Life is meant to be enjoyed, especially around the holidays. Here are a few tips for meshing both a healthy mindset and holiday wellness for the rest of the year that my family intends to implement. I hope they help you too! 4 Tips for Healthy Holiday Living 1. Add Dense Nutrition Instead of Restricting The average American consumes 619 extra calories daily between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That leads to steady weight gain, likely body fat, in a short amount of time. Have healthy food readily available and the not-so-healthy food out of sight. We focus on getting plenty of protein in during ..read more

Next month, I have a milestone birthday coming up: the big 4-0. Being completely transparent, saying, “I’m 40,” wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I don’t feel 40, do I? What is 40 anyway? Just a number. My age does not define me. I’m grateful to be able to celebrate 40 years of a healthy, active life! That has not happened by accident though. I Invest time in training my body…properly. Once we approach 40, we are losing lean muscle fast. Muscle is a greedy, calorie consuming entity and our ally with fat loss. If you have done any of my training programs, you know lifting weights is v ..read more

Thanks for your patience, friends! My newest training plan is available for purchase today! Functional Fitness Defined Functional Fitness Defined uses compound movements with a variety of equipment to help you create an athletic physique and perform to your potential. You will complete 8 weeks of constantly varied programming with 5 workouts per week. Workouts will target different training goals like metabolic conditioning, HIIT (high intensity interval training), strength/balance, and conditioning. A comprehensive nutrition guide is also included. Let’s get started! Why this Plan ..read more

Helping your children eat healthy has it’s challenges. However, the return you get in their well being, attention, and sleep is well worth it! We want to set our kids up for success, and the best way to do that is to help them eat healthy. Plus, I’ll also share some areas where we need to improve. 1. Offer Them Healthy Choices First By no means are we restrictive with our children’s food choices. However, we do make it a point to offer healthy choices first. I’m thankful my kids like to eat a variety of foods, but I do invest a good amount of time making sure they have the chance to make hea ..read more

Today, I’m showing you an AMRAP workout from the 14 Day Challenge that is simple (only three movements) but very intense. I’m also sharing a line of compression clothing from SKINS that is sure to stay put and look sharp during your most dynamic workouts. Man Maker AMRAP For this workout, you will need a set of dumbbells (I’m using 25#). Set your timer for 14 minutes and complete the following: Man Makers: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5… Sit-ups: 2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10… So, you will complete one Man Maker (<—click for complete video demo), then two sit-ups. Then, two Man Makers, and four sit-ups ..read more

In preparation for the 14 Day Challenge, I wanted to take a moment and discuss protein pacing as well as some of my staples. Protein Pacing Protein pacing is the scientifically proven combination of eating healthy, lean, protein foods at the right time of day to maximize health and performance (source).   Here is how you can make it work: Consume +1.4g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Athletes may need closer to 2g. Spread protein over four to six meals per day. Consume 20-30g of protein each meal. By consuming protein throughout the day, you can maximize muscle maintenan ..read more

I wanted to share an upcoming challenge that I would love for you to be a part of! Starting Monday, March 5th, I will be sharing 14 days of free workouts and nutrition information. Free Workouts I typically share a free workout here and there on instagram stories, but this will be a series of workouts. I’ll be incorporating some basic equipment like dumbbells or kettlebells. This is will be a good lead in for those of you still curious about my Train Like an Athlete training program. Nutrition I’d love to share a bit more about the nutrition system my family follows and how we use it through ..read more

I wanted to share the top 6 home workouts based on your interest as well as the evolution of this website. I have created A LOT of workouts over the years; it’s something I love to do. You can revisit home workouts or gym workouts that I have created in this space. Additionally, I have prenatal workouts for expecting mamas! In an effort to design training plans that meet your demands, I’d love to hear about your favorite workouts or exercises as I’m creating a NEW training plan. Top 6 Home Workouts to do NOW 1. Full Body Dumbbell Workout I did this one with two kids runnings around ..read more

Let’s catch up with the kids today, shall we? Jada is 4.5 years old, and Cole just turned 2. They are at the ages where they play well together…for the most part. They genuinely love each other. Cole literally runs to Jada when we pick her up from school, and Jada cannot wait to open Cole’s door when he wakes up from his nap. They also battle a good amount of the time. Sometimes, I feel like I’m playing referee! I’m sure many of you can relate. But, it’s good for them. They need to work out their disagreements without me, so sometimes I just fade into the background. EATING Both of my kids l ..read more

This time of year, it can be a little more difficult to stay active and healthy. That’s why I’m sharing 6 tips we implement daily to keep our kids healthy and fit. Number 4 might surprise you, so be sure to read on. 1. Get Outside This time of year it’s getting downright frigid in the Chicago area, but I still bundle the kids up to get fresh air and exercise. It might not be for long, but enough for rosy cheeks and my sanity. I also have a weather shield cover for our BOB dualie that keeps the kids protected while Cooper gets some exercise alongside us. 2. Follow a Bedtime Routine Stick to a ..read more