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...

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...

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...

Do you feel like you lose all motivation to stay on track with your fitness goals once the fall and winter rolls around?

Do you just want to stay in your sweatpants and hoodie all day drinking hot chocolate, binge watching Game of Thrones starting all the way back to season 1, and completely throwing all your good-intentioned macro plans and workout schedules out the frosted window?

You're not alone. 

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), 6% of Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and another 10%-20% experience a mild form of it.  

Whether you suffer from SAD or simply feel a little down in the winter dumps, here are some tips to help you keep your spirits high and your overhead presses higher. 💪

1. Exercise

Let's get those feel good chemicals and endorphins pumping through your veins on the daily!

Physical activity:

• reduces anxiety and depressive moods
• boosts energy
• increases motivation and good moods
• enhances self esteem
• helps you sl
...

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 ...

Morning habits can make or break your day. Ditch Team Snooze Button and start your day like a fitness rockstar with your morning routine!

Check out these morning routine ideas to help you get your day started right!

Wake up early

Instead of running around frantically and caffeinated trying to get all the things done before you head out the door, try waking up earlier so you can move through your morning routine with grace and ease. 

When you wake up early, you're more likely to have time to yourself to focus on your goals without interruption from family, partners, or work related interruptions.

And yes, this means you're going to want to turn off Netflix and your all your other screens a little bit earlier now so you can be ready to K.O. at a decent time. 

Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. 

Let's jumpstart your metabolism and flush out those toxins first thing in the morning!

• Drink a tall glass (or two) of room temperature warm BEFORE pumping yourself with your morning cup of Joe. 
...

Oh summer...

The season we prepare our bodies for the most.

On the other hand, it's also the season where we become more lenient with what we put into our bodies and how we treat it.

If you've had a summer filled with fun, food, booze, little exercise, more food, then you're probably looking for a reset.

Here are 5 ways you can reset and get back on track once summer is over!

1. Make Time For Physical Activity

This doesn't mean start killing yourself at the gym for an hour a day.  Just start  moving your body.  Start incorporating a walk in the morning or even some yoga at night.  Most of us are trying to get back into the groove of work and school for the kiddos that we forget to take care of ourselves.  MAKE. THE. TIME.  Schedule it in. Start with 20 minutes of movement and work your way up!

2. Create a Sleep Routine

Late nights, early mornings, travel and lack of sleep has your body feeling totally out of whack.  The best way to set yourself up for success the followin...