Fitness and Mental Health

Warning: Exercise has been known to cause health and happiness.

A regular exercise routine doesn't just build strong muscles and bones and a healthy heart. The link between physical activity and positive mental health has been well documented for decades, and as a society living through a pandemic, self care and vigilant attention to our mental health has never been more important than it is now.

Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

A significant network of correlations exists surrounding exercise and positive mental health, including physiological, psychological, and even social benefits. The longer you stick with a regular schedule and the more often you exercise, the more benefits you'll see.

Physiological Benefits

You may have heard that physical activity encourages your body and brain to produce some really awesome feel-good chemicals including dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These chemicals increase your mood and help you feel more pleasure, whi...

Master Your Morning Routine

The perfect morning routine looks different for everyone. No matter what time you start your “morning” here are a few tried and true ways to reduce stress and increase productivity from the moment you open your eyes.

1. Drink a full glass of water

Drinking a full glass of water will help to rehydrate your body and allows for better digestion when you do eat. Feeling like something’s missing? Adding lemon to your water will give you a shot of vitamin C, aid in digestive health, and act as a detoxifying agent. Additionally, lemon is also said to have antibacterial and immune-boosting properties.

You can read more about fitness and hydration here.

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2. Practice gratitude

Living your life with gratitude is a complete game-changer. Write a list of 5-7 things that you are grateful for every morning by affirming the good things you’ve received and acknowledging the role that others have played in receiving that goodness. By regularly taking the time to refl...

Did you know that your body contains over sixty percent water?

It's true!

Water is what makes your blood flow, it fills your cells, cools your body when you sweat, and filters and eliminates toxins from your body.

Your body needs water for pretty much every bodily function and metabolic process.

Water Is Vital For Fitness

Whether you're taking a walk around the block or running a full marathon, drinking water and staying hydrated are extremely important to preventing the effects of dehydration and to maintaining optimum fitness.

If you become dehydrated during or after intense exercise the lack of fluid will increase your skin and body temperature, your heart will need to work harder to pump thicker blood, and your muscles (and brain) will not receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function properly.

Drink MORE Water During Exercise

Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink.

You should be hydrating before, during, and after exercise.  

The higher the air temperatu...

Recovery after your workout is vital to muscle and tissue repair and building strength, endurance, and flexibility.  💪

Muscle tissue normally requires a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild, but I have some good news for you.

You can reduce this time and improve post exercise recovery using these five muscle recovery tips.

Eat More

Yup, you read that right. Eating more (of the right things) can quickly replace depleted energy stores (glycogen) and to refuel your body with the macro and micronutrients necessary for quick recovery and tissue repair.

Remember that you tear down muscle in the gym, but you build muscle in the kitchen!

If you fail to refuel your body you will definitely lack energy, your performance will suffer, and you'll fail to make gains in strength and lean muscle.

So be sure to take in protein and a few simple carbs within 30-60 minutes of your workout.

When it's time for a full meal, choose complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables) to replenish...

Many people believe that when you exercise or strength train with weights your body changes fat into muscle.

Spoiler alert: this is not true. Fat cells will always be fat cells and muscle is composed of muscle fibers.

What actually happens when you exercise, is you reduce the size and number of fat cells which are then displaced by muscle tissue as your body grows leaner. 💪

Resistance Training Should Be Part Of Your Fitness Program

You can speed up the process of weight loss and become lean by combining a healthy diet with regular exercise and “resistance training” - strength training with weights, kettlebells, resistance bands or your own bodyweight.

You can build lean muscle and lose more fat naturally and safely without drugs or crazy fad diets by picking up a pair of dumbbells.

As you begin adding more muscle, your metabolism will speed up and burn more calories and body fat.

As a bonus, once you reach your weight loss goal, you can then choose to maintain your desired wei...

So you took a little (or a big) break from your fitness and routine and you're feeling ready to get back into it?

First of all, good for you!  👏

Second of all, building ( or in this case rebuilding) habits can feel hard when you're first adopting a new lifestyle and habits.

But lucky you, I have some super helpful tips for you so you're pumped on your workouts and not dreading them. 

Start Small, Win Big

Kickoff your fitness routine with small, easy-to-tackle goals to help you gain some momentum. 

Every little bit counts. The goal here is to start taking consistent action and make it a part of your daily life.

Starting with an intense and extremely demanding fitness routine can be a recipe for disaster (and defeat). 😩

Find Your Why

This is a huge element of success when getting back into your fitness game. 

If you're not totally clear on what your "why" is, try asking yourself these questions:

• What happens if I go all-in with my health & fitness routine? How will my life c
...

If you really want to start making moves towards a more fit lifestyle but feel like you have no time to even think about driving to the gym, keep reading. 

Even small habit transformations can make a big difference over time. Here are my top 6 fitness jumpstart hacks for people who feel like they have no time. 

1. Start With Simple Exercises

If you've been completely putting off exercising, it's time to get it in gear. 

The reality is that you don't need a fancy fitness routine to gain momentum, you just need to GET STARTED. 

You've probably heard of the commonly shared acronym K.I.S.S. : 

Keep It Simple, Stupid Sweetie.

When you feel like there aren't enough hours in the day and you only have 20 minutes to whip up a butt kickin' workout- keep it simple, sweetie!  

Some simple exercises that you can do anywhere, regardless of what kind of equipment you have access to includes:

• squats
• lunges
• deadlifts
• push-ups
• dips
• planks
• crunches

2. Be The Most Hydrated Person Yo...

Let's talk about why hiring a coach could be the game changer you've been chasing after for years. ⁠
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First of all, investing in a coach means that you're investing in yourself. You have made the decision that your goals, your joy, your best damn life is a priority. ⁠
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Second of all, there are way more benefits to hiring a coach than these 4 but since I know you're busy and don't have all day, here are the top 4 benefits of investing in a coach: ⁠

1. Stay Accountable To Your Goals

How many times have you made a goal and straight up abandoned it?⁠

How many times have you said, "This year it's going to be different" but then life happened, you got busy, and nothing ever changed?⁠

Coaches don't let the kind of stuff fly. ⁠It's (literally) their job to keep you accountable to your fitness goals. 

Disclaimer: A fitness coach can't do the work for you, but they can sure as hell keep you accountable.

2. Embrace A Personalized Fitness Plan

Are you still doing the same cookie cutter workou...

Move over Vitamix, there's a new fitness weapon in town this season. 

Yup, that's right- your crockpot. 🥘

If you're wondering how the heck your crockpot is going to help you lose weight this upcoming season, read on my friend!

1. You're Too Busy To Be Bothered

"I just just love prepping, cooking, and cleaning after 3 or more meals a day squeezed in between my job, commuting, fitness routine, family time, personal time, and trying to get some sleep." - Nobody Ever

Let's be real. Unless you're a full-time chef, nobody has time to prep, cook, and clean up after 3 meals (or more) a day.

Crockpots are set-it-and-forget magical little tools to help you stay on top of your meal prep and fitness goals without sucking up hours of your day.

Hands up if you want to spend more time living your life, and less time doing chores.  🙌

2. You're Into Saving Money

Meal prep helps you save money by slashing your hangry- I mean hungry- impulse food shopping, dining out, and take out throughout th...