Fit At Home with Nancy

Do you purposely wear loose clothing so you can allow room for your Thanksgiving dinner?

I don’t want to leave the table feeling so full I can’t sit down comfortably without undoing the button on my pants.

Yes, I have to admit that has happened to me and no I’m not wearing sweatpants to dinner.

I know it's one day of overeating but I really dislike the feeling when I’m so full I want the evening to end so I can feel better.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could enjoy your meal, and walk away from the table feeling pleasantly full.

Here are some tips to think about this Thanksgiving before you sit down and enjoy.

____Choose clothes wisely - Don’t wear too loose. Instead, wear clothes that are comfortable, but also reasonably constricting around the waist. You will be more aware of what you eat.

____Have all your foods on your plate - If you get all the food you want on your plate, you can have a balanced meal. You will know how many times you finish your plate completely.

____Eat slowly - Your brain will think you are eating a lot. It will prevent you from putting more on your plate.

____Chat with people - If you chat with other people, it will remove your focus away from eating and slow down your speed.

____Stop before you feel too full - As soon as your body tells you it’s had enough, stop immediately.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving this weekend with your loved ones!

Comment below what you’re doing this year to make it special.

Ever feel like you’re working hard, but not seeing the results you want?

I can say I felt like that 10 years ago, when I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted or progressing the way I wanted.

After I went to a personal trainer to get the proper training I needed for my aging body, everything changed.

It’s not about training hard or more often, in fact it's the opposite especially if you’re a woman over 40. Who wants to add more stress on your body which raises cortisol levels.

Do you want to:

🔵 Know what exercises are best for you if you’re over 40?

🔵 How to exercise efficiently?

🔵What exercises to do and avoid if you have Osteoporosis or sarcopenia?

🔵How to navigate your hormones if you have reached menopause.

🔵How to lose fat (yes you still can if you’re over 40, 50, 60 and beyond)

If you said yes to any of these questions, sign up for my 28 day Reset Challenge. No more, “I’m working hard, but not getting to where I want to be”.

We’re taking it to a new level so you can train smart, efficiently, and REALLY start to feel like you’re making progress.

We start with dumbbells on Monday, September 12th.

DM me if you want to know if this program is the right fit for you🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️

It’s here, and it's back by popular demand!

Registration is now open for my RESET challenge this fall for 2022.

There is something about September where we feel we want to reign things in and get a reset on some of our habits. It’s easy to let some of our daily habits slip during the summer months.

So let's tackle some of the big things that get in the way and we need to focus on:

▶️▶️ CONSISTENCY
Our routines just seem to fly out the window during the summer months. We are out of routine and this is something deep down we all crave.

▶️▶️ HABITS
Again, it's so difficult to create new habits when our routine is off and our heads are not in the game. Imagine how great you're going to feel once new habits have been established and knowing which ones to focus on.

▶️▶️TIME
The root cause of you missing workouts isn’t due to lack of time, but rather for the simple fact that you don’t want to because you’d rather do something else you find enjoyable - I totally get that, but it doesn’t help you achieve your ultimate goals. The solution is re-framing what working out means, allowing you to see it as more enjoyable, and you’ll naturally want to work out more. I will show you how you can permanently change how you think about working out and how it can fit into your life.

▶️▶️YOUR WHY
Peel the layers and dig deep why and how you want to feel. Motivation comes and goes but your why will always trump any willpower you muster up.

▶️▶️MUSCLE AND BONE LOSS
Did you know that weight training for osteoporosis -- not just walking or doing aerobics, but lifting weights -- can help protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis-related fractures? Studies show that strength training over a period of time can help prevent bone loss -- and may even help build new bone. Training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

This is why I am running my 28 Day RESET challenge which is going to include ALL 5 tips of these must-do’s and so much more.

The program starts on Monday, September 12th. Message me to see if this program is for you and take advantage today.

Should you do more cardio? A Lot of times we think doing more cardio is going to help with our goals especially if you stop seeing progress.

If you’re a woman over 50 cardio is rarely the best solution in this situation. There are bigger, more important issues that need to be addressed before tacking on more cardio.

Try these tips below first and you will very likely see better results than an additional session of cardio alone would give you. I hear you, if this is hard to do because I did it for years.

1. Hone in on your nutrition - going for a run or jumping on the bike can be a cover-up for those nachos you ate the night before. I totally get that too because I’ve been there after eating a bowl of Moosetracks icecream. Exercise is NOT a punishment, its something that you want to do because you love your body.

2. Reduce your alcohol intake - having happy hour everyday is not the best option for fat loss.

3. Get plenty of sleep - How much and how well you sleep greatly affects your hormones. I know how tempting carbs and other snack foods are when you haven't slept well.

4. Control your stress level - Doing things that give you joy can increase the serotonin levels in your brain and reduce cortisol.

5. Move outside of the gym - If you are working out several times a week for 30-45 minutes that is fantastic but if you are working at a desk job and are not moving throughout the day that is still considered sedentary. We need to incorporate as much non-exercise movement in your life as possible.

NOW YOU CAN ADD IN CARDIO! Address and fine-tune all of the above factors BEFORE throwing more cardio into the mix and you will get better results.

STRESS is personal, specific and individual. For each kind of stressful experience you encounter you may need a different tool to fix it.

What stresses your partner out might not affect you in the slightless and they might feel the same way about what stresses you out.

For me, what I find very useful is figuring out my biggest stressors right now and writing them down. From there, I write down another list of activities I can do to help reduce my stress before things start getting out of hand.

In my case home renovations are stressing me out and practising to surrender situations that are out of my control.

Below is a list of things that help me and might help you as well.

▶️ Listening to music or a podcast
▶️ Meditation
▶️ Going for a walk
▶️ Exercise
▶️ Time with friends and family
▶️ Getting away - mini vacation
▶️ Going for a bike ride or a run
▶️ Switching my routine up
▶️ Reading

My 10th option is to go to my sister-in-law’s place for some refuge while she is away on vacation for 4 days.

There you have it. Consider realistically when you can do stress reducing activities, add some to this list and trust me it really does help.

Comment below 🔽🔽🔽 some of your favorite stress reducers.

Have an amazing day😀

Do you find scheduling exercise is easy but scheduling rest is not?

The traditional “more work gets more results” that the over 50 woman grew up with is not serving her well if she’s close to exhaustion.

The importance of rest & recovery increased with age. It’s important to understand some exercises are recovery while others require recovery.

When you’re planning your week plan hard, easy, moderate and off days.

An example for the week can look like this:

Sunday: 🏋️‍♀️Hard or a long day (weights)

Monday: 🧘🏻‍♀️ Recovery exercise( yoga, stretching)

Tuesday: OFF

Wednesday: 🏋️‍♀️Weights and moderate cardio

Thursday: 🚴🏼 Recovery day (walking or a bike ride)

Friday: 🏋️‍♀️Weights and intervals

Saturday: Off or recovery day

It’s important to identify each week the best days to exercise. You’ll need three days a week minimum with 2 of those days to include weight training.

Take time to schedule your recovery and rest days and do something that gives you joy.

I love walking outside with our dog or going for a bike ride.

Drop one of your favourite activities in the comments below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️.

I get asked a LOT about how to speed up results when it comes to working with weights.

And I usually tell people that the fact is, rather than trying to race to reach whatever your goal is, the best thing you can do is create a lifestyle that supports that goal.

When you do that, your goal becomes a byproduct of your lifestyle.

So here we go with your 5 working-boosting tips:

😀TIP 1: Set your priorities

In other words: Get excited about a goal! Maybe you want to master a 30 second plank or a pushup. Let your mind go to something you’ve always wanted to try or do.

😀TIP 2: Have a plan

Create a plan with the right kind of exercises … including how often you do those exercises, etc.

As an example, if you want to be able to do 3 push-ups, running 3 days a week won’t help you with that. But building your strength (especially core & upper body) will.

😀TIP 3: Make sure your plan is progressive

If you always do the same exercises the same way, eventually you’ll plateau and stop making progress.

You want to make sure your workouts challenge you just enough to move you closer to your goals, but not so much that you feel drained, overly sore, or get injured.

😀TIP 4: Eat to support your goal

Make sure you are eating a high-quality diet, filled with nutrient-dense food in the right portions for how active you are.

Then, come up with a snack strategy to refuel right after your workout. Aim for a carb-protein mini-meal to give your muscles a jumpstart on recovery.

😀TIP 5: Reset, Recover & Rest

Your workouts create stress in your body (good stress, but it’s still stress).

That’s why it’s so important to give yourself time to reset, recover, and rest afterward.

Stretching is a great way to “reset”.

“Recover” means giving your muscles 24 to 48 hours between workouts to repair and rebuild.

“Rest” is all about sleep, aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep.

So there you have it!

Prioritize, plan, make room for progress, refuel, and recover!

I hope these five tips help you take your workouts to the NEXT LEVEL and help you hit your goals faster.

Don’t forget to take the time to check out the view and enjoy your journey😀

😋 This doesn’t get ANY easier…We all could use a little easy after what everyone in the Ottawa region experienced this past weekend. A lot of people still don’t have any power😩

If a barbecue is your only option then this is your meal and it only has 3 ingredients. Let’s try to keep life as simple as we can.

It also makes for a GREAT meal prep recipe.

👉🏼TIP: You can use veggie burgers, ground turkey, chicken, or beef in this recipe.

Sloppy Joe Stuffed Potatoes
(serves 4)

▪️4 sweet potatoes
▪️1 lb (450 g) lean ground meat
▪️1 12 oz (680 g) jar of your favorite good-quality marinara sauce
▪️Optional: grated cheddar or a sprinkle of pickles

Wash, dry, and pierce the potatoes with a fork several times. Place in the microwave to cook, oven or barbecue….lots of choices.

While it cooks, heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick coating. Place the ground meat in the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally to break it up into bite-sized chunks. Cook until brown, 5-7 minutes. Drain off excess fat and add the marinara sauce.

When the potatoes are ready, place on plates and slice along the top, opening up to fluff the potato. Top with the marinara mixture, and sprinkle with optional cheese and pickles Delish!

Enjoy!

You know the saying … “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” It’s so true.

We need to do things differently if we WANT a different result.

Drop in the comments if your doing anything different today? 🌟

😋I love this recipe because not only is it tasty, you can use it in so many different ways.

It’s based on an Italian classic salad but it’s so much more than that – eat it as a salad, in a wrap or as a sandwich filling, or as part of a “bowl” mixed with rice or quinoa.

Plus it can be difficult in getting enough protein in our diets. This is so important as we age for muscle building and to help keep our cravings at bay. This recipe is packed with protein and fiber, which gives it amazing staying power.

✅It only takes a few minutes to throw together and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, which makes it an easy meal prep lunch option.

Tuna & White Bean Salad
(makes 3 servings)

🔹 3 Tbsp lemon juice

🔹 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

🔹 1 clove garlic, minced

🔹 1-2 pinches of sea salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

🔹 1 15.5 oz (439 g) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

🔹 ¼ cup (15 g) red onion, chopped

🔹10-12 cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

🔹 3Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

🔹1 6-oz (170 g) can chunk light tuna in water, drained and flaked

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat well.

Eat as-is, served over salad greens, or in a wrap or sandwich. Yum!

❓What happens to my muscles if I STOP working out?

🏃‍♂️There’s an old belief that muscles turn into fat if you stop working out.

It’s wrong!

💪🏻If you stop working out, your muscles might shrink in size.

But when people stop working out, they often continue to eat the same as they did when they were more active … which can cause weight gain.

The good news is you can retain strength after 3-4 weeks of detraining. So if you are away on vacation or need a break because of an illness you can still RESUME your strength.

So the moral of the story is let’s not let those muscles shrink especially if you’ve worked so hard to build and maintain them.

If you haven’t started, then ready set GO! 💪🏻

❓How often should I change my workout shoes?

💪🏻🏃‍♂️Great question! The answer depends on a few things: your workouts, your size and step, and how you care for them.

RUNNING SHOES:

Suggested lifespan: about 6 months, or 300-450 miles.

Things that can affect it:

🏃‍♀️Running with a heavy gait
🏃‍♀️The surface they are used on
🏃‍♀️How often you run
🏃‍♀️How long your runs are

GYM WORKOUT SHOES:

Suggested lifespan: about 6 months

Things that can affect it:

🏋️‍♀️How often you work out
🏋️‍♀️Lateral and explosive movements
🏋️‍♀️Moving with a heavy gait
🏋️‍♀️Number of steps you take during workouts

Bottom line, invest in your footwear…your feet will thank you.

👉How often do you change out your shoes?