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If You’re Not Losing Fat, This is Why

If You’re Not Losing Fat, This is Why

by | Jan 21, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

I’ve literally made all of the dieting mistakes possible.

I’ve tried to out exercise my diet.

I’ve tried to cut out foods I love.

I’ve tried to out willpower and out work time.

I’ve tried to hit someone else’s arbitrary standards of clean eating…

And none of it worked.

I literally got to a point where I wanted to give up and thought that I was a failure as a coach because I couldn’t change my nutrition.

I claimed I just loved food too much.

I thought maybe it was my genetics…I just stored fat around my middle no matter what.

I literally had the thought, “No program will ever work for me!”

But I then realized one thing that completely shifted my mindset toward my training and nutrition…

This one perspective is why I’m now able to continually improve upon my results and strike a better and better balance…

I realized that I was trying to force myself into a mold…

I was trying to find a perfect program just laid out…

Instead of recognizing where I was at and what I needed to move forward and creating the perfect plan for ME.

We hear all the time the statement, “One size doesn’t fit all.”

As we start yet another program where we force ourselves into a mold.

As we believe our lifestyle needs to meet certain expectations.

And this is exactly what keeps us stuck.

Instead we need to shift our mindset from one of seeking a perfect program to CREATING a perfect plan based on what WE need and what we need RIGHT NOW.

Because our needs and goals will change over time.

By constantly seeking to learn about ourselves and focusing on fundamental principles and strategies…the what and why BEHIND the programs that are pushed on us, we can learn how to adjust our lifestyle to move forward.

So if you truly want to see amazing body recomposition results, you first have to assess where you are at currently and what YOU need to succeed.

Only then can you use the TACTICS, the macros, the specific foods, the meal timings, the moves, the tempos, the variables…in a way that move you forward based on your body, needs and goals at the time!

So before I go over 2 fundamental essentials you need to focus on if you want to see results…

I want you to assess…

What does your current diet and workout routine look like?

How are your workouts mapped out? What moves, reps, sets are you using? How hard are you pushing?

How are is your diet? What is your meal timing? Do you know your portions? Are you hungry all the time? How’s your energy?

Really assess what you’re doing currently and how you feel with your lifestyle.

Then off of knowing your current lifestyle, find ways you can make small changes!

What are the smallest of small changes you could make that even feel easy to start moving forward using these tips based on where you are right now?

This mindset will get you truly creating lifestyle changes that snowball.

This is how DISCIPLINE is built!

And…

KEEP THINGS SIMPLE.

Focus on the basics first.

So often we try to optimize for the details when we don’t a solid lifestyle foundation built first.

That’s why if you’re looking to achieve amazing results I want you to focus on these two fundamentals that will lead to amazing body recomp first…

Increasing your protein intake
Focusing your workout routine on strength training

As “simple” as these two things are, that doesn’t mean they are always easy.

This is where having assessed our current lifestyle is so key.

This helps us make changes based on our starting point.

This may mean increasing your current protein intake by just 10 grams to start, even if your ideal goal is 50 or 100 grams more.

Too often we try to make these huge jumps and then don’t create sustainable habits.

We have to remember that change is hard and our body and mind will rebel.

So start with something small.

And even try to do the new habit early in the day.

Increase your protein at that first meal you eat.

By doing the new habit FIRST, we make sure we’re making a change before we get tired or stressed or life gets in the way.

Too often when we leave a new habit till later in the day, it falls by the wayside.

So if you’re seeking to increase your protein, focus on even that small addition of a protein source to your breakfast.

Now you may be thinking, “Ok I can do that to increase my protein, but I can’t put my workout first in the day as much as I’d like to.”

Remember you can also hold yourself accountable and help yourself make those habit changes by having a plan mapped out ahead of time.

Having a clear plan in place, that clear workout progression, gives us that accountability,

So map out those strength workouts ahead of time and focus on designing for the time you have.

Don’t try to force 6 days a week if 3 is realistic for you.

When we design for the time we have, we allow ourselves to get consistent and see those results build.

And the more you do, the more you do.

When you feel successful completing your routines, you’ll often want to do more of the habits that help you see results.

So instead of making yourself feel like you failed because you can’t maintain a workout schedule that isn’t realistic for you, make it something you know is doable.

And then remember, if it challenges you, it will change you!

Design those workouts to challenge those muscles but in a way that meets you where you are at.

Strength training doesn’t have to mean deadlift your 1 rep max. Regress to progress even so you can get more out of every exercise.

Start with bodyweight training even if you need.

But challenge yourself and be intentional with building so your muscles have to adapt and grow stronger!

Remember results happen because we create those new habits and routines in line with our goals.

But creating those sustainable habits all starts by knowing where we are currently so we can make adjustments that are realistic for us to move forward!

For more workouts, diet tips and motivation, join my free daily newsletter!

–> Join The Redefining Strength Newsletter

 

STOP Sabotaging Your Results…How To Create Lasting Habits

STOP Sabotaging Your Results…How To Create Lasting Habits

by | Jan 15, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

You want to lose weight. Gain muscle. Adjust your diet to really feel better…

But creating new habits is HARD.

So many of us have thought…

“I just don’t have the willpower.”

“I don’t have the self control or discipline!”

But what if it isn’t that you don’t have enough willpower or self control?

What if it is that you’ve been approaching how you make workout and diet changes all wrong?

What if you need to embrace that discipline is BUILT?

Because so often we are sabotaging our own results in how we go about making healthy habit changes, I wanted to highlight 6 mistakes I often see clients making and how you can avoid these same issues!

The first mistake most of us make when looking to work toward a new goal is not first pausing to assess where we are at CURRENTLY.

So often when we want to lose weight or gain muscle we look for what we “should” be doing.

But searching for some ideal workout routine or diet is often what keeps us stuck in this yo-yo dieting cycle, never really seeing results build.

Because often we aren’t considering whether those ideals are actually even doable right for us right now or even sustainable.

And while we do need to embrace change if we want a new and better result, the more these changes are far from what we are doing currently, or what we feel capable of doing, the less likely we are to even do them or stick with them.

Often in trying to make these massive changes far outside our comfort zone all at once, we also just ultimately overwhelm ourselves and stop ourselves from even starting!
Instead approach making changes like you would approach driving to a new destination.

You not only enter your destination into your GPS. You put in your current location.

This gives you the fastest, most accurate route.

So before you start to make any changes and create a plan, really understand where you are starting from.

What does your lifestyle look like? What is a schedule that is realistic for you?

What are easy changes you could easily make today based on your routine and habits?

When you truly take a look at your lifestyle, you can make the changes YOU.

One size doesn’t fit all and by knowing ourselves we can find the things that will yield the biggest impact for us personally over wasting energy making changes that really don’t matter for our situation!

And then start with something SMALL first to get that momentum building.

Because that is often the second mistake I see clients making…and one I’ve made myself a ton…

We don’t start small.

I don’t know about you, but when I want a goal, I want it yesterday.

So often in my attempts to get results as fast as possible, I try to do everything at once.

But this can not only lead to me overwhelming myself, but also burning myself out on all the new things I have to do.

This is often what causes me to feel like I just don’t have the willpower or self control to keep implementing all the new habits.

But really it is just too many big things all at once.

By breaking down habits and even starting with the smallest changes that meet me where I’m at currently, I find results more easily snowball without me falling off my plan or feeling constantly stressed out.

So today write out all of the things you “could” do to make a change and circle the easiest one.

Do that.

Don’t worry about the other changes that you should or will eventually have to make.

Focus on one you can do right now.

The success of getting started, of moving past that first hurdle, will lead to you even WANTING to do more.

And this focus on small changes can even help us embrace the fact that often something is better than nothing.
I mean how often do you just simply skip a workout because you can’t get to the gym for a full session and think, “What’s the point of just doing 5 minutes?”

But if instead we had the view of one small thing adds up, we may do that 5 minutes anyway.

And not only may that 5 minutes lead to a 30 minute workout, it is also still 5 more minutes done that week than we would have done otherwise.

And 5 minutes more, week after week, adds up!

So focus on small changes.

Especially changes that don’t mean restricting the things you love most first!

Because that is a BIG mistake many of us make…

We cut out all of the things we love first.

We often do this because the things we generally like the most are lifestyle habits that are the least healthy for us or the most in opposition to our goals.

For me…dessert was always what sabotaged me.

I loved dessert.

But I also knew those high calorie, carb and fat loaded foods, were probably working against my body recomp efforts.

So because it was the most obvious thing to cut out, I would always restrict that first.

But the second I cut out dessert, I found myself wanting even more.

I would look at dessert food porn constantly on Instagram. It took over my feed.

And eventually, I would give in and not only eat the dessert I was craving…I would eat until I had food twins and couldn’t sleep I was so full.

Then I would struggle to make any diet changes again for awhile and end up not only regaining any weight I lost but even more.

It was only once I stopped that cycle and planned in my dessert FIRST that I was able to make changes that snowballed.

I first focused on ADDING in more protein over cutting things out.

I focused on small swaps to foods I didn’t care about as much, using a lower carb tortilla over a regular.

Swapping in greek yogurt with more protein for a regular yogurt.

Changing up berries for mangos in a smoothie.

Little things to hit my macros that didn’t make me feel like I couldn’t have something.

And on top of deciding to make those changes, I realized how much I could work in whenever I wanted which made when I DID cut something out really feel like a CHOICE.

Because often when we are looking to lose weight or make a change, we feel like we are being FORCED to do things we don’t want to do.

But…who’s forcing you?

Often NO ONE is technically making us do those things.

We are CHOOSING to.

But we don’t see it that way as it feels like we HAVE to do certain things to see results. We’ve been conditioned to believe that dieting means deprivation.

And this is a big part of what hinders us from making lasting changes…OUR MINDSET.

We need to recognize that mindset matters most.

As odd as that sounds, this is mistake that holds us back from seeing results…

We put this emphasis on new tactics, macros, workouts, meal timing, best moves…

But we never consider our mindset behind the changes.

And I can tell you, you can have a less than perfect plan and see results if your mindset is in the right place.

Or you can have the perfect plan and never move forward because mentally you hold yourself back.

As cliche as it is….

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

We can doom ourselves with doubt or help ourselves achieve amazing results because we trust in the process.

But just blindly believing in something is hard to do. What if it doesn’t work?

So often nothing really HAS worked, so why should this?

This is why we need to realize that we can create motivation through actions.

We can MAKE ourselves feel successful by how we approach change.

This means boiling things down into easy to manage bite-sized actions that allow us to get moving forward and feel successful right away.

Instead of overwhelming yourself with a ton of changes you feel bad at so you don’t want to do them any more, take one action that would make you feel successful and start with that.

Because when we feel successful with what we are doing, we want to do more. And we become open to bigger and harder changes.

We build confidence in our ability to even overcome.

So start small with actions you know you can do…even easily…

Maybe it’s 2 10 minute workouts.

Just writing down your food.

Just eating one more serving of veggies.

But realize you can create that motivation by allowing yourself to make those small changes that meet you where you are at.

And this motivation will allow you to BUILD.

Because so often we jump to trying to do everything we “should” be doing over trying to stack behaviors.

This is what leads to us falling off and feeling like we’re constantly not strong enough…like we just don’t have the willpower or self control to make the changes we need to see results.

But instead…

We need to focus on that habit build.

What’s one small habit you can do right now?

Can you go drink a glass of water to improve your hydration?

Now once you add in that glass of extra water every day this week, how can you build off of that habit?

Can you add in another?

Can you now move to adding in 1 more ounce of protein to your lunch?

Can you then make a swap to another food in a meal to lower carbs or increase them?

The more you make habits that allow you to stack more off of them, the more you will prepare yourself to make bigger and bigger changes.

And 1% improvements add up the more you make.

So while it may not yield the immediate sexy results you want, it creates a snowball that ultimately leads to better results long term and ones that truly last.

Now…just because you’re making small changes and avoiding cutting out the things you love most first…

This doesn’t mean that everything will always feel easy or fun.

Too often we try to oversell changes to ourselves.

We tell ourselves this program will be soooo easy or fun.

That this is the best lifestyle EVER.

Instead of recognizing that there is a downside to every upside.

Not embracing the negative is a BIG mistake.

This is often why we feel like there must be something wrong with us when we can’t make changes other people have made.

But the only thing wrong is that we didn’t recognize that doing something different than what we’ve always done WON’T always be easy or fun!

I mean…why should something feel easy to start?

It is new…

It is awkward…

We’re probably bad at it…

It isn’t what you’ve always done.

Things outside our comfort zone, many habits we do to get a great result, simply aren’t sexy or cool.

I mean who wants to wake up with an alarm?
No one. But who wants to miss their 4 am flight to their beach vacation?!

That’s a downside to the upside.

And there are lots of those.

But the more you do those habits, the more you don’t even think of them in a negative way.

They are just the downside to the upside.

The cost to get the reward.

So if a change right now feels unsustainable, don’t just give up on it.

Assess the benefit it is providing. Consider if it COULD be worth it enough to give it a chance.

Then realize that just because it is awkward now, doesn’t mean at some point it won’t feel good or at least be tolerable and WORTH IT.

We need to recognize that what feels sustainable right now is simply what you’ve always done until you’ve given the new habits and behaviors time.

Because often if we embrace that things can stink a bit to start and we push through that immediate mental barrier, we’ll see results snowball and find ourselves thinking…

“Why didn’t I make these changes sooner?” as the habits become normal and even enjoyable!

Changing habits is hard.

And often we are our own worst enemy.

We sabotage ourselves in how we approach making changes.

But by understanding these 6 mistakes, you can help yourself avoid them and see results snowball!

Apply to my Online 1:1 Coaching if you need that kickstart to see the results you deserve and avoid these mistakes!

–> Apply Today

How to Lose Fat AND Gain Muscle At The Same Time (Step By Step)

How to Lose Fat AND Gain Muscle At The Same Time (Step By Step)

by | Jan 2, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Workouts

What should I do first…I want to build muscle and lose fat?

The great thing is…

You CAN do both at the same time!

But how you do that may depend on where you are currently in your fitness and body composition journey.

While you can achieve both goals, you do need to set a primary focus as that will impact how you adjust your diet to start.

That’s why in this video I want to break down two different nutritional approaches to body recomp whether you want to lose fat as you retain and gain lean muscle or you want to gain muscle as you maintain your level of leanness while potentially getting even leaner!

And then I want to share a bonus workout tip to help you make sure your diet and workouts are working together.

Now if you’re thinking, “But I heard this wasn’t possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.”

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

It is possible.

It just takes embracing something that so many of us want to run from…

A habit so many of us have labeled boring and tedious and hard…

Tracking macros! 

Now before you just write this off and click back saying tracking macros isn’t for you, I want to explain why it is so key and a SIMPLIFIED approach that can yield amazing results…

So that person that has said to you…“You can’t lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?”

It’s probably because they’ve always dieted by just cutting their calories super low. 

They lost weight, but probably often have also lost muscle in the process.

They may have even gotten skinny without really looking more toned. 

So they decide they want to build muscle to get more defined, so they eat in a surplus. 

They end up, yes, putting on muscle. But also gaining fat. 

So they then go back in a calorie deficit, repeating the same rollercoaster over and over again. 

They may try a bigger deficit to lose faster or a bigger surplus to gain.

More is better right?

WRONG.

These bigger extremes may actually lead to their body composition becoming WORSE.

It is because while we can lose or gain weight simply by creating a calorie deficit or surplus, we aren’t controlling for what we are losing or gaining. 

We aren’t controlling for fat loss or muscle mass retention.

This is something we CAN control by adjusting our macros.

And one macro in particular – our protein intake. 

Increasing our protein intake is key.

High protein diets have been the only diets shown to not only help us retain lean muscle but even GAIN lean muscle mass while in a deficit. 

And increasing your protein intake while in a surplus, due to the thermic effect of this macro, can help you avoid gaining unwanted fat while making it easier to build muscle due to the extra energy consumption.

So if you’ve struggled to embrace tracking macros in the past but really want to see those defined abs and arms…

It’s time to start tracking…at least your protein intake!

While in a calorie surplus, you may get away with slightly lower protein intakes than in a deficit as long as you are consuming enough carbs as well as instant fuel, going even higher while in a deficit due to the fact that you’re not really consuming enough of anything is key. 

While you may consume about 30-35% of your calories from protein in a surplus, you will want to bump that to more like 40% of your calories from protein while in a deficit. 

Starting out don’t worry where your carbs or fat fall.

Just first only focus on that protein intake.

Doing this alone will lead to amazing results and you’ll be surprised by how much you see those inches being lost and the definition popping through in your progress photos.

But that high protein really is what yields that body recomp magic. 

So even if you’ve been resisting tracking macros, set that percentage to hit of your calories from protein and adjust the current foods you eat through small tweaks to see results.

Here’s a video that has 7 tips to help you easily bump protein!

But before you decide on exactly what protein percentage to use, you have to determine your calories.

Which should you be in – a calorie deficit or a surplus? 

And that depends on your main focus.

While the goal is to lose fat as you gain muscle or gain muscle as you lose fat, you have to have a primary target.

What is your main focus?

This will be based on your current leanness level. 

Are you currently basically as lean as you’d like and would like to add more muscle while just staying lean? 

Or do you have more weight to lose but really want that muscle definition especially to stay strong as you get older?

If you’re already lean, consider a calorie surplus to focus a bit more on gaining muscle without any fluff. 

If you’re not yet at your weight loss goal, consider a calorie deficit to start to help you lose fat without losing muscle. 

Exactly how great a calorie surplus or deficit you create can also impact the results you get and be based on where you are in your fitness journey. 

If you have more weight to lose, 500 calories is the most extreme you want to go with a deficit below your maintenance. But this is really aggressive and best only done if you have more than 50lbs to lose and aren’t as active.

Otherwise to help focus on losing fat without also costing you muscle, consider a deficit of only 100-300 calories at max. Think closer to 300 if you have over 15 pounds to lose and more like 100-200 if you have less than 15 pounds are are super active!

If you are already basically as lean as you’d like or even as thin as you’d like although you wouldn’t mind more definition, you will want to consider a small surplus. 

Since you don’t really have energy stores to tap into, and you want to be able to push hard in your training to create that progression and stimulus for muscle growth, the extra calories will help you make sure you’re retaining that lean muscle. 

Think 100-200 calories above maintenance unless you’re truly as lean as you’d like and really increasing your activity level – then go 300-400 calories.

Especially if you are just coming out of a deficit, slowly increase those calories only 100 at a time! 

As essential as your diet is to losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, the best results happen when our diet and workouts work together. 

And without that stimulus for muscle growth in our training, we won’t see our nutritional changes fully pay off. 

That’s why I wanted to share a bonus tip with you about what workouts are best to see body recomp.

Bonus Tip: 

Now you may be thinking, do I need workouts for fat loss or for gaining muscle.

And I had a client even email me recently, “How do I know if a workout is for fat loss or building muscle?”

My email back said, “A good fat loss workout should be focused on building muscle.”

Muscle is metabolism magic. 

Our training shouldn’t be about burning calories in our sessions and feeling destroyed.

It should be focused on building lean muscle. 

We need that training stimulus for growth if our diet is going to have an impact. 

And the more muscle we have, the more calories we will burn during the day, making it easier to lose fat.

Muscle stokes our metabolic fire and helps us avoid metabolic adaptations as we lean down. 

So your training should be focused on building lean muscle no matter your aesthetic goal focus.

Sure if you love endurance sports, you don’t have to ditch them. 

But even then strength training will only help you get stronger at what you love.

So focus on building strength in your training no matter what.

And for a great workout design to help you see those strength gains, check out my 6-12-25 protocol.

–> 6-12-25 Workout Technique 

This is an amazing way to build muscle and strength no matter you age!

Using these tips you can build muscle and lose fat…or lose fat as you gain muscle. 

You can see the body recomp you deserve but you need to TRACK.

What gets measured gets managed so we can adjust and see better results faster!

Ready to achieve amazing body recomp, losing that stubborn fat?

Join my Metabolic Shred!

The Limits of Age and Exercise (Control What You Can Control)

The Limits of Age and Exercise (Control What You Can Control)

by | Dec 18, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Pain Relief

“I feel like I’m moving better than I did in my 20s and 30s!”

Want to know what led to my client saying this?

In this video I’ll go over not only the workout adjustments but also nutritional changes we made to help her feel her most fabulous.

Because we need to stop just blaming our age and ACCEPTING pain!

The simple fact is…you can’t change your age. You can’t stop getting older.

And yes, there are changes to our body as we get older.

But so often we just write off those changes as out of our control when so often there are lifestyle factors we can CHANGE that do have an impact.

Yes, as we get older, our recovery times change.

Aches and pains have had more time to accumulate…especially as often we haven’t truly taken care to rebuild from previous injuries.

Even the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause can lead to increased inflammation making our joints achier.

But through adjustments to our training and nutrition, we can reduce the aches and pains and even feel like we move better than ever!

That’s why in this video I want to go over controlling what you can control and adjusting your lifestyle to move your best at any age!

Let’s start with adjusting our workout routines. 

I wanted to outline the 2 key things I implement with clients in their workouts that have led to many saying…

“I feel better than I did in my 20s and 30s!”

First, We Include That Prehab Process Every Warm Up

Injuries…Daily postures… Daily posture

They can change our mobility and flexibility. They can change our recruitment patterns or how we use muscles to perform movements.

And so often, even when we’ve done rehab for previous problems, we STOP doing what made us better. 

This leads to us defaulting back into incorrect movement and recruitment patterns and can lead to aches and pains again adding up.

And while we may have “gotten away with this” when we were younger, it is also why aches and pains are adding up more now!

We start overusing muscles and joints not meant to carry the load. It’s why we may feel like lunges or squats only constantly hurt our knees!

That’s why that full 3-part prehab process of foam rolling, stretching and activation in every warm up is so key. 

It addresses any mobility, flexibility or stability issues we have, and preps our body to work that day.

And it’s key we use the system as a whole. Too often we pull out parts of things we “like,” and then are surprised when the benefits aren’t there.

But this process works because of all 3 components together and in that order!

Before you workout, foam roll tight and overactive muscles that may impact your workout or hinder you from performing moves fully. 

This then will help you better mobilize your joints with the stretches.

So if you’ve had hip pain and struggle to engage your glutes or squat deeply, you may roll out a hip flexor and quad muscle that is tight like the rectus femoris. 

Then include dynamic stretches to warm up your body and mobilize your joints. 

As you do these stretches, focus on the opposing muscle group engaging to drive the stretch.

To stretch out your chest in suspension trainer snow angels, focus on engaging your back to feel that stretch more.

Finally include activation moves that isolate muscles that are weaker or that you struggle to use correctly.

If you’ve had hip issues or lower back pain, you may focus on things like single leg reverse hypers or lying lateral raises to really target those glutes and engage them. 

But this prep work in your warm up, and even the rolling and stretching in your cool down, will help you not only move better in your workouts to get more out of those sessions but also recover better for the next workout!

However, we can’t just do our mobility work then rush through our workouts if we want to avoid aches and pains.

That’s why the second thing I focus on with clients is…

Seeing Every Movement As An Assessment! 

Every rep of an exercise is you practicing that movement.

If those reps are rushed and we aren’t focus on the quality of our movement, we aren’t going to get the full benefit of those exercises and may even end up injuring ourselves.

And if you’re thinking, “My form is great! I’m experienced with these moves.”

“Good form” doesn’t mean you aren’t cheating.

Often the more advanced an exerciser we are, the more we can cheat and overuse muscles or seek out mobility from other joints to mimic a movement.

We know what it SHOULD look like and our body is good at replicating what we want even if it means overloading muscles that shouldn’t be carrying the load.

It’s why you may be able to do that deadlift or pull up, BUT you’re also ending up constantly with lower back or neck and shoulder pain. 

That’s why I have every client see every movement as an assessment and always ask themselves…

“What do I feel working?”

Because the muscles we feel DURING the exercise, are what are powering the movement.

If the correct muscles are working, we’re going to see those results build.

However, if we are feeling muscles taking over that shouldn’t be the prime movers, we are going to end up with injury.

When we are able to feel this happening, we can regress to progress, adjust our form or cueing and even modify the movements to get the correct muscles working.

Even if we can do a squat with one weight, we may find increasing to a point then changes what we feel working. 

It’s why you want to be intentional in your training over just zoning out or rushing through.

Even changes in the TYPE of exercise, say a back squat vs a front squat, could impact how the move feels. 

The more we are conscious of what is working, the more we can make sure we are truly maximizing each movement and even working through the fullest range of motion possible.

Because we can’t out mobility work the movements we are doing in our workouts.

If you want to keep that flexibility you are working so hard on, you need to strength through that range of motion.

You can’t hope to improve your hip mobility while doing a two inch squat because you’re trying to go heavy! 

So be intentional with your training and you’ll see those movements improve and those aches and pains go away.

Not to mention you’ll even see improvements to your strength and muscle gains faster!

Next let’s talk about our nutrition and how we can adjust that as well to reduce those aches and pains. 

And I’m going to start by telling you something you don’t want to hear…

But that has been eye opening for my clients…

First and foremost…Track your food. 

So often we only think about tracking what we’re eating when we want to reach an aesthetic goal.

But tracking can help us truly understand the impact our diet is having on our health and even those aches and pains.

By tracking you may realize you aren’t eating enough protein to support optimal recovery or getting in the antioxidants or omega-3s you need to reduce inflammation and support optimal joint and muscle functioning. 

Protein is key. 

As we get older we are less able to utilize it as efficiently which means we need MORE of it to get the same muscle building response.

And protein isn’t just used to build muscle, it makes up all of the tissues of our body and even helps promote healthy bones and hormonal balance.

Without enough protein to properly repair, we are going to see more aches and pains add up!

Not to mention put ourselves at greater risk for other injuries such as falls and fractures.

And it isn’t just our macros we want to track but those micros and the types of each macro we consume.

Antioxidants like vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene, can help protect joint tissues from oxidative stress and inflammation.

This is why we want to track to make sure we’re consuming plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, such as berries, citrus fruits, and leafy greens.

And then we don’t want to fear FATS in our diet either. Especially Omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce joint pain and stiffness. 

Tracking to make sure we’re including fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines as well as plant-based sources such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts is key! 

And then second, we focus on hydration and even tracking that water intake. 

Many of us have even set the goal to drink more water…and it’s a surprisingly hard habit to change!

It’s why I love to add this in as something clients also track in their daily logs for accountability.

What gets measured gets managed.

But increasing your water intake as you get older keeps those joints, as well as our other body tissues, healthy and happy.

It also helps us recover faster!

And it’s key we actually shoot for MORE water as we get older, especially if you’re increasing your protein intake to assist in better recovery and muscle gains!

When you increase your protein intake, you want to increase your water intake to help with absorption and digestion of the protein.

We also have to recognize that, as we get older and go through menopause, we simply need more water too to stay hydrated.

With decreasing estrogen levels, we often need to increase our water intake.

Not to mention during menopause you may find you do better on lower carb ratios.

Carbs help us retain the water we need.

So fewer carbs in our system may mean increasing our water intake and even being conscious or our electrolyte balance.

This is why shooting for 70% of your bodyweight (in pounds) in ounces is key.

And you want to track to get this over the day.

You’re not seeking to have your pee be clear either with this. You want that light lemonade color.

But this focus on proper hydration helps keep cartilage, the cushioning material for your joints, lubricated and functioning optimally.

You can move and feel your best at any age. But it does mean addressing what your body needs right now instead of focusing just on what used to work.

But stop blaming your age.

Control what you can control and make these changes to your workouts and your diet to feel amazing at every age!

Learn more about how to create the perfect plan for YOU and see the results you deserve…

–> Schedule A Coaching Consultation

 

How to ACTUALLY Lose Stubborn Belly Fat (7 Tips)

How to ACTUALLY Lose Stubborn Belly Fat (7 Tips)

by | Nov 12, 2023 | Blog, Diet

“You don’t even have any belly fat!”

I got that comment on a post I had with tips to help clients lose that oh so stubborn belly fat.

My reply back…

“You’re right. I don’t!

I have the ab definition I want BECAUSE I followed these tips.

I was surprised by that comment on the post about how to get rid of belly fat because I’m legitimately proof that those tips work!

They’re how I got the ab definition I wanted myself!

Because I know how frustrating it can be to see everywhere else lose fat but that stubborn belly fat not shift no matter what you seem to do, I wanted to share what I implemented to finally see results.

And the tips that have helped my clients see results no matter their age.

It’s essential you first recognize that you can’t just set and forget your habits. 

There is no one perfect plan that works forever.

And as you progress toward your goals, what you will need will CHANGE. 

That’s why you need to focus on 3 main things to constantly tweak and adjust.

#1: Cycle macros every 2-3 weeks.

By cycling macros every few weeks, you allow yourself to get consistent with a ratio but also allow yourself to adjust macros to build upon previous ratios.

You can use a lower carb cycle to deplete your glycogen stores and potentially better help mobilize fat to be burned as fuel. 

You can then use higher protein to help you focus on building and retaining lean muscle to improve your metabolic health even as you lose fat. 

Then you can even go a bit higher carb to push harder in your workouts and see the whoosh effect happen. 

Sometimes after a lower carb cycle, our fat cells with store water, making us look softer.

Adding back in carbs can help us release that stored water! 

But these cycles help us adjust our energy source while capitalizing on the different benefits each macro can provide without overcomplicating things with daily changes that can impact our energy levels!

#2: Include Diet Breaks AND Mini Cuts. 

Your body, and even your mind, will fight the fat loss process, especially the leaner you get. 

It’s why we want to include diet breaks.

Diet breaks are when you increase your calories to maintenance and even potentially include foods you may have cut out or are craving for about 10-14 days. 

It is both a mental break from being in a deficit and driving toward a goal, but also a physical one.

It’s often essential to help us avoid getting burned out while pushing to reach a new level of leanness. 

It can help you avoid metabolic adaptations and push harder in your training to build muscle. 

It can even help you maintain hormonal balance after an extended weight loss phase.

A diet break may seem like it isn’t moving you forward, but it ultimately does allow you to see better results once you go back to your fat loss focus. 

And after a dieting break, you may even consider a mini cut.

A mini cut is an extra intensive, about 2 week period, where you create a more extreme short term deficit and use a more intense macro breakdown to accelerate fat loss. 

You don’t do this long-term. It’s just a short term push.

It’s great when you’ve hit that plateau or dead zone to help you bust through and keep going. But it is best used after a higher calorie period.

These cycles within your fat loss journey are essential to long-term results and truly getting off that stubborn fat! 

#3: Assess lifestyle changes to address them in your diet and exercise planning. 

So often we only work toward goals when times are ideal, when we are super motivated.

But that’s why changes never add up.

We need to find ways to do the habits that build results even when times aren’t perfect…when we’re busy, stressed or tired. 

That’s why we need to constantly assess our lifestyle and plan for it.

If you’re busy at work and your usual 6 day a week training schedule is impossible to be consistent with?

Design for 3 days so you get in that great training frequency and volume. 

If you can’t meal prep like you had been?

Find frozen meal prep you can easily use or even restaurants that you can eat out at in a pinch. 

But assess what you need right now to stay consistent over pressuring yourself into some “ideal” that you can’t maintain so ultimately completely fall off of.

When we aren’t realistic about what we need now, we ultimately sabotage our own consistency and ability to move forward.

So if you want to lose that belly fat, you need to make sure you’re finding ways to move forward even as your lifestyle changes! 

Then you need to be consistent past the point you want to quit.

Often with these stubborn areas we will lose fat from everywhere else FIRST. 

And only once fat has been lost from those other areas will we begin to see the progress we want.

It can literally feel like nothing is happening at times. We’re in a dead zone. And it can feel like our love handles or belly even look WORSE as we lose.

This doesn’t mean do more to see results. 

It means giving our systems more TIME to work their magic.

Too often it isn’t more “tactics” we need but more TIME. 

And if we instead try to cut our calories lower or train harder to rush things, we end up actually seeing our results slow further or even completely stall.

So stop thinking you can out do time!

Instead focus on these 2 things…

#1: Create DAILY consistency in macros and calories. 

We get good at, and see results from, what we consistently do.

Too often we have our macros up and down, calories higher and lower…and while it may average out over the week, we aren’t really hitting any numbers truly consistently to know what works.

When we are all over the place each week, it makes it hard to truly make changes that snowball. 

Even if you hit your macros averaged out over the week, if there were huge swings day to day, you may find your energy isn’t consistent. 

Or you feel bloated.

Or your workouts suffer.

But you won’t know WHY.

It could have been the macro breakdown. 

Or it could have been too many calories one day and not enough on another. 

It could have been your meal timing. Or the types of carbs you included. 

That’s why you want to focus on daily consistency to see what works and to fuel yourself in a way that makes you feel GOOD.

Only once we’ve truly hit our macros and calories for about 10-14 days can we know if that works for us! 

Constant variation doesn’t allow for those systems to add up!

#2: Have a clear workout progression focused on a PERFORMANCE goal. 

The more ways we measure success, the more ways we are successful.

If you want to have extra incentive to do the healthy habits that lead to those aesthetic changes, you need to see other ways that those habits pay off. 

That’s why setting a performance goal for your workouts is so key.

Direction drives us.

So having a clear goal for your training pushes you to train harder and with PURPOSE.

You don’t want to miss your workout because you want to be accomplishing a specific goal tied to your training. 

You also stop just seeing your workouts as a chance to burn more calories.

It keeps us from just doing wasted volume or simply training for longer.

It keeps us intentional.

When you have that clear focus for your workouts, you not only see your performance improve but you’ll also find that fat loss happens faster because you’re staying more consistent with the healthy habits you need. 

And then finally…You’ve got to be willing to embrace the suck.

There is never balance in life…it is a constant balancing act.

And sometimes if you want a goal, you have to be willing to make more sacrifices than you normally would. 

Once you reach that goal, you will often find you can create a new balance over time.

But we do have to embrace more challenges, make more sacrifices and own the HARD a bit more in pursuit of a goal we haven’t achieved before or haven’t had in awhile. 

It’s not EASY to push those limits

That’s why you need to do two things to embrace the suck…

#1: Assess past struggles.

When we fail, when something didn’t work, we want to move on from it and forget about it as fast as possible.

But if we don’t pause to assess what happened, often we keep repeating the same mistakes disguised as a new program.

We keep forcing unrealistic habits or expectations on ourselves.

So as you start to make changes, reflect on what has held you back in the past to see how you can plan for those challenges or even avoid them.

Assess how you will find ways to stay consistent through the hard and make it even feel more manageable just because you’ve recognized it is there. 

Instead of downplaying the challenges, OWN THEM.

It helps us think, “Well that wasn’t so bad” when we encounter them which can allow us to keep moving forward and seeing that fat loss occur!

#2: Focus on the habit build. 

Discipline is the secret to success. But discipline isn’t just something we are born with.

It is built.

And it is built by us creating habits that become so natural, we can repeat them even when we don’t seem to be motivated or have the willpower.

Yet so often we make diet and exercise changes in a way that overwhelms us and depletes our motivation quickly. 

We make ourselves do a million and one things we aren’t comfortable with while cutting out most of the things we love.

So while we do need to recognize there will be challenges and sacrifices we have to make, the easier we can make the changes to start, the more we create that discipline with those habits right away. 

And then the more we can build off of those fundamentals without sabotaging ourselves.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with trying to lose that stubborn fat, focus on one thing you can easily do to start that build. 

That will help you then stack more habits slowly on top without feeling like it is so all or nothing.

Then when life does get in the way it will be easier to keep doing the habits you need even during a stressful or hard time.

But focus on the habit build over having that all or nothing attitude toward change! 

If you’re struggling to lose belly fat, focus on these key tips. 

And just remember, as you move forward toward your goals, what you need WILL change.

There will be hard situations and challenges along the way.

But by embracing that you can’t out exercise or out diet time, you can help yourself create habits you can truly be consistent and disciplined with! 

Ready to create the sustainable balance you need in your diet and workouts to see the results you deserve?

–> Schedule A Coaching Consultation

The #1 Way To Get Lean (And Strong) At Any Age

The #1 Way To Get Lean (And Strong) At Any Age

by | Nov 9, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Muscle is the secret to longevity.

If you want to be lean and strong till your final day on this planet, you need to focus on building muscle.

But if you want to build muscle, you’ve got to work at it.

We lose muscle, and strength, as we get older, but part of that is OUR fault.

Because it is partly our fault, this also gives us the power to CHANGE and reverse this muscle loss.

So while it may get harder as we get older, that isn’t an excuse.

It just makes it all that more important we do everything we can to build it.

That’s why I want to share not only 5 essential tips to build and retain lean muscle as you get older but also just give you this warning…

Even if you want to lose fat, or achieve body recomp, you can’t keep doing what you’ve always done!

What used to work in your 20s and 30s, won’t work in your 40s, 50s and 60s…

Especially as you go through menopause.

That’s why it’s key you focus on building that lean muscle NOW, not tomorrow or the day after and embrace the changes needed!

Before I dive into these tips, I do want to highlight why it is so key we do what we can in terms of lifestyle changes to avoid not only muscle loss, but promote optimal muscle hypertrophy….

Because as we get older, there are numerous factors working against our muscle retention and gains.

Research has shown we can start to lose 3-5% per decade starting after 30, especially if we aren’t active.

When we were younger, our body was primed from a hormonal perspective to build muscle basically without us trying.

It’s why it’s also so dangerous for us to get stuck on protein intakes and training techniques from research done on 20 year olds.

Their bodies are primed to grow muscle…basically they can think about growing muscle and it grows.

Now this isn’t an excuse to just accept decline as we get older.

Accepting muscle loss or belly fat or injury because of your age, is the fastest way to get old quick and feel and look horrible.

But it is key we are aware of not only how our body changes, but that these recommendations don’t take into account the decades where our body isn’t working with us, but instead slightly against our strength and muscle gains!

Our body isn’t as efficient at utilizing protein for repair as we get older.

We are slower to recover. And injuries may have added up.

During menopause, inflammation and sleep and energy issues can also negatively impact not only our workouts but also our ability to gain muscle.

And while you may have bounced back after inconsistent workouts or injury in your 20s and 30s, all of these factors make it harder to rebuild lost muscle as you enter your 40s, 50s and 60s.

But even more essential you do what you can to be consistent with your training.

On top of all of this, our busy lifestyles and improper dieting practices to lose fat earlier on, may have also lead to muscle loss.

And this will only compound if we don’t now take action.

So stop waiting to address it…

Address it now!

And realize that, even if you want to lose fat and achieve amazing body recomp,you’ve got to stop the starvation and overtraining cycle!

Which brings me to tip #1…You may have to ditch the scale.

Stop freaking out at scale fluctuations.

The scale is going to increase.

Sure if you’re losing fat as you gain muscle, you may not see a change.

One pound lost of fat as you gain one pound of muscle leads to no change, although you’ll look a whole heck of a lot leaner.

BUT if you want to focus building lean muscle, you need to embrace GAINING weight on the scale.

I can tell you personally earlier on in my body recomp journey, this was a hard thing to accept.

Especially if you’re coming off a phase where you worked so hard to lose that stubborn fat.

The last thing you want to do is see it creep back on.

So you may find that using only measurements and progress photos for a while is key otherwise you may sabotage yourself.

Because you can see that scale increase and look leaner!

And if you get upset by every scale fluctuation up, you will never let that body recomp happen!

So often, when we want that body recomp, we get focused on fat loss, when to truly get the definition we want, we actually need to increase our lean muscle mass!

To increase your lean muscle, get ready to ditch the scale or accept daily fluctuations where often there will be big jumps up.

These jumps will happen for a number of reasons all of which are part of the process and even helpful to see gains as fast as possible.

You may see the scale increase as you work to build muscle because of water weight and glycogen storage as well as muscle tissue damage from hard training sessions.

So often water weight gain is demonized.

But this storage of water in your muscles is key to help your muscles repair and rebuild.

Not to mention, you may store more water if you up your carb intake.

This glycogen storage can help you stay energized, push through hard training sessions and create that anabolic environment to make it easier for you to build lean muscle!

Too often carbs are demonized, but especially if we are training hard, we need carbs to optimize hormone levels and create that environment for growth.

So we can’t fear the scale going up or water weight being gained.

And after a hard training session, especially if you feel sore, don’t be surprised if the scale jumps up because of inflammation from muscle tissue damage!

Not to mention, as you gain muscle, even if you lose fat, that scale may increase.

Freaking out at those increases is going to make you do the opposite of what you need to see results!

Tip #2: Truly PUSH and challenge yourself in your workouts.

Often we do a round that FEELS hard and hit that top number in the rep range or the single number on a lift we are supposed to complete and accept that we pushed hard enough.

Yet often, there is MORE we can give even though we were already uncomfortable.

This doesn’t mean cutting out rest though to feel more out of breath. Limiting rest can actually prevent you from lifting at your true 100% intensity.

And if we want to build muscle, we truly have to create that progressive overload and challenge so muscles have to rebuild stronger, especially the more advanced we are.

This is why you need to use forms of progression like tempo, range of motion, different types of tools over just adding loads.

You also need to focus on working DOWN in the rep range over just staying at the top of it.

If you can do 12 reps when 8-12 reps are assigned, next round go up to push yourself with a weight you think you can only do for 8-10.

If you can, still do the 12.

If you can’t, stay with that weight for another round, till you can do the 12.

Even push yourself to find something that you max out at 8 with to “grow into” that weight for 12 reps.

And depending on your training experience, you may even do those 8 reps, use rest pause techniques and pause for 15 seconds, then do a couple of more to try to get out 10-12 with a weight you could only technically do 8 with!

This makes your body think it did 12 reps with a load it can only complete 8 with which can help you ultimately lift more quality reps without doing wasted volume or trying to use a weight you can’t truly handle!

You may even find that if you are able to do a weight for 8 reps until that last round, you use rest pause technique to still complete 8 reps over going down in weight because you would only be able to do 6!

But don’t go through the motions just doing a weight for the reps listed, really work to use this double form of progression and don’t fear slightly lower reps and heavier weights!

Tip #3: Focus on eating more. 

Muscle is metabolically costly. It requires calories to be maintained.

If you don’t eat enough to build it, you won’t see your hard work in the gym paying off.

And the more muscle you build, the more calories you need to keep consuming to keep building.

More muscle equals more calories burned at rest.

Which means you need to consume more calories on a daily basis to maintain the muscle you have….

And even more if you want to KEEP building.

It’s part of why you need to ditch the scale at times when focusing on those muscle gains.

When building muscle, as your weight increases, you may also need to increase your calories.

This often goes against what we are conditioned to want to do, especially if we want to lose weight or have just lost weight.

Generally when we see the scale go up, we want to cut our calories.

But this can prevent us from building the lean muscle we are working hard to build.

This is why you need to focus on other forms of measurement to see body recomp.

But is is also why TRACKING your diet is so key.

I know personally when I can SEE I’m doing the right habits, it makes it so much easier to trust in the process.

It can help you see you’re fueling properly and implementing those daily habits.

It can also allow you to accurately adjust!

Too often we only see tracking as something we do when we cut out things to lose…when we restrict.

But it can also be a tool to help us add in the fuel we need in a way to perform our best!

While you don’t need an extreme surplus to gain, you do want to start with even just your maintenance calories and increase from there!

So if you’ve been in a deficit, focus on slow increases of 100-200 calories per week over time, staying focused too on the quality of your fuel and even your macros!

And if you do see more fat being gained as you build, you can then always do a mini cut after a set muscle building phase.

But you have the power to adjust those macros as needed because you are tracking!

Tip #4: Increase Protein Portions PER MEAL. 

Eating only 10 grams of protein at a meal isn’t going to cut it if you want to build muscle as you get older.

That small amount won’t optimally stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

And as we get older we can develop anabolic resistance, meaning we are less able to utilize protein as efficiently.

This means we need to increase our protein intake.

But it isn’t just increasing our daily protein intake that can help, it is actually increasing our intake per meal.

You’ll hear the myth you can only utilize 20-30 grams at a time, but this isn’t true.

But studies have shown you can actually utilize up to 70 grams easily in a meal, especially a meal of mixed macros.

Not to mention 20-30 grams is what is directly utilized for muscle repair and growth.

We have to remember that not all of the amino acids we consume will only go to that.

We are made up of protein and what we eat is utilized in so many different ways.

So it is key we get MORE for all of those functions as well as muscle repair, especially since as we get older we are less able to utilize protein as efficiently.

To best stimulate muscle growth and repair, focus on increasing your protein intake to 30-40 grams per meal.

Really shoot for 40 grams in a pre or post workout meal especially!

Just even increasing protein around your workout by 5-10 grams can be a great place to start if you’re struggling to increase your protein currently.

Tip #5: Lift heavier than ever.

Too often as we get older we STOP lifting heavy.

I’ve had clients start training with me telling me they even SHOULDN’T lift heavy or do certain compound moves because they are over (insert age here).

But you use it or lose it.

Part of why we lose strength and muscle is because we don’t push ourselves in the ways we did when we were younger.

We need to keep challenging our bodies.

Which is why we need to include some lower rep, heavier compound lift work in our workouts weekly.

This doesn’t mean you have to become a powerlifter if you don’t enjoy it.

But sometimes you do have to include things you don’t like to be able to do more of what you love…and feel and look the way you want.

So consider including a single heavy lift at the start of your workouts before you get into supersets or circuits, performing a compound exercises with weights that really max you out in that 4-6 rep range even!

If you want to feel and look your most fabulous till your final day on this planet, you need to focus on building and retaining lean muscle.

And while this can get harder as we get older, these 5 tips will help you fight against muscle loss and even build lean muscle no matter your age.

Don’t just accept that getting older has to mean decline. Because it doesn’t.

Join my fabulous free Facebook Community of women building their leanest, strongest bodies at any and EVERY age…

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