It's time to get your groove back!

Happy Monday everyone!

We have made it through Halloween and Thanksgiving and now we are in the home stretch before the final end of the year holidays.

Some of you might have set goals for yourself that you were going to stay on track and DIAL IT IN or maybe you were going to DIAL IT BACK and focus on moderation while you indulged. 

Maybe it didn’t go as planned or maybe you are having trouble ending the celebrating!

First of all, ditch the remorse. Never feel bad about enjoying your celebration or holiday and the food and drink that goes with it! And if you have been less than perfect, stop feeling bad about that too.

Instead of looking at it with a “what have I done” attitude, let’s think about “what you can do now” and move forward. 

If you celebrated with a little bit too much food and drink or if you have continued to celebrate, don’t panic. Even if your pants are feeling tighter today, it’s easier than you think to get back on track. 

It’s time to get your groove back!

Show yourself grace. Don’t spend the days beating yourself up. This will only make you feel stressed which can lead to cravings and making more poor choices. You can’t turn back the clock or erase what happened, but you can accept it and move on.

Get back to your normal routine. Definitely resume your regular eating schedule as soon as possible. Plan your meals, start tracking your food again if you do that and took a break. If you practice intermittent fasting, extend your fasting window by an hour or two to give your body a little more time at digestive rest. Then eat meals with a balance of carbs, fats and protein that help you hit your goals. Get back to your workouts - just don’t binge exercise to make up for binge eating. Over-exercising is a stressor on the body that leads to fat gain instead of fat loss.

Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated will help your metabolism and wash things down and out of your body. That heaviness you might be feeling is a combination of water retention, extra glycogen (stored from extra carbs) and waste in the digestive track. All of this “weight” will eventually be balanced out by drinking plenty of water and resuming your normal meals.

If you were following a healthy lifestyle before the end of the year holiday madness started, get back to what you were doing. Focus on moving forward.

If you want to learn healthy habits, you can join my next FASTer Way to Fat Loss group that will start on DEC 30. I would love to help you get your groove back and kick off 2020 chasing down your health and wellness goals! Learn more about my next group here.

Remember, don’t look back at what you could have, should have done. Focus on starting fresh today. You are always one choice, one day away from getting back on track.

What is one goal you have for yourself in 2020? 

2019 Holiday Challenge

Back by request, I am hosting another merry little fit-mas challenge!

The way I see it, we could all use a little extra motivation during the busiest time of year. At least I know I can! It's just so easy to to put things off and turn the holidays into one giant long break from healthy habits.

So, if you have found it hard to make time for workouts since Thanksgiving, (maybe even Halloween!) or if you are just a sucker for challenges (like me), I am happy to announce the 2019 HOLIDAY CHALLENGE. This is my way of helping YOU overcome the challenge by giving you quick exercises that you can do anywhere and a community to encourage you to stick with it.

The goal of this challenge is stay motivated and keep moving through the busy holiday season with daily achievable and challenging exercises. At the end we will feel amazing heading to our holiday events!

Here's how the Holiday Challenge works:

Monday through Friday until Christmas Eve, we will be completing 50 reps of different bodyweight exercises. Each day I will post the exercise for the day (with video) in the Holiday Challenge private Facebook group. On the weekend, you can choose your favorite exercise from challenge so far to repeat.

In addition, you will receive a FREE Macros to Muscles guide, mindset tips, holiday recipes and tips for eating smart on the holiday!

If you want to have yourself a Merry Little Fit-mas, then I've got you covered. My challenge will help you keep your head in the game and give you the accountability and motivation you need to stay on track or get back to it during the holiday season!

To join the Holiday Challenge, simple click here to join the private Facebook group and get ready because the fun begins December 9th!

Have a question? Leave a comment below or send me an email!

Are you joining me for the 2019 Holiday Challenge?

Let me know in the comments below!

Get Your Fat Pants Ready!

It’s time to get your fat pants ready!! Haha just kidding!

But seriously, people do tend to over-indulge over the holidays. And sometimes one holiday leads right into another holiday and before you know it, those pants are feeling a little tighter.

Am I right?

It’s Thanksgiving week Thanksgiving is known as the day that we throw caution to the wind and indulge in whatever we want. Some people over-do it and head down the slippery slope of over-indulging right through the new year. Others are so afraid of over-indulging that they spend too much time worrying about food and depriving themselves of food and feeling guilty about food

I don’t want anyone to feel guilty about food! Especially at THANKSGIVING!

Today I want to share my recipe for thriving through this holiday week:

1) Do NOT stress about food! Enjoy your company and enjoy all the foods. If you have weight loss goals, be intentional about your choices. Stay focused on whole foods, load up on protein and veggies, make a healthy appetizer to share. The key is to FULLY enjoy yourself. Don’t deprive yourself and feel miserable later. It’s one day and if you make healthy choices the rest of the time, one day will not ruin your progress. The truth is, it's the days following Thanksgiving that are most important.  Leave those leftovers behind and get right back to your normal routine the day after the holiday. 

2) Stay active! Grab your family and friends to join you in your workout instead of skipping it. Even if you don't have time for a full workout, half or 15 minutes is better than nothing. Consider a turkey day run or walk that you can do together and support a good cause. You’ll be active and create fun memories together. Then get pumped up for awesome workouts the rest of this week where you will put those Thanksgiving carbs to good use.

3) Relax! Enjoy sleeping in and give yourself a break from being on the go ALL THE TIME! Let others help you if you are hosting company. I know it can be hard to let go of control, but it will help you enjoy the day. Think about what things NEED to be done and what things can WAIT to be done. Make a point to step back and relax.

Having the right mindset is going to help you thrive through the holiday. Set some boundaries for yourself but don’t make it all or nothing. You can indulge, you can enjoy without experiencing a set back.

If you would like more information about FASTer Way to Fat Loss and learning strategies to help you reach your goals, click here or send me a message and we can chat about your goals. I’d love to help you!

There’s Nothing Wrong with Setting Non-negotiables

Today I want to chat about setting non-negotiables. 

We are coming in hot on another holiday! Thanksgiving is already just one week away.

For those of us living and creating a healthy lifestyle, holidays have a way of making us feel like we’re off track. With all the parties, performances, recitals, get-togethers, events, dinners (and whatever else is thrown your way),  it can feel overwhelming to prioritize our health and nutrition.

But, there are things you can commit to, even when your routine is off through the holidays.

We know that healthy living is created through the consistent daily habits we establish for ourselves, right? ⁠

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So even through the busy time of year, we can set boundaries, we can set non-negotiables, that will help us stay on track but still enjoy ourselves!

Here are my nutrition and fitness non-negotiables for the holidays:

intermittent fasting - No matter where I spend my holidays, I still focus on breaking my fast later in the day and consuming all my food, all my macro calories during my eating window. This works for me because intermittent fasting is flexible - I can move my eating window to fit my schedule. It is convenient - I can do it anywhere. Even when I’m traveling and I'm away from my food, my routine, my stuff, I can control my appetite and allow my body to digest the food that I am giving it through intermittent fasting.

Exercise - No matter what, I will find ways to get in my daily movement - either through a structured workout or some other activity. This year mrC and I will be doing our FASTer Way 5K walk in the morning. I will not spend my day sitting and eating. As a fitness junkie, that just wouldn’t work for me! 

Be a picky eater! - This used to mean that I would be a pain the butt and not want to eat anything. NOW it means that I will pick and choose what I eat because I eat to fuel my body. I also want to make sure that if I decide to indulge in alcohol or sugary treats that I have balanced those with lots of PROTEIN and NON-STARCHY VEGGIES. I’m going to enjoy the holidays, my way - and make smart choices.

I’m so grateful that I found the proper nutrition and exercise through FASTer Way to Fat Loss to help me get through the holidays without feeling guilty or worrying that I am going to ruin my progress.

If you are trying to create and live a healthy lifestyle, remember that it is ok to set boundaries. Setting non-negotiables will help you stay on track and enjoy yourself.

I’d love to know what your nutrition/healthy habit non- negotiable's are. If you have one, share in the comments below.

If you would like more information on FASTer Way to Fat Loss and when my next group starts, click here.

Don't Be THAT Charlie Brown!

Today I want to talk about Charlie Brown. This might sound strange, but I promise there is a point.

You probably know the Charlie Brown football gag, but just in case here is a quick summary because we can learn a couple of lessons from Charlie Brown’s experience:

Lucy tells Charlie Brown that she will hold a football so he can kick it. Charlie Brown refuses because he doesn’t trust her. Lucy persuades Charlie Brown to trust her, but as he runs up to kick the ball, she takes it away at the very last second and he flies up in the air. 

We are all guilty of being THAT Charlie Brown…falling for that thing that seems too good to be true only to be fooled and disappointed in the end. And perhaps we are even more like Charlie Brown than we’d like to admit because despite being fooled repeatedly, we often find ourselves expecting the result to be different the next time.

The nutrition and fitness industry places that metaphorical football in front of us, the consumer, all the time. They dangle their products, a magic pill, a miracle shake, or their version of a healthy food and promise that it will help us lose weight, reach our goals, get that perfect body without doing anything other than taking their pill or eating their food. And because we think they have our best interests at heart, we fall for it.

We fall for it because we are frustrated that we aren’t reaching our goals on our own.

We fall for it because we are tired of trying to figure out what to do and not getting the results we want.

Don’t be THAT Charlie Brown. Don't get swept away by empty promises! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

We need good nutrition DAILY.

Be the Charlie Brown that is persistent, but instead of chasing after things that are too good to be true, 

persist in having good nutrition every day.

Persist in creating habits that are real and healthy:

eat whole foods

eat enough food

eat the right foods

If you don’t know what those things are, be the persistent Charlie Brown...persist in finding out.

Programs, like FASTer Way to Fat Loss, that focus on whole food nutrition and science backed strategies like intermittent fasting and carb cycling can help you implement these habits if you can’t do it on your own.

I understand not being able to do it on your own. I was feeling frustrated and defeated because I thought I was doing everything right. FASTer Way to Fat Loss taught me how to eat and exercise to make my body happy and get results.

I hope you have learned a thing or two from Charlie Brown today! Don’t be fooled by empty promises and don’t give up on yourself!

You can learn more about my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss here.