What is it?

• Log as many times as you can this month
• Winner is whoever logged the most amount of times this month
• The idea is to create and maintain a healthy habit, with the biggest challenge of all this season: the holidays
• Winner gets a prize sent!

Who can enter?

• Members are automatically entered for free!

• Non-members are welcome to sign up at any time for a monthly program and compete in challenges!
  
  FREE TRIAL: Sign up for Heart in the Hustle program with complimentary workouts designed for 7 days. Link: https://mawbarbellclub.com/heart-in-the-daily-hustle/
  **challenges not included in the free trial**

Strategies

• Log once per day, even if it’s one item or all if your day’s items
• If you don’t make it to the gym, you can still do part of it at home
• When logging in your food journal, even submitting 1 meal would count as a log

Tie breakers

• Winner is who has logged the most up to the end of the challenge, including previous logs
• If the amount is still the same for the tie breaker, both get a prize

This is your reminder to take care of your body. Stop letting it take the back burner in your life! We’re only getting older and things are just going to start to hurt for no reason and take us longer to recover from.

You’re never too old to start, you’re never too busy for a walk around the block. A lot of people underestimate exercise and put it off, or are “waiting for the right time” when the time is now! If you wait for the right time, you’ll never start.

All I’m saying is to take care of your health sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until “you’re feelin’ it”. Regrets always start with how one “should have done it earlier” or “never should have stopped exercising”. Just because it’s fall, doesn’t mean you can’t get ahead of all the holiday treats and gains today 😊

Be better!

Remember: it’s easier to stay in shape than to get in shape.

Let me tell you a story about how weight gain and allergy pills have affected me so far in regards to body composition.

As a seasonal allergy sufferer, I naturally take allergy pills (as one does, as most of us likely have). My daily gym regimen hadn’t changed too much, but I did start adding additional cardio just to trim some fat a little more to allow room for me to prepare for some football treats and holiday get-togethers (it’s the best season ever, you can fight me on that one later).

Until recently, I discovered that despite my gym efforts, the weight was piling on. Ever. So. Slowwwwly. And boy, does it seriously creep up on you. I didn’t really notice it at first, thinking that it might be because I had an increase in salt intake. I reduced it, and my weight was still climbing. I’m panicking.

Okay- I’m thinking, I’m not drinking enough water, I’m eating more calories than I should be, I need to reduce sugar intake, you name it. With some trial and error, I found that it wasn’t my consumption. To my luck, I like to track most things (which can be a blessing and a curse as a habit). I found that the changes started happening when I started taking allergy pills. I thought, cool, let’s change the type of pills. I’m sure you’re familiar with cetirizine, fexofenadine, and loratadine. There’s a long list of more of them but I’ve tried each of these, giving them a month minimum, or at least the whole bottle a chance. What happened? Well you guessed it – weight gain. I gained about 5-6 pounds. This may not seem like a lot, but on my 5’1” frame, I definitely felt it and so did my clothes.

After going to the doctor’s about it, I got on a few different other pills and was given a nasal spray and eye drops on top of it. With the body fat slowly creeping on, I decided to stop the pill and stick with the nasal spray and eye drops. It’s only been 3 weeks since I’ve stopped the pill, but without much change in my daily routine and gym regimen, weight has thankfully started to peel off. so far I’m 2 pounds down, and not only has it helped me realize that I wasn’t going crazy wondering why I’m eating appropriately with proper exercise, but it has also opened my eyes to how many other people out there have wondered why they’re doing everything they can yet the weight isn’t coming off. Better yet, unexplained weight gain. I understand stress is a factor as well on top of weight gain, but this is your reminder to NOT underestimate these factors:

• consider your environment
• manage your stress
• monitor your size portions
• which medications you may be taking that can affect your weight gain
• sleeping enough
• hidden calories (cooking oil, sugar free syrups or sugar free anything)
• working out too much (which causes stress, which can lead to weight gain)
• working out too little (make sure you’re moving)!
• habits that enable weight gain (make healthy substitutions where you can)!

After finding this conclusion for myself, I found out that according to the Obesity Medicine Association [1], “Histamine decreases our hunger by in part affecting the appetite control center in our brains[2], and it makes sense an anti-histamine would have the opposite effect. These drugs can interfere with the “I’m full” signal coming from the rest of our bodies and lead to overeating.” The article is referenced at the bottom for more details. Also see Association of prescription H1 antihistamine use with obesity: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [2].

These are both great to read and educate yourself on if you assume weight gain may be the cause for your weight gain. I’ve been using allergy pills for years, so can you imagine! Hope this helps guys. Happy Friday!

References
[1]Gupta, V. (4 Jun 2020). Antihistamines and Weight Gain | Obesity Medicine Association. From https://obesitymedicine.org/antihistamines-and-weight-gain-obesity-medicine-association/

[2]National Library of Medicine. Barber, J., Palmese, L., Ratliff, J., Reutenauer. E., & Tek, C.(12 Aug 2010). Association of prescription H1 antihistamine use with obesity: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3221329/

If you aren’t a person who likes pumpkin anything, or a person who doesn’t like desserts, maybe you can share it with someone who might – your kid, a friend, a coworker, or anyone! I do have to say, from experience of making a bajillion of these, there may be some “heavy winds” that come your way. By that I mean you may fart a lot because of pumpkin’s fiber content and you may poop like a God. Seriously though, they’re so good and makes me feel less bad about having a dessert. Going to a potluck but don’t want to feel bad about having too many sweets? Make some, then bring that baby over! Just beware the farts. Although relieving, you wouldn’t want to burn a hole in your chair.

To that, I give you:

Pumpkin Cake Muffins

Ingredients:
1. Cake mix (I use sugar free, but you can use whatever you like. It’ll turn out just as good).
2. 1 can of pumpkin puree
3. 2 eggs (optional!!) It’ll rise a bit more if you choose to add egg, but not necessary. The above picture was made without eggs.

Directions:
1. Preheat to 350F degrees
2. Mix the ingredients together really well
3. Pour mixture in those cupcake pan thingies. You can use the baking cups if you want!
4. Stick in the oven for about 15-20min (make sure you check, I’m not a baker and I know there’s something about elevation involved and all that. Do the toothpick check thing).

There you have it. Go enjoy that deliciousness! Just don’t forget about the part about:

I recently finished the show ‘Workin’ Moms’ on Netflix and thought it was fantastic. The show is about this group of moms who start forming a friendship through a mommy’s group where they share their struggles of motherhood, their growing infants and toddlers, and their professional and personal lives. Their ultimate goal throughout all of life’s chaos was striving to find a sense of self.

So this is my reminder to you to ask yourself, what is your ‘why’?
Because busyness doesn’t measure worthiness.
Because people change their minds like the weather.
Because the time will pass anyways, whether you do it or not.

Take some time to think about it today!

So here I will leave you today with a fun and free workout today to help you along your journey, as my gift to you:

I know this because like you, I have also been in this predicament. Once. Okay, twice. Okay, maybe so many more times than I can count that I can actually write about this. This is my tried and true, go-to plan when it comes to situations like this. Just remember that I’m not a scientist in this stuff. Keep in mind that our intake, hormones, lifestyle, and stressors are all different!

It all starts the moment you leave the house. Mind your posture!
Think about it when you sit in the car or plane, or standing in line for coffee. Not only does improving your posture keep you from aches and pains, but it also gives the appearance of confidence, a strong body structure, and the look of a flatter belly. Besides, if you feel good, you look good! Every. Time.

Execution:
Sit up/stand up straight, as if there was an imaginary string being pulled from the top of your head.
Shoulders are down and away from your ears.
Try to keep your hips parallel to the ground and not tilted, causing an arch in the lower back (a good cue is to keep your rib cage in, and not flared out).

Skip the sangria & sweets.
Okay, maybe not completely, unless you’re super serious about this. If you are among the “must…have…DRINK!!” population, well here’s a word for you that you already know and have heard a thousand times over: moderation.

When it comes to one of my favorite things in life, sugar, that also needs to be moderated (no surprise there). It’s okay to have a treat or two per day, but come on, you know when you’re overdoing it. Don’t ignore it. Just don’t do it. If you’re asking yourself, chances are it’s too much, dude. You’ll thank yourself later (and your gut will too).

Last but not least: HYDRATE.
Put some lemon in your water, maybe some cucumber. Help your body move the sodium, sugar, alcohol, and everything else along that you enjoyed during your vacation. You know to do this! Be kind to your body. Many travel-induced factors lead to dehydration: water retention when flying, eating out at restaurants, and maybe enjoying the homemade cinnamon rolls mother made (not that I’m speaking from personal experience or anything).

Most importantly: HAVE FUN.
By reducing stress in your life, you reduce the stress hormone cortisol. High cortisol levels can lead to weight gain due to increasing blood sugar levels in your bloodstream. Your body then uses this glucose increase for energy, which can then cause cravings for sugary, fatty, processed foods. I can write a whole thing about that, but that would end up being another research paper. That’s the short hand of it though!

Ultimately, enjoy yourselves.
Just don’t over do it on the consumption of all fun things vacation-related (your clothes still have to fit when you get back). So bask in the sun, take that drink in good company, and make some memories.

The fundamentals are everything. They are the building blocks of our own foundation, and what we always retreat to when things get too complicated. Then we’re left wondering, how did things get so complex? All I was trying to do X. Well that’s because somewhere along the way, the basics got “boring” and doing something fancier was going to somehow get us there faster…but what if eventually, it doesn’t?

What are the basics, anyway?
The basics are the important elements of an idea or thing, in its simplest form. Yeah, it sounds pretty vague and general, but do not underestimate this. We all have at some point of our lives, and I admit I have as well.

There’s a reason why football teams bust out “the ol’ playbook” and the play becomes a success. There’s a reason why grandma’s recipes hit our bellies different than one “inspired by” recipe didn’t.
There’s a reason why there’s so many 90s cover songs and remixes made famous by today’s artists, why black coffee is always an option at coffee shops, and why squats are a part of our daily lives.

That’s because the basics were brilliantly executed.

Executing the basics brilliantly
It’s only logical to say that to get good at something, you have to keep doing it.

It’s true! You don’t get good at squatting by doing leg presses. They can strengthen your legs, but it doesn’t mean you have proper mobility for a squat.
You don’t get good at driving by staying at home, and you don’t get good at cooking by ordering take out.
You get where I’m going with this.

Practicing the basics and then excelling at it is what makes you better; by being smart with your time and investing that into mastering the basics is the brilliant move to go. With that, you’ll also need to put in hard work.

Putting in the hard work
I shouldn’t have to explain this, but it could be the reason why things get complicated in the first place: lack of effort. Not everyone receives handouts or can buy themselves out of things, and even if they could, would they be more resourceful?
Could they learn about longer-lasting concepts such as discipline?
Self-control?
Problem solving?

There’s a lesson in putting in hard work and it’s different for everyone. Whatever this lesson will be for you, make sure you use it to help you grow. Then, use it to help others grow.

So if you’re ever wondering why something isn’t working the way it should, think about how much of the basics are put into it. Identify them, execute them smartly, and put in the work. Don’t make things more complicated than they are. Enhance them, but don’t change them.

But then…

You have a choice: to pursue your workout or go home. This is where the 10-minute rule plays its part.

Put a 10-minute timer on and just move. Dance, do a warm-up, put some music on and do what feels good for 10 minutes. After the time is up and you still aren’t motivated enough to continue, then stop and know that you would have at least moved your body for a little bit already. If you’re feelin’ it after 10 minutes, keep going!

It’s okay to go home, but it’s not okay to refuse yourself that chance to change things around. I find that you can do this in many other scenarios in life, and not just in lifting. If you can just give yourself 10 minutes to move yourself in a positive direction, it can really change your perspective on things. As I said, you have a choice. So flex that mental muscle and give yourself 10 minutes! If you can’t do that, how about with 60 seconds?

The balancing of life and exercise is one of the many things we all try to find (or maybe haven’t found yet). Sometimes the life side of the equation can look or be made into an excuse to not find time for the gym, while the exercise side of it can feel like a chore. Why not put exercise as a priority, and make it an appointment for yourself! Without having to write a dissertation of the subject, I’ll put in a short and sweet snippet for you.

Here are some of the ways I incorporate the two so that they complement each other, making it all about a lifestyle and not a temporary phase part of my life:

• Schedule in the family calendar my 1-hour to 1.5 hour gym time. If I need to squeeze in appointments at the time I have my gym time, I reschedule it immediately or commit to a home workout. Low impact doesn’t mean low intensity! Even if it’s just 10 minutes, getting into the habit of a workout when you were supposed to does wonders to your mental and physical health.
• Have something in the crockpot to be ready by dinner (or even pre-made the day before). I think people forget that they have one – I know I did! I also recently started using my Ninja Foodi since it also doubles as a pressure cooker and gets it done even faster. I hug it each time I open the lid and see that the frozen chicken 20 minutes ago is now shredded chicken which I can now use for tacos or a dip.
• Order or schedule a pickup for your groceries, like yesterday. This is a huge time saver since you won’t be shuffling around the store for an alternative if they don’t have the good Kerry Gold butter. For me, it’s the lollygagging around looking at every single thing and smelling every single new scent of air freshener and candles that are out. I swear it’s another form of therapy. It also keeps you in check though! Did you happen to get sticky fingers and put a candy bar or bag of chips that you weren’t supposed to have in the cart? NO because it’s staring at you right in the face in YOUR CART. It also saves money in a way that the cart total reality sets in and you’re like uhhhh do I need these? HA! I digress.

So these ideas are the main things I rely on when it comes to life being all crazy-like and I need to make time for the gym. Don’t underestimate this! Even though it’s Friday, this is still good food for thought, and something all of you already know but may have forgotten. Have a great weekend and make good choices!

And remember: Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Choose to be better.

I’m so happy you’re here! Stay tuned to this page. This will be filled with any and all things lifting and life, nutrition and recovery, and more! You won’t wanna miss it.