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At this part of our 10-Week Challenge, Week 6, we tend to get a little, well, esoteric. Or as some lovingly call it, ‘woo-woo’. Yep. We go inward, and we always look at the subconscious because that’s the root of it all. (And you thought being healthy was only about training and eating?). :)beliefs3

See, for many women, their beliefs steer their decisions about trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Do any of these sound (or feel) familiar?

“Everyone in my family is overweight.”
“I always fail at this.”
“If I get healthier, I may lose a certain relationship / person.”
“I’ve tried this fitness stuff before, but I always gain the weight back.”
“Other women have it easier…they have more time / money to get in shape.”
“I don’t deserve this.”
“Women naturally gain extra weight as we get older.”
“It’s hormones. Menopause is making me gain weight.”

See, beliefs are supposed to change (values, like integrity and honesty do not). We don’t believe in the tooth ferry anymore, and we no longer believe that the world is flat or that the sun rotates around the moon. But for many people, assessing and updating their beliefs is scary. And many beliefs (I would say most beliefs) are hand-me-downs from our ‘tribe’ or family, that keeps us unified, or worse, keeps us ‘in check’ and ‘safe’ (don’t want to rock the family boat now….). And for others, not updating their beliefs is about not taking responsibility for their lives, because change can be scary, and results can be scary too. Deep stuff, really. But change is pertinent to being human, and is a must for our growth and peace.

And the world is changing…oh boy, is it! In all ways, physically, spiritually andbeliefs4 socially. My mentor and friend, Spiritual Intuitive Cheryl Forrest, teaches us that our worlds are shifting, and our levels of consciousness is changing in today’s world. Some will heed this call to action, and sadly, others will not. Unfortunately, a large portion of human kind will continue to stay at the ‘lower energies’ and will continue to wallow in anger, dis-ease, sorrow, resentments and more (this is what we are experiencing more and more of every day, as we see people’s lack of compassion, or their increased anger, jealousies, resentments etc (just take a look at the incidents of road rage happening, and how people are reacting on Facebook etc with their rants…all lower energy stuff). Cheryl’s Spiritual message: move into yourself and your power, and grab hold of this higher consciousness, this momentum that offers joy over sorrow, acceptance over sabotage, generosity over gossip, and love over judgement.

The time is now. Never before in history has this shift occurred. So check your beliefs at the door – shed what doesn’t serve you, and move into more empowering ways of thinking and seeing. That’s the human experience in action!

– Karen

 

In our fast-paced lives, sports foods/drinks have become a quick, readily available snack choice for many people, but we really don’t need them. And in many cases, we simply don’t want them in our precious bodies!protein bars2

Many protein bars have artificial sweeteners and other dangerous additions, including aspartame, sorbitol, sucralose (yes, sucralose is an artificial!), acesulfame potassium, or maltitol, to name a few. While artificial sweeteners are touted as having no calories or carbs, the buck doesn’t stop there: studies show they get lodged in organs and tissues (in particular the digestive area, which as we know is where our immune system originates). Artificial sweeteners have been shown to make us hungrier‘! And, cellulitewell, they help your body to hold onto fat (yes ladies, fat) and they keep that nasty cellulite tucked away in your cells.

And of course there are the nasty trans fats, which are stabilizers in many popular snack foods, are a dangerous addition to any food and one should take extreme caution with these, given the health risks involved. And while labels are supposed to list them, manufacturers are legally allowed to label anything as having zero trans fats if there is less than 2 grams of trans fats in a serving size. (Look for the words ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘modified’…trans fats disguised as ‘other’ ingredients).

And let’s not get started on so-called electrolyte drinks, just sugar drinks disguised as healthy (sports nutritionists who work with Olympic track athletes have long discovered that the body has an amazing ability to manage its potassium / sodium levels and balance its own electrolytes, and even Olympic level marathoners show repeatedly through track tests that their bodies rarely, if ever,  need the replacement fuels. So if they don’t need them, then we sure don’t!

Eat with your eyes wide open, I always say. If you like to indulge in bars and drinks, if it makes you feel more in tune with the crowd, or if it feeds that nagging hunger, great. But simply know that the science hasn’t shown any benefit in fact, they are seen as more detrimental (and expensive!).

For me, whole food still rocks!

  • karen

It’s September, and with that, comes a harried group of women all wanting tocanmore2 ‘get back to it!”, and rightly so.

Yep, September is usually the busiest time of year for us Fitness gals (NOT January, like everyone thinks!). That’s because we’ve been out of schedule with our exercise and healthy eating for – gulp – almost 2 months!

Oh sure, we’ve dabbled here and there with training, but it just hasn’t had the same feel, or consistency. You feelin’ the same? (That’s me and my sis, Sheryl, enjoying some beverages by the 3-Sisters Mountains…oh yeah!)

Lots of times, women ask how long it takes to get you back to where you were before you fell off things. It all depends on how long you’ve been training, how you’ve been eating, how old you are, and what other stuff you’ve been doing. The longer you’ve been training, the faster the body can pick up where it left off.

For me, I went on holidays for 10 days and let my training go (oh sure, I hiked canmoreand biked, but that’s not training, that’s hiking and biking. Different indeed….), and it took me  3 weeks to get my strength and reserves up again, (and I’m a pretty seasoned lifter).

So…start from wherever you are. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away, it matters that you’re back, right? The Wise Warrior Woman doesn’t worry about the past, she moves ahead into the present with clarity and conviction. She just gets back up on that healthy living horse again.

Welcome back ladies!  – Karen

Only 10 days left until our start of the 10-Week Best Shape Challenge. Join us TODAY! (Includes a FREE Trial of Karen’s Healthy Living Program!)


Some Graduates of the Challenge who found success….!

“Thank you for all your support over the 10 Week Challenge.  I have learned so much for you, and am so grateful Karen. Your leadership, teaching, and support are truly valued. Again, thank you for your guiding light.” – Nerina Holderness

“Hey Karen! Thanks for everything and all the knowledge I have gained over the last 10 Week and 12 Week Best Shape Challenges, it’s been so empowering! I find your program fits in with my lifestyle and I am grateful that I get to be a part of the monthly HLP now. I’m ready! Thanks again!” – Kala Sinclair

“I’ve always considered myself to be a fairly healthy and fit person, but Karen’s 10-Week Best Shape Challenge program introduced me to a whole new way of thinking about my diet and my workouts. I have gained muscle and trimmed fat and feel the strongest that I have felt in years. Finally, I shed those extra 10 pounds and turned it into muscle. Fitting this into our busy lives is a challenge, but with short manageable workout routines, it is do-able. The 10 week challenge was the spark to get me going and now I know what I need to do to maintain my new shape and diet. Thanks Karen, for getting me on my way to a new and healthier body.” – Valerie Pike, BC

“I have had such a great journey. Doing both the 10 and 12 Week Challenges has been enough time to make these changes seem almost routine. I am so grateful to you, Karen, and the work that you have done for us in creating your programs. They truly have altered my life!” – Dariol Haydock

 

 

Roy F Photo Shoot 105It’s that time of year again, time for the Fall 10-Week Best Shape Challenge, and I often receive questions about the Challenge. Here, I answer the most-often asked questions……

– How does the Challenge work?
– How much weight can I lose?
– How much time is involved?
– What if I don’t have equipment?
– Can I train at home?
– Do you provide menu plans?
– Is there accountability built into it?
– I have injuries, how will this work?
– What kind of eating? Paleo? IIFYM?
– What if I’m vegan, gluten / lactose intolerant etc?
– How do I stay on the healthy bandwagon once it’s done?

Please CLICK HERE as I answer your questions!

Got other questions? Email me at karen@mccoyfitness.ca
Sign up has begun! Grab your seat TODAY! www.bestshapechallenge.com

Recently, I received an email from a client who had a story to share: while at her chiropractor’s office, he asked her ‘what is your goal with all this? (meaning weightlifting/power lifting and this lifestyle).’ She had to think, then said, “my goal is to be a really healthy and fit 60-yr old.” I don’t think he expected that answer.

Often others think what we do is purely about “looking good” but this is way 6641-women-dont-realize-how-powerful-they-aredown the ladder for us Warrior Women. For us, it’s about stepping into our Power, living in health and wholeness. It’s about continual improvement, personal fulfilment, overcoming adversity, and walking through life in control and with confidence. Oh yeah, and we love the feel of good food in our veins and a dumbell in our hands!

See, we LOVE to eat well and to train, because it makes us feel good and function well. Oh yeah, and we look pretty good too. And anyone that says this isn’t important is hiding the fact because they are in fear of being reprimanded for being ‘conceited’, ‘vain’ or ‘obsessed with training’ (I personally love that one!).

Ladies, train away. Eat well. Nourish your spirit and your soul. Do what feeds you inside and out. Walk in your Power. Love the journey. Enjoy every step of it.

And the next time someone asks you “Why do you do all this fitness stuff, anyway?”, turn it around and ask them: “Why don’t you do any fitness stuff, anyway”?

🙂 – Karen

Our 10-Week Best Shape Challenge is half full! Grab your seat…and join us!

beachSummer is the most dangerous time of year when our good intentions in eating and training fall by the wayside.

I am often asked how much muscle / gains we lose when we are not training. I dunno, I don’t think there is any real firm answer. But for me, I know when I’ve taken more than a week off, it’s taken me 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to get back to where I was. I think it’s different for everyone, depending on genetics, how long you’ve been lifting etc. I know when I took 4 years off, it took a solid 18 months to 2 years to get back to where I was…

So if you are anticipating a layoff (or you’re in one now), consider starting back into it slowly. Usually, the muscles are more willing and able to get back up to speed and lift what you were lifting, but the tendons and ligaments need much more coaxing time…they are the lagging parts in all of this.

So be gentle with yourself...this is not a race. Or consider keeping up with your training at least 3 days a week, in the same fashion you were doing (if you lifted weights, aim to try to mimic that as best you can, if you’re a runner, aim to get some miles in). It will not only help the body stay tuned up, and help you adjust to the September return, but it will keep your brain on board, your confidence up, and your eating in line (when training fails, eating fails, and vice versa).

Stay well. See you in September!

karen

The 10-Week Best shape of YOUR Life starts September 11th! Grab your set NOW! Sign up has begun! Only 20 seats!

Ever wonder why some people train so hard and never really see results? It Med ball twistcould be due to many reasons – poor eating, not consistent in their training, not intense enough, stale workouts…. Or it could be that they are always trying to lose weight, so they binge and restrict, binge and restrict…and the body doesn’t know what to do with all the roller coaster stuff that is being thrown at it.

Or they simply restrict too much, year round. No fuel for the fire, so to speak. Remember ladies, you have to EAT to build…you simply cannot build in a deficit. If you’re like me, you are a hard gainer. (It takes a long time for me to gain muscle: I’m small framed, older, and genetics are not on my side. So when I want to change my physique, I increase my calories, I pay super close attention to my macros, and I aim to lift heavier). There is no magic. Just good old sweat and tears.

And we need to beware what the press is putting out there too. When we read that so-and-so eat such-and-such and take in this many calories, we think we can do the same. But these pro’s are genetically gifted. That’s why they are pro’s. I am NOT saying they don’t work for it (have you ever seen a pro train? My gosh, it is INTENSE!) The pros have superb recovery and a strong immune system that they have built up over the years through quality nutrition and consistent, progressive training.

Your relationship with your body is the most precious of all relationships, and it takes time to learn and grow together. It also takes consistency in eating and lifting, day in, day out, year after year. Progress is slow, to be sure, for most of us pin3anyway, but know that there is progress with every workout. No workout, no progress. The formula is simple: eat, lift, rest, eat, lift, rest…and repeat over, and over, and over again. It’s cumulative. It’s on-going. And it’s pretty fulfilling too!

Coach Karen

PS Check out my 8-Week BLISS Body Makeover Program – videos, workout cards, eating and lifestyle lessons to help you melt the fat and get lean, shapely and strong!

Ever wonder why some people train so hard and never really see results? It pin3could be due to many reasons – poor eating, not consistent in their training, not intense enough, stale workouts…. Or it could be that they are always trying to lose weight, so they binge and restrict, binge and restrict…and the body doesn’t know what to do with all the roller coaster stuff that is being thrown at it. Or they simply restrict too much, year round. No fuel for the fire, so to speak.

Remember ladies, you have to EAT to build…you simply cannot build in a deficit. If you’re like me, you are a hard gainer. (It takes a long time for me to gain muscle: I’m small framed, older, and genetics are not on my side. So when I want to change my physique, I increase my calories, I pay super close attention to my macros, and I aim to lift heavier). There is no magic. Just good old sweat and tears.

And we need to beware what the press is putting out there too. When we read that so-and-so eat such-and-such and take in this many calories, we think we can do the same. But these pro’s are genetically gifted. That’s why they are pro’s. I am NOT saying they don’t work for it (have you ever seen a pro train? My gosh, it is INTENSE!) The pros have superb recovery and a strong immune system that they have built up over the years through quality nutrition and consistent, progressive training. (The lovely Aaron Price, below, of Victoria is a living, breathing example of what consistent training and ample food can do! She rocked 4th place at the IDFA show last fall!).

Your relationship with your body is the most precious of all relationships, and 20141123_201531it takes time to learn and grow together. It also takes consistency in eating and lifting, day in, day out, year after year. Progress is slow, to be sure, for most of us anyway, but know that there is progress with every workout. No workout, no progress.

The formula is simple: eat, lift, rest, eat, lift, rest…and repeat over, and over, and over again. It’s cumulative. It’s on-going. And it’s pretty fulfilling too!

Coach Karen

PS Check out my 8-Week BLISS Body Makeover Programvideos, workout cards, eating and lifestyle lessons to help you melt the fat and get lean, shapely and strong!

In August, I close down my Studio 8 as I go on holidays and enjoy a much neededShoulders24 rest…but before I go, I’ve been prepping my gals to continue on the path..

See, summer is the hazardous time...if you don’t continue the work, watch your eating, and keep on your training game, you will some back in September a little, well, under the weather. Most gals lose a lot of strength (hard to estimate, but in my experience, if you lose 2 weeks, it sets you back 3 1/2 – 4 weeks. Of course, the longer you’ve been training, the shorter the set back, but if I took a summer off, I estimate it would take me 4-5 months to get it back, really get it back, my strength, endurance and all).

So this summer, keep up with it all...I tell my gals it’s gotta be minimum 3 days a week, and it’s gotta be heavy lifting. We’ve worked so hard to get here, thousands of reps and sets, hundreds of hours…let’s not lose all that lovely work!

Onward, Summer Warrior Women!

PS Why not try my 8-Week Summer BLISS Body Makeover Program. You can start at home, and progress to the gym, if you choose! Don’t let summer slip on by…(it makes our September start up so much easier if we keep at it, yes?)