Holly Bly Fitness

When in Nashville 🎃

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Do you struggle with body image? Or have a hard time with self sabotage? 🙋‍♀️

Try this ——> next time you have a pesky thought in your head remember that you are in total control over them!

Thoughts are interpretations of facts (circumstances).
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The living room covered in toys isn’t a problem until you make it a problem, it’s just a living room covered in toys) breath 😮‍💨, that was just as hard to type as it was for you to hear. But it’s the truth.

——> It’s your thoughts that control your feelings, your feelings that cause your actions and your actions give you your results.

Your thoughts don’t have to be perfect all the time, it’s the constancy of positive thoughts that is key 😘

Looking back on this photo, I'm proud I stayed the course.

The photos I saw on social media were so inspiring, yet each time I felt motivated enough to start, life would get in my way. Something would need my attention, at home or at work. Or I would look at the scale like a rollercoaster I didn't want to be on and bail, looking for the quickest way to shed the pounds I had gained.

It took me a long time to understand the physiology behind muscle building and somewhere I read that the average woman can add .7 lbs of muscle tissue a year. And along with more muscle comes a tighter and fuller look to the skin, thanks in part to the water and glycogen (stored carbohydrate) muscle cells hold.

Once I started adding muscle, I noticed other cool areas of my life changing and I felt more free.

- I could eat more and there aren’t spikes in my weight the next day
- I was lifting more weight in the gym, not getting bulky, and I could easily pick my kids up off the floor
- More date nights because I wasn't exhausted from doing 2 hours of cardio a day to maintain my weight
- More freedom to let my body just do its thing without micromanaging calories in verse calories out.
- The weirdest part was, the scale was about the same or a tiny bit more, yet I looked way tighter and leaner

The body, life, and freedom you want is within your reach but you need to pick one direction and keep on going. Yo-yo dieting and fixating on the scale only keeps you in loops year after year.

I'm proud I stayed the course. If you want, I can help you do it too.

Is coping via avoidance short changing your progress?

When we face problems, we don’t always want to solve them right away. We push those problems to the side and spend our time on less productive things.

We usually do this by seeking pleasure to avoid pain.

Have you ever had a week (or multiple) where you feel like the stress is so overwhelming that you just want to curl up and do nothing?! That’s avoidance.

Avoidance - the act of doing something so you don’t have to do something else or not doing anything at all.

That’s been me 🙋 these few weeks. I’ve found myself spending more time scrolling social media, more time in my head stressing, and relying on TV at night to quiet my brain. My sleep has suffered, my sweet tooth is never satisfied, and my mood has been meh.

But none of these things are helpful when it comes to managing stress, instead try these:

* Limit blue light and apps that stimulate
* Eat a nutritious diet
* Avoid alcohol
* Spend time with loved ones
* Go for a walk in the sunshine
* Stop scrolling and spend 10mins breathing or meditating

Do you think you’d be happier by changing how you cope with stress and limit your use of avoidance? Send me a DM and I’ll try to help.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and my mother in law Cecelia. Hope you both have the most amazing day!!

Same weight, different body composition…

I actually think I weighed less in the photo on the left, maybe 143lbs (right I’m 147lbs - 5’3”)

First photo was August 2019, my youngest was turning 2 years old and in that month I made the decision to do a bikini competition. March of 2020 is when I stepped on stage for the first time.

I’ve learned so much in these last 2+ years, but the most important thing I’ve learned is to love my body, no matter what season I’m in!

Things I thought I knew verses what I know now…We all start somewhere!

The first step toward reaching your goals is figuring out your “why”. This often, if not always, goes much deeper than changing appearances.

Maintain focus on who you want to be and work through your ups and downs.

You’ve got this.

Used an Instagram filter for the first time in awhile (Inventing Anna reminded me that they exist).

But that’s not why I came on here. I wanted to talk about food tracking and why, when we have created the perfect plan for the day, we decided to go off the rails??

We think, one tiny bite won’t hurt, or I’ve done so good I deserve to have a little extra! Those thoughts come from a place of emotion. If we let our emotions control every decision we made most of us wouldn’t have a job or even friends. So, why are we letting our emotions decide what we put in our mouths?

When you tracked your food earlier in the day you had no emotional attachment to the plan you were creating, allow that to be the way it is, much like a work meeting in your schedule, if it’s part of your day you just do it.

To all the amazing women in my life, you all inspire me to be better, to push limits, to stay present while working towards the future.

💪 Protein - used to build and repair muscles and bones. We all need it, but how much will depend on the individual.

Things that are taken into account when determining protein are: goals, lifestyle, workouts, cardio, current diet, stress and digestion.

DM me to chat about what your protein goals should be!

SO, If you are someone who is not interested in tracking your food in an app but what to make sure you’re getting in a good amount of protein these calculations can help you reach your goal! But determining the amount first is KEY 🔑

*100g of protein is an arbitrary number and should not be used as YOUR number for protein goals. If you are interested in finding out how much protein you should be eating DM me and let’s chat!!

Discipline always wins over motivation.
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But without knowledge and accountability we can feel lost and confused with what to do for workouts and were to start our food.
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That’s where having a coach can help!
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A coach takes the guesswork out of programming and relies on biofeedback to determine changes.
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The client puts in the work, follows the plan, asks questions, and the results speak for themselves!
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Knowledge + Accountability WITH Discipline is where the ✨ magic ✨ happens!

📸 of my bad ass client that’s dropped 19lbs since the end of October! I’ve been feeding her up, She’s eating more now than when we started and I just bumped her carbs again today!!

My quads have a reputation with my clients…

Fall is HERE! With the dropping temperatures comes cozy, comfort, one pot meals.
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If you’re tracking macros you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed when it comes to cooking for your family!
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Here are three ways you can track those fall favorite, one pot meals.
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Let’s start with the most accurate:
1. While preparing the meal measure out each ingredient (in grams) and track in your macro app and cook in your own smaller pot!

Less accurate but still great!
2. Measure out all ingredients for the whole meal and gauge how many servings it is and divide by that amount!

Least accurate but you are still tracking it!
3. Search in your macro app for the food you are preparing (example: Turkey chili) weigh out how much you are eating and track in app.

Tracking what you eat shouldn’t stop you from eating your favorite foods, it’s a tool to help you learn the macros that are in the foods you are eating. Enjoy those fall favorites!!

Are you a mindless eater? Taking little bites here and there, not really knowing what we are consuming?

Do you ever think to yourself “I really haven’t eaten much today” to later realize, you ate a few bites of the kids cereal as you were pouring them a bowl? Or remembering those crackers you snagged out of the package that was left on the counter? Or snacking on chips and salsa as you cooked dinner?

All those little bites can add up to a lot, so how do we change our habits when we aren’t even aware we are doing it until after?

We have to create new habits:
💎 Have a plan for what you want to eat each day - if it’s not on the list it can wait until tomorrow!
💎 Prep all foods for easy grab and go
💎 Keep water with you at all times
💎 Stay out of the kitchen - I know when I work in the kitchen I’m more likely to snack, set up your workspace elsewhere!
💎 Acknowledge and be proud when you stick with your plan and are conscious of what you are consuming!

If your coach isn’t talking to you about p**p 💩 get yourself a new coach!

But seriously, your digestion tells me a lot about what is going on with your body, like…

💩 Diarrhea? Find the root cause!
📍Decrease stimulus load?
📍Pull/decrease cardio/workouts?
📍Increase para-sympathetic activities?

💩 Bloated? Find the root cause!
🔍Low stomach acid?
🔍Stress?
🔍Time to switch out protein sources?
🔍Eating high amounts of FODMAP foods?

💩 Constipated? Find the root cause!
🍃How’s your water intake?
🌱What sources of fiber are you consuming?
🪴What medications are you taking?

💩 Heartburn? Find the root cause!
❤️Stress?
❤️Low/high stomach acid?

So when I ask you to rate your p**ps on my handy, dandy, p**p chart or ask about bloating and heartburn I’m not just some crazy person obsessed with p**p (I am 😜) but I’m trying to find the root cause and hopefully teach you how to listen to your body in the process.

Grocery shopping, we all do it, but how do you feel about it?!

I have to admit, grocery shopping is not my favorite activity.

The act seems simple enough but in reality,

You have to…

👷🏻‍♂️Plan the meals
👀 Look through the cabinets + fridge to see what you have
🍕 Clean out any leftovers
📖 Create the list (put it in the order the store is in)
👦 Get the kids in the car
🛍 Don’t forget the bags!!
🛒 Do the shopping

🥷 While keeping the kids entertained
🍭While trying not let the kids stick candy in the cart
🍎 While reading labels and picking the healthiest options

It all just feels a little overwhelming 🤪

Anyone else out there share my despise for grocery shopping?! Let me know in the comments below 👇

Having a hard time hitting your step goal each day?

Try this tips to being more inefficient with your movements…

🧺 put away laundry one piece of clothing at a time

🪥 While brushing your teeth walk around or pace for 2mins in your bathroom

👟 While picking up toys/household items, put them away one at a time

Other tips to help you meet your step goal…

🚶‍♀️ walk/jog in place or around your living room while enjoying a tv show

☀️ Get outside in the morning for a trip up and down the driveway

🍲 After every meal go for a 10min walk

🛌 Walk/jog in place next to your bed until you hit those steps!

NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating and exercise. These activities account for the majority of calories burned in a day. When calories are low NEAT tends to decrease (body trying to conserve energy), having a step goal keeps NEAT higher even in a deficit.

I have high expectations for my clients (hello 👋 enneagram 1 over here!!)

My coaching includes a lot of tough love.

My coaching includes mental progression 🧠 just as much, if not more than physical progress 💪.

I’m going to call you out if I need to.

Because, I know, YOU are capable of so much more. 😘

The gym can be an intimidating place.

- It’s busy
- the equipment is foreign
- you’re just not sure what you’re doing

If you are someone who’s been thinking about working out but feel intimidated, remember…

Much like anything in life, starting is the hardest and scariest part!

Hiring a coach to take the guesswork out of the workout gives you the ability to start!

Now the only intimidating thing about the gym will be your next PR! 😜

Let go of what no longer serves you!!

Excuses, fears, debilitating thoughts…

Take control of your life, you’re the one living it 💕

Sign off Sundays ☀️

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying to stay consistent with posting good information about fitness, nutrition and hormone health in hopes to share my knowledge with others. I’ve either shared my own posts or (mostly) shared others’ in the health community posts (because I follow some pretty amazing and knowledge human beings!!)

But Sundays I usually fall off the social media edge, I unplug, I spend time on myself and with my family.

I was feeling guilty about it…

But now I’ve decided if it’s what I need it’s what I should do! And now I’m here to share that with you!

If you need a day, take a day ☀️

Digestion:

What I ask:
- Are you having any bloating, gas, heartburn, if yes, when?
- Are you having any diarrhea or constipation?
- Are you having regular and normal bowel movements (regular is at least once a day, preferably 1-3 BMs, ideal consistency is one long, smooth and solid p**p).

Why I ask:
- Gut health speaks volumes about what is really going on inside your body. What we sometimes think is “normal” is actually not normal at all and if not addressed can deter you from reaching your goals and overall health.

Sleep + Energy:

What I ask:
- How are you sleeping (waking during the night, waking up tired, having trouble falling asleep, etc.)
- How many hours of sleep are you getting a night? What amount of sleep do you feel your body runs best on?
- Do you have a solid PM and AM routine that helps set your circadian rhythm?
- PM: No blue light 2 hours before bed, dim the lights, get cozy, lower the temp, going to bed at the same time every night.
- AM: Waking at the same time every day, get sunlight to your eyes, move your body
- Do you take any medications to help with sleep?
- Do you get tired during the afternoon or any part of the day? Do you drink caffeine to get you through the “afternoon slump”?

Why I ask:
- Understanding someones’ sleep habits and energy levels has a big impact on how I will program their workouts and cardio.
- If you aren’t getting 7-9hours of sleep a night your body may not be able to recover as well from your workouts, leading to high cortisol and excess inflammation in the body.
- If you are waking during the night and having a hard time going back to sleep it might mean a spike in cortisol.
- Setting a solid AM and PM routine and eating a meal higher in carbs closer to bedtime can help eliminate the night wakings.
- If you are someone who wakes up tired and goes straight to your morning Joe, I suggest pushing your intake by 1-2 hours to allow your body to naturally clear out adenosine (the sleepy molecule) as well as allowing your body to naturally produce adrenalin, which is suppressed when you consume caffeine too close to waking.

Stress

What I ask:
- How are your external and internal stressors effecting you?
- Mood, energy, sleep, food intake, workouts, relationships, etc.
- On a scale of 1-10 (10 being pull your hair out stressed) where do you fall? Explain?

Why I ask: Stress can wreak havoc on our bodies and have an negative impact in these areas:
- Digestion/Gut Health
- Sleep/Energy
- Ability to lose weight

Recognizing our stressors and knowing what impact they have is the first step in lessening their effects. Working with clients to understand their stress, how it impacts their bodies and ways to deal is all part of coaching.

Workouts + Recovery

What I ask: Are you Progressing week to week? Assessing your progression will depend on your goals but some ways to know you are progressing are:
- You’re lifting heavier than the week before
- You feel the exercise in the muscle you are working
- You’re Improving your stamina/endurance

Why I ask it: Understanding if you are progressing from week to week allows a coach to better understand your body:
- How much load it can handle and when to push harder (or pull back)
- Making any necessary form adjustments for your specific bio mechanics
- Finding the right balance between work vs. recovery

Have you ever wondered what goes into a client check in?

Each week I ask my clients to check in with details about the following areas of their life! Follow along to see the What and Why to check ins!

Biofeedback is a huge tool to help my clients feel their best and reach their goals!