If you've worked with a trainer before, or if you're experienced with strength training but aren't sure how to put together a comprehensive program for yourself, then this content is for you! I'll walk you through some of the basic tips for designing your own program.

Throughout our fitness and nutrition journey, we will inevitably have bumps in the road, times when your goals get pushed aside because life intrudes (how rude!), we get distracted, suffer an injury, or it's just Thanksgiving and you go HARD on the leftovers for days.

The holidays are filled with festive parties, family time, cozy pajamas... and FOOD, lots of food! It can feel overwhelming this time of year to prioritize your health when there are so many treat temptations and when out-of-routine events are competing for your time.

Also called "time-restricted feeding", it's a strategy of eating with specific eating and fasting periods within a day. One popular example is a 16:8 fasting:feeding approach, in which a person does not consume any calories for 16 hours a day and only eats within 8 hours of the day.

The reality is we ALL have busy lives, and at times that busy meter ticks up, up, up until it becomes challenging to do the workouts and meal planning that we want to do to adhere to our goals. In no particular order, here are a few suggestions to ensure your health gets the attention it very much deserves, even when you are busy:

What is "progressive overload?" It refers to adding positive stress to your workouts over time so your body continually adapts. It could be adding more weight, reps, or sets to your lifts. It could also mean getting better at your lifting form, increasing the duration of your workouts, or increasing time under tension. It's how we get stronger!

Losing body fat and building muscle (also called "body recomposition") are competing goals. For most people, to lose fat you need to be in a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than your body burns in a day).

You've got fitness and nutrition goals, but maybe you also want to enjoy a few drinks with friends this weekend. Will having those drinks ruin your progress? Not necessarily! Let's talk about it.

One of the most frequent conversations I have with clients is, "I have a trip coming up! I don't want it to derail me!" You're making great progress at home, finding your groove, then WHAM - a business trip or vacation hits and you feel panicked that all progress will be lost.

What is self-sabotage? It's those behaviors and thoughts that stop or slow your progress toward your goals. While you can experience self-sabotage in many parts of life (relationships, work, etc.) we're going to focus on self-sabotage related to fitness and nutrition.

It's not just muscle-bound bodybuilders who can benefit from ample protein in their diet. And you don't need to gulp down a protein smoothie to get adequate protein. Here are a few common questions about protein which will help explain why even the average Joe/Jane should prioritize protein:

There is a TON of research in the fields of fitness and nutrition surrounding the benefits of goal-setting. Research over the past 50 years shows that in approximately 90% of the studies, specific, difficult goals lead to higher levels of task performance than easy goals, no goals, or vague “do your best” goals.

Walking is the best exercise. There, I said it. As someone who encourages people to lift heavy weights in the gym and teaches cardio and strength group classes, my hot take is that walking is the best exercise you can do.

Exercise is wonderful for a LOT of reasons, and I absolutely advocate that everyone exercise. Working out does wonders to improve cardiovascular health, increase functional movement, reduce stress, reduce the likelihood of many forms of cancer, improve sleep, increase energy, and so much more. So, by all means... exercise! However, if you're looking at exercise as your primary strategy for fat loss, here's the hard truth: fat loss comes from nutrition, not exercise.

You're either ALL IN or you're ALL OUT, with no happy in-between. Perfection equals success; imperfection equals failure. This mindset is one of the most common things that my clients battle in both fitness and nutrition... and yet, that squishy in-between zone is actually the ideal spot.

Imagine this: Every night at midnight a clone of yourself comes to meet you. That clone is always a version of yourself from exactly 24 hours before. Every night at midnight you and your clone from 24 hours ago will fight to the death. What did you do today to kill your clone?

What happens when LIFE happens and throws a wrench into your schedule or plans? How do you KEEP GOING and stay consistent?

Habit change isn't typically desired to be temporary. The goal is to change them FOR LIFE, and to do that, it must be sustainable.