I Just Need to Stretch More!… You sure?

Most people don’t think much about breakfast. They skip it, rush it, or grab something that feels “good enough” and move on with their day. Then by mid-morning, energy dips and hunger spikes. That’s not a coincidence. How you start your day nutritionally matters more than most people realize. Yes, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” might be a myth, but breakfast sets the tone not just for hunger, but for energy, training performance, and food choices later on. When breakfast is skipped, very low in protein, or loaded with sugar, you’re quietly making the rest of the day harder. Skipping breakfast often feels productive. Fewer calories and one less decision to make. But physiologically it’s rarely that simple. When you don’t eat in the morning, hunger just gets postponed. By late morning or early afternoon, it comes back stronger, and decision making gets sloppier. That’s when portion sizes creep up and certain foods become harder to resist. It’s easy for us to think we will eat less throughout the day if we skip breakfast, but most of the time that’s not the case. Even when breakfast does happen, protein is usually missing. Toast, cereal, pastries, smoothies, and coffee with a splash of milk aren’t “bad foods”, but they don’t do much on their own to keep you full or energized. Protein slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and tells your brain you’re satisfied. Hitting your protein is one of the simplest things you can do to build or maintain muscle. Protein doesn’t just build muscle. It keeps you full, reduces cravings, and smooths out energy levels throughout the day. Getting a solid dose early in the day gives you a head start before decision fatigue creeps in. It makes it easier to eat well later, not harder. You’re less likely to snack mindlessly, overeat at night, or feel like you’re constantly playing catch up to hit your protein target for the day. For most active adults, a breakfast with only 10–15 grams of protein is just not enough. Closer to 30–40 grams is where hunger stays controlled and energy stays steady. Sugar makes things worse. Even breakfasts that appear reasonable can cause problems when they’re mostly sugar. Cereals, pastries, muffins, flavored yogurts, and sweetened drinks can spike blood sugar quickly. The crash that follows brings fatigue and the urge for more coffee or snacks. That cycle repeats itself all day. The first meal of the day influences far more than just hunger. It affects energy, training output, recovery, and how easy it is to make good decisions later on. A balanced, protein forward breakfast makes the rest of the day easier. A better breakfast doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. It just needs to prioritize protein and mainly come from whole foods. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but with a few minor substitutions, you can start to move things in the right direction. Hart

Let’s get this out of the way first… No one is here to cancel happy hour. But if you’re training consistently, trying to feel better in your body, and wondering why progress sometimes feels slower than it should, alcohol is usually part of that story whether we want it to be or not. Alcohol isn’t evil. It’s just not on your side when it comes to fitness. It’s Not Just About Calories Most people think alcohol only matters because of the calories. That part is true, but it’s actually the smallest piece of the puzzle. When you drink, your body treats alcohol as a toxin. That means everything else like burning fat, repairing muscle, even regulating blood sugar, gets put on hold while your liver works to clear the alcohol from your system. Researchers have shown that your ability to burn fat for fuel drops significantly after drinking. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, fat burning was reduced by up to 73% for several hours after alcohol consumption. Your body literally cannot prioritize fat loss while alcohol is present. So even if you ate well that day, trained hard, and hit your protein, your body is now forced into storage mode instead of rebuilding mode. Every workout you do creates small amounts of muscle damage. That’s not a bad thing, that’s the stimulus for growth. Recovery is when your body uses protein to repair that damage and build stronger muscle tissue. Alcohol interferes with that process. Your Sleep Is Worse Than You Think Alcohol can make you fall asleep faster, which is why so many people think it helps their sleep. But the quality of that sleep is worse. Studies from sleep labs have consistently shown that alcohol reduces deep sleep and REM sleep. The two stages that matter most for physical recovery, hormone balance, memory, and mood. It also raises your resting heart rate through the night and increases how often you wake up, even if you don’t remember it. You might be in bed for eight hours, but your body didn’t get eight hours of recovery. This matters because poor sleep increases stress, worsens insulin sensitivity, and drives cravings the next day. All things that work directly against fat loss and performance. So… Do You Have to Quit Drinking? No. But you should know the trade offs. One or two drinks occasionally won’t derail anything. But drinking several times per week adds up fast. Not just in calories, but in missed recovery. If your goal is to get leaner, stronger, have more energy, and feel better in your body, alcohol becomes something you have to manage instead of ignore. The Real Takeaway You don’t need to be perfect to make progress, but your habits should point in the same direction as your goals. If you’re training hard, eating well, and showing up consistently, alcohol often becomes the one thing quietly working against all of it. Cheers! Hart

Cardio is often thought of as the primary tool for fat loss and it’s easy to understand why. Cardio burns calories, raises heart rate, and feels productive. More sweat often makes us think, more progress. The problem is that fat loss doesn’t depend on a single variable. It’s the result of how training, nutrition, recovery, and consistency interact over time. When cardio is treated as the main focus, progress often stalls. Not because cardio is ineffective, but because it’s misunderstood. What Cardio Does Well Cardio training improves the efficiency of the aerobic system. It strengthens the heart and lungs, improves endurance, supports metabolic health, and is strongly associated with long-term health outcomes such as improved cardiovascular function, mood regulation, and sleep quality. From a health perspective, cardio is valuable and should be part of most training routines. From a fat-loss perspective, its role is more supportive than central. Cardio contributes to calorie expenditure, but it does not create the same adaptations as strength training. It does not increase muscle mass, and it does not significantly improve metabolism on its own. Why Resistance Training Matters More for Fat Loss Resistance training plays a critical role in fat loss because it preserves and builds muscle. Muscle influences body composition, strength, insulin sensitivity, and long-term metabolic health. When muscle mass is maintained or increased, the body is better able to use calories efficiently, physical capacity improves, and weight loss is more likely to come from fat rather than lean muscle. When resistance training is not prioritized and cardio volume increases, people are more likely to experience strength loss, reduced training intensity, and difficulty managing hunger. Over time, this can lead to muscle loss and a slower metabolic rate. Fat loss without muscle preservation can result in a smaller body, but not necessarily a healthier or more capable one. The Energy Trade-Off Increasing cardio volume often comes at the expense of recovery, lifting performance, or both. If cardio interferes with strength training quality, the long-term cost can outweigh the short-term calorie burn. This is especially true when calorie intake is reduced at the same time. Fat loss strategies that reduce training quality rarely produce sustainable results. Where Cardio Fits Best Cardio works best when it supports, rather than replaces, resistance training. A balanced approach typically prioritizes adequate protein intake, resistance training, high daily movement through walking or low-intensity activity, and moderate amounts of cardio. Cardio can improve work capacity, aid recovery, and increase total movement, all of which can indirectly support fat loss when applied appropriately. When Cardio Becomes the Focus Endurance-focused goals change the equation. For athletes training for marathons, triathlons, or ultra-endurance events, cardio becomes the primary driver of adaptation. Outside of these contexts, treating cardio as the main fat-loss strategy often leads to diminishing returns. The Takeaway Cardio is important for health, and resistance training is essential for body composition. Fat loss is best supported by preserving muscle, maintaining training quality, and building habits that can be sustained long term. Cardio can enhance that process, but it is not a substitute for strength training. Use cardio intentionally. Lift consistently. Eat enough protein. That combination remains the most reliable approach. Hart

Let’s get this out of the way first: I’m not a doctor. I don’t know your medical history. Before starting any supplement, especially if you have health conditions or take medications, check with your physician. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most supplements are unnecessary. Some are useless. Some are overpriced. Some are just fancy marketing with a cool label and zero payoff. If supplements actually worked the way the internet claims they do, everyone would be jacked out of their minds by now. They don’t. Supplements are exactly what the name implies: they supplement the basics. They don’t replace sleep. They don’t replace training. They don’t replace eating real food. And they definitely don’t fix inconsistencies. That said… There are a few that actually make sense. The One Everyone Should Start With: Creatine Creatine is one of the most researched supplements on the planet, and somehow it still gets treated like a sketchy muscle powder for meatheads only! In reality, creatine is naturally found in foods like red meat and fish. Supplementing with it simply helps your muscles produce energy more efficiently during short, intense efforts like lifting weights, sprinting, jumping, etc. What does that mean in real life? You can do a little more work, recover a little faster, and get a little stronger over time. Creatine has been shown to improve strength and power output, support muscle growth, and potentially support cognitive/brain health as well. How to take it: 3–5 grams per day - Every day at the same time - Take it with water or food, and take it whenever you’ll remember. Consistency matters! Protein Powder: Convenience, Not Magic Protein powder isn’t special. It’s just food in powdered form. If you’re already eating enough protein from whole foods, you don’t need it. If you struggle to hit protein targets consistently, it can be a game changer. That’s it. Protein powder does not build muscle on its own and it does not replace meals. It just helps you hit a daily protein number without cooking another chicken breast at 9pm. Use it when it makes life easier. Ignore it when it doesn’t. Omega-3s (Fish Oil): Worth Considering Most people don’t eat enough fatty fish. Omega-3s can help fill that gap. Potential benefits include joint health support, cardiovascular health, and inflammation management. It is not a performance supplement. It’s more of a long-term health play. Quality matters here. Cheap fish oil can be underdosed or oxidized, which defeats the purpose. Vitamin D: Situational, But Commonly Low If you live somewhere with long winters, work indoors, or avoid sunlight like a vampire, vitamin D levels are often low. Low vitamin D can impact energy, mood, and immune function! This one is best handled with blood work, but many people benefit from supplementation, especially in winter months. What About Pre-Workout? - The short & sweet! Most pre-workouts are just caffeine, sugar, and artificial colors. If you like them and tolerate them well, fine. But don’t confuse feeling cracked out with actually training better. A cup of coffee works just as well for most people. The Big Picture Supplements don’t change people. Habits do. Creatine works because it supports training you’re already doing. Protein powder works because it supports eating you’re already trying to improve. If sleep is terrible, training is inconsistent, and nutrition is chaotic, no supplement will save you. Start with... Consistent movement. Enough protein. Enough sleep Then layer supplements on top! Not the other way around. Hart

Honestly?... I think so! This might be a little more of an opinionated post than in the past but everyone seems to have a different opinion about the resolutions of the New Year, so strap in! Some love them and go all in, some hate them and don’t participate, and others choose lofty goals every year only to fall short after 3 days. No matter which one you are now, there’s a decent chance you’ve bounced around from committed, to who cares, in the past. So…my two cents. I’m not here to tell you that one way is better than another but I think in this world of trying to stay away from crash diets, but also see results, the sweet spot can be tough to find. As the New Year approaches and you start to think about what you want 2026 to look like, try to picture what your perfect day is and what type of person you want to become. Maybe your perfect day starts with getting out of bed when your alarm goes off instead of hitting snooze three times. Maybe it includes 30 minutes of movement not because you “have to work out,” but because that’s what this version of you does. Maybe it’s two short walks, a prepared meal instead of fast food, and putting your phone down a little earlier than usual. None of these things are dramatic. None of them will change your life in a day. But doing them most days, will. Try to be realistic. Without diving into the “smart” goal realm, try to build your perfect day in a way that feels like a little bit of a challenge, but is absolutely doable 80% of the time. With that being said…I think sometimes we fall into the trap of: if things are challenging, then it is probably too much. But why? The goals that we may have for the future are going to require some different work than what we do now. That’s hard and that’s okay. Not that we need to choose to run a marathon if we haven’t done one lap around the block, but don’t shy away from the big goals. Studies say that it takes about 2 months to build a habit. I think that's a crazy assumption to make. It depends on the person, and depends on the habit. A great way to keep this “perfect day” on track, is to actually write it down. Now I know the sticky note on the mirror might seem crazy, but the point is to see it every day. Write it on the fridge or put it on your phone, just try to find a place that you see early and often during the day. This keeps it top of mind and can be a good reminder if you start to slip a little. Get as specific or vague as you want! You can put things at specific times, or just in order from start to finish, but win the day and the goals take care of themselves. Goals are outcomes. Days are behaviors. You don’t control outcomes. You control what you do today. Stack enough good days together, and the result usually looks a lot like the goal you were chasing anyway. You don’t need a new year. You don’t need a resolution. You need a clear picture of the type of day you want to repeat, and the discipline to keep showing up for it. Hart

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

Life is busy. Work, kids, dogs, workouts, pretending to stretch… it all adds up. Most people want to eat more protein, but don’t want to add 3 hours of cooking on a Sunday to their list of To-Do’s. Some little changes can make a big difference without turning your life into a meal prep saga. Here are five easy protein upgrades that take zero extra time. Swap your regular yogurt for Greek yogurt This one is basically cheating. Regular yogurt: 5–6g protein Greek yogurt: 14–17g protein Same container, same convenience, triple the protein. Add fruit, granola, or honey and boom goes the dynamite! Swap cereal for overnight oats with protein Let’s be real, cereal is old school. Who needs that high sugar, no flavor, dumb toy in the box cereal from the 90’s Instead, throw these in a jar before bed: ½ cup oats 1 scoop protein powder Splash of milk Some berries or nut butter Holy cow! You wake up to 30–40g of protein that requires zero morning effort. Swap crackers/chips for cottage cheese + something Cottage cheese is one of the easiest wins. A single cup has 25g of protein, and it pairs with everything: Fruit Crackers Veggies Toast This turns a snack from “boo” to “booyah!!!” Swap a latte for a protein shake (or add protein to it) A standard latte has roughly 6–8g protein, & a protein shake has 20–30g. You could literally do the same thing you’re already doing, and just get more out of it. Add a scoop of vanilla whey to your iced latte Drink a shake with your coffee Use a ready-to-drink shake as your “creamer” Take your morning coffee from “dud” to “stud!” Swap one part of your meal for a protein-forward version Keep your meal the same but just upgrade one ingredient: Regular pasta → chickpea or lentil pasta White rice → high-protein rice blends Bread → Dave’s KillerBread / high-protein wraps Ground beef → 90/10 lean beef or turkey These swaps can add 10–20 extra grams without changing your actual meal. Go from “yawn” to “yahtzee!!” How Much Protein Should You Aim For? A simple rule for most active adults: 0.7-1.0 gram per pound of bodyweight So if you weigh 180 pounds: 126-180 grams/day is a solid range. If that number feels overwhelming, start with 20-25g per meal and 1-2 protein snacks. You don’t need a perfect diet, you just need better defaults. Small protein upgrades add up to better recovery, consistent energy, fewer random snacks, stronger workouts, and better body composition. 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