Posts in Well-Being
The 1 Way You're Sabotaging Your Contentment in Life

We all fail. I'm not talking about the inevitable life failures that happen. I'm talking about the fact that we tell ourselves that we fail, all the time. And that is the one way we sabotage our contentment in life.

Don't think you do this? Sounds ludicrous, right-- why would you tell yourself you fail, all the time? Have you guys thought any of these things, even just this morning?

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Wake Up + Stop Snoozing

Today is Monday. Today is the last Monday in January, and in two days, we'll be into February. 30 days from the New Year goes by rather quickly, doesn't it. What did you set out to accomplish and attend to at the beginning of this month? Was it to pick back up on a hobby? Re-establish good habits? Spend more time with your friends/family? Cleaning up your act? 

Now let me ask this: How are things going with that?

If they're going well, hurray! You're a lil overachiever, aren't ya. Because by this time, more than 75% of us have waned or given up completely on changes we set out to make at the beginning of the year (resolutions- achoo!). After all, life gets busy and things fall by the wayside that aren't of emergent urgency. But what if one day, we wake up and those things are no longer available to us? Would not being able to have or do those things make it feel like you should have prioritized it as urgent earlier? 

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Motivation for those January Blues

It's that time of the year again! Blue Monday has come and gone, and research shows that by the third week of January, more than 50% of New Years Resolutions will have faded away. It's understandable- it's cold and drearier out than usual, that initial boost of motivation for your New Year goals have faded and your willpower is struggling. 

With this cold I'm currently on the struggle bus with not helping things, I'm right there with ya.

I was going to write a post on tactics on beating those unmotivated feelings, but then I realized I've already written a lot of posts about getting your mojo back-- so today, I've rounded up some of my favorite motivational blog posts to help you get back into your groove! I'm dividing things up into different categories, so you can find what you're most in need of now or some posts to bookmark for later. Without further ado, here we go!

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Should You Workout When You're Sick?

'Tis the season for sniffles and a whole lot of germs! This back and forth weather is not doing us any favors either. I think nearly everyone knows someone who is sick right now (oh hey, me right now) in their office or amongst friends.

Which leads me to the topic today- this is probably one of my most frequently asked questions that I receive as a trainer: should you workout when you're sick?

Being sick is no fun. Aside from the obvious reasons of suffering through irritating symptoms, it's also the toll it has on your usual sleep, nutrition, and workout routine. Some people immediately head for the bed to stay immobile for a few days while they're sick, assuming all exercise must stop; then there are others who still go to their HIIT classes. Neither of which really does you much good.

So back to the question of if you should exercise when you're sick: The answer...

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New Year, New Gear: Workout Inspiration

Everyone's new years in full swing?

I've talked before about how I don't believe in New Years resolutions (here's what I do instead), particularly when it comes to health and fitness, but what I am not at all opposed to is kicking the new year off with some cute new workout gear.

Admit it: there's nothing quite like having a new outfit or workout gear that helps get your butt back in the gym after some time slacking off.  And I think we all could use a little extra kick in the butt to...

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7 Hacks to Kickstart Your Health

Before you start jumping down the rabbit hole of 0 to 60mph New Years resolutions, a juice cleanse/detox, or any type of “health reset” I want you to pause for a moment.

If you're in need of some bigger changes with your health that you've been scared or reluctant to start, ask yourself these 4 questions to help you roadmap your way to lasting success. But if you're generally pleased with where you are and just have a couple habits you'd like to improve upon or if you just want to start one little step at a time, I've got 8 easy hacks to kickstart your health.

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Intentional Living

Starting right now, this season, let's live intentionally instead of passively.

Don't let yourself get lazy and live out of habit rather than intent.

The life, connection, and deeper fulfillment we all desire doesn't just happen upon us.
It's a result of practicing intentional living, day by day.

Being intentional with...

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3 Tricks to Staying Healthy during the Holidays

Staying healthy during the holidays. Haha. Ha. Hahaha. 

I know, it might seem like a faraway dream or false reality, but I promise you can actually enjoy yourselves during the holidays AND stay on track with your nutrition without choking down a kale salad while wistfully looking at people devouring holiday treats. All it takes is 3 simple tricks in order to stay healthy throughout the holiday season...

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How to Make Your Fitness Progress Stick: Look at the Long Game

I think most women and a good chunk of men have thought this at one point or another:

"I'm doing all the right things: mostly eating well and working out, but why does my fitness progress always seem to fluctuate and yo-yo?"

Have you or anyone else found themselves in a constant, never-ending state of "trying to cut those last few pounds?" It is so understandably frustrating to feel like you are constantly fighting an uphill battle, and never being satisfied for too long.

I've noticed...

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Why Recovery is as Important as Working Out + How to Do It

How many of you guys feel like you're working really hard in the gym, but your progress is stalling? It can be extremely frustrating to put in the work and not reap the rewards you're supposed to be getting. What if you’re forgetting about the one really important thing here that could kickstart your progress again? Recovery is as important (if not more so) than working out and your time in the gym— here’s how to maximize recovery:

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How I Reluctantly Started to Meditate

I know what some of you guys may be thinking: Minna, a cynic? 

I've always been a bit of a walking juxtaposition. While I do think that I am a generally positive person with quite an open mind, I do have my limits on being able to tolerate a certain level of "hokey" without at least an eyebrow raise or a slight eye-roll. 

This especially becomes apparent in...

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Embrace Your Now

It's taken me ten years of rollercoaster ups and downs to hell and back, and I'm sure I'll encounter more challenges in the road ahead of me when it comes to this, but after feeling prisoner in my own body for so long, I finally, finally feel free. Liberated, from the chains I allowed to be put on myself and from the chains I put on myself too. Maybe it is...

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4 Priorities for Stress-Free Healthy Eating while Traveling

It's hard enough getting into a healthy lifestyle and routine. And then when you finally feel like you've gotten a handle on the healthy eating thing, you have to go out of town on business or have a fun trip coming up. And then in comes the bread baskets, fast food, steak dinners, alcohol, etc. Sound familiar?

So how do you keep healthy while remaining sane during travels?

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