YOU ARE THE SUM OF YOUR DECISIONS

In the grand scheme of life, it’s the small, seemingly inconsequential decisions that often hold the greatest power. Every choice we make, from the mundane to the monumental, contributes to the way our life plays out. We are the sum of our decisions.

I think most of us realize the power of the big decisions we make - our jobs, where we live, who we attach ourselves to, etc. But what about the small ones? Every day we make hundreds of decisions that affect our trajectory.

Every day most of us have the choice to:

• eat nutritious, nourishing foods or eat junk that makes us feel like crap

• sit on our butts or move our bodies

• order takeout or cook at home

• scroll IG or get to the gym

. . . . . . these are just a few that are specific to fitness! There are so many more choices we’re faced with on a daily basis.

If you want to change anything about your life - how you feel, look, perform, etc. - you have to change your ways. You can’t expect to continue making the same decisions you always have and suddenly get different results.

Is it easy to make healthy choices all the time? Absolutely not. And am I saying you have to make the healthy choice 100% of the time? No! I don’t even think that’s possible. Just remember that you are a culmination of the choices you make. So if you’re ALWAYS letting yourself off the hook or making excuses for yourself, you’ll continue down the same path. And maybe you’re ok with that. . . but if not, start paying attention to the decisions you make every day.

It’s the little things that add up.

Small changes = big results!

GET TO STEPPIN

Warm weather has arrived! Weather you like it or not 😊 . . . it’s here.

Warmer weather makes it easier to do one of the simplest, most effective things you can do for your overall health: walk!

And for bonus points, get a walk in first thing in the morning. I know this isn’t possible for everyone depending on schedules, kids, and life. But if you can, starting your day with a walk is so beneficial for your fitness and wellbeing. Why?

• exposing yourself to morning sunlight helps regulate your sleep

• you’ll increase your daily step count

• morning movement will make you feel energized

• getting outside will boost your mood

For most people, walking is not only doable - it’s easy! If you can’t do it in the morning, get it in when you can. If your schedule allows, try adding a morning walk to your day.

So throw on some headphones and get to steppin. I think you’ll notice a nice change!

HAVE YOU HIT A PLATEAU?

When we first embark on a fitness journey, we see results FAST. If you go from sitting on the couch to working out, or from eating everything in sight to eating say only half of everything in sight . . . . your body will react, and probably pretty quickly!

Same goes for switching things up. Many people see immediate results when they start a new training or nutrition program. Your body responds to new stimuli, so anytime you change your input (for better or worse) you’ll probably see noticeable changes.

Once you find a high-quality training program and your body starts to adapt to it, the rate of your progress will eventually slow down. Does that mean you’ve hit a “plateau” and need to change things up? Absolutely not.

No weight loss for a week is not a ‘‘plateau.”

No strength gains for a week is not a ‘‘plateau.”

No visible progress for a week is not a “plateau.”

It’s all part of the process.

So please, please, please! If you don’t see results for one week, don’t start a whole new fitness routine, don’t starve yourself, don’t start working out multiple times a day. And pretty please don’t give up and quit altogether.

Stick with it and be patient. Progress takes time, commitment, and discipline. Keep going. When you look back a year from now, you’ll be so happy you did!

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DON’T LET YOUR WEEKENDS DERAIL YOUR PROGRESS

Spring is in full effect!  Warm weather got you ready to partaaaaaaaaaaay?  

beach trips ✅

drinks on the patio ✅ 

pool days ✅

This time of year makes it difficult to stay on track. Perhaps you find sticking to your fitness/healthy eating routines attainable Monday-Thursday, but then Friday starts a 3-day indulgence extravaganza  that leaves you feeling like @ss on Monday morning.  

Sound familiar?  No judgement, happens to the best of us.

There are a couple things that are likely happening here.

YOU'RE BEING TOO RESTRICTIVE DURING THE WEEK

Most people only have so much self control.  If you're not allowing yourself certain foods during the week - especially foods you love - there is a strong likelihood that eventually you'll binge TF out of them.  For example: you love dessert but don't allow yourself any during the week because you're being "good."  Then Saturday night one bowl of ice cream turns into an entire tub real quick.

You'd be better off eating a small bowl of ice cream every night. That way you avoid eating so much at once that you feel ill, inside and out.

YOU'RE DRINKING TOO MUCH

Sorry, I said it.  And I'm not judging you - I love a good cocktail!  But if you're drinking multiple days per week, it's going to be really difficult to meet your fitness goals.  

While drinking obviously adds extra calories to your daily intake, it's not just that.  Most people's eating habits change drastically while they're drinking and of course the next day.  Do you come home and indulge in some late night broccoli?  Is your go-to hangover meal grilled fish, rice, and vegetables? 🤢 I think not.

YOUR BEING INCONSISTENT

In order to continue progressing in your fitness journey, your body need consistency. Consistently getting to the gym and consistently nourishing our body.

Under-eating Monday through Thursday then blowing it out of the water Friday through Sunday will probably result in an overall caloric surplus (which can cause weight gain) AND probably leave you feeling like crap for about half the week. If you feel like crap, you probably won't have the best workouts . . . . or might even miss them altogether.

And that my friend, is not what I want for you.

I want you to reap all the benefits of working out, I want you feeling your best all day every day.

PRIORITIZE YOUR GOALS OVER YOUR MOODS

One of the most important keys to progress in the gym is prioritizing your goals over your moods.  

Whether your goal is to lose body fat, build strength, look better naked, or anything in between . . . if you rely solely on your moods to get you to the gym everyday, you probably won't be hitting that PR anytime soon :(

I don't know about you, but I don't always FEEL like working out.  Sometimes I want to continue whatever it is I'm working on, sometimes I'm cranky, and sometimes I'm just downright lazy 🤷‍♀️  But if I skipped my workout every time I wasn't feeling it, I'd be a lot less fit than I am now - and that doesn't align with my goals.

So next time you're wavering on getting into the gym or not, instead of asking yourself "do I feel like it?" ask "who do I want to be tomorrow?"  And hopefully that will steer you in the right direction.

Enthusiasm fluctuates, but consistent action accumulates.  

goals > moods

WHY WE LACK SELF CONFIDENCE

A lot of people struggle with self esteem, and for many reasons.  

Maybe we grew up hearing criticism from family members, teachers, or coaches. Perhaps we internalized and believed things about ourselves for so long that they're hard to change.  This stuff can run deep.

At the highest level though, the most common source of perpetually low self esteem in adults is not keeping your word to yourself.

If you keep saying you're going to work out, eat better, go to bed early, get your steps in, etc, etc. and you don't actually do it, you continuously let yourself down.  Each time this happens your self confidence takes a hit.

So how do we change this?  

We start doing what we say we're going to do when we say we're going to do it.

We become reliable.  Not just reliable to others, which is very powerful; but reliable to ourselves.  Each time we do what we say we're going to do is a small victory until eventually we're proud of the person that we are.

Start keeping your commitments to yourself and watch how your world starts to change.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised :)

TURN IT ALL AROUND WITH JUST ONE STEP

You know something amazing about fitness? You can spend years trashing your body . . . . eating like crap, not moving enough, getting poor sleep . . . . and you can turn it all around with just ONE step in the right direction.

One healthy meal.

One walk.

One workout.

One good night sleep.

One healthy choice can completely change your wellness trajectory.

The human body is extremely resilient. People can spend years, even decades in poor health and then reverse it with consistent effort.

Whether you've fallen off for weeks, months, or years - you can get back on track. Start with one healthy choice. You'll not only feel better physically, but you'll be proud of yourself too - and THAT might be more powerful than anything.

IF I FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE, I’LL BE GOOD RIGHT?

You've likely heard about the 80/20 rule when it comes to health and fitness.  According to this rule, as long as you stay consistent 80% of the time, you can still make progress towards your goals.  

While staying consistent can mean different things for different people, let's focus on the basics.  The things most people need to be nailing to reach their goals:

• Working out 3-5 days/week

• Getting 7,000-10,000 steps per day

• Eating about 1g of protein per pound of body weight per day

• Sleeping 7-9 hours a night (sometimes this is not possible with little ones in the house)

• Drinking enough water

If we're following the 80/20 rule, we're achieving these basics 80% of the time.  

If there are 30 days in a month, 80% consistent means you'd be on point at least 24 of those 30 days.  That's . . . . a lot of days.  

My point here isn't to make you feel bad if you're not being 80% consistent.  My point is that 80% might be more than you think.  So if you feel like you're consistent 80% of the time and not seeing the results you desire, you might need to take a closer look at your consistency rate.

You can still make progress at lower consistencies, it will just take longer.  And for some, that might be totally fine!  Just make sure you're honest with yourself about where you are and where you want to be.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEING JACKED

We're getting a little sciencey today!  

You've heard me talk about the general benefits of strength training before, and while those still hold true. . .  today I want to dive a little deeper.  

Research shows that muscle mass is positively associated with various health biomarkers and longevity. (1)  

One of the most obvious benefits of having muscle mass is protection against fragility.  As we age, injuries are much more difficult to recover from.  Most of us know someone that was never the same after they fell and broke their hip :(  Muscle mass serves as a protective barrier around your bones and joints, so the more you have the better your body will handle injuries as you age. (2)

If you're thinking, "Meg - I'm young!  This doesn't apply to me."  Well, you won't be a spring chicken forever and you don't have to be a grandparent to hurt yourself.  Develop your healthy, strong habits now and thank me later :)  

Research also shows that higher muscle mass is positively related to insulin sensitivity.   WTH does that mean and why should you care?  Generally speaking, if you are insulin sensitive, your body's cells are able to effectively use glucose as energy and lower your blood sugar to healthy levels after you eat.   If you are insulin resistant, it takes much more insulin to reduce your blood sugar after eating which can be very taxing on your body.  So taxing that it can lead to Type 2 Diabetes, inflammation, and other chronic illnesses.  (3) 

So in addition to the many strength training benefits you've heard before, now we can add living longer with lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes and other life-altering illnesses to the list.  

I don't know about you, but I'm trying to stay healthy as long as possible.  Life is hard enough without being chronically ill!  

Stay strong and live long my friend.

CONSISTENCY ≠ PERFECTION

Many people think that being consistent means they can never fall off track.  That they have to nail their workouts, nutrition, water intake, steps, and a million other things 100% of the time.

But that, my friend - is not consistency.  That's perfection.  And perfection is not realistic.  

Consistency means staying on track most of the time, but more importantly. . . . getting back on track immediately when you fall off.  Whether you fall off intentionally or not, being committed to getting back to business asap is what drives consistency.

Being consistent is about persistency, not perfection.

So next time you fall off (because you're human and you will) try not to beat yourself up over it.  Do your best to avoid the "F it, I already feel like crap - who cares if I make it worse" downhill spiral.  Get back to your plan and keep pushing.  Until the next time you fall off 😬 then rinse and repeat!

HOW DO YOU GET RESULTS FAST?

How do you get results FAST?! The truth is, you don't.  

Any results you get in a flash are likely acquired through unsustainable, unhealthy, uncontrollable behavior. Think fad diets, ultimate restriction, being so sick or stressed that you can't eat . . . . . yes you'll lose weight quickly but as soon as you get back to normal those "results" are a long lost memory.

The best way to results is CONSISTENCY.

What do I mean by "consistency?"

• Workout.  Getting to the gym 3-5 days/week is a great start.

• Walk.  Shoot for 7,000 - 10,000 steps per day. 

• Sleep.  7-9 hours per night is a good baseline.

• Eat enough protein.  Try for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (if you weigh 150 lbs, try to eat about 150 grams of protein per day.

• Get outside.  Contrary to societal norms, we were not designed to sit in front of computers under fluorescent light all day.  We need sunshine and nature to feel our best!

• Limit alcohol consumption.  I know, booooo! I'm not saying you should stop drinking altogether.  But if you're drinking every night and/or binge drinking every weekend, it's going to be challenging to reach your fitness goals.

These are the basics.  Are they sexy?  No.  Will they help you achieve long-term health and wellness? Absolutely.

If you can consistently nail the basics, you may find that you don't need to change anything else to be where you want to be.

BIG NEW YEAR ENERGY

Happy New Year!  I hope you're coming off some happy times with friends, family, good food, and a break from the daily grind.  For those of you that may not love the holidays, might feel completely stressed out by them, I hope you are now recovering!

January is a buzzy time. . . . people are inspired to get to the gym, dial in their nutrition, read all the books, and solve the world's problems.  If you're feeling that burst of motivation - then hell yea! capitalize on it and get to work.  You can accomplish a lot when fueled by new year resolution energy!

Heads up: buzz kill incoming . . . . 

Motivation alone is not enough.  Sorry to say it, but according to the research, it's true.  You actually already know this because it's happened to you a million times.  You're super motivated to start a new workout routine, nutrition plan, job, relationship - anything!  You put your best foot forward for a while and then inevitably, that motivation eventually wears off.  It's only natural.  You can't stay up that high forever. 

This is where consistency comes into play.  When our motivation wears off we have to fall back on consistency.  We need an established routine that's there for us when we don't feel like showing up.

So. . . . let's use this new year energy as fuel to form healthy habits.  Go ahead and get your workout schedule planned out and stick to it!  Create the routine while you're feeling motivated.  When the motivation leaves you, your routine will be there waiting for you.

If you can stay consistent all year long, 2024 may just be your best one yet :)

SCREW IT, IT’S THE HOLIDAYS!

Have you fallen into the "screw it, it's the holidays!" mindset when it comes to your health and fitness?  

Miss a few workouts because you have parties to go to, visiting guests to entertain, or you're just too tired from buying presents?! Before you know it those few workouts turn into weeks of no workouts, then out of nowhere it's been 2 months since you've been to the gym or eaten anything green.

Ya know what happens when you take months off from working out and eating well?  Not only is your progress stalled, but you also feel like crap.  And I don't know about you, but I can't afford to feel MORE crappy during the cold winter months.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't give yourself a break from time to time.  In fact, I'm trying to take a break on the daily.  But in general, moving our bodies and eating well around the holidays will take us far. 

Should you spend time with family and friends, have some drinks and treats this time of year if you want to?  Absolutely!  And should you also continue moving your body and eating nourishing foods that will make you feel good and perform well?  Uh huh.  

Believe it or not, they can be done in tandem. If you feel like there's no way this is true - let us help you! We're all about balance around here.  Not just around the holidays, but in life! 

STOP TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY

When many people embark on their fitness journey, their goal is to loose weight ASAP.  And while we love the motivation and eagerness to get started. . . . we also have some bad news.  Losing weight quickly rarely works  :(

Research shows that somewhere between 75%-90% of people that take weight off quickly put it right back on.  Oftentimes if you go in too hot, drastically reducing your caloric intake and/or increasing your energy expenditure you will indeed drop weight quickly.  The issue is that most people can't sustain these dramatic changes for long and as soon as that motivation wears off and your behavior goes back to "normal," so does your weight.

Losing weight quickly can also lead to muscle loss, low energy, and nutritional deficiencies.  Your body needs to be fueled to feel and perform it's best!

Your weight does not define you or your overall health.  There is no shame in wanting to drop some lbs, but the number on the scale is not the only indicator that you're kicking @ss.  Your strength gains, sleep, energy levels, and so many other factors are important players as well.

Maintaining a healthy weight over time is achieved through balanced nutrition, consistent training, and a lifestyle you can maintain and enjoy.

So consider ditching the quick fixes and find a more methodical approach to wellness.  It's the only thing that works in the long run!

HOW DO I STAY MOTIVATED?

Are you in a slump?  Trying to find the motivation to workout, eat nutritious foods, complete a nagging task on your to-do list?  How do we stay motivated??

The sad truth is . . . . . we don't. 

We've all felt that intoxicating rush of motivation when we first started a training program, a new job, or were preparing for an exciting event - it's amazing!  

But much to our chagrin - it's not human nature to remain amped up to do anything forever - d@mnit.

So what do we do when these slumps hit?  Sit on the couch, eat cheetos and wait for it to return, right?!  Been there, done that, possibly doing it as you read this? But alas, it's not what brings the motivation back.

Research shows that motivation alone is not enough.  In order to stay on track, reach our goals, not feel like a lazy POS :) - discipline must come into play.  

We have to be disciplined enough to get to the gym on the days we don't feel like it, eat a balanced meal when we really just want ice cream for dinner, and tackle that annoying task instead of binging Netflix.

This doesn't mean we need to be perfect all the time - lord knows that ain't happenin (speaking from experience.)  It means that we need to be disciplined and consistent most of the time.

Inspiration happens in motion.  So even when we don't feel like it, oftentimes if we just GET MOVING,  the motivation we've been yearning for returns.

This isn't easy, and most of us can't do it on our own.  Finding a workout routine that you actually enjoy, a workout buddy or coach to hold you accountable, and a trusted program that delivers results will help.

5 COMMON NUTRITION MYTHS DEBUNKED

1. Foods labeled "natural" are healthier

Unfortunately, there are practically zero regulations that prevent manufacturers from labeling their products as “natural.” Do not assume that this label is accurate or that it equates to "healthy.” If you want to be guaranteed that your product is unadulterated, then buy organic. This label requires products to meet a very clear set of guidelines.

2. Egg yolks are to be avoided

Egg yolks have more protein, healthy fats, and vitamins than egg whites.  More importantly, the myth that eating yolks will raise your cholesterol is completely unfounded. While egg yolks do contain cholesterol, there is no connection between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol. In fact, your body needs dietary cholesterol to function properly. So, eat your yolks!

3. Fat free and sugar free products are a good way to cut calories

The short version as to why this isn't true is simple.: when manufacturers remove natural fats and sugars from foods they almost always replace them with chemicals and other processed garbage. Junk food is junk food, and it's important to know that diet soda or sugar free cookies are not doing your body any favors. Golden rule: the less processed food you put in your body, the better.

4. Fruits and vegetables are interchangeable

Fruits are a part of a healthy, nutritious diet if consumed in reasonable portions, but generally speaking, vegetables pack a much larger punch in terms of nutritional value. Many of your favorite fruits (bananas, apples, grapes) are loaded with sugar and over doing it on fruit can lead to excess fat storage. Ultimately, sugar IS sugar, no matter what the source. Veggies, especially greens, reign supreme over fruits and should be prioritized much higher in your diet.

5. Soy products are safe and healthy

Soy should not be a mainstay in a healthy diet because it contains endocrine system (hormone) disruptors. While excessive amounts of soy can cause a variety of problems, the most common side effect is abnormal estrogen levels. On top of that soy is 99% Genetically Modified and contaminated by more pesticides than almost any other food.