Should you do ‘cardio’ to burn fat? The short answer is ‘No!’. And here’s why: -Steady state cardio is one of the least effective fat burning methods -Time consuming -Increases lower body repetitive use injuries -Doesn’t address the core or upper body muscles -Boring (my bias!) -Causes frustrations when results don’t come . Instead of … Continued

Have you checked your posture at your desk, driving or even on your phone? Most of us have rounded shoulders & forward head lean. This can lead to tight chest muscles & loose & weak back muscles. The simple ‘stick up’ is an exercise you can do even in your office. You won’t even get … Continued

‘If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it’… That goes for the ability to sit/stand unassisted over time. There’s NO better exercise than squats so make sure you’ll including some sort of squatting into your day. No one wants to think that they won’t be able to use the bathroom unassisted as they age. But, … Continued

Muscle is the fountain of youth – in this video I go over three reasons why you want more of it. If you’d like a free body weight workout designed to help you lose your menopause belly while building a little lean muscle, here you go: https://tinyurl.com/exercisegiveaway2

❌No pain no gain isn’t always the case! If you’re experiencing joint pain, it’s time to stop & reassess. You can train other body parts, rest & ice. If pain doesn’t improve in 4-5 days, seek medical advice. ✅ However the saying, ‘No pain no gain’ can also be true! You just need to know … Continued

Muscle is the fountain of youth. As we age, we need to hold onto as much of it and even add more of it to our frame. If you’re looking for a program geared specifically for women 40+ to help with muscle gain AND to lose your menopause belly, here you go: http://www.MyBikiniBelly.com

To lose weight you MUST be in a caloric deficit. There is no debating this fact.   When trying to lose weight so many of us focus on eating less and workout more. This can cause metabolic adaptation.   Exercise will only burn 5-10% of your daily calories and the body just becomes more effective … Continued

Hey, you’re doing too much! I want you to stop working out so hard! Say what? Yes, if you have lack lustre fat loss results, my suggestion is to stop trying so hard. I know that doesn’t seem to make sense, let me explain… It might be that your caloric intake is TOO low & … Continued

Summer is often a time when fitness and healthy living gets put on hold… Luckily, I have the PERFECT SOLUTION for you to keep your health at the forefront of your mind. It’s a ‘challenge’ like no other. Remember those ‘choose your own adventure’ books? Well, this challenge is very much like that. YOU get … Continued

Are you discouraged with little or no progress where your health and fitness are concerned?   Here are 5 mistakes to avoid…   1. Don’t do too much too soon – start slowly to avoid overwhelm, discouragement and the temptation to quit.   2. Don’t ‘just’ rely on the scale to determine progress. Look at … Continued

This is a common question BUT can we just be clear that NEITHER will be very effective if you don’t have your nutrition & lifestyle dialled in. So, before we even discuss this question, let’s: ->Fill up on lean proteins, veggies, complex carbs ->SLEEP more ->Reduce STRESS ->Lose the liquid calories ->Skip the processed foods ->Be … Continued

❓Does walking 5-6 miles a day put you in the ‘fat burning zone’?… 👏🏻Great question!… . 🙄The whole idea of the fat burning zone is a bit of misinformation…. . 📚Studies show that low intensity cardio (walking on a treadmill for example) will burn fat & doing higher intensity exercise (like HIIT, interval training, burst … Continued

Confused as to what to eat before exercise? Here are some guidelines. If you’d like more direction, grab my book ‘Lose Your Menopause Belly’ here

If overspending is an issue, you create a budget. Food tracking creates awareness about eating, like a budget does creates awareness about spending. It’s a temporary tool that helps in these three ways: It helps you connect the dots between what you eat, how you feel and the results you get. It helps with accountability. … Continued

Trying to lose weight and ALWAYS hungry? Have you considered just eating MORE? Yes, this sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. Too often in an effort to shed pounds, you stop listening to your body’s cues. You ‘white knuckle’ your days starving with severely reduced calories & other distractions. You set yourself up for wild … Continued

No food or drink item should be off limits, BUT, of course you need to exercise moderation with a healthy, sustainable plan. I like to enjoy a drink from time to time like many women. Here are MY rules: Stay hydrated – have an equal or greater amount of water for every alcoholic beverage. No … Continued

Want enjoy a glass of wine? Is it worsening your menopause symptoms? Look, I don’t want to kill all your fun, but you should be aware.. A calorie is NOT a calorie where alcohol is concerned. Alcohol is its own macro-nutrient (different from protein, carbs & fat) & has 7 calories per gram. It’s metabolized … Continued

Here’s a solution to always feeling hungry. Eat lots of protein & here’s why: 🍗It’s harder to overeat on protein compared to carbs & fat (that seem to go down a lot quicker). 🍖Protein is more satiating. 🥚Protein helps control blood sugar so you won’t feel a surge of energy & then a crash. 🍣Protein … Continued

Joint pain? You may be surprised to hear that it may be caused by your diet. Some foods may be causing inflammation and joint pain. Try to connect the dots between what you’re eating and possible joint pain. The solution is to reduce or eliminate some of the triggers. These include processed foods as well … Continued

Honestly, people tend to get stuck on the minutia of weight loss and then take NO action and are frustrated. Here are some simple tips to get you started. Ladies, if you need more tips to calm your menopause symptoms, grab my book ‘Lose Your Menopause Belly’ here.

Some yogurt? You may as well be eating ice cream! Greek yogurt is supposed to be healthy & full of protein, right? Whoa! Hold up! That’s where label reading is needed. Certain brands have low protein & 3x the sugar compared to other brands. Obviously your best choice is plain yogurt flavored with your own … Continued

Looking for the best ab move to get rid of your menopause belly? Head into the kitchen & throw away all the processed food. Reduce stress & increase sleep to reduce cortisol levels. Include more protein in your diet to help keep you full & control insulin levels. Oh & include some sweaty exercise in … Continued

There’s NO magical food for faster fat loss. In other words, you can’t eat more or less of something to have fat melt off your body… BUT… That’s not to say that there are some foods better than others. We all know that eating veggies is better than potato chips for better health and weight … Continued

You’ve lost weight? Fantastic! Now stop dieting for a bit… I know what you’re going to say: But I have more weight to lose. Trust me when I say that continual dieting will do nothing but shut down your metabolism so that losing weight will get harder and harder. This video will explain it more… … Continued

Stop being so hard on yourself… If you’re a healthy human with a little extra weight, focus on all the healthiness & not the extra weight. Your life won’t be DRAMATICALLY different a few pounds lighter. Yes, there can be an improvement, but if you’re miserable now, you may not be able to fully appreciate … Continued

Change happens when we feel good! It keeps you motivated and ‘on the path’. That’s why celebrating small wins on your health journey is important. Too often you can tell yourself: I deserve this [insert guilty pleasure]. So you can sabotage results with the wrong kind of celebrations. Consider non-food celebrations. Treat yourself to something … Continued

Forgot your keys again? Or why you came into a room? Forgot your co-workers name? Brain fog is real & a frustrating symptom of menopause for some women. 60% of middle-aged women report difficulty concentrating with memory issues spiking in peri-menopause. Research suggests that foggy thinking can be related to fluctuating hormones, but the good … Continued

Do the ‘one change challenge’ instead of trying to do too much too soon. Pick one thing to change this week… •Drink more water •Get to bed earlier •Add more protein to your meals •Start to move more •Say ‘No!’ more Transformation will come more slowly, but you’ll feel less overwhelm & changes are easier … Continued

Guilt & shame are often associated with food & this can lead to weight gain. If you experience a lot of guilt with your eating habits, trying an intuitive approach to eating may help more than just your mindset Here are 6 tips to be a more mindful eater… Honor your hunger – Feed your … Continued

Don’t wait to ‘feel motivated’ to move. Just move anyways, do something. Even fit people feel lazy & just want to watch Netflix all day – they just choose not to. Promise yourself to move for 10 minutes. Usually you’ll feel better & finish your workout. But even if you don’t, at least you’ll have … Continued

Feeling down? You can actually change your brain chemistry with these simple tips: 1. Exercise increases natural mood lifting endorphins so get moving. 2. Exposure to sunlight increases the mood boosting hormone serotonin so get outside. 3. McGill University found that upbeat music increases the happy hormones serotonin & dopamine in your brain. Action relieves … Continued

Fat loss is a simple concept once you grasp these three principles. Too often we get caught up in tiny details that don’t really matter. Just create a calorie deficit, find something sustainable & fill up on protein so that you maintain your muscle & don’t want to eat your fist! There are very different … Continued

One degree of change will change the course of your life. Think of a cruise ship, if the captain has the ship one degree off course, it will completely miss it’s destination over time. This is just like you with your health & wellness game. One degree of change can put you off course… For … Continued

Yes, I know that sounds counterproductive, but honestly, you may just be causing hormone imbalances by over stimulating the para-sympathetic nervous system. Your body may be holding onto every ounce of fat because it thinks it’s in a crisis situation and you may need that fat to fight a sabre tooth tiger. We all know … Continued

How do you feel about your weight? Does the number make you do the happy dance? Or does it make you want to fall in a pit? If you neutralize the number, you can use it to connect the dots between actions & results… If you want a great home workout program to help you … Continued

Want the secret to permanently dropping that dress size? I’ve got it for you… This is important to know, especially if you’re battling with menopause hormones. Are you ready? –>There’s actually NO secret<– Wait, what? There’s no ONE secret to losing your menopause belly, magically dropping, keeping the weight off… Instead, it’s a series of … Continued

“Participating in Shawna’s program was a life changing experience. “ @stephanieliner From my perspective, it was a great pleasure to work with Stephanie. She consistently showed up & was ready to learn. She threw away old ideas, for example, she (reluctantly) increased her calorie & carb intake & watched her weight go down. She slowly increased … Continued

Set the bar low. I know this sounds like ridiculous advice from a coach. But, if you make a small promise to yourself & keep it, you’re more likely to continue to make & keep promises to yourself. Starting small & working up to bigger promises is how you build integrity with yourself. It’s how … Continued

Food tracking can be inaccurate. But that’s not the REAL point! The big benefits of food tracking include increasing self accountability & intentionality around eating. Food labels can be up to 20% off – like in this example: the label assumes that the scoop holds 42g of product when in fact, it only holds 30g … Continued

Did you blow your nutrition this weekend? Look, it happens, especially when you don’t have a plan. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. This can be achieved thru out the week versus just in one day. You can cycle your calories a little so you could have a few less calories … Continued

If you want visible abs, be aware of the sacrifices you may need to make. Be realistic & manage expectations where weight loss goals are concerned… ⭐️20-22% body fat⭐️ ✔️fit appearance & good overall health ✔️livable lifestyle ✔️few cravings due to balanced diet ✔️plans & time needed for meal prep ✔️coaching is sometimes needed to … Continued

Are you choosing clothes from the fat side of the closet? Do you dress in the dark? If you’re not comfortable in your own skin, it’s not too late to do something about it. I had the good fortune to try on all kinds of sweet lil dresses at a local boutique and it reminded … Continued

Food tracking increases awareness & intentionality but can be cumbersome. So here’s an easy option to food track. Use the free app ‘See How You Eat’. You take pics of meals & snacks & it’s organized daily. It’s this easy accountability that creates awareness & intention to your eating. And any habit that you can … Continued

Impatient with weight loss? Just like spring eventually follows winter. Trust science that weight loss will happen when you do the right things. There are things happening below the surface metabolically that aren’t visible right away. Consistency & persistence are important. Hang in there! You got this! Happy to help! Let’s talk here: http://lifestyle.shawna247.com/

Menopause gets a bad rap – we tend to blame everything on it when something else may really be in play. We can’t control estrogen/progestrone but we CAN control 2 other hormones. In this video, I want to discuss INSULIN and how you can use it to our advantage to control our weight. If insulin … Continued

So I’ve got it…. It’s called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. It sounds a little like something from Harry Potter without the whimsical magic 😉 What does my diagnosis has to do with you? Skim down to the ‘important for you’ bullets if you don’t have time to read this entire blog post… I had some routine blood work … Continued

Travel delays? Ug. It happens…. Here are some tips to make it a happier experience… Pack your attitude – Decide what kind of traveler you’ll be… Prioritize your health & think of how you’ll support it on the road… Stress is a killer – travel delays can make you crazy, so let it go as … Continued

😫Do you have pain & inflammation? ❓Have you tried CBD? ⭐️There are some amazing health benefits to topical or sublingual CBD products. 🌱Consider getting a product made from hemp so that there is no TCH or psychoactive properties. ✖️That is, there is NO high associated with these products. ✅CBD has been approved by the World … Continued