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.

One Habit Can Change Your Life (and it’s super simple!)

Your current lifestyle habits are why you are where you are right now in your life.  They’re why you have a consistent workout routine or are not quite there yet.  They’re why you gravitate towards takeout for dinner rather than cooking a delicious homemade meal.  They’re why you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning or jump up ready to start your day.

Habits are what you do day in and day out almost effortlessly.  They affect pretty much every aspect of your health and wellness.  If you want to make lasting change with any area of your health (i.e. weight loss) creating habits that move you in the direction of your goals is the key to success.

I’ve worked with clients in the past who were eating whole foods, moving frequently, and getting enough sleep that saw very little progress.  This can be incredibly frustrating!  Of course, with weight loss there’s several variables involved so the lack of progress could be a number of things.

One important aspect of your weight loss journey (and everything else in life) is your attitude and mindset.  These can be a bit challenging to keep in check when you feel defeated by not being able to lose weight and keep it off.

The one habit that’s made a huge difference in my life over the years is a simple one that can literally be done any where at any time: gratitude.

“Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.”-Oprah Winfrey

Gratitude is the low hanging fruit that many people overlook and is, in my opinion, underappreciated.  It’s one of the few actions you can literally do in less than a minute at any time that can improve your day almost instantly.  Expressing gratitude can be the catalyst that shifts your mood from “Blah” to “woo-hoo, let’s do this!”  And there’s evidence to prove this.

According to this article from Positive Psychology, gratitude actually changes the “neural structures in the brain.”  When new neural structures are formed, your ability to learn new things and make changes improves.  So, basically when you express gratitude   regularly you’re more likely absorb new information and create new lifestyle habits that support your weight loss intentions.

The even better news is that the article also says that gratitude can help you sleep better, be more resilient, lower your anxiety, improve your heart health, and more.  We all know great sleep and low stress levels are important for your body being able to burn fat more efficiently.

Gratitude has been known to increase your feel-good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine.  So, rather than grabbing your phone to scroll through social media to get your dopamine hit when you want to boost your mood, say out loud (or in your head) one thing that you’re grateful for in the moment.

Feeling anxious?  Express gratitude for at least one thing in your life in the moment.  You’ll feel your anxiety levels slowly start to go down.  Along with the calming sensation, you’ll experience a more positive mindset.

Lacking the motivation to workout?  Express gratitude for your physical ability to exercise.  You may feel a burst of motivation to get moving.

If you’re feeling frustrated with your weight loss progress, write down every single thing (yes, everything) you do on a daily basis to get you to your weight loss goal.  If you ate a salad with chicken and avocado topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, write it down.  If you chose sleep over a workout one morning, write it down.  If you enjoyed a glass of wine with your girlfriends, write it down.

Start including your small wins in your daily gratitude habit.  My hubby and I always share what we’re grateful for when we have a meal together.  We thank the animal for giving it’s life.  The ranchers, farmers, and even the truck drivers that transported our food to the grocery store.  I will also share that I’m grateful for a workout I did or the opportunity to teach fitness classes.  If I’m working on creating a new habit in my personal life or business, I’ll express gratitude for taking small steps to make it happen.

Don’t be shy about giving yourself the credit you deserve for taking action towards a healthier lifestyle.  Joining a gym, asking for help from a coach, planning your meals for the week ahead, and savoring a delicious piece of dark chocolate are all small wins that you can be grateful for every day.  It may not seem like you’re making progress but underneath the surface things are changing.  You just can see it yet.

I’m such a big believer in daily gratitude habits that I include it in my 12-Weeks to Sustainable Weight Loss program.  Health and wellness isn’t just about nutrition and fitness.  It’s about creating lifestyle habits that help you live an abundant life in all areas.  Gratitude is an important part the foundation of a rich life, whatever that looks like for you.

Action Step: Write down or say out loud 3-5 things that you’re grateful right now.

Crave Less, Thrive More: Your Empowered Guide to PMS Relief

Feel like PMS and period cravings take over your life once a month?  If this is you, I can totally relate.  Give me sweet potatoes, chocolate, and rice (not all mixed up together!) right before I’m about to start my period and I’ll be happy.  Maybe you crave salt and fat so potato chips feed your cravings (pun intended).

Whatever food cravings come up for you, this road can be a little tricky to navigate.  On one hand, I’m all about indulging in treats every now and then because you deserve to enjoy your life.  It can’t all be about strict diets. On the other hand, some of the foods you’re craving and eating could be contributing to more intense cramping, bloating, and fatigue.

The tricky part is finding a balance that works for you to satisfy your cravings while eating nutritious foods that minimize symptoms.  This is where I can help.  Today I’ll share how you can navigate your PMS and period cravings with fewer bumps in the road with my simple 4-step process.

Ready?  Here we go!

Step 1 - Evaluate Your Current Eating Habits

Your first step is to take a peek at what you eat over a 7-day period.  If you’re currently eating mostly whole foods such as chicken, beef, fish, eggs, fruits, and veggies, the next step will be easier for you than most.  You can go ahead and move on to step 2.

If you’re eating mostly pasta, bread, crackers, cereal, and other processed foods, I recommend shifting to eating more whole foods.  I understand this can be a big undertaking and something that might feel a little overwhelming at this time but it will be well worth it in the long run.

I used to have really intense periods in high school and throughout my twenties.  I would be in so much pain I just wanted to come home and curl up in bed.  I was cranky and exhausted every month.  It was not a fun way to live for myself or anyone around me.

Looking back, I know it had to do with the fast food I ate every day for lunch and the box of mac-n-cheese I ate when I got home from school.  I would eat anything and everything I could during that time of the month.  Did I mention I would eat the entire box of mac-n-cheese and eat the dinner my mom would make?  Yup, I didn’t shy away from eating (I was really active in high school and needed the calories) but the quality of food I ate was not so good.  This was probably the reason for my intense menstrual cramps and acne-prone skin.

Once I started to eat more whole foods and eliminate the processed foods, not only did my cramps not feel as intense but I didn’t have the intense food cravings.  Here’s the thing about your body: if you give it whole, nutrient-dense food it will want more of the same food and your processed food cravings will naturally diminish.  They may not go away entirely but you’ll feel like they’re at least under control.

If you need guidance on where to start with making the shift to whole foods, go here to book a free call with me and we’ll strategize together.

Step 2 - Prioritize Healthy Fats and Protein

During the last week of your cycle when you feel PMS coming on, your progesterone levels are at their lowest.. This is why you may feel more tired than usual, unable to focus, craving carbs (bread, rice, potatoes, baked goods, etc.), moody, and really just feel like your batteries need to be recharged.

When you give into your carb cravings this throws your hormones out of whack.  Eating high carb foods such as bread, rice, or potatoes, makes your body crank up the dial with insulin production to move out any excess blood sugar.  If you have too much insulin going through your blood stream at once, your hunger hormone increases which obviously makes you want to eat more.  You may notice you grab salty or sweet treats rather than whole food when your hunger levels go up.

One great way to mitigate any carb cravings is to focus on eating meals full of nutrient-dense proteins (meat, eggs, or fish), healthy fats (i.e. avocado), and veggies (broccoli, mixed greens, etc.).  This will help your body dial down the insulin production or keep it at a level that keeps your hunger and satiety hormones in check.  Plus, when you start your period, eating enough complete proteins (chicken, beef, bison, fish, and eggs) will replenish your iron faster.

Step 3 - Get Good Sleep

Have you ever woken up and felt like you could take on the world like the female super hero that you are?  Being well rested when you wake up might not be a common feeling for you but it can be.  More importantly, you deserve to wake up feeling well rested so you can have more mental clarity to make decisions that align with your healthy habit intentions like choosing a sweet potato over a cupcake.

Now, I can already hear the moms out there pushing back on this about how their kids wake them up in the middle of the night and feeling like getting great sleep is impossible.  If this is you, I want you to know that I hear you.  Taking care of kids isn’t always an easy task and it’s a 24/7 job.  I get it.

While I’m not a mom, I’ve experienced multiple nights in a row of not getting great sleep due to anxiety, middle of the night period issues, cats scratching on the bedroom door at 3am, hormonal disruptions, and I’m sure there’s more that I can’t think of off the top of my head.

Doing your best to prioritize sleep with your current lifestyle is key.  You don’t need to get 8-10 hours of sleep every single night.  In fact, I would recommend not setting this as a goal since it’s not realistic for most people, even people like myself who are child-free.

As with any lifestyle habit, this looks different for everyone.  It could mean getting to bed at 10pm instead of 11pm or sleeping in an extra hour one day a week.  It could mean turning off the screens two hours before you crawl into bed rather than scrolling on your phone until you fall asleep.  It’s not just about the number of hours of sleep but the quality of sleep.

When you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning and feel sluggish all day, you’re way more likely to reach for processed foods rather than whole foods when your hunger kicks in.  This is not because you don’t have enough willpower.  It’s because your body is naturally craving processed food.  It’s basically a biological response to not getting great sleep.

This is actually the time of the month where you may want to consider resting more than usual.  If you exercise in the morning and didn’t get good sleep the night before, make the conscious choice to stay in bed longer rather than workout.  Say no to a social commitment on the weekend to stay home and take a nap or watch a movie in the afternoon.  Rearrange your schedule to squeeze in more rest than normal.  Remember, you deserve it.

Step 4 - Minimize Stress During This Time

This last step can be a challenging one because there are stressors in life that we simply don’t have control over.  So, the intention here is to focus on the ones you can control and work around the ones you can’t.  I know… easier said than done.

Let’s take a look at some stressors that you may be able to control in your life:

• Limiting your access to the processed foods you crave so you can’t just reach for them.  Don’t buy them and avoid them at the office.  Sometimes having these foods easily accessible can cause underlying stress that you might not even know is lurking in the background.

• Skipping a workout and choosing a nutrient-dense meal with meat or eggs and veggies.  Intense workouts can be stressful on your body and increase your cortisol levels which will cause even more stress.  Taking it easy and doing yoga or going for a walk is much less stressful on your body.

• Say no to a social event to open up time in your schedule to rest and chill out.  Being on the go all the time is an unnecessary stressor on the body and mind that can cause all sorts of hormonal disruption which can increase your cravings.

Make a list of all the stressors in your life that you can eliminate temporarily so you can navigate PMS and your period with ease and grace.  Brainstorm ideas about how you implement more rest during these days of the month.

Empower Yourself

As women, we’re programmed to take on a lot of responsibilities in every day life.  It’s what society has taught us.  It’s important to remember that you can ease up on responsibilities when you feel it’s needed.  You can get help with childcare or caring for elderly parents for a few days or even a week.  You may need to get creative but it can be done.  One of my favorite quotes from my mentor, Marie Forleo, reminds me of this every day: “Everything is figureoutable.”

When you empower yourself to honor your body this time of the month, you’re able to be a better friend, colleague, partner, mom, and daughter in the long run.  You may even inspire the women in your life to do the same.

The One Workout Every Woman Should Be Doing

If I had to share one piece of fitness advice for you, as a woman, of any age it would be get your strength training on.  Cardio is great to improve heart health and keep your lungs healthy, but strength training is, in my opinion, the most important and effective form of exercise you can do as a woman regardless of your health and wellness goals.

Now, I normally don’t give fitness advice to anyone without asking questions to learn more about them and where they are in the moment.  However, strength training is the universal form of exercise that everyone can benefit from no matter the age.  And the great thing about strength training is that you can start a program at any age, experience level, and body size.  I work with a wide array of clients including women who have zero experience with strength training, are currently active and want to level up, live in a bigger body, live in a petite body, and are in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s.

Before we dive into the meat and potatoes of this article, I want to share an incredibly inspiring video from YouTube about an 80 year old woman that can deadlift 255 pounds (more than I can at age 44!).  She didn’t start lifting weights until she was 76.  Go here to learn more about this incredible woman!

Okay, now that we’re inspired let’s dive into the juicy details of strength training at any age.

Strength Training In Your 20’s

It’s never too early to start a strength training routine.  There are two important reasons to start a strength routine in your twenties: habit creation and bone mass.  We’ll talk about the importance of both right now.

While creating new habits later in life is totally doable, it’s way easier to maintain habits as you age when you start early.  I started lifting weights when I was in high school and have kept my strength party going in one form or another ever since.  My women's strength training class in high school kickstarted my passion for health and fitness.  Fitness more than overall health because, I’ll be honest with you, my fast food habit back then was not the healthiest.  This is a story for another day (and maybe to be shared with a whiskey in hand).

On average, your bone mass peaks in your mid twenties so the more strength training you do, the healthier and more sturdy your bones will be as you age.  Once you hit thirty, your bone density starts to gradually decline so it’s super important to do everything in your power to keep them strong.  Healthy bones are less likely to break which means your chances of injury goes way down.  Strength training along with impact movements such as jumping and proper nutrition help create strong bones.

Strength Training in Your 30’s

This is a decade that can be full of personal growth and opportunities.  You’re no longer in your twenties and have (hopefully) learned from the mistakes you made in your younger years.  This doesn’t mean that you won’t continue to make mistakes.  I’m in my mid-forties and I still make mistakes, although different ones than back in the day.

Most women in their thirties know themselves at least a little bit better and have a clearer vision for what direction they want their life to go in than they did in their twenties (I know I did!).

Women are getting married and having babies later in life and a healthy body is more likely to grow a healthy baby.  Getting pregnant can be a little challenging in your thirties since, according to biology, you’re past your most fertile reproductive stage in your life.  Thankfully there are ways in which you can increase your chances of getting pregnant past your so-called prime, strength training being one of them.

One huge benefit of strength training is maintaining healthy insulin levels.  If you’ve gone through my program, you’re already aware that insulin is the hormone that directs other hormones and nutrients where to go and what to do.  It’s basically the hormone boss-lady in your body.  Insulin plays a super important role in making sure you have just enough blood sugar running through you at once.  If you have too much insulin too frequently and it has to move a lot of blood sugar around, it can cause weight gain, diabetes (which we all know isn’t good), and prevent you from ovulating (which is kinda important to get pregnant).

Even if you don’t want to have a baby in your thirties, creating a strength training routine that works for you can help you get good sleep, have consistent energy levels, improve your overall health, and prepare your body for the next biological phases: perimenopause and menopause.  Now the strength party can really begin!

Strength Training in Your 40’s and Beyond

When you reach the beginning of your fourth decade on planet Earth (or maybe a few years prior), your body slowly starts to transition out of your reproductive years and into the final phase: post menopause.  This biological process can take several years and every woman’s experience is different.

If you’re in your forties and you’ve never had a consistent strength training routine, now is the best time!  I’ve had clients begin my fitness program in their forties with little to no experience with weights and within a few weeks they’re feeling more confident with their form and already feeling stronger.  In fact, my expertise as a women’s health and fitness coach is working with beginners who want to add strength training into their movement routine but don’t know where to start.  Strength training is a skill that can be learned and mastered no matter what your age.

If you’re a fitness enthusiast like myself and have been pushing dumbbells and kettlebells around for decades, you may notice a few changes before, during, and after your workouts.  You might be unable to build (or maintain) muscle like you did in your twenties and thirties.  This is because testosterone levels naturally go down as we age.  This hormone helps build muscles so without it, your body isn’t able to do this as well.  Estrogen plays an important role in maintaining muscle mass and what happens to estrogen as we age?  Yup, you guessed it!  It goes down.

Here’s the great news!

I don’t want you to finish reading this and think that once you’ve joined the Forties Club that you’ll get weaker every year for the rest of your life.  Okay, I know this is a little dramatic but this is sometimes the mindset the we slip into when we learn about the aging process.

You don’t have to live out the second half of your life unable to get out of bed, off the toilet, or carry your own groceries.  There are lifestyle habits you can implement to mitigate muscle loss and even gain muscle.  Yup!  You read that right.  It is possible to gain muscle in your forties and beyond.  You just need to make a few tweaks to how you gain muscle.

My top three tips for gaining muscle at any age are:

1. Get good sleep - Your body goes into repair mode when you sleep and this is the time when the human growth hormone increases, which is beneficial for muscle growth.

2. Consider taking a creatine supplement - While creatine is found in meat and seafood, supplementing with it can help with muscle recovery if taken after a workout and with performance if taken before a workout.  Check out this short article from Harvard Medical School that talks about how it can help mitigate muscle loss as we age.

3. Eat enough protein - Eating enough protein for your body that supports the intensity of your workouts can be a game changer with building muscle.  Muscles are made of amino acids and our body gets amino acids from protein to rebuild muscles.

Want to dive a little deeper into strength training?

Go here to check out my article about strength training and metabolism: 3 Reasons Your Hubby’s Losing Weight Faster Than You.  You can also go here to check out my podcast episode here where I share 3 Tips to Get Comfortable with Strength Training.

Feeling inspired to build strength and confidence at any age—and want a coach who’s got your back every step of the way? Let’s do this together! Book your free call with me today and join a supportive, empowering journey to a stronger you.

Wellness Gets Way Easier With Systems That Support You

If you’ve found yourself saying “I’m too lazy to eat healthy and exercise!  I just don’t have the willpower.” you’re definitely not alone.  This is something I hear a lot from people, especially women.  As women, we’re juggling a lot throughout our daily lives: partners, work, cooking, grocery shopping, kids, cleaning, laundry and the list goes on.

Here’s the thing about saying you’re “too lazy to eat healthy and exercise,” it’s a story you’re telling yourself that’s not actually true.  In fact, it couldn’t be further than the truth.  You actually do have the willpower within yourself.  You just need to bring it to the surface by getting efficient habit systems in place.

Before I dive into how to find the willpower within yourself, I want to say that I get where you’re coming from by thinking you’re lazy.  I thought this about myself for years until I cracked the code on effective habit systems.

It’s easy to feel this way when:

• You struggle to stick to a healthy meal plan

• You have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning to workout

• You have a super busy schedule with work, family, and social events

• You just want to scroll through social media or binge watch a show after dinner

• You can’t resist the sweet treats in the break room at work

These are all valid reasons to make you think that you’re lazy.  The reality is these are simply obstacles that are getting in your way and you just need to find a way to overcome them to uncover the willpower that’s inside of you (trust me, it’s there!).

I realize this is easier said than done.  It might be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier.  I share this from personal experience.  Creating new habits is my superpower.  This is what I’m trained to do to help my clients create sustainable lifestyle habits that work for them and I’ve mastered this skill in my own life.  Creating habit systems in my life that are fun (for the most part) and fold into my life efficiently (and sometimes effortlessly) has made healthy lifestyle habits easy.

Okay, let’s dive right in!

Making your new habits easy for yourself is key in creating a habit system that works for you.  Having systems in place that you can do over and over again help you get the habit you want to implement ingrained in you.

When you’re creating a new habit, your brain is actually creating a new neural net so you can eventually do the new activity pretty much without thinking about it.  It takes time and energy to create these new neural nets in your brain which means you need to do something new over and over again to make it stick.  If you make it too complicated, you’ll be tempted to give up too easily and your brain won’t have enough time to put it on autopilot.

I learned this throughout my training as a health coach and from BJ Fogg’s book, Tiny Habits.  There are a lot of habit books out there and this one is definitely my favorite.  If you tend be more analytical, this habit book might be good for you.

So, what does a habit system look like?  Let’s take a look at different scenarios…

That cupcake calling your name in the break room? Yeah, that’s not just temptation — it’s part of your habit system doing its thing. Hitting snooze five times before dragging yourself into a half-hearted workout? Yep, that’s your current exercise habit system. And that nightly scroll-a-thon on the couch after dinner? You guessed it — another habit in action. The good news? Systems can be reworked, rewired, and made to actually work for you — not against you.

If you want to get different results such as healthier eating and exercise habits, something needs to change within your habit system.  Rather than thinking you have to do all this work to create a new habit, think of it as simply updating your habit systems to get the results you want.

As I mentioned earlier, the most important thing to do is to make your new habit super easy.  I personally don’t like complicated processes, at least not when I’m creating a new habit.

You decide to work with a health and fitness coach (a win for you!).  You’re ready to make changes, but then you’re handed a meal plan packed with ingredients you don’t buy and recipes that feel more like a cooking show than real life. You do your best, stick with it for a week, but pretty soon, it’s clear: this just doesn’t fit your life. You’re busy, the meals aren’t enjoyable, and you're only following it because someone told you it’s “healthy.” But here’s the truth — lasting change doesn’t come from forcing yourself to eat things you don’t love. It comes from building habits that actually fit you, your lifestyle, and your taste buds.

The next thing you know, you’re telling yourself that you can’t eat healthy because you’re lazy and don’t have the willpower.  Then your thoughts transform into “Why did I invest in a coach when I can’t be helped at all?”  This frustrating cycle continues until you get habit systems in place that actually work for you.

Here’s my philosophy as a coach: it doesn’t matter how healthy a meal plan or effective an exercise routine is if you’re not going to stick to it.

The reality is you need to figure out a healthy meal plan that you enjoy eating and is easy to prepare (30-minutes or less is my go-to during the week!) while at the same time is made up of nutrient-dense, whole food (meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruit, nuts, berries, etc.).  This can be done with a mini experiments and patience (sometimes a lot of patience!).

The same is true for an exercise routine.  When I’m programming workouts for my clients, one of the things I want to know is which type of exercise they really don’t enjoy doing.  I’m talking any movement they would really struggle to find the motivation to do.  And then I want to know what they do enjoy doing for exercise.  It doesn’t have to be a movement they actually love but at least tolerate (sometimes with a smile).

Speaking of exercise… an important part of your fitness habit system is getting ready for your workouts.  The small steps you need to take to get to your workout space (the gym, your living room, or your corporate wellness group fitness class) make a big difference in whether or not you get to your workout.

Packing your gym bag the night before can give you more time in the morning to get to the gym.  Putting your workout clothes and shoes near the front door so you can put them on right when you get home from work can make it easy for you to go for a walk before dinner.  Putting on your workout clothes right after waking up in the morning before you have your coffee can get you in the mindset to workout.

Now it’s time to take action!

What’s one tweak you can make to a habit system where you want to see different results?

Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Remind yourself why you don’t want to eat the sweet treats on the table or avoid the temptation all together by not walking into the break room.

• Find a time of day to workout when you have the energy so you’re not dragging yourself out of bed when morning workouts don’t work for you.

• Go for a walk after dinner rather than picking up your phone or turning on the TV.

There really are so many different ways you can make tweaks to your habit systems to make them more efficient.  Every small step in your habit systems will help you find the motivation to take action and actually see the results you want and deserve.

Remember… You’re not lazy!  You just need habit systems in place that work for you.

10 Ways to Prioritize You—Because You Deserve It!

Self-care is a term that can mean different things to different people.  To some, it might mean going to a fancy spa and getting a luxurious massage or getting a mani-pedi.  To others (like myself), it might mean sitting in the sun for 10 minutes or sitting alone in a room for 5 minutes by myself.

Most people think you have to spend money on self-care when the reality is you actually don’t need to spend any money at all to treat yourself to a luxurious moment in your life.  There are a lot of ways you can take care of yourself that take minimal time and effort.

I’ve broken down 10 self-care ideas almost anyone can do no matter how busy life gets.  These are simple and easy (which is a combination that I love!) ways to show yourself some love and that you’re worthy and deserving of living your dream life.

Let’s get started with these ideas and how to implement them!

Focus on Positive Self-Talk

This one can be a game changer in all areas of your life.  Talking to yourself as if you’re your bestie is showing yourself that you’re worthy of respect.  I’m not talking about being a pollyanna and being positive 100% of the time (this is totally not realistic and actually unhealthy!).

When you make a mistake, give yourself grace and remind yourself that you’re human.  Limit your pity party to 5 minutes or less and then move on to what you learned from the mistake and how to fix it.  Then… move on with your life.  Repeating this process over and over creates resiliency.  Resiliency can make overcoming any obstacle (especially those related to weight loss) feel almost effortless in the long run.  This is easier said than done and something I’m constantly working on myself.

Take a Hot Bath

A hot bath with your favorite bubble bath or epsom salt (or both) can give your body what it needs to decompress from a stressful day.  The hot water and epsom salt relaxes your muscles and minimizes soreness from workouts.  It can also help ease those pesky menstrual cramps so you don’t have to suffer every month.

So, grab your bath pillow, favorite book or relaxing music, and glass of wine and slip into a nice hot tub of water.  Or just enjoy your bath in silence with your eyes closed.  You’ll emerge from your bath feeling better than you did when you got in.

Go on an Exercise Date With Your Partner

When my hubby and I started dating, several of our dates were Saturday morning meet ups at the sand dune or trailhead.  It was a great way for us to talk and get to know each other while being in the fresh air and sunshine.  It was an opportunity to get away from the screens and have meaningful conversations to see if we’re compatible.

We still do this almost every weekend after 13 years together.  Staying active is an important value we both have as individuals and as a couple.  It’s something that we bond over even after being together for over a decade.  Whether you’re in a new relationship or seasoned one, exercising together can help you get or stay healthy together as a team.

Get Out Your Crayons (or Colored Pencils) and Coloring Book

When I was kid I loved getting my color crayons (yes, I still call them color crayons) and coloring books out to sit and color.  I could do this for hours on end.  As an adult, we tend to get away from the simple activities we did as kids when we should really be moving towards them.  It gives us a much needed break from “adulting.”

If you go to a bookstore (yes, they still exist believe it or not!), there’s a wide variety of adult coloring books.  You can choose one that features National Parks, super heroes (I have a Wonder Woman book), nature, holidays, and so many more I can’t list them all.  I found a Barbie coloring book at Target a few weeks ago that took me back to my childhood.  I’m sure you can find one that piques your interest.  Coloring can be a relaxing way to unwind, tap into your creativity, and allow your mind to wander.

Enjoy a Cup of Coffee

My favorite morning routine is sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee.  While the caffeine boost gives me energy, the taste of coffee and the ritual of starting my day off in a relaxing way is part of my self-care routine.  To me it’s not just about sipping the coffee, though I do love the taste.  It’s about this entire process.  We make hand-brewed pour over coffee every morning and while it’s a bit of a process, it’s well worth the effort.

My hubby and I have certain days of the week when each of us make the coffee.  On Sunday mornings, I get to sleep in a little while my hubby gets out of bed before me and brings me coffee in bed.  Letting him do this is part of my coffee self-care routine.  Let your partner do the heavy lifting with your coffee routine so you can sleep in a little bit.

Watch a Few Episodes of Your Favorite TV Show

Sometimes we feel the need to escape from our current life momentarily and step into different reality.  Turning on your favorite TV show for a few laughs (or maybe some tears) can be a relaxing experience to help you unwind.  My top three favorite shows are Friends, The Big Band Theory, and The West Wing.  While The West Wing is obviously more of drama than a comedy, all three of these shows can make me laugh no matter what kind of mood I’m in.

Just to be clear, stepping into a different reality (especially a fictional one) isn’t a way to avoid any problems happening in your life.  It’s an opportunity to step back and take your mind off what’s happening for a short period of time.  Often times stepping away from a problem and doing something else can actually help you solve your problem.  So, having fictional friends that you can “hang out with” at Central Perk, the Comic Book Store, or in the Oval Office can help your brain go do it’s thing to find a solution while you sit back and relax.

Eat a Meal with Meat (or Seafood) and Veggies Only

You might be asking yourself why I included this one as self-care.  The answer is very simple: eating whole, nutrient-dense food is one of the most important self-care activities you can do for yourself.  This is something we often overlook when we think of self-care.  If you want to start small with your self-care routine, start by eating one meal a day that’s made up of chicken, beef, bison, seafood, or eggs and veggies.  This is treating your body with the respect it deserves so it can do what it needs to do to keep you getting great sleep, stay lean, and age gracefully.

Say No to a Social Event You Don’t Want to Go To

This can be a hard one if you’re a people pleaser like me and want to say yes to everyone to avoid any conflict.  What I’ve learned over the years of being a professional people pleaser is that I’m not actually avoiding conflict when I say yes when I actually want to say no.  After I say yes, there’s always regret bubbling up inside of me for committing to something I didn’t want to do.

Along with being a people pleaser, I tend to be a very loyal person so telling someone yes when I wanted to say no causes more conflict within me.  Saying no to a social event you don’t want to go to can feel incredibly liberating.  I just said no earlier this week to a social event that I almost said yes to only because I wanted to support my friend.  It felt really good to say no with zero guilt creeping up afterwards.  The older I get the more I want to protect my time.  Plus, I don’t like going out on a school night unless it’s something really fun like Taco Tuesday!

Improve Your Relationship with Money

This is one that I’ve been working on slowly over the years and have recently accelerated my efforts to level up.  We are all where are financially as the result of our money story and beliefs about money.

Now, I won’t go into more detail about specifics since I’m not an expert on the topic but I will say this: while money doesn’t make you happy, it does give you choices.  You’ll have more choices to travel, invest in your health and wellness, buy all the food you need, or treat your family to a night out.  When you have a healthy relationship with money you don’t worry about it as much.  The less worry you have in your life, the more you channel your energy into focusing on what you want to do with your life.

Wash and Condition Your Hair

This may sound like a silly one but tell me, how great does it feel to get out of the shower, run a comb through freshly washed hair, and go on to either let it air dry or use a hair dryer?  I washed my hair last Sunday even though I could have waited until Monday morning because I love the shampoo and conditioner I use and how my hair feels when it’s clean.

Healthy hygiene is definitely up there on the self-care priority list.  Having clean hair helps me feel more confident in my own skin even when it’s just me and my hubby lying around watching movies on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Prioritize Your Self-Care Today

To wrap it up, when you take care of yourself first you not only improve your health, but your confidence increases, as well.  You feel more relaxed and energetic, ready to take on the world.  You’re body is able to burn fat efficiently, you experience more motivation than before, and you’re able to better take care of those around you.  By helping yourself first, you’re in-turn helping others at the same.  It truly is a win-win!

7 Reasons to Take Care of YOU Right Now

When was the last time you did something for yourself?  I’m talking about something that was not influenced by your kids, spouse, friends, or anyone else in your life.  Something that was all about YOU.

If you can’t remember, it’s totally okay.  To be honest, you’re probably not alone.  So many women (myself included) find it challenging to carve out time for themselves.  As women, we’re taught to take care of everyone else around us first.  Now, I realize this isn’t true for all women but it’s a common theme among women who are married, have kids, or take care of elderly parents.

Let’s chat about why it’s important to take care of YOU right now.  Next week we’ll tackle self-care strategies and how to implement them into your life so be sure to tune in then.

Respecting Yourself

Take a minute to think about how you treat someone who you truly respect.  Would you talk to them with words of discouragement or encouragement?  (We’ll chat more about self-talk next week.)  Would you jump in and help them when they needed it?  When you treat yourself with the utmost respect that you would another human, you get to know yourself on a deeper level.  You gain clarity on what you really want and not what you think you want based on what others are telling you.  Living your life the way society tells you is the “right” way is not treating yourself with respect (unless it aligns with your values, of course).  I’m sure most of us have done this at some point in our life.  When you gain clarity on what you really want, you’re able to set your life up in a way that aligns with your values.  Which leads into the next reason for taking care of you.

Realistic Expectations

When you start showing yourself more respect and get super clear on what you want, you organically begin to set up realistic expectations for yourself.  Your focus shifts to the healthy habits you can fit into your life rather than rearranging your entire life to force habits into it because, well, that’s not fun.  This helps you set realistic expectations.  Now, you may need to make a few adjustments with your schedule to squeeze in 2-3 workouts during the week.  For example, if you can’t (or don’t want to) workout in the morning but you want to start exercising regularly, find times during your week that work for you.  Maybe you have 30-minutes when you get home from work where you can squeeze in a 20-minute at home workout.  Or go for a walk after dinner with your family rather than watching a show.  There are ways to get creative.

When you set up realistic expectations for your own life (and not anyone else’s) you’ll experience more success and learn how to celebrate your small wins.  For me, packing my gym bag the night before is something to celebrate because it makes my mornings so much more relaxed.  It gives me more time to read and enjoy my morning coffee, which is part of my self-care routine.

Respecting yourself proves that you’re worthy and deserving of the healthiest and happiest version of yourself.

Increased Confidence

When you start taking care of yourself, you organically begin to feel more confident in your own body.  The small wins I just mentioned?  Each and every one of these is going to give you a boost of confidence.  Some will be small and others will be big.  Each of these wins, no matter how big or small, will motivate you to keep moving forward.  You may not notice it in the moment but the motivation is there.  You just need to trust the process.

When your self-confidence is higher, you naturally feel like you deserve more.  You’re more likely to stick to what you define as healthy lifestyle habits: frequent movement, nutrient-dense foods, plenty of rest, and most importantly, indulging in life’s simple pleasures (chocolate and wine anyone?).

More Energy

There might be seasons in life when you feel exhausted all the time.  If you’ve just given birth, your adorable, tiny new roommate might be a challenge to get used to (it’s good thing she’s super cute!).  If you have a deadline at work, you might be working long hours to not only get a project done, but do it well.  If you’re planning a wedding, getting together all the details for your special day might feel like a part (or full) time job.  When you prioritize your self-care during these times, you’ll have the energy you need to power through this time in your life.

Even during the seasons in your life that are busy, but not crazy busy, you’ll experience more consistent energy levels when you focus on your self-care.  I’m not saying every day is going to be filled with energy levels that keep you moving like the Energizer® Bunny all day long but you can experience more days like this when you do than when you don’t.  Eating nutritious meals, drinking plenty of water, and laughing are all things that can help you feel alive and energetic.  This leads us to the next reason to prioritize your self-care…

Better Moods

Those times when your anxiety is at its peak, you’re snapping at your hubby (or kids) for no reason, or you feel like your world is crumbling around you can be few and far between when you make yourself a priority in your life.

As women, we can be very skilled at saying everything is good even though on the inside we’re about to lose our shit because we spilled a glass of water.  I know you’ve been there because I’ve been there, too.  When there’s a dumpster fire going on inside of you it’s okay to admit it.  This will help you let the emotions flow so you can move on.

Once you grab the fire extinguisher and put out the dumpster fire, it’s time to replace the “everything is good when it actually isn’t” skill with one that makes you an expert at carving out time for yourself on a daily basis.  We’ll dive into the nitty gritty about how to do this next week.  I promise you it can be done with time and a lot of patience (and maybe some wine or whiskey), which I know you have deep down inside (the patience, not the wine or whiskey).

Once you master the self-care skill, you’ll notice you’re in a better mood more often.  This will help you overcome challenges that come up and become more resilient.  You’ll find yourself bouncing back faster after a set back.  You’ll feel your anxiety melting away and become more optimistic about your future.  Your relationships will improve and you won’t need to apologize as often for yelling at your hubby because he didn’t put the toilet seat down.

Better moods naturally lead to our next reason…

Efficient Fat Loss

One skill to be mastered that often gets overlooked when you’re wanting to lose weight is managing your stress levels and keeping your cortisol in check.  This can be the missing link in your fat loss puzzle.

You’ll always have stressors in your life which this is actually a good thing.  Your body actually needs cortisol (your stress hormone) to thrive.  Cortisol in combination with serotonin helps your body wake up in the morning.  Plus, when you’re actually in a life threatening situation, cortisol protects you by helping you react effectively.  So, we want a healthy level of cortisol that keeps us alert but not too much to where we’re always feeling like we’re on edge.  When this happens your body automatically goes into protection mode and keeps any extra fat on you to make sure you’re good to go at any time.  It’s your body’s way of keeping you alive in moments of distress.

When your stress levels are at a healthy level, your body feels more relaxed and wants to let go of any excess fat it’s holding onto to keep you thriving and not just surviving.

Improve Your Overall Health

Taking care of yourself by doing all the things (eating whole foods, relaxing, taking a hot bath, sleeping, etc.) lowers your chances of heart disease, high blood pressure, and   other chronic diseases.  Creating lifestyle habits that focus on self-care before going through menopause is super important.  The hormone estrogen is important in protecting you from heart related issues.  Since your estrogen levels drop significantly during menopause, having self-care habits in place can help prevent heart disease post menopause.

What’s your number one reason for taking care of YOU?

If you’ve been part of my community for a while (or have worked with me one-on-one), you already know I’m a big fan getting clear on your Why.  So, if you wanted to make self-care a priority in your life today, what would be your motivation?