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The One Piece of Fitness Equipment You Should Add to Your Collection for the Summer

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There are so many pieces of fitness equipment out there for you to choose from, how can you decide what piece you need?

Um…you come here? Yeah, that’s definitely the answer.

I’ve always recommended three pieces of equipment for your home:

#1 – Treadmill (that’s a big investment, I get it if that one is not available to you).

#2 – TRX – I love the TRX and I think everyone should have one in their home.

#3 – Free weights. They are versatile and help in so many ways (hello metabolism, bone density, balance and strength!).

However, I’m asked a lot what I recommend to take along for vacations, work travel, or simply something less expensive than a treadmill or a TRX system.

No problem!

When you’re traveling over the summer, the one piece of equipment you should absolutely take with you is:

via GIPHY

Resistance bands!

These beauties are fairly inexpensive, easy to travel with and you can absolutely get a full-body workout! They look non-threatening and many snicker when I pull them out for a class. But, they learn quickly to never doubt the power of the band. If bands are used properly, your muscles will be burning, you’ll be sweating and you’ll have yourself one bombass workout in no time.

In fact, here are two workouts I’ve created with resistance bands:

15-Minute Upper Body Band Workout

Podcast of the above Upper Body Band workout available HERE. Let me coach you through the workout. Yup, put in your earbuds, press play and let my sweet, sweet voice motivate you through the workout. xo

Click the link above for a full workout explanation.

18-Minute Lower Body Band Workout

Yup…this one has a podcast available, too. Click HERE and let me take care of timings and instruction for you. 🙂

Here’s why I love these Peach Bands so much:

  • They’re relatively inexpensive ($21.99 for 4 bands through Amazon);
  • They’re lightweight and portable;
  • They come as a package deal with 4 different resistances (light – extra heavy);
  • They are 100% refundable;
  • They work, baby. They may look cute, but this piece of equipment packs a serious burny punch and I think you’ll love them!

Resistance bands are absolutely, positively my 100% approved recommendation for the piece of equipment you should pack to go camping, vacationing, road-trippin’ or whatever else you do this summer.

Go on…get yourself some and try the workouts.

If you’re part of Choose Your Own Fitventure, you have bonus band workouts available as part of your challenges! Aren’t you lucky?!?! YAY! And, if you haven’t joined CYOF yet…you should. You really, really should!

Insomnia Had a Grip on Me Until I Tried Two-Syllable Breathing as a Sleep Strategy

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I didn’t sleep for years. Years and years. No exaggeration, I did not sleep for a very, very, veeeeeeeeerry long time.

It wasn’t the sleepless nights with newborns, or toddler night terrors, though those definitely wreaked havoc on my life for years. It wasn’t even the fact that my daughter, to this day, insists on waking me almost every night to tell me how much she loves me (no, it’s not cute, so don’t you dare “awwwww”, lol). I didn’t sleep because I had insomnia.

My insomnia began about four years ago. Yes, my kids were still little back then, but my lack of ability to sleep carried on even when my kids began to (mostly) sleep through the night.

It’s not that I didn’t want to sleep. I did. I just couldn’t.

As an entrepreneur, my mind is always working. So, if I woke up at 3 am, my brain would start grinding and coming up with idea after idea after idea and I could never get back to sleep.

While this was fine for awhile, after a few years of about four hours of sleep per night, my body started to break down.

I was exhausted, stressed, malnourished and trying to grow an empire. I was routinely told by my doctor that I needed to get more sleep. In fact, she said any sleep would be amazing.

Yeah, no shit. Oy.

But, how does one turn off her brain? She doesn’t listen, in fact, she’ll start wondering how sleep actually works and will try to solve all problems as soon as she is roused. Best to just get up and get to work versus lay in bed and think about all the things needed to be done.

Until one day, I couldn’t. I became exhausted and very sick. Light headed, anxious, depressed, angry, bitter. I lost weight, I lost hair and I lost myself. Yup…lack of sleep will do ALL OF THAT.

I’ve made some pretty serious life changes this past year and one of the most important changes I’ve made is my commitment to rest and sleep.

But, how does one get sleep if one’s brain is on HIGH? You can’t just say “Brain, we need sleep, that’s enough…SHUT IT DOWN!”. She gets pissy. Uber pissy.

With my daughter constantly waking me, my husband snoring next to me and my entrepreneurial brain on overtime, there was no way I could ever get back to sleep in the middle of the night, even though I knew I needed to.

Until…I went to counselling.

Oh, and FYI…yes, I tried medication. I tried melatonin. I didn’t like either.

My counselor listened to me and in the first session said “Lindsay, you need sleep. You need rest. So, I’m going to teach you how to do it. She then introduced me to two-syllable breathing and it has been a LIFESAVER.

If I get woke in the middle of the night, I force myself to shut down my thoughts and begin two-syllable breathing. It works. Every time.

You hear me? Every. Time.

Here’s how to do it:

First, you need to imagine yourself in a calm and safe place. Put yourself there. Mine is on a beach, waves rolling in, book on my lap, sun on my face, eyes closed.

This is my place:

Then, you choose a word that has two syllables. You can also choose two words, one syllable each if you can’t figure out a two-syllable word that calms you.

On your inhale, think the first syllable. On your exhale, think the second syllable.

Feel the sun on your face, listen to the waves. Inhale the first syllable, exhale the second syllable.

My words were originally “The Lake”. The syllables are supposed to be something that has positive memories or means something wonderful to you. Memories of the lake growing up were what I thought would work.

But, it turns out my mind liked to screw around with that and play the “Remember when this happened” or “Oh yeah! What about that time that _____ happened!”…so then she went crazy with memories and got seriously nostalgic…not calming at all.

I had to change my word.

I decided on the word “sunshine”. The word makes me happy and it reminds me of my daughter.

I inhale “sun” and exhale “shine”.

I have NO IDEA why this works, but if I practice it when I get woke at night, I almost always fall back to sleep.

Same goes for if I’m having trouble getting to sleep. If I practice my two-syllable breathing, I fall asleep.

I don’t know the science…but if it works, I’ll take it!

My son uses this strategy to battle his anxiety, as well. He also fights sleep and this breathing technique works almost every time.

His word is “Mommy”.

He inhales “Mom” and exhales “my”.

BOOM. Calm.

If you have trouble getting to sleep, or if you have trouble getting BACK to sleep, try this two-syllable breathing technique. It’s changed my entire life, so I sure do hope it works for you.

You need sleep, babe. Truly. Don’t be like me and go years and years without it…trust me…it is NOT a good place to be. xoxo

It’s Okay to Have a Vice – Just Use It Wisely

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I love peanut butter cups. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE peanut butter cups. Love, love, love them. In fact, during a speech I was making one year, people threw them at me when I started to get teary to make me laugh and stop crying (tears of joy, btw).

I also have a peanut butter cup present giver who leaves me random cups on my doorstep every now and then. I have no idea who it is, but I love him or her with all I am.

Here’s the thing…I celebrate my vice. I know that if a peanut butter cup is put in front of me, I’m gonna eat it. No ifs, ands or buts. I used to try to tell myself “Lindsay, no. No. Those aren’t good for you”.

Screw that, old Lindsay. You take those cups and gobble them up.

Life is way too short to not enjoy the things I love. Life is way to precious for me to make myself feel bad for loving something so yummy. Life wouldn’t keep putting peanut butter cups in front of me if I wasn’t supposed to enjoy the heck out of them.

Sure, they’re not healthy. Sure, they’re loaded with sugar and fat and all the things that taste amazing. But…I work hard. I train daily. I sweat. I eat relatively healthy most of the time.

So, I’m not going to balk at eating a peanut butter cup.

I’m here to tell you it’s time to embrace your vice….

With conditions:

You may have SOME of your vice…NOT ALL OF IT. And you may do so guilt-free. Enjoy it. But don’t overindulge. There’s a line between honouring your vice and being unhealthy and ridiculous.

If your vice is at all harmful (e.g. drugs and/or alcohol), this article is not for you. This is for silly vices like peanut butter cups, sweet tarts, chocolate chip cookies or small bags of chips. This does not apply to serious addiction issues.

Life is hard, my friends. Embrace your vice. Don’t fight it…you’ll just overindulge and feel awful the next time you have it. Better to have a little here, a little there. Don’t punish yourself by withholding what you love. Have a little, enjoy the heck out of it and move along in your day.

Don’t think twice about it. OR, if you must, think how your truly deserve your small treat. Because you do. You deserve the things that bring you joy and happiness.

If mine is peanut butter cups, who are you to judge? Even more, who am I to judge? I appreciate me and all I do. I get to treat myself and have ZERO guilt about it. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

How about we’re just a little nicer to ourselves? How about we just love up on ourselves every now and then and take a moment to say “HECK YES!” to our vices. Enjoy, my friends. Seriously…enjoy it.

Want to Get Healthy But Not do Burpees? Okay…I Can Help You With That!

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Well…not really, because I love to incorporate burpees into workouts. My love of burpees trumps your desire to not do them. Ha! While I don’t promise zero burpees, I do promise to give you a way to help you get on track and stay on track with your health and fitness that is fun, supportive and affordable (FREE, in fact, for your first week!). Welcome to…

I created Choose Your Own Fitventure from a successful challenge I posted in my Fueled Life group on Facebook (you should also join that!). I started thinking that everyone always focuses on fitness when it comes to their health. Although that is absolutely one aspect to leading a healthy and energized life, it’s far from the only thing people that is important.

What about nutrition? Sleep? Joy? Friendship? Kindness? Loving yourself?

I’ve seen challenge after challenge out there focused on fitness. I love them. I truly do. I create a lot of them. But, your health is so much more than getting sweaty. Your energy is so much more than getting your workout done. Your happiness comes from so much more than core strength, leg strength, etc.

So, I figured I should create something that helps you discover how to treat yourself right in various areas of health, fitness, wellness…and more!

I started giving the Fueled Lifers Choose Your Own Fitventure challenges where I would create five challenges for the week and then they could organize their week and decide what day to do what challenge.

Feedback was phenomenal. And me? I simply loved seeing people focusing on things like sleep, eating vegetables, taking time for themselves and what the what…drinking water! It was inspiring.

It was then that I decided to create an entire challenge group called Choose Your Own Fitventure.

How does it work?

The challenge runs through an app on your phone, so everything is organized and easy to find. Every Sunday I drop five new challenges. Your goal? Complete all of the challenges within the week.

You earn points, which add up to earn you surprise rewards that unlock at a certain points value.

There’s tons of accountability and support through our chat room and every day there is an accountability card that has facts, bonus workouts, quotes or some sort of silliness to ensure you stay on track and get your challenges done for the week.

Below are a few examples of the challenges included in Choose Your Own Fitventure. There is always an explanation on why the challenge is included and what the expectation is, below is just a summary of three of the challenges:

Sleep is the bee’s knees: Sleep is critical to your health and wellness, both physically and mentally. The participants were challenged to schedule at least 8 hours of sleep for one night. Yes, with little people in your life, you cannot ensure that this will happen…but you can at least prep for it with an earlier bedtime, a good bedtime routine, etc.

Veggie prep: Participants were encouraged to prep 14 mini containers filled with easy-to-grab cut-up veggies. It’s much easier to grab something healthy (instead of a handful of crackers) when there is a ready-to-go snack waiting for you in the fridge.

Self-care sesh: As promised, I really want my Fitventurers to take care of themselves. I challenged them to schedule 60 minutes of self-care for the following week. Some have blocked off time to read a book and drink a HOT coffee, others have scheduled hair appointments or pedicures, while others are going for a hike with a bestie. Whatever self-care looks like for them, is what they were challenged to schedule for at least 60 minutes.

The challenges are not overwhelming and truly do highlight numerous aspects of health and wellness. Participants also received a workout challenge and physical activity challenge this week.

The membership is very affordable at $20/month and even better? I’ve decided to offer a FREE WEEK trial. So, give it a whirl for FREE!!!!

Try Choose Your Own Fitventure for a week for FREEEEEE!

Go on! Get yourself registered for your free week. You have nothing to lose and sooooooo much to gain. The people in this group are the most incredible people ever. They’re supportive, funny, silly and in it to feel better and get inspired to try new ways of thinking about health and fitness. I just love them all!

I’d love if you joined! Hope to see you in your free trial! We’ll have a blast. And you’ll feel better. I just know it.

You Can’t Spot Reduce – So Stop Asking

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If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been asked if you can spot reduce, I’d have…well…I’d have about $179. I did the math. I’m nerdy like that. On average, I get asked that question about three times per week. I have 23 years in the fitness industry, so that’s $179.40.

While I can’t get rich off that, many in my industry can. Not with the money, but with the claim to target certain areas and reduce fat.

Got a “baby pooch” you just can’t get rid of? Try this wrap.

Want those flappy arms that keep waving after you’ve stopped lean and strong? Try this pill.

Jiggly, cellulitey (I know that’s not a word, but work with me here) buns? Wear these pants with “butt scrunch technology”.

What the?

I swear to you…this industry thrives on making you feel shitty about yourself.

Let me be very clear – you CANNOT SPOT REDUCE.

Here’s what you can do:

#1 – You can do cardio to put you into a fat-burning zone where you burn calories from fat and…help improve your mental health.

#2 – You can do workouts that burn calories for a longer period of time (natural metabolism boosters) to reduce fat in your body and…help improve your mental health.

#3 – You can lift weights to ensure your muscles are strong and will help you get through the day with ease and…help improve your mental health.

#4 – You can drink water to help your body systems work well and…help improve your mental health.

#5 – You can eat a balanced diet with reduced sugar to help fuel your body throughout the day and…help improve your mental health.

#6 – You can get active every day and move your body to strengthen your muscles, your heart, your lungs…oh…and help improve your mental health.

#7 – You can get active with your friends and family and be an incredible role model. You can move your body to show them that taking care of your body is important and staying healthy (not “skinny”, not because your ass jiggles, but because YOUR BODY IS IMPORTANT) is critical to having a happy life. YES IT IS…you can have the best life going, but if your body feels like shit…YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL LIKE SHIT!

You see – no, you cannot spot reduce. But, if you get active, take care of yourself, honour your body, you’re going to see changes. How about you change the conversation about the areas you don’t like and concentrate on the strength and power you have within your body.

Nobody cares if you have jiggly anything. Truly. Just you. You think your kids judge you for having soft arms? They don’t, they love your hugs. You think your partner cares about cellulite on your butt? Nope, he or she is probably thrilled when they get you naked and they’re mind is so far away from the cellulite… they simply love that butt.

You have strength and power within you.

Right here. Right now. You have strength now. You may not feel like it and that’s okay. I’m here to tell you that you do. You may not be as strong or as fit as you’d like. And hey, that’s okay too.

But you do have control. You do have the capacity to move your body. And, while I will never ever claim that you can spot reduce. I will tell you that cardio, intervals and weights can help you in more ways than targeting your inner thighs could ever even touch.

Taking care of your body and moving it helps ward off illness. It helps you function better throughout the day and allows you to have more energy to spare at the end of the day when demands are high (if you have kids, anyways). It helps your mind by not only releasing endorphins but also giving you a feeling of self-worth and general acceptance.

I could also list all the health benefits to actually moving your body versus putting on a wrap, slamming down some pills and spending a fortune on a new wardrobe. That shit isn’t going to change you. And, that’s a whole other post!

You need to change the way you look at fitness. I want you to stop thinking of it as something that you “have” to do and think of it as something you “get” to do.

It’s time to look at your body as a miracle. Because it fucking is. It’s a miracle you’re here, in this body, at this time. You have waged war on it and you may feel like it has waged war on YOU…but sheesh…that body has carried your soul since before you were born.

Show a little respect. Honor it. Move it. Treasure it. Don’t pick it apart piece by piece. Move it as a whole and let it continue to take care of you.

Rant over.

Not sure where to start? TRY THIS – Choose Your Own Fitventure – my health and fitness challenge group – challenges that include things like “drink your damn water”, “practice gratitude”, “go for a walk”. It’s fun and easy and cheap and you can try it FOR FREE. So do it…just do it. Seriously.