When I speak to women about their training goals, they describe wanting to lose body fat and have a tighter, firmer physique with curves in just the right places. Their approach to achieve this, however, is counterproductive. They focus almost exclusively on cardio and end up plateauing or disappointed with their results. Losing weight, or more accurately – losing body …
What’s Possible for Women’s Bodies as They Get Older?
Can you think back to the best days of your physique? You know..the time in your life where you felt the best, looked your best, and were really, really confident in all that heat you were packing in them jeans? (ICYMI: Talking about that booty). Nine times out of 10, my female clients can think back to a specific time …
15 Non-Scale Victories Worth Celebrating
As someone who didn’t grow up with a scale in her home (thanks, Mom!)I had to learn other ways to celebrate my achievements in fitness and with my physique. As a youngster, that meant comparing my body to someone else’s – a very flawed system that left me more frustrated with my body and spinning my wheels in the gym. …
The Benefits of Muscle-Building for Women
In the lusty 1999 comedy-drama flick, Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez’s character, Ramona, teaches newcomer Destiny (played by Constance Wu) her incredible pole dancing moves. As Lopez (who dominated that role btw) shows off her top moves – “the martini”, “the tabletop” and “climb” – awe-struck Destiny says, “I can’t do that. I don’t have the muscles to do this.” Ramona shuts …
The Link Between Your Money and Fitness Goals
If you had to choose between watching paint dry or budgeting your money in a duller-than-dull spreadsheet, which evil would you choose? Many of us would likely choose the former: Matte or Gloss paint, please? Looking at your personal finances square in the face is a lot like stepping on the scale and coming to terms with an unwanted reality. …
4 Strength Training Mistakes You’re Making
Very little can go wrong when you’re strong. Have to move your furniture around after binge-watching HGTV? That couch has nothing on you. Need to make one trip from your car to the front door with your Costco groceries and HomeGoods *ahem* necessities? No sweat. Physical strength prepares you for all of life’s little annoyances (i.e. running after your dog …
The Power of Rest: Your Most Underrated Tool for Fitness Success
Rest days is something most elite athletes look forward to and plan for. Oddly enough, the average, recreational athlete like you and me, will overlook rest days in their strength and fitness regimen. As I tell my 1:1 BarbellSTRONG Coaching (BSC) ladies – Rest days are just as important as the workout day. It’s programmed intentionally to allow your body …
How to Flip The Script on Fitness and Start Again
What happens when we outgrow ourselves? Our dreams? Our stories? Our fitness? Our friends? Our job? In fitness, this can look like over exercising to hide our discomfort with ourselves. It appears healthy on the outside, but inside there’s turmoil, shame, and self-loathing. At work, this might look like a colleague who is always in bad mood. In relationship, it’s …
How to Boost Your Mental Fitness
Jennifer looked at me defeated with tears in her eyes after a workout one morning. She couldn’t understand how after months of consistent training, cutting back on alcohol and treats, her arms were still not looking the way she wanted. She was weeks out from her wedding and wanted the photos to capture a happy time in her life, not …
Better Core Training with Bear Crawl Variations
When it comes to core training, the choices and variations are endless. Deadbugs, farmer’s carry, planks, and crawls appear in my programming and my clients’ programs literally always. Not a single crunch in sight! The bear crawl in particular is one of my favorites to play with because it challenges and ignites muscles that the majority of people need, including: …