Virtually lost in #fitspo land? Fitness apps and booming virtual training programs are all designed to make exercising easier and more fun. There is your Instagram feed too, which may be full of #fitspo (fitness inspiration). If you are tired of random workouts or exercising with household items, you might have considered fitness apps as an option. They have many advantages, offering a huge variety of workouts and plans to the point of choice paradox: more is not always better. I’m all for flexible workouts that fit your schedule, but an App alone won’t do the trick. Personally, after getting lost in a sea of options, I ended up with…

Sleep is the new luxury mask A solid goodnight sleep is the new luxury mask. Sleep is so important for many biological functions but can easily fall down the priority list. It allows the body to repair itself and is essential for muscle recovery after a workout. Next to sleep comes body nourishment: a way of eating for health and wellness, unlike the “dieting” way of eating so rooted in our mentalities. Movement comes third on the scale of things. Because movement without good sleep and good nutrition is a recipe for exhaustion. A bedtime routine can give your body signals that it is time to wind down: flipping, reading,…

My goals for 2021? A few years ago, I would have said: losing the baby fat in my midsection tops the list. I used to train for changing my appearance. My goals were driven by how much I hated my tummy or that stubborn fat here and there. Now, I train for health. I still think that my midsection needs to shrink, but I am coming at it from a place of understanding. I know the reason why it is still there, and my body and I, are working on it. It is fine to have physical goals if you want your body to look a certain way, as long…

Have you been down that road? Gym memberships tend to rise every January as people try to fulfill their New Year’s resolution to live a healthier life or lose weight. Yet for most, it doesn’t last and only a fraction is still attending the gym by the end of the year. The classic scenario: join on January 1st, work hard for a month or so to get results, then get frustrated by the lack thereof, see commitment dwindle, and quit. New Year’s resolutions are good. But a completely blinkered view that they will come true with big drastic changes and overnight transformations is less than healthy. In a world where…

How do you burn energy ? Everything you do burns energy. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) burns up to 70% of the body’s energy. The rest comes from NEAT, TEF, and EAT. There are many nuances to this topic, but to keep it simple: around 20% of energy is burned through physical activity, which goes on all day long. Energy expenditure is impacted by hormones. Personally, understanding my hormones and how my body is affected by exercise, in addition to the function of major endocrine glands, plus the impact of nutrition, was a huge ‘aha’ moment. I understood what was creating havoc in my metabolism, and how to start healing. And…

Voguing and yoga combined will give you VOGA. After so many yoga trends, from dog yoga to naked yoga, VOGA tops the list as the latest yoga style the 21st century has yet to offer. The brainchild of Juliet Murell, fashion and film-set designer turned yoga instructor, who wanted more fun into her practice. It falls into an interesting trend mixing exercise with entertainment and hedonism: engaging in health and well-being in a have-it-all kind of way, putting healthy habits alongside fun. Yoga dates back to some 2,500 years, but as it became more mainstream, new styles and practices have emerged. Personally, I am more of a classical yogi (call…

My workout routine is a sacred part of my day. It brings me balance and mental clarity. The music is an important part of my workout. I motivate my ears for 15 minutes warming up before I start. And the songs keep flowing. Good music can take your mood (and workout) to higher and more fun places. Listening to music releases happy hormones (endorphins) into the brain, which help stay focused and positively impact our immune system. Without music, civilization as we know it would crumble, and the spaghetti monster would climb out of its bottomless pit to claim our wretched souls. What I am trying to say is, a…

Building muscle as a female is challenging and takes a loooooot of time and dedication. Sure, if you browse, you will find muscular and shredded women out there. But the only way to become “hulk-like” is through performance enhancing drugs. 9 out of 10 would be taking something to look that way. However, because bulking up is the biggest myth about women and weight training, few choose the gym’s free weight area to train. But if you want to reshape your body, it’s important to realize that you need to build some muscles to do that, and not only loose fat to achieve the “look”. After having seen the pure…

The fitness industry is full of noise and confusing fitness talk with lots of mixed messages and potentially damaging information. Whether promoting big drastic changes with quick-fix workouts to become “beach ready”, or “before-after” scoops for sculpting the perfect physique. It also has a fair share of unreasonable “body positive” talk, random workout feeds, and images showing bodies perfectly posed, angled, or filtered, reflecting a false reality.…They sometimes oversimplify things to a point where it is no longer relatable. There is no ultimate 8- or 12-weeks program that will make your fitness dreams come true because your body is unique in so many ways. Your workout practice is also that.…

Performance goals are the objectives you set yourself focusing on what your body could do instead of how you want it to look. This is not to say that you shouldn’t have aesthetic goals. What it means, is to shift the focus on performance and strength instead of appearance objectives. Find something you want to get better at, or a new physical skill you want to learn. Instead of exercising just to burn calories, loose fat, or sculpt that 6pack. Moving with performance intention will help you connect with your body in new ways and build appreciation for all that it can do, not just what it looks like. Going…