No. 1 - MINDSET

Any sort of mindset of self-hate or punishment that keeps you continuing to beat yourself up over any set back or that working out is a punishment has to go. That has to be swapped for a more self loving position and it has to be more about building our health and not punishing ourselves. Focus on balance!

No. 2 - UNSUSTAINABLE METHODS

Stop with any sort of methodology that is not going to be sustainable. Specifically time sensitive goals - like a 30 day challenge. That will not bring you lifelong changes. We need to incorporate the foods you love into a balanced diet that will allow you to stop "dieting" and instead live a healthy LIFESTYLE. Science and health focused my friend!

No. 3 - STUFF THAT DOESN'T WORK

What do I mean here? This is all about the juice cleanses because your body needs ACTUALLY FOOD, hours of cardio because that just messes with our metabolism and actually works against what we are trying to achieve. Oh and let's...

This body position should always be done before and after doing an exercise. 

It is going to help give you proper posture and proper alignment, which will help to engage your muscles and no matter what move you are doing, you are doing it safely. 

You always want to be in your power when you're working your muscles.

To remember this, look at it as a 3 part checklist:

No. 1 Start from the bottom and look at your hips - you want to tuck your hips under. At the same time you want to squeeze your glutes.

No. 2 Core Contraction! After tucking your hips in step1 and then contracting your core, the combination compacts you to give your spine support to safely lift weights.

No. 3 Is your shoulders. Roll them back and down to create a straight line down your torso.

This pose may feel "weird" at first, if you have never tried it but it will help you have a much safer and enjoyable workout - helping to prevent injury. 

Follow along with the video above to see...

I get so fired up about BS "Fitness Challenges" - especially by those claiming to be a Fitness Coach.

A challenge that keeps popping up for me is something called 75 Hard, where there are something specific they have to do on the challenge every single day. I will come back to this later...

The biggest problem with this, is we are asking people to do the same thing every day - however our lives aren't always the same each and every day. So even though it is working to create healthy habits, this is an unrealistic plan and is not sustainable for 99% of people. 

As a Fitness Coach I feel a sense of integrity to ensure I am showing my clients balanced systems that work and are sustainable, which is why it is frustrating to see "Coaches" teach methods that are not healthy and not sustainable. This challenge is not going to impact your life long-term. 

If you are using a method that is telling you to do something for 75 days, then you will have to repeat what is being...

I was inspired by a group coaching call I had, in week 6 of an 8 week challenge. We discussed motivation and how it can identify the true changes you have made. Let me explain..

No matter what client I am working with, be it a 1:1 or a group client, the 6 week mark is where motivation takes a dive. You're loving the results and how you're feeling but sometimes the motivation and the desire to do the work fades.

Motivation comes and gos and that's okay! Sometimes we just don't feel into it. The actions that we are willing to continue doing are where you will see the actual changes reveal themselves. If you are still getting your workouts in, getting your vegetables in. It shows the fundamentals you have created for yourself and the long lasting changes. 

When you are still following your new routine even after the motivation has dipped out a bit and you no longer require the emotional or pep talk mindset to get moving, it means healthy eating and exercise...

So excited and fired up about my last group call, where we drank wine & champagne - that I had to jump on and share how wonderful it was to work with this group of ladies and how one of the big takeaways was their shift in their MINDSET - let me explain...

This inspirational group of women all shared how their mindset held them back from really progressing, prior to joining the Bring Out Your Badass program. They were finally able to get out of the All-or Nothing Mindset.

The All-or-Nothing mindset means, you create the notion in your head that if you don't stay on track and maybe you miss a workout or your diet takes a wrong turn one night or one weekend that you feel your whole path, is now just a complete wash. Leaving you doing nothing! You let everything go for the rest of that day or that week or maybe just let it go forever.

The first step my group took to get out of the "in-and-out" mindset was joining my 8 week program. They committed to a specific...

Addressing everything SUMMER CUT - since I am starting mine.

WHY am I doing it?

My goal is to bring my body fat percentage down to work towards my bigger goals, which is to build muscle. 

YES, YOU CAN LOSE FAT AND BUILD MUSCLE AT THE SAME TIME

WHAT am I doing?

12-16 weeks and the tools and strategy implemented will be what I use with my clients. 

HOW am I doing it?

FITNESS - training and workout schedules will stay the same

2 condition/cardio days

2 leg days

2 upper body/combo days

I will keep lifting as heavy as I can. I will also be eating HIGH PROTEIN to maintain my muscle.

NUTRITION

I have a range of calories I want to hit everyday. I say range because measuring is inaccurate and life happens, so you won't always hit the EXACT number. 

I will have higher carb days and lower carbs day - protein remains the same (High)

There will also be a healthy amount of fats, similar to my current diet, which helps in hormonal...

Not making the progress you want? Here are some sneaky concepts that could be sabotaging your efforts.

No. 1 - CONSISTENCY

 I know, I know, you have probably heard this but hear me out. To much fluctuation will effect our hormones and metabolism, so we want to create a more moderate range and keep consistent with our activity and diet. This will keep our metabolism more even in order to reach those goals - what does that mean? It means you need balance. Create a routine that you can maintain - if you go too hard with your workout routine and then stop or your calorie intake spikes and drops at an aggressive level than your body isn't getting  the consistency it needs to function in a way that is going to work for you.

No. 2 - SLEEP & STRESS

The human body needs 7-8 hrs as an adult for proper rest and recovery. If you aren't getting enough rest your body is operating at a heightened state of stress, you will feel fatigued and your body is going to want to eat...

You don't need a ton of time or space to get a Full Body Workout done!

I want to help real women who live busy full lives, take control of their fitness and their health, without it feeling like it has to be a full time job. 

When designing a full body workout, think about your muscle groups - Circuit groups should be balanced. I break everything into these four categories:

1. Upper Body Push 
2. Upper Body Pull
3. Legs 
4. Core

Always start with a warm up and get your muscles moving before adding any weight.

For the first 2 circuits I will use Push Pull, Legs and then finish with core. Each circuit should run at least 2x. 

Always ensure you are staying aware of your form, never sacrifice form for extra weight.  As well, you want to make sure your exercises aren't directed at your main target area ONLY. Balanced training will get you to your goals!

If you feel you need a little bit more guidance, then you are in luck because I have a FREE download. CLICK HERE to...

Why this topic? Because my new group is getting comfortable with a gym setting and I want you to know it is okay to feel awkward and uncomfortable in a new setting.

I felt so awkward when I started at the gym, your sweating, spitting, making noises, your in awkward positions and it can be super uncomfortable with other people right next to you - especially if right now you aren't totally comfortable with your body.

Give yourself a chance - just like anything else! To get used to something new.

My first experience with the gym was to head straight to the machine I knew how to use and stay on it for an hour, just checking out what everyone else was doing. I was terrified to even branch out to a yoga mat because I just had no idea what I was doing.

 So here are my tips to GET COMFORTABLE:

  Take a Lap - Walk around and familiarize yourself with where each type of equipment is and take a look at what other people are doing

  Put your headphones in! Get yourself in...

Something you may not know but too much cardio can work against you!!

Here are three signs you are doing too much cardio:

No. 1 - Energy is low outside of workouts, recovery time is really long and appetite is really high

- Cardio burns through the most available energy source our body has and it depletes us and then takes a long time replenish. If you're exhausted for a long period of time after your workout, it means there was too much cardio. Your body isn't able to replenish itself fast enough and because we are so depleted our appetite spikes!

No. 2 - Any progress made is fragile

- Your not changing your body composition, your just shrinking fat cells and not gaining any muscle mass - this is why balanced strength training is so important!

- You feel like if you even smell a slice of Pizza you will lose all progress

- You feel you have to do more and more cardio to see progress, which is just lengthening your cardio sessions, which is more effort for less results.

No....