Beyond the Body

Are you confused about whether you should cut or bulk first in your fitness journey? Christina is here to help you navigate that. She talks about cutting (losing weight) and bulking phases of the fitness journey and shares the benefits and drawbacks of first focusing on losing fat or building muscle. Christina also provides tips and questions you need to ask yourself to determine the best approach for you according to your fitness goals.

In this episode, Christina discusses:

• Should you focus on losing fat or building muscle for your fitness goals
• The importance of nutrition for weight loss and muscle growth
• Cutting (losing weight) and bulking phases of fitness journey
• Upcoming free fitness challenge by Cut & Conquer Fitness
• Pros and cons of cutting vs. bulking phases
• Bulking doesn’t always mean getting big and bulky – it can simply mean building your metabolism 
• Factors to consider when you’re deciding if it’s time to cut or build muscle
• Some misconceptions about fitness and weight loss on social media
• Tips and questions to ask yourself for setting fitness goals and choosing the right plan

Listen to EP81: How to Eat for Weight Loss Without Wrecking Your Metabolism

Memorable Quotes:

“The only thing that really determines whether you are losing weight or gaining muscle is your nutrition.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know what? When it comes to calories, one size does NOT fit all! In this episode, Christina tells you how to determine how many calories you should be eating. She explains the complexity of calorie intake, provides the key factors to consider when planning your calorie intake goals, and debunks common myths around calorie formulas.

In this episode, Christina discusses:

• How to determine your calorie intake for weight loss and muscle gain
• Importance of factors like goals, lifestyle, etc when considering your calorie intake goals
• How food choices, metabolism, and consistent eating habits affect how calories impact fitness goals
• Factors to consider when figuring out how many calories to eat 
• Dangers of extreme dieting and the importance of strategic nutrition for maintaining results
• Eating enough protein, managing hunger, and considering food volume not just calories for weight management
• Myths about calorie formulas and salads being very healthy

Memorable Quotes:

“If your coach is good after you’ve been working together for several weeks, it’s probably not the calories that are too high or too low. It's probably your food choices.”

“You can make 1200 calories into a lot. And I mean a lot of food if you do it right, and you do it properly, and you space your meals out properly, and you're eating higher volume.”

“If you are trying to lose fat, and you are trying to look and feel better, do not cut your carbs, do not slash your carbs, or try to not eat carbs. Please do not do it. It is not smart. It is not beneficial in any way, shape, or form.”

“If you’re someone who actually wants to lose weight intentionally in a way that’s going to set you up for long-term success and actually looking and feeling better, you have to be a little more strategic than just hopping on the Keto train or just slashing your calories.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After seeing mind-blowing transformations from the SHRED 2023 program and the high demand, Cut & Conquer has decided to make this summer hotter than ever with the Summer SHRED Program—a 16-week fat loss transformation program. 

Christina introduces the Summer SHRED Program and addresses common queries regarding it—what exactly can you expect from this Summer SHRED, the duration, how it differs from SHRED 2023, and more.

If you’re ready to get seriously shredded for summer, don’t wait—submit your coaching application by the DEADLINE (March 21) to secure your spot!

In this episode, Christina discusses:

• Details about the Summer SHRED program—duration, check-ins, nutrition plans, suitability for different genders, etc
• Common questions asked about the SHRED program—How much weight can you lose in this program? How long is the program? What are the workouts? What makes SHRED so effective? Can you train at home?
• Is SHRED customizable and injury-friendly? Does it help with binge eating? Can men join the program? 

Listen to episode 73 for more details on SHRED: EP73: SHRED is Back! All About Our #1 Fat Loss Program 

Memorable Quotes:

“It’s not just about the number on the scale. Fitness and weight loss are about so much more than that. It’s about how you feel, how your body looks, how you perform, and so much more.”

“I can confidently say we have never, ever in the history of, since I’ve been coaching back in 2018, we’ve never had someone successfully follow this program and not achieve a mind-blowing transformation and be very, very happy with their results.”

“If your nutrition is dialed in, your intensity is dialed in, and your intentionality is there... Whether you’re training at home or in the gym, you’re gonna see the growth that you want to see.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

TikTok: @knifina 

Apply for SHRED Here: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christina and Brendon recently went on vacation in Mexico, and today, they share their fun in the sun and adventure stories from their trip. They share all the highlights of their trip, from the resort they stayed at to all the activities they did. One of the activities really stood out—Brendon got the opportunity to do something pretty unique. Tune in to hear about their trip and the special moment Brendon had. You won't want to miss this episode!

In this episode, they discuss:

• Their flight experience from Edmonton to Cancun and long delays at Cancun Airport customs
• Their experience staying at a luxury resort in Cancun and the pros and cons of their experience there
• Spa treatments, pools, and other services at the resort, like the 80s cover band night 
• Food and drinks they had and their favorite taco spot in Playa del Carmen
• Atmosphere and social interactions at the resort
• Their catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres, where they snorkeled and rented a golf cart to explore

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

TikTok: @knifina 

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Juggling kids, work, chores and everything else on your to-do list can make prioritizing your own health and fitness seem impossible. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Health and fitness can definitely fit into your busy parenting schedule with a little planning and creativity.

Christina is joined by Cut & Conquer head coach and new mom, Brittany, to share tips on how to survive and thrive in your fitness journey without feeling the mom's guilt and still being the healthy role model for your kids and your family. 

In this episode, they discuss:

• How to take care of children while also taking care of yourself 
• Tips for managing fitness and parenting
• Finding discipline and being adaptable to your fitness goals as a parent
• Involving children in exercise by playing sports with them or doing workouts together
• Setting up a simple home gym to make workouts easier
• Affordable home gym equipment that parents can use
• Teaching kids healthy habits and making exercise a regular part of family life
• Meal prepping on weekends so you have food ready during busy weeks

Memorable Quotes:

“No matter what, as an individual, as a woman, as a mom and dad, whatever, you still have needs that need to be met in order for you to show up as your best.”

“Life is truly about balance and making choices that determine trade-offs for you and your 

family.”

“If fitness is a priority for you, you’re going to find a way to make it work.”

“There’s always something you can do, no matter how busy or overwhelmed. Like there’s always something you can do for your mind, your body, your nutrition, somewhere every day.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knifina/  

Cut & Conquer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutandconquerfitness/  

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Shop our Meal Prep Seasoning: https://healthydevil.ca/collections/all

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you find yourself stuck on a plateau no matter how hard you work? Do you know improper form could be the reason why you’re not seeing results? And slowing down your reps to focus on the mind-muscle connection generates way more gains than speeding through them?  

This week, Christina and Ramzia discuss why getting your exercise form and technique right is the most important thing when working out. They break down the often overlooked fundamentals of working out, like posture, range of motion, specific muscle targeting, etc, that are so crucial for achieving your fitness goals.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why proper exercise form is so crucial for achieving your fitness goals
• How improper form can lead to plateaus, frustration, and inefficient workouts 
• Prioritizing form over lifting heavy weights or high reps
• Slowing down the tempo and focusing on mind-muscle connection
• Using the full range of motion for most exercises
• The 5-step formula for exercise: setup, stabilize, initiate, contract, control
• Customizing your workouts to your fitness level, goals, and mobility issues

Memorable Quotes:

“Lifting heavier does not mean your muscles are going to grow more or grow better. And it does not mean you’re going to have better results. And in fact, it can often have an adverse effect.”

“Every single exercise you do, every single rep should have good form, whether you’re doing one rep, head reps, 30 reps, or 100 reps. Your reps should look the same.”

“Perfect form can and will look different for each person. However, it’s possible to have perfect form.”

“People who have desk jobs or equipment operating jobs usually, unfortunately, have poor posture. But posture can be pretty much 100% corrected just through proper training and proper exercise execution with resistance training.”

Episode Mentioned: EP115: How SLEEP Can Make or Break Weight Loss 

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Ramzia's Instagram: @fitwramzia

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early stages of romantic relationships, things often start off great with that honeymoon phase. But maintaining that bond once the excitement wears off takes continuous effort. Christina and Brendon had been together for about four years now. And their relationship is continuing to get better and better. They share the strategies that helped in deepening their bond over the years.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Strategies that have helped them to strengthen their relationship over the years
• Taking time to get to know each other by doing fun activities together
• Having arguments and disagreements without them turning into massive fights
• The importance of communication in relationships
• How starting his fitness journey helped Brendon boost his self-confidence and other areas of life
• Their fitness and nutrition goals — meal planning, portion control, etc
• How cutting back on TV helped them with their health and relationship
• Having a trusting relationship when it comes to phones and passwords

Memorable Quotes:

“Fitness and working hard for your physique is something that you cannot take away from someone.”

“If you're trying to lose weight and you're not eating delicious food, you're doing it wrong.”

“The biggest thing that has made a huge difference on our connection and our fitness is cutting TV back out of our lives.”

“Trust is huge in a relationship, even in anything in friendship and business and everything. But trust is something that constantly has to be worked on.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Christina's TikTok: @knifina

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you trying to lose weight but not seeing the results? Despite tracking your calories and exercising regularly, does the number on the scale remain unchanged? If you’re wondering why you’re not losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit, Christina gives you three different reasons that are stopping you from losing weight.

In this episode, Christina discusses:

• The concepts of calorie deficit and thermodynamics for weight loss
• Why some people may not be losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit
• Natural factors that impact your weight loss–inflammation, sleep, water retention, etc
• You’re tracking your calories inaccurately 
• Metabolic adaptation–metabolism slows as weight is lost to conserve energy
• Some tips and strategies for sustainable weight loss

Memorable Quotes:

“You can lose weight just through nutrition. And that’s why nutrition is so important. But what’s 

even more important than nutrition is your mindset about your nutrition and your perspective about food in general.” 

“It’s not just about calories in, calories out. It’s about where those calories are coming from and the ratio of those calories.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Christina's TikTok: @knifina

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you have all these amazing goals for your life, but feel like you are struggling to gain traction? Does it seem as if life never slow downs, and you just feel overwhelmed by it all? Today, Christina shares some important life lessons she has gained over the past several years. She also explains how her biggest lesson has brought her more peace than she has known, and how she hopes this lesson can help you if you are struggling with overwhelm.

In this episode, Christina discusses:

• How our challenges can help us grow
• Unhealthy relationships with food, partners, and body image
• Feeling lost and self-abandoning to please others
• Being overworked and only sleeping 3 hours a night
• The most challenging year of her life
• Not taking responsibility for other people’s issues
• Why you have to put yourself first
• Investing in the wrong memberships and programs
• Accepting there will always be things that need to be done
• Choosing to communicate things differently to others
• Her biggest lesson & how it has improved every area of her life

Memorable Quotes:

• “In every obstacle and challenge you face, there’s a lesson that can help you grow and elevate to the next level.”
• “You have to be the most important person in your life if you want to serve anyone else to a high level.”
• “You can move forward hating yourself, or you can move forward loving yourself. It’s going to be easier to move forward from a place of love.”
• “It’s not about more. It’s about better.”

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Christina's TikTok: @knifina

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this two-part series of binge eating, Christina continues her discussion on binge eating habits and overcoming them. She talks about hunger cues and the psychology behind bingeing and shares the best tips for overcoming binge eating habits.

Christina also discusses the Binge Eating Decoded course offered by Cut & Conquer Fitness and how it helps clients struggling with binge eating habits overcome the behavior through personal development.

In this episode, Christina discusses:

• Why intuitive eating is not the best approach for binge eaters
• The impact of societal expectations on hunger cues and binge eating habits
• The importance of understanding our hunger cues and responding to them 
• Why macro calculators don't work
• The physiological and psychological aspects of nutrition and binge eating
• Strategies for overcoming binge eating 
• Binge Eating Decoded course — who is it for, how does it help clients overcome binge eating, and how to enroll

Memorable Quotes:

"There's an unfortunate misconception out there that the key to losing weight is eating less, which is not true."

"When you're battling some type of eating disorder, meal timing really matters. Meal timing is going to affect your hormones and blood glucose. It is going to affect so many things that can trigger or chain of reduced triggers around food and cravings."

"If you really want to make traction with your eating disorder and truly overcome these urges, you have to be willing to make it a priority. You have to be willing to create the space in your mind."

"If you are constantly overwhelmed, neglecting your own needs, skipping the gym, workouts, meals, recovery, or not sleeping enough, you're gonna keep eating at night. You're gonna keep binging."

Episode mentioned: 

Beyond the Body EP85: Why I Don't Believe In Intuitive Eating for Weight Loss

Links Mentioned: 

Christina's Instagram: @knifina 

Christina's TikTok: @knifina

Coaching Application: https://cutandconquer.typeform.com/CQA-application 

Free FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightsandwellness/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.