Running Lean

There are a lot of myths floating around out there in regards to proper human nutrition. Some of these concepts have been around for a very long time and just seem like they hold water but a lot of them just don’t. With a lot of new studies being published and new data being looked at, we have to be able to decipher what’s true and what’s not. It’s not always easy, I totally get that. That’s why I...

There is a health crisis going on right now in the US. Metabolic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease are at an all-time high. Our collective health has been steadily declining over the last 40 years and it doesn’t appear to be reversing anytime soon. And if you think your healthcare system, the food industry, or the government are here to help you, you are sadly mistaken. If...

If you’re a runner and you are not engaging in some form of consistent, intentional strength training, you are leaving a LOT on the table. This is another episode I’m doing in my “Back to Basics” series where I’m talking about the basics of good health, improved fitness, and becoming your most badass self. Today is all about the importance of strength training for runners. To be honest, most runne...

What do you think of when you hear the word “discipline”? Does it conjure up images of “getting in trouble” or controlling behavior by means of punishment? For a lot of people, the word has a very negative connotation, and they want nothing to do with discipline in their life. But discipline is not always a bad thing. In fact, having more discipline in your life might actually be one of the best t...

Today, I’ve got another episode in my Back to Basics series. This time it’s all about why runners get fat. I’ve talked about this topic a lot here on the podcast, but I want to go over it again today because understanding why you get fat – even if you’re a runner – is going to help you make the changes you need to make to reverse it. Runners are not immune to gaining weight and getting...

I’ve been thinking about this podcast topic for a while now and finally just felt ready to share my thoughts with you. This is one of those “tough love” episodes, so fair warning in advance. If you’re the kind of person who just wants to keep doing whatever you’re doing from a sports nutrition perspective, then this episode might not be for you. But if you’re someone interested in making changes t...

In my coaching practice, I hear this phrase a lot, “I feel like I’m spiraling out of control.” Spiraling out of control can feel terrible and typically leads to out-of-control behavior like eating ALL the Oreos in the house or an entire large pizza by yourself. (I know this from personal experience, btw…) But what does it really mean to be “spiraling out of control?” Are you actually out of contro...

Most people don’t realize that their thoughts are responsible for every result they are getting or not getting in their lives. They blame other people and outside circumstances for their inability to stay on their food plan or their lack of motivation. They have all kinds of stories and reasons why things just won’t ever work out for them. But I would argue that this is a pretty crappy way t...

I’ve taught a lot of nutrition and mindset concepts over the last two and a half years of doing this podcast, and some of these topics are worth a revisit. Either because I’ve discovered new information about the topic and want to share that with you, or because it’s just so important that it’s worth another look. So over the next several weeks, I’m going to be sprinkling in some of these “Back to...

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about what coaching is and what it isn’t. Some people think coaching is just someone screaming at you like a drill sergeant in boot camp. Others think coaching is having a cheerleader by your side telling you, “Great job!” all the time. While both of these can be positive aspects of coaching, there’s a lot more to consider if you’re seriously looking for...

Today I have a bit of a different episode for you. I’m going to be asking you a lot of questions about your diet, your weight, your current health, your running performance, and a few other things. The reason for this is that I want you to consider how your current diet might be affecting you. Most people don’t pay much attention to their diet unless they suddenly find themselves overweight or the...

Failure. It’s such a negative word, isn’t it? What do you think of when you hear the word “failure”? If you’re like most people, you probably think of something you tried but were not successful. It didn’t work. You failed. And then it brings up all these feelings of disappointment, regret, and defeat. Failure means you were defeated. You lost. It’s over. The end. But what if there was a totally d...

One of the biggest misconceptions about losing weight is that requires a ton of willpower. If you have enough willpower you’re good to go, but if you don’t – you’ll probably just fail. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Willpower helps, but it will only get you so far. There are other forces at work that have to be addressed if you want to lose weight and be able to keep it off for goo...

In my coaching practice, I’ve helped hundreds of runners ditch old bad habits and create ones. This is really the core of the work we do together – creating new habits that get you to your weight loss and running goals. So when it comes to changing a habit, I know what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve also seen a lot of people make the same mistakes time after time. So today I’m going to sh...

If you want to make big changes in your life, then a lot of things in your life are going to have to change. The problem is that most people do not like to change things! They want to lose weight but they don’t want to give up junk food. They want to get stronger but they don’t want to lift any of those heavy weights. Most people have big lofty goals but want to change as little as pos...

If you want to lose weight and be able to keep it off for good, you have to shift your mindset. I think you probably know this by now since I talk about it all the time. But there’s a reason why I spend so much time on this subject – it’s because it’s one of the most important factors in whether or not you keep the weight off permanently. Getting leaner and stronger is mostly an inside job....

When you set out to reach big goals like losing weight and getting fit, you will eventually come face-to-face with all your fears and insecurities. Even just thinking about changing your diet can get you feeling pretty anxious. You might even just say “no thanks” to the whole idea so you won’t have to deal with all the negative stuff that’s bound to come up. But I want to offer another appro...

When it comes to making lasting habit change, there are two main areas of “work” that you have to address. There’s the outer work, which is what to do and how to do it, and then there’s the inner work, which is all about making profound shifts in your mindset. Most people only focus their attention on the outer work. “Just tell me what to do”, they say. But the outer work is only a small fraction...

Have you ever found yourself wishing your life was somehow “better”, that there was some future version of yourself that was leaner, stronger, and healthier? Of course you have, we all think about stuff like this, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. The problem is when you are so focused on what you DON’T have, that it completely consumes you. When you are obsessed about where you’re NOT...

Today I have a very special guest for you. I recently sat down with Melanie Millaway and we had a candid conversation about her experience of changing her diet and getting fat-adapted. But the real change didn’t happen on the outside. Yes, she lost weight. Yes, she improved her running performance. Yes, she has more energy now and yes, she generally feels a lot better. But the real change happened...

If you’re like most people (me included), your beliefs about what you can or can’t accomplish are based on whatever you’ve been able to do up to this point in your life. You might want to lose 30 pounds, but deep down inside, you don’t believe you can get there, because every time you’ve tried to lose weight in the past, you’ve failed. Your point of reference with weight loss is that you always gi...

Oftentimes, when you set out to improve your health and fitness, you find yourself feeling all of this negative stuff. Just thinking about changing your diet will bring up all of these thoughts and feelings like, “it’s going to be too hard”, “What if I fail?”, “These things never work for me”, and so on. This is called the resistance and it shows up in the form of fear, self-doubt, worry, excuses,...

Who are you becoming? It’s a good question, right? The thing is, most people don’t ever ask themselves this. They don’t spend any time thinking about who they really want to become. This is a problem. If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you supposed to get there? If you don’t know who you want to become in the future, chances are pretty good you’re going to stay stuck right where you are...

I have a very special podcast episode for you today. I recently sat down with one of my clients, Eva Bailey, and we had a fun conversation all about her experience getting fat-adapted and training for her first ultramarathon. She shares some of the doubts she had going into all of this and how she worked through them. It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Eva. She and I discuss a few things she stru...

If you’re anything like most runners, you have a very hard time taking time off. Rest days can feel like torture, you feel like you’re losing fitness, and you are convinced that your running is going to suffer! But the reality is, most runners do not prioritize rest and recovery days, and so most runners are not getting the most out of their training. You cannot become that lean, badass runner you...