The Strongest Version of You

I don’t want you to be the strongest person in the world. 

I want you to be the strongest version of yourself.

I’ve been in the fitness industry long enough to know that the mirror results you’re looking for aren’t what matter the most.

I know you think they do. I know they give you your initial motivation to show up because who doesn’t want to feel amazing in a bikini?

But I also know that those mirror results won’t be what keep you coming back. You need more than that after your mirror results are achieved.

I know it’s what you want, I know the frustration of NOT having it is what’s driving you to FINALLY make the change you’ve been thinking about for years.

But I also know, with complete certainty, that the mirror result you want won’t be what keeps you going once you get it.

✔️ strength

✔️ power

✔️ confidence

feeling like a bada$$…that’s what’ll keep you going long after the novelty of the mirror results wear off.

Where's Your Head At?

The mental gymnastics of working out  is a real thing.

I’m going to be real with you: the only time you EVER want to hear me talk anything mindset is when I’m being motivational af.

Otherwise, you want NO part of it.

No I’m serious. I see my insights on IG and whenever I talk about how negative thoughts impact the success of your workout, I see a rapid decline in engagement.

I get it. No one wants to talk about how much of a literal mind f-ck it is to put your body intentionally into a place of stress. 

Think about it from a practical standpoint: who would willingly want to put themselves in a vulnerable position? Not me. And yet here we are.

We wanna talk even LESS about what happens to our brains when we put ourselves in that place of stress and then…we…FAIL.

Here’s your challenge for today: let your thoughts be what they may when you workout. But take notice of them.

Are they negative? 

Tomorrow when you get into your workout, push those negative thoughts aside by getting distracted by your music or your podcast or your instructor. 

Keep doing that and then next week, take that distraction and start telling yourself something positive, even if it’s just: this will be done soon.

See how much it makes a difference in the success of your workout.

Consistency is Key

Maybe you’re just starting a new routine. Maybe your routine is on point.

Keep showing up. 

Grab Your Dumbbells!

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Even when it gets sticky. 

Even when it gets hard and you want to quit.

On the mornings you would rather stay in bed, on the afternoons when work and being a part time chauffeur to all your kids’ activities is taking up all your time.

Especially on the days you don’t feel like it. 

That’s what will get you the change, the results, the transformation you’ve been working towards.

Not the best workouts everyday, but the consistent workouts.

Reality is that not every workout is going to be the best workout. It’s not going to feel like Disneyland.

If you’re pushing yourself, it very rarely ever will. 

But at the end of the day, what matters the most is you showing up regardless of all that extra noise and all those things you think are holding you back.

AMRAP 

6 minutes

8 seated overhead tricep presses

8 bridge hip taps

12 Russian twists

Peace Out A$$hole

I’m gonna sweat out my inner critic today. 

Wanna join me?

It’s amazing to me, not just as a trainer but as an athlete as well, how hard we can be on ourselves.

It’s like as soon as the hard part of a workout kicks in, we immediately start beating ourselves up. Sure, sometimes we go to the “this sucks” line of thinking but more often than not, we go to the “I can’t do this” line of thinking.

I’ve been training people for over 10 years, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, as soon as that thought creeps in, your body won’t be able to do whatever you’re telling it to do.

When your head goes to that spot, it becomes super easy to get discouraged and then it becomes even easier to just not show up.

I mean, why show up if it’s not going to go well in the first place right?

Some days though, the last person I want to deal with is that negative voice. Sometimes I just want to bust through a workout and not worry about my opinion of it.

I’m determined to shut that noise out today. To show myself that MY best is more than enough and my strength is not just some dream but my reality.

Save this Workout 

5 rounds

10 reps each round

10 swings

8 single arm push press

8 single arm cleans

What Does This Mean to You?

If working out isn’t selfish, then what is it?

We’ve all been on this train for the past few years of “self-care isn’t selfish”. I remember when this movement started. I think I remember it because I was on that train as the freaking conductor well before it even started. 

Grab Your Dumbbells!

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I used to tell clients the importance of making time for your health. Not just so you could look good naked with the lights on (to yourself) but so you could serve those around you from a more authentic place.

Your workouts give you the opportunity to catch your breath from the chaos that surrounds you, and from the stress of your day. It also gives you the chance to remind yourself that you are strong, you are capable and you are a badass (with a good ass).

Now we’ve all come to understand the importance of taking care of yourself and how that care trickles into every other part of your life. We have the sweatshirts that say “self-care is the best care” or whatever. Even if we aren’t the best on implementing consistent self-care, we at least understand the importance of taking care of ourselves.

But if working out isn’t an act of selfishness, then what is it to you?

For me, it’s my sanity saver. Sure working out keeps me strong and serves a professional purpose. Obviously right? I train people how to workout, so really I have to be able to do the things I’m teaching and that only comes with practice.

But a hard workout completely diverts my focus. A hard EMOM means I’m only thinking about what I’m currently doing. I’m not thinking about all the stuff that needs to get handled in that day or the laundry or the dog, or the grocery list.

It’s my time. It’s my time ALONE. No one can help me on it, no one can do it for me, and there’s no way past it except to go straight through it.

It’s sacred to me.

Get to Work

This is only gonna work if you do. 

It’s not enough just to show up even though that’s most of the battle.

I know getting to the actual workout is like 90% of the battle. But getting there doesn’t mean you’re going to be in the mood to do it.

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve gotten on my mat just to lay down and stare at the ceiling because it all feels like TOO much and I need a minute.

But once you’re there, you gotta try. You have to give your best for that day to get the results you want.

Re-read that sentence. The best for that day. Not what you think your best is, or what your best was yesterday or even what your best will be tomorrow.

It’s your best right now. Sometimes that means just moving, sometimes that means pushing yourself hard af, but whatever the effort is for that day, it means honoring and respecting your body.

But what do you on the days when the idea of doing the work gives you hives?

We all have those days. Maybe you didn’t sleep well, maybe everything you need to get done HAS to take priority over the workout, or maybe your head is just not in the game today.

You’re entitled to those days. After all, we’re only human. It happens.

When it happens, you address it and then you let it go. You know tomorrow is going to be a different day.

Regardless of the reason, the priority is having a killer back up plan in place so you know you can take a day to get your life together.

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Here’s my Top 3 Tips for Handling the Off Days:

1. Slow movement is better than no movement. Take it down a notch. Instead of doing a heavy lifting, long run, or crazy HIIT day, do something low impact. Go for a walk, do some yoga or mat pilates.

2. Move in smaller increments. Do something for 10 minutes instead of your longer workout. Stretch or foam roll, to get a little burst of energy and your blood flowing.

3. Focus on your food. Hydrate, give your body nourishing and balanced meals so you’re fueled to jump back in the game tomorrow.

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Epic Fail

As a fitness and wellness industry, we’ve failed you. 

We made you think that 30 days was all you needed to dedicate to your health for a lifetime of being healthy. That living healthy was a temporary fad, and not habits you needed to adopt permanently into your routine.

I despise this with my whole soul. I can’t even tell you how much it drives me crazy. You’ll be able to tell if you see me talking with a client and they talk about how they did this or that program, lost a boat load of weight, only to put it right back on when he program stopped.

This is why it drives me crazy (beyond the obvious reasons): that’s such a mind fuck. That’s such an internal mind fuck. To show yourself you can totally do it, just to lose it. The negative thoughts that subconsciously come in can destroy a person. Because subconsciously you’re telling yourself you’re not worth it, that you can’t maintain results, that you do all this hard work and it’s for nothing so why even try in the first place?

I don’t subscribe to the healthy living programs that have you vacillating from one side of the pendulum to the other. 

That’s what a lot of these 30, 60, 90 day programs do. They have you make a hard right from however you’ve been living your life and put rigid protocols into place to see transformation. Which you do because why wouldn’t you? Any change would give results from the lack of what you’ve been doing. But then the program ends, and you’re left floundering. Not knowing what to do to maintain the results, and also so burned out on the intense pace of the program, that you want to stop.

There is nothing more frustrating than giving up every enjoyable aspect of life, getting this HUGE transformation and then totally losing it because the changes were too drastic.

That my friend, is the yo-yo of healthy living and I feel some aspects of that are worse than the lifestyle you currently have. Not only can it potentially mess with your body in irreversible ways, it also messes with your head. There is nothing a whole lot more defeating than working so hard to get this amazing transformation and not being able to hold on to it because the way you got it isn’t realistic for your daily life. 

I want a tailored program for you that teaches you the easy healthy habits you can have in your daily life, so you can still enjoy the life you work so hard for without feeling like you’re deprived of the things you love 💗.

It’s the harder change to make because it takes longer and I know you want the results NOW. It’s also the harder change to make because it’s going to challenge you to unpack why you make certain decisions so you can truly understand why you’ve gotten to where you are. But I know this change is more effective because I know once you make it, you won’t have to make any more changes. Ever again.

You’ll know why you make decisions about food and working out, and you’ll also know how to navigate around those reasonings so you can have the healthy life you want with the balance you also want.

Your Reaction is Everything

You can control your reaction. 

In life for sure but also in your workout. A lot of the time what ends up happening when the workout gets hard isn’t your body giving up, but your brain telling you to quit. 

That little negative voice in your head ends up getting so big and so loud that you stop. Eventually, you continue to fall into that negative line of thought so often that you stop working out all together. 

It just seems like the easier solution because showing up and failing isn’t appealing to anyone. 

I challenge you to have power over that voice. 

It won’t happen right away, it takes time, it takes practice and even with that, the negative voice will still creep in. It’s like our natural reaction to challenge. 

I’m not saying that you need to make the negative voice go away completely, but I am saying that you need to temper your reaction to that negative voice. 

When I find that negative voice kicking in, I tell myself “I got this” on repeat. Then I try to NOT take a break. Maybe I slow down what I’m doing, get my breath back, or switch to lighter weights but I try to keep going. I know for me, if I stop, I’ll STOP. So I avoid it at all costs. I check my form, I check myself, and I keep going. 

I challenge you to do the same. Whatever it is you need to remind yourself that you can get through a 10 minute workout, that the workout won’t own you, do it. Control your reaction so you can see that you are capable and completely in control. 

New Ceilings

I want you to turn your current ceiling into your new floor.

Working out is one of those things for me that never gets boring because my body is constantly changing. Yes I’m getting older, sure it’s harder now to lose weight and gain muscle than when I was 22, but I don’t focus on that when working out. 

That would feel like failure. 

I work hard to stay in the present moment and I focus on my continual acquiring of strength and advancement of fitness. 

I set new goals and challenges for myself, maybe in heavier weights or more complicate exercises, I continue to raise the bar. I constantly increase my standard because I know I am capable and I encourage the same of those around me. 

Keep your interest, keep it interesting, and keep it going.