It's The ADHD-Friendly Show | Personal Growth, Well-being and Productivity for Distractible Minds

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 ...

I'm not going to add much to this episode because I think it speaks for itself.  I talk about some personal successes and failures, and what's worked for me in order to push through hard times (because I'm a pro at giving up).

I hope you find some value here for your own life and how to approach your own definition of success.  The real takeaway is to define it on your own and know what works for you in terms of managing your own expectations and riding the wave of sucky parts (because those always come).

Want more insights light this?  Head this way.

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Send us a textIn 2012 I asked myself what the heck had I gotten myself into when I signed up for a bikini competition. It was hands down the hardest thing I’ve ever accomplished, and the only reason I followed through was that I made myself accountable. Had I not taken that step - I would never have made it to the end. My willpower is just not that strong.Can you relate?Here’s an interesting tidbit - a study from Dominican University compared two groups of goal setters - one with account...

Want more info on Intermittent Fasting?  Head to the website for deets and links!

If you’re holding down a corporate job, raising kids and generally trying to manage some semblance of a life, I trust you’re very busy.  Probably too busy to prep meals, eat 4 to 6 times a day and hit the gym after work.  Story of your life?  I’ve got something you might find interesting!

If you’ve never heard that term before, it’s basically decreasing the window of time that you eat in a day to typically 8 hours a day or less.  You don’t necessarily eat less calories, you just eat them in a shorter period of time, perhaps say between noon and 8pm.  So in that scenario, you wouldn’t skip breakfast, but you would hold off on eating it until lunch time.  Then you could eat whatever you typically would, until you hit a hard stop at 8pm.  (The timing of your window is entirely up to you.)

This may sound very familiar to your typical habits.  Or maybe this is something you did in the past, but changed that habit because consumer health experts insisted that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you started forcing yourself to eat before your left for work in the morning.

Before I go on, I will say that for some, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, and without it, they feel sluggish and tired.  In his book, The 4 Hour Body, Tim Ferris recommends eating 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning to control leptin hormones (your internal hunger barometer) and Dr Sara Gottfried suggests it calm the adrenals.   Even with intermittent fasting (IF) you can eat when you first wake up, but you better be all good with eating 5pm blue-haired dinner specials because you’ll be fasting pretty early on in the evening.

But there is ample research to support not eating breakfast.  Many health experts, including Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple, practice this approach and typically do their workouts in a fasted state as well, leading to a better fat-burning effect and greater human growth hormone production.How will intermittent fasting make you lose weight?

Well, the short answer is that it improves hormone balance, insulin resistance and fat oxidation, but it also controls overall caloric intake because you just have less time to mindlessly graze without accounting for calories.  If you want more scientific explanations to these points - Mark Sisson has pulled together a great deal of research here. 

If this is something you think would work for you, particularly if you’re not one to crave breakfast or find you’re too busy to eat 3 meals a day (with IF you can eat all your food in one meal, or spread it out however you like in your eating window), then it might be worth giving it a try. 

To be clear, I’m not an expert in this protocol, but here’s a great resource from a trusted source on the evidence-based approach to intermittent fasting from Precision Nutrition that I would highly recommend checking out. Just a few caveats before you head off on your fasting adventure. 

IF is not for everyone, and more particularly, it’s not always the best choice for women.  It can cause hormonal fluctuations in some women which can lead to weight gain, instead of loss, and it’s also not advised if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a history of eating disorders.

Clearly the downside of this practice is that you may push your hunger too far and end up in an uncontrollable binge which is obviously not the goal.  However, if you’re someone that can ease through a good part of the day without eating, IF can also increase mental clarity and focus, free up a lunch hour to do other things, as well as being an awesome fat-burning technique.What are my thoughts on Intermittent Fasting?

I’ve been experimenting with this protocol for the past few weeks, but I feel I need to give it a bit more time before I share my thoughts on the fat burning effectiveness, however I will say that I do find I can get more done in the morning and enjoy a more alert state of min

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I hope you found today’s podcast on carbs and counting macros to be eye-opening about how fat loss can be largely influenced by what you eat not necessarily how much.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the 3 major macro groups. If you want a full video tutorial to give you the full view, shoot me your best email and I’ll get that right over to you. It’s about 20 minutes long, but it’s very helpful to put everything into applicable context.So here’s the macro breakdownCarbs - 4 calories per gram

Non-starchy are the BEST!! Eat these with abandon. They are highly fibrous, made with mostly water and are packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Starchy carbs - potatoes, rice, grains, etc - you have to earn these, so if you’re not doing intense workouts, stay away from them (if fat loss is your goal).

Processed carbs - sugar, bread and baked goods, and food-like products like Pop-Tarts. I have no words for these other than stay away.Protein - 4 calories per gram

Found mostly in meats, dairy, and eggs but also in supplements and veggies. Go for quality over quantity here! Organic, free-range meats, eggs and dairy and quality supplements like Shakeology or Vega is great, too.Fats - 9 calories per gram

Healthy fats are great!! Aim for 50% of your diet as fats. Opt for avocado, egg yolks, olives and olive oils, coconut, full fat, organic dairy and fatty meats like salmon.Macros - I explain them all right here.

Want the 20 minute tutorial on how to put this all together?

Shoot me your best email and I’ll send it over to you.

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Send us a textWow - this book really punched me in the gut! If you want some wisdom nuggets, listen to the podcast, but DO get the book as well. It was life changing!Jon really made me aware of a few important areas where I’m playing average (and shouldn’t be). Areas where I could be doing SO much more, but I’m not either out of fear of judgement or perhaps even fear of success (yes, this is a thing).That said, I don’t think it’s critical or even possible to play “awesome” i...

Send us a textA cold and an injury forced me to slow down and limit my workouts to yoga and walking. What I wasn’t expecting was the increased happiness and continued leanness that new routine delivered. Some of my favorite online yoga classes:Ali Kamenova - some free classes and also a membership site. Very challenging classes and she has a unique style you may or may not love.YogaGlo - great line up of instructors and class levels. I think it’s $18 a month for a memb...

Fitspo Girl - When you see #fitspo girl on Instagram looking all lean and cut, how does that make you feel about yourself? Good? Motivated?  Or maybe inadequate and lazy?

In today’s episode, I talk about taking an intentional look at the social media you’re following.  I had to do a deep cleanse of my Instagram a few years ago after following far too many fitness competitors who only showed pictures of their butts and biceps and rippling abs.  

It started to really make me feel “less than” which was not the emotion I was going for when I clicked follow.  

I also dispel the myth that fitness models walk around looking cut 24/7.  They generally do not.

Head to The Fit Habit and sign up for tips, tools and resources for rocking your best body (in a healthy, non-crazy-making way) well into your 30's, 40's and beyond.

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“Just tell me what to eat” - a down and dirty discussion of what to eat and what to stay far away from.  This is not a specific list of foods or a meal plan, but a breakdown of food recommendations that I gave to a busy friend who wanted to improve her diet without making an extra load of hours in the kitchen.

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