This holiday has been lots of work, lots of laughs, tears, love, and stress all wrapped into one 💛

A lot of us could say the same about 2023. And that is OK! This is a tough time of year, and for so many of us, a tough season of life. Remember to GET OUTSIDE, breathe the fresh air, MOVE YOUR BODY even for 10 minutes, spend time with people who love +accept you, and prioritize protein at your main meals and snacks. I got to lift with my mama… my favorite 🥰

Motivation is BULLSHIT 😳

This time of year I get a 💩-ton of comments about MOTIVATION, especially when it comes to exercise and nutrition.

If I'm being totally honest... NO ONE is constantly motivated to exercise, eat well, get to bed early, or wake up early. Nope, not even me.

Instead you must create routines, habits, and support systems that hold you accountable and help you stay disciplined and consistent in your actions. There’s no such thing as “on" or "off" the wagon. LIFE is always always gonna be LIFEY.

Consistency is what counts

This is what Move Your Body is all about. This month we are completing shorter workouts and making it EASY AF with a one-click calendar to check the box, think less, and get 3-4 workouts per week when they have time. Everyone (including some new/returning members, like Stephanie!) is making it happen with a 10 minutes is better than no minutes mindset.

We are making time for intentional breathing and movement. We are prioritizing ourselves during this BUSY AF season. Surrounding ourselves with people who are only going to push us to be the best we can be 💛

I'm trying something new and offering a 14-day trial (that's TWO WEEKS FREE) for all new Move Your Body members. This offer expires on December 31st at midnight. Are you in?

Let's do this 💪

Got knee pain? It's never the knee's fault

Week after week I see women whose knee pain holds them back from progressing their strength training. But here's the thing: It’s never usually the knees fault! We have to look at what the hip, femur, tibia, and foot are doing for your answer ❤️

In my case, I'd get knee pain from jumping and running. For other women it will show up in their squats and lunges.

WHY? There are many possibilities but it's often a combination of a tight 🍑 and a foot that doesn’t move well. If our lower leg bone (tibia) is rotating OUT as the knee moves forward this can surely mess with the mechanics up and down the chain. Try this video (a member favorite for the portal that I'm opening up just for newsletter readers!).

Bringing awareness to the feet, opening up the back of the pelvis and sequencing our strength training warmups makes a HUGE difference in our ability to FEEL lunges/split squats/step-ups in the right muscles AND be able to progress in weight and difficulty!

Want to lift heavy shit? Get the basics down first.

Women need to strength train! Especially in perimenopause + menopause. Think step ups, lunges, squats, hinges, chest presses, and rowing.

But sometimes “JUST LIFT HEAVY SHIT” isn’t helpful AT ALL.

The thing is most women can't just lift heavy shit... with shit form 🫠

Smashing yourself with heavy deadlifts might get you stronger, but not when you’re compensating in other areas. Our asymmetrical bodies deserve an asymmetrical approach in order to get stronger and eliminate our aches + pains. So we must learn to lift properly and THEN load the shit out of it... building to SIT (sprint interval training) which is also really necessary for menopause.

Nailing down the basics with amazing form is truly the foundation of sustainable strength training and GETS YOU STRONGER And KEEPS YOU STRONGER for the long haul.

This is especially true for women with nagging knee, hip, and low back pain and an overactive pelvic floor. You can’t do traditional strength training routines and FEEL GOOD in your body!

What makes Move Your Body different from other online memberships is that you get weekly access to a coach to ask questions and get feedback on your form.

January's focus in Move Your Body are the 4 big rocks that can help us make progress. We will be squatting, benching, deadlifting, and implementing the basics outside of our strength training to keep things simple and make progress this month.
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We lift with INTENTION inside Move Your Body 🤗 and yes, we lift heavy 💩 too!

I want to lift heavy shit with intention →

Do you have a "use it or lose it" health/wellness budget?

Some employers or insurance companies offer reimbursement for certain wellness, nutrition, and fitness expenses. Many of these budgets expire on December 31st. If you have dollars to spend before 2023 is over and want to invest in yourself, hit reply to this email and let me know—I'm happy to make it work and provide you with a receipt for reimbursement.

Recipe: Balsamic Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner

​This one is a winner! It's versatile (you can use any cut of chicken or many types of veggies), high protein, super tasty, and EASY to prep, cook, and clean up. It also just so happens to be both gluten free and dairy free.

XOXO
Stacey

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