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!

If you’ve ever seen one of these oversized stiff looking pool noodles in the gym and wondered what in the world it is, or watched people laying on it rolling all around but have no idea what they are doing, let me enlighten you! The foam roller really is the best kept secret of the exercise community.  It doesn’t an incredible job of loosening up muscles all over your body, which in turn gives weaker muscles greater contraction strength while you work out so you can get quicker gains and achieve muscle balance more easily. A foam roller also can be used in core workouts and gives you some core benefit while you are just stretching out and releasing your muscles.

The whole premise is that your body weight on top of the roller will press in to the muscle like someone would when they give you a deep tissue massage.  When it presses on a knot for roughly 20 seconds, special nerves in the muscle, called golgi tendon, send a signal to your brain to relax the muscle fibers.  Then by rolling very slowly along the facial lines you can grab the muscle fiber and slowly stretch it breaking up tightness, scar tissue etc.

Many people have a love hate relationship with the foam roller because although it does so much good, the pressure can be uncomfortable at first and it may be hard to actually relax and release the muscle until you get used to the feeling.  When you find a tender spot, you want to stay in that spot, breathe through it, taking long deep breaths and imagine the muscle releasing and relaxing.  And that’s what we are shooting for, to wait until that nerve gets the signal and in turn your muscle goes “ahhh…”  If you’re not someone familiar with a deep tissue release, just keep rolling consistently before each workout for a few weeks and eventually your body will cooperate.

There are some contraindications as well as certain places on your body that the foam roller shouldn’t be used. You never want to place the roller directly under a joint and should avoid using it on your low back, abdomen and neck, Though if you need to relax the muscles in those areas, there are safe ways you can do so against a wall with massage balls instead of using your full body weight on the roller.  Also those with osteopenia, osteoporosis or a current DVT should avoid using a foam roller.

Because of the sedentary society and office culture we have today, one of the spots most people find most beneficial to roll is their hip flexors and TFL.  You can do this by leaning forward over the roller on your elbows in a plank position and slowly rolling one leg at a time from the hip crease down toward your knee.  Just make sure keep your upper body in a good plank position with abs contracted, tailbone down and shoulders away from your ears and you’ll get deep into the muscle and work your abs too!  Turn slightly to the outside of your leg to release the TFL, and if you are brave enough, the tighter the muscle the more intense the feeling can be, a little further down the thigh roll all the way to the outside and you’ll be releasing your IT Band.  When those three muscle groups are released, you’ll see much better gains in your glute strength helping with squats, lunges, dead lifts and power in general.

For some added core challenges to your workout, grab a 3 foot foam roller and lay lengthwise on it with your head at one end, tailbone at the other, and your feet on the ground.  From this position, you can do abdominal work. Try contracting your abs and raising one leg to table top at a time. If that’s not a challenge, try raising one and then the other before putting the first one down. You can also try dead bugs and medicine ball passes from side to side on the roller.  Upper body work ,like chest presses and chest flys are also great to do from this position. It challenges your core and gives you a larger range of motion than doing them on the floor.

There are many more ways you can get benefits from incorporating a foam roller into your workout, but if you’re a newbie, these are some great ways to start!

Traveling can be an incredible adventure, but whether you are on your dream vacation or a business trip, either way it can put a snag in your fitness routine. It doesn’t have to though, and in fact, I even suggest having a separate fitness routine just for when you travel so you are prepared and don’t have to figure it all out again with each trip. Here are some tips to help keep you feeling your best on the road:

1. Packable fitness tools are essential so that you aren’t reliant on what you might find at your destination. If your hotel has a gym or a pool that’s a bonus, but if you’ve got your own stuff and know what to do and when, you are more likely to stick to it. The key with what you pack is to keep it small, light and versatile. My favorite pieces to pack: a travel foam roller, long, flat resistance bands in light medium and heavy stregnths, a door anchor so those bands can be used for more exercises and sliding disks. Skip packing the yoga mat unless you have a thin soft foldable and just use an extra hotel towel when you are on the floor.

2. Get in a good core workout right before your trip. Long hours in an airplane or car can wreak havoc on your back & neck, tighten your hip flexors and a whole lot more. Starting off with those deep core and spinal muscles awake and engaged will help minimize the damage. If you are traveling early morning, get your workout in the evening before.

3. Keep moving along the way. Whether you are in a plane, train or automobile, get up and move at least every 2 hours. Walk the length of the plane, do a few toe raises, reverse lunges, side steps or squats. You can also do isolation movements for your abs, upper back and neck while you are seated. Doing those things will help keep you from getting stiff and out of alignment and it also helps prevent the chance of a blood clot developing.

4. Work the kinks out when you arrive. When you get to your destination, before you flop into bed. Take a few minutes to foam roll and stretch, especially your hip flexors, lower back, chest and shoulder. Then lightly engage the opposing muscles, your glutes, abs and upper back with one set of something so you even out before you sleep.

5. While you are on the vacation, make it a point to get at least 10 - 15 minutes of exercise in the mornings before you head out for the day to keep you engaging muscles in the right way all day long. You’ll also know you did something that benefits your body even if the rest of the day does not allow for exercise.

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!