Evolve Fitness

Habits Phase 4
Building Brain Pathways
Similar to the last post, sledding metaphor, think of your toxic thoughts, destructive behaviors, or addictions as a cement superhighway inside your brain and your healthy thoughts, righteous actions, or sobriety as a narrow, dirt path somewhere off to the side of the highway.
When under stress, your brain seeks the most efficient route, the superhighway, not the narrow unbeaten path. In order to replace the problem thought or behavior, you must deconstruct the superhighway and build up the dirt path.
Old neural pathways are worn and easy to tread, so your brain will want to reroute to the highway. When this happens, you must make a conscious decision to return to the small path, and you must choose that small path again and again before it becomes the easier one to walk.
At first, you might have to make that conscious deci­sion to reroute ten times a minute or more, but each time you return to the small path, you remove a slab of cement from the superhighway and place it on the side path. Eventually, you only need to switch back to the path maybe five times a minute, then a few times every ten minutes, then a few times every few days, and so on. This mental rerouting work gradually converts the destructive superhighway into a small path and the small path into a healthy, life-benefiting superhighway.
This brain path construction project is also why you can’t give up after a failure. The hard truth is that making any kind of change almost always includes some degree of failure. But when you fail, you don’t lose your hard work because your brain hasn’t rebuilt its former destructive superhighway. At least not yet. As a coach, I actually love these failures, I know that sounds weird… But there’s so much learning in these moments. So don’t see these moments as failures but as an opportunity to keep building that new super highway.

Habits Phase Two
Redirecting and Replacing
Don’t think of a pink elephant. What did you just think of? Probably a pink elephant. This paradox illustrates a trap-like feature that lives inside your brain: the more you try to suppress a thought, the more intrusive it becomes. This is why a willpower approach doesn’t work.
When you try to resist a temptation, you end up focus­ing on the temptation. In doing so, you start down the mental pathway of that very sin, possibly deepening it. If you tell your­self, “I must not eat candy. I must not eat candy,” then you are still thinking about candy, strengthening that area of the brain, and now you want candy more than ever before! The harder you try to escape a brain trap like this, the further it ensnares you. it becomes a “stronghold.”
The key to escaping a stronghold is not to attempt to rid yourself of the struggle through sheer willpower but rather to counter it by trying something new, preferably something healthy, productive, and enjoyable—something like helping others. It is no wonder why programs like Alcoholics Anonymous encourage addicts to serve others.
This replacement approach not only grows a new brain circuit, but it also releases dopamine, a chemical in your brain that makes you feel happy, and this chemical helps strengthen the new brain circuit too! Instead of resisting a bad habit, redirect and replace it with a new one. What’s your stronghold, what can you try that’s new? Can you replace your hardest temptation by helping someone else today..today can be the day you create a new brain circuit that starts you down an entirely new path. . ❤️💪🏼

Habits- Phase 1
My next few posts will be on habits, and the importance it is to your health journey.
A habit is formed when you consistently meet an important need with a chosen behavior
The habit loop consists of cue, routine, and reward. Small disciplines done consistently lead to big results over time.” In other words, small wins matter.  

Habits aren’t grand destinations you arrive at one day—they’re tiny steps you take every day. Some of the most important small wins you can make are often called keystone habits. The fastest way to comprehend keystone habits is to learn what a keystone is. A keystone is an architectural term for the wedge-shaped stone that would sit at the top and center of an arch of bricks or stones. Each stone in the arch pushes its weight toward the keystone, and the triangular shape of the keystone wedge causes the entire arch to be supported. 
If you remove the keystone, the entire structure falls down. In biology, a keystone species is one that an ecosystem depends on. Likewise, a keystone habit provides support and momentum for other habits in your life. So choose one thing to change today. One thing that will be achievable..one thing that will support and build momentum for you to move forward in your health journey.

Why cardio isn’t the way to fat loss…

Cardio can be effective for burning calories and improving cardiovascular health, but it may not be the most efficient way to lose body fat for several reasons:
1. Calorie Burn vs. Fat Loss: While cardio burns calories during the activity, it doesn’t always create the optimal environment for fat loss. Fat loss requires a sustained calorie deficit over time, and focusing solely on cardio without considering nutrition and strength training may lead to muscle loss rather than fat loss.
2. Muscle Mass: Doing too much cardio, especially without strength training, can lead to the loss of muscle mass. Muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest, so having more muscle can help you burn fat more effectively. Strength training helps preserve and build muscle while burning fat.
3. Metabolic Adaptation: Over time, your body can adapt to steady-state cardio, making it less effective for fat loss. This is known as metabolic adaptation, where your body becomes more efficient at burning fewer calories for the same amount of work. As you continue doing the same cardio routine, it may burn fewer calories, slowing fat loss.
4. Hormonal Impact: Excessive cardio, especially in a calorie deficit, can increase stress hormones like cortisol, which can encourage fat storage, particularly around the abdominal area. Strength training, on the other hand, helps balance hormones and supports fat loss while preserving muscle.
In summary, while cardio can help with fat loss, it’s most effective when combined with a balanced diet and strength training to preserve muscle mass and increase overall metabolism.
💪🏼🏋🏽🙌🏼

Health and wellness and it’s effects on relationship

Yes, health and wellness can significantly affect romantic relationships in various ways. Physical and mental health impact how individuals interact with each other, communicate, and connect emotionally. Here are a few examples of how this can play out:
1. Physical Health: If one partner is dealing with chronic illness, fatigue, or pain, it may affect their ability to engage in activities, intimacy, or even maintain energy levels to nurture the relationship. A partner’s physical health can also influence the emotional dynamics of the relationship, where one person might feel stressed or overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities.
2. Mental Health: Conditions like anxiety, depression, or stress can affect communication, emotional availability, and the ability to resolve conflicts. Mental wellness is often tied to how we perceive ourselves and our relationships, and mental health struggles may lead to feelings of isolation, misunderstanding, or detachment.
3. Shared Lifestyle Choices: Couples who prioritize healthy habits together—like eating well, exercising, or engaging in stress-reducing activities—can often bond more over these shared goals. It can enhance their connection and overall relationship satisfaction.
4. Sexual Health: Health issues can influence physical intimacy in a relationship. Communication around these issues is essential to maintain closeness and understanding between partners.
5. Emotional Health and Support: Emotional well-being is crucial for healthy communication, empathy, and support. Couples with strong emotional health tend to have more resilient relationships, as they can handle stress and life challenges together more effectively.
So, overall, a person’s health and wellness—both physical and mental—plays a key role in the strength and quality of their romantic relationships. ❤️💪🏼🌱

You are the best project you will ever work on..

Why is it so easy for us to invest our time into others but we struggle with investing in ourselves? If a friend calls and needs help.. we are all in but we need to take an hour and go to the gym we allow that to get pushed to the very last on our list... take the time to take care of you for you!! You’ll be a healthier, happier, stronger person for everyone in your life!
Start making yourself a priority and see the beautiful changes that take place..not only will it change your body but it will change EVERYTHING. ❤️🌱

Why can’t I stick to my New Year’s resolution
We all start the year with our New Year’s resolution in place, ready to finally get healthy and really stick to our goals this time. We start January perfectly and keep that up for a few weeks.. then we decide that we might not be made for this. Why can’t we stick with it? Why is this so hard for just me?
When we approach the first of the year and try to do everything perfectly all at once it is too much! If you really want this year to be different start off small. Make subtle changes that you can implement for a few weeks. Once that feels natural then continue to add.. before you know it you will be well on your way to a healthier year and best part is you will be able to maintain your new lifestyle.

Client testimonials:

My Weight Loss Journey
 
It was time! I was ready to get serious about losing weight, again. This time, I was going to work with a nutritionist.  This had to be the missing piece.  I’ve tried losing weight on my own, and through a popular weight loss program. I did well for a short period of time, lost up to 10 pounds, but I was not consistent. So, in February 2022, through my daughter-in-law, I met Laura Sapanaro Calvetti, a nutritionist/personal trainer.  My daughter-in-law’s body transformation was amazing, so I felt I found the right person to help me, however, we were in different states.  How will working virtually work for me? I knew my biggest issue was how to eat properly; exercising was not as big of a problem.  So, I was ready to give it a try.  I knew I had to listen and do everything she said. That’s the only way I would know if this was truly working.  So, sight unseen, and from word of mouth only, I put a lot of trust in her.  Once I started, I stuck to the foods she suggested, I stuck to the supplements she recommended, and I stuck with the exercise programs that she wanted me to do. After 8 months, I lost 31 pounds and 27.5 inches!!!  The accountability piece was huge for me.  I am determined to continue this journey, periodically consulting with Laura so that I stay on course.  I am happy with my progress and ready to continue the transformation. Thanks Laura!!!
 
Toni Gwinn-Fisher

Client testimonial

“Health and fitness can be complicated without the right trainer by your side. If you are looking for someone to help you change, no matter what fitness level your at, look no further. From workouts to nutrition, Laura can equip you with the tools needed to take steps forward in the right direction!” 💪🏼

I remember our very first appointment…
“ I just want you to know that I’ll never NOT drink, can you make that work? “
I thought it was interesting that this was that important at the time but my response was “ of course”! I work mostly with behavioral training in the first few weeks/months. Creating new habits that a lot of time push out the old.. so we started down our journey together adding basic things like water, supplements, solid nutrition and workouts.. through this process she has lost 33lbs, and 30 inches, no longer has knee or back pain (which was chronic) and on her own through this process decided to quit drinking and now has been completely sober for over a year. Again that SMILE says everything! I could not be more proud of this beauty! 🌱💪🏼

Another perfect example…
Food matters!
I use to run into kim almost on a daily basis at the gym. I could see this girl was working hard but was frustrated not getting any results. When she asked me about coaching I couldn’t have been more excited because I knew she would easily put in the work and she would follow nutrition advice given. She started in September and the results we have seen our incredible! We didn’t start off with the plan to become vegan (most of my clients aren’t lol) but we slowly moved that way.. the more she became plant based the better she’s felt. Her blood work supports that. When she started she was dealing with elevated antibodies which indicate high levels of inflammation. Her values have changed incredibly from thyroglobulin AB 27.6 to 4.6, and thyroid perdoxidase 126 to 98. Body composition is undeniable she’s lost 37.5 inches and 37 lbs….but my absolute favorite part is that SMILE worn with confidence. She’s a completely different human ❤️ 🌱💪🏼