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FHP 422 – If You Try To Please Everyone…

FHP 422 – If You Try To Please Everyone…

by | May 30, 2022 | podcast

You end up pleasing no one. Especially not yourself.

I personally believe we will ALWAYS care about what other people think…it’s how we can actually function as a society.

But we also have to learn to filter what we care about.

We have to learn to recognize when someone gives us an opinion that isn’t in line with what we need or want.

And then we have to be ok with them judging us because we don’t go along with what they believe.

But we have to remember we are doing this to be true to ourselves.

Because whether we make ourselves happy is really what matters long term. You are stuck with yourself. You have to be the one that ultimately lives with your decisions.

I mention this because often when we make lifestyle changes, make sacrifices others don’t understand, we will meet resistance and judgement.

And it can feel awkward.

It can feel awkward to skip the chips or bread. To not have the drink. To pick something “healthy” off the menu.

And while I firmly believe we need to strike a lifestyle balance right for us, at times that does mean NOT eating things that we may have in the past.

And that can bring with it judgement from friends and family.

These judgements so often derail us from reaching our goals.

But I want to discuss how to take ownership and stick to what truly matters most to us.

I want to discuss how to make sure you’re focused on doing what makes YOU happy over just trying to appease someone else….

1: Don’t jump to conclusions about their statement or critique.

So often we think something is negative that isn’t. Or we add a connotation to something that isn’t there because of our own insecurity.

We may feel weird about not having something. Or about picking a healthy option.

Take a second to pause and assess. And even don’t hesitate to CLARIFY what the person meant.

Realize often it really is our own lens that is coloring our interpretation of what they’re saying.

And then, if it isn’t, even try to see the perspective THEY are coming from.

Maybe is it their own insecurities making them say things in certain ways.

2: Reiterate why it matters to you.

If someone critiques me, often in my response back I will remind myself of why what I’m doing matters to me.

It is just that added reinforcement while also trying to educate.

If they call me out for getting something healthy, I may even say…

“Yes, I’m getting something healthy because it will taste good and help me feel amazing tomorrow.”

I remind myself of why what I’m doing is worth it to me.

3: Realize everything comes with a sacrifice.

I don’t think it is bad to recognize that it will take sacrifice to reach a goal.

Nothing in life is about doing what we want, when we want all of the time.

There are sacrifices that come with success.

We are always choosing one thing which causes us to “miss out” on another opportunity and experience.

But the sacrifices are worth it because it moves us toward the goals and experiences we truly want.

I think reminding ourselves that sacrifice is a part of everything is key.

Because then, when we do feel maybe awkward about a decision we are making, we can remind ourselves that this is part of the process of ultimately staying true to ourselves.

It isn’t easy at times to be the person sticking to their macros or not having the drink. But reminding yourself of why this sacrifice is even worth it, can help you stay true to what truly matters to you, over giving into peer pressure.

4: The simple fact is…haters gonna hate.

No matter what choice we make, there is always someone out there judging that doesn’t agree.

By taking any stance, making any decision, taking any action, you are going against what someone else believes.

I think sometimes we just have to realize that not everyone will agree with what we do or believe in it. And that is a-ok.

Sometimes we just have to simply admit we can agree to disagree.

And, at times, we may even have to realize we’ve grown apart from certain people in our life and it’s time to move forward – that, while hard, it is best for both of us.

Do not be afraid to move forward.

Realize that criticism comes from you being successful even!

The Most Underrated Cardio Exercise

The Most Underrated Cardio Exercise

by | May 29, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief, Runner's

Want a great move to include in your bodyweight interval cardio workouts that isn’t jumping, but will for sure get your blood pumping?

Want a full-body core intensive move you can utilize in so many different ways?

Ready for a move you can modify to match your fitness level and progress when ready?

Then you’ll love this amazing bodyweight cardio move that will target your shoulders, arms, abs, obliques and even quads –

The Tabletop Crawl!

But wait?! Babies crawl…isn’t crawling easy?!

HECK NO!

This crawl will not only challenge your body but also your mind and coordination.

Unlike the Baby Crawl, your knees are going to hover off the ground.

And with the Tabletop Crawl, unlike the Bear Crawl, you want to focus on keeping your butt down and knees just a few inches off the ground.

You also want to focus on that contralateral movement pattern, or opposite arm and leg working together. This is a great way to improve your coordination, especially for movements like running!

While you can focus on moving faster only and allow a bit more rotation of your core as you crawl, you can also use this move to work on that anti-rotational core strength.

And then you can crawl in every direction using this tabletop or bulldog position, even mixing things up by adding in rotational moves like the Sit Thru, holds or even other crawl variations to the flow!

All of these things make this crawling variation a killer cardio move.

 

So how do you do the basic Tabletop Crawl?

Start on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders. Starting out or to modify this move if you get out of sync as you go through this move, you can always come back to crawling on your hands and knees.

Tuck your toes under and then lift up onto the balls of your feet and hands so your knees hover just a few inches off the ground.

To start with the crawl forward, step forward with one hand and, as you do, step the opposite foot forward, bringing your knee in. Start with small steps and focus on keeping your hips still as you step.

Then step the other hand forward and other foot.

Think small steps as you brace your abs and keep your knees close to the ground. You can continue taking steps forward in this way with the opposite arm and leg moving together or you can reverse your direction and crawl backward.

When you crawl backward, be conscious of taking small steps, especially to start. This requires a bit more upper body strength than the forward crawl oddly enough and often we get more spread out, as we have a tendency to reach further back with our feet when crawling backward, placing more load on our upper body.

As you step one foot back, remember to step back with the opposite hand.

Using this basic forward/backward crawl, you can then add in occasional holds, or even a Sit Thru on each end of the length you’re crawling in. You can also add in little jacks or side to side hops if you want. Or you can even turn over to add in a crab crawl with this tabletop crawl.

You can also use this same crawling position to move LATERALLY.

How do you do the Lateral Tabletop Crawl?

The lateral crawl is a great move to improve your coordination and you may find the movement pattern a bit more challenging to start.

And if you’re thinking I’m too old for this move, you’re wrong! As we get older, including moves that work on our coordination and neuromuscular efficiency are even more key!

They keep us functional strong!

While you can make the lateral crawl an ipsilateral or same side working together movement, it is a great contralateral move.

To do the lateral crawl as a contralateral movement pattern with the opposite hand and foot working together, set up with your hands together under your chest and feet and knees about shoulder-width part.

Then step one hand out wide to the side so your hands are about shoulder-width apart as you step the opposite foot in toward the other. As your hands move apart, your feet move together.

Then to continue laterally, your foot on the same side as the hand you just moved will step to the side as you bring the opposite hand in to meet your other hand.

Move slowly to start keeping your knees hovering just off the ground. You can move as many steps as desired across the space you have then come back the other direction.

Focus on keeping your hips still as you move side to side.

Modifying The Basic Crawl:

While you can always go down to your hands and knees, to start, another way to modify this move that is often a bit more comfortable for the knees if your surface isn’t padded, is to use an incline.

For lateral crawls, you can use a bench as your incline and move along the length of it.

For forward/backward crawls, stairs actually work best as you can place your hands up on a higher step and crawl up a step at a time!

While often we will cheat and modify by allowing our butt to go up in the air during the basic crawl off the ground, we want to recognize this changes how we are activating muscles and will not give us the same ab or quad benefit that the basic tabletop or bulldog position does.

So using an incline can help us really master that positioning!

SUMMARY:

Crawling can be a great way to improve our coordination and our conditioning. It is a great move to include in an interval workout even with traditional moves we love like burpees, if we want to include jumping. It will work our entire core and get our blood pumping.

Try a fun Sit Thru crawling variation in this workout below:

–> 5 Cardio Moves For Fat Loss Workout

FHP 421 – Has It Really Worked Before?

FHP 421 – Has It Really Worked Before?

by | May 24, 2022 | podcast

Often we DEFEND previous dieting and exercise practices as having “worked” for us because we did see potentially an immediate result from them.

Yet often as we are defending these old ways of doing things, we’re fighting against something new we’ve sought out because we no longer have the result we wanted.

Aka the habits or routines weren’t sustainable.

So the question that always comes to mind for me is…

Did it really work?

My answer?

No.

It may have been a short-term fix. But that immediate pay off even is potentially why you’re now struggling.

Let’s breakdown why this is the case so you can see why you need to let go of “what used to work” if you actually want to create a new and better result…

1: The habits and routines simply weren’t based on your realistic lifestyle.

– They weren’t actually something we could replicate once that motivation wears off
– We simply don’t enjoy them
– The second we go off plan, we don’t know how to find balance or get back on track
– We get burnt out and don’t know how to move forward when life gets in the way
– We’re doing so much it isn’t realistic to our schedule
– We mentally and physical have to use so much willpower to replicate them at some point we run out of steam

2: The habits and routines actually ultimately created metabolic adaptations that led to the results reversal.

– We made our body more efficient at using less energy
– We created hormonal imbalances we have to recover from
– We lost muscle – created metabolic adaptations
– All of these things make it easier to regain the weight and harder to lose again without going through a re-training process

3: Fast results aren’t necessarily REAL results.

– Fast results just mean water weight and glycogen being lost.
– Severe calorie deficits may work at first but we adapt so results slow and it may cause more cravings which quickly backfire.
– You can’t out exercise or out diet time.

The simple fact is too…

NOTHING WORKS FOREVER!

Even if something did work in a specific situation with a specific lifestyle, if things change? Your habits need to change.

We need to realize that even if something worked, there may be a better way.

Even if something did work better, cycling to something new creates balance – going low carb to deplete may be key at points even if you do well on high carb or if you do well on low carb the whoosh effect adding back in carbs may help you over a plateau.

And change requires change.

If we want to see the opportunity, we need to actually be open to new systems!

Then we have to focus on 3 main things….

1. Macros
2. Workout progressions – designing for the time we have
3. Learning, tracking and adjusting with set end dates – Self Empowerment

 

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10 Weight Loss Hacks (That Actually Work)

10 Weight Loss Hacks (That Actually Work)

by | May 22, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

You’ve lost the weight…now what? You can’t just go back to what you were doing prior, but you also can’t stay in a deficit forever!

Instead you’ve got to transition into maintaining, knowing that it will be a process as you find the balance right for you. But what does maintaining your results really mean?

Since it can be a challenging process, I wanted to share 10 tips to help you find the lifestyle balance you need to maintain your results forever.

 

10 Weight Loss Hacks To Help You Keep The Weight Off For Good:

1: Realize your weight will fluctuate.

Maintaining doesn’t mean there won’t be little ups and downs. The scale will still often fluctuate daily due to inflammation, water retention, even your meal timing the day before.

The key is realizing you have the tools to “catch” things before they become an issue or you start the trend backward.

But also be conscious that as you balance out, you may see a slight scale increase. Do not stress! And then use other forms of measurement as you maintain as the scale won’t show muscle gains which can be occurring as you go out of that weight loss deficit.

Focus on how your clothing fits and even take measurements at set intervals!

2: Don’t cut out processed foods.

The more you restrict foods, demonize things, the more you cause yourself to crave things and ultimately derail your consistency.

Part of why we can never maintain our results is because we don’t know how to work in the things we enjoy and love and WANT to eat at some point.

Food is not just fuel.

If you enjoy candy, find ways to work it in as you build those maintenance habits and transition into maintaining your results.

Find ways to work in the things you love first.

And also recognize we have to stop these sweeping undefined labels. Not all processed foods are just evil.

Heck, technically COOKING is processing a food so watch the labeling as it often only creates guilt instead of balance.

3: Create mini cycles.

Most of us don’t do well without direction, with just doing something “forever.”

Even when maintaining your results, set mini goals, set little cycles for yourself where you have a specific focus.

Test out ratios. See how calories impact you.

Experiment with cycles.

Focus a bit more on body recomp or more on gaining muscle. Not so much that you’re cutting or bulking but just so you have a focus for your fueling and training.

4: Set performance goals!

There is no better way to give yourself mini cycles with end dates than to set performance goals.

Not only can these give you direction in your training but they keep you training hard and fueling well which only promotes retention of your aesthetic changes!

If you want to achieve that first full pull up, design your workouts to work toward that. Even make sure your diet fuels that muscle growth and performance so you can train hard each and every session!

5: Track. Yup. Track.

I know we think tracking is just about weight loss, but learning to maintain our results is a process in and of itself and tracking allows us to make sure we are dialing everything in and slowly transitioning out of that deficit.

It also allows us to make sure we are eating enough to fuel our performance goals.

So while in maintenance you may not track as strictly or even every day, remember that tracking can be that accountability and check in especially if you do feel your energy dipping or your pants getting a bit tight.

You now have a tool you can use any time you need to tweak something and move forward!

6: Realize you won’t always be motivated.

Accept that maintaining means that at points you still want to do little cuts for that beach vacation or little muscle gaining periods to lift a bit more.

There will be holidays where you don’t care and times of year you want to lean down to feel extra fabulous.

Ebbs and flows should be embraced and we need to realize we won’t always be 100% motivated in the same way.

So while we want to set boundaries or bumpers so we don’t go to either extreme, we have to realize we will fluctuate with time.

7: Embrace minimums.

When trying to maintain our results, there will be times we really only do the minimum. But that SOMETHING is what keeps us on track and maintaining even if it isn’t driving us forward toward a specific goal.

Minimums may be calorie caps or protein minimums. It may be a Plan B to our workout routine if we’re busy or a modified schedule just so we do something.

But we won’t always be motivated and there may be times life and stresses need to take priority. These minimums help us avoid losing ground while striking a lifestyle balance.

Consistency is key and this helps us be better than we would have been otherwise to keep us maintaining the results we worked hard for!

8: Don’t diet on holidays OR vacations.

There are 300 days of the year you can focus on working toward a specific goal. But holidays and vacations are not one of those days!

Sometimes we may need to set boundaries for ourselves to keep moving forward as fast as possible, whether it is a calorie cap or even pre-planning what we will eat, but too often we worry about gaining weight or losing weight on the holidays or vacation.

When really that one day doesn’t matter. Heck even those two days don’t matter.

It’s all the days AROUND the event that matter.

Stay on track before the event and get right back to your healthy habits after.

It is 100% a-ok to just enjoy those days without guilt or stress or worry.

9: Always have the day after plan.

Often it isn’t the actual missed workout or day of overeating or stress eating that causes us to sabtoge our results. It isn’t the vacation or party.

It’s the fact that we feel guilty and that one day becomes two days or weeks or even months before we get back to the habits we need.

We let the old habits sneak back in and snowball.

Having pre-prepped meals for the next day already available to get us back on track or a progression, with even a plan b laid out, can help us get right back to our routines and habits.

Especially if you’ve gone on vacation or have a party, plan ahead for how you’re going to get right back to your habits the day after. That will allow you to make sure that one day doesn’t add up and you keep maintaining the results you worked hard for.

10: Try new things!

Often when we are trying to lose weight we get into very set routines and even very repetitive in how we are training and fueling because it is working.

But these same habits and routines can get boring. And when we get bored we are more likely to slip back into old habits.

So find new things to challenge you. Find new things to learn and experiment with.

Test out new macros and recipes. Experiment with new training splits and even moves.

Have some fun experimenting and learning to keep your training and eating interesting!

SUMMARY:

Just remember maintaining is itself a process. And with these 10 tips you can maintain the weight loss results you’ve worked hard to build!

Stuck and struggling to see the results you want and deserve?

Watch this video for my 3 Step Weight Loss Recipe.

FHP 420 – The Elephant and The Rope – Question Your Boundaries

FHP 420 – The Elephant and The Rope – Question Your Boundaries

by | May 16, 2022 | podcast

Question your limitations!

I had a woman tell me that she was told women can’t get the ab definition I was showing in my picture.

I’ve had people tell me they gave up lifting because they were told they simply shouldn’t after x age…

Do not be an Elephant tied up.

I found this story the other day and thought it so highlighted how we can all hold ourselves back or even let things others have told us hold us back….

A man was walking nearby to a group of elephants that was halted by a small rope tied to their front leg. He was amazed by the fact that the huge elephants are not even making an attempt to break the rope and set themselves free.

He saw an elephant trainer standing beside them and he expressed his puzzled state of mind. The trainer said “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them.

As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.

Don’t create your own limitations.

So often we hold ourselves back because of one mistake, one failure, one comment that we aren’t good at something.

We let a barrier that may have even been there before, hold us back forever, never re-testing what we can accomplish.

We let a “false belief” hold us back forever.

We condition ourselves to believe we are bad at something, that we can’t make a change.

But there is ALWAYS a way to improve.

The question is, how can we overcome these self imposed limitations. How can we get ourselves to question and test that rope to break free of it finally?

I want to outline a few key ways we can always keep testing our boundaries and questioning our own limitations.

1: We’ve all heard “You’re only as strong as your weakest link” so keep working on that weak link!

The best way to overcome any limitation is to improve what we aren’t good at, especially if that limitation is something we feel holds us back from accomplishing our goal.

Face the things you don’t like, the moves or tasks that are most challenging head on.

Break them down into pieces. Start by doing the parts you enjoy more or that are easier, but start addressing those weak links instead of running from them.

Bad balance? Work at it. The moves may be uncomfortable but the more you do the more comfortable with them you’ll become. Pick exercises even to start that are closer to your comfort zone.

Over time you may realize your balance wasn’t really bad, you just never PRACTICED it!

2: Realize you can always expand your realm!

Ok so let’s just say you can’t truly overcome a certain barrier. The rope could grow stronger as the elephant did.

You can still take more and more ownership of the realm you have. You can grow that capacity and you can always test it.

Maybe over time you can’t break it, but you may get an extra inch out of it.

The key point is, you won’t know until you’ve tried.

So take ownership of the full area you can and constantly push back at those limits!

It’s the only way to improve even what you currently have for the best potential outcome.

3: Assess why you feel this barrier exists.

We should constantly be questioning our own beliefs. Testing our own limits.

What’s the fun in not improving?

And I think the more we can take changes to reflect on our feelings and beliefs, the more we do realize how many are self imposed or could be outdated!

Think about how many things you were told once early on that, now because of other life experiences, could hold no relevance.

Why not constantly take time to reassess and reflection?

4: Simply force yourself to try new things!

Honestly, every once in awhile, do something that slightly terrifies you. That pushes you outside your comfort zone.

It will make you see how capable you are and may help you even mentally challenge and question other limitations you’ve put on yourself.

Part of life is the journey, the experiences we CHOOSE to have. Realize that by just wanting to improve, we can achieve so much even if we do fall short.

But at least we got the experiences of the trial and learning! And it may lead to something else amazing we couldn’t have predicted!

SUMMARY:

It’s key we are always questioning our own beliefs about ourselves. Assessing our weak links to improve and grow.

There is always more we can do.

Sure it may never be perfect, we won’t ever fully be free of limitations, but we can constantly expand where we can roam! 😉 

See the results you DESERVE and break down those barriers with my 1:1 Online Coaching.

–> Schedule A Consultation