Between travel, family, work deadlines, and social commitments, stress skyrockets while sleep, nutrition, and movement often take the hit. Ironically, this is when your body and brain need self-care the most, and not just the bubble-bath kind. We’re talking about the kind backed by real science that builds your resilience, energy, and long-term health.

Your Nervous System Is the Unsung Hero of the Season

When you’re stressed, your body shifts into sympathetic dominance, fight-or-flight mode. Heart rate rises, cortisol spikes, digestion slows, and inflammation increases. Over time, this chronic stress dysregulates the nervous system, leading to burnout, fatigue, and even injury.

But here’s the fascinating part:

Movement is one of the most powerful regulators of your nervous system. Even 10 minutes of intentional exercise or controlled breathing can activate the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) system , lowering cortisol, improving focus, and restoring balance. Your body is wired to adapt when given the right stimulus and recovery. 

Why Prioritizing Health Right Now Changes Your Future

Think of this season as your physiological reset,  the time your body recalibrates for a stronger, more resilient year ahead.
By investing in your physical and mental health today, you’re not only managing stress but also:

• Improving cognitive function: Regular movement boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which enhances mood, learning, and memory.
• Increased Productivity: Studies show that people who exercise report up to 40% higher productivity, focus, and motivation on workout days.
• Preventing burnout and illness: Exercise improves immune response and reduces the inflammatory load of stress.
• Increasing energy efficiency: Strength and mobility training improve mitochondrial health, your body’s energy factories.
• Building longevity momentum: Consistency compounds. Your future self is being shaped by the habits you choose today.

Tips for Success – 

Through Workouts:

1. Move with challenge: Engage in challenging movement at least twice a week, ideally three times. “Challenging” doesn’t mean maximal effort; it means working at a threshold that stimulates adaptation without overwhelming your system. True adaptation happens in that middle ground, enough intensity to trigger growth hormones and tissue remodeling, but not so much that you flood your system with chronic cortisol. Acute stress is productive; chronic stress is destructive. The art of training is knowing the difference (and yes, that deserves its own deep dive).
2. Train functionally: Choose workouts that integrate mobility, strength, and stability. They prepare you for life; whether that’s skiing at Mammoth, heaving that Costco load of Thanksgiving supplies in from the store to your car and your car to your home, or traveling on adventure.
3. Focus on neuromuscular re-education: Functional movement is more than exercise, it’s retraining your nervous system to engage muscles correctly. This process, known as neuromuscular re-education, restores coordination, improves balance, and helps your body build new movement patterns that reduce pain and prevent re-injury.
4. Incorporate rehabilitation-based exercises: If you’re experiencing pain, instability, or limited range of motion, you need targeted strengthening and stretching exercises tailored to your needs. These corrective movements help improve joint stability, flexibility, and functional control, especially for areas like the shoulders, hips, and spine that tend to tighten or weaken under stress.
5. Prioritize recovery: Foam rolling, soft-tissue work, and low-intensity mobility are not “extra.” They are the science-backed glue that keeps your nervous system balanced.

Outside of Workouts:

1. Ground daily: Just 5 minutes barefoot on grass or sand can reduce cortisol and inflammation by restoring your body’s natural electrical balance with the earth.
2. Get morning sunlight: Step outside within the first hour of waking. Natural light helps regulate your circadian rhythm, balances cortisol levels, and boosts serotonin, setting the tone for calmer energy and better sleep at night.
3. Hydrate with purpose: Even mild dehydration can reduce focus, mood, and muscle recovery. Start your day with water before caffeine, and sip consistently throughout the day to keep your cells firing efficiently.
4. Eat for stability, not spikes: Focus on protein, fiber, and healthy fats at each meal to keep blood sugar, and energy steady. Balanced glucose means sharper focus, fewer crashes, and a more stable mood.
5. Breathe through your nose: Nasal breathing increases nitric oxide production, improving oxygen delivery and calming your nervous system. Try it during walks, stretching, or moments of stress.
6. Connect with people who recharge you: Positive social connection activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering stress hormones and increasing resilience. Sometimes the best recovery comes from genuine human connection.
7. Sleep like it’s your job: Recovery hormones like melatonin and growth hormone peak during deep sleep. Protect your sleep window by dimming lights and avoiding screens an hour before bed, it’s one of the most powerful longevity tools you have.

Picture yourself stepping off the lift at Mammoth; knees stable, hips strong, lungs full of crisp mountain air.
Or exploring new places, whether it’s a weekend getaway or your favorite local trail, moving with ease and confidence, your body supporting every step instead of holding you back. Or simply walking into the new year with that quiet, grounded confidence that comes from knowing your body can handle whatever life throws your way.

For those who already have a consistent routine, you’re ahead of the curve. My advice? Lean into it. Book your workouts now and protect them like any other vital appointment. Treat your training as the non-negotiable cornerstone of your health and longevity, not an optional task to squeeze in later.

If you don’t yet have a movement routine, take a breath.
I know the intrusive thoughts show up fast:
“I don’t have enough time.”
“I’ve tried before and failed.”
“I’m injured.”
“I don’t even know where to start.”

Start simple and start with support. You need to be met where you are at this moment, not placed into a one-size-fits-all program. You’ve experienced many years of life up to this point, and you need someone that understands your body, goals, and can see you as a whole being with a unique story.  Book a complimentary call with one of our team members. We’ll help you find the right place to begin, design a plan around your needs, and show you how success is built one small, smart step at a time.

The post Move Through the Chaos: How to Thrive This Holiday Season appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

“If you don’t move well, you don’t move often. And if you can’t move well often, you can’t move under load, and you can’t move with speed, whether you’re 35 or 75.”

It’s simple, but it’s a truth most of us overlook.

Movement quality is the foundation for everything, strength, power, endurance, longevity. And when that foundation cracks, even slightly, the effects ripple far beyond the gym.

The Domino Effect of Dysfunction

Our bodies are incredibly adaptive. They’re designed to compensate, protect, and find a way to keep us moving, even when something isn’t working quite right. But that adaptability is a double-edged sword.
A small dysfunction starts, and we usually choose one of three paths:

• We avoid using that area altogether.

Maybe it’s your shoulder, hip, or knee, so you skip movements that aggravate it and train around the problem. But avoidance doesn’t solve anything. The muscles surrounding the joint weaken, compensations increase, and dysfunction deepens. What started as a small imbalance can spiral into a bigger limitation.

• We “rest” and stop moving.

The old-school advice of “just rest it” might offer temporary relief, but if you never address the root cause, the problem will more than likely come back often worse. Rest alone doesn’t restore function.

• We push through the pain.

Thanks to decades of “no pain, no gain” messaging, many people believe discomfort is a sign of progress. But pain is not the same as muscle fatigue, it’s a signal from your nervous system that something is wrong. Ignoring that signal and pushing harder can lead to long-term damage that’s far more difficult to fix.

Why This Matters More As You Age

If you’re over 40, your body has already weathered four decades of use, and chances are, you’re starting to notice some wear and tear becoming a little reminder in the back of your head that you are not invincible. Maybe it’s a nagging shoulder when you reach overhead or a low back that protests every time you bend forward.

Now think about this: you’re probably not even halfway through your life yet. Your prime years, the ones filled with travel, adventure, hobbies, and grandkid-chasing, are still ahead. What you feel now is just the starting point. Imagine the compounding effects of those aches and compensations over the next 30 or 50 years.

This is where how you train becomes more important than ever. Many exercise programs focus on isolated strength or flexibility, which can absolutely improve certain aspects of fitness, but they often miss a key piece: specificity. Your body adapts to the demands you place on it. If your workouts don’t mimic the ways you actually want to move in real life, twisting to load the trunk of your car, lifting a suitcase overhead, catching yourself from a fall, sprinting after a toddler, then your training is leaving blind spots.

Training should prepare your muscles, joints, and nervous system for the unpredictable, multi-directional, real-world demands of life. That means strength in more than one plane of motion, mobility that supports quick changes in direction, and stability that keeps you resilient when things don’t go as planned. When your workouts reflect the movements you want to keep doing for decades, you’re not just exercising, you’re future-proofing your body.

The Shift Toward Sustainable Strength

If your workouts always leave you feeling wrecked, sore, or limping, it’s time to re-evaluate and change your approach. The goal isn’t to punish your body, it’s to prepare it. To build a foundation that lets you move well now, so you can keep moving often, and confidently, for decades to come.

A sustainable movement practice is one that:

• Meets you where you are, instead of forcing you into someone else’s plan.
• Prioritizes mobility, stability, and strength in equal measure.
• Addresses dysfunctions before they become limitations.
• Trains you for life, not just for the gym.

When you train this way, you’re not just working out. You’re investing in the future version of you, the one hiking mountains in retirement, playing with grandkids on the floor, and living fully without fear of pain or limitation.

Ready to See Where Your Movement Stands?

At Gymnazo, we’ve built our entire approach around one principle: train your body for the life you want to live. Our proprietary MōV Method is a three-phase system designed to help you do exactly that:

• Identify Your Capacity – Understand how your body is currently moving, where the root of your limitations exist, and what’s holding you back from freedom.
• Acquire New Skills – Learn the tools, techniques, and movement strategies to restore function and build strength in the areas that matter most.
• Practice With Purpose – Integrate those skills into real-world, functional patterns so your body is prepared for the demands of everyday life, now and decades from now.

The best way to start is with a 1:1 MōV Assessment. During this personalized session, you’ll work directly with a coach to uncover hidden compensations, unlock new movement potential, and create a clear roadmap for sustainable strength and longevity.

[Book Your MōV Assessment Here] and take the first step toward moving well, moving often, and moving for life.

The post If You Don’t Move Well, You Don’t Move Often appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

I like to stay pretty open-minded when it comes to fitness trends. There’s no shortage of styles, influencers, and fads that catch fire—some of which make me want to cheer, others that make me raise an eyebrow and question the science. At the end of the day, if someone finds a way to move their body consistently and they love it – that’s a win!

But every once in a while, something grabs my attention and doesn’t let go. Not a new program. Not a fancy gadget. Just a wake-up call about the hidden costs of how we live today.

A recent article in The Times reported that patients in their twenties are now showing up with the kind of chronic musculoskeletal injuries that used to affect people in their forties. Disc prolapse, chronic back pain, tendinitis. And it’s not because they’re training hard. It’s because they’re not moving much at all.

That’s right. The pain that used to show up after decades of hard work is now hitting young professionals in their second year of a desk job.

Why? Because our culture has shifted into chronic stagnation. We sit for 8+ hours a day, hunched over laptops and phones. And it’s not just a little tightness in the neck or hips anymore—it’s fundamental breakdowns in joint mobility, posture, and muscle activation.

One study published recently showed a direct correlation between prolonged sitting and the onset of persistent neck pain over a three-year period. Those who sat for more than 95% of their day saw a significantly higher risk of dysfunction, and it’s only accelerating with our always-online lifestyle.

So here’s the big takeaway:

If you want to keep doing the things you love outside of work—whether that’s hiking, biking, chasing your kids, golfing, or playing pickleball—you’re going to have to combat your desk job with intention. Period.

Movement Isn’t Just for the Gym

This isn’t just about fitness anymore. It’s about maintaining access to the life you love. If your body is stuck in one position all day, you’re going to feel stuck in life. We hear it all the time:

• “I used to love hiking, but my back just flares up.”
• “I can’t even sit in a car for a road trip without pain.”
• “My posture is wrecked, and I feel stiff all the time.”
• “I want to surf more, but my shoulders and lower back can’t handle the paddling anymore.”

You don’t need more painkillers or expensive massage guns. You need multidimensional training.

Why Multidimensional Training Works

At Gymnazo, we train your body to be strong for wherever life takes you— for real life hobbies and PRs. Our programming is designed to move your joints through all planes of motion, build real-world strength, and restore mobility that a chair can slowly strip away.

We do this because:

• You need strength that matches how you actually move—twisting, bending, reaching, reacting. Life doesn’t happen in straight lines, and your training shouldn’t either.
• You need a system that builds stability, generates power, and prioritizes recovery—so you can perform better and bounce back faster.
• You deserve more than a good sweat. You deserve a training method that restores your freedom to move and keeps you doing what you love.

Multidimensional training bridges the gap between sitting and sport, between career and recreation. It helps reverse the daily wear of your desk job so you can show up fully for the things that light you up.

Bottom Line

Sitting is the new smoking. And no, I don’t say that lightly.

If you want to stay out of pain and off the sidelines, you need to move smarter—not just more. You need to train for your life, not for the mirror. And you need coaches who understand how to undo the damage that modern work culture is doing to our bodies.

That’s what we do at Gymnazo.

If you’ve been feeling stiff, achy, or like your body is older than your age, don’t wait for it to get worse. Let’s get ahead of it. Let’s get you moving better.

Come experience the difference of training that’s built for real life. We’ll meet you where you’re at—and help you move toward the life you want.

Join us for 1 month of 3x/wk training here and feel the difference.

The post Sitting Is the New Smoking: Why Movement Matters More Than Ever appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

In general,  try to stay generous in my assumptions about fitness trends and other styles of training. It feels good to cheer for others trying to bring fitness to their communities and I always want to support members and friends finding a style of fitness they LOVE, even if it’s not what I think they should do. Truly.

But… I recently read an insane study that I can’t unsee and it’s lit a fire under me. The truth is NOT every style of fitness is created equal. I’ll just say it that bluntly.

Workout related injuries are 144% higher than they were 10 years ago! 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness earlier this year looked at injuries from 2007 through 2016 and found a 144 percent increase in all workout related injuries in the years 2012 through 2016 compared with 2007 through 2011. The study went on estimate that during this time there were an estimated 3,988,903 injuries, most often in males (58%) and with the age between 20 to 39 years (39%). These increases in injury incidence correlated with a 274% increase in HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

This caught my eye because Gymnazo workouts can be described as HIIT style to a degree. It’s also sobering to me because hundreds of members walk through my doors trusting our workouts to be safe. I know I can’t stop workout related injuries from happening, but did you know I still feel a pit in my stomach whenever a member experiences anything close to a tweak or twinge of pain under my roof? I do. It weighs on me.

Two Things You Should Know as a Gym Goer

1. You are injury prone right now and at risk to some degree. Each person who walks into a fitness facility brings with them movement dysfunction from past injuries, past unbalanced training styles or habitual movements that they do everyday. For most people it’s not a question of IF you get injured, but WHEN. So because this level of risk exists now, it’s never been more important to be discerning when it comes to fitness.
2. You deserve coaches who can help problem solve and program for injury prevention. Very few educational resources adequately prepare 99% of trainers to be able to help you and safeguard you in your workouts. Did you know in the state of California, all you need to be a personal trainer is liability insurance?!? Even if a trainer gets an actual certification, the vast majority are simply just not prepared for it, and it puts you at significant risk. We all know preventing injury is the holy grail, and you deserve to be coached by people who passionately obsess over how to improve their programming, to advance their skills and to see results of declining injury rates in their facility.

It honestly makes me cringe when I see someone get injured… have to stop doing their favorite activities… be told to not do anything active… take longer to heal then they wanted and slowly make their way back to feeling like themselves… only to get injured again. It’s honestly the worst. But it’s so common a cycle, I’m asked often to jump on podcasts and teach trainers how to avoid this cycle of injury —> rehab —> performance —> injury.

So I share with them how we’ve been able to reduce workout related injuries consistently by doing these four things.

4 Things I Advise Trainers to Do to Safeguard You In Your Workouts:

1. Blend fitness with restoration when you program workouts. Build in the solution to the problem. This reduces wear and tear and prepares our clients to be safer doing the activities they love.
2. Build a culture in our facility that values a three dimensional warm up and intentional cool down. Don’t compromise on these.
3. Teach and empower our clients to listen to their bodies and see aches and pains are the messengers they are. Discourage pushing through the pain and encourage body awareness and intuition.
4. Invest in your education and knowledge. Never believe you’re good enough. Never believe you know it all. Always be learning and growing because our clients deserve that.

Bottomline:

I’ll step off my soap box for a minute, but I feel so strongly that you deserve to NOT be a statistic in studies like this. I know how hard it is to make fitness a habit and to step away from busy lives, demanding jobs and even sacrifice time with your family to take care of yourself. I know it can be challenging to build it into your budget and have to shave costs elsewhere.

All I’m saying is if you are going to go through all that to prioritize yourself, to end up picking a riskier program with less educated and capable coaching, would be a real tragedy. I want more for you. I want you to be able to sustain the healthy habits in your life that bring you energy, pride and results. Don’t settle. You deserve to be as injury free as humanly possible.

The post The Study That Shocked Me: Workout Related Injuries Up 144%! appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

There are a lot of different styles of workouts, not to mention new fads that hit the market constantly. There are offered from different fitness brand, instructors, and even from your iPhone now with online programs. All promise to be the newest and best way to burn calories. All of them seem to have “cracked the code” to a leaner you. But is the hype warranted or is it just great marketing strategy? 

The truth is the barrier to entry into the fitness world to claim expertise is as low a threshold as it gets. In today’s social media saturated world, all it takes is looking good naked for masses to assume everything you say is true. But we know over 80% of “fitness models” have eating disorders in an effort to look perfect all the time. So most “experts” aren’t actually that.

As someone who’s invested over $100k in education over the last decade, post college, trust me when I say the fitness industry is a soap opera of fear-based, guilt-invoking half truths that confuse and frustrate busy people just trying to get healthier in a way they can sustain. Quite honestly it’s painful to me how little 95% of fitness programs promote intelligent and functional movements that will actually improve your body’s natural function. 

So if you’re reading this, you’re probably a little skeptical about fitness, or at least our approach to it. I applaud you. I love skeptics. You are the tribe I want to win over. You are the group that isn’t quickly sold and wants to understand before you buy anything. So congratulations for being part of an elite group who is discerning and fitness trends and styles

The #1 Thing You Need to Know About Exercising

I know your time is precious so I’ll cut right to it, if you read nothing else about fitness, this is the number one thing to know: 

“That whatever you train your body to do, you are training it to do that activity better.”

At first blush, it’s a somewhat obvious statement. But think about it…

Our bodies are designed to adapt to our environment, it’s designed to stay alive and often takes the path of least resistance to achieve the outcome it wants. 

All that means is that your body will adapt to whatever you ask it to do… that’s good AND bad. 

Let me show you some examples of this: 

• • You can train your eyes to look at screens for hours on end. It may have started out giving you headaches, but eventually your eyes will adapt. 
  • A breastfeeding mom will hunch over to nurse her baby and will experience neck and back pain as the body tries to tighten chest muscles and expand back muscles to support this body position the mother has to be able to hold for 5-6 hour per day. 
  • A rock climber builds and relies on the strength of the back to hold it up from overhangs, and the more advanced a climber gets the more their posture shows an upper body curve from the overdeveloped muscles of the back, giving them a primate look.
  • I could go on and on…

So be smart about what you chose to force your body to do. It has long term impacts on you and your health.

5 Examples of Ways We Train the Body that Impact Our Health or Fitness

1.  Sitting

This first example will seem counterintuitive, but it’s pivotal to grasp to understand how amazing and adaptable our bodies are to our environment and repetition. 

If you sit at a desk for eight hours a day, your body understands this as training the body to sit at a desk for eight hours a day, and do it the next day better than the day before.

While sitting with good posture may engage the core, that’s too hard to sustain for long periods of time. So what does the body do? It shifts. It slouches and rests on the back of the chair. Now you have trained your body to relax as many muscles as possible in a position you’re requiring your body to hold for hours on end. Your body during this time is training to make this activity easier. So your muscles are getting tighter, hip flexors, etc. to make that chair more acceptable to the human body.

That’s why people have postures that indicate they sit for long periods of time. Sadly when they get out of the chair, they’re not able to train their body very well to get out of chair because they’re training their body to stay in a chair.

2. Barre

If you train your body to do barre fitness, you’re training your body to do short, compressive, tight motions over, and over, and over again.

Therefore, the body will respond by having short, tight muscles that can respond to over, and over, and over again patterns.

This may seem fine, and the promise of a “ballerina body” is appealing to many women.

But if you take that body outside, or try to play a sport or do a more dynamic activity, your body hasn’t been trained well for that and that’s where pain and injury start to show up. So we say Barre is functional for Barre, but not for life.

3. CrossFit

When you do CrossFit, you’re training your body to lift heavy weights in single plane motion patterns as fast as possible. What I mean by single plane is that the body was designed to move in three planes of motion (forward and back, side to side and rotational.) CrossFit and of today’s bootcamp training is predominantly training you to move front to back or up and down. That’s the sagittal plane.

Just focusing on one plane means you’re missing out on 66% of the body’s movement potential, leaving your body at risk. Inevitably your body can’t manage it, so it collapses and breaks.

The result is CrossFit is functional for CrossFit workouts and the CrossFit Games, but when you try to do other movements like an endurance run or lifting heavy boxes overhead in rotation, your body is unlikely to be successful because it hasn’t been trained for that.

4. Running

If you love competing in marathons or just getting runner’s high after a long run, then chances are high your training includes a lot of running and not much else.

When you train yourself to run, you train yourself to run in a straight line for the most part on a very constant, sustainable pace. Your body will learn that range of motion and that pace. You try to break that pace, it doesn’t like it, so it revolts.

Running is functional for running. If you find yourself playing tennis or picking up your toddler, you may strain or struggle to increase your range of motion. Why? You’ve trained to control a limited range of motion to have maximum control over your running stride.

5. 3D Functional Training

If you train your body to do multi-plane of motions, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular and through different heights, and variabilities, and different environments, you’re training your body to be successful in all these motion patterns.

This is the style we use and it includes all three planes of motion, focuses on full body movements and is designed to imitate daily movement patterns we need to master in our lives to live socially active lives.

In our training we design each workout to strategically move you through a mix of strength and cardiovascular workouts that are full body, multi-directional and incorporate play because it’s engaging and fun.

We also invested a ton of money and time into our coaching staff to be able to tailor each workout to the members’ goals. For example, I may have 5 athletes in my workout, I know two are runners, one loves yoga, the other is a busy mom, another is a stressed out CEO who sits over 40 hours per week. I show them the same workout but I am armed with modifications to uniquely cater to each person’s capabilities, mindset and goals. Only highly trained coaches can do this for so many athletes at once. It’s the secret sauce to our training experience. 

This kind of training allows us to help athletes do more of the activities they love outside the gym. Believe it or not, we also prefer sunlight to fluorescent lights. We build workouts to set our athletes up for success for all the range of adventures and activities they love doing. We believe just loving the workouts isn’t what people really want, it’s loving that their body can do whatever they want, when they want to. With that end in mind, the training looks vastly different.

The Bottomline

The #1 thing to know about exercise is whatever you train your body to do, you are training it to do it better.

No matter if it is better or worse for it, it will do it. The scary thing is you could be training your body to be less healthy, less capable, less agile and this will set you up for more injuries, more falls, and more disappointments.

So be intentional with the style of training you chose. It’s not good enough to make workouts hard, your training has to be smart. 

Our Advice

The best advice we can give you is to train your body to do everything you want to do in your life. Train with the end in mind. A lot of people get sucked into training programs because of friends or convenience and never reach the goals they have. Don’t sell yourself short.

Train with the functionality of what you actually want your body to do most of the time. Make sure the program you pick can offer that. If not you’ll end up spending a lot of time and money investing in a style of movement that doesn’t actually improve your quality of life. Life is too short for that.

There you have it – “The #1 Thing You Need to Know about Exercising”.

I hope this article helps clarify your goals in fitness and what style of training will ACTUALLY help train your body to be successful in the activities you love doing or want to start doing.

So, if you’re serious about wanting to get into shape and get adventure ready, I want to offer you a limited offer to explore 3D functional training. It’s quite honestly something that’s better felt to evaluate. If you are serious about your health, this is the best way to get started with NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

We normally offer new guests promotions around $99 to get started, so I’m not sure how long we’re going to offer two weeks for $50. It’s one of our best deals of the year. There is no better time to start.

Click Here to Claim Your 2 Weeks of Unlimited Group Training at Gymnazo for ONLY $50

Have a great day!

The post The #1 Thing You Need to Know About Exercising appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

One of my all time favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. In this movie the question of what makes someone a success is at the heart of the story. George Bailey is beloved by all, saved many families during the depression from being turned out of their homes and dignified his fellow man through a long line of personal sacrifices.It’s a beautiful, heart warming story suggesting that success takes on many forms and may not look the way we initially envisioned it.

So, as this 2017 year has just begun, what does success in your life mean to you? It’s a great thing to consider.

What makes someone successful? Is it financial wealth? Is it being surrounded by many friends? Is it intellectual contributions we make? Is it in the ability to follow our passion and get paid to do what we love? Is it finding the love of our life and never letting them go? Is it finding something bigger than us to give us purpose and impact?

What does success look like? While we may all have a different personal definition, we can likely see eye to eye around what makes a successful mindset. We can unite around what principles and decisions are needed to find success as an athlete, parent, professional, business leader and/or spouse.

In this series we are looking at the 10 things to eliminate from our mindsets to be more successful in 2017.

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed how removing the five things mentioned below from our mindset would result in a more successful year:

1. Steer Clear of Unhealthy Habits
2. Get Rid of the Short Term Mindset
3. Let Go of Your Fear of Failure
4. Stop Playing the Victim
5. Move Past a Fixed Mindset into a Growth Mindset

In this continuation of the topic, we’ll explore five more things to get rid of in 2017 to make this one of your best years yet.

6. Stop Searching for the Quick Fix

We can be so gullible, believing any advertisement attempting to convince us that a product and service is the “magic bullet” to solve our problems. As we age and mature we start to realize the allure of the “quick fix” is a myth.

Most successful people I know say their success took time and lots of work. Why? Making small, consistent improvements over time transforms into true success in the long run. They would rather improve 1% every day than spend time seeking an overnight success story.

In fitness we certainly realize many members would rather write a check to lose 10 pounds overnight than work hard for a year to lose the same weight. We also have members recovering from an injury or seeking to reduce their pain who have become disheartened by the ups and downs on the road to recovery. Our encouragement is always consistent. True sustainable results take time. It took years to add on that extra weight or compound that dysfunction into the painful injury it is today. We know building their success story will also take time.

Trust us, if there was a magic bullet or quick fix we would give it to you. But we also believe the journey to recovery or success is more transformative than simply reaching the destination.

7. Stop Needing to Control Everything

An “ah-ha” moment for me in the last year was recognizing that the compulsion of needing to control everything is often rooted in fear. Fear in and of itself is not bad, as it serves to “wake us up”, like a smoke alarm in the middle of the night. It’s what we do with fear that sets us down a path of success or failure.

I love the serenity prayer, which says,

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference”.

Identifying whether you can change something or not is truly the first step of letting go. Successful people know to stop trying to control something they acknowledge as being outside of their ability to change. Essentially it’s admitting you will fail if you try to change something.

A successful athlete places more emphasis on their mindset and attitude than trying to change their circumstances. They know that sometimes “shit happens” and they can only control only their reactions and responses to outside forces that cannot be altered.

8. Don’t Say Yes to Things that Don’t Support Your Goals

I remember the first time someone told me that “when you say Yes to something you are inadvertently saying No to something else”. There is so much out there that distracts us from where we want to go, all we have to do is let it.

An athlete that says yes to four beers, sugar-heavy foods and deep fried foods the night before a race may at the same time be saying NO to achieving their PR the next day.

Successful people build a sensitivity and awareness to their choices. They know each choice has an impact that could compromise their bigger goals. They know how to say no to instant gratification in pursuit of a longer term more meaningful goal.

9. Let Go of Toxic People in Your Life

Think about the five people you spend the most time with. Are they empowering? Uplifting? Supportive? Or do they suck energy from you? Are they negative and dysfunctional?

Now consider this quote:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

It’s like hearing your parents tell you in middle school that “you are who you hang out with.” But it’s true. Ever notice how we start to assume similar mannerisms and vocabulary to those we spend time with?

In fitness, if your workout partner is more athletic than you, do you think you will work harder to keep up? You bet! In the long run, will this strengthen and better your athletic capabilities? It certainly will.

Successful people know that if they surround themselves with intelligent, hard working, inspiring, and empowering people that they will themselves will advance. By taking inventory of the relationships around them and how others impact and influence them, they make changes when they identify a
toxic influence.

10. Give Up Your Need to Be Liked

This can seem harsh. This isn’t to say stop trying to be a nice or good person? The emphasis is on the word “need”. To need to be liked infers that the approval of others is of more value than the decisions you make, what beliefs you hold and how you go about pursing your dreams. It actually becomes a cage you live in and struggle to break out of. You will spend too much energy trying not to stand for anything that offends another (which essentially means you won’t stand for anything at all) and/or not do anything too amazing so others aren’t threatened by you.

Successful people know that to do important things and to change the status quo means you will not be welcomed by all.

I love the below quotes from Marianne Williamson:

“It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us…

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you…

As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same…”

Athletes who dedicate themselves to excellence, who get up daily at 5am to get to their workout, who say no to unhealthy food choices throughout the week, may make others who observe their lives feel inferior but they may also inspire others to sacrifice to achieve their own goals. We can’t take ownership for how others respond to us, but we can continue to pursue our goals without being confined to a prison of caring about what everyone else thinks about us. Successful people certainly maintain their focus and pursue their dreams, not with the intention to offend others, but without making what others think a determining factor about how they live.

When it comes to 2017 and building success, it is our hope as fitness professionals to partner with each member to help them achieve their goals. We know we can only make as much headway as each athlete allows, but the more successful the athlete’s mindset, the more likely sustainable results will be achieved.

We are truly impressed with our fitness community and the caliber of successful locals who choose to train with us. We have been told my many locals that Gymnazo is the fitness home to some of the most successful professionals in the county. This honestly does not surprise us. I do not mean that in a prideful way, but what we witness daily in Gymnazo is a successful mindset at work in our members more times than not. The level of dedication and pursuit of excellence, willingness to try new things, to push to new levels is inspiring to us. We think we have some of the best jobs and are so thankful to enter 2017 with you.

The post 10 Things to Give Up to be Successful in 2017 (Part 2) appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Join Coach Kaleena as she goes through the Whole30 Program.

WE DID IT! We completed our 30 day health and fitness challenge. Through the ups and downs, the cravings, the mood swings, the avoidance of alcohol like the plague, the seemingly endless hours of meal prep, and the careful reading of nutrition labels, to the restful nights of sleep, to synching belt buckles tighter, to seeing muscle definition, clearer skin, jaw lines and smaller boobs; we did it. By no means was it easy, but it has been so worth it. Indeed, the view from the top of the mountain was worth the climb. As someone who has never done a committed diet or nutrition plan, I am pretty darn proud of myself. I didn’t have beer for 30 days….I’m pretty sure I deserve a medal of some sort. This journey has been challenging, eye opening, and satisfying all in one. I’ve learned more in the last month about how food affects my body than I learned in the last 2 years, and that has been the most rewarding of all.

Now in being totally honest, I was not a by-the-book Whole30er. I didn’t strictly eat 3 meals a day. As I’ve mentioned before, I am a very talented snacker (it’s one of my strengths), and so I did snack throughout the day. I also have a career(s) in which I am moving and on my feet 8-12 hours per day. If I didn’t snack, I would starve to death. Okay, maybe that’s just a tad dramatic. What’s more realistic is that when I get really hungry, I turn into a cranky mountain troll. “Hangry” (angry when hungry or hunger anger) is a very serious condition that millions of women suffer from. When left un-treated it can lead to temper tantrums and irrational fits of rage. It’s essential, for everyone’s safety, that I remain in a somewhat satiated state. The difference between before and after Whole30 is my choice in snacks. I’ve stepped away from chips and ________ (insert any sort of dip) and instead go for a sort of trail mix. My favorite combo is almonds, cashews, and some raisins. Any sort of candy (ex: M&Ms, Twix, Recee’s peanut butter cups) sounds absolutely disgusting to me now. Keep in mind that this is coming from the girl who would eat and hide candy wrappers under her pillow and then throw them away at school so that Mom didn’t know how much I was actually eating. Now I reach for an apple or orange to satisfy my sweet tooth instead of digging into the gallon of mint chip ice cream. Yes, I eat it straight out of the tub. You can’t define a serving size if you can’t measure it. Duh. How I ended up in the fitness industry is still mind boggling.

Week 4 was a little bit stressful. What do I do when this is over? Will I just go back to eating the usual crap? I don’t want to go back to the old habits. I’m enjoying so much of how I feel and look that I have no desire to regress. It was like walking backwards, uphill, in the snow, and barefoot to get up this mountain. An avalanche of cheese back to the bottom of the hill would be a huge let down. The ultimate goal was never weight loss. My end goal was to change my relationship with food, I can say with certainty that Whole30 did just that. By Week 4, I didn’t miss carbs or cheese. I didn’t miss chips or garbage foods. I found satisfaction in real food and not empty calories. I was actually enjoying spending my Sunday’s meal prepping for the week. It was a nice and relaxing change from this fall where I spent every Sunday either coaching soccer or firmly planted on a bar stool from 10am-5pm watching football. Drinking my body weight in beer and heaps of bar food made for a terrible cocktail of indigestion and guilt. My game plan moving forward, is to take as much with me as I can. To continue to eat clean, to read labels and cut out food loaded with chemicals or ingredients that I can’t pronounce. I want to continue to meal prep because I like having a wholesome and satisfying lunch at work. I want to be aware of what and how much of certain items I am ingesting. I feel like I’ve transformed from a beat up Ford Pinto into a sexy, high powered Dodge Charger. Sorry if that’s a disappointing car example, but I do love me a good muscle car. Regular gasoline won’t do the trick anymore. I’ll accept nothing less than Premium fuel. Only the cleanest and best foods available will do.

Favorite foods this past week:

• Butternut squash curry. Delicious over cauliflower rice and add veggies and/or a protein to spruce it up.
• Spaghetti squash with ground turkey in homemade Whole30 pesto.
• Pan roasted chicken simmered in coconut milk and spices. Serve up with cauliflower rice and veggies.

I apologize for the lack of photos. I am usually so hangry (it happens a lot) that by the time I’m done cooking I just scarf it down and forget to take pictures. Just imagine something delicate and delicious, plated perfectly, like on Pinterest.

Note: several of you have asked for recipes from my meals. Most of these things I just throw together. I don’t really measure anything, but I will happily be re-creating and posting another blog on some of these Whole30 foods soon. Stay tuned!

The good stuff: Before and After

I’ve been so thrilled with the results and changes that I saw in myself over the course of these 30 days. My clothes fit better. I have extra room in the waist of my jeans. My arms are looking lean and mean, and my legs got more toned (I didn’t think that was possible). I don’t have to tuck in that spare tire around my waist when I wear yoga pants. I feel like Steve Urkle every time I hike my Lulu’s up to my sports bra to give myself that smooth waist line appearance. My skin feels soft and looks healthy because it’s hydrated with water and not alcohol. I haven’t felt bloated or gross after eating. The sleep. Oh my gosh. The restful night’s sleep has been the absolute best, and because I’m sleeping better I have more energy throughout the day. I walk by a mirror and do a double take because I’m still in shock with how slim I look. Yup, I’m shamelessly checking myself out. Let’s be honest, we all just want to look good naked, and I’m feelin’ pretty good about myself right now, and I have to give most of the credit to Whole30.

Day 1 vs Day 31

Weight: -7.7 lbs | Bellybutton Measurement: -2 inches | Body Fat%: – 3%

The difference is incredible to me. If I played “What’s the Difference?” between the two photos: My face has some cheek and jaw bone definition. Those chicken wings (those pinchable little flaps under your arm where your bra is) are considerably smaller. I have collar bones and traps (those are the muscle on top of your shoulders). My waist is considerably smaller. I don’t have a 6-pack, but I have some freaking definition, so I’ll take it! I’m also not sucking it in on Day 31. I am beyond happy with my results. I’m down 3% body fat, I’ve lost inches in my arms, legs, and most considerably my waist, and I even shed a few pounds. I can’t lie, I did go against the rules during the challenge and I weighed myself at the end of each week.

So many of us are so concerned with the number we see on the scale. I spent a lot of time hating the scale, hating the numbers, hating food, and hating myself. I always thought if I hit that magical number that I would be happy and skinny all of a sudden. Not true. I could weigh 100 lbs, be all flubber, and I would still be unhappy. By the way, I was so excited when I hit 100 lbs…in 6th grade. I was dense. Physically not mentally, thank you. Now, I want to feel good about myself based on what I see in the mirror, not what I see on the scale. I weighed myself to prove a point to those of you frustrated with dieting, exercise, and your weight. I lost 5lbs in the first week, but after that I lost, at most, .8 lbs per week. That can be so frustrating for some people, especially after seeing such a large drop off after Week 1. Well, Week 1 was probably a lot of water/beer weight and just shedding off all the crap from the holidays. Over the next 3 weeks I lost a total 2.5 lbs. The only number that I cared even a little bit about, was my Body Fat percentage. As long as that number went down, then my weight didn’t matter. I’d rather lose fat than lose weight. Now can those things go hand in hand? Certainly. But, let’s change the culture from caring about our weight to caring about the numbers that actually matter- inches and percentages.

Whole30 is a little bit of a lie, as it should be called Whole40. There is an additional 10 day reintroduction period so that you don’t blow out your colon by diving into a pizza as soon as you’re done. The idea is to go through a little experimentation to see what you have intolerances to. While I am looking forward to beer, I’m not looking forward to see if I’m adversely affected by it. Ignorance is bliss!  I’ve had issues with some wheat beers in the past, so I’m a little nervous. I also know that dairy is going to be a big no-no, so I’m terrified of cheese. I’m super terrified to try any sort of added sugar because I am so in love with sleeping. What if I have BBQ sauce with added sugar and I can’t sleep? I would have to break up with BBQ sauce, and that’s been a very committed relationship for a long time. I have no intention of ditching what I’ve learned from Whole30 and going back to old habits. I have high hopes to continue to eat clean, train hard, and meal prep on Sundays.

All in all, this has been a very rewarding and very positive experience. As someone who has struggled with food for a long time, this has truly been a great way to mend that relationship. I was not alone in this journey, and I have to thank so many people for the help and inspiration on the way. A big thanks to Gymnazo, who continues to push me to be the best that I can be. Thank you to all of my fellow Whole30 Challengers who shared their stories. It was incredibly motivating to see all of your transformations over the last month, and it was so fun to hear what your experiences were. Thank you to Phil for embarking on this challenge with me. You cheated heavily the first week, worked out less, ate more, and still ended up with an 8-pack at the end of it all. I hate you, and I love you. Finally, a big thanks to all of you that reached out and let me know that you read my blog! I’m thankful and flattered that you took the time to read about my experience and hopefully laughed at me along the way. Thank you again, and don’t worry, I’ll be doing a follow up blog: 30 Days Post Whole 30.

Cheers and happy eating!

• Part 1: Introduction to Whole30
• Part 2: Week 1
• Part 3: Week 2
• Part 4: Week 3
• Part 5: Week 4

The post Whole30 Week 4: The Grand Finale (Part 5) appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Join Coach Kaleena as she goes through the Whole30 Program.

That.was.fast. I’m seriously amazed at how quickly this is going by. Day 1 felt like the death of all things tasty and delicious. I was mourning the loss of carbs, cheese, and beer and it felt like 30 days was just so far away. But, here we are, 21 days down and only 9 left. Week 3 was what I like to call The Grind. It’s that last 100 feet of hiking up a mountain. You’re having cravings, but can’t give in, so you just have to put your head down and do the work. Once you get to the top of that mountain, you can enjoy the view and then coast back down to the bottom. Although, I’m sure Week 4 will feel more like running down a mountain made of marbles with my arms flailing trying not to slip and fall directly into a taco truck.

I kept hearing, and waiting, for the “euphoric high” from eating clean and healthy to arrive. This magical moment of enlightenment and clarity where you feel like you are walking on clouds. Yeah, that never happened. I think it’s a myth, or maybe an alternate truth. Don’t you think if people could get high off of clean eating, that A LOT more people would be eating healthy? Same thing with the so called “Runner’s High” that people get after long endurance runs. I did a half marathon a few years ago and thought that I had finally achieved it. Turns out I was just dehydrated and feeling light headed. I’m built for speed, not distance. While I never reached clean eating nirvana, I certainly had moments of realization and awareness to how my daily moods and energy levels have been in comparison to before starting Whole30. Contrary to popular belief, I am not some super human with endless amounts of energy. I start to lose enthusiasm and feel beat up towards the end of a long day. Between Gymnazo and coaching soccer, I sometimes work 10-14 hour days. I’ve been happily surprised that I haven’t been as tired as I thought I would be. I feel up beat and energized through most of the day. Once I get home, I turn into a zombie, but that’s par for the course.

The long days are always the hardest to stay on track. It’s easy to just pick up something quick or order a pizza when you’re tired. It’s the convenient thing to do when you have no energy or desire to cook. I found myself saying “I’m over it!” on many occasions. Those moments where I just wanted to cave in and say “screw it, I’ve done enough. All I want is just one _____.” Whether that be glass of wine after work, a sweet treat for dessert, or a High Street Deli sandwich I just want one. But, then I remember that I hate losing more than anything and I refuse to lose to food. Grind it out, Kaleena! Then I look in the mirror and realize that I have collar bones and a sternum all of a sudden? Where did those come from? The baby fat (that’s what I tell myself) that has been on my face is now gone and I have a jaw line? My boobs shrunk! Sidebar- Why does it have to be like that? Why can’t we all just have our fat go to our chest and have perfect, perky, C cups? Ok, back on track now. I don’t have to jump up and down while grunting to get these quads into my skinny jeans? WHAT IS HAPPENING?! I’m actually slimming down, and I actually have some definition. I’m seeing and feeling real results and it’s pretty awesome to see the hard work and sacrifice pay off.

When I do have those moments or cravings for something not on the approved list, I immediately make something to fight the urge. French fries = roasted potatoes with sea salt and herbs. Frozen yogurt = frozen banana blended with almond milk. Beer = La Croix sparkling water. My guilty pleasure is taking a spoon directly into any sort of nut butter. Almond butter, cashew butter, or Nuttzo (which is a crack loaded nut butter made from 7 different nuts and seeds) are my kryptonite. I’m 100% positive that it is NOT Whole30 approved to sit there and shamelessly eat straight out of the jar, but I’ve moved past it. I haven’t counted calories once this month. I’ve eaten when I’m hungry and, to my surprise, in smaller portions. My mom is a petite and feisty, little Japanese woman (not the FOB kind, she’s a born and raised California girl) who still kicks a** at her UFC inspired gym. She is also a vegetarian, whom I openly mock for eating like a squirrel. Two slices of cucumber and a cup of ice chips, and she’s full! 15 minutes later…she’s starving. Well, now I can’t really mock her because that’s how I feel with food now. An apple and handful of cashews?!? I.am.stuffed. Flash forward 30 minutes and I feel like I’ve been fasting for 12 hours. This is how I end up spoon deep in almond butter.

My Go-To meal. Jalapeno turkey burgers with avocado, sweet potato fries, and broccoli.

Me and my mom on Thanksgiving. I made a bacon wrapped turkey just to freak her out and mostly because it’s delicious. Yes, I know she looks like my sister. Please keep telling her that, she loves it.

One thing I haven’t touched on is workouts. Part of our fitness challenge is to get at least 30 minutes of activity in every day. By my standards, if I don’t sweat then it isn’t really a workout. I’ve taken my fair share of days off because I’m too sore, have low energy, or because I just need some time to lay down and watch TV, but I have gotten my 30 minutes of something in every day. I haven’t added any workouts to my usual schedule though. I typically workout between 5-6 days a week. Depending on my mood, it’s 4 or 5 Gymnazo workouts, with a run and/or hike somewhere in there. Even though I find great joy in whooping booty and trying to beat CJ on G3 cardio days, I really don’t like cardio. Competitive much? I prefer to get my cardio in while chasing down a soccer ball, but those days are few and far between so I begrudgingly settle for rope throws, burpees, and that awful AirDyne bike. My week is focused more on strength workouts (I just really like throwing heavy things around) and I sprinkle cardio in when I feel like it. I have made an effort to lift heavier in the last two weeks because, again, I just like throwing heavy things. It also establishes dominance, I mean credibility, amongst gym members *sarcastic tone*. I believe that strong is the new skinny. So, Ladies, squat low and grab the heavy weights!

How to avoid alcohol on the weekends: Hide in your house with your La Croix and puzzle.

Seeing and feeling results is incredible, and it’s good to reflect on what we’ve done in order to get those results. For me, it has all been attributed to diet. It’s the only thing that I’ve changed in the last 30 days, and it’s the only reason I’m seeing results now. I can almost, almost, see some ab definition! My focus for the next 9 days is to just push through it. I can hold out for a few more days without cheese and beer. I’ll avoid situations that will temp me to cheat, i.e. Super Bowl parties, and I’ll plan out activities to keep me busy. I’m not here for a super model body (I don’t meet the height requirements anyway). I’m here to change the way I eat and how I treat my body. I can see and feel results and I want to keep that going and see where it takes me. I will certainly enjoy that first beer when Day 31 arrives, but I’m mentally planning how to not revert back to old habits. My biggest fear is that I will simply go back to the way I was eating before. Week 4 will be spent strategizing on how to stay on track after the Whole30 is over. Happy eating!

Day 1 vs Day 21. I apologize for taking a bathroom selfie.

Stay tuned and track with Kaleena as she releases the following blogs:

• Part 1: Introduction to Whole30
• Part 2: Week 1
• Part 3: Week 2
• Part 4: Week 3
• Part 5: Week 4

The post Whole30 Week 3: I refuse to lose. (Part 4) appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Join Coach Kaleena as she goes through the Whole30 Program.

Holy Toledo! Day 14?! Already?! I can’t really believe that we are already at the halfway point. Week 1 was a real doozey, while I felt like Week 2 was more like finding a good groove. No mood swings, no food rage, and not really complaining that I couldn’t have cheese! The weekdays are so busy that I don’t really have time to stop and ponder over sandwiches and French fries. I’m really just happy that I have a packed lunch and something to eat. Not saying that it’s been easy, but it has certainly gotten easier as the days go on. I’ve found a rhythm to dance to, so to speak. However, when Friday afternoon starts to roll around…I start into a panic. Alcohol. How am I supposed to avoid alcohol?!

I have thought of every single possible way that I could have alcohol and be able to justify that it is indeed Whole30 approved.

• Vodka is made from potatoes. Potatoes are approved!
• Tequila is from a plant! That totally works.
• Gin. What is gin made from? Dang it, ok no gin.
• Whiskey is pretty much drinkable gasoline, and the guidelines never mentioned “No Gasoline”.
• What about non-alcoholic beer? There’s not enough alcohol in those to catch a buzz. So it’s fine.
• Wine is made from grapes. Approved!
• Mouthwash? Ew. No. Bad idea.
• Can I just smell your beer, please?

Life without alcohol feels like a break-up. I told Alcohol (we’ll call him Al) that we needed to “take a break.” He didn’t take it very well, but because he loves me, he let me go hoping that I’ll come back one day. Only now, I’m totally regretting breaking up with Al, but I can’t have him back until February 8th (who’s counting though?). Going into social situations is an absolute nightmare because he is ALWAYS THERE. Here’s what our conversation goes like:

Al: HEY! Kaleena, oh my gosh, how are you? You look great!

K: Hi Al! I’m doing alright, and thank you. How are you?

Al: I’m great, thanks. It’s so great running into you. Are you here with anyone?

K: Oh, uh yes. Sorry, this is awkward. This is La Croix *introduces new bae* He’s a Sparkling Water. We’re leaving now. Great seeing you!

K and La Croix exit social setting at stage right

I mean, we always have a reason to grab a drink. Rough day at work? Beer! Great day at work? Wine. Long day or just because it’s after 4pm? Cocktail! Can’t fall asleep? Nightcap. There’s always be a reason to have just one. But, I do have to say that I am enjoying not feeling guilty after the weekend. We tend to make poor food choices while drinking or after drinking, and I’ll tell you that I’ve never wanted a grande carne asada burrito at 1am when I’m sober. It feels pretty good when Monday rolls around and I don’t feel like I have to work anything off because there isn’t anything to work off! I’ve definitely felt like I am making progress, physically, and that is my biggest motivator to stay on track.

Week 2 opened my eyes to a lot of food habits that I have/had. I really need to pay more attention to food labels. I, honestly, could not believe how many products have added sugar in them! It’s crazy, and it’s totally freaked me out. While looking for a chicken broth, I found multiple brands that had added sugar. What the heck?! Chicken broth? Why do you need to add sugar to chicken broth? I’ve realized that I am a very talented snacker. Just little bits here and there, but at the end of the day it adds up. Cheese platter in the fridge? Just a few pieces. Chips? Just a handful. Free samples? I’ll take two. When you tally it all together, I’ve probably eaten an extra meal that I did not need. At the end of the week, that’s 5-7 extra meals of empty calories. No wonder I couldn’t slim down! On the positive side, I’ve found that my meals are more satisfying, and I’m becoming full faster. I can actually stop eating when I feel like I’m full! Comedian Louis C.K. has one of my favorite and most relatable lines, “The meal isn’t over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself.” I am proud to announce that I haven’t hated myself after one meal thus far, and we’ve cooked up some tasty plates this week.

Favorite meals of the week:

Thai Pineapple Fried “Rice”- cauliflower rice with cashews, raisins, pineapple, green onion, chicken, and shrimp. Seasoned with coconut aminos, lime juice, and approved chili sauce.

The post Whole30 Week 2: Dear Alcohol, I miss you. (Part 3) appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Follow the journey of a fitness facility owner during her 1st pregnancy

You know you’re in the third trimester when you can’t get into your sedan without groaning, you think twice about whether to walk downtown for brunch or drive, you’re rolling yourself off of the bed like a slug hoping your feet hit the floor before your face does, you can’t zip your winter jacket over your belly so you layer…. and the list goes on.

What I can say about the third trimester is that so far of all my trimesters, this was the only one that seemed less intense. To be more specific, there were less surprises for me. I still related all too well to 90% of the list of symptoms common to this trimester, but these were ones I expected all along.

I knew I’d get a waddle, I’d provide comic relief to my husband watching me try to get dressed in the morning, I’d get stuck at the grocery store trying to shimmy between the conveyor belt and my cart and get a ton of attention for being pregnant.

But so far, this has been the best trimester. It’s been the most rewarding because the changes in your body become more and more noticeable and people are kinder, acknowledging that you’re going through an incredible transformation.

You’re on the brink of a life changing experience, and there was a sense of awareness to embrace the small things because life was about to change. Even if for the better, Michael and I would be decades away from our simple life just the two of us. Suddenly working out together meant more, walking downtown to get brunch after sleeping in on a Sunday was sweeter, going to a movie on a whim was special and even just being able to sleep for seven straight hours was something we have been appreciating.

3rd Trimester Symptoms I Experienced:

This was the light at the end of the tunnel for me… I enjoyed the third trimester, even though it was not devoid of unpleasant symptoms. So looking back, the final twelve weeks (months 7-10 for those who still think like normal people, in months not weeks), here are the symptoms I experienced that impacted me.

Symptoms I experienced in my 3rd Trimester:

• Acid reflux- better known as throwing up in your mouth
• Heart burn almost around the clock. I felt like a fire breathing dragon with an annoying sensation that my esophagus was burning.
• Back pain, that actually got worse post Chiropractic visits, so I focused on what did help ease it: underbelly support band, sleeping with my U-shaped “boyfriend pillow” and avoiding sitting for more than 30 minutes.
• Frequent urination
• Curse of the cankles – my poor ankles, feet and calves were daily so swollen I could push on my skin and it would stay indented. The only way to ease this was actually to workout and get my circulation back on track.
• Braxton-Hicks, a contraction that stops you in your tracks and you can’t carry on a conversation without socially letting the person you’re speaking to know that you’ve suddenly started to focus on something else, much like a constipated toddler who suddenly looks fiercely focused on their bodily function.
• Reduced immune system
• Shortness of breath, even in a gentle stroll downtown
• Forgetfulness – Attack of Pregnancy Brain
• Cramping and whole body aches
• Diastasis (aka. Separation of your abdominal muscles, causing pain)

Thankfully I did not get too tired, experience any dramatic horror-like dreams, or have any complications during this trimester.

My Activity Level During the 3rd Trimester

Perhaps in part due to the holidays, but I did see a drop in my average workouts per week. I went back to an average of three workouts per week. I believe this was more because of the pressure I put on myself to finish all my projects before my maternity leave, than it was due to not feeling up to working out. The list of work related projects was daunting and I completed it at the beginning of my third trimester and started to work aggressively throughout it to bring it back down.

The biggest change for me during the second trimester with my fitness is that I experienced diastasis, which is the separation of your abdominal muscles. This sounds perhaps a bit worse than it feelings, but I noticed that every time I did an exercise that was prone or pushed a heavy weight overhead, my stomach started to cone, pushing the weight of the baby to the middle of my stomach. It is pretty common in pregnancies, but I was disappointed because it made certain exercises particularly painful.

The hardest thing for me mentally in my fitness during this trimester was once again adjusting to a new mindset. I no longer felt that I could get a hard workout, I felt that I could get better circulation, feel my heart rate rise and move my tight muscles. But I noticed it was harder to break a sweat and any jumping, running, shuffle move was uncomfortable, as my stomach started to weigh heavy on my pelvic bone.

In the third trimester, similar to the first one, simply showing up for the workout was 50% of the “win” I gave myself. No one ever regrets a workout, and this was certainly the case with me.

#30weekspregnant

What I Noticed in my Workouts and Active Lifestyle

In the second trimester there were several notable changes to my overall activity level:

1. I had gained 27 pounds by the end of the third trimester, but during my whole pregnancy was still picking up the same vipr and handbell weights for any load bearing, lower extremity exercises. So it occurred to me that I wasn’t considering my extra weight gain in the weight I was picking up, which essentially served to almost double my weight during these exercises. I’ve concluded that my legs undoubtedly got stronger through this trimester.

2. It became almost painful to engage in core exercises, so I asked for modifications from our coaches to assist me in changing any prone (planking or on your hands/knees) exercises to upright and getting transverse (rotational) movement without causing abdominal pain.

3. I was more flexible! This was the one highlight of my fitness in the third trimester! The cool downs post workouts felt amazing and I could certainly get into deeper stretches than before. I had to be cautious to not push myself too deep into stretches, but stop when I felt any tension.

4. The hardest thing was acid reflux. There is nothing worse to me than throwing up in your mouth, swallowing and feeling heart burn, all while trying to workout hard and get a sweat going. It was just gross and I look forward to not having that in future post-partum workouts.

5. Upper body strength moves I could still lift decently heavy, so long as it was not overhead and or causing abdominal pain. I was thankful for that!

6. Locomotion drills (jogging, shuffling and skipping warm ups) were increasingly less comfortable and eventually I down tweaked my “runs” to “quick steps.” My stomach started to feel so heavy half the time I wanted to pick it up and carry it with me as I moved across the turf, but decided against it.

Overall 3rd Trimester Activity

The Third Trimester was more exciting than prior trimesters because you truly looked pregnant at this point and just moving felt so good and continued to be one of the best ways to reduce unpleasant symptoms. I truly do not know how women stop working out when they find out they are pregnant. Unless there are complications requiring this, I would encourage women to embrace movement, continue to move and prioritize themselves as their body goes through so many intense changes in a relatively short time.

The encouragement of those around me, from the coaching staff to my fellow athletes continued to be truly motivating to me.

Some of the kindest comments were:

• “You look fabulous! I’m so impressed you are still working out!”
• “You’re super mom!”
• “Your baby is going to come out so athletic!” (Not that I truly believed this, but it was a nice sentiment.)

The thing about fitness and making the choice to do something good for you that can feel uncomfortable in the moment is that is bonds you to your fellow athletes. Why is it that going through something hard is so strengthening? The relationships and bonds between my fellow athletes and me ultimately brought members with me through this pregnancy journey. My biggest takeaway is that when people around us know we’re going through something out of the usual, or our physical capabilities are hindered, it provides many opportunities for us to take time to encourage and lend positivity to the situation. I love that about the human spirit. When we know someone is going through something challenging, even if it’s exciting like a new baby, it surrounds you with love and encouragement. I’ve very thankful to have had such a supportive fitness community lifting me up during the last few months. It’s a powerful thing to feel a part of something so big.

My encouragement to those reading this who may be experiencing something less visible than being in your final months pregnant, is to open up and share what is going on with those around you. Let the community surround you too and it’s okay to appear weaker than usual as you go through something trying. There is power in those around us and opening yourself up to the love those around you have to share is pretty special.

As I close this blog series and await the arrival of my daughter, I’m blessed to know that she will be welcomed into such a positive and supportive community of men and women. It takes a village and Michael and I are very thankful for the village that engulfs us each day. Thank you to each one who partnered with me in workouts, who coached me, who encouraged me and who shared with me the anticipation of a new life entering this world. You all made the journey that started with many challenges turn out to be beautiful.

To continue reading more blogs in this series, click the links below.

• Part 1: Introduction to How I Stayed Fit in My Pregnancy
• Part 2: How I Stayed Fit in My 2nd Trimester
• Part 3: How I Stayed Fit in My 3rd Trimester

The post Part 4: How I Stayed Fit In My Third Trimester appeared first on Local Gym | Fitness | Crossfit | Gymnazo, San Luis Obispo, CA.