StephGroer

Education is cool but what do I do with it?!?!

Wrapping up this week's gut health education with my top tips & tricks on how you can make an impact on your own gut health today!

What has been the most interesting thing you learned about gut health this week? 👇

What if you could take control of your own gut health?

So you know the protocol (check yesterdays post!) but, what do you do with it?

Here are some foods that can be used to support the 5R protocol. The stages & reasons are indicated on each slide!

Remember, every gut protocol will be an individual process depending on your current state, goals, & history of dieting behaviors.

I'm currently taking on clients ➡️ click the link in my bio to apply!

What everybody should know about healing your gut.

It takes time, consistency, & a very strict protocol to truly heal your gut!

The 5R protocol for healing the gut was developed by the Institute of Functional Medicine.

This is the approach I use for healing digestive conditions with my clients as well.

The time it takes to heal ones gut depends on the damage done, the ability to stick to the protocol, & how the body responds.

The 5Rs include:

1️⃣Remove - Remove the foods & microbes that compromise the gut, causing dysbiosis and inflammation

2️⃣Replace - Stomach acid & enzymes need to be replaced in order to digest food properly and heal. Motility must be restored, & nutrients must be replaced as needed

3️⃣Repair - Repair the lining of the intestine to heal leaky gut

4️⃣Re-inoculate - Introduce beneficial microbes into the microbiome

5️⃣ Rebalance - Learn how to manage stress in your life, in your body, & in your gut

It is important to note that this process should be done with the help & guidence of a coach, dietitian, or doctor.

📧 [email protected] or DM for any gut health support!

What they don't tell you......

There are countless digestive ailments and diseases out there....

However, the root cause of those diseases are typically dysbiosis, inflammation, and leaky gut.

The bad news, traditional medicine focus on treating the symptoms.

The good news, functional medicine will work to treat the root cause!

Getting to & repairing the root cause is the only way to be truly symptom free.

Yes, this may mean some long term lifestyle changes however those who suffer from gut issues know how debilitating those symptoms can be.

Find a coach or doctor who will work will you to repair the root cause of your issues!

📧[email protected]

What they don’t tell you… your gut is the root cause to most of your problems.

Our gut microbiome is responsible for a LOT of processes & functions throughout the entire body.

The vagus nerve connects the brain to the gut in a TWO way communication system! We now know that a leaky gut most often leads to a leaky brain as well (yes, it's a real thing!)

This is why it is SO important to ensure you are in a “rest & digest” state when eating. Take your time, do not eat distracted, CHEW your food!, & minimize water consumption during meals to ensure your brain is in a parasympathetic state!

Next, we’ll dive into some ways you can test, repair, & restore your gut!

Drop your questions below & let’s get you a solution!

To be continued…..

Your body is built to move in specific ways.

In fact, there are a few movement patterns through which your body is intended to work no matter the activity.

These movements are known as the Fundamental Movement Patterns.

From beginner to advanced levels, these 5 Fundamental Movement Patterns are the cornerstone for all of my clients training.

While I know it may look fun to try the new lunge to step up to bicep curl to shoulder press to twist movement.

Mastering the basics and slowly adding in variations & progression will reduce your risk of injury, improve your daily life, & lead to long term health benefits (aka keeping you mobile well into old age).

If you start to feel overwhelmed with all the information remember, it really just comes down to:
▶️Following YOUR plan
▶️Sticking to the BASICS
▶️Staying CONSISTENT
▶️Seeing RESULTS

And don't forget, you got this!! 💪

If only we did this sooner.......

Our first family photo session & all of us had a cold 🙈.

I have been wanting to get family photos since Asher was born but something kept coming up & we kept pushing it off.
...and now he's 10 months old!

That's 10 months of excuses, problems, & poor timing.

Even last week, little man caught a cold so we pushed it to this week - when we ALL had the cold.

Don't keep pushing off something you want to do/try/start! There will never be the 'perfect time', something will always be off & you will always have an excuse.

Humans are pretty adaptable & good at figuring things out as we go.

So just start, just jump, just go! You got this!

Big thanks to for how these sneek peek photos turned out!

Q: How should I train when I'm sick?

A: DON'T!!

The Groer household was hit HARD by a virus this week & we are all a bit under the weather.

When you are sick we want to rest, hydrate, & relax!

You're body is going through a lot trying to fight off a sickness, we don't need to add more stress by working out!

A few days off will not change anything!

📸Newsflash: Your weight SHOULD fluctuate EVERY SINGLE DAY

It’s fine to have a weight loss goal in mind, but I often notice some clients who essentially live or die by what the scale says and whom I have to constantly remind that the scale is only ONE way of tracking progress!

What causes the scale to fluctuate?
💚Stress
💚Lack of sleep
💚Indigestion
💚Higher sodium consumption
💚Reduced water consumption
💚Eating later than usual
💚Waking up or weighing at a different time or location
💚Training inflammation
💚Hormone fluctuations (Aunt Flo)
💚Sunburn
💚Higher carb consumption
💚Rest day (increased glycogen storage)
💚And more!

Rapid fluctuations that occur over night are normal and are NOT fat gain! When you are using your weight as a tool for progress, look at the overall trend of data instead of one point.

There’s a massive difference between weight loss and fat loss.Fat loss is the loss of your fat mass and body fat stores (not bone, organ, water, glycogen, & muscle loss←we dont want to lose these)

When looking to transform your physique you should focus on losing body fat not just weight as losing fat while maintaining muscle is what’s going to give you the lean, muscular physique you’re looking for!!

🙏PLEASE do NOT make decisions or changes to your protocol (increasing cardio, decreasing carbs, ect) based on one weight fluctuation.

⁉️Do you struggle with MOTIVATION to workout? Then KEEP READING!⤵️

Try this MINDSET SHIFT 👉 You need to earn your WORKOUTS days, NOT your rest days.

You can’t keep doing more, going harder, AND expect a positive adaptation & better results without paying attention to your RECOVERY.

As we train, our bodies start adapt to the increased stimulus we’re putting on our muscles. At the same time our level of fatigue is rising as well. At some point, fatigue levels rise above fitness levels & recovery capacity. This will disrupt your ability to perform & see physique changes.

This is why many of us find ourselves:
👎 lacking energy & motivation to train
👎 feeling run down
👎 start developing injuries
👎 unable to match/beat the reps/weight you’ve been hitting

Pulling back from training from time to time can be such a beneficial part of programming.
Some are ok taking full days off, others prefer a structured deload.

🌟Choose an option that will allow you to mentally & physically rest. We don’t want to mentally stress that we will 'lose progress' (which isn't true!) because we're not in the gym! The goal here is to REDUCE overall stress!

When should you pull back? I recommend tracking following items related to biofeedback:
- Resting heart rate
- Heart rate variability
- Perceived recovery scale rating
- Training performance
- Ability to overload consistently
- Soreness
- Motivation levels
- Sleep (quantity & quality!)
- Stress levels

When these markers start to decline, you need to rest!

⁉️How many rest days do you take each week??

👋 Hey busy mama! Let's get your dream body back!

🆘Are you struggling with losing that baby weight?!

🆘Do you feel like you are fighting harder than ever to drop the last 10 lbs?!

🆘Are you finding it impossible to get to the gym?!

Yep! I hear it all the time and it's totally okay to feel this way! Good news!!!!

✅ You can find time to get short workouts in (& even include your little one(s))

✅ You can lose those last few lbs

✅ You can enjoy the process & your life while you hit those goals!

👉DM me "I'm ready" to get a FREE call with me! Let's chat about how to hit your goals with my quick, effective method. 😉

Want to eat a healthy apple pie for breakfast everyday? ⤵️

Oatmeal really is an amazing super food! It is high in fiber & protein, and provides healthy benefits such as:

✅Lowers blood sugar levels
✅Provides antioxidants
✅Promotes healthy bacteria in your gut
✅Helps you to feel full to manage your weight
✅Eases constipation
✅Relieves skin itching and irritation
✅Lowers your risk for colon cancer

I am so excited to share one of my (& Asher’s) favorite oatmeal recipes with you! This one can be prepped ahead of time for a quick grab when needed!

🥧Apple Pie Oatmeal
🍴Ingredients
2 cup oats
4 cup unsweetened oat milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 chopped apples
1/2 cup water, or more if needed
2 tsp cinnamon (or other spice)
4 Tbs pumpkin seeds
2 Tbs coconut flakes

▶️Method
🔪Prep:
Evenly divide oats, oat milk, & vanilla in containers with sealable lids (mason jars are perfect). Seal & shake well. Allow oats to soften overnight in the fridge.
Oats can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days!

🥘Cook:
Wash & chop apples.
Heat a small pan on medium heat. Add water, chopped apples, & cinnamon. Cook until water is evaporated & apples are soft.

🫙Assemble:
Remove oats from fridge & evenly divide apple mixture between containers. Top with pumpkin seeds & coconut flakes.

🌟Bonus tip: Cook the apple mixture ahead of time & store the apple mixture in the fridge separate from the oats! Microwave for 15-30 sec before serving!

Makes 4 servings
Macros per Serving: 45 carbs/11 fats/9 protein

🎉LAST CHANCE TO CLAIM EARLY BIRD BONUS!!!🎉

Join & I for our first Spring into Fitness Challenge! I'm so freaking excited to connect with this group over the next 4 weeks! They are all going to CRUSH it! Don't miss out on this opportunity!!

🎉EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Sign up for Fitness & Nutrition option before NOON ET on April 27th, to also receive:
❤️BONUS Pre call meeting on April 27th at 7PM ET
❤️GFN Macro eBook
❤️Entered to win a food scale
It's the perfect time to give yourself a little push, get back into routine, and challenge yourself to build some muscle and build some definition before the summer!

There are 2 options:
1. Fitness challenge only $49.99
💜4 weeks worth of workouts (home and gym)
💜Facebook group to increase accountability & cheer each other on!
💜4 week challenge PDF with recipes
💜Chance to win weekly prizes valued over $50!

2. Fitness and Nutrition challenge $79.99
💚4 weeks worth of workouts (home and gym)
💚Macros individualized for YOU! There will be a 2 week adjustment if needed.
💚Facebook group to increase accountability and cheer each other on!
💚Weekly live calls
💚4 Week challenge PDF with recipes
💚Chance to win weekly prizes valued over $50!

▶️Sign Up today! Link in bio!

👀Looking to get toned & gain muscle? Start eating!!

To increase muscle growth, you want to maximize muscle protein synthesis (MPS).

To ensure your levels of MPS exceed your levels of muscle protein breakdown, focus on stimulating muscle protein synthesis by eating sufficient calories & consuming a min of 3 protein meals per day.

*There is a limit to the amount of MPS your body will allow in a day so you can’t just eat protein every hour to try to drive up protein synthesis. The most effective way to ramp up muscle protein synthesis is through resistance training.

Once you pass beginner/newbie training phase, the rate of lean tissue growth will begin to slow. Chasing the scale & increasing calories too quickly can be a big mistake resulting in lowering insulin sensitivity, damaging nutrient partitioning ability, increasing inflammation & water retention ultimately leading to adding fat tissue at a much higher rate than muscle tissue.

I recommend aiming for a more moderate rate of gain during a growth phase to ensure you are gaining more muscle than fat, keeping insulin sensitivity in check (this is your ability to handle & utilize glucose), and nutrient partitioning is in a good place (allows you to shuttle more carbs & glucose to muscle & glycogen stores rather than to fat).



📧 [email protected]

🛑STOP changing your workouts every week!

Changing up your workouts weekly will increase your ‘soreness’ factor but ‘soreness’ will not increase muscle size. When you are learning a new exercise, the body’s nervous system is adapting to this new stimulus. Once the nervous system can properly adapt it can then activate the muscle you will see muscle gains.

If not seeing the muscle growth you're looking for, switching up your exercises is most likely not the answer. Instead, focus on increasing the volume of the same basic movements that work best for your body.

To increase muscle mass you need to:
💪generate enough mechanical tension in the muscle
💪accumulate enough volume (volume = sets, reps, and weight)
💪provide enough intensity

Ideal rep ranges depend on how the individual body responds but some guidelines I follow:
▶️Low reps (1-5 reps/set): major barbell compound lift
▶️Moderate reps (6-12 reps/set): dumbbell compound lifts & isolation work
▶️High reps (13-18 reps/set): ‘pumps’ & isolation work

Why am I so passionate about helping women reduce stress & take control of their bodies?! ⤵️

Growing up I was super active & muscular. I participated in just about every sport there is, finally settling for gymnastics and track. I started lifting weights consistently early on in life (~8th grade).

In high school, society's body pressures hit HARD - I spent years trying everything to get skinny. Around 10th grade, I officially destroyed my digestive system & ended up in the hospital on a feeding tube with multiple organs shutting down due to an overload of stress & one too many crash diets. This was the turning point in my life. I dove head first into a LOT of nutrition research.

In college I majored in nutrition & dietetics so I could further my own education and help others avoid making my mistakes. I loved it so much I continued on for my masters! After college I worked as a post acute healthcare consultant (the traveling got me!) & I kept my passion for nutrition alive through my coaching!

I have helped men & women develop a better understanding of how the foods they eat impact their overall health & physique. ⭐By learning what your food is composed of, how it is utilized in the body, & how your own body responds, you will be able to take control of your body forever!⭐

Today, I'm a mom to a (thankfully) happy & healthy baby boy born in July '21 & an online coach. I absolutely love providing evidence based education to clients on hormones, health, nutrition, & fitness. In my free time, I love to try new exercises, renovate our home (yep we do it ourselves), read, take walks, travel, & hunt for small coffee shops.

Where are my fellow chocolate 🍫 lovers?

I absolutely love chocolate covered cherries! I love them so much, I made my own smoothie recipe inspired by the dessert.

This recipe is also a delicious (& motivating) option for your pre or post workout meals!!

🍫🍒 Covered Cherry
Smoothie

🍴Ingredients
1/2 cup cherries, frozen
1/2 cup raspberries, frozen (or fresh)
1/4 cup spinach, frozen
1/2 banana, fresh or frozen
1 scoop of chocolate protein
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
2 Tbs cocoa powder

▶️Method
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Makes 1 servings

Macros per Serving: 68 carbs/10 fats/27 protein

Happy belated Easter!! Always a little behind nowadays .

Hope you had a chance to enjoy some fun & festive traditions with your loved ones! I love holidays as it is a chance to stop the hustle & bustle to just be present.

I also love the adult egg hunt I still get to do (although I have a feeling the babies are about to take over soon!)

💥Newsflash💥: You are NOT meant to spend endless amounts of time in a caloric deficit. MOST of your time should be spent at maintenance, with some time spent in a surplus if that aligns with your goals.

What is maintenance? This is the phase where you will consume roughly the same amount of calories as your body burns🔥.

Being at maintenance macros is just as strategic as being in a deficit however, many clients struggle with this mentally (thank you diet culture & social media🙄). Our mindset shifts to finding balance, optimizing hormones & gut health, & metabolic upregulation.

During maintenance we want to slowly increase macros so we can fuel your metabolism while also slowly decreasing cardio to allow your body to reduce stress & recover from the fat loss phase. You will need to continue to make some adjustments as your body continues to adapt.

This is the most important stage for most people to go through as it will really allow you to find that balance between enjoying life & mastering fitness goals.

This is also a great time to start implementing some intuitive eating.
Intuitive eating is when you consume foods based on biofeedback & hunger cues to reduce the amount of time you are tracking food.

To implement: start by replacing one meal with an intuitive eating meal, then one day, then two (non consecutive) days per week. Slowly increase until you find the balance you are looking for!

How much do you need to lift to maintain that hard earned muscle & strength?

Lifters spend years trying to gain just a few pounds of true lean muscle. This can lead to a fear of losing muscle during time off including vacations, injury, and life events (having a baby, honeymoon, big moves ect).

The research has found the following to be true:

👉you only need ~1/9 of previous volume to maintain muscle size & strength
👉with ~1/3 of previous volume you can maintain muscle size & increase strength
👉you can take 2-3 weeks completely off from training and not lose muscle size if you stay physically active

Overall, once you’ve spent years of training & building, the process of losing muscle is a lot more difficult than many believe. If your muscles appear flatter or smaller after a training break, this is more likely due to a reduction in water and glycogen stores within the muscle rather than muscle deterioration.

The studies referenced for the above bullets include: Bickel, 2011; hwang et al, 2017; fisher et al, 2013.

Who doesn’t love a refreshing, high protein breakfast full of antioxidants AND probiotics?!

I love having this jam on hand to spread on toast or to level up a cheese board !

Chia Jam Yogurt Parfaits

🍴Ingredients
1 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh
1 cup blueberries, wild, frozen
1 lemon, juiced (2 tablespoon)
2 Tbs maple syrup
2 Tbs chia seeds
3 cup yogurt, Greek plain

💙Method
1️⃣Add both berries to the saucepan with lemon juice & simmer over medium heat until the fruit breaks down. Mash with a fork to break apart & smooth.
2️⃣Remove from heat, stir in maple syrup & chia seeds.
3️⃣Let stand for 10 min to thicken. For thicker consistency, stir in more seeds a tsp at a time.
4️⃣Once cool, layer jam & yogurt in dish or cup.
5️⃣You can transfer any extra jam to a jar & refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 3 servings

Macros per Serving: 31 carbs/7 fats/19 protein

Looking to tone up your arms for summer👙?
Want to be able to hit the monkey bars with your kids🛝?
Need a good pump before rocking that sleeveless dress👗?

This is an absolute killer SHOULDER & ARM 💪 workout that can be completed anywhere!

No gym, no equipment, no excuses!!!

Rest for 30-45 seconds between each set!
Don't forget to warm up for 5-10 minutes to prep your joint & body for exercise.

1️⃣Superset: 4 sets
▶️Pushups: 8-10 reps
💡Keeping the core engaged, lower down until your nose taps the floor
▶️Pike pushups: 8-10 reps
💡Keeping the core engaged, gently tap your head to the ground.

2️⃣Superset: 4 sets
▶️Up - Downs: 8-10 each side
▶️Shoulder taps: 10-12 each side
💡Keeping the core engaged, move slow & try to keep hips level on both movements.

3️⃣Superset: 4 sets
▶️Incline pushups: 10-12 reps
💡Keeping the core engaged, move slow until chest hits the chair.
▶️Prone arm circles: 10 reps
💡Squeeze shoulders back, try to complete the full movement without arms hitting the floor (use slider or a towel if you cannot keep your arms raised).

4️⃣Superset: 3 sets
▶️Standing arm circles: 1 min each way
💡Make small circles forward & then backward for 1 min each.
▶️Standing arm pulses: 2 mins
💡Move the arms up & down in small movements, keeps arms up the full two minutes.

9 months in vs 9 months out

Little man has been out as long as he was in (minus that extra week he kept us waiting)!

My mind is still blowing 🤯 from seeing how much my body has done & transformed. I have so much gratitude for all my body continues to do everyday!

❔What do I need to eat to lose weight?

I remember asking myself this very same question years ago but I was not quite ready to hire a coach.

If you have the same question, keep reading!

To lose weight, you need to put your body into a calorie deficit. Therefore, we first need to identify your maintenance calories. This would be the amount of calories needed to maintain your current physique.

Although online calorie calculators have been found to be fairly inaccurate, they are your best bet without a coach. I recommend using the Miffelon St Jour equation to get started.

Once you’ve identified your maintenance calories, follow these steps to figure out your starting fat loss macros:

1️⃣Calories: Reduce your maintenance macros by 200-300 calorie
2️⃣Protein: We want to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Protein has 4 calories per gram.
3️⃣Fats: Take 20-30% of overall calories & convert that to grams to identify your fat intake. Fat has 9 calories per gram.
4️⃣Carbs: This will be the rest of your calories. Carbs has 4 calories per gram.
5️⃣Fiber: We do not want to miss out on fiber during a fat loss phase! Women aim to eat 20-30 grams; Men aim for 30-40 grams. Do NOT track ‘net’ carbs, track all carbs consumed

Fat loss is a dynamic, individual process that includes manipulation of food intake, training/cardio, stress & recovery management, and more!

Hiring a coach will allow you to reach your fitness goals significantly faster while also enjoying the process along the way. A good coach can help you find a sustainable, balanced approach that allows you to yield long term results.

📧:[email protected]

Apply for 1x1 coaching: https://linktr.ee/GroFitNut

Want a toned, lean body for summer⛱️?

Want to keep that hard earned muscle 💪 & lose fat?

Losing fat is different then losing weight. Use these training do’s & don’ts for your next fat loss phase⤵️

✅Do:
▶️Keep/implement a quality resistance training program: To preserve muscle tissue during fat loss, we need to send signals to our body so it thinks the muscle we built is necessary to keep. A good resistance training program will increase muscle retention to improve overall body comp.
▶️Follow a plan to track progress, increase adherence, & stay consistent: A structured plan will help you overcome diet fatigue & prevent you program hopping. Also, it'll give you consistent, trackable metrics for your lifts to assess progress week to week.
▶️Slowly manipulate cardio to increase calorie expenditure: Increases in cardio further into the phase allows us to increase the calories burned per day. Your body will adapt to changes so start as low as possible and very slowly increase cardio.
▶️Manage stress & fatigue with adequate rest & recovery: Managing stress is a game changer for fat loss. When stressed, your body releases hormones such as cortisol & adrenaline which can lead to poor digestion, inflammation, & increased fat stores.

🚫Don’t:
▶️Try to hit new PRs or increase volume during a calorie deficit: Increasing training volume when you’re lacking the necessary energy intakes only leads to adding junk volume that will impair recovery & increase overall systemic fatigue.
▶️Decrease NEAT: When we consume less food our bodies slow down & decrease activity to conserve energy. Monitoring steps is a great way to track overall NEAT levels!
▶️Only use scale weight to track progress: When the goal is to change body comp, the scale can be the last marker to change. How clothes are fitting, progress photos, & body measurements are all great alternatives to tracking progress.
▶️Do more/change the plan to “rush the process”: Your body adapts to ⬆️ cardio & ⬇️ calorie intakes. Each adaptation makes it harder to lose fat. If you run out of changes you will either not be able to obtain your goal or seriously destroy your body.

High🥦 fiber, heart ❤️healthy, AND loved by the whole 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦family?

Prep this granola ahead of time to use during the week as a quick grab & go snack or breakfast!!

No-Cook Vanilla Cinnamon Granola

🍴Ingredients
▶️1 cup chopped walnuts
▶️12 Medjool dates (pitted & chopped)
▶️1 cup oats
▶️1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
▶️1 Tbsp chia seeds
▶️1 Tbsp h**p seeds
▶️1 tsp vanilla extract
▶️1/2 tsp cinnamon
▶️Salt (to taste)

🥣Method
1️⃣Add walnuts to food processor & pulse until roughly chopped.
2️⃣Add dates & pulse until combined with walnuts.
3️⃣Add rest of ingredients & pulse until combined.
4️⃣Add a few pinches of salt if desired.
5️⃣Pour onto baking sheet & spread with fingers. Let air dry for about 4 hours.
6️⃣Place in an airtight container & store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
When serving - top with some unsweet almond milk for extra flavor!

Pecans work well in place of walnuts here. Have a nut allergy? Replace walnuts with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds!

Macros per serving: 50g Carb (7g Fiber)/18g Fat/9g Protein

Recipe makes 6 servings

Want to track macros but, don’t know where to start?

Maybe you tried tracking but, can't seem to get the hang of it?

Try this tips to help get you started! ⤵️

📱APPS
Download an app to help you track in your phone! Macros+, MyFitnessPal, and Cronometer are my favorites.

⏸️SCAN EVERYTHING
It can be painstakingly slow to type in & search for all of your foods. When possible, scan the barcode into the app to increase accuracy, simplicity, & speed when tracking.

⚖️WEIGHING FOODS
To track macros, you must be persistent in weighing & measuring all food consumed (even packaged foods!). Solids should be weighed and liquids should be measured. For fats and carbs, weigh your food in grams, prior to cooking.

🎚️RANGES
Most daily macros are prescribed by the gram. Aim to hit within 10g of carbs & protein; 5g of fats by the end of each day.

🍎FOOD SELECTION
Our goal is to consume mainly whole foods however, you can eat up to 20% processed foods. You do want to keep the processed foods to a min for overall health reasons. Whole foods can be tracked by typing “USDA” after the food when searching in MyFitness Pal.

It may seem overwhelming but...
In reality all you are doing is paying attention to WHICH foods & HOW MUCH your eating in grams, and making sure you hit certain numbers everyday. It is CRUCIAL to plan your m meals at least one day ahead when starting!