Part of the fun of embarking on a lifelong fitness journey is getting to try lots of different stuff.

When I first started seriously working out, my main goal was to lose weight.

At the time I was struggling with obesity and was totally sedentary. I had no clue what I was doing at the gym, but I kept showing up and was encouraged by my early results.

Since then, my goals have shifted several times depending on what I was interested in and what else was going on in my life.

I trained for powerlifting (I competed in a meet in 2014,) focused on building muscle, learned to use different gym tools (like #ultimatesandbags ), and used training to prep for a big backpacking trip. Each of these phases lasted six months or much more.

I also spent a lot of time taking what I consider to be a holistic, well-rounded approach to training where the main goals were to be healthy, stay strong and feel great.

I believe that my varied approach to fitness has helped me stay engaged in the process for more than a decade.

I've accepted that I'll never be truly elite in anything I do at the gym. What I get instead is the ability to stay consistent and not burn out, see lasting process and have fun chasing my various interests and passions.

I also learned that the best way for me to get the most out of my training is to pick a specific goal, then hire a coach who's excellent at helping folks get to where I want to go. I’ve worked long-term with four different coaches since 2016 who all helped me tremendously.

Check out the latest episode of the podcast to hear more about the different stuff I’ve tried throughout my fitness journey.

I share all this to show you that there are tons of things you can do at the gym. You don’t have to focus on losing weight at the expense of fun. And you don’t have to stick with the same boring routine year after year.

If you want to experience the power of working with a coach who truly gets where you’re at, I hope you’ll consider working with me. I have a few in person (Chicago) and online coaching openings starting this month. Visit these links to learn more and apply:

Online training: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/strongerfitterbetter/

In person training: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/inpersontraining/

Are you a creative person who struggles with perfectionism? This episode is for you.

Creative, artistic people might be naturally prone to perfectionism. But I also believe that going to arts school or spending lots of time in certain artistic fields (like classical music) can throw tons of fuel on the perfectionism fire.

This is something I struggled with deeply during my time as a professional musician, and something I still struggle with in some ways to this day. I know I'm not alone because I hear this from my creative clients all the time.

If you're trying to make a living as an artist or musician, you probably know what it's like to place pressure on yourself to be as close to perfect as possible.

This might even be necessary to some extent - for example, when preparing excerpts for an orchestral audition.

However, demanding perfection in your efforts to get in shape doesn't make much sense.

You're more likely to chase magic bullet solutions and feel anxious about finding the "perfect" program without taking any meaningful action.

You're more likely to take everything way too seriously and beat yourself up when you fall short.

And you're more likely to constantly fall off the wagon, overreact to perceived mistakes and ultimately end up worse than when you started.

Thankfully, you don't need to perfect (or even close) in order to use fitness and nutrition to build a better life for yourself.

Listen to the episode to learn more about how arts-fueled perfectionism can show up in your attempts to get in shape, and what to do about it.

Looking for a workout program to help you get stronger, feel less achey and have more energy this fall? Download my Fall Fitness Kickstart for Creatives - a totally free one month training program - right here: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/fallfitnesskickstartforcreatives/

Follow me on Instagram @ CarolineJuster for more free content

What should you do when you don't feel like working out?

I get this question a lot from clients, friends and followers. And it's something I personally deal with pretty regularly.

Although I am certainly motivated to train on a deep, intrinsic level, I'm not always super excited to hit the gym. Many times I'd rather be doing something else.

And yet, I've found a way to keep showing up to the gym for more than a decade.

There are many reasons why you might not feel like training one day (or most days.) I discuss a few in the episode:

~You've been working really hard and are feeling rundown

~You just don't feel like training today

~There's a lot going on in the rest of your life

~You're not very excited about what you're doing at the gym

~Your life has changed in big ways

Listen to this episode to learn more, and save it for a quickie pep talk on those days when you just don't want to go to the gym.

One thing that can help your desire to train is knowing you have a fun and effective plan for what to do at the gym.

That's why I created my Fall Fitness Kickstart for Creatives. I want you to feel confident that you're doing the right stuff to get stronger, feel less stiff and have more energy.

You can download this totally free one month exercise program right now using this link: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/fallfitnesskickstartforcreatives/

I strongly believe fall is one of the best times of year to crush it at the gym.

Many of us are craving a return to normalcy and routine after a summer of fun and relaxation.

It's the perfect time to create a plan and commit to it. It feels really good to continuously show up for yourself at the gym.

You might also be feeling a little weak, slow and sluggish after lots of summer indulgences.

Working out is a great way to combat these issues so you can feel energized, focused and sharp.

The seasonal changes of fall also lend themselves well to training.

As days get shorter and temps drop (for some of us,) we are less likely to spend time outdoors. You can hit the gym more frequently without worrying that you're missing out on beautiful weather.

You can also channel all the great food you're probably going to eat over the various fall and winter holidays into some seriously productive workouts.

Use those calories to fuel your lifting workouts as you focus on getting stronger and building muscle.

Check out the episode to learn more about the concept of using the changing seasons to inform your fitness goals and priorities.

And if you're looking to make this your strongest fall yet, I can help.

Download my Fall Fitness Kickstart for creatives - a new, totally free one-month training program - here: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/fallfitnesskickstartforcreatives/

I created this program to help busy artists, musicians and creative people get stronger, reduce aches and pains and have more energy this fall.

Follow me on Instagram @ carolinejuster for more free content.

Do you struggle with all-or-nothing thinking? This episode is for you.

Perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, black and white thinking - whatever you want to call it, this mindset is really common amongst busy, ambitious creative people.

It's often reinforced through our jobs or hobbies, some of which demand ultra-high standards from us.

We then take this thinking into the gym or the kitchen with us. We mistakenly believe we need super strict diets, grueling training programs or lots of rules in order to change our bodies or feel better.

When we inevitably slip up or fall off the wagon, we decide to stop exercising entirely or eat all the forbidden foods before starting the entire process over again.

It's easy to get stuck in this trap, thinking you just need to find the right diet or program and be more disciplined and then you'll be able to magically transform your life.

I know because I did this for many years. At a certain point, I had to admit that I was lying to myself when I said "this time will be different." Admitting that gave me the strength to try a different path.

The reality is that a busy creative life makes it nearly impossible to follow super strict diets and workout programs.

Thankfully, you don't need to be perfect to make big changes over the long term.

Achieving fitness and nutrition success for busy creatives comes down to being flexible, setting realistic expectations and getting right back on track after unexpected off days.

Check out the episode for more thoughts on what to do if you find yourself stuck in the all-or-nothing trap.

Interested in working with me? Visit carolinejusterfitness.com/strongerfitterbetter and book a call to discuss next steps.

Follow me on Instagram (@ carolinejuster) or Facebook (Caroline Juster Fitness) for more free content.

If you never feel like you fit in with the athletic kids, were bullied by teammates or a coach or had bad past experiences with exercise or gyms, this episode is for you.

My parents made me play a lot of sports as a kid but I was pretty bad at all of them. Kids bullied me for being slow and clumsy, and for being a nerdy space cadet.

I was also ruthlessly bullied for being chubby. This was especially prevalent on swim team, where I had no choice but to be in a bathing suit.

Over the years, I repeatedly received the message that sports and exercise were not for me. I didn't belong and wasn't wanted by the jocks. I much preferred to absorb myself in music and the arts.

I was so happy when my parents finally let me quit swim team. But eventually, the lack of physical activity caught up with me and started to have serious negative consequences.

At a certain point, I recognized that I had to start exercising again if I wanted to stay healthy, feel good and perform at a high level.

It took years of work, but I fully repaired my broken relationship with exercise. These days I can't imagine my life without my regular exercise and movement practices.

If you're a creative person, nerd or former misfit who struggles to exercise due to bad past experiences, you're not alone.

However, at a certain point most of us recognize that NOT exercising is preventing us from living our best lives.

This week's episode shares more of my own story as well as ten practical tips you can use to work through baggage and feel more comfortable training.

(Mentioned in the episode) Grab my free "Mini Home Gym Masterplan" ebook here: https://carolinejusterfitness.aweb.page/p/0cbfbad0-e18a-4916-a893-5bddc0fa1ffa

Follow me on Instagram @ CarolineJuster for more free content.

Are you trying to get seriously strong? This episode is for you.

When you’re brand new to lifting you can get stronger doing just about anything. After a while, however, you have to be more intelligent with your training if you want to see continued progress.

Building physical strength is about a lot more than building bigger muscles. Strong people are efficient, they have good control of their bodies and they are able to both produce and resist massive amounts of force.

Nobody got crazy strong repeating the same workouts with the same weights year after year. They didn’t waste half their workouts on isolation exercises or skimp on rest time in order to keep their heart rates elevated. And they definitely didn’t train as hard as humanly possible seven days a week.

In this week’s episode, I share 8 of the most important principles you need to know when it comes to getting stronger. Some of these - like the fact that you have to challenge yourself more and more over time - you probably already know. Others may surprise you.

Check it out, start to implement these principles in your own workouts and watch your strength gains shoot through the roof.

Interested in working with me? Visit carolinejusterfitness.com/strongerfitterbetter and book a call to discuss next steps.

Follow me on Instagram (@ carolinejuster) or Facebook (Caroline Juster Fitness) for more free content.

Do you want to work out more but struggle to find the time or motivation? This episode is for you.

One of the number one complaints I hear from my busy creative clients is that it can be really tough to make time for exercise.

My clients have lots of responsibilities and demands on their time and energy.

Some of them work multiple jobs - gigging all over their city, teaching and running around to different performances.

Some travel a lot for work and have schedules that are constantly changing.

Others work 9-5 jobs, but still have to deal with other responsibilities that eat into potential training time.

I'm not one of those trainers who says "we all have the same 24 hours in the day." Some of us truly have a lot more going on than others.

That's why it's so important to be proactive and have the right mindset about what's necessary and/or possible.

When it comes to making more time for exercise, it's important to:

1. Be realistic, not optimistic.

2. Utilize proper planning and time management strategies.

3. Manage expectations for your fitness goals.

4. Get accountability and support as needed.

In this week's episode, I share my top 10 strategies for making time for exercise - even when you're super busy.

Mentions from the episode:

If you want to build out a sweet home gym without breaking the bank, check out my free ebook "Mini Home Gym Masterplan" here: https://carolinejusterfitness.aweb.page/p/0cbfbad0-e18a-4916-a893-5bddc0fa1ffa

Interested in working with me? Learn more about my 3 month 1:1 online coaching program Stronger. Fitter. Better. and book a call here: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/strongerfitterbetter/

Follow me on Instagram @ carolinejuster for more free content.

If you've ever struggled to get a good night's sleep and worried about how that might be affecting you, this episode is for you.

Many creative people - especially those involved in nightlife - face challenges that make it difficult to use an "ideal" sleep schedule or follow traditional sleep guidance.

This is something I've struggled with personally. I'm blessed to naturally be a good sleep. But for a long time, sleep anxiety kept me awake and negatively affected my life.

Most of the sleep advice out there seems designed to scare or shame you into sleeping more.

Health coaches warn of dire consequences to your daily performance and your long term health should you dare to sleep less than 7 hours in a night.

It's true that sleep is incredibly important. And if you are blatantly ignoring sleep because you think you don't need it, you're making a big mistake.

However, many of us fully understand how important sleep is but still struggle with it for a variety of reasons.

Traditional sleep advice isn't very helpful if you fall into this group because it makes you more stressed and anxious about sleep, which of course makes it even harder to get some rest.

In this week's episode, I share my personal struggle with sleep anxiety and how I shifted from a place of fear and control to one of acceptance and embracing my own resiliency.

I also share my top tips for setting yourself up for a good night's sleep. There is no one-size-fits all approach to good sleep (contrary to what influencers want you to believe,) but you might be able to use some combo of these strategies to fall and stay asleep with greater ease.

Follow me on Instagram @ carolinejuster for more free content.

The nutrition industry has been selling you bullshit for years.

Gurus and marketers prey on your struggles and insecurities about food and your body. They know how tough it can be to lose and maintain weight or make healthy food choices during stressful times.

And they definitely know how badly you want to step off the diet roller coaster for good or finally learn to eat in a way that makes you feel healthy, energized and vibrant.

These gurus try to convince you that their diet, program or course has the secret you've been looking for. If you only try their approach, you'll finally get your dream body (with ease) and you'll never struggle with food again.

Unfortunately, most of the things they tell you are important don't really matter at all - or they only matter for the elite among us who are already crushing the basics 99% of the time.

There is no magic bullet that will solve your food problems for good. Chasing these promises leads to a lot of wasted dollars and can keep you trapped in a cycle of yo-yo dieting for years.

Thankfully, there is some good news. There are really only a few simple things that matter when it comes to eating well and changing your body. Focus on these things and you’re much more likely to see real success.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way through years of my own failed experiments with fad diets their false promises. I felt compelled to create my own system - my Sane and Simple Nutrition philosophy - to help my clients focus on what actually matters so they can stress less about food and finally get results that stick.

In this week's podcast, I lay out the six pillars of this system. Check it out if you're ready to finally step off the diet roller coaster for good and learn to build a personalized healthy eating routine that actually sticks.

Want to go deeper on this stuff? Join the waitlist for the next round of my Sane and Simple Nutrition 6 week group coaching program using this link: https://www.carolinejusterfitness.com/saneandsimplenutrition/

Follow me on Instagram @ carolinejuster for more free content.