I’m the first to admit that goal setting is not something I’m great at. Actually, I’m really good at setting goals and writing them down, but I'm also equally proficient at putting those goals in a file folder somewhere and promptly forgetting about them. 

Now, oddly enough, about 50% of my goals DO materialize anyway. Sometimes that’s dumb luck, and sometimes it’s because they’re just important enough to me that I make sure it happens. An example of a dumb luck goal was finding the job I have now where I’m well paid, love the people I work with and it’s actually work I like doing. That was a goal I wrote down when I decided to end

An example of a dumb luck goal was finding the job I have now where I’m well paid, love the people I work with and it’s actually work I like doing. That was a goal I wrote down when I decided to end Procakes, and it happened quite by accident (or so I think). Meanwhile, there are other things I’ve accomplished that have 110% come from my own stubborn determination, like competing in a fitness show or a half ironman. These are things I thought about quitting on an hourly basis, but I never did. Then there are the goals I write down every year and that shit just never happens. Like being 15% body fat. I write that arbitrary number down every year, and I know it’s unlikely I’ll ever reach it because I know that I’m pretty miserable at 18% body fat and it’s near impossible to maintain without wanting to kill someone, so 15% is just never going to happen for me. I have about 46 other goals just like that one, too.

Then there are the goals I write down every year and that shit just never happens. Like being 15% body fat. I write that arbitrary number down every year, and I know it’s unlikely I’ll ever reach it because I know that I’m pretty miserable at 18% body fat and it’s near impossible to maintain without wanting to kill someone, so 15% is just never going to happen for me. I have about 46 other goals just like that one, too.

So my first thought about setting goals is being really honest about what you’re willing to put your time and attention into. Sure, I’ll probably continue to put that 15% body fat goal on my list every year, but now it’s more like the goal equivalent of an “elf on the shelf”. It’s more about tradition and decoration than execution. Looking back at 2016, I’ve accomplished about 50% of what I set out to do. Maybe that’s a hack - aspire to do so much that you’d be happy if you only got 50% of it accomplished. Genius! But to be honest, this coming year, my goal list will look much different than it has in the past. Maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s acquired wisdom, but I don’t feel the need for

Looking back at 2016, I’ve accomplished about 50% of what I set out to do. Maybe that’s a hack - aspire to do so much that you’d be happy if you only got 50% of it accomplished. Genius! But to be honest, this coming year, my goal list will look much different than it has in the past. Maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s acquired wisdom, but I don’t feel the need for improvement based goals this year. Instead, I aim to stop the self-development cycle and simply embrace and own the woman I’ve worked hard to become. For example:

I don’t have weight loss goals this year. I’m happy with the body I have (although I will continue to build strength through weight lifting).

I don’t have career goals this year. I like the job I have and I’ll continue to do the best work I can, but outside of that, I simply want to enjoy writing my blog, practicing my photography skills and perhaps doing less in social media. I’m also going to dial back on the coaching this year to make more time for my personal life.

I don’t have relationship goals in the sense that I’m no longer actively trying to expand my network or meet new people. This year, I want to focus on the relationships I already have and cherish. I want to be a better friend to the friends I’ve already collected rather than always trying to make more and more.

I do

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One thing I think is super important to understand is that the perfect diet for anyone is not so much about low carb, high protein, gluten free, paleo or vegan. It's about compliance before anything else. I can write you a meal plan that is so perfectly balanced it would solve all your problems, but unless you were able to adhere to it, it would be worthless. Same goes for workout programs. I partner with Beachbody - because I think their programs are outstanding (and I say that as a personal trainer and a user). But a brilliantly programmed workout regimen is just a DVD unless it's consistently followed through on. So we have to start with compliance which starts with knowing who you are as a person, and what you're willing to tolerate.

I know for myself, any meal plan that makes a little sugar-free chocolate and wine completely off limits, is not something I will adhere to, because I love those things. So I have to negotiate and say to myself, okay, I'll make a little room for wine and chocolate, but I'm also willing to give up potatoes and bread so that my carb intake doesn't go off the rails.

This is why success should be slow and methodical. Because you're discovering and negotiating what you can get away with, rather than white-knuckling through a program you have every intention of ditching after 8-weeks because it's near impossible to follow and enjoy.

Start with enjoyment and work backward. Negotiate what you're willing to give up, consume less of, or alter. Then see what your results tell you.

By the way, if you're interested in getting some help figuring all this stuff out, consider joining my online fitness groups.  They're 3 weeks of support, training and kick-ass recipes to help you rock an awesome body in 2017!  Want in?  Drop a comment below and I'll give you the deets.

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What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Christmas holidays?  Your weird uncle Fred?  Mall madness?  Or food?  Seriously, eggnog, cookies, and crappy holiday party food is everywhere you look!  No wonder people joke about gaining 5 to 10lbs over the holidays and then feel like crap on Jan 1. 

Sound familiar?

The key to long-term success is adopting a lifestyle mindset. Accept that you’re not on a diet that has a start and an end, but that you generally (not always) chose foods that help your goals, not hinder them.   You’re eating for a way of life and doing so means being able to incorporate holiday eating into your plan. There’s no doubt that the holidays present a unique set of challenges with all the delicious holiday baking and boozy parties.  And I bet you feel pretty badly about yourself when you over indulge.  But here’s the thing…  unless you’re out there night after night, diving face first into Christmas goodies, you’re going to be okay.  And if you’re looking to make fitness a lifestyle, then you need to make a little room for the things you love, or you’ll be a miserable cow that will poop all the parties you go to.

Speaking of party poopers – have you ever seen this video???  F*&king hysterical. I digress…..

So here’s my advice to you for getting through this festive season and still be able to fit into your pants in January.

Control the meals you have control over. Stick with your plan for the meals you can.  That means prepping meals for lunch, making sure your breakfast (if you have one) is healthy and when your dinner is planned to be a festive one, be intentional, but not maniacal with the food that you chose to eat.

Control the portion sizes of the meals you can’t control. A common mistake is not respecting the fact that quantity trumps quality when it comes to calories. So, even if you’re enjoying some indulgent food, how much of it you eat will be the biggest determinant of the effect that indulgent eating has on you.

Get MORE sleep than normal.  Yes, we’re all busy over the holidays, but scrap the malls this year, buy your gifts on amazon, then put your phone down and be lights out by 10pm every night!  I know you guys are sick of me talking about how important sleep is for fat loss, but it’s true.

Continue to get your workouts in 100% of the time.  Now is not a time to say to yourself that you don’t have time to get to the gym, because that becomes a slippery slope into not workouts and lots of bad food choices.  No time for the gym?  Workout in your bedroom.  That’s what I do, and it works.

Say no to events that don’t appeal to you.  If you’re invited to a party that you don’t want to go to, then say you have another commitment and you’re done.  No drama.

Be realistic about the expectations you place upon yourself.  If your intention is to not have ANY wine or dessert, but everyone around you is raving about the cabernet and flourless chocolate cake, and you LOVE wine and chocolate, then you’re going to be a miserable cow with impeccable eating habits.  Let me know how that works out for you.

Get support.  I have an accountability group starting Dec 17th to address that feeling of being all alone (and miserable) because everyone around you is enjoying the Christmas goodies, but you're trying to stay on track (and we know they'll be feeling crappy in January). Our group will be focused on practicing the 80/20 principle - 80% on track, 20% Christmas goodies.  Join us!

But, but, what about your goals? A few meals here and there aren’t going to do anything to negate the results of all your hard work. Especially if you’re paying attention to the size of your portions and how much you’re eating as I suggested above. It’s the constant partaking in large quantities of holiday treats that’ll catch up to you. And you end up there only when you allow yourself to, by ignoring the choices you are making and the impact it is having on you physically and emotionally.

Give yourself permissio

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Greetings from Palm Springs!! OMG, I love it here.  It’s a little cooler than I'd like it to be (low 70s) so I’m sitting here in the late afternoon in yoga pants and a sweatshirt, but it was warmer earlier, so I did manage some sun time in :)

Honestly, I’m just so grateful to have flexible work that affords me the ability to do these little trips.  It’s so nice to just rent a house with a pool, somewhere warm with a huge backyard and let the dogs have a blast.  This is seriously my kinda vaycay.  I’d take this over a resort in Cabo any day.  But that’s the hermit in me :)

Anyway, suffice to say, it was worth the 9-hour drive to get here!! 

Speaking of 9-hour drives, someone on Facebook asked me about thermos recommendations for healthy travel and just toting food to work.  Here’s a few of my must-haves for travel.  The cooler pack is not the same as mine (it's better) and it already comes with the little travel containers, so it’s something that might end up on my Christmas list as I bring breakfast and lunch to the office with me every day.  I just wish it came in pink

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First, you need to know that nutrition is always going to “trump” your workout program. You can’t work your way out of a poor diet. That said, “abs are made in the kitchen” is all true.

Here’s what I think (feel free to disagree)… optimize weights and do as little cardio as you can get away with. Unless you truly LOVE cardio for mental reasons, in which case, do what floats your boat because it’s giving you benefits beyond weight loss. If you’re doing it JUST for weight loss, it’s a futile effort, so stop the madness. Do as little as you need to do to reach your goals and not a minute or mile more. Because here’s the thing, cardio breaks you down - weight lifting builds you up. This is the critical difference between these two work out modalities.

The biggest issue is with cardio is that the body adapts very easily to what you’re doing and then you have to do more, to get the same level of results. That blows. It also elevates hunger levels which means, you’re eating more, and therefore you’d need to do MORE cardio to negate the extra calories (and the math never works out). Cardio is not a tool or punishment for erasing bad food choices.

When it comes to weight-bearing exercise, you can lift weights or just focus on bodyweight exercises. The choice between those two options is largely dependent on your goals and your body type - ectomorphs should lift heavy weights, mesomorphs could get away with just bodyweight workouts.

Body weight workouts I recommend

Core de Force

P90X3 - does require some weights.

Piyo

Pure Barre

Physique 57

Weight workouts I love

21 Day Fix

21 Day Fix Extreme

Body Beast

A Few Nutrition Notes

Be smart with your carbs - if you’re going to eat starchy carbs, eat them around the time of your workout.

Have protein and fats in the AM. Leave your carbs for your workout period.

Don’t have 5 to 6 small meals a day unless you like doing that. Otherwise, do 3 square meals a day like your grandparents did, and limit snacking as much as possible.

Focus on veggies, proteins and healthy fats. After a workout, eat a carb and a protein (or Shakeology is perfect for a post workout meal) to get glucose into your muscle as soon as possible.

Aim to eat 30 grams of protein per meal.

You need healthy fats for muscle repair, healthy hair and nails.

Sleep is critical to muscle repair! Get at least 7 to 8 hours a night.

Got questions? Feel free to leave them below. I’ll do my best to answer them and as always, thanks for listening to the podcast!! 

Xo

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Send us a textI grew up with some pretty bad habits. Partying, smoking, not sleeping well and eating all the wrong things. It showed. I was over 200lbs until my early 20's when I finally did something about it.It wasn’t until I moved to California when I was 36 that my life really shifted. I found better social influences, I tried new sports, and I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, time and time again. That was the catalyst that I needed to go from party girl to sporty-spice.According to ...

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I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while now. I mean, I don’t eat a ton of gluten anyway, but at least once or twice a week, I’m eating a “healthy” pizza, dipping into the breadbasket at restaurant, or dipping my sushi in soy sauce (yes, soy sauce has gluten and a shit ton of sodium).

I find that I when I do indulge, the same things generally happen - I get stomach cramps almost immediately and a little bloating, but then the next day, my “#2” is not normal (I’ll leave it at that and you’re welcome) and I’m in a funk/fog for the rest of the day. It’s like I get a bread hangover and I’m just a little dumber for the next 24 hours.

The other thing about gluten is it promotes visceral fat (read Wheat Belly for the deets on this) and I for one, don’t need any more help in the belly fat department.

I’m all good there, thanks much.

So if you’re curious about whether or not you may have a sensitivity, take a look at this self-test, or just watch how you feel 2 hours and 24 hours after you eat something with gluten in it.

Not sure what has gluten? I’ll post a non-exhaustive list at the bottom of this post.

Want to ditch gluten but you’re not sure where to start? Well, you can listen to the podcast I just created. When you’ve covered that, here are a few more resources for you to explore.

Do you think you have a gluten intolerance?  I pulled this from Celiac.org.  You might be surprised to know things like soy sauce and lip gloss contain gluten.  Read on!Gluten-Containing Grains and Their DerivativesWheatVarieties and derivatives of wheat such as:wheatberriesdurumemmersemolinaspeltfarinafarrograhamKAMUT® khorasan wheat

einkorn wheatRyeBarleyTriticaleMalt in various forms including: malted barley flour, malted milk or milkshakes, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring,malt vinegar

Brewer’s YeastCommon Foods That Contain GlutenPastas: raviolis, dumplings, couscous, and gnocchiNoodles: ramen, udon, soba (those made with only a percentage of buckwheat flour) chow mein, and egg noodles. (Note: rice noodles and mung bean noodles are gluten free)Breads and Pastries: croissants, pita, naan, bagels, flatbreads, cornbread, potato bread, muffins, donuts, rollsCrackers: pretzels, goldfish, graham crackersBaked Goods: cakes, cookies, pie crusts, browniesCereal & Granola: corn flakes and rice puffs often contain malt extract/flavoring, granola often made with regular oats, notgluten-free oatsBreakfast Foods: pancakes, waffles, french toast, crepes, and biscuits.Breading & Coating Mixes: panko breadcrumbsCroutons: stuffings, dressingsSauces & Gravies (many use wheat flour as a thickener)traditional soy sauce, cream sauces made with a rouxFlour tortillasBeer (unless explicitly gluten-free) and any malt beverages (see “Distilled Beverages and Vinegars” below for more information on alcoholic beverages)Brewer’s YeastAnything else that uses “wheat flour” as an ingredientFoods That May Contain Gluten (must be verified by reading the label or checking with the manufacturer/kitchen staff)Energy bars/granola bars – some bars may contain wheat as an ingredient, and most use oats that are not gluten-freeFrench fries – be careful of batter containing wheat flour or cross-contact from fryersPotato chips – some potato chip seasonings may contain malt vinegar or wheat starchProcessed lunch meatsCandy and candy barsSoup – pay special attention to cream-based soups, which have flour as a thickener. Many soups also contain barleyMulti-grain or “artisan” tortilla chips or tortillas that are not entirely corn-based may contain a wheat-based ingredientSalad dressings and marinades – may contain malt vinegar, soy sauce, flourStarch or dextrin if found on a meat or poultry product could be from any grain, including wheatBrown rice syrup – may be made with barley enzymesMeat substitutes made with seitan (wheat gluten) such as vegetarian burgers, vege

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Many of my clients and readers come to me because they’re in their 40’s and they notice everything is starting to fall apart on their bodies and their waistlines are getting bigger and bigger. 

All of them ask me for the same thing - a meal plan and workout program that will fix the problem and make the fat go away (preferably forever and ever).

While I get the frustration (been there, done that), I always tell them the same thing (which is not always appreciated, but it’s the real deal) - all the squats and kale in the world is not going to fix your problem if the problem isn’t food or nutrition.

There are several variables that impact sudden or gradual weight gain.  Yes, some of it is about food and nutrition, but a lot of it is also about sleep deprivation, stress and exhaustion - something most women are dealing with on the regular.

If you are stressed out about work, family or money, that’s having an impact on your weight (I know, something else to stress about).  If you are sleeping less than 7 hours a night, you can be sure, that it showing up in your increasing dress size.

I could go on, but I talk about it all on the podcast.

The takeaway here is that there’s a much broader issue to address when looking at losing weight and looking and feeling your most awesome self (for like, ever).  I want you to see the bigger picture which is why I blog, podcast, share stuff on social media and do my fitness challenge groups.  It’s about getting healthy, but it’s also about the steps you need to take to get there.

So stick with me.  I can help you lose those 10 or 20lbs, no problem, but I want you to get to a place where that’s never an issue for you again, and where you don’t have to suffer through the journey.  You just start to live better, little by little, day by day.

That’s the difference between wellness and weight loss.

Tell me what you think!  Does this make sense, or does it frustrate you?  It’s okay to be honest if it’s not resonating with you.  I’m here to help!

Head over to the blog and let's connect! 

xo

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Send us a textMost people that look at my life think I’m a total health nut. They’d say I’m not normal because I don’t eat bread or because I workout every day. They’d be mostly wrong though (okay, except maybe with the whole “normal” thing…)But I’m not a health and fitness freak. Not even close.Truth is, I just know exactly how much I can get away with in terms of indulgence, and still look good in a pair of skinny jeans (at the ripe old age of 46). And ...