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Does the length of time it takes to build a habit actually matter? I’m sure you’ve heard the common advice that building a new habit takes a certain amount of days, right? What if focusing on how long it takes to build a habit is costing you a lot of extra time and effort? Lately I’ve gotten a few questions about how long building a new weight loss habit takes. I want to explain an unconventional, but highly effective way to build habits that has worked well for my clients. We’ve all heard people say how long a new habit should take before it sticks... 21 days? 30 days? Let’s be honest, that rarely works for anyone. Overeating still happens… Cravings are still a struggle… Eating mindfully is still something that feels forced... What if we’ve been looking at how we form new habits the wrong way? I’m no Neuroscientist, but I follow people in the field and have read what researchers have to say about forming habits. I’ve read books on it...nerdy, I know 🤓 They say repeating a habit leads to physical changes in the brain. Each time you repeat a habit you’re carving out a habit pathway in the brain. It’s like hiking: The more you hike a trail, the more carved out the trail becomes. Most people have been told that forming a new weight loss habit takes a set amount of time. In reality, building a habit is based on how frequently we do it, not a set amount of time. Think of it this way... Let’s say you want to eat more veggies. In 30 days you could eat veggies once a day and practice the habit 30x in 30 days. On the other hand you could eat veggies at every meal and practice the habit 90x in 30 days. In both scenarios we’ve practiced the habit for 30 days, but we all know eating the veggies 90x in 30 days will make the habit stick much better. If we want to make a habit stick, focusing on how frequently we’re doing it is the key. Just curious, if you’ve been working on weight loss habits too, what’s a weight loss habit that’s felt like an uphill battle? Comment with the habit you’re working on and I’ll be in touch to see how I can help decode that habit and get it to stick for you.
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Your Goal Weight Won’t Make You Happy But *This* Will… A goal weight is something that nearly everyone on a fitness journey has. They look at it as the end of the destination. The end all be all. You may tell yourself, “if only I could get to X weight, I KNOW things will be better for me.” Do you know that for sure, though? Let me share a little personal story. When I first decided I wanted to lose weight, I did what everyone else did and came up with a goal weight. I told myself that if I could get myself from 205lbs to 175lbs all would be well. I did everything you’re supposed to do. I worked hard in the gym. I tracked every calorie I consumed. I limited the number of beers I drank. I managed my stress and got good sleep. Want to know what happened when I finally got down to 175lbs? Disappointment. I thought my muscles would be busting through my shirt. I thought my love handles would be gone. And neither was the case. All of that work and the goal I thought I wanted to achieve let me down. After a bit of reflection, though, I realized I had every reason to be proud of myself. The actions I took to lose the weight resulted in: Me having more energy Me creating the habit of going to the gym Me getting in the habit of cooking at home Me learning the patience it takes to achieve results over time instead of instantaneously The number on the scale didn’t matter. It never did. It was about the habits I built along the way. That’s why I truly believe you’ll be much happier and prouder of yourself with the actions you take and habits you build than you will achieving your goal weight. What’s one habit you’ve been wanting to build, but haven’t yet? #healthyhabitsforlife #goalweight #beerbod #beerbods #bodybybeer #thebeerisworththeburn #buildinghabits
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Hi I know I haven’t been on here much, but I promise I’m still around (as is Cat Stevens obvi). Moving into the new house and unpacking has essentially taken over my life but we’re 90% of the way done! I’m doing my best to get back into a normal routine, but it’s tooooough. I’ll get there! What have I missed? What’s new in your life? Let’s chat!
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The Secret Ingredient Your Workouts Are Missing If you’ve been following me for a while then you already know if you want to see results in the gym you have to use progressive overload. Simply put, that’s adding a little bit more to your workouts each week. It could mean adding sets, reps, or weight, or evening shortening your rest periods. However, if you’re doing those things but still not seeing the results you’re hoping for it’s probably because you’re missing one big factor. Intensity. If you want your muscles to grow bigger and stronger you have to lift with purpose. It’s not enough to just raise and lower the weight. Lift like you mean it. Squeeze your muscle at the top of each movement. Visualize your muscles actually working (also known as the mind-muscle connection). Channel your inner rage to help propel the weight. Being deliberate and focusing on form and progressive overload is great, but if you want to take your workouts to the next level, dial up that intensity to 11. Not sure how to dial up the intensity and take your workouts to the next level? Drop a 💪 below and we’ll jump on a free 15 minute strategy call to get the most out of your workout sessions. #workoutintensity #thebeerisworththeburn #dadboddestroyer #workouttips #exercisetips #earnyourbeer #earnyouripa #kegtosixpack
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Sometimes.... ...I just want to take and post a selfie without a long, well-thought out caption that relates to fitness & nutrition. #kegtosixpack #thebeerisworththeburn #loseyourbeergut #beergut #beerbelly #kansascityfitness #kcfitness #kcpersonaltrainer #kcmofitness
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Earn Your Booze When I decided to become a coach I knew I wanted to help people who were just like me. I wanted to help other beer lovers learn how to live healthier lives, move more (and not hate it), and do so all while not having to give up craft beer. It was never about forcing people to get super shredded or make them do things they hate for a body composition that’s unsustainable. And it never will be. My philosophy is simple. Move better. Eat better. Gain more energy. Feel healthier. Gain confidence and feel good in your own skin. Ya know…work hard, play hard. That’s why when I came across the @EarnYourBooze team I knew I had to support them. Like me, they’re all about living a healthy lifestyle, working out, but still enjoying your booze hence their name Earn Your Booze. If you’ve never heard of them I highly suggest checking them out. Not only are they veteran owned which is sweet, but they’ve got an awesome line of clothing. So…what will you do today to earn your booze? #notanad #earnyourbooze #boulevardquirk #earnyourbeer #beerfitfam #kegtosixpack
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Stop letting “boring” be an excuse If I said to you, “hey, I don’t want to drink IPAs because they’re boring” you’d probably scoff. You might retort, “IPAs are anything BUT boring. There are so many ways to enjoy them. You’ve got west coast, east coast, hazy, milkshake, English, and more! Not to mention how you can vary them using different hops and malts!” Yeah, exactly. Fitness & nutrition are much the same way. When I hear something like, “Always eating chicken is boring” what I really hear is, “I’m not creative.” Just the way that you need the basic style foundations in beer, you need those in fitness & nutrition. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹. It may seem boring to eat the same general foods or do the same exercises until you realize how easy it is to vary them up. For nutrition think about all the types of spices and marinades out there and ways you can cook. You can come up with endless combinations for the same foods. For fitness think about all the ways you can vary a single exercise. You can change up sets, reps, the weight, the tempo, barbell vs. dumbbell vs. bodyweight vs. resistance bands, etc. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. So the next time you think they’re boring, try re-framing it and say, “how can I make this more exciting?” #beergut #beerbelly #earnyourbeer #nutritiontip #fatlosstip #beerbods
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Just a quick thank you Thank you to everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday yesterday. I had a really great day with friends and family. Big thanks to @katie.s.Harrington for making this year’s birthday so special. In other brief news, I’ll be back on social media in full swing this week after barely posting anything last week (ya know, in case you missed me 😂).