I’ve got an awesome yoga for flexibility flow for you today!

Introducing the amazing Coach Karen, who is sharing a full body flow that will build strength and flexibility, leaving you feeling grounded, strong, and centered.

Coach Karen is a yoga instructor YTT 200; YTT 500; and a Team Betty Rocker Coach inside of Rock Your Life – my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

Yoga is great to include in a balanced training plan as it opens up space around the joints, connects your body and mind, and improves muscle tissue health. The mindful movements we do in a yoga session help support muscle recovery at a lower impact than some of our more intense sessions, and create the perfect balance in your exercise plan.

All of our challenges in Rock Your Life include yoga, stretching so you can improve your mobility and flexibility while building strength and cardiovascular health.

Now join Coach Karen and let’s go!

Love having workouts you can do ANYWHERE, ANYTIME – and a well-designed plan to follow so you get the BEST RESULTS?  Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Great job Rockstar! I’m so proud of you for showing up for yourself today.

Be sure to check in below with me and Coach Karen and let us know how you liked the workout and what move was your favorite!

Rock your workouts in style this season with our new designs, hot off the press!

We’ve got new styles, new colors, more sizes and new designs – with limited quantities of each, so get them while supplies last!

The post Yoga for Full Body Flexibility appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Join Coach Angela from Team Betty Rocker for a quick workout to fire up your abs and strengthen your entire core!

Coach Angela is an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, Kickboxing Instructor and Team Betty Rocker Coach.

Building a strong core is important for our posture, stability and overall strength. Workouts like this are an integral part of a balanced training program.

Practicing your form and making sure that you have proper core engagement protects your back, improves posture and alignment, and helps you think about core engagement even as you go through your daily activities.

Check out my free Foundations of Functional Fitness Workshop  to learn different techniques in these 15 minute classes with a focus on functional movements and different variations and modifications you can use.

Now let’s get ready to power through this quick workout with Coach Angela!

If you enjoyed that workout and are looking for a sequenced plan that will make the most of your training time, the Quick Strength and Shred Challenge in Rock Your Life is perfect for you!

This power sculpt challenge will work your entire body, giving you balanced strength circuits combined with fast plyometrics. Plus energizing power yoga and restorative yoga to balance it all out! All in just 15-20 minutes a day!

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

Great job Rockstar! Don’t let anything stop you from taking care of your body in whatever way is right for you today! Check in with Coach Angela and myself to let us know how you’re doing today.

Check out these progress shots from Bailey, a Rock Your Life member who has had amazing, sustainable results over the past 2 years from having a supportive community, and consistent access to workout classes and challenge programs.

“I have been doing Betty Rockers workouts since July of 2020 . Today I took a progress pic just to see how far I have come! The first pic is from 7/2020 and the updated pic is from 05/2022. 40 lbs down.. several inches lost! This workout program along with eating a healthier lifestyle has truly changed my body and mind! I am currently doing the bikini body challenge and it has kicked my butt! If this momma of 3 can do it, so can you!!”  -Bailey  A.

Take YOUR fitness to the next level – without having to leave your house!

Grab a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life and get access to….

• Dozens of 30-day Challenge plans, complete with interactive calendars and daily email push to keep you on track – you can take a new challenge every month if you like, or go at your own pace and take as long as you like to do any challenge!
• 5 new workout classes a week that you can do from home for variety and fun! Drop in on your schedule – they’re all loaded right into your workout library to use anytime in case you’re not taking a challenge or just want to swap a workout around.
• Choose any workout from the Class Library by body part you want to train, how much time you have and workout style – with over 1300 classes you’ll never be short of motivation to get your workout in!
• Support from me and the Team Betty Rocker coaches, plus the other amazing women in our community in our private support group so you can check in and share the journey, make new friends, and get your questions answered!

The post Quick Core Burn appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Let’s build strength and work our lower body with this focused, low-impact (but highly effective) workout!

Don’t let “low impact” fool you- this workout will challenge your muscles and leave you feeling strong and sculpted no matter your fitness level.

To up the intensity in any workout (even while moving at a steady pace) add more resistance. You can start with gravity and your own bodyweight, and then work your way up to using dumbbells or other weighted objects.

If you’re ready to play around with weight, I’ll be inviting you to try out different amounts of weight in this workout and challenge yourself within a rep range.

This is a fun way to build your confidence in how much you can lift and will help you increase your strength by challenging your muscles with a heavier load. This workout is just like the workouts in our ROCKSTAR STRONG CHALLENGE inside of Rock Your Life, so if you enjoy this style, check us out and grab a 30 day trial (that’s enough time to take an ENTIRE challenge, on me!).

Let’s get right into it!

If you enjoyed that workout and are looking for a sequenced plan that will make the most of your training time, the Rockstar Strong Challenge in Rock Your Life is perfect for you!

This challenge will progressively build strength and work your entire body, giving you balanced strength, complimented by energizing kickboxing classes, a quick core shred and a power yoga class. Follow it up with Rockstar Strong 2 to really build on the momentum and strength you’ve gained!

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

Amazing job Rockstar! I am so proud of you for showing up today! Check in and let me know how you liked the workout and anything else you want to share – I love hearing from you.

Check out these progress shots from Kamilla, a Rock Your Life member who has had amazing, sustainable results over the past 3 years from having a supportive community, and consistent access to workout classes and challenge programs.

“I just took a look at my overall destination-less journey over 3 years yesterday and did new side by side comparisons from 3 years ago to this year. I owe it ALL to Betty Rocker. My muse, my voice of positivity, kindness and reason in my most difficult moments of commitment. All or something ladies, not all or nothing. Bree, without your slow, gentle, kind ways of eliciting sustainable behavior change that is driven from the inside out, I would not be who I am today.”

Take YOUR fitness to the next level – without having to leave your house!

Grab a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life and get access to….

• Dozens of 30-day Challenge plans, complete with interactive calendars and daily email push to keep you on track – you can take a new challenge every month if you like, or go at your own pace and take as long as you like to do any challenge!
• 5 new workout classes a week that you can do from home for variety and fun! Drop in on your schedule – they’re all loaded right into your workout library to use anytime in case you’re not taking a challenge or just want to swap a workout around.
• Choose any workout from the Class Library by body part you want to train, how much time you have and workout style – with over 1000 classes you’ll never be short of motivation to get your workout in!
• Support from me and the Team Betty Rocker coaches, plus the other amazing women in our community in our private support group so you can check in and share the journey, make new friends, and get your questions answered!

The post Low Impact Legs and Booty Sculpt appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Today I’ve got a quick lower body blast that will build strength and endurance and get you all fired up!

Why do resistance training?

• Resistance training (working your body against a force or load) increases your muscular strength.
• Strengthening your muscle tissue boosts your immune system, increases your fat burning potential, supports your joints, and can even improve your sleep!

Why do plyometrics (explosive cardio)?

• Plyometrics are sometimes called “reactive training” as in how your body reacts to the ground.
• Explosive jumping moves like these in short bursts are a great way to load and strengthen your muscles and support your joint health – plus boost your cardiovascular capacity.

If you happen to be a woman over 40, these 2 types of training are especially beneficial for you in supporting muscle development and fat loss, and they’re great for women of all ages.

PRO TIP: One thing that will help you strengthen your muscle tissue, experience less soreness and feel energized throughout your day is consuming enough protein.

Protein is a key nutrient that supports cognitive function, hormone and enzyme function, your immune system, AND muscle protein synthesis!

When you’re having a busy day, making a quick protein shake with my delicious Chocolate Protein Powder can help ensure you’re getting enough of this important nutrient – alongside your whole food meals.

Now grab some items for resistance – like water bottles, laundry jugs or dumbbells and let’s get right to it!

If you enjoyed that workout and are looking for a sequenced plan that will make the most of your training time, the Quick Strength and Shred Challenge in Rock Your Life is perfect for you!

This power sculpt challenge will work your entire body, giving you balanced strength circuits combined with fast plyometrics. Plus energizing power yoga and restorative yoga to balance it all out! All in just 15-20 minutes a day!

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

How do you feel after that workout? Check in with me and let me know and tell me one way you are taking care of your body today.

Looking for support and a consistent plan to follow? Check out what Rock Your Life, (my home workout studio and women’s fitness community) has to offer! I’m so proud of Cylee for what she’s accomplished as she’s been rocking her fitness journey for the past 2 years!

“I’ve been hanging out on the down low being inspired by you all! These results are a two year journey, but I wanted to share them because I think too often we give up on ourselves because we are not seeing results immediately. At least that’s how I’ve been. Lol Anything WORTH doing takes time! It takes consistency. It takes determination.

Betty Rocker is my favorite so far. I highly recommend her programs and products.
The feature where they Email you your workout every morning is freaking genius! It literally gives me something to look forward to. I love her and all the coaches!” – Cylee B. Rock Your Life member.

One-off workouts are great, but having a PLAN to follow is even better!

Join my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community, Rock Your Life, and get access to 30-day Challenges, a powerful support network unlike any other, new workout classes added every week you can do from the comfort of your own home – and share the journey while we help you reach your goals!

Click Here to get a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life!

The post Lower Body Power Blast appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Ready to work your entire body today in just 25 minutes? Join Coach Neesha for this awesome total body strength building workout.

Coach Neesha is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach.

We’ll be starting off with full body strength-building circuit, and finishing with a quick tabata (high intensity cardio in just 4 minutes).

Your workout doesn’t have to be an hour long or any set amount of time, to be effective. I’m all about the “all or something” approach and remembering that it’s okay to go at your own pace without pressuring yourself to get it all done at a certain time or in a certain way.

This workout is a great one to do from home or in the gym with simple equipment like dumbbells, or you could use any weighted objects you have around the house like water jugs, laundry jugs or anything you can easily hold onto.

Check out tons of more fun workout classes in the class library in Rock Your Life, plus start your next workout plan! We’ve got dozens of challenges, great support and everything you need to get on track and stay there! Grab a trial right here!

Now join Coach Neesha and let’s get right to it!

If you enjoyed that workout and are looking for a sequenced plan that will make the most of your training time, the Quick Strength and Shred Challenge in Rock Your Life is perfect for you!

This power sculpt challenge will work your entire body, giving you balanced strength circuits combined with fast plyometrics. Plus energizing power yoga and restorative yoga to balance it all out! All in just 15-20 minutes a day!

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

Be sure to check in today and let me and Coach Neesha know when you do your workout. Always looking forward to hearing how you’re doing, and any questions you have!

Share this post with a friend who loves working out!

Check out these progress shots from Bailey, a Rock Your Life member who has had amazing, sustainable results over the past 2 years from having a supportive community, and consistent access to workout classes and challenge programs.

“I have been doing Betty Rockers workouts since July of 2020 . Today I took a progress pic just to see how far I have come! The first pic is from 7/2020 and the updated pic is from 05/2022. 40 lbs down.. several inches lost! This workout program along with eating a healthier lifestyle has truly changed my body and mind! I am currently doing the bikini body challenge and it has kicked my butt! If this momma of 3 can do it, so can you!!” 

Take YOUR fitness to the next level – without having to leave your house!

Grab a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life and get access to….

• Dozens of 30-day Challenge plans, complete with interactive calendars and daily email push to keep you on track – you can take a new challenge every month if you like, or go at your own pace and take as long as you like to do any challenge!
• 5 new workout classes a week that you can do from home for variety and fun! Drop in on your schedule – they’re all loaded right into your workout library to use anytime in case you’re not taking a challenge or just want to swap a workout around.
• Choose any workout from the Class Library by body part you want to train, how much time you have and workout style – with over 1300 classes you’ll never be short of motivation to get your workout in!
• Support from me and the Team Betty Rocker coaches, plus the other amazing women in our community in our private support group so you can check in and share the journey, make new friends, and get your questions answered!

The post Total Body Power Sculpt appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Today we’re working on strong, sculpted legs! This 20-minute power workout will build strength and endurance and really bring the burn!

This workout is actually Day 1 of the Quick Strength and Shred Challenge which I just released in Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community. (You can grab a 30-day trial right here!)

We’ll be starting off with strength-building moves that will target your legs and glutes and finishing up with a quick tabata to get your heart rate up and trigger fat loss.

I encourage you to take these moves at your own pace, focusing on proper alignment and engagement to get the most out of every bit of this quick and sweaty workout.

Now grab some items for resistance – like water bottles, laundry jugs or dumbbells and let’s get right into this quick workout!

If you enjoyed that workout and are looking for a sequenced plan that will make the most of your training time, the Quick Strength and Shred Challenge in Rock Your Life is perfect for you!

This power sculpt challenge will work your entire body, giving you balanced strength circuits combined with fast plyometrics. Plus energizing power yoga and restorative yoga to balance it all out! All in just 15-20 minutes a day!

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

You rocked that workout, I’m so proud of you! Check in with me and let me know how you are taking care of your body today.

Krystal was so glad she joined us in Rock Your Life – especially when she looked back over her progress over 6 challenges and saw she had lost 30 pounds and gained a group of friends along the way with the resources and support she found in Rock Your Life.

I’d love to see YOU inside Rock Your Life where you’ll have access to:

• Dozens of 30 day Challenge programs that you can start, stop, and re-use as many times as you like! Choose to get daily emails to support you on your journey!
• Over 1200 home workout classes to choose from by length of time, type of workout, body part trained and more so you can stop, drop and Betty Rock anytime, anywhere!
• Over 300 healthy, delicious Betty Rocker recipes!
• Our private women’s fitness community where you can make new friends, and get support from me and the Team Betty Rocker coaches as you check in for your workouts!

Take it for a Test Drive with a 30-Day Trial!

The post 20-Minute Lower Body Power Sculpt appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to The Betty Rocker Show, the place to be to nourish your mind, love your body, and rock your life.

Join me and functional medicine practitioner Dr. Jill Carnahan as we take a look at some of the root causes of fat gain she sees in her practice that people don’t often expect.

Dr. Jill has been on the podcast before – you may remember her from our in depth conversation about mold and how to test for and treat it (Season 2, Episode 2). I’m happy to report that under her care I have cleared it from my system (a 3 year journey) and am functioning once more at my best.

Today we’re checking in about my recovery and talking about some of the many underlying triggers that cause weight gain. Hear who is a good candidate for intermittent fasting (and who isn’t) plus more on hormone health, some insights on how to read labs, recommendations for adaptogenic herb use, and so much more!

From her site:

“Since my childhood, I have always been passionate about seeking answers to complex problems. I grew up on a farm, witnessing firsthand the resilience of life in the face of difficulty.

I decided to become a doctor because I strongly believed in the capacity of the human body to heal and overcome even the most dire circumstances – if given the right tools.”

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Welcoming back Dr. Jill Carnahan (0:034)

• Checking in on how her mold treatment of me has resolved and where I’m at
• Listen to our first episode together, all about mold, testing for it and treating it
• The background of symptoms I noticed when this started

Root causes of weight gain from environmental toxins (4:19)

• When you’re doing things right and still not seeing results
• How some toxins block leptin receptors and how this impacts weight gain
• Mold is just one of the environmental toxins that can cause weight gain
• Why the body stores fat when it’s dealing with a toxic burden

How your adrenals can be at the root cause of weight gain (7:42)  

• How your adrenal glands work
• The master regulator: the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis)
• How too much stimulation produces too much cortisol
• Signs of dysregulated cortisol
• How the adrenal glands support your hydration levels and blood sugar levels and why this is important

Thyroid dysregulation and how it can cause weight gain (9:31)

• Reviewing the triggering events that can overwhelm the stress response: NUTS
• NUTS: Novelty, unpredictability, threats, and sense of control
• The horse and cart analogy: adrenals and thyroid working together
• Why treating just the thyroid alone doesn’t always lead to the outcome we are hoping for

What Dr. Jill looks for when reading lab values using thyroid and cortisol as an example (16:40)

• What kind of thyroid panel to order
• Which markers to look at
• Why “ranges of normal” might not tell the whole story
• Timing for cortisol testing
• Why working with a functional medicine doctor helps you see the big picture and address root cause

Today’s podcast is brought to you by ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and uplifting women’s fitness community where you can enjoy programs and challenges to build strength for consistent, sustainable progress. Enjoy new classes each week, healthy recipes, a private women’s only support community and MORE!

New members can get a 30-Day Trial RIGHT HERE!

How does a dysregulated thyroid cause weight gain? (20:03)

• How the thyroid works to regulate our metabolism
• Why not eating enough causes weight gain

When does Dr. Jill recommend fasting, and who is it good for from her perspective as a doctor? (22:21)

• Why not everyone needs to fast (or use a ketogenic diet)
• The specific subset who can benefit from these dietary strategies
• How these dietary interventions help those with specific medical conditions
• Learning more about insulin resistance
• Why applying a strategy that works for those with a medical condition isn’t always the answer for everyone

Dr. Jill’s personal experience with IF from years ago (25:29)

• Combining daily HIIT training with her intermittent fasting
• How she was putting on body fat
• The advice Dr. Jill got from another practitioner
• How medical training doesn’t prepare doctors for the physiological impact of dietary and exercise strategies
• What happened when Dr. Jill dropped the intense daily cardio and swapped it for more resistance training
• What happened as she started fueling and stopped fasting

Strategic cardiovascular exercise is great, excess cardio is not so great (27:48)

• Training in balance with both resistance training and HIIT in their proper place as opposed to cardio all the time
• The importance of balancing that with the nutritional component, stress reduction and sleep
• How many women I see who come to me burned out and overtrained with bad messaging from diet culture
• Why I love walking and how it helps with fat loss

Why your doctor shouldn’t necessarily be telling you how to eat and train (28:49)

• Doctors are not trained on nutrition in medical school
• A medical doctor with training prescribing intermittent fasting or the ketogenic diet for a specific medical concern would be checking regularly on bloodwork and seeing the impact of these strategies on glucose levels, stress response and more

The importance of looking at body composition (muscle to fat ratio), not just “weight loss” (29:48)

• Why adding muscle isn’t “gaining weight”
• Shifting the focus away from weight loss and more toward overall health and strength
• Training smarter, not harder
• Comprehensive content about training strategies to shift body composition for different stages of life including training with your cycle, training in peri and post menopause can be found in this post

Women specific hormone considerations (32:09)

• Women have a complex hormone system compared to men
• The adrenals and a young woman’s cycle
• What happens with the adrenals in peri and post menopause
• Why we need to be gentler with ourselves in the later life stage and avoid cortisol spikes
• The importance of specific fueling and training strategies for women in peri and post menopause

The catabolic vs anabolic state (36:16)

• What a catabolic state is and what it breaks down
• How cortisol is connected to catabolism
• What an anabolic state is
• The importance of staying in touch with our bodies
• Putting all the pieces together

Adaptogenic herbs and how Dr. Jill recommends using them in her practice (38:42)

• General recommendations for those in their 20’s and 30’s with bad PMS, weight gain symptoms, or fertility boost
• General recommendations for those in their 40’s and 50’s with low estrogen and progesterone
• How recycling and processing estrogen is important for reducing cancer risk
• Recommendations for hot flashes
• Recommendations for adrenal support
• My own experience with adaptogens
• Blog post: 6 Adaptogens that support hormone balance 

How to connect with Dr. Jill Carnahan and her work (42:32)

• Dr Jill’s website and blog articles
• Dr. Jill has a new book coming out in February 2023
• Dr. Jill’s instagram

I teach you all of this in my challenge programs in Rock Your Life. We have everything from foundational bodyweight challenge programs, to challenges that include dumbbells and simple home workout equipment, all the way up to weight training challenges that you do with heavier weight, and I teach you all the progressions.

We have many conversations about women’s health topics inside Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community. In my regular office hours I’m able to connect with the members and answer their questions and share more information that relates to them specifically.

If you’re not a member yet, I highly encourage you to join us, you can get a 30 day trial and come see what you’ve been missing.

I’ve got a huge class library with over 1000 classes of all types, including foundational bodyweight strength training, workouts where you can add in some simple home workout equipment like dumbbells and stretchy bands, all the way up to heavier weight training classes.

There are barre classes, yoga classes, mobility classes, plyometrics and circuit. Plus I’ve got dozens of guided workout challenges to give you the perfect sequence to progress through. I see incredible stories every day from my Rock Your life home gym members, and being able to support them in our private women’s fitness community alongside the Team Betty Rocker coaches is a wonderful experience.

I encourage you to grab that 30 day trial so you can see what it’s all about and take your time enjoying everything I have to offer without any pressure or obligation.

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too!

Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast
player to be alerted when new shows drop!

ABOUT THE BETTY ROCKER SHOW:

Join me for open and thought provoking discussions about health, fitness, and how to stop undermining ourselves – and start taking meaningful action that makes us role models to others…

….and, listen in on my intimate conversations with amazing thought leaders, health care professionals, athletes and celebrities to learn their secrets and insights for overcoming life’s challenges, living longer, healthier, stronger and more #flawsome lives.

New shows are released every other week during Season 2 of The Betty Rocker Show.

Subscribe on your favorite player today!

The post S2 – 15: Hidden Causes of Weight Gain with Dr. Jill Carnahan appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Looking for an awesome upper body burn today? Coach Amanda from Team Betty Rocker has you covered with a fast and effective elimination round workout. If you’ve never tried this type of workout, you’re going to have so much fun!

Coach Amanda is a NASM and NESTA Certified Personal Trainer, Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, TRX Qualified Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach in Rock Your Life.

One of the many reasons I love workouts like this one is because you can get maximum benefit in a short period of time. And my favorite way to make the most of a workout is by incorporating resistance training and high intensity movements.

This workout is a great one to do from home or in the gym with simple equipment like dumbbells, or any weighted objects you have around the house like water jugs, laundry jugs or anything you can easily hold onto.

Coach Amanda will be offering lots of options so you can make it your own! As always, listen for the form cues so you can stay tuned into your body and pace yourself through the workout.

Join her and let’s get right to it! 

One-off workouts are great, but having a plan to follow is even better! Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Amazing job! Be sure to check in  Coach Amanda and me below and let us know how you liked this workout and what move was your favorite.

Looking for a well-balanced workout plan with variety, accountability and support for your fitness journey? I’ve got you covered!

Check out ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

We’ve got dozens of 30 day Challenge plans to choose from so you always have a plan, hundreds of workouts in our class library so you’re never bored, and so much support for you in our private support group!

Check out Voni’s amazing progress after just 1 year with me…

“1 year ago I pressed play to day 1 of Betty Rockers Make Fat Cry free 30 day program. I almost died by the way.  Today I am on day 5 of my 11th challenge.
What I found was a health program that I LOVE! Thank you coaches! After the 30 day challenge, I joined you here on Rock your Life and as a result met the greatest bunch of inspirational ladies ever!

Thank you rockstars!
And of course a 1 year #rockiversary called for progress photos.

Sharing progress photos because I experienced so much inspiration from others sharing theirs. I ALWAYS used them as motivation and NEVER for comparison. Here is to motivation and inspiration!”

– Voni H, Rock Your Life member

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

Can’t wait to see you there!

The post Upper Body Burn Elimination Rounds appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Today I have a super fun, full body ladder workout that builds strength and endurance! If you haven’t tried a ladder-style workout before, you’ll soon see why it’s such a blast! I have a great sequence that we’ll keep building on as we go.

This workout format is a very popular training style in Rock Your Life (my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community) – it’s challenging, it’s fun, and it’s EFFECTIVE!

The best way to get the most out of your workouts is to support your body with healthy whole foods. If you want a little support, check out my awesome 30 Day Challenge Meal Plan for healthy, balanced recipes, grocery lists, and a daily plan to help you cover all your bases and get the best results!

Now join me for this awesome workout and let’s go!

Great job with today’s workout! Now let’s get you a plan to put workouts like this together in a complete sequence, like the Eat Clean Train Mean Challenge. It will work your entire body plus it incorporates weekly nutrition tips and guidance.

Take it for a Test Drive with a 30-Day Trial!

Be sure to check in today and let me know when you do your workout! Always looking forward to hearing how you’re doing, and any questions you have!

Share this post with a friend who loves working out!

Need some help with healthy eating? 

My 30-Day Challenge Meal Plan comes with a 4-week daily menu, healthy recipe cookbook, grocery lists and a bonus dessert cookbook so you can enjoy a totally balanced lifestyle!

Check out a day of my eating from this program!

There are so many delicious, easy and healthy recipes…

The 30 Day Challenge Meal Plan includes all the recipes and grocery lists for breakfasts, smoothies, sides, snacks and entrees for 4 full weeks – with plenty of delicious options and structure to help you eat right for YOUR life!

Check out everything included in the 30 Day Challenge Meal Plan right here, and let me make your life easier!

The post Full Body Ladder Workout appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

I’ve got an awesome abs and booty burn for you today! Join Coach Nikki for this barre flow that will work your lower body and your core, leaving you feeling grounded, strong, and centered!

Coach Nikki is a yoga instructor ERYT200, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, a Mat Pilates Instructor and a Team Betty Rocker Coach inside of Rock Your Life – my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

I love this type of training because it’s a low impact workout that will help sculpt lean flexible muscle while also working on strength and balance.

To get the most out of this workout, focus on your breath, posture, and core stability throughout the moves. Coach Nikki will be giving you lots of form cues and modifications as you go, and if you’re looking for more on stabilizing and activating key muscle groups, be sure to check out my Foundations of Functional Fitness free online workshop.

The burn is real so do as much as you can, take breaks when you need to and remember it’s #allorsomething! With no equipment needed this is the perfect workout to do anywhere, anytime.

Join Coach Nikki and let’s get started!

Did you enjoy this workout? Then you will LOVE workouts like this formatted into a balanced plan in the Raise The Barre Challenge inside of Rock Your Life!

The Raise The Barre Challenge is a low-impact, high energy challenge that incorporates my favorite barre-style workouts with yoga flows. If you are looking for increased flexibility, booty building, core work and intensity without the impact, this is the challenge for you!

Great job Rockstar! I’m so proud of you for showing up for yourself today.

Be sure to check in below with me and Coach Nikki and let us know how you liked the workout and what move was your favorite!

Check out this awesome progress Denise, a Rock Your Life member, shared over the course of JUST 2 MONTHS and 2 challenges!

Looking for a plan to help you reach YOUR goals?

You’re invited to Rock Your Body AND Your Life…

…in my epic home gym that has new classes every week, 30-day Challenges to keep you on track with a program, your own personal workout library, over 300 healthy recipes, an exclusive support group, access to the Team Betty Rocker coaches, and so much more!

Can’t wait to see you there!

The post Abs and Booty Barre Burn appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Today I have a workout to strengthen your entire body with simple equipment.

This workout is made up of 2 supersets to work your body from head to toe and will focus on a combo of resistance training and plyo/explosive cardio moves to really maximize your time and effort.

Want to learn more about how these 2 types of training support your body composition during your regular cycling years, and in peri and post menopause?

Read the newest post: Shifting the Muscle to Fat Ratio: Women-Specific Body Composition Considerations

As we go through time, maintaining (or increasing) our muscular strength is essential so we can be stronger, enjoy a healthy metabolism, and prevent the loss of mobility, bone density, and energy that come with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular movement.

When we focus on strengthening, growing and preserving our muscle tissue, we start training, eating and resting in smarter ways, ways that go beyond aesthetics and support our long-term health – and as an added bonus, frequently have an aesthetic result as a natural byproduct.

I recommend using high quality supplements in addition to a balanced whole food diet for best results. During this workout I’m drinking Rock and Restore my essential amino acid formula, out of my “Love Your Body” shaker bottle .

Now let’s get right to it and build strength together!

Awesome job with that workout! One of the many resources you’ll have access to in Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community, is the extensive class library with over 1200 workout classes like this one. With 5 new classes added each week, there’s always something to look forward to!

Plus you also have access to many other types of classes, from warm-up and cool-down stretches, to restorative yoga, pilates, mobility, mindset and more! Here’s one I recorded to complement this full body workout.

Enjoy this quick full body cool-down stretch, designed to go with today’s workout:

I hope you enjoyed that workout! I love one-off workouts, but having a plan to follow is so much more effective. Join us in Rock Your Life for the Bikini Body Challenge and have a plan to follow for the next 30 days and beyond.

Grab a 30 day trial today and start rocking your challenge from absolutely anywhere!

You rocked that workout! Be sure to check in and let me know how you’re doing today – I love hearing from you!

Krystal was so glad she joined us in Rock Your Life – especially when she looked back over her progress over 6 challenges and saw she had lost 30 pounds and gained a group of friends along the way with the resources and support she found in Rock Your Life.

I’d love to see YOU inside Rock Your Life where you’ll have access to:

• Dozens of 30 day Challenge programs that you can start, stop, and re-use as many times as you like! Choose to get daily emails to support you on your journey!
• Over 1200 home workout classes to choose from by length of time, type of workout, body part trained and more so you can stop, drop and Betty Rock anytime, anywhere!
• Over 300 healthy, delicious Betty Rocker recipes!
• Our private women’s fitness community where you can make new friends, and get support from me and the Team Betty Rocker coaches as you check in for your workouts!

Take it for a Test Drive with a 30-Day Trial!

The post Strong Body Workout Blast appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

I. The research has been skewed and gender biased for too long

Many women I talk to are still subscribing to outdated myths about training and are stuck in an “exercise more, eat less” mentality that is robbing them of the strong, healthy body they deserve from the effort and time they put into their training.

I want to clarify from the start of this article that I’m aware of and respect that people have different goals for their physique and different lifestyle practices they are comfortable with, and that what I am focused on in this post is helping you better understand how your body works so you can become physically stronger, more capable and confident, and enjoy a high quality life in a functional body at every age.

It’s time to bust some myths and give you the information you need to support your body’s process of getting stronger and healthier so you can stop undermining all the effort you put in with diet culture myths or strategies that come from research done on men, not women.

The changes we go through in life in our incredible female bodies – from puberty to menopause and everything in between – deserves attention and understanding. We are often on our own figuring everything out with so much scientific research in the past being done on men only, and the perception of a woman’s cycle as “too complex” (1).

This gender biased research means many (fortunately not all) doctors and other professionals fail to address women’s hormone concerns adequately, dismiss their concerns entirely by suggesting “it’s just part of the aging process” or “it’s in your head” or suggest strategies that fail to address the root cause of the issues. 

When researching this post for example, I found the lack of female representation in research studies appalling. It is only in recent years that women have been included more frequently, and yet even in many of the studies that included women there was rarely any differentiation in phases of the menstrual cycle, or attention to women at different stages of life. And even less that examined women of different cultures and ethnicities to explain how women from different backgrounds might experience things like peri menopause, strength gains and fueling needs.

As a result, generalizations are made because of the design of the research studies. No wonder it has been challenging for us to get good, relevant information that works for us! I will present to you what I have learned from what is currently available, but I too am still looking for more. See recommendations for follow up at the end of this article.

II. Common issues I hear women struggling with – do any of these apply to you?

III. Understanding that body composition is NOT “your weight on the scale”

Due to over-focus on “weight loss” many women are more focused on seeing a scale number go down rather than on how they can lose body fat and increase lean mass (2)(3).

If we take a closer look at body composition, we can shift this mentality and start to understand why even when we sometimes lose “weight” doing fad diets it comes right back, and that we’re sacrificing our valuable muscle tissue in an effort to lose this “weight”(4).

Weight on the scale measures overall body weight, which includes muscle, bone, water at the time of weighing, body fat and all the body tissues combined. Because many of these factors are variable (have you eaten, how much water are you retaining, what time of the month is it, have you had a bowel movement today), it’s more ideal to measure the composition of fat and muscle tissue on the body rather than body weight alone, which does not take the ratio of these important tissues into consideration.

Two women, one with more muscle and less fat and one with more fat and less muscle might weigh the exact same number on the scale. But the woman with more muscle will look leaner and more compact, and the woman with more body fat will look thicker.

While a pound of muscle and a pound of fat both weigh one pound, the pound of fat takes up more space than the pound of muscle, due to its structural composition.

This is why taking a closer look at the ratio of muscle to fat on your body matters far more than the “amount you weigh.”

To get a real body composition measurement, ideally you would use a professional method like the DXA scan (dual x ray absorptiometry), air displacement plethysmography (i.e “Bod pod“), bioelectrical impedance measurement (i.e. InBody scan or similar), 3-D body scanner, or other professional body composition measuring test.

However as these are not always readily available, other methods may be useful for self testing, including skin caliper measurements, measurements with a tape measure around the hips, thighs, arms, stomach and chest, and full length photos from the front, side and back wearing the same or similar garments.

While it’s absolutely fine to weigh yourself in addition to these methods when looking for changes, only weighing yourself will give you very little data that speaks to your body composition. Combined with an over focus on “weight loss” along with the cultural expectations of women and their bodies, many women have disordered eating (5), disordered self perception, and are following fad diets, skipping meals, under-eating and overtraining.

They end up constantly down on themselves for their perceived lack of progress, under nourished, stressed-out and set themselves up for unintended health consequences including an increased risk for bone stress injury and cardiovascular disease (6).

This heightened stress state from overtraining and under fueling (not to mention stressing about our weight and every other pressure we feel from societal expectations) elevates our cortisol and increases the inflammatory response, which not only breaks down muscle but also creates fat storage and has a detrimental impact on our mood, energy levels, and long-term metabolic rate and overall health (7).

While some “weight loss” may be observed, this often comes back quickly, and the manner in which the weight is lost has unintended consequences that do little to contribute to a highly functional, strong body. All this focus on our weight and the vicious cycle we get in when we constantly seek shortcuts to lose it can undermine our long-term health and a good quality of life, increase negative self talk, and contribute to the perception that our appearance is the main driver of our value and worth.

While fat loss is a goal that a lot of women have and equate to “weight loss,” not enough women have the goal of gaining or preserving muscle, and as a result they are losing out – especially during the important transition from regular menstruating years to peri and post menopause – a time when the body’s fluctuating estrogen and progesterone signals become irregular and eventually stop, impacting our ability to lose fat and build muscle the same way.

The reason I say we as women are losing out is because muscle is metabolic currency (8). When we focus on strengthening, growing and preserving our muscle tissue, we start training, eating and resting in smarter ways, ways that go beyond aesthetics and support our long-term health – and as an added bonus, frequently have an aesthetic result as a natural byproduct.

I discussed this in depth, along with the ramifications this has on women in a recent podcast with Dr. Stacy Sims, and Rock Your Life member Amanda had this to say about how it impacted her:

Understanding body composition and setting goals with that as a primary focus rather than on weight loss is truly a mindset game changer.

As Amanda points out, this unhealthy focus on having someone else’s idea of a “perfect body” is one of the root causes of the problem that creates so much stress and pressure on women. I want to thank the Rock Your Life members for all the discussions we have had (and continue to have) about these topics, as they have been a tremendous inspiration for me in writing this article and clarifying points that I wanted to make.

IV. Creating an optimal state in the body to drive the results you want

In order to see a body composition change, we need to create an optimal state in the body for our hormones to do their work to support muscle growth and support fat loss. It is not “calories in/calories out” or how many workouts you do vs. how little you eat.

If you are over focused on your workouts as the sole driver of seeing results or losing weight like a lot of women are, it’s easy to get into a “no days off” training mindset. But consider that your workouts are like seeds you are planting, and like any seed you want to see grow and flourish they need to be planted in fertile soil, and have sunlight and rain to grow and thrive.

Your nutrition focus is the fertile soil, and your sleep and stress management are your sunshine and rain. Your workouts will not “take root” and grow a strong body without these other essential components repeated consistently. Too much rain can wash a seed out of the soil, like too much stress can sabotage your results.

I’ll talk more about calories shortly, but suffice to say that you cannot see your body flourish and grow strong if you are constantly restricting your nutrient intake and not paying attention to the quality of the nutrients you eat. Poor quality soil impacts the growth of a plant, just like lack of quality nutrients will impact the efficacy of your workout. A plant grows in the presence of all of these nurturing variables in balance, and it takes a little time.

Your results will never happen without the combination of these actions (Sleep, Nutrition, Stress Management, Exercise) repeated, and you being patient and allowing the results to unfold.

Plants grow faster when they’re given all these resources, and your body will respond when you give it what it needs to thrive as well. That’s why we have what I refer to as the “4 Pillars of Health,” these 4 aspects of your life that only you can control and that work together to create that optimal state in your body.

With more of a focus on eating, sleeping, stress reduction and training to support your energy and valuable muscle tissue, you’ll have an easier time regulating your body composition at every stage of life, and you’ll feel stronger and healthier in the process. You will be less susceptible to advertising for “weight loss products” that prey on culturally created fears of women being undesirable (what a load of garbage).

Having a focus on growing and preserving our muscle, especially as we age is a great idea. Not only does muscle surround and protect our joints and organs, it secretes protective cytokines which boost your immune response during contraction (9) (10).

On the aesthetic front (how we look), muscle is dense and compact so as you add it to your frame you will become physically smaller and have a more toned appearance as discussed above. We burn more fat more easily when we’re more muscular (11), and that valuable muscle tissue has other protective benefits to our bodies as well. You’ll be physically stronger, enjoy a more robust immune response (9), and boost your sense of capability and confidence.

Focusing on muscle, and training strategies to grow it will not necessarily “bulk you up.” Here is a great example from Meg, a Rock Your Life member. We can clearly read about and see how she has shifted her body composition to be more muscular, and broken up with her scale at last. Her weight increase and size decrease shows that she has put on some solid muscular strength which made her smaller, not larger or bulkier.

You can add muscle to your body and focus on fueling for it without concern that you will become a bodybuilder. Professional female body builders work very hard to build up their muscle tissue to the level you see in competitions, and gaining muscle at that level is challenging due to the differences in amount of testosterone in men and women.

If getting huge biceps is not an aesthetic goal for you, have no fear that you’re going to suddenly achieve it. But it is attainable for you if you choose to pursue it – I recommend a personal trainer who specializes in body building if this is of interest, and a willingness to spend years in pursuit of that goal.

V. Building muscle at different stages of your menstrual cycle

How do we build muscle? In a previous article, I described the process by which we gain muscle. In a nutshell, muscles working against a progressively challenging load leads to increases in muscle mass – a process referred to as hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is a thickening of the muscle fibers, creating stronger muscles.

These adaptation to an increased load happens when we also fuel and rest properly. As the body gets used to the challenges you present it with, you need to vary the type of load in order to continue to drive adaptations.  And for women, there are considerations due to the presence (or absence) of estrogen.

When you’re still having a regular cycle, remember that in the first half of your cycle (from when you get your period until you ovulate) estrogen is higher. This estrogen is estradiol, or E2 and it’s the most anabolic (muscle building) of the estrogen hormone trio (E1, E2, E3). During this phase, you also have a greater ability to use carbohydrates than you do post ovulation (be mindful of your consumption of sugary foods after you ovulate, and prioritize protein)(12 )(13)(14 ).

So if you’re still cycling regularly, take advantage of this first stage of your cycle (follicular phase) by pushing harder in your workouts (14) to create those muscular adaptations that lead to lean mass development.

Balanced training is essential in the follicular phase as overtraining will contribute to more inflammation, elevated cortisol, and muscle protein breakdown. Not fueling and managing stress appropriately around your tough workouts will also have this effect and undermine your ability to build muscle.

After you ovulate (luteal phase), progesterone is going to be elevated, which will create a higher state of inflammation in your body as it prepares the uterine lining. Your basal body temperature is elevated, which may mean you get less deep sleep. Don’t push yourself as hard in this phase of your cycle – notice your energy needs and feel free to take the intensity down a notch or two.

You can really back off on the intensity of your training in the days or week leading up to your period, as you may notice less energy due to hormone levels shifting. I tend to do lower impact workouts during the days before my period as I just feel more tired. I’ll swap in yoga, mobility or just slower, less intense resistance training. Or simply take an extra rest day or 3 as needed.

How I adjust a program to match up with my cycle is if I’m following a 4-week training program for instance, I simply extend it a bit longer so I can add some days of lower intensity work in the week where I have less drive. I do some low impact workouts, yoga, mobility and even take just extra or unscheduled rest days the week before my period. Then I pick my training program back up where I left off when my estrogen levels come back up in the follicular phase.

See my detailed guide to training with your cycle for more on this subject and adjust your own workout plans with confidence. Looking for training guidance while pregnant, or after having a baby? Check out my pre natal and post partum fitness guides.

Some of the best training strategies for women at every life stage are resistance training (16) and HIIT (high intensity interval training that includes explosive cardio, or plyometric exercises)(15)(48) (49).

When it comes to resistance training, you want to begin by building a strong, functional base with good form and continue to progress and challenge yourself as your body adapts and you build strength (50).

Lifts like deadlifts, squats, pulls and pushes (among others) will all help increase your overall strength and when they’re incorporated into a balanced training plan that you are consistent with you will reap the rewards.

When it comes to HIIT/plyo/explosive cardio moves you want to be able to push hard in your work intervals (53). These intense intervals of explosive movement burn a lot of energy while you’re doing them, and trigger protein synthesis. They also increase growth hormone and adrenaline hormones which contribute to fat burning. HIIT workouts can also make you use more energy after your workouts as well.

Both resistance training and plyometric/explosive cardio moves are metabolically stressful, so your body burns more calories in the post workout recovery period (51). You’ll also trigger the release of hormones that have a fat-burning, appetite dampening response (54). You can find this combination of training strategies in every workout program I have created.

Along with all of these training benefits we get from these strategies, understanding that “more is not more” when it comes to your training is an important aspect of your development as an athletic woman who is able to build muscle efficiently and burn fat.

As we discussed earlier, muscle grows when we rest it after we train (concurrent with proper fuel).  You want to be able to go hard in your training sessions whether you’re resistance training or doing HIIT, and in order to push that limit you need to be rested and recovered.

Progressing with good form is of paramount importance, which is why I recommend following a program with a trainer who is well-versed in anatomy and functional movement (I’ll nominate myself here of course).

You can take advantage of my free foundations of functional fitness workshop alongside any of my training program or on its own to improve key movement patterns and understand more about how your body works and how to keep it balanced and aligned.

VI. Building muscle and losing fat for women in peri and post menopause

Post menopause you lose the E2 estrogen and the female sex hormones eventually flatline, so in order to build or maintain muscle we have to rely on other pathways to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

In peri menopause we experience years leading up to menopause when our hormones and period become irregular. There is evidence that women of different cultural backgrounds experience differences in the length of this time period (52).

While estrogen is beneficial for body composition when we have a normal cycle (42), estrogen dominance creates issues for our ability to lose body fat and build muscle.

Check out the article about adaptogens which can help stabilize hormone levels (I have had an excellent experience using them myself), but other strategies may be recommended by your doctor (as long as they’re not dismissing your concerns, telling you to “go lose weight” or just putting you on the pill because they can’t be bothered to find alternative means to support you).

Watch out for chemical estrogens in plastics or industrial compounds. Poor estrogen metabolism can also contribute to estrogen dominance. We may not metabolize our estrogens when we have a poor diet, aren’t exercising regularly or lack muscle tissue. A balanced, whole food diet rich in fiber, healthy fats and essential amino acids from protein combined with regular exercise will contribute to better estrogen metabolism.

Here are the top tips for women in this life stage to shift body composition to less fat and more muscle:

1: Increase the challenge to your muscles from resistance training

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1: Increase the challenge to your muscles from resistance

One of the strategies for bypassing the hormone pathways is to increase the level of intensity of the workouts you do by increasing the resistance or weight you’re using. It’s time to start increasing the challenge to your muscles.

If you’re a beginner, work on challenging yourself by building up a foundational practice with bodyweight workouts (mine are some of the best!).  Check out the 90 Day Challenge for a wonderful program that will progressively build up your strength with bodyweight workouts that can be done from home.

If you’ve been doing bodyweight workouts for a while and feel like you’ve got good form, it’s time to start adding in resistance in the form of bands, dumbbells or other weighted objects and challenge yourself further. Check out Home Workout Domination for the perfect program that uses home workout equipment for resistance training and explosive cardio moves.

If you’ve been training with light dumbbells and know you could go heavier, start ramping up the resistance to your body by challenging yourself to increase the amount of weight of your dumbbells.

I built up my collection of home workout equipment over time so don’t feel like you need to go purchase a ton of things. And if you’re working out in the gym, you can test out what works best by using the different options available.

Work with me in the circuits and workouts I teach, challenging yourself in the rep ranges I share, and increase the amount of resistance/weight you’re using gradually. If you get to the point where the weighted objects you’re holding are too heavy to comfortably grip and hold onto but you feel you could lift something heavier, consider using barbells as they make it easier to distribute the weight across the bar without you having to hold dumbbells.

Lioness, my women’s heavier weight training program is perfect for helping you progress through all of this if you’re interested in trying heavier weight training out.

For amazing value and variety, you can join Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community where ALL of these options for strength training and explosive cardio are built into dozens and dozens of challenge programs.

Everything from foundational bodyweight training to home workout equipment to heavier weight training is available in Rock Your Life – plus support in our private women’t fitness community so you can progress with guidance and a holistic focus on your health.

Include plyometrics/HIIT in your training

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2: Include plyometrics/HIIT in your training

The second strategy for bypassing the hormone pathways at this life stage is to make sure you’re including plyometrics (high intensity or explosive training moves like sprints, box jumps, broad jumps, skater lunges, tuck jumps, split squat jumps, burpees, jump squats, etc) in your workouts.

Not only is this great for your bone density, but when you fuel appropriately around your workouts the intensity of these moves uptakes glucose more quickly helping to keep insulin levels stable (which can be a challenge for women in peri or post menopause).

You’ll find explosive cardio included in all of my training plans allowing you to take advantage of this. You can begin with the lower impact versions that I’ll show you so you can get comfortable building yourself up.

Polarize your training and rest days

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3: Polarize your training and rest days

It’s also essential to start to look at the sequencing of your training. It’s no longer appropriate (nor was it ever really) to take a “no days off” approach to your training. You want to think about what Dr. Stacy Sims calls “polarizing” your training. Think about how you can set yourself up to make your training sessions maximally effective by coming to them rested, recovered and fueled.

Adjust workout programs that have 5 days of work in a row to be 2 days of work, followed by a rest day, 2 more days of work followed by a rest day, a day of yoga and then 2 days on again. Or do a workout every other day Monday through Friday, with a yoga day on the weekend and one additional recovery day.

Don’t get yourself into the “grey zone” where you’re training a little daily, thinking that’s going to be the way to lose the body fat – it’s not. Keeping your body in a constant state of inflammation is not what drives adaptations and muscle growth – it’s what breaks it down constantly and keeps your body from burning fat. Get your body moving doing low impact activities like walking regularly, and avoid long periods of sitting or inactivity. A rest day doesn’t mean you lie on the couch, but it also doesn’t mean you sneak in an extra workout.

VII. For women of all ages: why we need to eat balanced meals with whole foods

The nutrients in your foods: protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as the micronutrients like vitamins and minerals should all be part of the makeup of your meals. Getting familiar with these nutrients and what you’re putting in your meals is a great practice.

If you’ve ever used one of my meal plans you learn exactly which nutrients are featured in each meal, and get used to building a plate that supports your energy needs.

Doing food preparation is an excellent way to ensure you have the nutrients your body needs, and avoid added sugars that are in so many processed foods. This is why my message has not changed in a decade: cooking for yourself may not be “easy” and it may take some time, but it’s the quality of the soil you’re planting the seeds of your workout in.

I constantly see people putting all their focus and time into workouts and ignoring this essential piece of what drives their results. They jump from diet to diet looking for shortcuts when there are none.

You cannot force a plant to grow faster. It has to go through internal processes. So does your body. Expecting to see your results on the outside immediately is a losing game that food deprivation diet plans will have you believe.

So many online calculators for calories will put you at a dangerously low food intake threshold that actually has the opposite response in your body than you thought it would. It can have the unintended consequence of making you more prone to store fat, and you won’t build muscle on too little fuel.

The “salad” as a healthy meal without any protein or carbs is a great example of something we have come to perceive as a “health food” due to an over focus on calories, when it’s doing little to support our nutritional needs. Where is the protein? Where are the energy-providing, fiber-rich, gut supportive carbs? Where is the healthy fat?

Each of us has a resting metabolic rate (RMR) which is the amount of fuel we need for just our basic functions. As in what it takes to digest your food, lay in bed and not do much more than be a body. For instance a woman’s RMR might be approximately 1400 calories (I’m 5’1″ and active and this is close to what mine is for instance). If she were to start eating 1200 calories a day (and training) she would quickly be in trouble, have low energy, be unable to lose body fat and likely lose muscle as well.

Due to the lack of essential nutrients – below even her baseline threshold, her metabolic rate slow down, making her body hold onto body fat, and this is what happens to so many women who eat too little because an online calculator or diet program told them “1200 calories.”

Focusing on eating foods for the calorie content rather than the nutrient content can rob you of vital energy and fuel for your activities, cognitive function, immune health and more.

This “low calorie” or “less food” type of approach plays into our damaging culturally taught association as women with “eat less to be smaller.” Why should women need to disappear or be smaller? These outdated messages about women’s bodies do not empower women, do not make us stronger or healthier – they make us more stressed, more prone to illness and injury, and physically weaker.

Why protein is so important

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Why protein is so important

Protein is the most satisfying of the nutrients, so it can help with portion control and meal satisfaction when you have it in adequate amounts in each of your main meals (38).

Protein will help stabilize your blood sugar, and it breaks down into the amino acids that your body needs for everything from muscle protein synthesis (39) to brain function, hormone and enzyme function and immune health.

You cannot build or maintain muscle without adequate protein intake, and it has the added benefit of keeping you feeling full and satisfied when you include it in your meals.

I see too many women eating barely enough protein and then they wonder why they have sugar cravings, why they’re hungry all day, or why they can’t get “toned,” which means why can’t they see more muscularity and less body fat.

Include protein with each main meal (40), because your body doesn’t have a “storage reserve” to draw from for the aminos it needs for so many body functions (including cognitive function, immune function, hormone and enzyme function and muscle protein synthesis). When you go too long without eating, your body will break down your muscle tissue to get at the amino acids that are there, which isn’t what you want.

It’s great to learn about the macronutrients, and if you want to “count” any of them I would say start tracking how many grams of protein are in each of your meals so you get a general idea of how much you’re eating per meal. Aim for 20-30 grams per meal, and if you’re over 40, aim for 30-40 grams per meal as discussed above in the peri and post menopause section.

You can easily boost your overall daily intake with quality protein powders to help meet the body’s needs for amino acids (13). I personally like adding them to my smoothies, to my oatmeal, baking them into muffins, pancakes and waffles, and even mixing them into yogurt to eat with my breakfast cereal (click here for protein rich recipes on the blog). In the picture of me above with the food prep, there are protein muffins in the glass bowl for instance, and I’ve washed my greens and bagged them as a quick addition to smoothies.

If you don’t tolerate dairy well and don’t use whey protein powder, plant based protein powders like my organic whole food proteins are an excellent choice as they contain all of the essential aminos, and I made them to be tasty and smooth enough to be mixed in just water alone if you’re busy, on the go, or want something very light.

Collagen is also an excellent supplement to support the integrity of bone, skin and joint health as it contains some specific amino acids. It is not a complete protein source however, so it is best used in conjunction with a complete protein source powder. I personally always add it (here’s the one I make) to my Rock and Restore since it dissolves in anything and has no flavor or taste.

To read about how to use different supplements like collagen, protein powder and aminos, read this post.

Don't avoid whole food carbs

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Don’t avoid whole food carbs

The biggest issue when it comes to carb consumption is eating too many processed foods and not getting enough vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. You may have dietary preferences for specific whole food carbohydrates and that’s fine – but eat the ones that you prefer from whole food sources full of fiber, and not the processed ones.

When you eat carbohydrates, your insulin rises to uptake the glucose in your bloodstream from the carbohydrates. Whole food carbs cause a gradual elevation of blood sugar levels, making it easier for your body to manage the glucose (which is ideal). But many processed foods release a lot of sugar into the bloodstream very quickly.

When you have too much glucose in your blood, your body stores it as fat. When you eat too much sugar too often your cells become resistant to the insulin that’s trying to unlock them to let glucose in, which is a precursor to diabetes and obesity.

This is not to say you should never enjoy processed foods, treats, dessert or sweets. But making them your staples rather than your “specials” is an approach that leads to health concerns. Your gut health will be greatly improved with a focus on more fiber rich whole food carbohydrates and your blood sugar will be more stable, delivering steady energy rather than energy spikes.

If you’re going to opt for a lower carbohydrate meal, do it away from your workouts. Remember that the post workout window (the time after a workout) is the time when your body is most sensitive to insulin and can send the sugar in your bloodstream straight to replenishing your muscle glycogen stores.

The more muscle you have, the better your metabolic health is and the easier it is to lose body fat (41). Eating carbohydrates and protein together around your workouts supports your energy balance and your ability to build and maintain your muscle tissue (38).

Due to our higher levels of estrogen than men, we also have an improved ability to burn carbohydrates especially in the first half of our cycle when estrogen is higher (42)(43). You can go higher in your carb intake in this phase after your workouts, especially on tough training days.

If you’re in the second half of your cycle (from ovulation to your period), you have more progesterone in your system. Progesterone increases muscle breakdown (31), so you really want to make sure you’re optimizing your protein and carbohydrate intake in the luteal phase, and having your recovery time as well (32). For a refresher on the phases of your cycle, read my cycle training guide).

These nutrition strategies are essential for women in peri and post menopause as well, as discussed earlier. As we lose our naturally fluctuating estrogen, it’s imperative to prioritize whole food carbohydrate sources and increase our protein intake. We don’t absorb as much of the amino acids from our protein as we age, meaning increasing it serves multiple purposes at this time that help you improve body composition, lose body fat, and preserve or gain muscle.

Enjoy quality dietary fat

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Enjoy quality dietary fat

From a satisfaction and fullness standpoint I also don’t recommend being afraid of dietary fat. When women limit fat, they tend to eat more carbs which increases insulin and decreases our ability to burn fat. We can also disrupt our hormones as the body uses the cholesterol in dietary fat to produce them.

Key nutrients in fish, eggs, nuts and other sources of dietary fat are readily absorbable and utilized by the body. Our hunger may be elevated without the satiating effect of dietary fat, causing us to overeat more frequently, and studies have investigated the higher incidence of injuries in athletic women who ate a lower fat diet (44).

So don’t be afraid to include whole food sources of fat in your meals in balance with your other nutrients. Avoid processed fats like vegetable oil and hydrogenated or trans fats. If you’re struggling to create balanced meals, get a meal plan like the Body Fuel System with balanced whole food meals.

VIII. The importance of fueling (not fasting) around your workouts and how to do it

Many women are still doing fasted training, thinking that’s giving them the edge. However studies (17) show that women do better when training in a fed state, while men do well in a fasted state (18).

The reason you’re hearing so many diets and doctors advertising fasting as the way to go is because the previous research suggested many benefits. And there are benefits, to the subjects who were studied: men.

The female physiology is more sensitive to hunger and fullness signals due to us having more kisspeptin receptors in our brain than men do(19). Staying in an under fueled state contributes to a slowed metabolism, meaning your body can’t burn calories as readily and is conducive to a low energy state.

One of the purported benefits of fasting that it forces the body to switch from glucose burning to fat burning. However there are sex differences that provide this mechanism in women already. Women burn more glucose during regular daily activities, but burn more fat during exercise naturally than men do (20)(13).

Exercise helps women call on our body’s ability to burn fat for fuel, making us more metabolically flexible when we incorporate regular training, supported with the fuel we need. Not to mention, exercise induces autophagy (21), one of the other oft-touted benefits of fasting in which the body clears out damaged cells. In a nutshell, exercise gives women similar benefits as men get from fasting.

There are of course many ways to fast and many reasons. I appreciate and respect that some of my readers may have religious reasons for observing periods of fasting. The scope of this section of our article is focused on fasting as it pertains to women in sport.

We all naturally “fast” in a lower energy output state when we stop eating after dinner and don’t eat again until breakfast. But skipping breakfast or going long periods without fuel can be unhelpful for active women by elevating our cortisol (which contributes to muscle breakdown and fat storage) and creating an energy deficit that means you won’t be able to work as hard in your training session.

Not to mention, coming into your workout after a long fast means your body is in a muscle breakdown state. When your body doesn’t receive the essential amino acids it needs for everything from brain function, hormone and enzyme function, immune function AND muscle protein synthesis, it breaks down your muscle tissue to get the amino acids in this valuable body tissue (22).

During your workout, muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown occur, but the exercise creates a greater breakdown state potentially leaving you in a deficit unless you are fueled, and/or fuel to replenish the work. The breakdown of your muscle tissue during a workout has the potential to create hypertrophy and muscle growth after your training session as your body repairs when you fuel and rest properly (23).

So if you went into your workout fasted (in a muscle breakdown state plus elevated cortisol which means fat storage state), then did your workout and then didn’t eat for an hour or so post workout (muscle breakdown state plus fat storage from the stress of the workout and lack of nourishment) you just broke down your muscle tissue the entire time without build back because your brain and body were looking for amino acids to use for essential body function and stored glycogen for energy. It got both of those from your valuable muscle tissue (34).

So all of this “skipping meals” means you aren’t building muscle, you’re breaking it down. Remember that cortisol (the stress hormone) is catabolic (breaks down) muscle, and anabolic (builds up) to fat. This stressful state does not contribute to fat loss, it can actually lead to fat gain. And the lack of nutrients contributes to loss of your precious muscle tissue.

All those claims about fasted training making you “lose weight” might have made you lose a few pounds but where did the pounds come from? Sure you may have lost some body fat, but you also lost your vital muscle tissue and elevated your cortisol. A man will have a different response and be able to lose fat and preserve muscle tissue. Extensive fasting as a woman, especially around your workouts all but guarantees you’re going to gain body fat over time, lose muscle, and also affect your body’s metabolic rate (35). Understanding body composition and how your muscle actually gets stronger is so important.

I don’t recommend fasted training for women.  Having fuel around your workouts (in the form of protein and carbohydrates) is essential so you not only have the energy to push hard and get those adaptations in the muscle tissue, it fuels the cells with glycogen (the byproduct of glucose from carbohydrates) and the amino acids (the byproducts from dietary protein or protein powder) support muscle protein synthesis.

Fueling post-workout 

In the post workout window after you exercise, your insulin levels peak which creates the opportunity for glycogen storage (glycogen comes from the glucose in carbohydrates) and muscle repair. That means the carbs you eat post workout can get straight to the muscle stores, and the amino acids from the protein you eat can get to the muscle tissue to repair the breakdown created by your training. Once we are outside of this window, our insulin sensitivity goes down, making it harder for the muscles to absorb the glucose from your bloodstream and the amount of glycogen stored in your muscles is lower.

Post workout, women have a relatively short window for optimal refueling compared to men who may be able to go longer (24). Ideally, get protein and carbohydrates in within an hour of training (13) in your next meal. Aim for 25-30 grams of protein in the recovery period (33).

The carbs will increase your glycogen storage, and combining protein and carbs can help reduce inflammation and support a strong immune system. Muscle uptakes glucose from the bloodstream as well, so the more muscle you carry the better you handle the insulin response.

This is one of many reasons I suggest pre-cooking some of your meals for the week ahead, so you have easy to grab and go meals when you need them. See my meal plans for easy to follow guides.

The body will store the energy from the carbs we eat in the liver and the muscle tissue, and use what it needs for energy first from the liver, but it will break down your muscle tissue if you’re not eating enough for your energy output needs (26). If we eat more carbohydrates than the body has the capacity to store in the liver and muscle tissue it gets stored as fat. So you’ve got too little and too much – both with consequences.

If you eat well balanced meals with protein (very satisfying), whole food, fiber-rich complex carbohydrates (digest slowly, keeping blood sugar stable) and healthy dietary fat (slows gastric emptying to keep blood sugar stable and also is very satisfying) you are in very little danger of under eating or overeating, and can stop worrying about “carbohydrates making you fat.”

Using an eating program like the Body Fuel System can set you up with an easy to follow guideline and delicious well-balanced meals.

Carbs are the body and brain’s preferred energy source. Yes, the low carb/high fat diets out there will make you think the body needs to run on ketone bodies, and it can – however that is an adaptation the body has for starvation and low food availability states. Diets like these generally do not serve women very well, and the “benefits” of the keto diet in particular is all based on research on male test subjects (27).

They may work better for men, having been studied extensively on them, be useful for a short period of time for certain individuals, especially those who are obese or have other medical conditions. But going extremely low carbohydrate for active women long-term can have unwanted consequences to your cortisol levels (they rise) and your metabolism (it can down regulate).

Want to hear scientist and researcher Dr. Stacy Sims explain why intermittent fasting, keto, and low carb diets aren’t ideal for women, but work well for men? Listen to the podcast we did together about this topic right here.

You’ll want to prioritize protein and carbs around your workouts (28) – so if you can workout a couple hours after your last meal, and eat your next meal within an hour of your training session, you’re doing great. Just make sure your meals contain protein and carbohydrates (29).

Strategies for fueling pre and post workout with a busy schedule:

Ideally we’d all have the ultimate flexibility of eating whole food meals and training at the perfect times for ourselves, but with the demands of modern life, protein supplements can come in handy and help fill in some gaps. Let me run you through a few scenarios and ways you can use protein powders and smoothies (in addition to whole food meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner) to support you so that this isn’t confusing and it’s easy to implement.

• You work out first thing in the morning: have a half of a banana (or any other fruit) and a scoop of protein powder in water or almond milk. Something super light that digests quickly will ensure you have the building blocks you need circulating in your system for optimal output in your workout. Eat breakfast as soon as you can after your workout.
• You work out an hour or two after breakfast: if it’s not time for lunch yet, have a protein shake with fruit right after your workout. If it’s time for lunch, have lunch. If you have the shake and fruit, have lunch when it’s time for lunch, as the smoothie/shake isn’t a meal replacement.
• You work out on your lunch break, and haven’t eaten since breakfast (you plan to eat your lunch after your workout): an hour or so before you workout, have a blended smoothie with protein and the other things you put in a full smoothie (something you’d find in one of my recipe guides for instance that you can bring it from home or make at the office, not just protein powder in water). If you lack the means to make the smoothie, have the protein in water or milk and a piece of fruit sometime in the hour before you train to give yourself a base. Have your lunch as soon as you can after you train.
• You work out after work, and haven’t eaten since lunch (you plan to eat dinner after you train): an hour or so before you workout, have a smoothie with protein and the other things you put in a full smoothie that you blend (something you’d find in one of my recipe guides for instance that you can bring it from home or make at the office – not just protein in water). If you lack the means to make the smoothie, have the protein in water or milk and a piece of fruit sometime in the hour before you train to give yourself a base. Have your dinner as soon as you can after you train.
• You work out after dinner: Make sure you work out at least 3 hours away from bedtime, as training too close to bedtime can interfere with your sleep as it raises your core body temperature. I presume you ate dinner at least an hour before your workout, giving you time to digest. After your workout, make yourself a full smoothie (like something that you’d find in my recipe guides) with protein, milk, fruit and other ingredients, or a shake with just protein powder and water and a piece of fruit.

The protein/water and fruit is just a shortcut, a convenient way to support nutrient timing when you aren’t able to eat a regular meal or regular food on one side of your workout. You can use a protein shake as a support for nutrient timing – but I don’t suggest using them as a full meal replacement. Your body needs whole foods too(30).

I just want to mention that supplements are not required, they are a supplement to a healthy, whole food diet. I use them because they are a convenient way to get extra nutrients in quickly and conveniently. If they seem expensive compare the cost of complete protein in foods you would prepare. Quite often, they are very comparable. However, not finding the quality I wanted consistently in the marketplace is why I started my own supplement line.

While I use a regular protein powder in my smoothies and focus on whole food sources of protein in my meals, during my workouts, I use Rock and Restore, my essential amino acid formula. It’s in a “free form” which means it doesn’t have to be digested like dietary protein and can go straight to where it’s needed. An essential amino acid contains the BCAA’s (branch chain amino acids) but my formula has an optimal dose of leucine, the most anabolic of the BCAA’s, making it a great workout formula.

If you are unable to purchase my organic protein powders and supplements, here is my guide to choosing protein powders that can help you make good decisions about what ingredients are in the products you are shopping.

Of course protein powder and supplements are totally optional and I use them for convenience and because as we age, we absorb less of the amino acids from our food as I mentioned previously, and I want to create a nice circulating pool of them during my training which helps with post workout soreness and drives muscle protein synthesis.

IX. Why reduced stress levels and quality sleep are also essential for body composition shifts

I must also mention that stress is a huge factor in our ability to regulate our body composition. You’ve probably heard me say that exercise is a healthy stress when we are healthy. There are many forms of stress to the body, but chronic stress from emotional or life triggers are essential to address (read my complete article about stress here).

We can also create a state of stress in the body when we overtrain, or don’t take the needed recovery when we’re sick or injured and the body is trying to do too many tasks at once.

Whether from life stress or overtraining, stress elevates the cortisol in our body and we’ve discussed already that it stimulates fat storage (45) and breaks down muscle tissue. Developing methods to proactively address the stressors you face can be incredibly beneficial and supportive to your energy and fitness goals.

Doing “extreme” workouts, or not getting adequate recovery both during a workout or after may increase muscle breakdown, persistent inflammation, and lowered immune response (46).

Speaking of a lowered immune response, lack of sleep also makes us more susceptible to getting sick. Good sleep is an essential component to training and seeing results. When you’re exercising, you need MORE deep sleep for muscle recovery and protein synthesis. During sleep, your body produces HGH (human growth hormone) which boosts protein synthesis and promotes fat utilization.

Quality sleep is also crucial for maintaining the balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don’t get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down, resulting in an increase of appetite and cravings – and our impulse control goes down, making it very hard to avoid reaching for the sugar and pre made foods.

Our metabolism slows down and our body holds onto its resources (body fat) and doesn’t burn as many calories (47). Along with all this, lack of sleep causes our cortisol levels to rise and remain elevated. This high cortisol impacts fat loss efforts, and promotes breakdown of your muscle tissue.

Which is why when you are really tired, I recommend that you take an active recovery or rest day, even if it’s unscheduled. Training in this sleep deprived state will only contribute to greater muscle breakdown and won’t give you the benefits, plus you’ll be more likely to reach for comfort foods and have less inhibition in overeating.

You can listen to Dr. Michael Breus (The Sleep Doctor) go over the 5 things that happen to your metabolism and hormones when you’re sleep deprived on the podcast here.

X. To wrap it all up….

As a woman, you have training advantages and a unique, powerful body that is capable of going through numerous transitions in the course of its lifespan. I encourage you to see this process of figuring things out as a discovery, not a burden. There is no pressure on you to implement everything you learn immediately. Try these things out for yourself, and remember that like a plant, the body must also go through an internal process before you “see a result.”

Having additional resources can be very helpful. Personally, I have sought the support of numerous practitioners over the years including therapy for my mental health, functional medicine for my physical body and looking for the root cause of things that are hard to understand, physical therapy for support with stability and foundational movement patterns, and Chinese medicine for my energy body (acupuncture and herbal medicines) to name a few. I work with a functional medicine doctor (root cause medicine) rather than a traditional MD. You can use the directory here to search for functional medicine practitioners in your area if this is of interest.

While we may not all seek out the same types of practitioners or care, there are still plenty of things within our personal domain that only we can control like our 4 Pillars of Health: Sleep, Nutrition, Stress Management and Exercise. I hope that with this article you have seen a new level of how you can apply these 4 pillars in your own life to drive the results you want with all the effort you put in.

I invite you to be a part of ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and empowering women’s fitness community. You’ll find workout programs, workout classes of all types, healthy recipes and a holistic approach to your health in your private member’s login area, and in our private group enjoy lively discussions about all topics relating to your health and well being, a connection with other like-minded women, interaction with myself and the Team Betty Rocker Coaches.

When we focus more on designing a high quality of life for ourselves from a holistic perspective, the body responds naturally and becomes the fit, strong body we wanted all along. It’s so satisfying and empowering when we take action from an educated standpoint, and control the framework we see ourselves through as strong, powerful women with highly functional, healthy bodies that do not exist solely to be looked at. I look forward to your comments and questions.

For additional learning:

• Women specific nutrition and training with Dr. Stacy Sims
• Eating and training with your cycle (part 1) with Dr. Stacy Sims
• Eating and training with your cycle (part 2) with Dr. Stacy Sims
• A quickstart guide to women’s hormones (part 1)
• A quickstart guide to women’s hormones (part 2)
• What you need to know about birth control, the menstrual cycle and your hormones with Dr. Jolene Brighten
• How to heal emotional Eating with Tricia Nelson
• How to have a happy, healthy gut with Dr. Vincent Pedre

The post Shifting the Muscle to Fat Ratio: Women-Specific Body Composition Considerations appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to The Betty Rocker Show, the place to be to nourish your mind, love your body, and rock your life.

It’s so great to have you here as I welcome back the one and only Dr. Stacy Sims, who is a scientist, educator and leader in the field of women specific research in health, nutrition and exercise. Over the years many women have been basing their training and nutrition strategies around research done on men, because women’s hormones were seen as “too complicated” – as we were literally being left out of the research.

It’s no wonder so many of women have struggled with understanding what’s happening with their bodies, why they’re not responding to the commonly prescribed diet and exercise strategies, and why we so often feel dismissed by doctors for our very valid health concerns. Dr. Sims is on a mission to help us with women-specific scientific information that you can apply immediately!

Dr Sims served as an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist at Stanford University from 2007 through 2012. Her revolutionary book, Roar, sparked a movement in the way we as women approach our training across our lifespan, and her new book, Next Level is designed specifically for the peri and post menopausal female athlete.

I recommend both of these books, and also having a listen to the 2-part podcast we did earlier in Season 2 to brush up on the menstrual cycle and its changes across our lifespan, as well as specific strategies you can implement to get the most out of your amazing female body at every age and life stage.

These strategies are all applicable to your Betty Rocker programs and challenges, and will help you understand why they work so well and empower you to get even more comfortable adjusting and customizing things to where you’re at in your life.

Today, we are continuing our conversation with some more in depth discussion of dietary strategies as they relate to WOMEN specifically, including low carb diets, intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet; nutrient timing, why it’s essential to focus on muscle over fat loss, and we’ll be discussing optimal training strategies for women at all ages, including peri and post menopause, as well as hormone replacement therapy and adaptogenic herbs.

This is a save and bookmark for reference episode. Thanks for being here!

From her site:

“My vision is a world of healthy women who understand their bodies, know how to work with their unique physiology, know their periods are ergogenic aids and create positivity around being a woman in sport.

Together we can shift the destructive narrative and elevate women in research, science, and sport.”

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Welcoming back Dr. Stacy Sims (1:28)

• Dr Sims’ books: Roar and Next Level
• Listen to part 1 of the Dr. Stacy Sims interview: nutrition and training through the menstrual cycle
• Listen to part 2 of the Dr. Stacy Sims interview: nutrition and training for women in peri and post menopause, fad diets and more
• Dr. Stacy Sims course: Women are Not Small Men
• Dr. Stacy Sims course: Menopause for Athletes

What drives Dr. Sims to pursue this work (4:23)

• Empowering women of all ages
• Breaking down the negative stereotypes of women’s life stage transitions
• The cultural filter we don’t always realize we’re working through
• Women’s performance potential and the bias in the research
• How diet culture has failed women

Do low carb diets serve women’s physiology? (7:59)  

• Dr Sims blog post: Female Athletes Need Carbohydrates
• Metabolic differences between men and women
• Estrogen’s impact on appetite
• Brain differences between men and women

Why the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting may work well for men but not women (9:31)

• Research on these diets was done on male test subjects
• Body composition concerns with the ketogenic diet for women
• Lack of diversity in the keto diet for the gut microbiome
• Why you burn muscle on the ketogenic diet

Why measuring body composition is better than weighing yourself on the scale (13:34)

• How “weight loss” is still a misunderstood goal that is not helping women see real progress
• The things that influence your scale weight
• The difference in composition between muscle and fat
• Why you look leaner when you gain muscle

Fueling around your workouts and the danger of low energy availability (LEA) (15:57)

• Why are we still demonizing carbohydrates?
• How the body naturally fluctuates between fuel sources
• The nourishment the body needs just to exist vs what it needs when we do daily activities
• How the stress of training creates adaptations (when we are fueled)
• How the stress of training impacts our thyroid and metabolism when we are under-fueled and training

The fallacy of “eat less, exercise more” (20:04)

• The way the “eat less” mindset plays into women feeling they should be smaller and take up less space
• The wrong kind of stress that the “exercise more” mindset creates
• The issues with gut health, cardiovascular health and mental health from eating less

Women do not need to shrink for society (21:08)

• The cultural push to “be a certain size”
• The incredible pressure on women to be smaller
• Women should take up as much space as they like!
• What Stacy’s daughter learned from her friends mom about “what she needed to do to see her abs”

Eating to be STRONG, not eating less (23:50)

• The misperception about why we should focus more on muscle
• How hard it is to build muscle, let alone “get bulky”
• Reasons why muscle is so beneficial
• Shifting our focus away from fat loss and toward muscular strength as the primary goal

Becoming self sufficient at any age and the reasons why we train (27:32)

• Strengthening the body now determines quality of life later in life
• Defining your long term vision
• Building and preserving lean muscle
• Thinking about how you can set up the future version of yourself with the actions you take today

How peri and post menopausal women can set themselves up for success (30:10)

• Signs of menopause and changes women go through
• The way estrogen and progesterone changes impact blood sugar stability
• The way women in this life stage can bypass the hormone fluctuation to stimulate muscle growth
• Why heavier lifting (than you were before) is essential to women in this life stage
• Why protein intake and nutrient timing is essential to women in this life stage
• Reviewing the way estrogen and progesterone impact our body composition goals when we’re still cycling regularly
• The first and second half of the menstrual cycle and how our body responds
• How our hormones change through the stages of women’s life cycle
• Why it’s essential to not take a “no days off” approach in peri and post menopause

Today’s podcast is brought to you by ROCK AND RESTORE, my free-form essential amino acid formula. This great tasting fruit punch formula contains 30 servings of all 9 of the essential amino acids (including the BCAA’s) in their free form for rapid absorption and metabolic use so you can rock your workouts, build lean muscle, recover faster, boost your immune system and improve cognitive function.

Learn more about Rock and Restore right here!

The uses and benefits of adaptogenic herbs (43:01)

• Blog post: 6 Adaptogens that support hormone balance 
• Dr. Sims’ premium membership (includes many learning modules, including one about adaptogenic herbs)
• Peri-menopause symptoms and how they’re often addressed by doctors
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a tool in the toolbox
• What adaptogens are and how they work with the body
• The benefits of ashwaghanda
• How the body adjusts to the presence of the adaptogens
• The benefits of schisandra

How to connect with Dr. Stacy Sims and her work (52:36)

• Dr Sims’ books: Roar and Next Level
• Dr. Sims website
• Dr. Sims Instagram

If you are thinking about how you can implement the training strategies she talked about into your own life and are feeling overwhelmed by the strength training or heavy lifting component, I really encourage you to approach that with the mentality of lifting heav-IER than you are right now. If you’re brand new and just starting to exercise frequently, build a solid base with my foundational bodyweight programs.

If you’ve built a strong foundation or base with bodyweight workouts, consider adding in dumbbells for extra resistance. If you’ve been in a rut with light dumbbells, consider going up in weight with what you’re currently using so you can’t do as many reps.

Once you get to the point where you can’t comfortably hold the dumbbells but feel like you could challenge yourself further, that’s when it’s time to try out barbells and adding weight with weight plates. There is a progressive aspect to this, so don’t feel like you need to go from zero to barbells or that that is the only way to progress.

Dr. Sims and I discussed this in the first 2 episodes we did together, that going heavier is relative to each of us. You want to do this safely, so building a foundation first is essential.

I teach you all of this in my challenge programs in Rock Your Life. We have everything from foundational bodyweight challenge programs, to challenges that include dumbbells and simple home workout equipment, all the way up to weight training challenges that you do with heavier weight, and I teach you all the progressions.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and uplifting women’s fitness community where you can enjoy programs and challenges to build strength for consistent, sustainable progress. Enjoy new classes each week, healthy recipes, a private women’s only support community and MORE!

New members can get a 30-Day Trial RIGHT HERE!

So if you’re in peri or post menopause, really start to think about how you can train to increase the challenge to your muscles with resistance training, and build on where you currently are. Do those explosive plyometric moves that I write into your programs, as they are far more supportive to your goals than long endurance cardio, especially in peri and post menopause.

If you’re in that peri or post menopause life stage, you want to pay attention to the “polarity” of your training intensity. If a workout program is written with 5 days in a row, adapt it for your life stage and do 2 days on, 1 day off, or work out every other day as an example. This allows you to recover better, and hit your workouts harder when you do them and get better results in the absence of the circulating estrogen progesterone – assuming you’re also fueling appropriately and eating enough protein and whole food carbs.

And if you’re still having a regular cycle, you can benefit from continuing to challenge your body with regular exercise and balanced nutrition as well. Your cycling estrogen and progesterone give you an edge to make all of your workouts even more effective, but it’s essential that you’re fueling appropriately around your workouts, and not overtraining.

See my Cycle Training Guide right here!

I have been having ongoing conversations about ALL of these topics and so many more inside Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community. In my regular office hours I’m able to connect with the members and answer their questions and share more information that relates to them specifically.

If you’re not a member yet, I highly encourage you to join us, you can get a 30 day trial and come see what you’ve been missing.

I’ve got a huge class library with over 1000 classes of all types, including foundational bodyweight strength training, workouts where you can add in some simple home workout equipment like dumbbells and stretchy bands, all the way up to heavier weight training classes. There are barre classes, yoga classes, mobility classes, plyometrics and circuit. Plus I’ve got dozens of guided workout challenges to give you the perfect sequence to progress through. I see incredible stories every day from my Rock Your life home gym members, and being able to support them in our private women’s fitness community alongside the Team Betty Rocker coaches is a wonderful experience.

Dr Sims and I both share a mission of empowering women with tools and knowledge and the best thing I offer is Rock Your Life. Doing 1-off workouts is good, doing a program is great, but having ongoing challenges and programs over time so you can stay consistent and build a healthy lifestyle with guidance from the coaches is the absolute BEST for seeing lasting results and feeling supported on your journey.

I encourage you to grab that 30 day trial so you can see what it’s all about and take your time enjoying everything I have to offer without any pressure or obligation.

Thank you so much for listening to today’s show, and for caring about your health. Thank you for sharing these podcast episodes with your friends and family and helping to empower other women.

I look forward to our next conversation.

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ABOUT THE BETTY ROCKER SHOW:

Join me for open and thought provoking discussions about health, fitness, and how to stop undermining ourselves – and start taking meaningful action that makes us role models to others…

….and, listen in on my intimate conversations with amazing thought leaders, health care professionals, athletes and celebrities to learn their secrets and insights for overcoming life’s challenges, living longer, healthier, stronger and more #flawsome lives.

New shows are released every other week during Season 2 of The Betty Rocker Show.

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The post S2 – 14: Women Specific Nutrition and Training with Dr. Stacy Sims appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

We created this workshop to help you make the transition back into training safely and effectively.

We’re here to help with diastasis recti testing and correction, breathing, pelvic floor and core work to reconnect and integrate you systemically so you can transition back into exercise in the most supportive way for you.

Before you get started with any of our recommendations, always consult with your healthcare provider, as they should provide you with personalized information, restrictions or guidelines based on your medical history.

As you progress through this workshop, keep in mind everyone’s journey looks different. This guide is designed to help you navigate the path ahead no matter what point you are starting at, and help you tailor it to your own specific needs. If you are a Rock Your Life member, this workshop can be found in the specialty area in your challenges and workshops library, and is laid out in a live calendar format which you may find more enjoyable to follow.

1: Welcome!

Meet Coach Nikki, who will be your guide through this workshop! Coach Nikki Cotton is a certified Yoga Instructor ERYT200; AFAA Certified Personal Trainer; Mat Pilates instructor; Team Betty Rocker Coach and has completed additional training in pre natal and post partum fitness.

We invite you to keep this blog post page open and work through these videos over the course of weeks, utilizing them as many times as you like. Your journey will be unique, and you can reference this as often as needed.

As you move forward you will be learning more about the following key points:

• Diastasis Recti – how to identify and correct the condition
• Prolapse and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
• Ineffective breathing patterns and why the breath matters
• Muscle and joint imbalances stemming from ligament and tendon laxity
• Low back pain due to pregnancy and postpartum posture
• Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction
• How to workout safely and gradually through a series of progressive movements

2: Diastasis Recti

In your next workshop, Coach Nikki is going to cover diastasis recti: what it is, and how to test for it so that you know which workshop to move on to next.

How to check for diastasis recti

Diastasis recti can occur in 3 areas: high above the navel (just below the sternum), just above the navel (approximately 1 to 2 inches), and below the navel (between navel and pubic bone).

Make sure to check all three areas. The finger check is the most common and readily available way to check for diastasis recti but it’s important to note the gold standard is an ultrasound.

For self check follow these simple steps:

1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent.
2. Place your fingers on your navel pointing towards your pelvis, and press down.
3. Lift your head up about an inch while keeping your shoulders on the ground.
4. If you have diastasis recti, you will feel a gap between the muscles that is an inch wide (~ 2 fingers) or greater AND/OR the space between the gap is soft allowing your fingers to sink deeply into the abdomen.

Once you have completed your test you will have determined if you are able to contract your transverse abdominis.

1. If you have a gap but CAN recruit your transverse abdominis move on to VIDEO 4 to learn how to integrate the pelvic floor into this system.
2. If you are not activating the transverse abdominis or unsure what you feel move on to VIDEO 3.

The post Post Partum Workout Guide appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to The Betty Rocker Show, the place to be to nourish your mind, love your body, and rock your life.

Welcome back! Today I get to share a really inspiring conversation with my good friend Aaron Alexander. Aaron is a pioneering manual therapist, movement coach and the creator of the Align Method which is a guide to using posture and body alignment to build strength, achieve peak performance, reduce pain, and find a new sense of confidence in yourself.

We first met several years back and I immediately felt I had found a kindred spirit in the way he cares so much about educating and supporting people with their bodies. His background and education in understanding the way bodies move (and have the potential to move) is outstanding, as are his fun and fresh teaching methods.

He coached me through some now famous acro yoga poses on the beach in sunny San Diego, and he’s guided me through fun movement flows on many other occasions as well in which I always find myself scared at first, then really accomplished from seeing what my body is capable of.

As a coach, his method unpacks our self-imposed limitations and offers up new frameworks, both mental and physical, to help us experience more joy, more alignment, and more freedom in our lives.

He puts out so many valuable resources including an epic podcast, his book the Align Method, and his courses, including:

• his foundational 6-week alignment course
• his back pain course and
• his knee pain course)

….all of which really help people live better in their bodies. Join me in welcoming him to the show!

From his site:

“I believe there is a direct correlation between our physical health and our psychological wellbeing.

If we want to change the quality of our lives, we first need to change the way we move through our lives.

How do we do that? Align our mind, body, and movement. The fundamentals are simple, and I’m here to teach you.”

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Meet my friend, Aaron Alexander (0:51)

• The history Aaron and I share
• Aaron’s philosophy on the body

The body as a performance instrument (2:04)

• What performing can mean for the body
• The baggage around the word “perform”

Aaron’s insights from his contact improv workshop (6:48)

• What contact improv is
• How Aaron sees it in relation to communication
• How performance can undermine improv
• The art of deep listening

Breath as the bridge between our autonomic nervous system and the conscious mind (12:13)

• Exploring breathing
• The control of our body we can access using our breath
• “Where your attention goes, energy flows.”
• Breath as a tool to down regulate the stress response
• Examples of using your breath for different purposes from The Align Method book
• Aaron’s guided breathing tool (scroll down and enter your email to receive this for free)
• The Wim Hof breathing method

Trouble sleeping? Aaron’s tips for the Aligned Evening can help you (19:43)

• What NOT to do
• Reviewing the actions of the day
• Letting go of the performance aspect of sleep
• More sleep tools can be found in The Align Method Book
• The way light exposure impacts our ability to sleep
• Dr. Michael Breus (the Sleep Doctor) listen to my interview with him here

Today’s podcast is brought to you by WHOLE SLEEP. Support your body’s natural sleep cycle with a blend of herbs and organic compounds to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed!

Learn more about WHOLE SLEEP right here!

The importance of movement in context with our resting poses (30:41)

• Our mutual friend Dr. Huberman and his findings on movement and sitting
• The importance of resting poses for humans
• The difference in modern human resting poses compared to our ancestors
• How the body responds to modern resting poses
• The low hanging fruit of optimal movement patterns that can have a big impact on our health
• All the biohacks in the world can’t make up for ignoring optimal movement patterns

The value of taking your body through its full range of motion (37:21)

• Philip Beach: Muscles and Meridians
• The archetypal postures of repose
• The danger of ignoring these movement patterns

Today’s Podcast is brought to you by LIONESS, my 8-week women’s strength training program! This program uses progressive overload to build muscular strength and sculpt your body.

It includes an 8 week eating guide and meal plan, and has full follow along workout videos (great if you are training from home) as well as short videos that can be used for reference at the gym. This program includes demos with dumbbells and stretchy bands for those with little equipment, and also uses barbells and typical gym equipment for those who have access to more options.

CLICK HERE to learn more about LIONESS!

Exploring movement patterns (40:30)

• Becoming aware of the postures we hold ourselves in
• Forward head posture – AARON LINK?
• Aaron’s tips for getting into more of the archetypal resting poses naturally
• Explore more on this topic in the Align Method book

The importance of play (44:37)

• The system of the brain dedicated to play
• How that system impacts our state of relaxation and the parasympathetic response
• Examples of play
• How play and communication intersect
• How play benefits our health

This Week’s Challenge [51:05]

CHALLENGE 1: Have compassion for yourself with where you are.

• Remove the “should be” and “should have done” from yourself, and acknowledge you are a survivor that has come this far and be kind, knowing that everyone is fighting their own internal battles.

CHALLENGE 2: Hang for 90 seconds daily.

• Get your arms up above your head and hang from a bar to decompress. Enjoy some deep breaths. You can break up the length of the hangs to total 90 seconds throughout the entire day.

Connect with Aaron Alexander

• Aaron’s website
• Aaron’s Instagram
• Aaron’s Podcast
• The Align Method Book

Coming up next: Coming up next, I’m very excited to tell you that we have the one and only Dr. Stacy Sims coming back for round 3 of our show! She’s one of my most popular guests and the information she shares about women-specific training, hormone health, and nutrition strategies for women at every life stage are just so fantastic and so relevant.

She’s got a new book coming out for peri and post menopausal athletes called Next Level, and in our upcoming conversation we’ll be diving into that, plus a wide range of topics about women’s health and fitness that will be totally relevant to your daily life! I can’t wait to share it with you.

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too!

Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast
player to be alerted when new shows drop!

ABOUT THE BETTY ROCKER SHOW:

Join me for open and thought provoking discussions about health, fitness, and how to stop undermining ourselves – and start taking meaningful action that makes us role models to others…

….and, listen in on my intimate conversations with amazing thought leaders, health care professionals, athletes and celebrities to learn their secrets and insights for overcoming life’s challenges, living longer, healthier, stronger and more #flawsome lives.

New shows are released every other week during Season 2 of The Betty Rocker Show.

Subscribe on your favorite player today!

The post S2 – 13: Aligning the Body, Mind, and Movement with Aaron Alexander appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to The Betty Rocker Show, the place to be to nourish your mind, love your body, and rock your life.

I’m so glad you’re here to listen to today’s conversation with Amisha Klawonn, Embodiment and Sleep Coach, Yoga Therapist, and Integrative Physical Therapist.

We’re talking about many of the areas new moms struggle with in trying to do it all, and valuable tools all women can use for becoming more centered and feeling more embodied and peaceful in the midst of a busy life.

Amisha applies many aspects of women’s health in her coaching practice, including polyvagal theory and hormone health, and draws from her integrative physical therapy expertise in the areas of visceral mobilization and holistic care for the whole person.

She empowers people to create their visions for their lives, igniting transformation from the inside out – and in today’s conversation, we are getting into many practical tips you can use in your life to bring more balance, rest and self love into your day.

From her site:

“I work with exhausted women who drink too much coffee during the day, have wine to wind down at night, and struggle to sleep well and wake up feeling refreshed each morning.

The women I work with are interested in living life in the present, taking time to take care of themselves so that they can provide love and care to their families, managing stress and overwhelm by changing the way they to react, noticing what brings them joy and following that path, and are ready to make a shift.”

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Amisha’s journey (2:09)

• Amisha’s journey as a new mom
• Post partum depression
• Physical complications

The importance of the connective tissue (8:13)

• Understanding fascial connective tissue
• Trigger point referrals
• Amisha’s experience with visceral manipulation

When things don’t go according to plan (12:20)

• Birthing plans
• The aftermath of a birth plan gone awry
• When everyone else has an opinion

Today’s Podcast is brought to you by The Body Fuel System, my 6 week easy eating system! This customizable eating plan is designed to sculpt your body from the inside out with done for you daily menus, grocery lists, simple meal prep tips and so much more!

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Body Fuel System!

Prioritizing rest (19:17)

• Sleeping your way to success
• Productivity culture and its ramifications
• Performance and productivity
• How rest supports and enhances everything else we do

Strategies for cultivating rest (22:33)

• Making the commitment
• Rituals and routines
• The damaging impact of being disconnected to our body

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system (26:40)

• The impact of stress on our system
• Not accepting aging as an excuse
• The impact of cortisol

Today’s podcast is brought to you by ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and uplifting women’s fitness community where you can take as many 30-day challenges as you like for consistent, sustainable progress. For added variety, we offer 5 new classes each week, healthy recipes, a private women’s only support community and MORE!

New members can get a 30-Day Trial RIGHT HERE!

Steps to take for moving mindfully through the day (33:33)

• Using wake time or before bed to check in
• 5 minute journal app
• Daytime rituals for tuning in

Cultivating worthiness (37:47)

• Inner child work
• Beliefs we carry through life
• EMDR therapy
• EMDR Readiness Course (online course created by the therapist I worked with personally)

Dealing with burnout (43:16)

• “Shoulding” all over ourselves
• Fatigue from being overloaded
• The sleep vacation reset: Amisha’s free sleep program
• The oura ring
• Garmin Vivosmart 4
• All or something

This Week’s Challenge [50:51]

Take a sleep vacation! For 5 days, prioritize rest.

• Get to bed on time each night.
• In the morning, get sunlight in your eyes. These actions will help to reset the circadian rhythm.
• Do some mindful morning movement (here are 2 ideas from my instagram – one and two).
• Check in with your body throughout the day, using timers to remind yourself to check in. Journal about emotions that come up during these check ins.

Connect with Amisha Klawonn

• Amisha’s website
• Amisha’s Instagram
• 40 Days to Better Sleep

Coming up next: Coming up next, I’m excited for you to hear from my good friend Aaron Alexander, a pioneering manual therapist, author and movement coach who is the founder and creator of the Align Method which is a guide to using posture and body alignment to build strength, achieve peak performance, reduce pain, and find a new sense of confidence in yourself.

He’s sharing some really accessible, practical and amazing tips with us in this next conversation – so stay tuned!

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too!

Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast
player to be alerted when new shows drop!

ABOUT THE BETTY ROCKER SHOW:

Join me for open and thought provoking discussions about health, fitness, and how to stop undermining ourselves – and start taking meaningful action that makes us role models to others…

….and, listen in on my intimate conversations with amazing thought leaders, health care professionals, athletes and celebrities to learn their secrets and insights for overcoming life’s challenges, living longer, healthier, stronger and more #flawsome lives.

New shows are released every other week during Season 2 of The Betty Rocker Show.

Subscribe on your favorite player today!

The post S2 – 12: Becoming a Centered Mama with Amisha Klawonn appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Today I have some of my favorite upper body and core moves for you that will help build strength for functional movement and have you feeling so strong (and sweaty) by the end of this workout!

Functional movement is really just how we move as human beings. Mastering good form can be really helpful in correcting poor movement patterns, building better body awareness, helping us get stronger, and keeping us safe and moving well for many years to come.

Be sure to check out my Foundations of Functional Fitness free online workshop for more on stabilizing your shoulder joint and activating your core when practicing movements like these.

Today’s workout will focus on sculpting a strong back, arms and core all at once!

Now grab some weighted objects (water bottles, laundry jugs, dumbbells) and an elevated surface if you have one and let’s smash this together!

Great job with that workout! One of the many resources you’ll have access to in my Rock Your Life online home workout studio and women’s fitness community is the extensive class library with over 1200 different workout classes.

You’ll have unlimited access to many types of classes, from warm-up and cool-down stretches to restorative yoga, pilates, mobility, resistance training, weight training, HIIT circuits, mindset and more! Here’s a stretch video I recorded to complement this upper body workout that you would find in Rock Your Life.

In this video I’m drinking Rock and Restore, my free-form essential amino acid formula and drinking out of my Stop, Drop and Betty Rock shaker bottle.

Enjoy this quick upper body cool-down stretch, designed to go with today’s workout:

One-off workouts are great, but having a plan to follow is even better! Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Awesome work! Looking forward to hearing how you liked that workout – be sure to comment below with any questions and to check in.

Looking for a well-balanced workout plan with variety, accountability and support for your fitness journey? I’ve got you covered!

Check out ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

We’ve got dozens of 30 day Challenge plans to choose from so you always have a plan, hundreds of workouts in our class library so you’re never bored, and so much support for you in our private support group!

Check out Voni’s amazing progress after just 1 year with me…

“1 year ago I pressed play to day 1 of Betty Rockers Make Fat Cry free 30 day program. I almost died by the way. Today I am on day 5 of my 11th challenge.
What I found was a health program that I LOVE! Thank you coaches! After the 30 day challenge, I joined you here on Rock your Life and as a result met the greatest bunch of inspirational ladies ever!

Thank you rockstars!
And of course a 1 year #rockiversary called for progress photos.

Sharing progress photos because I experienced so much inspiration from others sharing theirs. I ALWAYS used them as motivation and NEVER for comparison. Here is to motivation and inspiration!”

– Voni H, Rock Your Life member

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

Can’t wait to see you there!

The post Upper Body and Core Smash appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to The Betty Rocker Show, the place to be to nourish your mind, love your body, and rock your life.

Today I’m talking to body language expert, Linda Clemons and we’re going to get into those parts of communication that are non verbal – all those times we need to draw on our intuition to help us decode what people actually mean.

Maybe you’d like to know how to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth. Or maybe you’d like to consciously use your own body language to build more trust in your relationship, or show up more confidently at work so you get noticed for that big promotion. These are just some examples of how we can use body language to give us the edge when it comes to communicating.

Linda Clemons is the CEO of Sisterpreneur® Inc, which educates and empowers female entrepreneurs. She is an award-winning, record-setting sales producer. A body language expert trained and certified in Analytic Interviewing and Statement Analysis (a process used to detect deception) Linda is one of the top global sales trainers, assisting her clients in generating over two billion in sales.

Some of her clients include the FBI, major airline and hotel companies, Spanx, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Major League Baseball, and more. She has shared the stage with Oprah Winfrey, President Obama, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and Steve Wozniak to name a few.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing Linda in action, and was even an example in one of her live talks. It’s really amazing to witness how she seems to be reading the minds of everyone in the room with her ability to decipher body language. To quote from her site: “There Are Hundreds of Experts, But Only One Linda Clemons.”

She’s here today to break down some of her tips and tricks, and leave you with some actionable steps you can use right away to crack the body language code. Get ready to take notes, and join me in welcoming her to the show!

From her site:

Linda references this great quote from Grace Lichtenstein on her website: “Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed. Just make your absence felt.”

Linda Clemons is a charismatic speaker and corporate trainer with more than three decades’ experience helping clients boost their sales. As a nonverbal communications expert, she provides sales and leadership teams with an awareness of how body language can improve performance and outcomes.

In This Episode You’ll Discover:

Meet Linda Clemons [1:09]

• Linda’s background
• The benefit of developing more confidence in our self-presentation

Why body language is such an important aspect of communication (2:48)

• Non-verbal communication is our first language
• How our thoughts translate into our body
• Intro to limbic system
• How our feelings translate into our communication
• The congruency of our words, tone and non-verbal communication

“I cannot hear what you are saying, because who you are being is getting in the way.”

Unpacking the limbic system and how that relates to your intuition (5:37)

• The amygdala and its purpose
• The fight or flight response
• How the amygdala drives communication
• Friend or foe?
• The different parts of the brain

Disruptors that impact our ability to listen to our intuition (7:56)

• Why you may feel conflicted while receiving messages from friends, family and social media
• Your gut feeling and how it connects to your intuition
• The frustration we may feel with mixed messages

How can we spot lies and incongruencies? (10:14)

• The baseline in non-verbal communication
• Reading non-verbals in clusters
• Make sure that there is congruency: in their words, tonality and body language
• What is the context of the communication?
• What is the cultural tone of the communication?

Rock Your Life: home workout studio and women’s fitness community [19:14]

Today’s podcast is brought to you by ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and uplifting women’s fitness community where you can take as many 30-day challenges as you like for consistent, sustainable progress. For added variety, we offer 5 new classes each week, healthy recipes, a private women’s only support community and MORE!

New members can get a 30-Day Trial RIGHT HERE!

Using our powerful empathy to see beyond incongruent body language cues [22:13]

• We can’t assume we know what people are going through
• Remembering to wonder about someone’s story
• Seeing beyond gender, ethnicity, financial background
• Being present in other people’s presence

The lean in [25:22]

• What we lean into
• What we lean away from
• How our thoughts and reactions translate into our physical responses

Developing and deepening our empathy, intuition and self-expression [27:53]

• Understanding the signals we ourselves are putting out
• Expressing ourselves in alignment with our intentions
• Using your tone to express the intention you have for the communication
• Body postures that express different feeling states

Opening up your power zones (32:08)

• What the position of your power zones is communicating
• The throat, the heart, the belly and the groin
• How it feels to communicate with someone whose heart is open vs. closed

How our feelings shade our body language (34:21)

• How our body language expresses our emotions about people from our past relationships
• While we may be able to say we feel something, our body language may express something else
• How understanding this in yourself can help you see when others are being untruthful

I Vanilla Protein Powder from Whole Betty by Betty Rocker [38:10]

This podcast is brought to you by I Vanilla Protein Powder, my 100% organic, whole food blend of 4 plant protein sources that delivers 20 grams of protein to your body in a tasty vanilla shake to support your active life!

CLICK HERE to learn more about I Vanilla Protein!

How working on your strength, posture and alignment can improve your confidence [39:55]

• How chronic sitting and computer work can put us into unintentionally closed off posture
• How developing our physical strength can help us develop mental strength
• “What we think about, we be about”
• Self expression choices (like clothes) relate to our mental state

Using power stances to increase your confidence [42:24]

• Guided power stance
• Noticing the way you feel when you open yourself up
• How the brain gets signals from the body positions
• The discipline of the body is often perceived in business as a discipline of the mind

The self value we feel when we take care of our bodies (45:38)

• Making the most of the time we have
• Getting in tune with our intuition and the signals we’re sending out
• Developing the signals others are sending us

This Week’s Challenge(s) [46:40]

Our words are 7% of our communication. Our tonality is 38% of our communication. Our non-verbal is 55% of our communication. Your words are power, your tone is powerful, but your body language is critical.

Your challenge: practice becoming a tone master, and be aware if your BODY LANGUAGE is congruent with your words and your tone.

Connect with Linda Clemons:

• Linda’s website
• Linda’s Instagram
• Linda’s Linkedin

Coming up next: Coming up next I’m talking to Amisha Klawonn, an Embodiment and Sleep Coach, Yoga Therapist, and Integrative Physical Therapist. She applies many aspects of women’s health in her practice, including polyvagal theory and hormone health, and draws from her integrative physical therapy expertise in the areas of visceral mobilization and holistic care for the whole person.

We’ll be getting into many practical tips you can use in your life to invite in more balance, deeper rest and more self love. I’m looking forward to sharing that conversation with you!

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too! Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast player to be alerted when new shows drop!

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too!

Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast
player to be alerted when new shows drop!

ABOUT THE BETTY ROCKER SHOW:

Join me for open and thought provoking discussions about health, fitness, and how to stop undermining ourselves – and start taking meaningful action that makes us role models to others…

….and, listen in on my intimate conversations with amazing thought leaders, health care professionals, athletes and celebrities to learn their secrets and insights for overcoming life’s challenges, living longer, healthier, stronger and more #flawsome lives.

New shows are released every other week during Season 2 of The Betty Rocker Show.

Subscribe on your favorite player today!

The post S2 – 11: Decoding Body Language with Linda Clemons appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Are you ready for a fast and effective workout to fire up your core?

Join Coach Neesha from Team Betty Rocker to sculpt  your abs and get your heart pumping with this awesome cardio core blast!

Coach Neesha is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach.

Your core consists of more than just your front abdominal muscles, so we want to train the full core which consists of the front and side abs (obliques), back and underlying muscles (transverse abdominals) as well to provide stability and protect your spine and surround you as you move.

This will help you get much stronger in all the things you do, and help you uncover your abdominal muscles much quicker. You can check out my tutorial on how to activate your core right here!

Strengthening and balancing these muscle layers is key in moving well and preventing injury. In today’s workout with Coach Neesha, you’ll find moves that incorporate all of these major muscles for a total core blast.

She’ll talk you through it and give you some modifications and variations as you go so you can be where you’re at and make it your own. Time to #stopdropandbettyrock!

Love having workouts like this that you can do ANYWHERE, ANYTIME – and a well-designed plan to follow so you get the BEST RESULTS?  Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Awesome work, Rockstar! Check in with me and Coach Neesha to let us know what move was your favorite. We love hearing from you!

Looking for a well-balanced workout plan with variety, accountability and support for your fitness journey? I’ve got you covered!

Check out ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

We’ve got dozens of 30 day Challenge plans to choose from so you always have a plan, hundreds of workouts in our class library so you’re never bored, and so much inspiration in our private support group!

Check out Zelda’s amazing journey in Rock Your Life!

“18 months ago I couldn’t do a sit up, and only 1 push up!

I found Betty Rocker a year ago with Make Fat Cry, and since then I’ve revamped my fuel through Betty Rocker meal plans. I’m a Warrior Woman (challenge) twice over, I’m a Fitness Addict (challenge), I’ve done 7 weeks of Strength Training (challenge), Sculpt Domination (challenge), 2 5-day challenges, and more. I’m 68lbs down in weight and I’m a more balanced better me, for myself and for others.

Thank you Rock Your Life members for inspiring me, supporting me and entertaining me, and thank you to Bree and the extended Betty Rocker team – you have created an amazing place to transform.”

-Zelda M.

Start your 30 Day Trial today!

The post Cardio Core Blast appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Today I have a powerful workout for you to build strength in your entire body in 7 moves, plus a bonus full body stretch you can do afterwards or anytime.

I get a lot of questions about what is the best workout to do or what is the best time of day to work out, but what it really comes down to is what is the best for YOU?

Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t one “best” for everyone. The best workout is the one you DO, and the one you do when you’re rested, prepared, and fueled.

It doesn’t have to be an hour long or any set amount of time, it can be half of the workout you planned on, and it can be at any time of the day you can fit it in.

I’m all about the “all or something” approach and remembering that it’s okay to go at your own pace without pressuring yourself to get it all done at a certain time or in a certain way.

We talk about this and share many other helpful resources in Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and private women’s fitness community, so you have all the tools and support you need to achieve your goals.

For this workout you’ll want to have some weighted objects like dumbbells or water bottles handy – anything to add resistance to help strengthen your muscle tissue.

I know that you’ll be feeling energized and strong by the end of this workout – so let’s get right to it!

Awesome job with that workout! One of the many resources you’ll have access to in Rock Your Life is the extensive class library with over 1200 workout classes like this one.

Plus you also have access to many other types of classes, from warm-up and cool-down stretches, to restorative yoga, pilates, mobility, mindset and more! Here’s one I recorded to complement the total body power workout.

Enjoy this quick full body cool-down stretch, designed to go with today’s workout:

Looking for a workout plan with variety, accountability and support for your fitness journey? I’ve got you covered!

Join me in ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

We’ve got dozens of 30 day Challenges to choose from so you always have a plan, hundreds of workouts in our class library so you’re never bored, and so much support for you in our private support group!

Start a 30 Day Trial today!

Thanks for joining me, Rockstar – I’m proud of you for giving it your all!

Leave me a comment below and let me know how you’re feeling, where you did this workout, and anything else you’d like to share!

I’d love to see YOU inside Rock Your Life…

…so I can support you in ROCKING your body AND your life! Get stronger and healthier with a community of rockstars to support you, home workout challenges for a fit body, and fresh new workout classes each week to keep you motivated!

Check out Ellen’s amazing progress in Rock Your Life!

See for yourself and join us with a 30-Day Trial!

The post Total Body Power Workout appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to The Betty Rocker Show, the place to be to nourish your mind, love your body, and rock your life.

I’m so glad to introduce you to my guest today, Traver Boehm. He’s the founder of the UNcivilized Men’s Movement, the fastest growing men’s movement in the world. He is the author of Today I Rise, and Man UNcivilized as well as a two time TEDx speaker, men’s coach and podcaster.

In this conversation, we’re digging deep on masculinity and cultural norms that create separation between partners, and discuss ways that we can overcome these issues so that we can meet and be met by those we love.

Drawing upon an eclectic background ranging from professional bodyguarding and Mixed Martial Arts to a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and meditation, Traver counsels men, women, and couples on how to better understand men’s mental health and relationship difficulties.

Although he’s not quite sure how to feel about the title, he has been dubbed, “The Man Whisperer” as he has the unique ability to speak to men in a way they can hear and understand.

In 2016 after losing a pregnancy, his marriage, and his business partnership all within weeks of each other, he created a radical year long social experiment to answer the questions, “Who am I, and who am I as a man?”

Highlights of the year include:

• Volunteering with the dying as a hospice worker
• Meditating for 28 days straight in complete isolation and pitch-black darkness in a Guatemalan hut
• Living in the frigid Utah wilderness for a month with only a knife, a water bottle, and a blanket

With a passion for people and a unique lens through which to view the human experience, Traver is a highly sought after teacher in the fields of consciousness, intimacy, and personal development. When not teaching workshops or radically shifting the way men experience their masculinity, Traver can be found obsessing over a single word in front of his laptop, chasing surf around the globe, and being awful at yoga.

From his site:

“THE UNCIVILIZED MAN…is Unapologetically Male. Dangerous but not a danger. Makes still his mind, makes savage his body. Knows his gifts grow in the garden of his wounds. Practices presence and performance.

Honors the men before him, the women who bore him, and the children who will inherit his Earth. Has equal and easy access to his head, heart, and balls. Lives, by the rule — there are no rules — but there is responsibility. Loves fiercely, openly, and without reservation. Knows strength without love is tyranny. Knows love without strength is victimhood. LIVES an UNAPOLOGETIC LIFE of PASSION and PURPOSE.”

In This Episode You’ll Discover:

The difference between Traver and Trevor [2:01]

• A funny story about being called the wrong name for an entire show

How relatable Traver’s work is to women (3:15)

• My response to encountering Traver’s work
• The statistics on how many women have purchased Traver’s book vs men
• The value and the intersection of this work for both men and women

The defining principles of Traver’s work with men (5:23)

• Masculine and feminine energy
• Tempering the masculine
• The path to finding balance
• The juxtaposition of stereotypical masculine paradigms
• The responsibility of strength
• My reflection on this and examples from my own life

Serenicalm: stress support from Whole Betty by Betty Rocker [13:31]

This podcast is brought to you by Serenicalm, a blend of herbs and organic compounds specifically designed to support your body in a healthy response to stress. Reduce stress and anxiety and bring more serenity and calm to your life.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Serenicalm!

Traver’s story [16:39]

• How Traver felt like the guy who “had it all”
• How he lost it all
• The way he felt when he hit rock bottom
• The soul searching journey that this took him on
• What he began to wonder about other men’s experiences
• Why he became a cheerleader of men while also holding them responsible for their actions

How men learn to be men [24:09]

• Traver’s vision of what a man can be in the world
• How modeling can both serve and undermines men
• What women expect from men
• Making emotions accessible and accepted for men
• The dichotomy Traver’s experience of the masculine

What are the impacts for men who do this work? [30:25]

• Men in relationships
• The unintended consequences
• The impact on intimacy
• The ability to express emotionally in a healthy way
• The brotherhood this fosters
• The root cause of unhealthy behaviors in men and women

Rock Your Life: home workout studio and women’s fitness community [35:06]

Today’s podcast is brought to you by ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio where you can take as many 30-day challenges as you like for consistent, sustainable progress. For added variety, we offer 5 new classes each week, healthy recipes, a private women’s only support community and MORE!

New members can get a 30-Day Trial RIGHT HERE!

How porn impacts our ability to connect and damages our relationships [37:07]

• The reason many men turn to porn with such frequency
• Traver’s experience with using porn
• The costs to men
• The costs to women

How can women support men in their UNcivilized lifestyle? [45:01]

• The responsibility we have for doing our own work
• The importance of being met in relationship
• Adjusting our expectations of our partners
• Using Traver’s book as a way to open this conversation

This Week’s Challenge(s) [51:08]

NOTE: How many times do you apologize for being you in some capacity?

Begin to notice where you are apologizing for what you want or who you are. Notice and acknowledge this. As follow up work, begin to examine what lies beneath this apology for you.

Connect with Traver Boehm

• Traver’s website
• Traver’s Instagram
• Traver’s book: Man UNcivilized
• Traver’s podcast

Coming up next: Coming up next I’m talking to body language expert, Linda Clemons. You and I both know that a lot of what we communicate is non-verbal, and we have to draw on our intuition a lot in our dealings with others because their words and their actions just don’t seem to match up.

If you’ve ever wondered how to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth, this one is for you. If you’ve ever wished you could show up more confidently in the workplace, or deepen the level of trust in your relationship, this one is for you.

I’ve seen Linda in action and it’s like she’s reading the minds of everyone in the room – her ability to decipher body language is amazing. She’ll be here to break down her tips and tricks for us and leave you with some actionable steps you can use right away to crack the body language code. It’s all coming up next so stay tuned!

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too! Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast player to be alerted when new shows drop!

Love The Betty Rocker Show? We do too!

Share it with your friends, and subscribe on your favorite podcast
player to be alerted when new shows drop!

ABOUT THE BETTY ROCKER SHOW:

Join me for open and thought provoking discussions about health, fitness, and how to stop undermining ourselves – and start taking meaningful action that makes us role models to others…

….and, listen in on my intimate conversations with amazing thought leaders, health care professionals, athletes and celebrities to learn their secrets and insights for overcoming life’s challenges, living longer, healthier, stronger and more #flawsome lives.

New shows are released every other week during Season 2 of The Betty Rocker Show.

Subscribe on your favorite player today!

The post S2 – 10: Man UNcivilized with Traver Boehm appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

I have a super fun, high energy cardio kickboxing workout for you today that will really get your heart pumping!

You’ll be working out with Coach Nikki, one of our amazing Team Betty Rocker coaches from Rock Your Life today.

Coach Nikki is a yoga instructor ERYT200, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, a Mat Pilates Instructor and a Team Betty Rocker Coach!

This workout will add variety and challenge you with some new moves while strengthening your cardiovascular system and building your speed and agility.

The stronger your heart, the stronger your cardiovascular system, and the better your body functions overall (1) – making this a valuable part of your training regimen that can prolong and improve your life.

Like any muscle, the heart gets stronger and healthier the more regularly you work it. And as the name describes, cardiovascular training (cardio) is a great way to strengthen the cardiovascular system. Check out this resource to learn more about how you can incorporate cardio into your training for the best results.

Now join Coach Nikki and get ready to go!

One-off workouts are great, but having a plan to follow is even better!

Check out ROCK YOUR LIFE, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

We’ve got dozens of 30 day Challenge plans to choose from so you always have a plan, hundreds of workouts in our class library so you’re never bored, and so much support for you in our private support group!

Start a 30 Day Trial today!

Check out this awesome progress Denise, a Rock Your Life member, shared over the course of JUST 2 MONTHS and 2 challenges!

Looking for a plan to help you reach YOUR goals?

You’re invited to Rock Your Body AND Your Life…

…in my epic home gym that has new classes every week, 30-day Challenges to keep you on track with a program, your own personal workout library, over 300 healthy recipes, an exclusive support group, access to the Team Betty Rocker coaches, and so much more!

Can’t wait to see you there!

The post Cardio Kickboxing appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Welcome to the 5 Day Holiday Challenge!

Wishing you Happy Holidays from all of us at Team Betty Rocker!

I wanted to share a special holiday challenge as we enter the final weeks of the year (and stay tuned, as I’ll be emailing you a new challenge at the start of 2022!).

For the days leading up to Christmas, I’ve put together an awesome 5-day sequence with the Team Betty Rocker coaches.

If you’re spending time with family, grab your sister, mom or partner and do the challenge together! You might even start a new holiday tradition.

During this busy season, it’s so important to tune into your 4 pillars of health (sleep, nutrition, stress management and exercise) to listen to your body and focus on taking care of yourself. Your healthy habits are what you aim for daily, and that includes your mental health and time to step back and recover.

Give yourself permission to rest, to say no when you’re feeling tired, to enjoy the moment, and to leave some of the items on your “to do” list til tomorrow.

Here are some bonus resources to set you up for success with any challenge!

• The 4 step strategy that keeps me lean
• Sculpted and Strong; How muscle works
• How to train through the stages of your cycle

Feel free to add in this Full Body Stretch any day this week!

Day 1: Upper Body and Core Supersets

Let’s kick off the challenge with this low impact super-sculpt for your upper body and core!

We will be targeting your back, shoulders and arms with moves like biceps curls, shoulder presses and rows and sculpting a strong core with planks and floor wipers to name a few!

Today we’ll be focusing on our posture and alignment and talk about building healthy habits both on, and off the mat.

As always, I’ve got great options to make this work without anything fancy so you can do it anywhere you are – just follow along and I’ll show you how. Now let’s get right to it!

Be sure to check in with me below this post and let me know how you liked it. I’ll see you back here tomorrow for Day 2!

This 14-day free workshop can be done along side any workout program!

Sign up and start today and get more out of your workouts!

Day 2: Lower Body Burn

For Day 2 of the challenge we’re working on strong, sculpted legs! Grab a set of weighted objects and join Coach Amanda from Team Betty Rocker for this lower body workout.

Coach Amanda is a NASM and NESTA Certified Personal Trainer, Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, TRX Qualified Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach in Rock Your Life

This workout is really going to challenge your muscles with moves designed to target every area of your lower body for a complete balanced workout!

A solid lower body routine like this one focuses on main movement patterns: hip extension, a hip hinge, and a squat pattern. It will target your lower body from all angles to build balanced strength.

Ready to get started? Press play and Join Coach Amanda and don’t forget to check in after you have completed today’s workout! We’ll see you back here tomorrow for Day 3!

Day 3: Power Pilates

Welcome back for Day 3 of the 5 Day Challenge!

Did you know that strengthening your core is one of the best things you can do for your overall fitness?

A strong core— which includes your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles—keeps your body balanced, helps improve your posture, keeps your spine stable and safe, and provides you with a more controlled and functional base to move from.

There are so many different options when it comes to working your core but adding Pilates into the mix is an awesome way to engage your muscles in a new, fun way!

To help you reap the core-strengthening benefits of Pilates, I invited Coach Nikki, one of the amazing Team Betty Rocker coaches from Rock Your Life, to be your teacher today. Coach Nikki is a yoga instructor ERYT200, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, a Mat Pilates Instructor and a Team Betty Rocker Coach!

Join her on the mat, and let’s go!

Great job Rockstar! Thank you for making the choice to show up for yourself today. See you back here for Day 4 tomorrow and be sure to check in once you’ve completed today’s workout!

I’m so excited that my Whole Betty supplements are now available in the UK and Canada!

Click here to check out the entire collection!

Day 4: Full Body Strength Pyramid

It’s Day 4 of the challenge and we’re going to strengthen our entire body in just 20 minutes!

Today’s workout is a fun, fast and effective pyramid workout that will work you from head to toe.

This is one of the training styles I always get requests for in Rock Your Life (my online home workout studio that you can totally join anytime) – so I know you’re going to love it!

Pyramids are a special kind of timing sequence where we focus on one move at a time, and repeat it at timed intervals that go up and then down in length.

They are a great way to build endurance and master the form for each move. I also threw in an optional power move during the rest periods so you can get even more out of this awesome workout!

Grab some weighted objects like dumbbells or water bottles for extra resistance, and let’s get strong together!

Can’t wait to see you again for Day 5 – the final day of this challenge! Let me know how it’s it’s going so far in the comments below.

Day 5: 20-Minute HIIT Sculpt

You’ve made it to the final day of the 5 Day challenge!

Today’s Full Body HIIT Sculpt workout will give you another fantastic total body burn in just 20 minutes!

HIIT stands for “high intensity interval training.” This type of training is great if you are on a time crunch but want a great workout.

So wherever you’re starting out, build yourself up using the cues and guidance from the awesome Coach Neesha, one of our popular Team Betty Rocker Coaches from Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio. Coach Neesha is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach.

You’ll need a little space to move and some light weighted objects for resistance, like water bottles, water jugs, laundry jugs, or dumbbells.

Get ready to join Coach Neesha and HIIT it hard! 

Awesome job, Rockstar – I’m so proud of you for giving it your all with this challenge!

Leave us a comment below and let us know how you’re feeling, where you did this workout, and that you completed the challenge! We love hearing from you!

Did you enjoy this mini-challenge?

Then you will LOVE the Wonder Woman Challenge inside of Rock Your Life! The Wonder Woman challenge is designed to strengthen your entire body while improving both muscular and cardiovascular endurance as well as full body mobility. If you are looking for a sculpted physique, a strong core, barre and high intensity cardio, this challenge is for YOU!

Take your fitness to the next level – without having to leave your house!

Grab a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life and get access to….

• 5 new classes you can do from home every week for constant variety and fun! Drop in on your schedule – they’re all loaded right into your workout library!
• Choose a workout from hundreds of options by body part you want to train, how much time you have and workout style!
• Take a 30-day Challenge complete with interactive calendar and daily email push to keep you on track – there are dozens to choose from!
• Check in with us in your private support community and make new friends, plus get your questions answered by the coaches!

I can’t wait to see you there! Get your 30 day trial today!

The post 5 Day Holiday Challenge appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

I’ve got an awesome total body sculpt for you today! Join Coach Nikki for this yoga and pilates flow that will work your entire body and your core, leaving you feeling grounded, strong, and centered in just 20 minutes!

Coach Nikki is a yoga instructor ERYT200, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, a Mat Pilates Instructor and a Team Betty Rocker Coach inside of Rock Your Life – my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

This workout pairs Pilates strength moves with a flowing yoga practice focused on balance, strength, and flexibility which is a perfect mix.

This type of training has so many benefits – including lengthening and strengthening our muscles, reducing stress, chronic pain, improving sleep patterns, promoting and improving respiratory and cardiovascular function, and enhancing our overall well-being and quality of life.

Here’s a note from Coach Nikki: I love all of the different workout styles that I teach and practice but I have found that by far Pilates and yoga have enhanced every other form of movement in my life.

By slowing down and executing the movement with thoughtful attention and awareness of your breath you can learn to move more efficiently with grace, precision, and fluidity while building long, lean muscles.

For today’s workout I selected some of my favorite mat Pilates and yoga postures for you as a great core workout with an emphasis on strength and balance. You won’t need any equipment but feel free to add an elevated surface to hold on to as needed.

Now join Coach Nikki to sculpt, stretch and strengthen!

Did you enjoy this workout? Then you will LOVE the Raise The Barre Challenge inside of Rock Your Life! The Raise The Barre challenge is a low-impact, high energy challenge that incorporates my favorite barre-style workouts with pilates and yoga flows. If you are looking for increased flexibility, booty building, core work and intensity without the impact, you will love this one!

Great job Rockstar! Thank you for making the choice to show up for yourself today. Be sure to check in below with me and Coach Nikki and let us know how you liked the workout!

I’d love to see YOU inside Rock Your Life…

…so I can support you in ROCKING your body AND your life! Get stronger and healthier with a community of rockstars to support you, home workout challenges for a fit body, and fresh new workout classes each week to keep you motivated!

Take it for a Test Drive with a 30-Day Trial!

Having a plan to look forward to and people to cheer you on is a huge component in seeing lasting results. Take a look at Zelda’s amazing progress and the results she had once she started following my workout challenges inside of Rock Your Life – my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

What could you do in 30 days? How about in the next 6 months? What about in the next year if you finally had the support, the programs and all of the resources you need to reach your goals?

Join us in Rock Your Life and find out! Click here for a 30 day Trial pass!

The post Yoga Pilates Sculpt appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Your cycle as an advantage

While you’re in the phase of life where you’re having regular periods, you may feel intuitively that you just don’t have as much drive during the days leading up to your period. And you may notice that certain times of the month you are able to absolutely crush your workouts.

If you’ve reached the life stage where your period has slowed down or stopped, you’re likely also noticing changes in your energy, drive and body composition. All of these changes, including the cyclical nature of our energy when we’re still having regular periods, are related to the interplay of key hormones – notably estrogen and progesterone, and their impact on every cell in our body.

I was very curious about this topic, as I noticed shifts in my energy when it came to working out over the course of the month. As I have so many women readers who are in their peri and post-menopause years (not to mention I’m heading that way myself) I was also very interested in what adaptations we can make at that life stage as well.

To learn about the science of our cycle and the training advantages it provides for women, I took a continuing education course for coaches and trainers (appropriate for anyone interested in learning this material) with Dr. Stacy Sims, a renowned scientist and researcher who studies sex differences in fitness and nutrition.

The course is called “Women are Not Small Men” and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to go deeper with this knowledge. When comparing ourselves to our male counterparts, we often take for granted that we ought to be able to perform “the same” all month long, or “the same” after menopause.

This can lead to feelings of inadequacy or shame when we feel tired, are bleeding, or are in other ways impacted by the natural rhythms we experience – rather than identifying our physiology as unique, and ourselves as badass women who have a complex system that requires space for the ebb and flow of our energy.

When I learned how all this works, it was a joy to begin to practice and I felt the impacts quickly.

Not only did I enjoy pushing hard when I naturally had the drive to do so, I gave myself permission to go slower and restore myself. I felt better physically and mentally as a pressure I didn’t even realize I was putting on myself was lifted.

I found it was easy to make minor adjustments to any training program and suit where I was at in my cycle – and I expect you’ll be able to do the same (examples included below!).

Since we’re all going to have variations in our cycle length and phase length, and may be in different stages of our life cycle (i.e. menstrual, peri-menopause or post-menopause), it is best to learn about the different stages so you can apply it to yourself individually.

Don’t worry if a program isn’t written “for your cycle” – with this information you can use any program and make it right for you wherever you’re at. You can use the Wild.ai app to track your cycle and get training and nutrition tips for where you’re at – developed by Dr Sims and her team!

For more in depth on these topics, check out Dr. Sims’ website and courses, and the 2-part podcast interview I did with her where she summarizes training and nutrition considerations during our menstrual years, during post menopause, and discusses training considerations for those on the pill and using an IUD, and much more.

• Part 1: Eating and Training with your cycle with Dr. Stacy Sims
• Part 2: Eating and Training with your cycle with Dr. Stacy Sims

Let’s start by understanding how our natural cycle looks, and considering the length of each of YOUR phases.

In the diagram below a “textbook” menstrual cycle of 28 days is represented. While it is helpful to see the phases broken out, keep in mind that the length of women’s menstrual cycles and the phases it contains actually varies. For instance, you may have a 3 day period, or a 5 day period (bleed). You may ovulate on day 12 or on day 15, which changes the length of your follicular phase.

Some women have a longer cycle of 35-40 days total, while others have a cycle as short as 21 days. Both ends of the spectrum and everything in between are considered normal.

Normal Menstrual Cycle

Tracking your cycle

Knowing when you ovulate and knowing when you menstruate will help you determine the type of training that will benefit you the most during each phase of your cycle, and determine the length of each phase. This is why you shouldn’t blanket apply a “4-week” or “28 day” training cycle to yourself if your menstrual cycle isn’t 28 days long.

• Track the length of your entire cycle – from when your period starts to when your next period begins (helpful to do monthly)
• Track the length of your period, and how long your low hormone phase (follicular phase) is – which goes from when you begin your period until you ovulate.
• Track ovulation, either by getting body temperature readings from a device like this, or using a urine analysis tracker like Clearblue, Pregmate, or other. As of this post release, the Oura ring 3rd generation which is currently in release contains an upgraded operating system and more sensitive metrics which help predict ovulation and track our cycle – I’ll be reporting back on my findings once I get my new ring to let you know how accurate this is.
• Track the length of your high hormone phase (luteal phase), which is just after ovulation until your period begins again.

Tracking your cycle is a great way to start to know which phase of it you’re in so you can start using this information to optimize your nutrition and training.

The Follicular phase, also known as the “low hormone phase” is from the start of your period until ovulation.

Your uterine lining starts to thicken, waiting for a fertilized egg to implant. Estrogen rises, and is higher than progesterone meaning your body is well set up to increase muscle mass. Your core temperature is in a normal range, helping you get deep, restorative sleep.

This segment of your cycle is called the “low hormone phase” because in contrast to the luteal phase where both estrogen and progesterone are elevated, only estrogen is elevated in this segment and it tapers up.

Progesterone increases protein breakdown where estrogen is anabolic – meaning it helps increase lean mass. This is why in the first half of your cycle when estrogen predominates over progesterone, you have a greater opportunity for gains in your training and can more efficiently build muscle.

• Training in the low hormone phase is all about strength and power. You may hit PR’s (personal records), have great energy to push harder and farther, and can work on upping your weight in your resistance training.
• This is assuming you are eating enough to support your training, prioritizing your sleep, and not allowing stress to overwhelm you.
• If you’re taking a Betty Rocker challenge or program, this is the phase of your cycle to give it your all. Try moves you haven’t been able to do before.
• Up your resistance. Go hard, and go longer if you have time by adding an additional round to the workout, or even repeating the entire workout if it’s shorter and you still have energy.
• During this phase of your cycle, you can really go for it with endurance, strength and power-type workouts. That could be high intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance training, or any type of more challenging, high-volume activity.

Ovulation

FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) peak, causing the release of an egg from the ovary. Just prior to ovulation estrogen peaks then drops off. Progesterone begins to rise.

• Training: During the short ovulation window, you can generally continue to go hard in your training (unless your energy feels low for any reason).
• Similar to the low hormone/follicular phase, you can continue to do endurance or strength and power type workouts. That could be high intensity interval training, resistance training, or any type of more challenging activity.
• If you experience an energy drop however, listen to your body and back off on intensity.

The Luteal Phase, also known as the “high hormone phase” occurs after ovulation.

The egg travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus, where it will attach to the uterine lining and may be fertilized.

Progesterone is increasingly heightened, and is now the dominant player in relation to estrogen, however estrogen still has a presence.

Progesterone increases our respiration rate. It alters the sweat threshold and has a thermogenic effect. As it rises in the luteal phase, it elevates our core temperature as much as 0.5 C. This can impact sleep – as in it becomes harder in the second half of your cycle to get that good, deep sleep.

• Training: After ovulation, it’s ideal to begin to monitor your energy and stamina as the rise in progesterone will impact your recovery and ability to push hard in your workouts. Personally, I experience this gradually over the first week post-ovulation.
• You can taper your training down in intensity in whatever way feels natural to you, and even focus on more steady state cardiovascular training.
• Simply having the mindset that the body is shifting has been tremendously helpful to me – knowing that I don’t have to have the same expectation of my output in the luteal phase helps me shift easily into training adaptations that feel good to my body.
• For instance, if I’m weight training I might start the workout with a heavier load, and decrease the weight amount as I go through subsequent rounds (reverse pyramid training).
• I might also simply use less resistance altogether, and do higher reps, do bodyweight training, or do the low-impact version of more high intensity moves and focus more on form.
• I might also opt for a steady state cardiovascular workout on some of the days I was doing more high impact training in the follicular phase.
• In the latter part of the luteal phase (days 5-7 or so before your period depending on your cycle length), you may feel a little more fatigued, due to estrogen and progesterone crossing to the brain and effecting the central nervous system. It’s a great time to really lower the resistance (weight), focus on technique drills, and swap in more mobility and functional movement skills classes.
• This is a good time for maintenance and recovery type sessions, slow, recuperative movement, and less cardio-focused workouts. That might be yoga, functional movement drills, bodyweight low impact training, or anything that feels restorative to you.

When it comes to a 4 week program like the example, remember that how you feel throughout the challenge has to do with where you’re at in your cycle, and that if you start the challenge during the follicular phase of your cycle (menstruation through ovulation) you may experience a drop of energy after you ovulate and move into the luteal phase – which could be closer to the end of the challenge.

• Listen to your body and adapt if your energy is dropping during any point in the challenge program.
• You can supplement with workouts from the Class Library (available in the member’s area in Rock Your Life, over 1000 classes to choose from) and swap in a few days of mobility or yoga if you’re not feeling up for a strength and power workout (which is recommended in the days leading up to your period as you’re in the tail end of the luteal phase).
• You can also do the prescribed workout and give yourself permission to move more slowly, use less intensity or resistance, and even do less rounds.
• Just because you’re at the end of a program doesn’t mean you’re always supposed to be “going harder” than you did at the start. If the end of a challenge lines up with when you’re in your luteal phase, give yourself space to back off.

Menstruation

While this is technically at the start of your cycle and included in the follicular phase, I’ve listed it last as it makes a bit more sense once you understand all the other stages of your cycle.

This is represented above in the diagram at the beginning of the chart and estrogen and progesterone are lowered after the end of the previous cycle, signaling blood and tissues lining the uterus to break down and shed from the body.

You may have less energy during your bleeding time than after it stops, but many women begin to feel more energized as progesterone drops down, reducing their core temperature and estrogen once again takes a front seat.

• Training: This is really up to you. If you feel tired, do more gentle movement and things that feel restorative throughout menstruation – similar to what you were doing leading up to it.
• If you begin to feel energized and strong, you can begin training at a volume that suits you, like we talked about with the follicular phase.
• This can be a transitionary phase, and you may shift through feeling low energy to higher energy over the course of your bleed as your body starts to feel the effects of the low hormone phase. Listen to your body and stay nourished, hydrated, and rested.
• Check out this great “Period Power” article from Dr. Sims about training with your period.

Nutrition considerations and resources

One of the most essential things to consider when you’re training regularly is that you are adequately fueled for your training.  Going into your workouts fueled is going to allow for adaptations and energy output, and help you preserve the lean mass you have so you can build more.

You also want to be fueling post-workout with protein and carbohydrates as soon as possible to stop the catabolism of our muscle tissue. Dr. Sims recommends fueling up between 30-45 minutes post-workout. Your body won’t start repairing until you’ve had some food.

Your body needs enough amino acids for muscle protein synthesis, not to mention enzyme and hormone function, brain health and your immune system.

The essential amino acid leucine is integral to muscle protein synthesis, and ensuring that you have enough of this amino acid (along with all the essential aminos that your body cannot make on its own) will certainly support your training goals.

As a result, prioritize your protein intake through your entire cycle – aiming for at least 20-30 grams of protein per meal if you’re under 40, and between 30-40 grams per meal if you’re over 40.

I use a protein powder like I Vanilla Protein to boost the protein content of my breakfast foods, as a shake post workout, or even if I’m going to do a morning workout and need a little fuel going into it to help me access my best output.

Because I tend to perform best an hour or so after a meal, I like to work out an hour or so after breakfast, and have a protein shake with fruit afterwards. Just like the protein from whole foods, a protein powder has to break down after you ingest it for your body to access the amino acids.

During my workouts, I drink a free-form amino acid supplement Rock and Restore, which contains all of the essential and branch chain amino acids (including an optimal dose of leucine) to keep my muscle tissue fueled.

In their free form, aminos do not have to be broken down, making them a great supplement to support you during your workout, and also help improve recovery.

This prioritization of protein is especially important in the high hormone phase (after you ovulate) as your body is in a continuous breakdown state with elevated cortisol and progesterone, breaking down more tissue. Be sure you’re adding protein to each meal, and consider using a quality protein shake to conveniently boost your daily intake.

Prioritizing quality, complex carbohydrates around your training (and quick carbs during your training for longer training sessions) is essential for both recovery and energy to push through your workouts.

Dr. Sims and I discuss our needs for protein, carbohydrates and fat in this podcast and I highly recommend this resource.

Low energy availability (LEA) is a far more common occurrence in women than men, as many of us are not eating enough for our needs – whether because of the demands on our time and lack of prioritization, or because we’re intentionally cutting calories or skipping meals. Being in an underfed state causes cortisol to rise, which increases fat storage.

I recommend checking out:

• Are you undernourished?
• Yes, you are an athlete – no, you shouldn’t practice intermittent fasting
• As well as our conversation about fasting and the keto diet as they relate to women in part 2 of our interview on The Betty Rocker Show podcast.

Considerations for training if you’re on the pill

An oral contraceptive pill (OCP) will modify your body’s natural estrogen and progesterone cycling by delivering a low dose of hormones on a daily basis. The week that you are on the sugar pill is the week your body bleeds, but it is not the same as regular menstruation.

• Training: Because of the variation from what your body would do naturally you can still “periodize” your training by doing more high-volume training in the first 3 weeks, and backing off during the sugar pill week that you bleed.

For more on how the pill impacts your training capacity, read this article from Dr. Stacy Sims, and listen to the interviews I did with her on The Betty Rocker Show, parts 1 and 2. To learn even more about the pill and how it impacts your body, check out the podcast interview with Dr. Jolene Brighten.

Perimenopause and post-menopause considerations and training tips

When we get into peri-menopause (the period of time leading up to menopause), our cycle length may become a bit erratic as we stop ovulating on the same schedule and our hormone levels fluctuate in response. We don’t get the same length of low and high hormone phases, and your period may come at unexpected times.

In menopause, we no longer ovulate and our estrogen and progesterone flatline. In both of these stages of life, specific training adaptations are recommended to help you navigate these fluctuations and stay strong, or even build strength.

Menstrual Cycle in the years before and after menopause

• Training: One of the essential pieces of your training during this stage of life is to avoid what Dr. Sims calls the “grey zone.” This is what we get into when we don’t take adequate rest and instead are pushing ourselves to exercise day after day.
• Without proper rest, we can never hit truly high intensities in the workouts that we do, because we’re never fully recovered.
• And this is the stage of life when we want to be hitting those high intensities, both with high intensity interval training (HIIT) style workouts, and ramping up the resistance training to add more load to the body.
• Both of these types of higher volume training force adaptations that will enable us to maintain and build lean mass. But we must be properly rested to take advantage of these adaptations.
• Because we no longer have the fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone to drive lean mass development, we need to increase the training stimulus in other ways.
•  Sleep and hot flashes: I would also recommend prioritizing sleep (see this article for some great tips) and using a Chilipad mattress topper during peri-menopause to regulate body temperature and improve deep, restorative rest. In her Women are Not Small Men course, Dr. Sims discussed improving your heat tolerance by using a sauna, something you can try out to help your body acclimate to hot flashes more easily.
• Nutrition: It’s even more essential than ever to focus on protein intake, prioritizing leucine (one of the essential amino acids responsible for muscle protein synthesis) as we stop absorbing aminos as readily in our 40’s and beyond. So increasing protein to 30-40 grams per meal, prioritizing being adequately fueled before and after training, and focusing on fruit and vegetable sources of carbohydrates and minimizing sugar intake will all support a leaner body composition and improve training results.

While this article is far from comprehensive, I hope it has given you a good foundation to build upon. I’m practicing this myself by tracking my cycle each month, and using where I’m at to be more adaptable with my training.

If you’re interested in learning more from Dr. Stacy Sims, follow her on Instagram – she posts so many great and informative posts, and releases excellent content on her website as well. Check out her course offerings, too – she has a menopause course as well, and a membership where she regularly puts out new modules and content from her research and from new research available.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this today, and I wish you nothing but success as you navigate life in your amazing female physique!

The post How to Train Through the Stages of Your Cycle appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Build strength and balance with this amazing low-impact barre sculpting workout!

I get a lot of requests for this type of training in Rock Your Life, because barre workouts are so fun. But did you know that they also help strengthen the stabilizing muscles that give you power, balance, and alignment?

Not only does today’s workout develop and strengthen your glutes and legs, it’s also important for your day to day functional movements such as standing, walking and maintaining good posture. 

Check out the Free 14-day Foundations of Functional Fitness Workshop right here!

When it comes to posture and alignment, many movements in our day to day life use the muscles on the front side of the body (makes sense, we see in front of ourselves!) so it’s important to actively balance out your body by working your “posterior chain” as well.

Your posterior chain is simply the chain of muscles along the back side of your body and Barre workouts like this help to isolate, activate and strengthen them. Since virtually every workout you do calls on your posterior chain, it makes good sense to focus on training those muscles. 

Follow along with me for form cues and modifications and remember low-impact doesn’t mean low intensity or that this will be “easy” – you’re going to feel this!

This workout will be sure to give you an awesome burn, so let’s get right to it! 

Did you enjoy this workout? Then you will LOVE the Raise The Barre Challenge inside of Rock Your Life! The Raise The Barre challenge is a low-impact, high energy challenge that incorporates my favorite barre-style workouts with yoga flows. If you are looking for increased flexibility, booty building, core work and intensity without the impact, you will love this one!

How was that for you? Check in below and let me know! Share this with a friend, and keep me posted on your progress!

One-off workouts are great, but having a PLAN to follow is even better!

Join my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community, Rock Your Life, and get access to 30-day Challenges, a powerful support network unlike any other, new workout classes added every week you can do from the comfort of your own home – and share the journey while we help you reach your goals!

Click Here to get a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life!

The post Low-Impact Barre Sculpt Home Workout appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Working on strong, sculpted legs? Grab a set of weighted objects and join Coach Amanda from Team Betty Rocker for this lower body workout!

Coach Amanda is a NASM and NESTA Certified Personal Trainer, Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, TRX Qualified Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach in Rock Your Life

This workout is really going to challenge your muscles with moves designed to target every area of your lower body for a complete balanced workout!

A solid lower body routine like this one focuses on main movement patterns: hip extension (think hip thrusters), a hip hinge (like a deadlift), and a squat pattern.

This works your lower body muscles from every angle hitting your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. For more focus and detail on these types of movements, take my free Foundations of Functional Fitness Workshop, where you can join me for 15 minute classes with a focus on primal movements and more!

Ready to get started? Press play and Join Coach Amanda. 

Love having workouts you can do ANYWHERE, ANYTIME – and a well-designed plan to follow so you get the BEST RESULTS?  Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Lower Body Burn

Click to expand and see all workout move descriptions.

Equipment: Optional Weighted Objects (water bottles, dumbbells, household objects) and Elevated Surface

Format: Perform each move for the prescribed repetitions and repeat for 3 rounds. 

Activation/Warm Up

Move 1: Slow Squats (10)

• Begin standing with your core engaged, chest up tall and your feet shoulder width apart.
• Shoot your hips back behind you for a squat, keeping your chest up tall weight back in your heels, and knees tracking your toes.
• Powerfully drive through your heels and posterior chain to return to standing and repeat.
• MOD: Squat down to a chair or box to work on proper form.

Move 2: Glute Kickback (10 each side)

• Place your hands on the back of a chair and hinge at the hips with your core engaged.
• Support yourself on your left leg and lift your right leg back behind you with your knee bent and your thighs parallel to one another. 
• Keeping your hips square to the ground and your leg bent, press the sole of your foot to the ceiling and squeeze your glute.
• Lower your leg down slightly and repeat for10 reps and switch legs.

Set 1

Move 1: Elevated Split Squats (8-12)

• Begin standing with your chest up tall in a lunge position with your back foot on an elevated surface. 
• Slowly lower yourself down by bending your knees to the depth that is comfortable for you (ensure that your front knee isn’t buckling in, bowing out, or shooting out over your toe).
• Drive through your front heel to come to standing. 
• Repeat all repetitions on one leg and then repeat on the other.
• MOD: Hold on to an object in front of you or wall to help stabilize. 

Move 2: Hip Thrusters (0:45)

• Position your back on an elevated surface (couch or chair). The edge of the surface should be at the base of your shoulder blades. Bend your knees and have them at 90 degrees.
• Drive through your heels to lift your hips to the ceiling, squeezing your glutes and keeping a tight core.
• Drop your hips back down toward the floor with control and repeat.
• MOD: Perform this on the ground rather than an elevated surface.
• Optional: Add weight to your hip crease to increase the resistance.

Move 3: Skaters (0:30)

• Begin standing with your core engaged and chest upright.
• Step your right foot back behind you and over to the left as your left knee bends (your right knee will line up behind your left heel).
• Bend both knees to lower down into your lunge position, ensuring that your chest remains upright and your front knee does not shoot out over your toe.
• Drive through your front heel and laterally hop to the other side to softly land on the ball of your right foot and repeat the curtsy on the other leg. Alternate back and forth.
• MOD: Take the jump out of the move and do low impact alternating curtsy lunges or reverse lunges.

Set 2

Move 1: Toe Squats (8-12)

• Begin standing in a narrow stance with your heels raised up on a small elevated surface like a yoga block (bookos or folded towels work also).
• Keep your weight in your heels as you shoot your hips back and lower yourself down as far as is comfortable for you and ensure that your knees are tracking your toes and not buckling in or flaring out.
• Drive through your heels to come to standing and squeeze your glutes at the top. 
• MOD: Drop your heels and perform standard squats with a narrow stance. 
• Optional: Hold weighted objects in your hands at chest level with your elbows up high to add resistance.

Move 2: Sumo Squat to Sumo RDL (0:45)

• Stand with your feet wider than hip distance, toes turned out slightly (sumo stance), core engaged with a weighted object in each hand.
• Shoot your hips back and lower yourself down for a sumo squat, keeping your chest up tall weight back in your heels, and knees tracking your toes.
• Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes at the top. 
• Once you’re back in your starting position, slowly hinge forward at the waist while pushing your hips back and keeping the weights close to your body.
• Bend forward as far as you can while maintaining a flat back and then drive through your heels to come back to standing and squeeze your glutes at the top. 
• MOD: Remove the weights and do this move with just your bodyweight

Move 3: Reverse Burpees (0:30)

• Begin standing with your core engaged and chest up tall.
• From a standing position, shoot your hips back to squat down as you sit on the floor and roll back onto your back with your knees coming back towards your chest and lift your hips toward the ceiling.
• Using momentum, swing your body forward to rock to your feet and back up to a standing position to finish with a jump (watch that your knees don’t buckle in as you stand).
• MOD 1: When you’re learning this move, keep your hands down at your sides to support you on the jump to stand OR use a chair or elevated surface to help you stand up.
• MOD 2: If you start to get winded take the jump out and roll back to stand or just roll back and sit back up. Either way you are getting a great core workout! 

Burnout

Move 1: Front Squat (2:00)

• Stand with feet about hip distance apart, with your core engaged, chest up tall and weight back in your heels.
• Hold your weighted objects in your hands at chest level with your elbows up high.
• Begin sending your hips back behind you as you bend your knees to squat down and ensure your knees are tracking in line with your toes.
• Power through your heels and posterior chain to return to standing and repeat. 
• MOD: Squat down to a chair or elevated surface and remove the weighted objects.

Move 2: Alternating Reverse Lunge (2:00)

• Begin standing with your core engaged and chest upright.
• Step your right foot back behind you and begin bending your back knee until it nearly touches the ground in a 90 degree angle.
• As you stand up, power through your front heel and bring your back foot to meet your front foot as you come to standing.
• Repeat with your left leg and alternate back and forth (ensure your knee is not shooting out over your toe and maintain an upright chest). 
• MOD: Hold on to a chair or wall to help stabilize.

Move 3: Jack Touchdowns (1:00)

• Start standing with feet together and arms by your sides.
• Jump your feet out wide as you squat down and touch the ground below you with one hand.
• Drive through your heels as you power out of the squat, jump your feet together and back out to touch the ground with the opposite arm and repeat. 
• MOD: Take out the jump and simply step your feet out one at a time. 

Amazing job! Be sure to check in Coach Amanda and me below and let us know how you liked this workout and what move was your favorite.

One-off workouts are great, but having a PLAN to follow is even better!

Join my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community, Rock Your Life, and get access to 30-day Challenges, a powerful support network unlike any other, new workout classes added every week you can do from the comfort of your own home – and share the journey while we help you reach your goals!

Click Here to get a 30-day Trial to Rock Your Life!

The post Lower Body Burn appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Challenge yourself today with this super shredding lower body workout!

No matter your goal, this workout will have you feeling accomplished and powerful! 

We’ll be combining power moves with isolated single side moves to strengthen any imbalances and support your alignment and functional movement patterns.

You’ll be working out with the awesome Coach Amanda from Team Betty Rocker today, so I hope you’re ready to sweat!

Coach Amanda is a NASM and NESTA Certified Personal Trainer, Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, TRX Qualified Trainer and a Team Betty Rocker Coach inside of Rock Your Life.

You’re going to rock this workout and I hope you love it as much as I did!

Want more workouts like this? Grab the 30-Day Abs and Booty Challenge so you a whole month of ab and booty workouts every week to sculpt your abs and define your legs and glutes! Comes with workouts for your entire body, with a special emphasis on the glutes and core.

Way to show up today Rockstar!

Leave us a comment below to let us know where you’re working out from today, how you’re doing with your fitness goals, and what we can do to help you reach them – we love hearing from you!

The perfect follow up to this workout is the 30-Day Booty and Abs Challenge! Sculpt and Tone your entire body with a special emphasis on the Booty, Legs, and Abs!

The post Lower Body Shred Circuits appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

Ready to lengthen and strengthen your muscles? Today’s Pilates workout with Coach Nikki from Team Betty Rocker is designed to do just that!

Coach Nikki is a yoga instructor ERYT200, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, a Mat Pilates Instructor and a Team Betty Rocker Coach inside of Rock Your Life – my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!

Hey rockstars Coach Nikki here! I love all of the different workout styles that I teach and practice but I have found that by far Pilates has enhanced every other form of movement in my life.

Learning true core engagement is beneficial in so many ways. Not only does it make all movements of the body more efficient by stabilizing the pelvis, it gives support to the low back, makes you more aware of your posture and increases balance and stability.

I hear from people all the time that they feel as though they need to do more core work but they really don’t enjoy doing it. I get it! There was a time I too HATED core work. I would say “it’s hard! It hurts my neck and my back.” Then I walked into a mat Pilates class. There was a method to the madness!

Pilates helped me develop a deep awareness of where that power was (or should be) coming from. This was a game changer! With time, focus, and practice I got better at it and stronger. I then noticed a difference in all my other movements. Running got easier, my yoga was more balanced, even household chores didn’t leave me feeling tired or with an achy back.

By slowing down and executing the movement with slow thoughtful attention and awareness of your breath you can learn to move more efficiently with grace, precision, and fluidity while building long, lean muscles. Who wouldn’t want that?

For today’s workout I selected some of my favorite mat Pilates moves for you for a great core workout with some emphasis on the shoulders as well. You won’t need any equipment, but if you’d like to add a little resistance you can add some light weighted objects such as water bottles.

Other than that it’s just you and a mat and a willingness to slow down and find your true inner POWER!

One-off workouts are great, but having a plan to follow is even better! Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Great job Rockstar! Thank you for making the choice to show up for yourself today.

Be sure to check in below with me and Coach Nikki and let us know how you liked the workout!

I’d love to see YOU inside Rock Your Life…

…so I can support you in ROCKING your body AND your life! Get stronger and healthier with a community of rockstars to support you, home workout challenges for a fit body, and fresh new workout classes each week to keep you motivated!

Take it for a Test Drive with a 30-Day Trial!

The post Pilates Sculpt appeared first on The Betty Rocker.

It’s time to #stopdropandbettyrock with today’s Total Body Shred Circuit.

This powerful workout will give you an awesome head to toe strength and burn session! You’ll not only get your heart rate up, but these 8 moves will also strengthen your muscles.

This workout is circuit style, meaning you will do all of the moves back to back and then repeat them before moving onto the next circuit.

I love this style of training because there’s minimal rest in between exercises and you can structure the workout so that you’re building strength and getting cardio in all at once.

So clear out some space, throw down a yoga mat, and let’s get to work! 

Great job with today’s workout! Now let’s get you  a plan to put workouts like this together in a complete sequence that will strengthen your entire body!  Take a 30-day Challenge in Rock Your Life and have workouts like this formatted into a plan to follow!

Total Body Shred Circuits

Click to expand and see all workout move descriptions.

Equipment: Weighted Objects (cans, water bottles, dumbbells, etc), Elevated Surface
Format: Perform each move for the prescribed time and repetitions and repeat for 3 rounds

Circuit 1

Move 1: Jump Rope (0:30 – 0:45)

• Begin standing with bent elbows and hold your jump rope in your hands with the rope behind you. (If you don’t have a jump rope, hold your hands at a 90 degree angle from your elbows as if you did).
• Bend your knees and power off the balls of your feet while you loop the jump rope around your body and underneath your feet in a circular motion.
• As you land and jump, do so from the balls of your feet and in a relaxed position without tensing your shoulders or arms. 
• MOD: Rather than jumping up and down, do a fast step touch, step touch in and out. Alternatively do calf raises in place – recommended to hold the wall or a chair back for balance.

Move 2: Single Leg Hip Thrusters R (8-12)

• Position your back on an elevated surface (couch or chair). The edge of the surface should be at the base of your shoulder blades. Bend your knees and have them at 90 degrees.
• Straighten your right leg to be parallel to your left. (Optionally, you can add a weight to your left hip crease).
• Drive through your left heel to lift your hips to the ceiling, squeezing your glutes and keeping a tight core.
• Drop your hips back down toward the floor with control and repeat. Perform all reps on one side before switching.
• MOD: Perform this on the ground rather than an elevated surface or do this with both feet down rather than single leg.

Move 3: Single Leg Hip Thrusters L (8-12)

• Repeat on the other leg

Move 4: Plank Hold (0:30 – 0:45)

• Begin in a low plank position with your elbows on the ground, shoulders stacked over your hands and your core engaged. 
• Press your lower back slightly up toward the ceiling and hold for the allotted time.
• MOD: Perform this move from your elbows and knees or on an elevated surface.

Circuit 2

Move 1: Burpees (8-12)

• Begin standing with your feet hip distance apart.
• Bend your knees and plant your hands on the floor or mat in front of you (hands stacked directly below shoulders). Jump or step your feet back into a tall plank position, holding your belly button in and up to keep your core engaged.
• Keeping your core engaged, bring your body all the way down to the ground until your chest and thighs touch the ground.
• Powerfully press yourself back up to a tall plank position and then jump or step your feet back up towards your hands. 
• Extend your hips back to a standing position and finish by jumping with your hands reaching toward the ceiling. 
• MOD: Do this on an elevated surface and step your feet in and out for a lower impact movement.

Move 2: Hamstring Pull Throughs (1:00)

• Begin in a seated position on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, torso up tall, arms back behind you with your chest open wide and hands on the floor – fingers facing forward.  
• Press your heels into the mat and lift your hips up and through, squeezing your booty at the top to end in a reverse tabletop position with your knees bent.
• Slowly lower yourself down and repeat.
• MOD: Lie flat on the ground with your knees bent and perform a glute bridge.

Move 3: Narrow Row to Wide Row (8-12)

• Hinge forward at the waist to be at 45 degrees, and engage between your shoulders, core engaged, chest up, shoulders rolled back, and weights in hand allowing your weights to hang beneath your chest and keeping your gaze neutral.
• With your palms facing each other, pull the weights to your sides while keeping your elbows close to the body, and squeezing your back muscles like you’re pinching the base of your shoulder blades together. 
• Return to your hanging position, Rotate your arms so your palms are facing your knees and perform a wide row. 
• Come back to center and repeat those two row variations back to back.

Move 4: Elevated Glute Bridges (1:00)

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, heels on an elevated surface and core engaged.
• Powering through your heels, drive your hips to the ceiling and squeeze your glutes at the top. Be sure to engage your core all the way to the top rather than arching your back.
• Slowly lower your hips back down, one vertebrae at a time, lightly tapping your booty to the floor and repeat. 
• MOD: Lie flat on the ground with your knees bent and perform a glute bridge.

Awesome job, Rockstar – I’m proud of you for giving it your all!

Leave me a comment below and let me know how you’re feeling, where you did this workout, and anything else you’d like to share! I love hearing from you!

I’d love to see YOU inside Rock Your Life…

…so I can support you in ROCKING your body AND your life! Get stronger and healthier with a community of rockstars to support you, home workout challenges for a fit body, and fresh new workout classes each week to keep you motivated!

Take it for a Test Drive with a 30-Day Trial!

The post Total Body Shred Circuits appeared first on The Betty Rocker.