Krista Havens Macros and Fitness

03/26/2026

5 Mistakes I See All the Time in Health & Fitness 👇

If you feel stuck, frustrated, or like nothing is working… one of these might be the reason:

1️⃣ Cutting out entire food groups
Protein, carbs, and fats ALL play an important role in your health.
Balance > elimination.

2️⃣ Jumping from one “named” diet to the next
If it has a long list of rules and restrictions, it’s probably not sustainable.
Nutrition should fit your life—not take it over.
Flexibility = consistency.

3️⃣ Ignoring your relationship with food
A lot of us grew up with “low-calorie,” “low-fat,” and “burn it off” messaging.
But eating should feel enjoyable and supportive—not stressful.

Your workouts and your nutrition should actually align with your goals.
And sometimes, that means spending time eating at maintenance and learning how to truly fuel your body before ever focusing on fat loss.

4️⃣ Not eating enough to support your workouts
You can’t expect to train well if you’re underfueled.

Shifting from:
“I need to earn my food”
to:
“I fuel my body for my life and workouts”

…is a game changer. 💛

5️⃣ Relying on fitness trackers for calories burned
These are often WAY off and can quietly sabotage your progress.

Instead, focus on:
✔️ Protein targets
✔️ Calorie targets (based on your goal)
✔️ Daily movement (steps)
✔️ Strength training

Nail those, and you don’t need to stress about what your watch says.

✨ The goal isn’t perfection—it’s building something you can actually stick with.

Which one do you see most often (or have struggled with yourself)?

03/11/2026

Confused by all the online noise in the fitness and nutrition space?

You’re not alone.

There’s an endless supply of information out there, and a lot of it is conflicting. If you're looking for evidence-based guidance without the extremes, here are a few of my favorite FREE resources that I often recommend to clients.

📚 Looking for scientifically sound articles on a variety of nutrition topics?
Stephanie Kay Nutrition (bonus: a great whole food recipe index too!)
https://kaynutrition.com/

🔥 Want to estimate how many calories your body actually needs?
These calculators can help estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE):

Simple estimate:
https://eatmore2weighless.com/weight-loss-calculator/

More detailed (great if you like numbers and options):
https://tdeecalculator.net/

🧠 Struggling with emotional eating?
This podcast episode does a great job breaking down the real causes and practical solutions:
Biceps After Babies Radio – Episode #394
https://www.bicepsafterbabies.com/the-real-causes-of-overeating-and-practical-solutions-that-work-with-coach-sarah-best-of-2025/

📱 Want a food tracking app to build awareness around your habits?
MacrosFirst
https://www.macrosfirst.com/

🏋️ Looking for quality strength workouts you can do at home?
Free workout programs from Caroline Girvan:
https://www.carolinegirvan.com/free-programs/

My personal favorites so far are Iron and Beastmode.

Sometimes the best first step is simply finding clear, reliable information. Hopefully these help cut through some of the noise.

And if you ever want help applying this kind of information to your own goals, that’s exactly what I help my clients do.

https://calendly.com/kristahavensmacrosandfitness/nutrition-and-fitness-consult

03/08/2026

Macro tracking can feel overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be.

The goal isn’t perfection — it’s awareness.

Tracking for even a short time can help you learn how much protein you're eating, how balanced your meals are, and where you might want to make adjustments.

Start simple and build from there.

Comment below with any questions you have about the process!

03/02/2026

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
— James Clear, Atomic Habits

When I first read that, it felt freeing.

It means you don’t need more willpower.
You don’t need to “try harder.”
You just need a few simple systems that support you.

If you’re feeling stuck with fitness or nutrition, here are four gentle anchor habits to focus on:

⚓️ Protein: Aim for 0.7–1g per pound of goal body weight
⚓️ Fiber: Aim for 25–35g per day
⚓️ Strength train: Each major muscle group 2x/week
⚓️ Steps: Work toward 10,000/day (increase gradually if you’re building up)

These habits keep you moving, fueled, and consistent — even when motivation dips.

When the basics are in place, everything else feels simpler: your energy, your routines, your confidence.

If you’re tired of starting over and ready to build strength and well-being into your everyday life, I’d love to help.

Whether you’re looking for a one-time strategy session you can implement on your own or ongoing accountability, we can create a system personalized to you. I work with clients in-person and virtually.

You can schedule using the link below. 🩷

https://calendly.com/kristahavensmacrosandfitness/nutrition-and-fitness-consult

02/22/2026

02/12/2026

If you’ve ever thought,

“I just have a slow metabolism,” this might be exactly what you need to hear...

Your body isn’t broken. It just needs a little more support.

Your daily energy burn isn’t just workouts.
It’s movement.
It’s muscle.
It’s nourishment.
It’s consistency over time.

Most women I work with don’t need to eat less.
They need to:

• build strength 💪
• move more throughout the day 🚴
• eat enough protein 🍗
• stop starting over every Monday 🗓️

Metabolism isn’t fixed.
It adapts to how you treat it.

And small, steady habits really do add up.

If you’re tired of extremes, you’re in the right place! 🩷

02/05/2026

🌿 Let’s talk about fiber!

Protein is having its moment in the spotlight — and with good reason — but fiber deserves some attention too.

A few months ago, I heard a challenge on a podcast:
👉 Try to eat 30 different plant foods in one week.

So I tried it… and honestly? It wasn’t nearly as hard as I expected.

Plant foods like:
🍓 Fruits
🥦 Vegetables
🫘 Beans, peas, and lentils
🌾 Whole grains
🥜 Nuts and seeds

…all contain fiber, and fiber does a lot for your body.

Fiber helps:
✔️ Keep you full and satisfied
✔️ Support digestion and gut health
✔️ Stabilize blood sugar
✔️ Lower cholesterol
✨ And it comes packaged with tons of vitamins and minerals

Easy ways to get more:
• Leave skins and peels on when you can (just wash first!)
• Choose foods in their more “whole” form
• Add instead of restrict — think variety here

If you love numbers, you can track fiber grams in a food-tracking app. I just kept a running list on a sticky note on my fridge, though.

📊 General fiber goals:
Women: ~25g/day
Men: ~35g/day
But think of that as a minimum, not a cap.

⚠️ Tip: If your fiber intake is currently low, increase gradually and drink plenty of fluids to keep digestion happy.

Want to try the challenge?
🎯 Can you get to 30 different plant foods this week?

Here was my list for inspiration:

Oats, spelt, corn, millet, soy, wheat, almonds, pecans, avocado, iceberg lettuce, spinach, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, arugula, radicchio, red onion, cilantro, edamame, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cauliflower, bell pepper, potato, cocoa, flaxseed, banana, apple, pumpkin seeds

01/31/2026

MYTH:
“I don’t want to build muscle — I just want to get toned.”

REALITY:
“Tone” isn’t a scientific term. What most people mean by toned is:

➡️ More muscle
➕
➡️ Lower body fat

That “lean and defined” look comes from body composition changes, not special toning workouts.

Your body has different tissues:

• Muscle can grow or shrink
• Body fat (adipose tissue) can grow or shrink

But one cannot turn into the other.

🚫 Fat doesn’t become muscle
🚫 Muscle doesn’t become fat

So when someone says they want to “tone,” the real goal is usually:

✔️ Build muscle
✔️ Reduce some body fat
✔️ Improve overall body composition

Here’s the important part:

Muscle is what gives your body shape. Without building it, there’s nothing to “show” — even if fat loss happens.

You don’t need a “toning” plan. You need:

💪 Strength training
🍽 Enough protein
⏳ Time and consistency

Your body doesn’t need to be smaller.
It needs to be stronger!

01/24/2026

New to the term “macros”?

It’s short for macronutrients — the nutrients your body needs in large amounts to function well.

Macros include protein, carbohydrates, and fat (PFC), and all three play essential roles in your body. Aiming to include some PFC on your plate at meals can help support your energy, keep you feeling satisfied, and make it easier to meet your vitamin and mineral (micronutrient) needs, too.

The more your macros come from whole foods, the better most people tend to feel — but there’s no need for perfection. I teach an 80/20 approach:

80% foods that nourish your body
20% foods that nourish your soul

Eating this way leaves room for breakfast with a friend, a business lunch, a child’s birthday party, or a holiday meal — without feeling like you “failed” or “got off track.” These foods aren’t detours; they’re part of the overall plan. No guilt. No “starting over Monday.”

What questions do you have about macros?

Image credit: Stephanie Kay Nutrition (highly recommend her website for evidence-based articles and recipes).

01/20/2026

MYTH: If you didn’t sweat, it wasn’t a good workout.

REALITY: Sweat is just your body cooling itself — not a measure of progress.

Strength gains, improved endurance, and results come from:

• proper form
• appropriate resistance
• gradual progression
• recovery

You can make real progress without leaving the gym exhausted or drenched.

✨ Effective workouts build you up — they don’t just wear you out.

01/15/2026

What’s the big deal about protein and strength training? Here’s the simple version 👇

➡️ Eat less + move more = weight loss
➡️ Eat less + move more + enough protein = fat loss
➡️ Eat less + move more + enough protein + strength training = fat loss and muscle gain

It’s a little more nuanced than this — your starting fitness level, age, and body composition all play a role — but the big takeaway stays the same:

The goal isn’t just to get smaller.
The goal is to lose fat while keeping (or building) muscle.

Why that matters:

Muscle keeps your metabolism higher

It helps your body look firmer and stronger

It supports blood sugar, hormones, and long-term health

This is why I never coach “just eat less.”
I coach eat enough protein, lift something heavy, and fuel your body well — so the weight you lose (if weight loss is your goal) is actually fat, not muscle.

💪