High-Protein Swaps for High Stress People

For a majority of the lifts we do at the gym, we focus on how much weight is on the bar. We think, more is better. However, when the goal is to look better, feel better, and function better in our daily lives… better is actually better. When barbells are flying around at a million miles an hour, our quality of movement and intent can get lost in the weeds. Tempo is one of the most effective tools we can use to build better movement and real, long-term strength and durability. First, tempo immediately improves movement quality. Slowing a lift down forces you to actually own every position instead of blowing through weak spots. You can’t hide poor mechanics, shifting weight, or a lack of control when the descent takes three seconds. This awareness builds better habits, cleaner reps, and movement patterns that actually carry over outside the gym. Tempo also increases time under tension, which is a huge driver of muscle growth. Muscles don’t care how impressive the number on the bar looks, they care about how long they’re being challenged. This is called mechanical tension. Controlling the lowering phase and pausing in key positions keeps the muscle working longer each rep, creating more stimulus with less load. It helps us build a little more muscle without putting too much stress on the joints. Another underrated benefit is joint health. Slower, controlled reps reduce unnecessary joint stress while strengthening the muscles, tendons, and connective tissue that support them. Instead of bouncing out of the bottom of a squat or crashing a barbell into your shoulders, tempo teaches you to absorb and produce force safely. Over time, this builds more resilient knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows. Finally, tempo shifts the goal from ego to intent. You’re no longer chasing numbers for the sake of numbers, you’re chasing quality reps, consistent positions, and meaningful effort. That’s how people make progress year after year instead of cycling through aches, plateaus, and setbacks. If you want to move better, build muscle, and stay durable long term, slowing things down might be the fastest way to get there. Hart

Whether you are a chatterbox or not, it is easy for all of us to go through the motions during the warm up portion of class quietly saying to ourselves, “I’m going to save my energy for the main thing!” We think that moving around a little bit will be good for us, but moving around a lot will somehow hinder our performance for the main workout… False! Most people skip or half-ass their warm up. A few stretches? Some light reps? A short jog? How much of an impact could that really have? Way more than you think! Warm-ups don’t need to be crazy complex, but they need to be treated with intent and effort in order to prepare us for what is to come. This is the simple, unsexy thing that makes everything else better. A proper warm-up does three big things: 1. It primes your body. Your muscles loosen up. Your joints get lubricated. Blood flow increases. Your nervous system wakes up. Suddenly your squat feels smoother, your run feels lighter, and your body doesn’t panic the moment intensity kicks in. 2. It boosts performance. Think of the warm-up as a highway onramp. If you try to merge at full speed from a dead stop, everything feels jarring. But give yourself a few controlled minutes to accelerate, and things feel better all around. 3. It prevents injuries. Warm muscles and mobile joints handle stress way better than cold ones. Most tweaks happen when someone goes straight from sitting at a desk to moving weight explosively. A good warm-up helps your body switch gears from our static life to our dynamic movement. Warm-ups are a transition. A moment to shift from work mode, kid mode, stress mode, or whatever chaos you came from… into training mode. They settle your mind and get you into a new rhythm for movement. You don’t need to love every warm-up every day. You don’t need to feel amazing every second. But take those first few minutes seriously. Show up, pay attention, and try a little harder than you think. Hart

4:30am Wake up 4:42am Meditate 5:05am Cold Plunge 5:30am Journal 6:00am Workout 7:00am Breakfast …Yada yada yada… This is your classic, run-of-the-mill 15 step morning routine popularized by an instagram influencer with no kids, no job, and an endless budget. Whether you’ve seen the videos or heard the tales of crazy morning routines, the chances you actually know a real person with a routine like this are incredibly slim. Routines are great, but seeing unrealistic ones all over your social media feeds can make them seem daunting. People think change comes from big, dramatic efforts like the perfect workout plan, the perfect diet, or where you wake up, meditate, meal prep, meditate, journal, meditate, and exercise... while meditating. Real life doesn’t work like that. Most of us are juggling work, kids, commutes, dogs, appointments, and whatever chaos shows up between your zoom meetings each day. The truth is, the small habits and routines are the most important ones. They aren’t impressive or flashy but what they lack in style, they make up for in repetition. And repetition is where the magic happens. Small routines create momentum. Doing something small consistently is so much more effective than doing something big rarely. Consistency compounds. Ten minutes of mobility each night doesn’t look like much, but over a month it adds up to hours of taking care of your body. A five minute morning walk doesn’t feel like a workout, but over a year it becomes a powerful habit that boosts mood, lowers stress, and gets your body moving. Most of us get stuck trying to start too big. We hear that we need 10,000 steps per day or that we should have veggies at each meal, and we make a big, abrupt change. We spend the first 2 days hitting our goal, only to slowly fall off over the next week because it didn’t actually fit with our life. In order to deadlift 500 pounds, whether that’s your goal or not, we first have to deadlift 100 pounds. Next it’s 135, then 200, then 225, and so on… Routines and daily habits work the same way. Start off super small and stick to it. A 5 minute walk after dinner can snowball into a daily routine 6 months from now that you won’t believe. And maybe the most underrated part is that routines give you stability when life inevitably gets chaotic. You don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need a 20-step morning ritual or a flawlessly structured life. You just need a handful of anchors in your day. The small habits you fall back on no matter what else is going on. A morning protein breakfast. A daily walk. Three weekly gym visits. A nightly stretch. These aren’t huge commitments, but they keep you moving in the right direction. Start tiny and let the momentum build! Hart

The holidays are a time of travel, fun, food, family, friends, more travel, drinks, more food, television, more travel, and most likely some more food! These are all great things and we should do our best to not stress about getting off track or losing progress. However, it can still be beneficial to keep some good habits in your back pocket. Especially if you have been making progress lately. The purpose of these tips and tricks is to keep those habits we’ve built, not to take away the fun holiday vibes. Starting with the easier of the two topics… fitness. We are going to simplify this best we can and talk about it more as movement. Get daily movement in. It could be a full blown workout yes, but when time or motivation is low try to spend a small amount of time each day moving. This might be a 20-30 minute walk or a bike ride around town with family. Maybe you are going to go on a run until Uncle Greg stops talking about politics… Whatever it is, make it simple and short. Motivation thrives on momentum so if we can keep a little bit of momentum through the holidays, we will come back to our normal Denver lives with more motivation than ever going into the New Year. 1. 10-15 minute walk after each meal 2. Shrink your workouts from 60 minutes to about 20-30 3. Choose 2-3 body weight movements you enjoy for a 10-15 minute AMRAP 4. Explore different fitness classes in your hometown Now for the hard part… food. Holidays usually come with so many different foods. Being from the Midwest, I’m really only familiar with multiple different casseroles, but I have heard that people eat other food too. Whatever you and your family are making, there is no reason to cut it out or restrict it like crazy. However, with a few minor tweaks to our habits, we can hopefully stay on track if that is your goal. 1. Don’t show up to a holiday party starving. 2. Pick 2 instead of all 3: Alcohol, Dessert, and Seconds 3. A glass of water between every “non-water” beverage Remember, fitness is supposed to make your life better, not turn you into the person weighing their mashed potatoes in front of grandma. Eat the foods you love. Hang out with people you care about. Move your body. And don’t stress!! - Hart

Should you track your macros… who knows! This is not going to be about why it’s good to track your food, or why it is bad. You can take that up with your diary. However, it is important to understand what these nutrients are, what they can do for us, and how to balance them on a plate. So… Protein - Carbohydrates - Fats Protein helps you recover from workouts, build muscle, and stay full longer. If you’re working out regularly, getting enough protein can make a big difference in how strong you feel in the gym and how well you recover after. Foods like chicken, eggs, yogurt, beef, fish, tofu, or even a protein shake can all get the job done. Carbohydrates are your energy source. They’re what fuel your workouts, your brain, and basically everything else you do that requires effort. If you’ve ever gone too low-carb and wondered why you suddenly hate burpees, that’s why (assuming you like burpees in the first place). Rice, fruit, potatoes, oats, and bread are great options. Lastly, Fat. The unsung hero that keeps everything running smoothly. Fats support hormone health, brain function, and recovery. They also make food taste good, which counts for something. The key is choosing good sources like avocado, nuts, or olive oil. With all of this being said, it is important to remember that we have not delved into vegetables, micronutrients, fiber, etc… Those three macronutrients are the main building blocks of our food, but micronutrients are just as important. Things like iron, fiber, potassium, vitamins, etc… are crucial to keeping our body running smoothly, so remember to add some fruits and veggies into your diet as well. Generally speaking, a plate breakdown like this is what we’re looking for! Protein = palm-sized portion Carbs = handful portion Fats = thumb-sized portion Vegetables = fist-sized portion The purpose of understanding these roles is not to obsess about it, but to become more aware of what we put on our plate and how it makes us feel. Feeling a little worn down and beat up after workouts? Try adding a little more protein to your plate or in your shake to help you bounce back. Lacking the energy to come to the gym after a long day? Up your carbs at lunchtime to give you a little extra boost for the Echo Bike! Hart

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