About Better Bodies

When you do what you love, work isn’t work. I love learning about psychology and how it permeates into all facets of our life. I want to help people be happy... happy with their nutrition and exercise choices, happy with their work, happy with life. This book’s central tenet is happiness comes before success, not success then happiness. So losing those 20 lbs wont bring happiness, happiness will help you lose the 20 lbs. Learning about positive psychology and its foundation of happiness is so interesting and applicable with my work and life itself.

I am so excited to announce that I am now ACCEPTING CLIENTS!

If you have been struggling with your eating habits and fat loss, I would love to help you change your behaviors related to eating and exercise each step of the way. No quick fixes/30-Day cuts here, heck you may even gain a little weight like I did in the beginning, but it will be all worth it in the long run. With guidance and accountability, you will feel empowered to make the changes you’ve always wanted to!

Health coaching entails a 1 hr face-to-face (or phone) interview to learn about you and your unique relationship with food and exercise. From there, we develop an action plan and get started right away with habit change. Slow and steady wins the race and that is how we will play it too. Slow and steady, starting with success with small habit changes instead of 0 to 180 and a crash and burn. Each week, you’ll check in via a 30 min phone call and also have unlimited support mid-week via email.

This is a long term commitment. 3 month minimum, but ideally 6 months or longer. $75 initial phone call. $100 a month there after. You have to have some skin in the game (aka part of the accountability piece) in order to follow through.

Even more so, you have to be willing to focus on the process vs. the results. The results will happen once your process (aka habits) match the habits needed to attain your ideal physique.
Everyone’s goal is different, everyone’s life is different and everyone’s plan will be different and move at its own pace. But either way, I promise you’ll get there! And along the way the mental benefits will most likely outweigh the physical. Because when we are happy with ourselves and our actions, we attack each day with optimism and productivity!
I can’t wait to start helping to change lives! DM me or email me at [email protected] to get started! Coaching spots VERY limited! .

Not your typical transformation Tuesday post...one year later, same shirt, same pose,...bigger butt (among other things😂) Why share? Because the transformation that I’m posting about is the mental one occurring right now.

First picture:
⭐️avid macro/calorie counter to a T
⭐️ate 6 small mini-meals a day, hungry every 2-3hrs, but never felt fully satisfied, always thinking about food
⭐️worked out 6 days a week, felt guilt if a workout was missed
⭐️used heart rate monitor to know calories burned ⭐️ scared to eat at a restaurant or social event because calories/macros unknown
⭐️no self-control during unstructured eating situations because I relied solely on calorie counting for portion control ⭐️many foods “off-limits” during the week, so on un-tracked days, I would go buck wild and eat ev.er.y.thing
Second picture
⭐️working on intuitive eating with portion control related to hunger cues
⭐️3-4 meals a day, satisfying meals, don’t think about food for hours, eat again when hungry
⭐️works out 4-5 times a week, missing a workout is not the end of the world
⭐️uses heart rate monitor to see heart rate only so I know if my heart is getting challenged to the right intensity
⭐️eats at restaurants and social occasions with more self control
⭐️no foods “off-limits”
Why did I make the change? Because I couldn’t live that way anymore. I was sick of calorie counting and sick of my extreme eating behaviors. How did I do it? Through the guidance and accountability of a health coach, who I currently still use.
I may be 5-10 lbs heavier but I have a MUCH healthier relationship with food. I am a work in progress, decades of disordered food habits don’t go away in a couple of months, but I know, if I keep on working on myself and my eating habits, I will get to a place where I am as lean as I would like to be AND live a life I enjoy! .

I took an instagram break for Spring Break but I didn’t stop my journey of self improvement! I seriously could not put this book down over break...so many thought-provoking insights into habit formation/cessation and action steps to change your life in this book! I got home and then took notes on habits I wanted to improve and made a plan on how to start (yup, I’m a nerd like that and proud of it😉) By far, the most important take-away for me was the point on repetition and how every instance of not performing my new habit is actually a repetition solidifying an old habit or inaction. Whole new perspective on the ol’ “I’ll do it next time” excuse I used way too often. If you’re ready to start your own journey to reach your full potential, buy this book immediately! yourhabitsmakeyou

I don’t usually post on the weekends but THIS just spoke to me...all kinds of YES! And how i strive to live my life! 😘😘😘happy weekend all!

Chicken Salad is my jam and I love eating it guilt free. Weekends can be tough to stay on track but easier with lower calorie options of your favorite foods!

Here is my recipe! Super easy!

1. Mix chicken, apple chunks, diced celery, red grape halves and pecans (optional).
2. Add wet ingredients: plain greek yogurt and light mayonnaise.
3. Combine well and serve over salad greens of your choice or on wheat bread for a sammie!
4. Amounts of each vary, will post the amounts I used in comments!

Last but not least...Day 3 Workout: Legs

Leg Press
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls or Lying Leg Curls
Glute Machine
Standing Calf Raises

When I need to get in and out, I do this quick circuit on the machines. Keeping it simple and hitting the major muscles in the lower body is all you need!

Last but not least...Day 3 Workout: Legs

Leg Press
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls or Lying Leg Curls
Glute Machine
Standing Calf Raises

When I need to get in and out, I do this quick circuit on the machines. Keeping it simple and hitting the major muscles in the lower body is all you need!

Here’s Day 2’s workout!

Same rules and make sure you warm-up first by doing 2-3 sets of the first move only for each body part at 50% then 75% of the weight you do for the actual workout (a weight you can only do 8-12 reps)

Day 2: Back, Biceps, Abs

Barbell Deadlift (optional)
Cable Row
One-Arm Bentover Dumbbell Row
Barbell Bicep Curl
Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Exercise Ball Crunches (3 sets, each 60 sec)

Great tips for the Clean & Press in Body Pump!

Use a countermovement during a clean or wide high pull for greater power production. This action involves lowering into a shallow squat immediately before raising bar up the body. If you have an appropriately heavy weight, lift your heels off the ground at the same time that you are pulling bar up.

note: YES! It is OK to lift heels off ground to initiate BOTH a clean (first portion of clean & press) or a wide high pull.

note: If you can perform a forward raise or a reverse biceps curl with the weight on the bar, it is not heavy enough to complete an effective clean & press or wide high pull. Add more weight.

I am (1) crunched for time (isn’t everyone with kids?!) and (2) not trying to be in a women’s body building competition. I need quick, easy, effective workouts. I can only do resistance training 3 days a week so I made a 3 day split to hit all major body parts and wanted to share!
NOTES:
1. Do heavy enough weight to do between 8-12 reps. If can do more, go up in weight
2. 3 sets each move.
3. 1-2 minutes rest between sets.
4. Takes 30-45 min depending on rest time.
5. If you do cardio, do it after weight training.
6. Record the weight used and reps for each set so you can see strength gains. (DM for doc for all three workouts!)
7. Do the same workout for 4-6 weeks to see how your strength increases.

Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Flat Bench Barbell Press
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Lateral Side Raise
Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions
Rope Tricep Pressdown

Weightlifting will not get you bulky unless you have fat on top. When you lose fat through diet changes, you will get the toned look instead of the “skinny fat” look. So get lifting! I will post the other workouts later this week!

It’s March and if you want to lose a few pounds before summer, it all happens in the kitchen! Loved this tasty, filling, low calorie EASY breakfast today...egg whites, fat free cheddar cheese, low calorie bread and strawberries and blueberries. YUM!