Pure Forme Training

22/10/2021

My Fitbit blog was published! Check it out if you are looking for a (truly) beginner work out or dynamic warm up.

Whether you are new to exercise, returning to exercise post injury, or have limited mobility, this is just the workout your body needs to get started.

30/07/2021

Revisiting a blog I wrote awhile back, “I want you to be a quitter.”, as it feels appropriate this week.

I know, “quitting” can have negative connotations. A sign of weakness. Giving up when something gets too hard. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Those hard and uncomfortable things are exactly what we need to grow, to be challenged, to guide us to where we’re meant to be.

I’m referring to those things that are draining our energy. Those activities, people, ideas, thoughts and beliefs that no longer serve us in a positive way. We don’t need to stay committed to those things, especially when they start causing mental or physical distress.

Quitting in a sign of strength. It shows that you not only are listening, but trusting your intuition.

Some things I’ve quit…

Hanging out with people that didn’t energetically serve me. I made a conscious choice to only surround myself with people that inspire, motivate, entertain, or challenge me. No longer do I spend time with negative people. Life is short, be selective with your time and who you give it to.

I’ve quit the idea that all workouts need to be 60 minutes, heavy, and fast to be effective…and that rest isn’t productive. Years ago when I was pushing myself (too hard), trying to grow my business, AND take care of my family, I was constantly exhausted. My body was pi**ed. My adrenals felt worse. This is why I’m always stressing that less is exactly more of what our bodies need.

I’ve quit training clients in their home (I have Covid to thank for forcing this much needed change to my schedule). I absorbed ALL their energy and felt completely burnt out.

What have you quit recently…or what do you need to quit?

16/07/2021

I’ve had several women say to me this week, “I listened to my body and instead I did….”

Yes. Yes. Yes. ✨

There is so much external noise these days, that it’s easy to get distracted.

“Move move, eat less!”. “It’s all about the HIIT workouts for fat loss!”. “You need to detox!”. “Keto!!”.

If you can just find a moment of quiet, everything you need to know is already inside of you. Just waiting for you to tune in, listen, and (most importantly) trust. When we can do this, we start to work with our bodies instead of against them.

An example of this, syncing your workouts to your menstrual cycle, honoring where your energy is that day, and choosing the appropriate workout. Before I get to the specifics, can we just for a moment appreciate our cycle for what it is? It’s this amazing built in bio-hacking system that tells us exactly what we need to be doing and when! (If this is a topic you’d like some more info on, check out the book “In The Flo” for more info on how you can use your cycle to basically rule the world.)

Quick reference guide for you regarding working out throughout the month:

Menstrual Phase (first few days of your period): Leisure walks.

Follicular Phase (the week or so after your period as ended): Wake up your body with some cardio. Dance classes, indoors cycling or rebounding.

Ovulatory Phase: Peak hormone levels! HIIT, sprints, bootcamp, kickboxing.

Luteal Phase: At the beginning, keep that energy going with some heavy strength training or power yoga. As you get closer to bleeding, switch to more gentle yoga, barre, or pilates. Pay attention to core engagement as well…and you might find your balance isn’t as good as you get closer to Day 1.

How are you listening to your body today? What does she need?

13/07/2021

Today’s centering thought in my morning meditation was this, “With awareness I create healthy habits.”

With awareness.

As in waking the hell up from operating on auto pilot.

As you go through your day today, be mindful (check out my previous post on how to be more mindful) of all that you do/consume/think without even realizing it.

What healthy habits are you working on?

How can you bring more awareness around creating these habits?

09/07/2021

3 ways to be more mindful. Because we could all use a bit more mindfulness in our lives.

1. Slow down when you sit down to eat. And not so you can realize when you’re full and not overeat 🤦🏻‍♀️but rather so you can appreciate what is in front of you. Before the food even goes into your mouth, look at it. Smell it. Touch it. Take one small bite. Notice what it feels like in your mouth. Savor each bite. Believe me, as someone who eats fast, this is a hard practice for me, but I’m getting better at it, and you can too.

2. When you’re moving your body (in whatever way feels most enjoyable to you), take note of how your body is feeling. Do a quick body scan starting at your head all the way to your toes. Where are you holding tension? What happens if you slow down your pace or tempo? How does it feel to shift slightly in that stretch or yoga pose? Tuned in to that beautiful body, always.

3. At the end of a long day check in with yourself. This might look like journaling or sitting quietly and reflecting on all the interactions you had that day. Place your hand over your heart and ask yourself: How am I feeling right now? Why am I feeling this way? What do I need more of right now? What am I proud of from today? What can I learn from this day?

How have you been mindful this week?

18/06/2021

Your reminder that a workout doesn’t need to be 60 minutes. So often I’ll hear someone say, “I didn’t have time so I didn’t work out…”

What would it look like to shift this perspective? This idea that a “workout” (or whatever your desired movement is) has to be 60 minutes to be worth it.

What if instead you focused on 5-10 minutes.

In this short amount of time you could practice 1-2 of your favorite yoga poses.

You could do 20 squats and 10 push ups.

You could walk 2 blocks, then walk home.

You could hold a few stretches for 30 second each.

Will it have the same effect as it would if you did it for longer, maybe not, but who cares! It’s better than skipping your daily movement all together, it helps maintain consistency, and you’ll feel better.

Tell me, what type of movement *do* you have time for today?

11/06/2021

I love a good routine. Probably because I like to be prepared for what’s to come. But more importantly, routines are just really helpful in creating the structure that leads to healthy habits.

As rigid as I can sometimes be with my days, I can easily recognize when something in my routine begins to feel like a chore. I’m talking about my morning meditation. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy meditation, but lately when I’ve lit the candles and sat down, all I want to do is get up and get my day started. So this morning, that’s what I did. I skipped the meditation and got outside for my morning walk. Meditation will happen later today. Maybe it’ll become an afternoon thing from now on?

I really believe most people who use laziness or lack of motivation as their excuse for not being able to create healthy habits are getting it wrong. Motivation comes and goes, it’s unreliable. And it’s not laziness…maybe a bit of fear to take action? But mostly I believe it’s because they don’t *really* want to do the thing they’ve set out to do. They just think they should do it. There’s a big difference.

Yes, they may want to increase their activity, but hitting the gym isn’t how they truly want to achieve this goal.

It’s easy to get caught up in all the things we think we “should” be doing, right? We can forget to take a moment to recognize what it is that we truly want. And need.✨

04/06/2021

You’ve no doubt heard this expression before or perhaps even declared it yourself, "I need to get back on track.”

This can usually be heard, with an exasperated sigh, on a Monday morning or the first day back after a holiday or vacation.

I’ve decided we need to collectively stop declaring this. Here’s why. It insinuates that you are either doing all the health and wellness things or none of the things. That if you slipped up and ate "bad" all week-end, or enjoyed too many carbs, or missed a workout, that you've some how fu**ed it all up and you might as well continue to f**k it up even further.

It completely disregards this beautiful thing called balance.

Balance might look like time spent working out as well as time spent resting and recovering. Balance includes chocolate croissants, cocktails, and tons of veggies. Balance probably looks like some late nights out with friends, as well as some evenings spent journaling and going to bed early.

There’s no getting on/off track because you’re happily balanced somewhere between the two!

What do you need to change in order to find more balance in your life?

Do you need to be less restrictive in your diet? Do you need to find movement that brings you joy? Do you need to manage your stress, so you aren’t using food, wine, or something else to comfort yourself?

Tell me, what does balance look like for you?

17/05/2021

Asking powerful questions are a big part of health coaching. Such questions allow a coach to not only meet their clients where they’re at, but also nudge them outside of their current way of thinking.

The right questions can spark some serious self reflection. They can remove boundaries, push limitations, and uncover stories that we tell ourselves (especially those that simply aren’t true).

Powerful questions also shift the conversation away from a problem to a possible outcome, empowering the client to reframe their current struggle and spark some insight that leads to action.

Some questions for you to answer as we start a new week:

What went well for you last week?

What do you need more of (or less of) this week?

What do you want to achieve this week? Why is this important to you this week?

14/05/2021

Things I’ve learned this week:

The weather on Mother’s Day is almost always terrible. So we should all plan a redo.

My body dislikes standing for 6 hours straight as much as it dislikes sitting for 6 hours straight. As always, balance. 3 hours standing, 3 hours sitting. Both with lots of mini movement breaks.

Beets drizzled with tahini is a strangely delicious combination.

I need some cardio soon. Really soon.

I miss traveling way more than I ever thought I would.

What have you learned this week?

20/04/2021

Things I'm Loving: My Daily Walks. More than ever lately.

Ever feel lazy when you choose a walk over a high intensity workout? Believe me when I say this, sometimes less is exactly what we need more of. We don’t always need to move with intensity or at a fast pace. Some days our bodies just need to slow down and move more mindfully.

As a woman that has dealt with adrenal dysfunction, I take de-stressing very seriously. And my daily (preferably sunny) walks, while listening to a podcast or really good music, is just what I've needed. My walks recharge me. Fill me back up.

If you need more reasons to walk...Walking can ease joint pain, reduce sugar cravings, improve circulation, improve your mood, reduce your stress, improve your sleep, strengthen both your muscles and bones, and sharpen your brain and boost your memory. Yes, yes, yes, please.

What are you loving lately?

15/04/2021

One of my current reads.

If I’m being honest I haven’t been spending much time reading, so I’ve been “currently” reading this one for awhile now. Don’t let my slacking reflect poorly on this book though.

It’s “...a guide to living in sync with the natural rhythms of the universe to achieve optimal health and astonishing success...provides a groundbreaking cross disciplinary approach to cultivating physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being...”

The perfect combination of woo-woo and science.

Whatcha reading lately?