Cardinal Fitness

Trust me I have struggled with the scale for years! ⁣
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I would bust my ass in the gym for months at a time, I would feel so fu***ng good about myself, I would be so proud and happy for all the hard work I put in.⁣
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Then it came time to weigh in...⁣
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And the number stayed the same..⁣
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Or it went up!⁣
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All the joy & happiness I experienced just seconds before vanished instantly. ⁣
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Doubt crept in and beat me to my knees.⁣
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“What’s the point of all this?” ⁣
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“What am I working so hard for?”⁣
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“I should just give up.”⁣
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But I didn’t.⁣
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I kept going, I kept working, I learned that the number on the scale doesn’t mean sh*t.⁣
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I won’t let that number dictate my life ever again.⁣
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If you’re struggling with the number on the scale, quit weighing yourself. ⁣
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Keep working out. ⁣
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Keep building healthy habits.⁣
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Take progress pictures and compare them every month. Then you’ll see results. ⁣
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This applies to life away from the gym as well.

Waiting for motivation to kick in is a losing strategy.

Taking small steps everyday and stacking small wins will develop long term discipline.

Which direction will you take?⁣
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The choice is yours. ⁣
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You choose to feel bad for yourself and make excuses. Just as you choose to get off your ass and put in the work. Change, or your lack of, is your choice. ⁣
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What are you going to do differently? How are you going to improve your life? What are you going to choose?⁣
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Take control of your future because what you do today isnt going to reflect who you are tomorrow but it will determine where you end up in 3, 6 or 9 months from now. What you do on a consistent basis is going to make up the bulk of your life. Are you going to continue what you are going? Are you going to adapt a growth mindset?⁣
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A growth mindset leads to personal growth as it allows you to step out of your own way ⁣
and see your life for what it is. Your ego will consistently build barricades as to why you can’t do ⁣
what it is you want to do. When you are trying to lose weight, the ego will tell you that you are ⁣
tired or that your muscles are too sore to continue. Push through the discomfort and allow ⁣
yourself to grow.⁣
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Do it for you, because you are worthy of greatness.

Yup, processed food is you making you, and keeping you, fat. ⁣
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Until you can eat the food you need to eat nothing else really matters. ⁣
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If you don’t know what you should be eating then how much you’re eating or when you’re eating doesn’t matter a whole lot. ⁣
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If you’re intermittent fasting but you’re pounding back cookies every night you won’t see the results you are looking for. ⁣
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Keto won’t work if you’re eating highly processed food all the time. ⁣
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Gluten-free, fat free, low-cal, “natural” or “organic” doesn’t mean much if it’s coming from a plastic bag. Veggie straws are still fu***ng chips. ⁣
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Prioritize high quality food before you try some fancy diet, intermittent fasting or any other fat loss “secret”. ⁣
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Once you can consistently prioritize high quality food then start looking into different methods but for now focus on the basics and build the foundation.

So you want to make a change? ⁣
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You want to start eating healthy but you just don’t know where to start. ⁣
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You google, best diets for fat loss.. ⁣
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Keto, paleo, intermittent fasting.. ⁣
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The list goes on and on. ⁣
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Yes, these can work. ⁣
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Yes, there is tonnes of scientific proof that keto, paleo & intermittent fasting are great for fat loss.⁣
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BUT⁣
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Does it work for you?⁣
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Everybody’s built differently, just because your favourite podcaster does something doesn’t mean it will work for you. ⁣
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Does it suit your lifestyle?⁣
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Do have a stressful job or like long, vigorous training sessions? Keto probably isn’t the best for you. ⁣
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Start here. ⁣
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How much food should I be eating? ⁣
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There are plenty of calorie/macro calculators to help you understand how much you should be eating. If that’s too difficult hire a coach to help you get started. Everybody is built differently, we all have a unique metabolic fingerprint.⁣
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What foods should I be eating?⁣
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Deep down you know what you need to eat. Fresh lean-cut meat such as chicken, fish & lean beef. Complex carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes & oats. Healthy fats such as avocado, nuts & olive oil. Fruits & vegetables that pain the rainbow. It's not overly complicated when you break it down but years of bad habits have gotten in the way.⁣
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Its not to say that keto or paleo diets don't work but when you shift your focus to what & how much to eat then you can build a diet based off your needs, likes/dislikes & your lifestyle. Not something you read in some magazine or heard on a podcast.

Gyms closed? Home workouts not cutting it? I got you! ⁣
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I am offering a complimentary workout for all of my followers, alongside a goal-setting consultation to dig deep into your health & fitness goals. ⁣
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Fitness is all about improving mental & physical health, especially now with covid mental health has taken a toll for all of us.⁣
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Let’s see what we can do to take the next step forward! ⁣
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DM me any questions fitness or nutrition related and I will help you get back on track!⁣
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Like, comment or share and I will reach out to you. 🔥

Nutrition can be confusing to navigate.⁣
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With thousands of different diets claiming to be the next best thing, it’s tricky to understand what works for you. ⁣
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You can try this diet or that diet but once results halt, you give up almost as quickly as you started.⁣
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First, understand that it takes time and jumping from diet to diet is only going to slow your progress. ⁣
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Secondly, realize that you have a unique metabolic fingerprint different from everybody else. ⁣
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What works for an elite level athlete isn’t going to work for someone just starting their fitness journey.

With some restrictions being lifted we are able to get back to 1 on 1 training. We offer a completely private gym not open to the public. This gym is only for 1 on 1 clients.⁣
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If you’ve ever wanted to get out of the crowded gyms now is your chance to have a space all to yourself. ⁣
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We provide a clean, safe facility with top notch equipment to address all of your physical training needs to ensure you reach your goals. ⁣
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You don’t want to miss out on this chance, limited spots are available.⁣
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Message me for me details.⁣
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Sleep deprivation lowers testosterone levels. ⁣
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Throughout the day testosterone levels gradually decrease and then increase as you sleep. When you aren't sleeping properly your testosterone levels don't get a chance to recover & you end up putting yourself at an early disadvantage.⁣
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Testosterone regulates fat distribution & muscular growth. ⁣
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Alongside lower testoerone, sleep deprivation will decrease leptin & increase ghrelin.⁣
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Leptin decreases hunger. Leptin is made by fat and tells the body that there is enough fat so you can stop eating. When it comes to weight loss more leptin is good.⁣
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Ghrelin increases hunger. Ghrelin tells you when youre hungry and is high before you eat, low after you eat. If you want to lose weight you want less ghrelin. ⁣
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With decreased leptin you will feel hungrier, with increased ghrelin you will feel hungrier. With both decreased leptin & increased ghrelin we can only imagine what our hunger levels would be like. We would want to eat everything in sight. Thats going to cause you to gain weight. ⁣
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When you are sleep deprived you eat more. A good nights rest will elevate your hormonal response and help you lose that extra belly fat.⁣
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Now heres the trick, its not necessarily about sleeping longer but instead having a better sleep.⁣
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So what can you do now?⁣
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Create an evening routine suitable for your lifestyle that will allow you to unwind before bed.⁣
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Here are a couple different things to try:⁣
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- turn off your cell phone 1 hour before bed⁣
- read 30 minutes before bed⁣
- journal your thoughts from the day⁣
- practice meditation + gratitude⁣
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Here are a couple supplements that may help with sleep:⁣
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- melatonin⁣
- zinc + magnesium⁣
- CBD oil⁣
- reishi mushrooms⁣
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Aside from hormone regulation we all understand the benefits of proper sleep, try any 1 of these activities or supplements and you may see improved sleep. Implement a proper routine and watch how you magically drift off into a deep sleep.

As human beings this process is critical for the fight or flight response. ⁣
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Thousands of years ago cortisol would be released when we are in immediate danger, say facing a sabre tooth tiger. Then, this release of cortisol would be used up almost as quickly as its released., either through fighting for your life or running from danger.⁣
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Today, in the modern world, we aren't facing immediate danger as we would in the past. Now our stress comes from things such as work or traffic. The thing is our body doesn't recognize the difference between immediate physical stress and delayed mental stress. ⁣
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Lets look at this way, when you face a sabre tooth tiger, cortisol is going to be released the same way as if you were stuck in traffic & late for work, the difference being when youre facing a sabre tooth tiger, you are going to do something about it and use up the excess blood sugar. Whereas, when you are stuck in traffic, you are likely to sit and do nothing with the excess blood sugar, causing blood sugar to store as fat. ⁣
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When we are able to recognize our stress and do something active, either go for a walk or have a quick workout, the blood sugar is less likely to store as body fat as you are using up that excess energy.