Are you physically aging too quickly? This sit-to-rise test, developed in 1990, was supposed to be a predictor of longevity. The goal of the test is to get on & off the floor without touching hands to the floor or any other support. While the original study had some limitations, it’s still a good test … Continued

Sore knees? You can still get a leg friendly, butt lifting workout without aggravating your knees. Remember, You can’t spot reduce! But you can activate & strengthen your glutes & who doesn’t want a perky muscular bum? Do 30 seconds of each exercise: KB swings Single leg RDL weak side Single leg RDL strong strong … Continued

Hate exercise? Don’t do it alone. You’re more likely to stick to it when you workout with a friend or a coach. Oka, R. K., King, A. C., & Young, D. R. (1995). Sources of social support as predictors of exercise adherence in women and men ages 50 to 65 years. Women’s health (Hillsdale, NJ), 1(2), 161-175. … Continued

Losing your balance as you age is a very real issue. Can you do this ‘Ole Lady’ test? Your ability to maintain your balance decreases with age. This correlates with increased injuries related to falls also as you age. If you want to protect yourself from falling and continue to do all the things you … Continued

Life is about to get busy(er)! With the holidays around the corner, it’s good to have a few bodyweight ‘do anywhere’ workouts to lean on. Don’t discount the value of short bodyweight workouts to maintain and even build lean muscle. All you need is a foot stool, bench or sturdy chair for this. After a … Continued

This tiny movement packs a lotta punch, especially if you can’t workout due to work, travel or injury… An exciting new study showed that those doing continuous seated calf raises experienced dramatic improvements in blood sugar regulation & metabolism. This was noted in the study: ✔️52% less increase in blood glucose after a meal ✔️60% … Continued

Sometimes life is just too crazy to get a ‘formal’ workout done. On those days, if you find yourself walking down the same hallway, maybe you could fit a movement snack like this in: Repeat 5 times in the day Lunge walk 10 steps 10 squats 10 wall push ups *Do this every time you … Continued

Want to improve bone density in less than 1 minute a day? You can lose 20% of your bone density within 5-7 years of menopause but JUMPING 10-20 times twice daily can dramatically improve bone density. Any kind of jumping can improve strength, body composition and bone health. Considering that one third of all fall … Continued

Try this movement snack if you can’t get a workout in, but you have 5 minutes to get a sweat on: AMRAP 5-7 min 10 Rev Lunges 5 per side Crab alt toe touch (or dead bug) 10 per side Skater 20 Glute Bridge pulse 10 High Knees/10 march 5 Push Ups Short bursts of … Continued

Stop! You’re doing it wrong. If you want happy shoulders while developing your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles, avoid straight arms for chest flies and wide arms/hands for push ups. Instead, protect your shoulders by balancing the weight of the DB over the elbow for chest flies and keeping the hands and elbows close to … Continued

You really don’t need a ton of time, space or equipment to make movement a part of your day! Here’s a bodyweight movement snack that you can do even in a bathroom! *I mean you don’t have to do it in the bathroom, but it won’t take up any more space than your bathroom – … Continued

If you don’t mind making a scene, you can this movement snack anywhere! Airport lounge, hotel room, waiting room, line ups… Once I had two other people do this movement snack with me in an airport lounge! If you can count to 10, you’ll see the pattern, each set adds up to 10… Count up/down … Continued

Don’t panic when the scale bounces around…That’s just what it does… There are PLENTY of reasons the number changes daily. Daily weighing provides MORE data points so you can understand your body better. Daily weighing also helps neutralize the number on the scale to JUST A DATA POINT. It’s not the weight each day that … Continued

What do a sponge and broom have to do with a healthy gut? They are like fiber in your diet. The sponge is similar to soluble fiber: it absorbs water in the gut it slows down digestion it makes you feel fuller longer Soluble fiber is found in fruit and vegetable pulp, oats, barley, legumes, … Continued

Drink juice if you want, but it can make weight loss more difficult. That’s because there is NO fiber in juice. In this example there’s equivalent calories in both. The sugar in the apple is wrapped up in 6g of fiber and takes longer to digest so you stay fuller longer, Especially if you’re a … Continued

NO single food can balance your hormones. But especially if you’re a woman experiencing symptoms of menopause, including 25g of fiber a day can certainly help with many things: increased insulin sensitivity feeling fuller longer promotes healthy digestion improves gut health (possible) reduction in depression reduced hot flashes reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes & … Continued

What gets measured improves. Paying attention to what you put in your mouth can lead to more awareness and intentional eating. You don’t have to food track for the rest of your life, but it’s a great educational tool to help you change behaviour and improve your eating habits. If you need some support and … Continued

Rushed or hate to cook? Grab a rotisserie chicken! Here are 5 dinner options: Pair it with a bagged salad. Add microwave rice & cut up veggies. Make a sandwich. Shred it in tacos. Add to stir fried veggies. You don’t need to spend tons of time in the kitchen to eat healthily. Need more … Continued

Hungry? Why not fill up on ‘nearly’ zero calorie foods? There are LOTS of foods that are full of fiber & vitamins and you can pretty much eat an unlimited amount of them… This is what I call ‘volume eating’. When you add a few cups of these sorts of foods to each meal, you … Continued

NOTHING! Even in menopause, NO foods are off limits. (Unless you have an allergy to them). To be honest, you can’t eat low quality foods with reckless abandon & still get results. But you can eat ALL things in MODERATION. Make sure you’re also eating ‘good investment’ foods including plenty of protein & a minimum … Continued

Even healthy foods, like olive oil, can be the road block to your fat loss. What’s a great alternative to olive oil then? Olive oil – just less of it if it’s putting you in a calorie surplus. What gets measured improves – that’s why tracking your food – especially at the beginning of your … Continued

What choices are you making on the daily? It’s the small decisions you make EVERY DAY that count that most. Easy decisions lead to a hard life. And hard decisions tend to lead to an easy life. Take a look at nutrition for example… If you’re making the ‘easy’ decision to have: processed foods excessive … Continued

If you aren’t happy with your results, here’s some tough love. Ask yourself the three questions in the video and keep these things in mind… Consistency – Give yourself 30 days of 100% commitment to your plan before you judge if it’s working or not. Honesty – Be honest with yourself about ALL the foods … Continued

Magic bullet for fat loss? Yup! It’s protein! It keeps you satiated & helps maintain (and even build) lean shapely muscle that keeps your metabolism stoked. Try to get a little protein with every meal and snack. It can be a challenge! That’s why this is a recurring topic in my nutrition accountability coaching group … Continued

Want to lose weight more easily? Change your mindset about weight loss. Think of what you can ADD vs takeaway. ADDING these things will make a huge difference in how you look & feel. -25g fiber per day (that’s a LOT of food!) -Resistance training -More sunshine More steps More sleep I cover all this … Continued

When you move your body you’re not worried about things like… taxes making dinner work who’s driving whom to where Or any number of life’s mundane decisions you need to make… Physical activity gives your mind a break so you can think more clearly when it’s time to make decisions. What are YOU doing to … Continued

Hate parts of your body? Don’t worry, we all have parts of our body we hate. Instead of focusing on aesthetic- how you look – goals. Consider focusing on performance- what you can do – goals. You’ll likely see measurable progress more easily & have more fun! Let me help! Let’s talk: https://tinyurl.com/talktoshawna

I asked myself why, at 59, would I take up mountain biking? I don’t like speed. I’ve never cycled much before. Then I asked myself ‘why wouldn’t I?’ I mean, ‘What do I have to lose?’ Is there something you want to do but you’re afraid? My advice is to ‘do it scared’. I’m certainly … Continued

You can’t be brave if you’re not afraid… And it’s okay to be afraid as long as you don’t let the fear stop you. You become courageous by leaning into the things that scare you most. Have you done anything scary lately? Honestly, heights aren’t scary for me, but put me on a mountain bike … Continued

Need motivation? I can help you get started in my 6 week Menopause Makeover Challenge. Go here for more info: https://shawnak.securechkout.com/menopause-makeover-challenge Because you can’t wait to ‘feel’ motivated. Motivation comes & goes. Thinking or planning won’t bring it about. Action brings motivation. Just start. Happy to help!

Don’t worry, it’s normal. Weight loss takes time, no need to simply slash calories at the sign of stalled progress. Stay consistent. Watch the trend, as long as weight is trending downwards ever so slightly, you’re on the right path. If or when it stays the same or goes up for 2 week or more, now … Continued

Relax on holiday. Eat cake on your birthday. Enjoy life. Because it’s not what you do SOME of the time… It’s what you do MOST of the time that affects your health. Your daily habits matter most. If you want to upgrade your daily habits, and if you want to know what habits will bring … Continued

What adventures have you had lately? The reason to get and stay fit is to keep your future wide open to possibilities and to continue to do all the things you love. I’d never do fun new things like scooter on a busy downtown street or cycle in Europe if I weren’t confident in my … Continued

Trust yourself. You’ve lived in your body for decades. Listen to what your body tells you. You’ll know all the answers when you pay attention to the clues it gives you. Admittedly, I didn’t listen ‘exactly’ to doctor’s orders after my umbilical hernia surgery. This little workout was 6 weeks post op and likely more … Continued

Let’s redefine what we should be doing in our 50’s, 60’s and beyond… It’s up to us to make the rules Our mom’s and grandmother’s lived in a different time than us. Let’s set a new age defying positive example for our daughters and granddaughters. We can do so much. Let’s go! Need a little … Continued

Motion is lotion so rather than sitting out waiting for an injury to heal, find a workout around. There’s almost always ‘something’ that you can do to keep moving. This will keep you in the ‘habit of exercise’. So listen to your body. Work other muscle groups. Rest the injured part or work in whatever … Continued

Starting something new for fitness? It can be scary (even for seasoned fitness veterans). Here are 3 tips to make it easier: 1. Check out the facility, find when it’s not busy & try to go during those times. 2. Go with a plan! 3. Do it scared, after the first few times, it will … Continued

Calorie trackers are inaccurate. They don’t account for EPOCH – or energy burned AFTER exercise – which is the big benefit of resistance training. Your workout should be FUN anyways, not just a source of calorie burning. Your workout should be focused on fun and/or skill or strength development. It’s only a small part of … Continued

Weight loss only occurs in a calorie deficit, but instead of eating less, why not do more? Enter NEAT: non-exercise activity thermogenesis. This includes walking (& all the other active things you do in your day). Simply adding more daily steps can create a calorie deficit while eating more. It’s win-win: -you get to eat … 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