In this episode, I’m joined by a good friend of mine and fellow coach Michelle Maher, who is also Irish and living in Australia. We chatted about the things we wish we had known at the beginning of our fitness journeys and things we have learned along the way.    Topics covered: Learning to decipher fact from fad in the fitness industry Endless cardio won’t get you results The importance of spending time on maintenance calories  How overtraining can impact results Why every coach should have a coach How to fast track your results by having a plan Lifting weights won’t make you ..read more

Have you ever tried to eat clean to lose weight? Have you ever cut out an entire food group like carbs or sugars in the pursuit of your dream body? Or even just because you thought it was going to help you achieve a higher status of "healthiness"?  The research has shown that this kind of black and white thinking often backfires - the more you restrict something the more you crave it.  In today's episode, I'm discussing: research around forbidden foods why labeling food as good or bad backfires why there is more to health than nutrients alone three strategies you can use to overcom ..read more

Reverse dieting or establishing your post-diet maintenance is the most important part of your fat loss journey, yet it is often overlooked. Many believe their fat loss journey is finished when they hit their goal weight, but without reverse dieting or establishing your new maintenance, you risk rebounding and dieting again.  Listen to this episode to avoid making four of the most common reverse dieting mistakes. Thank you again for tuning into the podcast and I hope you enjoyed this solo episode! I would greatly appreciate it if you would please subscribe to the channel, give the podcast ..read more

In this episode of the podcast, I spoke to Online Coach, IFBB Bikini Competitor and Owner of @prettyprincess_fitness Maeve Kavanagh. Maeve is another Irish online coach living in Australia and she has a real no-nonsense approach to health and fitness! She left her job as an air hostess 3 years ago to move to Perth and since then has turned one of her passion for fitness into her business.  Some of the topics we speak about include: Competing at bodybuilding with IFBB Juggling travel and a busy work schedule as an air hostess with prepping for a show Staying on track when traveling Myths ..read more

In this episode, I'm going to explain the difference between weight loss and fat loss. When you lose weight, you're losing both fat and muscle, so though your body may get smaller, your shape won't really change. What you really want is fat loss - where we maintain muscle and strip the fat. There are a few steps you need to take in order to achieve this and that's what we are covering today! Studies mentioned:High protein diet promotes for more lean mass gain and fat mass lossEffects of high-protein diets on fat-free mass Thank you again for tuning into the podcast and I hope you enjoyed thi ..read more

Stuck on low calories after your diet? Or trying to lose weight on low calories but seeing slow or no progress? Let's chat about how to get out of that calorie pit through reverse dieting! Topics covered in today's episode: why many people rebound after weight loss two key factors needed to maintain results what is reverse dieting scenarios where reverse dieting is useful understanding post diet maintenance your mindset around eating more food Thank you again for tuning into the podcast and I hope you enjoyed this solo episode! I would greatly appreciate it if you would please subscribe to ..read more

More than 80% of dieters regain the weight within a year and re-enter the yo-yo dieting cycle again. But what about the 20% who successfully maintain their weight? What do they do differently? They establish habits that they continue post-diet and create a lifestyle change. In today's episode we look at the habits you need to adapt in order to achieve sustainable fat loss and escape the dieting cycle for good! LINKS: 1-1 Coaching enquiry: HERE NUZEST Greens powder: https://nuzest.com.au?p=By30vd75v (20% off discount: EMPOWER20) Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activelyaoif ..read more

My client Barbara shares her journey from overtraining and undereating; to learning the value of spending time at maintenance and training more effectively.  Over the past 6 months, Barbara's mindset around training and nutrition has transformed dramatically, and I think her story is one that will resonate with many. She shares how she went from exercising 6 days a week for up to 2 hours a day, trying to restrict calories and feeling guilty when she ate too much or ate foods she considered bad; to now training 4 days a week focusing on strength, enjoying all her favourite foods and feeli ..read more

Plateaus. They’re never fun. But they’re a sometimes inevitable part of any fat loss journey.  Before you jump to the conclusion that you've hit a plateau we are going to look at what a "real plateau" looks like versus just one or two days where your weight has spiked! Topics covered: How to identify a plateau Checking your adherence  Energy in Vs Energy out NEAT Doing a food diary audit The menstrual cycle, stress and sleep Refeeds and diet breaks Reducing calories Thank you again for tuning into the podcast and I hope you enjoyed this solo episode! I would greatly appreciate it ..read more

In today's episode, I'm joined by Luke Tulloch to chat all things muscle growth! Luke is a leader in the personal training industry, he has studied Neuroscience and has an innate ability to simplify the most complex health and fitness topics.  We discuss:  how muscle grows  accounting for recoverability and fatigue  why we experience DOMS  the difference between being sore after a workout and actually making progress low rep versus high rep training  mechanical tension versus muscle damage  how to train for maximum muscle gains rep ranges for muscle growth ..read more