Strength Training or Cardio?

Ah, the age-old debate. Look, they are both awesome, for so many reasons. I love myself a long run and the endorphins I get from a high-intensity spin class. Your heart deserves to be strong so doing movement that keeps it healthy is important, but if you're a mom, and trying to get back into fitness, you probably don't have a lot of time, so prioritizing strength training is a game changer - here's why.

1. Functional Strength for Everyday Tasks:

From lifting toddlers to carrying groceries, motherhood is a physically demanding job that rarely provides vacation days. When we say functional strength, we mean the ACTUAL strength to do the heavy and hard shit in your life, not just look good and flex in the mirror. Need to carry your kiddo kicking and screaming back from the zoo after they got overstimulated? Refuse to take 3 trips with groceries from the car? Kid demands you carry them on your shoulders or fling them around like a freaking monkey? Pick up some heavy stuff!

2. Improved Posture and Body Mechanics:

Pregnancy and childbirth take a TOLL on a woman's body, usually meaning hours bent over a tiny human and sleeping in weird positions, leading to weakened core muscles and poor posture. Strength training exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and rows, help strengthen the muscles that support the spine and improve overall posture. Working on these muscles now means that you not only stand up straight now but you're also less likely to be a hunched-over old lady and don't tell me your back doesn't hurt right now. Want it to feel better? Strength training has got your back (literally).

3. Boosted Metabolism and Fat Loss:

While cardio may be the go-to for calorie burning, strength training offers unique metabolic benefits. By increasing lean muscle mass, strength training boosts metabolism, helping burn more calories both during and after workouts. Additionally, strength training promotes fat loss while preserving muscle mass - holla!

4. Bone Health and Longevity:

Look, it's completely unfair the stuff women have to deal with that men don't, and an increased risk of osteoporosis as you age is one of them. What's the answer? Strength training! Weight-bearing exercises like squats and lunges stimulate bone growth and enhance bone density, reducing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis later in life. By investing in bone health now, you're putting cash money into your mobility and bone bank for later.

5. Mental Health and Stress Relief:

This one is obvious, being a mom is lovely, wonderful, fulfilling, but also overstimulating, overwhelming, and stressful at times. Strength training offers more than just physical benefits—it's also a powerful tool for stress relief and mental well-being. The endorphins released during strength training act as natural mood lifters, helping combat stress, anxiety, and depression. If you're having a bad day, lifting some heavy stuff or throwing a slam ball does wonders.

6. Empowerment and Self-Confidence:

There is just something different about lifting heavy and what it does for your confidence and resilience. As moms see themselves getting stronger, both physically and mentally, they gain a newfound sense of empowerment. It also doesn't hurt to feel like Michelle Obama when you start seeing those arm #gains.

Does this mean you're off the hook entirely for cardio? Heck no! But if you only have time to prioritize one, and you're starting from scratch, body weight or exercises with slight resistance are the way to go. From there, try stacking in a daily walk to get things moving and you'll be surprised to see how much more energy you have and how much better you feel.

Need more inspiration? Hit me up for a custom workout plan!

Prioritize Protein First

If you follow any wellness influencers on social media, they're talking about protein, and for good reason. While protein deficiency isn't really a thing in the US, most people aren't eating the optimal amount, or at the right times.

Protein consumption has a ton of health benefits, especially with the first meal of the day. I'm not a huge fan of intermittent fasting, and this is a big reason why. Research suggests that consuming protein in the morning can enhance metabolic rate and contribute to greater calorie expenditure throughout the day. Additionally, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a high-protein breakfast can significantly reduce post-meal cravings and increase satiety, ultimately leading to decreased overall calorie intake.

In contrast, intermittent fasting may lead to increased hunger and potentially overeating during the eating window, making it less sustainable and effective for some individuals. There is also evidence to show that prolonged fasting periods might actually contribute to DECREASED metabolic rates, potentially hindering weight loss efforts in the long run. Not to mention, it can be really hard to maintain over a longe period of time.

By prioritizing protein in the morning, women especially can support muscle maintenance, manage their appetite, and create a solid foundation for the rest of the day. The other reason I suggest this is that I know the day can go sideways sometimes when taking care of yourself or others. This ensures that even if you aren't able to proactively prioritize protein as much through your day, you've already got a great headstart.

What to shoot for? At least 30 grams of protein. Why? Research baby! Let's look at it a bit more closely.

Are you trying to lose weight? Get stronger? Increase your metabolic health? All of these things require more lean body tissue: muscle. Consuming 30-40 grams of protein in the morning contributes to muscle growth through a process known as muscle protein synthesis (MPS). This approach ensures that your muscles have a steady stream of nutrients, promoting effective recovery and growth. Also - during the night, your body is essentially fasting, and a protein-rich morning meal helps offset the overnight fasting period, where your body is breaking down tissue for energy. Eating a meal with 30-40 grams of protein first thing in the morning stops this process and gets your body moving in the right direction.

Ideally, each meal has around 20-30 grams of protein, and each snack has at least 15 grams. Need even more motivation to keep it going through the day?

1. Enhances Cognitive Function: Protein isn't just about those muscle #gains, but also brain gains! A protein-rich breakfast provides the amino acids necessary for the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, contributing to improved cognitive function and mood

2. Stabilizes Blood Sugar Levels: A balanced breakfast, combining protein (at least 30 grams - remember :) with carbohydrates and healthy fats, can prevent rapid spikes and crashes in blood glucose, promoting sustained energy throughout the morning.

3. Hormonal Balance: Trying to balance those hormones? Proteins are involved in the synthesis and regulation of hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, which are essential for reproductive health, bone density, and overall well-being

4. Weight Management: Protein helps you feel full longer helping to control appetite and reduce overall calorie intake. Studies suggest that a higher protein intake can aid in weight management by promoting feelings of fullness and supporting fat loss while preserving lean body mass

It takes a bit more planning to start your day this way but once you get in the habit of it, it becomes much easier. Want to take the guess work out of it? My one-on-one coaching and personalized meal plans will give you a plan with exactly what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner to hit these goals. Check out my Services or Shop to see what works for you.

4 Reasons You Need More than 1,200 Calories

I saw a post this week on the "Eating Well" website that claimed to be about gut health. While it did include lots of nourishing food options, it was extremely restrictive, coming in at around 1200 calories per day. 1200 calories is the average amount of calories most toddlers need to grow and thrive. NOT the amount for a grown woman.

I have had clients come to me who wanted to lose weight and somehow got fixated on this number and started following it. What happened? They initially lost weight, but very quickly plateaued, felt like crap, had no energy, experienced brain fog, and were dragging through their workouts.

Most women's resting metabolic rate, meaning what they need to just exist, breathe, and for their organs to work is at least 1600 calories. That doesn't even include daily activities or calories burned during exercise. The effects of this kind of caloric restriction can be very detrimental in the short and long term and very counterproductive if your goal is weight loss or weight maintenance.

Here's why:

It's stressing your body the F out

This kind of caloric restriction on an ongoing basis causes a stress response, which leads the body to be in fight or flight mode and release cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels for long periods of time negatively impact the body by reducing bone density, impairing cognitive function, and decreasing immunity.

Additionally, extreme caloric restriction can cause hormonal imbalances in women, leading to irregular periods or even the cessation of menstruation. The body slows down its metabolic rate as a survival mechanism, making it more difficult to lose weight in the long run and meaning anytime you start to eat more calories, you gain weight. No one is going to maintain this kind of calorie restriction long term, but often get defeated when they rebound and begin to eat more and see the scale go up as the body recalibrates.

It's making you weak

If you are a woman and lifting weights (and you should be! You ARE lifting weights right??) this is not enough to support your strength goals and promote muscle repair. If you're doing cardio, you're just creating an even bigger deficit your body can't handle.

Consuming only 1200 calories a day is going to leave you feeling fatigued and depleted, making it difficult to perform your best during exercise. In addition, such low-calorie intake can mean your body has to break down muscle for energy, which can be counterproductive to exercise goals.

Girl, if you want those #gains, you have to eat more.

It's not doing your gut any favors

Yeah, of course, we're going to talk about gut health. If you follow me, this blog, or any of my programs, you know that gut health is SO important to everything.

When you don't eat enough calories, it can lead to reduced nutrient absorption, which can cause changes in the composition of the gut microbiome, leading to a decrease in beneficial bacteria and an increase in harmful bacteria. This can lead to digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. Moreover, extreme calorie restriction can also weaken the intestinal lining and increase intestinal permeability, leading to inflammation and an increased risk of chronic diseases. Not ideal.

It's bumming you out

This kind of obsession with calorie counting and restriction can have a significant impact on mental health, particularly in the long term, not to mention it's not fun. When the body is deprived of adequate calories, it can lead to feelings of fatigue, irritability, and anxiety. These symptoms may worsen over time as the body becomes more malnourished, leading to a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and even depression. It can also cause changes in brain chemistry, like a decrease in the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which can lead to mood disorders.

Yeah, no thanks.

So, what should you do instead?

Most women attempting weight loss are not eating enough, or consistently fueling for their goals. We need to shift our focus away from restriction and towards thriving, radiant health. You are so much more than a number. Your strength and worth are not based on the scale.

Check out my guiding principles on my instagram here. and focus on eating more whole foods, drinking more water, sleeping more, moving your body gently, reducing stress, and prioritizing fat and protein.

Your body deserves to feel strong, energized, and healthy to keep up with your family, do your job, crush your workouts, and be happy! Get in touch if you're ready to make a plan that works for you!