05/11/2023
This 20-minute circuit provides just the right amount of challenge if you’re in your second trimester of pregnancy.
All you need is a pair of dumbbells and you’re all set.
Ready to give this workout a go? 🙌🏾🙌🏽🙌🏼🙌🏻🙌🏿
🕓 Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Then, perform the following exercises, completing all the reps prescribed for each exercise before moving on to the next one ⬇️
1️⃣ 10 dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
2️⃣ 10 dumbbell one-arm rows each side
3️⃣ 8 forward dumbbell lunges each side
4️⃣ 8–10 dumbbell one-arm overhead presses each side
5️⃣ Incline front plank for 3 sets of 10 seconds (reset every 10 sec)
➡️ Cycle through this circuit — making sure to keep good form — for 20 minutes.
Rest as needed between exercises and 60 to 90 seconds between circuits.
👩🏿⚕️👩🏻⚕️👩🏾⚕️ Note that you should always have clearance from your primary healthcare provider to engage in exercise during pregnancy 👩🏼⚕️👩🏽⚕️👩⚕️
Make sure to “save” this workout 🏷️ so you have it on hand when you need it.
04/11/2023
*6 Reasons Why Your Weight Fluctuates*
Weight fluctuations — whether from undereating, eating more energy-dense food, changing your workouts, sleeping more or less, or whatever else — are OK.
As humans, our weight fluctuates — it’s just a fact.
Dr. Kara Mohr says these fluctuations can be due to a number of factors, including:
1️⃣ You need to use the restroom. Whether it’s No. 1 or No. 2, this can lead your weight to fluctuate up to a couple of pounds.
2️⃣ You ate more salt than usual. This can cause our bodies to retain more water, and more water means more weight.
3️⃣ You ate more carbs than usual. Of all the macronutrients, carbs have the greatest scale impact because one gram of muscle glycogen (i.e., stored carbohydrate) contains three grams of water.
4️⃣ You’re about to start your period. Hormones, water retention, cravings, and under- or overeating can all cause fluctuations.
5️⃣ You’re recovering from a hard workout. Some of us retain water after a hard workout because of the inflammation created by the microtrauma (i.e., small tears) in muscles created during the workout.
Also, some folks drink lots of water during workouts, while others don’t drink enough (drink your water, folks!), and some people sweat a ton. Long story short — fluctuations are totally normal here.
6️⃣ You’re human and it happens. While life is full of uncertainty, what is certain is this: things change. Priorities change. Bodies change. And it’s fine.
What else would you add to this list?
Leave a comment below with your thoughts👇🏾👇🏿👇🏻 and feel free to share this post so we can shift the conversation about weight fluctuations!
03/11/2023
“So many women I’ve talked to see menopause as an ending. But I’ve discovered this is your moment to reinvent yourself after years of focusing on the needs of everyone else.
It’s your opportunity to get clear about what matters to you and then pursue that with all of your energy, time, and talent.” – Oprah Winfrey
We couldn’t have said it better than the iconic Oprah! 🙌🏾🙌🏽🙌🏼🙌🏻🙌🏿
02/11/2023
“Being strong is the best kind of confidence you can have.” –Mattie Rogers, 4x silver medalist in the World Weightlifting Championships.
We couldn’t have said it better than Mattie — give us a ❤️ or a 🙌 if you agree!
Strength training can:
💪🏾 Build resilience
💪🏽 Boost self-efficacy
💪🏼 Improve self-image
💪🏿 Positively affect mental health
💪🏻 And so much more!
What are YOUR favorite reasons to get strong? Tell us in the comments! 👇🏾👇🏿👇🏻👇🏼
01/11/2023
🙅🏾♀️ 8 Things Women Shouldn’t Be Ashamed Of 🙅🏼♀️
🔥 Body size. We all have bodies — how big or small they are is not relevant to our worth.
🔥 Relationship status. You do you. With whoever you want, but only if you (and they) want.
🔥 Bank account. Want to change the number? Go for it. But it doesn’t define you or your success. YOU do.
🔥 Weight on the scale. It might go up or down, and that’s OK. The number isn’t YOU, and if it throws you into a tailspin — we say ditch it. There are much better markers of health.
🔥 Age. There’s a reason they say it’s just a number. No matter your age — you’re rockin’ it.
🔥 Our periods (or lack thereof). They’re normal, and life is too short to feel ashamed because of stigma or assumptions.
🔥 Having kids and not having kids. Every woman deserves the right to choose what she does with her own body. Want to dedicate your time to building your career, your own business, or just focusing on yourself? That’s awesome! Feel like your calling is to raise tomorrow’s best and brightest? That’s wonderful, too!
🔥 Body hair. Like it silky smooth? Do it. Prefer the au naturel look? Toss those razors and put on your short shorts. Constantly somewhere around stubbly? Meh. Hair grows. It just does.
Have you felt the pressure or stigma surrounding any of these things?
Or have you noticed something else totally normal that women often feel ashamed of?
Let us know 👇🏾👇🏿👇🏻👇🏼👇 in the comments so we can dismantle unnecessary shame together!
31/10/2023
🚫 4 Biggest Training Mistakes Women Make 🚫
There’s a ton of conflicting fitness info marketed to women preventing them from reaching their goals.
This is typically what’s preventing them from reaching their goals:
🚫 Not lifting “heavy” enough
Heavy is relative, but to make continued progress, you must challenge yourself so your body has to adapt to keep up with the increasing demands. Many women underestimate their strength and thus, don’t lift heavy enough to elicit adaptation.
🚫 Not resting long enough
Resting between exercises allows your muscles to recover so you can perform quality reps with the heaviest load your body can handle for the given set/rep range. General recommendations are 2–3 minutes for compound movements and 30–90 seconds for accessory movements.
🚫 Choosing the wrong exercise modality for your goals
Many women gravitate towards cardio (running, Spin, kickboxing, etc.) which is great — AND — there are numerous benefits to strength training, like: increased muscle mass/strength/bone density and improved confidence. We’d never suggest you stop doing activities you enjoy, but a balance of strength training and cardio is most effective.
🚫 Not following a progressive program
Random exercises won’t help you make long-term progress. A well-designed program uses progressive overload principles and includes breathing, dynamic warm-up, strength training, and cardio.
30/10/2023
Most of us take our bones for granted, but bone health has real implications for overall health. Poor bone density can lead to:
🚫 Osteopenia: bone loss + weakened bones which progresses into
🚫 Osteoporosis: brittle bones that fracture more easily
Women typically reach peak bone density between 25 & 30, and bone density typically starts decreasing around age 35 — more slowly at first, then faster as estrogen production decreases during menopause.
While ~80% of our peak bone mass is determined by genetics, we have good news...
🌟 You can have a BIG impact on your bone density 🌟
4 things you should know:
1️⃣ Starting exercise before age 35 (the earlier the better) increases peak bone mineral density and bone mass — meaning we have more to work with if & when levels start to decline.
2️⃣ For years experts thought women could only slow the inevitable decline in bone density after menopause. But a recent systematic review and meta-analysis suggest it IS possible to increase bone density in postmenopausal women. Yay!
3️⃣ The best exercises for improving bone mineral density are high-impact exercises, weight-bearing exercises, and resistance training. And intensity > duration. Meaning go harder, not longer.
4️⃣ A high protein diet can help maintain good bone density.
In short…
🦴 Start — or keep! — moving
🦴 Perform weight-bearing, high-impact & resistance training exercises
🦴 Eat protein
Questions? Let us know below!
29/10/2023
ove how I look. I am a full woman, and I’m strong, and I’m powerful, and I’m beautiful at the same time. I don’t have time to be brought down, I have too many things to do.” — Serena Williams
👏🏽👏🏻👏🏼👏🏾👏🏿
Yes to all of this!
We love Serena’s unapologetic confidence in herself, her body, and her purpose.
Give us a ❤️ or a 🙌🏿🙌🏾🙌🏽🙌🏼🙌🏻 below if you love Serena’s quote as much as we do!
What is something you love about yourself?
Your strength? Your vulnerability? Your powerful arms? Your quick wit?
Tell us in the comments! 👇🏾👇🏿👇🏻👇🏼👇🏽
📸: Douglas Friedman
28/10/2023
Weekly Workout for week starting 30 October 2023.
27/10/2023
🗣️NOT ALL WOMEN WANT WEIGHT LOSS 🗣️
“I hate that I still have to say this to health and fitness professionals in 2023, but:
Not every woman wants to lose weight or get smaller.
Some women exercise to:
✅ Crush pull-ups
✅ Increase their deadlift
✅ Get as jacked as possible
✅ Manage their mental health
✅ Reduce stress, build strong bones, be a role model for their kids...
I can't tell you how many stories I've heard from women who seek out a trainer or coach to get stronger or manage their mental health — but instead the trainer insists on:
🙄 Weighing her
🙄 Discussing weight loss
🙄 Asking her to weigh/track her food
Women deserve to work with coaches who understand that not all women want weight loss.
(And for those who do, they deserve a coach who respects their autonomy, helps them get to the root of their desire for weight loss, and helps engage in healthy behaviours toward that goal).
Women are not a monolith.
We have unique:
🎯 Relationships with food & exercise
🎯 Schedules & family situations
🎯 Preferences & desires”
At Suzannes's we listen to what you want, leaving your body can say what it wants.
Give us a 🙌🏻 or a ❤️ if you agree that not all women want weight loss!
26/10/2023
“I was built this way for a reason, so I’m going to use it.”
— Simone Biles, US Olympic Champion and most-decorated gymnast in world championships history
💖 We each have different talents.
💖 We each have different interests.
💖 We each have different strengths.
💖 We each have different bodies.
💖 We all have our own unique way to shine.
Let’s keep celebrating each other, cheering each other on, and lifting each other up!
🙌🏾 🙌🏽 🙌🏼 Tag a woman you think deserves a big high five in the comments below! 🙌🏻 🙌🏿 🙌
25/10/2023
Quick, Safe Workout for New Moms 👩🏾🍼👩🏼🍼
Approaching 6 weeks post-birth?
If you’re feeling good — and have clearance from your 👩🏿⚕️ healthcare provider 👩🏻⚕️ for exercise — you can start walking and add gentle bodyweight movements, then slowly increase the intensity of your movements over time.
And here’s the perfect 20-minute bodyweight circuit to help you safely return to exercise.
Ready to try it? Here’s how the circuit works ⬇️
Perform 8–10 reps of each of the exercises below.
✅ Connection breath (supine or side-lying)
✅ Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch (complete all reps on both sides)
✅ Cat/cow
✅ Bodyweight squat
✅ Bodyweight reverse lunge (complete all reps on both sides, supported if necessary)
✅ Wall slide
✅ Glute bridge
➡️ During each rep, inhale during the eccentric (easy) part of the movement, and exhale on the concentric (more difficult) part of the movement. (e.g., during a bodyweight squat you would inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up).
➡️ Rest minimally between exercises and perform this circuit for 1–2 total rounds depending on your energy levels.
Make a second to hit that “save” button 🏷️ so you can get back to this post when you need it
31/10/2023
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