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FHP 441 – Don’t work harder

FHP 441 – Don’t work harder

by | Oct 11, 2022 | podcast

One of the hardest things for me personally to do is PAUSE. Pause and assess. Pause and learn. Pause and reflect.

I like action.

Honestly I’m prone to working harder wasting effort to just DO something over slowing down to learn and assess.

But the secret to the best results in as short a time as possible isn’t hard work…

It’s efficiency of work.

And efficiency comes from constantly learning, constantly honing your skills. Constantly perfecting your tools and building your resources.

It doesn’t come from simply trying to do more.

Because too often when we try to just do more and work harder, we don’t find the best way to do something.

And we end up wasting a ton of effort.

A perfect example of this is the tale of two woodcutters.

Woodcutter A cuts wood all day, never pausing to rest.

Woodcutter B, on the other hand, at times throughout the day stops and sits down.

At the end of the day, Woodcutter B has cut 3 times more wood than Woodcutter A.

Woodcutter A incredulously asks, “How the heck have you cut so much more wood than me? You rested far more!”

Woodcutter B says, “I wasn’t resting, I was sharpening my saw.”

All too often we don’t want to take that step back to improve.

We don’t want to regress to progress.

We don’t want to slow down and learn something new.

It feels like we’re wasting time. Or slowing our momentum. Or taking a “break.”

But often that step back can lead to a huge leap forward.

Stop trying to rush results by just working harder.

Be willing to pause and sharpen your skills (hehe) and build your resources and knowledge to be more productive.

It will save you a ton of time, wasted effort and ultimately help you move forward faster in the end!

So how can you get yourself to pause at times and do the learning that is necessary to stop working harder and instead learn to be more efficient?

#1: Schedule it.

How often do you actually SCHEDULE that forced step back? Take a look at your workout logs, your food logs, your progress pictures and honestly make notes and compare?

How often do you take that step back and take that bird’s eye view of your habits and changes over the last month, last few months, heck last year?

Too often we don’t step back.

We get caught up in doing.

So schedule it. Every week schedule that weekly assessment.

Put it on your calendar for a specific time each month.

But force yourself to take that pause to assess so you can then make adjustments if they’re needed. Adjustments not out of emotion even but based on what the data is telling you.

#2: Force non-linear progression.

Sometimes it isn’t bad to do something preemptively. And forcing that pause can help you be more efficient.

If you know a time at work is busy, why not take that conscious step back before you’re forced to or before you become so overwhelmed you end up doing nothing?

If you’re starting to show the signs of overload occurring, why not do that de-load week before things truly accumulate and you end up injured?

Or if you’re finding mentally that you’re not as motivated, why not embrace the change of a new macro or going to minimums.

Often less is more.

And sometimes forcing ourselves to pause, even when we don’t feel we fully yet need to or want to, can actually help us jump forward faster. It can help us waste less effort because we just preemptively do something.

It can help us even learn where are weak points are to make them stronger. It can help us learn more about ourselves.

You don’t want to wait till you’re having to do more swings of the axe before sharpening it. You may want to even sharpen it before it fully gets dull.

Same thing goes for our healthy habits. Sometimes we may want to even take that step back before we’re fully “needing” that diet break or new workout progression or rehab. Sometimes we want to do something at the first signs or even potential signs so we can keep moving forward over getting to the point we’re frustrated or want to give up or even in a bad situation.

#3: Learn while doing.

If you’re finding things aren’t progressing like you’d like, why not take the time to learn as you stay consistent over just jumping ship and starting the first program you find?

Too often we get frustrated we aren’t where we want to be and we either just start adding in more, working harder or even completely jump ship to something new, over learning as we’re going to see if there are tweaks we can make or small adjustments.

Sometimes we need to slow down the rate at which we want to do more or put in more effort and instead stay the course as we simply assess.

Then we want to think “How can we exert the minimal amount of effort, make the smallest change, and see the biggest result?

The more we are constantly assessing and seeking to learn as we are doing, the more we can take little chances to adjust small things we’re doing to get a big outcome without having to work harder or work without a break!

SUMMARY:

Working harder can lead to a lot of wasted effort. And while action can feel good and make us feel like we are moving forward faster, sometimes that pause to assess can actually lead to us leaping ahead.

As hard as it can be to stop doing and embrace a bit of learning which can feel like we’re doing NOTHING, that may just be exactly what we need to see better results faster and with a routine that is actually sustainable and doesn’t wear us out!

5 Ways To Easily​ Add Protein Everyday​

5 Ways To Easily​ Add Protein Everyday​

by | Oct 9, 2022 | Blog, Diet

If you want the best and fastest possible weight loss and fat loss results, you need to focus on two things when it comes to your nutrition…

1. Creating that small calorie deficit
2. Increasing your protein

Often creating that deficit is the easier part of the equation for most of us. We simple cut something out or shrink one of our portions a bit.

Increasing protein on the other hand can feel oddly overwhelming, especially when it requires us to adjust other things as well to create that calorie deficit.

But increasing protein is more key than we realize.

Studies have shown that when it comes to fat loss, this macro really is essential, leading to not only faster results but more muscle mass retention and fewer metabolic adaptation, which also ultimately makes it easier to not only lose fat but keep it off.

How many carbs and how much fat you consume can even vary and fluctuate and still work for weight loss if protein is kept higher. Although you may find that you have macro ratios that work better for you based on a variety of factors from activity level to genetics and age.

But studies have even shown that the macro ratio used for weight loss with higher protein, regardless of where carbs and fats fall, always leads to better fat loss and body recomposition results!

And while we may want to strategically adjust carbs and fats to match our activity levels and lifestyle, if tracking macros and tweaking them all at once is overwhelming, the key is just to start with a protein target.

So if you’re starting to adjust your diet and struggling to increase your protein, think about just small changes of even 10 grams a day.

And here are 5 tips to help you increase your protein without feeling like you’re having to fully overhaul your diet.

Because small changes add up!

 

5 Tips To Increase Your Protein:

#1: Tweak your current portions.

Often we think dramatic changes over small adjustments.

We feel like we have to create completely different meals. Or we just turn only to supplements.

Or we even focus on trying to find ways to force protein into meals we don’t generally eat a lot at – like making super protein packed snacks or desserts.

But instead of trying to make big changes, think about how you can adjust what you’re currently doing with as small a change as possible.

If you’re eating 3 ounces of a protein at a meal, try just increasing that portion to 4.

That little adjustment can add up!

And it doesn’t even have to be adding an ounce more ground beef to your burrito bowl or chicken to your salad.

It could be another ounce of any other type of protein as well that you add on!

#2: Find quick go-to options out.

Often if we are constantly on the go, it can feel hard to get in protein quickly.

It’s why planning ahead to start can be key and it can be helpful to look at the options you do have out at restaurants or easy to grab and go from a grocery store.

These quick protein-centric meals and snacks can help us stay consistent and bump our daily protein intake so it doesn’t feel like we are trying to play “catch up” at dinner.

Take a look around your grocery store and log in a few options to see how they can impact your day.

Things like jerky, hard boiled eggs, shrimp cocktail, and Greek yogurt are all great go-to options.

You can often even find pre-cooked, very simple chicken that you can even re-heat or eat cold…whether you chow it down on it’s on or add it to a wrap or salad packet you pick up.

There are even great options at many fast food restaurants. While maybe not our ideal because of the food “quality,” they can help us maintain a balance overall and stay on track.

Places like Chick-fil-a with their grilled chicken nuggets are a great option.

And often even restaurants like Chipotle allow you to adjust the portion size to match your needs and goals.

Take some time though, as annoying as it may be, to research a few dining out options close to you. It can help you during those times you’re in a pinch or even don’t feel like cooking!

#3: Think swaps! Use those “complementary proteins.”

So not only do we often just need to swap the cut of meat to adjust for the amount of protein vs fat that we are consuming, but we can make even little swaps to the veggies and other carbs we include that can really boost our protein intake over the course of a day.

Often we don’t know how to cut down on the fat in our diet while bumping protein when it can be as simple as eating a chicken breast over a chicken thigh.

And if we want to include red meat, maybe we just change the cut of steak, or even go with 90% lean ground beef over 85%.

Or maybe you don’t like leaner ground beef or chicken breast. Maybe instead you keep that same cut of meat and swap half the portion for shrimp or a white fish with less fat.

Maybe doing that surf and turf combo is all you need to bump the protein while lowering the fat you’re consuming.

Or maybe in your morning omelet you cut back on the full eggs and include some egg whites.

Or we choose to include low fat or fat free greek yogurt over full fat.

Small changes like that can pay off.

So can potentially adjusting the types of carbs or veggies we use to get more amino acids over the day, including more spinach in our salads or mushrooms in our casseroles or broccoli in our stir fries.

Maybe you focus your carb sources more on quinoa over rice or buckwheat pasta over regular pasta.

Maybe we even swap in plant based sources of protein like tofu or tempeh or seitan instead of adding more meat. Or add in edamame to a seafood poke bowl.

We can even include nutritional yeast in a smoothie, sprinkled on salad or added into a sauce to add a cheesy flavor!

Small little swaps add up and can even help us find meals we enjoy more, make us feel fueled and full as we work toward our weight loss goals!

#4: Don’t fear supplements.

While supplements are supplemental and we want to focus our diet on whole, natural foods, we also have to recognize that we make changes when the PAIN of staying stuck outweighs the PAIN of change.

So even if we want to lose weight and fat, if it feels too overwhelming to get started adjusting our diet, there is a good chance, we will never make the changes we need.

Starting out, to make things easier, you may find you do add in a whey or other protein supplement as a snack to quickly and easily bump your protein 20-30 grams per day.

You can include protein powders in baked goods, oatmeals, smoothies or a simple shake.

It can even be good as something to keep in your purse, desk or backpack to mix quickly with a milk or water when you’re on the go!

You could even stir it into a quick microwaved oatmeal to add a protein boost and even some extra flavor!

#5: Mix and match!

Often we get stuck thinking more of the single protein source we already have in a meal, instead of mixing and matching protein sources to increase our protein without it feeling like we’re just eating pounds of the same thing.

For fried rice with chicken, try adding in egg whites for a little texture and a protein boost.

For a little extra protein in a pasta or enchilada bake, think some cottage cheese or greek yogurt with your ground beef.

Even swap the type of pasta you’re using. There are some great edamame, chickpea or even buckwheat options that could give you a boost.

For a stir fry, think shrimp and chicken. Or add in edamame. Diversify those protein sources in your dishes to make things tasty while helping you achieve results.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match protein sources and even try and include more than one in meals! It can be a great way to reduce your fat or carbs while increasing your protein to create the calorie intake you need.

SUMMARY:

Small changes really add up. Think about how you can use these 5 tips to make small changes to your daily meals and even weekly averages.

You can then choose even just one small swap to start with.

Planning ahead and even experimenting with how these things can make an impact can help you when you are pressed for time and on the go.

So list out some ways you can use these 5 tips in your daily life to see results!

Ready to dial in your macros and see the results you deserve?

Learn more about my Metabolic Shred!

 

FHP 440 – Are You Truly Ready To Make A Change?

FHP 440 – Are You Truly Ready To Make A Change?

by | Oct 4, 2022 | podcast

I think sometimes we WANT a change.

We WANT a new and better result…

But we aren’t truly READY to do what it takes to make a change.

And so we will never succeed no matter how motivated we are.

Now you may be thinking how can I be motivated but not ready?

Because motivation is the DESIRE to do something.

Being truly READY to make a change means you’re in the headspace to make sacrifices. You’re capable of doing the hard.

You’re ready to embrace things that make you question what you’ve always done and challenge you to get outside your comfort zone.

Ready is about more than wishing or hoping for a change…it means you’re prepared to do the hard to get the result.

And all too often the reason we buy a program and never start despite being motivated is because we aren’t ready for the challenge of change.

Because change is hard.

Now if you’re thinking….

“I’m motivated so how do I know if I’m ready?”

I wanted to share some tips I’ve found helpful for clients to take that motivation and let it propel them into being ready to do what is necessary to get results.

Tips To Help You Be READY To Make A Change:

#1: Does the pain of staying stuck outweigh the pain of change?

It’s “painful” not being at your goal. It’s sucky to be unhappy.

BUT it is also super uncomfortable to make a change.

In order to actually want to move forward, it has to be less painful to make a change than to stay stuck.

Now motivation makes you WANT that change, but being ready means when actually faced with the hard you still want to confront it.

So right now make a list of the challenges you will face with making a change to reach your goals.

You may find your motivation starts to fade as you confront the challenges. You may find you’re like…

“Well that sucks!”

But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed.

It just means you may have to ADJUST how you approach making changes to reduce the pain.

Sometimes less is more.

As tempting as it can be to “go all in” that may be creating a pain that is stopping you from truly being ready.

So reduce that pain.

Focus on one or two changes over ten.

Focus on small swaps, little tweaks.

But reduce that pain so you are READY to take that step forward, even if it is smaller than originally planned.

That will help you build momentum to make more changes!

#2: Ask yourself why you TRULY don’t want to stay stuck….

The more reasons WHY you have to do something, the more you’ll be willing to embrace the discomfort of change.

But you don’t only want to list out why you want the change, you want to list out why you don’t want to stay stuck.

This helps create more pain in staying where you are….so you’re more ready to embrace the pain of change.

Also, it’s very hard to feel the value in something we haven’t yet gotten…in something we’ve never attained.

It’s why it is so hard at times to stay focused on our long-term goal over immediate gratification.

You know how that gratification will make you feel RIGHT NOW.

You don’t fully know how you’ll feel with the end result…and you also know RIGHT NOW it won’t help.

So knowing how much our immediate, current feelings can power our actions, we can often really embrace and focus on the WHYs we have to remove our current negative feelings.

The more we embrace feeling how much we don’t like our current position….How little value you feel in staying stuck….

The more we can use that pain as a positive to make us ready for the change.

#3: Realize it is your choice…

Often the more we feel obligated to do something, the more we feel forced or restricted, the less we want to do it and the more we even think about what we can’t or aren’t supposed to do.

If you see making a change as an obligation, as you’re restricted from doing something else, you’re probably going to rebel very quickly.

Instead you want to embrace the changes as your choice. You want to realize you are choosing to pursue this goal.

You even want to see habit changes as what you will GET out of them over what you are removing or cutting out.

No you’re not going to like everything you do to make a change and create a new lifestyle to reach a new goal, but even the sacrifices you make are your CHOICE.

Sure something outside of your control may happen, but even then realize that you get to CHOOSE your response.

At any point you can choose to default back into what is comfortable and easy and hasn’t helped you reach your goals or you can choose to embrace the hard and keep moving forward.

But give yourself the power.

Realize that you aren’t restricting or obligated…you WANT these changes.

This will help you be ready for the ups and downs and even the difficult decisions that will come your way.

SUMMARY:

Getting started making a change is the hardest part and part of that is because we aren’t really fully ready to make a change.

We aren’t prepared for the “hard” that we will encounter.

Instead of letting your motivation fade, instead of buying that program you never start, consider what will help you get ready to actually move forward.

Consider what has held you back in the past. Realize what you need to do to move forward.

And then truly recognize that it is your choice to decide that the pain of staying stuck is worse than the pain of doing something new and challenging where you could risk failure!

Only once we find a way to embrace the pain of change can we actually get moving forward toward our goals!

The Muscle Gaining Mistake EVERYONE Makes (And What To Do Instead)

The Muscle Gaining Mistake EVERYONE Makes (And What To Do Instead)

by | Oct 2, 2022 | Blog, Diet

You’ve lost the weight you wanted to lose. But now, you want to gain a bit more muscle while maintaining your fat loss.

You’ve got your workouts all set, you’ve adjusted your macros, you’ve increased your calories…

You’re feeling good.

You’ve felt yourself even starting to get stronger this first week.

Then…you step on the scale.

DUN DUN DUUUUUN…

You’ve gained weight!

You feel yourself starting to freak out and you want to instantly slash your calories and change everything.

But DON’T!

You’ll only sabotage yourself.

This is why it may be key you STOP weighing yourself if you want to focus on building muscle.

 

Back Away From The Scale:

When you’ve worked hard to get leaner, to lose weight, it can be a mental battle to see that scale start to go the other direction.

But it most likely will.

This isn’t even due to pounds of muscle piling on OR fat immediately being gained.

Changes simply don’t happen overnight.

And especially the more training experience you have, the slower you’re going to pack on those muscle pounds!

Often this scale fluctuation up at the start of your muscle gaining phase is simply due to you coming out of a deficit and even increasing your carb intake.

Full glycogen stores mean also water weight being gained.

And this will cause a quick increase on the scale.

With every gram of glycogen stored comes 3-4grams of water weight.

Basically this means when you CUT carbs, you can deplete your glycogen stores to lose up to 6.6lbs or about 3kg pretty instantly.

And you can also GAIN as much just as quickly.

Not to mention with the hard training sessions, you may find that inflammation within your body increases – again leading to weight gain.

So if you want to truly focus on building muscle, you need to put away your scale for a bit.

Not to mention, you may want to even consider a slight diet break after a fat loss phase to really create that new set point and have your body fully adapt to your new leanness level so you feel more confident in maintaining your results before you move into that muscle building phase.

So…If You Can’t Use The Scale, How Can You Make Sure It’s Muscle And Not Fat?

When your focus shifts to building muscle, you want to have ways of actually measuring how much muscle you’re building.

The hard part about measuring body comp is, many more accurate tests aren’t easily available and are super expensive making it harder to do consistently OR they are less accurate home handheld devices super impacted by hydration levels even.

Every tool has its downsides. And while you can make things work by using tools repeatedly to at least see progress from previous measurements even if the measurement isn’t the same as a reading by another tool, two very simple ways to also track at home are…

– Progress Pictures
– Measurements

Progress pictures are a great way to see changes in body recomp over time. Just make sure to take them from multiple angles as you may be making strides, but in areas you don’t see or care about first.

And when you do take pictures, take them first thing in the morning, ideally in the exact same place. This way lighting is consistent so you can’t feel like you look worse or better just because the light has changed. And you haven’t consumed anything to impact how you look.

Note that even pictures will change at times DAILY due to muscle tissue damage and inflammation. After a hard arm workout, you may find your arms aren’t as defined the next day.

It’s key with EVERY measurement we watch trends.

Another great way to track progress is with measurements.

I recommend taking measurements of the areas you want to grow BUT also the areas that are lean that you want to stay lean.

By comparing lean area measurements over time, you can watch for fat being gained, while you can also track growth in the areas you are working to build muscle.

Just make sure you’re consistent in where you are measuring and when you are measuring.

Just like the scale, how we look in our photos and even our measurements can change over the course of the day with food consumption and training!

Whatever tools you do decide to use to measure, make sure to use them consistently and track trends over time, not getting discouraged with slow results or ups and downs.

Slow results are truly REAL results.

SUMMARY:

It’s key we realize that the scale doesn’t show the full picture.

And even seeing a gain over time on the scale can mean better body composition.

If you gain two pounds of muscle and even lose a pound of fat, you’ll see that scale increase despite a fantastic improvement in your body recomp and even fat being lost while you’ve gained muscle.

So if you want to truly focus on building muscle, it may be time to ditch the scale and really stay focused on those daily habits, progress pictures and measurements.

Remember if you’re tracking what you’re doing, you should be able to trust in the process as you have a clear picture of what you’re doing to adjust over time!

If you’re looking to learn how to fuel according to YOUR needs and goals, check out my Macro Hacks!

–> Learn More About The Macro Hacks

FHP 439 – Tracking IS NOT Restrictive

FHP 439 – Tracking IS NOT Restrictive

by | Sep 26, 2022 | podcast

One size doesn’t fit all and tracking isn’t right for everyone.

And even those that do track won’t use this tool in the exact same way or even forever.

Heck, I was a person AGAINST tracking for a very long time.

I made all the excuses about why not to do it.

And I never saw the results I wanted.

Until I decided to try to see opportunity in a different perspective.

Until I decided to be open to something new and uncomfortable.

I like to really highlight the purpose of any tools we may choose, or not choose to use.

I want us to truly understand them. Because that gives us power.

I think when we don’t understand a tool and its purpose…we don’t properly use them or even know when they aren’t right for us.

I also want to discuss tracking being restrictive because I’m a big believer in NOT giving tools power over us.

When we say we can’t track because it makes us obsessed or judgmental…or it’s too restrictive, we are giving the tracker POWER.

And in trying to avoid something, we are almost giving it as much thought and attention as we do if we just do it.

If you think about it…we can oddly obsess just as much in avoiding as we can in implementing.

That tool still has power even in our avoidance of it.

And that’s not to say we may not choose to avoid using it BUT I think the more we can put everything in its place and realize we are fully in control of our implementation the strong and more in control of our life we become.

So now is tracking restrictive?

The short answer is no.

Your tracker isn’t judging. It isn’t telling you to cut anything out. It isn’t telling you to do or feel anything.

It is merely showing you what you’ve done.

YOU are the one then judging.

And I think the more we realize that we are the one giving this tool power, the better off we will be.

I also think it is key we understand WHY we’ve come to feel that tracking is restrictive.

I find it is often because of how we’ve used the tool in the past.

We did it on some severe calorie counting diet where we felt forced to cut out everything we loved, felt overwhelmed with making changes and then felt hungry all of the time.

Often it is these other things and the program/habits we were implementing that then made us have this perception of tracking.

But tracking your food isn’t just about cutting things out. It isn’t just about weight loss.

And if you had started with tracking because of another goal, you may not feel that it is restrictive.

But it’s not too late to ever change that mindset.

#1: Try just tracking what you’re currently doing. Use it its a chance to LEARN about your diet and portions. Don’t make changes.

#2: Realize there are other goals that tracking could be key for…

– Finding out food sensitivities
– Fueling your race so you have enough energy to not poop out at the last mile
– Making sure you’re addressing menopausal symptoms.
– Making sure you’re eating enough to build muscle
– Finding out emotional eating triggers
– Heck even making sure you aren’t RESTRICTING TOO MUCH AND EATING TOO LITTE

Yup…even with trying to lose weight, I find that there are times with tracking a client realizes they are UNDER fueling.

They were restricting too much out of fear because they didn’t have a clear vision of what they were doing.

Honestly, there are so many ways to become obsessive…

– Over training
– Having to burn a certain amount of calories on your watch
– Only eating certain foods
– Not eating certain foods
– Only eating at certain times of day
– Not eating at specific times of day…

The point is it all relates back to our perspective and perception of our habits and how they make us feel.

And while you may decide something isn’t right for you…don’t give it control.

Learn how to implement it and see the VALUE it could have so you can reap the rewards then move forward better.

The more we fear something, the more control it has over us even if we don’t do it.

So as much as I know we can feel tracking is restrictive, we can fear becoming obsessive, realize you give the tool the power.

Take back that power and see it as a chance to make sure you’re fueling according to your needs and goals.

Try just tracking what you’re currently eating. Assess WHY YOU JUDGE or when you feel yourself starting to judge.

Then deal with that judgement.

Ask yourself why you feel guilty for eating a food?

Assess the emotions if you start to feel restricted…even assess if you’re trying to do too much.

Give yourself clear guidelines and find ways to seeing the value.

Sure you may not do it forever, but see it as the tool it is…a guide to better fuel yourself according to whatever goals you have!