By Kelly Howard
5
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The podcast currently has 239 episodes available.
Join us on the Fit is Freedom Podcast for a summer episode full of escapades: adventure, travel, and fitness! We explore the significance of taking a vacation, the excitement and challenges of RV travel, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while on the road. Kelly shares her personal journey and the upcoming summer plans that led to the decision to take a break from the podcast.
Kelly announces a summer hiatus for the podcast, emphasizing the importance of creativity, high energy, and the need for a mental reset. She explains the decision to pause the podcast for two months to ensure quality content and to avoid scrambling for episodes during the break.
Kelly discusses how her experience will contribute to creating resources for her SuperFIT Success System, focusing on travel tips for maintaining fitness and health on the go. She will document her journey and share insights on social media.
Teases new episodes and interviews with individuals who play for a living, set to be released after the summer break. Highlights include a jungle lodge owner in Costa Rica, the creator of the Kula Cloth, and a kayaking company owner.
Have a wonderful summer, and stay tuned for exciting new content when the podcast returns!
This week on the Fit is Freedom Podcast, we’re going to be exploring something I haven’t really explored before…Alcohol.
With our Sugar Freedom program, we discuss avoiding alcohol because of the sugar content. But we’ve never really done a deep-dive on alcohol. Today we’ll discuss its effects on our life, and how it can impact our health and fitness.
I could think of no better person to walk us through this topic than Dr. Sherry Price! Through her podcast and platform, she dedicates her time and resources to helping women like herself break undesirable habits and replace them with new, more productive ones.
By trade, Dr. Sherry Price is a pharmacist with over 20+ years in the industry. During her career as a pharmacist, Dr. Price noticed that she was using alcohol in ways many adults do…as a pacifier.
It was her nightly ritual. 1-2 glasses of wine to wind down from a stressful day as a hardworking mother. But, she realized her life would be heading in the wrong direction if she kept this habit up. She didn’t feel her best in the mornings. She noticed her body started craving her nighttime treat once the clock hit 5.
Dr. Price never hit a “rock bottom”, and she never got in over her head to where it completely derailed her life. She simply realized that she didn’t like this habit any longer, and she wanted to make a change.
After lots of research and diving into the data on how to break a habit, Dr. Price did just that.
When she realized how life-changing it was to change her own habit, she decided that she wanted to leave the field of pharmacy and dedicate her life to helping others successfully improve their lives by changing their own habits!
While this podcast focuses specifically on alcohol and Dr. Price’s personal journey, she has a program that helps her clients break and establish a wide variety of habits. Generally speaking, the following are her primary focus when working with someone new….
It’s important to be observant. Be your own investigator. For Dr. Price, she noticed time was a big cue for her nighttime routine. For others, it may be a particular emotion, a physical place, a person, etc.
As a wine connoisseur of sorts, Dr. Price viewed herself as a “wine drinker.” In order to break a habit, she needed to change her identity so she didn’t feel like she was being deprived of a big piece of herself.
According to Dr. Price, this is the big one! As mentioned above, some cues and triggers are often linked with particular emotions. For example, oftentimes busy moms can often feel guilt and shame for not knocking down their whole to-do list in a day. That feeling could trigger a coping mechanism that may not necessarily be the healthiest option for you. So, it’s important to work through the emotions that you are trying to manage on your own in order to kick a habit.
Not every technique is right for everyone. Overcoming a habit such as alcohol can take some time. It’s important to try a variety of things and see what sticks and what doesn’t. But, instead of throwing all of your spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks, throw one piece at a time.
It’s so important to talk about your habits in a way that doesn’t cause you shame. For some of Dr. Sherry’s clients, that is a one-on-one call with just her. For others, that may be joining her private group calls without your camera on. No matter how you do it, finding a safe place to talk about your struggles is crucial to kicking the habit altogether.
While everyone is different in their beliefs around alcohol and alcohol consumption, it is important to understand that drinking does come with some inherent risks. Some risks affect your body and its functioning while others will affect how gracefully you age…
Join us on this episode of the Fit is Freedom Podcast as we learn common fitness mistakes made by women, why strength training is so crucial and tips on how to get started if you are a weight lifting newbie!
If you were to take a time machine back twenty years ago, all you would hear about in the women’s side of health and fitness would be cardio, cardio, cardio, diet, and cardio. For years, women have been fed misconceptions about how to obtain the ideal physique, feeling a reluctance to even touch a weight for fear of “bulking up”.
With more and more research out there and people like Tina Turrentine-Tepera advocating, the tides are turning. We are learning how crucial weight training is for not just women, but especially women who are aging.
Tina is a personal trainer, coach, and cofounder of Ageless Muscle. She dedicates her time to helping others reach their full athletic potential at any age. On top of her professional career, she has won two Pro Cards in Bikini Athletic and Figure divisions against women who were half her age. She not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk!
Women are afraid to look too “manly”. But, the fact of the matter is…We are simply built differently. We don’t have the same amount of testosterone as men. Our bodies are different, and lifting weights will actually tone us, not bulk us. Operating with this fear of bulking is a big mistake women make because it will affect their health as they age.
Tina shares that anything over 45 minutes of cardio will start wreaking havoc on your body. It’s the point where your muscles will start to deteriorate and break down.
Continuing with the theme of “fear of bulking,” if women do start lifting weights, they will lift too lightly. As a general rule of thumb, if you can do 30 reps, it’s too light.
As with any exercise routine, there are going to be inherent risks of injury, especially as you age! But, who’s to say you won’t go out for a long run and twist an ankle? As with anything, it’s okay to be cautious. But it’s also important to not let it prevent you from being the best version of you.
When you are starting to lift weights, also make sure it’s under the guidance of a professional. It is important to understand posture and proper form in order to be successful.
In this very special episode of the Fit is Freedom Podcast, Dr. Krause is going to be walking us through my most recent blood results! She’ll talk through what the different items mean, where they should be, what we can do to improve them, and so much more!
Whenever we have our blood work done, no news is considered good news. If there’s nothing sticking out like a sore thumb, we just assume that everything is good to go. But, what if we looked at our blood work differently? What if we looked at it as a tool to optimize our health? Well, that’s exactly what Dr. Jannine Krause does for her clients.
Dr. Jannine Krause has over 17 years of experience as a naturopathic doctor, but she is also an acupuncturist and the host of The Health Fix Podcast. She dedicates her time to helping women take control of their own aging process. She does this in a variety of ways, focusing on utilizing each client’s lab work to understand where they are, and help guide them to where they want to be.
Dr. Krause said it best, “if you’re listening to this podcast, you’re not trying to be normal. You’re trying to be exceptional.” Talk about a mind-blowing statement! And, how true it is!
Dr. Krause explains how every lab is different and how there are lots of variables that go into your results.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Krause goes through my lab work, line by line. She makes observations about my health and fitness decisions and lifestyles by analyzing my numbers. From Chloride to my AG ratio, she walks me through every line item in my lab just as she would do with a client.
On this episode of the Fit is Freedom Podcast, I will walk you through some of my go-to and newly discovered supplements that have really moved the needle in my life. It will be a “Show and Tell” segment of sorts.
Being in the health and fitness arena, I find myself to be a bit of a research nerd! While I am by no means a doctor, I love to deep dive into all sorts of articles from the National Institute of Health, learning new ways to improve my health.
Of course, everyone is different, and it’s important to always consult your doctor before trying something new! However, I wanted to take some time today to share things that personally work for me in case you want to switch things up or give something new a try!
It’s important to note that all of these supplements aren’t used daily. While some are, most are used in a supplemental way, meaning that I use them when I feel I need them.
As a vegetarian, I make sure to prioritize my protein intake since animal products typically have great sources of protein like eggs, meats, and cottage cheese. Here are some ways I include protein that’s vegetarian friendly…
There are other ways I get nutrients and vitamins than what was listed above. As stated, I don’t do all of these everyday, but here are some other things I enjoy throwing into the mix when I want a little boost or feel like I’m not eating well enough to cover all my nutrient bases.
If you’re wanting to incorporate new supplements into your life, these are my top important things to remember….
1. Understand that knowledge is changing everyday
Twenty years ago, everyone was running away from fat in foods. People were worried about bulking up with too much protein. They were trying new “fad” diets every week. Now, research has come out with more and more evidence of the importance of protein, especially as you age. So, make sure that you are up-to-date on your research before trying something new!
2. Give yourself time
If you’re excited to try some of the things I listed above, don’t try them all at once! If you do this and have a negative reaction (stomach upset, etc), you’re never going to know exactly what caused it. That’s why you should try one thing at a time. Try it for several weeks and observe yourself. Once you notice the changes, either continue with it or discontinue it, and then try something else new.
3. Understand that everyone is different
For one person, a particular supplement may completely change their life. Then they recommend it to a friend and that friend can’t even keep it down. That may sound silly, but it happens all the time! Understand that your body is unique and treat it as such when you are trying new things!
If you’ve been curious about giving yoga a try, or if you’ve been a little intimidated by the “sport”, you should definitely join me for this one!
As many of you may know, my mother was a yoga instructor for years and years. While it is a big part of my history, I hate to admit I don’t do it as often as I feel I should. Because of that, I thought it’d be great to have an expert on, giving us the ins and outs of yoga and how to get started!
The expert I’m referring to is Nancy Martch, owner of Jai Yoga in Houston. She’s not only an instructor, but also a yoga therapist who dedicates her time to helping clients strive to stay strong, resilient, and flexible for the rest of their lives.
Nancy Martch has been practicing yoga for over 25 years! She is the owner of Jai Yoga, and she is now a yoga therapist.
Her yoga journey began when she, as a passionate distance runner, was told by a doctor that she should not be running distance anymore. Instead of settling for that answer, Nancy sought out another doctor who instructed her to try yoga.
After several months of practicing, Nancy was a new and improved person. She was running without pain for the first time in a long time. This spark drove her to not only continue her personal practice, but to create a life around helping others transform their own lives through yoga.
Nancy Martch on Facebook
Nancy Martch on Instagram
Yoga therapy is a therapeutic approach that looks at the client as a whole. It takes into account any chronic or acute injuries, diet, sleep, and more. It is a variety of practices in your yoga tool box that aims to bring out the best in others, whether that is more awareness, injury prevention, working through various struggles, and more.
When a yoga therapist is helping you become the best possible you, Nancy shares the approach is similar to a yoga tool box. You pull out various tools that each specific client needs to help them on their journey. Here are the main items in that tool box…
1. Yoga is for Everyone
Nancy shared that she has clients of all ages, even some in their eighties and nineties! No matter where you are and what your “skill level”, there is a yoga class for anyone!
2. It’s a Practice
There’s a reason it’s called a yoga practice and not a yoga perfect. Take your time and understand that the journey is what’s most important.
3. Start Today
If you want to grow old, vibrant and strong, start today!
This summer, we are getting super fit! We’re changing things up, trying new things, and kick starting our health and fitness!
If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I am all about making slow changes over time. I’m all about starting small and starting slow, creating consistency, and building a strong foundation to a fitter and healthier life!
But sometimes, you just need to mix it up!
I’ve had a lot of my listeners asking for more information about my new Superfit for Summer program, and this Episode of the Fit is Freedom does just that! I’ll walk you through why I’m flipping the script and spicing things up this summer!
SuperFIT for Summer is a program I’m hosting in which we will try a different aspect of fitness each week. We’ll take what you like and ignore the rest, finding things that really move the needle for you and your fitness journey!
In addition to challenging ourselves and trying new types of fitness, we’ll be throwing in a lighter version of our sugar freedom program, exploring fat loss versus muscle loss, and so much more!
SuperFIT for Summer is right for you if you’ve found yourself in one (or all) of the following situations…
1. Get Excited
Trying new things and shaking out all of the cobwebs is exciting! Take some time to really think about how fun it will be to join a group of people who are looking forward to the same things.
2. Register at https://fitisfreedom.com/superfit-for-summer/
Once you’ve let the excitement kick in, take the time to follow through and register!
3. Envision the Future You
Think about what end-of-summer you will be like. Will you be more confident? More fit? More connected with a community?
As the Fitness Summit interview wrapped up, the Host tossed out one more question my way; “Kelly, what do you think is the most important fitness habit someone can have?”
I’m sure she was expecting me to answer something like; fitness consistency, doing things you love, moving every day.
The stuff that I always talk about.
I wasn't expecting this question so I paused for a second and thought “what is the number one action that leads to a healthier life everyday”?
A good night's sleep.
When we sleep, we heal.
Sleep elevates our mood.
Gives us a healthier heart.
Lowers our cortisol.
Increases our immune system.
Clears our brain.
Allows our bodies to rebuild.
When you sleep, you renew. You create a day filled with cascading good options!
Here are a few of the things I do to get a great night’s sleep:
Insert button here → Grab this FREE TIP SHEET and you’ll get thirteen more sleep tips!
https://kellyhoward.lpages.co/atf-dl-sleep-tips-podcast/
Remember, when we sleep we heal. Sleep is a non-negotiable in life. By making a few small tweaks, you’ll get a more restful night and a healthier body!
In this episode, I’ll share a client’s story who has been with me for THREE YEARS! This is the fourth installment of my mini series where I share REAL results from REAL Fit is Freedom members.
Is three years too long to go from flabby and unmotivated to having your Pilates instructor stop in front of you and say: "You have killer arms"?
But, it wasn’t always the case.
Three years ago she was, in her words…
“I was doing a terrible job of motivating myself, and I had quit taking care of my body. In my mind, nothing was more important than work. Exercise was a thing of the past. My body didn't feel great, and my mind was foggy. My good mood was gone and I didn’t feel right. I’d tried accountability with a friend, but as you say, Kelly, it doesn't work with a friend because a friend will always let you off the hook. I was sure that with a group of women I didn't know, I would feel more accountable. So true, right? I also needed guidance, not even sure where to start. I was looking for a place to start, motivation and the support I needed to keep going!”
Her first big wins?
Better sleep & eliminating painful knees!
“The very first big win I had was sleep. I sleep now.:) I was sleeping very poorly, and I didn't realize how much lack of exercise was affecting my health. Getting out of pain was huge too. I’d had knee surgery a year before, and my knee was okay, but not terrific. What it needed was for me to move it, but I thought using it would hurt it more, until we started talking and I started moving. (Now it's doing what knees are supposed to do)”
Her next big wins?
Vitality, energy, a happy mindset & strong, fit legs!
Of course, there were setbacks along the way, it’s life, right?
She had some injuries, she had some pain, but she had a plan. She had accountability. She had support and she always got back on track. That's what happens when you master fitness consistency. Even when you get offtract or life throws you curveballs, you trust yourself to restart because you're a new woman now!
Today, her energy, health, body, mind, and fun are priorities in her life and her excitement is infectious. She still runs an extraordinarily successful real estate practice without letting her business run her life.
She even finds time to lead some of the Fit is Freedom Adventures, like kayaking and hiking the San Juan Islands and Dog Sledding in the winter!
Life just keeps getting better. Jenny has learned the magic trick; when you give yourself the gift of fitness, you give yourself the life you’ve always desired.
What do you want from this one precious life you have?
In this episode, I’ll be walking you through a client’s story who has been with me for TWO YEARS! The first episode in this series shared a client’s successes who has only been with me three months. The second episode shared a client of 6 months.
This is the third installment of my mini series where I share REAL results from REAL Fit is Freedom members. I’ll show you, the viewers, what to expect (and how long it will take) when you embark on your own health and fitness journeys!
Two years is a long time to be dedicated to something! Some would even say that doing something for two years would prove that you are a committed person. Well, that wasn’t the case when this client first jumped on board. Let’s discuss her story; where she was, where she is, and where she is headed.
This particular client referred to herself as “so flipping inconsistent” when it came to her health and fitness. She felt really discouraged after having tried so many fad diets, and she was in a lot of pain. Her knees and hips hurt, and she was finding that she had less and less energy to get up and do things she once enjoyed.
Because my client had tried so many things in the past that didn’t work, I wanted to emphasize the importance of her plan, showing her that it’s more like a recipe that we’re putting together that works just for her. Based on what we learned from our initial phone call, here was our plan…
My client was so down on herself. Her self esteem was shot, and she didn’t think she had it in her to be consistent with anything. I knew we needed to address that mindset first!
The best way to shift her mindset was for her to start collecting evidence that she WAS capable of being consistent and changing her lifestyle!
I knew if we were going to need to find little wins to prove she was capable, we needed to find a movement for her that was fun! She wasn’t ready for the gym yet, and that simply didn’t excite her. She did, however, enjoy jazzercise! So we started there!
With jazzercise, this client would often watch the videos at home, but not fully commit! Because of this, I challenged her to get up and go to a class! That added not only a new twist, but also some accountability!
Another thing my client already did that we capitalized on was journaling. Instead of simply journaling about anything in the morning, I also challenged her to add some information about her fitness journey in order to track her progress.
By the end of her first year with Fit is Freedom, she had lost 3 inches in her hips. She was fitting better in her clothes and feeling more confident. Her pain was less, and, most importantly, her confidence in herself was growing exponentially! The end of year one was met with excitement and momentum to keep going!
Now that she is in her second year, she has graduated to more resistance training. She is upping her game in the world of health and fitness, and she now sees herself as someone who is active. She no longer worries about giving up on her fitness journey because it has now become a part of who she is! Talk about an incredible mindset shift in such a short amount of time!
Every person I work with is unique and brings on different lessons and takeaways! Here are my three takeaway tips you could learn from this client…
Are you at a point where you’re ready to just draw the line in the sand? Are you ready to schedule a call with me? It only takes one thing to move the needle in the right direction, and you’ve got to decide you’re ready before you get going!
Baby steps are key! Take your time and don’t rush yourself into burnout. The best health and fitness journeys are more tortoise and less hare.
Journal your process. Write out how you’re feeling, how you want to feel, and what you’re doing to make a change. Looking back and seeing what all you’ve accomplished is simply a special feeling.
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