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FHP 418 –  3 Reasons Your Progress Has Stalled

FHP 418 –  3 Reasons Your Progress Has Stalled

by | May 2, 2022 | podcast

I focus a ton on mindset on the podcast because I think our mindset behind things ultimately dictates our success or failure.

We can have all the right tools and never embrace them or take action if our mindset isn’t there to move us forward.

And I think our brain is often partly responsible for our progress stalling.

We THINK we are doing all of the right things, but the reality is…

We often aren’t.

Yes sometimes we just need to stay consistent with everything because results are building and we just need to be patient…our least favorite thing ever…

BUT often we’ve also let little things SLIDE that we haven’t even noticed.

That’s why I wanted to touch on 3 things you want to assess if you’ve been stuck for awhile or feel like you’re even slowly starting to roll backward in your results…

1: Are You Actually Still Sticking With The Habits Consistently?

What does the data say?

Often we get a bit…well…comfortable and lazy as we go through.

In terms of our diet, bites, licks and nibbles sneak in and go unlogged.

Sauces get added with a few extra grams that we shrug off.

An extra day or two unlogged creeps in.

Our portions slightly grow as we get “looser” in our tracking because we feel confident in knowing our portions.

We start to slack a bit on our warm ups and rush them.

We miss a workout here or there more than usual.

Basically, while we are still overall consistent, the habits are beginning to slide.

And we need to help ourselves refocus a bit.

There will always be ebbs and flows. We won’t be able to drive forward at 110% every day all day.

BUT if we are getting frustrated that our results have stalled, we need to assess the little things that may be creeping in and hurting our true consistency.

The consistency that will make things happen faster.

There has to be a balance between long-term adherence and perfection…knowing that the more we are truly “perfect” with those habits, the faster things WILL happen.

So assess where you’ve loosened the reigns a bit. And then determine if you want to tighten things back up to drive forward OR if maintaining right now IS the win.

2: You Need To Make A Tweak.

Achieving a goal is such an interesting balance of staying consistent when you want to give up, yet making enough changes to help you keep pushing forward.

It’s why I think learning the fundamentals is key.

Nothing works forever and our lifestyle is evolving so we need to shift.

And sometimes we need to make a slight change even just because we MENTALLY need that sense of control.

A true plateau is at least 3-4 weeks. Most of us never wait that long with absolutely not change in anything before we make a change or say something isn’t working.

And I get it…I’m not patient enough for that either.

It’s why I set end dates. I make adjustments and slight tweaks in focus.

But I keep the same foundation.

It’s why creating progressions and macros are so key.

You have that plan. The basics dialed in, but you can also make small changes to give yourself the change you need on every level.

Try a different macro ratio.

Try a new move in your next progression or a slightly different workout design.

Heck even design for a slightly different schedule if you’re busy right now and your usual doesn’t really work as easily.

Make small changes to your plan while staying focused on those fundamentals.

Don’t be afraid to tweak but stop randomly switching and adjusting with no set plan to follow and clear end dates.

3: How Are You Determining Progress?

I know we often want a very specific change, but I think it is key we use a variety of metrics to really see results.

Too often I’ll hear someone thinks they aren’t making progress because the scale isn’t changing, but they’ve lost inches.

So while progress may “stall” in one metric, we may see that our results are still accumulating if we analyze another front.

This is key as sometimes we jump ship on something too soon when it is working just because progress isn’t happening in the exact way we’d envisioned.

Recognize too what your TRUE ultimate goal is.

If it is performance changes, not every day will your numbers increase, especially not in every lift.

If it is looking leaner, realize the scale may not change while you’re losing fat.

So while you want to use those metrics to know if something is working, realize you have to assess other parts of your lifestyle and progress in them.

Because sometimes realizing we are moving forward in some aspect can help us stay consistent enough to overcome what we see as a plateau.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

And while I said this wasn’t fully a mindset podcast, I think it is key to also realize that sometimes we FEEL like we’ve plateaued when in reality maintaining previous results is still moving forward.

Sometimes we need to maintain because we can’t just always have the focus to push forward.

So even embracing those times MENTALLY can be key.

Because what can be seen as a plateau, can be results building. And it can be us creating that new foundation, that new set point, off of which we can build even stronger!

Build the recipe for lasting results without cutting out the foods you love…

–> 3 Step Recipe For Results!

10 Upper Body Bodyweight Exercises (+2 WORKOUTS!)

10 Upper Body Bodyweight Exercises (+2 WORKOUTS!)

by | May 1, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Push Ups, Travel Workouts, Workouts

There is always a way to keep moving forward consistently toward our goals working around the challenges life throws our way.

And while it may not be our ideal workout or schedule, doing SOMETHING is always better than nothing and can keep us moving forward toward our goals.

That’s why I wanted to share 10 upper body bodyweight moves to help you build strength even when you don’t have access to a gym or you’re short on time.

These moves will target your arms, shoulders, chest, back and core and can easily be done at home, with a few bonus moves using a towel.

I share quick tips on how to do these moves then 2 amazing workouts you can implement them in! 

 

10 Upper Body Bodyweight Moves:

1: Doorway Row

It can be challenging to target your back and perform pulling movements when we don’t have equipment. But by using a simple doorway or even stair banister, we can really challenge our back using our own bodyweight.

And this move is amazing because you can make it unilateral or bilateral to not only challenge one side at a time but even make it harder by using only one side to pull your weight.

Just make sure to stay in that squat and focus on your shoulder blade moving so you’re really initiating the pull with your back!

To modify, start with both hands instead of a unilateral pull.

2: Downward Dog Pike Push Ups

Push ups are not only a great chest, shoulders and tricep exercise, but also a great core move. And you can adjust how much you activate each of those muscle groups based on the exact variation you use.

If you want to get your shoulders and get in movement to mimic that vertical press or overhead press, the downward dog pike push up is the perfect move to include.

When you do this move, make sure you don’t turn it into a horizontal press but actually lower your head straight down between your hands to mimic that vertical pressing movement.

To advance this move, place your feet up on a bench or stair. The higher the platform, the harder it will be!

3: Scapular Wall Row

When we think about back exercises, we think about pulling movements. But this amazing back move is actually a press.

If you struggle with engaging your back and that scapular movement, and often feel your biceps taking over, this is a key back exercise to include. And all you need is a wall!

When you do this move, focus on driving off your elbows to push away from the wall and feel your shoulder blades move toward your spine to drive your chest out. Focus less on walking further away from the wall and more on that mind-body connection to engage your back.

To vary this move up, you can also do the press lying on the ground as well.

4: Tricep Push Ups

This amazing unilateral push up is a great way to target each arm independently to correct imbalances and really work those triceps.

It is also easier on the shoulders than the bench dip, which can make it a great option especially if you’ve had shoulder aches and pains in the past.

When you do this move, make sure to press through your entire hand. Move your hand up higher to modify or lower down your side to advance. And make sure not to let your legs flop around.

You can further modify this move to start by pressing off a bench or wall over doing the push up off the ground.

5: Lying W Pull Down

Even when we don’t have equipment, we don’t want to ignore the importance of vertical pulling exercises. Moves like the Lying W Pull Down can help us improve our back strength, working our lats while helping us improve our scapular control and stability.

Really focus on your shoulder blades drawing together and down toward your butt as you pull your arms down from extended overhead as you lie on the ground. Even slightly extend your spine to lift your chest and hold as you perform the movement.

If you do feel your neck during moves like this, rest your head on a towel or even modify this move standing.

6: Chest Fly Push Up

The chest fly is a great move to really work your pecs, which is exactly what muscle you’ll work more with the Chest Fly Push Up.

All you need are two small towels to use on a hardwood floor or even paper plates on carpet.

And bonus, you’ll also really work your core.

When you do this move, really focus on sliding out with control then your pecs working to pull your hands back in as you come up out of the push up.

To modify, try sliding one side out at a time or even move to your knees. You can also modify this move off an incline, sliding one hand out at a time while using your stairs to create that incline.

7: Plank Row

This bodyweight exercise is a great way to target your core, especially your obliques, improve your shoulder stability and even work on your scapular control and strengthen your back.

Really focus on avoiding rotation as you row your hand up toward your chest and make sure to initiate the row with your back.

This move is an anti-rotational core exercise so do not rush it but really flex even your quads and glutes to fight opening up as you lift your hand.

To modify, try the plank off an incline, placing your hands up on a bench, couch, table or stair.

8: Climber Plank

Target those arms and shoulders as you work your entire core with this plank variation.

When you do the Climber Plank, really make sure to place your hands under your shoulders over letting your hands sneak out in front of you as you climb up. And as you lower down, place your elbows under your shoulders.

This not only really makes your arms and shoulders work, but it will protect your neck and help you avoid shrugging.

To modify this move, try the plank off an incline.

9: Self Resisted Bicep Curl

You can apply your own resistance when bands or weights aren’t available. And one great way to do this and get in some bonus isolation work for those biceps is using a towel!

To do this curl, loop a towel and hold the ends in one hand to resist your other hand as you curl. You can then make it as easy, or as challenging as you want by pulling against your curl.

Focus on making yourself really fight to curl against the tension. Don’t make it too easy on yourself!

You can even include holds at different points in the move to spend more time under tension.

10: Body Saw

If you want a challenging plank variation that is going to work your triceps and lats, you’ll want to include the Body Saw.

While you can do this move by just walking your feet back, a great way to really make it challenge not only your core to protect your lower back during the extension but also your lats and arms, is to add a towel under your feet.

Instead of walking back, slide back. Do not let your hips sag but focus on lengthening through your arms and shoulders before you pull back in.

Think about pulling back into that plank by feeling the sides of your back working to bring your elbows back under your shoulders.

How Can You Use These Moves In 2 Amazing Workouts?

Workout number 1 is the 1 Minute Max Out. Set a timer for 1 minute and perform as many reps of a move as you can in that time. Move through the 5 exercises, working for 1 minute on each (30 seconds per side) before resting for a minute to repeat for 3-5 rounds through.

1 Minute Max Out

CIRCUIT:
1 minute Doorway Row
1 minute Downward Dog Pike Push Up
1 minute Plank Row
1 minute Tricep Push Up
1 minute Lying W Pull Down
1 minute Rest

The second workout option is the 20-16-12-8 Ladder. You will start with 20 reps per move in the Triset (or per side) then go down to 16 reps the next round, 12 the third round and finally 8 on the last round through the moves. Once all 4 rounds are complete on a Triset, move onto the second set of exercises. Time how long it takes you to beat that time next time through!

20-16-12-8 Ladder

TRISET #1:
20-16-12-8 Doorway Row
20-16-12-8 Chest Fly Push Ups
20-16-12-8 Body Saw

TRISET #2:
20-16-12-8 Scapular Wall Row
20-16-12-8 per side Self Resisted Bicep Curls
20-16-12-8 Climber Plank (perform HALF the reps per side)

Looking for more exercises, workouts, tips and motivation?

Follow me on Instagram!

 

FHP 417 – Q&A With Cori (PLus A Special Guest)

FHP 417 – Q&A With Cori (PLus A Special Guest)

by | Apr 25, 2022 | podcast

What is your favorite exercise? 

Sumo Barbell Deadlift

What is your personal mantra?

Act As If

What is your favorite cheat day food?

Carne Asada Burritos and chips and guacamole (all of those at once is ideal)

What is your favorite desert?

Rice krispy treats with frosting

What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

A Margarita – any kind

What is your favorite vacation spot? 

Palm Springs

What is your favorite movie?

I Feel Pretty – Love watching this when I work

What is the most unexpected piece of advice you ever received?

Your passion is a double edged sword was the gist of what Dave, my GM at the first gym I worked at told me. It was an eye opening moment. And I credit it with making me more self aware to realize how my passion needs to be harnessed.

If you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

Step into your fears and face them. You don’t know what will or won’t work until you’ve tried so be willing to embrace outside perspectives as opportunities. BE OPEN!

What is one item on your bucket list?

Honestly I don’t have a bucket list as I could never predict what life has already thrown at me. I just want to see where it goes.

What quote most resonates with you?

Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.

What is your general outlook on life?

You get out of life what you put in. Nothing will ever go as you expected so embrace the journey and be willing to take risks.

What brings you the most joy?

When I see something with diet and exercise just CLICK for a client….that and drinking margaritas with Ryan anywhere near the beach.

If you could learn one skill instantly, what would it be? 

MMA

If you could eliminate one word from the English language, what would it be?

Can’t

What is your favorite simple pleasure?

That pump from a really good glute burner. No joke.

What is an unpopular opinion you hold?

We can always move forward and improve no matter what. I believe we are ultimately in control. Stuff happens of course that we can’t control, but we still always have a choice in our perspective and how we take actions.

What do you believe is underrated?

Macros. And being open. 

What do you believe is overrated?

Healthy foods – clean eating

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

My awkwardness. And odd decision making skill to live with what I’ve chosen.

What is the oddest way you ever accidentally hurt yourself?

Slipping on a puddle I was trying to jump over in the street in Palm Springs.

What is one trend you wish would come back in style?

Low rise leggings. I have a short torso. High waisted pants go up to my bra.

What is your favorite kind of weather? 

Hot. Sunny. 90 degrees. Basically I don’t mind sweating.

What is your favorite pump up song

Lizzo – Like A Girl But previously Fort Minor Remember The Name (I’ll always love this)

What is your favorite tv show?

The Office 

What is your favorite childhood memory

I honestly don’t know…It’s those in between moments I feel are so special that you remember but they’re not really stories.

Like when my mom told me I had to walk home if I beat her at tennis. She was joking but I think it did make me nervous.

Or like random moments just making meals together. Or car trips to tennis tournaments with my mom when we would just talk about random things.

Those moments that aren’t truly special but just have that FEELING when you think back on them. 

What is your favorite type of workout

Picking up heavy shizzle

What is your favorite food to cook

Uhm…one that is cooked for me!? 3 ingredient peanut butter hershey kiss cookies.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten

Probably something at this sushi tasting in Japan, but I wouldn’t know because they served us whatever they wanted.

What movie or tv quote do you repeat the most

Inappropriately – that’s what she said.

Also inappropriately – “I don’t give a flying fart in space” which I couldn’t remember even where that came from.

Eat MORE And LOSE Fat?! Here’s How

Eat MORE And LOSE Fat?! Here’s How

by | Apr 24, 2022 | Blog, Diet, fat loss-featured

I know we’ve always heard calories in vs calories out is all that matters. And that you need to eat less and create that calorie deficit if you want to lose weight.

However, more is not better when it comes to a deficit, and trying to eat less and create a bigger deficit may backfire if we want to achieve sustainable fat loss results and our ideal lean aesthetic.

Because as much as your goal may be weight loss, you want fat loss. And fat loss can’t be rushed by eating less.

Actually forcing an extreme deficit may be why we’re even GAINING weight while under eating not to mention losing muscle instead of just focusing on fat loss.

I’m going to break down what happens when we undereat and why cycling ratios over cutting calories is key! And then I’m going to go into how to create the appropriate deficit for your needs and goals and why we may have to RE-TRAIN your body to eat more before we can focus on cutting!

Our Body Fights Weight Loss

The reason we need a deficit to lose weight is because we need to force our body to use its own energy stores to fuel. When we have less energy coming in than we need to fuel our activity and survival, we utilize stored energy. This is how we lose weight by using stored glycogen and mobilizing fat stores to fuel!

However, our body wants to maintain balance, even if the balance isn’t necessarily healthy or ideal. And the longer we’ve been at a certain weight, or above our ideal, the more our body doesn’t want to change from that point.

Our body wants to resist change and protect its fuel stores and avoid “starving” which is what it is so to speak “scared of” when you go into a deficit and start consuming less. It’s why our body resists losing weight.

And this is even when we do it in a HEALTHY way with a small deficit, nutrient dense foods and macro ratios matched to our needs and goals.

 Now…What Happens In An Extreme Deficit? Why Can It Backfire?

When you try to create a more extreme deficit and slash your calories extra low, you may see results faster to start initially. Your body immediately is depleted and needs to tap into stored energy.

However, your body adapts as quickly as it can to avoid this extreme deprivation impacting overall survival. While annoying for our weight loss efforts, this is a natural protection response.

When our body is continually under fed, ghrelin increases, which is the hormone that triggers hunger, particularly for sweet and fatty foods while leptin decreases, which is the hormone that regulates energy intake by telling the brain to stop eating. 

We also start to expend less energy to conserve our stores. So even if you’re trying to train harder to lose weight, you may find your workouts suffer and your output decreases.

Even if you do manage to train hard and push through, our bodies compensate by actually starting to burn fewer calories at rest.

Not to mention, underfueling especially if you aren’t conscious at all of macros, very quickly will lead to muscle loss. 

And losing muscle only further slows our resting metabolic rate.

If we’re under fueling and over training, our basal metabolic rate drops and non-exercise thermogenesis, or the calories burned from things like fidgeting decreases. 

Basically, we suffer from metabolic adaptations that allow us to function on the reduced calories. Which ultimately means that us starving ourselves with 900 calories a day becomes all our body thinks it needs to survive as it regulates all other functioning to match the intake you’re giving it. 

It leads to us NOT losing weight while under eating and feeling the need to slash our calories lower to get results. It also leads to us feeling extra hungry.

And when we then do overeat, we ultimately store this energy as fat because our body doesn’t “need” it to fuel. It’s adapted to the lower calories despite the hunger signals!

Have You Destroyed Your Metabolism?

The short answer is…not permanently. Yes you’ve created metabolic adaptations, BUT these can be reversed.

Will it take time and be uncomfortable and require you to sometimes go backward with your results before you move forward? 

Unfortunately, yes.

But if you don’t take time to reverse these adaptations, you’re going to keep undereating and still gaining. Your going to keep perpetuating the same cycle and not be moving forward anyway. 

While it’s hard to go against things we’ve been taught, like eat less to weigh less, you’ve got to step back and EAT MORE to reverse the metabolic “damage”

It’s the only way. 

And yes, it may lead to you gaining weight to start.

But A. This can be muscle you actually are starting to gain, which will ultimately HELP your metabolic rate and lead to better results faster.

And B. You’ve got to allow your body time to return to hormonal balance to then move forward if you ever want to see progress, and maintain those results long term.

So as sucky as it is to honestly take actions you know may move you further away from your goal to start, it’s the only way ultimately to truly move forward and see results.

So how do you get yourself out of this cycle of starvation and re-train your body to eat more?

Step Back – Re-Train Your Body To Eat More!

Variations of this retraining process are called Reverse Dieting.

Depending on your mindset with it all and how many big changes you feel you can handle at once, you may start by adjusting your macros before changing and increasing your calories.

First track what you’re currently doing no matter what. This allows you to make accurate adjustments based on your needs.

One way to approach first making changes is to adjust macros at your current calories, increasing protein, and then, as you dial in that ratio, start to slowly increase calories, 100 calories at a time.

A lucky few actually see weight loss during this, especially with the ratio change. But most, will see weight steadily creep on, even multiple pounds in the first few days, with the calorie bumps.

This will slow. 

Most of the time you should seek to increase by at least 500 calories from your starting point, maintain that for a week or two before considering re-creating a deficit. 

Adjusting your macros, and using specific higher protien ratios as you increase calories, helps use this extra fuel to build muscle and balance out your hormones. With the higher protein ratios, you will benefit from the thermic effect of that macro as much as possible to avoid you gaining any more fat than necessary.

Once you’ve gone through this process to train your body to use more calories, you will start to do small deficit adjustments, often only 100 calories lower than where you’ve built to. You will also adjust macros to more weight loss focused ratios to help kickstart those results.

Now occasionally if you’re super ready to just embrace the gain and risk more coming on quickly to help be able to jump back into losing faster, you can do a fast bump up right away. This also works out better if you’ve tracked in the past and are willing to potentially go higher protein or make a more dramatic macro change as well.

The downside, is your body doesn’t like change and this can lead to bloating or energy shifts and such. These can go away quickly BUT it’s something to be aware of.

This will often also lead to massive jumps on the scale to start but also a quicker leveling off. 

Neither one is really wrong, part of it is mentally what makes us feel best with the process, how far we have to go to really re-train our body and also appetite and activity level. 

The more active and hungrier we feel, the easier it is often to increase calories quickly.

If you have less of an appetite and are less active, it can be harder to increase calories dramatically all at once, making the slower increases more beneficial.

You need to be aware that it WILL feel like taking a step back at first and that often you feel like you’re losing ground, even having to start over so that you can ultimately progress forward.

Now Don’t Say You’re Too Old…

Often this whole process actually becomes more important to do the older we get, and especially during menopause.

As much as re-training our bodies is hard and uncomfortable and will especially lead to weight gain to start during menopause, we need to do it NOW to set ourselves up for long term success.

During menopause our apettite may also already increase as our metabolic rate slows. Throw in under fueling and overtraining in our attempt to reverse the menopausal weight gain and we have a recipe for disaster.

So as hard as it can be when you already see the scale increasing, it’s increasingly important you embrace learning to eat more!

Eating more and dialing in those macros will preserve your lean muscle mass and even help you build muscle. This is essential as we get older as it becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle, which is part of why our metabolism slows with age.

If you under fuel, you put yourself at great risk for muscle mass loss which can not only impact your quality of life and lead to a whole host of other issues including great risk for fracture, but it can make the weight loss process more and more of a struggle as you get older.

So do what you can as soon as you can. And realize that with getting older, learning to fuel correctly and eat more is even more key!

If you want help with this process to create a sustainable plan, click the link below to learn more about my 3-Step Recipe For Results!

–> The Simple Recipe For Results (note I didn’t say “easy”)

FHP 416 – You Don’t Have To Deal With…

FHP 416 – You Don’t Have To Deal With…

by | Apr 19, 2022 | podcast

I know I’ve personally been guilty of this even…

The comparing where you see someone else’s success in, well, really any aspect of life and you think…

“Yea well they didn’t have to deal with (insert thing you think is holding you back).”

But that is a self-limiting belief.

And honestly not beneficial as a thought in any way, shape or form.

It does nothing to move us forward and only reinforces the belief we are somehow unable to find a way forward.

But the simple fact of the matter is, life involves sacrifices no matter your situation.

And we each have our own priorities and values.

If we CHOOSE to bring something into our life, if we CHOOSE to make something a priority, we have to understand how it will impact other things.

And this isn’t a bad thing. There is no right or wrong to what we should or shouldn’t value or prioritize.

But each time we do put something first, we do automatically push other goals by the wayside.

And we can’t BLAME those things.

Instead we need to identify what truly matters to us and find ways to work around or balance the things we want.

We need to find ways to even adapt our values.

Often I hear…

“Well you don’t work 8 hours a day and then have to go home and cook for a family.”

A. You never truly know someone else’s situation to compare.

B. Ok so if you feel that work and family are priorities in your life and you WILL always put them first, instead of blaming them, what is something you can do to work AROUND them?

Sure you may have to sacrifice gym sessions at times. But then how can you steer into that and plan out something quick at home?

We have to remember we’ve CHOSEN what we value. What is a priority to us.

And to ever move forward with other goals lower in that list, we need to find a way to make them matter to the things we value most so we still find a way forward. And we even need to find ways to do the MINIMUM when these other things need to come first!

So how can we stop making the excuse that someone else doesn’t have to deal with something and instead embrace the priorities we’ve set and work around them to move forward?

#1: Focus on small changes.

Too often I think we believe we need these sweeping changes to get results when small changes really add up. Focus on the easiest changes first too to build momentum.

Like maybe you chance one meal that doesn’t at all impact your family dishes. Or you just set 5 minutes to roll out before bed.

But small changes build momentum.

They allow us to build around what we value and want to prioritize. They can even help us realize changes aren’t that hard or can fit in our lifestyle.

They can make it feel like our whole ecosystem doesn’t have to be changed.

#2: Tie your new goals into your current values.

If you want to lose weight, how can you tie this into the fact that your family is your priority?

Will this allow you to do more things with them? Keep you strong to chase after grandkids? Inspire your kids to love their bodies too or realize their own strength and abilities?

Can you get them involved in making fun new macro friendly meals? Test out new desserts or breakfast recipes?

Can you get them doing more activities to get moving? Like maybe catch in the backyard or evening walks with the dog? Pull ups on the playground as they play?

Could you even be watching TV with everyone and try some commercial workout breaks?

#3: Think in terms of minimums.

Too often we think about all we have to do over setting a minimum to get consistent. Sure maybe you like to usually get to the gym 6 days a week, but if you’re struggling with consistency due to your new job?

Instead of saying “Well I can’t get in my usual training sessions because of my new hours so I won’t be able to get results” so that you give up, set a minimum to make it through this time and at least maintain your results.

Too often we believe we need this ideal, to do MORE, to get results, when less is more because of the consistency it creates even during the toughest times. Small changes during tough times, when life works against us, really add up!

Even just make one small tweak to one meal you’re eating. Make one dietary change instead of thinking you have to go from doing nothing to everything.

Seriously even just tracking alone makes you more accountable!

#4: Assess if your priorities will change…

I think sometimes it even boils down to us realizing this IS our life. This IS what we value. Those ARE our priorities.

And if this is the reality, we need to stop blaming it.

We need to assess if this other success we are jealous of is really something we want. We have to recognize that there is sacrifice any time you prioritize something as something else has to fall by the wayside.

So you need to assess and OWN your priorities.

And then find ways to do something to achieve other goals knowing that they aren’t as valued to you. This may mean knowing that weight loss will be slower as you’re doing the minimum.

It may mean that you need to switch your workout routine.

Stop focusing on someone else’s ideal, someone else’s journey, someone else’s priorities.

Stop blaming your own values.

We’ve chosen what matters to us and the only way forward is to find ways to strike the balance right for us.

So stay focused on what YOU need to succeed.