Smart Fit Womxn, Author at SmartFitWomxn

Healthy Living: The Great Experiment

March 3, 2020March 3, 2020
by Smart Fit Womxn

You have high hopes heading into the New Year. You’re clear on your goals and you’ve determined steps for achieving them. Your new year of life is looking bright, and no one can stop you! But then…

Life happens.

You or one of your loved ones catches the latest winter bug going around. Or you have big projects with fast-approaching deadlines to complete at work. Or your parents are aging, and you decide to spend more time helping them do things around the house. Or you begin a new semester and all the things you’ll have to do in a few short months are glaring at you from the syllabus. Or you’re realizing the toll a new baby AND a toddler are taking on your energy. Or your best friend is getting married, and you’ve taken on the role of bachelorette party coordinator…for 11 bridesmaids.

Can you relate?

It seems even when we set out with the best intentions to create a healthier life, things inevitably try to get in the way.

So, what do we do?

There is one big mindset shift that can change everything, and help you make progress on those goals:

Viewing healthy living as your great life experiment.

What does this mean? Rather than looking at our goals as win-lose (it’s a win when you achieve them, and a lose when you don’t), you can look at them as win-learn¹. When you decide to learn from yourself and about yourself while working to achieve your goals, you find meaning even in the times you don’t succeed.

You gather information, much like any scientist, from what worked, what didn’t work, and from there, you can determine what to do next time. As you acquire information, you find ways to creatively overcome the obstacles that arise when “life” happens.

Additionally, you eliminate all or nothing thinking. This mindset is more of a hindrance than a help on the path toward a healthier life. All or nothing thinking says “I missed that workout, so I guess I’ll quit going to the gym this week, and start again next week,” or “I ate more sweets than I wanted to this morning. I’ve blown it trying to eat healthier, so I’ll eat whatever today and try again tomorrow.”

All or nothing thinking tells us if we’re not PERFECTLY performing, we might as well not try at all. But win-learn thinking tells us “Hey, that didn’t work, but what are the takeaways? How can I be successful later today?”

Eliminating this perfectionism allows us to show kindness to ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather follow a thoughtful, kind leader than a harsh taskmaster.

If you find yourself struggling to keep up with the goals you set for 2020, don’t despair. Instead, find ways to adopt win-learn thinking and see those small wins add up to something big.

If you’d like assistance changing your mindset, you’re in the right place! As wellness coaches, we coach you through setting and reviewing goals, so you can have dedicated time to being the investigative scientist into your own life. Ready to make a dent in those goals? Sign up for wellness coaching today!

Another helpful resource: “Never press ‘pause’ on your health and fitness again.”²

Written by:
Brittni Paris
Wellness Coach & Blogger

Credits:
¹Moore, M., Tschannen-Moran, B., & Jackson, E. (2016). Coaching psychology manual (2^nd edition). Wolters Kluwer.
²Precision Nutrition: precisionnutrition.com
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Be the best version of you!

What if the problem isn’t your motivation?

January 24, 2020January 24, 2020
by Smart Fit Womxn

Yep-that’s right. What if the frustration you feel when trying to live a healthy lifestyle isn’t due to a lack of motivation or even willpower? What if there was something else going on?

What if you don’t know what you really want?

Woah. Let that sink in for a moment.

“How could you even ask me that?” you might be thinking. “Of course I know what I want! I want a body that looks good in all my clothes and in pictures. I want a body I love and I want to feel good in it.”

That’s all well and good. But you may have simply scratched the surface into your true desires.

Let’s experiment a bit.

Close your eyes, and picture yourself living your healthiest life. What would you feel like? What would be happening in and around you? What would you be doing? Where would you be? Who would be with you?

Get as detailed as possible with this picture in mind. Then, ask yourself a very simple question:

Why?

Why do you want to feel that way? Why did you picture yourself that way? Why did you picture those particular people around you? Why did you picture yourself doing certain things?

The reality is, we typically don’t sit still long enough to really dig deep into the motivation behind what we say we desire. Because of this, we don’t truly know what we want!

For example, when I picture my healthiest lifestyle, I envision waking up at sunrise, meeting up with friends for a morning surf session. My body is strong and limber as I swim through the waves and balance on my board. The rush of the cool water and the waves is invigorating and stays with me for the rest of the day.

Why does this picture come to mind? Perhaps it reveals a longing to enjoy my favorite part of nature and share that love with those I most care about. Perhaps it reveals a longing to prove to myself that I can hone the skill it takes to master surfing. Perhaps what is means is, my real motivation for getting healthy is not only to look and feel good, it’s to experience connection with friends while fully enjoying this grand world-and THAT’S a powerful antidote to the lack of motivation I can at times experience.

When what we really desire is this tangible to us, it’s tangible enough to make the necessary changes in our lives to make it happen.

This is good news.

It means you’re not worse than someone who seems to be crushing it with their healthy habits. It means you didn’t miss out on some sort of motivation gene that others must have. Rather, it means your motivation, your “why”, is in there, deep down. It’s simply waiting for you to uncover it.

Wellness coaching is the art of uncovering motivation. If you don’t want to go through this process alone, sign up for wellness coaching today! We love helping womxn find their motivation and live the healthy lives they’ve longed for.

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo credits:
Photo by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash
Photo by Erke Rysdauletov on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Navigating the Holiday Season Well

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

The holidays have an uncanny ability to bring up all kinds of emotions-ranging from joy, anticipation, and excitement, to dread, sadness, and loneliness. It can be a wonderful time with friends and family or a tough time with friends and family. Or perhaps a little bit of both!

A healthy approach to the holidays takes into account the emotions this season carries. We care for ourselves more fully by recognizing the connectedness between our emotions and our physical wellbeing.

A great practice is to be mindful this season of how you’re feeling. If you’re experiencing negative emotions, ask yourself what need is going unmet. Then, take steps to meet that need. For example, take a break, get outside, say “no” to something, say “yes” to something, call a loved one, ask for help, or find a way to serve others. If you’re experiencing positive emotions, ask yourself what need is being met, then pause for a moment of gratitude and recognize what led to that moment.

This mindfulness practice is not only helpful for our emotions and having our needs met (during the holidays and otherwise), but it can also help us with the more common healthy lifestyle practices: nutrition and exercise.

When we check in on our emotions and our needs, we may hear things like the following:

“I’m really feeling drained. Perhaps the food I’ve been putting into my body is contributing to this.”

“I’m feeling a bit lonely and desiring connection. Perhaps I should join my friend in that workout class.”

“I’m feeling very grateful for my health. Perhaps I can embody that today by going on a run.”

“I’m feeling joyful and celebratory. I’d love to make holiday treats for my coworkers and invite them to share in the celebration!”

“I’m feeling stressed out by the amount of holiday activities I said “yes” to. I think I’ll ask for help where I need it, and respectfully bow out of activities that aren’t a high priority to me.”

“I’m feeling especially exhausted. I think I’ll bypass my workout today and take a nap instead.”

You can see from these examples that checking in with yourself actually sounds very kind. It’s like asking a friend, “Hey-how are you doing? Is there anything I can help you with so you can thrive?”

It’s also good to note that checking in with yourself doesn’t always mean the outcome will be choosing to work out or forgoing the sweets and treats of the holiday season. The point, rather, is to trust the messages your body is telling you, honor those messages, and make decisions from there*.

Why would we do this? Ultimately, the healthier, more energized, and more fulfilled we are, the more present we can be to the events and activities of the season and to the people around us that we care about.

When we’re present, we can actually notice how many blessings we have and see that truly, there are always things to be grateful for. We can be fully alive and fully able to enjoy the moment. And this is the path to true health-in mind and body.

One final thought: as wellness coaches, we walk you through listening to your feelings and needs, which shed light on your internal motivators and ability to succeed with the goals you set. If discovering motivation to pursue your health goals is what you’ve been looking for, reach out to work with a wellness coach today!

No matter what you’re facing this holiday season, be it tough things, wonderful things, or a mixture of the two, we wish you an abundance of health and joy, peace and light.

*If listening to your body is a foreign idea, or a very, very tough one due to years of shame toward your body, and/or experiences with disordered eating or eating disorders, know that there is hope. One resource we’d like to suggest is Robyn of “The Real Life RD”. Robyn does an excellent job of providing resources (paid and free) regarding this range of experiences. Additionally, counseling is a great way to get assistance when we find ourselves hitting a wall in our pursuit of health.

Written by: Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash
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Be the best version of you!

Do Small Steps Really Matter?

October 30, 2019November 1, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

Dispelling the myth that a healthy lifestyle requires all or nothing commitment

Let’s start with a question. When you’ve considered making health changes in the past, how many times have you thought you needed to completely overhaul your life to do so?

For instance, if you got your numbers back on a yearly physical and realized you could make some changes to get those numbers into a healthier range, would you start thinking the following…

“I guess I could eat a little better. And that means I shouldn’t eat my nightly dessert anymore. And I probably shouldn’t go out for fast food with coworkers each Friday. And my Starbucks Frappuccino, that’s going to have to go. And I’m only going to eat clean food! I don’t actually know what “clean” means, but my friend Kim was telling me she was eating clean, so that seems like something I should do.”

“Oh, and then there’s exercise! I’m going to have to hire a personal trainer. Thankfully there’s a gym down the street and they have trainers. I’m going to need that person to kick my butt. I’ve been lazy, so I need that. If I can’t find someone who makes me sweat, then it’s not worth my money! Gotta sweat for it to count, right??”

Has this ever been the rabbit hole your brain has gone down when you’ve considered making changes for your heath?

If so, don’t worry! You’re not alone.

We’ve seen for our clients and ourselves that this all or nothing thinking is pervasive when we consider making changes that impact our health. It makes sense, as the fitness industry has made a lot of money advertising quick, “guaranteed” fixes to us. These quick fixes aren’t typically sustainable and can be drastic in nature. This leads us to think we need to make drastic changes to improve our health, otherwise we’re not doing it right.

But the problem with this thinking is we often get overwhelmed attempting to completely change our habits, and we simply quit and do nothing at all.

What if there was another way?

What if the goal instead was to move the needle forward, if ever so slightly?

Think about the following statement:

“I don’t have the capacity right now to hire a personal trainer and get to the gym, but I could take a walk once a week on my lunch break.”

How do you feel when you read that statement?

Does something rise up in you that says “But that’s not enough! I need to be crushing it at the gym to be healthy!”?

Again, this all or nothing mentality is PERVASIVE. This means it’s lodged deep down inside us. The key, then, is to start recognizing when we jump to these grand conclusions about what we need to do to be healthy, and realize this…

The walk you DO take is far healthier than the gym workout you DON’T do.

When we realize the options are “do everything perfectly, but eventually get overwhelmed and quit because it’s not sustainable” or “make small, sustainable health changes that may not feel like a lot right now but will add up over time,” it starts becoming easier to see which is the better choice in the long run.

So the next time you start heading down the rabbit hole of all the habits you need to change to be healthier, we want you to picture a spectrum chart like the one below and think, “What would it take to move the needle forward?”

Remember-doing something small every day (or most days) adds up over time and is ALWAYS better and more beneficial to your health than the grand, “perfect” habits you eventually quit because they aren’t sustainable.

If you’d like assistance in figuring out what small, sustainable habits would move the needle forward in your life, you’re in luck!

That’s exactly what we help our clients figure out when they work with us. Click here to sign up for wellness coaching and get started on making small changes that add up over time. Your first appointment is free, so why not get started today?

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by Devin Edwards on Unsplash
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Why a Lack in Creativity is Keeping You from…

September 11, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

I was out on a morning run (I can usually talk myself into 1-2 of those per week), when I saw them.

A group of women, circled up, all wearing activewear and doing lunges.

“Okay,” you might think. “That seems pretty normal. What’s so interesting about this scenario?”

But what I didn’t mention was that these women were clearly moms. How did I know? They were all doing lunges…next to their STROLLERS.

“What an amazing idea!” I thought as I stopped listening to my podcast and pondered what I’d just seen.

These women represented a lot to me in that moment.

Women who were busy-but were still exercising.

Women who were consistently sacrificing for a little person (or people) they loved-but were still exercising.

Women who rallied together with others in their same stage of life-and helped one another keep exercising.

The biggest reason people give for not exercising is a lack of time¹. Though I didn’t know any of the women personally, I’m guessing they didn’t have a lot of time either. If any of you currently have, or have had, kids who were still small enough to ride in strollers, you know that time is not your greatest resource.

But instead of giving up and giving into a perfectly understandable reason not to exercise, these women got CREATIVE.

They found others who would hold them accountable, all while empathizing with the ups and downs of having small children. They found a space in a little corner of a park and figured out a creative way to exercise.

The point of sharing this story isn’t to say we all should mimic exactly what these women were doing, nor is it to shame us if we haven’t been exercising-whether due to little kids, lack of time, lack of workout partners, etc. Rather, the point is to learn from these women. On our journey towards health, sometimes a dose of creativity, like they exemplified, allows us to overcome obstacles to make the changes we desire.

So-how about you?

Is there something in your health journey you’d like to change, but you can only see the barriers, challenges, or lack of resources standing in your way?

What would a dose of creativity do to help you overcome those obstacles and pursue the changes you want to make?

How can creativity fuel the healthy life you long to live?

Note: Sometimes we can run out of ideas ourselves, and our creativity can be jogged by inviting someone else in to help with our health journey. A wellness coach can do just that! By meeting with a wellness coach, you have a guide, an outside perspective, looking at your health journey with fresh eyes. Through a coach’s questions and reflections, you can dream up new options you’d never thought of before. And someone just might be writing a blog post about how inspiring YOUR creativity was to them!

Want to keep that creativity alive and work with a wellness coach? Simply follow the steps below and get started today!

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:

¹Riebe, D., Ehrman, J.K. Liguori, G., & Magal, M. (Eds.). (2018). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription(10^thed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.

Photo Credits:
Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash
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Be the best version of you!

Welcome to Smart Fit Womxn!

July 4, 2019July 4, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

Welcome to Smart Fit Womxn! We’re so glad you clicked on this post. Here you’ll find the one thing we think will revolutionize your health (spoiler alert: it’s wellness coaching!), how we seek to serve you with your health goals, and how you can get started working with a wellness coach today!

You know you want to live a healthy life. You want to look and feel your best, having energy to live out your full potential, be there for your kids and grandkids, or simply enjoy the body you’re in. But each tip, trick, new exercise, or new diet you’ve tried has only left you feeling worse about yourself when you inevitably give it up because it’s not sustainable.

We get it.

It seems like new habits won’t stick, as if we’re all doomed to living in a perpetual state of unhealth and low energy. Simultaneously, we’re bombarded with expectations of what we should look like to be beautiful, successful womxn. The whole system makes us feel like failures.

Enter wellness coaching.

When you work with a wellness coach, you uncover your deepest internal motivation for why you want to get healthy, which will then inform the goals you set. Why is this a better process? Instead of listening to the outside voices of what you should be doing, you find what actually drives you and we help you leverage that to make sustainable changes. Turns out the magic happens when we stop “shoulding” on ourselves.

And you know what? People are seeing success.

The research on wellness coaching is in its beginning stages, but the outcomes are promising. When used as an adjunct therapy, coaching shows positive psychological outcomes for cancer patients, lowered A1C values for diabetics, and improved risk factors for heart disease patients¹. And while more studies are needed, coaching has the potential to be a valuable method of helping with weight reduction in obese patients and effectively increasing exercise and healthy eating behaviors.^1,2,3,4,5

Why this success? Coaching helps you pair your personal motivators with your unique strengths and resources, so you can achieve your health goals in the midst of real life.

And that’s not all.

A wellness coach will help you clarify your own personal vision of health, which will take that ambiguous phrase “I want to be healthier” and turn it into a detailed picture of what success on your health journey looks like to YOU.

So, how do you get started? It’s easy. Simply follow the steps below:

Sign up here!
Watch for an email from us to set up your first online appointment (the first one is free!) and fill out a health form so we can get to know you better
Your coach will call you on Skype or Zoom when it’s time to meet!

We’re tired of seeing womxn feel like they’re failing at living healthy lives. Let go of the old cycle of starting and quitting unsustainable health habits and begin working with us today!

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:
¹Sforzo, G.A., Kaye, M.P., Todorova, I., Harenberg, S., Costello, K., Cobus-Kuo, L.,…Moore, M. (2017). Compendium of the health and wellness coaching literature. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 12(6): 436-447. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827617708562

²Clark, M.M., Bradley, K.L., Jenkins, S.M., Mettler, E.A., Larson, B.G., Preston, H.R.,…Vickers Douglas, K.S. (2015). Improvements in health behaviors, eating self-efficacy, and goal-setting skills following participation in wellness coaching. American Journal of Health Promotion, 30(6): 458-464. https://doi.org/10.4278/ajhp.140627-QUAL-304

³Blackwell, J., Collins, M., Scribner, C., Guillen, J., Moses, K., Gregory-Mercado, K. Health and wellness coaching implemented by trainees: impact in worksite wellness. (2019). Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2164956119831226

⁴Rutten, G.M., Meis, J.J., Hendriks, M.R., Hamers, F.J., Veenhof, C., Kremers, S.P. (2014). The contribution of lifestyle coaching of overweight patients in primary care to more autonomous motivation for physical activity and healthy dietary behaviour: results of a longitudinal study. Int J Behav Nurt Phys Act., 11(86). DOI: 10.1186/s12966-014-0086-z.

⁵Lancha, A.H., Sforzo, G.A., Pereira-Lancha, L.O. (2018). Improving nutritional habits with no diet prescription details of a nutritional coaching process. Am J Lifestyle Med. 12: 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827616636616

Photo Credits:
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
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Be the best version of you!

Want to Live Your Healthiest Life? Three (More) Behaviors…

April 26, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

Last month, we discussed three behaviors to reflect on that can move us forward in our health journeys. You can check that out here if you missed it!

This month, we’re talking about three more behaviors you can start today. Rest assured, these are not meant to upend your life, but rather they are small tweaks that, over time, will actually have a large effect on your health. Small steps, when taken consistently, add up to big change. (For more on this topic, check out Aimee Suen and her Small Steps podcast!)

As a reminder from last month, you can look at each of these behaviors through the lens of the diagram below, answering “yes” or “no” according to what you’re already doing. Based on your answer, the diagram will give you the next step(s) to take.

Are you ready? If so, snag your journal or piece of paper so you can jot down your answers as you think about them.

3 more behaviors (broken down into smaller parts) that will help you live a health-filled life:

Planning
- Nutrition
  1. I schedule time to make a shopping list and shop for groceries (either online or in person)
  2. I plan ahead for when I will cook or meal prep
- Movement
  1. I plan out when I will exercise each day (and have a back-up plan in mind for when “life” happens)
- Money
  1. I plan how I will spend my money so I’m not (unpleasantly!) surprised at the end of each month
- Rest and rejuvenation
  1. I build in transition time between running from one thing to the next
  2. I keep open space on my calendar for resting and relaxing
  3. I plan specific time to do things (either by myself or with loved ones) that rejuvenate me

Social support
- Time
  1. I make time for relationships, especially top priority ones
- Help
  1. I ask for help when I need it and offer to help others when I am able and willing
- Teammates
  1. I have people in my life who are cheering me on to be the best version of myself

Spiritual
- I take time to pray, meditate, journal, reflect, be in nature, be with community, or some other practice to promote the health of my soul
- I have a place or people I can go to, and/or habits established that cultivate peace of mind and rest from the constant busyness of life

Remember, as you go through each of these, it’s important to pause and celebrate the things you’re already doing. Well done! Recognize the benefits you’re receiving from incorporating these things into your life and keep it up. If you’re not already practicing some or all of these things, this is not a cause for shame. Rather, this is a place to start, and we suggest picking one behavior at a time on which to focus your efforts. As we said before, small steps, when taken consistently over time, will add up to big change.

As we close out this two-part blog series, we wanted to give you a bonus behavior that will help you live your healthiest life: seeking professional help. This can come in an array of forms, from counseling, to chiropractors or physical therapists, to personal trainers, to doctors, to dieticians/nutritionists, and, of course, wellness coaches!

It is never a sign of weakness, rather it is a sign of strength, to ask for professional help when you feel stuck in your progress, or you just want someone who has the tools to help guide you on your health journey. If you think this would be right for you, take the next step today to get connected with one of these providers.

As always, we would be honored to work with you as your wellness coaches! Feel free to reach out on our website, Facebook, or Instagram, and we’d be happy to provide you with more details.

Until next time, cheers to making progress on your health journey!

Written by:
Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by rishikesh yogpeeth on Unsplash
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Photo by Peter Boccia on Unsplash
Photo by Juan Jose on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Want to Live Your Healthiest Life? Three Behaviors You…

March 1, 2019May 1, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

Over the past two months, we’ve been discussing the difference between focusing on weight loss and focusing on healthy behaviors (you can catch up by reading this and this!). But what exactly are the behaviors that will lead to living our best, healthiest lives?

For starters, it’s not the typical “overhaul everything in my life that’s unhealthy and only do healthy things from here on out” sort of lifestyle.

If you’ve ever tried that approach, you know it’s extremely hard to maintain. Instead, we advocate for a more gracious approach in light of all the things you’re already doing in your life: working, parenting, going to school, maintaining relationships, being awesome, etc.

So, to keep us from the all or nothing approach, a helpful way to think about these behaviors is through a simple check-in with yourself. Ask “Am I pursuing this already?” and if so, take a moment to celebrate the ways you’re currently prioritizing your health and the benefits these behaviors have brought to your life. If you’re not pursuing a behavior, have compassion on yourself. We all have to begin somewhere, and we all (including us wellness coaches!) have things we can do to improve our health. So, consider which behavior you would like to start, then jot down the next small step you can take to begin incorporating this behavior into your life. Here’s a diagram you can use as you peruse the list at the end of this post:

Notice that working on one behavior at a time is plenty, especially if you’re in a particularly busy season of life.

Change takes time and effort, so we’re more likely to stick with something when we allow ourselves to focus on one change at a time, and set small, achievable goals around that behavior. Then, when we see success, we’ll gain the confidence and momentum to continue.

Are you ready? If so, grab a pen and paper, or open up a Word doc or “Notes” app, and consider these behaviors using the diagram above:

3 behaviors (broken down into smaller parts) that will help you live a health-filled life:

Paying Attention
1. Nutrition
  1. I take a moment to recognize how my food/drink made me feel after consuming it, and whether I have higher or lower energy afterwards.
  2. I pay attention to whether or not my food/drink choices bring me pleasure when consuming them.
  3. I know whether or not I feel better abstaining from certain things rather than trying to eat/drink/experience them in moderation.
2. Movement
  1. I check in to see how I feel after I take time to exercise, and whether I have higher or lower energy afterwards.
3. Rest
  1. I check in to see how I feel after taking a nap or getting adequate sleep at night.
4. Hobbies
  1. I check in to see how I feel after taking time to do something I love, like a hobby, favorite pastime, spending time alone or with a close friend/family member.
5. Energy
  1. I pay attention to what gives me energy and what drains my energy.
  2. I recognize that I am an introvert/extrovert and need alone time/people time to fuel me.
Nutrition
1. I shop the perimeter of the grocery store when my budget allows, so that I can consume less processed foods.
2. I cook a majority of my meals at home so I have more control over the ingredients I ingest.
3. During a majority of my meals, I ensure half of my plate consists of fruits and vegetables.
Movement
1. I have scheduled time to move/exercise in a way I enjoy.
2. I creatively find ways to move daily, even outside of scheduled exercise time.

We hope this reflection exercise encourages you as you think about the behaviors you’re already doing, as well as the behaviors you can start today to be on the path to your healthiest life. Join us on April 1 for the next post about three more health behaviors you can consider for your health journey!

Written by Brittni Paris, Wellness Coach & Blogger

Photo Credits:
Photo by Chris Murray on Unsplash
Photo by Emma Dau on Unsplash
Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash

Uncategorized

Weight a Minute, Part II: A chat about obesity…

February 1, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

We hope your new year is off to a great start! Last month, we began a discussion about some misconceptions of obesity in light of the fact that a reoccurring New Year’s resolution for Americans is to lose weight¹. This month, we continue our discussion regarding the misguided actions to treat obesity that stem from our misconceptions, and how wellness coaching is an ideal and essential alternative to these actions.

Misguided Actions to Treat Obesity
When we work from the misconceptions we have of obesity, this leads us to take misguided actions to treat or “cure” it. The Huffington Post article we’ve been referencing states these actions can come from a variety of sources. Healthcare providers may find themselves addressing weight with a patient whether or not that patient came in to discuss weight loss, and this may be due to regulations that require this if someone has a certain BMI. Additionally, doctors may be put in situations where they must discuss nutrition and exercise with patients, but lack the training and education to do so, or enough time to really figure out what would be helpful for their patients individually².

Though the intentions may be good, both parties can feel defeated in this scenario. Patients may think their weight is always the most important thing to discuss, and yet feel as though they don’t have the right tools to do anything about it, while doctors may feel like they aren’t adequately assisting and equipping their patients².

At a more macro level, insurance and governmental policies can be counterproductive when it comes to obesity, as well. Insurance companies don’t cover many sessions with dieticians or for behavioral therapy-things that can prove beneficial when someone aspires to lose weight². Health intervention programs usually want to see success in the form of weight loss, and this desire may be coming from governmental grant funding focused on driving down U.S. obesity rates.

On a personal level, friends and family may try to help a loved one lose weight thinking this will help them be happier and healthier, and yet instead the person feels ashamed, and may even pursue unhealthy behaviors in response to the actions of their family and friends².

So, all of this begs the question: What if we are focusing on the wrong thing?

What if instead of focusing on weight, we focused on health?

By focusing on health, we can look at other numbers besides weight, such as blood glucose and cholesterol levels. We can take a more holistic approach, by assessing mental, emotional, and spiritual health, in addition to physical health. And we can focus more on building healthy habits and behaviors, rather than zeroing in on weight loss.

How would a focus on health change the above scenarios?

Would the doctors feel less pressure to always discuss weight with their patients, and perhaps be able to focus on getting them to their optimal level of health? Would patients feel less apprehension when going to see the doctor, knowing that they won’t always have to discuss their weight? And what if doctors partnered with nutrition and exercise specialists, and could refer patients to these specialists for more individualized care?

What if insurance companies covered more benefits that increased our health status, whether or not we’re currently sick, so that our bodies were functioning at their highest capacity? What if health interventions were focused on getting folks healthier, regardless of whether or not they lose weight? What if these interventions could get funding simply for increasing the health of their participants?

These are certainly worthy goals we want to pursue, but as the Huffington Post article mentions, widespread change takes time².

In the meantime, there is hope for a better way.

Here at Smart Fit Chicks, we work with women of all backgrounds, sizes, colors, and shapes, and our goal is to help you pursue the healthiest version of you.

How do we do this?

We are trained as wellness coaches, which means we walk you through determining what living a healthy life means to YOU and what goals you want to pursue to achieve that. We assist you in uncovering your strengths, recognizing the resources available to you that will help you be successful, and problem solving with you when you face challenges along the way. AND…we focus less on outcomes, like weight loss, and more on creating and maintaining the habits and behaviors that will help you live a healthy life.

So, if you find yourself relating to one or more of the scenarios listed above and you’re ready to try something new, or if you feel like you’re already losing momentum on those New Year’s resolutions, wellness coaching may be perfect for you. You can sign up here and ask us any questions before getting started.

It’s not too late to make 2019 your healthiest year yet. And wellness coaching can help you get there.

Written by: Brittni Paris, SFC wellness coach & blogger

Sources:

¹K McGrath. (2018, December 13). What will consumers buy in 2019? Retrieved from: https://www.offers.com/blog/post/new-year-purchase-predictions/

²Hobbes, M. (2018, September 18). Everything you know about obesity is wrong. Huffington Post. Retrieved from: https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/

Photo Credits:

https://www.apwuhp.com/how-to-start-exercising-when-you-are-overweight/

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

Photo by henri meilhac on Unsplash

Uncategorized

Weight a Minute, Part I: A chat about obesity…

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019
by Smart Fit Womxn

It’s that time of year again: New Year’s resolution time! Perhaps you’ve decided to make one or more for yourself in 2019. It’s perfectly natural to feel like we’re ready for a fresh start when we turn the calendar page. (To read more about why this is a good time to start new habits, check out this post and this post). Or perhaps you’ve sworn off making resolutions, as you’ve eventually discarded more resolutions than you’ve kept.

Regardless of how you feel about resolution-making, odds are that you’ll hear a lot of talk about them in the next few weeks. One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions will inevitably resurface: losing weight¹. It seems that this is a reoccurring goal for us each year, which is why we thought it would be a good time to discuss a recent article from the Huffington Post entitled “Everything You Know about Obesity is Wrong”. This article definitely gave us some food for thought regarding some misunderstandings about obesity and the consequential misguided attempts to treat it².

Misunderstandings about Obesity

When thinking about obesity and weight loss, we tend to simplify things a bit too much. For instance, you may have heard about the equation consisting of calories in and calories out. Calories in refers to the calories you consume through eating and drinking, while calories out refers to the energy you expend through exercise and generally moving throughout the day. If one side of the equation is larger than the other, we’re either losing weight or gaining weight, and if both sides of the equation are equal, we’re maintaining our weight. We can sum this up below:

Calories in > Calories out = Weight Gain

Calories in < Calories out = Weight Loss

Calories in = Calories out = Weight Maintenance

Pretty simple, right? Sort of. Actually, calories in is much more complex, starting with the fact that our food labels aren’t 100% accurate. So, we may not know exactly how many calories we’re consuming. Even if we did know the exact amount, our bodies vary in how many calories we absorb once our food has been digested.

Calories out isn’t as straightforward as it sounds either. Though it does consist of the calories we expend during exercise, it also includes the calories we expend just to keep ourselves alive (also known as our resting metabolic rate), calories we expend digesting our food, and calories we expend doing non-exercise activity (think fidgeting or doing dishes).

So, when someone decides they would like to lose (or gain) weight, it’s not necessarily a simple task of eating less (or more) or exercising more (or less). Not to mention, we all vary in how our bodies process food and how high or low our resting metabolic rates are³.

Another misconception about obesity is that losing weight is something we can fully control. If the equation really was so simple as eating less and exercising more, then this might be true. However, to think this way means we forget that our lives aren’t just affected by our own personal decisions, beliefs, and behaviors, but also by things out of our control, like our genetic makeup, our socioeconomic status, our environments, our access to healthy food and safe places to exercise, our education level, our relationships with significant others, friends, family, our jobs, our free time (or lack thereof), and so on. We also can’t forget that when we alter one side of the equation or the other, our bodies can respond by changing up our hormone levels. Once again, we find the equation is not so simple.

A final misconception is that being thin does not necessarily equate to being healthy. Much like judging a book by its cover (something we all teach our kids not to do), judging a body size for its level of health can lead us to incorrect assumptions. For instance, one can have a high BMI (a measurement of weight to height) but have a low body fat percentage and excellent bloodwork. Conversely, one can have a low BMI, but have a high body fat percentage and bloodwork indicative of disease. Recognizing that weight is not necessarily synonymous with health is a helpful way to correct this misconception.

The problem with the above scenarios is that they can lead us to make harmful judgements about ourselves or others.

If we think we simply don’t have the willpower to make changes if we want to lose weight, or we look at others and assume they don’t have willpower or are unhealthy without actually knowing the status of their health, we reinforce the notion that we all must look a certain way to be healthy and thriving.

Next month, we’ll discuss the second part of our review of this article regarding the misguided actions to treat obesity that come from the above misconceptions. We’ll also dive into how wellness coaching is an excellent alternative to these actions and highlight how 2019 could be the year you stick with your resolutions (if you’re making them!).

If you simply can’t wait until then, you can learn more about wellness coaching here and here, as well as a method to help new habits stick. As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have!

We wish you all a very healthy, happy, and thriving 2019!

Written by: Brittni Paris, SFC Wellness Coach & Blogger

Sources:

¹K McGrath. (2018, December 13). What will consumers buy in 2019? Retrieved from: https://www.offers.com/blog/post/new-year-purchase-predictions/

³B St. Pierre. (No date). Can eating too little actually damage your metabolism? Retrieved from: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/metabolic-damage

Photo Credits:

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Photo by Form on Unsplash

Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

What Exactly is Wellness Coaching?

December 11, 2018December 11, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

We’re so glad you asked! You may have seen us posting that we’re offering a holiday deal on wellness coaching (if not, check this and this out!), and wondered what it is. You are not alone! Wellness coaching is relatively new to the health and fitness scene, so we’d love to share what it is and how it can be beneficial to you on your health journey.

Many of us know the basics about what we should do to live a healthy life. We generally know that we should exercise, eat healthy, get enough sleep, have healthy relationships, and not stress out too much. We may even know some of the details about how to do these things.

But, many of us aren’t doing what we know we should do to live healthy lives. Why is that?

There can be a variety of reasons, ranging from a lack of time or energy in the midst of a busy life, to feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. We may also lack access to safe places to exercise, healthy food
options, or support from loved ones to make healthy choices.¹ These are just a few of the barriers we face when considering making healthy changes.

So, we find ourselves in a place of having some knowledge, but little success in implementing that knowledge into our everyday lives. This can make us feel like living a consistently healthy life is frustrating and discouraging, rather than what it is supposed to be: freeing and life-giving.

Enter wellness coaching.

Working with a wellness coach can help you bridge the gap between knowing what you should do and actually doing it. You can think of us like a guide on your wellness journey: someone who comes alongside you, helps you clarify what a healthy life means to you (we call it your Wellness Vision), and points out the strengths and resources you have to succeed. We work with you to figure out how you can live the healthy life you want, even in the midst of your current circumstances.

How is this different from other “get healthy” schemes, you ask?

This is a great, and necessary, question. Unfortunately, there are many quick fixes and gimmicks out there (haven’t we all tried at least one?), that usually leave us feeling more discouraged than when we started. There are two main differences between wellness coaching and these schemes:

Wellness coaching isn’t concerned with fast results, but rather sustainable change. In fact, it’s backed by research to help produce changes that last.
Wellness coaching is designed to have YOU in charge. Though we coaches are trained and educated to give you the best information out there, you are actually the one who determines what changes you want to make, what goals you want to pursue, and how you want to go about doing so. Wellness coaching is tailored to you and your autonomy, which means you’re more likely to stick with healthy habits and goals…because you’re the one who made them!

We hope this gives you a bit of clarity on what wellness coaching is and how it can benefit your health journey. But don’t simply take our word for it. You can also hear from our clients about the successes they’ve found thanks to wellness coaching.

Our goal here at Smart Fit Chicks is to help you define your vision of health and feel empowered to become the best version of yourself. If you’re ready to get started, sign up for wellness coaching today! If you have any questions about coaching, feel free to reach out to us here.

We can’t wait to join you on your journey to health!

Written by Brittni Paris, SFC coach and blogger

Sources:
¹Riebe, D. (2018). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription(10^thed.). The American College of Sports Medicine.

Photo Credits:
Photo by Florian van Duyn on Unsplash
Photo by Bewakoof.com Official on Unsplash
Photo by Nqobile Vundla on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Taking the Long View

October 26, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Growing up in Nebraska, you learn there are two things you learn:

Always say “hi” to those you pass, whether you know them or not.
Remain a Husker football fan for the rest of your life, no matter where you live.

As you can imagine, this first one can be awkward when you live in larger cities, or places where folks aren’t used to being talked to by strangers. And yet, I’m grateful for this being instilled in me, as it makes every place feel a bit more communal. The second item, I embrace with gusto, even though I’ve lived in four different states since I left Nebraska.

Read more “Taking the Long View” →

Be the best version of you!

Fall Fitness Tips

October 6, 2018October 6, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Is fall your favorite season? If so, perhaps you’re getting excited to break out the scarves and boots, spend evenings wrapped in a blanket out by the firepit, or simply surround yourself with pumpkin everything. However you plan to spend fall this year, we’ve got five tips to keep your fitness on point:

Know what you want to achieve and why it matters

Getting a clear picture of what being healthy and fit means to you is the first step toward achieving your health goals. As Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.”¹ Additionally, getting clear on why being healthy is important to you and the good that can come of it is an excellent motivator to make your picture of health a reality.

Reflect on the strengths you bring to the table

Did you know the strengths you bring to other aspects of your life can bring you success on your health journey? Sometimes we forget this and compartmentalize our strengths to certain areas of our lives. But you can leverage your unique skills and talents to overcome challenges and achieve your goals. Have your organizational skills made your family’s lives and schedules simpler? Does your aptitude to dive deep into research and come out with understanding make you an amazing professor? What about your ability to gather friends around you and form a solid community? Organizing meals for the week, diving into nutrition research, and gathering friends for workout classes are just a few ways these strengths could be translated to your health journey. When you know the strengths you bring to the table, you are better able to use those in pursuit of any goal, including your health goals.

Consider potential and probable challenges you’ll face

It can be frustrating when you’re motivated and excited to start new health habits, and you find yourself meeting challenges and setbacks. But, knowing these will come in some form or fashion can help you plan for them beforehand. As we’ve mentioned before, when you’ve planned to fail, you can have a method in place to help you navigate challenges and stick with the habits you’re building.

Leverage support from your surroundings

If you were to pause for a moment and think about the people in your life and the resources you have access to, you may find things in your surroundings that can help you be successful on your health journey. Who in your life can support you if you asked them to? What resources do you have nearby or in your home that you could draw on to help your vision of health become a reality? Simply asking for help and getting a little creative can make a big difference in accomplishing your goals.

Recruit back-up

As mentioned in the first tip, sometimes we experience failure merely because we do not have a vision of what success on our health journey means to us. If you’re interested in determining what your vision is, and having a partner join you on this journey, wellness coaching could be right for you! When you work with our wellness coaches, they’ll help you gain clarity on your vision, and walk you through the tips above (and more!) so that you can look good, feel good, and live the healthy life you long for.

If you’re ready to focus on your fitness this fall, following these five steps is a great start. And don’t forget to add wellness coaching to the list of all the quintessential fall things you’re enjoying!

~Written By Brittni Paris, SFC Wellness Coach and Writer

Credits

¹https://www.forbes.com/quotes/10405/

Photo Credits

Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash

Photo by Charis Gegelman on Unsplash

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

Back to School + Thoughts on Healthy Habits

August 29, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

It’s that time of year again-back to school! Whether you’re a mom, a relative of school-aged kids, an employee at a school or university, a student yourself, or simply noticing all the school supplies showing up at your favorite stores, it’s hard to miss the transition back into the school year.

Regardless of your involvement with school, there are a few ways we can use this change of the season to benefit us on our health journeys:

Take advantage of the “Clean Slate” phenomenon to start new habits.

When we experience a change (a new season, a move, a new rhythm of life), we can use this “Clean Slate” to our advantage, as it is an excellent time to begin new habits. Why? Those new habits are more likely to stick! We associate new habits with a fresh season of life, which helps our brains recognize that this is simply our new normal. For more information on this topic, check out the post, “So Fresh and So Clean”.

Cultivate grace and patience for yourself.

If you are directly affected by a new school year, you may find your summer routine thrown for a loop! Recognize that it is normal to be a bit shocked when your day-to-day schedule suddenly changes, and most likely, becomes much busier! If you find it’s difficult to maintain the healthy habits you developed this summer, take it as an opportunity to show yourself grace and patience. Give yourself the opportunity to get used to your new schedule, and time to figure out what habits you’d like to keep or change now that you’ve switched into school mode.

Revise your habits or routine to fit your current life situation.

Michael Hyatt and his daughter, Meghan Hyatt Miller, talk about this process on their podcast for high-achieving leaders. Though many of their recommendations are applicable to running businesses, they can also be useful when we look at our personal routines.

They discuss when we are revising or creating new routines, we should begin with the outcome we want in mind. For instance, what healthy habits do you want to incorporate during the school year? Once you know this, you can think about what needs to be true for you to successfully implement those habits now that the school year is underway. Then, you can “reverse engineer” the process, which is essentially working backward from the outcome you’d like to see, thinking through all of the aspects of your new school schedule, and creating new habits or routines that fit into that schedule and help you reach your desired outcome. They also encourage listeners to remember that you may have to go through this new routine several times before you find something that actually works. This is another reason to have grace and patience for ourselves as we set out to create new habits and routines.

As you embark on a new school year (or watch others do so), thinking of it in terms of an aide to reassess and/or begin new healthy habits, rather than something that is detrimental to your summer healthy habits, can enable you to take advantage of this new season of life.

Cheers to your best school year yet!

Written By: Brittni Paris, SFC Blogger and Wellness Coach

Sources:

Hyatt, M., & Hyatt Miller, M. (2018, August 14). Engineering Success: How to create with the end in mind. Lead to Win Podcast. Podcast retrieved from https://michaelhyatt.com/podcast-engineering-success/

Photo Credits:

Photo by Renan Kamikoga on Unsplash

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

For the Love of Exercise

August 9, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

How often do you do the things you should do? For instance, we should floss each day. We should get a good amount of sleep each night. I don’t know about you, but many times I find it difficult to maintain habits I know I should do, but I don’t actually enjoy.

The benefits of exercise for our health have been heralded for a while now. Not only does exercise help us feel good physically, it helps us feel our best mentally and emotionally as well. So really, we all should be exercising regularly. If you’re struggling to maintain a consistent exercise schedule, could it be because you really don’t enjoy exercise?

It’s a perfectly fine thing to admit.

There can be various reasons why we might not enjoy exercise. Some of us have had bad experiences being forced to exercise when we were young (“that’ll be 3 laps around the gym for showing up late to PE” – sound familiar to anyone?). Some of us loved being a part of a sports team, but once we left school, we found it hard to enjoy exercising on our own.

Whatever your reason for disliking exercise, let me reassure you that admitting your distaste is the first step toward enjoyment. You can then ask yourself the following questions:

What specifically do I dislike about exercising?

Perhaps certain types of exercise you’ve tried cause pain in your body (more than light muscle soreness), or perhaps you haven’t found the type of exercise that seems fun to you. Maybe running hurts your knees, but a Pilates class is more your style. Or maybe a spin class isn’t fun to you, but you find satisfaction lifting weights. Once you find out the reason(s) you dislike exercise, you can start to explore different options to find a type of physical activity that suits you.

Do I have a standard of exercise I think I must maintain?

Dr. Michelle Segar mentions in her book, “No Sweat”, that many of us believe we must exercise at a certain intensity and for a certain amount of time for it to “count”. So, if you think you must exercise hard for a full hour for it to matter, and you’re not able to fit an hour of exercise in each day, you may find yourself discouraged. If exercise is seen as a source of discouragement to you, it can be pretty difficult to enjoy it!

The reality, though, is that all exercise counts. As Dr. Segar explains, exercise guidelines can come across as confusing in this manner. When we as health professionals talk about getting “30 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise at least five days per week for health benefits”, it can be misunderstood that if someone doesn’t reach that exact amount, then the exercise they did was useless. This can lead to all or nothing thinking: “If I can’t get 30 minutes in each day, then I won’t exercise at all.” It seems extreme, but if we’re honest, many of us fall into this line of thinking. Changing our thinking to remember all exercise counts can help us defeat our discouragement.

Have I stopped to consider the benefits?

If you’re trying to exercise regularly but finding it hard to build this as a habit, you might try considering the immediate benefits you receive from exercise. How does your mood change from before exercising to after exercising? Are you less stressed? Happier? How does your body feel? Do you have more consistent energy as you go through the rest of your day? Do you feel stronger? Taking a moment to reflect on the immediate benefits you receive from exercising can help your brain to see it as a reward you give to yourself. When your brain recognizes exercise as a reward, it is easier for you to solidify exercising as a habit.

If you currently dislike exercise, there is no reason to be ashamed. However, don’t let that stop you from exploring the reasons why. Once you do, you might find you actually enjoy, and quite possibly, even love exercise.

Written By Brittni Paris, SFC Blogger and Wellness Coach

Sources:

Segar, M.L. (2015). No sweat: How the simple science of motivation can bring you a lifetime of fitness. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Photo Credits:

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash

Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

Photo by Elizeu Dias on Unsplash

Be the best version of you!

A Healthy Life For Good

July 1, 2018July 1, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Have you ever found yourself in this situation? You decide you’re going to get healthy. Now is the time and you’ve made up your mind to do so. You buy new workout clothes and shoes. You find a running partner or sign up for a gym membership. You purchase the latest meal delivery service or buy more leafy greens at the store than you know what to do with. You KNOW this is the time when you’ll start living a healthy life for good.

And then…you stop.

Life happens, old habits creep back in, and suddenly you’re back to where you started. Except this time, you’re a bit more skeptical that you could actually live a consistently healthy lifestyle. You blame it on a lack of motivation and wonder why you can’t just get it together.

Read more “A Healthy Life For Good” →

Body Image

So Fresh and So Clean

May 28, 2018May 28, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Summer is upon us. Yes, it may be a few weeks until the actual changing of the seasons, but depending on where you live and what you’re doing, you’re probably feeling warmer temperatures, experiencing longer days, and possibly starting (or about to start) your summer break.

Read more “So Fresh and So Clean” →

Be the best version of you!

The Beauty of Reflection

April 22, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

When you were little did you own a diary? Maybe it was one with hearts on the front that came complete with a key so that no one could steal it (and read about your crush at the time). Or was that just me? 😉

The great thing about having a diary, a journal, or taking pictures is that it gives us something to look back on. We can look back at what we wrote in our journals two or three years ago and see how much we’ve grown-how we were able to work out a problem or gain perspective about who we are and what we value. Read more “The Beauty of Reflection” →

Be the best version of you!

The Benefits of Paying Attention

March 26, 2018March 26, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Pay attention. Be present.

These are words I’ve heard a lot lately when it comes to considering how we live our lives and the pace we keep. Maybe it stems from the feeling that we need to do more and more, adding things to our schedules to keep up with someone or something, and we’ve realized we need to slow things down a bit. Or maybe it comes from the influx of yoga or yoga-type workouts over the past few years that challenge us to stop, breathe, and see what’s going on in our bodies.

Be the best version of you!

When We Miss Our Goals

March 5, 2018March 5, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

It’s an incredible feeling when you’re working toward a goal(s) you’ve set for yourself and you’re actually seeing progress. You note where you’re growing, and you may even hear encouragement from others who notice your achievements. It can multiply your motivation to keep pressing forward.

But what about the times when we fail to reach our goals? We said we would do something and we simply didn’t do it. Or we stated we would be at a certain point in our health journey by a specific date, and when that date arrived, we found ourselves short of our goals. What do we do with that?

Learning to handle our failures and shortcomings well is actually an important part of our growth. Our failures can show us something very valuable as we journey toward making our Wellness Vision a reality.

Read more “When We Miss Our Goals” →

Be the best version of you!

A Little Help from My Friends

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Is the song stuck in your head now that you’ve read the title?

Though a fun song performed by the Beatles, the lyrics actually point to a great truth for us as we look to make positive changes in our health journeys.

Surrounding ourselves with people who are also committed to their health journeys-be it friends, family members, accountability partners, coaches, trainers-can be a huge source of support and encouragement as we seek to create and sustain healthy habits.

Be the best version of you!

Celebrate Your Body in 2018

January 11, 2018
by Smart Fit Womxn

Have you felt it yet? The swirl of diet talks, new gym memberships, “new year, new you” hashtags, etc. surround us this time of year. While I’m one who loves (and participates in!) the practice of reflecting on the past year and dreaming, planning, and creating resolutions for the next year, I’m finding the voices declaring a refusal to jump on the bandwagon to remake our bodies surprisingly refreshing.

Be the best version of you!

The World Needs You to Succeed

December 6, 2017
by Smart Fit Womxn

Have you ever had the feeling of not being worthy of your success? Like if people knew the real you, they would find out you’re a fraud or a fake and would strip you of your title, your awards, or your position? Read more “The World Needs You to Succeed” →

Be the best version of you!

What Does Healthy Mean to You?

November 6, 2017November 6, 2017
by Smart Fit Womxn

It is easy for us to use words like “healthy”, “wellness”, etc., but sometimes these terms are so general and broad that they lose their meaning.

For instance, if you say, “I want to get healthy”, what exactly does that mean to you? What do you picture yourself doing if you’re a healthy person? What do you picture yourself not doing as a healthy person? Read more “What Does Healthy Mean to You?” →

Be the best version of you!

Motherhood – Why the ANDs are so important

October 29, 2017October 29, 2017
by Smart Fit Womxn

I’ve been thinking about this blog post for a while, but am just now coming out of the newborn “fog” enough to coherently string thoughts together. Jack will be 3 months old this week (HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?) and Lucy turns 2 next month (ALSO HOW?!). Anyway, one of two things happened this time around with Jack – either we COMPLETELY forgot how &$*%ing hard the newborn stage is, or Jack is a much harder baby than Lucy was. Read more “Motherhood – Why the ANDs are so important” →

Be the best version of you!

An Ode to Our Bodies

October 18, 2017October 18, 2017
by Smart Fit Womxn

It happened today-my jeans didn’t fit.

They came really close, but in the end, they wouldn’t zip.

I started to panic and thought “This can’t be right!”

Immediately I regretted dressing up for our date night.

I wanted to feel beautiful, to glow from the inside, out

But thanks to my jeans, all I did was pout.

Read more “An Ode to Our Bodies” →

Be the best version of you!

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

September 26, 2017April 7, 2021
by Smart Fit Womxn

Every day we are bombarded with information: some good, some bad, some helpful, and some we should just forget. We’re constantly fielding information from the outside and deciphering whether we should let it inform our lives or not.

But how often do we stop to listen to our internal dialogue each day?

Be the best version of you!

When It’s Time to Make a Change

August 29, 2017October 18, 2017
by Smart Fit Womxn

Have you ever found yourself longing to make a change? It may sneak up on you, like a quick thought that happens to catch your attention. “What if I made a change in (fill in the blank) area of my life?” Other times it may be something you’ve been mulling over for a while, and finally decide it’s time to take action.

If you find yourself desiring to make a change in your health journey specifically, I’d love to offer you some encouragement. Change is hard-we all know this to be true. Even if it’s a good change that we choose to make, it doesn’t typically come without effort. But if we keep a few things in mind, we have a better chance of successfully implementing those changes.

Be the best version of you!

The Fault in Our Thoughts

July 25, 2017April 7, 2022
by Smart Fit Womxn

We’ve all been there. We overindulge at a party or at work and subsequently, feel guilty. We figure we’ve thrown everything off: our healthy habits, our commitment to eating things that fuel our bodies, etc. This feeling of guilt is likely worse for those working in the health and fitness world. If you are a part of this world, you may have found yourself thinking

“Wow-how can I lead others to healthy living if I can’t even do it myself?”

Read more “The Fault in Our Thoughts” →

Be the best version of you!

The Beauty of a Getaway

June 28, 2017
by Smart Fit Womxn

Are you tired? Like deep down in your bones tired? Lately I’ve felt that way, and I think to myself, “I’m too young for this!”, and begin wondering why I’m so worn out.

Sometimes a getaway, a retreat of some sort, can help us gain perspective on our lives. We take the chance to leave our normal lives behind for a moment, and get the advantage of an outsider looking in.

Read more “The Beauty of a Getaway” →

Dispelling the myth that a healthy lifestyle requires all or nothing commitment

Has this ever been the rabbit hole your brain has gone down when you’ve considered making changes for your heath?

What if the goal instead was to move the needle forward, if ever so slightly?

The walk you DO take is far healthier than the gym workout you DON’T do.

If you’d like assistance in figuring out what small, sustainable habits would move the needle forward in your life, you’re in luck!

These women represented a lot to me in that moment.

Women who were busy-but were still exercising.

Women who were consistently sacrificing for a little person (or people) they loved-but were still exercising.

Women who rallied together with others in their same stage of life-and helped one another keep exercising.

But instead of giving up and giving into a perfectly understandable reason not to exercise, these women got CREATIVE.

So-how about you?

Is there something in your health journey you’d like to change, but you can only see the barriers, challenges, or lack of resources standing in your way?

What would a dose of creativity do to help you overcome those obstacles and pursue the changes you want to make?

How can creativity fuel the healthy life you long to live?

Want to keep that creativity alive and work with a wellness coach? Simply follow the steps below and get started today!

We get it.

Enter wellness coaching.

And you know what? People are seeing success.

And that’s not all.

Sign up here!

Watch for an email from us to set up your first online appointment (the first one is free!) and fill out a health form so we can get to know you better

Your coach will call you on Skype or Zoom when it’s time to meet!

For starters, it’s not the typical “overhaul everything in my life that’s unhealthy and only do healthy things from here on out” sort of lifestyle.

3 behaviors (broken down into smaller parts) that will help you live a health-filled life:

So, all of this begs the question: What if we are focusing on the wrong thing?

What if instead of focusing on weight, we focused on health?

How would a focus on health change the above scenarios?

In the meantime, there is hope for a better way.

How do we do this?

Misunderstandings about Obesity

But, many of us aren’t doing what we know we should do to live healthy lives. Why is that?

Enter wellness coaching.

How is this different from other “get healthy” schemes, you ask?

We can’t wait to join you on your journey to health!

Growing up in Nebraska, you learn there are two things you learn:

Know what you want to achieve and why it matters

Reflect on the strengths you bring to the table

Consider potential and probable challenges you’ll face

Leverage support from your surroundings

Recruit back-up

Credits

Photo Credits

Take advantage of the “Clean Slate” phenomenon to start new habits.

Cultivate grace and patience for yourself.

Revise your habits or routine to fit your current life situation.

It’s a perfectly fine thing to admit.

What specifically do I dislike about exercising?

Do I have a standard of exercise I think I must maintain?

Have I stopped to consider the benefits?

If you currently dislike exercise, there is no reason to be ashamed. However, don’t let that stop you from exploring the reasons why. Once you do, you might find you actually enjoy, and quite possibly, even love exercise.

Pay attention. Be present.

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