Laurie Barkman Fitness & Nutrition Coach

22/06/2025

As a health coach, I provide guidance, expertise, programming, accountability, support - but when it comes right down to it - YOUR wellness transformation is up to YOU!

YOU decide if and when change starts.

YOU decide if you're going to get your steps in each day.

YOU decide if you're going to drink more water than wine.

YOU decide if you're going to go to bed or watch one more episode of your favorite show.

YOU decide if you're going to spend some time meal planning for the next week.

YOU decide ...

What will it be?

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I've got a few openings for one-on-one coaching. If you're ready, willing and able to put your health back on the priority list, let's connect.

16/06/2025

Work deadlines, social commitments, vacation time, family commitments - life doesn't pause when we decide to start our health and fitness journey.

All too often though, we hit "pause" on that journey when life decides to hand us a few more things to juggle.

We quit working out completely. We throw our healthy eating habits out the window and grab whatever we can, whenever we can. We return to unhealthy coping mechanisms, like that full bag of ripple potato chips (with dip of course!), one (or three) drinks after work, falling asleep with the TV on or getting through just a few more emails before turning off the bedside light.

When life decides to amp up the pressure, remember:

* 80% is better than 50%.
* 50% is better than 25%.
* 25% is better than 10%.
* 10% is better than 2%.
* 2% is better than zero.

A quick ten minute workout in the morning, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking a little farther away from the door may not be 80% - but are all better than nothing!

Go ahead - buy the precut vegetables and pre-packaged salads if your usual prep time has disappeared for awhile.

Take a look at the other things in your life.

What activities are "sand"? They are nice but add little to no value or your life. For example: How much time are you really spending on social media? What can you do instead? Walk? Read a book? Connect with a loved one? Get in the workout or food prep you have no time to do?

When you prepare a meal, make enough for lunch for the next day or two.

Set your environment up for success. Get rid of or hide the trigger items (potato chips!). Keep healthy options front and centre.

And last but not least, give yourself some grace.

Slowing down is better than quitting.

Acknowledge the effort you are making and be proud of the 2%, the 10%, the 25%, the 50% and the 80%.

27/05/2025

Still time to register!

Ditch the Overwhelm: Real-Life Meal Planning for Real-Life Women is happening TONIGHT at 6:30 PM CST—and there’s still room for you.

If you’re tired of meal plans that fall apart by midweek or feel more like punishment than support, this one-hour workshop is for you.

✨ Real strategies

✨ No guilt

✨ No perfection required

We’re making food planning work for real life.

🔗 Click ⬇️ to grab your spot.

Let’s fix the plan—not you. 💛

Learn how to create a meal plan that fit your real life. Join me for practical tips to ditch the overwhelm and plan with confidence.

26/05/2025

Wine and pizza? Yes, they can be part of the plan.

One mistake many women make (and I include myself in that group) - is the belief that when it comes to meal planning, we must plan for perfection. 100% clean - no treat foods allowed.

But you don't need perfection for results. What you need is moderation.

And the best way to find that balance is to have a plan that includes the foods you enjoy - even the ones that aren't "perfect".

Without one, it’s way too easy to go all-or-nothing:

✅ You’re “on track” until life gets messy...

❌ Then suddenly it’s a free-for-all with food you’ve been avoiding like it’s the enemy.

Sound familiar?

It’s not about restriction—it’s about creating a plan that works with your real life, not against it.

Join me for Ditch the Overwhelm: Real-Life Meal Planning for Real-Life Women

🗓 Tomorrow – Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM CT

🔗 Click here to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1345704772199?aff=oddtdtcreator

We'll talk about how to:

✔ Stop over-planning for your fantasy self

✔ Make space for the foods you actually want

✔ Build a flexible plan that feels good and works

Wine, pizza, real life. You can to have it all, in moderation — with a little planning.

See you tomorrow? 💛

24/05/2025

This comic made me laugh, because, well - we’ve all been there!

👉 “It’s just one donut…”
👉 “Just one chocolate bar…”
👉 “One little piece of cake…”

Enjoying your favorite treat foods once in a while is totally fine.
But, enjoying multiple “just ones” every day or multiple times a week? Not so much.

All of those "just ones" multiple times a day or a week, add up and they stall or even reverse your progress.

They add up—not just in calories, but in how your body feels.

I'm not sharing this to make you feel bad about yourself or your choices. Ultimately, they are your choices, but if your goal is to get healthier, this is a gentle reminder that:

Moderation has a limit and mindfulness matters!

Awareness isn’t about restriction. It’s about intention. So go ahead, enjoy the treat - just not every treat, every day!

22/05/2025

I used to count cherry tomatoes—literally.

When I made meal plans, I actually included how many I was allowed to have.

My magic number? Ten.

Not nine. Not eleven. Ten.

I was so focused on calories and macros that everything—even cherry tomatoes—had to be accounted for and tracked.

(Some folks would say counting them wasn’t good enough. I should’ve weighed them—because, you know, not all cherry tomatoes are the same size. 🙃)

Long story short: I eventually realized that life is too short to micromanage tomatoes.

And it wasn’t the tomatoes that were the problem—it was the overcomplicated plan that was keeping me from sustainable health.

If you’ve ever tried to stick to a plan so rigid it made you feel like a failure by midweek, I invite you to try something different.

🗓 Join me for Ditch the Overwhelm: Real-Life Meal Planning for Real-Life Women

Date: Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM CST

No guilt. No perfection.

No counting cherry tomatoes.

Just real strategies for real women who want to feel better, eat better, and still live their actual lives.

Drop a “Plan” in the comments or DM me and I’ll send you the registration link.

Because meal planning shouldn’t feel like punishment—and cherry tomatoes should never be the enemy.

07/05/2025

Ok .. most diets DO work - in the short term, but they're not so great with long-term results.

65% of dieters return to their pre-diet weight within three years and with really restrictive diets, that number rises to 95%. Yikes!

If you're trying to move to a healthier lifestyle, and if weight loss is part of that goal, then join me for a one-hour webinar to learn why the odds are NOT in your favour with a restrictive diet and more importantly, take away some tips on what you can do instead.

And you know what - even if weight loss isn't your goal - if your goal is to simply choose healthy more often, all the strategies apply to you as well.

Your cost is one-hour of your time - that's it!

Date: Tuesday, May 13th
Time: 6:30 pm CST

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Discover why diets fail and learn 3 simple, lasting strategies to build a healthier, vibrant life—no restriction, no burnout!

14/01/2025

If you don’t plan on being a bodybuilder, you don’t need to train—or eat—like one.

Unless you want to step on stage in an itsy bitsy, teenie we**ie Bikini (it's your body, your goal, your dream - you do you!), your fitness and nutrition plan should reflect your goals and lifestyle.

❌ You don’t need to spend hours lifting heavy weights every week if your goal is simply to feel stronger and move more.

❌ You don’t need to eat the same bland meals on repeat (chicken and steamed broccoli again?) to improve your health.

❌ You definitely don’t need to follow a plan that makes you dread your next workout or meal.

Real results come from a plan that fits into your real life.

🔑 Want to feel stronger? A couple of short, efficient strength sessions each week can do the trick.

🔑 Looking to feel more energized? Focus on balanced meals that leave you satisfied—not bored out of your mind.

🔑 Ready to find consistency? Start with habits you actually enjoy.

If your plan feels like punishment, it’s probably not the right plan for you.

My 12-week Healthy Habits Reset Program is about creating a fitness and nutrition routine that works for your unique goals, lifestyle, and preferences.

You don’t have to train like a bodybuilder to build strength.

You don’t have to eat like one to feel amazing in your body.

DM me “HABITS” if you’re ready for a plan that actually feels good—and works. 💛

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Me in my second - and final - competition. I worked my a$$ off (literally 😁) to get on stage. That is not me anymore! I'm not nearly as lean but I am still strong - and after avoiding chicken, rice and broccoli for a long time, I can once again enjoy it, along with a wide range of other yummy foods. It's all about balance!

12/01/2025

When did you stop dancing?

I love this reminder that total wellness is about so much more than physical health. There are seven dimensions of wellness and when one suffers, all suffer.

Don't let your journey to physical health negatively impact other areas of your health. Stressing out about being perfect on calories or macros, beating yourself up for missing a workout - are not good for your mental health! Recognize that when mental and emotional health suffer, physical will be impacted as well.

On the plus side, improvements in one area impact other areas positively as well.

I just started a Sustainable 75 Challenge today and some of the habits I've chosen to focus on don't seem to be related to physical health at all (listening to music every single day), but when I experience the joy, the energy that music provides - chances are I'll break out into a solo dance party, which equals more movement = which releases endorphins, which enhances mood and a sense of well-being. They are all interconnected!!

If you want to join the Sustainable 75 Challenge I'm running in my private FB goup or just want more info, send me a DM or drop "INFO" in the comments.

11/01/2025

Today is "Quitter's Day". Yes, there truly is a day for everything.

According to a whole lot of data, Strava has found that most people quit their New Years Resolutions on the second Friday of January. So this year, that's today - January 10th - just 10 days into the "new year, new me" hype.

And that's why my 12-Week Healthy Habits Reset program isn't starting until January 20th.

Two reasons:

1️⃣ To give you time to settle back into a routine after the holiday whirlwind.

2️⃣ Because I refuse to compete with the “this is the year!” frenzy where the pressure to do it all, right now is overwhelming.

I want you to join when you’re genuinely ready to make meaningful, sustainable change—not when the hype is high and the credit card’s burning a hole in your pocket.

So, if you:

👉 Set a resolution, bought into another “get thin quick” program, or signed up for a gym membership you haven’t touched yet... let’s chat.

👉 Didn’t buy into the hype but know it’s time for a healthier, more balanced approach... we should talk, too.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about finding what works for you, on your terms, when you’re ready.

Drop me a DM or comment “READY” if you want to learn more about the Healthy Habits Reset starting January 20th.

Let’s make 2025 the year you approach wellness differently. 💛

10/01/2025

“Can’t I just drink a shake and call it a day?”

I used to think so. In fact, I used to sell meal replacement shakes. I drank them, brought them to restaurants, and fully bought into the idea that skipping meals (intermittent fasting) was just part of the deal.

And yes, I did lose weight. But here’s what I didn’t lose:

❌ The stress of navigating social situations where food was involved.
❌ The frustration of feeling like my “plan” didn’t fit my real life.
❌ The unhealthy mindset that food was something to control, not enjoy.

Using meal replacement shakes can help you lose weight, but they won’t teach you how to handle an unexpected dinner invite, a stressful day, or even your own hunger cues.

For me, the shakes weren’t the issue—they actually tasted pretty good - nothing like a chocolate shake for breakfast! The problem was I didn't learn how to nourish my body without the shakes - so when I stopped buying them (they were expensive!), I found myself exactly where I was before I started the program.

What actually works - for me and for you?

What actually works?

🟢 Building habits that fit your life.
🟢Creating flexibility in your choices without guilt or shame.
🟢 Finding a rhythm that allows you to enjoy food and still feel good in your body.

That’s the philosophy behind my 12-week Healthy Habits Reset Program, starting January 20th. No products to buy. No rigid rules to follow. Just real, sustainable change.

If you’re tired of plans that work until they don’t, DM me “RESET,” and I’ll send you all the details.

Because you don’t need another quick fix. You need a way forward. 💛

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A pic from our trip to Cuba in 2018. I'd just started the two-shake a day program - and yes, I brought my shakes along and had two-a-day!

09/01/2025

What’s Really Holding You Back?

Here’s the truth: losing weight and keeping it off can feel incredibly challenging—because life is complicated.

You’re not making excuses when you hesitate to try again. You’re navigating a reality that can feel downright overwhelming:

❌ Long workdays that leave you drained.
❌ Stress levels that demand more than you have to give.
❌ A body that sometimes feels like it’s working against you.
❌ Family commitments that pull you in every direction.

You’ve tried before, and maybe those plans weren’t realistic for your life. They didn’t account for your time, your energy, or the things that really matter to you.

It’s not that you’re not capable. It’s that you’ve been handed plans that didn’t set you up for success.

That’s where I come in.

My approach is different because it starts with *you*—your life, your challenges, and your goals. Together, we create a plan that fits into your reality, not some picture-perfect version of life that doesn’t exist.

You’re not stuck. You’re not failing. You just haven’t found the right fit—yet.

If you’re ready for something that actually works *for you*, DM me "READY," and let’s talk about how we can make this the year it finally clicks.

Because you deserve to feel strong, capable, and at home in your body—without turning your life upside down. 💛

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Photo: Just a random pic of me celebrating a draw to the button during the annual Ironman Curling Bonspiel last year - proving that winter can be tons of fun if you find the right people to enjoy it with!