Being functionally fit has it’s benefits! Need some help? Workout with me and my team here: https://shawnak.securechkout.com/workouts Drop a comment if you’re up to moving furniture 😉

This may be something you’d prefer not to think about… But I think it’s important to be intentional now while we have choices. If you choose NOT to move your body, there will come a time when you can’t. Think about the older people in your life that are fit and active. Do you think … Continued

I love the idea that every small effort is an investment in your future self. I saw a Tweet from Elizabeth Davies that inspired this video… Who else wants to train for your old lady body? If you want an at-home workout option, geared for your aging body, join me and my team. Got aches … Continued

Something (anything!) is better than nothing where movement is concerned. If you’re stuck at your desk, set a timer to go off every hour. Get up and do ONE minute of exercise, here are some ideas: chair squats desk push ups jumping jacks marches reverse lunges wall sits wall stick ups side bends calf raises … Continued

Stop relying on exercise to lose weight. Exercise has a ton of benefits beyond calorie burning including: Reducing the risk of cancer. … Strengthening your bones. … Reducing the risk of other diseases. … Boosting your mood To name just a few! Exercise for FUN & FUNCTION Weight loss is best addressed with modifying nutrition. … Continued

What’s best for faster fat loss? You’re asking the wrong question. The speed you lose fat is less important than the SUSTAINABILITY of the fat lost. Cardio ‘may’ initially burn more calories but if you want to play the long game where fat loss is concerned, you’ll want to build more muscle. Muscle is metabolically … Continued

Recovering from a setback is slow & tedious. Often times it feels like a useless endeavour. But little by little, a little becomes a lot! Don’t discount the small efforts to get yourself back; small efforts ADD UP. For many, workouts drive nutrition – when you’re training, you’re eating more supportively. Making healthy eating choices … Continued

Don’t exercise just to burn calories… Exercise for FUN. Exercise to stay functional as you age… Cuz even the ‘best’ workout won’t help you if you don’t do it. Here’s a fun full body workout. 10 rounds: 20 KB swings (or burpees) 5 pull ups (modify if needed or do any sort of rowing movement) … Continued

Injured? Me too. The good news is that there’s almost always something you can do to work around it. The worst thing you can do is just sit on the couch. You’ll feel better with some movement, and it can even speed up healing. Stay positive and patient. Keep your workout habit. Move the injured … Continued

Lacing up to go for a walk? Here’s why you need to address any injury that affects your walking or gait right away. Walking is one of THE most repetitive movements we do. Let’s say you do a moderate 5K steps per day. That’s 35k steps per week & almost 2 million steps per year. … Continued

How do you know when to stop & when to keep going? Fitness progression while avoiding injury, especially in menopause, is obviously the goal. Keep going: muscular pain in the middle of the muscle belly, even on both sides that dissipates after the set. This type of pain can indicate muscle growth. Stop: point in … Continued

Have a dumb bell? Here’s a simple full body workout… Buy in each set: 1 min Cardio burst *This can be anything: jump rope/burpees/row/bike/sprint… Then 30 seconds of each: Push ups Goblet hold bench step ups – weak leg Goblet hold bench step up – strong leg Single arm DB row – weak arm Single … Continued

Want real ice cream? Have it! Remember, you can eat ANYTHING you want (in moderation). You don’t need to give up actual ice cream for this. But if you’re looking for a non-dairy alternative to help you stay in a calorie deficit, this is a pretty good stand in. This is a guilt-free sweet treat … Continued

Tastes like ice cream! Tons of protein. Here you go: 125g 2% cottage cheese 100g Greek yogurt 75g frozen fruit 1 tsp maple syrup Whip up in a blender until smooth. Optional: Add 15g Bran Buds for crunch and fiber. A good way to start the day or as a snack and 26g of protein! … Continued

Weight loss is easier when you’re not starving. Here’s how fiber can help: Including 25g of fiber daily will fill you up AND… * increase insulin sensitivity * promote healthy digestion * improve gut health * (possibly) reduce depression * reduce hot flashes by 20% * reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes & breast cancer … Continued

If calorie counting has got you down, forget about it! In this video I suggest a more effective food tracking solution, especially if you’re a menopausal woman. Make sure to check out some of the shorts on my channel! You’ll find all sorts of solutions to managing the challenges of menopause. And if you’d like … Continued

Mid-afternoon crash? It’s tempting to go for coffee, but don’t do it! Afternoon coffee will mess with your sleep and perpetuate the afternoon drowsiness. The average half-life of caffeine is 4-6 hours which means that half the caffeine in your 3 pm coffee is still in your system at 9pm. Study: 10.1016/B978-0-12-375083-9.00033-7 Instead of a … Continued

If you’re starving, it may be because of: 1. Low protein intake – Protein is the most satiating food. 2. Low fiber intake – Fiber keeps you fuller longer. 3. Lack of sleep – Poor sleep triggers the ‘I’m hungry’ hormone ghrelin. 4. Liquid calories – Fluids pass through your digestion more quickly so while … 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

Motivation can hit an all time low in menopause particularly. But you need to remember that motivation comes and goes, these three tips will help you keep moving towards your goals. Motivation follows ACTION, so you’ve got to get going, whether you feel like it or not. Mel Robbins, award winning author of ‘The Five … Continued

That inner voice is killing your results. It’s the reason you feel like giving up. It’s got unrealistic expectations. REALISTIC fat loss is ONE HALF POUND per week, but NOT EVERY WEEK. Know that weight loss is NEVER linear. Your weight will bounce around – check out other posts for other videos explaining all the … Continued

Who doesn’t love a physical transformation? But lasting change comes from mental shifts. Like understanding that small habit changes add up. And that patience & consistency lead to results. Or that ALL foods are fine in moderation. Celebrate those top down mind shift changes because they will lead to lasting physical transformation. Want to shift … Continued

No one counts this as a big WIN… Did you stay the same weight over covid? Or when you renovated your kitchen? Or when (insert stressful situation here)?… No one counts weight maintenance as a win. But speak to anyone who put on the ‘covid15’ and they would disagree! So instead of beating yourself up … Continued

One of the best ways to make a dramatic improvement in your body and your fitness level is to take a hard look at where you currently stand. If you’re not happy, the key to your success is to be deeply disturbed with your current shape. Why are you still living life in your “before” … Continued

Would you do things differently if you knew you only had 24 birthdays or Christmas’s or summers left? Have you reverse engineered how much time you have left? It puts things in perspective. The average lifespan for women in Canada is 83.9. https://www.worlddata.info/life-expectancy.php I’m going to make the most of my time left. I hope … Continued

  Are you frustrated with what seems like NO progress with your fat loss journey in menopause? Guess what? When you give your body what it needs in terms of nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress reduction – good things will happen – EVEN in menopause. Just like you may wonder if spring is ever going … Continued

Here’s a case for daily weighing in menopause… As an analogy, imagine if you wanted to improve your finances, you’d have to look at the amount of money going in and out of your account. The same with body weight… You need to see the trends, not get too hyper focused on daily weight. What … Continued

Don’t wait to ‘feel’ motivated. Feelings come and go. You must take action first. Action, no matter how small, leads to motivation. As soon as you THINK of doing something that will bring you closer to your goals: Going for a walk Drinking more water Food prepping Getting to bed early Whatever! Do it within … Continued

Want to avoid disappointment when you get on the bathroom scale? BEFORE getting on it, make a mental note of a few of the NON-SCALE VICTORIES you’re seeing from your healthy lifestyle. Maybe you’re feeling stronger or your clothes are fitting better, maybe you’re sleeping more soundly. When if you get on the scale and … Continued

Have a weight loss goal? Why not choose a goal that you have more control over the outcome? How about setting a goal related to: -strength -a skill -an adventure A performance goal provides: -a measurable outcome -motivation to achieve the goal –*the happy coincidence is weight loss can often occur in it’s pursuit* Happy … Continued

A fit body can’t be bought. It has to be earned. No matter how much money you’ve got, you can’t go to Ebay or the internet to buy a healthy body. You have to earn it. You have to do the work. Are you doing the work? Don’t know where to start? I can help, … Continued

It’s not all bad! I mean not worrying about a period or unwanted pregnancy is a bonus of menopause, right? Here are the things you can do to offset the negatives you may be experiencing as estrogen declines: Eat a high protein, fiber rich diet. Resistance train 2-3 times a week. Keep a consistent sleep … 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/