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10 UNSEXY Tips That Will Change Your Life

10 UNSEXY Tips That Will Change Your Life

by | Aug 17, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Mindset

You want to look lean and strong and feel amazing and conquer any challenge that comes your way?

That means doing extremely unsexy, boring, basic, even tedious habits, you don’t want to do DAILY.

And I’m going to share 10 lessons I’ve learned to help you value and stay focused on the unsexy habits that lead to the sexiest of sexy results.

Starting with number 1 which is…

What you LIKE isn’t always what you NEED.

We like what is fun. What makes us feel good. What is comfortable.

This is often what we’re used to and what we’re doing currently.

But a new goal, a new phase of life, may dictate new habits that feel uncomfortable.

You have to embrace new habits to see a new result.

Success means some sacrifice.

To get a result that you like may mean doing some things you don’t enjoy as much.

You may not like brushing your teeth for example but you like not having cavities.

So step out of just seeking habits you like and instead take a look at your goals.

What is needed to be the person with those results?

Those habits you need drive you forward and often the longer we do them, the more we like them especially because they are a part of how we feel our most fabulous!

Lesson #2: You can only train as hard as you can recover from.

We talk about overtraining a ton. But a better way to truly address what is going on isn’t to think of it as just our training. Because it’s not.

We’re not overtraining so much as we’re under recovering.

We can do more in our workouts if our fueling, mobility work, sleep are all on point.

Too often we just adjust our training over taking a look at these other areas of our lifestyle.

So if you’re feeling burnt out or seeing your performance decline, start to look at how you’re recovering between sessions over just feeling like your workouts need to change.

Because one of the biggest reasons we start to feel like we’re under recovery is we aren’t fueling properly for performance or for recomp.

We’re so focused on eating less as we burn more calories that we sabotage our metabolic health.

Which brings me to lesson #3: Eat more for fat loss.

This can be a harder one to embrace as we constantly hear how weight loss is about calories in vs calories out.

Eat in a deficit to lose.

And while yes, a deficit is key, more isn’t better.

Slashing our calories lower doesn’t yield results faster.

It’s also often what leads to us quickly feeling deprived, restricted, miserable and like we don’t have the willpower to truly make lasting changes.

It’s why we may see the scale drop to start only to end up regaining more weight shortly after.

Create a small calorie deficit off of what you’re currently eating. Only even 100 calories to start.

This small change will be sustainable and while it won’t lead to the scale dropping 10lbs overnight, it will lead to you actually looking leaner and staying leaner while feeling fueled and energized.

Not to mention, you can’t stay in a calorie deficit forever!

Once you lose the weight, you do have to work to increase your calories and maintain your metabolic and muscle.

So you can’t just focus only on calories in vs out and starving yourself more.

It’s why macros really matter. Sucks but it is true.

And not only do they matter, but so often FEAR of one holds us back from making the changes we need.

Lesson #4: Don’t fear a macro.

Carbs won’t cause you to gain belly fat. Fat won’t make you fat either.

Yet too often I see one or the other of these macros demonized.

But if we fear carbs when we’re super active and slash them super low, we can not only end up feeling horrible but we can see ourselves gaining weight as our metabolism slows and we create thyroid issues.

And fearing eating enough fat can also have negative ramifications, sabotaging our hormonal health, metabolic rate and ultimately our body recomp.

We need a balance and we need to embrace that our balance with macros will shift not only as we progress toward our goals but as our body, activity level, workouts and even lifestyle evolve.

Want to build more muscle?

You may need to increase carbs from what you did to lose fat.

Going through menopause?

You may see yourself become more insulin resistant and need to increase fats.

Be open to evolution.

And that’s why Lesson #5 is Nothing is a set it and forget it lifestyle.

So often we start a diet or new program and instantly want to convince ourselves, “This is a lifestyle!”

But we won’t do one thing forever.

And while we want things to feel good and “sustainable” whenever possible to meet us where we are at, often to start changes don’t feel easy or like a lifestyle.

True changes that yield results aren’t often comfortable as we’re doing something we’ve never done.

And over time we will have to tweak and adjust further. Our body, needs, goals, lifestyle will all change therefore our diet and workouts will need to as well.

Even maintaining your results will mean adjusting your habits at times and setting little mini goals to keep you motivated.

So instead of searching for a forever fix, realize this is a forever process.

Constantly search for little ways to improve and set new goals to help yourself stay consistent with the habits.

And often when making changes it is hardest to embrace the ones that have the least obvious quick payoff…Like including that 3-part prehab process and mobility work daily.

So often we just want to get to the good stuff in our workout, especially when we’re short on time.

But a proper warm up is truly the secret to better results faster.

That’s why Lesson #6 is Do the boring mobility work DAILY.

Foam roll. Stretch. Activate.

Do this 3-part prehab process for even 5-10 minutes daily and you’ll be amazed at how much you keep those aches and pains at bay.

Too often we wait till things have added up to address them then are frustrated when we can’t train the way we want or see injuries holding us back.

The more we let the build up occur, the more we have to dig ourselves out of a hole.

Better to not dig ourselves the hole in the first place.

Prehab is better than rehab.

Do this 3-part process every warm up and even just a bonus 5-10 minutes on days off and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel and how much you avoid sidelining yourself with aches and pains.

And if you’ve been blaming your AGE for you aches and pains?

Take a look at your mobility work.

This little bit of time committed consistently can help you move and feel your best…and even see better body recomp because you’re able to train intensely each and every session!

Then Lesson #7: Stop placing blame outside yourself.

You can’t control everything that happens.

And there will always be something you can’t do or don’t have.

There will always be life trying to get in the way.

But there is also ALWAYS a way to still move forward.

The key is accepting responsibility even when something isn’t your fault.

When we just blame our lack of results on something outside ourselves, we don’t focus on what we can still do to move forward.

Don’t have weights? You can still build muscle through other forms of progression.

Don’t have much time to meal prep? You can still find healthy restaurants or quick reheat options.

There is always a way if we focus on controlling what we can control to see opportunity in the options over just viewing everything as an obstacle.

Lesson #8: Don’t tie habits to your identity.

I mentioned in Lesson #5 that constantly tweaking and evolving is key.

This is easier said than done though as habits become routine and learned behaviors we don’t even realize we’re repeating at times.

Especially when we start to define ourselves in some of our habits and even find a community around a certain way of training or eating.

And while our habits do shape us, if we fully define ourselves by them we won’t let them shift as our body, needs or goals change.

This ultimately can lead to us feeling like we’re working super hard not to see progress…

Or we may even find ourselves sliding further and further away from our goals as we cling to what used to work.

Who we are constantly evolves. Allow your habits to change too.

Our identity shifting isn’t a bad thing – it’s growth.

And we should ALWAYS want to grow as that leads to us feeling and looking our most fabulous till our final day on this planet.

Lesson #9: Slow down to speed up.

When we want results as fast as possible, we often try to make as many changes at once as possible.

We adjust as many habits as we can.

And that’s not a bad thing.

Until life throws something at us where our best laid plans go sideways.

At times like this, often we end up doing nothing because we can’t be perfect.

But this all or nothing attitude keeps us stuck in a loop of constantly starting over to never really see progress snowball.

Instead we have to realize when inching forward is still forward.

Sometimes during busy times of year we can’t do 6 workouts in a week. Instead of doing nothing, do 3.

While this may not feel perfect, this slow down in our habits ultimately keeps us moving forward so in a month or even a year we’re way further along than we would have been otherwise!

And finally the key to it all…

Lesson #10: Track track track track track.

What gets measured gets managed.

Plain and simple.

Part of tracking is having that accurate picture of what we’re doing to adjust off of so we aren’t just guessing at what is and isn’t working.

But another part of tracking is that we have to have a clear plan in place to give us direction.

When you have your GPS and roadmap laid out, you can track your progress on your journey and see where you are at.

You can see if you’ve taken a wrong turn even to help yourself get back on course quicker.

But if you have no idea of what you’re doing or where you are, you’re always basically guessing at what works.

This is what leads to us feeling like we’re working super hard to get nowhere!

Direction drives us!

And the more we track, the easier we make it to constantly evolve our goals and make the lifestyle changes we need.

So track what you’re doing and embrace that constant habit evolution to continue to learn and grow and feel your most fabulous till your final day on this planet!

Ready to build your leanest, strongest body ever and feel your most fabulous?

Schedule a coaching consultation today!

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Forget 10,000 Steps! Here’s How Many You REALLY Need

Forget 10,000 Steps! Here’s How Many You REALLY Need

by | Aug 10, 2025 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Workouts

A new study came out saying that you don’t need 10k steps. It says you only need 3,800. But what does this number mean and is it too good to be true?

I want to share why you may still want to build toward a 10,000 step goal and the difference between “minimums” and “optimal” when talking about recommended amounts.

I also want to discuss the different benefits at specific thresholds as you increase your steps.

Because the short answer is, no you don’t need 10,000…to survive. But 10k+ steps may still be best for your performance and fat loss goals especially.

There is always nuance to things.

Like the 3,800 steps a day goal. That is to reduce your risk of death.

But is your goal just “not dying?”

It’s like the protein RDA…

The RDA for protein is around 0.8g/kg bodyweight.

That’s just enough to prevent deficiency.

But that’s not enough to build serious muscle, especially as we get older, or optimize health.

The same thing goes for this new step goal.

That being said, that doesn’t mean 10,000 is a magic number where all your fitness goals will magically be achieved.

And you may now be thinking, “Where did the 10,000 step goal even come from? What study said that?”

Well actually there is no scientific basis for this amount.

Yup. This number we all just accepted as fact accidentally became a mainstream solid goal after the distance became popular in Japan in the 1960s.

There are two overlapping stories as to how this number came to be….

One is that 10,000 steps a day started as a successful marketing campaign in Japan to promote physical activity ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It’s rumored the number was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 resembles a person walking.

The second is that the number became a more solid widespread goal in 1965 based on a Japanese pedometer company “Manpo-kei” which literally means 10,000 steps meter.

Either way, the number has no scientific basis.

However, shooting for this daily goal may have it’s benefits.

That’s why I want to discuss the different thresholds that research has found and what it means to hit each…

Let’s start with around that new recommended amount of 3,800. The 2k-4k steps a day range.

In this range research has shown a slight reduction in mortality risk and that it is “better than being sedentary.”

Note “better than being sedentary.” This is really a minimum to avoid negative health consequences.

And do you really just want to avoid bad health?

Now in the 4k-6k range we start to see a more moderate reduction in all-cause mortality.

This shows us that there are times that doing more than the “minimum” does yield better results and start to even help us thrive.

At about 7,000 steps is where we see the biggest benefit and reduction in mortality risk at about a 40-50% improvement.

But we also start to see no further specific health only benefits going over this amount.

So if we’re talking optimizing just mortality risk, this number seems to be it.

If this is the case, why go up to 10k?

Are you really just only walking to lower your risk of death?

Or do you have other fitness goals?

Are you looking to lose fat? Improve your metabolic health and increase your metabolism? Are you looking to improve your conditioning and recovery for performance goals?

For all of these reasons, 10,000 steps a day may be still be your goal.

Above 7,000 the benefits are fat loss and performance based.

Walking more will improve your endurance and cardiovascular fitness.

It will improve your insulin sensitivity to help you lose fat, which can be especially helpful during menopause for fat loss and overall health.

And, it is often that secret weapon for fat loss we don’t implement.

More steps means more calories burned daily which helps with fat loss while not beating us down like intensive training sessions or requiring us to eat less.

Also, unlike intensive training sessions, walking is less likely to increase your appetite and hunger levels while increasing your calorie expenditure.

It can even help better regulate appetite and aid in digestion.

And it can help with recovery and stress management both of which pay off for performance and fat loss goals – not to mention OUR HEALTH!

So more steps, may just be what you need to reach your goals and THRIVE.

Now if you’re looking at your step tracker thinking, “Well great. I’d love 10,000 steps but I’m barely getting 1,000 right now…”

Don’t fear!

Small changes add up!

Set a starting goal of even just 1,000 more steps. Plan in two 5 minute breaks to get up and walk around to hit it.

Challenge yourself to do that for 2-3 weeks and build from there.

As you feel good with those changes and even see other results happen, like inches being lost or changes on the scale, add more.

The more you allow yourself though to have a starting goal that’s doable, the more you’ll feel the win of success just from increasing your steps and want to do more!

Over time you can build further.

Even consider different step goals on different days! If weekends are less busy, why not shoot for more?

The key is meeting ourselves where we are at to make changes.

But also, let’s not just accept doing the minimum at time. Let’s not settle for just not dying.

Let’s seek not just to survive but thrive!

So while that new study shows us that we can improve our health even just through adding a few more minutes of movement, we don’t want to ignore the benefits that shooting for 7-10,000 steps can have for our health and our goals.

4,000 steps may keep you alive, but 10,000 could be what you need to see the recomp you’ve been dreaming of!

Optimize your workouts and your diet to build your leanest, strongest body at any age…

–> Schedule A Coaching Consultation Call

The MOST Underrated Plank Exercise You’re Not Doing

The MOST Underrated Plank Exercise You’re Not Doing

by | Aug 3, 2025 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Functional Fitness

Planks are an amazing core stability move.

And you’re never above that fundamental basic front plank.

However, too often we just stick with one variation of an exercise instead of seeing the opportunity in the different options.

To progress and build on your plank and core work, it isn’t just about holding longer.

It’s about holding harder and even slight changes in your posture or position that can help you see better results faster.

That’s why I want to share how one tweak to your plank can not only improve your shoulder stability and health by strengthening your serratus anterior, but also target your abs and especially your lower abs even more…

And this one tweak can make your planks look kind of weird…It even feels kind of wrong…

It’s round your back.

Yup.

Rounding your back.

By rounding your back to perform a plange plank, you can activate your serratus anterior or those muscles around your rib cage as well as your lower abs even more.

The key to targeting these two areas is in how you round your back which is why I first want to go over form and then ways to modify and even kick the plange plank up a notch to be even more challenging!

First, how do you properly round your back with the plange plank?

Start by setting up in that basic forearm front plank.

From this position focus on pushing the ground away with your forearms to pull your shoulder blades forward and around your rib cage.

This engages your serratus anterior through the protraction of your shoulder blades, which is your shoulder blades moving away from your spine.

With rounding your mid back up toward the ceiling, your chin should slightly tuck vs straining to keep your head straight out.

As you round, think about not only tucking your ribs toward your hips, but even slightly tucking your pelvis up toward your ribs.

This posterior pelvic tilt with the round is what really engages those lower abs and even your glutes more.

Use that mind body connection to focus on what you feel working and pulling your ribs in and down toward your belly button as your pelvis is pulled up and in toward your belly button as well.

This is a great way to focus on that ab engagement as you hold.

Too often we just go through the motions with exercises, mimicking form.

Instead we want to focus on holding harder to create that shakeage and get everything working.

This mind-body connection to better recruit muscles efficiently is what helps us improve our stability and strength.

So don’t focus on holding this plank just for longer – focus on holding harder.

To modify this move and really focus on that rounding and serratus anterior and ab engagement, start off an incline.

While you can do this move from your hands and knees in a variation I call the vomiting cat, an incline is best to train that full plank position and engage everything from your shoulders to your feet.

If you need to do the modification off your knees, remember to focus on that big round up and ab engagement. I call it the vomiting cat because you want to draw in your abs as if coughing up a hairball.

This ab engagement makes this move different than the cat cow stretch you may be used to doing.

Focus on that push of the ground away to round up as you tuck your pelvis toward your ribs.

If you have a bench or can use even the edge of a couch, table or stair, you can perform the full plank variation but with less resistance on your upper body which can help.

Now if you’re feeling the plange plank and want to progress it further, there are two options I really love and both can also be modified off an incline to add diversity to your routine.

One is the Dolphin Plank and the other is the Extended Plange Plank.

The Dolphin Plank challenges your core with not only the round up to engage your serratus anterior and lower abs, but also works your abs to fight extension as you lower your hips toward the ground.

It challenges your core with movement and really works your core with both flexion but also to fight extension of your spine.

To do this variation, you’ll perform that plange plank but then lower down through a front plank to drop your hips toward the ground. Your abs will have to fight to protect your spine from extending as you dip.

Then your abs will work to bring your hips back up and as you round back up.

The Extended Plange Plank on the other hand will challenge your serratus anterior and lower abs more by extending out the length of your plank.

Walk your feet back so your elbows are out in front of your shoulders.

Your lower abs will work to really fight that spinal extension and maintain a slight posterior pelvic tilt with a longer lever.

And your serratus anterior will be challenged by not only the protraction but also elevation of your shoulder blades because of the placement of your elbows out in front of your shoulders.

Just be careful you don’t end up shrugging or overloading your shoulders. This does require more shoulder strength and stability to do.

Both of these moves can be modified off the incline.

So while they are progressions of the basic plange plank, they can also be adjusted to be used by any fitness level!

Too often we feel if we need to modify moves that we’re stuck with only certain variations BUT that incline can be a great tool to help us ultimately regress to progress all the different planking postures.

Do not write off a move just because you can’t do the full variation yet!

And see opportunity in slight changes to your postures and positions with fundamental moves to tailor them to match your needs and goals.

Do you like the plange plank? Which variation will you try next?

For fun moves and workouts you can do anywhere, check out my Dynamic Strength program.

–> LEARN MORE

How to Build Muscle Faster WITHOUT Weights (10 TIPS)

How to Build Muscle Faster WITHOUT Weights (10 TIPS)

by | Jul 27, 2025 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Workouts

Want to build muscle?

Create progression in your workouts.

Note, I didn’t say “add weight.”

Because while weights are an amazing, and EASY, way to create progression in your training to optimize muscle growth, you can still build muscle without having access to them.

If it challenges you, it will change you.

So you’re not doomed if you’re training from home or with limited equipment.

But you do have to get created and design your workouts with purpose and strategy.

That’s why I want to share 10 tips to adjust those training variables to help you see muscle gains even when weights aren’t an option.

You won’t use all of these in every workout, but there is opportunity in the options.

Tip #1: Vary exercise postures and positions.

If a move is starting to feel too easy, you can make slight adjustments to that movement pattern to create progression and even target different muscle groups to different extents.

Take the basic push up.

You can place your feet up on a couch to make them more challenging and even target your upper pecs more.

You can lift one foot to make them more core intensive.

You can bring your hands closer in to a narrow grip to challenge your triceps even more.

You can do a pike push up over a standard to create a killer shoulder and arm variation.

All of these changes in your exact positioning and posture with the basic push up can help you progress the move and challenge your chest, shoulders and triceps in new ways.

Another way to change your posture is Tip #2: Make moves unilateral.

A unilateral move is a move done on one side or a single arm or leg exercise.

Think single leg squat or airborne lunge. Or even the tricep push up.
When you are only able to use one arm or leg, you’re basically adding weight without having any weights as that one limb is now carrying your entire bodyweight!

Unilateral moves also create more instability which can make moves harder as well.

And even if you can’t yet do a fully unilateral move, you can progress an exercise through an 80/20 variation.

You can do a stagger stance squat to build up to that single leg squat.

Or you can do an 80/20 glute bridge instead of the full single leg glute bridge.

All of these start to shift the weight to one side and not only make moves harder but also help you correct imbalances.

Tip #3: Change the range of motion of an exercise.

Increasing the range of motion of an exercise makes it more challenging while also improving your mobility.

An example of this is going from the basic split squat to the balance lunge.

By placing your back foot up on something, you create more instability but also a bigger range of motion you have to work through, challenging your legs more.

But you can also shrink the range of motion to keep muscles under constant tension.

Instead of that split squat becoming a balance lunge, you could do split squat pulses.

You’ll keep those legs muscles under constant tension without a break to challenge them.

Both can be used to your advantage and you may even find use both variations in a workout even back to back!

Which leads me to tip #4: Don’t be afraid to work the same muscle with multiple exercises in a row.

When you combine multiple moves for the same muscle back to back, you can help yourself work a muscle closer to fatigue and recruit more muscle fibers to drive that amazing muscle growth.

This is different than just doing more reps of the same move because you can use different types of exercises or even different training variables to target the muscle group in different ways and even isolate it.

It’s why I mentioned using multiple ranges of motion back to back. You may do split squats then pulses or even pulses then the full balance lunge.

That uses the change in range of motion to even further isolate a muscle group and work it to fatigue.

But you can also work an area back to back with completely different moves.

You may do a balance lunge and combine it with a single leg squat or front lunge to further target those quads.

But you also don’t have to do another compound move. You could use an isolation exercise.

Tip #5: Don’t forget about isolation moves.

Working a muscle with back to back moves, and honing in on a specific muscle with a more isolated movement, can be a great way to really push to failure and see those amazing muscle gains.

This can be especially key with a stubborn muscle group you want to grow.

Instead of a squat with that balance lunge, you could do the balance lunge and a lean back.

But you can use those isolation exercises to target a muscle that may not be fully fatigued during a compound exercise.

And you can vary when you include the isolation move doing it BEFORE the compound exercise for a bit of pre-fatigue to go into the move tired so you max out with fewer reps or an easier variation.

Or you could do it after as post-exhaust technique, to work it when already tired from the compound move.

Both can be beneficial and used based on how challenging you find the compound move you’re including!

And all of these moves you’re using, both the isolation and compound exercise can be done at different tempos, even using holds!

Tip #6: Change exercise tempo.

Not only can you speed a move up or slow it down, but you can do both through different portions of the movement and even include holds.

You could do a push up, lowering down slowly. Hold at the bottom for a count. Then push back up quickly.

Or you can choose to just emphasize one tempo or one portion of a move.

You can even include the same move done at different tempos back to back to combine it with tip #4 and work a muscle group with back to back moves.

For instance to work your legs with squats, you could start with a wall sit, then do slow 5 count eccentric squats after.

You could even throw in tip #3 and follow the slow eccentric squats with pulse squats.

But realize that the pace at which you do moves can have an impact and we don’t want to just rush through!

One of my favorite ways to perform the wall sit series I just mentioned too actually implements Tip #7: Used timed sets to increase training density.

This tip also helps you implement tip #8, use volume to your advantage

You will find when you’re training with more bodyweight based movements, more reps and sets are needed to challenge you even as you implement these other training techniques.

Own this and focus on increasing your volume, the reps and sets you do, in your training. This doesn’t mean you want to keep just adding more, but it does mean to not fear higher rep ranges.

And it’s a great reason to even use some time sets and circuits.

This can help you pack in more work but without just adding more time to your workouts.

You will also find you push past failure with moves when focusing on working for a set amount of time over just completing within a rep range listed.

With timed circuits and sets, you want to even pick a variation of a move you have to PAUSE during the interval of work to complete.

And you can increase training density for an area by doing intervals of work back to back that work the same muscle group.

This is where you could do that wall sit series I mentioned with the eccentric squats and pulses for intervals of work back to back.

Density interval workout designs like that with back to back intervals of work for the same muscle group can really help you work a muscle to fatigue and force you to do more reps than you would have if you just had a rep range to hit.

Part of working a muscle group with more volume over the week isn’t just about doing more in a single session either. It’s also about working a muscle more frequently over the week.

Tip #9: Increase weekly training frequency.

With more bodyweight based training, you can increase the volume of work you do for a muscle by doing more frequent training sessions.

Work a muscle group 3-4 times a week even to create that challenge.

Without weights, you may find your recovery time between sessions doesn’t need to be as long allowing you to get in more volume with more frequent sessions for the same area!

This can also help you be very efficient in your workouts and use a great diversity of movement types and training techniques for the same area since you have more sessions to use!

Tip #10: Get creative with equipment!

Too often we write off other tools besides weights to create progressions. But bands, sliders, suspension trainers are all amazing ways to progress moves.

They even work to challenge muscles at different points than weights do.

Like bands can create more resistance when a muscle is strongest because resistance increases as stretched over a move like the bicep curl.

They can even really make you fight to control the eccentric and slow down the tempo of that portion of the lift.

And you can even make use of certain things you have around the house to create instability or add resistance or a new challenge.

Towels for instance can reduce traction and allow you to challenge your inner thighs more with a side lunge or kneeling adduction.

But have some fun thinking of other ways to create a challenge in new way.

All 10 of these training techniques are opportunity and options. You may use all of them over the course of your week in different ways or even just a few. But they can all help you create that challenge to build amazing strength and muscle!

Want amazing workouts you can do anywhere? Check out my Dynamic Strength Program…

–> LEARN MORE

How To Increase Metabolism At Any Age (7 Tips)

How To Increase Metabolism At Any Age (7 Tips)

by | Jul 20, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Your metabolism does slow down as you get older.

But age is NOT an excuse to just accept metabolic decline and weight gain.

Because your metabolism adapts – it doesn’t just break.

And you can increase your metabolic rate and improve your metabolic health at any and every age.

However, too often our lifestyles, training and dieting practices do the opposite.

To try to see better weight loss and fat loss results faster, we implement training and dieting practices that actually sabotage our metabolic health and backfire.

That’s why I wanted to share 7 tips to help you increase your metabolic rate and fuel and train to become leaner and stronger as you get older!

Because we can feel our most fabulous till our final day on this planet and that starts with us focusing on strength training!

Yup, tip number one is to focus on lifting or strength building in some form – even with your own bodyweight.

We want to put our focus on building muscle with our workouts.

This is a tip you’ve heard before but something we so often still don’t prioritize enough. And if you’re wondering where cardio fits in, don’t worry, I’ll touch on that too.

But muscle increases our metabolic rate as it requires more calories to be maintained.

It also often upregulates other bodily processes which require more energy to be used as well.

This means our body burns more calories at rest, which is an increase in our metabolism.

Not to mention muscle allows us to be more active overall while improving our overall health.

The better our body functions, the better our body functions!

So focus your workouts not just on getting out of breath and being cardio or even on how many calories you can burn in a single hour…

Focus on pushing that progression in movements to challenge your muscles to grow!

This will not only increase your metabolism but help you PREVENT adaptations in the fat loss process to make maintaining your results easier too!

Tip #2: Prioritize gut health.

Just like you want to give a car quality and take care of the engine so it runs well, you want to give your gut the fuel it needs to be healthy.

This helps your metabolism function optimally and can improve your body composition.

So take care of your gut by focusing not only on fiber but also prebiotics and probiotics.

Probiotics and prebiotics help improve lipid metabolism and studies have shown that people with a greater variety of gut bacteria have a lower risk of belly fat as well!

And while I mentioned strength work being key, we can’t ignore the importance of cardio.

But we do have to recognize which forms of cardio are right for our needs and goals.

When it comes to metabolic health we want to go fast AND slow!

That’s why tip #3: is to Walk AND Sprint.

So often I get asked, what’s the best cardio for fat loss and metabolic health. And honestly, it’s using both ends of that cardio continuum to some extent.

Walking is probably hands down the most underutilized tool for overall health and fat loss. It truly helps us maintain hormonal balance, keeps your metabolism healthy and is a great fat burning activity.

And on the other side of the cardio continuum, sprinting, or SIT protocols, has been shown to decrease fat mass, increase muscle mass, and even aerobic capacity. Sprints have been shown to help with a reduction specifically in abdominal/visceral fat.

So shoot for 8,000-10,000 steps a day and include sprints 2-3 times a week. Even just 5 minutes of sprint work can have a huge impact!

To complement your training and to make sure your hard work in the gym does pay off with fat loss without sacrificing your muscle, you also want to focus on the dietary change most of us struggle to make to start…

Increasing protein. Yes tip #4: is Protein. Protein and oh yea…protein.

Protein, those amino acids, are the building blocks of muscle.

And as we get older, we struggle more to build and retain lean muscle, which is why we can see our metabolism slow down.

We also don’t utilize protein as efficiently, with some research showing nearly a 40% reduction in the efficiency of muscle protein synthesis with age-related anabolic resistance.

This is why increasing our protein, especially as we get older is key.

Not to mention, protein can help us feel fuller in a calorie deficit to lose fat while protecting our muscle and even helps us burn more calories at rest because it uses more energy to be digested.

This higher thermic effect, the increased energy expenditure to digest protein, naturally raises our metabolism.

So really it’s a win win and also why a high protein diet has been shown to be so great for losing fat while even GAINING muscle in the process.

As much as we often focus most on our diet and workouts for fat loss and metabolic health, we can’t ignore all of the other lifestyle factors that contribute – like sleep.

Tip #5: Is focus on sleep QUALITY.

Notice I said QUALITY not just QUANTITY.

Because so often we aren’t optimizing the sleep we’re already getting to be as restorative as possible and instead try to pressure ourselves to try to get more which can feel impossible when we’re busy.

And when we aren’t getting quality sleep, we can see hormonal shifts that negatively impact our metabolism not to mention end up craving foods we shouldn’t.

Those cravings can lead to us overeating and sabotaging your fat loss goals.

So first, focus on getting quality sleep from the second your head hits the pillow till you wake up.

Now you may be thinking, great but HOW?

And while strength work and building muscle can actually improve our sleep quality, our diet plays a huge part.

When we are trying to see better fat loss results faster, we often create big calorie deficits and even opt for low carb as it can lead to quick drops on the scale.

But too big a deficit and dropping carbs too low when we are active may be exactly why you’re not sleeping well and even why you’re constantly waking up at 3-4 am.

So if you note those issues, tweaking your macros may be key!

Increasing protein may help as you will also get more tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that can improve sleep quality.

Also, pay attention to those micros like magnesium.

Taking it 30 minutes before bed can help calm your nervous system, relax muscles, and regulate melatonin and cortisol levels to improve your sleep quality.

Micros in general can be key to track and adjust for overall metabolic health outside of just improving our sleep, which is why tip #6: is to Optimize those micros.

It isn’t always just about “getting enough” or “eating clean” either.

Sometimes we have little nutritional gaps or imbalances that mean getting MORE of a specific micro, especially based on our activity level and age.

And if you are in a calorie deficit for fat loss, this can make it even more key to not ignore your micronutrient balance.

To improve your metabolic health, prioritizing and optimizing our intake of specific vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B complex or Zinc may be helpful.

B vitamins play a crucial role in energy metabolism by helping convert food into energy, including those involved in the metabolism of glucose.

A deficiency in B vitamins can lead to fatigue and a decrease in overall metabolic efficiency.

Zinc has been suggested to play a role in insulin signaling and insulin sensitivity and is a powerful antioxidant which can help reduce levels of inflammation and protect metabolic processes.

Improved insulin sensitivity can contribute to better glucose utilization and overall metabolic health.

Vitamin D is a 3rd micro to pay attention to as well.

People with high levels of vitamin D have been shown to have a lower risk of developing belly fat.

Vitamin D may prevent new fat cells from forming and increase levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that’s associated with regulating appetite.

Higher levels of vitamin D also help maintain and increase testosterone in the body which promotes muscle mass growth and retention.

Testosterone speeds up the rate of metabolism in muscle cells, which is what can also improve our metabolic health so we burn fat as we build muscle.

With all of this though, there is no magic pill. No fat burning metabolism magic supplement you can take that will fix everything.

It’s all about creating those healthy lifestyle habits and addressing your nutritional needs.

That’s why my final tip is to Stop searching for a quick fix.

Fat burners. More cardio. Caffeine to keep us going. Bigger calorie deficits.

These things can seem like a good idea at the time and yield some short term results. But they are also what ultimately backfire and sabotage us.

We end up seeing our metabolism slow down more and more over the years as those quick fix practices add up.

Break the cycle.

Focus on these first 6 tips to make true and lasting changes that will help your body function optimally. They’re not sexy. Some are super basic.

But they’re key.

When we give our body what it needs, it will heal and adapt to the amazing new training and fueling practices and we’ll see our body composition improve!

Ready to kickstart your results with a custom plan and guidance?

Learn more about my 1:1 Coaching.

The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX!)

The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX!)

by | Jul 6, 2025 | Blog, Exercises, Foam Rolling, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief, Stretches, Workouts

Feel like it would take you hours to address ALL of the little aches and pains you have?

Like your age is just making you creakier and creakier?

This doesn’t have to be the case!

I want to share how you can use the 3-step prehab process to address aches and pains up and down your body and improve your mobility by targeting just 3 main key areas with 9 exercises.

These 9 moves include all 3 parts of the prehab process – foam rolling, stretching and activation – to have you feel like a well oiled machine.

And the best part?

They can be combined into a routine you use almost daily that takes just about 10 minutes!

Before I dive into the moves, I want to explain why the full prehab process is so key so you understand the benefits of combining these 9 moves in this specific order – foam rolling, stretching then activation.

And because this makes for even a perfect full body warm up, I’ve focused the stretches on dynamic stretches (ones with movement) over static stretches (where you just hold) to help make sure you improve your flexibility without any impact to your performance.

But you first want to foam roll to relax overactive or tight muscles. Foam rolling is like a massage and helps release knots and relax muscles so you can better engage weak or under active muscles and properly mobilize joints while stretching muscles.

This first part is key to getting everything to work better together.

Then you stretch to improve muscle flexibility but also joint mobility.

With stretching, you want to focus on the muscle driving the stretch, not just what is stretching. This helps you not only better stretch the muscle but begins the activation process – engaging muscles that are weak or often don’t want to work when they should.

Then with activation, you are continuing to mobilize but also stabilize joints. You’re strengthening weak muscles and almost “waking them up” to help them be primed to work during your workouts and more compound exercises and heavier lifts.

This process addresses all key components to injury prevention – mobility, flexibility AND stability.

And bonus, it not only helps you avoid injury, but helps you see better strength and muscle gains for improved body recomp from your workouts!

So now, let’s dive into the 3 areas you’ll want to target, including your:

  • Shoulder blades
  • Hips
  • Feet and ankles

I focus on these 3 areas because if we address immobility or weakness in those places, you’ll be amazed at how even that knee or elbow pain lessens.

Everything is connected and that often where the pain is, isn’t where the initial problem started!

So let’s start with foam rolling, stretching and activation for your shoulder blades to improve scapular mobility and stability.

#1: Scapular Mobility And Stability

Have you ever had neck, shoulder or upper back aches and pains? Even elbow pain?

Addressing the movement of your shoulder blades may be the key to alleviating these aches and pains.

Too often we only focus on our shoulder mobility and forget how much the shoulders and shoulder blades really work together to power movements.

From pulling exercises to even pressing movements, we need to have proper scapular control if we want to use the correct muscles to power the exercises and prevent overload of smaller muscles like our rotator cuff.

To improve your scapular mobility and control, try including these 3 moves before your upper body workouts. It will help improve your pressing as well as your pulling!

The first move you want to include in that prehab or warm up process is Lat Foam Rolling.

While the lat more indirectly impacts your scapular movement, it can really contribute to that rounded shoulder posture, causing aches and pains.

Not so fun fun fact it can even create issues into your lower body because of its connection to your glutes through the thoracolumbar fascia.

And this muscle can often become tight, leading to us not efficiently engaging our backs.

To roll out your lats, a roller works best. Lie on your side with the roller at the side of your back behind your armpit. Reach your hand overhead with your palm facing up to stretch your lat as you roll.

Hold on any tight spots as you work your way down the side of your back, rocking back more as you go lower on your ribs.

Reach your arm overhead then lower it down in front of your chest as you hold on any tight spots you find.

The second move you want to include is a stretch to open up your chest as well as even mobilize your shoulders and shoulder blades – the Suspension Trainer Snow Angels.

Find yourself hunching forward a ton when sitting?

A tight pec minor contributes to anterior tipping of the shoulder blade while a tight pec major can contribute to that internal shoulder rotation – exactly that bad posture we want to reverse.

That’s why this stretch, especially before any overhead pressing, is key.

To do the snow angels, hold a handle in each hand, facing away from the anchor point and walk out so the suspension trainer is pulling back slightly on your arms as they are straight down by your sides.

Engage your upper back and feel your chest open up and stretch as you swing your arms out straight and open overhead from your sides.

By focusing on engaging your back to drive your chest open, you make sure you actually stretch your pecs instead of just seeking out more range of motion from your shoulders.

Feel your shoulder blades move as you raise your arms overhead and then lower them back down to your sides.

The third move you will want to include is an activation exercise – the Roller Serratus Anterior Extensions.

The serratus anterior is a muscle too often ignored and overlooked but it’s been linked to neck, shoulder and even upper back aches and pains as it is a primary scapular stabilizer.

So this activation move is key to create that strength and stability.

To do the serratus anterior extensions, place a roller under your wrists with your palms facing in toward each other at about eye height against a wall.
Walk your feet back so you’re angled into the wall and resting a bit of your weight against the roller just to be able to push into it as you extend up.

Brace your abs and roll your arms up, thinking about pulling your shoulder blades “out and around” forward on your rib cage as you slide up.

Then slide back down, pulling with your back. You want to focus on feeling around your rib cage as you reach out and your back as you pull back down.

Because everything is connected, you may be surprised by how using these 3 moves can even improve your spinal health and have an impact at your hips and pelvis.

But if you do have lower back, hip or knee pain, or have struggles with tight hips in general and hamstring strains, you’ll also want to address these 3 prehab moves to improve your hip mobility and stability next.

#2: Hip Mobility And Stability

Many of us have heard we’re spending too much time seated leading to hip flexor tightness. And this hip flexor tightness can create compensations and imbalances that lead to our lower back hurting during deadlifts or our knees hurting during lunging.

It’s why we want to use these 3 moves to relax those hip flexors, mobilize our hips and spine and even activate our glutes so they’re working properly when they should be.

This starts with relaxing a hip flexor and quad muscle, the rectus femoris, that can perpetuate lower back, hip and knee pain.

It is the only quad muscle that impacts joint movement at both the knee and the hip.

To roll out your Rectus Femoris, you can use a roller or ball. The smaller and harder the trigger point tool, the more it will dig in.

Find the middle of your thigh about half way down and lie over the foam roller or ball. As you hold, flex and relax your thigh to help the muscle relax and release.

You can move up higher or lower on the front middle of your thigh to find any tight spots and hold.

The second move to include is one that addresses not only your hips but also your spine. It’s a stretch that really has that far reaching impact and great when your short on time – the World’s Greatest Stretch.

This dynamic stretch will warm your body up and prepare everything to work, working on thoracic rotation while stretching your glutes, hip flexors, adductors and hamstrings.

To do this stretch, start in a high plank position with your hands then step one foot up and outside the hand on the same side. Squeeze your back glute to stretch that hip flexor.

Drop your elbow on that side down to the ground near the instep of your foot. Do not worry if you can’t touch the ground. Focus on not rocking out on your foot just to touch to make sure you’re really stretching your glute and adductor.

Reach that arm up toward the ceiling, opening your chest up toward that front leg and the ceiling. Focus on your back opening your chest up as you rotate.

Place your hand back down then drop your back knee to the ground to sit back on your heel, straightening your front leg out. Feel a stretch down your hamstring as you hinge, leaning over that front leg while pushing your butt back.

Then repeat the movement.

With this stretch, and all of the others I mention, focus on what is driving the stretch, not just on the muscle stretching.

This focus on what you feel working is also key as you do glute activation moves like exercise number 3 – the Side Lying Wall Lateral Raise.

You can do this move with bodyweight or progress it with a band.

Lie on your side a few inches from the wall with your back to the wall.

Lift your top leg up a few inches off your bottom leg and turn that top toe slightly down toward the ground. Drive your heel back into the wall behind you.

Slide your heel up the wall lifting your leg, feeling your glute working to push back and lift.

And last but not least, you want to address your feet and ankles. They are your foundation. Instability or immobility there can lead to changes in your movements up your entire body.

#3: Feet And Ankle Mobility And Stability

Far too many of us have also had ankle or foot aches and pains that we simply rested then went right back to what we were doing, never addressing the underlying culprit. This may be why we now have knee, hip or even lower back problems.

So taking care of our foundation is key with these prehab moves.

And one often overlooked muscle group of our lower leg are the peroneals, which is why peroneal foam rolling is so key!

Peroneal tightness can lead to what looks like a leg length discrepancy or even a weight shift during squatting. This muscle has a far reaching impact so it can’t be ignored in our prehab.

To roll it, place a ball on the ground and relax your lower leg onto the ball, pressing the outside of your lower leg down into the ball and hold as you even circle your foot.

You want to focus on the side of the meaty part of your calf, holding as you push down and tense and relax the muscle with the foot movement.

The second move to include, the Ankle Mobility And Groin Stretch, improves both the mobility of your ankles but also your hips, activating your glutes and stretching your adductors.

It is a great stretch if you’re struggling with knee pain or find you can’t squat down low.

To do this stretch, set up half kneeling and open your front knee out to the side so your foot and leg is perpendicular to your back kneeling leg.

Bring that front foot back so it is turned out but in line with your back knee and move that foot out so your knee is behind your ankle. Engage your glute then shift your weight, rocking that knee forward over the ball of your foot without your heel coming up.

Don’t lean forward as you rock forward or back. Adjust how far out that foot is from your back knee, shifting it closer for more of a focus on ankle mobility or further out to stretch your groin more.

Then the third activation move will help you strengthen through the range of motion while addressing the too often ignored soleus calf muscle.

By using a plate weight for the Seated Plate Weight Calf Raises, you are working this muscle through an extended range of motion.

The seated position helps you target the soleus over the gastrocnemius which we so often focus on with our calf raises.

Strengthening this muscle improves our gait mechanics which can help us walk and run more efficiently without pain!

To do Seated Plate Weight Calf Raises, sit on a bench with the plate weight on the ground in front of you and the balls of your feet on the edge of it.
Your heels should be on the ground aligned about under your knees so you feel a slight stretch in your calves.

Drive through the balls of your feet and toes to lift your heels up off the ground.

Pause at the top to feel your calves then make sure to lower all the way back down to use the increased range of motion.

Combine all 9 of these moves for a quick full body prehab routine.

Setting a timer for 30 seconds per move or per side and completing all foam rolling then stretching then activation can make for an amazing mobility series or warm up.

For this quick prehab routine written out, check the video descriptions.

But a little goes a long way when done consistently! Consider using this routine even 3-4 times a week! It takes under 10 minutes!
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Prehab Routine:

FOAM ROLLING:
30 seconds per side Lat Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side Rectus Femoris Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side Peroneal Foam Rolling

STRETCHING:
30 seconds Suspension Trainer Snow Angels
30 seconds per side Ankle Mobility And Groin Stretch
30 seconds per side World’s Greatest Stretch

ACTIVATION:
30 seconds Roller Serratus Anterior Extensions
30 seconds Seated Plate Weight Calf Raises
30 seconds per side Side Lying Wall Lateral Raise

For mobility work included with EVERY workout, check out my Dynamic Strength program:

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