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...

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. ⁠
⁠
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. ⁠
⁠
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...

So I have some good news and some bad news:

The bad news is that weight gain during the holidays is very common. 

The good news is that you don't have to be a part of Team Holiday Bulk. 

With a plan and a sense of health awareness going into this holiday season, you'll be fully equipped to have a fun, delicious few months that doesn't throw you off of your health and fitness goals. 

Here are 7 tips to help you stay on track with your fitness goals this year.

1. Ditch The "All or Nothing" Mindset

There are so many ways to eat healthy and stay active. So even if eating your usual macro-focused meal or carefully programmed fitness routine aren't options for the day, get creative!

Take a walk with your family. Opt for healthier choices when stacking your plate up for the holiday meal. 

You can still make healthy diet and fitness choices, even if you veer a bit (or a lot) off of your usual routine. Plus, it's fun and healthy to mix things up from time to time. 

2. Bring A Healthy...

The holidays can be a time of tradition, happiness, and joy. But it can also be a serious season of indulgence, anxiety, and getting thrown off of our normal routines. 

Embrace these mindfulness practices to help keep you grounded, healthy, and happy this upcoming holidays season.

Practice Self Compassion

First things first, if you get a little off track with your diet, fitness routine, sleep schedule, budget or anything else (which inevitably you will), know that it's okay and you can still achieve all of your goals. 

Beating yourself up when you take a step off the path isn't going to get you there any faster so be kind to yourself and accept it as a part of the journey. 

Allow yourself to feel whatever disappointments or judgements may come up during this time, but there's absolutely no need to hold on to any of it. And this is also relevant for anything that may be coming up for other's in your life as well. 

Acknowledge it and move on.

Practice Mindful Eating

It's easy t...

If you're on a mission to lose weight, build muscle, up your fitness, or increase your overall health, one of the most dangerous things you can do is hold yourself to a "perfect" standard. 

Trying to be perfect will kill your motivation and result in feelings of failure and defeat. When people feel defeated, they quit. 

Health and fitness is a long game. It's a journey that will always be in your life. 

Are you playing the long game? Or are you playing the perfectionistic go-hard, crash-harder game?

Missing a workout sometimes or overshooting your daily caloric intake is not the enemy here. 

Perfectionism is the enemy. 

Do not throw in the towel because you indulged in some late night tacos or ice cream one evening. Do not throw in the towel because you were having a difficult week and blew off the gym to take care of somethings in your life. 

If you find yourself beating yourself up because you got off track and strayed from your perfect road to fitness, here are some things ...