“In two weeks you’ll feel it. In four weeks you’ll see it. In eight weeks, you’ll hear it.”
Get stronger in 31 days with the Fit Fall Flex!
Strength training isn't just about lifting weights; it's about lifting YOURSELF. It's about confronting those moments when you felt fragile or doubted your capabilities and turning them into milestones of strength and confidence.
Why embark on this journey with Fit Fall Flex?
Get 1% better every day. I coach a lot of Type A’s who are looking for a challenge. It’s time to capitalize on that and celebrate every small victory, every added pound to your lift, and every push-up you do off your knees.
Walk Taller and Stronger. This is your opportunity to improve your swagger and get those Michelle Obama arms! It’s time to walk taller, get stronger, and feel even more capable because you can do hard things.
Find Joy in the Journey. Strength training releases endorphins, and those endorphins are your body's natural mood lifters. That’s right, let’s get you happier even with the days getting shorter.
So what’s included to get you there this fall?
1. Initial Strength Assessment
2. Goal Setting Workshop
3. Weekly Accountability Check-Ins
4. Bi-Weekly Live Virtual Q&As
5. Protein Intake guide
6. Recovery Guide
7. Equipment Guide
8. Final Strength Assessment & Personal Recommendations
Ready to redefine your strength this fall? Click the button below!
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK TIME! SHOW ME ME THE ABS! The pools are opening, the beaches are crowded, the sun is out. It's that time to tone up your abs. Challenge of the week is to do 1-3 sets of 25 repetitions of sit-ups a day! Let's do this! If you want more of a challenge, instead of sit-ups, do roll-ups as shown in the video above.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Your TIP OF THE WEEK is to throw away your scale and change your mindset! As you have been reading these blogs the past several weeks, you might have noticed a trend. The articles from famous celebrity trainers have talked about the importance of thinking differently about your weight. Stepping on the scale is no longer an option because the scale shows a misguided representation of what is going on in your body. The scale shows your body weight. Body weight includes fat, muscles, bones, organs, etc. Meaning, your WHOLE body weight. My question to you is what are you trying to lose? Weight or fat? Your answer is most likely fat. You want to burn fat. In addition to throwing away your scale, I want you to measure your progress by your clothing size and how you feel. If you talk to any of my personal training clients, I always talk about losing a size in your clothing. That is always the goal, and now, that is YOUR goal! Keep up the amazing work. I keep receiving emails and messages on social media talking about how different your bodies have felt since quarantine. YOU ALL HAVE BEEN CRUSHING IT. Let's continue to do so. Love you guys, Let's GO BABY!!
MEAL + snack ideas
Avocado Chicken Bowl
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 chicken breasts thinly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 yellow bell pepper sliced
1 15 ounce can chickpeas
1 cup red cabbage chopped
1 avocado chopped
1. To prepare the chicken: In a small bowl add the chili powder, paprika, onion powder, cumin, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Use about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to slightly coat the chicken. Rub the spice rub evenly on the front and back of the chicken.
2. In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the chicken and cook on each side about 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.
3. To roast the veggies: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet add the broccoli, pepper, and chickpeas. Salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes or until tender.
4. To assemble the\ bowls: Divide the chicken evenly with the broccoli, peppers, chickpeas, avocado, and red cabbage.
Fit Fall Flex
Get stronger. Stay accountable. Stay consistent. Become a beast!
Click the button below to learn more!
Oven Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
400 g button mushrooms
2 tsp garlic (minced)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
1 tsp red chilli flakes
salt to taste
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray.
Roast for 25-30 minutes until mushrooms are softened.
Serve hot with steamed rice or as appetizer.
Health benefits of mushrooms:
Boost the production of vitamin D
Enhance immune system function
aid in weight loss
protect your bladder health
lower cholesterol levels
enhances iron absorption
helps maintain blood sugar levels
fights inflammation
alleviates adrenal fatigue
boosts immune system
Cucumber Bruschetta Cups
Ingredients:
2 cups diced roma tomato
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup of finely diced white onion
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP white balsamic vinegar
5 large basil leaves, shredded plus extra for topping
1-2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried dill
1-2 english cucumbers
2-4 TBSP crumbled feta (optional)
2 TBSP sweet balsamic glaze plus extra to taste
Combine all the above ingredients (minus the feta, balsamic, and cucumber) in a bowl and toss to coat.
Slice cucumbers about two inches thick.
Pile each cucumber cup high with your filling and top with a hearty drizzle of balsamic glaze, crumbled feta, and a sprinkle of fresh basil! YUM!
Ever caught yourself mid-push-up, wishing you could power through without dropping to your knees? Or felt that urge to grab the heavier weights during squats but hesitated? This October, we're turning those "I wish" moments into "I did it" achievements.
Introducing the Fit Fall Flex Challenge!
This isn't just about lifting weights; it's about elevating YOURSELF. Dive into this upcoming month with the following:
Goal setting session so you know EXACTLY what you are working towards • Precision strength training with the PERFECT schedule • Optimize your protein intake
Uncover recovery secrets that the pros swear by • Stay accountable with the weekly check-ins
Learn exactly how much and when to use certain weights
In 31 days, anticipate not just seeing, but FEELING the transformation. Imagine stronger legs, chiseled arms, and a rock-solid core. But beyond the physical, bask in the pride of progress, the newfound confidence, and the exhilaration of breaking barriers.
Click the button to view the Fit Fall Flex
INDUSTRY NEWS
Tracking Your Weight Loss Progress Without the Scale
BY: Paige Waehner
Most people go into the weight loss process, well, wanting to lose weight. However, if you're just getting started, the scale may be the worst choice for tracking your progress. In fact, your weight may be the least important thing to keep track of.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the scale is better at helping you maintain your weight than it is at helping you lose it. The reason? There are important changes happening in your body that the scale can’t measure or detect, such as:
Changing Body Composition: While your weight is important, what’s even more important is how much muscle you have. Muscle takes up less space than fat, making you look slimmer, and it’s more metabolically active. When you exercise, you gain muscle, raise your metabolism and lose fat, but that fat loss won’t always show up on the scale. Where it will show up is in measurements, how your clothes fit and how your body looks. All that can happen even if the scale isn’t moving.
Changes on the Inside: You may not know (or care) about what’s happening inside your cells when you exercise, but what’s going on in there can actually help you lose weight. Exercise teaches your body how to release more fat-burning molecules. The fitter you are, the more fat you burn and that is something the scale can't measure.
More Strength and Endurance: If you exercise regularly, you’ll be able to do more and more each time. You may start out exercising for a few minutes at a time or lifting light weights but, after a few workouts, your body adapts, allowing you to lift heavier and go longer. That strength and endurance mean you’re making progress, but if the scale isn’t moving, you may not pay attention to how fit you’re getting.
Your weight is just one aspect of your progress and, in many cases, it's not even the most important one. It’s unfortunate but, for most of us, the number on a scale is the determining factor in whether we've succeeded or failed. Using your weight as the only measure of your success is a lot like buying a house based solely on square footage. Sure it's nice to have 3,000 square feet, but what if it’s across from a skunk farm?
Your weight loss is the same way. Having your weight at a certain number might be nice, but the scale can’t tell you how fit you are or how much muscle you have. Your scale isn’t going to cheer when you finish all your workouts for the week.
Relying only on the scale may make workouts feel like a waste of time, even though each one helped you burn calories, get stronger, protect your body from diseases and make you more fit than you were before.
Beyond the Scale
If weighing yourself motivates you in a positive way, there’s no reason to change what you’re doing. However, if the scale makes you feel like a failure, it may be time to try something new like giving up the weight loss obsession, ditching the scale or measuring your body fat.
Losing Weight Makes Weight Loss Harder
What most people don't realize is that losing weight can actually make weight loss even harder. The more you weigh, the more energy your body expends to move that weight around. As you lose weight, your body will naturally expend fewer calories, something we often don't account for in our calorie intake.
For example, if you're 5'8" and weigh 180 lbs, your basal metabolic rate might be around 1545 calories. If you lose 20 pounds, your BMR changes, dropping by 50 to 100 calories.
That may not seem like much, but if you don't adjust your calories as you lose weight, you'll end up at a frustrating plateau.
Beat the Plateau
The only thing more frustrating than not losing weight is hitting a weight loss plateau after making steady progress. You're exercising, you're watching every single calorie, you're this close to your goal and then things come to a grinding halt.
Beating a plateau is often more about making small changes to tweak what you're doing than going overboard with your diet or workout program:
Change Your Workouts
Add more cardio - Adding an extra day of cardio, even if it's a short one, can be just that extra calorie-burn you need to get over the hump.
Lift heavier weights - Heavy weights help you build muscle and muscle helps you burn fat. Try lifting enough weight that you can only complete 10-12 reps of each exercise.
Change your strength workouts - If you've been doing the same workouts for more than 4-6 weeks, even small changes can make a difference. Try different ways to progress like changing the type of resistance you're using, trying completely new exercises or splitting your workouts so you can spend more time on each muscle group.
Vary your intensity - You'll burn fat more efficiently if you workout at different intensities throughout the week. Try incorporating long, slow workouts alongside high-intensity interval training to hit all your energy systems in different ways.
Hire a trainer - If you're confused about what to do, a trainer can revamp your routine and help you do more with your exercise time.
Add More Activity - If you've maxed out on your workout time or you just don't want to commit to more training, adding more activity is a simple way to burn extra calories without overdoing it with exercise. A daily 20-minute walk can help you burn up to 100 extra calories.
Make Adjustments Throughout the Process - You don't want to obsess over calories every time you lose a pound, but it pays to reassess where you are from time to time. When you lose 20 or more pounds, look at your diet and exercise program and find ways to reduce your calories to reflect your new weight.
Tweak Your Calorie Intake - Even small changes to your diet can add up and help you move past a plateau. Eating a little less than usual or adding more fiber to your diet are just two ways to reduce your calories without feeling like you're starving.
Weight Loss Doesn't Have to Be Your Primary Goal
Most of us have spent a large part of our lives chasing a weight loss goal, to the point that fighting with the scale has become second nature.
For the scale-focused weight loser, success can be a fleeting thing. Sometimes your weight goes down and sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it stays the same. The scale may change because you ate more or because you worked out less or because someone snuck in and recalibrated your scale as a cruel joke. The scale may change because you're retaining water or you're dehydrated or because the planets have become misaligned. Whatever the reason, it's impossible to know what's really going on and you may feel like a failure.
What you may not realize is that, sometimes, forgetting about your weight can actually help you lose weight. It may sound strange, but one study showed that people focused on health rather than weight ended up changing their behaviors in a way that led to better weight management.
Beyond Weight Loss
What would it be like if you didn't worry about your weight anymore? What would you do for yourself if your goal was to, say, feel better every day or have more energy? Shifting your goal to something tangible, something you can see, feel and touch on a regular basis may be just what you need to get the results you're looking for. Some ideas:
Your Health - Do you need to manage stress a little better or get rid of chronic back pain? Maybe you want to feel more energetic or get more quality sleep every night. When you exercise to feel better, rather than look better, you're much more likely to stick with it, especially when you can actually feel the progress you're making.
Your Performance - Why not focus on what you want to accomplish rather than what your scale is telling you? Maybe you want to be able to walk up the stairs at work without collapsing or maybe you'd like to work in the yard without throwing your back out. Think of things you'd like to do better and set your goals accordingly.
Your Satisfaction - Don't you feel good about yourself when you finish a workout or eat the grilled chicken instead of the cheeseburger? Focus on how you feel when you make different choices throughout the day. Doing more of the things that make you feel good makes it easier to keep doing them day after day.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Why a Growth Mindset is the Key to Lasting Fitness Results
BY: Gorilla Bow
Building lean muscle, increasing endurance, and burning fat are all physical actions. But they wouldn’t happen without your mind. That’s because the way you think about your own health and fitness is actually the key to success that lasts. It all comes down to two different ways of thinking: a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. If you want long-term health and fitness results, you must cultivate a growth mindset. This is easier said than done, but it is entirely possible. And it will change your life. Let’s look at the difference in these two ways of thinking and how you can begin (or continue) focusing on growth.
WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A GROWTH MINDSET VS A FIXED MINDSET
Someone with a “fixed mindset” believes intelligence, character, and talent can’t be changed. In a fixed mindset, success only comes if you have enough skill for it (or you get lucky)—without additional effort.
Because of this belief, when someone has a fixed mindset, they don’t spend time developing their skills. Whether they are conscious of it or not, there’s an underlying belief that their effort won’t make a difference. They may also avoid failure in any way because they:
Are afraid of making mistakes. In their mind, failure is embarrassing or shameful and a sign that they aren’t “good enough.”
Think failing indicates a lack of talent or skill (so what’s the point of trying?).
Believe our successes or failures are an indication of personal worth.
This is not to put down those who struggle with these thoughts. Many of us battle with a fixed mindset every day. But recognizing the thought patterns of a fixed mindset helps us reframe how we think about success and failure.
The Basics of a Growth Mindset
By contrast, having a growth mindset means believing you can start with your most basic abilities and—through hard work and dedication—develop them over time. Instead of worrying about where you’re starting or where you are now, you’re always focused on improving.
The phrase “progress, not perfection” is integral to a growth mindset.
So many successful people in history have had to think with a growth mindset. They see failure as an opportunity for growth and learning—not an indication of their personal worth.
So the real question is: which person do you want to be? Are you willing to live with a growth mindset and embrace failure so you can continue to grow and meet your fitness goals? Read on for some ways to do just that.
DON’T CHASE PERFECTION
This is so important, especially if you’re new to health and fitness. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, but also be realistic about your goals. In other words, don’t fall into the trap of perfectionism.
Don’t assume the path to your fitness goals will be linear. Be open to change and bumps along the way—and improvise when you need to. For example:
Maybe you have to travel for work unexpectedly. Instead of assuming there’s now no way to continue your workout routine, book a hotel with a gym or bring portable workout equipment (which you can use right in your hotel room!).
Or, maybe your day-to-day obligations change and you have to move around what times you workout. Be open to shifting around your schedule to still include exercise.
If you have a busy schedule, instead of grabbing fast food, pack healthy snacks to keep in your desk or on the road, or start meal-prepping for the week.
Set Goals
Recognize where you are now and where you want to go. What are your goals? Do you want to lose or maintain weight? Tone up and build muscle? Be more active? Start eating more whole foods?
When your goals are specific, they’re more attainable. Ask yourself these questions:
What do you want to accomplish? Get clear on the specific goal you want to achieve, and write it down.
Why do you want to change? What is your “why”? Maybe it’s to have more energy, attain a certain physique, feel better, or prevent your risk of disease. Maybe it’s all of that.
How will you achieve that goal? Will you workout each morning before you start your day? Prep your healthy meals each weekend? The “how” is a huge part of meeting any goal because it actually makes you follow through.
What is the timeline for your goal? By what date are you hoping to meet your goal? If it’s a big one, such as losing a lot of weight or gaining a lot of muscle, you might even break the goal up into smaller milestones. Make it achievable and something you can really work towards.
Celebrate Progress
Remember that goals are just that: goals. Even if you fail to reach a specific goal, it doesn’t make you a failure.
Recognize how far you have come, then reframe the goal to fit your current situation. You must celebrate the steps along the way because sustainable fitness is life-long, and you will always be growing and changing. This is a growth mindset.
Make Exercise Fit Your Lifestyle
There’s a reason gyms have the most business after New Year’s—only to drop off after a couple months. Many people crash and burn after starting a fitness routine because of an unrealistic, fixed mindset about health and fitness.
You need an exercise routine that can fit into your life. Sure, you might have to make sacrifices too, but think about a balance that makes sense on a daily basis. Otherwise, it’s all-too-easy to give up after a few months if your fitness habits are not sustainable.
GROWTH MINDSET VS FIXED MINDSET: WHICH ONE WILL YOU CHOOSE?
A growth mindset will get you the farthest over the long-term, and that’s the healthiest goal to have. Start small if you need to. Have realistic goals. Be flexible. And think about health and fitness habits that you can realistically maintain each day—then build up from there.
