The Basics of Balance

We look at exercise as a burden — something we have to do to get ready for an event, and when that event is over we're back to normal. But we forget moving our body isn’t finite - the goal of getting in shape is to stay in shape. And there's a lot more to moving your body than just changing how it looks. I talk about what happens when we only move our body to reach a specific goal, and why the rea...

Signs your body is surviving, and not thriving, include things like having low energy, increased hunger, slower digestion, weaker lifts, and increased cravings. Those are just some negative biofeedback markers that would tell us something is off, and to learn to avoid the stress your body is dealing to even show red flags like that in the first place. Those are signs your body is surviving and not...

GLP-1s are one of the most controversial topics in health and fitness right now, and most of the conversation is missing the point. In this episode we're breaking down why they work, who they actually make sense for, and what you absolutely need to be doing if you're on one to protect your health long term. Because 85% of people who take a GLP-1 gain the weight back. Here's how to not be in that g...

Have you ever hit your macros but still have calories left over? This is super common and there's a really simple explanation for why your macros and calories don't match when you're tracking your food.  A big part of it comes down to how accurate nutrition labels actually are — and the answer might surprise you. The FDA legally allows nutrition labels to be up to 25% inaccurate, which means...

Protein intake isn't one size fits all.  Following a generic number you found online, or copying what someone else eats, isn't going to get you where you want to go. It's also not an arbitrary number that your coach came up with - there are variables that determine how much protein you need to eat, and I cover those variables in this episode to help you understand how your age, weight, height...

Ever felt bummed when you didn't burn hundreds of calories in your workout? Ever felt like you need to feel sore after a workout otherwise you didn't push hard enough and surely "that's" the reason why you're not seeing progress? We've been sold the idea that soreness means progress and calorie burn means a good workout. But here's the truth: chronic muscle soreness is a sign your body isn't recov...

Yu can eat healthy and still not see progress.  You might be doing everything "right" — and still missing the point. Because here's the truth — healthy eating has general standards we should all strive for, like getting enough protein, fiber, and micronutrients. But we forget - Healthy is not an objective term. It's subjective to the person, their goals, their background.  In this episod...

Do you actually know why you're trying to eat more protein — or are you just doing it because someone told you to? In this episode of The Basics of Balance, I'm sharing 8 reasons why eating enough protein matters, even if you don't care about building muscle or making physical changes. The intentions behind your actions matter, and I hope these reasons give you something deeper to hold onto — espe...

Dealing with injuries — doesn’t mean you stop training or lower your expectations for how you feel in your body. Similarly, we don't have to accept the narrative that assumes a lower quality of life as we age, in living with age related injuries that stem from living a sedentary lifestyle and losing muscle as a result.  In this episode, I talk about how strength training can support healing a...

In this episode, I talk through a real client situation and how I’m approaching the next phase of their journey, going from a bulk to working towards a cut/deficit.  I cover the habits we’re prioritizing, how calorie and macro targets are determined, and why consistency matters more than constantly changing strategies. This is a practical explanation of how nutrition coaching plays out with r...

This episode of The Basics of Balance is a little different. We’re talking about New Year goals—but not in the usual “do more, track everything, optimize harder” way. I share what I’m personally doing differently this year: fewer metrics, less tracking, fewer notifications & opening up about how chasing numbers in business last year led to burnout, and why I’m choosing to step back, trust God’...

In this episode of The Basics of Balance , we break down why strengthening complementary and accessory muscle groups is essential for getting stronger, building muscle, and avoiding injury. Using two real client scenarios, we explain how focusing only on the “target” muscle can slow progress—and how training the muscles that support movement leads to better results and safer workouts. This episode...

All movement has value, but knowledge is power and understanding what kind of movement is best for the goal(s) you are chasing will prevent you from feeling frustrated from investing time & effort without seeing the results you were hoping to see. In this episode I'm discussing a specific example in how right now wearing weighted vests in an effort to build muscle are all the rage... but when...

When the goal is to build muscle & get stronger, it’s not enough to “lift weights”. We have to lift heavy enough to send a signal to our muscles to grow. If we don’t lift heavy enough, we simply won’t see the changes we want to see. However, “heavy” is relative to many factors. In this episode, I’m going over some of those factors that affect our ability to lift heavy and also shed light on ho...

There are phases of our journey where we push, and phases when we coast & maintain. As we approach the holiday season, consider if the holidays is a time for you to push & be disciplined... or a time to coast. You're a human not a robot & can't be "on" 24/7. Rather than trying to learn something new or try to do more, what if you allowed yourself to simply let what you've already maste...

It's been a minute - let's catch up! In this episode we're just getting things going again & I'm sharing a little of what life has been like during my... let's call it "technology" break over the last few months. It's OK to take breaks & recalibrate parts of your life, especially if it helps you show up even better for yourself & those around you.  Was there something I said on th...

In this episode we're going over a listener suggested topic, to better understand Deload week. Lifting with enough intensity is crucial to get stronger, but if we're not giving our body enough rest & opportunities to recover (like implementing a Deload week), our body will struggle to get stronger, and the risk of injury increases.  Was there something I said on the show that you want to...

In the last episode, we talked about HOW to measure progress, in this episode we're talking about what AFFECTS that progress. Spoiler alert - there's a lot of things that affect the scale that rarely require intervention & just something to observe.  We're also discussing how practicing a few foundational habits can help reduce overall stress (that affects the scale) + helps improve your...

Did you know you can lose fat without losing weight? Did you know it's not normal to deal with soreness after every workout or dealing with gas/bloating? That's why today we're talking about how to measure progress, because if we're only using the scale to tell us how we're doing, we’re definitely missing out on recognizing progress in other progress markers such as losing inches & having our...

Today we're talking about how recognizing how important our intentions behind our actions really is, in helping us "show up" in our journey. Our mindset is one of the biggest factors in either helping or hindering our ability to find ways to move forward and see the changes we want to see.  I want to hear from you!  Do you have a question you want me to answer on the show or a topic you...

We're talking about all things EXERCISE - breaking down the basics, and helping cut through a lot of the confusion out there as it relates to what the best type of exercise is for your goals and how there's so many more benefits to being active than just to reach physical goals.  I want to hear from YOU! Do you have a question on something I covered? Do you want to discuss the best type of ex...

Today we're talking about all things motivation, discipline & consistency and how much of our ability to "show up" for ourselves has more to do with recognizing it's not always easy to show up, and how sometimes giving ourselves permission to "show up" differently each day depending on the challenges & opportunities that each day brings, instead of holding ourselves to the same standard ea...

What to expect on the show, what's my background, how I got into this whole health & fitness lifestyle that led to coaching, and what I focus on with coaching to help as many people as I can find the balance between life & goals and focusing on the basics to help improve our health, see results AND feel our best.  Ok, enough about me. I want to hear from YOU! Have a question you want...