Take What You Need

Take what you need from you workout today. 

Workouts don’t always need to be these insane pushes that leave you feeling like you’re going to fall over when you’re done.

Sometimes your workout needs to show up for you more than you show up for it.

So you can move the stress and all the BS out of your body.

I don’t know how you slept, if your toddler had a tantrum, if work is blowing up, or if you’re just exhausted.

Please know that your workout does not always have to be what you think it should be or what you originally set out for it TO be.

It’s ok for your workout to be a way to get rid of stress, to rid yourself of the BS of the day, or to just have a minute to yourself.

Remember: self care is NOT selfish. 

Self care is sacred.

Self care is the time you deserve to have in your day to let go of whatever isn’t serving you IN that day so you can get through your day.

Today’s challenge: when you start feeling guilty about taking time in your day to give to yourself, remind yourself that when you’re done, not only will you feel better but your day will feel better too.

Dream Bigger

Dream  so big that it scares all the small minds around you.

Here’s what I don’t understand: 

• Why do we get so embarrassed about sharing our workout goals with the people around us?

I’ve been there. I remember one morning I PR’d on this Olympic lift and I was SO damn proud of myself.

It was a lift I struggled with, that I thought I could never improve upon but I had been practicing and when I PR’d, I PR’d in a BIG way. Like a drastic jump.

I felt so freaking good.

I went to work that day and made a comment to my co-worker about how I could conceivably lift him above my head. His response to me was something along the lines of “ew are you trying to be a man?”

Hello unnecessary. Don’t even get me started on all the aspects of that statement that were amazingly horrid.

I remember feeling SO embarrassed by that comment that all my confidence from what I accomplished melted away.

But then as time went by, as I recognized that individual for quite frankly the asshole he was in every aspect of life, I realized that I SHOULD be proud. I did that and no one could take away my hard work.

Sure, we’ll whine all day long about how we can’t get to the gym, or how we can’t drop the weight, or how there’s never enough time to workout.

But when it comes to ACTUALLY sharing about the actions we’re taking to make those dreams come true, we clam up. Even though E V E R Y O N E around us would support us on our journey.

Here’s my tip to you:

✔️ have an accountability buddy. That one person you know will support you, love you, encourage you and NOT leave you feeling embarrassed about the things you’re working on accomplishing.

My Fave Kind of Workout

The deceptive a$$ kicker. My favorite kind of workout.

Not that I would EVER admit that out loud.

But there’s something to be said for the workout that looks like it’ll be doable until you’re 10 reps in and feel like you might die.

Mostly because once you’re done, you feel like an absolute boss. That kind of confidence is the kind of confidence that ripples into the rest of your day.

That’s the kind of accomplishment, as a trainer, I’m here for because that’s the kind of confidence that keeps you showing up.

It’s the positive reinforcement that subconsciously lets you know that you’re capable of anything.

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3 Rounds

15 reps each exercise

Reverse Lunges

Deadlifts

Sumo Squats

Lateral Lunges

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Approach is Everything

I didn’t always approach my fitness as a means to grow mentally stronger. Fitness for me initially was a means to get past trauma. Be it the trauma from my foot, the trauma from delivery, the trauma of injury…it was always my way to push past something negative so I could regain my strength.

Working out is the place where I can focus my emotions and tune out the rest of the world. Let’s be honest, sometimes all that noise can be overwhelming AF, and deserves to be pushed into a corner so you can focus on YOU.

However my journey with my strength continued and the injuries became a thing of the past, I began to use my workouts as a way to push my own boundaries. I adapted with my strength as my body adapted to being strong.

I figured that no little hour long (or whatever) workout was going to own me, so I might as well see what I can do. Like a scientist in a lab, I started pushing my boundaries so I could see where my strength truly rested. Sometimes I succeeded and felt like a freaking olympian. Sometimes I failed. Even in those moments of failure, I took it as an opportunity to see where my starting point was and what I needed to do to get to the next point.

I began to push my boundaries. In part because I know my workouts are a safe space TO push my boundaries and in part because I was curious about my own strength. 

Mostly, I pushed my boundaries so I would know on an intrinsic level that I am not limited by my boundaries. I know that I can continue to expand the limits of those boundaries, I can push the edges until I am eventually where I want to be.

I also know that if I can push my own limits, I can move mountains for everyone around me. If I can show up for myself, show myself how resilient and mentally fit I am, then everyone around me will benefit because I’ll be able to show up in a bigger way.

So don’t stress about the workout not being cute or comfortable. Don’t stress if a complicated exercise gets the best of you this time, don’t stress if your workout leaves you feeling occasionally frustrated. You’re growing, you’re changing and you’re getting stronger, and as you adapt and change, so will your fitness. 

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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Working Out At Home

Here’s the difference between working out at home and working out at a gym: 

At a gym, the people around you hold you accountable. You have the person next to you who you can silently compete with, you have the friend in the class who makes sure you’re going to be there, and you have a community.

That community gives you energy, it motivates you to show up, and gets you excited (even on the smallest level) to do the work.

At home, YOU have to hold YOU accountable. 

That is such a hard thing for people. Myself included. When I started working out at home after I had my daughter, it was SO hard to stay motivated. I missed the energy of the class, not the competitive nature, but just being around other people and having them join me in getting stronger.

It made it super easy for me to quit on an interval when I only had a few seconds left, or skip an exercise because I didn’t want to do it.

When I started noticing that I was doing that, I seriously checked myself. Granted, things didn’t change overnight, but I started reflecting on why I would waste my own time when my time was so limited.

Knowing that I didn’t have a lot of time to workout, I gradually stopped half asking my work. I started becoming competitive with myself. I started drawing inward to find the motivation I needed to keep pushing so I could become stronger.

It wasn’t always cute and definitely wasn’t comfortable, but over time, I began to rely on myself for my own accountability instead of the people around me.

How will you show up when no one else is watching?

Grab Your Dumbbells!

$0.00

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Grab the workout below to show yourself your strength.

Pyramid AMRAP

5 minutes

Start with 2 reps of each exercise

Increase by 2 reps on each exercise until the 5 minute mark

Rest for one minute

Start where you left off, and work back down to 2 reps of each exercise

Reverse fly

Hang clean

Reverse lunges

Have Kids They Say...

I was never the mom who wore the destruction of my body from having a baby as a badge of honor.

Labor is hard. Even when it goes smoothly, the transition into parenthood is like being initiated into a thunder dome. It tries even the strongest of people and it’s something no one else can understand unless they’ve been through it themselves.

I remember prior to having my daughter, telling my husband that even on the toughest days, I was going to shower. I wasn’t going to be one of those new moms who went days without brushing her teeth or taking a shower or changing my undies.

Even if I had no time for the kind of selfceare I would want to have, I would have time for something small like a shower.

I didn’t want what happened during labor, how quickly it spiraled out of control and how difficult it was after to become an excuse for me.

I didn’t want the newborn phase and the pure exhaustion and elation that came with it to be an excuse to let myself go.

I knew that if I went there, it was a slippery slope for me neglecting myself, and that neglect would lead to my chronic pain kicking in.

I also knew, that for me, if I went there, I wouldn’t lose the baby weight and eventually that last 10 pounds of baby weight would just be 10 extra pounds of weight.

It wasn’t a reason for me to give up on my body or how I looked in my clothes.

It was, frankly, another injury I needed to overcome.

With love 💗 , care, and a whole lot of f-ing patience. Not just with myself, but with my new schedule of having a newborn 👶 , and with the physical capabilities OF my body.

This is what I learned through that process: 

Change comes from challenge but the challenge needs to be realistic. You have to meet your body where it’s at, without judgment or criticism, in order to push yourself to get the change.

Respecting your body and honoring it will get you change. Your body will respond to that love and support.

Trying to meet an unrealistic expectation for your life, your body, or where your head’s at, is only going to end in disappointment.

I also know that figuring out how to do this for yourself is overwhelming af.

Not just because you don’t have the time to figure it out because you don’t even know where to start.

But start you MUST so you can feel better. You deserve to figure it out because you deserve to feel better and to step into your own power and strength.

Ask for help, use the resources at your disposable to get you there, and don’t forget to take a deep breath. Change is a gradual shift, but it will happen as long as you continue to take steps forward.

Change Your Mind

Sometimes we have to change our mind before we create our muscles.

Mindset fucks people on their workouts. Yet it is the one part of the workout most people don’t want to talk about. I notice this ALL the time on social media and the amount of dropout I get when I start talking about how much your head plays a role in the success of your workouts.

Grab Your Dumbbells!

As an instructor, I’ve gotten to see the power of how someone thinks for so many years in so many different people. I’ve seen the power of thoughts propel a person forward into doing something they didn’t think previously possible, and I’ve also seen the power of someone’s thoughts totally hold them back.

I made it a rule in my class that no one was allowed to say “I can’t” when it came to an exercise. As soon as that thought creeps in and you voice it, you won’t be able to do it. Even though I know before that negative thought came in, you very well could’ve done it and done it well.

Most of the time, it’s a matter of being patient and showing yourself compassion that the first time you do anything complicated, it’s going to be a mess. There’s a learning curve with anything, especially fitness. A lot of the times we think we can’t do it because we don’t know the progression of exercise that goes into the hard exercises. That you have to build muscle memory, you have to warm up and activate your body, and build up to the hard exercises.

This is where your mind is the only thing holding you back. Your mind is the only thing creating the excuses that are holding you back from achieving your fitness goals. It’s amazing the limitations we put on ourselves because we’re scared or intimidated.

But if limitations are self imposed, how do you get past that negative thought process?

Your mind is the hardest thing to change. It’s such a powerful muscle and it has so much control over everything we do.

How do you turn that tiny voice saying “Yes I can” into a roar?

Here’s the Top 3 Changes I made to get my mind on board with the change in my body I KNEW I deserved:

1. I started realistically. Not small, but realistically. I planned workouts 🏋️‍♀️ into my day that I knew wouldn’t have me rushing for time or stressed that it was taking up too much of my day. I made sure I had back up workouts planned for when my original workout 🏋️‍♀️ wasn’t going to fit into the constraints of my day.

2. I listened to my body and respected it. It meant shoving my ego out of the way and meeting my body where it was at for THAT DAY. Maybe that means going lighter on the weights because I slept funny or doing a yoga 🧘‍♀️ session instead of cardio because my hamstrings felt tight. Regardless, I was showing up for myself and reinforcing healthy habits.

3. I focused on how GOOD I felt AFTER the workout 🏋️‍♀️. I never forgot my ultimate fitness goals, but that is not my main focus during my workout. My focus is on the knowledge that I’ll feel amazing when my workout is done, regardless of the kind of workout I do.

Change is Hard

The change I’m proposing you make is the harder one.

When I started A Healthful Life, I had a nightmare of a time figuring out how to convey to people that I wanted to create custom tailored programs for them to find THEIR health. In a way that would last.

When I got hurt, I was really blessed to have a group of people advocating for my health and encouraging me to think about how I wanted my health to look over the longevity of my life. 

This is the difference between you and me: I don’t approach fitness from the standpoint that this is a 30 day and done program. I don’t view this as a temporary aspect of my life. I don’t see this as something I can “take a break from” or let up on.

I know that if I let my workouts go, if I let my eating go, my health will immediately go and I will know that because chronic pain will absolutely debilitate me. I know the potential consequences are not worth the risk.

However, I also know that most people don’t approach health in the same way as me. We, as a fitness industry, have established a standard of the quick fix with no road map of how to maintain the results you achieved.

Meeting someone where they’re at and creating change in a realistic way turned out to be the easy part. The hard part was getting the person on board with the change taking longer than what they wanted.

It means being patient and it means being willing to fail. You have to be willing to try things, see how they work and change them when they don’t. Which means you can’t beat yourself up when you try something and it doesn’t work, you have to be flexible and adaptable to try something different.

I get the appeal of the fast change. The instantaneous results. You want that fast result because you’ve taken so long to change that by now, you wanted that change like yesterday. You don’t want to take the time to make change that will last for the long term. It’s the “I just need to lose 15 pounds” but not thinking past what happens AFTER you lose 15 pounds. 

What I teach is not the temporary, rigid, give up your whole life change just to drop a few pounds. It’s the change that will teach you how to effectively incorporate healthy habits into your life, so you feel like you have balance and you’re not deprived of the things you love.

So you feel like you’re thriving and not surviving.

So you don’t make a drastic change just to lose it a year later when you permanently fall off the wagon, because you gave up too much and couldn’t take it.

I want you to know health as just life. Not a sacrifice, not an inconvenience, but just how you live your life. Healthy, sustainable change means taking the long road. It means trial and error to find what truly works the best for you, and being able to have the skills necessary to make changes when your life changes.

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.