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Burn Fat and PROTECT Muscle (4 Tips)

Burn Fat and PROTECT Muscle (4 Tips)

by | Jun 9, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

I know you don’t want to hear this but…

Fat loss is a slow process.

If you’re trying to lose fat faster, you might not like the result.

And when we strive to see weight loss faster on the scale, ultimately all we’re doing is LOSING MUSCLE.

Which is generally the exact opposite of what we are trying to do.

Especially as we get older!

Because guess what?

It IS a harder process as we get older.

It’s harder to build and retain lean muscle.

It’s harder to lose fat.

Now note…I didn’t say impossible.

I said harder.

Honestly part of why it is harder is because we’ve approached losing fat in the past in the wrong way.

We’ve tried to out exercise and out diet time.

Spending hours in the gym, as we slash our calories lower isn’t what “used to work.”

It’s why we’re now stuck.

It’s why we’re now seeking to lose fat and so worried about losing our muscle.

So don’t just accept muscle loss and weight gain.

But it is time to buckle down and embrace a true lifestyle change.

That’s why I want to first go over WHY we tend to lose muscle during a fat loss phase and what we can do to protect our lean muscle while leaning down as much as possible.

And for those of you thinking…

“I only have a few pounds to lose…It shouldn’t be that hard…”

WRONG!

It’s harder and a SLOWER process to try to avoid muscle loss as you lose those last few percentages of body fat.

Because the leaner we get, the more our body wants to avoid depleting its fat stores, which are basically stored energy to make sure we are able to continue surviving.

So we can’t just slash our calories lower or train harder to try to get the scale to budge faster.

Doing so will sabotage our success.

Because muscle requires more calories to be maintained.

That’s why we often WILL lose some muscle during a weight loss or fat loss phase…

We just don’t have enough fuel coming in.

But while some muscle loss can be expected, we do to so much to prevent this from happening and even at times GAIN lean muscle while losing fat IF we focus on those fundamentals and don’t rush the process.

Because slashing your calories lower as you train harder will make your body do what it can to function off of less.

We lose muscle because it becomes an optimal source of FUEL.

It not only provides amino acids our body may feel it needs, the building blocks of protein that contribute to so many functions within our body besides just building muscle, but it also COSTS us energy to maintain.

When we eat less and burn more calories, our body finds ways to conserve energy.

Losing muscle is one of those ways as well as our brain telling us to move and fidget less.

Even bodily process such as hormone production are impacted as our body conserves energy to function as efficiently as possible off the restricted energy intake.

What our body is NOT doing as long as possible, is utilizing our fat stores.

It wants to hang onto those as fast as possible.

So when we push to see faster results on the scale, often we’ve depleted stored glycogen that our muscles hold, we’ve lost water weight because of depleting the stored glycogen and we’ve even lost muscle…

What we haven’t lost is MORE FAT from what we would have lost had we not tried to rush the process.

And often we’ve even lost LESS…

Especially as we get older.

Because our body doesn’t have the optimal hormonal environment it did when we were younger…

Not to mention previous dieting and training practices like this have already created metabolic adaptations and put us into a position where we have learned to survive off of fewer calories.

Basically if we don’t commit to dieting and training in a new way that matches what our body needs now, we’re not going to see the fat loss results we want.

But there are diet and workout changes you can make to help yourself not only reverse what’s going on but also protect that amazing lean muscle and even BUILD IT….

The thing is…

What I’m going to recommend you’re probably going to hate.

And your brain will rebel against doing it.

So let’s look at 4 tips to burn fat while protecting your muscle.

Which is to EAT MORE. 

Yes, lose fat by eating more.

Especially if you’ve slashed your calories super low in the past and never retrained your body to eat more, you’ve learned how to function well off of well…Nothing. 

If you’re eating under 1000 calories and not losing, it’s especially time you eat more.

And while you may think you need less as you’ve gotten older because your metabolism has slowed down, the opposite is actually true.

You need to first increase your calories to help increase your metabolic rate.

I won’t lie to you…This retraining process stinks.

And it can make you feel like you’re going BACKWARD before you go forward.

But, by eating more, you’ll have the fuel you need to help your body feel like it can let go of the stored fat.

To move more. To train hard. To support all those efficient bodily processes and restore hormonal balance. 

And most importantly, you’ll build lean muscle!

With eating more, we also BURN MORE.

You burn more calories to turn that food into fuel. 

So by eating more you burn more. And of course, what you eat does have an impact.

You’ll even find you may become hungrier as you eat more as your natural hunger cues return. 

Now the sucky part to start…As you increase your calories, you may gain weight.

You may see some fat creep on.

But you have to go through this slow process of retraining your body to eat more BEFORE you can then create a small calorie deficit to lose.

After increasing your daily calories 50-100 and maintaining each increase for a few weeks, you may then find you have then rebuilt to a point where you start to see the scale tick down. 

Or you can even then try a small deficit of 100 calories off where you’ve built to.

But the key is first learning to eat more to then have an intake where you can even create a deficit from.

Because at 800 calories?! What can you really cut!? 

Now if you’re thinking, “That’s not my problem. I eat a lot and am overeating right now.”

Eating more is still key. BUT in the way of not creating an extreme deficit off of your current intake.

Don’t then dramatically slash your calories lower. 

Instead just create a calorie deficit of 100-200 calories from what you’re doing.

The more we can continue to fuel, the more we support our body maintaining that lean muscle while utilizing our fat as fuel. 

And to help encourage that protection of lean muscle and even avoid gaining fat as we go through that hard retraining process to start, we want to then also focus on protein. 

Yup. Protein.

The macro that some people say we get too much of and others say we don’t get enough of.

And the thing is, the situation matters for what our intake should be. 

The older we get…

The harder we train…The more we want to lose fat and NOT lose muscle… 

The more important protein becomes.

So focus on at least 30% of your calories coming from protein to make sure you’re fueling those muscles to recover and repair while having enough protein left over for other bodily functions even while in a small calorie deficit.

And while diet is key for fat loss and even protecting our muscle, we can’t ignore how our diet and our WORKOUTS work together. 

If our workouts don’t match how we’re fueling, we won’t see the results we deserve.

Yet so often our training compounds the problem of under fueling because we see our workouts just as a chance to burn more calories. 

Which is why we so often turn to doing more cardio.

But if you want to protect your lean muscle, you need to focus on strength work and be SMART about how you include your cardio. 

I didn’t say you couldn’t do cardio, especially if you love your long runs or rides, but you do need to be smart about how you include it.

We always need to know the cost and reward of anything we include.

Steady state long distance cardio is catabolic to muscle mass, especially when in a calorie deficit. 

So if you’re turning to cardio to see results faster, you may be sabotaging yourself.

If you love your endurance sport, make sure to account for that in how you fuel and strength workout. 

And no, that doesn’t mean just more carbs. Actually increasing PROTEIN is again key. 

But also consider, lowering your mileage for a time to focus on one primary goal.

Remember it is easier to maintain your results once you’ve achieved them. 

And if you do include cardio, prioritize your strength work FIRST. 

What we do when we are freshest, we get the most benefit from. 

If you do your cardio first, you’re going to be tired for your resistance workout.

Your 100% intensity simply won’t be a true 100% because you’ll be fatigued. And progressing week over week is what drives muscle growth. 

So if you want to protect your muscle and lose fat, do any cardio AFTER you lift.

Even put cardio workouts after strength workouts that target those stubborn areas. 

This mobilizes more fat from the areas surrounding the muscles you worked to be utilized by your cardio finisher.

Also adjust the length and intensity of those cardio sessions. 

Short sprint work or even walking may be better forms of cardio for fat loss without putting you at risk for losing muscle. 

Both help you burn more calories over the week to create that deficit without slashing your calories lower (aka you can eat more) while also not being catabolic to muscle. 

Walking especially can be great for recovery.

And sprints can improve your conditioning and power to improve even your strength workouts while helping promote an optimal hormone environment for muscle growth! 

Now, the last and probably most important thing I want to cover to help you protect your lean muscle during fat loss is something that mentally may be the hardest to do…

Step off the scale. 

Yup. It’s not a workout or diet tip but it is key.

Because too often we judge fat loss based on that number on the scale changing.

And fat loss, without losing muscle, is going to mean that scale changes VERY slowly, especially the closer to your goal you get and even NOT AT ALL especially to start. 

Because the scale sucks at measuring fat loss.

The faster we want the scale to change, often the more we ultimately lose muscle.

So if you want to keep yourself focused on fat loss, take measurements, progress pictures and use clothing to monitor changes. 

This way you won’t sabotage yourself by working harder and going to extremes to ultimately just lose muscle and not more fat and keep yourself stuck in that horrible yo-yo dieting cycle! 

Ready to dial in your diet and your workouts to work together?

Learn more about my 1:1 Online Coaching.

The ONLY 10 Things That Matter For Fat Loss

The ONLY 10 Things That Matter For Fat Loss

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

There is an OVERWHELMING amount of opinions out there about the best ways to lose fat and keep it off.

And these different opinions are honestly OPPORTUNITIES for us to create the plan that meets us where we are at –

Because one size doesn’t fit all.

We just have to avoid becoming overwhelmed by all the options.

Or allow ourselves to get distracted when we do have a plan in place.

That’s why I wanted to share 10 fundamentals principles that are really what matter for fat loss, no matter your exact dietary preference, preferred training methods or lifestyle!

And these things hold true no matter our age and can even set us up to be leaner and stronger till our final day on this planet, the earlier we embrace them!

So…first…

#1: Simplify then diversify.

The less you have to focus on, the more focus each change gets. 

While you may want to include a diversity of foods, restaurants, training techniques and tools into your routines, start simple! 

You get good at what you consistently do. And this allows you to get consistent with a few key things.

It also allows you to avoid overwhelming yourself with so many options or variables all at once.

Once you get set meals dialed in, feel comfortable with specific movement patterns, you can then begin to add in diversity so you don’t get bored.

But first dial things back and focus on a few basics to build off of!

#2: Your goal can’t only be fat loss.

Fat loss is slow.

And it should be if you want to truly see muscle definition and lose fat without losing muscle. 

But because results are slow, because we will hit plateaus, the more we only focus on one measure of success – fat loss – the more likely we are to get frustrated and give up when we don’t see progress week after week.

And guess what?

Progress won’t be linear…which is why we so often give up when results are snowballing.

This causes us to be stuck in this horrible cycle of never really getting closer to our goal or maintaining the results we worked so hard for. 

So if you truly want to achieve lasting body recomp, you need to find other ways to measure success and know your habits are working. 

Even set a goal of measuring success by how consistently you simply implement the boring basic habits daily! 

If you do those things daily and can mark off that win daily, results are GOING to snowball!

#3: Track. Track and oh yea….TRACK.

What gets measured, gets managed.

The more accurate the picture of what we are doing, the smaller and more meaningful the adjustments we can make. 

And we don’t end up throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Too often we don’t track so we guess at what is and isn’t working. 

This can lead to us stopping a habit that is building results just because we don’t realize something else is holding us back and needs to be adjusted.

It can also make us feel like we are constantly having to do these massive overhauls, creating unsustainable habits and lifestyles over a small adjustment that could have been the missing 1%. 

So track your food to understand what adjustments you need. 

Track your workouts to see your progress and adjust. 

Track how you feel with different meal timings. 

Or if foods cause changes in your energy or bloat.

But track to see the impact lifestyle practices are having so you have the power to truly adjust and fuel to feel and look your best!

#4: Stop saying you “can’t have” something.

“You can’t have that cookie.” 

The second I tell myself I can’t have it, I want it even more.

Even if I didn’t want it before.

Telling yourself something is off limits makes you feel restricted. 

It also takes away the feeling of control that you truly have over your actions.

Because truly, it’s not that you can’t have something…It’s that you’re CHOOSING not to.

When we’re working to lose fat, we may choose to cut things out at times. Even things we eventually want to include.

But this is a CHOICE to work toward our goals.

And we have to remember at another time we can CHOOSE to take a different action. 

Because what you do to reach a goal is not what you do to maintain it.

But our mindset around new and different actions will impact whether or not we embrace the changes long enough to see results.

So stop saying you can’t have something and remember you are just CHOOSING whether to include or exclude it right now. 

#5: Move more.

I didn’t say workout more.

I didn’t say workout harder.

I said move more.

Too often we put an emphasis on eating less or trying to burn more calories in our workouts, but there is another way to help ourselves see better fat loss and create an optimal calorie deficit…

And that is by simply moving more. 

Being a bit more active throughout the day helps keep our metabolic rate higher and in a way that doesn’t really just stress our body more.

Go for a walk daily, even just 10 minutes. 

Get up and stretch throughout the day. 

Make yourself walk to get water.

By being more active not only do we keep our metabolism healthy but we also often feel better, making it easier to stick with the other habit changes we need to see results snowball!

It can even make it easier to not just reach for that extra snack on the weekend while watching TV at night because we aren’t just being a slug on the couch watching netflix at every opportunity! 

#6: Emphasize recovery.

We can only train as hard as we can recover from.

Losing fat and the workout and dieting practices that help us achieve this goal are stressful on our body.

New habits and changes are hard on us mentally. 

We need to embrace this.

But we realize we can’t just constantly willpower our way through.

This often leads to us working really hard to see diminishing returns.

It’s why we get burned out. 

This is why we need to not only focus on improving our recovery weekly, but we also need to consider recovery weeks in our training and diet breaks.

Don’t ignore the importance of your sleep, hydration and even the quality of your food to help your body recover.

Don’t try to make every workout every day the same intensity and make sure you’re cycling areas worked over the week.

Recovery doesn’t just means days off. 

It means the other habits we are doing to help get our body the tools it needs to repair and rebuild.

It also means even addressing mental burnout through owning our motivation will fade and we have other priorities in life that sometimes need to take precedent to create plans that really help us stay consistent!

But just remember recovery isn’t just about time off from your workouts…it’s about the things you do to fuel that repair and give your body a chance to rebuild! 

#7: Set dietary progressions.

We set workout progressions and change things up. 

We don’t expect to do one workout program forever.

We do different training progressions over the months and years. 

Yet when it comes to our diet we almost take a “set it and forget it” approach.

And then we wonder why we plateau. We wonder why we get bored! 

So we want to use this desire for change or variety strategically to our advantage.

That’s why you want to set dietary progressions or what I call macro cycling. 

This isn’t done daily like carb cycling.

It’s done every 2-4 weeks, especially with changes in workout progressions or activity level in general, where I’ll have clients adjust macro ratios they’re using.

It is often small tweaks, but this can help shift energy sources to avoid plateaus, address activity level changes and even simply give us the opportunity to include new foods. 

Mentally sometimes we need the diversity but simplified into just a few new things.

This cycling may put us slightly lower carb or higher carb to use the best of both worlds while keeping us from chasing a new fad diet or quick fix.

We not only have “end dates” to keep us motivated but we give ourselves checkpoints where we can trust in the process knowing we can make a change at that time. 

It gives us the ability to do something “new” but with a focus on the fundamentals.

#8: Challenge yourself.

Workouts should be hard. They should be uncomfortable. 

If you don’t challenge yourself, you’re not forcing your body to adapt and grow stronger.

You’re not going to improve your cardiovascular health or see improvements in your ability to run or cycle further faster.

Exercise is a STRESS on the body.

But a good one.

Your body becomes fitter by overcoming the stress. 

So challenge yourself to create that good stress BUT…make sure you’re not slacking on tip #6. 

You can only train as hard as you can recover from.

And you want that weekly progression to be able to track how things are going to see if you are hitting that point where you may need a break or change up to keep moving forward! 

#9: Embrace the suck.

Success is struggle.

Change is hard.

As much as we want to create sustainable habit swaps and really focus on that habit build, not everything we will have to do to reach a goal will feel good or easy.

There is a downside to every upside. 

But the more we embrace the hard and push through it to start, the more we often realize the downsides really aren’t that bad.

They were just different.

Sustainable often doesn’t mean easy to start. 

But consider how many times you’ve even said to yourself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?!”

Well it was probably because you weren’t fully ready to embrace the suck and defaulted back into what you’ve always done which IS what felt comfortable. 

So if you want a new and better result, suck it up buttercup!

#10: Have an exit strategy.

You aren’t going to do one thing forever.

Your body, needs and lifestyle are constantly changing. Your motivation will ebb and flow. 

Along your journey to your ideal body recomp, you won’t approach your goals with exactly the same systems the entire time.

Sometimes you may be more motivated to implement more intensive practices to see results faster. 

You’ll cut out that weekly margarita on date night.

You’ll not have that extra cookie. 

But at other times, you’ll want to add those things in. 

The key is realizing that you are CHOOSING to implement certain habits and that you can work these things in when needed at another point. 

But that’s why it is key you have an exit strategy.

You need to assess what a realistic lifestyle truly is for you at different times of year and even as you reach your goal. 

Because maintaining your results means a shift in habits from your fat loss phase..

You don’t just simply stay in a calorie deficit forever…

But you also don’t go back to what old habits you were doing before.

This is why we need to constantly be assessing and reassessing and considering even what’s up next and how we can “exit” from our currently plan without just falling back into patterns that will sabotage us! 

Stay focused on those fundamentals and always focus on what YOUR lifestyle actually looks like to make adjustments.

And then don’t get distracted by all of the options out there. See the opportunity they offer while focusing on these principles!

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5 Tips to Burn Fat (NOT MUSCLE!)

5 Tips to Burn Fat (NOT MUSCLE!)

by | Apr 7, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

If you feel lost as to what to do and like your hard work in the gym isn’t showing, I want to help you avoid common body recomp mistakes with 5 tips to dial in your workouts and your diet to help you lose fat NOT muscle!

The first key component for fat loss is adjusting your diet to not only fuel your training but better help you recover from it.

Because we can only train as hard as we can recover from! 

And our nutrition is a key component of our recovery! 

Now…this tip is one most of us know we should be doing…yet we often try to find a reason NOT to do…

It’s why I really want to take a second to explain the WHY behind it.

While we often just want to know WHAT to do….

Knowing the what without the why doesn’t help us truly embrace the changes, especially when we don’t…well….like them to some extent. 

So what is probably the most important thing we can be focusing on nutrition wise if we want fabulous body recomp no matter our age?

Increasing our protein! 

You’ve heard me harp on this before, but that’s why I want to really focus on WHY higher protein is so key.

First reason why protein is key…It’s the building blocks of muscle. 

By increasing our protein, especially when in a calorie deficit, we are making sure we’re getting our muscles the fuel they need to repair and rebuild from our hard training sessions.

If we aren’t getting our muscles what they need, we risk losing more muscle as we try to lose fat, especially the harder we train and the more cardio we include. 

And we want that muscle!

Building and retaining lean muscle helps us look more defined as we lose fat.

It also helps us avoid metabolic adaptations to burn more calories at rest.

And when we are getting our body the fuel it needs to truly repair from our workouts, we are preventing the catabolic environment that can often occur during a fat loss phase, leading to us losing not only fat but ALSO muscle.

Now you may have heard that you can only use about 20-30 grams in a meal for muscle protein synthesis. 

And tried to use this as an excuse to not eat higher protein.

But protein isn’t just used for building muscle….we are literally made up of protein.

So that 20-30 grams you’re eating, isn’t just going to cover your muscle needs. It’s being used for other body functions as well. 

And as we get older, we also aren’t as able to utilize protein as efficiently.

So the harder you’re training as you’re trying to see body recomp, especially as you get older, your protein needs increase. 

Second, protein makes the fat loss process easier not only because of it’s muscle building benefits but also because of it’s thermic effect and satiating effect.

Higher protein diets have been shown to increase satiety, partly because they even help you create higher volume meals. 

And higher protein diets also lead to a daily higher calorie burn because it requires more energy to digest protein than the other macros. 

So you can feel fuller with technically a higher calorie intake, and ultimately create a bit more of a deficit through the fact your body has to work harder to turn that protein into the fuel you need!

Not to mention…it’s way easier to create and maintain your calorie deficit with higher protein for many people. 

We just don’t want to eat more of the protein than we have to so we are less likely to overeat!

And if you do happen to overeat your calories, high protein diets are the only diet shown to help you avoid gaining unwanted fat with a slight calorie surplus. 

High protein diets give you that extra wiggle room!

With increasing your protein, and the extra flexibility it can give you in your calorie intake, you also want to fight to keep your calories as close to your current maintenance as possible. 

Creating a SMALL calorie deficit is key if you want to lose fat and not muscle.

Our body doesn’t like change.

The more we can adjust from what we’re currently doing, the better as our body won’t rebel as much. 

And if you are currently under eating protein, you may even keep your calories where they are at as you increase your protein first.

Because even by increasing protein, due to the thermic effect, you could put yourself into a slight deficit. 

With also building muscle from your training because you are eating enough calories for muscle growth, you may then find what was your maintenance is now a small deficit.

So with calories, fewer isn’t better.

Extreme deficits put us at more risk for muscle being lost NOT better or faster fat loss results. 

And this can lead to us looking softer and needing to slash our calories lower and lower to see further progress. 

Keep your calories as high as you can, first changing protein levels. 

Then consider even starting by subtracting 100-200 calories from what you’re consuming CURRENTLY to create that deficit. 

These diet changes then need to be paired with your workouts strategically.

Especially the harder you train, the more you need to avoid extreme deficits while focusing on increasing protein.

And you want to make sure your workouts are designed with a focus on muscle.

Yes, muscle. 

Even if your goal is fat loss.

This makes sure you’re retaining lean muscle while in a deficit to lose fat as efficiently as possible.

And KEEP IT OFF.

Now, there are lots of workout designs that can work. 

But your focus when you design your workouts is on how you can lift more quality loads during your session. 

Too often we try to add more quantity, more training volume.

Instead we want to focus on the QUALITY of the volume we are doing. 

Not only does this help us get more out of short sessions, but it truly challenges our muscles with the intensity and progression they need to be forced to adapt and grow stronger.

More reps and sets, more volume, can just lead to training we don’t recover from without actually pushing us to the extent we need to create that stimulus for growth. 

We need more quality loads lifted over the session.

That’s where cluster sets can be a great technique to use. 

If you’re struggling with going heavier, only able to do a few reps with your current weight in a row…

Or even slightly fear your form breaking down as you begin to lift heavier so hesitate…

Cluster sets can be a great technique to use.

They can help you get out 8 reps with a weight you would only usually be able to use for 4 or even 5 reps. That’s a lot more weight lifted over the workout! And it’s all because you broke down those 8 reps into mini sets.

With cluster sets, you are breaking up your traditional set of 8 reps, mini sets of 2 or 3 in a row, with just 10-30 seconds of rest between those mini sets, before you rest longer and do another round.

Because you are only performing 2 or 3 reps before the short rest, you will find you can use more weight for the full 8 reps than you would have been able to if you had tried to just do 8 in a row. 

Using this technique to lift more weight for quality reps will lead to faster muscle growth in a safer way and us losing fat NOT our muscle! 

It’s a great way to really create the needed stress and stimulus for muscle growth even as we get older and don’t have the same anabolic hormonal environment we did when we were younger.

But no matter what techniques you include, and especially the more advanced an exerciser you are, the more you have to really focus on pushing yourself in your training sessions. 

This doesn’t just mean adding more loads.

It means creating progression in different ways.

And one way we often don’t discuss as a way to create progression in our training is exercise order!

The order of the exercises we include can have a huge impact. 

Ever become aware of how much a muscle is actually working in a move because of another exercise you recently started including before it? 

That can be used to your advantage!

Include an isolation move before a compound lift and you can use “pre-exhaust” or pre-fatigue technique to your advantage. 

You may find you better activate the muscle you targeted with the isolation move in your following compound lift for more quality of movement.

Or that you are able to fatigue the prime mover in your compound lift with lighter loads and better quality of movement.

If however fatiguing the muscle with the pre-haust technique leads to you compensating, you may find that using an isolation move right AFTER a compound lift works for you better.

This post-exhaust training technique can be a great way to push a muscle past failure.

You’ll do the compound lift to fatigue, compound then use an isolation move to further target a muscle involved in the lift to work to failure.

You can also use BOTH techniques over progressions, especially to help you both take muscles past fatigue but also fully fatigue prime movers that usually won’t hit failure with a compound move because you’re usually limited by smaller, weaker muscles fatiguing first! 

But they are both great ways to progress and create that stimulus for muscle growth without just focusing on adding more weight!

Then remember, we can only train as hard as we recover from.

When you’re working hard toward a goal, you’re going to get burned out.

That’s why planning in breaks is key!

And breaks are not only rest days every week, but also strategic diet breaks and recovery weeks.

This doesn’t have to mean, and honestly shouldn’t mean, just lying on the couch doing nothing.

Nor should it mean excuses completely blowing your calories and macros.

The goal of these breaks is to help you mentally and physically have a break from the grind.

It’s like refilling your gas tank.

You don’t want to end up on empty by the side of the road.

You want to pull into a gas station when the light comes on. 

This allows you to keep moving forward faster.

These strategic breaks can help you from avoiding hitting burn out or letting cravings get the better of you.

So don’t fear sometimes backing off to ultimately do more!

Take time where you include more foods you love and even increase your calories out of a deficit. 

Take time at points to lower your workout intensity or recharge with workouts that are new and fun and address any weak links. 

Embrace even doing the minimum as you shift your priorities to come back wanting to keep working toward your goals! 

But stay focused on the fundamentals and use these 5 tips to help dial in your diet and your workouts together to lose fat and NOT muscle!

The best results happen when we follow a “recipe” – a clear plan…

Learn more about my 3-Step Recipe For Results”

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25 Healthy Habits That Will Change Your Life FOREVER

25 Healthy Habits That Will Change Your Life FOREVER

by | Mar 31, 2024 | Blog

1% unsexy habit improvements yield the sexiest and most fabulous results.

And often doing just one thing that seems almost too simple can lead to a domino effect that creates better and faster results.

If we can start with just one simple daily habit, we can often more easily and quickly stack other changes on top of it that build.

So I want to share 25 habit changes I’ve found have helped me create a sustainable lifestyle and not only achieve amazing results but MAINTAIN them now for years.

Now…I’m not recommending you do all of these, especially to start.

I would pick the one or two that feel easiest and go from there.

But you want to pick a couple that really meet you where you are at and would have a big impact without feeling overwhelming or even hard.

We want to almost sneak in those changes to let those 1% tweaks build. 

As one of my fabulous coaching clients always says…

Team 1%

So here are 25 1% habit changes that will get you to your goals.

#1: Write out tomorrow’s to-do list the night before.

Plans have to change. And things have to adjust.

That’s why based on what’s happened that day, you can set your to-do list for tomorrow. 

This can help you stay focused on what you need and hold yourself accountable but also address any changes that have popped up for you that week.

It also prevents you from scrambling the next day to get organized and can be a good way to clear your head and brain dump before bed! 

#2: Make getting up and going mindless.

Especially when rushed in the morning, the last thing we need is to have to think about what we need! 

Whether it’s packing your lunch, putting out your water bottle to drink more or laying out your workout clothing to hit the gym ASAP, make being able to get up and go easy and mindless! 

#3: Put things you’ll skip first.

New habits we aren’t used to often fall by the wayside if we get busy or tired. 

Not to mention, we then just often don’t remember them because they aren’t ingrained.

The more we can put new habits first, the more likely we are to do them so that changes can truly build. 

#4: Link new and old routines.

As much as I love the tip I just mentioned, you can’t always do that. That’s where linking old and new routines can help.

This can use the old routine as a reminder for the new because you won’t skip it.

Like if you want to drink more water and always have a morning coffee, put your water bottle filled by your coffee machine. 

Or as you cut up veggies for dinner that night, cut up extra to bag for meal prep later that week! 

#5: Create staple meals.

You don’t have to be stuck eating the same thing every single day, but having some go-to staple meals you can always swap in when short on time or worn out can help you stay on track no matter what. 

Even make these meals and freeze them or bulk prep them to readily have on hand. 

This can also make grocery shopping easy as you know to always have these things on your list! 

Not to mention those ingredients can be ones you know you can use in multiple ways!

#6: Plan and schedule grocery shopping.

It’s easy to run out of things if we don’t have a set day we shop, which can then lead to us not hitting our macros or eating according to our goals.

Knowing we have a set day, going in with a grocery list can help us make sure we also get everything we need. 

So plan for that shop, at least knowing your necessities and go to items.

This can also help you avoid impulse buys due to stress that day!

And with having staple meals, you can even have this set list you bring every time!

#7: Have no spoil food options always available.

I get lazy. And tired. And stressed.

And then I can feel like even microwaving something for 5 minutes is too much effort.

That’s why having the easiest to prep items always around is key. 

It also helps us stay on track if something else in our week didn’t go as planned as they can be stocked up and never spoil.

Canned chicken or tuna, frozen fruits and veggies, jerkies, nuts…all are great healthy options that can last a while and be on hand! 

#8: Set visual reminders to break patterns.

It’s hard to break old habits because many we repeat unconsciously.

If there is a pattern you want to break, find a way to give yourself a visual reminder not to do it.

This can also be used to set a visual reminder TO Do something as well.

But if you find after a long day you come home and want to snack, maybe put a note on the fridge reminding you to drink water.

Or even MOVE where the snacks have normally been so you have the empty shelf as a reminder of the change. 

But create a visual that knocks you out of being unconscious in repeating the habits.

#9: Set appointments with yourself.

We are less likely to skip appointments on our calendar with someone else.

Especially when we have reminders of those events. t

So set an appointment with yourself on your calendar to workout. To meal prep. To grocery shop. 

This accountability and time clearly laid out helps you stick with the habits, especially when they’re new!

And it helps you find the time for them!

#10: Use a timer to fit in habits.

Often we don’t do things because we don’t have time.

So design for the time you have.

If you’ve been skipping doing extra mobility work, set a timer for even 1 minute and do something. 

Often we will not only do MORE but we will get consistent enough with even that amount that results start to snowball. 

#11: Give yourself a bed time.

Saying you’ll go to bed earlier is vague and lets you make excuses. 11. excuses

And all of the sudden an hour after we had planned to go to bed, we’re actually climbing into bed.

If you want to focus on getting more sleep, give yourself a hard cut off where apps on your phone go into do not disturb and you’re making sure you’re under the covers at. 

#12: Put a notepad by your bed.

I don’t know about you but the second I’m supposed to be relaxing, my brain starts running through things and trying to fix problems. 

By just having my phone notepad open or a pad of paper by my bed, I feel like I relax because I know I don’t have to remember anything that’s key. 

This is also though where habit #1 even helps prevent this from happening though too! You’ve already done a brain dump!

#13: Write out a habit checklist.

Maybe you’re not a checklist person BUT having that list of what we need to do build results is key.

It reminds us to do those habits daily, keeping them top of mind and reminding us when they may easily be forgotten since we aren’t used to doing them.

It is also a great way to make sure we’ve done what is needed daily when we mark them off at night.

And if you aren’t seeing results, it’s a great way to see areas for improvement to make changes over time!

#14: Plan in things you love.

Often in making habit changes, we sort of forget to include things we want and love.

Map those in first and work other habits around them.

Schedule fun things onto your calendar to plan around. 

Work foods you love into your macros first.

But don’t let habit changes feel like you’re losing things about your lifestyle you enjoy!

#15: Voice the victory.

We are really good about acknowledging the things we’ve done wrong or that went wrong in the day.

We talk about them far more than the wins.

And as silly as it may feel to start, when something good happens, or you’re proud of yourself for doing a habit, say it out loud. 

It helps us feel the positive that much more strongly.

#16: Buy premade.

Quality is key. But sometimes something is better than nothing. Buy premade foods when in a pinch.

Even log some ideas so if you ever are in a pinch you can grab them. 

I know cocktail shrimp and premade grilled chicken can easily be grabbed from the store when I need…even if it’s fully as good as if I were to make it at home.

Same can be said even for knowing options at restaurants!

#17: Don’t be a hermit crab.

It’s easy when we want to lose fat or make a change to feel stressed and shy away from social events.

Instead go in with a plan. Work those in. Proactively organize them. 

But realize that while those days may through your “perfect habits” a curveball, the consistency and balance they create long-term can pay off! 

#18: Treat yo ‘self!

Don’t wait till you’re at your goal to recognize wins!

Treat yourself for those habit changes. 

Honestly finding ways even weekly to treat yourself, maybe getting your nails done, going for an extra fun hike that’s more of a trip or even buying a new pair of leggings.

But make yourself see the wins in what you’re doing!

#19: Set one focus.

Even this list presents a ton of options. But the more we try to do everything at once every day or every week, the more we overwhelm ourselves.

The more we’re focused on doing one thing, and one thing well, the more quickly that change becomes part of our routine. 

Set no more than 1-3 small must-dos to focus on and even acknowledge the other things you may want to change are BONUS.

Only set 3 if they are linked or super simple!

#20: Stock up on spices and sauces!

Keeping things simple is key. It helps us make changes without feeling overwhelmed. 

But too often this leads to us feeling bored with our meals and meals becoming bland.

Having a ton of different spices and sauces we can use on even the same meal prepped chicken, vegetable and potato though can make meals delicious but keep prep simple! 

#21: Pre-Log. Pre-Record.

Having your workout written out with even weights you plan to use… 

Having your meals for the next day pre-recorded in MyFitnessPal…

These things not only make it more mindless to implement if you are stressed that day, but they also provide accountability.

It’s easier to make an excuses when NOT confronted by the habits!

#22: Plan before pressure.

The more we can plan ahead and do it before we need to, the less stressful the planning process is.

I like to have an idea of my next workout progression just as I’m even starting my current. That way I really think through things over just doing things because I need it done ASAP! 

Same thing can be said for planning out meals or finding recipes! 

The more you don’t need it right away the more you can enjoy the process!

#23: Protein first.

Whether you enter in protein first to work meals around or focus on protein at your breakfast, when you plan in protein first you make sure you hit your macros.

I always like to make sure my first meal has protein in it as I would much rather be left with carbs and fats for my dessert or to add to later meals.

Even starting out if that means a shake to start your day, it may help you get in the right mindset to make more changes.

#24: Use “snacks” breaks.

So I don’t even mean eat snacks here…but more that concept of using small portions of things throughout the day to your advantage to create new habits.

Use movement snack breaks, getting up to stretch. 

Use meal prep snack breaks at night when you’re watching TV to even chop up some stuff or pack your bag between episodes. 

But think about little quick things you can do to help alleviate having to do a lot all at once when you feel like you don’t have time!

#25: Create a WEEKLY schedule.

Not everyday will be the same. Monday may not look like Thursday.

But the more you can set a Monday schedule…

A Thursday schedule…

The more you not only give yourself things to look forward to on certain days, but the more you will find it feels like you have more time to fit in things you want to do.

And you’ll even find you don’t force habits onto days where they don’t fit but use the schedule that is actually realistic for you!

I’d love to hear which of these you found most helpful and even a 1% improvement you’ve made that has really paid off!

Create the healthiest, happiest version of your lifestyle to build your leanest, strongest body at ANY age…

Learn more about my 1:1 Online Coaching….

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#1 Reason Your Workouts Aren’t Working (And How To Fix It)

#1 Reason Your Workouts Aren’t Working (And How To Fix It)

by | Mar 24, 2024 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

Stop stringing together random moves. Stop just pulling random workouts that feel hard.

If you want results, your training sessions need to be designed with purpose.

You need to create routines that are actually focused on your goals.

Because training hard and training hard in a way that pushes you forward aren’t the same thing.

One is wasted effort.

The other is progression.

That’s why I want to go over the key factor in creating a workout plan that actually works as well as 3 amazing training techniques to help you build your leanest, strongest body ever!

Because there isn’t just one way to do things or one best workout.

No one best move.

No one best training split.

We need to stop ask what we “should” ideally be doing to start.

Instead we need to ask ourselves, “What is realistic for me based on where I am RIGHT NOW?”

Because even what used to work, may not fit our body or lifestyle now.

Ultimately what dictates what we need as much as our fitness goals is our schedule.

To see results, you have to design for the time you have.

DESIGN FOR THE TIME YOU HAVE:

Many of us have thought, “How many days a week do I need to train? For how long?”

We’ve sought out some ideal, but this stops us from designing for what is actually realistic for our schedules.

When we design for the time we have over getting caught up in some ideal of 1 hour a day, 6 days a week, we can create a routine we can actually be consistent with.

And consistency is key.

Honestly…Inconsistency is the biggest results KILLER.

Yet so often we set ourselves up for inconsistency in our workout routines by focusing on doing more or some ideal over first assessing what is truly realistic for our routines.

And that inconsistency has such a huge impact because your weekly schedule is built on everything working together.

When you design for 6 days a week, you’re using training splits, workout designs and even moves based on having all 6 days a week to train. 

Miss one of those days and the whole system isn’t going to give you the same benefit. 

That’s why you want to first ask yourself…

“What schedule is realistic for me?” 

When you’re looking to start a new routine.

Once you know your timeframe, how many days a week and for how long, you can then select workout layouts, moves, training variables that make the most out of your timeframe.

Because if you have 3 days a week to train you can use full body splits to hit areas 2-3 times whereas you may use more hemisphere splits alternating upper and lower to get the same volume and frequency over the week if you have 6 days to train. 

Design so that you don’t miss things and the system can work together!

Not to mention so often just because you have an hour to train doesn’t mean you should just add in MORE to fill the time.

If you have an hour, that can allow maybe for isolation moves for stubborn areas or extra rest to lift heavier.

But an intense speed or power workout still shouldn’t be made longer just because you have the time.

A intense sprint or HIIT workout SHOULD be short. 

So once you know your schedule, don’t forget your goal for your training progression. Sometimes you won’t need to use the time just because you have it!

That’s why, with designing for the time we have, it’s key we also stop seeing our workouts as strength OR cardio.

We will often even BLEND both to see the best results based on our schedule and goals!

STRENGTH-CARDIO CONTINUUM:

When thinking about our workouts, we need to think of strength and cardio not as an either or thing in our training, but more as a workout design continuum we can use to our advantage.

Because whether you’re doing what we more traditionally call cardio, which is that steady state endurance type activity….

Or even that more traditional, more low rep slow lifting we call strength…

You’re working an energy system, which is technically having an impact on your cardiovascular health AND your strength and muscle.

And working along this continuum can help you see amazing body recomp while truly designing for the time you have!

It can also help you work not only on your aerobic base but on your speed, power, work capacity, lactic threshold, recovery and so much more.

So we don’t want to see our workouts as either or to get better results.

We also need to be conscious of this continuum so that we aren’t just turning every strength workout into a cardio session, which could be fighting against our muscle gains.

When you design your workouts, stay focused on your goals, not just on making a session feel harder.

Because while a more metabolic strength session that’s more circuit based or even a timed set may be amazing for losing fat while retaining lean muscle during a fat loss phase, that same lack of rest or more metabolic element may be hurting your focus on muscle hypertrophy. 

Instead you may need to add in a bit more rest or switch it up to a superset or compound set design. 

The key is understanding that how we vary rest and cycle exercises in a workout, the overall workout design we use, and not only the types of moves we use, can impact the results we get – from the strength to cardiovascular benefits.

Not to mention we can use workouts that are a combination of some conditioning and strength work to our advantage, especially when we are short on time.

Because most of us DO need more efficient workouts to fit our busy schedules.

And too often not having enough time is our excuses for not being consistent with our training or seeing the results we want.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 training techniques that can help you not only get BOTH cardio and strength benefits but also be super effective in allowing you to see results while designing for the schedule that is realistic for you….

First, Use Interval Workout Designs For Your STRENGTH Workouts.

When we think of an “interval workout,” we think of a cardio session.

And, yes, this can make your lifting sessions a bit more metabolic.

You may find you get more out of breath.

But intervals can also be a great way to increase your training density, especially when you’re short on time to improve your strength and muscle gains.

By using intervals with more strength based lifting exercises, you can help yourself achieve amazing body recomp, building muscle, improving your work capacity and even your recovery.

You can use interval workouts whether you’re doing more of an anterior/posterior split or even full body routines.

But set an interval of work, generally a minute for more strength exercises is good, using an exercise and load that challenges you so that you are almost working past failure in that time. 

In back to back intervals even alternate areas worked so one muscle group can rest as you continue to use the time you have efficiently to work another area. 

But during each interval of work, because the goal of this session is still building strength and muscle, challenge yourself so you need to pause for a second or two.

This pause to completely more reps means you were challenging yourself with loads. And generally at that pause with traditional reps and sets, we would have STOPPED and moved on. 

But because we still have time in that interval to work, we do more!

This ultimately helps you lift more quality loads in a shorter amount of time, creating an amazing stimulus for muscle growth even when you need a quicker training session!

Interval strength work done this way, also implements the second training technique that can help you be more efficient in your workouts…

#2: Rest Pause Technique.

Rest-Pause Technique has many offshoots and usages.

But in its most basic form, you will perform reps until you need to pause, then rest for generally 15-30 seconds, before trying to eek out a few more reps with the same loads. 

In the interval work, you want to rest no more than a few seconds to keep moving.

With things like cluster sets, you may use this brief pause but with smaller sets that don’t fully take you to failure, but allow you to lift heavier than you would be able to had you just done all reps straight. 

But using this brief rest allows you to not only increase your training density, doing more reps in a shorter amount of time, but also often lift MORE weight in that same timeframe as you can go heavier for the same volume because of the rest.

You will find this improves not only your strength but also your muscle gains and even strength endurance.

And you may be surprised too by how much you see your recovery times improve in your other conditioning work even!

Now, this final technique I want to share goes against what we often think to do when we’re short on time and designing efficient workouts…

But I want to share it because it highlights how many opportunities and options there are out there to make things match what we need and progress over time.

Too often we get stuck feeling there is only one right way, and then miss out on an option that is different but could be the switch up we need.

Usually when we are short on time, we design our workouts to cycle areas worked. 

This allows one area to rest as another is worked.

So in a circuit or set back to back moves may be one upper then one lower body exercise instead of back to back moves for the same muscle group. 

But you may want to break this rule at times if you are really focused on those muscle gains, especially for stubborn areas.

This is where Post-Exhaust technique can come in handy, especially for more advanced lifters!

#3: Post Exhaust

With post-exhaust technique, you are working the same muscle group with back to back moves, usually using a compound exercise even followed by an isolation move to hone in on one of the muscles that was just worked. 

This can help you work past failure in another way and recruit more muscle fiber to improve your muscle growth and strength gains.

But because you’re doing a high volume of very focused work for an area in a short amount of time, it can help you see better results even when you’re workout schedule is more limited.

You aren’t giving an area a chance to recover yet you’re working at an intensity with the change up in moves that allows you to keep that quality of work.

By pairing these two moves together back to back as then you even cycle between pairing that target different areas, you’ll be able to use all 3 drivers of muscle growth very efficiently. 

BONUS: You can even do post-exhaust in an interval design, working the same muscle in back to back intervals!

And you may be surprised by how much you feel your blood pumping without doing anything you’ve usually thought of as remotely cardio! 

So just remember, there are lots of ways to use different moves, techniques, and workout designs to our advantaged based on the time we have.

And we don’t have to see our workouts as just cardio or strength.

But we need to make sure we design everything with purposed focused on meeting ourselves where we are at to move forward toward our goals.

And be realistic with what you need.

Design for the time you have!

Want amazing workouts designed to help you rock those results no matter your fitness level, schedule or the equipment you have?

Check out my Dynamic Strength program!

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