A) Doing it completely on your own
                                             B) Following online programs but not interacting
                               C) Occasionally working out with a friend
                                                             D) Part of a consistent community or accountability group
E) Working with a coach
                                          F) Wanting support but not sure where to find it

Comment below and tell me your answer. 

Because awareness is step one.

And connection might be the missing piece.

You don’t need more willpower.

You might just need more people.

xoxo,

Kim

Not as many of us commute as we did pre-COVID, but plenty of people still spend part of their day in the car getting to and from work. Unfortunately, sitting in a car for extended periods isn’t doing your body any favors.

For starters, driving keeps you in a cramped, repetitive position that can lead to muscle imbalances, tightness, and even pain. With one foot constantly working the gas and brake while the other remains inactive, you can develop a hip imbalance that needs to be counteracted. And if you spend most of your workday sitting as well, that’s even more time reinforcing poor posture and movement patterns.

On top of that, commuting can be exhausting—both mentally and physically. After a long day, the thought of spending even more time in the car to get to the gym (or summoning the energy to work out once you’re home) can feel like too much. But instead of letting your commute take away from your fitness, you can use it to your advantage.

Move While You Drive

Even while seated, you can engage different muscle groups with simple isometric exercises:

• Core activation: Tighten your abs and draw your belly button toward your spine for 30 seconds. Release slightly for two seconds, then engage fully again for a set of 15.

• Pelvic floor engagement: Contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles in a similar pattern.

• Upper body work: Use your steering wheel as resistance—pull against it at different hand positions to engage your upper back, or press inward to activate your chest, arms, and core.

• Lower body balance: Keep your hips even and focus on activating your left leg so it works as much as your right (without compromising safety, of course!).

These small movements can help counteract some of the negative effects of prolonged sitting without distracting you from the road.

Maximize Your Time

Your commute is also a great opportunity to check things off your to-do list, such as:

• Listening to audiobooks, podcasts, or work-related training.

• Catching up with friends and family hands-free.

• Taking care of calls, with a note to have the other party follow up via text or email so you can handle scheduling later.

Plan for Breaks and Better Choices

If your commute is longer than an hour, plan to stop and move when possible. Even a short walk or a few squats during a gas stop can prevent stiffness and discomfort.

And don’t forget about nutrition—pack healthy, easy-to-eat snacks so you’re not tempted by fast food. Apples, nuts, and dried fruit travel well and keep you fueled without the crash.

Stay Hydrated

Car ventilation systems can be dehydrating, and drinking enough water ensures you’ll need to stop for restroom breaks—giving you another reason to get out and stretch your legs.

Make Your Commute Work for You

Instead of letting time in the car drain you, use it strategically. With a little intention, you can turn your commute into an opportunity to support your health, improve your energy, and arrive at your destination feeling better, not worse.

Every year so many of us look forward to the holidays but at the same time have a underlying sense of dread, knowing how difficult it can be to stay on track with our fitness and nutrition goals amid the all the hustle, bustle and celebrations.  I used to be one of those people, but over the last several years that has changed.  Why?  Not only have I used many of the healthy holiday hacks that I am about to share with you, but the biggest difference has come from the fact that before the holiday season arrives, I’ve gone into it with a realistic plan.

A plan is essential to success because it gives you a roadmap of what to do, not only on a daily basis, but also when the unexpected happens!  My plan this year includes; maintaining my weight and body composition by checking the scale each morning and having an upper limit, if I hit that limit adjusting my behavior accordingly, keeping 1 hr workouts in my routine a minimum of 3 x a week (M,T,Th are my goal days) and a total of at least 30 minutes of activity on 3 other days, keeping my diet clean at home with the exception of actual holiday days where I’ll allow myself to freely indulge, and choosing a maximum of 2 celebratory events a week to attend where I’ll use the tips below!  I encourage you to make your own plan as well!

Hacks to make this year’s holiday season healthy!

1. Going to a family gathering? Offer to bring a side - a healthy one like a green salad, so you know there will be at least something you can fill your plate with that will be good for your body as well as your taste buds!

2. Whether it’s a family gathering, a work party, or whatever the celebration, have a small protein and fiber rich snack prior to leaving for the event. A couple hard boiled eggs, cucumbers and whole grain crackers, low fat cottage cheese or nuts paired with fruit, or even a protein shake will do the trick. This will help to keep you from overindulging at the event.

3. Allow yourself to try some of the sweet and rich choices at the event so you don’t feel like you are missing out, but keep it to a taste. Take a smaller plate and just a few bites of your favorite holiday treats.

4. Alcohol is one of the biggest reasons for both weight gain and energy drain over the holidays, but it is also a part of many social occassions. Drink a glass of water before and between any alcoholic drink and consider alternating days - for every day you go out and indulge, plan and stick to a day where you don’t immediately after.

5. Keep your home stocked with easy to grab, helahy options. The holidays can be a busy time so convenience is a huge factor in our food choices. This may be the time of year to buy the pre-cut veggies so you don’t have the extra prep work to do and can stick to healthy snacking. Buy a rotisserie chicken with each weeks shopping trip so you have easy access to clean protein to top a salad with or a quick oven reheat dinner in a pinch.

6. Try healthy substitutions in your holiday recipes. Add applesauce to sweet potatoes instead of sugar. Add some cauliflower to your potato mash. Need a healthy cookie recipe? Try the one in my last blog post!

7. When meeting friends or family, choose to do it in an active way. Stroll the mall together rather than sitting and having coffee. Bundle up and go on a winter hike. The woods are gorgeous after a fresh snowfall - just make sure that you have proper grippy footwear if you are in that climate. Test your balance and core at an ice skating rink!

8. Traveling? Bring resistance bands with you. They are small and easy to pack and guarantee you can get a workout in whatever the space.

9. Keep stress and tension at bay by prioritizing types of exercise that release tension and help you unwind while at the same time engaging your core. Start each day with just 10 minutes of pilates or yoga and end it with 5 - 10 minutes of foam rolling. It will do wonders for your stress level and get you a guaranteed 15 - 20 minutes of fitness in!

I hoe you can put all these hacks to good use and have a happy, healthy holiday season! If you’re looking for more tips, please reach out to schedule a consult or join my mailing list!

Back to school bugs have already hit our house hard this year so as the official start of cold and flu season approaches, I figure it’s time to start talking about ways you can help your body stay healthy.

I’m going to skip over the typical hygiene habits; hand washing, not touching your face, wiping down surfaces, etc. and focus on some things you might not readily think about that help keep you protected.

First up, hydration. As temperature start to cool down, we tend to think less about drinking water and staying hydrated. Dehydration can slow down body processes and over tax your systems making you more prone to infection.  Blood is mostly made up of water and the more hydrated you are the easier it is for your body to deliver nutrients where they’re needed and its a key component of lymphatic fluid which helps fight infection and remove toxins including bacteria and viruses.  So if big 32 oz Nalgene containers of water aren’t as easy to get down when it’s not hot, try some different strategies.  Start your day with a 16 oz glass of water with lemon (pre-coffee), add several cups of herbal tea to your day, make sure you have water at or before all of your meals and keep a smaller bottle with you at all times.

Exercise is important to stay healthy!  Preventatively, people who exercise 30 - 60 minutes a day most days of the week have a 46% reduction in the number of days of illness each year compared to those who don’t. And yes, light exercise is good even when you’ve been exposed to an illness.  The physical activity can help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways and exercise increases the movement of blood and lymph and can increase antibodies and white blood cell count.  Aerobic exercise like walking and cycling are good as long as you don’t have a fever, but make sure not to overdo it.  Save strength training and other heavy exercise for when you are feeling healthy again.

What you eat and drink can make a huge difference in how your body fights infection.  Bright colored fruits and veggies are loaded with immune boosting vitamin C, but did you know that lots of the B vitamins have energy and immune boosting properties as well?  They help make red blood cells, white blood cells and T cells and can even help destroy free radicals.  B vitamins can be found in small amounts in your fruits and veggies, but are much higher in fish, meat, eggs and dairy.  Trying to avoid the fat and cholesterol of most meat, but want more benefit - try incorporating more fish, bone broth and a small amount of organ meats.  Vitamin D too can help with immunity and elicit anti-viral responses in your cells.  And although your body can produce it, we don’t get as much help from the sun in the winter… mushrooms are a good source as well as oily fish, egg yolks and liver.  Vitamin D has been brought in the spotlight over the past decade as being more essential to many body processes than the medical community previously realized, and is the vitamin that has the highest level of deficiency out of any vitamin in the US population. As far as supplementation, B, and C vitamins are water soluble vitamins so your body gets rid of anything you consume that it doesn’t use each day so its a good idea to have your levels of all three vitamins checked first before starting and make sure you aren’t waisting money and literally flushing those supplements down the drain.

Now, what not to put in…. There’s 2 biggies and they are hard to avoid.  Just like we humans love it, sugar is a favorite food source for bacteria, viruses and pathogens.  Glucose is actually their only source of energy, so eating foods that are already broken down into simple sugar when you are sick can make you feel worse and make it harder for your body to fight the infection.  And, even eating sugar when you are healthy isn’t the greatest idea, as it suppresses your immune system and can make you more likely to get sick if you are exposed.

Lastly, alcohol puts the brakes on your body’s immune system quite literally.  Your body sees alcohol as a toxin (that’s why it affects us in so many ways) and stops all other immune responses, as well as the breakdown and absorption of other foods until it has processed and removed it.  So, keep your drinking to a minimum this fall and if you know you’ve been exposed to an infection, stop altogether until you are 100% sure you are in the clear.  And if you do get sick, as much as a shot of hard liquor might numb your sore throat temporarily, it’s not worth it in the long run since while your body is getting rid of the alcohol, those germs have more time and fuel to proliferate making you worse in the long run.

How? Here are some ideas to reduce soreness, give you a boost of energy and alleviate tired feet….

1. Start your day with exercise. Even if you don’t have time for a full workout in the am, getting a few minutes of movement in first thing the morning, whether it is stretching, yoga or even a few minutes of core work will get your blood flowing, mind awake and help reduce stiffness as you start your day.

2. Speaking of movement, when you have an afternoon slump around 3 pm, a quick burst of movement, even 5 to 10 minutes can give you the energy you need to power through the end of the workday and into the evening. And, since the days are longer and sunnier now, if you can, combine that movement with some vitamin D and fresh air in the outdoors to boost your serotonin even more! Pop out of the office and take a quick walk around the outside of the building, and take the stairs on the way back up!

3. Remember to hydrate - after that afternoon burst of exercise, and all day long. Dehydration can be a huge contributing factor to fatigue, foggy thinking, sluggish digestion and so much more. So drink up, and remember hydration also means keeping your electrolytes balanced too!

4. One of the easiest ways to add some spring back into your step is to make sure you have good supportive shoes! Did you know that for those who do cardio regularly (at least 2 - 3 times a week) you should be replacing your running/walking shoes at least every 6 months? All those hours on your feet compress the bottoms of your shoes and eventually there’s not much cushion between you and the ground below. A new pair of shoes that fit well, support your arches, and any pronation or supination tendencies you have, can make it feel like you are walking on clouds instead of grinding your joints! Personally, my favorite brand is Brooks, but everyone’s feet are different. Pop into a running store and get fit by a professional for a brand that works for your feet - it's definitely worth it!

Happy Work it Wednesday!  That’s my affectionate term for Wednesday’s.  Why?  It’s usually about mid-week when people tend to lose steam whatever goal they are working toward - whether it involves fitness, nutrition or anything else. But, there are some important things you can do to counteract that mid week, mid day, or mid month slump!

1. CONSISTENCY - make it easy for yourself to stick to the plan.  That could mean having time blocked off on your calendar to work toward your goal, meals prepped ahead of time, or even having five fitness outfits clean and ready to pull from the closet at the beginning of each week.

2. ACCOUNTABILITY - Whether it is a trainer or coach, a workout buddy or even a close friend or family member, find someone that will check in with you regularly and hold you to what you said you are going to do.  It is SO MUCH EASIER to reach a goal when others are aware and helping cheer you towards success!

3. REWARDS - Lets face it, we are creatures of desire, and when there is a carrot dangling in front of us, we have just a little more determination to push through to the end.  Plan your rewards up ahead of time, and at regular intervals.  It could be a sweet treat, a massage, a new outfit, mani/pedi, whatever floats your boat.  Just make sure to remember to celebrate your success!

What does it mean to shine?  When I think of that word - shine, I think of something that stands out among others, something that sparkles. It catches you eye, your attention and makes you look twice.  I think of something that glows, that is clean, new looking, something that is clear and spotlighted in focus.

So how do we, as people, shine?  We shine by having all those qualities, a clear focus, a sparkle, something that catches the attention of others, but I’m not talking about something flashy that you wear. Someone who shines has an inner glow that goes beyond the quick second glance and holds attention.  It creates true attraction.  

That inner light comes when we are true to ourself, living life authentically and to its fullest, actively serving a purpose that our heart is truly calling us to champion.  We shine when we honor ourselves and our needs, and we also honor others.  We shine when we take it upon ourselves to always strive to be better, but also have the humility to know we can always learn from someone else and never act as if we have arrived; when we have the grace to forgive; when we have the generosity to put someone else’s need first; when we have a grateful and loving heart.

In short, we shine by always striving to do and be our best version of ourselves. 

So I ask, what is your heart calling you to do?  Why? Are you currently in a place where you can follow that dream?  What needs attention to help you become the best possible version of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually so that you can follow your passion and sustain it?  Where is it that you would like to start?  Pick one area of your life, start there, and then, gradually, build on it.  It’s time.