I have a confession to make.  Actually, seven of them (maybe more).  I am not perfect.  I am a recovering perfectionist, but I’ve learned over the past few years to embrace my imperfections and quirks. They make me who I am.  They make me more relateable.  They make the whole fitness and fat loss journey seem a little less intimidating. So, …

The bad thing about taking some time off from exercising (at least for me) is getting back into it again.  I really enjoy lifting weights and going for walks (and occasionally sprints and longish runs), but if I take more than one day off in a row regardless of the reason, I struggle mentally to get back to the gym.  …

So an interesting thing happened at the gym yesterday. I’ve been working pretty hard in the gym doing some different kind of workouts than I’m used to — Olympic lifts, CrossFit-style met cons, and heavy barbell squats.  Twice a week I’m taking a lifting class at my gym that’s similar to CrossFit.  I wrote about it and my awesome coach …

I often preach to clients, on my blog, and even to myself, the power of baby steps.  Studies and experience have proven the effectiveness of focusing on just one thing at a time instead of doing a massive overhaul.  This approach allows for flexibility and is less of a drain on willpower which gives us a better chance at success.  …

I’ve been seeing an interesting pattern gain traction on social media lately, and especially since the UFC fight Saturday night.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Ronda Rousey knocked out her very vocal rival Bethe Correia in her opponent’s home country of Brazil.  In 34 seconds. In the weeks leading up to the bout, interviews with …

I can’t count how many times I have let my fitness and physique fall by the wayside.  And that’s just in the time I’ve been a fit pro (8 years).  Believe me, I loooooove all things fitness, soccer, and weightlifting, and yet I have had plenty of days, weeks, and sometimes months when I couldn’t give two shits.  😛 It …

Hey there!  It’s Workout Wednesday!  Today we’ll be doing another full-body strength workout, but we’ll also be adding in some bursts of cardio to shake things up. Studies have shown that incorporating cardio within a weight workout is very effective for fat loss versus tacking it on at the end or on a separate day.  I utilized this tactic during …

Hunger is a given when dieting down.  We’re creating a caloric deficit by adding in exercise and decreasing food intake, and our bodies are going to respond by increasing our appetite.   While you shouldn’t be absolutely starving every hour of the day, but some hunger is to be expected.  It can be really tough to deal with, especially if …

These days we can’t escape the comparison trap.  We’re surrounded by the images of our favorite celebrities, fitness competitors, models, and even our friends’ progress pics.  Every time we turn around, we see so-called “perfect” bodies in magazines, on TV, and on social media.  Even the most self-aware and confident person can start feeling less-than at times. And when we …