Remember back in the day when doing cardio was all the rage?
As you may be aware, the strength movement has exploded over the past decade.
I always tell my clients that cardio is good for your heart but not really for changing your body.
Basically, cardio alone will make you a smaller version of the shape you already are. And if changing
the shape of your body and shedding fat is something you desire, then weight training is where it´s at!
But there are even more incredible benefits to being strong…
1. It improves your hormonal balance. If you’re struggling with fat loss, energy, cravings, and
more, this is so important!
2. It boosts your confidence. Trust me on this one! How you look transforms but so does how you
FEEL!
3. It protects your bones. Strength training actually increases bone density, decreasing your risk
for many age-related diseases.
4. It decreases your risk of injury. When you’re strong, you can more easily complete daily tasks
like bending and lifting.
5. Your posture will improve. Enough said! You’ll have less pain and good posture just looks
better!
6. You can rely on yourself. Whether you need to store a suitcase overhead on a plane or carry in
8 grocery bags at once, having physical independence and not asking anyone for help is an
incredible gift to give yourself.
The key to getting all of the amazing benefits related to strength training, however, is doing it properly
and progressively.
And that just happens to be our specialty here at FullCircle Fitness.
So, if you’re ready to transform from the outside in, let’s chat. Feel free to email us at trainfullcircle@gmail.com!
5 steps for up-leveling your mindset
The perspective from which I want to discuss this topic today has to do with cultivating a mindset that
actually allows you to reach your goals.
It’s easy to get fed up with your current situation – whether it be weight, a job, finances, a relationship
or otherwise – and say to yourself “I’m done! Things are about to change!”
But then they don’t.
Because that moment of inspiration from frustration is fleeting.
A month, a year, and 5 years go by and things are still the same…
…unless you create a new mindset that will allow you to follow through all the way to success.
Here are 5 steps you can take to do just that:
1. Identify your past mistakes. Chances are that this thing you want to change…well, it’s not the
first time you’ve thought of tackling it. So go back and take note of why you weren’t successful
in the past.
2. Create small goals to achieve along the way. If you’v got a pretty big goal, it can feel like you’re
standing at the base of Mount Everest. Overwhelm will not be helpful in getting to your
destination, so setting smaller goals to work toward that ultimately add up to the big goal is
important for maintaining your motivation.
3. Stay flexible in your pursuit. Plans don’t always work out like we want them to. Life throws us
challenges. Most people quit as soon as things get in their way. You cannot! Be ready to adapt
as you move forward.
4. Stay inspired. The initial burst of inspiration you get to take action won’t last forever, so you
have to find ways to keep the inspiration. Some suggestions can be creating a vision board,
having an accountability circle of others who keep you on track, or listening to/reading things
that inspire you every day.
5. Engage in a daily routine. Whether it’s journaling, reading, writing or saying affirmations,
visualization, or a combination of all of them, having a daily routine centered around personal
growth will absolutely keep you on track in pursuit of your goals.
This is a formula, not a pick-and-choose, so it’s important that you do all of the above!
And if you’re ready to take the next step and tackle your fitness and nutrition differently, then come on by for your free fitness consultation and let’s see how we can help.
Challenge your truth
Have you ever wondered where your beliefs come from and why you believe certain things about life and the world to be true? If not, that’s ok, but I want you to keep an open mind for me as you read this…
You see, many of the belief systems we have aren’t our own. They are imposed on us by parents, society, cultures, etc… For example, what defines a successful life for most people is the traditional story – go to school, get a great job, have a beautiful family, work hard until you can retire, then kick back and enjoy life.
Today more than ever that belief is being challenged. People are beginning to crave a different narrative. But that’s been the predominant one for over a century. Another example closer related to what I do is the common belief that people just don’t have time for exercise or preparing healthy meals. But what’s true is that other people with just as busy of a schedule do find the time. So, if the belief system around time was true, no two people with the same type of schedule should be able to find the time to take care of themselves… Of course, the time belief system we are using here as an example is faulty and false. I hope this is making sense.
Today I want to challenge you… Write down 5 beliefs that you have that hold you back from achieving the healthy life you desire. Even if right now you believe the excuse or thought is 100% legit. Then, ask yourself – “What else is possible? Is this really true?” When your beliefs are deeply rooted by habit and by the people who surround you, it can be very hard to break free from them. But with effort, it’s possible. I promise you that any thought you’re holding on to that keeps you from creating the life and the body you desire is a false truth no matter how real it feels right now. Challenging your beliefs and the meaning you give them is one of the first steps to taking new action to create change in your life.
Please email us and let us know what the 5 beliefs you came up with are and how we can help guide you towards a healthier life.
Why counting calories doesn’t work
If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've probably counted calories. And if you're a woman, you've probably fixated yourself on consuming 1,200 calories per day. (Weird fact: the majority of women I've spoken to about how many calories she thinks she should eat per day says 1,200 for no apparent reason). It seems like women have just "heard" over the years this is the goal number, but I digress....
So, here's my straight to the point list on why calorie counting doesn't work:
You probably don't know your RMR (resting metabolic rate). This is what your body needs to function and stay alive. Without this baseline, everything is just guessing.
Food labels are off by as much as 25% in either direction - that's a HUGE variance!
Your gym equipment is also off by as much as 25% (or more in some cases) with how many calories it's telling you you've burned. (Between this and the food labels we could be off by 50%!)
We all process and absorb food differently.
3,500 calories isn't 1 pound of fat. Not all calories are equal. This thought process sets you up for failure.
As you can imagine, it can feel like you're doing "everything right" and still not losing the weight. How discouraging! This frustration is what often makes us think our metabolisms are broken, or we decide to resort to some crash diet, a million supplements, or even HCG injections.
Here's what you need to know:
The more you crash diet or lose and gain weight, the less calories you need to survive, so essentially your RMR goes down. Your body is adaptive like that. So no more crash dieting, ok? :)
Focus on eating protein, fibrous carbs like fruits and veggies, good fats, and some high quality starchy carbs. Not only will you naturally decrease the number of calories you're consuming while staying more full, but you'll simultaneously increase the number of calories your body actually needs to digest the food!
Unless you're training for a competition, you don't need carb or calorie cycling, special diets, or beat down workouts 5 days per week to lose weight. You need the right consistent efforts over time and a little patience.
Don't compare yourself to others. The body is a crazy unique thing, so what your friend is doing likely won't have the exact same effect on you...expect it and focus on YOU.
Weight loss truly occurs through a balance of good nutrition, strength and cardio training (I'll show you how to do them together in minimal time!), proper sleep, stress management, hormonal balance, and hydration. So unsexy but so true.
It's heartbreaking for me to watch so many people struggle because of the wrong approach.
Self-compassion also plays a HUGE role in fat loss, so be sure to speak kindly to yourself always.
6 Strategies for Healthy, Quick, & Convenient Dinners
The biggest obstacle I hear from the people I coach is that they “just don’t have time.” People are SO busy today with work, families, managing a house, and the million other things that come up.
So it’s too often that they find themselves grabbing food for convenience – food that not only doesn’t serve their bodies but that also ends up negatively impacting the family and their waistlines. This leads to further guilt and a vicious cycle begins.
It breaks my heart to see these smart, hard-working, and deserving people go down the rabbit hole of convenience because they just don’t know another way. So, I’m here to help! 🙂
Check out my strategies for healthy, fast, and convenient dinners (or whichever meal you choose!):
You make it:
1. Pre-cook proteins, pre-wash and chop veggies. You can do this 1-2 times a week depending on time. I’m a fan of the Sunday Ritual, where you prep and portion for the entire week. How to do this: Simply grill or bake enough protein to sustain dinner each week. You can prep the veggies to be prepared on the spot in the evening before dinner or in advance like the protein. Heck, throw it all on the grill!
2. Purchase pre-chopped veggies. If to the first point you were thinking…”Yeah, but the part I HATE is washing and chopping!” Pretty much every grocery store sells vegetables that are ready to throw in a pan, in the oven, or on a grill. It’ll typically cost you a little bit more, but it’s worth it if this is what it takes to make the right choice.
3. The 10 minute, minimal effort meal. This is one of my favorite strategies! It’s as simple as this: Rotisserie chicken, steam in a bag veggies, and wrapped microwavable sweet potato. Serve the chicken, grab 1-2 cups of veggies for your plate out of the bag (season if you like), and eat half the potato with a pat of grassfed butter. And you’ve got leftovers!
4. Crock Pot meals. It doesn’t get much easier than throwing a bunch of ingredients in a crock pot in the morning then coming home to a fully prepared meal (and a house that smells awesome). Also requires minimal clean up! This is definitely easy to make in large portions, so you’ve got leftovers!
Still not quite going to work? Here are my GRAB AND GO strategies!
5. Hit the hot bar. Have a grocery store like Whole Foods nearby? Chances are they have an awesome hot bar!
6. Healthy take-out. This is easier to find than you think. With delivery apps like UberEats & GrubHub you can literally get your favorite restaurant foods delivered right to your door. I would recommend ordering extra so you can get a few servings out of it too, then you’ve got lunch for the next day!
Believe me, I am all about convenience when it comes to food, so I always suggest making more than you need so you’ve got left overs!
And when, I cook, I keep it SUPER SIMPLE! Check out one of my go-to’s with this Beef Stir Fry:
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 large bell pepper (any color)
1 tbsp coconut oil
salt & pepper to taste
Heat a sauté pan to medium high. Add coconut oil and let it melt. Add the onion and let it start to turn translucent. Add the bell peppers. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook to desired temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I usually throw this in a bowl and eat it as is. This makes about 3-4 servings for me. You can also serve this with about a half cup of quinoa! How is easy is that!? Under 15 minutes!
Give it a try and let me know how you like it!