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They All Fall Down

They All Fall Down

the sound tap, tap, tap, leaves falling on the tin the season fall the sound wind blowing and whistling, trees swaying and talking the smell fresh, crisp and clean season changing the sound the leaves falling everywhere surrounded by them they all fall down  

Everyone Deserves Flowers

Everyone Deserves Flowers

Everyone deserves flowers. Death does not discriminate.  Death does not care about popularity. One of my high school classmates died this past week. We weren’t close. I knew her. I remember her being very shy. She was very nice. I keep thinking about her. Rest In 

Manage Your Expectations

Manage Your Expectations

Fat Loss Expectations

Is this what your expectations are for fat loss? 

You think you will lose at least 3 pounds a week. 

You think you need to hamster wheel your cardio.

You think you need to give up your favorite foods.

You think you need to eat 1200 calories. 

None of these are true. They are just more expectations of fat loss. 

Reality of fat loss:

If you lose half a pound a week, that is a good rate of fat loss. Up to two pounds is great. I like half to 1 myself.

If you walk every day, you will be fine.

You can still eat your favorite foods while in a fat loss phase. You do not have to deprive yourself. 

Eat as much as you can while still being in a deficit, instead of as little as possible and being hungry and annoyed all the time. 

Expectations need to be managed. Here are more fat loss expectations. 

You want it to happen fast. You think it will be easy. Those are the expectations. The easy. Why can’t it be? We start a fat loss program and get mad when our new body hasn’t shown up in two weeks. I mean, WTF, I’m doing everything right and nothing is happening. 

So why are those the typical expectations when it comes to dieting? I’m really asking. Why?

The definition of expectation is a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. A belief that someone will or should achieve something. 

To manage expectations is to seek to prevent disappointment by establishing in advance what can realistically be achieved or delivered by a course of actions. 

How fast did you gain weight? It took a while, didn’t it? It’s usually gradual. But, we think the weight loss should be quick. It doesn’t work that way. Even if, as stated above, you are doing everything right, it is still going to take time to see results. 

Manage your expectations when it comes to fat loss. It’s going to take way longer than you think or what you want. It just is. You are going to have to be patient. Way easier said than done. I know. 

It’s a process and you are going to have to take actions every single day that are going to push you towards that goal. Nobody is perfect and I would never expect any of my clients to think they need to be. Life always happens. But when we can manage the expectations of how it’s going to go, it’s much easier to push through the process. It helps to know that it is going to take time. 

Start focusing on daily actions. Pick one. Do it for a while. Get used to it. Then pick another one to add to it and then keep going. Pretty soon you have this great foundation of habits stacked up, which is going to help you in the long run. 

So what should your daily actions be? It’s up to you where you want to start. It’s up to you to gauge where you feel the action is doable for you. It might not be. If that happens, keep that one for later. Instead start really small. More water. More protein at every meal. Manage your stress. Manage your sleep. Those are the kinds of things to work on. 

Those habits compound over time and will come back to you in spades. Most people give up way too soon when it comes to their fat loss program. Again, when you know what to expect and how long it could take, it makes those expectations and your program way more manageable. You become more positive. You become more motivated. You become a cheerleader. A cheerleader for yourself. You become more confident! 

If you get honest with yourself and get consistent, quit quitting and you will see results. By consistent, I mean consistently in a calorie deficit. Not Monday through Thursday and then a free for all on the weekends. 

Stop selling yourself short. Stick up for yourself. Nutrition is a choice. You are a choice. Choose yourself every time. 

Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple

When we complicate things it does nothing but stress us out, turn us into jerks and make us feel less than. Agree? When it comes to our overall health, there are a handful of things you can be doing that are going to be big 

Remember when one donut was enough?

Remember when one donut was enough?

When I was a kid, my grandma used to bring us long johns from the Viborg bakery when she would come to visit. She also brought the equalizer – colored peppers. Yellow, red and orange. She was a chronic dieter. I wonder if she thought 

Is smaller, thinner, skinnier better?

Is smaller, thinner, skinnier better?

Why smaller?

Why thinner?

Why skinnier?

Why not stronger?

Why not healthier?

Why not overall bad ass?

Why are we always wanting to get smaller and lose more weight. What is it that we think is going to make our life better if we are smaller. Do we think our spouses or partners or whomever are going to love us more or better if we are smaller? Do you think that?

Getting smaller (lighter) usually comes with some irritating side effects that are kind of a pain in the ass. You might not even really notice what is going on. 

You may start to notice you are hungry all the time. Tired all the time. Thinking about what you can’t eat all the time. Your strength days get harder. You are just fucking tired. All.The.Time. You get hangry and you snap at people. You don’t even really notice it until you come out of that smaller mindset and get into the maintenance mindset and body. 

All these things were me and not too long ago. The fat loss phases were where I thought I needed to be. I had all of the above side effects. I just didn’t realize it until I started eating more food. Things came back pretty quickly. Sleep was the first thing I noticed. Energy was the second thing I noticed. I was tired all the time and hungry all the time. That is no way to live. I want to enjoy life and love life. I wasn’t loving anything at that point.

What if you didn’t need to get smaller. Who are you getting smaller for? Ask yourself what you want. Do you want to feel tired and shitty all the time? Or would you rather eat enough food so that you aren’t tired all the time. So you aren’t hungry all the time. So you can bust your our ass on your strength workouts. So you can sleep well. So you can have a sex drive again. So you can feel alive again. 

Diets are not meant to last forever, but it’s become a norm. I bet if you ask 10 people if they are on a diet, you will probably get 8 of them who are.

Instead of focusing on smallness, focus on other things. Take that pressure off the number on the scale. Start focusing on how much stronger you can get. Focus on feeding your body and working on what it can do, instead of what it can’t.

Work on the inside. What does your mental landscape look like? It doesn’t matter what the outside looks like. Let’s say you lost 100 pounds and if you didn’t work on the inside, you will probably gain back most of that weight. Until you work on the inner you, the outer you is just, well, a shell. If you need help to sort through trauma, or childhood issues, or anxiety or any other number of mental health points, find someone to talk to. Work on you. Then when you come back around and are trying to change your health, I bet you will find it will be much easier. And, I bet the loss will stick. Make the mental landscape conducive to change.

But, back to the main point here. You don’t need to be small. Healthy and strong are great things to strive for. When you stop under eating and start feeding your body, amazing things begin to happen. Fat loss can be smart loss. You do not need to be on a diet forever. Our bodies weren’t meant to do that.

How much time have you wasted chasing small? And for what? Can you dig deep down into your soul and find out why? What made you want to be small? There is no hurry. Time passes regardless. There is no finish line until we are in the ground, so why keep chasing small? Chase what’s best for you at the moment.

If you stop over exercising, because you think that is the fat loss answer, and start working out smarter, amazing things begin to happen. Stop focusing on the number on the scale. Get those gym gains. Strength training is longevity training. Get in it for life.

When you stop with the no carb/super low carb drama and eat the fucking fruit and potatoes and rice, amazing things begin to happen. Stop eliminating food groups. It’s not sustainable.

When you quit burning the candle at both ends and reduce stress in your life, amazing things begin to happen. Get some damn sleep. Make a bedtime routine and a stress less routine and stick to it.

We get one body. Make it work for you, instead of against you. Feed it the food it wants in order to be healthy and happy. You have to find the root of what is inside that stops you from keeping any weight off. And even maintaining any kind of weight loss. Maintenance is a beautiful place to be. It’s progress. Especially, if you have never been able to stay there. Especially, if you have done the lose and gain the same 10 pounds 100 times. Keep going. Keep trying. Keep digging. Keep exploring yourself.

Being healthy is more than your body. Being healthy is how you see yourself. It’s how you take care of yourself. It takes a lot to get to I love me. But, don’t stop working on your mental and physical health. Inner work is required. Until you get busy on that, it doesn’t matter what you do to the outside. Look inward. Find peace. Find your best self.

To recap –

Being skinny is not required to live a fulfilling and healthy life.

Working on your mental landscape is just as important as your physical health.

It’s okay to hang out in maintenance as long as you want.

Fat loss is okay too. Just don’t stay here forever.

Love yourself no matter what size you are.

Know that it’s okay to change. Nobody gets to tell us it’s not.

It’s okay not to change. Nobody gets to tell us that either.

Work on why you want to change. Make sure it’s for the right reasons. And those reasons are your reasons, so own them. Be there for yourself. Choose you!

Analysis Paralysis – is it a thing?

Analysis Paralysis – is it a thing?

Do you ever get so involved in researching something that you end up doing nothing? It is so common. You definitely are not alone. It happens to everyone. It’s such a thing. It’s so easy to just overthink things to death. Like me, when I 

Just Because You Can, Should You?

Just Because You Can, Should You?

Interesting for sure. Just because you can, should you? Just because you can eat all the hyper-palatable foods and fit them into your day, should you? Just because you can work out hard seven days a week, should you? Just because you can jump off 

The Best Weight Loss Plan For Women Over 50

The Best Weight Loss Plan For Women Over 50

You’re right, you’re doomed. Once you hit 50 it’s over. Weight loss isn’t happening. Women, do you hear that? 

Well, just like about every mainstream media nutrition information, it’s false as fuck. Just because you hit 50 and just because you are heading into menopause or are all the way through it, does not mean you are doomed. This does not mean you can’t lose weight as you age. 

Weight loss for women can happen after age 50, but more importantly, fat loss can happen over the age of 50. Because when I say weight loss, I really mean fat loss, because that’s the stuff we are looking to lose. Mainstream says weight loss, so I will be using the terms interchangeably here. I’m going to give you the best weight loss plan for women over 50. 

I want you to really pay attention here. I want you to really read what I am saying. All the information is going to help you learn how to lose weight. So buckle up, grab your coffee and let’s go for a ride. 

THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS PLAN FOR WOMEN OVER 50

If you are new here, my name is Peggie, and everyone calls me well, Peggie. In the picture on the left, I still hadn’t got my crap figured out yet. It would still be another year before my day one. It would still take more time before I realized it was all me. It would take more time before I owned my shit and before I owned my excuses. 

 

I lived practically my whole life in diet mode. I was desperate to lose weight for as long as I can remember. As you can see I am a normal middle-aged woman. I call middle-aged over 50. I have fat. I have stretch marks. I have wrinkles. I’ll take them. I age. I don’t anti-age. After an eating disorder in high school and then living my life on a constant diet, about three years ago I decided I needed to own my health. I was using the excuse that I was too old. I told myself it  had to be hormones. I mean for fuck’s sake I was having hot flash after hot flash after hot flash. That does something, right? I know. I finally had enough and owned my excuses and changed my life. 

Also, I had the added pressure of looking a certain way because I am a personal trainer and kettlebell instructor. It’s kind of a higher standard, if you will, even though people say it’s not. So that, combined with being over 50 and trying to find a weight loss plan for us over 50s, it was a lot of pressure. It took a doctor giving me the look when I complained about not being able to lose weight no matter what I did. I was sure it was something wrong with me and not just my lifestyle.

This is my friend, Heidi. She is stronger than most 30 year olds. She came to me wanting to tighten things up and see where she could go with her body. She is also over 50 and look what happened to her in 12 weeks.

Let’s look at this weight loss over 50 stuff a little bit closer and see where all this falseness comes from. 

Are studies showing us and telling us that we are doomed? That’s a big loud no!! 

When we get older, we usually start moving less, but we don’t adjust our eating for that. That is why we end up getting stuck in that mindset of thinking we are doomed as we age. It’s such a common phenomenon. I always hear people saying, “Well, once you hit 40, everything goes downhill.” I wonder what they say about hitting 50. It’s just not true. Age is just an idea. How you think about it is how you proceed with your life. 

Another client, Pam, came to be in July of 2020 and on New Year’s of 2021, messaged me and let me know she had lost over 30 pounds. She is also in her 50s. 

Marie came to me because she was sick of yo-yo dieting and and feeling like crap. She dropped 30 pounds and over 6 inches from her waist and feels fantastic. She’s also over 50. 

Tamara came to me because she always struggled with her weight and being over 50 had made it so much harder to lose it. She lost 33 pounds and 7 inches from her waist. 

I’m not just throwing up these pictures and stats up to show off. I put them here so you can see the results of what can happen. It is possible. You are not doomed to gain weight as you age. 

When you use the principles of the best weight loss plan for women over 50, you will see how possible it really is. Let me tell you all about it. 

THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS PLAN FOR WOMEN OVER 50

Most weight loss plans I have seen tell you to restrict foods that are considered “bad” or “unhealthy.” They try to restrict all the foods you love. What do you think that does to you mentally? I mean if someone tells me I can’t have something, I constantly think about having that. That is why dieting is so hard. Diets work. They just don’t work once a person goes back to doing what they were doing previously. If you don’t build the foundation with good habits and behaviors, you aren’t going to be able to sustain any kind of fat loss. 

Villifying food is not the answer. Telling people food is good or bad is not the answer. Telling people food is fattening is not the answer. It does not matter what you eat. What matters is calorie deficit. 

So let’s talk about what calories are and what a calorie deficit looks like. 

Calories are a measure of energy.  If you eat more calories than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less calories than you are burning, you will lose weight. Calorie surplus and calorie deficit. Simple. Not easy. Because we are humans and we aren’t a textbook model of what happens as someone diets. 

All food is made up of calories. Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. These are called macronutrients. Protein is meat, eggs, fish, tofu, etc. Carbs, well, we all know about carbs and how much people think they are to blame for the whole obesity epidemic. Carbs do include fruits and vegetables as well as breads and potatoes. Carbs are very nutritious and good for us. Carbs are the main source of energy that the body uses. Fats are things like butter, oils, avocado and nuts. They are delicious too. 

So, how does a person get in a calorie deficit? 

First, you need to find out what your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is. There are many ways to do this and many formulas for this. Luckily, there is an online calculator that does the work for you. It’s a good starting point.  http://www.tdeecalculator.net

Another easy way to find your calorie deficit is to take your goal body weight (GBW) X 11, 11.5 or 12. If you go 11, obviously calories would be lower and if you go 12, calories will be higher. It all depends on how you want to proceed. I feel slower is better as it just makes life way more enjoyable, and therefore more sustainable. So, for example, let’s say my GBW is 125. I would multiply that X 12 and get 1500 calories per day. That is quite a bit of food and I think I could live with that. 

I used to think eating clean was the best weight loss plan for women. What a joke that was. A person can definitely take in more food than needed while eating clean. I could never figure out what I was doing wrong. I constantly felt stuck and realized I was never in a calorie deficit and was still playing that blame game. 

The thing is, you aren’t doomed. Research has shown that if you get in regular activity and pay attention to your diet, those two things can offset most of the age and hormone-related effects of gaining weight as you age. It gets harder as we get older, for sure, but it’s not inevitable. It’s not a for-sure. You are always in control of what is going on. 

Get a checkup and make sure you have no hidden issues. Get blood work. Get a clean bill of health and then incorporate the changes so you can live a healthy life.

Weight loss for women over 50 is very possible. Here are several things you can incorporate into your lifestyle as you age. 

Eat nutrient dense foods most of the time and emphasize protein. Protein at every meal. Have the treats once in a while. Be aware of your alcohol intake. If you ever wonder if you’re drinking too much, you probably are. 

Make sure you are getting fiber. Fiber is super important for gut health and digestion. It helps to get rid of all the waste going through our bodies. 

When your calories are low, make sure the volume of your food is high. Lots of vegetables and fruits. 

Drink zero calorie drinks, such as well, water, for one, but there is also nothing wrong with zero calorie pop as well. 

Get some weights and strength train. Preserve that muscle mass. Keep your bones healthy. We lose muscle mass as we age. That sucks, but it’s the truth. You can slow down muscle loss by strength training. I like 3-4 times per week. It doesn’t have to be hours. 30 minutes can do it. Do what you can with what you have. Your body will thank you. 

Get some kind of movement in every day. Walking is super underrated and is a great exercise for everyone. If you start out with two minutes. Awesome. Add more every single day. You will be amazed how fast you feel better.

Get adequate rest. Sleep – it’s a great thing.

Minimize stress. Some stress is good, but we all know how too much stress feels. It’s not fun and it can disrupt our health and well-being pretty easily. Learn how to manage it. Either by exercising or meditation or any number of things that help you relax.

Don’t be in a hurry. It takes time to lose fat. Slow is better. Be patient. Be consistent. Those two things right there, patience and consistency, will become your best friends on your fat loss journey. Embrace them. 

That is the best weight loss plan for women over 50. 

But How Do I Know If It’s Working?

If you are in a calorie deficit and losing fat, you should start to notice your clothes fitting looser. You should start to notice your waist is getting smaller. You should start to notice that the scale is going down. It can take time to get the numbers that are going to work for you. But, try whatever numbers you got from the calculator and be consistent with those numbers for at least 30 days. Do not change them until you have tried it for 30 days and been consistent for 30 days. You don’t have to be 100 percent consistent, but you want at least 80 percent consistency. That usually equates to about 5 off days during the month. If you try for a month and are at 80 percent and are seeing results, that’s great. The next month try for 85 or 90 percent consistency. That’s the key. That’s the golden ticket.

The thing is being aware of what is going on and taking the steps to be where you want to be in your body. These years are our best years. Zoom out and see how you want to be living your life. Keep moving. Your body will thank you later. 

Find what works for you and live your best life into those 50s. 

Diet Culture and Changing For Good

Diet Culture and Changing For Good

The word diet. The word implies sacrifice. The word implies deprivation. The word implies restriction. The word implies fun killer. And then we think a little bit more and keto, intermittent fasting, low carb, grapefruit and whatever other “diet” comes to mind. Actually, Dictionary tells