Get a stronger core in 3 minutes a day by doing 30 seconds to 1 minute of these simple moves: dead bug hollow hold bird dog on each side Think ‘all or something’ where fitness is concerned. If you don’t have time for a full workout, do your body a favor by doing just a … Continued

Want a smaller waist? Build a bigger back. Building your back muscles will not only keep you functional and injury free… It will make your waist look smaller by comparison. It’s easy to overlook back training simply because we don’t ‘see’ our back when we look in the mirror. DB rows and any kind of … Continued

Have you had abdominal trauma or surgery? If so, your core muscles may not even be firing & you need to ‘turn them back on’. Here’s how: •press your back into the floor •find your hip bones & move inward slightly •cough •feel the muscles tighten Now try to keep that muscle tight. Lift one … Continued

Your lower back pain could be from a weak core. The ‘hollow hold’ is one of the safest core strengthening moves anyone can do. Make sure you press your lower back into the floor. If you can’t keep your back touching the floor, bend your arms and legs and work up to extending them. Work … Continued

Love cardio but can’t find time to fit in strength training? Whatever your cardio option is, stop every 2 minutes to add a quick set of 5 push ups and 10 body weight squats. If your cardio session is 20 minutes long, you’ll just have added 50 push ups and 200 squats by the end … Continued

One way to tell is if you can hold a perfect plank for 2 minutes straight. Here are some tips: BRACE When you do a plank, squeeze your abs as if you were preparing for someone to punch you in the stomach. Then squeeze your glutes, quads, and pull your elbows towards your ribs. This … Continued

Stop stretching BEFORE your workout. Static stretching is ineffective since muscles are cold and joints aren’t lubricated. Save the static stretches for the END of your workout once your joints and muscles are warm. Instead, do ‘dynamic’ stretches to get your body ready to exercise. Move your body through ranges of motion to bring blood … Continued

Try this pose for one to 20 min. It will stimulate the ‘para-sympathetic’ or ‘rest & digest’ nervous system to ease all kinds of tension related to menopause & your busy life. It may not help with weight loss, but a calm mind will help you cope & make better decisions related to your health. … Continued

Your back pain may be caused by weak abdominal muscles, specifically the transverse abdominis. The TA (transverse abdominis) is the deepest muscle layer of your core. Its main roles are to stabilize the trunk and maintain internal abdominal pressure. When your TA is weak, it’s unable to do its job of stabilizing the pelvis and … Continued

What’s the best exercise for menopausal women? What exercise do you like? While some forms of exercise can be better than others, the most important thing is that you’re doing SOMETHING! If you enjoy what you’re doing, you are more likely to do it on the regular. And consistency is important. Resistance training a minimum … Continued

Got 15 minutes? ‘Cindy’ is the name of this ‘do-almost-anywhere-full-body’ workout. Set your timer for 15-20 min & do AMRAP (as many rounds as possible): 5 pull ups 10 push ups 15 air squats No pull up bar or can’t do 5 pull ups yet? No problem! Swap in: -5 wall sit stick ups -5 … Continued

Want to lose weight without eating less? Do you have 15 minutes? Be honest, how much time do you spend on social media or Netflix? If you devoted those 15 min to a daily walk, you can do an additional 1500 steps daily. This could make the difference between being in a calorie deficit or … Continued

Want to eat whatever you want & still meet your goals? You can. Even in menopause… You can’t eat with reckless abandon, but you CAN eat your favourite foods in moderation. When you stop the diet mentality of super low calorie eating & consistently apply solid nutrition principles, you get to eat LOTS. Results come … Continued

This formula is a ballpark estimate for figuring your maintenance calories & deficit calories suitable for sustainable weight loss. There’s a lot more to it than just finding body weight & multiplying from there… But, it’s a start. And with this formula, you’re less likely to reduce calories ridiculously low, like below 1000 calories/day. Another … Continued

Weekend plans? Here are some tips to help you make your nutrition count. Need more support? Enrol in my Nutrition Academy here: https://shawnak.securechkout.com/nutrition-academy

Want easier time managing your menopausal symptoms? The pass the protein please! Protein supports lean muscle and lean muscle fuels your metabolic fire. With lean muscle, you will: -have more functional strength -be less prone to injury -gain your calorie burning ability (because muscle is metabolically active) If you want to remain lean & strong, … Continued

Nutrition fact or fiction? How do you know who to trust? Dig a little deeper into the source to determine if you’ve found info you can trust. Try these 3 things: Is the source selling anything? Financial motivation can definitely color the ‘science’ that is presented. Do other reputable scientists agree with the theories? A … Continued

Not hitting your weight loss goals? Do you remember what you ate? (Did you even enjoy eating it?) If mindless eating is a problem for you, try these 3 things: 1. Start with making a deal with yourself to pay attention to what goes in your mouth, you can do this by… 2. Using a … Continued

Just eat the dang chocolate! (or your guilty pleasure). By the time you try to scratch the ‘chocolate itch’ you’ll have consumed WAY more calories & you’ll still be unsatisfied. There’s room for any kind of ‘treat’ in your plan. Just account for it AND be sure to thoroughly ENJOY it! Food is neither ‘good’ … Continued

Meal prep can be exhausting, especially when you’re making something for your ‘diet’ and something else for the family. Just stop. There’s no need to survive on strictly ‘diet food’ that no one, including you likes. A healthy ‘diet’ includes ALL things, even ‘treats’ (in moderation). When you assign foods with ‘good’ & ‘bad’ labels, … Continued

Do you have a functioning liver? If so, you don’t need a cleanse. Save your money & time in the bathroom. No pill, powder or potion is gonna magically help you drop weight, ‘cure’ menopause or make symptoms go away. Run away from anyone pitching detox teas, juice cleanses, or any hormone balancing baloney. There … Continued

Want to eat whatever you want & still meet your goals? You can. Even in menopause. You can’t eat with reckless abandon, but you CAN eat your favourite foods in moderation. When you stop the diet mentality of super low calorie eating & consistently apply solid nutrition principles, you get to eat LOTS. Results come … Continued

Cutting back on sugar & processed foods can reduce inflammation AND your waistline. It’s not easy, but it will be worth it! Instead of taking the ‘all or nothing’ approach, try the ‘all or something’ approach. While it’d be MOST beneficial to cut out it ALL out, that’s not practical OR sustainable. Just try cutting … Continued

Don’t be tempted. Sustainable weight loss isn’t sexy. It isn’t fast. But it’s SUSTAINABLE & results are LASTING. Fad diets will just disappoint you. Let me teach you how to never have to ‘diet’ again. I’ve got your back with science based, easy to digest video tutorials in my Nutrition Academy: https://shawnak.securechkout.com/nutrition-academy And I’ll even … Continued

Are you really hungry? Or are you eating out of habit? You can save yourself a lot of calories by putting some time between you & food. Set a timer for 5 minutes, decide if you’re bored or actually hungry. This will help curb mindless eating. Oh, and remember to eat slowly and stop eating … Continued

You have to be bad at new things before you get better. Especially making health improvements. What seems should be so simple is actually embarrassingly difficult. New skills & habits take time to master. Give yourself grace and get support along the way, let’s talk: https://tinyurl.com/talktoshawna Oh, have you tried Pickle Ball? Alan surprised me … Continued

Money without health is meaningless. Spend what little time you have protecting the thing that will give you more time. Have you considered the cost of NOT investing in your health? Let me help you be the healthiest version of YOU, no matter what your age. It’s never too late to start. Let’s talk: https://tinyurl.com/talktoshawna

Are you an all or nothing type person? Time to change that to an ‘all or something’ attitude. Don’t discount 10 minutes of exercise or one healthy meal if that’s all you can do… You’d be surprised at how a little something here & there will add up over time. Let me help you get … Continued

‘Thin’ doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. Weight loss can be achieved but at the cost of overall health. You may solve one problem and create another in the process. Current diet culture puts the focus on aesthetics. Strength, functionality & health are sadly overlooked. Focus on health FIRST, the weight will take care of itself. Let … Continued

Sometimes you drag your partner… Other times your partner drags you thru the workout… Libby is often the drag-ee, (especially if she has the choice to lay in the sun)… But all those workouts & walks add up, even if they’re short! If you’d like me to be your training partner, I’m happy to take … Continued

If you think that exercise or healthy eating are hard… Have you considered the pain of being uncomfortable in an unhealthy body? Have you considered how your health will deteriorate over time if you don’t take care of it now? Something to think about… Here to help. Let’s talk: https://tinyurl.com/talktoshawna

Start small -Add more steps to your day -Drink more water -Increase your protein intake -Get more sleep -Say ‘no’ more often Pick ONE. Then add to it… Don’t do too much too soon. When you’re willing to take baby steps, you end up further along than you could’ve imagined. What small step are you … Continued

In menopause, your younger metabolism just isn’t picking up. Declining hormones have added a challenge to weight loss, but you can still do it. You’re older & wiser in your 50’s (and beyond), so don’t fall for dumb fad diets. Don’t expect overnight results from a pill, powder or potion or by starving yourself. Work … Continued

Blow your diet? Miss a workout? You only fail when you quit. ‘Fail small’ – after a setback, just get on track, get up, try again, keep going. So if you blew your nutrition at lunch, make your next meal on track. If you missed a workout (or several), just start again. The good news … Continued

Age is simply a number. It’s never too late to try something new or to keep doing what you love. The moment you go sit on the couch is when the fun stops. If you need help feeling like your ‘old self’, I gotchu! Let’s talk: https://tinyurl.com/talktoshawna

Hormonal changes in menopause can cause mood fluctuations. Consider your moods a little like the weather. Some days are sunnier than others. When clouds (wind, rain, hail, snow!) come, just let them pass without too much despair. Remember that blue sky & sunshine will return again. In the meantime, these things may help improve your … 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