The biggest problem people face when adopting a healthy lifestyle is finding the motivation to change. Of course, many people don’t realize that motivation is their problem; they point the finger at external factors they feel are holding them back, like: Not having a lot of spare time to work out Not being able to afford a gym membership Not having any equipment at home But these roadblocks — while not making the prospect any easier — aren’t actually preventing them from exercising. The only thing that’s holding them back is themselves. For example, nearly anyone can find 10–15 minutes to drop what they’re doing and do a bodyweight-only workout. They don’t even need…

Anyone who’s lost a significant amount of weight knows one thing: keeping it off can be a struggle. Life gets hectic, and when times are tough, it’s easy to slip back into old bad habits and for the pounds to creep back on. My weight used to fluctuate a lot when I was in my late twenties and early thirties. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally reached my goal weight and actually kept it off. But I was only able to sustain long-term weight loss by avoiding these five things. 1. Alcohol Look, I know this one sucks. Trust me, no one loved their daily five…

Let’s be real: Life is freaking hard. Stuff happens. Unexpected stuff, like a beloved pet passing away or a fender bender on the highway during rush hour. Stressful stuff, like a tight deadline or a scheduling conflict at work. Money issues. Health issues. Relationship issues. You name it, we all got it. So having the resilience to deal with life’s stresses head-on is crucial; an inability to cope will almost certainly lead to anxiety and depression. But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? It’s no wonder that 10% of the population are on prescribed anti-depressants, and likely many more self-medicating with alcohol and recreational drugs. But what if you…

The heaviest I had ever been in my life was at the start of 2017. Teetering on officially overweight, I had been neglecting my health for years while working a sedentary desk job. I got little exercise and ate pastries and sweets like it was my job. I knew things had to change, so I promised myself that I would lose at least 20 lbs. Well, I reached my goal, but it took me no less than three years. Some people would say that it shouldn’t take three years to lose 25 lbs, and they’d be right; had I known certain things at the start of my fitness journey, I…

The other day, I came across a cool article calling for women to drop the cutesy pink dumbbells and start lifting heavy like a man. It is an excellent piece that points out training like a man will not make a woman look “bulky” because a woman’s physiology and hormone profile are completely different from a man’s. I wholeheartedly agree that women shouldn’t be afraid to lift heavy. In fact, I bought a heavier set of dumbbells just a couple of weeks ago to help take my lifts to the next level. But. There is a time and a place for light weights, and I think they don’t always get…

This past weekend, I was working on pushup variations when I pushed a little too far and royally tweaked my trapezius muscle. As a result, I’m currently writing this with a grumpy shoulder that can tolerate little more than heating pads and painkillers. Chances are, it’s going to be at least another week or two before I can lace up my trainers again. At first, I was pretty bummed about this. Exercise is not just something I do to stay in shape; it’s how I find “my happy.” But if I’m honest with myself, I was long overdue for a break. I’d been training 4–5 days a week for the…

These days, exercise is something that brings me a lot of joy — so much so that I have an ISSA personal trainer certification as well as this whole blog dedicated to the subject. However, I didn’t always love fitness. I absolutely hated exercise when I was younger and would avoid it at all costs. Back then, I was blessed with a fast metabolism, so I ate whatever I wanted and still stayed slim throughout my teens and early twenties. But that party ended (literally, one day after my 24th birthday) when I began my first full-time job working in an office. My early attempts to combat weight gain You know how office…