with the buns (like In-n-Out burgers for example!) and I’m here to tell you that can taste just as good (maybe better) without the bread.  When we make burgers at home we enjoy them bun-less.

One thing I love about eating a beef or turkey burger patty without the bun is you can pile on more delicious ingredients without having to strategize how you’re going to pick it up and put it in your mouth.  I’m not one to shy away from eating with my hands (this is how I like to eat chicken on the bone), however, it’s so much easier and convenient to eat a patty with chopped bacon, mushrooms, guacamole, fried eggs, ketchup, and homemade ranch dressing with a fork.  Yes, we put all of these ingredients on our patties and not only are they nutrient-dense, they taste amazing.  Unless I’m super hungry from more intense workouts than usual or where I am in my hormonal cycle, this is an incredibly satisfying meal.

This is also an opportunity to get super creative with your burgers and think outside the bun.  Shake things up with your burgers and make them even more enjoyable and nutrient-dense by piling on all the whole food ingredients you can think of.

Tip #2- Get Outside as Much as Possible

One of my favorite things to do during the warm summer months is sit outside with a fresh cup of coffee in the morning and enjoy the fresh air.  When you’re out in nature your mood naturally (pun intended!) improves and you can feel your stress levels drop to a level of pure relaxation.  This is thanks to molecular fragments floating around called negative ions.  Ever feel super relaxed after being at the beach near water?  You can thank negative ions for being more prominent near water.

Getting sunlight directly into your eyes as soon as possible after waking up will help you sleep better at night.  Sleep is super important if you want to train your body to burn fat efficiently and keep your cravings in check.  Plus, you’ll have more energy to do all sorts of fun summer activities such as hiking, strength training, swimming, biking, and traveling.

Tip #3- Get Moving

Summer really is a great time of year to create a consistent exercise routine.  The sun rises earlier and stays out later which means there’s enough daylight throughout the day to workout at a time that works best for you.  While any time of year is a great time to create an exercise routine, biologically the summer months are an opportune time to get your ducks in a row.

Your body actually naturally wants to wake up when the sun rises and go to sleep (or at least wind down) when the sun sets.  Now, I understand it might not feel like it if you’re like me and love to sleep until at least an hour after the sun comes up.  Or if you’re a night owl (which I am not) and have the most energy after dark.  Doing the best you can to align your sleep schedule with the rising and setting of the sun during the summer months will give you more time in your waking hours to squeeze in a productive and effective workout.

These months in the middle of the calendar year are great for morning walks to get the blood flowing after you wake up and evening walks after dinner to help your body digest your meal better and lower your blood sugar (which helps with efficient fat loss).

You can even plan your summer BBQs around physical activity.  A game of frisbee, corn hole, or volleyball are fun ways to get off the couch into an upright position and move your body.  Plus, you can make it super competitive or laid back.  There doesn’t need to be a lot of talent that goes along with summer BBQ games.  The point is to make it fun and move your body.

Set Yourself Up for Summer Success

Take advantage of the next three months to soak up as much sunshine as possible (while of course protecting yourself from skin cancer) to help your body increase your feel-good hormones.  You’re more likely to make food, exercise, and sleep choices that align with your health and wellness intentions when you feel confident and happy.  You can lose weight while enjoying the summer festivities and indulging in your favorite summer treats (ice cream and wine spritzers anyone?).

If you need extra support during the summer months, I have two options for you: private group coaching or one-on-one coaching.  Both can be tailored to your specific goals, intentions, and lifestyle.  Go here to book a free call with me and we can chat about the details.